The Online Library of Liberty

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• Illustrations
• Prefatory Note.
• Sir George Dasent's Preface. ( Abridged .)
• Sir George Dasent's Introduction. ( Abridged .)
• Icelandic Chronology.
• The Story of Burnt Njal.
• Chapter I.: Of Fiddle Mord.
• Chapter II.: Atli Arnvid Son's Slaying.
• Chapter III.: Hrut Sails Out to Iceland.
• Chapter IV.: Unna Separates From Hrut.
• Chapter V.: Mord Claims His Goods From Hrut.
• Chapter VI.: Thorwald Gets Hallgerda to Wife.
• Chapter VII.: Hallgerda's Wedding.
• Chapter VIII.: Thorwald's Slaying.
• Chapter IX.: Glum's Wooing.
• Chapter X.: Glum's Slaying.
• Chapter XI.: Gunnar Comes Into the Story.
• Chapter XII.: Of Njal and His Children.
• Chapter XIII.: Helgi Njal's Son's Wooing.
• Chapter XIV.: Gunnar Goes Abroad.
• Chapter XV.: Gunnar Goes A-sea-roving.
• Chapter XVI.: The Visit to Bergthorsknoll.
• Chapter XVII.: Kol Slew Swart.
• Chapter XVIII.: The Slaying of Kol, Whom Atli Slew.
• Chapter XIX.: The Killing of Atli the Thrall.
• Chapter XX.: The Slaying of Brynjolf the Unruly.
• Chapter XXI.: Sigmund Comes Out to Iceland.
• Chapter XXII.: The Slaying of Thord Freedmanson.
• Chapter XXIII.: Njal and Gunnar Make Peace For the Slaying of Thord.
• Chapter XXIV.: The Slaying of Sigmund and Skiolld.
• Chapter XXV.: How Otkell Rode Over Gunnar.
• Chapter XXVI.: The Fight At Rangriver.
• Chapter XXVII.: Njal's Advice to Gunnar.
• Chapter XXVIII.: Gunnar and Geir the Priest Strive At the Thing.
• Chapter XXIX.: Of Starkad and His Sons.
• Chapter XXX.: How Gunnar's Horse Fought.
• Chapter XXXI.: Of Asgrim and Wolf Uggis' Son.
• Chapter XXXII.: An Attack Against Gunnar Agreed On.
• Chapter XXXIII.: Gunnar's Dream.
• Chapter XXXIV.: The Slaying of Hjort and Fourteen Men.
• Chapter XXXV.: Njal's Counsel to Gunnar.
• Chapter XXXVI.: Of Valgard and Mord.
• Chapter XXXVII.: Of Fines and Atonements.
• Chapter XXXVIII.: Of Thorgeir Starkad's Son.
• Chapter XXXIX.: Of Njal and Those Namesakes.
• Chapter Xl.: Mord's Counsel.
• Chapter Xli.: the Slaying of Thorgeir Otkell's Son.
• Chapter Xlii.: of the Suits For Manslaughter At the Thing.
• Chapter Xliii.: of the Atonement.
• Chapter Xliv.: the Riding to Lithend.
• Chapter Xlv.: Gunnar's Slaying.
• Chapter Xlvi.: Gunnar Sings a Song Dead.
• Chapter Xlvii.: Gunnar of Lithend Avenged.
• Chapter Xlviii.: Hogni Takes an Atonement For Gunnar's Death.
• Chapter Xlix.: Njal's Sons Sail Abroad.
• Chapter L.: of Kari Solmund's Son.
• Chapter Li.: Hrapp's Voyage From Iceland.
• Chapter Lii.: the Quarrel of Njal's Sons With Thrain Sigfus' Son.
• Chapter Liii.: Thrain Sigfus' Son's Slaying.
• The Death of Earl Hacon. ( From the Painting By C. E. Anderson. )
• Chapter Liv.: of the Change of Faith.
• Chapter Lv.: of Thangbrand's Journeys.
• Chapter Lvi.: of Thangbrand and Gudleif.
• Chapter Lvii.: of Gest Oddleif's Son.
• Chapter Lviii.: of Gizur the White and Hjallti.
• Chapter Lvix.: the Wedding of Hauskuld, the Priest of Whiteness.
• Chapter Lx.: the Slaying Op Hauskuld Njal's Son.
• Chapter Lxi.: the Slaying Op Lyting's Brothers.
• Chapter Lxii.: of Amund the Blind.
• Chapter Lxiii.: of the Slander Op Mord Valgard's Son.
• Chapter Lxiv.: of Mord and Njai's Sons.
• Chapter Lxv.: the Slaying of Hauskuld, the Priest of Whiteness.
• Chapter Lxvi.: of Hildigunna and Mord Valgakd's Son.
• Chapter Lxvii.: of Flosi Thord's Son.
• Chapter Lxviii.: of Flosi and Hildigunna.
• Chapter Lxix.: of Flosi and Mord and the Sons of Sigfus.
• Chapter Lxx.: of the Pleading of the Suit.
• Chapter Lxxi.: of the Award of Atonement Between Flosi and Njal.
• Chapter Lxxii.: of the Judges.
• Chapter Lxxiii.: an Attack Planned On Njal and His Sons.
• Chapter Lxxiv.: of Portents.
• Chapter Lxxv.: the Onslaught On Bergthorsknoll.
• Chapter Lxxvi.: Njal's Burning.
• Chapter Lxxvii.: Skarphedinn's Death.
• Chapter Lxxviii.: Njal's and Bergthora's Bones Found.
• Chapter Lxxix.: Flosi's Dream.
• Chapter Lxxx.: of Thorhall and Kari.
• Chapter Lxxxi.: of Flosi and the Burners.
• Chapter Lxxxii.: of Eyjolf Bolverk's Son.
• Chapter Lxxxiii.: of Asgrim, and Gizur, and Kari.
• Blood-badet—blood Revel. ( From the Painting By Lorene Froelioh. )
• Chapter Lxxxiv.: of Asgrim and Gudmund.
• Chapter Lxxxv.: of the Declarations of the Suits.
• Chapter Lxxxvi.: Now Men Go to the Courts.
• Chapter Lxxxvii.: of Eyjolf Bolverk's Son.
• Chapter Lxxxviii.: the Counsel of Thorhall Asgrim's Son.
• Chapter Lxxxix.: Battle At the Althing.
• Chapter XC.: Kari Comes to Bjorn's House In the Mark.
• Chapter XCI.: Of Flosi and the Burners.
• Chapter XCII.: Of Kari and Bjorn.
• Chapter XCIII.: More of Kari and Bjorn.
• Chapter XCIV.: Of Kari and Bjorn and Thorgeir.
• Chapter XCV.: Flosi Goes Abroad.
• Chapter XCVI.: Kari Goes Abroad.
• Chapter XCVII.: Gunnar Lambi's Son's Slaying.
• Chapter XCVIII.: Of Signs and Wonders.
• Chapter XCIX.: Brian's Battle.
• Chapter C.: The Slaying of Kol Thorstein's Son.
• The Funeral of Kol Thorstein's Son. ( From a Painting By Henry Semiradsky. )
• Chapter CI.: Of Flosi and Kari.

CHAPTER XLIV.

the riding to lithend.

Next autumn Mord Valgard's son sent word that Gunnar would be all alone at home, but all his people would be down in the isles to make an end of their haymaking. Then Gizur the white and Geir the priest rode east over the rivers as soon as ever they heard that, and so east across the sands to Hof. Then they sent word to Starkad under the Threecorner, and there they all met who were to fall on Gunnar, and took counsel how they might best bring it about.

Mord said that they could not come on Gunnar unawares, unless they seized the farmer who dwelt at the next homestead, whose name was Thorkell, and made him go against his will with them to lay hands on the hound Sam, and unless he went before them to the homestead to do this.

Then they set out east for Lithend, but sent to fetch Thorkell. They seized him and bound him, and gave him two choices—one that they would slay him, or else he must lay hands on the hound; but he chooses rather to save his life, and went with them.

There was a beaten sunk road, between fences, above the farm yard at Lithend, and there they halted with their band. Master Thorkell went up to the homestead, and the tyke lay on the top of the house, and he entices the dog away with him into a deep hollow in the path. Just then the hound sees that there are men before them, and he leaps on Thorkell and tears his belly open.

Aunund of Witchwood smote the hound on the head with his axe, so that the blade sunk into the brain. The hound gave such a great howl that they thought it passing strange, and he fell down dead.