The lad said, "I have often heard many temper-trying words of
Skamkell's; for Skamkell spoke away there east at Dale, and said
that thou sheddest tears when they rode over thee; but I tell it
thee because I cannot bear to listen to such speeches of
worthless men."
"We must not be word-sick," says Gunnar, "but from this day forth
thou shall do no other work than what thou choosest for thyself."
"Shall I say aught of this to Kolskegg thy brother?" asked the
shepherd.
"Go thou and sleep," says Gunnar; "I will tell Kolskegg."
The lad laid him down and fell asleep at once, but Gunnar took
the shepherd's horse and laid his saddle on him; he took his
shield, and girded him with his sword, Oliver's gift; he sets his
helm on his head; takes his bill, and something sung loud in it,
and his mother, Rannveig, heard it. She went up to him and said
"Wrathful art thou now, my son, and never saw I thee thus
before."
Gunnar goes out, and drives the butt of his spear into the earth,
and throws himself into the saddle, and rides away,
His mother, Rannveig, went into the sitting-room, where there was
a great noise of talking.
"Ye speak loud," she says, "but yet the bill gave a louder sound
when Gunnar went out."
Kolskegg heard what she said, and spoke, "This betokens no small
tidings.
"That is well," says Hallgerda, "now they will soon prove whether
he goes away from them weeping."
Kolskegg takes his weapons and seeks him a horse, and rides after
Gunnar as fast as he could.
Gunnar rides across Acretongue, and so to Geilastofna and thence
to Rangriver, and down the stream to the ford at Hof. There were
some women at the milking-post there. Gunnar jumped off his
horse and tied him up. By this time the others were riding up
towards him; there were flat stones covered with mud in the path
that led down to the ford.
Gunnar called out to them and said, "Now is the time to guard
yourselves; here now is the bill, and here now ye will put it to
the proof whether I shed one tear for all of you."
Then they all of them sprang off their horses' backs and made
towards Gunnar. Hallbjorn was the foremost.
"Do not thou come on," says Gunnar; "thee last of all would I
harm; but I will spare no one if I have to fight for my life."
"That I cannot do," says Hallbjorn; "thou wilt strive to kill my
brother for all that, and it is a shame if I sit idly by." And
as he said this he thrust at Gunnar with a great spear which he
held in both hands.
Gunnar threw his shield before the blow, but Hallbjorn pierced
the shield through. Gunnar thrust the shield down so hard that
it stood fast in the earth (1), but he brandished his sword so
quickly that no eye could follow it, and he made a blow with the
sword, and it fell on Hallbjorn's arm above the wrist, so that it
cut it off.
Skamkell ran behind Gunnar's back and makes a blow at him with a
great axe. Gunnar turned short round upon him and parries the
blow with the bill, and caught the axe under one of its horns
with such a wrench that it flew out of Skamkell's hand away into
the river.
Then Gunnar sang a song:
"Once thou askedst, foolish fellow,
Of this man, this seahorse racer,
When as fast as feet could foot it
Forth ye fled from farm of mine,
Whether that were rightly summoned?
Now with gore the spear we redden,
Battle-eager, and avenge us
Thus on thee, vile source of strife."
Gunnar gives another thrust with his bill, and through Skamkell,
and lifts him up and casts him down in the muddy path on his
head.
Audulf the Easterling snatches up a spear and launches it at
Gunnar. Gunnar caught the spear with his hand in the air, and
hurled it back at once, and it flew through the shield and the
Easterling too, and so down into the earth.
Otkell smites at Gunnar with his sword, and aims at his leg just
below the knee, but Gunnar leapt up into the air and he misses
him. Then Gunnar thrusts at him the bill and the blow goes
through him.
Then Kolskegg comes up, and rushes at once at Hallkell and dealt
him his death-blow with his short sword. There and then they
slay eight men.
A woman who saw all this, ran home and told Mord, and besought
him to part them.
"They alone will be there," he says, "of whom I care not though
they slay one another."
"Thou canst not mean to say that," she says, "for thy kinsman
Gunnar, and thy friend Otkell will be there."
"Baggage, that thou art," he says, "thou art always chattering,"
and so he lay still in-doors while they fought.
Gunnar and Kolskegg rode home after this work, and they rode hard
up along the river bank, and Gunnar leapt off his horse and came
down on his feet.