no cover for them anywhere,
unless they dwelt in clefts and caves of the bare tors around us.
So we feared no longer lest there should be any ambush set for us,
and went about to see what they had left.

There were the long line that had noosed me, the earthen drum with
its dry skin head, the raw hide thongs we had been bound with, and
the food and drink; and that was all save what weapons lay round
the slain, and the bodies of the two good greyhounds.

"These are but men, and not trolls as one might well think," I
said, looking on those who lay before us.

One whom I had slain had a heavy gold torque round his neck, and
twisted gold armlets, being the chief, as I think. Kolgrim took
these off and gave them to me, and then he went to the drum and
dashed it on a stone and broke it, saying nothing.

"Let us be going," I said. "These folk will come back and see to
their dead."

But Kolgrim looked at the drumhead and took it, and then coiled the
long line on his arm.

"Trust a sailor for never losing a chance of getting a new bit of
rigging," said Harek, laughing; for he seemed none the worse for
the things of last night, which indeed began to seem ghostly and
dreamlike to us all. "But what good is the bit of skin?"

"Here be strange charms wrought into it," Kolgrim said. "It will
make a sword scabbard that will avail somewhat against such like
folk if ever we meet them again."

Truly there were marks as of branded signs on the bit of skin, and
so he kept it; and I hung the gold trophies in my belt, and Harek
took some of the remains of our supper: and so we went to the
horses, seeing nothing of the wild men anywhere.

Very glad were the good steeds to see us come, and the falcon, who
still sat on the saddle where I had perched her, spread her wings
and ruffled her feathers to hear us. I unhooded and fed her; and we
washed in the stream, and set out gaily enough, making southward,
for so we thought we should strike the great road. And at last,
when we saw its white line far off from a steep hillside, I was
glad enough.

I cannot tell how we had reached our halting place through the
hills in the dark, nor could I find it again directly. It was
midday before we reached the road, riding easily; so that, what
with the swift gallop of the hunting and the long hours of riding
in mist and darkness, we had covered many miles. We saw no house
till we were close to the road, and then lit on one made of stones
and turf