"Treefoot, Treefoot, foot of tree,
Trolls take thee and thy company."
"Yea, a sight it is seldom seen of us, that such men should go into
battle as have no might over themselves."
Onund said that they could know nought thereof ere it were tried; and
withal they laid their ships alongside one of the other, and there
began a great fight, and either side did boldly. But when they came
to handy blows, Onund gave back toward the cliff, and when the vikings
saw this, they deemed he was minded to flee, and made towards his
ship, and came as nigh to the cliff as they might. But in that very
point of time those came forth on to the edge of the cliff who were
appointed so to do, and sent at the vikings so great a flight of
stones that they might not withstand it.
Then fell many of the viking-folk, and others were hurt so that they
might not bear weapon; and withal they were fain to draw back, and
might not, because their ships were even then come into the narrowest
of the sound, and they were huddled together both by the ships and the
stream; but Onund and his men set on fiercely, whereas Vigbiod was,
but Thrand set on Vestmar, and won little thereby; so, when the folk
were thinned on Vigbiod's ship, Onund's men and Onund himself got
ready to board her: that Vigbiod saw, and cheered on his men without
stint: then he turned to meet Onund, and the more part fled before
him; but Onund bade his men mark how it went between them; for he was
of huge strength. Now they set a log of wood under Onund's knee, so
that he stood firmly enow; the viking fought his way forward along the
ship till he reached Onund, and he smote at him with his sword, and
the stroke took the shield, and sheared off all it met; and then the
sword drove into the log that Onund had under his knee, and stuck fast
therein; and Vigbiod stooped in drawing it out, and even therewith
Onund smote at his shoulder in such wise, that he cut the arm from off
him, and then was the viking unmeet for battle.
But when Vestmar knew that his fellow was fallen, he leaped into
the furthermost ship and fled with all those who might reach her.
Thereafter they ransacked the fallen men; and by then was Vigbiod nigh
to his death: Onund went up to him, and sang--
"Yea, seest thou thy wide wounds bleed?
What of shrinking didst thou heed
In the one-foot sling of gold?
What scratch here dost thou behold?
And in e'en such wise as this
Many an axe-breaker there is
Strong of tongue and weak of hand:
Tried thou wert, and might'st not stand."
So there they took much spoil and sailed back to Barra in the autumn.