rom them and fared on toward the mountains, striding
with great strides, holding his head aloft. But they looked no more on
him, having no will to eke their sorrow, but went their ways back again
without delay.

CHAPTER XVII: HALLBLITHE AMONGST THE MOUNTAINS

So strode on Hallblithe; but when he had gone but a little way his head
turned, and the earth and heavens wavered before him, so that he must
needs sit down on a stone by the wayside, wondering what ailed him. Then
he looked up at the mountains, which now seemed quite near to him at the
plain's ending, and his weakness increased on him; and lo! as he looked,
it was to him as if the crags rose up in the sky to meet him and overhang
him, and as if the earth heaved up beneath him, and therewith he fell
aback and lost all sense, so that he knew not what was become of the
earth and the heavens and the passing of the minutes of his life.

When he came to himself he knew not whether he had lain so a great while
or a little; he felt feeble, and for a while he lay scarce moving, and
beholding nought, not even the sky above him. Presently he turned about
and saw hard stone on either side, so he rose wearily and stood upon his
feet, and knew that he was faint with hunger and thirst. Then he looked
around him, and saw that he was in a narrow valley or cleft of the
mountains amidst wan rocks, bare and waterless, where grew no blade of
green; but he could see no further than the sides of that cleft, and he
longed to be out of it that he might see whitherward to turn. Then he
bethought him of his wallet, and set his hand to it and opened it,
thinking to get victual thence; but lo! it was all spoilt and wasted.
None the less, for all his feebleness, he turned and went toiling slowly
along what seemed to be a path little trodden leading upward out of the
cleft; and at last he reached the crest thereof, and sat him down on a
rock on the other side; yet durst not raise his eyes awhile and look on
the land, lest he should see death manifest therein. At last he looked,
and saw that he was high up amongst the mountain-peaks: before him and on
either hand was but a world of fallow stone rising ridge upon ridge like
the waves of the wildest of the winter sea. The sun not far from its
midmost shone down bright and hot on that wilderness; yet was there no
sign that any man had ever been there since the beginning of the world,
save that the path aforesaid seemed to lead onwar