"Day by day full over long,
Arrow-dealer, grows thy tongue;
Such a man there is, that thou
Mayst be paid for all words now;
Many a man, who has been fain,
Wound-worm's tower with hands to gain,
With less deeds his death has bought,
Than thou, Tardy-one, hast wrought."
Said Thorbiorn, "About as feigh do I deem myself as before, despite
thy squealing."
Grettir answered, "Heretofore my spaedom has not been long-lived, and
so shall things go still; now beware if thou wilt, hereafter will no
out-look be left."
Therewith Grettir hewed at Thorbiorn, but he swung up his hand, with
the mind to ward the stroke from him, but that stroke came on his arm
about the wrist, and withal the short-sword drave into his neck so
that the head was smitten off.
Then said the chapmen that he was a man of mighty strokes, and
that such should king's men be; and no scathe they deemed it though
Thorbiorn were slain, in that he had been both quarrelsome and
spiteful.
A little after they sailed into the sea, and came in late summer to
Norway, south at Hordaland, and then they heard that King Olaf was
north at Drontheim; then Grettir took ship in a trading keel to go
north therefrom, because he would fain see the king.