th to say this grief touches me so nearly, that
methinks it were better to have lost two of my sons and that
Hauskuld lived."

"It is some excuse for thee," says Skarphedinn, "that thou art
an old man, and it is to be looked for that this touches thee
nearly."

"But this," says Njal, "no less than old age, is why I grieve,
that I know better than thou what will come after."

"What will come after?" says Skarphedinn.

"My death," says Njal, "and the death of my wife and of all my
sons."

"What dost thou foretell for me?" says Kari.

"They will have hard work to go against thy good fortune, for
thou wilt be more than a match for all of them."

This one thing touched Njal so nearly that he could never speak
of it without shedding tears.

111. OF HILDIGUNNA AND MORD VALGARD'S SON

Hildigunna woke up and found that Hauskuld was away out of his
bed.

"Hard have been my dreams," she said, "and not good; but go and
search for him, Hauskuld."

So they searched for him about the homestead and found him not.

By that time she had dressed herself; then she goes and two men
with her, to the fence, and there they find Hauskuld slain.

Just then, too, came up Mord Valgard's son's shepherd, and told
her that Njal's sons had gone down thence, "and," he said,
"Skarphedinn called out to me and gave notice of the slaying as
done by him."

"It were a manly deed," she says, "if one man had been at it."

She took the cloak and wiped off all the blood with it, and
wrapped the gouts of gore up in it, and so folded it together and
laid it up in her chest.

Now she sent a man up to Gritwater to tell the tidings thither,
but Mord was there before him, and had already told the tidings.
There, too, was come Kettle of the Mark.

Thorgerda said to Kettle, "Now is Hauskuld dead as we know, and
now bear in mind what thou promisedst to do when thou tookest him
for thy fosterchild."

"It may well be," says Kettle, "that I promised very many things
then, for I thought not that these days would ever befall us that
have now come to pass; but yet I am come into a strait, for `nose
is next of kin to eyes,' since I have Njal's daughter to wife."

"Art thou willing, then," says Thorgerda, "that Mord should give
notice of the suit for the slaying?"

"I know not that," says Kettle, "for me ill comes from him more
often than good."

But as soon as ever Mord began to speak to Kettle he fared the
same as others, in that he thought a