This plan they settled between them should be brought to pass; and Mord said, "I would, father, that thou wouldst take on thee the new faith. Thou art an old man." "I will not do that," says Valgard. "I would rather that thou shouldst cast off the faith, and see what follows then." Mord said he would not do that. Valgard broke crosses before Mord's face, and all holy tokens. A little after Valgard took a sickness and breathed his last, and he was laid in a cairn by Hof. 107. OF MORD AND NJAL'S SONS Some while after Mord rode to Bergthorsknoll and saw Skarphedinn there; he fell into very fair words with them, and so he talked the whole day, and said he wished to be good friends with them, and to see much of them. Skarphedinn took it all well, but said he had never sought for anything of the kind before. So it came about that he got himself into such great friendship with them, that neither side thought they had taken any good counsel unless the other had a share in it. Njal always disliked his coming thither, and it often happened that he was angry with him. It happened one day that Mord came to Bergthorsknoll, and Mord said to Njal's sons, "I have made up my mind to give a feast yonder, and I mean to drink in my heirship after my father, but to that feast I wish to bid you, Njal's sons, and Kari; and at the same time I give you my word that ye shall not fare away giftless." They promised to go, and now he fares home and makes ready the feast. He bade to it many householders, and that feast was very crowded. Thither came Njal's sons and Kari. Mord gave Skarphedinn a brooch of gold, and a silver belt to Kari, and good gifts to Grim and Helgi. They come home and boast of these gifts, and show them to Njal. He said they would be bought full dear, "and take heed that ye do not repay the giver in the coin which he no doubt wishes to get." 108. OF THE SLANDER OF MORD VALGARD'S SON. A little after Njal's sons and Hauskuld were to have their yearly feasts, and they were the first to bid Hauskuld to come to them. Skarphedinn had a brown horse four winters old, both tall and sightly. He was a stallion, and had never yet been matched in fight. That horse Skarphedinn gave to Hauskuld, and along with him two mares. They all gave Hauskuld gifts, and assured him of their friendship. After that Hauskuld bade them to his house at Ossaby, and had many guests to meet them, and a great crowd. It happened that he had just then taken down his hall, but he had built three outhouses, and there the beds were made. So all that were bidden came, and the feast went off very well. But when men were to go home Hauskuld picked out good gifts for them, and went a part of the way with Njal's sons. The sons of Sigfus followed him and all the crowd, and both sides said that nothing should ever come between them to spoil their friendship.