ON the morrow Face-of-god took counsel with Hall-face and Stone-face as
to what were best to be done, and they sat on the daïs in the Hall to
talk it over.
Short was the time that had worn since that day in Shadowy Vale, for it
was but eight days since then; yet so many things had befallen in that
time, and, to speak shortly, the outlook for the Burgdalers had changed
so much, that the time seemed long to all the three, and especially to
Face-of-god.
It was yet twenty days till the Great Folk-mote should beholden, and to
Hall-face the time seemed long enough to do somewhat, and he deemed it
were good to gather force and fall on the Dusky Men in Rose-dale, since
now they had gotten men who could lead them the nighest way and by the
safest passes, and who knew all the ways of the foemen. But to
Stone-face this rede seemed not so good; for they would have to go and
come back, and fight and conquer, in less time than twenty days, or be
belated of the Folk-mote, and meanwhile much might happen.
‘For,’ said Stone-face, ‘we may deem the fighting-men of Rose-dale to be
little less than one thousand, and however we fall on them, even if it be
unawares at first, they shall fight stubbornly; so that we may not send
against them many less than they be, and that shall strip Burgdale of its
fighting-men, so that whatever befalls, we that be left shall have to
bide at home.’
Now was Face-of-god of the same mind as Stone-face; and he said moreover:
‘When we go to Rose-dale we must abide there a while unless we be
overthrown. For if ye conquer it and come away at once, presently shall
the tidings come to the ears of the Dusky Men in Silver-dale, and they
shall join themselves to those of Rose-dale who have fled before you, and
between them they shall destroy the unhappy people therein; for ye cannot
take them all away with you: and that shall they do all the more now,
when they look to have new thralls in Burgdale, both men and women. And
this we may not suffer, but must abide till we have met all our foemen
and have overcome them, so that the poor folk there shall be safe from
them till they have learned how to defend their dale. Now my rede is,
that we send out the War-arrow at once up and down the Dale, and to the
Shepherds and Woodlanders, and appoint a day for the Muster and
Weapon-show of all our Folk, and that day to be the day before the Spring
Market, that is to say, four days before the Great Folk-mote, and
meantime that we keep sure watch about the border of the wood, and now
and again scour the wood, so as to clear the Dale of their wandering
bands.’
‘Yea,’ said Hall-face; ‘and I pray thee, brother, let me have an hundred
of men and thy Dallach, and let us go somewhat deep into the wood towards
Rose-dale, and see what we may come across; peradventure it might be
something better than hart or wild-swine.’
Said Face-of-god: ‘I see no harm therein, if Dallach goeth with thee
freely; for I will have no force put on him or any other of the Runaways.
Yet meseemeth it were not ill for thee to find the road to Rose-dale; for
I have it in my mind to send a company thither to give those Rose-dale
man-quellers somewhat to do at home when we fall upon Silver-dale.
Therefore go find Dallach, and get thy men together at once; for the
sooner thou art gone on thy way the better. But this I bid thee, go no
further than three days out, that ye may be back home betimes.’
At this word Hall-face’s eyes gleamed with joy, and he went out from the
Hall straightway and sought Dallach, and found him at the Gate.
Iron-face had given him a new sword, a good one, and had bidden him call
it Thicket-clearer, and he would not leave it any moment of the day or
night, but would lay it under his pillow at night as a child does with a
new toy; and now he was leaning against a buttress and drawing the said
sword half out of the scabbard and poring over its blade, which was
indeed fair enough, being wrought with dark grey waving lines like the
eddies of the Weltering Water.
So Hall-face greeted him, and smiled and said:
‘Guest, if thou wilt, thou may’st take that new blade of my father’s work
which thou lovest so, a journey which shall rejoice it.’
‘Yea,’ said Dallach, ‘I suppose that thou wouldest fare on thy brother’s
footsteps, and deemest that I am the man to lead thee on the road, and
even farther than he went; and though it might be thought by some that I
have seen enough of Rose-dale and the parts thereabout for one while, yet
will I go with thee; for now am I a man again, body and soul.’
And therewith he drew Thicket-clearer right out of his sheath and waved
him in the air. And Hall-face was glad of him and said he was well apaid
of his help. So they went away together to gather men, and on the morrow
Hall-face departed and went into the Wild-wood with Dallach and an
hundred and two score men.
But as for Face-of-god, he fared up and down the Dale following the
War-arrow, and went into all houses, and talked with the folk, both young
and old, men and women, and told them closely all that had betid and all
that was like to betide; and he was well pleased with that which he saw
and heard; for all took his words well, and were nought afeard or
dismayed by the tidings; and he saw that they would not hang aback.
Meantime the days wore, and Hall-face came not back till the seventh day,
and he brought with him twelve more Runaways, of whom five were women.
But he had lost four men, and had with him Dallach and five others of the
Dalesmen borne upon litters sore hurt; and this was his story:
They got to the Burg of the Runaways on the forenoon of the third day,
and thereby came on five carles of the Runaways—men who had missed
meeting Dallach that other day, but knew what had been done; for one of
them had been sick and could not come with him, and he had told the
others: so now they were hanging about the Burg of the Runaways hoping
somewhat that he might come again; and they met the Burgdalers full of
joy, and brought them trouts that they had caught in the river.
As for the other runaways, namely, five women and two more carles—they
had gotten them close to the entrance into Silver-dale, where by night
and cloud they came on a campment of the Dusky Men, who were leading home
these seven poor wretches, runaways whom they had caught, that they might
slay them most evilly in Rose-stead. So Hall-face fell on the Dusky Men,
and delivered their captives, but slew not all the foe, and they that
fled brought pursuers on them who came up with them the next day, so near
was Rose-dale, though they made all diligence homeward. The Burgdalers
must needs turn and fight with those pursuers, and at last they drave
them aback so that they might go on their ways home. They let not the
grass grow beneath their feet thereafter, till they were assured by
meeting a band of the Woodlanders, who had gone forth to help them, and
with whom they rested a little. But neither so were they quite done with
the foemen, who came upon them next day a very many: these however they
and the Woodlanders, who were all fresh and unwounded and very valiant,
speedily put to the worse; and so they came on to Burgstead, leaving
those of them who were sorest hurt to be tended by the Woodlanders at
Carlstead, who, as might be looked for, deal with them very lovingly.
It was in the first fight that they suffered that loss of slain and
wounded; and therein the newly delivered thralls fought valiantly against
their masters: as for Dallach, it was no marvel, said Hall-face, that he
was hurt; but rather a marvel that he was not slain, so little he recked
of point and edge, if he might but slay the foemen.
Such was Hall-face’s-tale; and Face-of-god deemed that he had done
unwisely to let him go that journey; for the slaying of a few Dusky Men
was but a light gain to set against the loss of so many Burgdalers; yet
was he glad of the deliverance of those Runaways, and deemed it a gain
indeed. But henceforth would he hold all still till he should have
tidings of Folk-might; so nought was done thereafter save the warding of
the Dale, from the country of the Shepherds to the Waste above the
Eastern passes.
But Face-of-god himself went up amongst the Shepherds, and abode with a
goodman hight Hound-under-Greenbury, who gathered to him the folk from
the country-side, and they went up on to Greenbury, and sat on the green
grass while he spoke with them and told them, as he had told the others,
what had been done and what should be done. And they heard him gladly,
and he deemed that there would be no blenching in them, for they were all
in one tale to live and die with their friends of Burgdale, and they said
that they would have no other word save that to bear to the Great
Folk-mote.
So he went away well-pleased, and he fared on thence to the Woodlanders,
and guested at the house of a valiant man hight Wargrove, who on the
morrow morn called the folk together to a green lawn of the Wild-wood, so
that there was scarce a soul of them that was not there. Then he laid
the whole matter before them; and if the Dalesmen had been merry and
ready, and the Shepherds stout-hearted and friendly, yet were the
Wood-landers more eager still, so that every hour seemed long to them
till they stood in their war-gear; and they told him that now at last was
the hour drawing nigh which they had dreamed of, but had scarce dared to
hope for, when the lost way should be found, and the crooked made
straight, and that which had been broken should be mended; that their
meat and drink, and sleeping and waking, and all that they did were now
become to them but the means of living till the day was come whereon the
two remnants of the children of the Wolf should meet and become one Folk
to live or die together.
Then went Face-of-god back to Burgstead again, and as he stood anigh the
Thing-stead once more, and looked down on the Dale as he had beheld it
last autumn, he bethought him that with all that had been done and all
that had been promised, the earth was clearing of her trouble, and that
now there was nought betwixt him and the happy days of life which the
Dale should give to the dwellers therein, save the gathering hosts of the
battle-field and the day when the last word should be spoken and the
first stroke smitten. So he went down on to the Portway well content.
Thereafter till the day of the Weapon-show there is nought to tell of,
save that Dallach and the other wounded men began to grow whole again;
and all men sat at home, or went on the woodland ward, expecting great
tidings after the holding of the Folk-mote.