“Well, is Gunnar at home?”

“Find that out for yourselves,” said Thorgrim; “but this I am sure of, that his bill is at home,” and with that he fell down dead.

Then they made for the buildings.  Gunnar shot out arrows at them, and made a stout defence, and they could get nothing done.  Then some of them got into the out-houses and tried to attack him thence, but Gunnar found them out with his arrows there also, and still they could get nothing done.

So it went on for while, then they took a rest, and made a second onslaught.  Gunnar still shot out at them, and they could do nothing, and fell off the second time.  Then Gizur the white said-

“Let us press on harder; nothing comes of our onslaught.”

Then they made a third bout of it, and were long at it, and then they fell off again.

Gunnar said, “There lies on arrow outside on the wall, and it is one of their shafts; I will shoot at them with it, and it will be a shame to them if they get a hurt from their own weapons”.

His mother said, “Do not so, my son; nor rouse them again when they have already fallen off from the attack”.

But Gunnar caught up the arrow and shot it after them, and struck Eylif Aunund’s son, and he got a great wound; he was standing all by himself, and they knew not that he was wounded.

“Out came an arm yonder,” says Gizur, “and there was a gold ring on it, and took an arrow from the roof and they would not look outside for shafts if there were enough in doors; and now ye shall make a fresh onslaught.”

“Let us burn him house and all,” said Mord.

“That shall never be,” says Gizur, “though I knew that my life lay on it; but it is easy for thee to find out some plan, such a cunning man as thou art said to be.”

Some ropes lay there on the ground, and they were often used to strengthen the roof.  Then Mord said—­“Let us take the ropes and throw one end over the end of the carrying beams, but let us fasten the other end to these rocks and twist them tight with levers, and so pull the roof off the hall.”

So they took the ropes and all lent a hand to carry this out, and before Gunnar was aware of it, they had pulled the whole roof off the hall.

Then Gunnar still shoots with his bow so that they could never come nigh him.  Then Mord said again that they must burn the house over Gunnar’s head.  But Gizur said—­

“I know not why thou wilt speak of that which no one else wishes, and that shall never be.”

Just then Thorbrand Thorleik’s son sprang up on the roof, and cuts asunder Gunnar’s bowstring.  Gunnar clutches the bill with both hands, and turns on him quickly and drives it through him, and hurls him down on the ground.

Then up sprung Asbrand his brother.  Gunnar thrusts at him with the bill, and he threw his shield before the blow, but the bill passed clean through the shield and broke both his arms, and down he fell from the wall.