Of the men-children they reared most, but the women-
children they slew at once; for they valued not women of their own
blood: but besides the women of the Dale, they would go at whiles in
bands to the edges of the Plain and beguile wayfarers, and bring back
with them thence women to be their bed-thralls; albeit some of these
were bought with a price from the Westland men.
As to the number of the folk of Rose-dale, its own folk, he said they
would number some five thousand souls, one with another; of whom some
thousand might be fit to bear arms if they had the heart thereto, as
they had none. Yet being closely questioned, he deemed that they
might fall on their masters from behind, if battle were joined.
He said that the folk of Rose-dale had been a goodly folk before they
were enthralled, and peaceable with one another, but that now it was
a sport of the Dusky Men to set a match between their thralls to
fight it out with sword and buckler or otherwise; and the vanquished
man, if he were not sore hurt, they would scourge, or shear some
member from him, or even slay him outright, if the match between the
owners were so made.
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