three housecarles as well. They went on the way to meet
Hauskuld as he came back, and lay in wait for him north of the
farmyard in a pit; and there they bided till it was about
mideven (1). Then Hauskuld rode up to them. They jump up all of
them with their arms, and fall on him. Hauskuld guarded himself
well, so that for a long while they could not get the better of
him; but the end of it was at last that he wounded Lyting on the
arm, and slew two of his serving-men, and then fell himself.
They gave Hauskuld sixteen wounds, but they hewed not off the
head from his body. They fared away into the wood east of
Rangriver, and hid themselves there.
That same evening, Rodny’s shepherd found Hauskuld dead, and went
home and told Rodny of her son’s slaying.
“Was he surely dead?” she asks; “was his head off?”
“It was not,” he says.
“I shall know if I see,” she says; “so take thou my horse and
driving gear.”
He did so, and got all things ready, and then they went thither
where Hauskuld lay.
She looked at the wounds, and said, “‘Tis even as I thought, that
he could not be quite dead, and Njal no doubt can cure greater
wounds.”
After that they took the body and laid it on the sledge and drove
to Bergthorsknoll, and drew it into the sheepcote, and made him
sit upright against the wall.
Then they went both of them and knocked at the door, and a housecarle went to the door. She steals in by him at once, and goes
till she comes to Njal’s bed.
She asked whether Njal were awake? He said he had slept up to
that time, but was then awake.
“But why art thou come hither so early?”
“Rise thou up,” said Rodny, “from thy bed by my rival’s side, and
come out, and she too, and thy sons, to see thy son Hauskuld.”
They rose and went out.
“Let us take our weapons,” said Skarphedinn, “and have them
with us.”
Njal said naught at that, and they ran in and came out again
armed.
She goes first till they come to the sheepcote; she goes in and
bade them follow her. Then she lit a torch, and held it up and
said, “Here, Njal, is thy son Hauskuld, and he hath gotten many
wounds upon him, and now he will need leechcraft.”
“I see death marks on him,” said Njal, “but no signs of life; but
why hast thou not closed his eyes and nostrils? see, his
nostrils are still open!”
“That duty I meant for Skarphedinn,” she says.
Then Skarphedinn went to close his eyes and nostrils, and said to
his father, “Who, sayest thou, hath slain him?”
“Lyting of Samstede and his brothers must have slain him,” says
Njal.
