CHAPTER XXIV

Grettir kills Gunnar.  His friends rally round him and save him from the vengeance of the jarl

Gunnar was in the town and was plotting against Grettir’s life.  Wherever he went Gunnar dogged his steps wherever he found a chance of getting near him.  One day Grettir was sitting in a booth and drinking, because he wanted to keep out of Gunnar’s way.  Suddenly there was a bang at the door, so hard that it broke in pieces, and in rushed four men armed and attacked Grettir.  They were Gunnar with his followers.  Grettir seized his arms which were hanging above his head and ran into a corner, where he defended himself, holding his shield before him, and hewing with his sword.  They made little way against him.  One blow he succeeded in delivering upon one of Gunnar’s followers, who needed nothing more.  Then Grettir advanced, driving them before him out of the booth, and killing another of them.  Gunnar would fain have got away with his men, but on reaching the door he caught his foot on the doorstep, fell over and was not able to recover himself at once.  He held his shield before him and retreated as Grettir pressed him hard.  Then Grettir sprang on to the crossbenches near the door.  Gunnar’s hands and the shield were still inside the door, and Grettir struck down between him and the shield, cutting off both his hands at the wrist.  He fell backwards out of the door, and Grettir gave him his death-blow.  Then the man who was behind him got on his feet and ran off at once to tell the jarl what had happened.  Sveinn was furious, and called the assembly to meet there and then in the town.  When Thorfinn and Thorsteinn Dromund heard the news, they called all their followers and friends together and went to the meeting in force.  The jarl was very wroth, and it was no easy matter to get speech with him.  Thorfinn was the first to come before the jarl, and he said:  “I have come to offer an honourable atonement for the man who has been slain by Grettir.  The judgment shall remain with you alone if you but spare his life.”

The jarl replied in great wrath:  “It is too late to beg for Grettir’s life, and you have no case that I can see.  He has killed three brothers, one at the feet of the other; men of noble minds who would not weigh each other against their purses.  Now, Thorfinn, it will not avail you to beg for Grettir; I will not do such a wrong in the land as to accept atonement for such a crime as this.”

Then Bersi the son of Skaldtorfa came up and begged the jarl to accept blood-money.  “Grettir,” he said, “is a man of high birth and is my good friend.  I offer you what I possess.  May you see, my lord, that it is better by sparing one man to earn the goodwill of many and to fix the penalty yourself than to refuse honourable terms and risk whether you can arrest the man or not.”