HABUNDIA COMETH WITH TIDINGS OF THOSE DEAR FRIENDS.
Wore the days thenceforth merrily; and one day it was delight in the
wide meads, and another they went a long way west along the water-side,
and so into another meadow-plain, smaller than their home-plain, which
Birdalone had never erst come into; and three eyots lay off it, green
and tree-beset, whereto they swam out together. Then they went into the
wood thereby in the heat of the afternoon, and so wore the day, that
they deemed themselves belated, and lay there under a thorn-bush the
night through.
Another day Birdalone took her mate over on to Green Eyot and Rock
Eyot, and showed him all the places she was used to haunt. And they had
their fishing-gear with them, and angled off the eyots a good part of
the day, and had good catch, and swam back therewith merrily. And
Birdalone laughed, and said that it seemed to her as if once again she
were ransoming her skin of the witch-wife by that noble catch.
Divers times also they fared into the wood, and thrice they lay out the
night there in some woodlawn where was water; and on one of these times
it happed that Arthur awoke in the grey dawn, and lay open-eyed but not
moving for a little; and therewith he deemed he saw the gleam of
war-gear in the thicket. So he kept as still as he might, but gat his
sword out of its sheath without noise, and then leapt up suddenly, and
sprang thitherward whereas he had seen that token, and again saw armour
gleam and heard some man crashing through the underwood, for all was
gone in one moment. So he woke up Birdalone, and they bended their bows
both of them, and searched the thicket thereabouts heedfully, arrow on
string, but found nought fiercer than a great sow and her farrow. So
came the full day, and they gat them back to their meadows and their
house; but thereafter were they warier in going about the woodland.
In all joyance then wore the days till the fifteenth, and in the
morning early they went their ways to the Oak of Tryst, and had no need
to call Habundia to them, for presently she came forth out of the
thicket, with her gown gathered up into her girdle and bow in hand. But
she cast it down and ran up to Birdalone, and kissed her and clipped
her, and then she took a hand of Arthur and a hand of Birdalone, and
held them both and said: My child, and thou dear knight, have ye still
a longing to fall in with those friends of yours, and to run all risk
of whatsoever contention and strife there may be betwixt you
thereafter? Yea, certes, said Arthur; and even so said Birdalone. Well
is that then, said the wood-wife; but now and for this time, ere I help
you, I shall put a price upon my help, and this is the price, that ye
swear to me never wholly to sunder from me; that once in the year at
least, as long as ye be alive and wayworthy, ye come into the Forest of
Evilshaw, and summon me by the burning of a hair of mine, that we may
meet and be merry for a while, and part with the hope of meeting once
more at least. And if ye will not pay the price, go in peace, and ye
shall yet have my help in all other matters that may seem good unto
you, but not in this of joining your fellowship together. How sayest
thou, Birdalone, my child? How sayest thou, Black Squire, whom, as
meseemeth, I have delivered from a fate worse than death, and have
brought out of wretchedness into bliss?
Spake Birdalone: Had I dared, I would have bidden thee to swear to me
even such an oath, to wit, that thou wouldst never wholly sunder thee
from me. How then may I not swear this that thou biddest me, and that
with all joy and trustiness?
Spake Arthur: Lady, had I no will to swear oath for thy sake, yet with
a good will would I swear it for my true-love’s sake who loveth thee.
Yet verily of mine own will would I swear it joyfully, were it for
nought else save to pleasure thee, who hast done so kindly by me, and
hath given me back my manhood and my love, which else I had miserably
lost.
Spake the wood-wife: It is well again. Join hands then, and swear as I
have bidden you by the love ye bear each other.
Even so they did, and then the wood-wife kissed them both and said: Now
do I deem you earth’s very children and mine, and this desire of yours
is good, and it shall be done if I may bring it about; yet therein the
valiance and wisdom of you both may well be tried. For this have I
found out by my messengers and others, that your friends are alive, all
of them; and they have thought of you in their inmost hearts, and have
long determined that they must needs go seek you if they are to live
lives happy and worthy. Furthermore, their quest hath drawn them hither
to Evilshaw (nor say I that I have been nothing therein), and they are
even now in the wood. But ye shall know that peril encompasses them;
for they fare but a few, and of those few be there two traitors who are
minded to deliver them to the men of the Red Company, unto whom three
women as fair as your she-friends were a prize indeed. Wherefore the
Red Folk are dogging them, and will fall upon them when they find the
occasion. But I shall see to it that the occasion shall be in time and
place where they shall not be unholpen. Now what ye have to do for your
parts, is to waylay the waylayers, and keep watch and ward anigh the
road they must needs take, and to fall on when need is. But this again
I shall see to, that your onset fail not.
But now ye may say: Since thou art mighty, why shouldst not thou
thyself take our friends out of the hands of these accursed, as thou
couldst well do, and we to take no part therein? My friends, this might
indeed well be; but thou, Birdalone, hast told me the whole tale, and
how that there be wrongs to be forgiven which cannot be made right, and
past kindness to be quickened again, and coldness to be kindled into
love, and estrangement into familiar friendship; and meseems that the
sight of your bodies and your hands made manifest to the eyes of them
may do somewhat herein. Yet if otherwise ye think, then so let it be,
and go ye back to the House under the Wood, and in three days’ time I
will bring you your friends all safe and sound.
Now they both said that they would not for aught that they should have
no hand in the deliverance of them; so the wood-wife said: Come with
me, and I shall lead you to the place of your ambush.
Then all they went on together, and fared a long way west, and toward
the place where erst they two had found Arthur; and at last, two hours
before sunset, they came to where was a glade or way between the
thickets, which was as it were a little beaten by the goings of
man-folk. And the wood-wife did them to wit, that the evil folk
aforesaid had so used it and beaten it, that it might just look as if
folk were wont to pass that way, whereas it was not very far from their
chiefest haunt and stronghold. A little on the north side of this
half-blind way, and some ten yards through the thicket, the ground fell
away into a little dale, the bottom whereof was plain and well grassed,
and watered by a brook.
Thither the wood-wife brought the twain; and when they all stood
together on the brook-side, she said to them: Dear friends, this is
your woodland house for this time, and I rede you go not forth of it,
lest ye happen upon any of those evil men; for nought have ye to fear
from any save them. Here amidst these big stones, which make, see ye,
as it were a cavern, have I stowed victual for you; and armour
therewithal, because, though both of you are in a manner armed, yet who
knoweth where a shaft drawn at a venture may reach.
And from the said stones she drew forth two very fair armours, helm and
hauberk, and leg and arm wards; and they were all of green, and shone
but little, but were fashioned as no smith of man-folk could have done
the like.
This is thine, Sir Arthur, said the wood-wife, and thou wilt wear it
like as it were silk; and this thine, my child, and thou art strong
enough to bear such light gear. And I charge you both to do on this
gear presently, nor do it off till ye have achieved the adventure. And
now this is the last word: here is a horn of oliphant which thou shalt
wear about thy neck, Birdalone; and if thou be sore bestead, or thy
heart faileth thee, blow in it, yet not before the onfall; and then,
whether thou blow much or little, thou shalt be well holpen.
Now be not downcast if nought befall to-night or to-morrow, or even the
day after; but if the third day be tidingless, then at sunset burn a
hair of my head, Birdalone, and I will come to you. And now farewell!
for I have yet to do in this matter.
With that she kissed Birdalone fondly and embraced Arthur, and went her
way; and those twain abode in the dale, and slept and watched by turns,
and all was tidingless till the morrow’s dawn; neither was there aught
to tell of on that day and the night that ended it.