and said: "To say sooth they
be not very handy for crushing as a man crushes a wasp, because sorcery
goes with them, and the wiles of one who is their Queen, the evilest
woman who ever spat upon the blessed Host of the Altar: yet is she
strong, a devouring sea of souls, God help us!" And he blessed himself
therewith.

Said Ralph: "Yet a word on these Wheat-wearers; it seemeth that ye
never fail to overcome them in battle?"

"But seldom at least," quoth the Burgher.

Said Ralph: "Then it were no great matter for you to gather a host
overwhelming, and to take their towns and castles, and forbid them
weapons, and make them your thralls to till the land for you which now
they call theirs; so that ye might have of their gettings all save what
were needful for them to live as thralls."

"I deem it were an easy thing," said the burgher.

Quoth Ralph: "Then why do ye not so?"

"It were but a poor game to play," said the burgher. "Such of their
wealth as we have a mind to, we can have now at the cost of a battle or
two, begun one hour and ended the next: were we their masters sitting
down amidst of their hatred, and amidst of their plotting, yea, and in
the very place where that were the hottest and thickest, the battle
would be to begin at every sun's uprising, nor would it be ended at any
sunset. Hah! what sayest thou?"

Said Ralph: "This seemeth to me but the bare truth; yet it is little
after the manner of such masterful men as ye be. But why then do ye
slay all their carles that are taken; whereas ye bear away the women
and make thralls of them at home, that is to say, foes in every house?"

"It may be," said the Burgher, "that this is not amongst the wisest of
our dealings. Yet may we do no otherwise; for thus we swore to do by
all the greatest oaths that we might swear, in the days when we first
cast off their yoke, and yet were not over strong at the first; and now
it hath so grown into a part of our manners, yea, and of our very
hearts and minds, that the slaying of a Wheat-wearer is to us a lighter
matter than the smiting of a rabbit or a fowmart. But now, look you,
fair sir, my company ariseth from table; so I bid thee a good night.
And I give thee a good rede along with the good wish, to wit, that thou
ask not too many questions in this city concerning its foemen: for here
is the stranger looked upon with doubt, if he neither will take the
wages of the Burg for battle, nor hath aught to sell."