wages to any man, nor was he thought a good man to deal with. There
was a kinsman of his hight Thorbiorn, and bynamed Tardy; he was a
sailor, and the namesakes were partners. He was ever at Thorodstead,
and was thought to better Thorbiorn but little. He was a fault-finding
fellow, and went about jeering at most men.

There was a man hight Thorir, the son of Thorkel of Boardere. He
farmed first at Meals in Ramfirth; his daughter was Helga, whom
Sleita-Helgi had to wife, but after the man-slaying in Fairslope
Thorir set up for himself his abode south in Hawkdale, and farmed at
the Pass, and sold the land at Meals to Thorhall, son of Gamli the
Vendlander.[14] His son was Gamli, who had to wife Ranveig, daughter
of Asmund the Greyhaired, and Grettir's sister. They dwelt at that
time at Meals, and had good hap. Thorir of the Pass had two sons, one
hight Gunnar, the other Thorgeir; they were both hopeful men, and
had then taken the farm after their father, yet were for ever with
Thorbiorn Oxmain, and were growing exceeding unruly.

[Footnote 14: Ed. 1853 has the "Wide-landed, Viðlendings," which here
is altered agreeably to the correction in ch. 14, p. 29.]

The summer after that just told, Kormak and Thorgils and Narfi their
kinsman rode south to Northriverdale, on some errand of theirs. Odd
the Foundling-skald fared also with them, and by then was gotten
healed of the stiffness he gained at the horse-fight. But while they
were south of the heath, Grettir fared from Biarg, and with him two
house-carles of Atli's. They rode over to Bowerfell, and thence over
the mountain neck to Ramfirth, and came to Meals in the evening.

They were there three nights; Ranveig and Gamli welcomed Grettir well,