laid down by law against Flosi Thord’s son when he rushed on
Helgi Njal’s son, in that spot where Flosi Thord’s son dealt
Helgi Njal’s son a brain, or a body, or a marrow wound, that
proved a death-wound, and from which Helgi got his death. He
said that Flosi ought to be made in this suit a guilty man, an
outlaw, not to be fed, not to be forwarded, not to be helped or
harboured by any man; he said that all his goods were forfeited,
half to himself and half to the men of the Quarter who have the
right by law to take the goods which he had forfeited; he gave
notice of the suit in the Quarter Court into which the suit ought
by law to come; he gave notice of that lawful notice; he gave
notice in the hearing of all men at the Hill of Laws; he gave
notice of this suit to be pleaded now this summer, and of full
outlawry against Flosi Thord’s son. He gave notice of a suit
which Thorgeir Thorir’s son had handed over to him. He used all
those words in his notice which he used in the declaration of his
suit, and which we have used in bearing witness; we have now
borne our witness rightly and lawfully, and we are agreed in
bearing it; we bear this witness in this shape before the
Eastfirthers’ Court over the head of John, as Mord uttered it
when he gave his notice.”
A second time they bore their witness of the notice before the
court, and put the wounds first and the assault last, and used
all the same words as before, and bore their witness in this
shape before the Eastfirthers’ Court just as Mord uttered them
when he gave his notice.
Then Mord’s witnesses to the handing over of the suit went before
the court, and one uttered their witness, and both confirmed it
by common consent, and spoke in these words, “That those two,
Mord Valgard’s son and Thorgeir Thorir’s son, took them to
witness that Thorgeir Thorir’s son handed over a suit for
manslaughter to Mord Valgard’s son against Flosi Thord’s son for
the slaying of Helgi Njal’s son; he handed over to him then this
suit, with all the proofs and proceedings which belonged to the
suit, he handed it over to him to plead and to settle, and to
make use of all rights as though he were the rightful next of
kin: Thorgeir handed it over lawfully, and Mord took it lawfully.
They bore witness of the handing over of the suit in this shape
before the Eastfirther’s Court over the head of John, just as
Mord or Thorgeir had called them as witnesses to prove.
They made all these witnesses swear on oath ere they bore
witness, and the judges too.
Again Mord Valgard’s son took witness. “I take witness to this,”
said he, “that I bid those nine neighbours whom I summoned when I
laid this suit against Flosi Thord’s son, to take their seats
west on the river-bank, and I call on the defendant to challenge
this request, I call on him by a lawful bidding before the court
so that the judges may hear.”
Again Mord took witness. “I take witness to this, that I bid
