When he awoke, the sun shone into the hall by the windows above the
buttery, and there were but few folk left therein. But so soon as
Hallblithe was clad, the old woman came to him, and took him by the hand,
and led him to the board, and signed to him to eat of what was thereon;
and he did so; and by then he was done, came folk who went into the shut-
bed where lay the Long-hoary, and they brought him forth bed and all and
bare him out a-doors. Then the crone brought Hallblithe his arms and he
did on byrny and helm, girt his sword to his side, took his spear in his
hand and went out a-doors; and there close by the porch lay the
Long-hoary upon a horse-litter. So Hallblithe came up to him and gave
him the sele of the day: and the elder said: "Good morrow, son, I am glad
to see thee. Did they try thee hard last night?"
And Hallblithe saw two of the carles that had borne out the elder, that
they were talking together, and they looked on him and laughed mockingly;
so he said to the elder: "Even fools may try a wise man, and so it befell
last night. Yet, as thou seest, mumming hath not slain me."
Said the old man: "What thou sawest was not all mumming; it was done
according to our customs; and well nigh all of it had been done, even
hadst thou not been there. Nay, I will tell thee; at some of our feasts
it is not lawful to eat either for the chieftains or the carles, till a
champion hath given forth a challenge, and been answered and met, and the
battle fought to an end. But ye men, what hindereth you to go to the
horses' heads and speed on the road the chieftain who is no longer way-
worthy?"
So they ran to the horses and set down the dale by the riverside, and
just as Hallblithe was going to follow afoot, there came a swain from
behind the house leading a red horse which he brought to Hallblithe as
one who bids mount. So Hallblithe leapt into the saddle and at once
caught up with the litter of the Long-hoary down along the river. They
passed by no other house, save here and there a cot beside some fold or
byre; they went easily, for the way was smooth by the river-side; so in
less than two hours they came where the said river ran into the sea.
There was no beach there, for the water was ten fathom deep close up to
the lip of the land; but there was a great haven land-locked all but a
narrow outgate betwixt the sheer black cliffs. Many a great ship might
have lain in that haven; but as now there was but one lying there, a
round-ship not very great, but exceeding trim and meet for the sea.
There without more ado the carles took the elder from the litter and bore
him aboard, and Hallblithe followed him as if he had been so appointed.
They laid the old man adown on the poop under a tilt of precious web, and
so went aback by the way that they had come; and Hallblithe went and sat
down beside the Long-hoary, who spake to him and said: "Seest thou, son,
how easy it is for us twain to be shipped for the land whither we would
go? But as easy as it is for thee to go thither whereas we are going,
just so hard had it been for thee to go elsewhere. Moreover I must tell
thee that though many an one of the Isle of Ransom desireth to go this
voyage, there shall none else go, till the world is a year older, and he
who shall go then shall be likest to me in all ways, both in eld and in
feebleness, and in gibing speech, and all else; and now that I am gone,
his name shall be the same as that whereby ye may call me to-day, and
that is Grandfather. Art thou glad or sorry, Hallblithe?"
"Grandfather," said Hallblithe, "I can scarce tell thee: I move as one
who hath no will to wend one way or other. Meseems I am drawn to go
thither whereas we are going; therefore I deem that I shall find my
beloved on the Glittering Plain: and whatever befalleth afterward, let it
be as it will!"
"Tell me, my son," said the Grandfather, "how many women are there in the
world?"
"How may I tell thee?" said Hallblithe.
"Well, then," said the elder, "how many exceeding fair women are there?"
Said Hallblithe, "Indeed I wot not."
"How many of such hast thou seen?" said the Grandfather.
"Many," said Hallblithe; "the daughters of my folk are fair, and there
will be many other such amongst the aliens."
Then laughed the elder, and said: "Yet, my son, he who had been thy
fellow since thy sundering from thy beloved, would have said that in thy
deeming there is but one woman in the world; or at least one fair woman:
is it not so?"
Then Hallblithe reddened at first, as though he were angry; then he said:
"Yea, it is so."
Said the Grandfather in a musing way: "I wonder if before long I shall
think of it as thou dost."
Then Hallblithe gazed at him marvelling, and studied to see wherein lay
the gibe against himself; and the Grandfather beheld him, and laughed as
well as he might, and said: "Son, son; didst thou not wish me youth?"
"Yea," said Hallblithe, "but what ails thee to laugh so? What is it I
have said or done?"
"Nought, nought," said the elder, laughing still more, "only thou lookest
so mazed. And who knoweth what thy wish may bring forth?"
Thereat was Hallblithe sore puzzled; but while he set himself to consider
what the old carle might mean, uprose the hale and how of the mariners;
they cast off the hawsers from the shore, ran out the sweeps, and drave
the ship through the haven-gates. It was a bright sunny day; within, the
green water was oily-smooth, without the rippling waves danced merrily
under a light breeze, and Hallblithe deemed the wind to be fair; for the
mariners shouted joyously and made all sail on the ship; and she lay over
and sped through the waves, casting off the seas from her black bows.
Soon were they clear of those swart cliffs, and it was but a little
afterwards that the Isle of Ransom was grown deep blue behind them and
far away.