g light and the
sun the minstrel seemed glad again, and talked abundantly, even though
at whiles Ralph answered him little.

As they rode, the land began to get less fertile and less, till at last
there was but tillage here and there in patches: of houses there were
but few, and the rest was but dark heathland and bog, with scraggy
woods scattered about the country-side.

Naught happened to tell of, save that once in the afternoon, as they
were riding up to the skirts of one of the woods aforesaid, weaponed
men came forth from it and drew up across the way; they were a dozen in
all, and four were horsed. Ralph set his hand to his sword, but the
minstrel cried out, "Nay, no weapons, no weapons! Pull out thy
let-pass again and show it in thine hand, and then let us on."

So saying he drew a white kerchief from his hand, and tied it to the
end of his riding staff, and so rode trembling by Ralph's side:
therewith they rode on together towards those men, whom as they drew
nearer they heard laughing and jeering at them, though in a tongue that
Ralph knew not.

They came so close at last that the waylayers could see the parchment
clearly, with the seal thereon, and then they made obeisance to it, as
though it were the relic of a saint, and drew off quietly into the wood
one by one. These were big men, and savage-looking, and their armour
was utterly uncouth.

The minstrel was loud in his mirth when they were well past these men;
but Ralph rode on silently, and was somewhat soberly.

"Fair sir," quoth the minstrel, "I would wager that I know thy
thought." "Yea," said Ralph, "what is it then?" Said the minstrel:
"Thou art thinking what thou shalt do when thou meetest suchlike folk
on thy way back; but fear not, for with that same seal thou shalt pass
through the land again." Said Ralph: "Yea, something like that,
forsooth, was my thought. But also I was pondering who should be my
guide when I leave Utterbol." The minstrel looked at him askance;
quoth he: "Thou mayst leave thinking of that awhile." Ralph looked
hard at him, but could make naught of the look of his face; so he said:
"Why dost thou say that?" Said Morfinn: "Because I know whither thou
art bound, and have been wondering this long while that thou hast asked
me not about the way to the WELL at the WORLD'S END: since I told thy
friend the merchant that I could tell thee somewhat concerning it. But
I suppose thou hast been thinking of something else?"