I'm a bit late posting this because, even though I have more leisure than most folk, I'm getting wrapped up in translating Egil's Saga - I'm about a fifth of the way through - and preparing lessons on language and history which I might never get to teach, if I can't find a group that's interested. The seasons greetings to all of you - I've thoroughly enjoyed our joint efforts of this year. Lets hope it gains even more vigour next year.

Cheers

Jed

Hann spurði alla sauðamenn að seljum, ef nokkur hefði séð þetta fé, og kvaðst engi séð hafa.                                                                                                               He asked all the shepherds at the shieling if anyone had seen these animals, and they said no one had seen them.

Einar reið Freyfaxa allt frá eldingu og til miðs aftans.                                          Einar rode Freyfax all (the time) from dawn until the middle of the evening.     

                                                                                                                                        Hesturinn bar hann skjótt yfir og víða, því að hann var góður af sér.                     The horse carried him swiftly over(the terrain) far and wide because it was a willing animal.

Einari kom það í hug, að honum mundi mál heim og reka það fyrst heim, sem heima var, þótt hann fyndi hitt eigi.                                                                                     It came into his mind that it would be time for him first to drive home (to the sheepfold/) that (the flock) which was at home, even though he did not find it (the other flock).

Reið hann þá austur yfir hálsa í Hrafnkelsdal.                                                     Then he rode east over the ridge into Hrafnkelsdale.

 En er hann kemur ofan að Grjótteigi, heyrir hann sauðajarm fram með gilinu, þangað sem hann hafði fram riðið áður.                                                                           But when he cam down into Stony Meadow, he heard the bleating of sheep ahead along a gill where he had ridden before.

Snýr hann þangað til og sér renna í móti sér þrjá tigu ásauðar, það sama sem hann vantað hafði áður viku, og stökkti hann því heim með fénu.                                    He turned in that direction and saw running towards him thirty ewes, the same he had lost a week ago and he drove the animals home.

Hesturinn var votur allur af sveita, svo að draup úr hverju hári hans, var mjög leirstokkinn og móður mjög ákaflega. The horse was all of a sweat so that it dropped from every hair it had, it was spattyered a great deal with mud and it was very weary. 

Hann veltist nokkrum tólf sinnum, og eftir það setur hann upp hnegg mikið; síðan tekur hann á mikilli rás ofan eftir götunum.                                                              It rolled over about ten times and after that it set up a loud neighing. Then it took a great rush down along the paths.

 Einar snýr eftir honum og vill komast fyrir hestinn og vildi höndla hann og færa hann aftur til hrossa, en hann var svo styggur, að Einar komst hvergi í nándir honum. Einar turned (to go) after it and wanted to get in front of the horse and lay hands on it and bring it back to the (other) horses, by it was so shy that Einar could come nowhere near it.

Hesturinn hleypur ofan eftir dalnum og nemur eigi staðar, fyrr en hann kemur á Aðalból.                                                                                                                     The horse ran down the dale and took no halt before it came to Athalbol

Þá sat Hrafnkell yfir borðum. Og er hesturinn kemur fyrir dyr, hneggjaði hann þá hátt.                                                                                                                 Hrafnkel was sitting at his table. And when the horse came to the door, it neighed loudly.

Hrafnkell mælti við eina konu, þá sem þjónaði fyrir borðinu, að hún skyldi fara til dyranna, því að hross hneggjaði, - "og þótti mér líkt vera gneggi Freyfaxa."               Hrafnkel spoke with a woman who served at the table, that she should go to the doors, because a horse had neighed, - 'and it seems to me to be like Freyfax's neighing.'

Hún gengur fram í dyrnar og sér Freyfaxa mjög ókræsilegan. Hún sagði Hrafnkeli, að Freyfaxi var fyrir dyrum úti, mjög óþokkulegur.                                                                                                            She went to the doors and saw a very dirty Freyfax. She told Hrafnkel that Freyfax was outside, very much out of temper.