Then they went up on to the island, and looked round about, and saw where a man lay a little space off the landing-place, and snored hard and fast.  Therewith Thorbiorn knew Noise, and went up to him and drave the hilt of his sword against the ear of him, and bade him, “Wake up, beast! certes in evil stead is he who trusts his life to thy faith and troth.”

Noise looked up thereat and said, “Ah! now are they minded to go on according to their wont; do ye, may-happen, think my freedom too great, though I lie out here in the cold?”

“Art thou witless,” said Angle, “that thou seest not that thy foes are come upon thee, and will slay you all?”

Then Noise answered nought, but yelled out all he might, when he knew the men who they were.

“Do one thing or other,” says Angle, “either hold thy peace forthwith, and tell us of your abode, or else be slain of us.”

Thereat was Noise as silent as if he had been thrust under water; but Thorbiorn said, “Are they at their hut, those brothers?  Why are they not afoot?”

“Scarce might that be,” said Noise, “for Grettir is sick and come nigh to his death, and Illugi sits over him.”

Then Angle asked how it was with their health, and what things had befallen.  So Noise told him in what wise Grettir’s hurt had come about.

Then Angle laughed and said, “Yea, sooth is the old saw, Old friends are the last to sever; and this withal, Ill if a thrall is thine only friend, whereso thou art, Noise; for shamefully hast thou bewrayed thy master, albeit he was nought good.”

Then many laid evil things to his charge for his ill faith, and beat him till he was well-nigh past booting for, and let him lie there; but they went up to the hut and smote mightily on the door.

“Pied-belly[19] is knocking hard at the door, brother,” says Illugi.

[Footnote 19:  ‘Pied-belly,’ the name of the tame ram told of before.]

“Yea, yea, hard, and over hard,” says Grettir; and therewithal the door brake asunder.

Then sprang Illugi to his weapons and guarded the door, in such wise that there was no getting in for them.  Long time they set on him there, and could bring nought against him save spear-thrusts, and still Illugi smote all the spear-heads from the shafts.  But when they saw that they might thus bring nought to pass, they leapt up on to the roof of the hut, and tore off the thatch; then Grettir got to his feet and caught up a spear, and thrust out betwixt the rafters; but before that stroke was Karr, a home-man of Halldor of Hof, and forthwithal it pierced him through.

Then spoke Angle, and bade men fare warily and guard themselves well, “for we may prevail against them if we follow wary redes.”

So they tore away the thatch from the ends of the ridge-beam, and bore on the beam till it brake asunder.