Who dabbles the muck on the meadow
-- Yon rook in his mud-spattered raiment --
Got a rap for his noise -- like a dog."


CHAPTER FIVE
They Waylay Cormac: And The Witch Curses Him.

There was a woman named Thorveig, and she knew a deal too much.
She lived at Steins-stadir (Stonestead) in Midfiord, and had two
sons; the elder was Odd, and the younger Gudmund. They were
great braggarts both of them.

This Odd often came to see Thorkel at Tunga, and used to sit and
talk with Steingerd. Thorkel made a great show of friendship
with the brothers, and egged them on to waylay Cormac. Odd said
it was no more than he could do.

So one day when Cormac came to Tunga, Steingerd was in the
parlour and sat on the dais. Thorveig's sons sat in the room,
ready to fall upon him when he came in; and Thorkel had put a
drawn sword on one side of the door, and on the other side Narfi
had put a scythe in its shaft. When Cormac came to the hall-door
the scythe fell down and met the sword, and broke a great notch
in it. Out came Thorkel and began to upbraid Cormac for a
rascal, and got fairly wild with his talk: then flung into the
parlour and bade Steingerd out of it. Forth they went by another
door, and he locked her into an outhouse, saying that Cormac and
she would never meet again.