"Raisers-up of roof of war,
Nose to nose in counsel are;
Wakeners of the shield-rain sit
Wagging beard to talk of it:
Scatterers of the serpent's bed
Round about lay head to head.
For belike they heard my name;
And must balance peace and shame."
Then spake Hialti the son of Thord; "So shall it not be," says he; "we
shall hold to our peace and troth given, though we have been beguiled,
for I will not that men should have such a deed to follow after, if we
depart from that peace, that we ourselves have settled and handselled:
Grettir shall go whither he will, and have peace until such time as
he comes back from this journey; and then and not till then shall this
word of truce be void, whatsoever may befall betwixt us meanwhile."
All thanked him therefor, and deemed that he had done as a great
chief, such blood-guilt as there was on the other side: but the speech
of Thorbiorn Angle was little and low thereupon.
Now men said that both the Thords should lay hand to Grettir, and he
bade them have it as they would: so one of the brothers stood forth;
and Grettir stood up stiff before him, and he ran at Grettir at his
briskest, but Grettir moved no whit from his place: then Grettir
stretched out his hand down Thord's back, over the head of him, and
caught hold of him by the breeches, and tripped up his feet, and cast
him backward over his head in such wise that he fell on his shoulder,
and a mighty fall was that.
Then men said that both those brothers should go against Grettir at
once; and thus was it done, and great swinging and pulling about there
was, now one side, now the other getting the best of it, though one
or other of the brothers Grettir ever had under him; but each in turn
must fall on his knee, or have some slip one of the other; and so hard
they griped each at each, that they were all blue and bruised.
All men thought this the best of sport, and when they had made an end
of it, thanked them for the wrestling; and it was the deeming of those
who sat thereby, that the two brothers together were no stronger than
Grettir alone, though each of them had the strength of two men of the
strongest: so evenly matched they were withal, that neither might get
the better of the other if they tried it between them.
Grettir abode no long time at the Thing; the bonders bade him give up
the island, but he said nay to this, nor might they do aught herein.
So Grettir fared back to Drangey, and Illugi was as fain of him as
might be; and there they abode peacefully, and Grettir told them the
story of his doings and his journeys; and thus the summer wore away.
All men deemed that those of Skagafirth had shown great manliness
herein, that they held to their peace given; and folk may well mark
how trusty men were in those days, whereas Grettir had done such deeds
against them.
Now the less rich men of the bonders spake together, that there
was little gain to them in holding small shares in Drangey; so they
offered to sell their part to the sons of Thord; Hialti said that he
would not deal with them herein, for the bonders made it part of the
bargain, that he who bought of them should either slay Grettir or get
him away. But Thorbiorn Angle said, that he would not spare to take
the lead of an onset against Grettir if they would give him wealth
therefor. So his brother Hialti gave up to him his share in the
island, for that he was the hardest man, and the least befriended of
the twain; and in likewise too did other bonders; so Thorbiorn Angle
got the more part of the island for little worth, but bound himself
withal to get Grettir away.