In the spring Grettir went North to Vagar with Thorkell's men. They
parted with friendship. Bjorn went West to England in Thorkell's ship,
of which he was master, staying there for the summer and transacting the
business which Thorkell had entrusted to him. In the end of the autumn
he returned from the western parts. Grettir stayed in Vagar till the
trading ships left, and then sailed South with some of the traders, as
far as the port of Gartar at the mouth of the Thrandheim's Fjord, where
he set up the awnings to make a stay. When they were settled down a ship
came up along the coast from the South, which they at once recognised as
one of the ships from England. She made fast further out off the coast
and her crew landed. Grettir went out with his companions to visit them.
On their meeting Grettir found Bjorn amongst the company and said: "It
is well that we meet here, for now we can continue our former quarrel. I
should like to try which of us is the better man."
Bjorn said that was all past now, as far as he was concerned. "But,"
he said, "if there has been anything between us I will pay you such
compensation that you shall be satisfied." Grettir spoke a verse:
"Time was when the bear was slain by my hand;
my cloak in tatters was torn.
A rascally knave was the cause of it all
but now he shall make me amends."
Bjorn said that weightier matters than this had been settled by payment.
Grettir said that few men had any reason to act maliciously towards him;
he had accepted no money-atonement, nor would he do so now; that if
he had his way they should not both go away unhurt, and that if Bjorn
refused to fight he would brand him as a coward. Bjorn saw that excuses
would not avail him, so he took his arms and went out. They rushed at
each other and fought; soon Bjorn was wounded and then he fell dead to
the ground. On seeing that, his men went on board their ship, sailed
away to the North along the coast to Thorkell's place and told him what
had happened. He said it had not come sooner than he expected. Directly
afterwards he sailed to the South to Thrandheim where he found jarl
Sveinn.
Grettir, after slaying Bjorn, went to More to his friend Thorfinn and
told him exactly what had happened. Thorfinn received him in a most
friendly way. "I am glad," he said, "that you will now have need of a
friend. You must stay with me until this affair is finished."
Grettir thanked him for his invitation and said he would accept it.
Jarl Sveinn was staying at Steinker in Thrandheim when he heard of the
Slaying of Bjorn. With him was a brother of Bjorn named Hjarrandi, as
one of his bodyguard. On hearing of Bjorn's death he became very angry
and begged the jarl for his support in the matter, which the jarl
promised that he should have. He sent messengers to Thorfinn to summon
both him and Grettir to appear before him. Immediately on receiving the
jarl's commands they both made ready and came to Thrandheim. The jarl
held a council on the matter and ordered Hjarrandi to be present.
Hjarrandi said he was not going to weigh his brother against his purse,
and that he must either follow him or avenge him.
When the case was looked into, it became evident that Bjorn had given
Grettir many provocations. Thorfinn offered to pay a fine such as the
jarl thought suitable to the position of his kinsman, and dwelt at
length upon Grettir's achievement in killing the berserks, and how he
had delivered the men in the North from them.
The jarl answered: "Truth do you speak, Thorfinn! that was indeed a
cleansing! It would befit us well to accept the compensation for your
sake. Grettir, too, is a fine fellow, and noted for his strength and
valour."
Hjarrandi, however, would accept no compensation, and the meeting came
to an end. Thorfinn appointed one of his kinsmen, Arnbjorn, to accompany
Grettir every day, for he knew that Hjarrandi was plotting against his
life.