The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 31

  The Beginning of the Road To Utterbol

  Early next morning Ralph arose and called Bull Shockhead to him andsaid: "So it is, Bull, that thou art my war-taken thrall." Bull noddedhis head, but frowned therewithal. Said Ralph: "If I bid thee aughtthat is not beyond reason thou wilt do it, wilt thou not?" "Yea," saidBull, surlily. "Well," quoth Ralph, "I am going a journey east-away,and I may not have thee with me, therefore I bid thee take this goldand go free with my goodwill." Bull's face lighted up, and the eyesglittered in his face; but he said: "Yea, king's son, but why wilt thounot take me with thee?" Said Ralph: "It is a perilous journey, and thybeing with me will cast thee into peril and make mine more. Moreover,I have an errand, as thou wottest, which is all mine own."

  Bull pondered a little and then said: "King's son, I was thinking atfirst that our errands lay together, and it is so; but belike thousayest true that there will be less peril to each of us if we sunder atthis time. But now I will say this to thee, that henceforth thou shaltbe as a brother to me, if thou wilt have it so, and if ever thou comestamongst our people, thou wilt be in no danger of them: nay, they shalldo all the good they may to thee."

  Then he took him by the hand and kissed him, and he set his hand to hisgear and drew forth a little purse of some small beast's skin that wasbroidered in front with a pair of bull's horns: then he stooped downand plucked a long and tough bent from the grass at his feet (for theywere talking in the garden of the hostel) and twisted it swiftly into astrange knot of many plies, and opening the purse laid it therein andsaid: "King's son, this is the token whereby it shall be known amongstour folk that I have made thee my brother: were the flames roaringabout thee, or the swords clashing over thine head, if thou cry out, Iam the brother of Bull Shockhead, all those of my kindred who are nearwill be thy friends and thy helpers. And now I say to thee farewell:but it is not altogether unlike that thou mayst hear of me again in thefurthest East." So Ralph departed from him, and Clement went with Ralphto the Gate of Goldburg, and bade him farewell there; and or theyparted he said: "Meseems I have with me now some deal of the foreseeingof Katherine my wife, and in my mind it is that we shall yet see theeat Wulstead and Upmeads, and thou no less famous than now thou art.This is my last word to thee." Therewith they parted, and Ralph rodehis ways.

  He came on his way-leader about a bowshot from the gate and theygreeted each other: the said guide was clad no otherwise thanyesterday: he had saddle-bags on his horse, which was a strong blackroadster: but he was nowise armed, and bore but a satchel with a caseof knives done on to it, and on the other side a fiddle in its case.So Ralph smiled on him and said: "Thou hast no weapon, then?" "Whatneed for weapon?" said he; "since we are not of might for battle. Thisis my weapon," said he, touching his fiddle, "and withal it is my fieldand mine acre that raiseth flesh-meat and bread for me: yea, and whilesa little drink."

  So they rode on together and the man was blithe and merry: and Ralphsaid to him: "Since we are fellows for a good while, as I suppose,what shall I call thee?" Said he, "Morfinn the Minstrel I hight, toserve thee, fair lord. Or some call me Morfinn the Unmanned. Wiltthou not now ask me concerning that privy word that I had for thyears?" "Yea," said Ralph reddening, "hath it to do with a woman?""Naught less," said Morfinn. "For I heard of thee asking manyquestions thereof in Goldburg, and I said to myself, now may I, who ambound for Utterness, do a good turn to this fair young lord, whose facebewrayeth his heart, and telleth all men that he is kind and bounteous;so that there is no doubt but he will reward me well at once for anyhelp I may give him; and also it may be that he will do me a good turnhereafter in memory of this that I have done him."

  "Speak, wilt thou not," said Ralph, "and tell me at once if thou hastseen this woman? Be sure that I shall reward thee." "Nay, nay, fairsir," said Morfinn; "a woman I have seen brought captive to the Houseof Utterbol. See thou to it if it be she whom thou seekest."

  He smiled therewith, but now Ralph deemed him not so debonnaire as hehad at first, for there was mocking in the smile; therefore he waswroth, but he refrained him and said: "Sir Minstrel, I wot not why thouhast come with a tale in thy mouth and it will not out of it: lo you,will this open the doors of speech to thee" (and he reached his handout to him with two pieces of gold lying therein) "or shall this?" andtherewith he half drew his sword from his sheath.

  Said Morfinn, grinning again: "Nay, I fear not the bare steel in thinehands, Knight; for thou hast not fool written plain in thy face;therefore thou wilt not slay thy way-leader, or even anger him overmuch. And as to thy gold, the wages shall be paid at the journey'send. I was but seeking about in my mind how best to tell thee my taleso that thou mightest believe my word, which is true. Thus it goes: AsI left Utterbol a month ago, I saw a damsel brought in captive there,and she seemed to me so exceeding fair that I looked hard on her, andasked one of the men-at-arms who is my friend concerning the marketwhereat she was cheapened; and he told me that she had not been bought,but taken out of the hands of the wild men from the further mountains.Is that aught like to your story, lord?" "Yea," said Ralph, knittinghis brows in eagerness. "Well," said Morfinn, "but there are more fairwomen than one in the world, and belike this is not thy friend: so now,as well as I may, I will tell thee what-like she was, and if thouknowest her not, thou mayst give me those two gold pieces and go backagain. She was tall rather than short, and slim rather than biglymade. But many women are fashioned so: and doubtless she was worn bytravel, since she has at least come from over the mountains: but thatis little to tell her by: her hands, and her feet also (for she was ahorseback and barefoot) wrought well beyond most women: yet so mightit have been with some: yet few, methinks, of women who have workedafield, as I deem her to have done, would have hands and feet soshapely: her face tanned with the sun, but with fair colour shiningthrough it; her hair brown, yet with a fair bright colour shiningtherein, and very abundant: her cheeks smooth, round and well wroughtas any imager could do them: her chin round and cloven: her lips fulland red, but firm-set as if she might be both valiant and wroth. Hereyes set wide apart, grey and deep: her whole face sweet of aspect, asthough she might be exceeding kind to one that pleased her; yet highand proud of demeanour also, meseemed, as though she were come of greatkindred. Is this aught like to thy friend?"

  He spake all this slowly and smoothly and that mocking smile came intohis face now and again. Ralph grew pale as he spoke and knitted hisbrows as one in great wrath and grief; and he was slow to answer; butat last he said "Yea," shortly and sharply.

  Then said Morfinn: "And yet after all it might not be she: for theremight be another or two even in these parts of whom all this might besaid. But now I will tell thee of her raiment, though there may be butlittle help to thee therein, as she may have shifted it many timessince thou hast seen her. Thus it was: she was clad outwardly in agreen gown, short of skirt as of one wont to go afoot; somewhatstraight in the sleeves as of one who hath household work to do, andthere was broidery many coloured on the seams thereof, and a border offlower-work round the hem: and this I noted, that a cantle of the skirthad been rent away by some hap of the journey. Now what sayest thou,fair lord? Have I done well to bring thee this tale?"

  "O yea, yea," said Ralph, and he might not contain himself; but setspurs to his horse and galloped on ahead for some furlong or so: andthen drew rein and gat off his horse, and made as if he would see tohis saddle-girths, for he might not refrain from weeping the sweet andbitter tears of desire and fear, so stirred the soul within him.

  Morfinn rode on quietly, and by then he came up, Ralph was mountingagain, and when he was in the saddle he turned away his head from hisfellow and said in a husky voice: "Morfinn, I command thee, or if thouwilt I beseech thee, that thou speak not to me again of this woman whomI am seeking; for it moveth me over much." "That is well, lord," saidMorfinn, "I will do after thy command; and there be many other mattersto speak of besides one fair woman."

  Then they rode on soberl
y a while, and Ralph kept silence, as he rodepondering much; but the minstrel hummed snatches of rhyme as he rodethe way.

  But at last Ralph turned to him suddenly and said: "Tell me,way-leader, in what wise did they seem to be using that woman?" Theminstrel chuckled: "Fair lord," said he, "if I had a mind for mockingI might say of thee that thou blowest both hot and cold, since it wasbut half an hour ago that thou badest me speak naught of her: but Ideem that I know thy mind herein: so I will tell thee that they seemedto be using her courteously; as is no marvel; for who would wish to marso fair an image? O, it will be well with her: I noted that the Lordseemed to think it good to ride beside her, and eye her all over. Yea,she shall have a merry life of it if she but do somewhat after theLord's will."

  Ralph looked askance at him fiercely, but the other heeded it naught:then said Ralph, "And how if she do not his will?" Said Morfinn,grinning: "Then hath my Lord a many servants to do his will." Ralphheld his peace for a long while; at last he turned a cleared brow toMorfinn and said; "Dost thou tell of the Lord of Utterbol that he is agood lord and merciful to his folk and servants?"

  "Fair sir," said the minstrel; "thou hast bidden me not speak of onewoman, now will I pray thee not to speak of one man, and that is myLord of Utterbol."

  Ralph's heart fell at this word, and he asked no question as towherefore.

  So now they rode on both, rather more than soberly for a while: but theday was fair; the sun shone, the wind blew, and the sweet scentsfloated about them, and Ralph's heart cast off its burden somewhat andhe fell to speech again; and the minstrel answered him gaily byseeming, noting many things as they rode along, as one that tookdelight in the fashion of the earth.

  It was a fresh and bright morning of early autumn, the sheaves were onthe acres, and the grapes were blackening to the vintage, and thebeasts and birds at least were merry. But little merry were thehusbandmen whom they met, either carles or queans, and they werescantily and foully clad, and sullen-faced, if not hunger-pinched.

  If they came across any somewhat joyous, it was here and there certaingangrel folk resting on the wayside grass, or coming out of woods andother passes by twos and threes, whiles with a child or two with them.These were of aspect like to the gipsies of our time and nation, andwere armed all of them, and mostly well clad after their fashion.Sometimes when there were as many as four or five carles of themtogether, they would draw up amidst of the highway, but presently wouldturn aside at the sight either of Ralph's war-gear or of the minstrel'sraiment. Forsooth, some of them seemed to know him, and noddedfriendly to him as they passed by, but he gave them back no good day.

  They had now ridden out of the lands of Goldburg, which were narrow onthat side, and the day was wearing fast. This way the land was fairand rich, with no hills of any size. They crossed a big river twice bybridges, and small streams often, mostly by fords.

  Some two hours before sunset they came upon a place where a bywayjoined the high road, and on the ingle stood a chapel of stone (whetherof the heathen or Christian men Ralph wotted not, for it was uncouth offashion), and by the door of the said chapel, on a tussock of grass,sat a knight all-armed save the head, and beside him a squire held hiswar-horse, and five other men-at-arms stood anigh bearing halberds andaxes of strange fashion. The knight rose to his feet when he saw thewayfarers coming up the rising ground, and Ralph had his hand on hissword-hilt; but ere they met, the minstrel said,--

  "Nay, nay, draw thy let-pass, not thy sword. This knight shalt bidthee to a courteous joust; but do thou nay-say it, for he is a merefelon, and shalt set his men-at-arms on thee, and then will rob theeand slay thee after, or cast thee into his prison."

  So Ralph drew out his parchment which Morfinn had given into hiskeeping, and held it open in his hand, and when the knight called outon him in a rough voice as they drew anigh, he said: "Nay, sir, I maynot stay me now, need driveth me on." Quoth the knight, smoothing out aknitted brow: "Fair sir, since thou art a friend of our lord, wiltthou not come home to my house, which is hard by, and rest awhile, andeat a morsel, and drink a cup, and sleep in a fair chamber thereafter?"

  "Nay, sir," said Ralph, "for time presses;" and he passed on withal,and the knight made no step to stay him, but laughed a short laugh,like a swine snorting, and sat him down on the grass again. Ralphheeded him naught, but was glad that his let-pass was shown to be goodfor something; but he could see that the minstrel was nigh sick forfear and was shaking like an aspen leaf, and it was long ere he foundhis tongue again.

  Forth then they rode till dusk, when the minstrel stayed Ralph at aplace where a sort of hovels lay together about a house somewhat betterbuilded, which Ralph took for a hostelry, though it had no sign norbush. They entered the said house, wherein was an old woman to whomthe minstrel spake a word or two in a tongue that Ralph knew not, andstraightway she got them victual and drink nowise ill, and showed themto beds thereafter.

  In spite of both victuals and drink the minstrel fell silent and moody;it might be from weariness, Ralph deemed; and he himself had no greatlust for talk, so he went bedward, and made the bed pay for all.