last of all would I harm; but
I will spare no one if I have to fight to 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,[23] 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 sea-horse 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 indoors while they fought.

Gunnar and Kolskegg rode home after this work, and they rode hard up
along the river bank, and Gunnar slipped off his horse and cam