said something which they
understood, although to Curdie's ear the sounds she made seemed to have
no articulation. Instantly they all turned, and vanished in the
forest, and Lina alone came trotting lithely and clumsily after her
master.

CHAPTER 13

The Baker's Wife

They were now passing through a lovely country of hill and dale and
rushing stream. The hills were abrupt, with broken chasms for
watercourses, and deep little valleys full of trees. But now and then
they came to a larger valley, with a fine river, whose level banks and
the adjacent meadows were dotted all over with red and white kine,
while on the fields above, that sloped a little to the foot of the
hills, grew oats and barley and wheat, and on the sides of the hills
themselves vines hung and chestnuts rose.

They came at last to a broad, beautiful river, up which they must go to
arrive at the city of Gwyntystorm, where the king had his court. As
they went the valley narrowed, and then the river, but still it was
wide enough for large boats. After this, while the river kept its
size, the banks narrowed, until there was only room for a road between
the river and the great Cliffs that overhung it. At last river and road
took a sudden turn, and lo! a great rock in the river, which dividing
flowed around it, and on the top of the rock the city, with lofty walls
and towers and battlements, and above the city the palace of the king,
built like a strong castle. But the fortifications had long been
neglected, for the whole country was now under one king, and all men
said there was no more need for weapons or walls. No man pretended to
love his neighbour, but every one said he knew that peace and quiet
behaviour was the best thing for himself, and that, he said, was quite
as useful, and a great deal more reasonable. The city was prosperous
and rich, and if everybody was not comfortable, everybody else said he
ought to be.

When Curdie got up opposite the mighty rock, which sparkled all over
with crystals, he found a narrow bridge, defended by gates and
portcullis and towers with loopholes. But the gates stood wide open,
and were dropping from their great hinges; the portcullis was eaten
away with rust, and clung to the grooves evidently immovable; while the
loopholed towers had neither floor nor roof, and their tops were fast
filling up their interiors. Curdie thought it a pity, if only for
their old story, that they should be thus neglected.