The Roots of the Mountains

t of Wildlake; but he had gone scant half a mile ere he fell in with a throng of folk going to Burgstead. They were of the Shepherds; they had weapons with them, and some

him into their midmost; so he mingled with them, and they stood in a ring about

ashion, covered with a crimson network like a pippin; his lips thin and not well hiding his few teeth; his nose long like a snipe's

starve-all fool of the Shepherds; and his name was now bec

d: 'What aileth you, neighbours? Your weapons, are bare, but I

; but a stout carle who stood by with a

rong-thieves of the wood are astir; and some

he deed they have d

Thou knowest Penn

are the water-meadows about it; grea

within the house

said Go

ant gear: we gather for others to sca

there is little gear therein now; for the strong-

s that?' sai

e carle, 'the door was smitten on, and

humb, 'a host entere

work for him; and one of them, Rusty to wit, was the worst man of the hill-country. These then the host whereof the goodm

nny-thumb; 'they took

er man said: 'Well, neighbour Penny-thumb, if it was so little, thou

e going there for us shepherds, who are used to the bare downs, save Rusty, who was a good woodsman and lifted the slot for us; so he outwent us all, and ran out of sight of us, so presently we came upon him dead-slain, with the manslayer's spear in his breast. What then could we do but turn back again, for now was the wood blind now Rusty was dead, and we knew n

n-faced tall wiry man, somewhat foxy of aspect

was no good man, yet was he of our people, and the feud is with us; so we would see the Alderman, and do him to wit of the tidin

hat ye found in Rust

'Hither with it, neighbours; g

to his hand, and he

the blood-trench as clean and trim as though it were an Earl's sword. See you withal this inlaying of runes on the steel? It is done with no tin or copper, but with very silver; and these bands about the shaft be of silver also. It is a fair weapo

e of the ransackers they might have a blood-wite of him, if they could find him. Gold-mane

nd a finding uttered, and outlawry given forth for the manslaying and the ransacking a

uld they live in that place. And he marvelled that they should risk drawing the Dalesmen's wrath upon them; whereas they of the Dale were strong men not easily daunted, albeit peaceable enough if not stirred to wrath. For in good sooth he had no doubt concernin

that he thought of, he kept in hi

emed to most men's eyes nought changed from what he had been. But the Bride noted that he saw her less often than his wont was, and abode with her a lesser space when he met her; and she could not think what this might mean

ntofts had been ransacked there, and none knew by whom. Now the goodman of Greentofts was little loved of the neighbours: he was grasping and overbearing, and had often cowed others out of their due: he was very cross-grained, both at home and abroad: his wife had fled from his hand, neither did his sons find it good to abide with him: therewithal he was wealthy of goods, a strong man and a deft man-at-arms. When his sons and his wife departed from him, and none other of the Dalesmen cared to abide w

w in the dimness (for all lights but the fire on the hearth had been quenched) certain things tumbling in which at first they deemed were wolves; but when they took swords and staves against them, lo they were met by swords and axes, and they saw that the seeming wolves were men with wolf-skins drawn over them. So the new-comers c

e fierce storm, and none could tell whether they had lived or died in it; but at least neither the men nor

were his friends of the Mountain; but he held h