custom never to pass across them save when we push
the frontier with us, adding the lands over which we march to those of
our liege lord."

"Senors," said Rodriguez, "the whole mountain is the frontier. Come
with us one day further." But they would not stay.

All the good things that could be carried they loaded on to the three
horses whose heads were turned towards Spain; then turned, all four,
and said farewell to the three. And long looked each in the face of
Rodriguez as he took his hand in fare well, for they had fought under
the same banner and, as wayfaring was in those days, it was not likely
that they would ever meet again. They turned and went with their horses
back towards the land they had fought for.

Rodriguez and his captive and Morano went sadly down the mountain. They
came to the fir woods, and rested, and Morano cooked their dinner. And
after a while they were able to ride their horses.

They came to the foot of the mountains, and rode on past the Inn of the
World's End. They camped in the open; and all night long Rodriguez or
Morano guarded the captive.

For two days and part of the third they followed their old course,
catching sight again and again of the river Segre; and then they turned
further west ward to come to Aragon further up the Ebro. All the way
they avoided houses and camped in the open, for they kept their captive
to themselves: and they slept warm with their ample store of blankets.
And all the while the captive seemed morose or ill at ease, speaking
seldom and, when he did, in nervous jerks.

Morano, as they rode, or by the camp fire at evening, still questioned
him now and then about his castle; and sometimes he almost seemed to
contradict himself, but in so vast a castle may have been many styles
of architecture, and it was difficult to trace a contradiction among
all those towers and turrets. His name was Don
Alvidar-of-the-Rose-pink-Castle on-Ebro.

One night while all three sat and gazed at the camp-fire as men will,
when the chilly stars are still and the merry flames are leaping,
Rodriguez, seeking to cheer his captive's mood, told him some of his
strange adventures. The captive listened with his sombre air. But when
Rodriguez told how they woke on the mountain after their journey to the
sun; and the sun was shining on their faces in the open, but the
magician and his whole house were gone; then there came another look
into Alvidar's eyes. And Rodriguez ended his tale a