He spake to Face-of-god:
'Dawn is in the sky, Dalesman; there is yet time for thee to wash the
night off of thee in our bath of the Shivering Flood and to put thy
mouth to the milk-bowl; but time for nought else: for I and Bow-may
are appointed thy fellows for the road, and it were well that we were
back home speedily.'
So Face-of-god leapt up and went forth from the Hall, and Wood-wise
led to where was a pool in the river with steps cut down to it in the
rocky bank.
'This,' said Wood-wise, 'is the Carle's Bath; but the Queen's is
lower down, where the water is wider and shallower below the little
mid-dale force.'
So Gold-mane stripped off his raiment and leapt into the ice-cold
pool; and they had brought his weapons and war-gear with them; so
when he came out he clad and armed himself for the road, and then
turned with Wood-wise toward the outgate of the Dale; and soon they
saw two men coming from lower down the water in such wise that they
would presently cross their path, and as yet it was little more than
twilight, so that they saw not at first who they were, but as they
drew nearer they knew them for the Sun-beam and Bow-may.
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