Sigmund took up his weapons, but Skarphedinn waited the while.  Skiolld turned against Grim and Helgi, and they fell hotly to fight.  Sigmund had a helm on his head, and a shield at his side, and was girt with a sword, his spear was in his hand; now he turns against Skarphedinn, and thrusts at once at him with his spear, and the thrust came on his shield.  Skarphedinn dashes the spearhaft in two, and lifts up his axe and hews at Sigmund, and cleaves his shield down to below the handle.  Sigmund drew his sword and cut at Skarphedinn, and the sword cuts into his shield, so that it stuck fast.  Skarphedinn gave the shield such a quick twist, that Sigmund let go his sword.  Then Skarphedinn hews at Sigmund with his axe, the “Ogress of war”.  Sigmund had on a corselet, the axe came on his shoulder.  Skarphedinn cleft the shoulder-blade right through, and at the same time pulled the axe towards him, Sigmund fell down on both knees, but sprang up again at once.

“Thou hast lifted low to me already,” says Skarphedinn, “but still thou shalt fall upon thy mother’s bosom ere we two part.”

“Ill is that then,” says Sigmund.

Skarphedinn gave him a blow on his helm, and after that dealt Sigmund his death-blow.

Grim cut off Skiolld’s foot at the ankle-joint, but Helgi thrust him through with his spear, and he got his death there and then.

Skarphedinn saw Hallgerda’s shepherd, just as he had hewn off Sigmund’s head; he handed the head to the shepherd, and bade him bear it to Hallgerda, and said she would know whether that head had made jeering songs about them, and with that he sang a song.

  Here! this head shall thou, that heapest
  Hoards from ocean-caverns won,[21]
  Bear to Hallgerd with my greeting,
  Her that hurries men to fight;
  Sure am I, O firewood splitter! 
  That yon spendthrift knows it well,
  And will answer if it ever
  Uttered mocking songs on us.

The shepherd casts the head down as soon as ever they parted, for he dared not do so while their eyes were on him.  They fared along till they met some men down by Markfleet, and told them the tidings.  Skarphedinn gave himself out as the slayer of Sigmund; and Grim and Helgi as the slayers of Skiolld; then they fared home and told Njal the tidings.  He answers them—­

“Good luck to your hands!  Here no self-doom will come to pass as things stand.”

Now we must take up the story, and say that the shepherd came home to Lithend.  He told Hallgerda the tidings.

“Skarphedinn put Sigmund’s head into my hands,” he says, “and bade me bring it thee; but I dared not do it, for I knew not how thou wouldst like that.”

“’Twas ill that thou didst not do that,” she says; “I would have brought it to Gunnar, and then he would have avenged his kinsman, or have to bear every man’s blame.”

After that she went to Gunnar and said, “I tell thee of thy kinsman Sigmund’s slaying:  Skarphedinn slew him, and wanted them to bring me the head”.