on nought might withstand them. Thorir defended him very stoutly, and
fell in all hardihood on board his ship; then was it cleared from stem
to stern, and cut from the grapplings, and let drift astern betwixt
the other ships. Thereafter the king's men laid their ship alongside
Onund's, and he was in the forepart thereof and fought manly; then the
king's folk said, "Lo, a forward man in the forecastle there, let him
have somewhat to mind him how that he was in this battle." Now Onund
put one foot out over the bulwark and dealt a blow at a man, and even
therewith a spear was aimed at him, and as he put the blow from him
he bent backward withal, and one of the king's forecastle men smote
at him, and the stroke took his leg below the knee and sheared it off,
and forthwith made him unmeet for fight. Then fell the more part of
the folk on board his ship; but Onund was brought to the ship of him
who is called Thrand; he was the son of Biorn, and brother of Eyvind
the Eastman; he was in the fight against King Harald and lay on the
other board of Onund's ship.

But now, after these things, the more part of the fleet scattered in
flight; Thrand and his men, with the other vikings, got them away each
as he might, and sailed west over the Sea; Onund went with him, and
Balk and Hallvard Sweeping; Onund was healed, but went with a wooden
leg all his life after; therefore as long as he lived was he called
Onund Treefoot.




CHAP. III.