THE SLAYING OF SIGMUND AND SKIOLLD.
Now they, Njal's sons, fare up to Fleetlithe, and were that night under
the Lithe, and when the day began to break, they came near to Lithend.
That same morning both Sigmund and Skiolld rose up and meant to go to
the stud-horses; they had bits with them, and caught the horses that
were in the "town" and rode away on them. They found the stud-horses
between two brooks. Skarphedinn caught sight of them, for Sigmund was in
bright clothing. Skarphedinn said, "See you now the red elf yonder,
lads?" They looked that way, and said they saw him.
Skarphedinn spoke again: "Thou, Hauskuld, shalt have nothing to do with
it, for thou wilt often be sent about alone without due heed; but I mean
Sigmund for myself; methinks that is like a man; but Grim and Helgi,
they shall try to slay Skiolld".
Hauskuld sat him down, but they went until they came up to them.
Skarphedinn said to Sigmund--
"Take thy weapons and defend thyself; that is more needful now, than to
make mocking songs on me and my brothers."
Sigmund took up his weapons, but Skarphedinn waited the while. Skiolld
turned against Grim and Helgi, and they fell hotly to fight. Sigmund had
a helm on his head, and a shield at his side, and was girt with a sword,
his spear was in his hand; now he turns against Skarphedinn, and thrusts
at once at him with his spear, and the thrust came on his shield.
Skarphedinn dashes the spearhaft in two, and lifts up his axe and hews
at Sigmund, and cleaves his shield down to below the handle. Sigmund
drew his sword and cut at Skarphedinn, and the sword cuts into his
shield, so that it stuck fast. Skarphedinn gave the shield such a quick
twist, that Sigmund let go his sword. Then Skarphedinn hews at Sigmund
with his axe, the "Ogress of war". Sigmund had on a corselet, the axe
came on his shoulder. Skarphedinn cleft the shoulder-blade right
through, and at the same time pulled the axe towards him, Sigmund fell
down on both knees, but sprang up again at once.
"Thou hast lifted low to me already," says Skarphedinn, "but still thou
shalt fall upon thy mother's bosom ere we two part."
"Ill is that then," says Sigmund.
Skarphedinn gave him a blow on his helm, and after that dealt Sigmund
his death-blow.
Grim cut off Skiolld's foot at the ankle-joint, but Helgi thrust him
through with his spear, and he got his death there and then.
Skarphedinn saw Hallgerda's shepherd, just as he had hewn off Sigmund's
head; he handed the head to the shepherd, and bade him bear it to
Hallgerda, and said she would know whether that head had made jeering
songs about them, and with that he sang a song.
Here! this head shall thou, that heapest
Hoards from ocean-caverns won,[21]
Bear to Hallgerd with my greeting,
Her that hurries men to fight;
Sure am I, O firewood splitter!
That yon spendthrift knows it well,
And will answer if it ever
Uttered mocking songs on us.
The shepherd casts the head down as soon as ever they parted, for he
dared not do so while their eyes were on him. They fared along till they
met some men down by Markfleet, and told them the tidings. Skarphedinn
gave himself out as the slayer of Sigmund; and Grim and Helgi as the
slayers of Skiolld; then they fared home and told Njal the tidings. He
answers them--
"Good luck to your hands! Here no self-doom will come to pass as things
stand."
Now we must take up the story, and say that the shepherd came home to
Lithend. He told Hallgerda the tidings.
"Skarphedinn put Sigmund's head into my hands," he says, "and bade me
bring it thee; but I dared not do it, for I knew not how thou wouldst
like that."
"'Twas ill that thou didst not do that," she says; "I would have brought
it to Gunnar, and then he would have avenged his kinsman, or have to
bear every man's blame."
After that she went to Gunnar and said, "I tell thee of thy kinsman
Sigmund's slaying: Skarphedinn slew him, and wanted them to bring me the
head".
"Just what might be looked for to befall him," says Gunnar, "for ill
redes bring ill luck, and both you and Skarphedinn have often done one
another spiteful turns".
Then Gunnar went away; he let no steps be taken towards a suit for
manslaughter, and did nothing about it. Hallgerda often put him in mind
of it, and kept saying that Sigmund had fallen unatoned. Gunnar gave no
heed to that.
Now three Things passed away, at each of which men thought that he
would follow up the suit: then a knotty point came on Gunnar's hands,
which he knew not how to set about, and then he rode to find Njal. He
gave Gunnar a hearty welcome. Gunnar said to Njal, "I am come to seek a
bit of good counsel at thy hands about a knotty point".
"Thou art worthy of it," says Njal, and gave him counsel what to do.
Then Gunnar stood up and thanked him. Njal then spoke and said, and took
Gunnar by the hand, "Over long hath thy kinsman Sigmund been unatoned".
"He has been long ago atoned," says Gunnar, "but still I will not fling
back the honour offered me."
Gunnar had never spoken an ill word of Njal's sons. Njal would have
nothing else than that Gunnar should make his own award in the matter.
He awarded two hundred in silver, but let Skiolld fall without a price.
They paid down all the money at once.
Gunnar declared this their atonement at the Thingskala Thing, when most
men were at it, and laid great weight on the way in which they (Njal and
his sons) had behaved; he told too those bad words which cost Sigmund
his life, and no man was to repeat them or sing the verses, but if any
sung them, the man who uttered them was to fall without atonement.
Both Gunnar and Njal gave each other their words that no such matters
should ever happen that they would not settle among themselves; and this
pledge was well kept ever after, and they were always friends.