Автор литература - Njal's Saga

at Headbrink, as had been settled between them.

Then Thorgeir came to meet them from the west, and then they

talked over their atonement, and all went off as Hall had said.

Before the atonement, Thorgeir said that Kari should still have

the right to be at his house all the same if he chose.

“And neither side shall do the others any harm at my house; and I

will not have the trouble of gathering in the fines from each of

the burners; but my will is that Flosi alone shall be answerable

for them to me, but he must get them in from his followers. My

will also is that all that award which was made at the Thing

about the burning shall be kept and held to; and my will also is,

Flosi, that thou payest me up my third share in unclipped coin.”

Flosi went quickly into all these terms.

Thorgeir neither gave up the banishment nor the outlawry.

Now Flosi and Hall rode home east, and then Hall said to Flosi,

“Keep this atonement well, son-in-law, both as to going abroad

and the pilgrimage to Rome (1), and the fines, and then thou wilt

be thought a brave man, though thou hast stumbled into this

misdeed, if thou fulfillest handsomely all that belongs to it.”

Flosi said it should be so.

Now Hall rode home east, but Flosi rode home to Swinefell, and

was at home afterwards.

ENDNOTES:

(1) “Pilgrimage to Rome.” This condition had not been mentioned

before.

147. KARI COMES TO BJORN’S HOUSE IN THE MARK

Thorgeir Craggeir rode home from the peace meeting, and Kari

asked whether the atonement had come about. Thorgeir said that

they now fully atoned.

Then Kari took his horse and was for riding away.

“Thou hast no need to ride away,” says Thorgeir, “for it was laid

down in our atonement that thou shouldst be here as before if

thou chosest.”

“It shall not be so, cousin, for as soon as ever I slay a man

they will be sure to say that thou wert in the plot with me, and

I will not have that! But I wish this, that thou wouldst let me

hand over in trust to thee my goods, and the estates of me and my

wife Helga Njal’s daughter, and my three daughters, and then they

will not be seized by those adversaries of mine.”

Thorgeir agreed to what Kari wished to ask of him, and then

Thorgeir had Kari’s goods handed over to him in trust.

After that Kari rode away. He had two horses and his weapons and

outer clothing, and some ready money in gold and silver.

Now Kari rode west by Selialandsmull and up along Markfleet, and

so on up into Thorsmark. There there are three farms all called

“Mark.” At the midmost farm dwelt that man whose name was Bjorn,

and his surname was Bjorn the White; he was the son of Kadal, the

son of Bjalfi. Bjalfi had been the freedman of Asgerda, the

mother of Njal and Holt-Thorir; Bjorn had to wife Valgerda, she

was the daughter of Thorbrand, the son of Asbrand. Her mother’s

name was Gudlauga, she was a sister of Hamond, the father of

Gunnar of Lithend; she was given away to Bjorn for his money’s

sake, and she did not love him much, but yet they had children

together, and they had enough and to spare in the house.

Bjorn was a man who was always boasting and praising himself, but

his housewife thought that bad. He was sharpsighted and swift of

foot.

Thither Kari turned in as a guest, and they took him by both

hands, and he was there that night. But the next morning Kari

said to Bjom, “I wish thou wouldst take me in, for I should think

myself well housed here with thee. I would too that thou

shouldst be with me in my journeyings, as thou art a

sharpsighted, swiftfooted man, and besides I think thou wouldst

be dauntless in an onslaught.”

“I can’t blame myself,” says Bjorn, “for wanting either sharp

sight, or dash, or any other bravery; but no doubt thou camest

hither because all thy other earths are stopped. Still at thy

prayer, Kari, I will not look on thee as an everyday man; I will

surely help thee in all that thou askest.”

“The trolls take thy boasting and bragging,” said his housewife,

“and thou shouldst not utter such stuff and silliness to any one

than thyself. As for me, I will willingly give Kari meat and

other good things, which I know will be useful to him; but on

Bjom’s hardihood, Kari, thou shalt not trust, for I am afraid

that thou wilt find it quite otherwise than he says.”

“Often hast thou thrown blame upon me,” said Bjorn, “but for all

that I put so much faith in myself that though I am put to the

trial I will never give way to any man; and the best proof of it

is this, that few try a tussle with me because none dare to do

so.”

Kari was there some while in hiding, and few men knew of it.

Now men think that Kari must have ridden to the north country to

see Gudmund the Powerful, for Kari made Bjorn tell his neighbours

that he had met Kari on the beaten track, and that he rode thence

up into Godaland, and so north to Goose-sand, and then north to

Gudmund the Powerful at Modruvale.

So that story was spread over all the country.

148. OF FLOSI AND THE BURNERS

Now Flosi spoke to the burners, his companions, “It will no

longer serve our turn to sit still, for now we shall have to

think of our going abroad and of our fines, and of fulfilling our

atonement as bravely as we can, and let us take a passage

wherever it seems most likely to get one.”

They bade him see to all that. Then Flosi said, “We will ride

east to Hornfirth; for there that ship is laid up, which is owned

by Eyjolf Nosy, a man from Drontheim, but he wants to take to him

a wife here, and he will not get the match made unless he settles

himself down here. We will buy the ship of him, for we shall

have many men and little freight. The ship is big and will take

us all.”

Then they ceased talking of it.

But a little after they rode east, and did not stop before they

came east to Bjornness in Homfirth, and there they found Eyjolf,

for he had been there as a guest that winter.

There Flosi and his men had a hearty welcome, and they were there

the night. Next morning Flosi dealt with the captain for the

ship, but he said he would not be hard to sell the ship if he

could get what he wanted for her. Flosi asked him in what coin

he wished to be paid for her; the Easterling says he wanted land

for her near where he then was.

Then Eyjolf told Flosi all about his dealings with his host, and

Flosi says he will pull an oar with him, so that his marriage

bargain might be struck, and buy the ship of him afterwards. The

Easterling was glad at that. Flosi offered him land at

Borgarhaven, and now the Easterling holds on with his suit to his

host when Flosi was by, and Flosi threw in a helping word, so

that the bargain was brought about between them.

Flosi made over the land at Borgarhaven to the Easterling, but

shook hands on the bargain for the ship. He got also from the

Easterling twenty hundreds in wares, and that was also in their

bargain for the land.

Now Flosi rode back home. He was so beloved by his men that

their wares stood free to him to take either on loan or gift,

just as he chose.

He rode home to Swinefell, and was at home a while.

Then Flosi sent Kol Thorstein’s son and Gunnar Lambi’s son east

to Hornfirth. They were to be there by the ship, and to fit her

out, and set up booths, and sack the wares, and get all things