r
Grettir will be more on his guard if he hears that you have taken me
into your counsels. I intend next winter to be at Olduhrygg; is there
any hiding-place of his on my way there? He will not be prepared for
this, and I shall not take many men with me to attack him."

Thord approved of his proposal. He rode home soon after and kept very
quiet about it. And now was proved what has often been said, that:
Off in the woods is a listener nigh. Men who were friends of Bjorn in
Hitardal overheard their conversation and reported it accurately to him.
Bjorn told Grettir of it when they met, and said now he should see how
to encounter him. "It would be no bad joke," he said, "if you were to
injure him in some way without killing him if you can."

Grettir grinned but said little. Towards the time of gathering in the
cattle Grettir went down to Flysjuhverfi to get some sheep and got four
wethers. The bondis heard of his having come and went after him.
They came up just at about the moment when he reached the foot of his
mountain and wanted to drive the sheep away from him. But they would not
attack him with weapons. There were six of them and they stood across
his path to bar his way. He was concerned about his sheep, got angry,
seized three of them and threw them down the hill so that they
lay senseless. The others when they saw it went at him, but rather
halfheartedly. Grettir took the sheep, fastened them together by the
horns, threw two over each shoulder and carried them off. Then he went
up into his den. The bondis turned back feeling they had had the worst
of it, and were more discontented with their lot than ever.

Gisli stayed with his ship that autumn until she was ready to be hauled
up. Several things happened to delay him, so that he was late in getting
away and rode off very little before the winter nights. Then he rode
North and stayed at Hraun on the south bank of the Hitara. Next morning
before he rode out he said to his servants: "Now we will ride in red
clothes and let the forest-man see that we are not like the other
travellers who beat about here every day."

There were three of them and they did as he bade. When they had crossed
the river he said: "Here I am told dwells the forest-man, up in that
peak; but the way is not an easy one. Would it not please him to come to
us and see our array?" They said this was always his habit.

That morning Grettir had got up early. The weather was cold, it was
freezing