e had
built in the forest, and the bishop did so. Later he came out to Iceland
and had his ship broken up because he was tired of seafaring. He set
up the figures from her head and stem over his doors, where they long
remained foretelling the weather, one howling for a south, the other for
a north wind.

When Thorir heard that Olaf had become sole ruler of Norway he thought
he might expect favour from him, so he dispatched his sons to Norway to
wait upon the king, hoping that they would be received into his service.
They reached the south coast late in the autumn and engaged a rowing
vessel to take them up the coast to the North, intending to go to the
king. They reached a port to the south of Stad, where they put in for
a few days. They were well provided with food and drink, and did not go
out much because of the bad weather.

Grettir also sailed to the North along the coast, and as the winter was
just beginning he often fell in with dirty weather. When they reached
the neighbourhood of Stad the weather became worse, and at last one
evening they were so exhausted with the snow and frost that they were
compelled to put in and lie under a bank where they found shelter for
their goods and belongings. The men were very much distressed at not
being able to procure any fire; their safety and their lives seemed
almost to depend upon their getting some. They lay there in a pitiful
condition all the evening, and as night came on they saw a large fire
on the other side of the channel which they were in. When Grettir's
companions saw the fire they began talking and saying that he who
could get some of it would be a happy man. They hesitated for some
time whether they should put out, but all agreed that it would be too
dangerous. Then they had a good deal of talk about whether there was any
man living doughty enough to get the fire. Grettir kept very quiet, but
said that there probably had been men who would not have let themselves
be baulked. The men said that they were none the better for what had
been if there were none now.

"But won't you venture, Grettir? The people of Iceland all talk so much
about your prowess, and you know very well what we want."

Grettir said: "It does not seem to me such a great thing to get the
fire, but I do not know whether you will reward it any better than he
requires who does it."

"Why," they said, "should you take us to be men of so little honour that
we shall not reward you well?"

"W