HKB
"Home to our booths," answered Asgrim.
"Then we fare back to our booths wearied of begging," says Skarphedinn.
"In many places," said Asgrim, "hast thou been rather sharp- tongued, but here now, in what Thorkel had a share methinks thou hast only treated him as is fitting,"
Then they went home to their booths, and told Njal, word for word, all that had been done.
"Things," he said, "draw on to what must be."
Now Gudmund the Powerful heard what has passed between Thorkel and Skarphedinn, and said, "Ye all know how things fared between us and the men of Lightwater, but I have never suffered such scorn and mocking at their hands as has befallen Thorkel from Skarphedinn, and this is just as it should be."
Then he said to Einar of Thvera, his brother, "Thou shalt go with all my band, and stand by Njal's sons when the courts go out to try suits; but if they need help next summer, then I myself will yield them help."
Einar agreed to that, and sent and told Asgrim, and Asgrim said, "There is no man like Gudmund for nobleness of mind," and then he told it to Njal.
The next day Asgrim, and Gizur the White, and Hjallti Skeggi's son, and Einar of Thvera, met together. There, too, was Mord Valgard's son; he had then let the suit fall from his hand, and given it over to the sons of Sigfus.
Then Asgrim spoke.
"Thee first I speak to about this matter, Gizur the White and thee Hjallti, and thee Einar, that I may tell you how the suit stands. It will be known to all of you that Mord took up the suit, but the truth of the matter is, that Mord was at Hauskuld's slaying, and wounded him with that wound, for giving which no man was named. It seems to me, then, that this suit must come to naught by reason of a lawful flaw."
"Then we will plead it at once," says Hjallti.
"It is not good counsel," said Thorhall Asgrim's son, "that this should not be hidden until the courts are set."
"How so?" asks Hjallti.
"If," said Thorhall, "they knew now at once that the suit has been wrongly set on foot, then they may still save the suit by sending a man home from the Thing, and summoning the neighbours from home over again, and calling on them to ride to the Thing, and then the suit will be lawfully set on foot."
"Thou art a wise man, Thorhall," say they, "and we will take thy counsel."
After that each man went to his booth.
The sons of Sigfus gave notice of their suits at the Hill of Laws, and asked in what Quarter Courts they lay, and in what house in the district the defendants dwelt. But on the Friday night the courts were to go out to try suits, and so the Thing was quiet up to that day.
Many sought to bring about an atonement between them, but Flosi was steadfast; but others were still more wordy, and things looked ill.
Now the time comes when the courts were to go out, on the Friday evening. Then the whole body of men at the Thing went to the courts. Flosi stood south at the court of the men of Rangriver, and his band with him. There with him was Hall of the Side, and Runolf of the Dale, Wolf Aurpriest's son, and those other men who had promised Flosi help.
But north of the court of the men of Rangriver stood Asgrim Ellidagrim's son, and Gizur the White, Hjallti Skeggi's son, and Einar of Thvera. But Njal's sons were at home at their booth, and Kari and Thorleif Crow, and Thorgeir Craggeir, and Thorgrim the Big. They sate all with their weapons, and their band looked safe from onslaught.