OF HILDIGUNNA AND MORD VALGARD'S SON.
Hildigunna woke up and found that Hauskuld was away out of his bed.
"Hard have been my dreams," she said, "and not good; but go and search
for _him_, Hauskuld."
So they searched for him about the homestead and found him not.
By that time she had dressed herself; then she goes and two men with
her, to the fence, and there they find Hauskuld slain.
Just then, too, came up Mord Valgard's son's shepherd, and told her that
Njal's sons had gone down thence, "and," he said, "Skarphedinn called
out to me and gave notice of the slaying as done by him".
"It were a manly deed," she says, "if one man had been at it."
She took the cloak and wiped off all the blood with it, and wrapped the
gouts of gore up in it, and so folded it together and laid it up in her
chest.
Now she sent a man up to Gritwater to tell the tidings thither, but Mord
was there before him, and had already told the tidings. There, too, was
come Kettle of the Mark.
Thorgerda said to Kettle--
"Now is Hauskuld dead as we know, and now bear in mind what thou
promisedst to do when thou tookest him for thy foster-child."
"It may well be," says Kettle, "that I promised very many things then,
for I thought not that these days would ever befall us that have now
come to pass; but yet I am come into a strait, for 'nose is next of kin
to eyes,' since I have Njal's daughter to wife."
"Art thou willing, then," says Thorgerda, "that Mord should give notice
of the suit for the slaying?"
"I know not that," says Kettle, "for methinks ill comes from him more
often than good."
But as soon as ever Mord began to speak to Kettle he fared the same as
others, in that he thought as though Mord would be true to him, and so
the end of their council was that Mord should give notice of the
slaying, and get ready the suit in every way before the Thing.
Then Mord fared down to Ossaby, and thither came nine neighbours who
dwelt nearest the spot.
Mord had ten men with him. He shows the neighbours Hauskuld's wounds,
and takes witness to the hurts, and names a man as the dealer of every
wound save one; that he made as though he knew not who had dealt it, but
that wound he had dealt himself. But the slaying he gave notice of at
Skarphedinn's hand, and the wounds at his brothers' and Kari's.
After that he called on nine neighbours who dwelt nearest the spot to
ride away from home to the Althing on the inquest.
After that he rode home. He scarce ever met Njal's sons, and when he did
meet them, he was cross, and that was part of their plan.
The slaying of Hauskuld was heard over all the land, and was ill-spoken
of. Njal's sons went to see Asgrim Ellidagrim's son, and asked him for
aid.
"Ye very well know that ye may look that I shall help you in all great
suits, but still my heart is heavy about this suit, for there are many
who have the blood feud, and this slaying is ill-spoken of over all the
land."
Now Njal's sons fare home.