That day men went to the Thing-brink and spoke their pleadings; but in the evening the judges were to
go out to try suits. Thorstein was there with his train; he had there chief authority as to the rules of the
Thing, for so it had been while Egil held priesthood and headship. Both parties were fully armed.

And now it was seen from the Thing that a troop of men was riding down along Cleave-river with
gleaming shields. And when they rode into the Thing, there rode foremost a man in a blue mantle. He
had on his head a gilded helm, by his side a gold-decked shield, in his hand a barbed spear whose
socket was overlaid with gold, and a sword at his girdle. Thither had come Egil Skallagrim’s son with
eighty men, all well-weaponed, as if arrayed for battle. A choice company it was: Egil had brought
with him the best landowners’ sons from the southern Nesses, those whom he thought the most
warlike. With this troop Egil rode to the booth which Thorstein had had roofed, a booth hitherto
empty. They dismounted. And when Thorstein perceived his father’s coming, he with all his troop
went to meet him, and bade him welcome. Egil and his force had their travelling gear carried into the
booth, and their horses turned out to pasture. This done, Egil and Thorstein with the whole troop went
up to the Thing-brink, and sat them down where they were wont to sit.

Then Egil stood up and spoke with loud voice: ’Is Aunund Sjoni here on the Thing-brink?’ Aunund
replied that he was there. And he said, ’I am glad, Egil, that you are come. This will set right all the
dispute here between these men.’ ’Is it by your counsel,’ said Egil, ’that your son Steinar brings a
charge against my son Thorstein, and has gathered much people to this end, to make Thorstein an
outcast?’ ’Of this I am not the cause,’ said Aunund, ’that they are quarrelling. I have spend many a
word and begged Steinar to be reconciled with Thorstein; for in any case I would have spared your son
Thorstein disgrace: and good cause for this is the loving friendship of old that has been between us
two, Egil, since we grew up here as next-door neighbours.’ ’It will soon be clear,’ said Egil, ’whether
you speak this as truth or vain words; though I think this latter can hardly be. I remember the day
when either of us had deemed it incredible that one should be accusing the other, or that we should not
control our sons from going on with such folly as I hear this is like to prove. To me this seems right
counsel, while we both live and are so nearly concerned with their quarrel, that we take this cause into
our own hands and quash it, and let not Tongue-Odd and Einar match our sons together like fighting
horses. Let them henceforth find some other way than this of making money.’

Then stood up Aunund and spoke: ’Rightly say you, Egil; and it ill-beseems us to be at a Thing where
our sons quarrel. Never shall that shame be ours, that we lacked the manhood to reconcile them. Now,
Steinar, I will that you give this cause into my hands, and let me deal with it as I please.’

’I am not sure,’ said Steinar, ’that I will so abandon my cause; for I have already sought me the help of
great men. I will now only bring my cause to such an issue as shall content Odd and Einar.’ Then Odd
and Steinar talked together. Odd said, ’I will give you, Steinar, the help that I promised towards
getting law, or for such issue of the cause as you may consent to accept. You will be mainly
answerable for how your cause goes, if Egil is to be judge therein.’

Whereupon Aunund said: ’I need not leave this matter to the tongue of Odd. Of him I have had neither
good or bad; but Egil has done to me much that is very good. I trust him far more than others; and I
shall have my way in this. It will be for your advantage not to have all of us on your hands. I have
hitherto ruled for us both, and will do so still.’ Steinar said, ’You are right eager about this cause,
father; but I think we shall oft rue this.’