ad, so that it came out at his neck, and he
fell down dead. When the Vindlanders saw it they howled like dogs, or
like wolves. Then King Rettibur called to them that he would give them
safety and life, but they refused terms. The heathens again made a
hard assault. One of the heathens in particular fought so bravely, and
ventured so near, that he came quite up to the castle-gate, and pierced
the man who stood outside the gate with his sword; and although they
used both arrows and stones against him, and he had neither shield nor
helmet, nothing could touch him, for he was so skilled in witchcraft
that weapon could not wound him. Then priest Andres took consecrated
fire; blew upon it; cut tinder in pieces, and laid it on the fire; and
then laid the tinder on the arrow-point, and gave it to Asmund. He shot
this arrow at the warlock; and the shaft hit so well that it did its
business, and the man of witchcraft fell dead. Then the heathens crowded
together as before, howling and whining dreadfully; and all gathered
about their king, on which the Christians believed that they were
holding a council about retreating. The interpreters, who understood
the Vindland tongue, heard the chief Unibur make the following speech:
"These people are brave, and it is difficult to make anything of them;
and even if we took all the goods in their town, we might willingly give
as much more that we had never come here, so great has been our loss of
men and chiefs. Early in the day, when we began to assault the castle,
they defended themselves first with arrows and spears; then they fought
against us with stones; and now with sticks and staves, as against dogs.
I see from this that they are in want of weapons and means of defense;
so we shall make one more hard assault, and try their strength." It
was as he said, that they now fought with stakes; because, in the first
assault, they had imprudently used up all their missile weapons and
stones; and now when the Christians saw the number of their stakes
diminishing, they clave each stake in two. The heathens now made a very
hot attack, and rested themselves between whiles, and on both sides they
were exhausted. During a rest the Vindland king Rettibur again offered
terms, and that they should retain the weapons, clothes, and silver they
could carry out of the castle. Saemund Husfreyja had fallen, and the men
who remained gave the counsel to deliver up the castle and themselves
into the power of the