But within a while he came
somewhat to himself, and, looking down toward the river, he saw
that where the road met it, it was very wide, and shallow withal,
for the waves rippled merrily and glittered in the afternoon sun,
though there was no wind; moreover the road went up white
from the water on the other side, so he saw clearly that this
was the ford of a highway. The valley was peopled withal:
on the other side of the river was a little thorp, and there
were carts and sheds scattered about the hither side,
and sheep and neat feeding in the meadows, and in short it
was another world from the desert.
CHAPTER 12
Ralph Falleth in With Friends and Rideth to Whitwall
Ralph looks on to the ford and sees folk riding through the thorp
aforesaid and down to the river, and they take the water and are
many in company, some two score by his deeming, and he sees the sun
glittering on their weapons.
Now he thought that he would abide their coming and see if he might join
their company, since if he crossed the water he would be on the backward way:
and it was but a little while ere the head of them came up over the hill,
and were presently going past Ralph, who rose up to look on them,
and be seen of them, but they took little heed of him. So he sees
that though they all bore weapons, they were not all men-at-arms, nay,
not more than a half score, but those proper men enough. Of the others,
some half-dozen seemed by their attire to be merchants, and the rest
their lads; and withal they had many sumpter horses and mules with them.
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