Now Grettir sees where, in one of the seats stood wool-combs: one of
these he caught up, and let it go all down Asmund's back. He sprang
up, and was mad wroth thereat; and was going to smite Grettir with
his staff, but he ran off. Then came the housewife, and asked what was
this to-do betwixt them. Then Grettir answered by this ditty--
"This jewel-strewer, O ground of gold,
(His counsels I deem over bold),
On both these hands that trouble sow,
(Ah bitter pain) will burn me now;
Therefore with wool-comb's nails unshorn
Somewhat ring-strewer's back is torn:
The hook-clawed bird that wrought his wound,--
Lo, now I see it on the ground."
Hereupon was his mother sore vexed, that he should have taken to a
trick like this; she said he would never fail to be the most reckless
of men. All this nowise bettered matters between Asmund and Grettir.
Now, some time after this, Asmund had a talk with Grettir, that he
should watch his horses. Grettir said this was more to his mind than
the back-rubbing.
"Then shalt thou do as I bid thee," said Asmund. "I have a dun mare,
which I call Keingala; she is so wise as to shifts of weather, thaws,
and the like, that rough weather will never fail to follow, when she
will not go out on grazing. At such times thou shalt lock the horses
up under cover; but keep them to grazing on the mountain neck yonder,
when winter comes on. Now I shall deem it needful that thou turn this
work out of hand better than the two I have set thee to already."
Grettir answered, "This is a cold work and a manly, but I deem it ill
to trust in the mare, for I know none who has done it yet."
Now Grettir took to the horse-watching, and so the time went on till
past Yule-time; then came on much cold weather with snow, that made
grazing hard to come at. Now Grettir was ill clad, and as yet little
hardened, and he began to be starved by the cold; but Keingala grazed
away in the windiest place she could find, let the weather be as rough
as it would. Early as she might go to the pasture, never would she go
back to stable before nightfall. Now Grettir deemed that he must think
of some scurvy trick or other, that Keingala might be paid in full
for her way of grazing: so, one morning early, he comes to the
horse-stable, opens it, and finds Keingala standing all along before
the crib; for, whatever food was given to the horses with her, it was
her way to get it all to herself. Grettir got on her back, and had a
sharp knife in his hand, and drew it right across Keingala's shoulder,
and then all along both sides of the back. Thereat the mare, being
both fat and shy, gave a mad bound, and kicked so fiercely, that her
hooves clattered against the wall. Grettir fell off; but, getting
on his legs, strove to mount her again. Now their struggle is of the
sharpest, but the end of it is, that he flays off the whole of the
strip along the back to the loins. Thereafter he drove the horses out
on grazing; Keingala would bite but at her back, and when noon was
barely past, she started off, and ran back to the house. Grettir now
locks the stable and goes home. Asmund asked Grettir where the horses
were. He said that he had stabled them as he was wont. Asmund said
that rough weather was like to be at hand, as the horses would not
keep at their grazing in such good weather as now it was.