ey were glad, they were weary enough, for the way
had been both rugged and long; so they lay them down to sleep while the
night was yet young. But or ever Ralph closed his eyes he saw the Sage
standing up with his cloak wrapped about his head, and making strange
signs with his right hand; so that he deemed that he would ward them by
wizardry. So therewith he turned about on the grass and was asleep at
once.

After a while he started and sat up, half awake at first; for he felt
some one touch him; and his halfdreams went back to past days, and he
cried out: "Hah Roger! is it thou? What is toward?" But therewith he
woke up fully, and knew that it was the Sage that had touched him, and
withal he saw hard by Ursula, sitting up also.

There was still a flickering flame playing about the red embers of
their fire, for they had made it very big; and the moon had arisen and
was shining bright in a cloudless sky.

The Sage spake softly but quickly: "Lie down together, ye two, and I
shall cast my cloak over you, and look to it that ye stir not from out
of it, nor speak one word till I bid you, whate'er may befall: for the
riders of Utterbol are upon us."

They did as he bade them, but Ralph got somewhat of an eye-shot out of
a corner of the cloak, and he could see that the Sage went and stood up
against the tree-trunk holding a horse by the bridle, one on each side
of him. Even therewith Ralph heard the clatter of horse-hoofs over the
stones about the stream, and a man's voice cried out: "They will have
heard us; so spur over the grass to the fire and the big tree: for
then they cannot escape us." Then came the thump of horse-hoofs on the
turf, and in half a minute they were amidst of a rout of men
a-horseback, more than a score, whose armour and weapons gleamed in the
moonlight: yet when these riders were gotten there, they were silent,
till one said in a quavering voice as if afeard: "Otter, Otter! what is
this? A minute ago and we could see the fire, and the tree, and men
and horses about them: and now, lo you! there is naught save two great
grey stones lying on the grass, and a man's bare bones leaning up
against the tree, and a ruckle of old horse-bones on either side of
him. Where are we then?"

Then spake another; and Ralph knew the voice for Otter's: "I wot not,
lord; naught else is changed save the fire and the horses and the men:
yonder are the hills, yonder overhead is the moon, with the little
light clou