g his ways down the mountain, and lost little
time therein, whereas he now had his livelihood to look to.

CHAPTER IX: WALTER HAPPENETH ON THE FIRST OF THOSE THREE CREATURES

What with one thing, what with another, as his having to turn out of his
way for sheer rocks, or for slopes so steep that he might not try the
peril of them, and again for bogs impassable, he was fully three days
more before he had quite come out of the stony waste, and by that time,
though he had never lacked water, his scanty victual was quite done, for
all his careful husbandry thereof. But this troubled him little, whereas
he looked to find wild fruits here and there and to shoot some small
deer, as hare or coney, and make a shift to cook the same, since he had
with him flint and fire-steel. Moreover the further he went, the surer
he was that he should soon come across a dwelling, so smooth and fair as
everything looked before him. And he had scant fear, save that he might
happen on men who should enthrall him.

But when he was come down past the first green slopes, he was so worn,
that he said to himself that rest was better than meat, so little as he
had slept for the last three days; so he laid him down under an ash-tree
by a stream-side, nor asked what was o'clock, but had his fill of sleep,
and even when he awoke in the fresh morning was little fain of rising,
but lay betwixt sleeping and waking for some three hours more; then he
arose, and went further down the next green bent, yet somewhat slowly
because of his hunger-weakness. And the scent of that fair land came up
to him like the odour of one great nosegay.

So he came to where the land was level, and there were many trees, as oak
and ash, and sweet-chestnut and wych-elm, and hornbeam and quicken-tree,
not growing in a close wood or tangled thicket, but set as though in
order on the flowery greensward, even as it might be in a great king's
park.

So came he to a big bird-cherry, whereof many boughs hung low down laden
with fruit: his belly rejoiced at the sight, and he caught hold of a
bough, and fell to plucking and eating. But whiles he was amidst of
this, he heard suddenly, close anigh him, a strange noise of roaring and
braying, not very great, but exceeding fierce and terrible, and not like
to the voice of any beast that he knew. As has been aforesaid, Walter
was no faint-heart; but what with the weakness of his travail and hunger,
what with the strangeness of h