im, and his throat was riven asunder, and his jaws
fell down on his breast. Then he wrought so that, all in one rush, he
caught hold of the helmet with his left hand, and swept the viking off
his horse; and with the other hand drew the short-sword that he was
girt withal, and drave it at his neck, so that off the head flew. But
when Snoekoll's fellows saw that, they fled, each his own way, and
Grettir had no mind to follow, for he saw there was no heart in them.

The bonder thanked him well for his work and many other men too; and
that deed was deemed to have been wrought both swiftly and hardily.

Grettir was there through Yule, and the farmer saw him off handsomely:
then he went east to Tunsberg, and met his brother Thorstein; he
received Grettir fondly, and asked of his travels and how he won the
bearserk. Then Grettir sang a stave--

"There the shield that men doth save
Mighty spurn with foot I gave.
Snoekoll's throat it smote aright,
The fierce follower of the fight,
And by mighty dint of it
Were the tofts of tooth-hedge split;
The strong spear-walk's iron rim,
Tore adown the jaws of him."

Thorstein said, "Deft wouldst thou be at many things, kinsman, if
mishaps went not therewith."

Grettir answered, "<i>Deeds done will be told of</i>."

CHAP. XLI.

<i>Of Thorstein Dromond's Arms, and what he deemed they might do</i>.

Now Grettir was with Thorstein for the rest of the winter and on into
the spring; and it befell one morning, as those brothers, Thorstein
and Grettir, lay in their sleeping-loft, that Grettir had laid his
arms outside the bed-clothes; and Thorstein was awake and saw it. Now
Grettir woke up a little after, and then spake Thorstein:

"I have seen thine arms, kinsman," said he, "and I deem it nowise
wonderful, though thy strokes fall heavy on many, for no man's arms
have I seen like thine."

"Thou mayst know well enough," said Grettir, "that I should not have
brought such things to pass as I have wrought, if I were not well
knit."

"Better should I deem it," said Thorstein, "if they were slenderer and
somewhat luckier withal."

Grettir said, "True it is, as folk say, <i>No man makes himself</i>;
but let me see thine arms," said he.

Thorstein did so; he was the longest and gauntest of men; and Grettir
laughed, and said,

"No need to look at that longer; hooked together are the ribs in thee;
nor, methinks, have I ever seen such tongs as thou bearest about, a