now deemed meetest for him; Thorgeir said that it was most to his mind to go abroad if he should be outlawed.  Thorgils said that should be tried.  A ship lay up Northriver in Burgfirth; in that keel Thorgils secretly paid faring for the foster-brothers, and thus the winter passed.  Thorgils heard that Asmund and Thorstein drew together many men to the Althing, and sat in Liarskogar.  He drew out the time of riding from home, for he would that Asmund and Thorstein should have ridden by before him to the south, when he came from the west; and so it fell out.  Thorgils rode south, and with him rode the foster-brothers.  In this ride Thorgeir killed Bundle-Torfi of Marswell, and Skuf withal, and Biarni in Dog-dale; thus says Thormod in Thorgeir’s-Drapa—­

  “Mighty strife the warrior made,
  When to earth was Makson laid,
  Well the sword-shower wrought he there,
  Flesh the ravens got to tear;
  Then when Skuf and Biarni fell,
  He was there the tale to tell;
  Sea-steed’s rider took his way
  Through the thickest of the fray.”

Thorgils settled the peace for the slaying of Skuf and Biarni then and there in the Dale, and delayed no longer than his will was before; Thorgeir went to ship, but Thorgils to the Althing, and came not thither until men were going to the courts.

Then Asmund the Greyhaired challenged the defence for the blood-suit on the slaying of Thorgils Makson.  Thorgils went to the court and offered weregild for the slaying, if thereby Thorgeir might become free of guilt; he put forth for defence in the suit whether they had not free catch on all common foreshores.  The lawman was asked if this was a lawful defence.  Skapti was the lawman, and backed Asmund for the sake of their kinship.  He said this was law if they were equal men, but said that bonders had a right to take before batchelors.  Asmund said that Thorgils had offered an even sharing to the foster-brothers in so much of the whale as was uncut when they came thereto; and therewith that way of defence was closed against them.  Now Thorstein and his kin followed up the suit with much eagerness, and nought was good to them but that Thorgeir should be made guilty.

Thorgils saw that one of two things was to be done, either to set on with many men, not knowing what might be gained thereby, or to suffer them to go on as they would; and, whereas Thorgeir had been got on board ship, Thorgils let the suit go on unheeded.

Thorgeir was outlawed, but for Thormod was taken weregild, and he to be quit.  By this blood-suit Thorstein and Asmund were deemed to have waxed much.  And now men ride home from the Thing.

Some men would hold talk that Thorgils had lightly backed the case, but he heeded their talk little, and let any one say thereon what he would.

But when Thorgeir heard of this outlawry, he said—­

“Fain am I that those who have made me an outlaw should have full pay for this, ere all be over.”