den rings flashing, and I saw, too, that our poor greyhounds lay
dead near where I was, and I feared the more for ourselves.

But they did not melt away or fly before the spells that Harek
hurled at them.

"These be mortal men," he said at last, "else had they fled ere
now."

By this time they had left me, helpless as a log, and were standing
round us in a sort of ring, talking together of slaying us, as I
thought. I mind that the flint-tipped spears seemed cruel weapons.
At last one of them said somewhat that pleased the rest, for they
broke into a great laugh and clapped their hands.

"Here is a word I can understand," said Harek, "and that is
'pixies.'"

But I was looking to see where our swords were, and I saw a man
take them beyond the fire and set them on what seemed a bank, some
yards from it. Then they went to the scald and began to loosen his
bonds, laughing the while.

"Have a care, Harek," I cried. "Make a rush for the swords beyond
the fire so soon as you are free."

"I am likely to be hove into the said fire," said the scald, very
coolly. "Howbeit I see the place where they are."

Then he gave a great bound and shout: but the numbers round him
were too great, and they had him down again, and yet he struggled.
This was sport to these savages, and those who were not wrestling
with him leaped and yelled with delight to see it. And I wrestled
and tore at my bonds; but they were of rawhide, and I could do
nothing.

Then Harek said, breathing heavily:

"No good; their arms are like steel about me."

Then some came and dragged me back a little, and set me up sitting
against a great stone, so I could see all that went on. Now I
counted fifty men, and there were no women that I could see
anywhere. Half of these were making a great ring with joined hands
round the fire, and some piled more fuel on it--turf and branches
of dwarf oak trees--and others sat round, watching the dozen or so
that minded Harek. One sat cross-legged near me, with a great pot
covered tightly with skin held between his knees.

Next they set Harek on his feet, and led him to the ring round the
fire. Two of the men--and they were among the strongest of
all--loosened their hands, and each gripped the scald by the wrist
and yelled aloud, and at once the man beat on the great pot's cover
drum-wise, and the ring of men whirled away round the fire in the
wild dance whose foot beats we had heard as we came. Then those who
sat round ra