"The day wore on, and when it was bed-time Grettir would not take off
his clothes, but lay down on the floor over against Thorhall's bed-
closet. He put a thick cloak above himself, buttoning one end beneath
his feet, and doubling the other under his head, while he looked out
at the hole for the neck. There was a strong plank in front of the
floored space, and against this he pressed his feet. The door-
fittings were all broken off from the outer door, but there was a
hurdle set up instead, and roughly secured. The wainscot that had
once stretched across the hall was all broken down, both above and
below the cross-beam. The beds were all pulled out of their places,
and everything was in confusion.
"A light was left burning in the hall, and when the third part of the
night was past Grettir heard loud noises outside. Then something went
up on top of the house, and rode above the hall, beating the roof with
its heels till every beam cracked. This went on for a long time; then
it came down off the house and went to the door. When this was opened
Grettir saw the thrall thrust in his head; ghastly big he seemed, and
wonderfully huge of feature. Glam came in slowly, and raised himself
up when he was inside the doorway, till he loomed up against the roof.
Then he turned his face down the hall, laid his arms on the cross-
beam, and glared all over the place. Thorhall gave no sign during all
this, for he thought it bad enough to hear what was going on outside.
"Grettir lay still and never moved. Glam saw that there was a bundle
lying on the floor, and moved further up the hall and grasped the
cloak firmly. Grettir placed his feet against the plank, and yielded
not the least. Glam tugged a second time, much harder than before,
but still the cloak did not move. A third time he pulled with both
his hands, so hard that he raised Grettir up from the floor, and now
they wrenched the cloak asunder between them. Glam stood staring at
the piece which he held in his hands, and wondering greatly who could
have pulled so hard against him. At that moment Grettir sprang in
under the monster's hands, and threw his arms around his waist,
intending to make him fall backwards. Glam, however, bore down upon
him so strongly that Grettir was forced to give way before him. He
then tried to stay himself against the seat-boards, but these gave way
with him, and everything that came in their path was broken.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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