CHAPTER XIX. OF THE MEN OF DYRAFIRTH. — The Story of Howard the Halt, The Story of the Banded Men, The Story of Hen Thorir (tr. William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson (1891))

THERE was a man hight Thorarin, the priest of Dyrafirth in the west country, a great chief, and somewhat stricken in years. He was the brother of those sons of Thiodrek, but by far the thoughtfullest and wisest of them. He had heard of these tidings and of the slaying of his brethren and kinsmen, and deemed himself nigh touched by it, and that he might not sit idle in the matter whereas the blood-feud fell to him most of all. So before folk rode to the Thing, he summoned to him the men of Dyrafirth, his friends and kinsfolk. There was one Dyri, next of account after Thorarin the priest, and a great friend of his ; Thorgrim was the name of his son, a man full grown at this time : it is told of him that he was both big and strong, and a wizard of the cunningest, who dealt much in spells. Now when Thorarin laid this matter before his friends, they were of one accord in this, that Thorarin and Dyri should ride to the Thing with two hundred men ; but Thorgrim, Dyri's son, offered himself to compass the slaying of Howard, and all those kinsmen and fellows : he said how the word went that Steinthor of Ere had held them through the winter, and that he had promised to uphold their case at law to the uttermost against such as had the blood-feud after those kinsmen,

Thorgrim said that he knew how Steinthor was ridden from home, a great company, to the Thing, and that those fellows were gotten to Otterdale to Atli the Miser, brother-in-law of Steinthor : " And

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there is nought to hinder our slaying them one on the heels of the other."

So this rede was taken, that Thorgrim should ride from home with eighteen men: of whose journey is nought to tell till they come to Atli's stead in Otterdale early of a morning, and ride into a hollow whence they might not be seen from the house ; then bade Thorgrim to light down, and they did so, and baited their horses ; but Thorgrim said that he was so sleepy that he might not sit up, so he slept with a skin drawn over his head, and was ill at ease in his sleep.