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diff --git a/old/gltpl10.txt b/old/gltpl10.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ce81dd7 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/gltpl10.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5116 @@ +Project Gutenberg Etext Story of the Glittering Plain, by Morris +#4 in our series by William Morris + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check +the copyright laws for your country before posting these files!! + +Please take a look at the important information in this header. +We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an +electronic path open for the next readers. Do not remove this. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**Etexts Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*These Etexts Prepared By Hundreds of Volunteers and Donations* + +Information on contacting Project Gutenberg to get Etexts, and +further information is included below. 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FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END* + + + + + +THE STORY OF THE GLITTERING PLAIN OR THE LAND OF LIVING MEN + +by William Morris + + + + +CHAPTER I: OF THOSE THREE WHO CAME TO THE HOUSE OF THE RAVEN + + + +It has been told that there was once a young man of free kindred and +whose name was Hallblithe: he was fair, strong, and not untried in +battle; he was of the House of the Raven of old time. + +This man loved an exceeding fair damsel called the Hostage, who was +of the House of the Rose, wherein it was right and due that the men +of the Raven should wed. + +She loved him no less, and no man of the kindred gainsaid their love, +and they were to be wedded on Midsummer Night. + +But one day of early spring, when the days were yet short and the +nights long, Hallblithe sat before the porch of the house smoothing +an ash stave for his spear, and he heard the sound of horse-hoofs +drawing nigh, and he looked up and saw folk riding toward the house, +and so presently they rode through the garth gate; and there was no +man but he about the house, so he rose up and went to meet them, and +he saw that they were but three in company: they had weapons with +them, and their horses were of the best; but they were no fellowship +for a man to be afraid of; for two of them were old and feeble, and +the third was dark and sad, and drooping of aspect: it seemed as if +they had ridden far and fast, for their spurs were bloody and their +horses all a-sweat. + +Hallblithe hailed them kindly and said: "Ye are way-worn, and maybe +ye have to ride further; so light down and come into the house, and +take bite and sup, and hay and corn also for your horses; and then if +ye needs must ride on your way, depart when ye are rested; or else if +ye may, then abide here night-long, and go your ways to-morrow, and +meantime that which is ours shall be yours, and all shall be free to +you." + +Then spake the oldest of the elders in a high piping voice and said: +"Young man, we thank thee; but though the days of the springtide are +waxing, the hours of our lives are waning; nor may we abide unless +thou canst truly tell us that this is the Land of the Glittering +Plain: and if that be so, then delay not, lead us to thy lord, and +perhaps he will make us content." + +Spake he who was somewhat less stricken in years than the first: +"Thanks have thou! but we need something more than meat and drink, to +wit the Land of Living Men. And Oh! but the time presses." + +Spake the sad and sorry carle: "We seek the Land where the days are +many: so many that he who hath forgotten how to laugh, may learn the +craft again, and forget the days of Sorrow." + +Then they all three cried aloud and said: + +"Is this the Land? Is this the Land?" + +But Hallblithe wondered, and he laughed and said: "Wayfarers, look +under the sun down the plain which lieth betwixt the mountains and +the sea, and ye shall behold the meadows all gleaming with the spring +lilies; yet do we not call this the Glittering Plain, but Cleveland +by the Sea. Here men die when their hour comes, nor know I if the +days of their life be long enough for the forgetting of sorrow; for I +am young and not yet a yokefellow of sorrow; but this I know, that +they are long enough for the doing of deeds that shall not die. And +as for Lord, I know not this word, for here dwell we, the sons of the +Raven, in good fellowship, with our wives that we have wedded, and +our mothers who have borne us, and our sisters who serve us. Again I +bid you light down off your horses, and eat and drink, and be merry; +and depart when ye will, to seek what land ye will." + +They scarce looked on him, but cried out together mournfully: + +"This is not the Land! This is not the Land!" + +No more than that they said, but turned about their horses and rode +out through the garth gate, and went clattering up the road that led +to the pass of the mountains. But Hallblithe hearkened wondering, +till the sound of their horse-hoofs died away, and then turned back +to his work: and it was then two hours after high-noon. + + + +CHAPTER II: EVIL TIDINGS COME TO HAND AT CLEVELAND + + + +Not long had he worked ere he heard the sound of horsehoofs once +more, and he looked not up, but said to himself, "It is but the lads +bringing back the teams from the acres, and riding fast and driving +hard for joy of heart and in wantonness of youth." + +But the sound grew nearer and he looked up and saw over the turf wall +of the garth the flutter of white raiment; and he said: + +"Nay, it is the maidens coming back from the seashore and the +gathering of wrack." + +So he set himself the harder to his work, and laughed, all alone as +he was, and said: "She is with them: now I will not look up again +till they have ridden into the garth, and she has come from among +them, and leapt off her horse, and cast her arms about my neck as her +wont is; and it will rejoice her then to mock me with hard words and +kind voice and longing heart; and I shall long for her and kiss her, +and sweet shall the coming days seem to us: and the daughters of our +folk shall look on and be kind and blithe with us." + +Therewith rode the maidens into the garth, but he heard no sound of +laughter or merriment amongst them, which was contrary to their wont; +and his heart fell, and it was as if instead of the maidens' laughter +the voices of those wayfarers came back upon the wind crying out, "Is +this the Land? Is this the Land?" + +Then he looked up hastily, and saw the maidens drawing near, ten of +the House of the Raven, and three of the House of the Rose; and he +beheld them that their faces were pale and woe-begone, and their +raiment rent, and there was no joy in them. Hallblithe stood aghast +while one who had gotten off her horse (and she was the daughter of +his own mother) ran past him into the hall, looking not at him, as if +she durst not: and another rode off swiftly to the horse-stalls. +But the others, leaving their horses, drew round about him, and for a +while none durst utter a word; and he stood gazing at them, with the +spoke-shave in his hand, he also silent; for he saw that the Hostage +was not with them, and he knew that now he was the yokefellow of +sorrow. + +At last he spoke gently and in a kind voice, and said: "Tell me, +sisters, what evil hath befallen us, even if it be the death of a +dear friend, and the thing that may not be amended." + +Then spoke a fair woman of the Rose, whose name was Brightling, and +said: "Hallblithe, it is not of death that we have to tell, but of +sundering, which may yet be amended. We were on the sand of the sea +nigh the Ship-stead and the Rollers of the Raven, and we were +gathering the wrack and playing together; and we saw a round-ship +nigh to shore lying with her sheet slack, and her sail beating the +mast; but we deemed it to be none other than some bark of the Fish- +biters, and thought no harm thereof, but went on running and playing +amidst the little waves that fell on the sand, and the ripples that +curled around our feet. At last there came a small boat from the +side of the round-ship, and rowed in toward shore, and still we +feared not, though we drew a little aback from the surf and let fall +our gown-hems. But the crew of that boat beached her close to where +we stood, and came hastily wading the surf towards us; and we saw +that they were twelve weaponed men, great, and grim, and all clad in +black raiment. Then indeed were we afraid, and we turned about and +fled up the beach; but now it was too late, for the tide was at more +than half ebb and long was the way over the sand to the place where +we had left our horses tied among the tamarisk-bushes. Nevertheless +we ran, and had gotten up to the pebble-beach before they ran in +amongst us: and they caught us, and cast us down on to the hard +stones. + +"Then they made us sit in a row on a ridge of the pebbles; and we +were sore afraid, yet more for defilement at their hands than for +death; for they were evil-looking men exceeding foul of favour. Then +said one of them: 'Which of all you maidens is the Hostage of the +House of the Rose?' + +"Then all we kept silence, for we would not betray her. But the evil +man spake again: 'Choose ye then whether we shall take one, or all +of you across the waters in our black ship.' Yet still we others +spake not, till arose thy beloved, O Hallblithe, and said: + +"'Let it be one then, and not all; for I am the Hostage.' + +"'How shalt thou make us sure thereof?' said the evil carle. + +"She looked on him proudly and said: 'Because I say it.' + +"'Wilt thou swear it?' said he. + +"'Yea,' said she, 'I swear it by the token of the House wherein I +shall wed; by the wings of the Fowl that seeketh the Field of +Slaying.' + +"'It is enough,' said the man, 'come thou with us. And ye maidens +sit ye there, and move not till we have made way on our ship, unless +ye would feel the point of the arrow. For ye are within bowshot of +the ship, and we have shot weapons aboard.' + +"So the Hostage departed with them, and she unweeping, but we wept +sorely. And we saw the small boat come up to the side of the round- +ship, and the Hostage going over the gunwale along with those evil +men, and we heard the hale and how of the mariners as they drew up +the anchor and sheeted home; and then the sweeps came out and the +ship began to move over the sea. And one of those evil-minded men +bent his bow and shot a shaft at us, but it fell far short of where +we sat, and the laugh of those runagates came over the sands to us. +So we crept up the beach trembling, and then rose to our feet and got +to our horses, and rode hither speedily, and our hearts are broken +for thy sorrow." + +At that word came Hallblithe's own sister out from the hall; and she +bore weapons with her, to wit Hallblithe's sword and shield and helm +and hauberk. As for him he turned back silently to his work, and set +the steel of the spear on the new ashen shaft, and took the hammer +and smote the nail in, and laid the weapon on a round pebble that was +thereby, and clenched the nail on the other side. Then he looked +about, and saw that the other damsel had brought him his coal-black +war-horse ready saddled and bridled; then he did on his armour, and +girt his sword to his side and leapt into the saddle, and took his +new-shafted spear in hand and shook the rein. But none of all those +damsels durst say a word to him or ask him whither he went, for they +feared his face, and the sorrow of his heart. So he got him out of +the garth and turned toward the sea-shore, and they saw the glitter +of his spear-point a minute over the turf-wall, and heard the clatter +of his horse-hoofs as he galloped over the hard way; and thus he +departed. + + + +CHAPTER III: THE WARRIORS OF THE RAVEN SEARCH THE SEAS + + + +Then the women bethought them, and they spake a word or two together, +and then they sundered and went one this way and one that, to gather +together the warriors of the Raven who were a-field, or on the way, +nigh unto the house, that they might follow Hallblithe down to the +sea-shore and help him; after a while they came back again by one and +two and three, bringing with them the wrathful young men; and when +there was upward of a score gathered in the garth armed and horsed, +they rode their ways to the sea, being minded to thrust a long-ship +of the Ravens out over the Rollers into the sea, and follow the +strong-thieves of the waters and bring a-back the Hostage, so that +they might end the sorrow at once, and establish joy once more in the +House of the Raven and the House of the Rose. But they had with them +three lads of fifteen winters or thereabouts to lead their horses +back home again, when they should have gone up on to the Horse of the +Brine. + +Thus then they departed, and the maidens stood in the garth-gate till +they lost sight of them behind the sandhills, and then turned back +sorrowfully into the house, and sat there talking low of their +sorrow. And many a time they had to tell their tale anew, as folk +came into the hall one after another from field and fell. But the +young men came down to the sea, and found Hallblithe's black horse +straying about amongst the tamarisk-bushes above the beach; and they +looked thence over the sand, and saw neither Hallblithe nor any man: +and they gazed out seaward, and saw neither ship nor sail on the +barren brine. Then they went down on to the sand, and sundered their +fellowship, and went half one way, half the other, betwixt the +sandhills and the surf, where now the tide was flowing, till the +nesses of the east and the west, the horns of the bay, stayed them. +Then they met together again by the Rollers, when the sun was within +an hour of setting. There and then they laid hand to that ship which +is called the Seamew, and they ran her down over the Rollers into the +waves, and leapt aboard and hoisted sail, and ran out the oars and +put to sea; and a little wind was blowing seaward from the gates of +the mountains behind them. + +So they quartered the sea-plain, as the kestrel doth the water- +meadows, till the night fell on them, and was cloudy, though whiles +the wading moon shone out; and they had seen nothing, neither sail +nor ship, nor aught else on the barren brine, save the washing of +waves and the hovering of sea-fowl. So they lay-to outside the horns +of the bay and awaited the dawning. And when morning was come they +made way again, and searched the sea, and sailed to the out-skerries, +and searched them with care; then they sailed into the main and fared +hither and thither and up and down: and this they did for eight +days, and in all that time they saw no ship nor sail, save three +barks of the Fish-biters nigh to the Skerry which is called Mew- +stone. + +So they fared home to the Raven Bay, and laid their keel on the +Rollers, and so went their ways sadly, home to the House of the +Raven: and they deemed that for this time they could do no more in +seeking their valiant kinsman and his fair damsel. And they were +very sorry; for these two were well-beloved of all men. But since +they might not amend it, they abode in peace, awaiting what the +change of days might bring them. + + + +CHAPTER IV: NOW HALLBLITHE TAKETH THE SEA + + + +Now must it be told of Hallblithe that he rode fiercely down to the +sea-shore, and from the top of the beach he gazed about him, and +there below him was the Ship-stead and Rollers of his kindred, +whereon lay the three long-ships, the Seamew, and the Osprey and the +Erne. Heavy and huge they seemed to him as they lay there, black- +sided, icy-cold with the washing of the March waves, their golden +dragon-heads looking seaward wistfully. But first had he looked out +into the offing, and it was only when he had let his eyes come back +from where the sea and sky met, and they had beheld nothing but the +waste of waters, that he beheld the Ship-stead closely; and therewith +he saw where a little to the west of it lay a skiff, which the low +wave of the tide lifted and let fall from time to time. It had a +mast, and a black sail hoisted thereon and flapping with slackened +sheet. A man sat in the boat clad in black raiment, and the sun +smote a gleam from the helm on his head. Then Hallblithe leapt off +his horse, and strode down the sands shouldering his spear; and when +he came near to the man in the boat he poised his spear and shook it +and cried out: "Man, art thou friend or foe?" + +Said the man: "Thou art a fair young man: but there is grief in thy +voice along with wrath. Cast not till thou hast heard me, and mayst +deem whether I may do aught to heal thy grief." + +"What mayst thou do?" said Hallblithe; "art thou not a robber of the +sea, a harrier of the folks that dwell in peace?" + +The man laughed: "Yea," said he, "my craft is thieving and carrying +off the daughters of folk, so that we may have a ransom for them. +Wilt thou come over the waters with me?" + +Hallblithe said wrathfully: + +"Nay, rather, come thou ashore here! Thou seemest a big man, and +belike shall be good of thine hands. Come and fight with me; and +then he of us who is vanquished, if he be unslain, shall serve the +other for a year, and then shalt thou do my business in the +ransoming." + +The man in the boat laughed again, and that so scornfully that he +angered Hallblithe beyond measure: then he arose in the boat and +stood on his feet swaying from side to side as he laughed. He was +passing big, long-armed and big-headed, and long hair came from under +his helm like the tail of a red horse; his eyes were grey and +gleaming, and his mouth wide. + +In a while he stayed his laughter and said: "O Warrior of the Raven, +this were a simple game for thee to play; though it is not far from +my mind, for fighting when I needs must win is no dull work. Look +you, if I slay or vanquish thee, then all is said; and if by some +chance stroke thou slayest me, then is thine only helper in this +matter gone from thee. Now to be short, I bid thee come aboard to me +if thou wouldst ever hear another word of thy damsel betrothed. And +moreover this need not hinder thee to fight with me if thou hast a +mind to it thereafter; for we shall soon come to a land big enough +for two to stand on. Or if thou listest to fight in a boat rocking +on the waves, I see not but there may be manhood in that also." + +Now was the hot wrath somewhat run off Hallblithe, nor durst he lose +any chance to hear a word of his beloved; so he said: "Big man, I +will come aboard. But look thou to it, if thou hast a mind to bewray +me; for the sons of the Raven die hard." + +"Well," said the big man, "I have heard that their minstrels are of +many words, and think that they have tales to tell. Come aboard and +loiter not." Then Hallblithe waded the surf and lightly strode over +the gunwale of the skiff and sat him down. The big man thrust out +into the deep and haled home the sheet; but there was but little +wind. + +Then said Hallblithe: "Wilt thou have me row, for I wot not +whitherward to steer?" + +Said the red carle: "Maybe thou art not in a hurry; I am not: do as +thou wilt." So Hallblithe took the oars and rowed mightily, while +the alien steered, and they went swiftly and lightly over the sea, +and the waves were little. + + + +CHAPTER V: THEY COME UNTO THE ISLE OF RANSOM + + + +So the sun grew low, and it set; the stars and the moon shone a while +and then it clouded over. Hallblithe still rowed and rested not, +though he was weary; and the big man sat and steered, and held his +peace. But when the night was grown old and it was not far from the +dawn, the alien said: "Youngling of the Ravens, now shalt thou sleep +and I will row." + +Hallblithe was exceeding weary; so he gave the oars to the alien and +lay down in the stern and slept. And in his sleep he dreamed that he +was lying in the House of the Raven, and his sisters came to him and +said, "Rise up now, Hallblithe! wilt thou be a sluggard on the day of +thy wedding? Come thou with us to the House of the Rose that we may +bear away the Hostage." Then he dreamed that they departed, and he +arose and clad himself: but when he would have gone out of the hall, +then was it no longer daylight, but moonlight, and he dreamed that he +had dreamed: nevertheless he would have gone abroad, but might not +find the door; so he said he would go out by a window; but the wall +was high and smooth (quite other than in the House of the Raven, +where were low windows all along one aisle), nor was there any way to +come at them. But he dreamed that he was so abashed thereat, and had +such a weakness on him, that he wept for pity of himself: and he +went to his bed to lie down; and lo! there was no bed and no hall; +nought but a heath, wild and wide, and empty under the moon. And +still he wept in his dream, and his manhood seemed departed from him, +and he heard a voice crying out, "Is this the Land? Is this the +Land?" + +Therewithal he awoke, and as his eyes cleared he beheld the big man +rowing and the black sail flapping against the mast; for the wind had +fallen dead and they were faring on over a long smooth swell of the +sea. It was broad daylight, but round about them was a thick mist, +which seemed none the less as if the sun were ready to shine through +it. + +As Hallblithe caught the red man's eye, he smiled and nodded on him +and said: "Now has the time come for thee first to eat and then to +row. But tell me what is that upon thy cheeks?" + +Hallblithe, reddening somewhat, said: "The night dew hath fallen on +me." + +Quoth the sea-rover, "It is no shame for thee a youngling to remember +thy betrothed in thy sleep, and to weep because thou lackest her. +But now bestir thee, for it is later than thou mayest deem." + +Therewith the big man drew in the oars and came to the afterpart of +the boat, and drew meat and drink out of a locker thereby; and they +ate and drank together, and Hallblithe grew strong and somewhat less +downcast; and he went forward and gat the oars into his hands. + +Then the big red man stood up and looked over his left shoulder and +said: "Soon shall we have a breeze and bright weather." + +Then he looked into the midmost of the sail and fell a-whistling such +a tune as the fiddles play to dancing men and maids at Yule-tide, and +his eyes gleamed and glittered therewithal, and exceeding big he +looked. Then Hallblithe felt a little air on his cheek, and the mist +grew thinner, and the sail began to fill with wind till the sheet +tightened: then, lo! the mist rising from the face of the sea, and +the sea's face rippling gaily under a bright sun. Then the wind +increased, and the wall of mist departed and a few light clouds sped +over the sky, and the sail swelled and the boat heeled over, and the +seas fell white from the prow, and they sped fast over the face of +the waters. + +Then laughed the red-haired man, and said: "O croaker on the dead +branch, now is the wind such that no rowing of thine may catch up +with it: so in with the oars now, and turn about, and thou shalt see +whitherward we are going." + +Then Hallblithe turned about on the thwart and looked across the sea, +and lo! before them the high cliffs and crags and mountains of a new +land which seemed to be an isle, and they were deep blue under the +sun, which now shone aloft in the mid heaven. He said nought at all, +but sat looking and wondering what land it might be; but the big man +said: "O tomb of warriors, is it not as if the blueness of the deep +sea had heaved itself up aloft, and turned from coloured air into +rock and stone, so wondrous blue it is? But that is because those +crags and mountains are so far away, and as we draw nigher to them, +thou shalt see them as they verily are, that they are coal-black; and +yonder land is an isle, and is called the Isle of Ransom. Therein +shall be the market for thee where thou mayst cheapen thy betrothed. +There mayst thou take her by the hand and lead her away thence, when +thou hast dealt with the chapman of maidens and hast pledged thee by +the fowl of battle, and the edge of the fallow blade to pay that +which he will have of thee." + +As the big man spoke there was a mocking in his voice and his face +and in his whole huge body, which made the sword of Hallblithe uneasy +in his scabbard; but he refrained his wrath, and said: "Big man, the +longer I look, the less I can think how we are to come up on to +yonder island; for I can see nought but a huge cliff, and great +mountains rising beyond it." + +"Thou shalt the more wonder," said the alien, "the nigher thou +drawest thereto; for it is not because we are far away that thou +canst see no beach or strand, or sloping of the land seaward, but +because there is nought of all these things. Yet fear not! am I not +with thee? thou shalt come ashore on the Isle of Ransom." + +Then Hallblithe held his peace, and the other spake not for a while, +but gave a short laugh once or twice; and said at last in a big +voice, "Little Carrion-biter, why dost thou not ask me of my name?" + +Now Hallblithe was a tall man and a fell fighter; but he said: +"Because I was thinking of other things and not of thee." + +"Well," said the big man, in a voice still louder, "when I am at home +men call me the Puny Fox." + +Then Hallblithe said: "Art thou a Fox? It may well be that thou +shalt beguile me as such beasts will but look to it, that if thou +dost I shall know how to avenge me." + +Then rose up the big man from the helm, and straddled wide in the +boat, and cried out in a great roaring voice: "Crag-nester, I am one +of seven brethren, and the smallest and weakest of them. Art thou +not afraid?" + +"No," said Hallblithe, "for the six others are not here. Wilt thou +fight here in boat, O Fox?" + +"Nay," said Fox, "rather we will drink a cup of wine together." + +So he opened the locker again and drew out thence a great horn of +some huge neat of the outlands, which was girthed and stopped with +silver, and also a golden cup, and he filled the cup from the horn +and gave it into Hallblithe's hand and said: "Drink, O black-fledged +nestling! But call a health over the cup if thou wilt." So +Hallblithe raised the cup aloft and cried: "Health to the House of +the Raven and to them that love it! an ill day to its foemen!" Then +he set his lips to the cup and drank; and that wine seemed to him +better and stronger than any he had ever tasted. But when he had +given the cup back again to Fox, that red one filled it again, and +cried over it, "The Treasure of the Sea! and the King that dieth +not!" Then he drank, and filled again for Hallblithe, and steered +with his knees meanwhile; and thus they drank three cups each, and +Fox smiled and was peaceful and said but little, but Hallblithe sat +wondering how the world was changed for him since yesterday. + +But now was the sky blown all clear of clouds and the wind piped +shrill behind them, and the great waves rose and fell about them, and +the sun glittered on them in many colours. Fast flew the boat before +the wind as though it would never stop, and the day was waning, and +the wind still rising; and now the Isle of Ransom uphove huge before +them, and coal-black, and no beach and no haven was to be seen +therein; and still they ran before the wind towards that black cliff- +wall, against which the sea washed for ever, and no keel ever built +by man might live for one moment 'twixt the surf and the cliff of +that grim land. The sun grew low, and sank red under the sea, and +that world of stone swallowed up half the heavens before them, for +they were now come very nigh thereto; nor could Hallblithe see aught +for it, but that they must be dashed against the cliff and perish in +a moment of time. + +Still the boat flew on; but now when the twilight was come, and they +had just opened up along reach of the cliff that lay beyond a high +ness, Hallblithe thought he saw down by the edge of the sea something +darker than the face of the rock-wall, and he deemed it was a cave: +they came a little nearer and he saw it was a great cave high enough +to let a round-ship go in with all her sails set. + +"Son of the Raven," quoth Fox, "hearken, for thy heart is not little. +Yonder is the gate into the Isle of Ransom, and if thou wilt, thou +mayst go through it. Yet it may be that if thou goest ashore on to +the Isle something grievous shall befall thee, a trouble more than +thou canst bear: a shame it may be. Now there are two choices for +thee: either to go up on to the Isle and face all; or to die here by +my hand having done nothing unmanly or shameful: What sayest thou?" + +"Thou art of many words when time so presses, Fox," said Hallblithe. +"Why should I not choose to go up on to the Island to deliver my +trothplight maiden? For the rest, slay me if thou canst, if we come +alive out of this cauldron of waters." + +Said the big red man: "Look on then, and note Fox how he steereth, +as it were through a needle's eye." + +Now were they underneath the black shadow of the black cliff and +amidst the twilight the surf was tossed about like white fire. In +the lower heavens the stars were beginning to twinkle and the moon +was bright and yellow, and aloft all was peaceful, for no cloud +sullied the sky. One moment Hallblithe saw all this hanging above +the turmoil of thundering water and dripping rock and the next he was +in the darkness of the cave, the roaring wind and the waves still +making thunder about him, though of a different voice from the harsh +hubbub without. Then he heard Fox say: "Sit down now and take the +oars, for presently shall we be at home at the landing place." + +So Hallblithe took the oars and rowed, and as they went up the cave +the sea fell, and the wind died out into the aimless gustiness of +hollow places; and for a little while was all as dark as dark might +be. Then Hallblithe saw that the darkness grew a little greyer, and +he looked over his shoulder and saw a star of light before the bows +of the boat, and Fox cried out: "Yea, it is like day; bright will +the moon be for such as needs must be wayfaring to-night! Cease +rowing, O Son of the coal-blue fowl, for there is way enough on her." + +Then Hallblithe lay on his oars, and in a minute the bows smote the +land; then he turned about and saw a steep stair of stone, and up the +sloping shaft thereof the moonlit sky and the bright stars. Then Fox +arose and came forward and leapt out of the boat and moored her to a +big stone: then he leapt back again and said: "Bear a hand with the +victuals; we must bring them out of the boat unless thou wilt sleep +supperless, as I will not. For to-night must we be guests to +ourselves, since it is far to the dwelling of my people, and the old +man is said to be a skin-changer, a flit-by-night. And as to this +cave, it is deemed to be nowise safe to sleep therein, unless the +sleeper have a double share of luck. And thy luck, meseemeth, O Son +of the Raven, is as now somewhat less than a single share. So to- +night we shall sleep under the naked heaven." + +Hallblithe yea-said this, and they took the meat and drink, such as +they needed, from out the boat, and climbed the steep stair no little +way, and so came out on to a plain place, which seemed to Hallblithe +bare and waste so far as he saw it by the moonlight; for the twilight +was gone now, and nought was left of the light of day save a glimmer +in the west. + +This Hallblithe deemed wonderful, that no less out on the open heath +and brow of the land than in the shut-in cave, all that tumult of the +wind had fallen, and the cloudless night was calm, and with a little +air blowing from the south and the landward. + +Therewithal was Fox done with his loud-voiced braggart mood, and +spoke gently and peaceably like to a wayfarer, who hath business of +his to look to as other men. Now he pointed to certain rocks or low +crags that a little way off rose like a reef out of the treeless +plain; then said he: "Shipmate, underneath yonder rocks is our +resting-place for to-night; and I pray thee not to deem me churlish +that I give thee no better harbour. But I have a charge over thee to +bring thee safe thus far on thy quest; and thou wouldst find it hard +to live among such housemates as thou wouldst find up yonder amongst +our folks to-night. But tomorrow shalt thou come to speech with him +who will deal with thee concerning the ransom." + +"It is enough," said Hallblithe, "and I thank thee for thy leading: +and as for thy rough and uncomely words which thou hast given me, I +pardon thee for them: for I am none the worse of them: forsooth, if +I had been, my sword would have had a voice in the matter." + +"I am well content as it is, Son of the Raven," quoth Fox; "I have +done my bidding and all is well." + +"Tell me then who it is hath bidden thee bring me hither?" + +"I may not tell thee," said Fox; "thou art here, be content, as I +am." + +And he spake no more till they had come to the reef aforesaid, which +was some two furlongs from the place where they had come from out of +the cave. There then they set forth their supper on the stones, and +ate what they would, and drank of that good strong wine while the +horn bare out. And now was Fox of few words, and when Hallblithe +asked him concerning that land, he had little to say. And at last +when Hallblithe asked him of that so perilous house and those who +manned it, he said to him: + +"Son of the Raven, it avails not asking of these matters; for if I +tell thee aught concerning them I shall tell thee lies. Once again +let it be enough for thee that thou hast passed over the sea safely +on thy quest; and a more perilous sea it is forsooth than thou +deemest. But now let us have an end of vain words, and make our bed +amidst these stones as best we may; for we should be stirring betimes +in the morning." Hallblithe said little in answer, and they arrayed +their sleeping places cunningly, as the hare doth her form, and like +men well used to lying abroad. + +Hallblithe was very weary and he soon fell asleep; and as he lay +there, he dreamed a dream, or maybe saw a vision; whether he were +asleep when he saw it, or between sleeping and waking, I know not. +But this was his dream or his vision; that the Hostage was standing +over him, and she as he had seen her but yesterday, bright-haired and +ruddy-cheeked and white-skinned, kind of hand and soft of voice, and +she said to him: "Hallblithe, look on me and hearken, for I have a +message for thee." And he looked and longed for her, and his soul +was ravished by the sweetness of his longing, and he would have leapt +up and cast his arms about her, but sleep and the dream bound him, +and he might not. Then the image smiled on him and said: "Nay, my +love, lie still, for thou mayst not touch me: here is but the image +of the body which thou desirest. Hearken then. I am in evil plight, +in the hands of strong-thieves of the sea, nor know I what they will +do with me, and I have no will to be shamed; to be sold for a price +from one hand to another, yet to be bedded without a price, and to +lie beside some foe-man of our folk, and he to cast his arms about +me, will I, will I not: this is a hard case. Therefore to-morrow +morning at daybreak while men sleep, I think to steal forth to the +gunwale of the black ship and give myself to the gods, that they and +not these runagates may be masters of my life and my soul, and may do +with me as they will: for indeed they know that I may not bear the +strange kinless house, and the love and caressing of the alien house- +master, and the mocking and stripes of the alien house-mistress. +Therefore let the Hoary One of the sea take me and look to my +matters, and carry me to life or death, which-so he will. Thin now +grows the night, but lie still a little yet, while I speak another +word. + +"Maybe we shall meet alive again, and maybe not: and if not, though +we have never yet lain in one bed together, yet I would have thee +remember me: yet not so that my image shall come between thee and +thy speech-friend and bed-fellow of the kindred, that shall lie where +I was to have lain. Yet again, if I live and thou livest, I have +been told and have heard that by one way or other I am like to come +to the Glittering Plain, and the Land of Living Men. O my beloved, +if by any way thou mightest come thither also, and we might meet +there, and we two alive, how good it were! Seek that land then, +beloved! seek it, whether or no we once more behold the House of the +Rose, or tread the floor of the Raven dwelling. And now must even +this image of me sunder from thee. Farewell!" + +Therewith was the dream done and the vision departed; and Hallblithe +sat up full of anguish and longing; and he looked about him over the +dreary land, and it was somewhat light and the sky was grown grey and +cloudy, and he deemed that the dawn was come. So he leapt to his +feet and stooped down over Fox, and took him by the shoulder, and +shook him and said: "Faring-fellow, awake! the dawn is come, and we +have much to do." + +Fox sat up and growled like a dog, and rubbed his eyes and looked +about him and said: "Thou hast waked me for nought: it is the false +dawn of the moon that shineth now behind the clouds and casteth no +shadow; it is but an hour after midnight. Go to sleep again, and let +me be, else will I not be a guide to thee when the day comes." And +he lay down and was asleep at once. Then Hallblithe went and lay +down again full of sorrow: Yet so weary was he that he presently +fell asleep, and dreamed no more. + + + +CHAPTER VI: OF A DWELLING OF MAN ON THE ISLE OF RANSOM + + + +When he awoke again the sun shone on him, and the morning was calm +and windless. He sat up and looked about him, but could see no signs +of Fox save the lair wherein he had lain. So he arose to his feet +and sought for him about the crannies of the rocks, and found him +not; and he shouted for him, and had no answer. Then he said, +"Belike he has gone down to the boat to put a thing in, or take a +thing out." So he went his ways to the stair down into the water- +cave, and he called on Fox from the top of the stair, and had no +answer. + +So he went down that long stair with a misgiving in his heart, and +when he came to the last step there was neither man nor boat, nor +aught else save the water and the living rock. Then was he exceeding +wroth, for he knew that he had been beguiled, and he was in an evil +case, left alone on an Isle that he knew not, a waste and desolate +land, where it seemed most like he should die of famine. + +He wasted no breath or might now in crying out for Fox, or seeking +him; for he said to himself: "I might well have known that he was +false and a liar, whereas he could scarce refrain his joy at my folly +and his guile. Now is it for me to strive for life against death." + +Then he turned and went slowly up the stair, and came out on to the +open face of that Isle, and he saw that it was waste indeed, and +dreadful: a wilderness of black sand and stones and ice-borne rocks, +with here and there a little grass growing in the hollows, and here +and there a dreary mire where the white-tufted rushes shook in the +wind, and here and there stretches of moss blended with red-blossomed +sengreen; and otherwhere nought but the wind-bitten creeping willow +clinging to the black sand, with a white bleached stick and a leaf or +two, and again a stick and a leaf. In the offing looking landward +were great mountains, some very great and snow-capped, some bare to +the tops; and all that was far away, save the snow, was deep-blue in +the sunny morning. But about him on the heath were scattered rocks +like the reef beneath which he had slept the last night, and peaks, +and hammers, and knolls of uncouth shapes. + +Then he went to the edge of the cliffs and looked down on the sea +which lay wrinkled and rippling on toward the shore far below him, +and long he gazed thereon and all about, but could see neither ship +nor sail, nor aught else save the washing of waves and the hovering +of sea fowl. + +Then he said: "Were it not well if I were to seek that house-master +of whom Fox spake? Might he not flit me at least to the Land of the +Glittering Plain? Woe is me! now am I of that woful company, and I +also must needs cry out, Where is the land? Where is the land?" + +Therewith he turned toward the reef above their lair, but as he went +he thought and said: "Nay, but was not this Stead a lie like the +rest of Fox's tale? and am I not alone in this sea-girt wilderness? +Yea, and even that image of my Beloved which I saw in the dream, +perchance that also was a mere beguiling; for now I see that the Puny +Fox was in all ways wiser than is meet and comely." Yet again he +said: "At least I will seek on, and find out whether there be +another man dwelling on this hapless Isle, and then the worst of it +will be battle with him, and death by point and edge rather than by +hunger; or at the best we may become friends and fellows and deliver +each other." Therewith he came to the reef, and with much ado +climbed to the topmost of its rocks and looked down thence landward: +and betwixt him and the mountains, and by seeming not very far off, +he saw smoke arising: but no house he saw, nor any other token of a +dwelling. So he came down from the stone and turned his back upon +the sea and went toward that smoke with his sword in its sheath, and +his spear over his shoulder. Rough and toilsome was the way: three +little dales he crossed amidst the mountain necks, each one narrow +and bare, with a stream of water amidst, running seaward, and whether +in dale or on ridge, he went ever amidst sand and stones, and the +weeds of the wilderness, and saw no man, or man-tended beast. + +At last, after he had been four hours on the way, but had not gone +very far, he topped a stony bent, and from the brow thereof beheld a +wide valley grass-grown for the more part, with a river running +through it, and sheep and kine and horses feeding up and down it. +And amidst this dale by the stream-side, was a dwelling of men, a +long hall and other houses about it builded of stone. + +Then was Hallblithe glad, and he strode down the bent speedily, his +war-gear clashing upon him: and as he came to the foot thereof and +on to the grass of the dale, he got amongst the pasturing horses, and +passed close by the horse-herd and a woman that was with him. They +scowled at him as he went by, but meddled not with him in any way. +Although they were giant-like of stature and fierce of face, they +were not ill-favoured: they were red-haired, and the woman as white +as cream where the sun had not burned her skin; they had no weapons +that Hallblithe might see save the goad in the hand of the carle. + +So Hallblithe passed on and came to the biggest house, the hall +aforesaid: it was very long, and low as for its length, not over +shapely of fashion, a mere gabled heap of stones. Low and strait was +the door thereinto, and as Hallblithe entered stooping lowly, and the +fire of the steel of his spear that he held before him was quenched +in the mirk of the hall, he smiled and said to himself: "Now if +there were one anigh who would not have me enter alive, and he with a +weapon in his hand, soon were all the tale told." But he got into +the hall unsmitten, and stood on the floor thereof, and spake: "The +sele of the day to whomsoever is herein! Will any man speak to the +new comer?" + +But none answered or gave him greeting; and as his eyes got used to +the dusk of the hall, he looked about him, and neither on the floor +or the high seat nor in any ingle could he see a man; and there was +silence there, save for the crackling of the flickering flame on the +hearth amidmost, and the running of the rats behind the panelling of +the walls. + +On one side of the hall was a row of shut-beds, and Hallblithe deemed +that there might be men therein; but since none had greeted him he +refrained him from searching them for fear of a trap, and he thought, +"I will abide amidst the floor, and if there be any that would deal +with me, friend or foe, let him come hither to me." + +So he fell to walking up and down the hall from buttery to dais, and +his war-gear rattled upon him. At last as he walked he thought he +heard a small thin peevish voice, which yet was too husky for the +squeak of a rat. So he stayed his walk and stood still, and said: +"Will any man speak to Hallblithe, a newcomer, and a stranger in this +Stead?" + +Then that small voice made a word and said: "Why paceth the fool up +and down our hall, doing nothing, even as the Ravens flap croaking +about the crags, abiding the war-mote and the clash of the fallow +blades?" + +Said Hallblithe, and his voice sounded big in the hall: "Who calleth +Hallblithe a fool and mocketh at the sons of the Raven?" + +Spake the voice: "Why cometh not the fool to the man that may not go +to him?" + +Then Hallblithe bent forward to hearken, and he deemed that the voice +came from one of the shut-beds, so he leaned his spear against a +pillar, and went into the shut-bed he had noted, and saw where there +lay along in it a man exceeding old by seeming, sore wasted, with +long hair as white as snow lying over the bed-clothes. + +When the elder saw Hallblithe, he laughed a thin cracked laugh as if +in mockery and said: "Hail newcomer! wilt thou eat?" + +"Yea," said Hallblithe. + +"Go thou into the buttery then," said the old carle, "and there shalt +thou find on the cupboard cakes and curds and cheese: eat thy fill, +and when thou hast done, look in the ingle, and thou shalt see a cask +of mead exceeding good, and a stoup thereby, and two silver cups; +fill the stoup and bring it hither with the cups; and then may we +talk amidst of drinking, which is good for an old carle. Hasten +thou! or I shall deem thee a double fool who will not fare to fetch +his meat, though he be hungry." + +Then Hallblithe laughed, and went down the hall into the buttery and +found the meat, and ate his fill, and came away with the drink back +to the Long-hoary man, who chuckled as he came and said: "Fill up +now for thee and for me, and call a health to me and wish me +somewhat." + +"I wish thee luck," said Hallblithe, and drank. Said the elder: +"And I wish thee more wits; is luck all that thou mayst wish me? +What luck may an outworn elder have?" + +"Well then," quoth Hallblithe, "what shall I wish thee? Wouldst thou +have me wish thee youth?" + +"Yea, certes," said the Long-hoary, "that and nought else." + +"Youth then I wish thee, if it may avail thee aught," said +Hallblithe, and he drank again therewith. + +"Nay, nay," said the old carle peevishly, "take a third cup, and wish +me youth with no idle words tacked thereto." + +Said Hallblithe raising the cup: "Herewith I wish thee youth!" and +he drank. + +"Good is the wish," said the elder; "now ask thou the old carle +whatso thou wilt." + +Said Hallblithe: "What is this land called?" + +"Son," said the other, "hast thou heard it called the Isle of +Ransom?" + +"Yea," said Hallblithe, "but what wilt thou call it?" + +"By no other name," said the hoary carle. + +"It is far from other lands?" said Hallblithe. + +"Yea," said the carle, "when the light winds blow, and the ships sail +slow." + +"What do ye who live here?" said Hallblithe. "How do ye live, what +work win ye?" + +"We win diverse work," said the elder, "but the gainfullest is +robbing men by the high hand." + +"Is it ye who have stolen from me the Hostage of the Rose?" said +Hallblithe. + +Said the Long-hoary, "Maybe; I wot not; in diverse ways my kinsmen +traffic, and they visit many lands. Why should they not have come to +Cleveland also?" + +"Is she in this Isle, thou old runagate?" said Hallblithe. + +"She is not, thou young fool," said the elder. Then Hallblithe +flushed red and spake: "Knowest thou the Puny Fox?" + +"How should I not?" said the carle, "since he is the son of one of my +sons." + +"Dost thou call him a liar and a rogue?" said Hallblithe. + +The elder laughed; "Else were I a fool," said he; "there are few +bigger liars or bigger rogues than the Puny Fox!" + +"Is he here in this Isle?" said Hallblithe; "may I see him?" + +The old man laughed again, and said: "Nay, he is not here, unless he +hath turned fool since yesterday: why should he abide thy sword, +since he hath done what he would and brought thee hither?" + +Then he laughed, as a hen cackles a long while, and then said: "What +more wilt thou ask me?" + +But Hallblithe was very wroth: "It availeth nought to ask," he said; +"and now I am in two minds whether I shall slay thee or not." + +"That were a meet deed for a Raven, but not for a man," said the +carle, "and thou that hast wished me luck! Ask, ask!" + +But Hallblithe was silent a long while. Then the carle said, +"Another cup for the longer after youth!" + +Hallblithe filled, and gave to him, and the old man drank and said: +"Thou deemest us all liars in the Isle of Ransom because of thy +beguiling by the Puny Fox: but therein thou errest. The Puny Fox is +our chiefest liar, and doth for us the more part of such work as we +need: therefore, why should we others lie. Ask, ask!" + +"Well then," said Hallblithe, "why did the Puny Fox bewray me, and at +whose bidding?" + +Said the elder: "I know, but I will not tell thee. Is this a lie?" + +"Nay, I deem it not," said Hallblithe: "But, tell me, is it verily +true that my trothplight is not here, that I may ransom her?" + +Said the Long-hoary: "I swear it by the Treasure of the Sea, that +she is not here: the tale was but a lie of the Puny Fox." + + + +CHAPTER VII: A FEAST IN THE ISLE OF RANSOM + + + +Hallblithe pondered his answer awhile with downcast eyes and said at +last: "Have ye a mind to ransom me, now that I have walked into the +trap?" + +"There is no need to talk of ransom," said the elder; "thou mayst go +out of this house when thou wilt, nor will any meddle with thee if +thou strayest about the Isle, when I have set a mark on thee and +given thee a token: nor wilt thou be hindered if thou hast a mind to +leave the Isle, if thou canst find means thereto; moreover as long as +thou art in the Isle, in this house mayst thou abide, eating and +drinking and resting with us." + +"How then may I leave this Isle?" said Hallblithe. + +The elder laughed: "In a ship," said he. + +"And when," said Hallblithe, "shall I find a ship that shall carry +me?" + +Said the old carle, "Whither wouldest thou my son?" Hallblithe was +silent a while, thinking what answer he should make; then he said: +"I would go to the land of the Glittering Plain." + +"Son, a ship shall not be lacking thee for that voyage," said the +elder. "Thou mayst go to-morrow morn. And I bid thee abide here to- +night, and thy cheer shall not be ill. Yet if thou wilt believe my +word, it will be well for thee to say as little as thou mayst to any +man here, and that little as little proud as maybe: for our folk are +short of temper and thou knowest there is no might against many. +Indeed it is not unlike that they will not speak one word to thee, +and if that be so, thou hast no need to open thy mouth to them. And +now I will tell thee that it is good that thou hast chosen to go to +the Glittering Plain. For if thou wert otherwise minded, I wot not +how thou wouldest get thee a keel to carry thee, and the wings have +not yet begun to sprout on thy shoulders, raven though thou be. Now +I am glad that thou art going thy ways to the Glittering Plain to- +morrow; for thou wilt be good company to me on the way: and I deem +that thou wilt be no churl when thou art glad." + +"What," said Hallblithe, "art thou wending thither, thou old man?" + +"Yea," said he, "nor shall any other be on the ship save thou and I, +and the mariners that waft us; and they forsooth shall not go aland +there. Why should not I go, since there are men to bear me aboard?" + +Said Hallblithe, "And when thou art come aland there, what wilt thou +do?" + +"Thou shalt see, my son," said the Long-hoary. "It may be that thy +good wishes shall be of avail to me. But now since all this may only +be if I live through this night, and since my heart hath been warmed +by the good mead, and thy fellowship, and whereas I am somewhat +sleepy, and it is long past noon, go forth into the hall, and leave +me to sleep, that I may be as sound as eld will let me to-morrow. +And as for thee, folk, both men and women, shall presently come into +the hall, and I deem not that any shall meddle with thee; but if so +be that any challenge thee, whatsoever may be his words, answer thou +to him, 'THE HOUSE OF THE UNDYING,' and there will be an end of it. +Only look thou to it that no naked steel cometh out of thy scabbard. +Go now, and if thou wilt, go out of doors; yet art thou safer within +doors and nigher unto me." + +So Hallblithe went back into the main hall, and the sun had gotten +round now, and was shining into the hall, through the clerestory +windows, so that he saw clearly all that was therein. And he deemed +the hall fairer within than without; and especially over the shut- +beds were many stories carven in the panelling, and Hallblithe beheld +them gladly. But of one thing he marvelled, that whereas he was in +an island of the strong-thieves of the waters, and in their very home +and chiefest habitation, there were no ships or seas pictured in that +imagery, but fair groves and gardens, with flowery grass and fruited +trees all about. And there were fair women abiding therein, and +lovely young men, and warriors, and strange beasts and many marvels, +and the ending of wrath and beginning of pleasure and the crowning of +love. And amidst these was pictured oft and again a mighty king with +a sword by his side and a crown on his head; and ever was he smiling +and joyous, so that Hallblithe, when he looked on him, felt of better +heart and smiled back on the carven image. + +So while Hallblithe looked on these things, and pondered his case +carefully, all alone as he was in that alien hall, he heard a noise +without of talking and laughter, and presently the pattering of feet +therewith, and then women came into the hall, a score or more, some +young, some old, some fair enough, and some hard-featured and +uncomely, but all above the stature of the women whom he had seen in +his own land. + +So he stood amidst the hall-floor and abided them; and they saw him +and his shining war-gear, and ceased their talking and laughter, and +drew round about him, and gazed at him; but none said aught till an +old crone came forth from the ring, and said "Who art thou, standing +under weapons in our hall?" + +He knew not what to answer, and held his peace; and she spake again: +"Whither wouldest thou, what seekest thou?" + +Then answered Hallblithe: "THE HOUSE OF THE UNDYING." + +None answered, and the other women all fell away from him at once, +and went about their business hither and thither through the hall. +But the old crone took him by the hand, and led him up to the dais, +and set him next to the midmost high-seat. Then she made as if she +would do off his war-gear, and he would not gainsay her, though he +deemed that foes might be anear; for in sooth he trusted in the old +carle that he would not bewray him, and moreover he deemed it would +be unmanly not to take the risks of the guesting, according to the +custom of that country. + +So she took his armour and his weapons and bore them off to a shut- +bed next to that wherein lay the ancient man, and she laid the gear +within it, all save the spear, which she laid on the wall-pins above; +and she made signs to him that therein he was to lie; but she spake +no word to him. Then she brought him the hand-washing water in a +basin of latten, and a goodly towel therewith, and when he had washed +she went away from him, but not far. + +This while the other women were busy about the hall; some swept the +floor down, and when it was swept strawed thereon rushes and handfuls +of wild thyme: some went into the buttery and bore forth the boards +and the trestles: some went to the chests and brought out the rich +hangings, the goodly bankers and dorsars, and did them on the walls: +some bore in the stoups and horns and beakers, and some went their +ways and came not back a while, for they were busied about the +cooking. But whatever they did, none hailed him, or heeded him more +than if he had been an image, as he sat there looking on. None save +the old woman who brought him the fore-supper, to wit a great horn of +mead, and cakes and dried fish. + +So was the hall arrayed for the feast very fairly, and Hallblithe sat +there while the sun westered and the house grew dim, and dark at +last, and they lighted the candles up and down the hall. But a +little after these were lit, a great horn was winded close without, +and thereafter came the clatter of arms about the door, and exceeding +tall weaponed men came in, one score and five, and strode two by two +up to the foot of the dais, and stood there in a row. And Hallblithe +deemed their war-gear exceeding good; they were all clad in ring- +locked byrnies, and had steel helms on their heads with garlands of +gold wrought about them and they bore spears in their hands, and +white shields hung at their backs. Now came the women to them and +unarmed them; and under their armour their raiment was black; but +they had gold rings on their arms, and golden collars about their +necks. So they strode up to the dais and took their places on the +high-seat, not heeding Hallblithe any more than if he were an image +of wood. Nevertheless that man sat next to him who was the chieftain +of all and sat in the midmost high-seat; and he bore his sheathed +sword in his hand and laid it on the board before him, and he was the +only man of those chieftains who had a weapon. + +But when these were set down there was again a noise without, and +there came in a throng of men armed and unarmed who took their places +on the end-long benches up and down the hall; with these came women +also, who most of them sat amongst the men, but some busied them with +the serving: all these men were great of stature, but none so big as +the chieftains on the high-seat. + +Now came the women in from the kitchen bearing the meat, whereof no +little was flesh-meat, and all was of the best. Hallblithe was duly +served like the others, but still none spake to him or even looked on +him; though amongst themselves they spoke in big, rough voices so +that the rafters of the hall rang again. + +When they had eaten their fill the women filled round the cups and +the horns to them, and those vessels were both great and goodly. But +ere they fell to drinking uprose the chieftain who sat furthest from +the midmost high-seat on the right and cried a health: "THE TREASURE +OF THE SEA!" Then they all stood up and shouted, women as well as +men, and emptied their horns and cups to that health. Then stood up +the man furthest on the left and cried out, "Drink a health to the +Undying King!" And again all men rose up and shouted ere they drank. +Other healths they drank, as the "Cold Keel," the "Windworn Sail," +the "Quivering Ash" and the "Furrowed Beach." And the wine and mead +flowed like rivers in that hall of the Wild Men. As for Hallblithe, +he drank what he would but stood not up, nor raised his cup to his +lips when a health was drunk; for he knew not whether these men were +his friends or his foes, and he deemed it would be little-minded to +drink to their healths, lest he might be drinking death and confusion +to his own kindred. + +But when men had drunk a while, again a horn blew at the nether end +of the hall, and straightway folk arose from the endlong tables, and +took away the boards and trestles, and cleared the floor and stood +against the wall; then the big chieftain beside Hallblithe arose and +cried out: "Now let man dance with maid, and be we merry! Music, +strike up!" Then flew the fiddle-bows and twanged the harps, and the +carles and queens stood forth on the floor; and all the women were +clad in black raiment, albeit embroidered with knots and wreaths of +flowers. A while they danced and then suddenly the music fell, and +they all went back to their places. Then the chieftain in the high- +seat arose and took a horn from his side, and blew a great blast on +it that filled the hall; then he cried in a loud voice: "Be we +merry! Let the champions come forth!" + +Men shouted gleefully thereat, and straightway ran into the hall from +out the screens three tall men clad all in black armour with naked +swords in their hands, and stood amidst the hall-floor, somewhat on +one side, and clashed their swords on their shields and cried out: +"Come forth ye Champions of the Raven!" + +Then leapt Hallblithe from his seat and set his hand to his left +side, but no sword was there; so he sat down again, remembering the +warning of the Elder, and none heeded him. + +Then there came into the hall slowly and mournfully three men-at- +arms, clad and weaponed like the warriors of his folk, with the image +of the Raven on their helms and shields. So Hallblithe refrained +him, for besides that this seemed like to be a fair battle of three +against three, he doubted some snare, and he determined to look on +and abide. + +So the champions fell to laying on strokes that were no child's play, +though Hallblithe doubted if the edges bit, and it was but a little +while before the Champions of the Raven fell one after another before +the Wild Men, and folk drew them by the heels out into the buttery. +Then arose great laughter and jeering, and exceeding wroth was +Hallblithe; howbeit he refrained him because he remembered all he had +to do. But the three Champions of the Sea strode round the hall, +tossing up their swords and catching them as they fell, while the +horns blew up behind them. + +After a while the hall grew hushed, and the chieftain arose and +cried: "Bring in now some sheaves of the harvest we win, we lads of +the oar and the arrow!" Then was there a stir at the screen doors, +and folk pressed forward to see, and, lo, there came forward a string +of women, led in by two weaponed carles; and the women were a score +in number, and they were barefoot and their hair hung loose and their +gowns were ungirt, and they were chained together wrist to wrist; yet +had they gold at arm and neck: there was silence in the hall when +they stood amidst of the floor. + +Then indeed Hallblithe could not refrain himself, and he leapt from +his seat and on to the board, and over it, and ran down the hall, and +came to those women and looked them in the face one by one, while no +man spake in the hall. But the Hostage was not amongst them; nay +forsooth, they none of them favoured of the daughters of his people, +though they were comely and fair; so that again Hallblithe doubted if +this were aught but a feast-hall play done to anger him; whereas +there was but little grief in the faces of those damsels, and more +than one of them smiled wantonly in his face as he looked on them. + +So he turned about and went back to his seat, having said no word, +and behind him arose much mocking and jeering; but it angered him +little now; for he remembered the rede of the elder and how that he +had done according to his bidding, so that he deemed the gain was +his. So sprang up talk in the hall betwixt man and man, and folk +drank about and were merry, till the chieftain arose again and smote +the board with the flat of his sword, and cried out in a loud and +angry voice, so that all could hear: "Now let there be music and +minstrelsy ere we wend bedward!" + +Therewith fell the hubbub of voices, and there came forth three men +with great harps, and a fourth man with them, who was the minstrel; +and the harpers smote their harps so that the roof rang therewith, +and the noise, though it was great, was tuneable, and when they had +played thus a little while, they abated their loudness somewhat, and +the minstrel lifted his voice and sang: + + +The land lies black +With winter's lack, +The wind blows cold +Round field and fold; +All folk are within, +And but weaving they win. +Where from finger to finger the shuttle flies fast, +And the eyes of the singer look fain on the cast, +As he singeth the story of summer undone +And the barley sheaves hoary ripe under the sun. + +Then the maidens stay +The light-hung sley, +And the shuttles bide +By the blue web's side, +While hand in hand +With the carles they stand. +But ere to the measure the fiddles strike up, +And the elders yet treasure the last of the cup, +There stand they a-hearkening the blast from the lift, +And e'en night is a-darkening more under the drift. + +There safe in the hall +They bless the wall, +And the roof o'er head, +Of the valiant stead; +And the hands they praise +Of the olden days. +Then through the storm's roaring the fiddles break out, +And they think not of warring, but cast away doubt, +And, man before maiden, their feet tread the floor, +And their hearts are unladen of all that they bore. + +But what winds are o'er-cold +For the heart of the bold? +What seas are o'er-high +For the undoomed to die? +Dark night and dread wind, +But the haven we find. +Then ashore mid the flurry of stone-washing surf! +Cloud-hounds the moon worry, but light lies the turf; +Lo the long dale before us! the lights at the end, +Though the night darkens o'er us, bid whither to wend. + +Who beateth the door +By the foot-smitten floor? +What guests are these +From over the seas? +Take shield and sword +For their greeting-word. +Lo, lo, the dance ended! Lo, midst of the hall +The fallow blades blended! Lo, blood on the wall! +Who liveth, who dieth? O men of the sea, +For peace the folk crieth; our masters are ye. + +Now the dale lies grey +At the dawn of day; +And fair feet pass +O'er the wind-worn grass; +And they turn back to gaze +On the roof of old days. +Come tread ye the oaken-floored hall of the sea! +Be your hearts yet unbroken; so fair as ye be, +That kings are abiding unwedded to gain +The news of our riding the steeds of the main. + + +Much shouting and laughter arose at the song's end; and men sprang up +and waved their swords above the cups, while Hallblithe sat scowling +down on their merriment. Lastly arose the chieftain and called out +loudly for the good-night cup, and it went round and all men drank. +Then the horn blew for bed, and the chieftains went to their +chambers, and the others went to the out-bowers or laid them down on +the hall-floor, and in a little while none stood upright thereon. So +Hallblithe arose, and went to the shut-bed appointed for him, and +laid him down and slept dreamlessly till the morning. + + + +CHAPTER VIII: HALLBLITHE TAKETH SHIP AGAIN AWAY FROM THE ISLE OF +RANSOM + + + +When he awoke, the sun shone into the hall by the windows above the +buttery, and there were but few folk left therein. But so soon as +Hallblithe was clad, the old woman came to him, and took him by the +hand, and led him to the board, and signed to him to eat of what was +thereon; and he did so; and by then he was done, came folk who went +into the shut-bed where lay the Long-hoary, and they brought him +forth bed and all and bare him out a-doors. Then the crone brought +Hallblithe his arms and he did on byrny and helm, girt his sword to +his side, took his spear in his hand and went out a-doors; and there +close by the porch lay the Long-hoary upon a horse-litter. So +Hallblithe came up to him and gave him the sele of the day: and the +elder said: "Good morrow, son, I am glad to see thee. Did they try +thee hard last night?" + +And Hallblithe saw two of the carles that had borne out the elder, +that they were talking together, and they looked on him and laughed +mockingly; so he said to the elder: "Even fools may try a wise man, +and so it befell last night. Yet, as thou seest, mumming hath not +slain me." + +Said the old man: "What thou sawest was not all mumming; it was done +according to our customs; and well nigh all of it had been done, even +hadst thou not been there. Nay, I will tell thee; at some of our +feasts it is not lawful to eat either for the chieftains or the +carles, till a champion hath given forth a challenge, and been +answered and met, and the battle fought to an end. But ye men, what +hindereth you to go to the horses' heads and speed on the road the +chieftain who is no longer way-worthy?" + +So they ran to the horses and set down the dale by the riverside, and +just as Hallblithe was going to follow afoot, there came a swain from +behind the house leading a red horse which he brought to Hallblithe +as one who bids mount. So Hallblithe leapt into the saddle and at +once caught up with the litter of the Long-hoary down along the +river. They passed by no other house, save here and there a cot +beside some fold or byre; they went easily, for the way was smooth by +the river-side; so in less than two hours they came where the said +river ran into the sea. There was no beach there, for the water was +ten fathom deep close up to the lip of the land; but there was a +great haven land-locked all but a narrow outgate betwixt the sheer +black cliffs. Many a great ship might have lain in that haven; but +as now there was but one lying there, a round-ship not very great, +but exceeding trim and meet for the sea. + +There without more ado the carles took the elder from the litter and +bore him aboard, and Hallblithe followed him as if he had been so +appointed. They laid the old man adown on the poop under a tilt of +precious web, and so went aback by the way that they had come; and +Hallblithe went and sat down beside the Long-hoary, who spake to him +and said: "Seest thou, son, how easy it is for us twain to be +shipped for the land whither we would go? But as easy as it is for +thee to go thither whereas we are going, just so hard had it been for +thee to go elsewhere. Moreover I must tell thee that though many an +one of the Isle of Ransom desireth to go this voyage, there shall +none else go, till the world is a year older, and he who shall go +then shall be likest to me in all ways, both in eld and in +feebleness, and in gibing speech, and all else; and now that I am +gone, his name shall be the same as that whereby ye may call me to- +day, and that is Grandfather. Art thou glad or sorry, Hallblithe?" + +"Grandfather," said Hallblithe, "I can scarce tell thee: I move as +one who hath no will to wend one way or other. Meseems I am drawn to +go thither whereas we are going; therefore I deem that I shall find +my beloved on the Glittering Plain: and whatever befalleth +afterward, let it be as it will!" + +"Tell me, my son," said the Grandfather, "how many women are there in +the world?" + +"How may I tell thee?" said Hallblithe. + +"Well, then," said the elder, "how many exceeding fair women are +there?" + +Said Hallblithe, "Indeed I wot not." + +"How many of such hast thou seen?" said the Grandfather. + +"Many," said Hallblithe; "the daughters of my folk are fair, and +there will be many other such amongst the aliens." + +Then laughed the elder, and said: "Yet, my son, he who had been thy +fellow since thy sundering from thy beloved, would have said that in +thy deeming there is but one woman in the world; or at least one fair +woman: is it not so?" + +Then Hallblithe reddened at first, as though he were angry; then he +said: "Yea, it is so." + +Said the Grandfather in a musing way: "I wonder if before long I +shall think of it as thou dost." + +Then Hallblithe gazed at him marvelling, and studied to see wherein +lay the gibe against himself; and the Grandfather beheld him, and +laughed as well as he might, and said: "Son, son; didst thou not +wish me youth?" + +"Yea," said Hallblithe, "but what ails thee to laugh so? What is it +I have said or done?" + +"Nought, nought," said the elder, laughing still more, "only thou +lookest so mazed. And who knoweth what thy wish may bring forth?" + +Thereat was Hallblithe sore puzzled; but while he set himself to +consider what the old carle might mean, uprose the hale and how of +the mariners; they cast off the hawsers from the shore, ran out the +sweeps, and drave the ship through the haven-gates. It was a bright +sunny day; within, the green water was oily-smooth, without the +rippling waves danced merrily under a light breeze, and Hallblithe +deemed the wind to be fair; for the mariners shouted joyously and +made all sail on the ship; and she lay over and sped through the +waves, casting off the seas from her black bows. Soon were they +clear of those swart cliffs, and it was but a little afterwards that +the Isle of Ransom was grown deep blue behind them and far away. + + + +CHAPTER IX: THEY COME TO THE LAND OF THE GLITTERING PLAIN + + + +As in the hall, so in the ship, Hallblithe noted that the folk were +merry and of many words one with another, while to him no man cast a +word save the Grandfather. As to Hallblithe, though he wondered much +what all this betokened, and what the land was whereto he was +wending, he was no man to fear an unboded peril; and he said to +himself that whatever else betid, he should meet the Hostage on the +Glittering Plain; so his heart rose and he was of good cheer, and as +the Grandfather had foretold, he was a merry faring-fellow to him. +Many a gibe the old man cast at him, and whiles Hallblithe gave him +back as good as he took, and whiles he laughed as the stroke went +home and silenced him; and whiles he understood nought of what the +elder said. So wore the day and still the wind held fair, though it +was light; and the sun set in a sky nigh cloudless, and there was +nowhere any forecast of peril. But when night was come, Hallblithe +lay down on a fair bed, which was dight for him in the poop, and he +soon fell asleep and dreamed not save such dreams as are but made up +of bygone memories, and betoken nought, and are not remembered. + +When he awoke, day lay broad on the sea, and the waves were little, +the sky had but few clouds, the sun shone bright, and the air was +warm and sweet-breathed. + +He looked aside and saw the old man sitting up in his bed, as ghastly +as a dead man dug up again: his bushy eyebrows were wrinkled over +his bleared old eyes, the long white hair dangled forlorn from his +gaunt head: yet was his face smiling and he looked as happy as the +soul within him could make the half-dead body. He turned now to +Hallblithe and said: + +"Thou art late awake: hadst thou been waking earlier, the sooner had +thine heart been gladdened. Go forward now, and gaze thy fill and +come and tell me thereof." + +"Thou art happy, Grandfather," said Hallblithe, "what good tidings +hath morn brought us?" + +"The Land! the Land!" said the Long-hoary; "there are no longer tears +in this old body, else should I be weeping for joy." + +Said Hallblithe: "Art thou going to meet some one who shall make +thee glad before thou diest, old man?" + +"Some one?" said the elder; "what one? Are they not all gone? +burned, and drowned, and slain and died abed? Some one, young man? +Yea, forsooth some one indeed! Yea, the great warrior of the Wasters +of the Shore; the Sea-eagle who bore the sword and the torch and the +terror of the Ravagers over the coal-blue sea. It is myself, MYSELF +that I shall find on the Land of the Glittering Plain, O young +lover!" + +Hallblithe looked on him wondering as he raised his wasted arms +towards the bows of the ship pitching down the slope of the sunlit +sea, or climbing up it. Then again the old man fell back on his bed +and muttered: "What fool's work is this! that thou wilt draw me on +to talk loud, and waste my body with lack of patience. I will talk +with thee no more, lest my heart swell and break, and quench the +little spark of life within me." + +Then Hallblithe arose to his feet, and stood looking at him, +wondering so much at his words, that for a while he forgat the land +which they were nearing, though he had caught glimpses of it, as the +bows of the round-ship fell downward into the hollow of the sea. The +wind was but light, as hath been said, and the waves little under it, +but there was still a smooth swell of the sea which came of breezes +now dead, and the ship wallowed thereon and sailed but slowly. + +In a while the old man opened his eyes again, and said in a low +peevish voice: "Why standest thou staring at me? why hast thou not +gone forward to look upon the land? True it is that ye Ravens are +short of wits." + +Said Hallblithe: "Be not wrath, chieftain; I was wondering at thy +words, which are exceeding marvellous; tell me more of this land of +the Glittering Plain." + +Said the Grandfather: "Why should I tell it thee? ask of the +mariners. They all know more than thou dost." + +"Thou knowest," said Hallblithe, "that these men speak not to me, and +take no more heed of me than if I were an image which they were +carrying to sell to the next mighty man they may hap on. Or tell me, +thou old man," said he fiercely, "is it perchance a thrall-market +whereto they are bringing me? Have they sold her there, and will +they sell me also in the same place, but into other hands." + +"Tush!" said the Grandfather somewhat feebly, "this last word of +thine is folly; there is no buying or selling in the land whereto we +are bound. As to thine other word, that these men have no fellowship +with thee, it is true: thou art my fellow and the fellow of none +else aboard. Therefore if I feel might in me, maybe I will tell thee +somewhat." + +Then he raised his head a little and said: "The sun grows hot, the +wind faileth us, and slow and slow are we sailing." + +Even as he spoke there was a stir amidships, and Hallblithe looked +and beheld the mariners handling the sweeps, and settling themselves +on the rowing-benches. Said the elder: "There is noise amidships, +what are they doing?" + +The old man raised himself a little again, and cried out in his +shrill voice: "Good lads! brave lads! Thus would we do in the old +time when we drew anear some shore, and the beacons were sending up +smoke by day, and flame benights; and the shore-abiders did on their +helms and trembled. Thrust her through, lads! Thrust her along!" +Then he fell back again, and said in a weak voice: "Make no more +delay, guest, but go forward and look upon the land, and come back +and tell me thereof, and then the tale may flow from me. Haste, +haste!" So Hallblithe went down from the poop, and in to the waist, +where now the rowers were bending to their oars, and crying out +fiercely as they tugged at the quivering ash; and he clomb on to the +forecastle and went forward right to the dragon-head, and gazed long +upon the land, while the dashing of the oar-blades made the semblance +of a gale about the ship's black sides. Then he came back again to +the Sea-eagle, who said to him: "Son, what hast thou seen?" + +"Right ahead lieth the land, and it is still a good way off. High +rise the mountains there, but by seeming there is no snow on them; +and though they be blue they are not blue like the mountains of the +Isle of Ransom. Also it seemed to me as if fair slopes of woodland +and meadow come down to the edge of the sea. But it is yet far +away." + +"Yea," said the elder, "is it so? Then will I not wear myself with +making words for thee. I will rest rather, and gather might. Come +again when an hour hath worn, and tell me what thou seest; and may +happen then thou shalt have my tale!" And he laid him down therewith +and seemed to be asleep at once. And Hallblithe might not amend it; +so he waited patiently till the hour had worn, and then went forward +again, and looked long and carefully, and came back and said to the +Sea-eagle, "The hour is worn." + +The old chieftain turned himself about and said "What hast thou seen? + +Said Hallblithe: "The mountains are pale and high, and below them +are hills dark with wood, and betwixt them and the sea is a fair +space of meadowland, and methought it was wide." + +Said the old man: "Sawest thou a rocky skerry rising high out of the +sea anigh the shore?" + +"Nay," said Hallblithe, "if there be, it is all blended with the +meadows and the hills." + +Said the Sea-eagle: "Abide the wearing of another hour, and come and +tell me again, and then I may have a gainful word for thee." And he +fell asleep again. But Hallblithe abided, and when the hour was +worn, he went forward and stood on the forecastle. And this was the +third shift of the rowers, and the stoutest men in the ship now held +the oars in their hands, and the ship shook through all her length +and breadth as they drave her over the waters. + +So Hallblithe came aft to the old man and found him asleep; so he +took him by the shoulder, and shook him and said: "Awake, faring- +fellow, for the land is a-nigh." + +So the old man sat up and said: "What hast thou seen?" + +Said Hallblithe: "I have seen the peaks and cliffs of the far-off +mountains; and below them are hills green with grass and dark with +woods, and thence stretch soft green meadows down to the sea-strand, +which is fair and smooth, and yellow." + +"Sawest thou the skerry?" said the Sea-eagle. + +"Yea, I saw it," said Hallblithe, "and it rises sheer from out the +sea about a mile from the yellow strand; but its rocks are black, +like the rocks of the Isle of Ransom." + +"Son," said the elder, "give me thine hands and raise me up a +little." So Hallblithe took him and raised him up, so that he sat +leaning against the pillows; and he looked not on Hallblithe, but on +the bows of the ship, which now pitched but a little up and down, for +the sea was laid quiet now. Then he cried in his shrill, piping +voice: "It is the Land! It is the Land!" + +But after a little while he turned to Hallblithe and spake: "Short +is the tale to tell: thou hast wished me youth, and thy wish hath +thriven; for to-day, ere the sun goes down, thou shalt see me as I +was in the days when I reaped the harvest of the sea with sharp sword +and hardy heart. For this is the land of the Undying King, who is +our lord and our gift-giver; and to some he giveth the gift of youth +renewed, and life that shall abide here the Gloom of the Gods. But +none of us all may come to the Glittering Plain and the King Undying +without turning the back for the last time on the Isle of Ransom: +nor may any men of the Isle come hither save those who are of the +House of the Sea-eagle, and few of those, save the chieftains of the +House, such as are they who sat by thee on the high-seat that even. +Of these once in a while is chosen one of us, who is old and spent +and past battle, and is borne to this land and the gift of the +Undying. Forsooth some of us have no will to take the gift, for they +say they are liefer to go to where they shall meet more of our +kindred than dwell on the Glittering Plain and the Acre of the +Undying; but as for me I was ever an overbearing and masterful man, +and meseemeth it is well that I meet as few of our kindred as may be: +for they are a strifeful race." + +Hereat Hallblithe marvelled exceedingly, and he said: "And what am I +in all this story? Why am I come hither with thy furtherance?" + +Said the Sea-eagle: "We had a charge from the Undying King +concerning thee, that we should bring thee hither alive and well, if +so be thou camest to the Isle of Ransom. For what cause we had the +charge, I know not, nor do I greatly heed." + +Said Hallblithe: "And shall I also have that gift of undying youth, +and life while the world of men and gods endureth?" + +"I must needs deem so," said the Sea-eagle, "so long as thou abidest +on the Glittering Plain; and I see not how thou mayst ever escape +thence." + +Now Hallblithe heard him, how he said "escape," and thereat he was +somewhat ill at ease, and stood and pondered a little. At last he +said: "Is this then all that thou hast to tell me concerning the +Glittering Plain?" + +"By the Treasure of the Sea!" said the elder, "I know no more of it. +The living shall learn. But I suppose that thou mayst seek thy +troth-plight maiden there all thou wilt. Or thou mayst pray the +Undying King to have her thither to thee. What know I? At least, it +is like that there shall be no lack of fair women there: or else the +promise of youth renewed is nought and vain. Shall this not be +enough for thee?" + +"Nay," said Hallblithe. + +"What," said the elder, "must it be one woman only?" + +"One only," said Hallblithe. + +The old man laughed his thin mocking laugh, and said: "I will not +assure thee but that the land of the Glittering Plain shall change +all that for thee so soon as it touches the soles of thy feet." + +Hallblithe looked at him steadily and smiled, and said: "Well is it +then that I shall find the Hostage there; for then shall we be of one +mind, either to sunder or to cleave together. It is well with me +this day." + +"And with me it shall be well ere long," said the Sea-eagle. + +But now the rowers ceased rowing and lay on their oars, and the +shipmen cast anchor; for they were but a bowshot from the shore, and +the ship swung with the tide and lay side-long to the shore. Then +said the Sea-eagle: "Look forth, shipmate, and tell me of the land." + +And Hallblithe looked and said: "The yellow beach is sandy and +shell-strewn, as I deem, and there is no great space of it betwixt +the sea and the flowery grass; and a bowshot from the strand I see a +little wood amidst which are fair trees blossoming." + +"Seest thou any folk on the shore?" said the old man. "Yea," said +Hallblithe, "close to the edge of the sea go four; and by seeming +three are women, for their long gowns flutter in the wind. And one +of these is clad in saffron colour, and another in white, and another +in watchet; but the carle is clad in dark red; and their raiment is +all glistening as with gold and gems; and by seeming they are looking +at our ship as though they expected somewhat." + +Said the Sea-eagle: "Why now do the shipmen tarry and have not made +ready the skiff? Swillers and belly-gods they be; slothful swine +that forget their chieftain." + +But even as he spake came four of the shipmen, and without more ado +took him up, bed and all, and bore him down into the waist of the +ship, whereunder lay the skiff with four strong rowers lying on their +oars. These men made no sign to Hallblithe, nor took any heed of +him; but he caught up his spear, and followed them and stood by as +they lowered the old man into the boat. Then he set his foot on the +gunwale of the ship and leapt down lightly into the boat, and none +hindered or helped him; and he stood upright in the boat, a goodly +image of battle with the sun flashing back from his bright helm, his +spear in his hand, his white shield at his back, and thereon the +image of the Raven; but if he had been but a salt-boiling carle of +the sea-side none would have heeded him less. + + + +CHAPTER X: THEY HOLD CONVERSE WITH FOLK OF THE GLITTERING PLAIN + + + +Now the rowers lifted the ash-blades, and fell to rowing towards +shore: and almost with the first of their strokes, the Sea-eagle +moaned out: + +"Would we were there, oh, would we were there! Cold groweth eld +about my heart. Raven's Son, thou art standing up; tell me if thou +canst see what these folk of the land are doing, and if any others +have come thither?" + +Said Hallblithe: "There are none others come, but kine and horses +are feeding down the meadows. As to what those four are doing, the +women are putting off their shoon, and girding up their raiment, as +if they would wade the water toward us; and the carle, who was +barefoot before, wendeth straight towards the sea, and there he +standeth, for very little are the waves become." + +The old man answered nothing, and did but groan for lack of patience; +but presently when the water was yet waist deep the rowers stayed the +skiff, and two of them slipped over the gunwale into the sea, and +between them all they took up the chieftain on his bed and got him +forth from the boat and went toward the strand with him; and the +landsfolk met them where the water was shallower, and took him from +their hands and bore him forth on to the yellow sand, and laid him +down out of reach of the creeping ripple of the tide. Hallblithe +withal slipped lightly out of the boat and waded the water after +them. But the shipmen rowed back again to their ship, and presently +Hallblithe heard the hale and how, as they got up their anchor. + +But when Hallblithe was come ashore, and was drawn near the folk of +the land, the women looked at him askance, and they laughed and said: +"Welcome to thee also, O young man!" And he beheld them, and saw +that they were of the stature of the maidens of his own land; they +were exceeding fair of skin and shapely of fashion, so that the +nakedness of their limbs under their girded gowns, and all glistening +with the sea, was most lovely and dainty to behold. But Hallblithe +knelt by the Sea-eagle to note how he fared, and said: "How is it +with thee, O chieftain?" + +The old man answered not a word, and he seemed to be asleep, and +Hallblithe deemed that his cheeks were ruddier and his skin less +wasted and wrinkled than aforetime. Then spake one of those women: +"Fear not, young man; he is well and will soon be better." Her voice +was as sweet as a spring bird in the morning; she was white-skinned +and dark-haired, and full sweetly fashioned; and she laughed on +Hallblithe, but not mockingly; and her fellows also laughed, as +though it was strange for him to be there. Then they did on their +shoon again, and with the carle laid their hands to the bed whereon +the old man lay, and lifted him up, and bore him forth on to the +grass, turning their faces toward the flowery wood aforesaid; and +they went a little way and then laid him down again and rested; and +so on little by little, till they had brought him to the edge of the +wood, and still he seemed to be asleep. Then the damsel who had +spoken before, she with the dark hair, said to Hallblithe, "Although +we have gazed on thee as if with wonder, this is not because we did +not look to meet thee, but because thou art so fair and goodly a man: +so abide thou here till we come back to thee from out of the wood." + +Therewith she stroked his hand, and with her fellows lifted the old +man once more, and they bore him out of sight into the thicket. + +But Hallblithe went to and fro a dozen paces from the wood, and +looked across the flowery meads and deemed he had never seen any so +fair. And afar off toward the hills he saw a great roof arising, and +thought he could see men also; and nigher to him were kine pasturing, +and horses also, whereof some drew anear him and stretched out their +necks and gazed at him; and they were goodly after their kind; and a +fair stream of water came round the corner out of the wood and down +the meadows to the sea; and Hallblithe went thereto and could see +that there was but little ebb and flow of the tide on that shore; for +the water of the stream was clear as glass, and the grass and flowers +grew right down to its water; so he put off his helm and drank of the +stream and washed his face and his hands therein, and then did on his +helm again and turned back again toward the wood, feeling very strong +and merry; and he looked out seaward and saw the Ship of the Isle of +Ransom lessening fast; for a little land wind had arisen and they had +spread their sails to it; and he laid down on the grass till the four +folk of the country came out of the wood again, after they had been +gone somewhat less than an hour, but the Sea-eagle was not with them: +and Hallblithe rose up and turned to them, and the carle saluted him +and departed, going straight toward that far-away roof he had seen; +and the women were left with Hallblithe, and they looked at him and +he at them as he stood leaning on his spear. + +Then said the black-haired damsel: "True it is, O Spearman, that if +we did not know of thee, our wonder would be great that a man so +young and lucky-looking should have sought hither." + +"I wot not why thou shouldest wonder," said Hallblithe; "I will tell +thee presently wherefore I come hither. But tell me, is this the +Land of the Glittering Plain?" + +"Even so," said the damsel, "dost thou not see how the sun shineth on +it? Just so it shineth in the season that other folks call winter." + +"Some such marvel I thought to hear of," said he; "for I have been +told that the land is marvellous; and fair though these meadows be, +they are not marvellous to look on now: they are like other lands, +though it maybe, fairer." + +"That may be," she said; "we have nought but hearsay of other lands. +If we ever knew them we have forgotten them." + +Said Hallblithe, "Is this land called also the Acre of the Undying?" + +As he spake the words the smile faded from the damsel's face; she and +her fellows grew pale, and she said: "Hold thy peace of such words! +They are not lawful for any man to utter here. Yet mayst thou call +it the Land of the Living." + +He said: "I crave pardon for the rash word." + +Then they smiled again, and drew near to him, and caressed him with +their hands, and looked on him lovingly; but he drew a little aback +from them and said: "I have come hither seeking something which I +have lost, the lack whereof grieveth me." + +Quoth the damsel, drawing nearer to him again, "Mayst thou find it, +thou lovely man, and whatsoever else thou desirest." + +Then he said: "Hath a woman named the Hostage been brought hither of +late days? A fair woman, bright-haired and grey-eyed, kind of +countenance, soft of speech, yet outspoken and nought timorous; tall +according to our stature, but very goodly of fashion; a woman of the +House of the Rose, and my troth-plight maiden." + +They looked on each other and shook their heads, and the black-haired +damsel spake: "We know of no such a woman, nor of the kindred which +thou namest." + +Then his countenance fell, and became piteous with desire and grief, +and he bent his brows upon them, for they seemed to him light-minded +and careless, though they were lovely. + +But they shrank from him trembling, and drew aback; for they had all +been standing close to him, beholding him with love, and she who had +spoken most had been holding his left hand fondly. But now she said: +"Nay, look not on us so bitterly! If the woman be not in the land, +this cometh not of our malice. Yet maybe she is here. For such as +come hither keep not their old names, and soon forget them what they +were. Thou shalt go with us to the King, and he shall do for thee +what thou wilt; for he is exceeding mighty." + +Then was Hallblithe appeased somewhat; and he said: "Are there many +women in the land?" + +"Yea, many," said that damsel. + +"And many that are as fair as ye be?" said he. Then they laughed and +were glad, and drew near to him again and took his hands and kissed +them; and the black-haired damsel said: "Yea, yea, there be many as +fair as we be, and some fairer," and she laughed. + +"And that King of yours," said he, "how do ye name him?" + +"He is the King," said the damsel. + +"Hath he no other name?" said Hallblithe. + +"We may not utter it," she said; "but thou shalt see him soon, that +there is nought but good in him and mightiness." + + + +CHAPTER XI: THE SEA-EAGLE RENEWETH HIS LIFE + + + +But while they spake together thus, came a man from out of the wood +very tall of stature, red-bearded and black-haired, ruddy-cheeked, +full-limbed, most joyous of aspect; a man by seeming of five and +thirty winters. He strode straight up to Hallblithe, and cast his +arms about him, and kissed his cheek, as if he had been an old and +dear friend newly come from over seas. + +Hallblithe wondered and laughed, and said: "Who art thou that +deemest me so dear?" + +Said the man: "Short is thy memory, Son of the Raven, that thou in +so little space hast forgotten thy shipmate and thy faring-fellow; +who gave thee meat and drink and good rede in the Hall of the +Ravagers." Therewith he laughed joyously and turned about to the +three maidens and took them by the hands and kissed their lips, while +they fawned upon him lovingly. + +Then said Hallblithe: "Hast thou verily gotten thy youth again, +which thou badest me wish thee?" + +"Yea, in good sooth," said the red-bearded man; "I am the Sea-eagle +of old days; and I have gotten my youth, and love therewithal, and +somewhat to love moreover." + +Therewith he turned to the fairest of the damsels, and she was white- +skinned and fragrant as the lily, rose-cheeked and slender, and the +wind played with the long locks of her golden hair, which hung down +below her knees; so he cast his arms about her and strained her to +his bosom, and kissed her face many times, and she nothing loth, but +caressing him with lips and hand. But the other two damsels stood by +smiling and joyous: and they clapped their hands together and kissed +each other for joy of the new lover; and at last fell to dancing and +skipping about them like young lambs in the meadows of Spring-tide. +But amongst them all, stood up Hallblithe leaning on his spear with +smiling lips and knitted brow; for he was pondering in his mind in +what wise he might further his quest. + +But after they had danced a while the Sea-eagle left his love that he +had chosen and took a hand of either of the two damsels, and led them +tripping up to Hallblithe, and cried out: "Choose thou, Raven's +baby, which of these twain thou wilt have to thy mate; for scarcely +shalt thou see better or fairer." + +But Hallblithe looked on them proudly and sternly, and the black- +haired damsel hung down her head before him and said softly: "Nay, +nay, sea-warrior; this one is too lovely to be our mate. Sweeter +love abides him, and lips more longed for." + +Then stirred Hallblithe's heart within him and he said: "O Eagle of +the Sea, thou hast thy youth again: what then wilt thou do with it? +Wilt thou not weary for the moonlit main, and the washing of waves +and the dashing of spray, and thy fellows all glistening with the +brine? Where now shall be the alien shores before thee, and the +landing for fame, and departure for the gain of goods? Wilt thou +forget the ship's black side, and the dripping of the windward oars, +as the squall falleth on when the sun hath arisen, and the sail +tuggeth hard on the sheet, and the ship lieth over and the lads shout +against the whistle of the wind? Has the spear fallen from thine +hand, and hast thou buried the sword of thy fathers in the grave from +which thy body hath escaped? What art thou, O Warrior, in the land +of the alien and the King? Who shall heed thee or tell the tale of +thy glory, which thou hast covered over with the hand of a light +woman, whom thy kindred knoweth not, and who was not born in a house +wherefrom it hath been appointed thee from of old to take the +pleasure of woman? Whose thrall art thou now, thou lifter of the +spoil, thou scarer of the freeborn? The bidding of what lord or King +wilt thou do, O Chieftain, that thou mayst eat thy meat in the +morning and lie soft in thy bed in the evening?" + +"O Warrior of the Ravagers, here stand I, Hallblithe of the Raven, +and I am come into an alien land beset with marvels to seek mine own, +and find that which is dearest to mine heart; to wit, my troth-plight +maiden the Hostage of the Rose, the fair woman who shall lie in my +bed, and bear me children, and stand by me in field and fold, by +thwart and gunwale, before the bow and the spear, by the flickering +of the cooking-fire, and amidst the blaze of the burning hall, and +beside the bale-fire of the warrior of the Raven. O Sea-eagle, my +guester amongst the foemen, my fellow-farer and shipmate, say now +once for all whether thou wilt help me in my quest, or fall off from +me as a dastard?" + +Again the maidens shrank before his clear and high-raised voice, and +they trembled and grew pale. + +But the Sea-eagle laughed from a countenance kind with joy, and said: +"Child of the Raven, thy words are good and manly: but it availeth +nought in this land, and I wot not how thou wilt fare, or why thou +hast been sent amongst us. What wilt thou do? Hadst thou spoken +these words to the Long-hoary, the Grandfather, yesterday, his ears +would have been deaf to them; and now that thou speakest them to the +Sea-eagle, this joyous man on the Glittering Plain, he cannot do +according to them, for there is no other land than this which can +hold him. Here he is strong and stark, and full of joy and love; but +otherwhere he would be but a gibbering ghost drifting down the wind +of night. Therefore in whatsoever thou mayst do within this land I +will stand by thee and help thee; but not one inch beyond it may my +foot go, whether it be down into the brine of the sea, or up into the +clefts of the mountains which are the wall of this goodly land. + +"Thou hast been my shipmate and I love thee, I am thy friend; but +here in this land must needs be the love and the friendship. For no +ghost can love thee, no ghost may help thee. And as to what thou +sayest concerning the days gone past and our joys upon the tumbling +sea, true it is that those days were good and lovely; but they are +dead and gone like the lads who sat on the thwart beside us, and the +maidens who took our hands in the hall to lead us to the chamber. +Other days have come in their stead, and other friends shall cherish +us. What then? Shall we wound the living to pleasure the dead, who +cannot heed it? Shall we curse the Yuletide, and cast foul water on +the Holy Hearth of the winter feast, because the summer once was fair +and the days flit and the times change? Now let us be glad! For +life liveth." + +Therewith he turned about to his damsel and kissed her on the mouth. +But Hallblithe's face was grown sad and stern, and he spake slowly +and heavily: "So is it, shipmate, that whereas thou sayest that the +days flit, for thee they shall flit no more; and the day may come for +thee when thou shalt be weary, and know it, and long for the lost +which thou hast forgotten. But hereof it availeth nought for me to +speak any longer, for thine ears are deaf to these words, and thou +wilt not hear them. Therefore I say no more save that I thank thee +for thy help whatsoever it may be; and I will take it, for the day's +work lieth before me, and I begin to think that it may be heavy +enough." + +The women yet looked downcast, and as if they would be gone out of +earshot; but the Sea-eagle laughed as one who is well content, and +said: "Thou thyself wilt make it hard for thyself after the wont of +thy proud and haughty race; but for me nothing is hard any longer; +neither thy scorn nor thy forebodings of evil. Be thou my friend as +much as thou canst, and I will be thine wholly. Now ye women, +whither will ye lead us? For I am ready to see any new thing ye will +show us." + +Said his damsel: "We will take you to the King, that your hearts may +be the more gladdened. And as for thy friend the Spearman, O Sea- +warrior, let not his heart be downcast. Who wotteth but that these +two desires, the desire of his heart, and the desire of a heart for +him, may not be one and the same desire, so that he shall be fully +satisfied?" As she spoke she looked sidelong at Hallblithe, with shy +and wheedling eyes; and he wondered at her word, and a new hope +sprang up in his heart that he was presently to be brought face to +face with the Hostage, and that this was that love, sweeter than +their love, which abode in him, and his heart became lighter, and his +visage cleared. + + + +CHAPTER XII: THEY LOOK ON THE KING OF THE GLITTERING PLAIN + + + +So now the women led them along up the stream, and Hallblithe went +side by side by the Sea-eagle; but the women had become altogether +merry again, and played and ran about them as gamesome as young +goats; and they waded the shallows of the clear bright stream +barefoot to wash their limbs of the sea-brine, and strayed about the +meadows, plucking the flowers and making them wreaths and chaplets, +which they did upon themselves and the Sea-eagle; but Hallblithe they +touched not, for still they feared him. They went on as the stream +led them up toward the hills, and ever were the meads about them as +fair and flowery as might be. Folk they saw afar off, but fell in +with none for a good while, saving a man and a maid clad lightly as +for mid-summer days, who were wandering together lovingly and happily +by the stream-side, and who gazed wonderingly on the stark Sea-eagle, +and on Hallblithe with his glittering spear. The black-haired damsel +greeted these twain and spake something to them, and they laughed +merrily, and the man stooped down amongst the grasses and blossoms of +the bank, and drew forth a basket, and spread dainty victuals on the +grass under a willow-tree, and bade them be his guests that fair +afternoon. So they sat down there above the glistering stream and +ate and drank and were merry. Thereafter the new-comers and their +way-leaders departed with kind words, and still set their faces +towards the hills. + +At last they saw before them a little wooded hill, and underneath it +something red and shining, and other coloured things gleaming in the +sun about it. Then said the Sea-eagle: "What have we yonder?" + +Said his damsel: "That is the pavilion of the King; and about it are +the tents and tilts of our folk who are of his fellowship: for oft +he abideth in the fields with them, though he hath houses and halls +as fair as the heart of man can conceive." + +"Hath he no foemen to fear?" said the Sea-eagle. + +"How should that be?" said the damsel. "If perchance any came into +this land to bring war upon him, their battle-anger should depart +when once the bliss of the Glittering Plain had entered into their +souls, and they would ask for nought but leave to abide here and be +happy. Yet I trow that if he had foemen he could crush them as +easily as I set my foot on this daisy." + +So as they went on they fell in with many folk, men and women, +sporting and playing in the fields; and there was no semblance of eld +on any of them, and no scar or blemish or feebleness of body or +sadness of countenance; nor did any bear a weapon or any piece of +armour. Now some of them gathered about the new-corners, and +wondered at Hallblithe and his long spear and shining helm and dark +grey byrny; but none asked concerning them, for all knew that they +were folk new come to the bliss of the Glittering Plain. So they +passed amidst these fair folk little hindered by them, and into +Hallblithe's thoughts it came how joyous the fellowship of such +should be and how his heart should be raised by the sight of them, if +only his troth-plight maiden were by his side. + +Thus then they came to the King's pavilion, where it stood in a bight +of the meadow-land at the foot of the hill, with the wood about it on +three sides. So fair a house Hallblithe deemed he had never seen; +for it was wrought all over with histories and flowers, and with hems +sewn with gold, and with orphreys of gold and pearl and gems. + +There in the door of it sat the King of the Land in an ivory chair; +he was clad in golden gown, girt with a girdle of gems, and had his +crown on his head and his sword by his side. For this was the hour +wherein he heard what any of his folk would say to him, and for that +very end he sat there in the door of his tent, and folk were standing +before him, and sitting and lying on the grass round about; and now +one, now another, came up to him and spoke before him. + +His face shone like a star; it was exceeding beauteous, and as kind +as the even of May in the gardens of the happy, when the scent of the +eglantine fills all the air. When he spoke his voice was so sweet +that all hearts were ravished, and none might gainsay him. + +But when Hallblithe set eyes on him, he knew at once that this was he +whose carven image he had seen in the Hall of the Ravagers, and his +heart beat fast, and he said to himself: "Hold up thine head now, O +Son of the Raven, strengthen thine heart, and let no man or god cow +thee. For how can thine heart change, which bade thee go to the +house wherefrom it was due to thee to take the pleasure of woman, and +there to pledge thy faith and troth to her that loveth thee most, and +hankereth for thee day by day and hour by hour, so that great is the +love that we twain have builded up." + +Now they drew nigh, for folk fell back before them to the right and +left, as before men who are new come and have much to do; so that +there was nought between them and the face of the King. But he +smiled upon them so that he cheered their hearts with the hope of +fulfilment of their desires, and he said: "Welcome, children! Who +be these whom ye have brought hither for the increase of our joy? +Who is this tall, ruddy-faced, joyous man so meet for the bliss of +the Glittering Plain? And who is this goodly and lovely young man, +who beareth weapons amidst our peace, and whose face is sad and stern +beneath the gleaming of his helm? + +Said the dark-haired damsel: "O King! O Gift-giver and assurer of +joy! this tall one is he who was once oppressed by eld, and who hath +come hither to thee from the Isle of Ransom, according to the custom +of the land." + +Said the King: "Tall man, it is well that thou art come. Now are +thy days changed and thou yet alive. For thee battle is ended, and +therewith the reward of battle, which the warrior remembereth not +amidst the hard hand-play: peace hath begun, and thou needest not be +careful for the endurance thereof: for in this land no man hath a +lack which he may not satisfy without taking aught from any other. I +deem not that thine heart may conceive a desire which I shall not +fulfil for thee, or crave a gift which I shall not give thee." + +Then the Sea-eagle laughed for joy, and turned his head this way and +that, so that he might the better take to him the smiles of all those +that stood around. + +Then the King said to Hallblithe: "Thou also art welcome; I know +thee who thou art: meseemeth great joy awaiteth thee, and I will +fulfil thy desire to the uttermost." + +Said Hallblithe: "O great King of a happy land, I ask of thee nought +save that which none shall withhold from me uncursed." + +"I will give it to thee," said the King, "and thou shalt bless me. +But what is it which thou wouldst? What more canst thou have than +the Gifts of the land?" + +Said Hallblithe: "I came hither seeking no gifts, but to have mine +own again; and that is the bodily love of my troth-plight maiden. +They stole her from me, and me from her; for she loved me. I went +down to the sea-side and found her not, nor the ship which had borne +her away. I sailed from thence to the Isle of Ransom, for they told +me that there I should buy her for a price; neither was her body +there. But her image came to me in a dream of the night, and bade me +seek to her hither. Therefore, O King, if she be here in the land, +show me how I shall find her, and if she be not here, show me how I +may depart to seek her otherwhere. This is all my asking." + +Said the King: "Thy desire shall be satisfied; thou shalt have the +woman who would have thee, and whom thou shouldst have." + +Hallblithe was gladdened beyond measure by that word; and now did the +King seem to him a comfort and a solace to every heart, even as he +had deemed of his carven image in the Hall of the Ravagers; and he +thanked him, and blessed him. + +But the King bade him abide by him that night, and feast with him. +"And on the morrow," said he, "thou shalt go thy ways to look on her +whom thou oughtest to love." + +Therewith was come the eventide and beginning of night, warm and +fragrant and bright with the twinkling of stars, and they went into +the King's pavilion, and there was the feast as fair and dainty as +might be; and Hallblithe had meat from the King's own dish, and drink +from his cup; but the meat had no savour to him and the drink no +delight, because of the longing that possessed him. + +And when the feast was done, the damsels led Hallblithe to his bed in +a fair tent strewn with gold about his head like the starry night, +and he lay down and slept for sheer weariness of body. + + + +CHAPTER XIII: HALLBLITHE BEHOLDETH THE WOMAN WHO LOVETH HIM + + + +But on the morrow the men arose, and the Sea-eagle and his damsel +came to Hallblithe; for the other two damsels were departed, and the +Sea-eagle said to him: + +"Here am I well honoured and measurelessly happy; and I have a +message for thee from the King." + +"What is it?" said Hallblithe; but he deemed that he knew what it +would be, and he reddened for the joy of his assured hope. + +Said the Sea-eagle: "Joy to thee, O shipmate! I am to take thee to +the place where thy beloved abideth, and there shalt thou see her, +but not so as she can see thee; and thereafter shalt thou go to the +King, that thou mayst tell him if she shall accomplish thy desire." + +Then was Hallblithe glad beyond measure, and his heart danced within +him, and he deemed it but meet that the others should be so joyous +and blithe with him, for they led him along without any delay, and +were glad at his rejoicing; and words failed him to tell of his +gladness. + +But as he went, the thoughts of his coming converse with his beloved +curled sweetly round his heart, so that scarce anything had seemed so +sweet to him before; and he fell a-pondering what they twain, he and +the Hostage, should do when they came together again; whether they +should abide on the Glittering Plain, or go back again to Cleveland +by the Sea and dwell in the House of the Kindred; and for his part he +yearned to behold the roof of his fathers and to tread the meadow +which his scythe had swept, and the acres where his hook had smitten +the wheat. But he said to himself, "I will wait till I hear her +desire hereon." + +Now they went into the wood at the back of the King's pavilion and +through it, and so over the hill, and beyond it came into a land of +hills and dales exceeding fair and lovely; and a river wound about +the dales, lapping in turn the feet of one hill-side or the other; +and in each dale (for they passed through two) was a goodly house of +men, and tillage about it, and vineyards and orchards. They went all +day till the sun was near setting, and were not weary, for they +turned into the houses by the way when they would, and had good +welcome and meat and drink and what they would of the folk that dwelt +there. Thus anigh sunset they came into a dale fairer than either of +the others, and nigh to the end where they had entered it was an +exceeding goodly house. Then said the damsel: + +"We are nigh-hand to our journey's end; let us sit down on the grass +by this river-side whilst I tell thee the tale which the King would +have thee know." + +So they sat down on the grass beside the brimming river, scant two +bowshots from that fair house, and the damsel said, reading from a +scroll which she drew from her bosom: + +"O Spearman, in yonder house dwelleth the woman foredoomed to love +thee: if thou wouldst see her, go thitherward, following the path +which turneth from the river-side by yonder oak-tree, and thou shalt +presently come to a thicket of bay-trees at the edge of an apple- +orchard, whose trees are blossoming; abide thou hidden by the bay- +leaves, and thou shalt see maidens come into the orchard, and at last +one fairer than all the others. This shall be thy love fore-doomed, +and none other; and thou shalt know her by this token, that when she +hath set her down on the grass beside the bay-tree, she shall say to +her maidens 'Bring me now the book wherein is the image of my +beloved, that I may solace myself with beholding it before the sun +goes down and the night cometh.'" + +Now Hallblithe was troubled when she read out these words, and he +said: "What is this tale about a book? I know not of any book that +lieth betwixt me and my beloved." + +"O Spearman," said the damsel, "I may tell thee no more, because I +know no more. But keep up thine heart! For dost thou know any more +than I do what hath befallen thy beloved since thou wert sundered +from her? and why should not this matter of the book be one of the +things that hath befallen her? Go now with joy, and come again +blessing us." + +"Yea, go, faring-fellow," said the Sea-eagle, "and come back joyful, +that we may all be merry together. And we will abide thee here." + +Hallblithe foreboded evil, but he held his peace and went his ways +down the path by the oak-tree; and they abode there by the water- +side, and were very merry talking of this and that (but no whit of +Hallblithe), and kissing and caressing each other; so that it seemed +but a little while to them ere they saw Hallblithe coming back by the +oak-tree. He went slowly, hanging his head like a man sore-burdened +with grief: thus he came up to them, and stood there above them as +they lay on the fragrant grass, and he saying no word and looking so +sad and sorry, and withal so fell, that they feared his grief and his +anger, and would fain have been away from him; so that they durst not +ask him a question for a long while, and the sun sank below the hill +while they abided thus. + +Then all trembling the damsel spake to the Sea-eagle: "Speak to him, +dear friend, else must I flee away, for I fear his silence." + +Quoth the Sea-eagle: "Shipmate and friend, what hath betided? How +art thou? May we hearken, and mayhappen amend it?" + +Then Hallblithe cast himself adown on the grass and said: "I am +accursed and beguiled; and I wander round and round in a tangle that +I may not escape from. I am not far from deeming that this is a land +of dreams made for my beguiling. Or has the earth become so full of +lies, that there is no room amidst them for a true man to stand upon +his feet and go his ways?" + +Said the Sea-eagle: "Thou shalt tell us of what hath betid, and so +ease the sorrow of thy soul if thou wilt. Or if thou wilt, thou +shalt nurse thy sorrow in thine heart and tell no man. Do what thou +wilt; am I not become thy friend?" + +Said Hallblithe: "I will tell you twain the tidings, and thereafter +ask me no more concerning them. Hearken. I went whereas ye bade me, +and hid myself in the bay-tree thicket; and there came maidens into +the blossoming orchard and made a resting-place with silken cushions +close to where I was lurking, and stood about as though they were +looking for some one to come. In a little time came two more +maidens, and betwixt them one so much fairer than any there, that my +heart sank within me: whereas I deemed because of her fairness that +this would be the fore-doomed love whereof ye spake, and lo, she was +in nought like to my troth-plight maiden, save that she was exceeding +beauteous: nevertheless, heart-sick as I was, I determined to abide +the token that ye told me of. So she lay down amidst those cushions, +and I beheld her that she was sad of countenance; and she was so near +to me that I could see the tears welling into her eyes, and running +down her cheeks; so that I should have grieved sorely for her had I +not been grieving so sorely for myself. For presently she sat up and +said 'O maiden, bring me hither the book wherein is the image of my +beloved, that I may behold it in this season of sunset wherein I +first beheld it; that I may fill my heart with the sight thereof +before the sun is gone and the dark night come.' + +"Then indeed my heart died within me when I wotted that this was the +love whereof the King spake, that he would give to me, and she not +mine own beloved, yet I could not choose but abide and look on a +while, and she being one that any man might love beyond measure. Now +a maiden went away into the house and came back again with a book +covered with gold set with gems; and the fair woman took it and +opened it, and I was so near to her that I saw every leaf clearly as +she turned the leaves. And in that book were pictures of many +things, as flaming mountains, and castles of war, and ships upon the +sea, but chiefly of fair women, and queens, and warriors and kings; +and it was done in gold and azure and cinnabar and minium. So she +turned the leaves, till she came to one whereon was pictured none +other than myself, and over against me was the image of mine own +beloved, the Hostage of the Rose, as if she were alive, so that the +heart within me swelled with the sobbing which I must needs refrain, +which grieved me like a sword-stroke. Shame also took hold of me as +the fair woman spoke to my painted image, and I lying well-nigh +within touch of her hand; but she said: 'O my beloved, why dost thou +delay to come to me? For I deemed that this eve at least thou +wouldst come, so many and strong as are the meshes of love which we +have cast about thy feet. Oh come to-morrow at the least and latest, +or what shall I do, and wherewith shall I quench the grief of my +heart? Or else why am I the daughter of the Undying King, the Lord +of the Treasure of the Sea? Why have they wrought new marvels for +me, and compelled the Ravagers of the Coasts to serve me, and sent +false dreams flitting on the wings of the night? Yea, why is the +earth fair and fruitful, and the heavens kind above it, if thou +comest not to-night, nor to-morrow, nor the day after? And I the +daughter of the Undying, on whom the days shall grow and grow as the +grains of sand which the wind heaps up above the sea-beach. And life +shall grow huger and more hideous round about the lonely one, like +the ling-worm laid upon the gold, that waxeth thereby, till it lies +all around about the house of the queen entrapped, the moveless +unending ring of the years that change not.' + +"So she spake till the weeping ended her words, and I was all abashed +with shame and pale with anguish. I stole quietly from my lair +unheeded of any, save that one damsel said that a rabbit ran in the +hedge, and another that a blackbird stirred in the thicket. Behold +me, then, that my quest beginneth again amidst the tangle of lies +whereinto I have been entrapped." + + + +CHAPTER XIV: HALLBLITHE HAS SPEECH WITH THE KING AGAIN + + + +He stood up when he had made an end, as a man ready for the road; but +they lay there downcast and abashed, and had no words to answer him. +For the Sea-eagle was sorry that his faring-fellow was hapless, and +was sorry that he was sorry; and as for the damsel, she had not known +but that she was leading the goodly Spearman to the fulfilment of his +heart's desire. Albeit after a while she spake again and said: + +"Dear friends, day is gone and night is at hand; now to-night it were +ill lodging at yonder house; and the next house on our backward road +is over far for wayworn folk. But hard by through the thicket is a +fair little wood-lawn, by the lip of a pool in the stream wherein we +may bathe us to-morrow morning; and it is grassy and flowery and +sheltered from all winds that blow, and I have victual enough in my +wallet. Let us sup and rest there under the bare heaven, as oft is +the wont of us in this land; and on the morrow early we will arise +and get us back again to Wood-end, where yet the King abideth, and +there shalt thou talk to him again, O Spearman." + +Said Hallblithe: "Take me whither ye will; but now nought availeth. +I am a captive in a land of lies, and here most like shall I live +betrayed and die hapless." + +"Hold thy peace, dear friend, of such words as those last," said she, +"or I must needs flee from thee, for they hurt me sorely. Come now +to this pleasant place." + +She took him by the hand and looked kindly on him, and the Sea-eagle +followed him, murmuring an old song of the harvest-field, and they +went together by a path through a thicket of white-thorn till they +came unto a grassy place. There then they sat them down, and ate and +drank what they would, sitting by the lip of the pool till a waning +moon was bright over their heads. And Hallblithe made no semblance +of content; but the Sea-eagle and his damsel were grown merry again, +and talked and sang together like autumn stares, with the kissing and +caressing of lovers. + +So at last those twain lay down amongst the flowers, and slept in +each other's arms; but Hallblithe betook him to the brake a little +aloof, and lay down, but slept not till morning was at hand, when +slumber and confused dreams overtook him. + +He was awaked from his sleep by the damsel, who came pushing through +the thicket all fresh and rosy from the river, and roused him, and +said: + +"Awake now, Spearman, that we may take our pleasure in the sun; for +he is high in the heavens now, and all the land laughs beneath him." + +Her eyes glittered as she spoke, and her limbs moved under her +raiment as though she would presently fall to dancing for very joy. +But Hallblithe arose wearily, and gave her back no smile in answer, +but thrust through the thicket to the water, and washed the night +from off him, and so came back to the twain as they sat dallying +together over their breakfast. He would not sit down by them, but +ate a morsel of bread as he stood, and said: "Tell me how I can +soonest find the King: I bid you not lead me thither, but let me go +my ways alone. For with me time presses, and with you meseemeth time +is nought. Neither am I a meet fellow for the happy." + +But the Sea-eagle sprang up, and swore with a great oath that he +would nowise leave his shipmate in the lurch. And the damsel said: +"Fair man, I had best go with thee; I shall not hinder thee, but +further thee rather, so that thou shalt make one day's journey of +two." + +And she put forth her hand to him, and caressed him smiling, and +fawned upon him, and he heeded it little, but hung not aback from +them since they were ready for the road: so they set forth all three +together. + +They made such diligence on the backward road that the sun was not +set by then they came to Wood-end; and there was the King sitting in +the door of his pavilion. Thither went Hallblithe straight, and +thrust through the throng, and stood before the King; who greeted him +kindly, and was no less sweet of face than on that other day. + +Hallblithe hailed him not, but said: "King, look on my anguish, and +if thou art other than a king of dreams and lies, play no longer with +me, but tell me straight out if thou knowest of my troth-plight +maiden, whether she is in this land or not." + +Then the King smiled on him and said: "True it is that I know of +her; yet know I not whether she is in this land or not." + +"King," said Hallblithe, "wilt thou bring us together and stay my +heart's bleeding?" + +Said the King: "I cannot, since I know not where she is." + +"Why didst thou lie to me the other day?" said Hallblithe. + +"I lied not," said the King; "I bade bring thee to the woman that +loved thee, and whom thou shouldst love; and that is my daughter. +And look thou! Even as I may not bring thee to thine earthly love, +so couldst thou not make thyself manifest before my daughter, and +become her deathless love. Is it not enough?" + +He spake sternly for all that he smiled, and Hallblithe said: "O +King, have pity on me!" + +"Yea," said the King; "pity thee I do: but I will live despite thy +sorrow; my pity of thee shall not slay me, or make thee happy. Even +in such wise didst thou pity my daughter." + +Said Hallblithe: "Thou art mighty, O King, and maybe the mightiest. +Wilt thou not help me?" + +"How can I help thee?" said the King, "thou who wilt not help +thyself. Thou hast seen what thou shouldst do: do it then and be +holpen." + +Then said Hallblithe: "Wilt thou not slay me, O King, since thou +wilt not do aught else?" + +"Nay," said the King, "thy slaying wilt not serve me nor mine: I +will neither help nor hinder. Thou art free to seek thy love +wheresoever thou wilt in this my realm. Depart in peace!" + +Hallblithe saw that the King was angry, though he smiled upon him; +yet so coldly, that the face of him froze the very marrow of +Hallblithe's bones: and he said within himself: "This King of lies +shall not slay me, though mine anguish be hard to bear: for I am +alive, and it may be that my love is in this land, and I may find her +here, and how to reach another land I know not." + +So he turned from before the face of the King as the sun was setting, +and he went down the land southward betwixt the mountains and the +sea, not heeding whether it were night or day; and he went on till it +was long past midnight, and then for mere weariness laid him down +under a tree, not knowing where he was, and fell asleep. + +And in the morning he woke up to the bright sun, and found folk +standing round about him, both men and women, and their sheep were +anigh them, for they were shepherd folk. So when they saw that he +was awake, they greeted him, and were blithe with him and made much +of him: and they took him home to their house, and gave him to eat +and to drink, and asked him what he would that they might serve him. +And they seemed to him to be kind and simple folk, and though he +loathed to speak the words, so sick at heart he was, yet he told them +how he was seeking his troth-plight maiden, his earthly love, and +asked them to say if they had seen any woman like her. + +They heard him kindly and pitied him, and told him how they had heard +of a woman in the land, who sought her beloved even as he sought his. +And when he heard that, his heart leapt up, and he asked them to tell +him more concerning this woman. Then they said that she dwelt in the +hill-country in a goodly house, and had set her heart on a lovely +man, whose image she had seen in a book, and that no man but this one +would content her; and this, they said, was a sad and sorry matter, +such as was unheard of hitherto in the land. + +So when Hallblithe heard this, as heavily as his heart fell again, he +changed not countenance, but thanked the kind folk and departed, and +went on down the land betwixt the mountains and the sea, and before +nightfall he had been into three more houses of folk, and asked there +of all comers concerning a woman who was sundered from her beloved; +and at none of them gat he any answer to make him less sorry than +yesterday. At the last of the three he slept, and on the morrow +early there was the work to begin again; and the next day was the +same as the last, and the day after differed not from it. Thus he +went on seeking his beloved betwixt the mountains and the plain, till +the great rock-wall came down to the side of the sea and made an end +of the Glittering Plain on that side. Then he turned about and went +back by the way he had come, and up the country betwixt the mountains +and the plain northward, until he had been into every house of folk +in those parts and asked his question. + +Then he went up into that fair country of the dales, and even anigh +to where dwelt the King's Daughter, and otherwhere in the land and +everywhere, quartering the realm of the Glittering Plain as the heron +quarters the flooded meadow when the waters draw aback into the +river. So that now all people knew him when he came, and they +wondered at him; but when he came to any house for the third or +fourth time, they wearied of him, and were glad when he departed. + +Ever it was one of two answers that he had: either folk said to him, +"There is no such woman; this land is happy, and nought but happy +people dwell herein;" or else they told him of the woman who lived in +sorrow, and was ever looking on a book, that she might bring to her +the man whom she desired. + +Whiles he wearied and longed for death, but would not die until there +was no corner of the land unsearched. Whiles he shook off weariness, +and went about his quest as a craftsman sets about his work in the +morning. Whiles it irked him to see the soft and merry folk of the +land, who had no skill to help him, and he longed for the house of +his fathers and the men of the spear and the plough; and thought, +"Oh, if I might but get me back, if it were but for an hour and to +die there, to the meadows of the Raven, and the acres beneath the +mountains of Cleveland by the Sea. Then at least should I learn some +tale of what is or what hath been, howsoever evil the tidings were, +and not be bandied about by lies for ever." + + + +CHAPTER XV: YET HALLBLITHE SPEAKETH WITH THE KING + + + +So wore the days and the moons; and now were some six moons worn +since first he came to the Glittering Plain; and he was come to Wood- +end again, and heard and knew that the King was sitting once more in +the door of his pavilion to hearken to the words of his people, and +he said to himself: "I will speak yet again to this man, if indeed +he be a man; yea, though he turn me into stone." + +And he went up toward the pavilion; and on the way it came into his +mind what the men of the kindred were doing that morning; and he had +a vision of them as it were, and saw them yoking the oxen to the +plough, and slowly going down the acres, as the shining iron drew the +long furrow down the stubble-land, and the light haze hung about the +elm-trees in the calm morning, and the smoke rose straight into the +air from the roof of the kindred. And he said: "What is this? am I +death-doomed this morning that this sight cometh so clearly upon me +amidst the falseness of this unchanging land?" + +Thus he came to the pavilion, and folk fell back before him to the +right and the left, and he stood before the King, and said to him: +"I cannot find her; she is not in thy land." + +Then spake the King, smiling upon him, as erst: "What wilt thou +then? Is it not time to rest?" + +He said: "Yea, O King; but not in this land." + +Said the King: "Where else than in this land wilt thou find rest? +Without is battle and famine, longing unsatisfied, and heart-burning +and fear; within it is plenty and peace and good will and pleasure +without cease. Thy word hath no meaning to me." + +Said Hallblithe: "Give me leave to depart, and I will bless thee." + +"Is there nought else to do?" said the King. + +"Nought else," said Hallblithe. + +Therewith he felt that the King's face changed though he still smiled +on him, and again he felt his heart grow cold before the King. + +But the King spake and said: "I hinder not thy departure, nor will +any of my folk. No hand will be raised against thee; there is no +weapon in all the land, save the deedless sword by my side and the +weapons which thou bearest." + +Said Hallblithe: "Dost thou not owe me a joy in return for my +beguiling?" + +"Yea," said the King, "reach out thine hand to take it." + +"One thing only may I take of thee," said Hallblithe; "my troth- +plight maiden or else the speeding of my departure." + +Then said the King, and his voice was terrible though yet he smiled: +"I will not hinder; I will not help. Depart in peace!" + +Then Hallblithe turned away dizzy and half fainting, and strayed down +the field, scarce knowing where he was; and as he went he felt his +sleeve plucked at, and turned about, and lo! he was face to face with +the Sea-eagle, no less joyous than aforetime. He took Hallblithe in +his arms and embraced him and kissed him, and said: "Well met, +faring-fellow! Whither away?" + +"Away out of this land of lies," said Hallblithe. + +The Sea-eagle shook his head, and quoth he: "Art thou still seeking +a dream? And thou so fair that thou puttest all other men to shame." + +"I seek no dream," said Hallblithe, "but rather the end of dreams." + +"Well," said the Sea-eagle, "we will not wrangle about it. But +hearken. Hard by in a pleasant nook of the meadows have I set up my +tent; and although it be not as big as the King's pavilion, yet is it +fair enough. Wilt thou not come thither with me and rest thee to- +night; and to-morrow we will talk of this matter?" + +Now Hallblithe was weary and confused, and downhearted beyond his +wont, and the friendly words of the Sea-eagle softened his heart, and +he smiled on him and said: "I give thee thanks; I will come with +thee: thou art kind, and hast done nought to me save good from the +time when I first saw thee lying in thy bed in the Hall of the +Ravagers. Dost thou remember the day?" + +The Sea-eagle knitted his brow as one striving with a troublous +memory, and said: "But dimly, friend, as if it had passed in an ugly +dream: meseemeth my friendship with thee began when I came to thee +from out of the wood, and saw thee standing with those three damsels; +that I remember full well ye were fair to look on." + +Hallblithe wondered at his words, but said no more about it, and they +went together to a flowery nook nigh a stream of clear water where +stood a silken tent, green like the grass which it stood on, and +flecked with gold and goodly colours. Nigh it on the grass lay the +Sea-eagle's damsel, ruddy-cheeked and sweet-lipped, as fair as +aforetime. She turned about when she heard men coming, and when she +saw Hallblithe a smile came into her face like the sun breaking out +on a fair but clouded morning, and she went up to him and took him by +the hands and kissed his cheek, and said: "Welcome, Spearman! +welcome back! We have heard of thee in many places, and have been +sorry that thou wert not glad, and now are we fain of thy returning. +Shall not sweet life begin for thee from henceforward?" + +Again was Hallblithe moved by her kind welcome; but he shook his head +and spake: "Thou art kind, sister; yet if thou wouldst be kinder +thou wilt show me a way whereby I may escape from this land. For +abiding here has become irksome to me, and meseemeth that hope is yet +alive without the Glittering Plain." + +Her face fell as she answered: "Yea, and fear also, and worse, if +aught be worse. But come, let us eat and drink in this fair place, +and gather for thee a little joyance before thou departest, if thou +needs must depart." + +He smiled on her as one not ill-content, and laid himself down on the +grass, while the twain busied themselves, and brought forth fair +cushions and a gilded table, and laid dainty victual thereon and good +wine. + +So they ate and drank together, and the Sea-eagle and his mate became +very joyous again, and Hallblithe bestirred himself not to be a mar- +feast; for he said within himself: "I am departing, and after this +time I shall see them no more; and they are kind and blithe with me, +and have been aforetime; I will not make their merry hearts sore. +For when I am gone I shall be remembered of them but a little while." + + + +CHAPTER XVI: THOSE THREE GO THEIR WAYS TO THE EDGE OF THE GLITTERING +PLAIN + + + +So the evening wore merrily; and they made Hallblithe lie in an ingle +of the tent on a fair bed, and he was weary, and slept thereon like a +child. But in the morning early they waked him; and while they were +breaking their fast they began to speak to him of his departure, and +asked him if he had an inkling of the way whereby he should get him +gone, and he said: "If I escape it must needs be by way of the +mountains that wall the land about till they come down to the sea. +For on the sea is no ship and no haven; and well I wot that no man of +the land durst or can ferry me over to the land of my kindred, or +otherwhere without the Glittering Plain. Tell me therefore (and I +ask no more of you), is there any rumour or memory of a way that +cleaveth yonder mighty wall of rock to other lands?" + +Said the damsel: "There is more than a memory or a rumour: there is +a road through the mountains known to all men. For at whiles the +earthly pilgrims come into the Glittering Plain thereby; and yet but +seldom, so many are the griefs and perils which beset the wayfarers +on that road. Whereof thou hadst far better bethink thee in time, +and abide here and be happy with us and others who long sore to make +thee happy." + +"Nay," said Hallblithe, "there is nought to do but tell me of the +way, and I will depart at once, blessing you." + +Said the Sea-eagle: "More than that at least will we do. May I lose +the bliss whereto I have attained, if I go not with thee to the very +edge of the land of the Glittering Plain. Shall it not be so, +sweetheart?" + +"Yea, at least we may do that," said the damsel; and she hung her +head as if she were ashamed, and said: "And that is all that thou +wilt get from us at most." + +Said Hallblithe: "It is enough, and I asked not so much." + +Then the damsel busied herself, and set meat and drink in two +wallets, and took one herself and gave the other to the Sea-eagle, +and said: "We will be thy porters, O Spearman, and will give thee a +full wallet from the last house by the Desert of Dread, for when thou +hast entered therein, thou mayst well find victual hard to come by: +and now let us linger no more since the road is dear to thee." + +So they set forth on foot, for in that land men were slow to feel +weariness; and turning about the hill of Wood-end, they passed by +some broken country, and came at even to a house at the entrance of a +long valley, with high and steeply-sloping sides, which seemed, as it +were, to cleave the dale country wherein they had fared aforetime. +At that house they slept well-guested by its folk, and the next +morning took their way down the valley, and the folk of the house +stood at the door to watch their departure; for they had told the +wayfarers that they had fared but a little way thitherward and knew +of no folk who had used that road. + +So those three fared down the valley southward all day, ever mounting +higher as they went. The way was pleasant and easy, for they went +over fair, smooth, grassy lawns betwixt the hill-sides, beside a +clear rattling stream that ran northward; at whiles were clumps of +tall trees, oak for the most part, and at whiles thickets of thorn +and eglantine and other such trees: so that they could rest well +shaded when they would. + +They passed by no house of men, nor came to any such in the even, but +lay down to sleep in a thicket of thorn and eglantine, and rested +well, and on the morrow they rose up betimes and went on their ways. + +This second day as they went, the hill-sides on either hand grew +lower, till at last they died out into a wide plain, beyond which in +the southern offing the mountains rose huge and bare. This plain +also was grassy and beset with trees and thickets here and there. +Hereon they saw wild deer enough, as hart and buck, and roebuck and +swine: withal a lion came out of a brake hard by them as they went, +and stood gazing on them, so that Hallblithe looked to his weapons, +and the Sea-eagle took up a big stone to fight with, being +weaponless; but the damsel laughed, and tripped on her way lightly +with girt-up gown, and the beast gave no more heed to them. + +Easy and smooth was their way over this pleasant wilderness, and +clear to see, though but little used, and before nightfall, after +they had gone a long way, they came to a house. It was not large nor +high, but was built very strongly and fairly of good ashlar: its +door was shut, and on the jamb thereof hung a slug-horn. The damsel, +who seemed to know what to do, set her mouth to the horn, and blew a +blast; and in a little while the door was opened, and a big man clad +in red scarlet stood therein: he had no weapons, but was somewhat +surly of aspect: he spake not, but stood abiding the word: so the +damsel took it up and said: "Art thou not the Warden of the +Uttermost House?" + +He said: "I am." + +Said the damsel: "May we guest here to-night?" + +He said: "The house lieth open to you with all that it hath of +victual and plenishing: take what ye will, and use what ye will." + +They thanked him; but he heeded not their thanks, and withdrew him +from them. So they entered and found the table laid in a fair hall +of stone carven and painted very goodly; so they ate and drank +therein, and Hallblithe was of good heart, and the Sea-eagle and his +mate were merry, though they looked softly and shyly on Hallblithe +because of the sundering anigh; and they saw no man in the house save +the man in scarlet, who went and came about his business, paying no +heed to them. So when the night was deep they lay down in the shut- +bed off the hall, and slept, and the hours were tidingless to them +until they woke in the morning. + +On the morrow they arose and broke their fast, and thereafter the +damsel spake to the man in scarlet and said: "May we fill our +wallets with victual for the way?" + +Said the Warden: "There lieth the meat." + +So they filled their wallets, while the man looked on; and they came +to the door when they were ready, and he unlocked it to them, saying +no word. But when they turned their faces towards the mountains he +spake at last, and stayed them at the first step. Quoth he: +"Whither away? Ye take the wrong road!" + +Said Hallblithe: "Nay, for we go toward the mountains and the edge +of the Glittering Plain." + +"Ye shall do ill to go thither," said the Warden, "and I bid you +forbear." + +"O Warden of the Uttermost House, wherefore should we forbear?" said +the Sea-eagle. + +Said the scarlet man: "Because my charge is to further those who +would go inward to the King, and to stay those who would go outward +from the King." + +"How then if we go outward despite thy bidding?" said the Sea-eagle, +"wilt thou then hinder us perforce?" + +"How may I," said the man, "since thy fellow hath weapons?" + +"Go we forth, then," said the Sea-eagle. + +"Yea," said the damsel, "we will go forth. And know, O Warden, that +this weaponed man only is of mind to fare over the edge of the +Glittering Plain; but we twain shall come back hither again, and fare +inwards." + +Said the Warden: "Nought is it to me what ye will do when you are +past this house. Nor shall any man who goeth out of this garth +toward the mountains ever come back inwards save he cometh in the +company of new-corners to the Glittering Plain." + +"Who shall hinder him?" said the Sea-eagle. + +"The KING," said the Warden. + +Then there was silence awhile, and the man said: + +"Now do as ye will." And therewith he turned back into the house and +shut the door. + +But the Sea-eagle and the damsel stood gazing on one another, and at +Hallblithe; and the damsel was downcast and pale; but the Sea-eagle +cried out: + +"Forward now, O Hallblithe, since thou willest it, and we will go +with thee and share whatever may befall thee; yea, right up to the +very edge of the Glittering Plain. And thou, O beloved, why dost +thou delay? Why dost thou stand as if thy fair feet were grown to +the grass?" + +But the damsel gave a lamentable cry, and cast herself down on the +ground, and knelt before the Sea-eagle, and took him by the knees, +and said betwixt sobbing and weeping: "O my lord and love, I pray +thee to forbear, and the Spearman, our friend, shall pardon us. For +if thou goest, I shall never see thee more, since my heart will not +serve me to go with thee. O forbear! I pray thee!" + +And she grovelled on the earth before him; and the Sea-eagle waxed +red, and would have spoken but Hallblithe cut his speech across, and +said "Friends, be at peace! For this is the minute that sunders us. +Get ye back at once to the heart of the Glittering Plain, and live +there and be happy; and take my blessing and thanks for the love and +help that ye have given me. For your going forward with me should +destroy you and profit me nothing. It would be but as the host +bringing his guests one field beyond his garth, when their goal is +the ends of the earth; and if there were a lion in the path, why +should he perish for courtesy's sake?" + +Therewith he stooped down to the damsel, and lifted her up and kissed +her face; and he cast his arms about the Sea-eagle and said to him: +"Farewell, shipmate!" + +Then the damsel gave him the wallet of victual, and bade him +farewell, weeping sorely; and he looked kindly on them for a moment +of time, and then turned away from them and fared on toward the +mountains, striding with great strides, holding his head aloft. But +they looked no more on him, having no will to eke their sorrow, but +went their ways back again without delay. + + + +CHAPTER XVII: HALLBLITHE AMONGST THE MOUNTAINS + + + +So strode on Hallblithe; but when he had gone but a little way his +head turned, and the earth and heavens wavered before him, so that he +must needs sit down on a stone by the wayside, wondering what ailed +him. Then he looked up at the mountains, which now seemed quite near +to him at the plain's ending, and his weakness increased on him; and +lo! as he looked, it was to him as if the crags rose up in the sky to +meet him and overhang him, and as if the earth heaved up beneath him, +and therewith he fell aback and lost all sense, so that he knew not +what was become of the earth and the heavens and the passing of the +minutes of his life. + +When he came to himself he knew not whether he had lain so a great +while or a little; he felt feeble, and for a while he lay scarce +moving, and beholding nought, not even the sky above him. Presently +he turned about and saw hard stone on either side, so he rose wearily +and stood upon his feet, and knew that he was faint with hunger and +thirst. Then he looked around him, and saw that he was in a narrow +valley or cleft of the mountains amidst wan rocks, bare and +waterless, where grew no blade of green; but he could see no further +than the sides of that cleft, and he longed to be out of it that he +might see whitherward to turn. Then he bethought him of his wallet, +and set his hand to it and opened it, thinking to get victual thence; +but lo! it was all spoilt and wasted. None the less, for all his +feebleness, he turned and went toiling slowly along what seemed to be +a path little trodden leading upward out of the cleft; and at last he +reached the crest thereof, and sat him down on a rock on the other +side; yet durst not raise his eyes awhile and look on the land, lest +he should see death manifest therein. At last he looked, and saw +that he was high up amongst the mountain-peaks: before him and on +either hand was but a world of fallow stone rising ridge upon ridge +like the waves of the wildest of the winter sea. The sun not far +from its midmost shone down bright and hot on that wilderness; yet +was there no sign that any man had ever been there since the +beginning of the world, save that the path aforesaid seemed to lead +onward down the stony slope. + +This way and that way and all about he gazed, straining his eyes if +perchance he might see any diversity in the stony waste; and at last +betwixt two peaks of the rock-wall on his left hand he descried a +streak of green mingling with the cold blue of the distance; and he +thought in his heart that this was the last he should see of the +Glittering Plain. Then he spake aloud in that desert, and said, +though there was none to hear: "Now is my last hour come; and here +is Hallblithe of the Raven perishing, with his deeds undone and his +longing unfulfilled, and his bridal-bed acold for ever. Long may the +House of the Raven abide and flourish, with many a man and maiden, +valiant and fair and fruitful! O kindred, cast thy blessing on this +man about to die here, doing none otherwise than ye would have him!" + +He sat there a little while longer, and then he said to himself: +"Death tarries; were it not well that I go to meet him, even as the +cot-carle preventeth the mighty chieftain?" + +Then he arose, and went painfully down the slope, steadying himself +with the shaft of his gleaming spear; but all at once he stopped; for +it seemed to him that he heard voices borne on the wind that blew up +the mountain-side. But he shook his head and said: "Now forsooth +beginneth the dream which shall last for ever; nowise am I beguiled +by it." None the less he strove the more eagerly with the wind and +the way and his feebleness; yet did the weakness wax on him, so that +it was but a little while ere he faltered and reeled and fell down +once more in a swoon. + +When he came to himself again he was no longer alone: a man was +kneeling down by him and holding up his head, while another before +him, as he opened his eyes, put a cup of wine to his lips. So +Hallblithe drank and was refreshed; and presently they gave him +bread, and he ate, and his heart was strengthened, and the happiness +of life returned to it, and he lay back, and slept sweetly for a +season. + +When he awoke from that slumber he found that he had gotten back much +of his strength again, and he sat up and looked around him, and saw +three men sitting anigh, armed and girt with swords, yet in evil +array, and sore travel-worn. One of these was very old, with long +white hair hanging down; and another, though he was not so much +stricken in years, still looked an old man of over sixty winters. +The third was a man some forty years old, but sad and sorry and +drooping of aspect. + +So when they saw him stirring, they all fixed their eyes upon him, +and the oldest man said: "Welcome to him who erst had no tidings for +us!" And the second said: "Tell us now thy tidings." But the +third, the sorry man, cried out aloud, saying: "Where is the Land? +Where is the Land?" + +Said Hallblithe: "Meseemeth the land which ye seek is the land which +I seek to flee from. And now I will not hide that meseemeth I have +seen you before, and that was at Cleveland by the Sea when the days +were happier." + +Then they all three bowed their heads in yea-say, and spake: "'Where +is the Land? Where is the Land?" + +Then Hallblithe arose to his feet, and said: "Ye have healed me of +the sickness of death, and I will do what I may to heal you of your +sickness of sorrow. Come up the pass with me, and I will show you +the land afar off." + +Then they arose like young and brisk men, and he led them over the +brow of the ridge into the little valley wherein he had first come to +himself: there he showed them that glimpse of a green land betwixt +the two peaks, which he had beheld e'en now; and they stood a while +looking at it and weeping for joy. + +Then spake the oldest of the seekers: "Show us the way to the land." + +"Nay," said Hallblithe, "I may not; for when I would depart thence, I +might not go by mine own will, but was borne out hither, I wot not +how. For when I came to the edge of the land against the will of the +King, he smote me, and then cast me out. Therefore since I may not +help you, find ye the land for yourselves, and let me go blessing +you, and come out of this desert by the way whereby ye entered it. +For I have an errand in the world." + +Spake the youngest of the seekers: "Now art thou become the yoke- +fellow of Sorrow, and thou must wend, not whither thou wouldst, but +whither she will: and she would have thee go forward toward life, +not backward toward death." + +Said the midmost seeker: "If we let thee go further into the +wilderness thou shalt surely die: for hence to the peopled parts, +and the City of Merchants, whence we come, is a month's journey: and +there is neither meat nor drink, nor beast nor bird, nor any green +thing all that way; and since we have found thee famishing, we may +well deem that thou hast no victual. As to us we have but little; so +that if it be much more than three days' journey to the Glittering +Plain, we may well starve and die within sight of the Acre of the +Undying. Nevertheless that little will we share with thee if thou +wilt help us to find that good land; so that thou mayst yet put away +Sorrow, and take Joy again to thy board and bed." + +Hallblithe hung his head and answered nought; for he was confused by +the meshes of ill-hap, and his soul grew sick with the bitterness of +death. But the sad man spake again and said: "Thou hast an errand +sayest thou? is it such as a dead man may do?" + +Hallblithe pondered, and amidst the anguish of his despair was borne +in on him a vision of the sea-waves lapping the side of a black ship, +and a man therein: who but himself, set free to do his errand, and +his heart was quickened within him, and he said: "I thank you, and I +will wend back with you, since there is no road for me save back +again into the trap." + +The three seekers seemed glad thereat, and the second one said: +"Though death is pursuing, and life lieth ahead, yet will we not +hasten thee unduly. Time was when I was Captain of the Host, and +learned how battles were lost by lack of rest. Therefore have thy +sleep now, that thou mayst wax in strength for our helping." + +Said Hallblithe: "I need not rest; I may not rest; I will not rest." + +Said the sad man: "It is lawful for thee to rest. So say I, who was +once a master of law." + +Said the long-hoary elder: "And I command thee to rest; I who was +once the king of a mighty folk." + +In sooth Hallblithe was now exceeding weary; so he laid him down and +slept sweetly in the stony wilderness amidst those three seekers, the +old, the sad, and the very old. + +When he awoke he felt well and strong again, and he leapt to his feet +and looked about him, and saw the three seekers stirring, and he +deemed by the sun that it was early morning. The sad man brought +forth bread and water and wine, and they broke their fast; and when +they had done he spake and said: "Abideth now in wallet and bottle +but one more full meal for us, and then no more save a few crumbs and +a drop or two of wine if we husband it well." + +Said the second elder: "Get we to the road, then, and make haste. I +have been seeking, and meseemeth, though the way be long, it is not +utterly blind for us. Or look thou, Raven-son, is there not a path +yonder that leadeth onward up to the brow of the ghyll again? and as +I have seen, it leadeth on again down from the said brow." + +Forsooth there was a track that led through the stony tangle of the +wilderness; so they took to the road with a good heart, and went all +day, and saw no living thing, and not a blade of grass or a trickle +of water: nought save the wan rocks under the sun; and though they +trusted in their road that it led them aright, they saw no other +glimpse of the Glittering Plain, because there rose a great ridge +like a wall on the north side, and they went as it were down along a +trench of the rocks, albeit it was whiles broken across by ghylls, +and knolls, and reefs. + +So at sunset they rested and ate their victual, for they were very +weary; and thereafter they lay down, and slept as soundly as if they +were in the best of the halls of men. On the morrow betimes they +arose soberly and went their ways with few words, and, as they +deemed, the path still led them onward. And now the great ridge on +the north rose steeper and steeper, and their crossing it seemed not +to be thought of; but their half-blind track failed them not. They +rested at even, and ate and drank what little they had left, save a +mouthful or two of wine, and then went on again by the light of the +moon, which was so bright that they still saw their way. And it +happened to Hallblithe, as mostly it does with men very travel-worn, +that he went on and on scarce remembering where he was, or who his +fellows were, or that he had any fellows. + +So at midnight they lay down in the wilderness again, hungry and +weary. They rose at dawn and went forward with waning hope: for now +the mountain ridge on the north was close to their path, rising up +along a sheer wall of pale stone over which nothing might go save the +fowl flying; so that at first on that morning they looked for nothing +save to lay their bones in that grievous desert where no man should +find them. + +But, as beset with famine, they fared on heavily down the narrow +track, there came a hoarse cry from Hallblithe's dry throat and it +was as if his cry had been answered by another like to his; and the +seekers turned and beheld him pointing to the cliff-side, and lo! +half-way up the pale sun-litten crag stood two ravens in a cranny of +the stone, flapping their wings and croaking, with thrusting forth +and twisting of their heads; and presently they came floating on the +thin pure air high up over the heads of the wayfarers, croaking for +the pleasure of the meeting, as though they laughed thereat. + +Then rose the heart of Hallblithe, and he smote his palms together, +and fell to singing an old song of his people, amidst the rocks +whereas few men had sung aforetime. + + +Whence are ye and whither, O fowl of our fathers? +What field have ye looked on, what acres unshorn? +What land have ye left where the battle-folk gathers, +And the war-helms are white o'er the paths of the corn? + +What tale do ye bear of the people uncraven, +Where amidst the long hall-shadow sparkle the spears; +Where aloft on the hall-ridge now flappeth the raven, +And singeth the song of the nourishing years? + +There gather the lads in the first of the morning, +While white lies the battle-day's dew on the grass, +And the kind steeds trot up to the horn's voice of warning, +And the winds wake and whine in the dusk of the pass. + +O fowl of our fathers, why now are ye resting? +Come over the mountains and look on the foe. +Full fair after fight won shall yet be your nesting; +And your fledglings the sons of the kindred shall know. + + +Therewith he strode with his head upraised, and above him flew the +ravens, croaking as if they answered his song in friendly fashion. + +It was but a little after this that the path turned aside sharp +toward the cliffs, and the seekers were abashed thereof, till +Hallblithe running forward beheld a great cavern in the face of the +cliff at the path's ending: so he turned and cried on his fellows, +and they hastened up, and presently stood before that cavern's mouth +with doubt and joy mingled in their minds; for now, mayhappen, they +had reached the gate of the Glittering Plain, or mayhappen the gate +of death. + +The sad man hung his head and spake: "Doth not some new trap abide +us? What do we here? is this aught save death?" + +Spake the Elder of Elders: "Was not death on either hand e'en now, +even as treason besetteth the king upon his throne?" + +And the second said: "Yea, we were as the host which hath no road +save through the multitude of foe-men." + +But Hallblithe laughed and said: "Why do ye hang back, then? As for +me, if death be here, soon is mine errand sped." Therewith he led +the way into the dark of the cave, and the ravens hung about the crag +overhead croaking, as the men left the light. + +So was their way swallowed up in the cavern, and day and its time +became nought to them; they went on and on, and became exceeding +faint and weary, but rested not, for death was behind them. Whiles +they deemed they heard waters running, and whiles the singing of +fowl; and to Hallblithe it seemed that he heard his name called, so +that he shouted back in answer; but all was still when the sound of +his voice had died out. + +At last, when they were pressing on again after a short while of +resting, Hallblithe cried out that the cave was lightening: so they +hastened onward, and the light grew till they could dimly see each +other, and dimly they beheld the cave that it was both wide and high. +Yet a little further, and their faces showed white to one another, +and they could see the crannies of the rocks, and the bats hanging +garlanded from the roof. So then they came to where the day streamed +down bright on them from a break overhead, and lo! the sky and green +leaves waving against it. + +To those way-worn men it seemed hard to clamber out that way, and +especially to the elders: so they went on a little further to see if +there were aught better abiding them, but when they found the +daylight failing them again, they turned back to the place of the +break in the roof, lest they should waste their strength and perish +in the bowels of the mountain. So with much ado they hove up +Hallblithe till he got him first on to a ledge of the rocky wall, and +so, what by strength, what by cunning, into the daylight through the +rent in the roof. So when he was without he made a rope of his +girdle and strips from his raiment, for he was ever a deft craftsman, +and made a shift to heave up therewith the sad man, who was light and +lithe of body; and then the two together dealt with the elders one +after another, till they were all four on the face of the earth +again. + +The place whereto they had gotten was the side of a huge mountain, +stony and steep, but set about with bushes, which seemed full fair to +those wanderers amongst the rocks. This mountain-slope went down +towards a fair green plain, which Hallblithe made no doubt was the +outlying waste of the Glittering Plain: nay, he deemed that he could +see afar off thereon the white walls of the Uttermost House. So much +he told the seekers in few words; and then while they grovelled on +the earth and wept for pure joy, whereas the sun was down and it was +beginning to grow dusk, he went and looked around soberly to see if +he might find water and any kind of victual; and presently a little +down the hillside he came upon a place where a spring came gushing up +out of the earth and ran down toward the plain; and about it was +green grass growing plentifully, and a little thicket of bramble and +wilding fruit-trees. So he drank of the water, and plucked him a few +wilding apples somewhat better than crabs, and then went up the hill +again and fetched the seekers to that mountain hostelry; and while +they drank of the stream he plucked them apples and bramble-berries. +For indeed they were as men out of their wits, and were dazed by the +extremity of their jog, and as men long shut up in prison, to whom +the world of men-folk hath become strange. Simple as the victual +was, they were somewhat strengthened by it and by the plentiful +water, and as night was now upon them, it was of no avail for them to +go further: so they slept beneath the boughs of the thorn-bushes. + + + +CHAPTER XVIII: HALLBLITHE DWELLETH IN THE WOOD ALONE + + + +But on the morrow they arose betimes, and broke their fast on that +woodland victual, and then went speedily down the mountain-side; and +Hallblithe saw by the clear morning light that it was indeed the +Uttermost House which he had seen across the green waste. So he told +the seekers; but they were silent and heeded nought, because of a +fear that had come upon them, lest they should die before they came +into that good land. At the foot of the mountain they came upon a +river, deep but not wide, with low grassy banks, and Hallblithe, who +was an exceeding strong swimmer, helped the seekers over without much +ado; and there they stood upon the grass of that goodly waste. + +Hallblithe looked on them to note if any change should come over +them, and he deemed that already they were become stronger and of +more avail. But he spake nought thereof, and strode on toward the +Uttermost House, even as that other day he had stridden away from it. + +Such diligence they made, that it was but little after noon when they +came to the door thereof. Then Hallblithe took the horn and blew +upon it, while his fellows stood by murmuring, "It is the Land! It +is the Land!" + +So came the Warden to the door, clad in red scarlet, and the elder +went up to him and said: "Is this the Land?" + +"What land?" said the Warden. + +"Is it the Glittering Plain?" said the second of the seekers. + +"Yea, forsooth," said the Warden. Said the sad man: "Will ye lead +us to the King? + +"Ye shall come to the King," said the Warden. + +"When, oh when?" cried they out all three. + +"The morrow of to-morrow, maybe," said the Warden. + +"Oh! if to-morrow were but come!" they cried. + +"It will come," said the red man; "enter ye the house, and eat and +drink and rest you." + +So they entered, and the Warden heeded Hallblithe nothing. They ate +and drank and then went to their rest, and Hallblithe lay in a shut- +bed off from the hall, but the Warden brought the seekers otherwhere, +so that Hallblithe saw them not after he had gone to bed; but as for +him he slept and forgot that aught was. + +In the morning when he awoke he felt very strong and well-liking; and +he beheld his limbs that they were clear of skin and sleek and fair; +and he heard one hard by in the hall carolling and singing joyously. +So he sprang from his bed with the wonder of sleep yet in him, and +drew the curtains of the shut-bed and looked forth into the hall; and +lo on the high-seat a man of thirty winters by seeming, tall, fair of +fashion, with golden hair and eyes as grey as glass, proud and noble +of aspect; and anigh him sat another man of like age to look on, a +man strong and burly, with short curling brown hair and a red beard, +and ruddy countenance, and the mien of a warrior. Also, up and down +the hall, paced a man younger of aspect than these two, tall and +slender, black-haired and dark-eyed, amorous of countenance; he it +was who was singing a snatch of song as he went lightly on the hall +pavement: a snatch like to this + + +Fair is the world, now autumn's wearing, +And the sluggard sun lies long abed; +Sweet are the days, now winter's nearing, +And all winds feign that the wind is dead. + +Dumb is the hedge where the crabs hang yellow, +Bright as the blossoms of the spring; +Dumb is the close where the pears grow mellow, +And none but the dauntless redbreasts sing. + +Fair was the spring, but amidst his greening +Grey were the days of the hidden sun; +Fair was the summer, but overweening, +So soon his o'er-sweet days were done. + +Come then, love, for peace is upon us, +Far off is failing, and far is fear, +Here where the rest in the end hath won us, +In the garnering tide of the happy year. + +Come from the grey old house by the water, +Where, far from the lips of the hungry sea, +Green groweth the grass o'er the field of the slaughter, +And all is a tale for thee and me. + + +So Hallblithe did on his raiment and went into the hall; and when +those three saw him they smiled upon him kindly and greeted him; and +the noble man at the board said: "Thanks have thou, O Warrior of the +Raven, for thy help in our need: thy reward from us shall not be +lacking." + +Then the brown-haired man came up to him, and clapped him on the back +and said to him: "Brisk man of the Raven, good is thy help at need; +even so shall be mine to thee henceforward." + +But the young man stepped up to him lightly, and cast his arms about +him, and kissed him, and said: "O friend and fellow, who knoweth but +I may one day help thee as thou hast holpen me? though thou art one +who by seeming mayst well help thyself. And now mayst thou be as +merry as I am to-day!" + +Then they all three cried out joyously: "It is the Land! It is the +Land!" + +So Hallblithe knew that these men were the two elders and the sad man +of yesterday, and that they had renewed their youth. + +Joyously now did those men break their fast: nor did Hallblithe make +any grim countenance, for he thought: "That which these dotards and +drivellers have been mighty enough to find, shall I not be mighty +enough to flee from?" Breakfast done, the seekers made little delay, +so eager as they were to behold the King, and to have handsel of +their new sweet life. So they got them ready to depart, and the +once-captain said: "Art thou able to lead us to the King, O Raven- +son, or must we seek another man to do so much for us?" + +Said Hallblithe: "I am able to lead you so nigh unto Wood-end +(where, as I deem, the King abideth) that ye shall not miss him." + +Therewith they went to the door, and the Warden unlocked to them, and +spake no word to them when they departed, though they thanked him +kindly for the guesting. + +When they were without the garth, the young man fell to running about +the meadow plucking great handfuls of the rich flowers that grew +about, singing and carolling the while. But he who had been king +looked up and down and round about, and said at last: "Where be the +horses and the men?" + +But his fellow with the red beard said: "Raven-son, in this land +when they journey, what do they as to riding or going afoot?" + +Said Hallblithe: "Fair fellows, ye shall wot that in this land folk +go afoot for the most part, both men and women; whereas they weary +but little, and are in no haste." + +Then the once-captain clapped the once-king on the shoulder, and +said: "Hearken, lord, and delay no longer, but gird up thy gown, +since here is no mare's son to help thee: for fair is to-day that +lies before us, with many a new fair day beyond it." + +So Hallblithe led the way inward, thinking of many things, yet but +little of his fellows. Albeit they, and the younger man especially, +were of many words; for this black-haired man had many questions to +ask, chiefly concerning the women, what they were like to look on, +and of what mood they were. Hallblithe answered thereto as long as +he might, but at last he laughed and said: "Friend, forbear thy +questions now; for meseemeth in a few hours thou shalt be as wise +hereon as is the God of Love himself." + +So they made diligence along the road, and all was tidingless till on +the second day at even they came to the first house off the waste. +There had they good welcome, and slept. But on the morrow when they +arose, Hallblithe spake to the Seekers, and said: "Now are things +much changed betwixt us since the time when we first met: for then I +had all my desire, as I thought, and ye had but one desire, and well +nigh lacked hope of its fulfilment. Whereas now the lack hath left +you and come to me. Wherefore even as time agone ye might not abide +even one night at the House of the Raven, so hard as your desire lay +on you; even so it fareth with me to-day, that I am consumed with my +desire, and I may not abide with you; lest that befall which +befalleth betwixt the full man and the fasting. Wherefore now I +bless you and depart." + +They abounded in words of good-will to him, and the once-king said: +"Abide with us, and we shall see to it that thou have all the +dignities that a man may think of." + +And the once-captain said: "Lo, here is mine hand that hath been +mighty; never shalt thou lack it for the accomplishment of thine +uttermost desire. Abide with us." + +Lastly said the young man: "Abide with us, Son of the Raven! Set +thine heart on a fair woman, yea even were it the fairest; and I will +get her for thee, even were my desire set on her." + +But he smiled on them, and shook his head, and said: "All hail to +you! but mine errand is yet undone." And therewith he departed. + +He skirted Wood-end and came not to it, but got him down to the side +of the sea, not far from where he first came aland, but somewhat +south of it. A fair oak-wood came down close to the beach of the +sea; it was some four miles end-long and over-thwart. Thither +Hallblithe betook him, and in a day or two got him wood-wright's +tools from a house of men a little outside the wood, three miles from +the sea-shore. Then he set to work and built him a little frame- +house on a lawn of the wood beside a clear stream; for he was a very +deft wood-wright. Withal he made him a bow and arrows, and shot what +he would of the fowl and the deer for his livelihood; and folk from +that house and otherwhence came to see him, and brought him bread and +wine and spicery and other matters which he needed. And the days +wore, and men got used to him, and loved him as if he had been a rare +image which had been brought to that land for its adornment; and now +they no longer called him the Spearman, but the Wood-lover. And as +for him, he took all in patience, abiding what the lapse of days +should bring forth. + + + +CHAPTER XIX: HALLBLITHE BUILDS HIM A SKIFF + + + +After Hallblithe had been housed a little while, and the time was +again drawing nigh to the twelfth moon since he had come to the +Glittering Plain, he went in the wood one day; and, pondering many +things without fixing on any one, he stood before a very great oak- +tree and looked at the tall straight bole thereof, and there came +into his head the words of an old song which was written round a +scroll of the carving over the shut-bed, wherein he was wont to lie +when he was at home in the House of the Raven: and thus it said: + + +I am the oak-tree, and forsooth +Men deal by me with little ruth; +My boughs they shred, my life they slay, +And speed me o'er the watery way. + + +He looked up into that leafy world for a little and then turned back +toward his house; but all day long, whether he were at work or at +rest, that posy ran in his head, and he kept on saying it over, aloud +or not aloud, till the day was done and he went to sleep. + +Then in his sleep he dreamed that an exceeding fair woman stood by +his bedside, and at first she seemed to him to be an image of the +Hostage. But presently her face changed, and her body and her +raiment; and, lo! it was the lovely woman, the King's daughter whom +he had seen wasting her heart for the love of him. Then even in his +dream shame thereof overtook him, and because of that shame he awoke, +and lay awake a little, hearkening the wind going through the +woodland boughs, and the singing of the owl who had her dwelling in +the hollow oak nigh to his house. Slumber overcame him in a little +while, and again the image of the King's daughter came to him in his +dream, and again when he looked upon her, shame and pity rose so +hotly in his heart that he awoke weeping, and lay a while hearkening +to the noises of the night. The third time he slept and dreamed; and +once more that image came to him. And now he looked, and saw that +she had in her hand a book covered outside with gold and gems, even +as he saw it in the orchard-close aforetime: and he beheld her face +that it was no longer the face of one sick with sorrow; but glad and +clear, and most beauteous. + +Now she opened the book and held it before Hallblithe and turned the +leaves so that he might see them clearly; and therein were woods and +castles painted, and burning mountains, and the wall of the world, +and kings upon their thrones, and fair women and warriors, all most +lovely to behold, even as he had seen it aforetime in the orchard +when he lay lurking amidst the leaves of the bay-tree. + +So at last she came to the place in the book wherein was painted +Hallblithe's own image over against the image of the Hostage; and he +looked thereon and longed. But she turned the leaf, and, lo! on one +side the Hostage again, standing in a fair garden of the spring with +the lilies all about her feet, and behind her the walls of a house, +grey, ancient, and lovely: and on the other leaf over against her +was painted a sea rippled by a little wind and a boat thereon sailing +swiftly, and one man alone in the boat sitting and steering with a +cheerful countenance; and he, who but Hallblithe himself. Hallblithe +looked thereon for a while and then the King's daughter shut the +book, and the dream flowed into other imaginings of no import. + +In the grey dawn Hallblithe awoke, and called to mind his dream, and +he leapt from his bed and washed the night from off him in the +stream, and clad himself and went the shortest way through the wood +to that House of folk aforesaid: and as he went his face was bright +and he sang the second part of the carven posy; to wit: + + +Along the grass I lie forlorn +That when a while of time is worn, +I may be filled with war and peace +And bridge the sundering of the seas. + + +He came out of the wood and hastened over the flowery meads of the +Glittering Plain, and came to that same house when it was yet very +early. At the door he came across a damsel bearing water from the +well, and she spake to him and said: "Welcome, Wood-lover! Seldom +art thou seen in our garth; and that is a pity of thee. And now I +look on thy face I see that gladness hath come into thine heart, and +that thou art most fair and lovely. Here then is a token for thee of +the increase of gladness." Therewith she set her buckets on the +earth, and stood before him, and took him by the ears, and drew down +his face to hers and kissed him sweetly. He smiled on her and said: +"I thank thee, sister, for the kiss and the greeting; but I come here +having a lack." + +"Tell us," she said, "that we may do thee a pleasure." + +He said: "I would ask the folk to give me timber, both beams and +battens and boards; for if I hew in the wood it will take long to +season." + +"All this is free for thee to take from our wood-store when thou hast +broken thy fast with us," said the damsel. "Come thou in and rest +thee." + +She took him by the hand and they went in together, and she gave him +to eat and drink, and went up and down the house, saying to every +one: "Here is come the Wood-lover, and he is glad again; come and +see him." + +So the folk gathered about him, and made much of him. And when they +had made an end of breakfast, the head man of the House said to him: +"The beasts are in the wain, and the timber abideth thy choosing; +come and see." + +So he brought Hallblithe to the timber-bower, where he chose for +himself all that he needed of oak-timber of the best; and they loaded +the wain therewith, and gave him what he would moreover of nails and +treenails and other matters; and he thanked them; and they said to +him: "Whither now shall we lead thy timber?" + +"Down to the sea-side," quoth he, "nighest to my dwelling." + +So did they, and more than a score, men and women, went with him, +some in the wain, and some afoot. Thus they came down to the sea- +shore, and laid the timber on the strand just above high-water mark; +and straightway Hallblithe fell to work shaping him a boat, for well +he knew the whole craft thereof; and the folk looked on wondering, +till the tide had ebbed the little it was wont to ebb, and left the +moist sand firm and smooth; then the women left watching Hallblithe's +work, and fell to paddling barefoot in the clear water, for there was +scarce a ripple on the sea; and the carles came and played with them +so that Hallblithe was left alone a while; for this kind of play was +new to that folk, since they seldom came down to the sea-side. +Thereafter they needs must dance together, and would have had +Hallblithe dance with them; and when he naysaid them because he was +fain of his work, in all playfulness they fell to taking the adze out +of his hand, whereat he became somewhat wroth, and they were afraid +and went and had their dance out without him. + +By this time the sun was grown very hot, and they came to him again, +and lay down about him and watched his work, for they were weary. +And one of the women, still panting with the dance, spake as she +looked on the loveliness of her limbs, which one of the swains was +caressing: "Brother," said she, "great strokes thou smitest; when +wilt thou have smitten the last of them, and come to our house +again?" + +"Not for many days, fair sister," said he, without looking up. + +"Alas that thou shouldst talk so," said a carle, rising up from the +warm sand; "what shall all thy toil win thee?" + +Spake Hallblithe: "Maybe a merry heart, or maybe death." + +At that word they all rose up together, and stood huddled together +like sheep that have been driven to the croft-gate, and the shepherd +hath left them for a little and they know not whither to go. Little +by little they got them to the wain and harnessed their beasts +thereto, and departed silently by the way that they had come; but in +a little time Hallblithe heard their laughter and merry speech across +the flowery meadows. He heeded their departure little, but went on +working, and worked the sun down, and on till the stars began to +twinkle. Then he went home to his house in the wood, and slept and +dreamed not, and began again on the morrow with a good heart. + +To be short, no day passed that he wrought not his full tale of work, +and the days wore, and his ship-wright's work throve. Often the folk +of that house, and from otherwhere round about, came down to the +strand to watch him working. Nowise did they wilfully hinder him, +but whiles when they could get no talk from him, they would speak of +him to each other, wondering that he should so toil to sail upon the +sea; for they loved the sea but little, and it soon became clear to +them that he was looking to nought else: though it may not be said +that they deemed he would leave the land for ever. On the other +hand, if they hindered him not, neither did they help, saving when he +prayed them for somewhat which he needed, which they would then give +him blithely. + +Of the Sea-eagle and his damsel, Hallblithe saw nought; whereat he +was well content, for he deemed it of no avail to make a second +sundering of it. + +So he worked and kept his heart up, and at last all was ready; he had +made him a mast and a sail, and oars, and whatso-other gear there was +need of. So then he thrust his skiff into the sea on an evening +whenas there were but two carles standing by; for there would often +be a score or two of folk. These two smiled on him and bespake him +kindly, but would not help him when he bade them set shoulder to her +bows and shove. Albeit he got the skiff into the water without much +ado, and got into her, and brought her to where a stream running from +out of his wood made a little haven for her up from the sea. There +he tied her to a tree-hole, and busied himself that even with getting +the gear into her, and victual and water withal, as much as he deemed +he should need: and so, being weary, he went to his house to sleep, +thinking that he should awake in the grey of the morning and thrust +out into the deep sea. And he was the more content to abide, because +on that eve, as oftenest betid, the wind blew landward from the sea, +whereas in the morning it oftenest blew seaward from the land. In +any case he thought to be astir so timely that he should come alone +to his keel, and depart with no leave-takings. But, as it fell out, +he overslept himself, so that when he came out into the wood clad in +all his armour, with his sword girt to his side, and his spear over +his shoulder, he heard the voices of folk, and presently found so +many gathered about his boat that he had some ado to get aboard. + +The folk had brought many gifts for him of such things as they deemed +he might need for a short voyage, as fruit and wine, and woollen +cloths to keep the cold night from him; he thanked them kindly as he +stepped over the gunwale, and some of the women kissed him: and one +said (she it was, who had met him at the stead that morning when he +went to fetch timber): "Thou wilt be back this even, wilt thou not, +brother? It is yet but early, and thou shalt have time enough to +take all thy pleasure on the sea, and then come back to us to eat thy +meat in our house at nightfall." + +She spake, knitting her brows in longing for his return; but he knew +that all those deemed he would come back again soon; else had they +deemed him a rebel of the King, and might, as he thought, have stayed +him. So he changed not countenance in any wise, but said only: +"farewell, sister, for this day, and farewell to all you till I come +back." + +Therewith he unmoored his boat, and sat down and took the oars, and +rowed till he was out of the little haven, and on the green sea, and +the keel rose and fell on the waves. Then he stepped the mast and +hoisted sail, and sheeted home, for the morning wind was blowing +gently from the mountains over the meadows of the Glittering Plain, +so the sail filled, and the keel leapt forward and sped over the face +of the cold sea. And it is to be said that whether he wotted or not, +it was the very day twelve months since he had come to that shore +along with the Sea-eagle. So that folk stood and watched the skiff +growing less and less upon the deep till they could scarce see her. +Then they turned about and went into the wood to disport them, for +the sun was growing hot. Nevertheless, there were some of them (and +that damsel was one), who came back to the sea-shore from time to +time all day long; and even when the sun was down they looked seaward +under the rising moon, expecting to see Hallblithe's bark come into +the shining path which she drew across the waters round about the +Glittering Land. + + + +CHAPTER XX: SO NOW SAILETH HALLBLITHE AWAY FROM THE GLITTERING PLAIN + + + +But as to Hallblithe, he soon lost sight of the Glittering Plain and +the mountains thereof, and there was nought but sea all round about +him, and his heart swelled with joy as he sniffed the brine and +watched the gleaming hills and valleys of the restless deep; and he +said to himself that he was going home to his Kindred and the Roof of +his Fathers of old time. + +He stood as near due north as he might; but as the day wore, the wind +headed him, and he deemed it not well to beat, lest he should make +his voyage overlong; so he ran on with the wind abeam, and his little +craft leapt merrily over the sea-hills under the freshening breeze. +The sun set and the moon and stars shone out, and he still sailed on, +and durst not sleep, save as a dog does, with one eye. At last came +dawn, and as the light grew it was a fair day with a falling wind, +and a bright sky, but it clouded over before sunset, and the wind +freshened from the north by east, and, would he, would he not, +Hallblithe must run before it night-long, till at sunrise it fell +again, and all day was too light for him to make much way beating to +northward; nor did it freshen till after the moon was risen some +while after sunset. And now he was so weary that he must needs +sleep; so he lashed the helm, and took a reef in the sail, and ran +before the wind, he sleeping in the stern. + +But past the middle of the night, towards the dawning, he awoke with +the sound of a great shout in his ears. So he looked over the dark +waters, and saw nought, for the night was cloudy again. Then he +trimmed his craft, and went to sleep again, for he was over-burdened +with slumber. + +When he awoke it was broad daylight; so he looked to the tiller and +got the boat's head a little up to the wind, and then gazed about him +with the sleep still in his eyes. And as his eyes took in the +picture before him he could not refrain a cry; for lo! there arose up +great and grim right ahead the black cliffs of the Isle of Ransom. +Straightway he got to the sheet, and strove to wear the boat; but for +all that he could do she drifted toward the land, for she was gotten +into a strong current of the sea that set shoreward. So he struck +sail, and took the oars and rowed mightily so that he might bear her +off shore; but it availed nothing, and still he drifted landward. So +he stood up from the oars, and turned about and looked, and saw that +he was but some three furlongs from the shore, and that he was come +to the very haven-mouth whence he had set sail with the Sea-eagle a +twelvemonth ago: and he knew that into that haven he needs must get +him, or be dashed to pieces against the high cliffs of the land: and +he saw how the waves ran on to the cliffs, and whiles one higher than +the others smote the rock-wall and ran up it, as if it could climb +over on to the grassy lip beyond, and then fell back again, leaving a +river of brine running down the steep. + +Then he said that he would take what might befall him inside the +haven. So he hoisted sail again, and took the tiller, and steered +right for the midmost of the gate between the rocks, wondering what +should await him there. Then it was but a few minutes ere his bark +shot into the smoothness of the haven, and presently began to lose +way; for all the wind was dead within that land-locked water. +Hallblithe looked steadily round about seeking his foe; but the haven +was empty of ship or boat; so he ran his eye along the shore to see +where he should best lay his keel and as aforesaid there was no beach +there, and the water was deep right up to the grassy lip of the land; +though the tides ran somewhat high, and at low water would a little +steep undercliff go up from the face of the sea. But now it was near +the top of the tide, and there was scarce two feet betwixt the grass +and the dark-green sea. + +Now Hallblithe steered toward an ingle of the haven; and beyond it, a +little way off, rose a reef of rocks out of the green grass, and +thereby was a flock of sheep feeding, and a big man lying down +amongst them, who seemed to be unarmed, as Hallblithe could not see +any glint of steel about him. Hallblithe drew nigh the shore, and +the big man stirred not; nor did he any the more when the keel ran +along the shore, and Hallblithe leapt out and moored his craft to his +spear stuck deep in the earth. And now Hallblithe deems that the man +must be either dead or asleep: so he drew his sword and had it in +his right hand, and in his left a sharp knife, and went straight up +to the man betwixt the sheep, and found him so lying on his side that +he could not see his face; so he stirred him with his foot, and cried +out: "Awake, O Shepherd! for dawn is long past and day is come, and +therewithal a guest for thee!" + +The man turned over and slowly sat up, and, lo! who should it be but +the Puny Fox? Hallblithe started back at the sight of him, and cried +out at him, and said: "Have I found thee, O mine enemy?" + +The Puny Fox sat up a little straighter, and rubbed his eyes and +said: "Yea, thou hast found me sure enough. But as to my being +thine enemy, a word or two may be said about that presently." + +"What!" said Hallblithe, "dost thou deem that aught save my sword +will speak to thee?" + +"I wot not," said the Puny Fox, slowly rising to his feet, "but I +suppose thou wilt not slay me unarmed, and thou seest that I have no +weapons." + +"Get thee weapons, then," quoth Hallblithe, "and delay not; for the +sight of thee alive sickens me." + +"Ill is that," said the Puny Fox, "but come thou with me at once, +where I shall find both the weapons and a good fighting-stead. +Hasten! time presseth, now thou art come at last." + +"And my boat?" said Hallblithe. + +"Wilt thou carry her in thy pouch?" said the Puny Fox; "thou wilt not +need her again, whether thou slay me, or I thee." + +Hallblithe knit his brows on him in his wrath; for he deemed that +Fox's meaning was to threaten him with the vengeance of the kindred. +Howbeit, he said nought; for he deemed it ill to wrangle in words +with one whom he was presently to meet in battle; so he followed as +the Puny Fox led. Fox brought him past the reef of rock aforesaid, +and up a narrow cleft of the cliffs overlooking the sea, whereby they +came into a little grass-grown meadow well nigh round in shape, as +smooth and level as a hall-floor, and fenced about by a wall of rock: +a place which had once been the mouth of an earth-fire, and a +cauldron of molten stone. + +When they stood on the smooth grass Fox said: "Hold thee there a +little, while I go to my weapon-chest, and then shall we see what is +to be done." + +Therewith he turned aside to a cranny of the rock, and going down on +his hands and knees, fell to creeping like a worm up a hole therein, +which belike led to a cavern; for after his voice had come forth from +the earth, grunting and groaning, and cursing this thing, and that, +out he comes again feet first, and casts down an old rusty sword +without a sheath; a helm no less rusty, and battered withal, and a +round target, curled up and outworn as if it would fall to pieces of +itself. Then he stands up and stretches himself, and smiles +pleasantly on Hallblithe and says: "Now, mine enemy, when I have +donned helm and shield and got my sword in hand, we may begin the +play: as to a hauberk I must needs go lack; for I could not come by +it; I think the old man must have chaffered it away: he was ever too +money-fain." + +But Hallblithe looked on him angrily and said: "Hast thou brought me +hither to mock me? Hast thou no better weapons wherewith to meet a +warrior of the Raven than these rusty shards, which look as if thou +hadst robbed a grave of the dead? I will not fight thee so armed." + +"Well," said the Puny Fox, "and from out of a grave come they verily: +for in that little hole lieth my father's grandsire, the great Sea- +mew of the Ravagers, the father of that Sea-eagle whom thou knowest. +But since thou thinkest scorn of these weapons of a dead warrior, in +go the old carle's treasures again! It is as well maybe; since he +might be wrath beyond his wont if he were to wake and miss them; and +already this cold cup of the once-boiling rock is not wholly safe +because of him." + +So he crept into the hole once more, and out of it presently, and +stood smiting his palms one against the other to dust them, like a +man who has been handling parchments long laid by; and Hallblithe +stood looking at him, still wrathful, but silent. + +Then said the Puny Fox: "This at least was a wise word of thine, +that thou wouldst not fight me. For the end of fighting is slaying; +and it is stark folly to fight without slaying; and now I see that +thou desirest not to slay me: for if thou didst, why didst thou +refuse to fall on me armed with the ghosts of weapons that I borrowed +from a ghost? Nay, why didst thou not slay me as I crept out of +yonder hole? Thou wouldst have had a cheap bargain of me either way. +It would be rank folly to fight me." + +Said Hallblithe hoarsely: "Why didst thou bewray me, and lie to me, +and lure me away from the quest of my beloved, and waste a whole year +of my life?" + +"It is a long story," said the Puny Fox, "which I may tell thee some +day. Meantime I may tell thee this, that I was compelled thereto by +one far mightier than I, to wit the Undying King." + +At that word the smouldering wrath blazed up in Hallblithe, and he +drew his sword hastily and hewed at the Puny Fox: but he leapt aside +nimbly and ran in on Hallblithe, and caught his sword-arm by the +wrist, and tore the weapon out of his hand, and overbore him by sheer +weight and stature, and drave him to the earth. Then he rose up, and +let Hallblithe rise also, and took his sword and gave it into his +hand again and said: "Crag-nester, thou art wrathful, but little. +Now thou hast thy sword again and mayst slay me if thou wilt. Yet +not until I have spoken a word to thee: so hearken! or else by the +Treasure of the Sea I will slay thee with my bare hands. For I am +strong indeed in this place with my old kinsman beside me. Wilt thou +hearken?" + +"Speak," said Hallblithe, "I hearken." + +Said the Puny Fox: "True it is that I lured thee away from thy +quest, and wore away a year of thy life. Yet true it is also that I +repent me thereof, and ask thy pardon. What sayest thou?" + +Hallblithe spake not, but the heat died out of his face and he was +become somewhat pale. Said the Puny Fox: "Dost thou not remember, O +Raven, how thou badest me battle last year on the sea-shore by the +side of the Rollers of the Raven? and how this was to be the prize of +battle, that the vanquished should serve the vanquisher year-long, +and do all his will? And now this prize and more thou hast won +without battle; for I swear by the Treasure of the Sea, and by the +bones of the great Sea-mew yonder, that I will serve thee not year- +long but life-long, and that I will help thee in thy quest for thy +beloved. What sayest thou?" + +Hallblithe stood speechless a moment, looking past the Puny Fox, +rather than at him. Then the sword tumbled out of his hand on to the +grass, and great tears rolled down his cheeks and fell on to his +raiment, and he reached out his hand to the Puny Fox and said: "O +friend, wilt thou not bring me to her? for the days wear, and the +trees are growing old round about the Acres of the Raven." + +Then the Puny Fox took his hand; and laughed merrily in his face, and +said: "Great is thine heart, O Carrion-biter! But now that thou art +my friend I will tell thee that I have a deeming of the whereabouts +of thy beloved. Or where deemest thou was the garden wherein thou +sawest her standing on the page of the book in that dream of the +night? So it is, O Raven-son, that it is not for nothing that my +grandsire's father lieth in yonder hole of the rocks; for of late he +hath made me wise in mighty lore. Thanks have thou, O kinsman!" And +he turned him toward the rock wherein was the grave. + +But Hallblithe said: "What is to do now? Am I not in a land of +foemen?" + +"Yea, forsooth," said the Puny Fox, "and even if thou knewest where +thy love is, thou shouldst hardly escape from this isle unslain, save +for me." + +Said Hallblithe: "Is there not my bark, that I might depart at once? +for I deem not that the Hostage is on the Isle of Ransom." + +The Puny Fox laughed boisterously and said: "Nay, she is not. But +as to thy boat, there is so strong a set of the flood-tide toward +this end of the isle, that with the wind blowing as now, from the +north-north-east, thou mayst not get off the shore for four hours at +least, and I misdoubt me that within that time we shall have tidings +of a ship of ours coming into the haven. Thy bark they shall take, +and thee also if thou art therein; and then soon were the story told, +for they know thee for a rebel of the Undying King. Hearken! Dost +thou not hear the horn's voice? Come up hither and we shall see what +is towards." + +So saying, he led hastily up a kind of stair in the rock-wall, until +they reached a cranny, whence through a hole in the cliff, they could +see all over the haven. And lo! as they looked, in the very gate and +entry of it came a great ship heaving up her bows on the last swell +of the outer sea (where the wind had risen somewhat), and rolling +into the smooth, land-locked water. Black was her sail, and the +image of the Sea-eagle enwrought thereon spread wide over it; and the +banner of the Flaming Sword streamed out from the stern. Many men +all-weaponed were on the decks, and the minstrels high up on the poop +were blowing a merry song of return on their battle-horns. + +"Lo, you," said the Puny Fox, "thy luck or mine hath served thee this +time, in that the Flaming Sword did not overhaul thee ere thou madest +the haven. We are well here at least." + +Said Hallblithe: "But may not some of them come up hither +perchance?" + +"Nay, nay," said the Puny Fox; "they fear the old man in the cleft +yonder; for he is not over guest-fain. This mead is mine own, as for +other living men; it is my unroofed house, and I have here a house +with a roof also, which I will show thee presently. For now since +the Flaming Sword hath come, there is no need for haste; nay, we +cannot depart till they have gone up-country. So I will show thee +presently what we shall do to-night." + +So there they sat and watched those men bring their ship to the shore +and moor her hard by Hallblithe's boat. They cried out when they saw +her, and when they were aland they gathered about her to note her +build, and the fashion of the spear whereto she was tied. Then in a +while the more part of them, some fourscore in number, departed up +the valley toward the great house and left none but a half dozen +ship-warders behind. + +"Seest thou, friend of the Ravens," said the Fox, "hadst thou been +there, they might have done with thee what they would. Did I not +well to bring thee into my unroofed house?" + +"Yea, verily," said Hallblithe; "but will not some of the ship-wards, +or some of the others returning, come up hither and find us? I shall +yet lay my bones in this evil island." + +The Puny Fox laughed, and said: "It is not so bad as thy sour looks +would have it; anyhow it is good enough for a grave, and at this +present I may call it a casket of precious things." + +"What meanest thou?" said Hallblithe eagerly. + +"Nay, nay," said the other, "nought but what thou knowest. Art thou +not therein, and I myself? without reckoning the old carle in the +hole yonder. But I promise thee thou shalt not die here this time, +unless thou wilt. And as to folk coming up hither, I tell thee again +they durst not; because they fear my great-grandsire over much. Not +that they are far wrong therein; for now he is dead, the worst of him +seemeth to come out of him, and he is not easily dealt with, save by +one who hath some share of his wisdom. Thou thyself couldst see by +my kinsman, the Sea-eagle, how much of ill blood and churlish malice +there may be in our kindred when they wax old, and loneliness and +dreariness taketh hold of them. For I must tell thee that I have oft +heard my father say that his father the Sea-eagle was in his youth +and his prime blithe and buxom, a great lover of women, and a very +friendly fellow. But ever, as I say, as the men of our kind wax in +years, they worsen; and thereby mayst thou deem how bad the old man +in yonder must be, since he hath lain so long in the grave. But now +we will go to that house of mine on the other side of the mead, over +against my kinsman's." + +Therewith he led Hallblithe down from the rock while Hallblithe said +to him: "What! art thou also dead that thou hast a grave here?" + +"Nay, nay," said Fox, smiling, "am I so evil-conditioned then? I am +no older than thou art." + +"But tell me," said Hallblithe, "wilt thou also wax evil as thou +growest old?" + +"Maybe not," said Fox, looking hard at him, "for in my mind it is +that I may be taken into another house, and another kindred, and +amongst them I shall be healed of much that might turn to ill." + +Therewith were they come across the little meadow to a place where +was a cave in the rock closed with a door, and a wicket window +therein. Fox led Hallblithe into it, and within it was no ill +dwelling; for it was dry and clean, and there were stools therein and +a table, and shelves and lockers in the wall. When they had sat them +down Fox said: "Here mightest thou dwell safely as long as thou +wouldst, if thou wouldst risk dealings with the old carle. But, as I +wot well that thou art in haste to be gone and get home to thy +kindred, I must bring thee at dusk to-day close up to our feast-hall, +so that thou mayst be at hand to do what hath to be done to-night, so +that we may get us gone to-morrow. Also thou must do off thy Raven +gear lest we meet any in the twilight as we go up to the house; and +here have I to hand home-spun raiment such as our war-taken thralls +wear, which shall serve thy turn well enough; but this thou needst +not do on till the time is at hand for our departure; and then I will +bring thee away, and bestow thee in a bower hard by the hall; and +when thou art within, I may so look to it that none shall go in +there, or if they do, they shall see nought in thee save a carle +known to them by name. My kinsman hath learned me to do harder +things than this. But now it is time to eat and drink." + +Therewith he drew victual from out a locker and they fell to. But +when they had eaten, Fox taught Hallblithe what he should do in the +hall that night, as shall be told hereafter. And then, with much +talk about many things, they wore away the day in that ancient cup of +the seething rock, and a little before dusk set out for the hall, +bearing with them Hallblithe's gear bundled up together, as though it +had been wares from over sea. So they came to the house before the +tables were set, and the Puny Fox bestowed Hallblithe in a bower +which gave into the buttery, so that it was easy to go straight into +the mid-most of the hall. There was Hallblithe clad and armed in his +Raven gear; but Fox gave him a vizard to go over his face, so that +none might know him when he entered therein. + + + +CHAPTER XXI: OF THE FIGHT OF THE CHAMPIONS IN THE HALL OF THE +RAVAGERS + + + +Now it is to be told that the chieftains came into the hall that +night and sat down at the board on the dais, even as Hallblithe had +seen them do aforetime. And the chieftain of all, who was called the +Erne of the Sea-eagles, rose up according to custom and said: +"Hearken, folk! this is a night of the champions, whereon we may not +eat till the pale blades have clashed together, and one hath +vanquished and another been overcome. Now let them stand forth and +give out the prize of victory which the vanquished shall pay to the +vanquisher. And let it be known, that, whosoever may be the champion +that winneth the battle, whether he be a kinsman, or an alien, or a +foeman declared; yea, though he have left the head of my brother at +the hall-door, he shall pass this night with us safe from sword, safe +from axe, safe from hand: he shall eat as we eat, drink as we drink, +sleep as we sleep, and depart safe from any hand or weapon, and shall +sail the sea at his pleasure in his own keel or in ours, as to him +and us may be meet. Blow up horns for the champions!" + +So the horns blew a cheerful strain, and when they were done, there +came into the hall a tall man clad in black, and with black armour +and weapons saving the white blade of his sword. He had a vizard +over his face, but his hair came down from under his helm like the +tail of a red horse. + +So he stood amidst the floor and cried out: "I am the champion of +the Ravagers. But I swear by the Treasure of the Sea that I will +cross no blade to-night save with an alien, a foeman of the kindred. +Hearest thou, O chieftain, O Erne of the Sea-eagles?" + +"Hear it I do," said the chieftain, "and I deem that thy meaning is +that we should go supperless to bed; and this cometh of thy +perversity: for we know thee despite thy vizard. Belike thou +deemest that thou shalt not be met this even, and that there is no +free alien in the island to draw sword against thee. But beware! +For when we came aland this morning we found a skiff of the aliens +tied to a great spear stuck in the bank of the haven; so that there +will be one foeman at least abroad in the island. But we said if we +should come on the man, we would set his head on the gable of the +hall with the mouth open toward the North for a token of reproach to +the dwellers in the land over sea. But now give out the prize of +victory, and I swear by the Treasure of the Sea that we will abide by +thy word." + +Said the champion: "These are the terms and conditions of the +battle; that whichso of us is vanquished, he shall either die, or +serve the vanquisher for twelve moons, to fare with him at his will, +to go his errands, and do according to his commandment in all wise. +Hearest thou, chieftain?" + +"Yea," said he, "and by the Undying King, both thou and we shall +abide by this bargain. So look to it that thou smite great strokes, +lest our hall lack a gable-knop. Horns, blow up for the alien +champion!" + +So again the horns were winded; and ere their voice had died, in from +the buttery screens came a glittering image of war, and there stood +the alien champion over against the warrior of the sea; and he too +had a vizard over his face. + +Now when the folk saw him, and how slim and light and small he looked +beside their champion, and they beheld the Raven painted on his white +shield, they hooted and laughed for scorn of him and his littleness. +But he tossed his sword up lightly and caught it by the hilts as it +fell, and drew nigher to the champion of the sea and stood facing him +within reach of his sword. Then the chieftain on the high-seat put +his two hands to his mouth and roared out: "Fall on, ye champions, +fall on!" + +But the folk in the hall were so eager that they stood on the benches +and the boards, and craned over each other's shoulders, so that they +might lose no whit of the hand-play. Now flashed the blades in the +candle-lit hall, and the red-haired champion hove up his sword and +smote two great strokes to right and to left; but the alien gave way +before him, and the folk cried out at him in scorn and in joy of +their champion, who fell to raining down great strokes like the hail +amidst the lightning. But so deft was the alien, that he stood +amidst it unhurt, and laid many strokes on his foeman, and did all so +lightly and easily, that it seemed as if he were dancing rather than +fighting; and the folk held their peace and began to doubt if their +huge champion would prevail. Now the red-haired fetched a mighty +stroke at the alien, who leapt aside lightly and gat his sword in his +left hand and dealt a great stroke on the other's head, and the red- +haired staggered, for he had over-reached himself; and again the +alien smote him a left-handed stroke so that he fell full length on +the floor with a mighty clatter, and the sword flew out of his hand: +and the folk were dumb-founded. + +Then the alien threw himself on the sea-champion, and knelt upon him, +and shortened his sword as if to slay him with a thrust. But thereon +the man overthrown cried out: "Hold thine hand, for I am vanquished! +Now give me peace according to the bargain struck between us, that I +shall serve thee year-long, and follow thee wheresoever thou goest." + +Therewith the alien champion arose and stood off from him, and the +man of the sea gat to his feet, and did off his helm, so that all men +could see that he was the Puny Fox. + +Then the victorious champion unhelmed himself, and lo, it was +Hallblithe! And a shout arose in the hall, part of wonder, part of +wrath. + +Then cried out the Puny Fox: "I call on all men here to bear witness +that by reason of this battle, Hallblithe of the Ravens is free to +come and go as he will in the Isle of Ransom, and to take help of any +man that will help him, and to depart from the isle when he will and +how he will, taking me with him if so he will." + +Said the chieftain: "Yea, this is right and due, and so shall it be. +But now, since no freeman, who is not a foe of the passing hour, may +abide in our hall without eating of our meat, come up here, +Hallblithe, and sit by me, and eat and drink of the best we have, +since the Norns would not give us thine head for a gable-knop. But +what wilt thou do with thy thrall the Puny Fox; and whereto in the +hall wilt thou have him shown? Or wilt thou that he sit fasting in +the darkness to-night, laid in gyves and fetters? Or shall he have +the cheer of whipping and stripes, as befitteth a thrall to whom the +master oweth a grudge? What is thy will with him?" + +Said Hallblithe: "My will is that thou give him a seat next to me, +whether that be high or low, or the bench of thy prison-house. That +he eat of my dish, and drink of my cup, whatsoever the meat and drink +may be. For to-morrow I mean that we twain shall go under the earth- +collar together, and that our blood shall run together and that we +shall be brothers in arms henceforward." Then Hallblithe did on his +helm again and drew his sword, and looked aside to the Puny Fox to +bid him do the like, and he did so, and Hallblithe said: "Chieftain, +thou hast bidden me to table, and I thank thee; but I will not set my +teeth in meat, out of our own house and land, which hath not been +truly given to me by one who wotteth of me, unless I have conquered +it as a prey of battle; neither will I cast a lie into the loving-cup +which shall pass from thy lips to mine: therefore I will tell thee, +that though I laid a stroke or two on the Puny Fox, and those no +light ones, yet was this battle nought true and real, but a mere +beguiling, even as that which I saw foughten in this hall aforetime, +when meseemeth the slain men rose up in time to drink the good-night +cup. Therefore, O men of the Ravagers, and thou, O Puny Fox, there +is nought to bind your hands and refrain your hearts, and ye may slay +me if ye will without murder or dishonour, and may make the head of +Hallblithe a knop for your feast-hall. Yet shall one or two fall to +earth before I fall." + +Therewith he shook his sword aloft, and a great roar arose, and +weapons came down from the wall, and the candles shone on naked +steel. But the Puny Fox came and stood by Hallblithe, and spake in +his ear amidst the uproar: "Well now, brother-in-arms, I have been +trying to learn thee the lore of lies, and surely thou art the worst +scholar who was ever smitten by master. And the outcome of it is +that I, who have lied so long and well, must now pay for all, and die +for a barren truth." + +Said Hallblithe: "Let all be as it will! I love thee, lies and all; +but as for me I cannot handle them. Lo you! great and grim shall be +the slaying, and we shall not fall unavenged." + +Said the Puny Fox: "Hearken! for still they hang back. Belike it is +I that have drawn this death on thee and me. My last lie was a +fool's lie and we die for it: for what wouldst thou have done hadst +thou wotted that thy beloved, the Hostage of the Rose--" He broke +off perforce; for Hallblithe was looking to right and left and +handling his sword, and heard not that last word of his; and from +both sides of the hall the throng was drawing round about those +twain, weapon in hand. Then Hallblithe set his eyes on a big man in +front who was heaving up a heavy short-sword and thought that he +would at least slay this one. But or ever he might smite, the great +horn blared out over the tumult, and men forbore a while and fell +somewhat silent. + +Then came down to them the voice of the chieftain, a loud voice, but +clear and with mirth mingled with anger in it, and he said: "What do +these fools of the Ravagers cumbering the floor of the feast-hall, +and shaking weapons when there is no foeman anigh? Are they +dreaming-drunk before the wine is poured? Why do they not sit down +in their places, and abide the bringing in of the meat? And ye +women, where are ye, why do ye delay our meat, when ye may well wot +that our hearts are drooping for hunger; and all hath been duly done, +the battle of the champions fought and won, and the prize of war +given forth and taken? How long, O folk, shall your chieftains sit +fasting?" + +Then there arose great laughter in the hall, and men withdrew them +from those twain and went and sat them down in their places. + +Then the chieftain said: "Come up hither, I say, O Hallblithe, and +bring thy war-thrall with thee if thou wilt. But delay not, unless +it be so that thou art neither hungry nor thirsty; and good sooth +thou shouldst be both; for men say that the ravens are hard to +satisfy. Come then and make good cheer with us!" + +So Hallblithe thrust his sword into the sheath, and the Puny Fox did +the like, and they went both together up the hall to the high-seat. +And Hallblithe sat down on the chieftain's right hand, and the Puny +Fox next to him; and the chieftain, the Erne, said: "O Hallblithe, +dost thou need thine armour at table; or dost thou find it handy to +take thy meat clad in thy byrny and girt with a sword?" + +Then laughed Hallblithe and said: "Nay, meseemeth to-night I shall +need war-gear no more." And he stood up and did off all his armour +and gave it, sword and all, into the hands of a woman, who bore it +off, he knew not whither. And the Erne looked on him and said: +"Well is that! and now I see that thou art a fair young man, and it +is no marvel though maidens desire thee." + +As he spake came in the damsels with the victual and the cheer was +exceeding good, and Hallblithe grew light-hearted. + +But when the healths had been drunk as aforetime, and men had drunk a +cup or two thereafter, there rose a warrior from one of the endlong +benches, a big young man, black-haired and black-bearded, ruddy of +visage, and he said in a voice that was rough and fat: "O Erne, and +ye other chieftains, we have been talking here at our table +concerning this guest of thine who hath beguiled us, and we are not +wholly at one with thee as to thy dealings with him. True it is, now +that the man hath our meat in his belly, that he must depart from +amongst us with a whole skin, unless of his own will he stand up to +fight some man of us here. Yet some of us think that he is not so +much our friend that we should help him to a keel whereon to fare +home to those that hate us: and we say that it would not be unlawful +to let the man abide in the isle, and proclaim him a wolf's-head +within a half-moon of today. Or what sayest thou?" + +Said the Erne: "Wait for my word a while, and hearken to another! +Is the Grey-goose of the Ravagers in the hall? Let him give out his +word on this matter." + +Then arose a white-headed carle from a table nigh to the dais, whose +black raiment was well adorned with gold. Despite his years his face +was fair and little wrinkled; a man with a straight nose and a well- +fashioned mouth, and with eyes still bright and grey. He spake: "O +folk, I find that the Erne hath done well in cherishing this guest. +For first, if he hath beguiled us, he did it not save by the +furtherance and sleight of our own kinsman; therefore if any one is +to die for beguiling us, let it be the Puny Fox. Secondly, we may +well wot that heavy need hath driven the man to this beguilement; and +I say that it was no unmanly deed for him to enter our hall and +beguile us with his sleight; and that he hath played out the play +right well and cunningly with the wisdom of a warrior. Thirdly, the +manliness of him is well proven, in that having overcome us in +sleight, he hath spoken out the sooth concerning our beguilement and +hath made himself our foeman and captive, when he might have sat down +by us as our guest, freely and in all honour. And this he did, not +as contemning the Puny Fox and his lies and crafty wiles (for he hath +told us that he loveth him); but so that he might show himself a man +in that which trieth manhood. Moreover, ye shall not forget that he +is the rebel of the Undying King, who is our lord and master; +therefore in cherishing him we show ourselves great-hearted, in that +we fear not the wrath of our master. Therefore I naysay the word of +the War-brand that we should make this man a wolf's-head; for in so +doing we shall show ourselves lesser-hearted than he is, and of no +account beside of him; and his head on our hall-gable should be to us +a nithing-stake, and a tree of reproach. So I bid thee, O Erne, to +make much of this man; and thou shalt do well to give him worthy +gifts, such as warriors may take, so that he may show them at home in +the House of the Raven, that it may be the beginning of peace betwixt +us and his noble kindred. This is my say, and later on I shall wax +no wiser." + +Therewith he sat down, and there arose a murmur and stir in the hall; +but the more part said that the Grey-goose had spoken well, and that +it was good to be at peace with such manly fellows as the new guest +was. + +But the Erne said: "One word will I lay hereto, to wit, that he who +desireth mine enmity let him do scathe to Hallblithe of the Ravens +and hinder him." + +Then he bade fill round the cups, and called a health to Hallblithe, +and all men drank to him, and there was much joyance and merriment. + +But when the night was well worn, the Erne turned to Hallblithe and +said: "That was a good word of the Grey-goose which he spake +concerning the giving of gifts: Raven-son, wilt thou take a gift of +me and be my friend?" + +"Thy friend will I be," said Hallblithe, "but no gift will I take of +thee or any other till I have the gift of gifts, and that is my +troth-plight maiden. I will not be glad till I can be glad with +her." + +Then laughed the Erne, and the Puny Fox grinned all across his wide +face, and Hallblithe looked from one to the other of them and +wondered at their mirth, and when they saw his wondering eyes, they +did but laugh the more; and the Erne said: "Nevertheless, thou shalt +see the gift which I would give thee; and then mayst thou take it or +leave it as thou wilt. Ho ye! bring in the throne of the Eastland +with them that minister to it!" + +Certain men left the hall as he spake, and came back bearing with +them a throne fashioned most goodly of ivory, parcel-gilt and +begemmed, and adorned with marvellous craftsmanship: and they set it +down amidst of the hall-floor and went aback to their places, while +the Erne sat and smiled kindly on the folk and on Hallblithe. Then +arose the sound of fiddles and the lesser harp, and the doors of the +screen were opened, and there flowed into the hall a company of fair +damsels not less than a score, each one with a rose on her bosom, and +they came and stood in order behind the throne of the Eastlands, and +they strewed roses on the ground before them: and when they were +duly ranged they fell to singing: + + +Now waneth spring, +While all birds sing, +And the south wind blows +The earliest rose +To and fro +By the doors we know, +And the scented gale +Fills every dale. +Slow now are brooks running because of the weed, +And the thrush hath no cunning to hide her at need, +So swift as she flieth from hedge-row to tree +As one that toil trieth, and deedful must be. + +And O! that at last, +All sorrows past, +This night I lay +'Neath the oak-beams grey! +O, to wake from sleep, +To see dawn creep +Through the fruitful grove +Of the house that I love! +O! my feet to be treading the threshold once more, +O'er which once went the leading of swords to the war! +O! my feet in the garden's edge under the sun, +Where the seeding grass hardens for haysel begun! + +Lo, lo! the wind blows +To the heart of the Rose, +And the ship lies tied +To the haven side! +But O for the keel +The sails to feel! +And the alien ness +Growing less and less; +As down the wind driveth and thrusts through the sea +The sail-burg that striveth to turn and go free, +But the lads at the tiller they hold her in hand, +And the wind our well-willer drives fierce to the land. + +We shall wend it yet, +The highway wet; +For what is this +That our bosoms kiss? +What lieth sweet +Before our feet? +What token hath come +To lead us home? +'Tis the Rose of the garden walled round from the croft +Where the grey roof its warden steep riseth aloft, +'Tis the Rose 'neath the oaken-beamed hall, where they bide, +The pledges unbroken, the hand of the bride. + + +Hallblithe heard the song, and half thought it promised him somewhat; +but then he had been so misled and mocked at, that he scarce knew how +to rejoice at it. + +Now the Erne spake: "Wilt thou not take the chair and these dainty +song-birds that stand about it? Much wealth might come into thine +hall if thou wert to carry them over sea to rich men who have no +kindred, nor affinity wherein to wed, but who love women as well as +other men." + +Said Hallblithe: "I have wealth enow were I once home again. As to +these maidens, I know by the fashion of them that they are no women +of the Rose, as by their song they should be. Yet will I take any of +these maidens that have will to go with me and be made sisters of my +sisters, and wed with the warriors of the Rose; or if they are of a +kindred, and long to sit each in the house of her folk, then will we +send them home over the sea with warriors to guard them from all +trouble. For this gift I thank thee. As to thy throne, I bid thee +keep it till a keel cometh thy way from our land, bringing fair gifts +for thee and thine. For we are not so unwealthy." + +Those that sat nearby heard his words and praised them; but the Erne +said: "All this is free to thee, and thou mayst do what thou wilt +with the gifts given to thee. Yet shalt thou have the throne; and I +have thought of a way to make thee take it. Or what sayst thou, Puny +Fox?" + +Said the Puny Fox: "Yea if thou wilt, thou mayst, but I thought it +not of thee that thou wouldst. Now is all well." + +Again Hallblithe looked from one to the other and wondered what they +meant. But the Erne cried out: "Bring in now the sitter, who shall +fill the empty throne!" + +Then again the screen-doors opened, and there came in two weaponed +men, leading between them a woman clad in gold and garlanded with +roses. So fair was the fashion of her face and all her body, that +her coming seemed to make a change in the hall, as though the sun had +shone into it suddenly. She trod the hall-floor with firm feet, and +sat down on the ivory chair. But even before she was seated therein +Hallblithe knew that the Hostage was under that roof and coming +toward him. And the heart rose in his breast and fluttered therein, +so sore he yearned toward the Daughter of the Rose, and his very +speech-friend. Then he heard the Erne saying, "How now, Raven-son, +wilt thou have the throne and the sitter therein, or wilt thou +gainsay me once more?" + +Thereafter he himself spake, and the sound of his voice was strange +to him and as if he knew it not: "Chieftain, I will not gainsay +thee, but will take thy gift, and thy friendship therewith, +whatsoever hath betided. Yet would I say a word or two unto the +woman that sitteth yonder. For I have been straying amongst wiles +and images, and mayhappen I shall yet find this to be but a dream of +the night, or a beguilement of the day." Therewith he arose from the +table, and walked slowly down the hall; but it was a near thing that +he did not fall a-weeping before all those aliens, so full his heart +was. + +He came and stood before the Hostage, and their eyes were upon each +other, and for a little while they had no words. Then Hallblithe +began, wondering at his voice as he spake: "Art thou a woman and my +speech-friend? For many images have mocked me, and I have been +encompassed with lies, and led astray by behests that have not been +fulfilled. And the world hath become strange to me, and empty of +friends." + +Then she said: "Art thou verily Hallblithe? For I also have been +encompassed by lies, and beset by images of things unhelpful." + +"Yea," said he, "I am Hallblithe of the Ravens, wearied with desire +for my troth-plight maiden." + +Then came the rosy colour into the fairness of her face, as the +rising sun lighteth the garden of flowers in the June morning; and +she said: "If thou art Hallblithe, tell me what befell to the +finger-gold-ring that my mother gave me when we were both but +little." + +Then his face grew happy, and he smiled, and he said: "I put it for +thee one autumntide in the snake's hole in the bank above the river, +amidst the roots of the old thorn-tree, that the snake might brood +it, and make the gold grow greater; but when winter was over and we +came to look for it, lo! there was neither ring nor snake, nor thorn- +tree: for the flood had washed it all away." + +Thereat she smiled most sweetly, and whereas she had been looking on +him hitherto with strained and anxious eyes, she now beheld him +simply and friendly; and she said: "O Hallblithe, I am a woman +indeed, and thy speech-friend. This is the flesh that desireth thee, +and the life that is thine, and the heart which thou rejoicest. But +now tell me, who are these huge images around us, amongst whom I have +sat thus, once in every moon this year past, and afterwards I was +taken back to the women's bower? Are they men or mountain-giants? +Will they slay us, or shut us up from the light and air? Or hast +thou made peace with them? Wilt thou then dwell with me here, or +shall we go back again to Cleveland by the Sea? And when, oh when, +shall we depart?" + +He smiled and said: "Quick come thy questions, beloved. These are +the folks of the Ravagers and the Sea-eagles: they be men, though +fierce and wild they be. Our foes they have been, and have sundered +us; but now are they our friends, and have brought us together. And +to-morrow, O friend, shall we depart across the waters to Cleveland +by the Sea." + +She leaned forward, and was about to speak softly to him, but +suddenly started back, and said: "There is a big, red-haired man, as +big as any here, behind thy shoulder. Is he also a friend? What +would he with us?" + +So Hallblithe turned about, and beheld the Puny Fox beside him, who +took up the word and spoke, smiling as a man in great glee: "O +maiden of the Rose, I am Hallblithe's thrall, and his scholar, to +unlearn the craft of lying, whereby I have done amiss towards both +him and thee. Whereof I will tell thee all the tale soon. But now I +will say that it is true that we depart to-morrow for Cleveland by +the Sea, thou and he, and I in company. Now I would ask thee, +Hallblithe, if thou wouldst have me bestow this gift of thine in +safe-keeping to-night, since there is an end of her sitting in the +hall like a graven image: and to-morrow the way will be long and +wearisome, What sayest thou?" + +Said the Hostage: "Shall I trust this man and go with him?" + +"Yea, thou shalt trust him," said Hallblithe, "for he is trusty. And +even were he not, it is meet for us of the Raven and the Rose to do +as our worth biddeth us, and not to fear this folk. And it behoveth +us to do after their customs since we are in their house." + +"That is sooth," she said; "big man, lead me out of the hall to my +place. Farewell, Hallblithe, for a little while, and then shall +there be no more sundering for us." + +Therewith she departed with the Puny Fox, and Hallblithe went back to +the high-seat and sat down by the Erne, who laughed on him and said: +"Thou hast taken my gift, and that is well: yet shall I tell thee +that I would not have given it to thee if I could have kept it for +myself in such plight as thou wilt have it. But all I could do, and +the Puny Fox to help withal, availed me nought. So good luck go with +thine hands. Now will we to bed, and to-morrow I will lead thee out +on thy way; for to say sooth, there be some here who are not well +pleased with either thee or me; and thou knowest that words are +wasted on wilful men, but that deeds may avail somewhat." + +Therewith he cried out for the cup of good-night, and when it was +drunken, Hallblithe was shown to a fair shut-bed; even that wherein +he had lain aforetime; and there he went to sleep in joy, and in good +liking with all men. + + + +CHAPTER XXII: THEY GO FROM THE ISLE OF RANSOM AND COME TO CLEVELAND +BY THE SEA + + + +In the morning early Hallblithe arose from his bed, and when he came +into the mid-hall, there was the Puny Fox and the Hostage with him; +Hallblithe kissed her and embraced her, and she him; yet not like +lovers long sundered, but as a man and maid betrothed are wont to do, +for there were folk coming and going about the hall. Then spake the +Puny Fox: "The Erne is abiding us out in the meadow yonder; for now +nought will serve him but he must needs go under the earth-collar +with us. How sayest thou, is he enough thy friend?" + +Said Hallblithe, smiling on the Hostage: "What hast thou to say to +it, beloved?" + +"Nought at all," she said, "if thou art friend to any of these men. +I may deem that I have somewhat against the chieftain, whereof belike +this big man may tell thee hereafter; but even so much meseemeth I +have against this man himself, who is now become thy friend and +scholar; for he also strove for my beguilement, and that not for +himself, but for another." + +"True it is," said the Fox, "that I did it for another; even as +yesterday I took thy mate Hallblithe out of the trap whereinto he had +strayed, and compassed his deliverance by means of the unfaithful +battle; and even as I would have stolen thee for him, O Rose-maiden, +if need had been; yea, even if I must have smitten into ruin the +roof-tree of the Ravagers. And how could I tell that the Erne would +give thee up unstolen? Yea, thou sayeth sooth, O noble and spotless +maiden; all my deeds, both good and ill, have I done for others; and +so I deem it shall be while my life lasteth." + +Then Hallblithe laughed and said: "Art thou nettled, fellow-in-arms, +at the word of a woman who knoweth thee not? She shall yet be thy +friend, O Fox. But tell me, beloved, I deemed that thou hadst not +seen Fox before; how then can he have helped the Erne against thee?" + +"Yet she sayeth sooth," said Fox, "this was of my sleight: for when +I had to come before her, I changed my skin, as I well know how; +there are others in this land who can do so much as that. But what +sayest thou concerning the brotherhood with the Erne?" + +"Let it be so," said Hallblithe, "he is manly and true, though +masterful, and is meet for this land of his. I shall not fall out +with him; for seldom meseemeth shall I see the Isle of Ransom." + +"And I never again," said the Puny Fox. + +"Dost thou loathe it, then," said the Hostage, "because of the evil +thou hast done therein?" + +"Nay," said he, "what is the evil, when henceforth I shall do but +good? Nay, I love the land. Belike thou deemest it but dreary with +its black rocks and black sand, and treeless wind-swept dales; but I +know it in summer and winter, and sun and shade, in storm and calm. +And I know where the fathers dwelt and the sons of their sons' sons +have long lain in the earth. I have sailed its windiest firths, and +climbed its steepest crags; and ye may well wot that it hath a +friendly face to me; and the land-wights of the mountains will be +sorry for my departure." + +So he spake, and Hallblithe would have answered him, but by now were +they come to a grassy hollow amidst the dale, where the Erne had +already made the earth-yoke ready. To wit, he had loosened a strip +of turf all save the two ends, and had propped it up with two ancient +dwarf-wrought spears, so that amidmost there was a lintel to go +under. + +So when he saw those others coming, he gave them the sele of the day, +and said to Hallblithe: "What is it to be? shall I be less than thy +brother-in-arms henceforward?" + +Said Hallblithe: "Not a whit less. It is good to have brothers in +other lands than one." + +So they made no delay, but clad in all their war-gear, they went +under the earth-yoke one after the other; thereafter they stood +together, and each let blood in his arm, so that the blood of all +three mingled together fell down on the grass of the ancient earth; +and they swore friendship and brotherhood each to each. + +But when all was done the Erne spake: "Brother Hallblithe, as I lay +awake in bed this morning I deemed that I would take ship with thee +to Cleveland by the Sea, that I might dwell there a while. But when +I came out of the hall, and saw the dale lying green betwixt hill- +side and hill-side, and the glittering river running down amidmost, +and the sheep and kine and horses feeding up and down on either side +the water: and I looked up at the fells and saw how deep blue they +stood up against the snowy peaks, and I thought of all our deeds on +the deep sea, and the merry nights, in yonder abode of men: then I +thought that I would not leave the kindred, were it but for a while, +unless war and lifting called me. So now I will ride with thee to +the ship, and then farewell to thee." + +"It is good," said Hallblithe, "though not as good as it might be. +Glad had we been with thee in the hall of the Ravens." + +As he spoke drew anigh the carles leading the horses, and with them +came six of those damsels whom the Erne had given to Hallblithe the +night before; two of whom asked to be brought to their kindred over +sea; but the other four were fain to go with Hallblithe and the +Hostage, and become their sisters at Cleveland by the Sea. + +So then they got to horse and rode down the dale toward the haven, +and the carles rode with them, so that of weaponed men they were a +score in company. But when they were half-way to the haven they saw +where hard by three knolls on the way-side were men standing with +their weapons and war-gear glittering in the sun. So the Erne +laughed and said: "Shall we have a word with War-brand then?" + +But they rode steadily on their way, and when they came up to the +knolls they saw that it was War-brand indeed with a score of men at +his back; but they stirred not when they saw Erne's company that it +was great. Then Erne laughed aloud and cried out in a big voice, +"What, lads! ye ride early this morning; are there foemen abroad in +the Isle?" + +They shrank back before him, but a carle of those who was hindermost +cried out: "Art thou coming back to us, Erne, or have thy new +friends bought thee to lead them in battle?" + +"Fear it nought," quoth Erne, "I shall be back before the shepherd's +noon." + +So they went their ways and came to the haven, and there lay the +Flaming Sword, and beside her a trim bark, not right great, all ready +for sea: and Hallblithe's skiff was made fast to her for an after- +boat. + +Then the Hostage and Hallblithe and the six damsels went aboard her, +and when the Erne had bidden them farewell, they cast off the hawsers +and thrust her out through the haven-mouth; but ere they had got +midmost of the haven, they saw the Erne, that he had turned about, +and was riding up the dale with his house-carles, and each man's +weapon was shining in his hand: and they wondered if he were riding +to battle with War-brand; and Fox said: "Meseemeth our brother-in- +arms hath in his mind to give those waylayers an evil minute, and +verily he is the man to do the same." + +So they gat them out of the haven, and the ebb-tide drave out seaward +strongly, and the wind was fair for Cleveland by the Sea; and they +ran speedily past the black cliffs of the Isle of Ransom, and soon +were they hull down behind them. But on the afternoon of the next +day they hove up the land of the kindreds, and by sunset they beached +their ship on the sand by the Rollers of the Raven, and went ashore +without more ado. And the strand was empty of all men, even as on +the day when Hallblithe first met the Puny Fox. So then in the cool +of the evening they went up toward the House of the Raven. Those +damsels went together hand in hand two by two, and Hallblithe held +the Hostage by the hand; but the Puny Fox went along beside them, +gleeful and of many words; telling them tales of his wiles and his +craft, and his skin-changing. + +"But now," quoth he, "I have left all that behind me in the Isle of +Ransom, and have but one shape, and I would for your behoof that it +were a goodlier one: and but one wisdom have I, even that which +dwelleth in mine own head-bone. Yet it may be that this may avail +you one time or other. But lo you! though I am thy thrall, have I +not the look of a thrall-huckster from over sea leading up my wares +to the cheaping-stead?" They laughed at his words and were merry, +and much love there was amongst them as they went up to the House of +the Raven. + +But when they came thither they went into the garth, and there was no +man therein, for it was now dusk, and the windows of the long hall +were yellow with candle-light. Then said Fox: "Abide ye here a +little; for I would go into the hall alone and see the conditions of +thy people, O Hallblithe." + +"Go thou, then," said Hallblithe, "but be not rash. I counsel thee; +for our folk are not over-patient when they deem they have a foe +before them." + +The Puny Fox laughed, and said: "So it is then the world over, that +happy men are wilful and masterful." + +Then he drew his sword and smote on the door with the pommel, and the +door opened to him and in he went: and he found that fair hall full +of folk and bright with candles; and he stood amidst the floor; all +men looked on him, and many knew him at once to be a man of the +Ravagers, and silence fell upon the hall, but no man stirred hand +against him. Then he said: "Will ye hearken to the word of an evil +man, a robber of the folks?" + +Spake the chieftain from the dais: "Words will not hurt us, sea- +warrior; and thou art but one among many; wherefore thy might this +eve is but as the might of a new-born baby. Speak, and afterwards +eat and drink, and depart safe from amongst us!" + +Spake the Puny Fox: "What is gone with Hallblithe, a fair young man +of your kindred, and with the Hostage of the Rose, his troth-plight +maiden?" + +Then was the hush yet greater in the hall, so that you might have +heard a pin drop; and the chieftain said: "It is a grief of ours +that they are gone, and that none hath brought us back their dead +bodies that we might lay them in the Acre of the Fathers." + +Then leapt up a man from the end-long table nigh to Fox, and cried +out: "Yea, folk! they are gone, and we deem that runagates of thy +kindred, O new-come man, have stolen them from us; wherefor they +shall one day pay us." + +Then laughed the Puny Fox and said: "Some would say that stealing +Hallblithe was like stealing a lion, and that he might take care of +himself; though he was not as big as I am." + +Said the last speaker: "Did thy kin or didst thou steal him, O evil +man?" + +"Yea, I stole him," quoth Fox, "but by sleight, and not by might." + +Then uprose great uproar in the hall, but the chieftain on the high- +seat cried out: "Peace, peace!" and the noise abated, and the +chieftain said: "Dost thou mean that thou comest hither to give us +thine head for making away with Hallblithe and the Hostage?" + +"I mean to ask rather," said the Fox, "what thou wilt give me for the +bodies of these twain?" + +Said the chieftain: "A boat-load of gold were not too much if thou +shouldst live a little longer." + +Quoth the Puny Fox: "Well, in anywise I will go and bring in the +bodies aforesaid, and leave my reward to the goodwill of the Ravens." + +Therewith he turned about to go, but lo! there already in the door +stood Hallblithe holding the Hostage by the hand; and many in the +hall saw them, for the door was wide. Then they came in and stood by +the side of the Puny Fox, and all men in the hall arose and shouted +for joy. But when the tumult was a little abated, the Puny Fox cried +out: "O chieftain, and all ye folk! if a boat-load of gold were not +too much reward for the bringing back the dead bodies of your +friends, what reward shall he have who hath brought back their bodies +and the souls therein?" + +Said the chieftain: "The man shall choose his own reward." And the +men in the hall shouted their yeasay. + +Then said the Puny Fox: "Well, then, this I choose, that ye make me +one of your kindred before the fathers of old time." + +They all cried out that he had chosen wisely and manfully; but +Hallblithe said: "I bid you do for him no less than this; and ye +shall wot that he is already my sworn brother-in-arms." + +Now the chieftain cried out: "O Wanderers from over the sea, come up +hither and sit with us and be merry at last!" + +So they went up to the dais, Hallblithe and the Hostage, and the Puny +Fox and the six maidens withal. And since the night was yet young, +the supper of the men of the Ravens was turned into the wedding-feast +of Hallblithe and the Hostage, and that very night she became a wife +of the Ravens, that she might bear to the House the best of men and +the fairest of women. + +But on the morrow they brought the Puny Fox to the mote-stead of the +kindreds that he might stand before the fathers and be made a son of +the kindred; and this they did because of the word of Hallblithe, and +because they believed in the tale which he told them of the +Glittering Plain and the Acre of the Undying. The four maidens also +were made sisters of the House; and the other twain were sent home to +their own kindred in all honour. + +Of the Puny Fox it is said that he soon lost and forgot all the lore +which he had learned of the ancient men, living and dead; and became +as other men and was no wizard. Yet he was exceeding valiant and +doughty; and he ceased not to go with Hallblithe wheresoever he went; +and many deeds they did together, whereof the memory of men hath +failed: but neither they nor any man of the Ravens came any more to +the Glittering Plain, or heard any tidings of the folk that dwell +there. + +HEREWITH ENDETH THE TALE. + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg Etext Story of the Glittering Plain, by Morris + diff --git a/old/gltpl10.zip b/old/gltpl10.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d2d8cbf --- /dev/null +++ b/old/gltpl10.zip |