Kari says that he will ride home; and Gizur said “I will now make a clean breast of my counsel to thee.  Thou shalt not ride home, but still thou shalt ride away, and east under Eyjafell, to see Thorgeir Craggeir, and Thorleif crow.  They shall ride from the east with thee.  They are the next of kin in the suit, and with them shall ride Thorgrim the big, their brother.  Ye shall ride to Mord Valgard’s son’s house, and tell him this message from me, that he shall take up the suit for manslaughter for Helgi Njal’s son against Flosi.  But if he utters any words against this, then shalt thou make thyself most wrathful, and make believe as though thou wouldst let thy axe fall on his head; and in the second place, thou shalt assure him of my wrath if he shows any ill will.  Along with that shalt thou say, that I will send and fetch away my daughter Thorkatla, and make her come home to me; but that he will not abide, for he loves her as the very eyes in his head.”

Kari thanked him for his counsel.  Kari spoke nothing of help to him, for he thought he would show himself his good friend in this as in other things.

Thence Kari rode east over the rivers, and so to Fleetlithe, and east across Markfleet, and so on to Selialandsmull.  So they ride east to Holt.

Thorgeir welcomed them with the greatest kindliness.  He told them of Flosi’s journey, and how great help he had got in the east firths.

Kari said it was no wonder that he, who had to answer for so much, should ask for help for himself.

Then Thorgeir said, “The better things go for them, the worse it shall be for them; we will only follow them up so much the harder”.

Kari told Thorgeir of Gizur’s advice.  After that they ride from the east to Rangrivervale to Mord Valgard’s son’s house.  He gave them a hearty welcome.  Kari told him the message of Gizur his father-in-law.  He was slow to take the duty on him, and said it was harder to go to law with Flosi than with any other ten men.

“Thou behavest now as he [Gizur] thought,” said Kari; “for thou art a bad bargain in every way; thou art both a coward and heartless, but the end of this shall be as is fitting, that Thorkatla shall fare home to her father.”

She busked her at once, and said she had long been “boun” to part from Mord.  Then he changed his mood and his words quickly, and begged off their wrath, and took the suit upon him at once.

“Now,” said Kari, “thou hast taken the suit upon thee, see that thou pleadest it without fear, for thy life lies on it.”

Mord said he would lay his whole heart on it to do this well and manfully.

After that Mord summoned to him nine neighbours—­they were all near neighbours to the spot where the deed was done.  Then Mord took Thorgeir by the hand and named two witnesses to bear witness, “that Thorgeir Thorir’s son hands me over a suit for manslaughter against Flosi Thord’s son, to plead it for the slaying of Helgi Njal’s son, with all those proofs which have to follow the suit.  Thou handest over to me this suit to plead and to settle, and to enjoy all rights in it, as though I were the rightful next of kin.  Thou handest it over to me by law, and I take it from thee by law.”