ers, and fought at once, and won the fight.
After that they steered east to Osel,(3) and lay there somewhile
under a ness. There they saw a man coming down from the ness
above them; Gunnar went on shore to meet the man, and they had a
talk. Gunnar asked him his name, and he said it was Tofi.
Gunnar asked again what he wanted.

"Thee I want to see," says the man. "Two warships lie on the
other side under the ness, and I will tell thee who command them:
two brothers are the captains -- one's name is Hallgrim, and the
other's Kolskegg. I know them to be mighty men of war; and I
know too that they have such good weapons that the like are not
to be had. Hallgrim has a bill which he had made by seething-
spells; and this is what the spells say, that no weapon shall
give him his death-blow save that bill. That thing follows
it too that it is known at once when a man is to be slain with
that bill, for something sings in it so loudly that it may be
heard along way off -- such a strong nature has that bill in it."

Then Gunnar sang a song --

"Soon shall I that spearhead seize,
And the bold sea-rover slay,
Him whose blows on headpiece ring,
Heaper up of piles of dead.
Then on Endil's courser (4) bounding,
O'er the sea-depths I will ride,
While the wretch who spells abuseth,
Life shall lose in Sigar's storm." (5)

"Kolskegg has a short sword; that is also the best of weapons.
Force, too, they have -- a third more than ye. They have also
much goods, and have stowed them away on land, and I know clearly
where they are. But they have sent a spy-ship off the ness, and
they know all about you. Now they are getting themselves ready
as fast as they can; and as soon as they are `boun,' they mean
to run out against you. Now you have either to row away at once,
or to busk yourselves as quickly as ye can; but if ye win the day
then I will lead you to all their store of goods."

Gunnar gave him a golden finger-ring, and went afterwards to his
men and told them that war-ships lay on the other side of the
ness, "and they know all about us; so let us take to our arms and
busk us well, for now there is gain to be got."

Then they busked them; and just when they were `boun' they see
ships coming up to them. And now a fight sprung up between them,
and they fought long, and many men fell. Gunnar slew many a man.
Hallgrim and his men leapt on board Gunnar's ship. Gunnar turns
to meet hi