Egil rose up in the morning as soon as it was day. He and his made them ready, and when ready went at once to the house to seek Armod. And when they came to the apartments where slept Armod and his wife and daughter, then Egil burst open the door and approached Armod's bed. He then drew his sword, but with the other hand grasped the beard of Armod, and forced him forward to the edge of the bed. But Armod's wife and daughter leapt up and prayed Egil not to slay Armod. Egil said he would spare him for their sakes; 'For,' said he, 'this is but meet; yet has he deserved to die.'

The gold-bangled blabber-mouth
Gets this plea-benefit:
He may stir up strife
But he doesn't scare me.
You perhaps hoped the poet
Would praise you more highly?
Well, it's time to trudge off
And take to our travels.

After this Egil cut off his beard close to his chin, and gouged out an eye with his finger so that it hung out over his cheek. Then he went out to his companions.

They went on their way and came a day-meal-time to the house of Thorfinn. He dwelt by Eida-wood. Of him they craved a day-meal and to bait their horses. Thorfinn granted this, and Egil with his men went into the hall. Egil asked if Thorfinn had seen anything of the rest of his party.

'We appointed,' he said, 'to meet here.'

Thorfinn said: 'Here passed six men together a little before day; and they were well armed.'

Then said a house-carle: 'I was driving a sledge in the night to fetch wood, and I came upon six men on the road; they were house-carles of Armod; but that was long before day. Now I am not sure whether these will be the same as the six of whom you spoke.'

Thorfinn said that the six men whom he had met had passed after the house-carle came back with the load of wood.

While they sat at meat Egil saw that a woman lay sick on the daïs at the ends of the hall. He asked who was that woman in such sad case. Thorfinn said she was named Helga, and was his daughter; she had long been ill; her complaint was a pining sickness; she got no sleep at night, and was as one possessed.

'Has anything,' asked Egil, 'been tried for her ailment?'

'Runes have been graven,' said Thorfinn; 'a landowner's son hard by did this; and she is since much worse than before. But can you, Egil, do anything for such ailments?'

Egil said: 'Maybe no harm will be done by my taking it in hand.'

And when Egil had finished his meal, he went where the woman lay and spoke with her. Then he bade them lift her from her place and lay clean clothes under her, and they did so. Next he searched the bed in which she had lain, and there he found a piece of whalebone whereon were runes. Egil read them, then cut the runes and scraped them off into the fire. He burned the whole piece of whalebone, and had the bed-clothes that she had used hung out to air. Then Egil sang:

'Runes none should grave ever
Who knows not to read them;
Of dark spell full many
The meaning may miss.
Ten spell-words writ wrongly
On whale-bone were graven:
Whence to leek-tending maiden,
Long sorrow and pain.'

Egil then graved runes, and laid them under the bolster of the bed where the woman lay. She seemed as if she waked out of sleep, and said she now felt well, but she was weak. But her father and mother were overjoyed. And Thorfinn offered to Egil all the furtherance that he might think needful.

Egill stóð upp um morgininn, þegar er dagaði. Bjuggust þeir förunautar ok fóru þegar, er þeir váru búnir, aftr til bæjarins ok leita Ármóðs. Ok er þeir kómu til skemmubúrs þess, er Ármóðr svaf í ok kona hans ok dóttir, þá hratt Egill upp hurðinni ok gekk til rekkjunnar Ármóðs. Hann brá þá sverði, en annarri hendi greip hann í skegg Ármóðs ok hnykkði honum á stokk fram, en kona Ármóðs ok dóttir hljópu upp ok báðu Egil, at hann dræpi eigi Ármóð.

Egill segir, at hann skyldi þat gera fyrir þeira sakar, - "því at þat er makligt, en hefði hann verðleika til, at ek dræpa hann." Þá kvað Egill:

Nýtr illsögull ýtir
armlinns konu sinnar,
oss's við ógnar hvessi
óttalaust, ok dóttur.
Þeygi munt við þenna
þykkjask verðr fyr drykkju
grepp, skulum á veg vappa
vítt, svágöru hlíta.

Síðan sneið Egill af honum skeggit við hökuna. Síðan krækði hann fingrinum í augat, svá at úti lá á kinninni. Eftir þat gekk Egill á brott ok til förunauta sinna.

Fara þeir þá leið sína, koma at dagverðarmáli til bæjar Þorfinns. Hann bjó við Eiðaskóg. Þeir Egill kröfðu dagverðar ok æja hestum sínum. Þorfinnr bóndi lét heimult skyldu þat. Ganga þeir Egill þá inn í stofu.

Egill spurði, ef Þorfinnr hefði varr orðit förunauta hans. "Höfum vér hér mælt mót með oss."

Þorfinnr segir svá: "Fóru hér sex menn saman nökkuru fyrir dag ok váru vápnaðir mjök."

Þá mælti húskarl Þorfinns: "Ek ók í nótt eftir viði, ok fann ek sex menn á leið, ok váru þat húskarlar Ármóðs, ok var þat miklu fyrir dag. Nú veit ek eigi, hvárt þeir munu allir einir ok inir sex menn, er þú sagðir frá."

Þorfinnr segir, at þeir menn, er hann hafði hitt, höfðu síðar farit en húskarlinn kom heim með viðarhlassit.

Ok er þeir Egill sátu ok mötuðust, þá sá Egill, at kona sjúk lá í þverpallinum. Egill spurði Þorfinn, hver kona sú væri, er þar var svá þungliga haldin.

Þorfinnr segir, at hon hét Helga ok var dóttir hans, - "hefir hon haft langan vanmátt," - ok þat var kröm mikil. Fekk hon enga nótt svefn ok var sem hamstoli væri.

"Hefir nökkurs í verit leitat," segir Egill, "um mein hennar?"

Þorfinnr segir: "Ristnar hafa verit rúnar, ok er sá einn bóndason heðan skammt í brott, er þat gerði, ok er síðan miklu verr en áðr, eða kanntu, Egill, nökkut gera at slíkum meinum?"

Egill segir: "Vera kann, at ekki spillist við, þó at ek koma til."

Ok er Egill var mettr, gekk hann þar til, er konan lá, ok ræddi við hana. Hann bað þá hefja hana ór rúminu ok leggja undir hana hrein klæði, ok nú var svá gert. Síðan rannsakaði hann rúmit, er hon hafði hvílt í, ok þar f ann hann tálkn, ok váru þar á rúnarnar. Egill las þær, ok síðan telgði hann af rúnarnar ok skóf þær í eld niðr. Hann brenndi tálknit allt ok lét bera í vind klæði þau, er hon hafði haft áðr. Þá kvað Egill:

Skalat maðr rúnar rísta,
nema ráða vel kunni.
Þat verðr mörgum manni,
es of myrkvan staf villisk.
Sák á telgðu talkni
tíu launstafi ristna.
Þat hefr lauka lindi
langs ofrtrega fengit.

Egill reist rúnar ok lagði undir hægendit í hvíluna, þar er hon hvíldi. Henni þótti sem hon vaknaði ór svefni ok sagði, at hon var þá heil, en þó var hon máttlítil, en faðir hennar ok móðir urðu stórum fegin. Bauð Þorfinnr, at Egill skyldi þar hafa allan forbeina, þann er hann þóttist þurfa.