hearted and kind?"

Then came the hum of yeasay again, the clashing of weapons, and the old
man spake again: "Ralph of Upmeads, there thou standest, wilt thou
help us against the tyrants, as we shall help thee?"

"Yea," said Ralph. Said the Elder: "Wilt thou be our Captain, if we
do according to thy bidding? For thou needest not fear our failing
thee."

"Yea verily," said Ralph.

Said the Elder: "Ralph of Upmeads, wilt thou be our Captain as an
alien and a hireling, or as a brother?"

"As a brother," quoth Ralph.

"Come up here then, Captain of our folk, and take my hand in thine, and
swear by our fathers and thine to be a true brother of us, and take
this ancient staff of war in thine hand. And, ye kindred of the
Shepherds, bear witness of his swearing. Yea and ye also, O neighbours
of the Dry Tree!"

So Ralph went up on the wall-top and took the Elder's hand, and took
from him the ancient guisarme, which was inlaid with gold letters of
old time; and he swore in a loud voice to be a true brother of the
Shepherd-folk, and raised the weapon aloft and shook it strongly, and
all the Folk cried, "Hail our brother!" and the Champions shouted
gladly withal, and great joy there was in that ingle of the ancient
work.

Then spake the Elder and said: "Ye champions of the Dry Tree, will ye
wend with us under the Captain our brother against his foemen and ours?"

Then stood forth Stephen a-Hurst and said, "Master shepherd, for nought
else are we come hither."

Said the Elder: "Will ye come with us as friends or as hirelings? for
in any case we would have you by our sides, and not in face of us; and
though we be shepherds, and unhoused, or ill-housed, yet have we
wherewithal to wage you, as ye know well enough, who have whiles lifted
our gear."

Then Stephen laughed and said: "True it is that we have whiles driven
prey in your country, yea, and had some hard knocks therein; but all
that was in playing the game of war, and now since we are to fight side
by side, we will be paid by our foes and not by our friends; so neither
hair nor wool will we have of yours, whatever we may have of the
Burgers; and it is like that we shall be good friends of yours
hence-forward."

Once more all they that were there shouted. But once more the Elder
spoke and said: "Is any man now wishful to speak?" None answered till
a big and burly man rose up and said: "Nay, Tall Thomas, thou hast said
and done all that need was, and