Kari Solmund’s son came up where Bjarni Broddhelgi’s son had the
lead. Kari caught up a spear and thrust at him, and the blow
fell on his shield. Bjarni slipped the shield on one side of
him, else it had gone straight through him. Then he cut at Kari
and aimed at his leg, but Kari drew back his leg and turned short
round on his heel, and Bjarni missed him. Kari cut at once at
him, and then a man ran forward and threw his shield before
Bjarni. Kari cleft the shield in twain, and the point of the
sword caught his thigh, and ripped up the whole leg down to the
ankle. That man fell there and then, and was ever after a
cripple so long as he lived.
Then Kari clutched his spear with both hands, and turned on
Bjarni and thrust at him; he saw he had no other chance but to
throw himself down sidelong away from the blow, but as soon as
ever Bjarni found his feet, away he fell back out of the fight.
Thorgeir Craggeir and Gizur the White fell on there where
Holmstein the son of Bersi the Wise, and Thorkel Geiti’s son were
leaders, and the end of the struggle was, that Holmstein and
Thorkel gave way, and then arose a mighty hooting after them from
the men of Gudmund the Powerful.
Thorwalld Tjorfi’s son of Lightwater got a great wound, he was
shot in the forearm, and men thought that Halldor Gudmund the
Powerful’s son had hurled the spear, but he bore that wound about
with him all his life long, and got no atonement for it.
Now there was a mighty throng. But though we here tell of some
of the deeds that were done, still there are far many more of
which men have handed down no stories.
Flosi had told them that they should make for the stronghold in
the Great Rift if they were worsted, “For there,” said he, “they
will only be able to attack us on one side.” But the band which
Hall of the Side and his son Ljot led, had fallen away out of the
fight before the onslaught of that father and son, Asgrim and
Thorhall. They turned down east of Axewater, and Hall said,
“This is a sad state of things when the whole host of men at the
Thing fight, and I would, kinsman Ljot, that we begged us help
even though that be brought against us by some men, and that we
part them. Thou shalt wait for me at the foot of the bridge, and
I will go to the booths and beg for help.”
“If I see,” said Ljot, “that Flosi and his men need help from our
men, then I will at once run up and aid them.”
“Thou wilt do in that as thou pleasest,” says Hall, “but I pray
thee to wait for me here.”
Now flight breaks out in Flosi’s band, and they all fly west
across Axewater; but Asgrim and Gizur the White went after them
and all their host. Flosi and his men turned down between the
river and the Outwork booth. Snorri the Priest had drawn up his
men there in array, so thick that they could not pass that way,
and Snorri the Priest called out then to Flosi, “Why fare ye in
such haste, or who chase you?”
