Presently there was a great throng gathered round about the
Woodlanders, and each man as he joined it waved hand or weapon toward
them, and the joy of their welcome sent a confused clamour through
the air. Then forth from the throng stepped Folk-might, unarmed save
his sword, and behind him was Face-of-god, in his war-gear save his
helm, hand in hand with the Sun-beam, who was clad in her goodly
flowered green kirtle, her feet naked like her sisters of the
kindred.
Then Folk-might cried aloud: 'A full and free greeting to our
brothers! Well be ye, O Sons of our Ancient Fathers! And to-day are
ye the dearer to us because we see that ye have brought us a gift, to
wit, your wives and children, and your grandsires unmeet for war. By
this token we see how great is your trust in us, and that it is your
meaning never to sunder from us again. O well be ye; well be ye!'
Then spake Red-wolf, and said: 'Ye Sons of the Wolf, who parted from
us of old time in that cleft of the mountains, it is our very selves
that we give unto you; and these are a part of ourselves; how then
should we leave them behind us? Bear witness, O men of Burgdale and
the Sheepcotes, that we have become one Folk with the men of Shadowy
Vale, never to be sundered again!'
Then all that multitude shouted with a loud voice; and when the shout
had died away, Folk-might spake again:
'O Warriors of the Sundering, here shall your wives and children
abide, while we go a little journey to rejoice our hearts with the
hard handplay, and take to us that which we have missed: and to-
morrow morn is appointed for this same journey, unless ye be over
foot-weary with the ways of the Waste.
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