The Red Romance Book

ged to be avenged on him. So Mord fared to Hauskuld, and told him tales of what his brothers had said of him, but Hauskuld bade him begone, for he would listen to none of his stories.

ther to slay his brothers as they rode home, but neither Grani,

er, would give ear to Mord’s false words, but in spite of themselve

ad married their sister, he had new stories to tell them, till at length their hearts grew ho

’s son, was their leader, and had bidden the rest each to give Hauskuld a wound. But the first blow dealt by Skarphedinn

went home and told N

ad lived,’ said Njal after he had heard the tidings, ‘f

be the end?’ as

rs, and your mothe

’ he asked; but Nj

e with you!’ he answered,

n. But first sundry of Njal’s friends came to see him and offered to stand by him, and to set up their tents beside his, and among them were Gizur the white and Asgrim. And at the Thi

son-in-law; and Kari made answer, ‘Whatever happens to y

r warnings, and took no heed to them, but for all that they knew well that it was often the truth she told them. One day Skarphedinn was standing outside the door

tick over it; and Skarphedinn, who had followed aft

‘And Njal and his sons will be burnt, and Bergthora, my foster-child. So carry it away

itten that we should be burned, our foes will find some other fuel, though

do away with the stack of vetch, but the harvest was plentif

hat vetch stack an

had returned to his ruin. One day, when Grim and Helgi, Njal’s sons, had ridden away to Holar to see their children, who were at nurse there, they heard stra

m and Helgi look

to Bergthorask

thought to them; but in the evening, when the hour had come to prepare supper, Bergthora bade every man

be ill to speak suc

, I will give you a sign. Before the meat that is on the board to-night is ea

a called to them, and all sat down b

t?’ asked Bergthora; and Njal, as he

slowly —‘the wall is thrown down,

s, but Skarphedinn bade them be of good cheer, and to remember that, what

gs, and every one had in his mind what Bergt

ight,’ said Njal, ‘but

d their horses there. After that they walked slowly up the path, to the front of the house, where

was to fall on them where they stood, though he knew that

he hall, for the house was strong; ‘and if Gunnar alone could

ar to Mord’s evil counsel to set fire to Lithend, so that Gunnar and his wife and mother should be burnt up

Helgi

r wills. He knows best,

care little what death I shall die, and if the time of my doom is come, it matters nothin

in-law, take their place on the inside of the door. ‘Surely none of them can es

n after man fell back wounded or dead, yet Skarp

vengeance, and await the death that will surely befall us at their hands; or else we must set fire to the house, and burn

ack before the door, and Skarphedinn laug

whose soul was black like his mot

pit;’ but he had better have left Skarphedinn alone, for th

enged your father, therefore it is natural to one of your kind that you s

and water upon it from the little windows in the roof, so that the flames were quenched as fast as

of dry vetch at the back, just above the house, and we can li

the doors of the house, so that none could escape, and those within the hall knew nothing

Njal spoke words of comfort to them, and bade them keep up their hearts, for God would not suffer them to bu

i nigh a

answere

’ asked Njal once more, ‘or let th

or your sons, the time for atonement is past, and I will

and thralls round him, and bade Thorhalla, the wife of Helgi, go out first, for sh

hispered sof

p you in a cloak, and the women folk will stand about y

way in his sister’s garments; but they prayed him not to be stif

i was tallest of all, except his brother Skarphe

o went yonder, nor the breadth of her

rust at a man with his sword, and cut off his leg. But Flos

outside, but Njal answered that he was too old to avenge his sons, and th

said Flosi, ‘for I will not

thora ma

vowed on the day of betrothal that his death should be

own on our bed and rest;’ and Bergthora bowed her

smen. I will not have you stay here to burn.’ But th

I should never go from you till I wished it of myself.

to the bed, and he climbed in, and laid hi

ow we lay ourselves down, so that you may know where to fin

and bade the boy lie bet

ey wa

ands, and hurling spears as if they had had twenty hands instead of two. At last Flosi called

y my father must be dead,’ said Skarphedinn, ‘that he makes no sound,’ and, follow

de a man; let us leap out one by one, and we shall be awa

bout to jump down to where

CAPED FROM

o first and I will follow; or, if

best to him, but I fear me that we see each other no more;’ and catching up a huge blaz

nd hair already burning, leaped from the roof and crept away in the smoke. The man who st

d: ‘Nay, but it may have been Skarphedinn hurling a firebrand;’ and then th

e fire that was burning him, and rested in a safe

der his weight, and he was forced to climb back again. Then part of the w

n top of the wall, and he cried out, ‘Are those tears on

can force tears from one’s eyes. But me

have I laughed so much since the

and he took from his pouch Thrain’s tooth, and flung it at Gunn

he burning beams, but before they had crossed the hall Grim dropped dead, and

t when he had jumped from the roof both Skarphedinn and Grim were still

flame here and there. And as they looked into the hall beneath them, which was a mass of charred and fallen wood, there

and is it a token that he is dead? or a s

athering together a band to avenge his kinsmen? Therefore let every man take his horse and ride up t

t company scattered over the country, seeking Flosi and

thorasknoll and find Njal’s bones and bury them. And, as they went, men joine

hes took long to clear away, and underneath was the oxhide, charred and shrivelled. But when the oxhide was pulled away they saw the th

t joy fell on the hearts

ith a face as bright as this!’

the gable, so that it had to be broken out. And they sought the bones of Grim, and found them lying in the middle of the hall, where he had d

s Burnt Nj

Burnt Njal.]<