Biorn, moved by the revel, said that in his sleep he had seen a beast come out of the waters, which spouted ghastly fire from its mouth, enveloping everything in a sheet of flame.  Therefore the holes and corners of the island should, he said, be searched; nor ought they to trust so much to their position, as rashly to let overweening confidence bring them to utter ruin.  No situation was so strong that the mere protection of nature was enough for it without human effort.  Moreover they must take great care that the warning of his slumbers was not followed by a yet more gloomy and disastrous fulfilment.  So they all sallied forth from the stronghold, and narrowly scanned the whole circuit of the island; and finding the horse they surmised that Fridleif had been drowned in the waters of the river.  They received the horse within the gates with rejoicing, supposing that it had flung off its rider and swum over.  But Biorn, still scared with the memory of the visions of the night, advised them to keep watch, since it was not safe for them yet to put aside suspicion of danger.  Then he went to his room to rest, with the memory of his vision deeply stored in his heart.

Meanwhile the horse, which Fridleif, in order to spread a belief in his death, had been loosed and besprinkled with blood (though only with that which lies between flesh and skin), burst all bedabbled into the camp of his soldiers.  They went straight to the river, and finding the carcase of the slave, took it for the body of the king; the hissing eddies having cast it on the bank, dressed in brave attire.  Nothing helped their mistake so much as the swelling of the battered body; inasmuch as the skin was torn and bruised with the flints, so that all the features were blotted out, bloodless and wan.  This exasperated the champions who had just promised Fridleif to see that the robbers were extirpated:  and they approached the perilous torrent, that they might not seem to tarnish the honour of their promise by a craven neglect of their vow.  The rest imitated their boldness, and with equal ardour went to the river, ready to avenge their king or to endure the worst.  When Fridleif saw them he hastened to lower the bridge to the mainland; and when he had got the champions he cut down the watch at the first attack.  Thus he went on to attack the rest and put them to the sword, all save Biorn; whom he tended very carefully and cured of his wounds; whereupon, under pledge of solemn oath, he made him his colleague, thinking it better to use his services than to boast of his death.  He also declared it would be shameful if such a flower of bravery were plucked in his first youth and perished by an untimely death.