"I will give thee a piece of advice," said Eyjolf. "Now thou shalt hand over thy priesthood to thy brother Thorgeir, but declare that thou hast joined the Thing of Askel the Priest the son of Thorkettle, north away in Reykiardale; but if they do not know this, then may be that this will harm them, for they will be sure to plead their suit in the Eastfirthers' court, but they ought to plead it in the Northlanders' court, and they will overlook that, and it is a Fifth Court matter against them if they plead their suit in another court than that in which they ought, and then we will take that suit up, but not until we have no other choice left." "May be," said Flosi, "that we shall get the worth of the ring." "I don't know that," says Eyjolf; "but I will stand by thee at law, so that men shall say that there never was a better defence. Now, we must send for Askel, but Thorgeir shall come to thee at once, and a man with him." A little while after Thorgeir came, and then he took on him Flosi's leadership and priesthood. By that time Askel was come thither too, and then Flosi declared that he had joined his Thing, and this was with no man's knowledge save theirs. Now all is quiet till the day when the courts were to go out to try suits. 141. NOW MEN GO TO THE COURTS Now the time passes away till the courts were to go out to try suits. Both sides then made them ready to go thither, and armed them. Each side put war-tokens on their helmets. Then Thorhall Asgrim's son said, "Walk hastily in nothing father mine, and do everything as lawfully and rightly as ye can, but if ye fall into any strait let me know as quickly as ye can, and then I will give you counsel." Asgrim and the others looked at him, and his face was as though it were all blood, but great teardrops gushed out of his eyes. He bade them bring him his spear, that had been a gift to him from Skarphedinn, and it was the greatest treasure. Asgrim said as they went away, "Our kinsman Thorhall was not easy in his mind as we left him behind in the booth, and I know not what he will be at." Then Asgrim said again, "Now we will go to Mord Valgard's son, and think of nought else but the suit, for there is more sport in Flosi than in very many other men." Then Asgrim sent a man to Gizur the White, and Hjallti Skeggi's son, and Gudmund the Powerful. Now they all came together, and went straight to the court of Eastfirthers. They went to the court from the south, but Flosi and all the Eastfirthers with him went to it from the north. There were also the men of Reykdale and the Axefirthers with Flosi. There, too, was Eyjolf Bolverk's son. Flosi looked at Eyjolf, and said, "All now goes fairly, and may be that it will not be far off from thy guess." "Keep thy peace about it," says Eyjolf, "and then we shall be sure to gain our point."