Atli said. "'Tis long since any love was lost between us, father
and son, and your Norway kings."

"Worse luck for thee," says Hrut.

"Well," says Atli, "the upshot of our meeting will be, that thou
shalt not be left alive to tell the tale;" and with that he
caught up a spear and hurled it at Hrut's ship, and the man who
stood before it got his death. After that the battle began, and
they were slow in boarding Hrut's ship. Wolf, he went well
forward, and with him it was now cut, now thrust. Atli's
bowman's name was Asolf; he sprung up on Hrut's ship, and was
four men's death before Hrut was aware of him; then he turned
against him, and when they met, Asolf thrust at and through
Hrut's shield, but Hrut cut once at Asolf, and that was his
death-blow. Wolf the Unwashed saw that stroke, and called out,
"Truth to say, Hrut, thou dealest big blows, but thou'st much to
thank Gunnhillda for."

"Something tells me," says Hrut, "that thou speakest with a `fey'
mouth."

Now Atli sees a bare place for a weapon on Wolf, and shot a spear
through him and now the battle grows hot: Atli leaps up on Hrut's
ship, and clears it fast round about, and now Auzur turns to meet
him, and thrust at him, but fell down full length on his back,
for another man thrust at him. Now Hrut turns to meet Atli: he
cut at once at Hrut's shield, and clove it all in two, from top
to point; just then Atli got a blow on his hand from a stone, and