The story of Burnt Njal From the Icelandic of the Njals Saga

CHAPTER XVII.

GLUM'S SLAY­ING.

Now Glum called men to fol­low him, and Thios­tolf got ready and went with them. So they went up South Reykiardale and then up along by Bau­gag­il and so south to Cross­fell. But some of his band he sent to the Su­lafells, and they all found very many sheep. Some of them, too, went by way of Sco­radale, and it came about at last that those twain, Glum and Thios­tolf, were left alone to­geth­er. They went south from Cross­fell and found there a flock of wild sheep, and they went from the south to­wards the fell, and tried to drive them down; but still the sheep got away from them up on the fell. Then each be­gan to scold the oth­er, and Thios­tolf said at last that Glum had no strength save to tum­ble about in Hall­ger­da's arms.

Then Glum said--

“'A man's foes are those of his own house.' Shall I take up­braid­ing from thee, run­away thrall as thou art?”

Thios­tolf said--

“Thou shalt soon have to own that I am no thrall, for I will not yield an inch to thee.”

Then Glum got an­gry, and cut at him with his hand-​axe, but he threw his axe in the way, and the blow fell on the haft with a down­ward stroke and bit in­to it about the breadth of two fin­gers. Thios­tolf cut at him at once with his axe, and smote him on the shoul­der, and the stroke hewed asun­der the shoul­der­bone and col­lar­bone, and the wound bled in­wards. Glum grasped at Thios­tolf with his left hand so fast that he fell; but Glum could not hold him, for death came over him. Then Thios­tolf cov­ered his body with stones, and took off his gold ring. Then he went straight to Var­malek. Hall­ger­da was sit­ting out of doors, and saw that his axe was bloody. He said--

“I know not what thou wilt think of it, but I tell thee Glum is slain.”

“That must be thy deed?” she says.

“So it is,” he says.

She laughed and said--

“Thou dost not stand for noth­ing in this sport.”

“What think­est thou is best to be done now?” he asked.

“Go to Hrut, my fa­ther's broth­er,” she said, “and let him see about thee.”

“I do not know,” says Thios­tolf, “whether this is good ad­vice; but still I will take thy coun­sel in this mat­ter.”

So he took his horse, and rode west to Hrut­st­ede that night. He binds his horse at the back of the house, and then goes round to the door, and gives a great knock. Af­ter that he walks round the house, north about. It hap­pened that Hrut was awake. He sprang up at once, and put on his jerkin and pulled on his shoes. Then he took up his sword, and wrapped a cloak about his left arm, up as far as the el­bow. Men woke up just as he went out; there he saw a tall stout man at the back of the house, and knew it was Thios­tolf. Hrut asked him what news.

“I tell thee Glum is slain,” says Thios­tolf.

“Who did the deed?” says Hrut.

“I slew him,” says Thios­tolf.

“Why rodest thou hith­er?” says Hrut.

“Hall­ger­da sent me to thee,” says Thios­tolf.

“Then she has no hand in this deed,” says Hrut, and drew his sword. Thios­tolf saw that, and would not be be­hind hand, so he cuts at Hrut at once. Hrut got out of the way of the stroke by a quick turn, and at the same time struck the back of the axe so smart­ly with a side-​long blow of his left hand, that it flew out of Thios­tolf's grasp. Then Hrut made a blow with the sword in his right hand at Thios­tolf's leg, just above the knee, and cut it al­most off so that it hung by a lit­tle piece, and sprang in up­on him at the same time, and thrust him hard back. Af­ter that he smote him on the head, and dealt him his death-​blow. Thios­tolf fell down on his back at full length, and then out came Hrut's men, and saw the to­kens of the deed. Hrut made them take Thios­tolf away, and throw stones over his body, and then he went to find Hauskuld, and told him of Glum's slay­ing, and al­so of Thios­tolf's. He thought it harm that Glum was dead and gone, but thanked him for killing Thios­tolf. A lit­tle while af­ter, Tho­rarin Ra­gi's broth­er hears of his broth­er Glum's death, then he rides with eleven men be­hind him west to Hauskuld­st­ede, and Hauskuld wel­comed him with both hands, and he is there the night. Hauskuld sent at once for Hrut to come to him, and he went at once, and next day they spoke much of the slay­ing of Glum, and Tho­rarin said--“Wilt thou make me any atone­ment for my broth­er, for I have had a great loss?”

Hauskuld an­swered--“I did not slay thy broth­er, nor did my daugh­ter plot his death; but as soon as ev­er Hrut knew it he slew Thios­tolf”.

Then Tho­rarin held his peace, and thought the mat­ter had tak­en a bad turn. But Hrut said--“Let us make his jour­ney good; he has in­deed had a heavy loss, and if we do that we shall be well spo­ken of. So let us give him gifts, and then he will be our friend ev­er af­ter­wards.”

So the end of it was that those broth­ers gave him gifts, and he rode back south. He and Hall­ger­da changed home­steads in the spring, and she went south to Lau­gar­ness and he to Var­malek. And now Tho­rarin is out of the sto­ry.