end ourselves."

They all bade him take the course he thought best, and then they
took to their arms.

Now the earl comes up and called out to them, and bade them give
themselves up.

Helgi said that they would defend themselves so long as they
could.

Then the earl offered peace and quarter to all who would neither
defend themselves nor Helgi; but Helgi was so much beloved that
all said they would rather die with him.

Then the earl and his men fall on them, but they defended
themselves well, and Njal's sons were ever where there was most
need. The earl often offered peace, but they all made the same
answer, and said they would never yield.

Then Aslak of Longisle pressed them hard and came on board their
ship thrice. Then Grim said, "Thou pressest on hard, and 'twere
well that thou gettest what thou seekest;" and with that he
snatched up a spear and hurled it at him, and hit him under the
chin, and Aslak got his death wound there and then.

A little after, Helgi slew Egil the earl's banner-bearer.

Then Sweyn, Earl Hacon's son, fell on them, and made men hem them
in and bear them down with shields, and so they were taken
captive.

The earl was for letting them all be slain at once, but Sweyn
said that should not be, and said too that it was night.

Then the earl said, "Well, then, slay them to-morrow, but bind
them fast to-night."

"So, I ween, it must be," says Sweyn; "but never yet have I met
brisker men than these, and I call it the greatest manscathe to
take their lives."

"They have slain two of our briskest men," said the earl, "and
for that they shall be slain."

"Because they were brisker men themselves," says Sweyn; "but
still in this it must be done as thou willest."

So they were bound and fettered.

After that the earl fell asleep; but when all men slept, Grim
spoke to Helgi, and said, "Away would I get if I could."

"Let us try some trick then," says Helgi.

Grim sees that there lies an axe edge up, so Grim crawled
thither, and gets the bowstring which bound him cut asunder
against the axe, but still he got great wounds on his arms.

Then he set Helgi loose, and after that they crawled over the
ship's side, and got on shore, so that neither Hacon nor his men
were ware of them. Then they broke off their fetters, and walked
away to the other side of the island. By that time it began to
dawn. There they found a ship, and knew that there was come Kari
Solmund's son. They went