580 OUTLAWRY. 



drinking, and therefore probably could not get out, and so were 

 burned. 



"That same summer there came a ship to Gasar, before the 

 opening of the Althing. News was brought of the journeys 

 of Grettir, and the burning of the house. Thorir of Gard 

 became exceedingly angry at this, and thought that he ought 

 to avenge his sons. He went to the Althing with many men, 

 and there presented the case of the burning ; but they were 

 unwilling to do anything, because nobody was there to answer. 

 Thorir said he would accept nothing but Grettir's outlawry 

 from Iceland for such an evil deed. Skapti the lawman 

 answered : ' It is certainly a wicked deed, if the news is true ; 

 but a tale is always half told if only one man tells it, for 

 most men are willing to take the worst side of a question if 

 there are two, therefore as matters stand I will not decide that 

 Grettir shall be outlawed for this.' Thorir had great power 

 in his Herad and was a great chief, and friendly with many 

 great men ; he pressed the case hard, and no one appeared in 

 Grettir's defence. Thorir then had Grettir outlawed from the 

 land, and was afterwards the most dangerous of all his foes, as 

 was often seen. He at once put a price on his head, as was 

 done with other outlaws, and rode home. Many said that 

 this had been effected more by power than according to law, 

 but the case stood as it had just been settled " (Gretti's Saga, 

 c. 46). 1 



This seems to indicate that it was customary for some one to 

 plead on an outlaw's behalf, for it is said in the Saga that 

 " Skapti died, when Grettir had been outlawed nineteen years, 

 so that then there was no one to plead his cause." His friends, 

 however, brought his case before the Althing, and the judge 

 decided that a man could not be an outlaw for more than 

 twenty winters, even if during that time he committed some 

 new crime ; but that before that time expired the sentence 

 could not be revoked. 



" That summer the kinsmen of Grettir spoke much of his 

 outlawry at the Althing, and some thought that he had served 

 his time, as he had been outlawed now a part of the twentieth 

 year ; but those who had charges to bring against him did 

 not like this, and said he had committed many deeds since 



1 Cf. also Gretti's Saga, c. 16. 



