certain woman
with mickle worship."

Then spake Walter: "Yea, good sir, and how knowest thou that? dost thou
deal with them at all?"

Said the old man: "Whiles some of that folk come hither and have of me
what I can spare; a calf or two, or a half-dozen of lambs or hoggets; or
a skin of wine or cyder of mine own making: and they give me in return
such things as I can use, as skins of hart and bear and other peltries;
for now I am old, I can but little of the hunting hereabout. Whiles,
also, they bring little lumps of pure copper, and would give me gold
also, but it is of little use in this lonely land. Sooth to say, to me
they are not masterful or rough-handed; but glad am I that they have been
here but of late, and are not like to come again this while; for terrible
they are of aspect, and whereas ye be aliens, belike they would not hold
their hands from off you; and moreover ye have weapons and other matters
which they would covet sorely."

Quoth the master: "Since thou dealest with these wild men, will ye not
deal with us in chaffer? For whereas we are come from long travel, we
hanker after fresh victual, and here aboard are many things which were
for thine avail."

Said the old man: "All that I have is yours, so that ye do but leave me
enough till my next ingathering: of wine and cyder, such as it is, I have
plenty for your service; ye may drink it till it is all gone, if ye will:
a little corn and meal I have, but not much; yet are ye welcome thereto,
since the standing corn in my garth is done blossoming, and I have other
meat. Cheeses have I and dried fish; take what ye will thereof. But as
to my neat and sheep, if ye have sore need of any, and will have them, I
may not say you nay: but I pray you if ye may do without them, not to
take my milch-beasts or their engenderers; for, as ye have heard me say,
the Bear-folk have been here but of late, and they have had of me all I
might spare: but now let me tell you, if ye long after flesh-meat, that
there is venison of hart and hind, yea, and of buck and doe, to be had on
this plain, and about the little woods at the feet of the rock-wall
yonder: neither are they exceeding wild; for since I may not take them, I
scare them not, and no other man do they see to hurt them; for the Bear-
folk come straight to my house, and fare straight home thence. But I
will lead you the nighest way to where the venison is easiest to be
gotten. As to the wares in your ship, if