Battle’s earliest note hath sung.”
“That befits us well, and we will do it well,” says Helgi.
Then they turn up towards them. Both Grim and Helgi see where
Hrapp is, and they turned on him at once. Hrapp hews at Grim
there and then with his axe; Helgi sees this and cuts at Hrapp’s
arm, and cut it off, and down fell the axe.
“In this,” says Hrapp, “thou hast done a most needful work, for
this hand hath wrought harm and death to many a man.”
“And so here an end shall be put to it,” says Grim; and with
that he ran him through with a spear, and then Hrapp fell down
dead.
Tjorvi turns against Kari and hurls a spear at him. Kari leapt
up in the air, and the spear flew below his feet. Then Kari
rushes at him, and hews at him on the breast with his sword, and
the blow passed at once into his chest, and he got his death
there and then.
Then Skarphedinn seizes both Gunnar Lambi’s son, and Grani
Gunnar’s son, and said, “Here have I caught two whelps! but what
shall we do with them?
“It is in thy power,” says Helgi, “to slay both or either of
them, if you wish them dead.”
“I cannot find it in my heart to do both — help Hogni and slay
his brother,” says Skarphedinn.
“Then the day will once come,” says Helgi, “when thou wilt wish
that thou hadst slain him, for never will he be true to thee, nor
will any one of the others who are now here.”
“I shall not fear them,” answers Skarphedinn.
After that they gave peace to Grani Gunnar’s son, and Gunnar
Lambi’s son, and Lambi Sigurd’s son, and Lodinn.
After that they went down to the Fleet where Skarphedinn had
leapt over it, and Kari and the others measured the length of the
leap with their spear-shafts, and it was twelve ells (5).
Then they turned homewards, and Njal asked what tidings. They
told him all just as it had happened, and Njal said, “These are
great tidings, and it is more likely that hence will come the
death of one of my sons, if not more evil.”
Gunnar Lambi’s son bore the body of Thrain with him to Gritwater,
and he was laid in a cairn there.
ENDNOTES:
(1) “Sea-stag,” periphrasis for ship.
(2) “Sea-fire bearers,” the bearers of gold, men, that is, Helgi
and Grim.
(3) “Byrnie-breacher,” piercer of coats of mail.
(4) “Noisy ogre’s namesake,” an allusion to the name of Skarp
hedinn’s axe, “the ogress of war.”
(5) Twelve ells, about twenty-four feet (the Norse ell being
something more than two feet), a good jump, but not beyond
the power of man. Comp. “Orkn. Saga”, ch. 113, new ed.,
vol. i., 457, where Earl Harold leaps nine ells over a dike.
92. KETTLE TAKES HAUSKULD AS HIS FOSTERSON
