And the ice-mountains they had on their left
hands and whiles at their backs.
They went very warily, with their bows bended and spear in hand, but
saw no man, good or bad, and but few living things. At noon they
rested in a valley where was a stream, but no grass, nought but
stones and sand; but where they were at least sheltered from the
wind, which was mostly very great in these high wastes; and there
Bow-may drew meat and wine from a wallet she bore, and they ate and
drank, and were merry enough; and Bow-may said:
'I would I were going all the way with thee, Gold-mane; for I long
sore to let my eyes rest a while on the land where I shall one day
live.'
'Yea,' said Face-of-god, 'art thou minded to dwell there? We shall
be glad of that.'
'Whither are thy wits straying?' said she; 'whether I am minded to it
or not, I shall dwell there.'
And Wood-wise nodded a yea to her. But Face-of-god said:
'Good will be thy dwelling; but wherefore must it be so?'
Then Wood-wise laughed and said: 'I shall tell thee in fewer words
than she will, and time presses now: Wood-father and Wood-mother,
and I and my two brethren and this woman have ever been about and
anigh the Sun-beam; and we deem that war and other troubles have made
us of closer kin to her than we were born, whether ye call it
brotherhood or what not, and never shall we sunder from her in life
or in death.
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