"There into gloomy gulf I passed,
O'er which from the rock's throat is cast
The swirling rush of waters wan,
To meet the sword-player feared of man.
By giant's hall the strong stream pressed
Cold hands against the singer's breast;
Huge weight upon him there did hurl
The swallower of the changing whirl."

And this other one withal--

"The dreadful dweller of the cave
Great strokes and many 'gainst me drave;
Full hard he had to strive for it,
But toiling long he wan no whit;
For from its mighty shaft of tree
The heft-sax smote I speedily;
And dulled the flashing war-flame fair
In the black breast that met me there."

Herein was it said how that Grettir had brought those bones from the
cave; but when the priest came to the church in the morning he found
the staff and that which went with it, but Grettir was gone home to
Sand-heaps.

CHAP. LXVII.

<i>Grettir driven from Sand-heaps to the West</i>.

But when the priest met Grettir he asked him closely about what had
happed; so he told him all the tale of his doings, and said withal
that the priest had been unfaithful to him in the matter of the
rope-holding; and the priest must needs say that so it was.

Now men deemed they could see that these evil wights had wrought the
loss of the men there in the dale; nor had folk hurt ever after from
aught haunting the valley, and Grettir was thought to have done great
deeds for the cleansing of the land. So the priest laid those bones in
earth in the churchyard.

But Grettir abode at Sand-heaps the winter long, and was hidden there
from all the world.

But when Thorir of Garth heard certain rumours of Grettir being in
Bard-dale, he sent men for his head; then men gave him counsel to get
him gone therefrom, so he took his way to the west.

Now when he came to Maddervales to Gudmund the Rich, he prayed Gudmund
for watch and ward; but Gudmund said he might not well keep him. "But
that only is good for thee," said he, "to set thee down there, whereas
thou shouldst have no fear of thy life."

Grettir said he wotted not where such a place might be.

Gudmund said, "An isle there lies in Skagafirth called Drangey; so
good a place for defence it is, that no man may come thereon unless
ladders be set thereto. If thou mightest get there, I know for sure
that no man who might come against thee, could have good hope while
thou wert on the top thereof, of overcoming thee, either by wea