They met on the beaten way, Thord and Brynjolf; and Thord said,
"Guard thee, Brynjolf, for I will do no dastard's deed by thee."
Brynjolf rode at Thord, and smote at him with his axe. He smote at him at the same time with his axe, and hewed in sunder the haft just above Brynjolf's hands, and then hewed at him at once a second time, and struck him on the collar-bone, and the blow went straight into his trunk. Then he fell from horseback, and was dead on the spot.
Thord met Hallgerda's herdsman, and gave out the slaying as done by his hand, and said where he lay, and bade him tell Hallgerda of the slaying. After that he rode home to Bergthorsknoll, and told Bergthora of the slaying, and other people too.
"Good luck go with thy hands," she said.
The herdsman told Hallgerda of the slaying; she was snappish at it, and said much ill would come of it, if she might have her way.
40. GUNNAR AND NJAL MAKE PEACE ABOUT BRYNJOLF'S SLAYING
Now these tidings come to the Thing, and Njal made them tell him the tale thrice, and then he said, "More men now become man- slayers than I weened."
Skarphedinn spoke, "That man, though, must have been twice fey," he says, "who lost his life by our foster-father's hand, who has never seen man's blood. And many would think that we brothers would sooner have done this deed with the turn of temper that we have."
"Scant space wilt thou have," says Njal, "ere the like befalls thee; but need will drive thee to it."
Then they went to meet Gunnar, and told him of the slaying. Gunnar spoke and said that was little man-scathe, "but yet he was a free man."