Then the eager young men and the hunters, and those who knew the
mountain best drew together about the hearth, and fell to talking of
the hunting of the elk; and there were three there who knew both the
woods and also the fells right up to the ice-rivers better than any
other; and these said that they who were fain of the hunting of the
elk would have no likelier time than that day for a year to come.
Short was the rede betwixt them, for they said they would go to the
work at once and make the most of the short winter daylight. So they
went each to his place, and some outside that House to their fathers'
houses to fetch each man his gear. Face-of-god for his part went to
his shut-bed, and stood by his chest, and opened it, and drew out of
it a fine hauberk of ring-mail which his father had made for him:
for though Face-of-god was a deft wright, he was not by a long way so
deft as his father, who was the deftest of all men of that time and
country; so that the alien merchants would give him what he would for
his hauberks and helms, whenso he would chaffer with them, which was
but seldom. So Face-of-god did on this hauberk over his kirtle, and
over it he cast his foul-weather weed, so that none might see it: he
girt a strong war-sword to his side, cast his quiver over his
shoulder, and took his bow in his hand, although he had little lust
to shoot elks that day, even as Stone-face had said; therewithal he
took his skids, and went forth of the hall to the gate of the Burg;
whereto gathered the whole company of twenty-three, and Gold-mane the
twenty-fourth.
Pages:
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131