At 6:39:53 AM on Friday, October 23, 2009, AThompson wrote:

> Here’s my translation. A very enjoyable passage. There are
> a couple of small points that I would appreciate help on

[...]

> En þegar er leiti ber á milli vor (vár) þá skulum við snúa
> aftur og ofan með Skaftá og felast þar sem okkur þykir
> vænlegast meðan leitin er sem áköfust ef þeir ríða eftir."

> But as-soon as a hill stands between us (Z, bera II, 2 -
> thanks Grace!), then we shall turn back and down along
> Skaftá (Shaft-River) and conceal-ourselves there where
> (it) seems to us most promising. * (?) Meanwhile the
> search is (ie will be) as furious-as-possibe (ie at its
> most intense), if they ride back.’

> * Its seems to make more sense if I put a full-stop here.

I'd punctuate and translate it like this:

[O]k felaz þar sem okkr þykkir vænligast, meðan leitin er
sem áköfust, ef þeir ríða eptir.

[A]nd hide ourselves there where (it) seems to us most
promising, while the search is at its peak, if they do
ride after (us).

> "Svo mun þér reynast," sagði Björn, "að eg mun ekki vera
> hjátækur (hjátoekr) í vitsmunum eigi síður en í
> harðræðunum."

> ’So will (it) be proven to you,’ said Björn, ‘that I will
> not be missing-(my)-hold (lacking?)

That's how I read it.

> in wits, no less than (see eigi síðr en, under síðr, adv,
> Z1) in the hardihoods.’

In other words, 'I will not be lacking in wits any more than
in hardihood'. (There just doesn't seem to be any way to
construe a literal translation so that it has the right
English sense.)

[...]

> Mundi sá nú hafa hlaupið í braut frá þér er (rel part
> ‘who’ (Z.I)seems to me better than conj ‘when’ (Z.II)
> here)

Definitely: it's <sá ... er> 'he ... who'.

> eigi væri jafnvel hugaður sem eg er því að nú ríða hér
> óvinir þínir að þér og skalt þú svo við búast."

> That (one) (ie he) would now have run away from you who
> was not equally-well courageous as I am because now your
> enemies ride here towards you and you shall thus
> get-yourself ready for (them).’

[...]

> Kári svarar: "Tveir eru nú kostir fyrir höndum.

> Kári answers: ‘Twain are now (the) choices at your
> disposal (?) .

Or 'available'.

Brian