matter, but it was not so. At last, one day when the brothers
and others who were at the Thing went to the Hill of Laws, Mord
took witness and declared that he had a money-suit against Hrut
for his daughter’s dower, and reckoned the amount at ninety
hundreds in goods, calling on Hrut at the same time to pay and
hand it over to him, and asking for a fine of three marks. He
laid the suit in the Quarter Court, into which it would come by
law, and gave lawful notice, so that all who stood on the Hill of
Laws might hear.
But when he had thus spoken, Hrut said, “Thou hast undertaken
this suit, which belongs to thy daughter, rather for the greed of
gain and love of strife than in kindliness and manliness. But I
shall have something to say against it; for the goods which
belong to me are not yet in thy bands. Now, what I have to say
is this, and I say it out, so that all who hear me on this hill
may bear witness: I challenge thee to fight on the island; there
on one side shall be laid all thy daughter’s dower, and on the
other I will lay down goods worth as much, and whoever wins the
day shall have both dower and goods; but if thou wilt not fight
with me, then thou shalt give up all claim to these goods.”
Then Mord held his peace, and took counsel with his friends about
going to fight on the island, and Jorund the priest gave him an
answer.
“There is no need for thee to come to ask us for counsel in this
matter, for thou knowest if thou fightest with Hrut thou wilt
lose both life and goods. He has a good cause, and is besides
mighty in himself and one of the boldest of men.”
Then Mord spoke out, that he would not fight with Hrut, and there
arose a great shout and hooting on the hill, and Mord got the
greatest shame by his suit.
After that men ride home from the Thing, and those brothers
Hauskuld and Hrut ride west to Reykriverdale, and turned in as
guests at Lund, where Thiostolf, Bjorn Gullbera’s son, then
dwelt. There had been much rain that day, and men got wet, so
long-fires were made down the length of the hall. Thiostolf, the
master of the house, sat between Hauskuld and Hrut, and two boys,
of whom Thiostolf had the rearing, were playing on the floor, and
a girl was playing with them. They were great chatterboxes, for
they were too young to know better. So one of them said, “Now I
will be Mord, and summon thee to lose thy wife because thou hast
not been a good husband to her.”
Then the other answered, “I will be Hrut, and I call on thee to
give up all claim to thy goods, if thou darest not to fight with
me.”
This they said several times, and all the household burst out
laughing. Then Hauskuld got wroth, and struck the boy who called
himself Mord with a switch, and the blow fell on his face, and
grazed the skin.
“Get out with thee,” said Hauskuld to the boy, “and make no game
of us;” but Hrut said, “Come hitherto me,” and the boy did so.
