shall lack ere he lacks. What then?"

"This," said Christopher, "that, as all tales tell, he will take my life
if I ride thither. And," said he, turning to Simon, "this is belike what
thou wouldest with me?" And therewith he drew out his sword, for his bow
was unstrung.

But Simon sat still and let his sword abide, and said, sourly enough:
"Thou art a fool to think I am training thee to thy death by him; for I
have no will to die, and why shall he not slay me also? Now again I say
unto thee, thou hast the choice, either to lead me to the Tofts, where
shall be the deed for thee to do, or to hide thee in some hole, as I
said afore, from the vengeance of the Lord of Oakenrealm. But as for thy
sword, thou mayst put it up, for I will not fight with thee, but rather
let thee go with a string to thy leg, if thou wilt not be wise and do as
thy lords ordain for thee."

Christopher sheathed his sword, and a smile came into his face, as if
some new thought were stirring in him, and he said: "Well, since thou
wilt not fight with me, and I but a lad, I will e'en do thy will and
thine errand to Jack of the Tofts. Maybe he is not so black as he is
painted, and not all tales told of him are true. But some of them I will
tell thee as we ride along."

"And some thereof I know already, O woodland knight," said Simon,
as they rode down the bent, and Christopher led on toward the green
causeway betwixt the waters. "Tell me," quoth he, when they had ridden
awhile, "is this one of thy tales, how Jack of the Tofts went to the
Yule feast of a great baron in the guise of a minstrel, and, even as
they bore in the boar's head, smote the said baron on the neck, so that
his head lay by the head of the swine on the Christmas board?"

"Yea," said Christopher, "and how Jack cried out: 'Two heads of swine,
one good to eat, one good to burn.' But, my master, thou shalt know that
this manslaying was not for nought: whereas the Baron of Greenlake had
erewhile slain Jack's father in felon wise, where he could strike no
stroke for life; and two of his brethren also had he slain, and made the
said Jack an outlaw, and he all sackless. In the Uttermost March we deem
that he had a case against the baron."

"Hah!" said Simon. "Is this next tale true, that this Jack o' the Tofts
slew a good knight before the altar, so that the priest's mass-hackle
was all wet with his blood, whereas the said priest was in the act of
putting the holy body into the open mouth