OF THORHALL AND KARI.
Thorhall Asgrim's son, and Kari Solmund's son, rode one day to Mossfell
to see Gizur the white; he took them with both hands, and there they
were at his house a very long while. Once it happened as they and Gizur
talked of Njal's burning, that Gizur said it was very great luck that
Kari had got away. Then a song came into Kari's mouth.
I who whetted helmet-hewer,[74]
I who oft have burnished brand,
From the fray went all unwilling
When Njal's rooftree crackling roared;
Out I leapt when bands of spearmen
Lighted there a blaze of flame!
Listen men unto my moaning,
Mark the telling of my grief.
Then Gizur said, "It must be forgiven thee that thou art mindful, and so
we will talk no more about it just now".
Kari says that he will ride home; and Gizur said "I will now make a
clean breast of my counsel to thee. Thou shalt not ride home, but still
thou shalt ride away, and east under Eyjafell, to see Thorgeir Craggeir,
and Thorleif crow. They shall ride from the east with thee. They are the
next of kin in the suit, and with them shall ride Thorgrim the big,
their brother. Ye shall ride to Mord Valgard's son's house, and tell him
this message from me, that he shall take up the suit for manslaughter
for Helgi Njal's son against Flosi. But if he utters any words against
this, then shalt thou make thyself most wrathful, and make believe as
though thou wouldst let thy axe fall on his head; and in the second
place, thou shalt assure him of my wrath if he shows any ill will. Along
with that shalt thou say, that I will send and fetch away my daughter
Thorkatla, and make her come home to me; but that he will not abide, for
he loves her as the very eyes in his head."
Kari thanked him for his counsel. Kari spoke nothing of help to him, for
he thought he would show himself his good friend in this as in other
things.
Thence Kari rode east over the rivers, and so to Fleetlithe, and east
across Markfleet, and so on to Selialandsmull. So they ride east to
Holt.
Thorgeir welcomed them with the greatest kindliness. He told them of
Flosi's journey, and how great help he had got in the east firths.
Kari said it was no wonder that he, who had to answer for so much,
should ask for help for himself.
Then Thorgeir said, "The better things go for them, the worse it shall
be for them; we will only follow them up so much the harder".
Kari told Thorgeir of Gizur's advice. After that they ride from the east
to Rangrivervale to Mord Valgard's son's house. He gave them a hearty
welcome. Kari told him the message of Gizur his father-in-law. He was
slow to take the duty on him, and said it was harder to go to law with
Flosi than with any other ten men.
"Thou behavest now as he [Gizur] thought," said Kari; "for thou art a
bad bargain in every way; thou art both a coward and heartless, but the
end of this shall be as is fitting, that Thorkatla shall fare home to
her father."
She busked her at once, and said she had long been "boun" to part from
Mord. Then he changed his mood and his words quickly, and begged off
their wrath, and took the suit upon him at once.
"Now," said Kari, "thou hast taken the suit upon thee, see that thou
pleadest it without fear, for thy life lies on it."
Mord said he would lay his whole heart on it to do this well and
manfully.
After that Mord summoned to him nine neighbours--they were all near
neighbours to the spot where the deed was done. Then Mord took Thorgeir
by the hand and named two witnesses to bear witness, "that Thorgeir
Thorir's son hands me over a suit for manslaughter against Flosi Thord's
son, to plead it for the slaying of Helgi Njal's son, with all those
proofs which have to follow the suit. Thou handest over to me this suit
to plead and to settle, and to enjoy all rights in it, as though I were
the rightful next of kin. Thou handest it over to me by law, and I take
it from thee by law."
A second time Mord named his witnesses, "to bear witness," said he,
"that I give notice of an assault laid down by law against Flosi Thord's
son, for that he dealt Helgi Njal's son a brain, or a body, or a marrow
wound, which proved a death wound; and from which Helgi got his death. I
give notice of this before five witnesses"--here he named them all by
name--"I give this lawful notice, I give notice of a suit which Thorgeir
Thorir's son has handed over to me."
Again he named witnesses to "bear witness that I give notice of a brain,
of a body, or a marrow wound against Flosi Thord's son, for that wound
which proved a death wound, but Helgi got his death therefrom on such
and such a spot, when Flosi Thord's son first rushed on Helgi Njal's son
with an assault laid down by law. I give notice of this before five
neighbours "--then he named them all by name--"I give this lawful
notice. I give notice of a suit which Thorgeir Thorir's son has handed
over to me."
Then Mord named his witnesses again "to bear witness," said he, "that I
summon these nine neighbours who dwell nearest the spot"--here he named
them all by name--"to ride to the Althing, and to sit on the inquest to
find whether Flosi Thord's son rushed with an assault laid down by law
on Helgi Njal's son, on that spot where Flosi Thord's son dealt Helgi
Njal's son a brain, or a body, or a marrow wound, which proved a death
wound, and from which Helgi got his death. I call on you to utter all
those words which ye are bound to find by law, and which I shall call on
you to utter before the court, and which belong to this suit; I call
upon you by a lawful summons--I call on you so that ye may yourselves
hear--I call on you in the suit which Thorgeir Thorir's son has handed
over to me."
Again Mord named his witnesses, "to bear witness, that I summon these
nine neighbours who dwell nearest to the spot to ride to the Althing,
and to sit on an inquest to find whether Flosi Thord's son wounded Helgi
Njal's son with a brain, or body, or marrow wound, which proved a death
wound, and from which Helgi got his death, on that spot where Flosi
Thord's son first rushed on Helgi Njal's son with an assault laid down
by law. I call on you to utter all those words which ye are bound to
find by law, and which I shall call on you to utter before the court,
and which belong to this suit I call upon you by a lawful summons--I
call on you so that ye may yourselves hear--I call on you in the suit
which Thorgeir Thorir's son has handed over to me."
Then Mord said--
"Now is the suit set on foot as ye asked, and now I will pray thee,
Thorgeir Craggeir, to come to me when thou ridest to the Thing, and then
let us both ride together, each with our band, and keep as close as we
can together, for my band shall be ready by the very beginning of the
Thing, and I will be true to you in all things."
They showed themselves well pleased at that, and this was fast bound by
oaths, that no man should sunder himself from another till Kari willed
it, and that each of them should lay down his life for the other's life.
Now they parted with friendship, and settled to meet again at the Thing.
Now Thorgeir rides back east, but Kari rides west over the rivers till
he came to Tongue, to Asgrim's house. He welcomed them wonderfully well,
and Kari told Asgrim all Gizur the white's plan, and of the setting on
foot of the suit.
"I looked for as much from him," says Asgrim, "that he would behave
well, and now he has shown it."
Then Asgrim went on--
"What heardest thou from the east of Flosi?"
"He went east all the way to Weaponfirth," answers Kari, "and nearly all
the chiefs have promised to ride with him to the Althing, and to help
him. They look, too, for help from the Reykdalesmen, and the men of
Lightwater, and the Axefirthers."
Then they talked much about it, and so the time passes away up to the
Althing.
Thorhall Asgrim's son took such a hurt in his leg that the foot above
the ankle was as big and swollen as a woman's thigh, and he could not
walk save with a staff. He was a man tall in growth, and strong and
powerful, dark of hue in hair and skin, measured and guarded in his
speech, and yet hot and hasty tempered. He was the third greatest lawyer
in all Iceland.
Now the time comes that men should ride from home to the Thing, Asgrim
said to Kari--
"Thou shalt ride at the very beginning of the Thing, and fit up our
booths, and my son Thorhall with thee. Thou wilt treat him best and
kindest, as he is footlame, but we shall stand in the greatest need of
him at this Thing. With you two, twenty men more shall ride."
After that they made ready for their journey, and then they rode to the
Thing, and set up their booths, and fitted them out well.