CHAPTER CXX.
OF THE PLEADING OF THE SUIT.
The next day Asgrim,
and Gizur the white,
and Hjallti Skeggi's son,
and Einar of Thvera, met together.
There too was Mord Valgard's son;
he had then let the suit fall from his hand,
and given it over to the sons of Sigfus.
Then Asgrim spoke.
"Thee first I speak to about this matter,
Gizur the white, and thee Hjallti, and thee Einar,
that I may tell you how the suit stands.
It will be known to all of you that Mord took up the suit,
but the truth of the matter is,
that Mord was at Hauskuld's slaying,
and wounded him with that wound,
for giving which no man was named.
It seems to me, then,
that this suit must come to nought by reason of a lawful flaw."
"Then we will plead it at once," says Hjallti.
"It is not good counsel," said Thorhall Asgrim's son,
"that this should not be hidden until the courts are set."
"How so?" asks Hjallti.
"If," said Thorhall,
"they knew now at once that the suit has been wrongly set on foot,
then they may still save the suit by sending a man home from the Thing,
and summoning the neighbours from home over again,
and calling on them to ride to the Thing,
and then the suit will be lawfully set on foot."
"Thou art a wise man, Thorhall," say they, "and we will take thy counsel."
After that each man went to his booth.
The sons of Sigfus gave notice of their suits at the Hill of Laws,
and asked in what Quarter Courts they lay,
and in what house in the district the defendants dwelt.
But on the Friday night the courts were to go out to try suits,
and so the Thing was quiet up to that day.
Many sought to bring about an atonement between them,
but Flosi was steadfast;
but others were still more wordy,
and things looked ill.
Now the time comes when the courts were to go out,
on the Friday evening.
Then the whole body of men at the Thing went to the courts.
Flosi stood south at the court of the men of Rangriver,
and his band with him.
There with him was Hall of the Side, and Runolf of the Dale,
Wolf Aurpriest's son, and those other men who had promised Flosi help.
But north of the court of the men of Rangriver stood Asgrim Ellidagrim's
son, and Gizur the white, Hjallti Skeggi's son, and Einar of Thvera.
But Njal's sons were at home at their booth,
and Kari and Thorleif crow, and Thorgeir Craggeir, and Thorgrim the big.
They sate all with their weapons, and their band looked safe from onslaught.
Njal had already prayed the judges to go into the court,
and now the sons of Sigfus plead their suit.
They took witness and bade Njal's sons
to listen to their oath;
after that they took their oath,
and then they declared their suit;
then they brought forward witness of the notice,
then they bade the neighbours on the inquest to take their seats,
then they called on Njal's sons to challenge the inquest.
Then up stood Thorhall Asgrim's son, and took witness,
and forbade the inquest by a protest to utter their finding;
and his ground was,
that he who had given notice of the suit was truly under the ban of the law, and was himself an outlaw.
"Of whom speakest thou this?" says Flosi.
"Mord Valgard's son," said Thorhall,
"fared to Hauslkuld's slaying with Njal's sons,
and wounded him with that wound for which no man was named
when witness was taken to the d**h-wounds;
and ye can say nothing against this,
and so the suit comes to naught."
CHAPTER CXXI.
OF THE AWARD OF ATONEMENT BETWEEN FLOSI AND NJAL.
Then Njal stood up and said--
"This I pray, Hall of the Side, and Flosi, and all the sons of Sigfus,
and all our men too, that ye will not go away, but listen to my words."
They did so, and then he spoke thus--
"It seems to me as though this suit were come to naught,
and it is likely it should, for it hath sprung from an ill root.
I will let you all know that I loved Hauskuld more than my own sons,
and when I heard that he was slain,
methought the sweetest light of my eyes was quenched,
and I would rather have lost all my sons, and that he were alive.
Now I ask thee,
Hall of the Side,
and thee Runolf of the Dale,
and thee Hjallti Skeggi's son,
and thee Einar of Thvera,
and thee Hafr the wise,
that I may be allowed to make an atonement
for the slaying of Hauskuld on my sons' behalf;
and I wish that those men who are best fitted to do so shall utter the award."
Gizur, and Hafr, and Einar, spoke each on their own part,
and prayed Flosi to take an atonement,
and promised him their friendship in return.
Flosi answered them well in all things, but still did not give his word.
Then Hall of the Side said to Flosi--
"Wilt thou now keep thy word,
and grant me my boon which thou hast
already promised me,
when I put beyond sea Thorgrim, the son of Kettle the fat, thy kinsman,
when he had slain Halli the red."
"I will grant it thee, father-in-law," said Flosi,
"for that alone wilt thou ask
which will make my honour greater than it erewhile was."
"Then," said Hall,
"my wish is that thou shouldst be quickly atoned,
and lettest good men and true make an award,
and so buy the friendship of good and worthy men."
"I will let you all know," said Flosi, "that I will do according to the
word of Hall, my father-in-law, and other of the worthiest men, that he
and others of the best men on each side, lawfully named, shall make this
award. Methinks Njal is worthy that I should grant him this."
Njal thanked him and all of them, and others who were by thanked them
too, and said that Flosi had behaved well.
Then Flosi said--
"Now will I name my daysmen [arbitrators]--First, I name Hall, my
father-in-law; Auzur from Broadwater; Surt Asbjorn's son of Kirkby;
Modolf Kettle's son"--he dwelt then at Asar--"Hafr the wise; and Runolf
of the Dale; and it is scarce worth while to say that these are the
fittest men out of all my company."
Now he bade Njal to name his daysmen, and then Njal stood up, and said--
"First of these I name, Asgrim Ellidagrim's son; and Hjallti Skeggi's
son; Gizur the white; Einar of Thvera; Snorri the priest; and Gudmund
the powerful."
After that Njal and Flosi, and the sons of Sigfus shook hands, and Njal
pledged his hand on behalf of all his sons, and of Kari, his son-in-law,
that they would hold to what those twelve men doomed; and one might say
that the whole body of men at the Thing was glad at that.
Then men were sent after Snorri and Gudmund, for they were in their
booths.
Then it was given out that the judges in this award would sit in the
Court of Laws, but all the others were to go away.
CHAPTER CXXII.
OF THE JUDGES.
Then Snorri the priest spoke thus--"Now are we here twelve judges to
whom these suits are handed over, now I will beg you all that we may
have no stumbling-blocks in these suits, so that they may not be
atoned".
"Will ye," said Gudmund, "award either the lesser or the greater
outlawry? Shall they be banished from the district, or from the whole
land?"
"Neither of them," says Snorri, "for those banishments are often ill
fulfilled, and men have been slain for that sake, and atonements broken,
but I will award so great a money fine that no man shall have had a
higher price here in the land than Hauskuld."
They all spoke well of his words.
Then they talked over the matter, and could not agree which should first
utter how great he thought the fine ought to be, and so the end of it
was that they cast lots, and the lot fell on Snorri to utter it.
Then Snorri said, "I will not sit long over this, I will now tell you
what my utterance is, I will let Hauskuld be atoned for with triple
manfines, but that is six hundred in silver. Now ye shall change it, if
ye think it too much or too little."
They said that they would change it in nothing.
"This too shall be added," he said, "that all the money shall be paid
down here at the Thing."
Then Gizur the white spoke and said--
"Methinks that can hardly be, for they will not have enough money to pay
their fines."
"I know what Snorri wishes," said Gudmund the powerful, "he wants that
all we daysmen should give such a sum as our bounty will bestow, and
then many will do as we do."
Hall of the Side thanked him, and said he would willingly give as much
as any one else gave, and then all the other daysmen agreed to that.
After that they went away, and settled between them that Hall should
utter the award at the Court of Laws.
So the bell was rung, and all men went to the Court of Laws, and Hall of
the Side stood up and spoke--
"In this suit, in which we have come to an award, we have been all well
agreed, and we have awarded six hundred in silver, and half this sum we
the daysmen will pay, but it must all be paid up here at the Thing. But
it is my prayer to all the people that each man will give something for
God's sake."
All answered well to that, and then Hall took witness to the award, that
no one should be able to break it.
Njal thanked them for their award, but Skarphedinn stood by, and held
his peace, and smiled scornfully.
Then men went from the Court of Laws and to their booths, but the
daysmen gathered together in the freeman's church-yard the money which
they had promised to give.
Njal's sons handed over that money which they had by them, and Kari did
the same, and that came to a hundred in silver.
Njal took out that money which he had with him, and that was another
hundred in silver.
So this money was all brought before the Court of Laws, and then men
gave so much, that not a penny was wanting.
Then Njal took a silken scarf and a pair of boots and laid them on the
top of the heap.
After that, Hall said to Njal, that he should go to fetch his sons, "but
I will go for Flosi, and now each must give the other pledges of peace".
Then Njal went home to his booth, and spoke to his sons and said, "Now,
are our suits come into a fair way of settlement, now are we men atoned,
for all the money has been brought together in one place; and now either
side is to go and grant the other peace and pledges of good faith. I
will therefore ask you this, my sons, not to spoil these things in any
way."
Skarphedinn stroked his brow, and smiled scornfully. So they all go to
the Court of Laws.
Hall went to meet Flosi and said--
"Go thou now to the Court of Laws, for now all the money has been
bravely paid down, and it has been brought together in one place."
Then Flosi bade the sons of Sigfus to go up with him, and they all went
out of their booths. They came from the east, but Njal went from the
west to the Court of Laws, and the sons with him.
Skarphedinn went to the middle bench and stood there.
Flosi went into the Court of Laws to look closely at his money, and
said--
"This money is both great and good, and well paid down, as was to be
looked for."
After that he took up the scarf, and waved it, and asked--
"Who may have given this?"
But no man answered him.
A second time he waved the scarf, and asked--
"Who may have given this?" and laughed, but no man answered him.
Then Flosi said--
"How is it that none of you knows who has owned this gear, or is it that
none dares to tell me?"
"Who?" said Skarphedinn, "dost thou think, has given it?"
"If thou must know," said Flosi, "then I will tell thee; I think that
thy father the 'Beardless Carle' must have given it, for many know not
who look at him whether he is more a man than a woman."
"Such words are ill-spoken," said Skarphedinn, "to make game of him, an
old man, and no man of any worth has ever done so before. Ye may know,
too, that he is a man, for he has had sons by his wife, and few of our
kinsfolk have fallen unatoned by our house, so that we have not had
vengeance for them."
Then Skarphedinn took to himself the silken scarf, but threw a pair of
blue breeks to Flosi, and said he would need them more.
"Why," said Flosi, "should I need these more?"
"Because," said Skarphedinn, "thou art the sweetheart of the Swinefell's
goblin, if, as men say, he does indeed turn thee into a woman every
ninth night."
Then Flosi spurned the money, and said he would not touch a penny of it,
and then he said he would only have one of two things: either that
Hauskuld should fall unatoned, or they would have vengeance for him.
Then Flosi would neither give nor take peace, and he said to the sons of
Sigfus--
"Go we now home; one fate shall befall us all."
Then they went home to their booth, and Hall said--
"Here most unlucky men have a share in this suit."
Njal and his sons went home to their booth, and Njal said--
"Now comes to pa** what my heart told me long ago, that this suit would
fall heavy on us."
"Not so," says Skarphedinn; "they can never pursue us by the laws of the
land."
"Then that will happen," says Njal, "which will be worse for all of us."
Those men who had given the money spoke about it, and said that they
should take it back; but Gudmund the powerful said--
"That shame I will never choose for myself, to take back what I have
given away, either here or elsewhere."
"That is well spoken," they said; and then no one would take it back.
Then Snorri the priest said, "My counsel is, that Gizur the white and
Hjallti Skeggi's son keep the money till the next Althing; my heart
tells me that no long time will pa** ere there may be need to touch this
money".
Hjallti took half the money and kept it safe, but Gizur took the rest.
Then men went home to their booths.
CHAPTER CXXIII.
AN ATTACK PLANNED ON NJAL AND HIS SONS.
Flosi summoned all his men up to the "Great Rift," and went thither
himself.
So when all his men were come, there were one hundred and twenty of
them.
Then Flosi spake thus to the sons of Sigfus--
"In what way shall I stand by you in this quarrel, which will be most to
your minds?"
"Nothing will please us," said Gunnar Lambi's son, "until those
brothers, Njal's sons, are all slain."
"This," said Flosi, "will I promise to you, ye sons of Sigfus, not to
part from this quarrel before one of us bites the dust before the other,
I will also know whether there be any man here who will not stand by us
in this quarrel."
But they all said they would stand by him.
Then Flosi said--
"Come now all to me, and swear an oath that no man will shrink from this
quarrel."
Then all went up to Flosi and swore oaths to him; and then Flosi said--
"We will all of us shake hands on this, that he shall have forfeited
life and land who quits this quarrel ere it be over."
These were the chiefs who were with Flosi:--Kol the son of Thorstein
broadpaunch, the brother's son of Hall of the Side, Hroald Auzur's son
from Broadwater, Auzur son of Anund wallet-back, Thorstein the fair the
son of Gerleif, Glum Hilldir's son, Modolf Kettle's son, Thorir the son
of Thord Illugi's son of Mauratongue, Kolbein and Egil Flosi's kinsmen,
Kettle Sigfus' son, and Mord his brother, Ingialld of the Springs,
Thorkel and Lambi, Grani Gunnar's son, Gunnar Lambi's son, and Sigmund
Sigfus' son, and Hroar from Hromundstede.
Then Flosi said to the sons of Sigfus--
"Choose ye now a leader, whomsoever ye think best fitted; for some one
man must needs be chief over the quarrel."
Then Kettle of the Mark answered--
"If the choice is to be left with us brothers, then we will soon choose
that this duty should fall on thee; there are many things which lead to
this. Thou art a man of great birth, and a mighty chief, stout of heart,
and strong of body, and wise withal, and so we think it best that thou
shouldst see to all that is needful in the quarrel."
"It is most fitting," said Flosi, "that I should agree to undertake this
as your prayer asks; and now I will lay down the course which we shall
follow, and my counsel is, that each man ride home from the Thing and
look after his household during the summer, so long as men's haymaking
lasts. I, too, will ride home, and be at home this summer; but when that
Lord's day comes on which winter is eight weeks off, then I will let
them sing me a ma** at home, and afterwards ride west across Loomnips
Sand; each of our men shall have two horses. I will not swell our
company beyond those which have now taken the oath, for we have enough
and to spare if all keep true tryst. I will ride all the Lord's day and
the night as well, but at even on the second day of the week, I shall
ride up to Threecorner ridge about mid-even. There shall ye then be all
come who have sworn an oath in this matter. But if there be any one who
has not come, and who has joined us in this quarrel, then that man shall
lose nothing save his life, if we may have our way."
"How does that hang together," said Kettle, "that thou canst ride from
home on the Lord's day, and come the second day of the week to
Threecorner ridge?"
"I will ride," said Flosi, "up from Skaptartongue, and north of the
Eyjafell Jokul, and so down into Godaland, and it may be done if I ride
fast. And now I will tell you my whole purpose, that when we meet there
all together, we shall ride to Bergthorsknoll with all our band, and
fall on Njal's sons with fire and sword, and not turn away before they
are all dead. Ye shall hide this plan, for our lives lie on it. And now
we will take to our horses and ride home."
Then they all went to their booths.
After that Flosi made them saddle his horses, and they waited for no
man, and rode home.
Flosi would not stay to meet Hall his father-in-law, for he knew of a
surety that Hall would set his face against all strong deeds.
Njal rode home from the Thing and his sons. They were at home that
summer. Njal asked Kari his son-in-law whether he thought at all of
riding east to Dyrholms to his own house.
"I will not ride east," answered Kari, "for one fate shall befall me and
thy sons."
Njal thanked him, and said that was only what was likely from him. There
were nearly thirty fighting men in Njal's house, reckoning the
house-carles.
One day it happened that Rodny Hauskuld's daughter, the mother of
Hauskuld Njal's son, came to the Springs. Her brother Ingialld greeted
her well, but she would not take his greeting, but yet bade him go out
with her. Ingialld did so, and went out with her; and so they walked
away from the farmyard both together. Then she clutched hold of him and
they both sat down, and Rodny said--
"Is it true that thou hast sworn an oath to fall on Njal, and slay him
and his sons?"
"True it is," said he.
"A very great dastard art thou," she says, "thou, whom Njal hath thrice
saved from outlawry."
"Still it hath come to this," says Ingialld, "that my life lies on it if
I do not this."
"Not so," says she, "thou shalt live all the same, and be called a
better man, if thou betrayest not him to whom thou oughtest to behave
best."
Then she took a linen hood out of her bag, it was clotted with blood all
over, and torn and tattered, and said, "This hood, Hauskuld Njal's son,
and thy sister's son, had on his head when they slew him; methinks,
then, it is ill owing to stand by those from whom this mischief sprang".
"Well!" answers Ingialld, "so it shall be that I will not be against
Njal whatever follows after, but still I know that they will turn and
throw trouble on me."
"Now mightest thou," said Rodny, "yield Njal and his sons great help, if
thou tellest him all these plans."
"That I will not do," says Ingialld, "for then I am every man's dastard,
if I tell what was trusted to me in good faith; but it is a manly deed
to sunder myself from this quarrel when I know that there is a sure
looking for of vengeance; but tell Njal and his sons to beware of
themselves all this summer, for that will be good counsel, and to keep
many men about them."
Then she fared to Bergthorsknoll, and told Njal all this talk; and Njal
thanked her, and said she had done well, "for there would be more
wickedness in his falling on me than of all men else".
She fared home, but he told this to his sons.
There was a carline at Bergthorsknoll, whose name was Saevuna. She was
wise in many things, and foresighted; but she was then very old, and
Njal's sons called her an old dotard, when she talked so much, but still
some things which she said came to pa**. It fell one day that she took a
cudgel in her hand, and went up above the house to a stack of vetches.
She beat the stack of vetches with her cudgel, and wished it might never
thrive, "wretch that it was!"
Skarphedinn laughed at her, and asked why she was so angry with the
vetch stack.
"This stack of vetches," said the carline, "will be taken and lighted
with fire when Njal my master is burnt, house and all, and Bergthora my
foster-child. Take it away to the water, or burn it up as quick as you
can."
"We will not do that," says Skarphedinn, "for something else will be got
to light a fire with, if that were foredoomed, though this stack were
not here."
The carline babbled the whole summer about the vetch-stack that it
should be got indoors, but something always hindered it.
CHAPTER CXXIV.
OF PORTENTS.
At Reykium on Skeid dwelt one Runolf Thorstein's son. His son's name was
Hildiglum. He went out on the night of the Lord's day, when nine weeks
were still to winter; he heard a great crash, so that he thought both
heaven and earth shook. Then he looked into the west "airt," and he
thought he saw thereabouts a ring of fiery hue, and within the ring a
man on a gray horse. He pa**ed quickly by him, and rode hard. He had a
flaming firebrand in his hand, and he rode so close to him that he could
see him plainly. He was as black as pitch, and he sung this song with a
mighty voice--
Here I ride swift steed,
His flank flecked with rime,
Rain from his mane drips,
Horse mighty for harm;
Flames flare at each end,
Gall glows in the midst,
So fares it with Flosi's redes
As this flaming brand flies;
And so fares it with Flosi's redes
As this flaming brand flies.
Then he thought he hurled the firebrand east towards the fells before
him, and such a blaze of fire leapt up to meet it that he could not see
the fells for the blaze. It seemed as though that man rode east among
the flames and vanished there.
After that he went to his bed, and was senseless a long time, but at
last he came to himself. He bore in mind all that had happened, and told
his father, but he bade him tell it to Hjallti Skeggi's son. So he went
and told Hjallti, but he said he had seen "'the Wolfs ride,' and that
comes ever before great tidings".
CHAPTER CXXV.
FLOSI'S JOURNEY FROM HOME.
Flosi busked him from the east when two months were still to winter, and
summoned to him all his men who had promised him help and company. Each
of them had two horses and good weapons, and they all came to
Swinefell, and were there that night.
Flosi made them say prayers betimes on the Lord's day, and afterwards
they sate down to meat. He spoke to his household, and told them what
work each was to do while he was away. After that he went to his horses.
Flosi and his men rode first west on the Sand.[69] Flosi bade them not
to ride too hard at first; but said they would do well enough at that
pace, and he bade all to wait for the others if any of them had need to
stop. They rode west to Woodcombe, and came to Kirkby. Flosi there bade
all men to come into the church, and pray to God, and men did so.
After that they mounted their horses, and rode on the fell, and so to
Fishwaters, and rode a little to the west of the lakes, and so struck
down west on to the Sand.[70] Then they left Eyjafell Jokul on their
left hand, and so came down into Godaland, and so on to Markfleet, and
came about nones[71] on the second day of the week to Threecorner ridge,
and waited till mid-even. Then all had came thither save Ingialld of the
Springs.
The sons of Sigfus spoke much ill of him, but Flosi bade them not blame
Ingialld when he was not by, "but we will pay him for this hereafter".