Many wild things there were, both beast and fowl, in these islands
and bridges of the rock-sea, hares and conies to wit, a many,
and heathfowl, and here and there a red fox lurking about the crannies
of the rock-wall. Ralph shot a brace of conies with his Turk bow,
and whereas there were bushes growing in the chinks, and no lack
of whin and ling, they had firing enough, and supped off this venison
of the rocks.
So passed that day and two days more, and naught befell, save that on
the midnight of the first day of their wending the rock-sea, Ralph awoke
and saw the sky all ablaze with other light than that of the moon;
so he arose and went hastily to the Sage, and took him by the shoulder,
and bid him awake; "For meseems the sky is afire, and perchance the foe
is upon us."
The Sage awoke and opened his eyes, and rose on his elbow and looked
around sleepily; then he said laughing: "It is naught, fair lord,
thou mayst lie down and sleep out the remnant of the night,
and thou also, maiden: this is but an earth-fire breaking
out on the flank of the mountains; it may be far away hence.
Now ye see that he may not scale the rocks about us here without toil;
but to-morrow night we may climb up somewhere and look on
what is toward."
So Ralph lay down and Ursula also, but Ralph lay long awake
watching the light above him, which grew fiercer and redder
in the hours betwixt moonset and daybreak, when he fell asleep,
and woke not again till the sun was high.
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