naught, and show me no honour, but when ye were younger ye did not so,
and then your plans were better furthered."

"Let us do," said Helgi, "as our father wills; that will be best for
us."

"I am not so sure of that," says Skarphedinn, "for now he is 'fey';
but still I may well humour my father in this, by being burnt indoors
along with him, for I am not afraid of my death."

Then he said to Kari, "Let us stand by one another well, brother-in-law,
so that neither parts from the other".

"That I have made up my mind to do," says Kari; "but if it should be
otherwise doomed,--well! then it must be as it must be, and I shall not
be able to fight against it."

"Avenge us, and we will avenge thee," says Skarphedinn, "if we live
after thee."

Kari said so it should be.

Then they all went in, and stood in array at the door.

"Now are they all 'fey,'" said Flosi, "since they have gone indoors, and
we will go right up to them as quickly as we can, and throng as close as
we can before the door, and give heed that none of them, neither Kari
nor Njal's sons, get away; for that were our bane."

So Flosi and his men came up to the house, and set men to watch round
the house, if there were any secret doors in it. But Flosi went up to
the front of the house with his men.

Then Hroald Auzur's son ran up to where Skarphedinn stood, and thrust at
him. Skarphedinn hewed the spearhead off the shaft as he held it, and
made another stroke at him, and the axe fell on the top of the shield,
and dashed back the whole shield on Hroald's body, but the upper horn of
the axe caught him on the brow, and he fell at full length on his back,
and was dead at once.

"Little chance had that one with thee, Skarphedinn," said Kari, "and
thou art our boldest."

"I'm not so sure of that," says Skarphedinn, and he drew up his lips and
smiled.

Kari, and Grim, and Helgi, threw out many spears, and wounded many men;
but Flosi and his men could do nothing.

At last Flosi said, "We have already gotten great manscathe in our men;
many are wounded, and he slain whom we would choose last of all. It is
now clear that we shall never master them with weapons; many now there
be who are not so forward in fight as they boasted, and yet they were
those who goaded us on most. I say this most to Grani Gunnar's son, and
Gunnar Lambi's son, who were the least willing to spare their foes. But
still we shall have to take to some other plan for ourselves, and no