twelve in the night when Aud felt Finnward shudder so strong
that the bed shook.

"What ails you?" said she.

"I know not," he said. "It is a chill like the chill of death. My soul
is sick with it." His voice fell low. "It was so Thorgunna sickened,"
said he. And he arose and walked in the hall in the dark till it came
morning.

Early in the morning he went forth to the sea-fishing with four lads. Aud
was troubled at heart and watched him from the door, and even as he went
down the beach she saw him shaken with Thorgunna's shudder. It was a
rough day, the sea was wild, the boat laboured exceedingly, and it may be
that Finnward's mind was troubled with his sickness. Certain it is that
they struck, and their boat was burst, upon a skerry under Snowfellness.
The four lads were spilled into the sea, and the sea broke and buried
them, but Finnward was cast upon the skerry, and clambered up, and sat
there all day long: God knows his thoughts. The sun was half-way down,
when a shepherd went by on the cliffs about his business, and spied a man
in the midst of the breach of the loud seas, upon a pinnacle of reef. He
hailed him, and the man turned and hailed again. There was in that cove
so great a clashing of the seas and so shrill a cry of sea-fowl that the
herd might hear the voice and nor the words. But the name Thorgunna came
to him, and he saw the face of Finnward Keelfarer like the face of an old
man. Lively ran the herd to Finnward's house; and when his tale was told
there, Eyolf the boy was lively to out a boat and hasten to his father's
aid. By the strength of hands they drove the keel against the seas, and
with skill and courage Eyolf won upon the skerry and climbed up, There
sat his father dead; and this was the first vengeance of Thorgunna
against broken faith.

It was a sore job to get the corpse on board, and a sorer yet to bring it
home before the rolling seas. But the lad Eyolf was a lad of promise,
and the lads that pulled for him were sturdy men. So the break-faith's
body was got home, and waked, and buried on the hill. Aud was a good
widow and wept much, for she liked Finnward well enough. Yet a bird sang
in her ears that now she might marry a young man. Little fear that she
might have her choice of them, she thought, with all Thorgunna's fine
things; and her heart was cheered.

Now, when the corpse was laid in the hill, Asdis came where Aud sat
solitary in hall, and stood by her awhil