Sigurd (do).—­With what message?

Thorolf.—­That you shall be spared life and limb, though you have been participant in this onslaught on me. (EINAR gives a start.)

Sigurd.—­And any others?

Thorolf.—­Little I care.

Einar (aside).—­That ring must I try to get hold of.

(THOROLF is led out to the left; all the others follow, excepting
BRODDI and BRAND.)

Broddi.—­You must not be present at it, Brand!  I shall tell you what is happening.  Now Thorolf is shriven; he has but few sins to confess; he has been absolved but recently.

Brand.—­If they had not lit the fire we would never have found them.  Better had it been they had not lit it!

Broddi.—­A pity that brave men such as Thorolf was should not be good men to work together with, likewise.  Now Thorolf kneels down for the blow.  Do not look that way, Brand!

Brand.—­Has he the crucifix in his hand?

Broddi.—­No; he reached it to Deacon Sigurd, before kneeling down.  Why does Helgi let a brave man wait so long for the blow?

(A heavy blow on a body is heard without.  BRAND starts up, pulls THOROLF’S ring from his arm and gives it to BRODDI.)

Brand.—­Give Helgi Skaftason this ring; he will have need of the value in it.  It is the ring Thorolf handed over to me in Flugumyr.  I will not wear it!

Broddi.—­It shall be as you wish.  Now our men have laid a shield over Thorolf’s body.

(The slayers of THOROLF enter from the left.)

Alf.—­Great news abroad!

Brand.—­We know what has happened, and that Thorolf Bjarnason is dead.

Alf.—­’Dog-like on crushed bones he fed,
         Tan of bark his hide dyed red.’[A]

[Footnote A:  Alf’s lines are to be understood, so that Thorolf lived like a beggar in his youth, eating crushed bones (of dried fish; the dried fish are beaten with a hammer so as to crush the bones and separate them from the meat), and gnawing the bark of trees.  (H.  Hermannsson.) The lines are from a stanza made by one Gudmund Asbjarnason on Thorolf Sturlunga, ch. 122.]

Broddi.—­Shame on you, Alf, to make mock at Thorolf, now he is dead.

(Enter from the right LADY HELGA, ASBJORN, and SALVOR.  HELGA in traveling costume, with a veil with long white tassels.  All present are greatly alarmed as they see her.)

Brand.—­Lady Helga!  Hail, cousin!

Helga.—­Hail to all of you! (They bow to her.) What are you about, here, kinsman Brand?

Brand.—­I am biding for better weather.  But what may be the purpose of your journey?

Helga.—­I am on a voyage to inspect our building of ships.  In the snowstorm I and Asbjorn lost our way; but a short while ago we saw a fire or a light and turned that way.  Now we are come here.