the country in disguise,
and, under the name of Guest, came to a place called Sandheaps, much
haunted by trolls. Two winters before he arrived the husband of the
good-wife had mysteriously disappeared during her absence, none knew
whither; her name was Steinvor. A loud crashing had been heard in the
night about the man's bed, but the folk were too frightened to rise
and find out the cause; in the morning Steinvor came back, but her
husband was gone. Again, the next year, while she was away at church,
a house-servant remained behind; but he too vanished, and bloodstains
were found about the outer door. Grettir was told of this when he came
to Sandheaps on Christmas-eve, staying there under the name of Guest.
Steinvor, as usual, went away to worship, and remained absent that
night, leaving Grettir at home. He sat up to watch, and about midnight
he heard a great noise outside, shortly after which there came into
the hall a huge troll-wife, with a trough in one hand and a monstrous
chopper in the other. Seeing Grettir she rushed at him, but he closed
with her, and there was a terrible wrestling match. She was the
stronger, and dragged him from the house, breaking down all the
fittings of the door; down she dragged him to the river which flowed
through the farm, and Grettir, exhausted with the struggle, was
well-nigh at the limit of his endurance. Making one last great effort,
he managed to draw his short sword and strike off the hag's arm at the
shoulder; then was he free, and she fell into the gulf and was carried
down the rapids. This, at least, was Grettir's story; but the men of
the neighbourhood say that day dawned on them while they were still
wrestling, and that therefore the troll burst; for this trolls do,
according to Norse tradition, if they happen to be caught above ground
by the rising sun.

Steinvor came back with the priest, who asked Grettir where he thought
the two men were who had disappeared. He replied they were, he
thought, in the gulf; but if the priest would help him he would find
out. The priest agreed. Accordingly, taking a rope with them, they
followed the stream down to a waterfall where they saw a cave up under
the cliff--a sheer rock the cliff was, nearly fifty fathoms down to
the water. The priest's heart misgave him, but Grettir determined to
make the attempt; so, driving a peg into the ground, he made the rope
fast to it and bade the priest watch it; then he tied a stone to the
end and let i