Three days they drave before the wind, and on the fourth the clouds
lifted, the sun shone out and the offing was clear; the wind had much
abated, though it still blew a breeze, and was a head wind for sailing
toward the country of Langton. So then the master said that, since they
were bewildered, and the wind so ill to deal with, it were best to go
still before the wind that they might make some land and get knowledge of
their whereabouts from the folk thereof. Withal he said that he deemed
the land not to be very far distant.

So did they, and sailed on pleasantly enough, for the weather kept on
mending, and the wind fell till it was but a light breeze, yet still foul
for Langton.

So wore three days, and on the eve of the third, the man from the topmast
cried out that he saw land ahead; and so did they all before the sun was
quite set, though it were but a cloud no bigger than a man's hand.

When night fell they struck not sail, but went forth toward the land fair
and softly; for it was early summer, so that the nights were neither long
nor dark.

But when it was broad daylight, they opened a land, a long shore of rocks
and mountains, and nought else that they could see at first. Nevertheless
as day wore and they drew nigher, first they saw how the mountains fell
away from the sea, and were behind a long wall of sheer cliff; and coming
nigher yet, they beheld a green plain going up after a little in green
bents and slopes to the feet of the said cliff-wall.

No city nor haven did they see there, not even when they were far nigher
to the land; nevertheless, whereas they hankered for the peace of the
green earth after all the tossing and unrest of the sea, and whereas also
they doubted not to find at the least good and fresh water, and belike
other bait in the plain under the mountains, they still sailed on not
unmerrily; so that by nightfall they cast anchor in five-fathom water
hard by the shore.

Next morning they found that they were lying a little way off the mouth
of a river not right great; so they put out their boats and towed the
ship up into the said river, and when they had gone up it for a mile or
thereabouts they found the sea water failed, for little was the ebb and
flow of the tide on that coast. Then was the river deep and clear,
running between smooth grassy land like to meadows. Also on their left
board they saw presently three head of neat cattle going, as if in a
meadow of a homestead in