supplying himself with food by hunting in the forest, as well as by
cultivating the patch of garden beside the hut, until his visitor began
to show signs of impatience, when he apologised for intruding his
domestic affairs at such a time, and finally offered to join and aid the
search party.

"Aid us!" exclaimed Gunrig in contempt. "Surely we need no aid from
you, when we have the king's head-huntsman as our guide."

"That may be true, chief, nevertheless in the neighbourhood of my own
hut I could guide you, if I chose, to secret and retired spots, which it
would puzzle even the head-huntsman to find. But I will not thrust my
services upon you."

"You are over-proud for your station," returned the chief angrily, "and
were it not for your years I would teach you to moderate your language
and tone."

For a moment the eyes of the old man flashed, and his brows contracted,
as he steadily returned the gaze of Gunrig. In his youth he had been a
man of war, and, as we have said, his strength was not yet much abated
by age, but years and deep thought had brought wisdom to some extent.
With an evident effort he restrained himself, and made no reply. The
chief, deeming his silence to be the result of fear, turned
contemptuously away, and left the hut with his followers.

During this colloquy, poor Branwen had stood in the dark passage,
listening and trembling lest her hiding-place should be discovered. She
was a strange compound of reckless courage and timidity--if such a
compound be possible. Indignation at the man who had slighted her bosom
friend Hafrydda, besides insulting herself, caused her to feel at times
like a raging lion. The comparative weakness of her slight and graceful
frame made her at other times feel like a helpless lamb. It was an
exasperating condition! When she thought of Gunrig, she wished with all
her heart and soul that she had been born a big brawny man. When she
thought of Bladud, nothing could make her wish to be other than a woman!

As she stood there listening, there occurred a slight desire to clear
her throat, and she almost coughed. The feeling came upon her like a
shock--what if she had let it out! But a sneeze! It was well known
that sneezes came even to people the most healthy, and at moments the
most inopportune, and well she knew from experience that to repress a
sneeze would ensure an explosion fit to blow the little nose off her
face. If a sneeze should come at that momen