CHAPTER XXIX. THEY BRING THE RUNAWAYS TO BURGSTEAD.
SO now being out of the wood, they went peaceably and safely along thePortway, the Runaways mingling with the Dalesmen. Strange showed amidstthe health and wealth of the Dale the rags and misery and nakedness ofthe thralls, like a dream amidst the trim gaiety of spring; andwhomsoever they met, or came up with on the road, whatso his businessmight be, could not refrain himself from following them, but mingled withthe men-at-arms, and asked them of the tidings; and when they heard whothese poor people were, even delivered thralls of the Foemen, they wereglad at heart and cried out for joy; and many of the women, nay, of themen also, when they first came across that misery from out the heart oftheir own pleasant life, wept for pity and love of the poor folk, now atlast set free, and blessed the swords that should do the like by thewhole people.
They went slowly as men began to gather about them; yea, some of the goodfolk that lived hard by must needs fare home to their houses to fetchcakes and wine for the guests; and they made them sit down and rest onthe green grass by the side of the Portway, and eat and drink to cheertheir hearts; others, women and young swains, while they rested went downinto the meadows and plucked of the spring flowers, and twined themhastily with deft and well-wont fingers into chaplets and garlands fortheir heads and bodies. Thus indeed they covered their nakedness, tillthe lowering faces and weather-beaten skins of those hardly-entreatedthralls looked grimly out from amidst the knots of cowslip and oxlip, andthe branches of the milk-white blackthorn bloom, and the long trumpets ofthe daffodils, of the hue that wrappeth round the quill which the webstertakes in hand when she would pleasure her soul with the sight of theyellow growing upon the dark green web.
So they went on again as the evening was waning, and when they weregotten within a furlong of the Gate, lo! there was come the minstrelsy,the pipe and the tabor, the fiddle and the harp, and the folk that hadlearned to sing the sweetest, both men and women, and Redesman at thehead of them all.
Then fell the throng into an ordered company; first went the music, andthen a score of Face-of-god’s warriors with drawn swords and upliftedspears; and then the flower-bedecked misery of the Runaways, men andwomen going together, gaunt, befouled, and hollow-eyed, with here andthere a flushed cheek or gleaming eye, or tear-bedewed face, as the joyand triumph of the eve pierced through their wonted weariness of grief;then the rest of the warriors, and lastly the mingled crowd of Dalesfolk,tall men and fair women gaily arrayed, clean-faced, clear-skinned, andsleek-haired, with glancing eyes and ruddy lips.
And now Redesman turned about to the music and drew his bow across hisfiddle, and the other bows ran out in concert, and the harps followed thestory of them, and he lifted up his voice and sang the words of an oldsong, and all the singers joined him and blended their voices with his.And these are some of the words which they sang:
Lo! here is Spring, and all we are living, We that were wan with Winter’s fear; Reach out your hands to her hands that are giving, Lest ye lose her love and the light of the year.
Many a morn did we wake to sorrow, When low on the land the cloud-wrath lay; Many an eve we feared to-morrow, The unbegun unfinished day.
Ah we—we hoped not, and thou wert tardy; Nought wert thou helping; nought we prayed. Where was the eager heart, the hardy? Where was the sweet-voiced unafraid?
But now thou lovest, now thou leadest, Where is gone the grief of our minds? What was the word of the tale, that thou heedest E’en as the breath of the bygone winds?
Green and green is thy garment growing Over thy blossoming limbs beneath; Up o’er our feet rise the blades of thy sowing, Pierced are our hearts with thine odorous breath.
But where art thou wending, thou new-comer? Hurrying on to the Courts of the Sun? Where art thou now in the House of the Summer? Told are thy days and thy deed is done.
Spring has been here for us that are living After the days of Winter’s fear; Here in our hands is the wealth of her giving, The Love of the Earth, and the Light of the Year.
Thus came they to the Gate, and lo! the Bride thereby, leaning against abuttress, gazing with no dull eyes at the coming throng. She was nowclad in her woman’s attire again, to wit a light flame-coloured gown overa green kirtle; but she yet bore a gilded helm on her head and a swordgirt to her side in token of her oath to the God. She had been inHall-face’s company in that last battle, and had done a man’s servicethere, fighting very valiantly, but had not been hurt, and had come backto Burgstead when the shift of men was.
Now she drew herself up and stood a little way before the Gate and lookedforth on the throng, and when her eyes beheld the Runaways amidst of theweaponed carles of Burgdale, her face flushed, and her eyes filled withtears as she stood, partly wondering, partly deeming what they were. Shewaited till Stone-face came by her, and then she took the old man by thesleeve, and drew him apart a little and said to him: ‘What meaneth thisshow, my friend? Who hath clad these folk thus strangely; and who bethese three naked tall ones, so fierce-looking, but somewhat noble ofaspect?’
For indeed those three men of the kindreds, when they had gotten into theDale, and had rested them, and drunk a cup of wine, and when they hadseen the chaplets and wreaths of the spring-flowers wherewith they werebedecked, and had smelt the sweet savour of them, fell to walkingproudly, heeding not their nakedness; for no rag had they upon them savebreech-clouts of deer-skin: they had changed weapons with the Burgdalecarles; and one had gotten a great axe, which he bore over his shoulder,and the shaft thereof was all done about with copper; and another hadshouldered a long heavy thrusting-spear, and the third, an exceeding tallman, bore a long broad-bladed war-sword. Thus they went, brown of skinbeneath their flower-garlands, their long hair bleached by the sunfalling about their shoulders; high they strode amongst the shufflingcarles and tripping women of the later-come thralls. But when they heardthe music, and saw that they were coming to the Gate in triumph, strangethoughts of old memories swelled up in their hearts, and they refrainedthem not from weeping, for they felt that the joy of life had come backto them.
Nor must it be deemed that these were the only ones amongst the Runawayswhose hearts were cheered and softened: already were many of them comingback to life, as they felt their worn bodies caressed by the clear softair of Burgdale, and the sweetness of the flowers that hung about them,and saw all round about the kind and happy faces of their well-willers.
So Stone-face looked on the Bride as she stood with face yettear-bedewed, awaiting his answer, and said:
‘Daughter, thou sayest who clad these folk thus? It was misery that hathso dight them; and they are the images of what we shall be if we lovefoul life better than fair death, and so fall into the hands of theFelons, who were the masters of these men. As for the tall naked men,they are of our own blood, and kinsmen to Face-of-god’s new friends; andthey are of the best of the vanquished: it was in early days that theyfled from thralldom; as we may have to do. Now, daughter, I bid thee beas joyous as thou art valiant, and then shall all be well.’
Therewith she smiled on him, and he departed, and she stood a littlewhile, as the throng moved on and was swallowed by the Gate, and lookedafter them; and for all her pity for the other folk, she thought chieflyof those fearless tall men who were of the blood of those with whom itwas lawful to wed.
There she stood as the wind dried the tears upon her cheeks, thinking ofthe sorrow which these folk had endured, and their stripes and mocking,their squalor and famine; and she wondered and looked on her own fair andshapely hands with the precious finger-rings thereon, and on the daintycloth and trim broidery of her sleeve; and she touched her smooth cheekwith the back of her hand, and smiled, and felt the spring sweet in hermouth, and its savour goodly in her nostrils; and therewith she called tomind the aspect of her lovely body, as whiles she had seen it imaged, allits full measure, in the clear pool at midsummer, or piece-meal,
in theshining steel of the Westland mirror. She thought also with what joy shedrew the breath of life, yea, even amidst of grief, and of how sweet andpure and well-nurtured she was, and how well beloved of many friends andthe whole folk, and she set all this beside those woeful bodies andlowering faces, and felt shame of her sorrow of heart, and the pain ithad brought to her; and ever amidst shame and pity of all that miseryrose up before her the images of those tall fierce men, and it seemed toher as if she had seen something like to them in some dream orimagination of her mind.
So came the Burgdalers and their guests into the street of Burgsteadamidst music and singing; and the throng was great there. ThenFace-of-god bade make a ring about the strangers, and they did so, and heand the Runaways alone were in the midst of it; and he spake in a loudvoice and said:
‘Men of the Dale and the Burg, these folk whom here ye see in such asorry plight are they whom our deadly foes have rejoiced to torment; letus therefore rejoice to cherish them. Now let those men come forth whodeem that they have enough and more, so that they may each take intotheir houses some two or three of these friends such as would be fain tobe together. And since I am War-leader, and have the right hereto, Iwill first choose them whom I will lead into the House of the Face. Andlo you! will I have this man (and he laid his hand on Dallach),who is hewhom I first came across, and who found us all these others, and next Iwill have yonder tall carles, the three of them, because I perceive themto be men meet to be with a War-leader, and to follow him in battle.’
Therewith he drew the three Men of the Wolf towards him, but Dallachalready was standing beside him. And folk rejoiced in Face-of-god.
But the Bride came forward next, and spake to him meekly and simply:
‘War-leader, let me have of the women those who need me most, that I maybring them to the House of the Steer, and try if there be not some gooddays yet to be found for them, wherein they shall but remember the pastgrief as an ugly dream.’
Then Face-of-god looked on her, and him-seemed he had never seen her sofair; and all the shame wherewith he had beheld her of late was gone fromhim, and his heart ran over with friendly love towards her as she lookedinto his face with kindly eyes; and he said:
‘Kinswoman, take thy choice as thy kindness biddeth, and happy shall theybe whom thou choosest.’
She bowed her head soberly, and chose from among the guests four women ofthe saddest and most grievous, and no man of their kindred spake forgoing along with them; then she went her ways home, leading one of themby the hand, and strange was it to see those twain going through sun andshade together, that poor wretch along with the goodliest of women.
Then came forward one after other of the worthy goodmen of the Dale, andespecially such as were old, and they led away one one man, and anothertwo, and another three, and often would a man crave to go with a woman ora woman with a man, and it was not gainsaid them. So were all the guestsapportioned, and ill-content were those goodmen that had to departwithout a guest; and one man would say to another: ‘Such-an-one, be notdowncast; this guest shall be between us, if he will, and shall dwellwith thee and me month about; but this first month with me, since I wasfirst comer.’ And so forth was it said.
Now to prevent the time to come, it may be said about the Runaways, thatwhen they had been a little while amongst the Burgdalers, well fed andwell clad and kindly cherished, it was marvellous how they were betteredin aspect of body, and it began to be seen of them that they werewell-favoured people, and divers of the women exceeding goodly,black-haired and grey-eyed, and very clear-skinned and white-skinned;most of them were young, and the oldest had not seen above forty winters.They of Rose-dale, and especially such as had first fled away to thewood, were very soon seen to be merry and kindly folk; but they who hadbeen longest in captivity, and notably those from Silver-dale who werenot of the kindreds, were for a long time sullen and heavy, and itavailed little to trust to them for the doing of work; albeit they wouldfollow about their friends of Burgdale with the love of a dog; also theywere, divers of them, somewhat thievish, and if they lacked anythingwould liefer take it by stealth than ask for it; which forsooth theBurgdale men took not amiss, but deemed of it as a jest rather.
Very few of the Runaways had any will to fare back to their old homes, orindeed could be got to go into the wood, or, after a day or two, to sayany word of Rose-dale or Silver-dale. In this and other matters theBurgdalers dealt with them as with children who must have their way; forthey deemed that their guests had much time to make up; also they werewell content when they saw how goodly they were, for these Dalesmen lovedto see men goodly of body and of a cheerful countenance.
As for Dallach and the three Silver-dale men of the kindred, they wentgladly whereas the Burgdale men would have them; and half a score otherstook weapons in their hands when the war was foughten: concerning whichmore hereafter.
But on the even whereof the tale now tells, Face-of-god and Stone-faceand their company met after nightfall in the Hall of the Face clad inglorious raiment, and therewith were Dallach and the men of Silver-dale,washen and docked of their long hair, after the fashion of warriors whobear the helm; and they were clad in gay attire, with battle-swords girtto their sides and gold rings on their arms. Somewhat stern and sad-eyedwere those Silver-dalers yet, though they looked on those about themkindly and courteously when they met their eyes; and Face-of-god yearnedtowards them when he called to mind the beauty and wisdom andloving-kindness of the Sun-beam. They were, as aforesaid, strong men andtall, and one of them taller than any amidst that house of tall men.Their names were Wolf-stone, the tallest, and God-swain, and Spear-fist;and God-swain the youngest was of thirty winters, and Wolf-stone offorty. They came into the Hall in such wise, that when they were washedand attired, and all men were assembled in the Hall, and the Alderman andthe chieftains sitting on the daïs, Face-of-god brought them in from theout-bower, holding Dallach by the right hand and Wolf-stone by the left;and he looked but a stripling beside that huge man.
And when the men in the Hall beheld such goodly warriors, and rememberedtheir grief late past, they all stood up and shouted for joy of them.But Face-of-god passed up the Hall with them, and stood before the daïsand said:
‘O Alderman of the Dale and Chief of the House of the Face, here I bringto you the foes of our foemen, whom I have met in the Wild-wood, andbidden to our House; and meseemeth they will be our friends, and standbeside us in the day of battle. Therefore I say, take these guests andme together, or put us all to the door together; and if thou wilt takethem, then show them to such places as thou deemest meet.’
Then stood up the Alderman and said:
‘Men of Silver-dale and Rose-dale, I bid you welcome! Be ye our friends,and abide here with us as long as seemeth good to you, and share in allthat is ours. Son Face-of-god, show these warriors to seats on the daïsbeside thee, and cherish them as well as thou knowest how.’
Then Face-of-god brought them up on to the daïs and sat down on the righthand of his father, with Dallach on his right hand, and then Wolf-stoneout from him; then sat Stone-face, that there might be a man of the Daleto talk with them and serve them; and on his right hand first Spear-fistand then God-swain. And when they were all sat down, and the meat was onthe board, Iron-face turned to his son Face-of-god and took his hand, andsaid in a loud voice, so that many might hear him:
‘Son Face-of-god, son Gold-mane, thou bearest with thee both ill luck andgood. Erewhile, when thou wanderedst out into the Wild-wood, seekingthou knewest not what from out of the Land of Dreams, thou didst butbring aback to us grief and shame; but now that thou hast gone forth withthe neighbours seeking thy foemen, thou hast come aback to us with thinehands full of honour and joy for us, and we thank thee for thy gifts, andI call thee a lucky man. Herewith, kinsman, I drink to thee and thelasting of thy luck.’
Therewith he stood up and drank the health of the War-leader and theGuests: and all men were exceeding joyous thereat, when they called tomind his wrath at the
Gate-thing, and they shouted for gladness as theydrank that health, and the feast became exceeding merry in the House ofthe Face; and as to the war to come, it seemed to them as if it were overand done in all triumph.