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 (1),
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 thy self 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 (2) 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 has 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, or 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."