CHAPTER LXXXVII.

THRAIN TOOK TO HRAPP.

That same summer Njal’s sons fared to Norway from the Orkneys, as was before written, and they were there at the fair during the summer.  Then Thrain Sigfus’ son busked his ship for Iceland, and was all but “boun”.  At that time Earl Hacon went to a feast at Gudbrand’s house.  That night Killing-Hrapp came to the shrine of Earl Hacon and Gudbrand, and he went inside the house, and there he saw Thorgerda Shrinebride sitting, and she was as tall as a full-grown man.  She had a great gold ring on her arm, and a wimple on her head; he strips her of her wimple, and takes the gold ring from off her.  Then he sees Thor’s car, and takes from him a second gold ring; a third he took from Irpa; and then dragged them all out, and spoiled them of all their gear.

After that he laid fire to the shrine, and burnt it down, and then he goes away just as it began to dawn.  He walks across a ploughed field, and there six men sprung up with weapons, and fall upon him at once; but he made a stout defence, and the end of the business was that he slays three men, but wounds Thrand to the death, and drives two to the woods, so that they could bear no news to the Earl.  He then went up to Thrand and said—­

“It is now in my power to slay thee if I will, but I will not do that; and now I will set more store by the ties that are between us than ye have shown to me.”

Now Hrapp means to turn back to the wood, but now he sees that men have come between him and the wood, so he dares not venture to turn thither, but lays him down in a thicket, and so lies there a while.

Earl Hacon and Gudbrand went that morning early to the shrine and found it burnt down; but the three gods were outside, stripped of all their bravery.

Then Gudbrand began to speak, and said—­

“Much might is given to our gods, when here they have walked of themselves out of the fire!”

“The gods can have naught to do with it,” says the Earl; “a man must have burnt the shrine, and borne the gods out; but the gods do not avenge everything on the spot.  That man who has done this will no doubt be driven away out of Valhalla, and never come in thither.”

Just then up ran four of the Earl’s men, and told them ill tidings; for they said they had found three men slain in the field, and Thrand wounded to the death.

“Who can have done this?” says the Earl.

“Killing-Hrapp,” they say.

“Then he must have burnt down the shrine,” says the Earl.

They said they thought he was like enough to have done it.

“And where may he be now?” says the Earl.

They said that Thrand had told them that he had laid down in a thicket.

The Earl goes thither to look for him, but Hrapp was off and away.  Then the Earl set his men to search for him, but still they could not find him.  So the Earl was in the hue and cry himself, but first he bade them rest a while.