Автор литература - Njal's Saga

a much greater strength to you than I can be.”

“Not so,” said Bjarni, “thou hast many things which show that

there is no greater man than thou at the Thing; first of all,

that thou art so well-born, as all those men are who are sprung

from Ragnar Hairybreeks; thy forefathers, too, have always stood

first in great suits, both here at the Thing and at home in their

own country, and they have always had the best of it; we think,

therefore, it is likely that thou wilt be lucky in winning suits,

like thy kinsfolk.”

“Thou speakest well, Bjarni,” said Evjolf; “but I think that I

have small share in all this that thou savest.”

Then Flosi said, “There is no need beating about the bush as to

what we have in mind. We wish to ask for thy help, Eyjolf, and

that thou wilt stand by us in our suits, and go to the court with

us, and undertake the defence, if there be any, and plead it for

us, and stand by us in all things that may happen at this Thing.”

Eyjolf jumped up in wrath, and said that no man had any right to

think that he could make a catspaw of him, or drag him on if he

had no mind to go himself.

“I see, too, now,” he says, “what has led you to utter all those

fair words with which ye began to speak to me.”

Then Hallbjorn the Strong caught hold of him and sate him down by

his side, between him and Bjarni, and said, “No tree falls at the

first stroke, friend, but sit here awhile by us.” Then Flosi

drew a gold ring off his arm.

“This ring will I give thee, Eyjolf, for thy help and friendship,

and so show thee that I will not befool thee. It will be best

for thee to take the ring, for there is no man here at the Thing

to whom I have ever given such a gift.”

The ring was such a good one, and so well made, that it was worth

twelve hundred yards of russet stuff.

Hallbjorn drew the ring on Eyjolf’s arm; and Eyjolf said, “It is

now most fitting that I should take the ring, since thou behavest

so handsomely; and now thou mayest make up thy mind that I will

undertake the defence, and do all things needful.”

“Now,” said Bjarni, “ye behave handsomely on both sides, and here

are men well fitted to be witnesses, since I and Hallbjorn are

here, that thou hast undertaken the suit.”

Then Eyjolf arose, and Flosi too, and they took one another by

the hand; and so Eyjolf undertook the whole defence of the suit

off Flosi’s hands, and so, too, if any suit arose out of the

defence, for it often happens that what is a defence in one suit,

is a plaintiff’s plea in another. So he took upon him all the

proofs and proceedings which belonged to those suits, whether

they were to be pleaded before the Quarter Court or the Fifth

Court. Flosi handed them over in lawful form, and Eyjolf took

them in lawful form, and then he said to Flosi and Bjarni, “Now I

have undertaken this defence just as ye asked, but my wish it is

that ye should still keep it secret at first; but if the matter

comes into the Fifth Court, then be most careful not to say that

ye have given goods for my help.”

Then Flosi went home to his booth, and Bjarni with him, but

Eyjolf went to the booth of Snorri the Priest, and sate down by

him, and they talked much together.

Snorri the Priest caught hold of Eyjolf’s arm, and turned up the

sleeve, and sees that he had a great ring of gold on his arm.

Then Snorri the Priest said, “Pray, was this ring bought or

given?”

Eyjolf was put out about it, and had never a word to say. Then

Snorri said, “I see plainly that thou must have taken it as a

gift, and may this ring not be thy death!”

Eyjolf jumped up and went away, and would not speak about it; and

Snorri said, as Eyjolf arose, “It is very likely that thou wilt

know what kind of gift thou hast taken by the time this Thing is

ended.”

Then Eyjolf went to his booth.

ENDNOTES:

(1) Eyjolf the Guileful was the son of Thord Gellir, the son of

Oleif Feilan. The mother of Eyjolf the Guileful was Rodny,

the daughter of Skeggi of Midfirth.

138. OF ASGRIM, AND GIZUR, AND KARI

Now Asgrim Ellidagrim’s son talks to Gizur the White, and Kari

Solmund’s son, and to Hjallti Skeggi’s son, Mord Valgard’s son,

and Thorgeir Craggeir, and says, “There is no need to have any

secrets here, for only those men are by who know all our counsel.

Now I will ask you if ye know anything of their plans, for if you

do, it seems to me that we must take fresh counsel about our own

plans.”

“Snorri the Priest,” answers Gizur the White, “sent a man to me,

and bade him tell me that Flosi had gotten great help from the

Northlanders; but that Eyjolf Bolverk’s son, his kinsman, had had

a gold ring given him by some one, and made a secret of it, and

Snorri said it was his meaning that Eyjolf Bolverk’s son must be

meant to defend the suit at law, and that the ring must have been

given him for that.”

They were all agreed that it must be so. Then Gizur spoke to

them, “Now has Mord Valgard’s son, my son-in-law, undertaken a

suit, which all must think most hard, to prosecute Flosi; and now

my wish is that ye share the other suits amongst you, for now it

will soon be time to give notice of the suits at the Hill of

Laws. We shall need also to ask for more help.”

Asgrim said so it should be, “but we will beg thee to go round

with us when we ask for help.” Gizur said he would be ready to

do that.

After that Gizur picked out all the wisest men of their company

to go with him as his backers. There was Hjallti Skeggi’s son,

and Asgrim, and Kari, and Thorgeir Craggeir.

Then Gizur the White said, “Now will we first go to the booth of

Skapti Thorod’s son,” and they do so. Gizur the White went

first, then Hjallti, then Kari, then Asgrim, then Thorgeir

Craggeir, and then his brothers.

They went into the booth. Skapti sat on the cross bench on the

dais, and when he saw Gizur the White he rose up to meet him, and

greeted him and all of them well, and bade Gizur to sit down by

him, and he does so. Then Gizur said to Asgrim, “Now shalt thou

first raise the question of help with Skapti, but I will throw in

what I think good.”

“We are come hither,” said Asgrim, “for this sake, Skapti, to

seek help and aid at thy hand.”

“I was thought to be hard to win the last time,” said Skapti,

“when I would not take the burden of your trouble on me.”

“It is quite another matter now,” said Gizur. “Now the feud is

for master Njal and mistress Bergthora, who were burnt in their

own house without a cause, and for Njal’s three sons, and many

other worthy men, and thou wilt surely never be willing to yield

no help to men, or to stand by thy kinsmen and connections.”

“It was in my mind,” answers Skapti, “when Skarphedinn told me

that I had myself borne tar on my own head, and cut up a sod of

turf and crept under it, and when he said that I had been so

afraid that Thorolf Lopt’s son of Eyrar bore me abroad in his

ship among his meal-sacks, and so carried me to Iceland, that I

would never share in the blood feud for his death.”

“Now there is no need to bear such things in mind,” said Gizur

the White, “for he is dead who said that, and thou wilt surely

grant me this, though thou wouldst not do it for other men’s