st to break the
peace. Thou didst take my kinswoman and pine her to death by hunger, and
didst murder her, and take her wealth; an ugly deed for a king!--meet
for mocking and laughter I deem it, that thou must needs make long tale
of thy woes; rather will I give thanks to the Gods that thou fallest
into ill."

CHAPTER XXXVIII. Of the slaying of the Giukings.

Now King Atli eggs on his folk to set on fiercely, and eagerly they
fight; but the Giukings fell on so hard that King Atli gave back into
the hall, and within doors was the fight, and fierce beyond all fights.

That battle was the death of many a man, but such was the ending
thereof, that there fell all the folk of those brethren, and they twain
alone stood up on their feet, and yet many more must fare to hell first
before their weapons.

And now they fell on Gunnar the king, and because of the host of men
that set on him was hand laid on him, and he was cast into fetters;
afterwards fought Hogni, with the stoutest heart and the greatest
manlihood; and he felled to earth twenty of the stoutest of the
champions of King Atli, and many he thrust into the fire that burnt
amidst the hall, and all were of one accord that such a man might scarce
be seen; yet in the end was he borne down by many and taken.

Then said King Atli, "A marvellous thing how many men have gone their
ways before him! Cut the heart from out of him, and let that be his
bane!"

Hogni said, "Do according to thy will; merrily will I abide whatso thou
wrlt do against me; and thou shalt see that my heart is not adrad, for
hard matters have I made trial of ere now, and all things that may try
a man was I fain to bear, whiles yet I was unhurt; but now sorely am
I hurt, and thou alone henceforth will bear mastery in our dealings
together."

Then spake a counsellor of King Atli, "Better rede I see thereto; take
we the thrall Hjalli, and give respite to Hogni; for this thrall is made
to die, since the longer he lives the less worth shall he be."

The thrall hearkened, and cried out aloft, and fled away anywhither
where he might hope for shelter, crying out that a hard portion was his
because of their strife and wild doings, and an ill day for him whereon
he must be dragged to death from his sweet life and his swine-keeping.
But they caught him, and turned a knife against him, and he yelled and
screamed or ever he felt the point thereof.

Then in such wise spake Hogni as a man seldom speaketh wh