his blackened
circle, this hearth that for one night made one spot in the wilderness
home. Don Alderon did not care whether they tarried or hurried; he
loved his journey through this leafy land; the cool night-breeze
slipping round the tree-trunks was new to him, and new was the
comradeship of the abundant stars; the quest itself was a joy to him;
with his fancy he built Rodriguez' mysterious castle no less
magnificently than did Don Alvidar. Sometimes they talked of the
castle, each of the young men picturing it as he saw it; but in the
warmth of the camp-fire after Morano slept they talked of more than
these chronicles can tell.

In the morning they pressed on as fast as the forest's low boughs would
allow them. They passed somewhere near the great cottage in which the
bowmen feasted; but they held on, as they had decided after discussion
to do, for the last place in which Rodriguez had seen the King of
Shadow Valley, which was the place of his promise. And before any
dimness came even to the forest, or golden shafts down colonnades which
were before all cathedrals, they found the old camp that they sought,
which still had a clear flavour of magic for Morano on account of the
moth-like coming and going of his three horses after he had tied them
to that tree. And here they looked for the King of Shadow Valley; and
then Rodriguez called him; and then all three of them called him,
shouting "King of Shadow Valley" all together. No answer came: the
woods were without echo: nothing stirred but fallen leaves. But before
those miles of silence could depress them Rodriguez hit upon a simple
plan, which was that he and Alderon should search all round, far from
the track, while Morano stayed in the camp and shouted frequently, and
they would not go out of hearing of his voice: for Shadow Valley had a
reputation of being a bad forest for travellers to find their way
there; indeed, few ever attempted to. So they did as he said, he and
Alderon searching in different directions, while Morano remained in the
camp, lifting a large and melancholy voice. And though rumour said it
was hard to find the way when twenty yards from the track in Shadow
Valley, it did not say it was hard to find the green bowmen: and
Rodriguez, knowing that they guarded the forest as the shadows of trees
guard the coolness, was assured he would meet with some of them even
though he should miss their master. So he and Alderon searched till the
forest darkness