Now they went on their way home, and when they had walked awhile, the
thong of Grettir's leggings brake. Thorkel bid them wait for him; but
Grettir said there was no need of that. Then said Biorn, "Ye need
not think that Grettir will run away from his coat; he will have the
honour all to himself, and will slay that beast all alone, wherefrom
we have gone back all eight of us; thus would he be such as he is said
to be: but sluggishly enow has he fared forth to-day."
"I know not," said Thorkel, "how thou wilt fare in the end, but men of
equal prowess I deem you not: lay as few burdens on him as thou mayst,
Biorn."
Biorn said, that neither of them should pick and choose words from out
his mouth.
Now, when a hill's brow was between them, Grettir went back to the
pass, for now there was no striving with others for the onset. He
drew the sword, Jokul's gift, but had a loop over the handle of the
short-sword, and slipped it up over his hand, and this he did in that
he thought he could easier have it at his will if his hand were loose.
He went up into the pass forthwith, and when the beast saw a man, it
rushed against Grettir exceeding fiercely, and smote at him with that
paw which was furthest off from the rock; Grettir hewed against the
blow with the sword, and therewith smote the paw above the claws, and
took it off; then the beast was fain to smite at Grettir with the paw
that was whole, and dropped down therewith on to the docked one, but
it was shorter than he wotted of, and withal he tumbled into Grettir's
arms. Now he griped at the beast between the ears and held him off,
so that he got not at him to bite. And, so Grettir himself says, that
herein he deemed he had had the hardest trial of his strength, thus
to hold the brute. But now as it struggled fiercely, and the space
was narrow, they both tumbled down over the rock; the beast was the
heaviest of the two, and came down first upon the stone heap below,
Grettir being the uppermost, and the beast was much mangled on its
nether side. Now Grettir seized the short-sword and thrust it into
the heart of the bear, and that was his bane. Thereafter he went home,
taking with him his cloak all tattered, and withal what he had cut
from the paw of the bear. Thorkel sat a-drinking when he came into the
hall, and much men laughed at the rags of the cloak Grettir had cast
over him. Now he threw on to the table what he had chopped off the
paw.
Then said Thorkel, "Where is now Biorn my kinsman? never did I see thy
irons bite the like of this, Biorn, and my will it is, that thou make
Grettir a seemly offer for this shame thou hast wrought on him."
Biorn said that was like to be long about, "and never shall I care
whether he likes it well or ill."