<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. They sought
the counsel of the wisest men, and everywhere was Angle's work ill
spoken of. As for him, he rode to Midfirth, when it lacked four weeks
of summer; and when his ways were heard of, Asdis gathered men to
her, and there came many of her friends: Gamli and Glum, her
brothers-in-law, and their sons, Skeggi, who was called the
Short-handed, and Uspak, who is aforesaid. Asdis was so well
befriended, that all the Midfirthers came to aid her; yea, even those
who were aforetime foes to Grettir; and the first man there was Thorod
Drapa-Stump, and the more part of the Ramfirthers.
Now Angle came to Biarg with twenty men, and had Grettir's head with
him; but not all those had come yet who had promised aid to Asdis;
so Angle and his folk went into the chamber with the head, and set it
down on the floor; the goodwife was there in the chamber, and many men
with her; nor did it come to greetings on either side; but Angle sang
this stave--
"A greedy head I bring with me
Up from the borders of the sea;
Now may the needle-pliers weep,
The red-haired outlaw lies asleep;
Gold-bearer, cast adown thine eyes,
And see how on the pavement lies,
The peace-destroying head brought low,
That but for salt had gone ere now."
The goodwife sat silent when he gave forth the stave, and thereafter
she sang--
"O thou poor wretch, as sheep that flee
To treacherous ice when wolves they see,
So in the waves would ye have drowned
Your shame and fear, had ye but found
That steel-god hale upon the isle:
Now heavy shame, woe worth the while!
Hangs over the north country-side,
Nor I my loathing care to hide."
Then many said that it was nought wonderful, though she had brave
sons, so brave as she herself was, amid such grief of heart as was
brought on her.
Uspak was without, and held talk with such of Angle's folk as had
not gone in, and asked concerning the slayings; and all men praised
Illugi's defence; and they told withal how fast Grettir had held the
short-sword after he was dead, and marvellous that seemed to men.
Amidst these things were seen many men riding from the west, and
thither were coming many friends of the goodwife, with Gamli and
Skeggi west from Meals.
Now Angle had been minded to take out execution after Illugi, for he
and his men claimed all his goods; but when that crowd of men came up,
Angle saw that he might do nought therein, but Gamli and Uspak were of
the eagerest, and were fain to set on Angle; but those who were wisest
bade them take the rede of Thorwald their kinsman, and the other chief
men, and said that worse would be deemed of Angle's case the more wise
men sat in judgment over it; then such truce there was that Angle rode
away, having Grettir's head with him, because he was minded to bear it
to the Althing.
So he rode home, and thought matters looked heavy enough, because
well-nigh all the chief men of the land were either akin to Grettir
and Illugi, or tied to them and theirs by marriage: that summer,
moreover, Skeggi the Short-handed took to wife the daughter of Thorod
Drapa-Stump, and therewithal Thorod joined Grettir's kin in these
matters.