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 studhorses; 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 lilted 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 shalt thou, that heapest
Hoards from ocean-caverns won, (1)
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.