"Our father goes early to bed, and that is what was to be looked for, for he is an old man."
Then Skarphedinn, and Kari, and Grim, caught the brands as fast as they dropped down, and hurled them out at them, and so it went on a while. Then they hurled spears in at them, but they caught them all as they flew, and sent them back again.
Then Flosi bade them cease shooting, "for all feats of arms will go hard with us when we deal with them; ye may well wait till the fire overcomes them".
So they do that, and shoot no more.
Then the great beams out of the roof began to fall, and Skarphedinn said—
"Now must my father be dead, and I have neither heard groan nor cough from him."
Then they went to the end of the hall, and there had fallen down a cross-beam inside which was much burnt in the middle.
Kari spoke to Skarphedinn, and said—"Leap thou out here, and I will help thee to do so, and I will leap out after thee, and then we shall both get away if we set about it so, for hitherward blows all the smoke."
"Thou shalt leap first," said Skarphedinn; "but I will leap straightway on thy heels."
"That is not wise," says Kari, "for I can get out well enough elsewhere, though it does not come about here."