bent out of it, and the pines were all about him now, though growing
wide apart, till at last he came to where they thickened into a wood,
not very close, wherethrough he went merrily, singing to himself and
swinging his spear. He was soon through this wood, and came on to a
wide well-grassed wood-lawn, hedged by the wood aforesaid on three
sides, but sloping up slowly toward the black wall of the thicker
pine-wood on the fourth side, and about half a furlong overthwart and
endlong. The sun had set while he was in the last wood, but it was
still broad daylight on the wood-lawn, and as he stood there he was
ware of a house under the pine-wood on the other side, built long and
low, much like the houses of the Woodland-Carles, but rougher
fashioned and of unhewn trees. He gazed on it, and said aloud to
himself as his wont was:

'Marvellous! here is a dwelling of man, scarce a day's journey from
Burgstead; yet have I never heard tell of it: may happen some of the
Woodland-Carles have built it, and are on some errand of hunting
peltries up in the mountains, or maybe are seeking copper and tin
among the rocks. Well, at least let us go see what manner of men
dwell there, and if they are minded for a guest to-night; for fain
were I of a bed beneath a roof, and of a board with strong meat and
drink on it.'

Therewith he set forward, not heeding much that the wood he had
passed through was hard on his left hand; but he had gone but twenty
paces when he saw a red thing at the edge of the wood, and then a
glitter, and a spear came whistling forth, and smote his own spear so
hard close to the steel that it flew out of his hand; then came a
great shout, and a man clad in a scarlet kirtle ran forth on him.
Face-of-god had his axe in his hand in a twinkling, and ran at once