THE SLAYING OF LYTING'S BROTHERS.
Now we must speak of Skarphedinn and his brothers, how they bend their
course up to Rangriver. Then Skarphedinn said--
"Stand we here and listen, and let us go stilly, for I hear the voices
of men up along the river's bank. But will ye, Helgi and Grim, deal with
Lyting single-handed, or with both his brothers?"
They said they would sooner deal with Lyting alone.
"Still," says Skarphedinn, "there is more game in him, and methinks it
were ill if he gets away, but I trust myself best for not letting him
escape."
"We will take such steps," says Helgi, "if we get a chance at him, that
he shall not slip through our fingers."
Then they went thitherward, Where they heard the voices of men, and see
where Lyting and his brothers are by a stream.
Skarphedinn leaps over the stream at once, and alights on the sandy
brink on the other side. There upon it stands Hallgrim and his brother.
Skarphedinn smites at Hallgrim's thigh, so that he cut the leg clean
off, but he grasps Hallstein with his left hand. Lyting thrust at
Skarphedinn, but Helgi came up then and threw his shield before the
spear, and caught the blow on it. Lyting took up a stone and hurled it
at Skarphedinn, and he lost his hold on Hallstein. Hallstein sprang up
the sandy bank, but could get up it in no other way than by crawling on
his hands and knees. Skarphedinn made a side blow at him with his axe,
"the ogress of war," and hews asunder his backbone. Now Lyting turns and
flies, but Helgi and Grim both went after him, and each gave him a
wound, but still Lyting got across the river away from them, and so to
the horses, and gallops till he comes to Ossaby.
Hauskuld was at home, and meets him at once. Lyting told him of these
deeds.
"Such things were to be looked for by thee," says Hauskuld. "Thou hast
behaved like a madman, and here the truth of the old saw will be proved:
'but a short while is hand fain of blow'. Methinks what thou hast got to
look to now is whether thou wilt be able to save thy life or not."
"Sure enough," says Lyting, "I had hard work to get away, but still I
wish now that thou wouldest get me atoned with Njal and his sons, so
that I might keep my farm."
"So it shall be," says Hauskuld.
After that Hauskuld made them saddle his horse, and rode to
Bergthorsknoll with five men. Njal's sons were then come home and had
laid them down to sleep.
Hauskuld went at once to see Njal, and they began to talk.
"Hither am I come," said Hauskuld to Njal, "to beg a boon on behalf of
Lyting, my uncle. He has done great wickedness against you and yours,
broken his atonement and slain thy son."
"Lyting will perhaps think," said Njal, "that he has already paid a
heavy fine in the loss of his brothers, but if I grant him any terms, I
shall let him reap the good of my love for thee, and I will tell thee
before I utter the award of atonement, that Lyting's brothers shall fall
as outlaws. Nor shall Lyting have any atonement for his wounds, but on
the other hand, he shall pay the full blood-fine for Hauskuld."
"My wish," said Hauskuld, "is, that thou shouldest make thine own
terms."
"Well," says Njal, "then I will utter the award at once if thou wilt."
"Wilt thou," says Hauskuld, "that thy sons should be by?"
"Then we should be no nearer an atonement than we were before," says
Njal, "but they will keep to the atonement which I utter."
Then Hauskuld said, "Let us close the matter then, and handsel him peace
on behalf of thy sons".
"So it shall be," says Njal. "My will then is that he pays two hundred
in silver for the slaying of Hauskuld, but he may still dwell at
Samstede; and yet I think it were wiser if he sold his land and changed
his abode; but not for this quarrel; neither I nor my sons will break
our pledges of peace to him: but methinks it may be that some one may
rise up in this country against whom he may have to be on his guard.
Yet, lest it should seem that I make a man an outcast from his native
place, I allow him to be here in this neighbourhood, but in that case he
alone is answerable for what may happen."
After that Hauskuld fared home, and Njal's sons woke up as he went, and
asked their father who had come, but he told them that his foster-son
Hauskuld had been there.
"He must have come to ask a boon for Lyting then," said Skarphedinn.
"So it was," says Njal
"Ill was it then," says Grim.
"Hauskuld could not have thrown his shield before him," says Njal, "if
thou hadst slain him, as it was meant thou shouldst."
"Let us throw no blame on our father," says Skarphedinn.
Now it is to be said that this atonement was kept between them
afterwards.