Then Rolf told of the trial with those Southfirthers at Tongue, and
Grettir looked upon him with surprise. "So skilled art thou then?" he
asked. "Now string thy bow, and show me how far thou canst shoot."
So Rolf strung his bow, and shot along the hillside, and the arrow
fell far away. "Now do I wonder," said Grettir. "Let me see thy bow."
And when he had looked on it he said: "That any one could shoot so far
with such light gear I had not thought possible. Thou art a good
bowman. But what thinkest thou of my bow?"
Rolf took the bow of Grettir in his hand, and a strange weapon it was.
For it was shorter than his own bow, and scarcely shaped at all, but
was heavy and thick, so that it had seemed not to be a bow, save for
the string and the notched ends.
"Such a bow," said Rolf, "saw I never."
"Canst thou string it?" asked Grettir.
Then Rolf tried, but he could scarce bend it a little way. Yet Grettir
took it and strung it with ease. Then he showed Rolf his arrows, which
were heavy, short, and thick, like the bow. He laid one on the string,
and drew it to the head, and behold! it rushed forth with a great
whir, and with such force that it might pierce a man behind his
shield. And it flew far beyond the arrow of Rolf, full five rood
further.
"What thou dost with skill," said Grettir, "I do with strength." But
Rolf cried with great joy:
"Thou art the man I have been seeking!" Then he asked: "Wilt thou go
with me and shoot an arrow before witnesses, to prove that my father
was unlawfully slain?"
"That I will," quoth Grettir, "and joyfully too, for I see little of
men. Only one thing I require, that safe conduct be promised me to go
and come, for I have enemies in thy dales."
"How shall I get thee safe conduct?" asked Rolf.
"It must be granted," answered Grettir, "by the Quarter Court at the
Althing."
Then they talked the matter over, and Grettir advised Rolf once more
to seek Snorri the Priest, to find what steps should be taken. Then it
was bespoken where Rolf should meet Grettir again, and the outlaw
offered to lay out in the hills north of the Thingvalla, in the valley
of the geysirs, and await tidings of the outcome of the suit.
"Now," said Rolf, when he was ready to go, "keep the ewe for thy
kindness's sake."
"Do thou take her," answered Grettir. "For had I known that thy mother
was a widow, I would never have taken the sheep. And the first booty
is this, which ever I rendered again."
So Rolf returned toward home driving the ewe; and when he reached the
highway which led to the South Firths, there came riding a company,
Kari and Flosi and their followers, and Snorri the Priest was with
them. They asked tidings. Then he told them of Grettir, and those
three chiefs left their horses, and sat down with Rolf on the fell a
little way from their company; they had talk what was to be done. For
Snorri declared he saw a flaw in the case, since Grettir was an
outlaw, and no outlaw had ever yet come into a suit at law. But at
last he said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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