I will not be afraid thereof."
"Is the curse so old?" I asked.
"Old beyond memory," he said. "As old as what is in that place."
"As the menhir, therefore."
"I do not know that there is a menhir, Thane. How know you?"
I reined up, and told him shortly. It was only fair that I should
do so. Then he said:
"The prince is dead, and maybe that he lies there will end the
curse. Come, we will see."
A few paces more, and suddenly the hillside seemed to open in a
ragged cleft that made another branching valley into the heart of
the left-hand hillside, so deep that it seemed rather to sink
downward from the mouth than to rise as a valley ever will. In all
truth, none would ever have found that place unless he sought for
it with a guide. I had not guessed that we were so near its
entrance.
I looked round the hills, but from here I could see not one of our
men on their watch posts, though one would have thought that where
they stood it would have been impossible to lose sight of all. We
were almost at the head of the wider valley along which we had
ridden.
Now I had thought to be the leader into the lost valley when we
came to it, but this Evan would not suffer. There was not room for
us to ride abreast into its depths, for the narrow bottom of the
cleft in the hills was littered with fallen boulders from the
steeps that bordered it, and through these we had to pick our way.
Pages:
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319