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

CHAPTER LXXV.

THE RID­ING TO LITHEND.

Next au­tumn Mord Val­gard's son, sent word that Gun­nar would be all alone at home, but all his peo­ple would be down in the isles to make an end of their hay­mak­ing. Then Gizur the white and Geir the priest rode east over the rivers as soon as ev­er they heard that, and so east across the sands to Hof. Then they sent word to Starkad un­der the Three­corner, and there they all met who were to fall on Gun­nar, and took coun­sel how they might best bring it about.

Mord said that they could not come on Gun­nar un­awares, un­less they seized the farmer who dwelt at the next home­stead, whose name was Thorkell, and made him go against his will with them to lay hands on the hound Sam, and un­less he went be­fore them to the home­stead to do this.

Then they set out east for Lithend, but sent to fetch Thorkell. They seized him and bound him, and gave him two choic­es--one that they would slay him, or else he must lay hands on the hound; but he choos­es rather to save his life, and went with them.

There was a beat­en sunk road, be­tween fences, above the farm yard at Lithend, and there they halt­ed with their band. Mas­ter Thorkell went up to the home­stead, and the tyke lay on the top of the house, and he en­tices the dog away with him in­to a deep hol­low in the path. Just then the hound sees that there are men be­fore them, and he leaps on Thorkell and tears his bel­ly open.

Au­nund of Witch­wood smote the hound on the head with his axe, so that the blade sunk in­to the brain. The hound gave such a great howl that they thought it pass­ing strange, and he fell down dead.