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Gunnar had his shield before him, and gave back before Grettir, but he set on him fiercely and leaped up on the cross-beam by the door. Now the hands of Gunnar and the shield were within the door, but Grettir dealt a blow down amidst Gunnar and the shield and cut off both his hands by the wrist, and he fell aback out of the door; then Grettir dealt him his death-blow.
That summer, at the Althing, the kin of Grettir spake many things concerning his outlawry, and some deemed he had outworn the years thereof, if he had come at all into the twentieth year; but they who had blood-suits against him would not have it so, and said, that he had done many an outlaw's deed since he was first outlawed, and deemed his time ought to last longer therefor.
They rode over to Bowerfell, and thence over the mountain neck to Ramfirth, and came to Meals in the evening. They were there three nights; Ranveig and Gamli welcomed Grettir well, and bade him abide with them, but he had will to ride home. Then Grettir heard that Kormak and his fellows were come from the south, and had guested at Tongue through the night.
Him Grettir prayed for watch and ward, and told him how he was minded to get out to Drangey: the bonder said that those of Skagafirth would think him no god-send, and excused himself therewithal.
"Go ye to your beds, women all, for so is goodman Thorir pleased to bid." They cursed him for this, and to hear them was like hearkening to the noise of many wolves. Now the bearserks came forth from the hall, and Grettir said "Let us go out, and I will show you Thorfinn's cloth bower."
Of Thorgils' life is little hope; his bones are smashed; eight more are dead." Then Grettir went to his retreat and spent the winter there. The next time that Bjorn met Grettir he told him that this was a very serious affair, and that he would not be able to stay there in peace much longer.
The summer after that just told, Kormak and Thorgils and Narfi their kinsman rode south to Northriverdale, on some errand of theirs. Odd the Foundling-skald fared also with them, and by then was gotten healed of the stiffness he gained at the horse-fight. But while they were south of the heath, Grettir fared from Biarg, and with him two house-carles of Atli's.
Haflidi said: "Grettir certainly deserves that you should take him down a little, but I am not going to risk my good name because of his ill-temper and caprice. This is not the time to pay him out, when we are all in such danger. When you get on shore you can remember it if you like." "Shall we not endure what you can endure?" they said. "Why should a lampoon hurt us more than it does you?"
Grettir bade him have much thank therefor. "And," quoth he, "this should I have taken even if thou hadst made me proffer thereof before." Now Grettir sat there the winter over, and was in the closest friendship with Thorfinn; and for this deed he was now well renowned all over Norway, and there the most, where the bearserks had erst wrought the greatest ill deeds.
<i>How Thorbiorn Angle brought Grettir's Head to Biarg</i>. The kin of Grettir and Illugi were exceeding ill-content when they heard of these slayings, and they so looked on matters as deeming that Angle had wrought a shameful deed in slaying a man at death's door; and that, besides that, he had become guilty of sorcery.
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