t which
led across the island from ford to ford, and his black shadow raced
beside him in the moonlight.

At the low cabin next to the house of Chloris he stopped and pounded on
the door.

"Who comes?" cried a great voice within.

"It is I, Nicanor! Let me in!" said Nicanor, huskily, out of a throat
parched and stiff, and still pounded.

The door opened with a rasping of bolts. The bulk of Nicodemus appeared,
half undressed, his single eye glinting under its furze of brow.

"Thou, lad? In the name of the goddess mothers, what dost thou here at
this hour? Not drunk again? Ha, so! Easy!"

Nicanor, with a hoarse and empty laugh, staggered forward even as his
spent steed had done, and Nicodemus caught him and lowered him to the
floor. He sat quite helpless, fully conscious, yet with the strength of
his limbs gone from him for the moment utterly.

Nicodemus shouted for Myleia. She came, unkempt and kindly; between them
the two got Nicanor to his feet and helped him to a bunk. A lodger,
wakened by the noise, thrust out a tousled head, saw only a drunken
wayfarer, and went to sleep again, all undisturbed. But at this point
Nicanor resisted.

"Nay, not yet! I have first a thing to do.--Nico, hath there been
trouble of sorts on Thorney these last three days?"

Nicodemus shook his great sides with laughter.

"Trouble? Yea, verily! Thorney hath been hopping to a mad dance these
days, promise you!"

"And thou hast been dancing with the maddest," said Myleia, a hand upon
his shoulder. "What quarrel is it of thine, my big ugly bear? Some day
thou'lt be brought home to me dead, or else be haled away to be sold as
slave."

"Never fear it, jewel of my heart," Nicodemus said tenderly. "Now see we
to this battered one. See, here be a bruise upon his skull the bigness
of a duck's egg. Get my shears, sweeting, and I'll clip this lion's mane
of hair. It will lighten his head that that silver tongue of his may
wag the better."

"No, you will not!" said Nicanor. "Give me wine and let my hair alone.
Man, I tell you I've no time to lose. What happened here?"

"Out of the calm came forth a thunderbolt," said Nicodemus, watching as
Myleia brought a bowl of water, with cloths and soothing herbs. She
thrust the bowl into his hands, and he stood, great and hairy and
patient, holding it for her while she cut away Nicanor's tunic, where it
had stuck fast to the wound, and washed away the clotted blood and
grime. "But not so long ago