> Óttar var á hesti sínum því næst og reið fyrir þeim
> leiðina því að fallið hafði snjór lítill um nóttina.

> Ottar was on his horse, the last, and rode before them
> (on?) the patch because a little snow had fallen during
> the night.

> Óttar was on his horse in the next (instant?) and rode
> the-way before them because a little snow had fallen
> during the-night.

<Því næst> 'immediately afterwards, a moment later'.

> Og er þeir hafa eigi lengi riðið snerist hann við Óttar og
> mælti til Bolla: "Það mun eg sýna að eg vildi að þú værir
> vin minn.

> And when they have not ridden long, he, Ottar, faced about
> to and spoke to Bolli: “I will show that, that I wanted
> that you would be my friend.

> And when they have not a long (way) ridden, Óttar turns
> with (that) and spoke to Bolli: “I will show you that,
> that I would-want that you were my friend.

<Lengi> usually refers to time, so I’d go with Rob’s reading
here. <Við> here is not 'with' so much as 'against' (as in
the word <withstand>): <snúask við (e-m)> 'to turn against
(someone), to oppose (someone), to face about'.

> Væri eg yður vel viljaður í því er eg mætti.

> I am well-disposed to you in that when I can.

> I would-be (conditional on friendship) well disposed
> towards you (ie totally at your disposal) in that (ie any
> way) which I could.

Rob: Remember that <er> is a general purpose relative
particle. Very often it’s 'when', but by no means always;
here, as Alan says, it refers to <því> to make 'that which'.

> "Þá gerir þú vel," segir bóndi.

> “Then you do well,” says the gentleman.
> “Then thank you (lit: you do well),” says (the) farmer.

Since Bolli has just accepted the ring from the farmer, I
take this either to have its literal sense or to be in
effect ‘you’re welcome’, rather than ‘thank you’.

> Nú er að segja frá Þorsteini af Hálsi.

> Now it is to tell concerning Thorstein from Hals.

> Now (one) is to say about Þorsteinn from Háls (Neck,
> Ridge).

My impression is that in this construction <af> usually
refers to domicile, so that ‘of Háls’ would probably be a
better translation.

> Þeir Þorsteinn hafa þrjá tigi manna og ríða fram til
> Svarfaðardalsár og setjast þar.

> They, Thorstein (et al), have 30 mean and ride forward to
> Svarfadardale and stay (Z. says “seat oneself”) there.

> They, Þorsteinn (and co) have thirty (three tens of) men
> and ride forward to Svarfardalr and set-themselves (ie
> take up their positions) there.

Not to Svarfaðardalr, the valley, but to Svarfaðardalsá, the
river in that valley.

> Hleypa þeir Þorsteinn út á ísinn.

> They, Thorstein (and the others), run out to the ice.
> They, Þorsteinn (and co) run out onto the-ice.

Since Bolli & Co. are mounted, it’s possible that Þorstein &
Co. not only jumped up but also mounted up and are now
riding out onto the ice: <hleypa> can be 'to gallop, to ride
swiftly'.

Brian