Inside, the house was seen to be ruinous throughout, and filled with a violent and abominable reek.And it also teemed with everything that could disgust the eye or the mind: the door-posts were begrimed with the soot of ages, the wall was plastered with filth, the roof was made up of spear-heads, the flooring was covered with snakes and bespattered with all manner of uncleanliness.Such an unwonted sight struck terror into the strangers, and, over all, the acrid and incessant stench assailed their afflicted nostrils.Also bloodless phantasmal monsters huddled on the iron seats, and the places for sitting were railed off by leaden trellises; and hideous doorkeepers stood at watch on the thresholds.Some of these, armed with clubs lashed together, yelled, while others played a gruesome game, tossing a goat's hide from one to the other with mutual motion of goatish backs.
Here Thorkill again warned the men, and forbade them to stretch forth their covetous hands rashly to the forbidden things.Going on through the breach in the crag, they beheld an old man with his body pierced through, sitting not far off, on a lofty seat facing the side of the rock that had been rent away.Moreover, three women, whose bodies were covered with tumours, and who seemed to have lost the strength of their back-bones, filled adjoining seats.Thorkill's companions were very curious; and he, who well knew the reason of the matter, told them that long ago the god Thor had been provoked by the insolence of the giants to drive red-hot irons through the vitals of Geirrod, who strove with him, and that the iron had slid further, torn up the mountain, and battered through its side; while the women had been stricken by the might of his thunderbolts, and had been punished (so he declared) for their attempt on the same deity, by having their bodies broken.
As the men were about to depart thence, there were disclosed to them seven butts hooped round with belts of gold; and from these hung circlets of silver entwined with them in manifold links.
Near these was found the tusk of a strange beast, tipped at both ends with gold.Close by was a vast stag-horn, laboriously decked with choice and flashing gems, and this also did not lack chasing.Hard by was to be seen a very heavy bracelet.One man was kindled with an inordinate desire for this bracelet, and laid covetous hands upon the gold, not knowing that the glorious metal covered deadly mischief, and that a fatal bane lay hid under the shining spoil.A second also, unable to restrain his covetousness, reached out his quivering hands to the horn.Athird, matching the confidence of the others, and having no control over his fingers, ventured to shoulder the tusk.The spoil seemed alike lovely to look upon and desirable to enjoy, for all that met the eye was fair and tempting to behold.But the bracelet suddenly took the form of a snake, and attacked him who was carrying it with its poisoned tooth; the horn lengthened out into a serpent, and took the life of the man who bore it; the tusk wrought itself into a sword, and plunged into the vitals of its bearer.
The rest dreaded the fate of perishing with their friends, and thought that the guiltless would be destroyed like the guilty;they durst not hope that even innocence would be safe.Then the side-door of another room showed them a narrow alcove: and a privy chamber with a yet richer treasure was revealed, wherein arms were laid out too great for those of human stature.Among these were seen a royal mantle, a handsome hat, and a belt marvellously wrought.Thorkill, struck with amazement at these things, gave rein to his covetousness, and cast off all his purposed self-restraint.He who so oft had trained others could not so much as conquer his own cravings.For he laid his hand upon the mantle, and his rash example tempted the rest to join in his enterprise of plunder.Thereupon the recess shook from its lowest foundations, and began suddenly to reel and totter.
Straightway the women raised a shriek that the wicked robbers were being endured too long.Then they, who were before supposed to be half-dead or lifeless phantoms, seemed to obey the cries of the women, and, leaping suddenly up from their seats, attacked the strangers with furious onset.The other creatures bellowed hoarsely.
But Broder and Buchi fell to their old and familiar arts, and attacked the witches, who ran at them, with a shower of spears from every side; and with the missiles from their bows and slings they crushed the array of monsters.There could be no stronger or more successful way to repulse them; but only twenty men out of all the king's company were rescued by the intervention of this archery; the rest were torn in pieces by the monsters.The survivors returned to the river, and were ferried over by Gudmund, who entertained them at his house.Long and often as he besought them, he could not keep them back; so at last he gave them presents and let them go.
Buchi relaxed his watch upon himself; his self-control became unstrung, and he forsook the virtue in which he hitherto rejoiced.For he conceived an incurable love for one of the daughters of Gudmund, and embraced her; but he obtained a bride to his undoing, for soon his brain suddenly began to whirl, and he lost his recollection.Thus the hero who had subdued all the monsters and overcome all the perils was mastered by passion for one girl; his soul strayed far from temperance, and he lay under a wretched sensual yoke.For the sake of respect, he started to accompany the departing king; but as he was about to ford the river in his carriage, his wheels sank deep, he was caught up in the violent eddies and destroyed.
