very dark, and a smell therein none of the sweetest. First he saw
horse-bones, then he stumbled against the arm of a high chair wherein
was a man sitting; great treasures of gold and silver lay heaped
together, and under the man's feet a small chest full of silver. All
this Grettir carried towards the rope, but while doing so he was
suddenly seized in a strong grip; whereupon he let go the treasure and
rushed at the Thing which lived in the barrow; and now they set on one
another unsparingly enough. There was a battle, first one, then the
other gaining a slight advantage, but at last the barrow-wight fell
over on his back with a huge din; whereupon Grettir drew his sword,
'Jokul's gift,' and cut off Karr's head, laying it beside the thigh,
for, in this way only, men said, could a ghost be laid. Grettir took
the treasure and brought it to Thorfinn, who was not ill-pleased that
his father's tomb had been rifled, for he held that wealth hidden in
the ground was wealth wrongly placed, in which we shall probably agree
with him.

[Illustration: GRETTIR FEELS KARR'S GRIP.]

After the events just described, Thorfinn went away with thirty of his
men to one of his farms on the mainland, in order to keep the
Yule-tide feast (Christmas). His wife and daughter, the latter of whom
was ill in bed, remained at home. Now Thorfinn, some time previously,
had taken a leading part in passing a law, the object of which was
that all berserkers should be outlawed. These berserkers were roving
bands of pirates, brave fighters, but respecting no man's property; on
the contrary, their chief object was to lay violent hands on women and
goods to which they had no title. It is easily to be understood that
Thorfinn, in consequence of his action, had incurred their bitterest
enmity. One day Grettir observed a ship approaching, rowed by twelve
men; it landed near Thorfinn's boat-stand, wherein was his boat which
was never launched by less than thirty men; nevertheless these twelve
pushed it down to the water's edge, laid their own boat upon it, and
bore it into the boat-stand.

Grettir's suspicions being aroused, he went down, and after giving
them a hearty welcome, asked who they were. The leader told him he was
known as Thorir Paunch; that his brother was Ogmund, and the rest
fellows of theirs. Grettir told them they could not have come at a
better time, if, as he thought, they had some grudge against Thorfinn,
for he was away from home, and woul