OUTLINE OF THE NJAL SAGA. 71 behind by porbrand porleiksson, who had crawled along a rafter in his rear. ‘ Then Gunnar said to HallgerSa, “ Give me two looks of thy hair, and ye too, my mother and thou, twist them together into a bowstring for me.” ‘ “Does aught lie on it ?” she says. ‘ “ My life lies on it,” he said; “for they will never come to close quarters with me if I can keep them off with my bow.” ‘ “ Well! ” she says, “How I will call to thy mind that slap on the face which thou gavest me ; and I care never a whit whether thou holdest out a long while or a short.” ’ His foes closed in upon him; he wounded eight more, several unto death, and then, exhausted with wounds, he succumbed; and his dauntless spirit winged its way to Valhalla. His brave defence excited the admiration even of his enemies, and they interred him on the hill-side, and above his grave erected a cairn, which stands to this day. It is said that no man would enrich himself by de- spoiling his body, and that his armour and clothes, and even his golden ornaments, were placed beneath a huge block of lava. With Gunnar’s death the first fitte of the Saga ends. Of that portion the unfortunate Bavard of Iceland is rather the hero than NjaL Skarphedinn, Njal’s son, when he heard of the cowardly butchery of this brave old friend of his father, vowed to wreak a terrible vengeance ; and well he kept his word ; and right fraternally was he assisted by his brothers, Grfmr and Helgi, and also by their friend Kari. Whenever these four men met with any of those who had had a hand in the death of Gunnar, they attacked and invariably slew them. Skarphedinn also slew prain, the man who stood by when pord, the foster-father of all Njal’s sons, was killed by SigmumSr and Skiolld, on the principle, we may suppose, ‘ that those who are not on our side must be against us.’ The good- hearted Hjal took no part whatever in these feuds, and did all that was possible to induce his sons to lead a peaceful life ; he even took prain’s son, Hoskuld, as his foster-child. He in course of time became a Christian priest—the religion being then newly introduced, and Hjal a convert—and in course of time married a young woman of good family, Hildigunna. Little did the kind-hearted Njal think when he befriended this fatherless boy that the act would add another brand to the burning which was to bring about his death, that of his wife and sons, and of some five-and-twenty members of his household.

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