Then Flosi said to his men—
"The sons of Sigfus must know best whether these are the rightful neighbours to the spot who are here summoned."
Kettle of the Mark answered—
"Here is that neighbour who held Mord at the font when he was baptised, but another is his second cousin by kinship."
Then they reckoned up his kinship, and proved it with an oath.
Then Eyjolf took witness that the inquest should do nothing till it was challenged.
A second time Eyjolf took witness—
"I take witness to this," said he, "that I challenge both these men out of the inquest, and set them aside"—here he named them by name, and their fathers as well—"for this sake, that one of them is Mord's second cousin by kinship, but the other for gossipry,[76] for which sake it is lawful to challenge a neighbour on the inquest; ye two are for a lawful reason incapable of uttering a finding, for now a lawful challenge has overtaken you, therefore I challenge and set you aside by the rightful custom of pleading at the Althing, and by the law of the land; I challenge you in the cause which Flosi Thord's son has handed over to me."
Now all the people spoke out, and said that Mord's suit had come to naught, and all were agreed in this that the defence was better than the prosecution.
Then Asgrim said to Mord—