up at once, and put on his jerkin and pulled on his shoes. Then
he took up his sword, and wrapped a cloak about his left arm, up
as far as the elbow. Men woke up just as he went out; there he
saw a tall stout man at the back of the house, and knew it was
Thiostolf. Hrut asked him what news?
“I tell thee Glum is slain.” says Thiostolf.
“Who did the deed?” says Hrut.
“I slew him,” says Thiostolf.
“Why rodest thou hither?” says Hrut.
“Hallgerda sent me to thee,” says Thiostolf.
“Then she has no hand in this deed,” says Hrut, and drew his
sword. Thiostolf saw that, and would not be behind hand, so he
cuts at Hrut at once. Hrut got out of the way of the stroke by a
quick turn, and at the same time struck the back of the axe so
smartly with a sidelong blow of his left hand, that it flew out
of Thiostolf’s grasp. Then Hrut made a blow with his sword in
his right hand at Thiostolf’s leg, just above the knee, and cut
it almost off so that it hung by a little piece, and sprang in
upon him at the same time, and thrust him hard back. After that
he smote him on the head, and dealt him his deathblow.
Thiostolf fell down on his back at full length, and then out came
Hrut’s men, and saw the tokens of the deed. Hrut made them take
Thiostolf away, and throw stones over his body, and then he went
to find Hauskuld, and told him of Glum’s slaying, and also of
Thiostolf’s. He thought it harm that Glum was dead and gone, but
thanked him for killing Thiostolf. A little while after,
Thorarin Ragi’s brother hears of his brother Glum’s death, then
he rides with eleven men behind him west to Hauskuldstede, and
Hauskuld welcomed him with both hands, and he is there the night.
Hauskuld sent at once for Hrut to come to him, and he went at
once, and next day they spoke much of the slaying of Glum, and
Thorarin said “Wilt thou make me any atonement for my brother,
for I have had a great loss?”
Hauskuld answered, “I did not slay thy brother, nor did my
daughter plot his death; but as soon as ever Hrut knew it he slew
Thiostolf.”
Then Thorarin held his peace, and thought the matter had taken a
bad turn. But Hrut said, “Let us make his journey good; he has
indeed had a heavy loss, and if we do that we shall be well
spoken of. So let us give him gifts, and then he will be our
friend ever afterwards.”
So the end of it was, that those brothers gave him gifts, and he
rode back south. He and Hallgerda changed homesteads in the
spring, and she went south to Laugarness and he to Varmalek. And
now Thorarin is out of the story.
18. FIDDLE MORD’S DEATH
Now it must be told how Fiddle Mord took a sickness and breathed
his last; and that was thought great scathe. His daughter Unna
took all the goods he left behind him. She was then still
unmarried the second time. She was very layish, and unthrifty of
