eir horses together, and they were by their side.
Then Bjorn said to Kari, "Thou standest in much need of me
though! A man might easily have run away from thee if he had not
been as brave-hearted as I am; for now thy foes are riding upon
thee, and so thou must up and be doing."

Then Kari went away under a jutting crag, and Bjorn said, "Where
shall I stand now?"

"Well!" answers Kari, "now there are two choices before thee; one
is, that thou standest at my back and have my shield to cover
thyself with, if it can be of any use to thee; and the other is,
to get on thy horse and ride away as fast as thou canst."

"Nay," says Bjorn, "I will not do that, and there are many things
against it; first of all, may be, if I ride away, some spiteful
tongues might begin to say that I ran away from thee for faint-
heartedness; and another thing is, that I well know what game
they will think there is in me, and so they will ride after me,
two or three of them, and then I should be of no use or help to
thee after all. No! I will rather stand by thee and keep them
off so long as it is fated."

Then they had not long to wait ere horses with packsaddles were
driven by them over the moor, and with them went three men.

Then Kari said, "These men see us not."

"Then let us suffer them to ride on," said Bjorn.

So those three rode on past them; but the six others then came
riding right up to them, and they all leapt off their horses
straightway in a body, and turned on Kari and his companion.

First, Glum Hildir's son rushed at them, and thrust at Kari with
a spear; Kari turned short round on his heel, and Glum missed
him, and the blow fell against the rock. Bjorn sees that and
hewed at once the head off Glum's spear. Kari leant on one side
and smote at Glum with his sword, and the blow fell on his thigh,
and took off the limb high up in the thigh, and Glum died at
once.

Then Vebrand and Asbrand the sons of Thorbrand ran up to Kari,
but Kari flew at Vebrand and thrust his sword through him, but
afterwards he hewed off both of Asbrand's feet from under him.

In this bout both Kari and Bjorn were wounded.

Then Kettle of the Mark rushed at Kari, and thrust at him with
his spear. Kari threw up his leg, and the spear stuck in the
ground, and Kari leapt on the spear-shaft, and snapped it in
sunder.

Then Kari grasped Kettle in his arms, and Bjorn ran up just then,
and wanted to slay him, but Kari said, "Be still now. I wil