ell," said Grettir, "if you really think it so necessary I will try
it; but my heart tells me that no good will come to me therefrom."

They said it would not be so, and told him that he should have their
thanks.

Then Grettir threw off his clothes and got ready to go into the water.
He went in a cloak and breeches of coarse stuff. He tucked up the cloak,
tied a cord of bast round his waist, and took a barrel with him. Then
he jumped overboard, swam across the channel and reached the land on the
other side. There he saw a house standing and heard sounds of talking
and merriment issuing from it. So he went towards the house.

We have now to tell of the people who were in the house. They were the
sons of Thorir who have been mentioned. They had been there some days
waiting for a change of weather and for a wind to carry them to the
North. There were twelve of them and they were all sitting and drinking.
They had made fast in the inner harbour where there was a place of
shelter set up for men who were travelling about the country, and they
had carried in a quantity of straw. There was a huge fire on the ground.
Grettir rushed into the house, not knowing who was there. His cloak had
all frozen directly he landed, and he was a portentous sight to behold;
he looked like a troll. The people inside were much startled, thinking
it was a fiend. They struck at him with anything they could get, and
a tremendous uproar there was. Grettir pushed them back with his arms.
Some of them struck at him with firebrands, and the fire spread all
through the house. He got away with his fire and returned to his
companions, who were loud in praise of his skill and daring, and said
there was no one like him. The night passed and they were happy now that
they had fire.

On the next morning the weather was fine. They all woke early and made
ready to continue their journey. It was proposed that they should go and
find out who the people were who had had the fire, so they cast off and
sailed across the channel. They found no house there, nothing but a heap
of ashes and a good many bones of men amongst them. Evidently the house
with all who were in it had been burned. They asked whether Grettir had
done it, and declared it was an abominable deed. Grettir said that what
he expected had come to pass, and that he was ill rewarded for getting
the fire for them. He said it was thankless work to help such miserable
beings as they were. He suffered much a