trim figure be before his eyes which he had looked on so gladly
erewhile in the hostel of Bourton Abbas; and he said aloud to himself:
"Surely she needeth me, and draweth me to her whether I will or no." So
wore the day.

CHAPTER 31

The Beginning of the Road To Utterbol

Early next morning Ralph arose and called Bull Shockhead to him and
said: "So it is, Bull, that thou art my war-taken thrall." Bull nodded
his head, but frowned therewithal. Said Ralph: "If I bid thee aught
that is not beyond reason thou wilt do it, wilt thou not?" "Yea," said
Bull, surlily. "Well," quoth Ralph, "I am going a journey east-away,
and I may not have thee with me, therefore I bid thee take this gold
and go free with my goodwill." Bull's face lighted up, and the eyes
glittered in his face; but he said: "Yea, king's son, but why wilt thou
not take me with thee?" Said Ralph: "It is a perilous journey, and thy
being with me will cast thee into peril and make mine more. Moreover,
I have an errand, as thou wottest, which is all mine own."

Bull pondered a little and then said: "King's son, I was thinking at
first that our errands lay together, and it is so; but belike thou
sayest true that there will be less peril to each of us if we sunder at
this time. But now I will say this to thee, that henceforth thou shalt
be as a brother to me, if thou wilt have it so, and if ever thou comest
amongst our people, thou wilt be in no danger of them: nay, they shall
do all the good they may to thee."

Then he took him by the hand and kissed him, and he set his hand to his
gear and drew forth a little purse of some small beast's skin that was
broidered in front with a pair of bull's horns: then he stooped down
and plucked a long and tough bent from the grass at his feet (for they
were talking in the garden of the hostel) and twisted it swiftly into a
strange knot of many plies, and opening the purse laid it therein and
said: "King's son, this is the token whereby it shall be known amongst
our folk that I have made thee my brother: were the flames roaring
about thee, or the swords clashing over thine head, if thou cry out, I
am the brother of Bull Shockhead, all those of my kindred who are near
will be thy friends and thy helpers. And now I say to thee farewell:
but it is not altogether unlike that thou mayst hear of me again in the
furthest East." So Ralph departed from him, and Clement went with Ralph
to the Gate of Goldburg, and bade