in. They assailed it long, but could get
nothing in but the points of their spears, all of which Illugi severed
from their shafts. Seeing that they could do nothing, they sprang on
to the roof and began to break it in. Then Grettir got on to his
feet, seized a spear and thrust it between the rafters. It struck Kar,
Halldor's man from Hof, and went right through him. Angle told them to
go to work warily and be careful of themselves. "We shall only overcome
them," he said, "if we act with caution."

Then they laid open the end of one of the timbers and bore upon it until
it broke. Grettir was unable to rise from his knees, but he seized the
sword Karsnaut at the moment when they all sprang in from the roof, and
a mighty fray began. Grettir struck with his sword at Vikar, a man of
Hjalti the son of Thord, reaching his left shoulder as he sprang from
the roof. It passed across his shoulder, out under his right arm, and
cut him right in two. His body fell in two parts on the top of Grettir
and prevented him from recovering his sword as quickly as he wished,
so that Thorbjorn Angle was able to wound him severely between the
shoulders. Grettir said: "Bare is his back who has no brother!"

Illugi threw his shield before Grettir and defended him so valiantly
that all men praised his prowess.

Grettir said to Angle: "Who showed you the way to the island?"

"Christ showed us the way," he said.

"I guess," said Grettir, "that it was the wicked old woman, your
foster-mother, who showed you; hers were the counsels that you relied
upon."

"It shall now be all the same to you," said Angle, "upon whom I relied."

They returned to the attack; Illugi defended himself and Grettir
courageously, but Grettir was unfit for fighting, partly from his
wounds, partly from his illness. Angle then ordered them to bear Illugi
down with their shields, saying he had never met with his like amongst
older men than he. They did so, and pressed upon him with a wall of
armour against which resistance was impossible. They took him prisoner
and kept him. He had wounded most of those who were attacking him and
killed three. Then they went for Grettir, who had fallen forward on his
face. There was no resistance in him for he was already dead from his
wounded leg; his thigh was all mortified up to the rectum. Many more
wounds they gave him, but little or no blood flowed.

When they thought he was quite dead Angle took hold of his sword, saying
he had b