past the homesteads which are called Shaws, and stopped at one of the homesteads at Shaws, and got off their horses.  Thorolf, son of Osvif, went out from the homestead with a few other men.  They went out of sight amongst the brushwood, whilst the others tarried at the Shaws’ homestead.  An followed him all the way unto Salmon-river, where it flows out of Saelingsdale, and said he would turn back there.  Thorolf said it would have done no harm though he had gone nowhere at all.  The night before a little snow had fallen so that footprints could be traced. [Sidenote:  An finds the sword] An rode back to the brushwood, and followed the footprints of Thorolf to a certain ditch or bog.  He groped down with his hand, and grasped the hilt of a sword.  An wished to have witnesses with him to this, and rode for Thorarin in Saelingsdale Tongue, and he went with An to take up the sword.  After that An brought the sword back to Kjartan.  Kjartan wrapt it in a cloth, and laid it in a chest.  The place was afterwards called Sword-ditch, where An and Thorarin had found the “King’s-gift.”  This was all kept quiet.  The scabbard was never found again.  Kjartan always treasured the sword less hereafter than heretofore.  This affair Kjartan took much to heart, and would not let the matter rest there.  Olaf said, “Do not let it pain you; true, they have done a nowise pretty trick, but you have got no harm from it.  We shall not let people have this to laugh at, that we make a quarrel about such a thing, these being but friends and kinsmen on the other side.”  And through these reasonings of Olaf, Kjartan let matters rest in quiet.  After that Olaf got ready to go to the feast at Laugar at “winter nights,” and told Kjartan he must go too.  Kjartan was very unwilling thereto, but promised to go at the bidding of his father.  Hrefna was also to go, but she wished to leave her coif behind.  “Goodwife,” Thorgerd said, “whenever will you take out such a peerless keepsake if it is to lie down in chests when you go to feasts?” Hrefna said, “Many folk say that it is not unlikely that I may come to places where I have fewer people to envy me than at Laugar.”  Thorgerd said, “I have no great belief in people who let such things fly here from house to house.” [Sidenote:  Hrefna misses the coif] And because Thorgerd urged it eagerly Hrefna took the coif, and Kjartan did not forbid it when he saw how the will of his mother went.  After that they betake themselves to the journey and came to Laugar in the evening, and had a goodly welcome there.  Thorgerd and Hrefna handed out their clothes to be taken care of.  But in the morning when the women should dress themselves Hrefna looked for the coif and it was gone from where she had put it away.  It was looked for far and near, and could not be found.  Gudrun said it was most likely the coif had been left behind at home, or that she had packed it so carelessly that it had fallen out on the way.  Hrefna now told Kjartan that the coif