all heard, and they
cheered his speech with deep and strong voice; but they who stood
nighest unto Osberne say that his face was stern and very pale as he
spake; and it seemed to them that had Boardcleaver been naked on the
West side in that stour yet more of the strong-thieves had fallen.

Now they parted, and Osberne and his Wethermelers went home, and the
other Eastdalers also, each to his place. But as to the Westdalers,
they fell to, and drew away the slain thieves from the field of deed,
for that they feared the begrudging of the Dwarfs, and they laid them
in earth hard by where they had stood to have that converse with them
of the East; and they raised a great howe over them, and it is called
Thieves' Howe unto this day. And the tale of the said thieves who were
slain by the Eastdalers in the shot-stour is three score and ten and
seven.

Chapter XXXV. Osberne Seeks Counsel of Steelhead

Wear the days hereafter into summer, and Osberne is at Wethermel, and
doth what work cometh to hand no worser than heretofore; yet folk
marvel that his sorrow over the man-fall of the Cloven battle seemeth
to wear off him but little, though he is mild and kind in speech to
all men. Much he sat talking with Stephen the Eater, who in these days
was growing whole of his hurts, and it is thought he learned some
hidden lore from him, for many deemed that Stephen was wise therein.
Every third day he went all alone to the Bight of the Cloven Knoll,
and sat there long through the day; but never had he any tidings of
Elfhild, nor forsooth did he look for any such. He learned from over
the water that there was no newcomer at Hartshaw Knolls, and that the
house and garth lay waste, and so was like to abide.

Now when it lacked but three nights of Midsummer, Osberne, after he
had spoken long with Stephen, set some victual in his scrip, and went
afoot in the evening-tide up the bent and over it among the
mountain-necks, and so into that same little dale where he had first
met Steelhead. There he sat him down on the grass by the brook-side
and ate his meat, and then, when it darkened so much as it would that
June night, he laid him down and slept in all trust of safekeeping. He
awoke at the end of dawn and washed him in the brook, and then clad
him and sat down to abide sunrise. Then even as the sun arose it smote
a beam of light from some bright thing overtopping the crown of the
hillside before him, and Osberne knew that there was com