I am sorry but I believe I shall not be much of most any sort of help with the "problem" Alan spoke of - after I had finished I looked at his and Grace's words and could see nothing wrong ( I was thinking about Sam -more later)
Njáll hét því og reið heim.
Njal promised this and rode home
Það er sagt að Gunnar reið til allra mannfunda og lögþinga og þorðu aldrei
óvinir hans á hann að ráða. Fór svo fram nokkura hríð að hann fór sem ósekur
maður.
It is said that Gunnar rode to all meetings and law assemblies and his enemies never dared attack him.
So it went on/forward for a time that he went about like an un-convicted (not outlawed) man
76. kafli
Um haustið sendi Mörður Valgarðsson orð að Gunnar mundi vera einn heima en
lið allt mundi vera niðri í Eyjum að lúka heyverkum.
In the Autumn Morð Valgardsson sent word that Gunnar would be home alone, and all his household would be further off on the "Land Isles" for the haymaking.
Riðu þeir Gissur hvíti
og Geir goði austur yfir ár þegar þeir spurðu það og austur yfir sanda til
Hofs.
They rode - Gizur white and Geir Priest, east over the river, when they heard (of this) and East over sands to Hof
Þá sendu þeir orð Starkaði undir Þríhyrningi. Og fundust þeir þar
allir er að Gunnari skyldu fara og réðu hversu þeir skyldu með fara.
There they sent word to Starkað under "Three Horns". And they all met together who should be (wished to be) attacking Gunnar and planned how it should go
Mörður sagði að þeir mundu eigi koma á óvart Gunnari nema þeir tækju bónda
af næsta bæ
Morð said they would not come upon Gunnar unnoticed unless they took the farmer from the nearest farm
er Þorkell hét og létu hann fara nauðgan með sér að taka hundinn
Sám og færi hann einn heim á bæinn.
named Thorkell and made him go all unwillingly with them to take (capture the dog Sam and (for) him to go alone to the Farmstead
Fóru þeir síðan austur til Hlíðarenda en sendu menn að fara eftir Þorkatli.
Þeir tóku hann höndum og gerðu honum tvo kosti, að þeir mundu drepa hann
ella skyldi hann taka hundinn
Then they went East to Hliðarend and sent men after Thorkell, they took him in hands (siezed/captured him) aand gave him two choices, they would kill him or he would take (?lure) the dog
en hann kjöri heldur að leysa líf sitt og fór
með þeim.
and he chose to buy his life and went with them
Traðir voru fyrir ofan garðinn að Hlíðarenda og námu þeir þar
staðar með flokkinn.
Cattle pens were there above the yard at Hliðarend and they took a stand there with their band
Þorkell bóndi gekk heim á bæinn og lá rakkinn á húsum
uppi og teygir hann rakkann á braut í geilarnar með sér.
Thorkell (the) Farmer walked home to the farm and the dog lay upon the roof of the house and he lures the dog down the lanes (?between the pens) with him
Í því sér hundurinn
að þar eru menn fyrir og hleypur á hann Þorkel upp og grípur nárann og rífur
þar á hol.
At that the dog sees the (other) men and leaps upon Thorkel - grips the groin and tears a hole therein (Nári - Groin)[ruptured femoral artery - you do not live long]
Önundur úr Tröllaskógi hjó með öxi í höfuð hundinum svo að allt
kom í heilann. Hundurinn kvað við hátt svo að það þótti þeim með ódæmum
miklum vera og féll hann dauður niður.
Onund from Trollswood hit the dog in the head with an axe that it all came deep into the brain. The Dog uttered/screamed that it seemed to them so great/without equal and fell down dead.
[I understood it as a cry so terrible it had never been heard]
77. kafli
Gunnar vaknaði í skálanum og mælti: "Sárt ert þú leikinn Sámur fóstri og
búið svo sé til ætlað að skammt skuli okkar í meðal."
Gunnar awakened in the sleeping hall nd spoke "Sorely/cruelly are you treated foster-child Sam and things being so/as they stand it may be expected there will be no difference in us[mm&hp - It may be fated -etc]
[bogged down here briefly but when finished - I looked at Grace's and Alan's work and saw nothing wrong in either]
Skáli Gunnars var ger af viði einum og súðþaktur utan og gluggar hjá
brúnásunum og snúin þar fyrir speld. Gunnar svaf í lofti einu í skálanum og
Hallgerður og móðir hans.
Gunnar's sleeping room was made all of logs and covered with overlapping boards, having windows near the ridge-poles that could be changed for shutters
Gunnar slept in the loft alone - and also Hallgerð and his Mother
** It is just an idea - but, given that the Norsemen got as far as Russia I am wondering if Sam may not have been Komondoro (Pl Komondorok) the name signifies Angry - and they are a devoted Guard Dog - bred in Hungary since ATime before time was; and they can be trained to attack viciously - they are still used as Guard Dogs to this day - Wolves are said to avoid them
I have been told that it is very likely that Sam was one - because of his attack in the groin - if Thorkell had survived he would have been crippled for life.
Just because he was a dog owned by the King of Ireland - it seems possible that he was not actually an Irish Wolf hound as I had thought **
Any Help or critique is welcome, I regret I was no help but Sam - the Guard Dog - his story got to me (does it show)
Kveðja
Patricia