ceness of the
Dry Tree?"

Quoth Roger: "This is the tale of it: After the champions of the Dry
Tree had lost their queen and beloved, the Lady of Abundance, they were
both restless and fierce, for the days of sorrow hung heavy on their
hands. So on a time a great company of them had ado with the Burgers
somewhat recklessly and came to the worse; wherefore some drew back
into their fastness of the Scaur and the others still rode on, and
further west than their wont had been; but warily when they had the
Wood Perilous behind them, for they had learned wisdom again. Thus
riding they had tidings of an host of the Burg of the Four Friths who
were resting in a valley hard by with a great train of captives and
beasts and other spoil: for they had been raising the fray against the
Wheat-wearers, and had slain many carles there, and were bringing home
to the Burg many young women and women-children, after their custom.
So they of the Dry Tree advised them of these tidings, and deemed that
it would ease the sorrow of their hearts for their Lady if they could
deal with these sons of whores and make a mark upon the Burg: so they
lay hid while the daylight lasted, and by night and cloud fell upon
these faineants of the Burg, and won them good cheap, as was like to
be, though the Burg-dwellers were many the more. Whereof a many were
slain, but many escaped and gat home to the Burg, even as will lightly
happen even in the worst of overthrows, that not all, or even the more
part be slain.

"Well, there were the champions and their prey, which was very great,
and especially of women, of whom the more part were young and fair: for
the women of the Wheat-wearers be goodly, and these had been picked out
by the rutters of the Burg for their youth and strength and beauty.
And whereas the men of the Dry Tree were scant of women at home, and
sore-hearted because of our Lady, they forbore not these women, but
fell to talking with them and loving them; howbeit in courteous and
manly fashion, so that the women deemed themselves in heaven and were
ready to do anything to please their lovers. So the end of it was that
the Champions sent messengers to Hampton and the Castle of the Scaur to
tell what had betid, and they themselves took the road to the land of
the Wheat-wearers, having those women with them not as captives but as
free damsels.

"Now the road to the Wheat-wearing country was long, and on the way the
damsels told their new men