Njal's Saga
Page 44
109.
OF MORD AND NJAL'S SONS
It happened one day that Mord came to Berathorsknoll. He and Kari and
Njal's sons fell a-talking at once, and Mord slanders Hauskuld after his
wont, and has now many new tales to tell, and does naught but egg Skarphedinn
and them on to slay Hauskuld, and said he would be beforehand with them
if they did not fall on him at once.
"I will let thee have thy way in this," says Skarphedinn, "if thou wilt
fare with us, and have some hand in it."
"That I am ready to do," says Mord, and so they bound that fast with promises,
and he was to come there that evening.
Bergthora asked Njal, "What are they talking about out of doors?"
"I am not in their counsels," says Njal, "but I was seldom left out of
them when their plans were good."
Skarphedinn did not lie down to rest that evening, nor his brothers, nor
Kari.
That same night, when it was well-nigh spent, came Mord Valgard's son,
and Njal's sons and Kari took their weapons and rode away. They fared
till they came to Ossaby, and bided there by a fence. The weather was
good, and the sun just risen.
110. THE SLAYING OF HAUSKULD, THE PRIEST OF WHITENESS
About that time Hauskuld, the Priest of Whiteness, awoke; he put on his
clothes, and threw over him his cloak, Flosi's gift. He took his corn-sieve,
and had his sword in his other hand, and walks towards the fence, and
sows the corn as he goes.
Skarphedinn and his band had agreed that they would all give him a wound.
Skarphedinn sprang up from behind the fence, but when Hauskuld saw him
he wanted to turn away, then Skarphedinn ran up to him and said, "Don't
try to turn on thy heel, Whiteness priest," and hews at him, and the blow
came on his head, and he fell on his knees. Hauskuld said these words
when he fell, "God help me, and forgive you!"
Then they all ran up to him and gave him wounds.
After that Mord said, "A plan comes into my mind."
"What is that?" says Skarphedinn.
"That I shall fare home as soon as I can, but after that I will fare up
to Gritwater, and tell them the tidings, and say 'tis an ill deed; but
I know surely that Thorgerda will ask me to give notice of the slaying,
and I will do that, for that will be the surest way to spoil their suit.
I will also send a man to Ossaby and know how soon they take any counsel
in the matter, and that man will learn all these tidings thence, and I
will make believe that I have heard them from him."
"Do so by all means," says Skarphedinn.
Those brothers fared home, and Kari with them, and when they came home
they told Njal the tidings.
"Sorrowful tidings are these," says Njal, "and such are ill to hear, for
sooth to say this grief touches me so nearly, that methinks it were better
to have lost two of my sons and that Hauskuld lived."
"It is some excuse for thee," says Skarphedinn, "that thou art an old
man, and it is to be looked for that this touches thee nearly."
"But this," says Njal, "no less than old age, is why I grieve, that I
know better than thou what will come after."
"What will come after?" says Skarphedinn.
"My death," says Njal, "and the death of my wife and of all my sons."
"What dost thou foretell for me?" says Kari.
"They will have hard work to go against thy good fortune, for thou wilt
be more than a match for all of them."
This one thing touched Njal so nearly that he could never speak of it
without shedding tears.
111. OF HILDIGNNA AND MORD VALGARD'S SON
Hildigunna woke up and found that Hauskuld was away out of his bed.
"Hard have been my dreams," she said, "and not good; but go and search
for him, Hauskuld."
So they searched for him about the homestead and found him not.
By that time she had dressed herself; then she goes and two men with her,
to the fence, and there they find Hauskuld slain.
Just then, too, came up Mord Valgard's son's shepherd, and told her that
Njal's sons had gone down thence, "and," he said, "Skarphedinn called
out to me and gave notice of the slaying as done by him."
"It were a manly deed," she says, "if one man had been at it."
She took the cloak and wiped off all the blood with it, and wrapped the
gouts of gore up in it, and so folded it together and laid it up in her
chest.
Now she sent a man up to Gritwater to tell the tidings thither, but Mord
was there before him, and had already told the tidings. There, too, was
come Kettle of the Mark.
Thorgerda said to Kettle, "Now is Hauskuld dead as we know, and now bear
in mind what thou promisedst to do when thou tookest him for thy fosterchild."
"It may well be," says Kettle, "that I promised very many things then,
for I thought not that these days would ever befall us that have now come
to pass; but yet I am come into a strait, for `nose is next of kin to
eyes,' since I have Njal's daughter to wife."
"Art thou willing, then," says Thorgerda, "that Mord should give notice
of the suit for the slaying?"
"I know not that," says Kettle, "for me ill comes from him more often
than good."
But as soon as ever Mord began to speak to Kettle he fared the same as
others, in that he thought as though Mord would be true to him, and so
the end of their counsel was that Mord should give notice of the slaying,
and get ready the suit in every way before the Thing.
Then Mord fared down to Ossaby, and thither came nine neighbours who dwelt
nearest the spot.
Mord had ten men with him. He shows the neighbours Hauskuld's wounds,
and takes witness to the hurts, and names a man as the dealer of every
wound save one; that he made as though he knew not who had dealt it, but
that wound he had dealt himself. But the slaying he gave notice of at
Skarphedinn's hand, and the wounds at his brothers' and Kari's.
After that he called on nine neighbours who dwelt nearest the spot to
ride away from home to the Althing on the inquest.
After that he rode home. He scarce ever met Njal's sons, and when he did
meet them, he was cross, and that was part of their plan.
The slaying of Hauskuld was heard over all the land, and was ill-spoken
of. Njal's sons went to see Asgrim Ellidagrim's son, and asked him for
aid.
"Ye very well know that ye may look that I shall help you in all great
suits, but still my heart is heavy about this suit, for there are many
who have the blood feud, and this slaying is ill- spoken of over all the
land."
Now Njal's sons fare home.
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