He said he wished to take an oath of them, and pledges that they would hold to them, and they all said "yea" to that, and so he took pledges from them. "This is the beginning of our laws," he said, "that all men shall be Christian here in the land, and believe in one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, but leave off all idol- worship, not expose children to perish, and not eat horseflesh. It shall be outlawry if such things are proved openly against any man; but if these things are done by stealth, then it shall be blameless." But all this heathendom was all done away with within a few years' space, so that those things were not allowed to be done either by stealth or openly. Thorgeir then uttered the law as to keeping the Lord's day and fast days, Yuletide and Easter, and all the greatest highdays and holidays. The heathen men thought they had been greatly cheated; but still the true faith was brought into the law, and so all men became Christian here in the land. After that men fare home from the Thing. ENDNOTES: (1) Kettle and Thorkel were both sons of Thorir Tag, the son of Kettle the Seal, the son of Ornolf, the son of Bjornolf, the son of Grim Hairycheek, the son of Kettle Haeing, the son of Hallbjorn Halftroll of Ravensfood. (2) This was no bribe, but his lawful fee. 102. THE WEDDING OF HAUSKULD, THE PRIEST OF WHITENESS Now we must take up the story, and say that Njal spoke thus to Hauskuld, his foster-son, and said, "I would seek thee a match." Hauskuld bade him settle the matter as he pleased, and asked whether he was most likely to turn his eyes. "There is a woman called Hildigunna," answers Njal, "and she is the daughter of Starkad, the son of Thord Freyspriest. She is the best match I know of." "See thou to it, foster-father," said Hauskuld; "that shall be my choice which thou choosest." "Then we will look thitherward," says Njal. A little while after, Njal called on men to go along with him. Then the sons of Sigfus, and Njal's sons, and Kari Solmund's son, all of them fared with him and they rode east to Swinefell. There they got a hearty welcome. The day after, Njal and Flosi went to talk alone, and the speech of Njal ended thus, that he said, "This is my errand here, that we have set out on a wooing-journey, to ask for thy kinswoman Hildigunna." "At whose hand?" says Flosi. "At the hand of Hauskuld, my foster-son," says Njal. "Such things are well meant," says Flosi, "but still ye run each of you great risk, the one from the other; but what hast thou to say of Hauskuld?" "Good I am able to say of him," says Njal; "and besides, I will lay down as much money as will seem fitting to thy niece and thyself, if thou wilt think of making this match." "We will call her hither," says Flosi, "and know how she looks on the man." Then Hildigunna was called, and she came thither. Flosi told her of the wooing, but she said she was a proudhearted woman.