Page:The Heimskringla; or, Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Vol 2.djvu/240

 232 CHRONICLE OF THE saga vii. per they cast away all the bones around them. They then prepared to go to sleep, and laid themselves down upon the benches around the fire. When they had been asleep a short time, a huge witch came into the house ; and when she came in, she carefully swept to- gether all the bones and whatever was of food kind into a heap, and threw it into her mouth. Then she gripped the man who was nearest to her, riving and tearing him asunder, and threw him upon the fire. The others awoke in dreadful fright, and sprang up ; but she took them, and sent them one by one to hell, so that one only remained in life. He ran under the loft calling for help, and if there was any one on the loft to help him. Arnliot reached down his hand, seized him by the shoulder, and drew him up into the loft. The witch- wife had turned towards the fire, and began to eat the men who were roasting. Now Arnliot stood up, took his halberd, and struck her between the shoulders, so that the point came out at her breast. She writhed with it, gave a dreadful shriek, and sprang up. The halberd slipped from Arnliot's hands, and she ran out with it. Arnliot then went in ; cleared away the dead corpses out of the house ; set the door and the door-posts up, for she had torn them down in going out; and they slept the rest of the night. When the day broke they got up ; and first they took their breakfast. When they had got food, Arnliot said, " Now we must part here. Ye can proceed upon the new-traced path the merchants have made in coming here yesterday. In the mean time I will seek after my halberd, and in reward for my labour I will take so much of the goods these men had with them as I find useful to me. Thou, Thorodcl, must take my salutation to King Olaf ; and say to him that he is the man I am most desirous to see, although my saluta- tion may appear to him of little worth." Then he took his silver plate, wiped it dry with a cloth, and