The Well at the World's End: A TaleMorris, William
Science
The Well at the World's End: A Tale
Morris, William
Fantasy fiction; Quests (Expeditions) -- Fiction
And therewith came up Clement, and others of the company, and wondered
to see Bull kneeling down by the corpse, and to hear him crying out and
wailing, and Ralph running about like one mad, and crying out now: "Oh!
that I might find her! Mayhappen she is alive yet, and anigh here in
some cleft of the rocks in this miserable wilderness. O my love that
hast lain in mine arms, wouldst thou not have me find her alive? But
if she be dead, then will I slay myself, for as young as I am, that I
may find thee and her out of the world, since from the world both ye
are gone."
Then Clement went up to Ralph, and would have a true tale out of him,
and asked him what was amiss; but Ralph stared wild at him and answered
not. But Bull cried out from where he knelt: "He is seeking the
woman, and I would that he could find her; for then would I slay her on
the howe of my kinsman: for she hath slain him; she hath slain him."
That word heard Ralph, and he ran at Bull with uplifted sword to slay
him; but Clement tripped him and he fell, and his sword flew out of his
hand. Then Clement and two of the others bound his hands with their
girdles, till they might know what had befallen; for they deemed that a
devil had entered into him, and feared that he would do a mischief to
himself or some other.
And now was the whole Fellowship assembled, and stood in a ring round
about Ralph and Bull, and the dead man; as for him, he had been dead
some time, many days belike; but in that high and clear cold air, his
carcase, whistled by the wind, had dried rather than rotted, and his
face was clear to be seen with its great hooked nose and long black
hair: and his skull was cloven.
Now Bull had done his wailing for his kinsman, and he seemed to wake up
as from a dream, and looked about the ring of men and spake: "Here is
a great to do, my masters! What will ye with me? Have ye heard, or is
it your custom, that when a man cometh on the dead corpse of his
brother, his own mother's son, he turneth it over with his foot, as if
it were the carcase of a dog, and so goeth on his way? This I ask,
that albeit I be but a war-taken thrall, I be suffered to lay my
brother in earth and heap a howe over him in these mountains."
They all murmured a yeasay to this save Ralph. He had been sobered by
his fall, and was standing up now betwixt Clement and the captain, who
had unbound his hands, now that the others had come up; he hung his
head, and was ashamed of his fury by seeming. But when Bull had
spoken, and the others had answered, Ralph said to Bull, wrathfully
still, but like a man in his wits: "Why didst thou say that thou
wouldest slay her?" "Hast thou found her?" said Bull. "Nay," quoth
Ralph, sullenly. "Well, then," said Bull, "when thou dost find her, we
will speak of it." Said Ralph: "Why didst thou say that she hath slain
him?" "I was put out of my wits by the sight of him dead," said Bull;
"But now I say mayhappen she hath slain him."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account