“Into the fall of the torrent I went; dank its maw towards me gaped.  The floods before the ogress’ den Mighty against my shoulder played”;

and then: 

     “Hideous the friend of troll-wife came. 
     Hard were the blows I dealt upon him. 
     The shaft of Heptisax was severed. 
     My sword has pierced the monster’s breast.”

There too it was told how Grettir had brought the bones from the cave.  The priest when he came to the church on the next morning found the staff and all that was with it and read the runes.  Grettir had then returned home to Sandhaugar.

CHAPTER LXVII

VISIT TO GUDMUND THE MIGHTY

When the priest met Grettir again he asked him to say exactly what had happened, and Grettir told him all about where he had been.  He said that the priest had held the rope very faithlessly, and the priest admitted that it was true.  Men felt no doubt that these monsters were responsible for the disappearance of the men in the valley, nor was there any haunting or ghost-walking there afterwards; Grettir had evidently cleared the land of them.  The bones were buried by the priest in the churchyard.  Grettir stayed the winter in Bardardal, but unknown to the general public.

Thorir of Gard heard rumours of Grettir being in Bardardal and set some men on to take his life.  Men thereupon advised him to depart, and he went into the West to Modruvellir, where he met Gudmund the Mighty and asked him for protection.  Gudmund said it would not be convenient for him to take him in.

“You must,” he said, “find a place to settle in where you need be in no fear for your life.”

Grettir said he did not know where such a place was.

“There is an island,” Gudmund said, “in Skagafjord, called Drangey.  It is excellent for defence; no one can get up to it without a ladder.  If once you can reach it there is no chance of any one attacking you there with arms or with craft, so long as you guard the ladder well.”

“That shall be tried,” said Grettir.  “But I am in such dread of the dark that even for the sake of my life I cannot live alone.”

“It may be that it is so,” said Gudmund; “but trust no man so well that you trust not yourself better.  Many are unfit to be trusted.”

Grettir thanked him for his excellent advice and departed from Modruvellir.  He went on straight to Bjarg, where his mother and Illugi greeted him joyfully.  He stayed there several days and heard of Thorsteinn Kuggason having been slain in the autumn before he went to Bardardal.  Fate, he thought, was striking hard against him.  Then he rode South to Holtavarda Heath, intending to revenge the death of Hallmund if he could meet with Grim.  On reaching Nordrardal he learnt that Grim had left two or three years before, as has already been related.  Grettir had not received news of it because he had been in hiding there for two years and a third in Thorisdal and had met no one to tell him of what had happened.  Then he turned his steps towards the Breidafjord valleys and waylaid those who passed over Brattabrekka.  He continued to let his hands sweep over the property of the small farmers during the height of the summer season.