It was hard on sunset when they left the valley of murder, and they
went no long way thence before they must needs make stay for the
night; and when they had arrayed their sleeping-stead the moon was
up, and they saw that before them lay the close wood again, for they
had made their lair on the top of a little ridge.
There then they lay, and nought stirred them in the night, and
betimes on the morrow they were afoot, and entered the abovesaid
thicket, wherein two of them, keen hunters, had been aforetime, but
had not gone deep into it. Through this wood they went all day
toward the north-east, and met nought but the wild things therein.
At last, when it was near sunset, they came out of the thicket into a
small plain, or shallow dale rather, with no great trees in it, but
thorn-brakes here and there where the ground sank into hollows; a
little river ran through the midst of it, and winded round about a
height whose face toward the river went down sheer into the water,
but away from it sank down in a long slope to where the thick wood
began again: and this height or burg looked well-nigh west.
Thitherward they went; but as they were drawing nigh to the river,
and were on the top of a bent above a bushy hollow between them and
the water, they espied a man standing in the river near the bank, who
saw them not, because he was stooping down intent on something in the
bank or under it: so they gat them speedily down into the hollow
without noise, that they might get some tidings of the man.
Pages:
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307