Not as hard to do as I had feared - Whew - I think it was in Eirik the Red's Saga - or WAS it ?   that the guests were given Dodgy food to get rid of them.

Just a thought - and in keeping with the spirit of THIS Saga

Og er hann mætir Kol mælti Atli til hans: "Gengur vel klyfjabandið? " segir
Atli.

And when he meets Kol Atli spoke to him "Does  pack horse work go well" (I believe there is a subtle insult here - implication that Kol is the Packhorse)

"Það mun þig skipta engu mannfýlan," segir Kolur, "og engan þann er þaðan er."

"That will be no difference to you (Z) worthless wretch (why not dirtbag - ex Eastenders) and none of those from there (i.e.None of your crowd)

Atli mælti: "Það átt þú eftir er erfiðast er, en það er að deyja."

Atli spoke "You have after/later to do what is most difficult which is to die"

Síðan lagði Atli spjóti til hans og kom á hann miðjan. Kolur sveiflaði til
hans öxi og missti hans. Síðan féll Kolur af baki og dó þegar.

Then  Atli thrust (Z) with a spear and hit him in his middle, Kol swung his axe at him and missed him so that Kol is fallen from his horse and is dead (all this present tense seems to lend a sense of immediacy)

Atli reið þar til er hann fann verkmenn Hallgerðar og mælti: "Farið upp til
hests Kols og geymið hans. Kolur er fallinn af baki og er hann dauður."

 Atli rode until he  met Hallgerðs workmen and spoke "Go up to Kol's Horse and see to him - Kol is fallen from his horse and is dead"

"Hefir þú vegið hann?" sögðu þeir.

"Have you killed him" they said

Hann svarar: "Svo mun Hallgerði sýnast sem hann hafi eigi sjálfdauður orðið."

He replied "It will seem to Hallgerð he  is not self-dead (as in Suicide)

Síðan reið Atli heim og segir Bergþóru vígið. Hún þakkar honum verk þetta og
orð þau sem hann hafði um haft.

After - Atli rode home and tells the slaying to Bergthora and she thanks him for his deed and for the words he had used of it  (you tell it so well)

"Eigi veit eg," segir Atli, "hversu Njáli mun þykja."

"I do not know " said Atli how it will seem to Njal

"Vel mun hann í höndum hafa," segir hún, "og mun eg segja þér eitt til marks
um að hann hefir haft til þings þrælsgjöld þau er vér tókum við fyrra sumar

"He will have it well in his hands (cool!) and I will tell you one proof (of this) that he has brought/taken to Thing  that Thrall money (were gild) which we accepted last summer -

og munu þau nú koma fyrir Kol. En þó að sættir verði þá skalt þú þó vera var
um þig því að Hallgerður mun engar sættir halda."

and that will now come for Kol (as a payment). But even though there will be settlements be wary about yourself (watch your back)  because Hallgerð will not hold this settled"

"Vilt þú nokkuð senda mann til Njáls," segir Atli, "að segja honum vígið?"

"Will you (maybe)  send a man to Njal" says Atli " to say to him of the killing"

"Eigi vil eg það," segir hún. "Mér þætti betur að Kolur væri ógildur."

" I do not want that" says she " To me it seems better that Kol were uncompansated/ not atoned"

Þau hættu þá talinu.

Then/there - they ended the conversation.

Hallgerði var sagt víg Kols og ummæli Atla. Hún kvaðst launa skyldu Atla.

Hallgerð was  said (told) of Kol's killing and Atli's words - she declared of herself she would repay Atli (she would do him a bears favour)   **see note**

Hún sendi mann til þings að segja Gunnari víg Kols.

She sent a man to Thing to say Kol's killing to Gunnar  (slaying - killing - is there a difference - you are dead anyway)

Hann svaraði fá og sendi mann að segja Njáli. Hann svaraði engu.

He replied but little, and send a man to say to Njal (and). He replied nothing  (Gods!! life was cheap)

Skarphéðinn mælti: "Miklu eru þrælar aðgerðameiri en fyrr hafa verið. Þeir
flugust þá á og þótti það ekki saka en nú vilja þeir vegast" og glotti við.

Skarphedin spoke "Thralls are much more violent/active that they were once (time past) - they flew at each other then (i.e.in those days) and it seemed not to matter (or not to mind) but now they seek to kill each other. "   and he grinned with (this)  **note**

Njáll kippti ofan fésjóðum er uppi var í búðinni og gekk út. Synir hans
gengu með honum. Þeir komu til búðar Gunnars.

Njal took down the money bag which was in the booth and went outside and his sons with him. They came to Gunnar's Booth

*Notes* - Right - this Skarpedin has a cruel wit but the more I hear of it the more I appreciate his attitude.

Where Hallgerð promises to "pay" Atli if some of our readers know not the meaning of a "Bear's Favour" it is thus

You are help to the Bear and he does something for you - in returning the favour - he knocks a bee from off your face - but forgets he has claws and takes away half your face,.

I warmly agree with Eysteinn's assessment of these women in an earlier part of the Saga - they are a pair of murderous bitches

Kveðja

Patricia