HKB
"To one on the lower bench, over against my high seat."
Then Hrapp went and took his seat. He was able to tell of many things, and so it was at first that Gudbrand and many thought it sport to listen to him; but still it came about that most men thought him too much given to mocking, and the end of it was that he took to talking alone with Gudruna, so that many said that he meant to beguile her.
But when Gudbrand was aware of that, he scolded her much for daring to talk alone with him, and bade her beware of speaking aught to him if the whole household did not hear it. She gave her word to be good at first, but still it was soon the old story over again as to their talk. Then Gudbrand got Asvard, his overseer, to go about with her, out of doors and in, and to be with her wherever she went. One day it happened that she begged for leave to go into the nut-wood for a pastime, and Asvard went along with her. Hrapp goes to seek for them and found them, and took her by the hand, and led her away alone.
Then Asvard went to look for her, and found them both together stretched on the grass in a thicket.
He rushes at them, axe in air, and smote at Hrapp's leg, but Hrapp gave himself a second turn, and he missed him. Hrapp springs on his feet as quick as he can, and caught up his axe. Then Asvard wished to turn and get away, but Hrapp hewed asunder his backbone.
Then Gudruna said, "Now hast thou done that deed which will hinder thy stay any Longer with my father; but still there is something behind which he will like still less, for I go with child".
"He shall not learn this from others," says Hrapp, "but I will go home and tell him both these tidings."
"Then," she says, "thou will not come away with thy life."
"I will run the risk of that," he says.
After that he sees her back to the other women, but he went home. Gudbrand sat in his high seat, and there were few men in the hall.
Hrapp went in before him, and bore his axe high.
"Why is thine axe bloody?" asks Gudbrand.
"I made it so by doing a piece of work on thy overseer Asvard's back," says Hrapp.
"That can be no good work," says Gudbrand; "thou must have slain him."
"So it is, be sure," says Hrapp.
"What did ye fall out about?" asks Gudbrand.
"Oh!" says Hrapp, "what you would think small cause enough. He wanted to hew off my leg."
"What hast thou done first?" asked Gudbrand.
"What he had no right to meddle with," says Hrapp.
"Still thou wilt tell me what it was."
"Well!" said Hrapp, "if thou must know, I lay by thy daughter's side, and he thought that bad."
"Up men!" cried Gudbrand, "and take him. He shall be slain out of hand."
"Very little good wilt thou let me reap of my son-in-lawship," says Hrapp, "but thou hast not so many men at thy back as to do that speedily."
Up they rose, but he sprang out of doors. They run after him, but he got away to the wood, and they could not lay hold of him.
Then Gudbrand gathers people, and lets the wood be searched; but they find him not, for the wood was great and thick.
Hrapp fares through the wood till he came to a clearing; there he found a house, and saw a man outside cleaving wood.
He asked that man for his name, and he said his name was Tofi.
Tofi asked him for his name in turn, and Hrapp told him his true name.
Hrapp asked why the householder had set up his abode so far from other men?
"For that here," he says, "I think I am less likely to have brawls with other men."