Now the trees failed altogether, and the slope grown steeper was covered with heather and ling; and looking up, he saw before him quite near by seeming in the clear even (though indeed they were yet far away) the snowy peaks flushed with the sinking sun against the frosty dark-grey eastern sky; and below them the dark rock-mountains, and below these again, and nigh to him indeed, the fells covered with pine-woods and looking like a wall to the heaths he trod.
He stayed a little while and turned his head to look at the way whereby he had come; but that way a swell9 of the oak-forest hid everything but the wood itself, making a wall behind him as the pine-wood made a wall before. There came across him then a sharp memory of the boding10 words which Stone-face had spoken last night, and he felt as if he were now indeed within the trap. But presently he laughed and said: ‘I am a fool: this comes of being alone in the dark wood and the dismal11 waste, after the merry faces of the Dale had swept away my foolish musings of yesterday and the day before. Lo! here I stand, a man of the Face, sword and axe12 by my side; if death come, it can but come once; and if I fear not death, what shall make me afraid? The Gods hate me not, and will not hurt me; and they are not ugly, but beauteous.’
Therewith he strode on again, and soon came to a place where the ground sank into a shallow valley and the ling gave place to grass for a while, and there were tall old pines scattered13 about, and betwixt them grey rocks; this he passed through, climbing a steep bent4 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 ware14 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 wont15 was:
‘Marvellous! here is a dwelling16 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 copper17 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 heeding18 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 forth19, and smote20 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 scarlet21 kirtle ran forth on him. Face-of-god had his axe in his hand in a twinkling, and ran at once to meet his foe22; but the man had the hill on his side as he rushed on with a short-sword in his hand. Axe and sword clashed together for a moment of time, and then both the men rolled over on the grass together, and Face-of-god as he fell deemed that he heard the shrill23 cry of a woman. Now Face-of-god found that he was the nethermost24, for if he was strong, yet was his foe stronger; the axe had flown out of his hand also, while the strange man still kept a hold of his short-sword; and presently, though he still struggled all he could, he saw the man draw back his hand to smite25 with the said sword; and at that nick of time the foeman’s knee was on his breast, his left hand was doubled back behind him, and his right wrist was gripped hard in the stranger’s left hand. Even therewith his ears, sharpened by the coming death, heard the sound of footsteps and fluttering raiment drawing near; something dark came between him and the sky; there was the sound of a great stroke, and the big man loosened his grip and fell off him to one side.
Face-of-god leapt up and ran to his axe and got hold of it; but turning round found himself face to face with a tall woman holding in her hand a stout26 staff like the limb of a tree. She was calm and smiling, though forsooth it was she who had stricken the stroke and stayed the sword from his throat. His hand and axe dropped down to his side when he saw what it was that faced him, and that the woman was young and fair; so he spake to her and said:
‘What aileth, maiden27? is this man thy foe? doth he oppress thee? shall I slay28 him?’
She laughed and said: ‘Thou art open-handed in thy proffers29: he might have asked the like concerning thee but a minute ago.’
‘Yea, yea,’ said Gold-mane, laughing also, ‘but he asked it not of thee.’
‘That is sooth,’ she said, ‘but since thou hast asked me, I will tell thee that if thou slay him it will be my harm as well as his; and in my country a man that taketh a gift is not wont to break the giver’s head with it straightway. The man is my brother, O stranger, and presently, if thou wilt30, thou mayst be eating at the same board with him. Or if thou wilt, thou mayst go thy ways unhurt into the wood. But I had liefer of the twain that thou wert in our house to-night; for thou hast a wrong against us.’
Her voice was sweet and clear, and she spake the last words kindly31, and drew somewhat nigher to Gold-mane. Therewithal the smitten32 man sat up, and put his hand to his head, and quoth he:
‘Angry is my sister! good it is to wear the helm abroad when she shaketh the nut-trees.’
‘ Nay,’ said she, ‘it is thy luck that thou wert bare-headed, else had I been forced to smite thee on the face. Thou churl33, since when hath it been our wont to thrust knives into a guest, who is come of great kin8, a man of gentle heart and fair face? Come hither and handsel him self-doom34 for thy fool’s onset35!’
The man rose to his feet and said: ‘Well, sister, least said, soonest mended. A clout36 on the head is worse than a woman’s chiding37; but since ye have given me one, ye may forbear the other.’
Therewith he drew near to them. He was a very big-made man, most stalwarth, with dark red hair and a thin pointed38 beard; his nose was straight and fine, his eyes grey and well-opened, but somewhat fierce withal. Yet was he in nowise evil-looking; he seemed some thirty summers old. He was clad in a short scarlet kirtle, a goodly garment, with a hood39 of like web pulled off his head on to his shoulders: he bore a great gold ring on his left arm, and a collar of gold came down on to his breast from under his hood.
As for the woman, she was clad in a long white linen40 smock, and over it a short gown of dark blue woollen, and she had skin shoes on her feet.
Now the man came up to Face-of-god, and took his hand and said: ‘I deemed thee a foe, and I may not have over-many foes41 alive: but it seems that thou art to be a friend, and that is well and better; so herewith I handsel thee self-doom in the matter of the onslaught.’
Then Face-of-god laughed and said: ‘The doom is soon given forth; against the tumble on the grass I set the clout on the head; there is nought42 left over to pay to any man’s son.’
Said the scarlet-clad man: ‘Belike by thine eyes thou art a true man, and wilt not bewray me. Now is there no foeman here, but rather maybe a friend both now and in time to come.’ Therewith he cast his arms about Face-of-god and kissed him. But Face-of-god turned about to the woman and said: ‘Is the peace wholly made?’
She shook her head and said soberly: ‘Nay, thou art too fair for a woman to kiss.’
He flushed red, as his wont was when a woman praised him; yet was his heart full of pleasure and well-liking. But she laid her hand on his shoulder and said: ‘Now is it for thee to choose betwixt the wild-wood and the hall, and whether thou wilt be a guest or a wayfarer43 this night.’
As she touched him there took hold of him a sweetness of pleasure he had never felt erst, and he answered: ‘I will be thy guest and not thy stranger.’
‘Come then,’ she said, and took his hand in hers, so that he scarce felt the earth under his feet, as they went all three together toward the house in the gathering44 dusk, while eastward45 where the peaks of the great mountains dipped was a light that told of the rising of the moon.
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1
plodded
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| v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作） | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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hindrance
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| n.妨碍，障碍 | |
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7
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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9
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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10
boding
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| adj.凶兆的，先兆的n.凶兆，前兆，预感v.预示，预告，预言( bode的现在分词 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待 | |
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11
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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12
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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13
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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14
ware
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| n.(常用复数)商品，货物 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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18
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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22
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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nethermost
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| adj.最下面的 | |
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smite
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| v.重击；彻底击败；n.打；尝试；一点儿 | |
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27
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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28
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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29
proffers
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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30
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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31
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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32
smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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33
churl
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| n.吝啬之人；粗鄙之人 | |
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34
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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35
onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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36
clout
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| n.用手猛击；权力，影响力 | |
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37
chiding
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| v.责骂，责备( chide的现在分词 ) | |
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38
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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39
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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40
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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41
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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42
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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43
wayfarer
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| n.旅人 | |
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44
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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45
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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