CHAPTER 9
Another Adventure in the Wood Perilous
Ralph left alone pondered a little; and thought that he would by nomeans go hastily to the Burg of the Four Friths. Said he to himself;This want-way is all unlike to the one near our house at home: forbelike adventures shall befall here: I will even abide here for an houror two; but will have my horse by me and keep awake, lest something hapto me unawares.
Therewith he whistled for Falcon his horse, and the beast came to him,and whinnied for love of him, and Ralph smiled and tied him to asapling anigh, and himself sat down on the grass, and pondered manythings; as to what folk were about at Upmeads, and how his brethrenwere faring; and it was now about five hours after noon, and the sun'srays fell aslant through the boughs of the noble oaks, and the scent ofthe grass and bracken trodden by the horse-hoofs of that company wentup into the warm summer air. A while he sat musing but awake, thoughthe faint sound of a little stream in the dale below mingled with allthe lesser noises of the forest did its best to soothe him to sleepagain: and presently had its way with him; for he leaned his head backon the bracken, and in a minute or two was sleeping once more anddreaming some dream made up of masterless memories of past days.
When he awoke again he lay still a little while, wondering where in theworld he was, but as the drowsiness left him, he arose and lookedabout, and saw that the sun was sinking low and gilding the oakbolesred. He stood awhile and watched the gambols of three hares, who haddrawn nigh him while he slept, and now noted him not; and a little wayhe saw through the trees a hart and two hinds going slowly from grassto grass, feeding in the cool eventide; but presently he saw them raisetheir heads and amble off down the slope of the little dale, andtherewith he himself turned his face sharply toward the north-west, forhe was fine-eared as well as sharp-eyed, and on a little wind which hadjust arisen came down to him the sound of horse-hoofs once more.
So he went up to Falcon and loosed him, and stood by him bridle inhand, and looked to it that his sword was handy to him: and hehearkened, and the sound drew nigher and nigher to him. Then lightlyhe got into the saddle and gathered the reins into his left hand, andsat peering up the trodden wood-glades, lest he should have to ride forhis life suddenly. Therewith he heard voices talking roughly and a manwhistling, and athwart the glade of the wood from the northwest, orthereabout, came new folk; and he saw at once that there went two mena-horseback and armed; so he drew his sword and abode them close to thewant-ways. Presently they saw the shine of his war-gear, and then theycame but a little nigher ere they drew rein, and sat on their horseslooking toward him. Then Ralph saw that they were armed and clad asthose of the company which had gone before. One of the armed men rodea horse-length after his fellow, and bore a long spear over hisshoulder. But the other who rode first was girt with a sword, and hada little axe hanging about his neck, and with his right hand he seemedto be leading something, Ralph could not see what at first, as his leftside was turned toward Ralph and the want-way.
Now, as Ralph looked, he saw that at the spearman's saddle-bow was hunga man's head, red-haired and red-bearded; for this man now drew alittle nigher, and cried out to Ralph in a loud and merry voice: "Hail,knight! whither away now, that thou ridest the green-wood sword inhand?"
Ralph was just about to answer somewhat, when the first man moved alittle nigher, and as he did so he turned so that Ralph could see whatbetid on his right hand; and lo! he was leading a woman by a rope tiedabout her neck (though her hands were loose), as though he werebringing a cow to market. When the man stayed his horse she cameforward and stood within the slack of the rope by the horse's head, andRalph could see her well, that though she was not to say naked, herraiment was but scanty, for she had nought to cover her save one shortand strait little coat of linen, and shoes on her feet. Yet Ralphdeemed her to be of some degree, whereas he caught the gleam of goldand gems on her hands, and there was a golden chaplet on her head. Shestood now by the horse's head with her hands folded, looking on, as ifwhat was tiding and to betide, were but a play done for her pleasure.
So when Ralph looked on her, he was silent a while; and the spearmancried out again: "Ho, young man, wilt thou speak, or art thoudumb-foundered for fear of us?"
But Ralph knit his brows, and was first red and then pale; for he wasboth wroth, and doubtful how to go to work; but he said:
"I ride to seek adventures; and here meseemeth is one come to hand. Orwhat will ye with the woman?"
Said the man who had the woman in tow: "Trouble not thine headtherewith; we lead her to her due doom. As for thee, be glad that thouart not her fellow; since forsooth thou seemest not to be one of them;so go thy ways in peace."
"No foot further will I go," said Ralph, "till ye loose the woman andlet her go; or else tell me what her worst deed is."
The man laughed, and said: "That were a long tale to tell; and it islittle like that thou shalt live to hear the ending thereof."
Therewith he wagged his head at the spearman, who suddenly let hisspear fall into the rest, and spurred, and drave on at Ralph all hemight. There and then had the tale ended, but Ralph, who was wary,though he were young, and had Falcon well in hand, turned his wrist andmade the horse swerve, so that the man-at-arms missed his attaint, butcould not draw rein speedily enough to stay his horse; and as he passedby all bowed over his horse's neck, Ralph gat his sword two-handed androse in his stirrups and smote his mightiest; and the sword caught thefoeman on the neck betwixt sallet and jack, and nought held before it,neither leather nor ring-mail, so that the man's head was nigh smittenoff, and he fell clattering from his saddle: yet his stirrups held him,so that his horse went dragging him on earth as he gallopped over roughand smooth betwixt the trees of the forest. Then Ralph turned about todeal with his fellow, and even through the wrath and fury of theslaying saw him clear and bright against the trees as he sat handlinghis axe doubtfully, but the woman was fallen back again somewhat.
But even as Ralph raised his sword and pricked forward, the womansprang as light as a leopard on to the saddle behind the foeman, andwound her arms about him and dragged him back just as he was raisinghis axe to smite her, and as Ralph rode forward she cried out to him,"Smite him, smite! O lovely creature of God!"
Therewith was Ralph beside them, and though he were loth to slay a manheld in the arms of a woman, yet he feared lest the man should slay herwith some knife-stroke unless he made haste; so he thrust his swordthrough him, and the man died at once, and fell headlong off his horse,dragging down the woman with him.
Then Ralph lighted down from his horse, and the woman rose up to him,her white smock all bloody with the slain man. Nevertheless was she ascalm and stately before him, as if she were sitting on the dais of afair hall; so she said to him:
"Young warrior, thou hast done well and knightly, and I shall look toit that thou have thy reward. And now I rede thee go not to the Burgof the Four Friths; for this tale of thee shall get about and theyshall take thee, if it were out of the very Frith-stool, and there forthee should be the scourge and the gibbet; for they of that Burg berobbers and murderers merciless. Yet well it were that thou ride hencepresently; for those be behind my tormentors whom thou hast slain, whowill be as an host to thee, and thou mayst not deal with them. If thoufollow my rede, thou wilt take the way that goeth hence east away, andthen shalt thou come to Hampton under Scaur, where the folk arepeaceable and friendly."
He looked at her hard as she spake, and noted that she spake butslowly, and turned red and white and red again as she looked at him.But whatever she did, and in spite of her poor attire, he deemed he hadnever seen woman so fair. Her hair was dark red, but her eyes grey,and light at whiles and yet at whiles deep; her lips betwixt thin andfull, but yet when she spoke or smiled clad with all enticements; herchin round and so wrought as none was ever better wrought; her bodystrong and well-knit; tall she was, with fair and large arms, and limbsmost goodly of fashion, of which but little was hidden, since her coatwas but thin and s
canty. But whatever may be said of her, no man wouldhave deemed her aught save most lovely. Now her face grew calm andstately again as it was at the first, and she laid a hand on Ralph'sshoulder, and smiled in his face and said:
"Surely thou art fair, though thy strokes be not light." Then she tookhis hand and caressed it, and said again: "Dost thou deem that thouhast done great things, fair child? Maybe. Yet some will say thatthou hast but slain two butchers: and if thou wilt say that thou hastdelivered me; yet it may be that I should have delivered myself erelong. Nevertheless hold up thine heart, for I think that greaterthings await thee."
Then she turned about, and saw the dead man, how his feet yet hung inthe stirrups as his fellow's had done, save that the horse of this onestood nigh still, only reaching his head down to crop a mouthful ofgrass; so she said: "Take him away, that I may mount on his horse."
So he drew the dead man's feet out of the stirrups, and dragged himaway to where the bracken grew deep, and laid him down there, so to sayhidden. Then he turned back to the lady, who was pacing up and downnear the horse as the beast fed quietly on the cool grass. When Ralphcame back she took the reins in her hand and put one foot in thestirrup as if she would mount at once; but suddenly lighted down again,and turning to Ralph, cast her arms about him, and kissed his face manytimes, blushing red as a rose meantime. Then lightly she gat her upinto the saddle, and bestrode the beast, and smote his flanks with herheels, and went her ways riding speedily toward the south-east, so thatshe was soon out of sight.
But Ralph stood still looking the way she had gone and wondering at theadventure; and he pondered her words and held debate with himselfwhether he should take the road she bade him. And he said withinhimself: "Hitherto have I been safe and have got no scratch of a weaponupon me, and this is a place by seeming for all adventures; and littleway moreover shall I make in the night if I must needs go to Hamptonunder Scaur, where dwell those peaceable people; and it is now growingdusk already. So I will abide the morning hereby; but I will be waryand let the wood cover me if I may."
Therewith he went and drew the body of the slain man down into a littlehollow where the bracken was high and the brambles grew strong, so thatit might not be lightly seen. Then he called to him Falcon, his horse,and looked about for cover anigh the want-way, and found a little thincoppice of hazel and sweet chestnut, just where two great oaks had beenfelled a half score years ago; and looking through the leaves thence,he could see the four ways clearly enough, though it would not be easyfor anyone to see him thence.
Thither he betook him, and he did the rein off Falcon, but tethered himby a halter in the thickest of the copse, and sat down himself nigherto the outside thereof; he did off his helm and drew what meat he hadfrom out his wallet and ate and drank in the beginning of the summernight; and then sat pondering awhile on what had befallen on thissecond day of his wandering. The moon shone out presently, littleclouded, but he saw her not, for though he strove to wake awhile,slumber soon overcame him, and nothing waked him till the night waspassing, nor did he see aught of that company of which the lady hadspoken, and which in sooth came not.
The Well at the World's End: A Tale Page 10