Автор литература - Njal's Saga

sake.”

“This quarrel,” says Skapti, “is no business of thine, except

thou choosest to be entangled in it along with them.”

Then Gizur was very wrath, and said, “Thou art unlike thy father,

though he was thought not to be quite cleanhanded; yet was he

ever helpful to men when they needed him most.”

“We are unlike in temper,” said Skapti. “Ye two, Asgrim and

thou, think that ye have had the lead in mighty deeds; thou,

Gizur the White, because thou overcamest Gunnar of Lithend; but

Asgrim, for that he slew Gauk, his foster-brother.”

“Few,” said Asgrim, “bring forward the better if they know the

worse, but many would say that I slew not Gauk ere I was driven

to it. There is some excuse for thee for not helping us, but

none for heaping reproaches on us; and I only wish before this

Thing is out that thou mayest get from this suit the greatest

disgrace, and that there may be none to make thy shame good.”

Then Gizur and his men stood up all of them, and went out, and so

on to the booth of Snorri the Priest.

Snorri sat on the crossbench in his booth; they went into the

booth, and he knew the men at once, and stood up to meet them,

and bade them all welcome, and made room for them to sit by him.

After that, they asked one another the news of the day.

Then Asgrim spoke to Snorri, and said, “For that am I and my

kinsman Gizur come hither, to ask thee for thy help.”

“Thou speakest of what thou mayest always be forgiven for asking,

for help in the blood-feud after such connections as thou hadst.

We, too, got many wholesome counsels from Njal, though few now

bear that in mind; but as yet I know not of what ye think ye

stand most in need.”

“We stand most in need,” answers Asgrim, “of brisk lads and good

weapons, if we fight them here at the Thing.”

“True it is,” said Snorri, “that much lies on that, and it is

likeliest that ye will press them home with daring, and that they

will defend themselves so in like wise, and neither of you will

allow the others’ right. Then ye will not bear with them and

fall on them, and that will be the only way left; for then they

will seek to pay you off with shame for manscathe, and with

dishonour for loss of kin.”

It was easy to see that he goaded them on in everything.

Then Gizur the White said “Thou speakest well, Snorri, and thou

behavest ever most like a chief when most lies at stake.”

“I wish to know,” said Asgrim, “in what way thou wilt stand by

us if things turn out as thou sayest.”

“I will show thee those marks of friendship,” said Snorri, “on

which all your honour will hang, but I will not go with you to

the court. But if ye fight here on the Thing, do not fall on

them at all unless ye are all most steadfast and dauntless, for

you have great champions against you. But if ye are overmatched,

ye must let yourselves be driven hither towards us, for I shall

then have drawn up my men in array hereabouts, and shall be ready

to stand by you. But if it falls out otherwise, and they give

way before you, my meaning is that they will try to run for a

stronghold in the “Great Rift.” But if they come thither, then

ye will never get the better of them. Now I will take that on my

hands, to draw up my men there, and guard the pass to the

stronghold, but we will not follow them whether they turn north

or south along the river. And when you have slain out of their

band about as many as I think ye will be able to pay blood-fines

for, and yet keep your priesthoods and abodes, then I will run up

with all my men and part you. Then ye shall promise to do as I

bid you, and stop the battle, if I on my part do what I have now

promised.”

Gizur thanked him kindly, and said that what he had said was just

what they all needed, and then they all went out.

“Whither shall we go now?” said Gizur.

“To the Nortlanders’ booth,” said Asgrim.

Then they fared thither.

139. OF ASGRIM AND GUDMUND

And when they came into the booth then they saw where Gudmund the

Powerful sate and talked with Einar Conal’s son, his fosterchild; he was a wise man.

Then they come before him, and Gudmund welcomed them very

heartily, and made them clear the booth for them, that they might

all be able to sit down.

Then they asked what tidings, and Asgrim said, “There is no need

to mutter what I have to say. We wish, Gudmund, to ask for thy

steadfast help.”

“Have ye seen any other chiefs before?” said Gudmund.

They said they had been to see Skapti Thorod’s son and Snorri the

Priest, and told him quietly how they had fared with each of

them.

Then Gudmund said, “Last time I behaved badly and meanly to you.

Then I was stubborn, but now ye shall drive your bargain with me

all the more quickly because I was more stubborn then, and now I

will go myself with you to the court with all my Thingmen, and

stand by you in all such things as I can, and fight for you

though this be needed, and lay down my life for your lives. I

will also pay Skapti out in this way, that Thorstein Gapemouth

his son shall be in the battle on our side, for he will not dare

to do aught else than I will, since he has Jodisa my daughter to

wife, and then Skapti will try to part us.”

They thanked him, and talked with him long and low afterwards, so

that no other men could hear.

Then Gudmund bade them not to go before the knees of any other

chiefs, for he said that would be little-hearted.

“We will now run the risk with the force that we have. Ye must

go with your weapons to all law-business, but not fight as things

stand.”

Then they went all of them home to their booths, and all this was

at first with few men’s knowledge.

So now the Thing goes on.

140. OF THE DECLARATIONS OF THE SUITS

It was one day that men went to the Hill of Laws, and the chiefs

were so placed that Asgrim Ellidagrim’s son, and Gizur the White,

and Gudmund the Powerful, and Snorri the Priest, were on the

upper hand by the Hill of Laws; but the Eastfirthers stood down

below.

Mord Valgard’s son stood next to Gizur his father-in-law, he was

of all men the readiest-tongued.

Gizur told him that he ought to give notice of the suit for

manslaughter, and bade him speak up, so that all might hear him

well.

Then Mord took witness and said, “I take witness to this that I

give notice of an assault laid down by law against Flosi Thord’s

son, for that be rushed at Helgi Njal’s son and dealt him a

brain, or a body, or a marrow wound, which proved a death-wound,

and from which Helgi got his death. I say that in this suit he

ought to be made a guilty man, an outlaw, not to be fed, not to

be forwarded, not to be helped or harboured in any need. I say

that all his goods are forfeited, half to me and half to the men

of the Quarter, who have a right by law to take his forfeited

goods. I give notice of this suit for manslaughter in the

Quarter Court into which this suit ought by law to come. I give

notice of this lawful notice; I give notice in the hearing of all

men on the Hill of Laws; I give notice of this suit to be pleaded

this summer, and of full outlawry against Flosi Thord’s son; I

give notice of a suit which Thorgeir Thorir’s son has handed over

to me.”

Then a great shout was uttered at the Hill of Laws, that Mord