y done by; and so the sword came groaning and
creaking out of the scabbard, and the good luck of it was gone.

CHAPTER TEN. The Fight On Leidarholm.

After that Cormac went to his men. Bersi and his party had come by that
time, and many more to see the fight.

Cormac took up Bersi's target and cut at it, and sparks flew out.

Then a hide was taken and spread for them to stand on. Bersi spoke and
said, "Thou, Cormac, hast challenged me to the holmgang; instead of
that, I offer thee to fight in simple sword-play. Thou art a young man
and little tried; the holmgang needs craft and cunning, but sword-play,
man to man, is an easy game."

Cormac answered, "I should fight no better even so. I will run the risk,
and stand on equal footing with thee, every way."

"As thou wilt," said Bersi.

It was the law of the holmgang that the hide should be five ells long,
with loops at its corners. Into these should be driven certain pins with
heads to them, called tjosnur. He who made it ready should go to the
pins in such a manner that he could see sky between his legs, holding
the lobes of his ears and speaking the forewords used in the rite called
"The Sacrifice of the tjosnur." Three squares should be marked round
the hide, each one foot broad. At the outermost corners of the squares
should be four poles, called hazels; when this is done, it is a hazelled
field. Each man should have three shields, and when they were cut up
he must get upon the hide if he had given way from it before, and guard
himself with his weapons alone thereafter. He who had been challenged
should strike the first stroke. If one was wounded so that blood fell
upon the hide, he should fight no longer. If either set one foot outside
the hazel poles "he went on his heel," they said; but he "ran" if both
feet were outside. His own man was to hold the shield before each of the
fighters. The one who was wounded should pay three marks of silver to be
set free.

So the hide was taken and spread under their feet. Thorgils held his
brother's shield, and Thord Arndisarson that of Bersi. Bersi struck the
first blow, and cleft Cormac's shield; Cormac struck at Bersi to the
like peril. Each of them cut up and spoilt three shields of the
other's. Then it was Cormac's turn. He struck at Bersi, who parried with
Whitting. Skofnung cut the point off Whitting in front of the ridge. The
sword-point flew upon Cormac's hand, and he was wounded in the thumb.
The joint was