tir said he would take good heed to his counsels; then he rode
into Tongue, and found Snorri the Godi, and talked with him, and
prayed him to take him in.

Snorri answered, "I grow an old man now, and loth am I to harbour
outlawed men if no need drive me thereto. What has come to pass that
the elder put thee off from him?"

Grettir said that Thorstein had often done well to him; "But more
shall I need than him alone, if things are to go well."

Said Snorri, "My good word I shall put in for thee if that may avail
thee aught, but in some other place than with me must thou seek a
dwelling."

With these words they parted, and Grettir turned west to Reekness;
the Ramfirthers with their band got as far as Samstead, and there they
heard that Grettir had departed from Liarskogar, and thereat they went
back home.

CHAP. L.

<i>Grettir and the Foster-brothers at Reek-knolls</i>.

Now Grettir came to Reek-knolls about winter-nights, and prayed
Thorgils for winter abode; Thorgils said, that for him as for other
free men meat was ready; "but the fare of guests here is nowise
choice." Grettir said he was not nice about that.

"There is yet another thing here for thy trouble," said Thorgils:
"Men are minded to harbour here, who are deemed somewhat hard to keep
quiet, even as those foster-brothers, Thorgeir and Thormod; I wot not
how meet it may be for you to be together; but their dwelling shall
ever be here if they will it so: now mayst thou abide here if thou
wilt, but I will not have it that either of you make strife with the
other."

Grettir said he would not be the first to raise strife with any man,
and so much the less as the bonder's will was such.

A little after came those foster-brothers home; things went not
merrily betwixt Thorgeir and Grettir, but Thormod bore himself well.
Goodman Thorgils said to the foster-brothers even as he had said
to Grettir; and of such worth they held him, that neither cast an
untoward word at the other although their minds went nowise the same
way: and so wore the early winter.

Now men say that Thorgils owned those isles, which are called
Olaf's-isles, and lie out in the firth a sea-mile and a half off
Reekness; there had bonder Thorgils a good ox that he might not fetch
home in the autumn; and he was ever saying that he would fain have him
against Yule. Now, one day those foster-brothers got ready to seek the
ox, if a third man could be gotten to their aid: Grettir offe