Then Face-of-god bade his men abide hidden under the bushes and stole
forward quietly up the further bank of the hollow, his target on his
arm and his spear poised. When he was behind the last bush on the
top of the bent he was within half a spear-cast of the water and the
man; so he looked on him and saw that he was quite naked except for a
clout about his middle.
Face-of-god saw at once that he was not one of the Dusky Men; he was
a black-haired man, but white-skinned, and of fair stature, though
not so tall as the Burgdale folk. He was busied in tickling trouts,
and just as Face-of-god came out from the bush into the westering
sunlight, he threw up a fish on to the bank, and looked up
therewithal, and beheld the weaponed man glittering, and uttered a
cry, but fled not when he saw the spear poised for casting.
Then Face-of-god spake to him and said: 'Come hither, Woodsman! we
will not harm thee, but we desire speech of thee: and it will not
avail thee to flee, since I have bowmen of the best in the hollow
yonder.'
The man put forth his hands towards him as if praying him to forbear
casting, and looked at him hard, and then came dripping from out the
water, and seemed not greatly afeard; for he stooped down and picked
up the trouts he had taken, and came towards Face-of-god stringing
the last-caught one through the gills on to the withy whereon were
the others: and Face-of-god saw that he was a goodly man of some
thirty winters.
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