Three of these men were of the kindreds of the Wolf from Silver-dale,
and had been in the wood for hard upon ten years, and wild as they
were, and without hope of meeting their fellows again, they went
proudly and boldly amongst the others, overtopping them by the head
and more. For the greater part of these men were somewhat short of
stature, though by nature strong and stout of body.
It must be told that though Dallach had thus gotten all these many
Runaways together, yet had they not been dwelling together as one
folk; for they durst not, lest the Dusky Men should hear thereof and
fall upon them, but they had kept themselves as best they could in
caves and in brakes three together or two, or even faring alone as
Dallach did: only as he was a strong and stout-hearted man, he went
to and fro and wandered about more than the others, so that he
foregathered with most of them and knew them. He said also that he
doubted not but that there were more Runaways in the wood, but these
were all he could come at. Divers who had fled had died from time to
time, and some had been caught and cruelly slain by their masters.
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