nd before
Gunnar was aware of it, they had pulled the whole roof off the hall.

Then Gunnar still shoots with his bow so that they could never come nigh
him. Then Mord said again that they must burn the house over Gunnar's
head. But Gizur said--

"I know not why thou wilt speak of that which no one else wishes, and
that shall never be."

Just then Thorbrand Thorleik's son sprang up on the roof, and cuts
asunder Gunnar's bowstring. Gunnar clutches the bill with both hands,
and turns on him quickly and drives it through him, and hurls him down
on the ground.

Then up sprung Asbrand his brother. Gunnar thrusts at him with the bill,
and he threw his shield before the blow, but the bill passed clean
through the shield and broke both his arms, and down he fell from the
wall.

Gunnar had already wounded eight men and slain those twain.[28] By that
time Gunnar had got two wounds, and all men said that he never once
winced either at wounds or death.

Then Gunnar said to Hallgerda, "Give me two locks of thy hair, and ye
two, 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, "now 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."

Then Gunnar sang a song--

Each who hurls the gory javelin
Hath some honour of his own,
Now my helpmeet wimple-hooded
Hurries all my fame to earth.
No one owner of a war-ship
Often asks for little things,
Woman, fond of Frodi's flour,[29]
Wends her hand as she is wont.

"Every one has something to boast of," says Gunnar, "and I will ask thee
no more for this."

"Thou behavest ill," said Rannveig, "and this shame shall long be had in
mind."

Gunnar made a stout and bold defence, and now wounds other eight men
with such sore wounds that many lay at death's door. Gunnar keeps them
all off until he fell worn out with toil. Then they wounded him with
many and great wounds, but still he got away out of their hands, and
held his own against them a while longer, but at last it came about that
they slew him.

Of this defence of his, Thorkell the Skald of Goeta-Elf sang in the
verses which follow--

We have heard how south in Iceland
Gunnar guarded well himself,
Boldly battle's thunder w