might must
thou meet here, or ever we lay by life if thou wilt deal with us in
battle; ah, belike thou settest forth this feast like a great man, and
wouldst not hold thine hand from erne and wolf!"

"Long ago I had it in my mind," said Atli, "to take the lives of you, and
be lord of the gold, and reward you for that deed of shame, wherein ye
beguiled the best of all your affinity; but now shall I revenge him."

Hogni answered, "Little will it avail to lie long brooding over that
rede, leaving the work undone."

And therewith they fell to hard fighting, at the first brunt with shot.

But therewithal came the tidings to Gudrun, and when she heard thereof
she grew exceeding wroth, and cast her mantle from her, and ran out and
greeted those new-comers, and kissed her brethren, and showed them all
love,--and the last of all greetings was that betwixt them.

Then said she, "I thought I had set forth counsels whereby ye should not
come hither, but none may deal with his shapen fate." And withal she
said, "Will it avail aught to seek for peace?"

But stoutly and grimly they said nay thereto. So she sees that the
game goeth sorely against her brethren, and she gathers to her great
stoutness of heart, and does on her a mail-coat and takes to her a
sword, and fights by her brethren, and goes as far forward as the
bravest of man-folk: and all spoke in one wise that never saw any fairer
defence than in her.

Now the men fell thick, and far before all others was the fighting of
those brethren, and the battle endured a long while unto midday; Gunnar
and Hogni went right through the folk of Atli, and so tells the tale
that all the mead ran red with blood; the sons of Hogni withal set on
stoutly.

Then spake Atli the king, "A fair host and a great have we, and mighty
champions withal, and yet have many of us fallen, and but evil am I
apaid in that nineteen of my champions are slain, and but left six
alive."

And therewithal was there a lull in the battle.

Then spake Atli the king, "Four brethren were we, and now am I left
alone; great affinity I gat to me, and deemed my fortune well sped
thereby; a wife I had, fair and wise, high of mind, and great of heart;
but no joyance may I have of her wisdom, for little peace is betwixt
us,--but ye--ye have slain many of my kin, and beguiled me of realm and
riches, and for the greatest of all woes have slain my sister withal."

Quoth Hogni, "Why babblest thou thus? thou wert the fir