after this there began great hauntings. One night Thorir Wooden-
leg went outside and was at some distance from the door. When he was
about to go in again, he saw that the shepherd had come between him
and the door. Thorir tried to get in, but the shepherd would not
allow him. Then Thorir tried to get away from him, but the shepherd
followed him, caught hold of him, and threw him down at the door. He
received great hurt from this, but was able to reach his bed; there he
turned black as coal, took sickness and died. He was also buried at
the church there, and after this both the shepherd and Thorir were
seen in company, at which all the folk became full of fear, as was to
be expected.

This also followed upon the burial of Thorir, that one of Thorodd's
men grew ill, and lay three nights before he died; then one died after
another, until six of them were gone. By this time the Christmas fast
had come, although the fast was not then kept in Iceland. The store-
closet, in which the dried fish were kept, was packed so full that the
door could not be opened; the pile reached nigh up to the rafters, and
a ladder was required to get the fish off the top of it. One evening
while the folk were sitting round the fires, the fish were torn, but
when search was made no living thing could be found there.

During the winter, a little before Christmas, Thorodd went out to Ness
for the fish he had there; there were six men in all in a ten-oared
boat, and they stayed out there all night. The same evening that
Thorodd went from home, it happened at Froda, when folk went to sit by
the fires that had been made, that they saw a seal's head rise up out
of the fireplace. A maid-servant was the first who came forward and
saw this marvel; she took a washing-bat which lay beside the door, and
struck the seal's head with this, but it rose up at the blow and gazed
at Thorgunna's bed-hangings. Then one of the men went up and beat the
seal, but it rose higher at every blow until it had come up above the
fins; then the man fell into a swoon, and all those who were present
were filled with fear. Then the lad Kjartan sprang forward, took up a
large iron sledge-hammer and struck at the seal's head; it was a heavy
blow, but it only shook its head, and looked round. Then Kjartan gave
it stroke after stroke, and the seal went down as though he were
driving in a stake. Kjartan hammered away till the seal went down so
far that he beat the floo