The Well at the World's End: A Tale

by William Morris

  CHAPTER 4

  They Ride the Wood Under the Mountains

  When Ralph woke on the morrow it was broad day as far as the treeswould have it so. He rose at once, and looked about for his fellow,but saw her not, and for some moments of time he thought he had butdreamed of her; but he saw that the fire had been quickened from itsembers, and close by lay the hauberk and strange-fashioned helm, andthe sword of the damsel, and presently he saw her coming through thetrees barefoot, with the green-sleeved silken surcoat hanging below theknees and her hair floating loose about her. She stepped lightly up toRalph with a cheerful smiling countenance and a ruddy colour in hercheeks, but her eyes moist as if she could scarce keep back the tearsfor joy of the morning's meeting. He thought her fairer than erst, andmade as if he would put his arms about her, but she held a little alooffrom him, blushing yet more. Then she said in her sweet clear voice:"Hail fellow-farer! now begins the day's work. I have been downyonder, and have found a bright woodland pool, to wash the night offme, and if thou wilt do in likewise and come back to me, I will dightour breakfast meantime, and will we speedily to the road." He did asshe bade him, thinking of her all the while till he came back to herfresh and gay. Then he looked to their horses and gave them foddergathered from the pool-side, and so turned to Ursula and found her withthe meat ready dight; so they ate and were glad.

  When they had broken their fast Ralph went to saddle the horses, andcoming back found Ursula binding up her long hair, and she smiled onhim and said: "Now we are for the road I must be an armed knight again:forsooth I unbound my hair e'en now and let my surcoat hang loose aboutme in token that thou wottest my secret. Soothly, my friend, it irksme that now we have met after a long while, I must needs be clad thusgraceless. But need drave me to it, and withal the occasion that wasgiven to me to steal this gay armour from a lad at Utterbol, the nephewof the lord; who like his eme was half my lover, half my tyrant. Ofall which I will tell thee hereafter, and what wise I must needs steerbetwixt stripes and kisses these last days. But now let us arm and tohorse. Yet first lo you, here are some tools that in thine hands shallkeep us from sheer famine: as for me I am no archer; and forsooth noman-at-arms save in seeming."

  Therewith she showed him a short Turk bow and a quiver of arrows, whichhe took well pleased. So then they armed each the other, and as shehandled Ralph's wargear she said: "How well-wrought and trusty is thishauberk of thine, my friend; my coat is but a toy to it, with its goldand silver rings and its gemmed collar: and thy plates be thick andwide and well-wrought, whereas mine are little more than adornments tomy arms and legs."

  He looked on her lovingly and loved her shapely hands amidst the darkgrey mail, and said: "That is well, dear friend, for since my breastis a shield for thee it behoves it to be well covered." She looked athim, and her lips trembled, and she put out her hand as if to touch hischeek, but drew it back again and said: "Come now, let us to horse,dear fellow in arms."

  So they mounted and went their ways through a close pine-wood, wherethe ground was covered with the pine-tree needles, and all was stilland windless. So as they rode said Ursula: "I seek tokens of the wayto the Sage of Swevenham. Hast thou seen a water yesterday?" "Yea,"said Ralph, "I rode far along it, but left it because I deemed that itturned north overmuch." "Thou wert right," she said, "besides that thyturning from it hath brought us together; for it would have broughtthee to Utterbol at last. But now have we to hit upon another thatrunneth straight down from the hills: not the Great Mountains, but thehigh ground whereon is the Sage's dwelling. I know not whether theride be long or short; but the stream is to lead us."

  On they rode through the wood, wherein was little change for hours; andas they rested Ursula gave forth a deep breath, as one who has cast offa load of care. And Ralph said: "Why sighest thou, fellow-farer?""O," she said, "it is for pleasure, and a thought that I had: for awhile ago I was a thrall, living amongst fears that sickened the heart;and then a little while I was a lonely wanderer, and now...Therefore Iwas thinking that if ever I come back to mine own land and my home, thescent of a pine-wood shall make me happy."

  Ralph looked on her eagerly, but said naught for a while; but at lasthe spoke: "Tell me, friend," said he, "if we be met by strong-thieveson the way, what shall we do then?"

  "It is not like to befall," she said, "for men fear the wood, thereforeis there little prey for thieves therein: but if we chance on them,the token of Utterbol on mine armour shall make them meek enough."Then she fell silent a while, and spoke again: "True it is that we maybe followed by the Utterbol riders; for though they also fear the wood,they fear it not so much as they fear their Lord. Howbeit, we be wellahead, and it is little like that we shall be overtaken before we havemet the Sage; and then belike he shall provide."

  "Yea," said Ralph, "but what if the chase come up with us: shall wesuffer us to be taken alive?" She looked on him solemnly, laid herhand on the beads about her neck, and answered: "By this token we mustlive as long as we may, whatsoever may befall; for at the worst maysome road of escape be opened to us. Yet O, how far easier it were todie than to be led back to Utterbol!"

  A while they rode in silence, both of them: but at last spake Ralph,but slowly and in a dull and stern voice: "Maybe it were good thatthou told me somewhat of the horrors and evil days of Utterbol?""Maybe," she said, "but I will not tell thee of them. Forsooth thereare some things which a man may not easily tell to a man, be he neverso much his friend as thou art to me. But bethink thee" (and shesmiled somewhat) "that this gear belieth me, and that I am but a woman;and some things there be which a woman may not tell to a man, nay, noteven when he hath held her long in his arms." And therewith she flushedexceedingly. But he said in a kind voice: "I am sorry that I askedthee, and will ask thee no more thereof." She smiled on him friendly,and they spake of other matters as they rode on.

  But after a while Ralph said: "If it were no misease to thee to tellme how thou didst fall into the hands of the men of Utterbol, I werefain to hear the tale."

  She laughed outright, and said: "Why wilt thou be forever harping onthe time of my captivity, friend? And thou who knowest the storysomewhat already? Howbeit, I may tell thee thereof withoutheart-burning, though it be a felon tale."

  He said, somewhat shame-facedly: "Take it not ill that I am fain tohear of thee and thy life-days, since we are become fellow-farers."

  "Well," she said, "this befell outside Utterbol, so I will tell thee.

  "After I had stood in the thrall-market at Cheaping Knowe, and not beensold, the wild man led me away toward the mountains that are aboveGoldburg; and as we drew near to them on a day, he said to me that hewas glad to the heart-root that none had cheapened me at the saidmarket; and when I asked him wherefore, he fell a weeping as he rodebeside me, and said: 'Yet would God that I had never taken thee.' Iasked what ailed him, though indeed I deemed that I knew. He said:'This aileth me, that though thou art not of the blood wherein I ambound to wed, I love thee sorely, and would have thee to wife; and nowI deem that thou wilt not love me again.' I said that he guessedaright, but that if he would do friendly with me, I would be no lessthan a friend to him. 'That availeth little,' quoth he; 'I would havethee be mine of thine own will.' I said that might not be, that I couldlove but one man alone. 'Is he alive?' said he. 'Goodsooth, I hopeso,' said I, 'but if he be dead, then is desire of men dead within me.'

  "So we spake, and he was downcast and heavy of mood; but thenceforwardwas he no worse to me than a brother. And he proffered it to lead meback, if I would, and put me safely on the way to Whitwall; but, asthou wottest, I had need to go forward, and no need to go back.

  "Thus we entered into the mountains of Goldburg; but one morning, whenhe arose, he was heavier of mood than his wont, and was restlesswithal, and could be steadfast neither in staying nor going, nor aughtelse. So I asked what ailed him, and he said: 'My end draweth nigh; Ihave seen my fetch, and am fey. My grave abideth me in thesemountains.' 'Thou hast been dreaming ugly
dreams,' said I, 'suchthings are of no import.' And I spoke lightly, and strove to comforthim. He changed not his mood for all that; but said: 'This is ill forthee also; for thou wilt be worser without me than with me in theselands.' Even so I deemed, and withal I was sorry for him, for though hewere uncouth and ungainly, he was no ill man. So against my will Itumbled into the samelike mood as his, and we both fared alongdrearily. But about sunset, as we came round a corner of the cliffs ofthose mountains, or ever we were ware we happed upon a half-score ofweaponed men, who were dighting a camp under a big rock thereby: butfour there were with them who were still a-horseback; so that when BullNosy (for that was his name) strove to flee away with me, it was of noavail; for the said horsemen took us, and brought us before anevil-looking man, who, to speak shortly, was he whom thou hast seen, towit, the Lord of Utterbol: he took no heed of Bull Nosy, but looked onme closely, and handled me as a man doth with a horse at a cheaping, sothat I went nigh to smiting him, whereas I had a knife in my bosom, butthe chaplet refrained me. To make a short tale of it, he bade Bullsell me to him, which Bull utterly naysaid, standing stiff and starkbefore the Lord, and scowling on him. But the Lord laughed in his faceand said: 'So be it, for I will take her without a price, and thankthee for sparing my gold.' Then said Bull: 'If thou take her as athrall, thou wert best take me also; else shall I follow thee as a freeman and slay thee when I may. Many are the days of the year, and onsome one of them will betide the occasion for the knife.'

  "Thereat the Lord waxed very pale, and spake not, but looked at thatman of his who stood by Bull with a great sword in his fist, and liftedup his hand twice, and let it fall twice, whereat that man stepped backone pace, and swung his sword, and smote Bull, and clave his skull.

  "Then the colour came into the Lord's face again, and he said: 'Now,vassals, let us dine and be merry, for at least we have found somethingin the mountains.' So they fell to and ate and drank, and victual wasgiven to me also, but I had no will to eat, for my soul was sick and myheart was heavy, foreboding the uttermost evil. Withal I was sorry forBull Nosy, for he was no ill man and had become my friend.

  "So they abode there that night, leaving Bull lying like a dog unburiedin the wilderness; and on the morrow they took the road to Utterbol,and went swiftly, having no baggage, and staying but for victual, andfor rest every night. The Lord had me brought to him on that firstevening of our journey, and he saw me privily and spake to me, biddingme do shameful things, and I would not; wherefore he threatened megrievously; and, I being alone with him, bade him beware lest I shouldslay him or myself. Thereat he turned pale, as he had done before BullNosy, yet sent for none to slay me, but only bade me back to mykeepers. And so I came to Utterbol unscathed."

  "And at Utterbol," said Ralph, "what befell thee there?" Ursula smiledon him, and held up her finger; yet she answered: "Utterbol is a verygreat house in a fair land, and there are sundry roofs and many fairchambers. There was I brought to a goodly chamber amidst a garden; andwomen servants were given me who led me to the bath and clad me indainty raiment, and gave me to eat and to drink, and all that I needed.That is all my tale for this time."