"No one will now think," says Bergthora, "that ye have the heart to lift your weapons."
"Spare thy tongue, mistress!" says Kari, "in egging on thy sons, for they will be quite eager enough."
After that they all talk long in secret, Njal and his sons, and
Kari Solmund's son, their brother-in-law.
ENDNOTES:
(1) "Prop of sea-waves' fire," a periphrasis for woman that
bears gold on her arm.
(2) "Skates that skim." etc.. a periphrasis for ships.
(3) "Odin's mocking cup," mocking songs.
(4) An allusion to the Beast Epic, where the cunning fox laughs
at the flayed condition of his stupid foes, the wolf and
bear. We should say, "Don't stop to speak with him, but
rather beat him black and blue."
91. THRAIN SIGFUS' SON'S SLAYING
Now there was great talk about this quarrel of theirs, and all seemed to know that it would not settle down peacefully.
Runolf, the son of Wolf Aurpriest, east in the Dale, was a great friend of Thrain's, and had asked Thrain to come and see him, and it was settled that he should come east when about three weeks or a month were wanting to winter.
Thrain bade Hrapp, and Grani, and Gunnar Lambi's son, and Lambi Sigurd's son, and Lodinn, and Tjorvi, eight of them in all, to go on this journey with him. Hallgerda and Thorgerda were to go too. At the same time Thrain gave it out that he meant to stay in the Mark with his brother Kettle, and said how many nights he meant to be away from home.
They all of them had full arms. So they rode east across Markfleet, and found there some gangrel women, and they begged them to put them across the Fleet west on their horses, and they did so.