eems, the greatest
shortcoming herein is that thou hast no weapons of any avail, and my
mind misgives me that thou wilt perchance need them sorely."

With that she took out from under her cloak a sword well wrought,
and a fair thing it was, and then she said, "This sword was owned
by Jokul, my father's father, and the earlier Waterdale men, and it
gained them many a day; now I give thee the sword, and may it stand
thee in good stead."

Grettir thanked her well for this gift, and said he deemed it better
than things of more worth; then he went on his way, and Asdis wished
him all good hap.

Now Grettir rode south over the heath, and made no stay till he came
to the ship. Haflidi gave him a good welcome and asked him for his
faring-goods, then Grettir sang--

"Rider of wind-driven steed,
Little gat I to my need,
When I left my fair birth-stead,
From the snatchers of worm's bed;
But this man's-bane hanging here,
Gift of woman good of cheer,
Proves the old saw said not ill,
<i>Best to bairn is mother still</i>."

Haflidi said it was easily seen that she thought the most of him. But
now they put to sea when they were ready, and had wind at will; but
when they had got out over all shallows they hoisted sail.

Now Grettir made a den for himself under the boat, from whence he
would move for nought, neither for baling, nor to do aught at the
sail, nor to work at what he was bound to work at in the ship in even
shares with the other men, neither would he buy himself off from the
work.

Now they sailed south by Reekness and then south from the land; and
when they lost land they got much heavy sea; the ship was somewhat
leaky, and scarce seaworthy in heavy weather, therefore they had it
wet enough. Now Grettir let fly his biting rhymes, whereat the men
got sore wroth. One day, when it so happened that the weather was both
squally and cold, the men called out to Grettir, and bade him now do
manfully, "For," said they, "now our claws grow right cold." Grettir
looked up and said--

"Good luck, scurvy starvelings, if I should behold
Each finger ye have doubled up with the cold."

And no work they got out of him, and now it misliked them of their
lot as much again as before, and they said that he should pay with his
skin for his rhymes and the lawlessness which he did. "Thou art more
fain," said they, "of playing with Bard the mate's wife than doing thy
duty on board ship, and this is a thing not to b