The Story of Burnt Njal: The Great Icelandic Tribune, Jurist, and CounsellorDasent, George Webbe, Sir
General
The Story of Burnt Njal: The Great Icelandic Tribune, Jurist, and Counsellor
Dasent, George Webbe, Sir
Njáll Þorgursson, approximately 930-1011
Kari says that he will ride home; and Gizur said, "I will now
make a clean breast of my counsel to thee. Thou shalt not ride
home, but still thou shalt ride away, and east under Eyjafell, to
see Thorgeir Craggeir, and Thorleif Crow. They shall ride from
the east with thee. They are the next of kin in the suit, and
with them shall ride Thorgrim the Big, their brother. Ye shall
ride to Mord Valgard's son's house, and tell him this message
from me, that he shall take up the suit for manslaughter for
Helgi Njal's son against Flosi. But if he utters any words
against this, then shalt thou make thy self most wrathful, and
make believe as though thou wouldst let thy axe fall on his head;
and in the second place, thou shalt assure him of my wrath if he
shows any ill will. Along with that shalt thou say, that I will
send and fetch away my daughter Thorkatla, and make her come home
to me; but that he will not abide, for he loves her as the very
eyes in his head."
Kari thanked him for his counsel. Kari spoke nothing of help to
him, for he thought he would show himself his good friend in this
as in other things.
Thence Kari rode east over the rivers, and so to Fleetlithe, and
east across Markfleet, and so on to Selialandsmull. So they ride
east to Holt.
Thorgeir welcomed them with the greatest kindliness. He told
them of Flosi's journey, and how great help he had got in the
east firths.
Kari said it was no wonder that he, who had to answer for so
much, should ask for help for himself.
Then Thorgeir said, "The better things go for them, the worse it
shall be for them; we will only follow them up so much the
harder."
Kari told Thorgeir of Gizur's advice. After that they ride from
the east to Rangrivervale to Mord Valgard's son's house. He gave
them a hearty welcome. Kari told him the message of Gizur his
father-in-law. He was slow to take the duty on him, and said it
was harder to go to law with Flosi than with any other ten men.
"Thou behavest now as he (2) thought," said Kari; "for thou art a
bad bargain in every way; thou art both a coward and heartless,
but the end of this shall be as is fitting, that Thorkatla shall
fare home to her father."
She busked her at once, and said she had long been "boun" to part
from Mord. Then he changed his mood and his words quickly, and
begged off their wrath, and took the suit upon him at once.
"Now," said Kari, "thou has taken the suit upon thee, see that
thou pleadest it without fear, for thy life lies on it."
Mord said he would lay his whole heart on it to do this well and
manfully.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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