Then Thorbiorn Angle held talk with his fellows, whether they should let Illugi live or not; they said that, whereas he had ruled the journey, so should he rule the deeds; so Angle said that he knew not how to have that man hanging over his head, who would neither give troth, nor promise aught.

But when Illugi knew that they were fully minded to slay him, he laughed, and spake thus,

“Yea, now have your counsels sped, even as my heart would.”

So at the dawning of the day they brought him to the eastern end of the island, and there slaughtered him; but all men praised his great heart, and deemed him unlike to any of his age.

They laid both the brothers in cairn on the island there; and thereafter took Grettir’s head, and bore it away with them, and whatso goods there were in weapons or clothes; but the good short-sword Angle would not put into the things to be shared, and he bare it himself long afterwards.  Noise they took with them, and he bore himself as ill as might be.

At nightfall the gale abated, and they rowed aland in the morning.  Angle took land at the handiest place, and sent the craft out to Biorn; but by then they were come hard by Oyce-land, Noise began to bear himself so ill, that they were loth to fare any longer with him, so there they slew him, and long and loud he greeted or ever he was cut down.

Thorbiorn Angle went home to Woodwick, and deemed he had done in manly wise in this journey; but Grettir’s head they laid in salt in the out-bower at Woodwick, which was called therefrom Grettir’s-bower; and there it lay the winter long.  But Angle was exceeding ill thought of for this work of his, as soon as folk knew that Grettir had been overcome by sorcery.

Thorbiorn Angle sat quiet till past Yule; then he rode to meet Thorir of Garth, and told him of these slayings; and this withal, that he deemed that money his due which had been put on Grettir’s head.  Thorir said that he might not hide that he had brought about Grettir’s outlawry,

“Yea, and oft have I dealt hardly with him, yet so much for the taking of his life I would not have done, as to make me a misdoer, a man of evil craft, even as thou hast done; and the less shall I lay down that money for thee, in that I deem thee surely to be a man of forfeit life because of thy sorcery and wizard-craft.”

Thorbiorn Angle answers, “Meseems thou art urged hereto more by closefistedness and a poor mind, than by any heed of how Grettir was won.”

Thorir said that a short way they might make of it, in that they should abide the Althing, and take whatso the Lawman might deem most rightful:  and in such wise they parted that there was no little ill-will betwixt Thorir and Thorbiorn Angle.

CHAP.  LXXXVI.

How Thorbiorn Angle brought Grettir’s Head to Biarg.