It was a bright spring afternoon in that clearing of the Wood, and
they looked at the two dead men closely; and Gold-mane, who had been
somewhat silent and moody till then, became merry and wordy; for he
beheld the men and saw that they were utterly strange to him: they
were short of stature, crooked-legged, long-armed, very strong for
their size: with small blue eyes, snubbed-nosed, wide-mouthed, thin-
lipped, very swarthy of skin, exceeding foul of favour. He and all
others wondered who they were, and whence they came, for never had
they seen their like; and the Woodlanders, who often guested
outlanders strayed from the way of divers kindreds and nations, said
also that none such had they ever seen. But Stone-face, who stood by
Gold-mane, shook his head and quoth he:
'The Wild-wood holdeth many marvels, and these be of them: the spawn
of evil wights quickeneth therein, and at other whiles it melteth
away again like the snow; so may it be with these carcasses.'
And some of the older folk of the Woodlanders who stood by hearkened
what he said, and deemed his words wise, for they remembered their
ancient lore and many a tale of old time.
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