, and the first to enter
the room were two women, the maid with the bondi's daughter. Grettir was
asleep, and his clothes had all fallen off on to the floor. They saw a
man lying there and recognised him. The maid said:

"As I wish for salvation, sister, here is Grettir the son of Asmund
come. He really is large about the upper part of his body, and is lying
bare. But he seems to me unusually small below. It is not at all in
keeping with the rest of him."

The bondi's daughter said: "How can you let your tongue run on so? You
are more than half a fool! Hold your tongue!"

"I really cannot be silent, my dear sister," said the maid; "I would not
have believed it if any one had told me."

Then she went up to him to look more closely, and kept running back to
the bondi's daughter and laughing. Grettir heard what she said, sprang
up and chased her down the room. When he had caught her he spoke a
verse:

(VERSE MISSING IN MANUSCRIPT)

Soon afterwards Grettir went to the bondi Thorvald, told him his
difficulty and asked him to take him out to the island again, which he
did, lending him a ship and taking him over. Grettir thanked him for his
courtesy. When it became known that Grettir had swum a sea-mile, every
one thought his courage extraordinary both on sea and on land. The men
of Skagafjord blamed Thorbjorn Angle much for not having ridded Drangey
of Grettir, and all wanted their shares back again. That did not suit
him and he asked them to have patience.

CHAPTER LXXVI. ADVENTURE OF HAERING IN DRANGEY

That summer a ship came to Gonguskardsos, on board of which was a man
named Haering. He was a young man and very active; he could climb
any cliff. He went to visit Thorbjorn Angle and stayed there into the
autumn. He pressed Thorbjorn much to take him to Drangey, that he
might see whether the cliff was so high that he could not get up there.
Thorbjorn said it should not be for nothing if he succeeded in getting
up on to the island and either killing or wounding Grettir; he made it
appear attractive as a task for Haering to undertake.

One day they went to Drangey and he put the Easterner ashore in a
certain place, telling him not to let himself be seen if he got to the
top. Then they set up the ladder and began a conversation with Grettir's
people. Thorbjorn asked him whether he would not leave the island. He
said there was nothing on which he was so determined.

"You have played much with us," said Thorb