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

CHAPTER LXXXIII.

OF KARI SOL­MUND'S SON.

Then the Vikings shot at them and the fight be­gan, and the chap­men guard them­selves well. Snow­colf sprang aboard and at Olaf, and thrust his spear through his body, but Grim thrust at Snow­colf with his spear, and so stout­ly, that he fell over-​board. Then Hel­gi turned to meet Grim, and they too drove down all the Vikings as they tried to board, and Njal's sons were ev­er where there was most need. Then the Vikings called out to the chap­men and bade them give up, but they said they would nev­er yield. Just then some one looked sea­ward, and there they see ships com­ing from the south round the Ness, and they were not few­er than ten, and they row hard and steer thith­er­wards. Along their sides were shield on shield, but on that ship that came first stood a man by the mast, who was clad in a silken kir­tle, and had a gild­ed helm, and his hair was both fair and thick; that man had a spear in­laid with gold in his hand.

He asked, “Who have here such an un­even game?”

Hel­gi tells his name, and said that against them are Grit­gard and Snow­colf.

“But who are your cap­tains?” he asks.

Hel­gi an­swered, “Bard the black, who lives, but the oth­er, who is dead and gone, was called Olaf”.

“Are ye men from Ice­land?” says he.

“Sure enough we are,” Hel­gi an­swers.

He asked whose sons they were, and they told him, then he knew them and said--

“Well known names have ye all, fa­ther and sons both.”

“Who art thou?” asks Hel­gi.

“My name is Kari, and I am Sol­mund's son.”

“Whence comest thou?” says Hel­gi.

“From the South­ern Isles.”

“Then thou art wel­come,” says Hel­gi, “if thou wilt give us a lit­tle help.”

“I'll give ye all the help ye need,” says Kari; “but what do ye ask?”

“To fall on them,” says Hel­gi.

Kari says that so it shall be. So they pulled up to them, and then the bat­tle be­gan the sec­ond time; but when they had fought a lit­tle while, Kari springs up on Snow­colf's ship; he turns to meet him and smites at him with his sword. Kari leaps nim­bly back­wards over a beam that lay athwart the ship, and Snow­colf smote the beam so that both edges of the sword were hid­den. Then Kari smites at him, and the sword fell on his shoul­der, and the stroke was so mighty that he cleft in twain shoul­der, arm, and all, and Snow­colf got his death there and then. Grit­gard hurled a spear at Kari, but Kari saw it and sprang up aloft, and the spear missed him. Just then Hel­gi and Grim came up both to meet Kari, and Hel­gi springs on Grit­gard and thrusts his spear through him, and that was his death blow; af­ter that they went round the whole ship on both boards, and then men begged for mer­cy. So they gave them all peace, but took all their goods. Af­ter that they ran all the ships out un­der the is­lands.