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,[75] 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 laying of Helgi Njal's son; he handed over to
him then the 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 this witness of the handing over of the suit in this shape
before the Eastfirthers' Court over the head of John, just as Mord or
Thorgeir had called them as witnesses to prove.

They made all these witnesses swear an 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 inquest, 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 Flosi Thord's son, or that other man
who has the defence handed over to him, to challenge the inquest which I
have caused to take their seats west on the river-bank. I bid thee by a
lawful bidding before the court so that the judges may hear."

Again Mord took witness.

"I take witness to this, that now are all the first steps and proofs
brought forward which belong to the suit. Summons to hear my oath, oath
taken, suit declared, witness borne to the notice, witness borne to the
handing over of the suit, t