This cave lasted but a little way, and soon the hound and the man
were going once more between sheer black rocks, and the path grew
steeper yet and was cut into steps. At last there was a sharp turn,
and they stood on the top of a long stony scree, down which Sure-foot
bounded eagerly, giving tongue as he went; but Face-of-god stood
still and looked, for now the whole Dale lay open before him.
That river ran from north to south, and at the south end the cliffs
drew so close to it that looking thence no outgate could be seen; but
at the north end there was as it were a dreary street of rocks, the
river flowing amidmost and leaving little foothold on either side,
somewhat as it was with the pass leading from the mountains into
Burgdale.
Amidmost of the Dale a little toward the north end he saw a doom-ring
of black stones, and hard by it an ancient hall builded of the same
black stone both wall and roof, and thitherward was Sure-foot now
running. Face-of-god looked up and down the Dale and could see no
break in the wall of sheer rock: toward the southern end he saw a
few booths and cots built roughly of stone and thatched with turf;
thereabout he saw a few folk moving about, the most of whom seemed to
be women and children; there were some sheep and lambs near these
cots, and a herd of fifty or so of somewhat goodly mountain-kine were
feeding higher up the valley.
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