The Story of the Glittering Plain | Page 5

the death of a dear friend, and
the thing that may not be amended."
Then spoke a fair woman of the Rose, whose name was Brightling, and
said: "Hallblithe, it is not of death that we have to tell, but of sundering,
which may yet be amended. We were on the sand of the sea nigh the
Ship-stead and the Rollers of the Raven, and we were gathering the
wrack and playing together; and we saw a round-ship nigh to shore
lying with her sheet slack, and her sail beating the mast; but we deemed
it to be none other than some bark of the Fish- biters, and thought no
harm thereof, but went on running and playing amidst the little waves
that fell on the sand, and the ripples that curled around our feet. At last
there came a small boat from the side of the round-ship, and rowed in
toward shore, and still we feared not, though we drew a little aback
from the surf and let fall our gown-hems. But the crew of that boat
beached her close to where we stood, and came hastily wading the surf
towards us; and we saw that they were twelve weaponed men, great,
and grim, and all clad in black raiment. Then indeed were we afraid,
and we turned about and fled up the beach; but now it was too late, for
the tide was at more than half ebb and long was the way over the sand
to the place where we had left our horses tied among the
tamarisk-bushes. Nevertheless we ran, and had gotten up to the
pebble-beach before they ran in amongst us: and they caught us, and
cast us down on to the hard stones.
"Then they made us sit in a row on a ridge of the pebbles; and we were
sore afraid, yet more for defilement at their hands than for death; for
they were evil-looking men exceeding foul of favour. Then said one of
them: 'Which of all you maidens is the Hostage of the House of the
Rose?'
"Then all we kept silence, for we would not betray her. But the evil
man spake again: 'Choose ye then whether we shall take one, or all of
you across the waters in our black ship.' Yet still we others spake not,
till arose thy beloved, O Hallblithe, and said:
"'Let it be one then, and not all; for I am the Hostage.'

"'How shalt thou make us sure thereof?' said the evil carle.
"She looked on him proudly and said: 'Because I say it.'
"'Wilt thou swear it?' said he.
"'Yea,' said she, 'I swear it by the token of the House wherein I shall
wed; by the wings of the Fowl that seeketh the Field of Slaying.'
"'It is enough,' said the man, 'come thou with us. And ye maidens sit ye
there, and move not till we have made way on our ship, unless ye
would feel the point of the arrow. For ye are within bowshot of the ship,
and we have shot weapons aboard.'
"So the Hostage departed with them, and she unweeping, but we wept
sorely. And we saw the small boat come up to the side of the round-
ship, and the Hostage going over the gunwale along with those evil
men, and we heard the hale and how of the mariners as they drew up
the anchor and sheeted home; and then the sweeps came out and the
ship began to move over the sea. And one of those evil-minded men
bent his bow and shot a shaft at us, but it fell far short of where we sat,
and the laugh of those runagates came over the sands to us. So we crept
up the beach trembling, and then rose to our feet and got to our horses,
and rode hither speedily, and our hearts are broken for thy sorrow."
At that word came Hallblithe's own sister out from the hall; and she
bore weapons with her, to wit Hallblithe's sword and shield and helm
and hauberk. As for him he turned back silently to his work, and set the
steel of the spear on the new ashen shaft, and took the hammer and
smote the nail in, and laid the weapon on a round pebble that was
thereby, and clenched the nail on the other side. Then he looked about,
and saw that the other damsel had brought him his coal-black war-horse
ready saddled and bridled; then he did on his armour, and girt his sword
to his side and leapt into the saddle, and took his new-shafted spear in
hand and shook the rein. But none of all those damsels durst say a word
to him or ask him whither he went, for