Автор литература - Njal's Saga

little about law.”

She answered, “Hrut pushed that matter through rather by boldness

than by law; besides, my father was old, and that was why men

thought it better not to drive things to the uttermost. And now

there is none of my kinsmen to take this suit up if thou hast not

daring enough.

“I have courage enough,” he replied, “to get these goods back;

but I do not know how to take the suit up.”

“Well!” she answered, “go and see Njal of Bergthorsknoll, he will

know how to give thee advice. Besides, he is a great friend of

thine.”

“‘Tis like enough he will give me good advice, as he gives it to

every one else,” says Gunnar.

So the end of their talk was, that Gunnar undertook her cause,

and gave her the money she needed for her housekeeping, and after

that she went home.

Now Gunnar rides to see Njal, and he made him welcome, and they

began to talk at once.

Then Gunnar said, “I am come to seek a bit of good advice from

thee.”

Njal replied, “Many of my friends are worthy of this, but still I

think I would take more pains for none than for thee.”

Gunnar said, “I wish to let thee know that I have undertaken to

get Unna’s goods back from Hrut.”

“A very hard suit to undertake,” said Njal, “and one very

hazardous how it will go; but still I will get it up for thee in

the way I think likeliest to succeed, and the end will be good if

thou breakest none of the rules I lay down; if thou dost, thy

life is in danger.”

“Never fear; I will break none of them,” said Gunnar.

Then Njal held his peace for a little while, and after that he

spoke as follows: —

22. NJAL’S ADVICE

I have thought over the suit, and it will do so. Thou shalt ride

from home with two men at thy back. Over all thou shalt have a

great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap

stuff, and under all, thy good clothes. Thou must take a small

axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat,

the other lean. Thou shalt carry hardware and smith’s work with

thee hence, and ye must ride off early to-morrow morning, and

when ye are come across Whitewater westwards, mind and slouch thy

hat well over thy brows. Then men will ask who is this tall man,

and thy mates shall say, `Here is Huckster Hedinn the Big, a man

from Eyjafirth, who is going about with smith’s work for sale.’

This Hedinn is ill-tempered and a chatterer — a fellow who

thinks he alone knows everything. Very often he snatches back

his wares, and flies at men if everything is not done as he

wishes. So thou shalt ride west to Borgarfirth offering all

sorts of wares for sale, and be sure often to cry off thy

bargains, so that it will be noised abroad that Huckster Hedinn

is the worst of men to deal with, and that no lies have been told

of his bad behaviour. So thou shalt ride to Northwaterdale, and

to Hrutfirth, and Laxriverdale, till thou comest to

Hauskuldstede. There thou must stay a night, and sit in the

lowest place, and hang thy head down. Hauskuld will tell them

all not to meddle nor make with Huckster Hedinn, saying he is a

rude unfriendly fellow. Next morning thou must be off early and

go to the farm nearest Hrutstede. There thou must offer thy

goods for sale, praising up all that is worst, and tinkering up

the faults. The master of the house will pry about and find out

the faults. Thou must snatch the wares away from him, and speak

ill to him. He will say, ‘twas not to be hoped that thou wouldst

behave well to him, when thou behavest ill to every one else.

Then thou shalt fly at him, though it is not thy wont, but mind

and spare thy strength, that thou mayest not be found out. Then

a man will be sent to Hrutstede to tell Hrut he had best come and

part you. He will come at once and ask thee to his house, and

thou must accept his offer. Thou shalt greet Hrut and he will

answer well. A place will be given thee on the lower bench over

against Hrut’s high seat. He will ask if thou art from the

North, and thou shalt answer that thou art a man of Eyjafirth.

He will go on to ask if there are very many famous men there.

`Shabby fellows enough and to spare,’ thou must answer. `Dost

thou know Reykiardale and the parts about?’ he will ask. To

which thou must answer, `I know all Iceland by heart.’

“`Are there any stout champions left in Reykiardale?’ he will

ask. `Thieves and scoundrels,’ thou shalt answer. Then Hrut

will smile and think it sport to listen. You two will go on to

talk of the men in the Eastfirth Quarter, and thou must always

find something to say against them. At last your talk will come

Rangrivervale, and then thou must say, there is small choice of

men left in those parts since Fiddle Mord died. At the same time

sing some stave to please Hrut, for I know thou art a skald.

Hrut will ask what makes thee say there is never a man to come in

Mord’s place? and then thou must answer, that he was so wise a

man and so good a taker up of suits, that he never made a false

step in upholding his leadership. He will ask, `Dost thou know

how matters fared between me and him?’

“`I know all about it,’ thou must reply, `he took thy wife from

thee, and thou hadst not a word to say.’”

Then Hrut will ask, `Dost thou not think it was some disgrace to

him when he could not get back his goods, though he set the suit

on foot?’

“`I can answer thee that well enough,’ thou must say. `Thou

challengedst him to single combat; but he was old, and so his

friends advised him not to fight with thee, and then they let the

suit fall to the ground.’

“`True enough,’ Hrut will say. `I said so, and that passed for

law among foolish men; but the suit might have been taken up

again at another Thing if he had the heart.’

“`I know all that,’ thou must say.

Then he will ask, `Dost thou know anything about law?’

“`Up in the North I am thought to know something about it,’ thou

shalt say. `But still I should like thee to tell me how this

suit should be taken up.’

“`What suit dost thou mean?’ he will ask.

“`A suit,’ thou must answer, `which does not concern me. I want

to know how a man must set to work who wishes to get back Unna’s

dower.’

“Then Hrut will say, `In this suit I must be summoned so that I

can hear the summons, or I must be summoned here in my lawful

house.’

“`Recite the summons, then,’ thou must say, ‘and I will say it

after thee.’

“Then Hrut will summon himself; and mind and pay great heed to

every word he says. After that Hrut will bid thee repeat the

summons, and thou must do so, and say it all wrong, so that no

more than every other word is right.”

Then Hrut will smile and not mistrust thee, but say that scarce a

word is right. Thou must throw the blame on thy companions, and

say they put thee out, and then thou must ask him to say the

words first, word by word, and to let thee say the words after

him. He will give thee leave, and summon himself in the suit,

and thou shalt summon after him there and then, and this time say

every word right. When it is done, ask Hrut if that were rightly

summoned, and he will answer, `There is no flaw to be found in

it.’ Then thou shalt say in a loud voice, so that thy companions

may hear, `I summon thee in the suit which Unna, Mord’s daughter,