Bab Bab 9 · WALTER HAPPENETH ON THE FIRST OF THOSE THREE CREATURES

. 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 his adventure and his loneliness, his spirit

failed him; he turned round towards the noise, his knees shook and he

trembled: this way and that he looked, and then gave a great cry and

tumbled down in a swoon; for close before him, at his very feet, was the

dwarf whose image he had seen before, clad in his yellow coat, and

grinning up at him from his hideous hairy countenance.

How long he lay there as one dead, he knew not, but when he woke again

there was the dwarf sitting on his hams close by him. And when he lifted

up his head, the dwarf sent out that fearful harsh voice again; but this

time Walter could make out words therein, and knew that the creature

spoke and said:

"How now! What art thou? Whence comest? What wantest?"

Walter sat up and said: "I am a man; I hight Golden Walter; I come from

Langton; I want victual."

Said the dwarf, writhing his face grievously, and laughing forsooth: "I

know it all: I asked thee to see what wise thou wouldst lie. I was sent

forth to look for thee; and I have brought thee loathsome bread with me,

such as ye aliens must needs eat: take it!"

Therewith he drew a loaf from a satchel which he bore, and thrust it

towards Walter, who took it somewhat doubtfully for all his hunger.

The dwarf yelled at him: "Art thou dainty, alien? Wouldst thou have

flesh? Well, give me thy bow and an arrow or two, since thou art lazy-

sick, and I will get thee a coney or a hare, or a quail maybe. Ah, I

forgot; thou art dainty, and wilt not eat flesh as I do, blood and all

together, but must needs half burn it in the fire, or mar it with hot

water; as they say my Lady does: or as the Wretch, the Thing does; I know

that, for I have seen It eating."

"Nay," said Walter, "this sufficeth;" and he fell to eating the bread,

which was sweet between his teeth. Then when he had eaten a while, for

hunger compelled him, he said to the dwarf: "But what meanest thou by the

Wretch and the Thing? And what Lady is thy Lady?"

The creature let out another wordless roar as of furious anger; and then

the words came: "It hath a face white and red, like to thine; and hands

white as thine, yea, but whiter; and the like it is underneath its

raiment, only whiter still: for I have seen It--yes, I have seen It; ah

yes and yes and yes."

And therewith his words ran into gibber and yelling, and he rolled about

and smote at the grass: but in a while he grew quiet again and sat still,

and then fell to laughing horribly again, and then said: "But thou, fool,

wilt think It fair if thou fallest into Its hands, and wilt repent it

thereafter, as I did. Oh, the mocking and gibes of It, and the tears and

shrieks of It; and the knife! What! sayest thou of my Lady?--What Lady?

O alien, what other Lady is there? And what shall I tell thee of her? it

is like that she made me, as she made the Bear men. But she made not the

Wretch, the Thing; and she hateth It sorely, as I do. And some day to

come--"

Thereat he brake off and fell to wordless yelling a long while, and

thereafter spake all panting: "Now I have told thee overmuch, and O if my

Lady come to hear thereof. Now I will go."

And therewith he took out two more loaves from his wallet, and tossed

them to Walter, and so turned and went his ways; whiles walking upright,

as Walter had seen his image on the quay of Langton; whiles bounding and

rolling like a ball thrown by a lad; whiles scuttling along on all-fours

like an evil beast, and ever and anon giving forth that harsh and evil

cry.

Walter sat a while after he was out of sight, so stricken with horror and

loathing and a fear of he knew not what, that he might not move. Then he

plucked up a heart, and looked to his weapons and put the other loaves

into his scrip.

Then he arose and went his ways wondering, yea and dreading, what kind of

creature he should next fall in with. For soothly it seemed to him that

it would be worse than death if they were all such as this one; and that

if it were so, he must needs slay and be slain.