Eirik lived, as was mentioned, at Arnes.  He had married Alof, the daughter of Ingolf of Ingolfsfjord, by whom he had a son named Flosi, a very promising young man with many friends.

There came to that part of Iceland three brothers, named Ingolf, Ofeig, and Eyvind, and took the three fjords which are called by their names, where they lived.  Eyvind had a son named Olaf.  He at first lived at Eyvindsfjord, but went later to Drangar.  He was a most capable man.

So long as their fathers were living no disputes arose among these men; but when Eirik was dead it occurred to Flosi that those of Kaldbak had no legal title to the lands which Eirik had given to Onund.  Out of this serious dissensions arose between them.  Thorgrim and his brothers continued in possession of the lands as before, but they would not join in games together.  Thorgeir, the eldest brother, was managing the farm at Reykjarfjord, and often rowed out fishing, as the fjords were full of fish.  The men of Vik now laid their plans.  Flosi had a man in Arnes named Thorfinn, and sent him to fetch Thorgeir’s head.  This man hid himself in the boatshed.  One morning when Thorgeir was preparing to row out with two other men, one of whom was named Brand, Thorgeir was walking ahead with a leather skin on his back containing some drink.  It was very dark, and as he passed the boat-house Thorfinn sprang out upon him and dealt him a blow with an axe between his shoulders.  The axe went into something and made a squeaking noise.  Thorfinn let go his axe, feeling quite sure that no bandages would be needed, and being very anxious to escape as fast as he could.  He ran North, and reaching Arnes before the day had quite broken, said that he had killed Thorgeir and that Flosi must protect him.  The only thing to be done was to offer some compensation in money.  “That,” he said, “will be the best thing for us after such a terrible piece of work.”

Flosi said he must first learn more about it, and that he thought Thorfinn seemed very frightened after his doughty deed.

We must now tell what had happened to Thorgeir.  He turned round when he was struck, but the blow had gone into the leather bottle, and he was unhurt.  They could make no search for the man because it was dark, so they rowed on down the fjord to Kaldbak, where they told what had happened.  People made great game of the affair and called him Thorgeir Bottleback, a name which stuck to him ever after.  A verse was made: 

“In days gone by men bathed their blades in the streaming gore of a foeman’s wound.  But now a wretch of all honour bereft reddens his dastard axe in whey.”

CHAPTER XII

BATTLE AT RIFSKER

At that time there came over Iceland a famine the like of which had never been seen before.  Nearly all the fisheries failed, and also the drift wood.  So it continued for many years.