The Well at the World's End: A Tale

  CHAPTER 11

  They Come Through the Mountains Into the Plain

  On the morrow early they all fared on together, and thereafter theywent for two days more till they came into a valley amidst of themountains which was fair and lovely, and therein was the dwelling ortown of this Folk of the Fells. It was indeed no stronghold, save thatit was not easy to find, and that the way thither was well defensiblewere foemen to try it. The houses thereof were artless, the chiefestof them like to the great barn of an abbey in our land, the others lowand small; but the people, both men and women, haunted mostly the bighouse. As for the folk, they were for the more part like those whomthey had met afore: strong men, but not high of stature, black-haired,with blue or grey eyes, cheerful of countenance, and of many words.Their women were mostly somewhat more than comely, smiling, kind ofspeech, but not suffering the caresses of aliens. They saw no thrallsamongst them; and when Ralph asked hereof, how that might be, sincethey were men-catchers, they told him that when they took men andwomen, as oft they did, they always sold them for what they would bringto the plain-dwellers; or else slew them, or held them to ransom, butnever brought them home to their stead. Howbeit, when they tookchildren, as whiles befell, they sometimes brought them home, and madethem very children of their Folk with many uncouth prayers and worshipof their Gods, who were indeed, as they deemed, but forefathers of theFolk.

  Now Ralph, he and his, being known for friends, these wild men couldnot make enough of them, and as it were, compelled them to abide therethree days, feasting them, and making them all the cheer they might.And they showed the wayfarers their manner of hunting, both of the hartand the boar, and of wild bulls also. At first Ralph somewhat loathedall this (though he kept a pleasant countenance toward his host), forsorely he desired the fields of Upmeads and his father's house. But atlast when the hunt was up in the mountains, and especially of the wildbulls, the heart and the might in him so arose that he enforced himselfto do well, and the wild men wondered at his prowess, whereas he wasuntried in this manner of sports, and they deemed him one of the Gods,and said that their kinsman had done well to get him so good a friend.Both Ursula and the Sage withheld them from this hunting, and Ursulaabode with the women, who told her much of their ways of life, andstories of old time; frank and free they were, and loved her much, andshe was fain of such manly-minded women after the sleight and lies ofthe poor thralls of Utterbol.

  On the fourth day the wayfarers made them ready and departed; and thechief of the Folk went with them with a chosen band of weaponed men,partly for the love of his guests, and partly that he might see theGoldburg men-at-arms safe back to the road unto the plain and theMidhouse of the Mountains, for they went now by other ways, whichmissed the said House. On this journey naught befell to tell of, andthey all came down safe into the plain.

  There the Goldburg men took their wage, and bidding farewell, turnedback with the wild men, praising Ralph much for his frankness and openhand. As for the wild men, they exceeded in their sorrow for theparting, and many of them wept and howled as though they had seen himdie before their faces. But all that came to an end, and presentlytheir cheer was amended, and their merry speech and laughter came downfrom the pass unto the wayfarers' ears as each band rode its way.