Onund and Asa had two sons; the elder was called Thorgeir, the younger
Ufeigh Grettir; but Asa soon died. Thereafter Onund got to wife a
woman called Thordis, the daughter of Thorgrim, from Gnup in Midfirth,
and akin to Midfirth Skeggi. Of her Onund had a son called Thorgrim;
he was early a big man, and a strong, wise, and good withal in matters
of husbandry. Onund dwelt on at Coldback till he was old, then he died
in his bed, and is buried in Treefoot's barrow; he was the briskest
and lithest of one-footed men who have ever lived in Iceland.
Now Thorgrim took the lead among the sons of Onund, though others of
them were older than he; but when he was twenty-five years old he
grew grey-haired, and therefore was he bynamed Greypate; Thordis, his
mother, was afterwards wedded north in Willowdale, to Audun Skokul,
and their son was Asgeir, of Asgeir's-River. Thorgrim Greypate and
his brothers had great possessions in common, nor did they divide the
goods between them. Now Eric, who farmed at Arness, as is aforesaid,
had to wife Alof, daughter of Ingolf, of Ingolfs-firth; and Flosi was
the name of their son, a hopeful man, and of many friends. In those
days three brothers came out hither, Ingolf, Ufeigh, and Eyvind, and
settled those three firths that are known by their names, and there
dwelt afterwards. Olaf was the name of Eyvind's son, he first dwelt
at Eyvind's-firth, and after at Drangar, and was a man to hold his own
well.
Now there was no strife betwixt these men while their elders were
alive; but when Eric died, it seemed to Flosi, that those of Coldback
had no lawful title to the lands which Eric had given to Onund; and
from this befell much ill-blood betwixt them; but Thorgrim and his
kin still held their lands as before, but they might not risk having
sports together. Now Thorgeir was head-man of the household of those
brothers in Reekfirth, and would ever be rowing out a-fishing, because
in those days were the firths full of fish; so those in the Creek
made up their plot; a man there was, a house-carle of Flosi in Arness,
called Thorfin, him Flosi sent for Thorgeir's head, and he went and
hid himself in the boat-stand; that morning, Thorgeir got ready to row
out to sea, and two men with him, one called Hamund, the other Brand.
Thorgeir went first, and had on his back a leather bottle and drink
therein. It was very dark, and as he walked down from the boat-stand
Thorfin ran at him, and smote him with an axe betwixt the shoulders,
and the axe sank in, and the bottle squeaked, but he let go the axe,
for he deemed that there would be little need of binding up, and would
save himself as swiftly as might be; and it is to be told of him that
he ran off to Arness, and came there before broad day, and told of
Thorgeir's slaying, and said that he should have need of Flosi's
shelter, and that the only thing to be done was to offer atonement,
"for that of all things," said he, "is like to better our strait,
great as it has now grown."
Flosi said that he would first hear tidings; "and I am minded to think
that thou art afraid after thy big deed."
Now it is to be said of Thorgeir, that he turned from the blow as the
axe smote the bottle, nor had he any wound; they made no search
for the man because of the dark, so they rowed over the firths to
Coldback, and told tidings of what had happed; thereat folk made much
mocking, and called Thorgeir, Bottleback, and that was his by-name
ever after.