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