Therein

Now when he was clear of the Thorp the road took him out of the dale;
and when he was on the hill's brow he saw that the land was of other
fashion from that which lay behind him. For the road went straight
through a rough waste, no pasture, save for mountain sheep or goats,
with a few bushes scattered about it; and beyond this the land rose
into a long ridge; and on the ridge was a wood thick with trees, and no
break in them. So on he rode, and soon passed that waste, which was
dry and parched, and the afternoon sun was hot on it; so he deemed it
good to come under the shadow of the thick trees (which at the first
were wholly beech trees), for it was now the hottest of the day. There
was still a beaten way between the tree-boles, though not overwide,
albeit, a highway, since it pierced the wood. So thereby he went at a
soft pace for the saving of his horse, and thought but little of all he
had been told of the perils of the way, and not a little of the fair
maid whom he had left behind at the Thorp.

After a while the thick beech-wood gave out, and he came into a place
where great oaks grew, fair and stately, as though some lord's
wood-reeve had taken care that they should not grow over close
together, and betwixt them the greensward was fine, unbroken, and
flowery. Thereby as he rode he beheld deer, both buck and hart and
roe, and other wild things, but for a long while no man.

The afternoon wore and still he rode the oak wood, and deemed it a
goodly forest for the greatest king on earth. At last he came to where
another road crossed the way he followed, and about the crossway was
the ground clearer of trees, while beyond it the trees grew thicker,
and there was some underwood of holly and thorn as the ground fell off
as towards a little dale.

There Ralph drew rein, because he doubted in his mind which was his
right road toward the Burg of the Four Friths; so he got off his horse
and abode a little, if perchance any might come by; he looked about
him, and noted on the road that crossed his, and the sward about it,
the sign of many horses having gone by, and deemed that they had passed
but a little while. So he lay on the ground to rest him and let his
horse stray about and bite the grass; for the beast loved him and would
come at his call or his whistle.

Ralph was drowsy when he lay down, and though he said to himself that
he would nowise go to sleep, yet as oft happens, he had no defence to