“It joys me, brother-in-law,” says Skarphedinn, “to think that if thou gettest away thou wilt avenge me.”

Then Kari took up a blazing bench in his hand, and runs up along the cross-beam, then he hurls the bench out at the roof, and it fell among those who were outside.

Then they ran away, and by that time all Kari’s upper-clothing and his hair were ablaze, then he threw himself down from the roof, and so crept along with the smoke.

Then one man said who was nearest—­

“Was that a man that leapt out at the roof?”

“Far from it,” says another; “more likely it was Skarphedinn who hurled a firebrand at us.”

After that they had no more mistrust.

Kari ran till he came to a stream, and then, he threw himself down into it, and so quenched the fire on him.

After that he ran along under shelter of the smoke into a hollow, and rested him there, and that has since been called Kari’s Hollow.

CHAPTER CXXIX.

SKARPHEDINN’S DEATH.

Now it is to be told of Skarphedinn that he runs out on the cross-beam straight after Kari, but when he came to where the beam was most burnt, then it broke down under him.  Skarphedinn came down on his feet, and tried again the second time, and climbs up the wall with a run, then down on him came the wall-plate, and he toppled down again inside.

Then Skarphedinn said—­“Now one can see what will come;” and then he went along the side wall.  Gunnar Lambi’s son leapt up on the wall and sees Skarphedinn; he spoke thus—­

“Weepest thou now, Skarphedinn?”

“Not so,” says Skarphedinn, “but true it is that the smoke makes one’s eyes smart, but is it as it seems to me, dost thou laugh?”

“So it is surely,” says Gunnar, “and I have never laughed since thou slewest Thrain on Markfleet.”

Then Skarphedinn said—­“He now is a keepsake for thee;” and with that he took out of his purse the jaw-tooth which he had hewn out of Thrain, and threw it at Gunnar, and struck him in the eye, so that it started out and lay on his cheek.

Then Gunnar fell down from the roof.

Skarphedinn then went to his brother Grim, and they held one another by the hand and trode the fire; but when they came to the middle of the hall Grim fell down dead.

Then Skarphedinn went to the end of the house, and then there was a great crash, and down fell the roof.  Skarphedinn was then shut in between it and the gable, and so he could not stir a step thence.

Flosi and his band stayed by the fire until it was broad daylight; then came a man riding up to them.  Flosi asked him for his name, but he said his name was Geirmund, and that he was a kinsman of the sons of Sigfus.

“Ye have done a mighty deed,” he says.

“Men,” says Flosi, “will call it both a mighty deed and an ill deed, but that can’t be helped now.”