the girl, or death may take me--for, as you know, there is plenty
of fighting among the tribes, and my day will surely come, sooner or
later. In either case love will be cured."

"Can you guess why this girl has fled?" asked the woman.

Gunrig's brows contracted, and a grim smile played on his lips as he
replied, after a brief pause--

"Well, I am not quite sure, mother. It may be that she is not too fond
of me--which only shows her want of taste. But that can be cured when
she finds out what a fine man I am! Anyhow, I will have her, if I
should have to hunt the forest for a hundred moons, and fight all the
tribes put together."

"And how do you propose to go about it, my son?"

"That is the very thing I want you to tell me. If it were fighting that
had to be done I would not trouble you--but this is a matter that goes
beyond the wisdom of a plain warrior."

"Then, if you would gain your end, my son, I should advise you to send a
message to King Hudibras by one of your most trusty men; and let the
message be that you are deeply grieved at the loss of his daughter's
hand; that--"

"But I'm nothing of the kind, mother, so that would not be true."

"What does it matter whether true or not, if the king only believes it
to be true?"

"I don't quite agree, mother, with your notions about truth. To my mind
a warrior should always be straightforward and say what he means."

"Then go, my son, and tell the king what you have just told me, and he
will cut your head off," replied the dame in a tone of sarcasm.

"If I act on that advice, I will take my warriors with me and carry my
sword in my hand, so that his head would stand as good a chance of
falling as mine," returned Gunrig with a laugh. "But go on with your
advice, mother."

"Well, say that you feel in honour bound to give up all claim to his
daughter's hand, but that, as you want a wife very much to keep your
house as your mother is getting too old, you will be content to take his
visitor, Branwen, and will be glad to help in the search for her. Will
you send that message?"

"It may be that I will. In any case I'll send something like it."

So saying the chief turned abruptly on his heel and left the room.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

A TERRIBLE CALAMITY.

It may be imagined that the return home of Prince Bladud was the cause
of much rejoicing in the whole district as well as in his father's
house. At _first_ the king, being, as we have said, a very s