That summer a ship came to Gonguskardsos, on board of which was a man
named Haering. He was a young man and very active; he could climb
any cliff. He went to visit Thorbjorn Angle and stayed there into the
autumn. He pressed Thorbjorn much to take him to Drangey, that he
might see whether the cliff was so high that he could not get up there.
Thorbjorn said it should not be for nothing if he succeeded in getting
up on to the island and either killing or wounding Grettir; he made it
appear attractive as a task for Haering to undertake.
One day they went to Drangey and he put the Easterner ashore in a
certain place, telling him not to let himself be seen if he got to the
top. Then they set up the ladder and began a conversation with Grettir's
people. Thorbjorn asked him whether he would not leave the island. He
said there was nothing on which he was so determined.
"You have played much with us," said Thorbjorn, "and we do not seem
likely to have our revenge, but you have not much fear for yourself."
Thus they disputed for long, but came to no agreement.
We have now to tell of Haering. He climbed all about on the cliffs and
got to the top in a place which no other man ever reached before or
since. On reaching the top he saw the two brothers standing with their
backs turned to him. He hoped in a short time to win money and glory
from both. They had no inkling of his being there, and thought that
nobody could get up except where the ladders were. Grettir was occupied
with Thorbjorn's men, and there was no lack of derisive words on both
sides. Then Illugi looked round and saw a man coming towards them,
already quite close. He said: "Here is a man coming towards us with his
axe in the air; he has a rather hostile appearance."
"You deal with him," said Grettir, "while I look after the ladder."
Illugi then advanced against the Easterner, who on seeing him turned and
ran about all over the island. Illugi chased him to the furthest end of
the island; on reaching the edge he leaped down and broke every bone
in his body; thus his life ended. The place where he perished was
afterwards called Haering's leap. Illugi returned and Grettir asked him
how he had parted with his man.
"He would not trust me to manage for him," he said. "He broke his neck
over the cliff. The bondis may pray for him as for a dead man."
When Angle heard that he told his men to shove off. "I have now been
twice to meet Grettir," he said. "I may come a third time, and if then
I return no wiser than I am now, it is likely that they may stay in
Drangey, so far as I am concerned. But methinks Grettir will not be
there so long in the future as he has been in the past."
They then returned home and this journey seemed even worse than the
one before. Grettir stayed in Drangey and saw no more of Thorbjorn
that winter. Skapti the Lawman died during the winter, whereby Grettir
suffered a great loss, for he had promised to press for a removal of his
sentence when he had been twenty years an outlaw, and the events just
related were in the nineteenth year. In the spring died Snorri the Godi,
and much more happened during this winter season which does not belong
to our saga.