So Flosi and his men came up to the house, and set men to watch round the house, if there were any secret doors in it.  But Flosi went up to the front of the house with his men.

Then Hroald Auzur’s son ran up to where Skarphedinn stood, and thrust at him.  Skarphedinn hewed the spearhead off the shaft as he held it, and made another stroke at him, and the axe fell on the top of the shield, and dashed back the whole shield on Hroald’s body, but the upper horn of the axe caught him on the brow, and he fell at full length on his back, and was dead at once.

“Little chance had that one with thee, Skarphedinn,” said Kari, “and thou art our boldest.”

“I’m not so sure of that,” says Skarphedinn, and he drew up his lips and smiled.

Kari, and Grim, and Helgi, threw out many spears, and wounded many men; but Flosi and his men could do nothing.

At last Flosi said, “We have already gotten great manscathe in our men; many are wounded, and he slain whom we would choose last of all.  It is now clear that we shall never master them with weapons; many now there be who are not so forward in fight as they boasted, and yet they were those who goaded us on most.  I say this most to Grani Gunnar’s son, and Gunnar Lambi’s son, who were the least willing to spare their foes.  But still we shall have to take to some other plan for ourselves, and now there are but two choices left, and neither of them good.  One is to turn away, and that is our death; the other, to set fire to the house, and burn them inside it; and that is a deed which we shall have to answer for heavily before God, since we are Christian men ourselves; but still we must take to that counsel.”

CHAPTER CXXVIII.

NJAL’S BURNING.

Now they took fire, and made a great pile before the doors.  Then Skarphedinn said.

“What, lads! are ye lighting a fire, or are ye taking to cooking?”

“So it shall be,” answered Grani Gunnar’s son; “and thou shalt not need to be better done.”

“Thou repayest me,” said Skarphedinn, “as one may look for from the man that thou art.  I avenged thy father, and thou settest most store by that duty which is farthest from thee.”

Then the women threw whey on the fire, and quenched it as fast as they lit it.  Some, too, brought water, or slops.

Then Kol Thorstein’s son said to Flosi—­

“A plan comes into my mind; I have seen a loft over the hall among the crosstrees, and we will put the fire in there, and light it with the vetch-stack that stands just above the house.”

Then they took the vetch-stack and set fire to it, and they who were inside were not aware of it till the whole hall was ablaze over their heads.

Then Flosi and his men made a great pile before each of the doors, and then the women folk who were inside began to weep and to wail.

Njal spoke to them and said, “Keep up your hearts, nor utter shrieks, for this is but a passing storm, and it will be long before ye have another such; and put your faith in God, and believe that He is so merciful that He will not let us burn both in this world and the next.”