Автор литература - Njal's Saga

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 gf

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.

ENDNOTES:

(1) “Helmet-hewer,” sword.

(2) Gizur.

135. OF FLOSI AND THE BURNERS

Flosi rode from the east and those hundred and twenty men who had

been at the burning with him. They rode till they came to

Fleetlithe. Then the sons of Sigfus looked after their

homesteads and tarried there that day, but at even they rode west

over Thursowater, and slept there that night. But next morning

early they saddled their horses and rode off on their way.

Then Flosi said to his men, “Now will we ride to Tongue to Asgrim

to breakfast, and trample down his pride a little.”

They said that were well done. They rode till they had a short

way to Tongue. Asgrim stood out of doors, and some men with him.

They see the band as soon as ever they could do so from the

house. Then Asgrim’s men said, “There must be Thorgeir

Craggeir.”

“Not he,” said Asgrim. “I think so all the more because these

men fare with laughter and wantonness; but such kinsmen of Njal

as Thorgeir is would not smile before some vengeance is taken for

the burning, and I will make another guess, and maybe ye will

think that unlikely. My meaning is that it must be Flosi and the

burners with him, and they must mean to humble us with insults,

and we will now go indoors all of us.”

Now they do so, and Asgrim made them sweep the house and put up

the hangings, and set the boards and put meat on them. He made

them place stools along each bench, all down the room.

Flosi rode into the “town,” and bade men alight from their horses

and go in. They did so, and Flosi and his men went into the

hall. Asgrim sate on the crossbench on the dais. Flosi looked

at the benches and saw that all was made ready that men needed to

have. Asgrim gave them no greeting, but said to Flosi, “The

boards are set, so that meat may be free to those that need it.”

Flosi sat down to the board, and all his men; but they laid their

arms up against the wainscot. They sat on the stools who found

no room on the benches; but four men stood with weapons just

before where Flosi sat while they ate.

Asgrim kept his peace during the meat, but was as red to look on

as blood.

But when they were full, some women cleared away the boards,

while others brought in water to wash their hands. Flosi was in

no greater hurry than if he had been at home. There lay a

pole-axe in the corner of the dais. Asgrim caught it up with

both hands, and ran up to the rail at the edge of the dais, and

made a blow at Flosi’s head. Glum Hilldir’s son happened to see

what he was about to do, and sprang up at once, and got hold of

the axe above Asgrim’s hands, and turned the edge at once on

Asgrim; for Glum was very strong. Then many more men ran up and

seized Asgrim, but Flosi said that no man was to do Asgrim any

harm, “For we put him to too hard a trial, and he only did what

he ought, and showed in that that he had a big heart.”

Then Flosi said to Asgrim, “Here, now, we shall part safe and

sound, and meet at the Thing, and there begin our quarrel over

again.”

“So it will be,” says Asgrim; “and I would wish that, ere this

Thing be over, ye should have to take in some of your sails.”

Flosi answered him never a word, and then they went out, and

mounted their horses, and rode away. They rode till they came to

Laugarwater, and were there that night; but next morning they

rode on to Baitvale, and baited their horses there, and there

many bands rode to meet them. There was Hall of the Side, and

all the Eastfirthers. Flosi gretted them well, and told them of

his journeys and dealings with Asgrim. Many praised him for

that, and said such things were bravely done.

Then Hall said, “I look on this in another way than ye do, for

methinks it was a foolish prank — they were sure to bear in mind

their griefs, even though they were not reminded of them anew;