who heard of it, if we sit here sipping our ale, while good
men in the town are losing their lives by our neglect."

Many made an objection, and said they would only be losing their own
lives, without being of any assistance to the townspeople.

Then said Olver, "Although all of you should hold back, I will go alone;
and one or two heathens, at any rate, shall fall before I fall."

He ran down to the town, and a few men after him to see what he would
do, and also whether they could assist him in any way. When he came
near the castle, and the heathens saw him, they sent out eight men fully
armed against him; and when they met, the heathen men ran and surrounded
him on all sides. Olver lifted his axe, and struck behind him with
the extreme point of it, hitting the neck of the man who was coming up
behind him, so that his throat and jawbone were cut through, and he fell
dead backwards. Then he heaved his axe forwards, and struck the next man
in the head, and clove him down to the shoulders. He then fought with
the others, and killed two of them; but was much wounded himself. The
four who remained took to flight, but Olver ran after them. There was
a ditch before them, and two of the heathens jumped into it, and Olver
killed them both; but he stuck fast himself in the ditch, so that two of
the eight heathens escaped. The men who had followed Olver took him
up, and brought him back to Skurbagar, where his wounds were bound and
healed; and it was the talk of the people, that no single man had ever
made such a bloody onset. Two lendermen, Sigurd Gyrdson, a brother of
Philip, and Sigard, came with 600 men to Skurbagar; on which Sigurd
turned back with 400 men. He was but little respected afterwards, and
soon died. Sigard, on the other hand, proceeded with 200 men towards the
town; and they gave battle to the heathens, and were all slain. While
the Vindlanders were storming the castle, their king and his chiefs were
out of the battle. At one place there was a man among the Vindlanders
shooting with a bow, and killing a man for every arrow; and two men
stood before him, and covered him with their shields. Then Saemund
Husfreyja said to his son Asmund, that they should both shoot together
at this bowman. "But I will shoot at the man who holds the shield before
him." He did so, and he knocked the shield down a little before the man;
and in the same instant Asmund shot between the shields, and the arrow
hit the bowman in the forehe