e Grettir's wrath," he said. "He must bear his axe higher
than he did at Hrutafjardarhals if he wishes to frighten me."

Grettir heard every word that Thorbjorn said, but took no notice as long
as he was speaking. When he had finished Grettir said:

"I prophesy, Slowcoach, that you will not die of the smoke from the
hearth, and yet perhaps you will not die of old age either. It is
strange conduct to say shameful things of innocent men."

Thorbjorn said: "I have nothing to unsay. I never thought you would fire
up like this on the day when we got you out of the hands of the men of
Mel who were belabouring you like an ox's head."

Then Grettir spoke a verse:

"Too long is the tongue of the spanner of bows.
Full often he suffers the vengeance due.
Slowcoach! I tell thee that many a man
has paid for less shameful speech with his life."

Thorbjorn said his life was neither more nor less in danger than it was
before.

"My prophecies are not generally long-lived," said Grettir, "nor shall
this one be. Defend yourself if you will; you never will have better
occasion for it than now."

Grettir then struck at him. He tried to parry the blow with his arm, but
it struck him above the wrist and glanced off on to his neck so that his
head flew off. The sailors declared it was a splendid stroke, and that
such were the men for the king. No one would grieve, they said, because
a man so quarrelsome and scurrilous as Thorbjorn had been killed.

Soon after this they got under way and towards the end of the summer
reached the south coast of Norway, about Hordland, where they learned
that King Olaf was in the North at Thrandheim. Grettir took a passage
thither with some traders intending to seek audience of the king.

CHAPTER XXXVIII. GRETTIR FETCHES FIRE--THE SONS OF THORIR ARE BURNT

There was a man named Thorir dwelling in Gard in Adaldal. He was a son
of Skeggi Bodolfsson, who had settled in Kelduhverfi, on lands extending
right up to Keldunes, and had married Helga the daughter of Thorgeir
at Fiskilaek. Thorir was a great chief, and a mariner. He had two sons
whose names were Thorgeir and Skeggi, both men of promise, and pretty
well grown up at that time. Thorir had been in Norway in the summer in
which Olaf came East from England, and had won great favour with the
king as well as with Bishop Sigurd. In token of this it is related that
Thorir asked the bishop to consecrate a large sea-going ship h