r sons
again. They left Biarg, going north towards Drangey; and on the way
met with a big ill-clad loon called Thorbiorn Noise, a man too lazy to
work, and a great swaggerer; but they allowed him to join them.

Now Drangey was an island whose cliffs rose sheer up from the sea;
there was good pasturage on it, and many sheep and cattle, owned by
about twenty men, who amongst them held the island in shares. Two men
called Hialti and Thorbiorn Angle, being the richest men, had the
largest shares. When the men got ready to fetch their beasts from the
island for slaughter, they found it occupied, which they thought
strange; but supposing the men in possession to be shipwrecked
sailors, they rowed to the place where the ladders were, but found
these drawn up. Persuasion was of no avail, so the baffled owners
retired, and in one way or another made over their respective shares
to Angle, on the understanding that he would free the island from
these unwelcome intruders. The months wore on, and brought no change;
but now Grettir said he would go to the mainland and get victuals.
Disguising himself, he carried out his plan, leaving Illugi and Noise
to guard the ladders. Sports were being held at a place called
Heron-ness, and the stranger was asked if he would wrestle. 'Time
was,' he said, 'when he had been fond of it, but he had now given it
up; yet, upon condition of peace and safe conduct being assured to him
until such time as he returned home, he was willing to try a bout.'
This was agreed to, whereupon he cast aside his disguise, and stood
revealed as Grettir the outlaw. All saw that they had been beguiled,
yet, for their oath's sake, they could do nothing. First Hialti alone
tried to throw Grettir, but met with nothing but a mighty fall; then
he and his brother Angle tried together, but though each of them had
the strength of two men they were no match for their antagonist, and
had to retire discomfited.

Then Grettir went back to Drangey. Two winters had now been spent on
the island, but firewood was hard to come by; Noise was sent down to
gather drifted logs from the sea, but he grew lazier and grumbled more
and more every day, letting the fire out on one occasion, whereas his
duty was to keep it burning. Grettir determined to swim to the
mainland and bring back wood; in this he was successful, though the
distance was a sea mile, whereat all said his prowess both on land and
sea was marvellous. Meanwhile Angle, having be