n, and smote
him on his breast, and the spear came out between his shoulders, and
down he fell and was dead at once. With his left hand he made a cut at
Mord, and smote him on the hip, and cut it asunder, and his backbone
too; he fell flat on his lace, and was dead at once.

After that he turned sharp round on his heel like a whipping-top, and
made at Lambi Sigurd's son, but he took the only way to save himself,
and that was by running away as hard as he could.

Now Thorgeir turns against Leidolf the strong, and each hewed at the
other at the same moment, and Leidolf's blow was so great that it shore
off that part of the shield on which it fell.

Thorgeir had hewn with "the ogress of war," holding it with both hands,
and the lower horn fell on the shield and clove it in twain, but the
upper caught the collar bone and cut it in two, and tore on down into
the breast and trunk. Kari came up just then, and cut off Leidolf's leg
at mid-thigh, and then Leidolf fell and died at once.

Kettle of the Mark said--"We will now run for our horses, for we cannot
hold our own here, for the overbearing strength of these men".

Then they ran for their horses, and leapt on their backs; and Thorgeir
said--

"Wilt thou that we chase them? if so, we shall yet slay some of them."

"He rides last," says Kari, "whom I would not wish to slay, and that is
Kettle of the Mark, for we have two sisters to wife; and besides, he has
behaved best of all of them as yet in our quarrels."

Then they got on their horses, and rode till they came home to Holt.
Then Thorgeir made his brothers fare away east to Skoga, for they had
another farm there, and because Thorgeir would not that his brothers
should be called truce-breakers.

Then Thorgeir kept many men there about him, so that there were never
fewer than thirty fighting men there.

Then there was great joy there, and men thought Thorgeir had grown much
greater, and pushed himself on; both he and Kari too. Men long kept in
mind this hunting of theirs, how they two rode upon fifteen men and slew
those five, but put those ten to flight who got away.

Now it is to be told of Kettle, that they rode as they best might till
they came home to Swinefell, and told how bad their journey had been.

Flosi said it was only what was to be looked for; "and this is a warning
that ye should never do the like again".

Flosi was the merriest of men, and the best of hosts, and it is so said
that he had most o