than three marks in all been offered. Snorri said it was very
unwise to make such efforts to keep a man outlawed who could do so much
mischief, and that many would suffer for it. Then they parted and men
rode home from the Thing.

CHAPTER LII. GRETTIR IS CAPTURED BY FARMERS AND RELEASED BY THORBJORG

Grettir went over the Thorskafjord Heath to Langadal, where he let his
hands sweep over the property of the smaller cultivators, taking what
he wanted from every one. From some he got weapons, from others clothes.
They gave up their property very variously, but when he was gone all
said that they had been compelled to do it.

There dwelt on the Vatnsfjord one Vermund the Slender, a brother of
Viga-Styr, who had married Thorbjorg the daughter of Olaf Peacock, the
son of Hoskuld, called Thorbjorg the Fat. At the time when Grettir was
in Langadal Vermund was away at the Thing. He went across the ridge
to Laugabol where a man named Helgi was living, one of the principal
bondis. Thence Grettir took a good horse belonging to the bondi and rode
on to Gervidal, where dwelt a man named Thorkell. He was well provided
but in a small way of business. Grettir took from him what he wanted,
Thorkell daring neither to withhold anything nor to protest. Thence
Grettir went to Eyr and on to the coast of the fjord, obtaining food and
clothes from every homestead and making himself generally disagreeable,
so that men found it hard to live while he was about.

Grettir went boldly on, taking little care of himself. He went on until
he came to Vatnsfjardardal and entered a dairy shelter, where he
stayed several nights. There he lay sleeping in the forest, fearing
for nothing. When the shepherds learned of it they reported in the
homesteads that a fiend had come into the place who they thought would
be hard to deal with. All the farmers came together and a band of thirty
of them concealed themselves in the forest where Grettir could not know
of them. They set one of the shepherds to watch for an opportunity of
seizing him, without however knowing very clearly who the man was.

One day when Grettir was lying asleep the farmers came up to him.

They considered how they should take him with least danger to
themselves, and arranged that ten should fall upon him while others
laid bonds round his feet. They threw themselves on to him, but Grettir
struggled so violently that he threw them all off and came down on his
hands and knees. Then the