CHAPTER 16
Ralph Rideth the Wood Perilous Again
Now Roger led up to Ralph a strong horse, red roan of hue, dulyharnessed for war, and he himself had a good grey horse, and theymounted at once, and Ralph rode slowly away through the wood at hishorse's will, for he was pondering all that had befallen him, andwondering what next should hap. Meanwhile those others had notloitered, but were a-horseback at once, and went their ways from Ralphthrough the wildwood.
Nought spake Ralph for a while till Roger came close up to him andsaid: "Whither shall we betake us, fair lord? hast thou an inkling ofthe road whereon lies thine errand?"
Now to Ralph this seemed but mockery, and he answered sharply: "I wotnot, thou wilt lead whither thou wilt, even as thou hast trained mehitherward with lies and a forged tale. I suppose thou wilt lead menow by some roundabout road to the stronghold of the Dry Tree. Itmatters little, since thou durst not lead me back into the Burg. Yetnow I come to think of it, it is evil to be alone with a found outtraitor and liar; and I had belike have done better to go with theircompany."
"Nay nay," quoth Roger, "thou art angry, and I marvel not thereat; butlet thy wrath run off thee if thou mayest; for indeed what I have toldthee of myself and my griefs is not all mere lying. Neither was it anylie that thou wert in peril of thy life amongst those tyrants of theBurg; thou with thy manly bearing, and free tongue, and bred, as Ijudge, to hate cruel deeds and injustice. Such freedom they cannotaway with in that fellowship of hard men-at-arms; and soon hadst thoucome to harm amongst them. And further, let alone that it is not illto be sundered from yonder company, who mayhap will have rough work todo or ever they win home, I have nought to do to bring thee to Hamptonunder Scaur if thou hast no will to go thither: though certes I wouldlead thee some whither, whereof thou shalt ask me nought as now; yetwill I say thereof this much, that there thou shalt be both safe andwell at ease. Now lastly know this, that whatever I have done, I havedone it to do thee good and not ill; and there is also another one,whom I will not name to thee, who wisheth thee better yet, by the tokenof those two strokes stricken by thee in the Wood Perilous beforeyesterday was a day."
Now when Ralph heard those last words, such strong and sweet hope anddesire stirred in him to see that woman of the Want-ways of the WoodPerilous that he forgat all else, except that he must nowise fall tostrife with Roger, lest they should sunder, and he should lose the helpof him, which he now deemed would bring him to sight of her whom he hadunwittingly come to long for more than aught else; so he spake to Rogerquietly and humbly: "Well, faring-fellow, thou seest how I am littlemore than a lad, and have fallen into matters mighty and perilous,which I may not deal with of my own strength, at least until I getnigher to them so that I may look them in the eyes, and strike a strokeor two on them if they be at enmity with me. So I bid thee lead mewhither thou wilt, and if thou be a traitor to me, on thine own head beit; in good sooth, since I know nought of this wood and since I mightgo astray and so come back to the Burg where be those whom thou hastnow made my foemen, I am content to take thee on thy word, and to hopethe best of thee, and ask no question of thee, save whitherward."
"Fair sir," said Roger, "away from this place at least; for we are asyet over nigh to the Burg to be safe: but as to elsewhither we maywend, thereof we may speak on the road as we have leisure."
Therewith he smote his horse with his heel and they went forward at asmart trot, for the horses were unwearied, and the wood thereabouts ofbeech and clear of underwood; and Roger seemed to know his way well,and made no fumbling over it.
Four hours or more gone, the wood thinned and the beeches failed, andthey came to a country, still waste, of little low hills, stony for themore part, beset with scraggy thorn-bushes, and here and there someother berry-tree sown by the birds. Then said Roger: "Now I deem uswell out of the peril of them of the Burg, who if they follow the chaseas far as the sundering of us and the others, will heed our slotnothing, but will follow on that of the company: so we may breathe ourhorses a little, though their bait will be but small in this roughwaste: therein we are better off than they, for lo you, saddle bags onmy nag and meat and drink therein."
So they lighted down and let their horses graze what they could, whilethey ate and drank; amidst which Ralph again asked Roger of whitherthey were going. Said Roger: "I shall lead thee to a good harbour,and a noble house of a master of mine, wherein thou mayst dwell certaindays, if thou hast a mind thereto, not without solace maybe."
"And this master," said Ralph, "is he of the Dry Tree?" Said Roger: "Iscarce know how to answer thee without lying: but this I say, thatwhether he be or not, this is true; amongst those men I have friendsand amongst them foes; but fate bindeth me to them for a while." SaidRalph reddening: "Be there any women amongst them?" "Yea, yea," quothRoger, smiling a little, "doubt not thereof."
"And that Lady of the Dry Tree," quoth Ralph, reddening yet more, butholding up his head, "that woman whereof the Burgher spoke so bitterly,threatening her with torments and death if they might but lay hold ofher; what wilt thou tell me concerning her?" "But little," said Roger,"save this, that thou desirest to see her, and that thou mayest havethy will thereon if thou wilt be guided by me."
Ralph hearkened as if he heeded little what Roger said; but presentlyhe rose up and walked to and fro in short turns with knit brows as onepondering a hard matter. He spake nought, and Roger seemed to heed himnothing, though in sooth he looked at him askance from time to time,till at last he came and lay down again by Roger, and in a while hespake: "I wot not why ye of the Dry Tree want me, or what ye will dowith me; and but for one thing I would even now ride away from thee atall adventure."
Roger said: "All this ye shall learn later on, and shalt find it but asimple matter; and meanwhile I tell thee again that all is for thy gainand thy pleasure. So now ride away if thou wilt; who hindereth thee?certes not I."
"Nay," said Ralph, "I will ride with thee first to that fair house; andafterwards we shall see what is to hap." "Yea," quoth Roger, "then letus to horse straightway, so that we may be there if not before darknight yet at least before bright morn; for it is yet far away."