Grettir said that horses were to be had in plenty whatsoever might hap to this.  Then Thorhall was glad that Grettir was to be there, and gave him a hearty welcome.

Now Grettir’s horse was locked up in a strong house, and they went to sleep; and so the night slipped by, and Glam came not home.

Then said Thorhall, “Things have gone well at thy coming, for every night is Glam wont to ride the house-roofs, or break open doors, as thou mayest well see.”

Grettir said, “Then shall one of two things be, either he shall not hold himself back for long, or the hauntings will abate for more than one night; I will bide here another night and see how things fare.”

Thereafter they went to Grettir’s horse, and nought had been tried against it; then all seemed to the bonder to go one way.

Now is Grettir there another night, and neither came the thrall home; that the farmer deemed very hopeful; withal he fared to see after Grettir’s horse.  When the farmer came there, he found the house broken into, but the horse was dragged out to the door, and every bone in him broken to pieces.  Thorhall told Grettir what had happed there, and bade him save himself, “For sure is thy death if thou abidest Glam.”

Grettir answered, “I must not have less for my horse than a sight of the thrall.”

The bonder said it was no boon to see him, for he was unlike any shape of man; “but good methinks is every hour that thou art here.”

Now the day goes by, and when men should go to sleep Grettir would not put off his clothes, but lay down on the seat over against the bonder’s lock-bed.  He had a drugget cloak over him, and wrapped one skirt of it under his feet, and twined the other under his head, and looked out through the head-opening; a seat-beam was before the seat, a very strong one, and against this he set his feet.  The door-fittings were all broken from the outer door, but a wrecked door was now bound thereby, and all was fitted up in the wretchedest wise.  The panelling which had been before the seat athwart the hall, was all broken away both above and below the cross-beam; all beds had been torn out of place, and an uncouth place it was.

Light burned in the hall through the night; and when the third part of the night was passed, Grettir heard huge din without, and then one went up upon the houses and rode the hall, and drave his heels against the thatch so that every rafter cracked again.

That went on long, and then he came down from the house and went to the door; and as the door opened, Grettir saw that the thrall stretched in his head, which seemed to him monstrously big, and wondrous thick cut.