the out-dairies called Northdairies Kjartan spake to the brothers and
bade them not to ride any farther. "Thorolf the thief," he said,
"shall not have that matter to laugh at that I dare not ride on my way
with few men." Thorkell Whelp said, "We will yield to you in not
following you any farther; but we should rue it indeed not to be near
if you should stand in need of men to-day." Then Kjartan said, "Never
will Bolli, my kinsman, join hands with plotters against my life. But
if the sons of Osvif lie in wait for me, there is no knowing which
side will live to tell the tale, even though I may have some odds to
deal with." Thereupon the brothers rode back to the west.

[Footnote 6: Gill=gorge, deep watercourse.]




CHAP. XLIX

The Death of Kjartan


Now Kjartan rode south through the dale, he and they three together,
himself, An the Black, and Thorarin. Thorkell was the name of a man
who lived at Goat-peaks in Swinedale, where now there is waste land.
He had been seeing after his horses that day, and a shepherd of his
with him. They saw the two parties, the men of Laugar in ambush and
Kjartan and his where they were riding down the dale three together.
Then the shepherd said they had better turn to meet Kjartan and his;
it would be, quoth he, a great good hap to them if they could stave
off so great a trouble as now both sides were steering into. Thorkell