But none answered or gave him greeting; and as his eyes got used to the dusk of the hall, he looked about him, and neither on the floor or the high seat nor in any ingle could he see a man; and there was silence there, save for the crackling of the flickering flame on the hearth amidmost, and the running of the rats behind the panelling of the walls.
On one side of the hall was a row of shut-beds, and Hallblithe deemed that there might be men therein; but since none had greeted him he refrained him from searching them for fear of a trap, and he thought, "I will abide amidst the floor, and if there be any that would deal with me, friend or foe, let him come hither to me."
So he fell to walking up and down the hall from buttery to dais, and his war-gear rattled upon him. At last as he walked he thought he heard a small thin peevish voice, which yet was too husky for the squeak of a rat. So he stayed his walk and stood still, and said:
"Will any man speak to Hallblithe, a newcomer, and a stranger in this Stead?"
Then that small voice made a word and said: "Why paceth the fool up and down our hall, doing nothing, even as the Ravens flap croaking about the crags, abiding the war-mote and the clash of the fallow blades?"
Said Hallblithe, and his voice sounded big in the hall: "Who calleth Hallblithe a fool and mocketh at the sons of the Raven?"
Spake the voice: "Why cometh not the fool to the man that may not go to him?"
Then Hallblithe bent forward to hearken, and he deemed that the voice came from one of the shut-beds, so he leaned his spear against a pillar, and went into the shut-bed he had noted, and saw where there lay along in it a man exceeding old by seeming, sore wasted, with long hair as white as snow lying over the bed-clothes.
When the elder saw Hallblithe, he laughed a thin cracked laugh as if in mockery and said: "Hail newcomer! wilt thou eat?"
"Yea," said Hallblithe.
"Go thou into the buttery then," said the old carle, "and there shalt thou find on the cupboard cakes and curds and cheese: eat thy fill, and when thou hast done, look in the ingle, and thou shalt see a cask of mead exceeding good, and a stoup thereby, and two silver cups; fill the stoup and bring it hither with the cups; and then may we talk amidst of drinking, which is good for an old carle. Hasten thou! or I shall deem thee a double fool who will not fare to fetch his meat, though he be hungry."
Then Hallblithe laughed, and went down the hall into the buttery and found the meat, and ate his fill, and came away with the drink back to the Long-hoary man, who chuckled as he came and said: "Fill up now for thee and for me, and call a health to me and wish me somewhat."
"I wish thee luck," said Hallblithe, and drank. Said the elder:
"And I wish thee more wits; is luck all that thou mayst wish me?
What luck may an outworn elder have?"
"Well then," quoth Hallblithe, "what shall I wish thee? Wouldst thou have me wish thee youth?"
"Yea, certes," said the Long-hoary, "that and nought else."
"Youth then I wish thee, if it may avail thee aught," said Hallblithe, and he drank again therewith.
"Nay, nay," said the old carle peevishly, "take a third cup, and wish me youth with no idle words tacked thereto."
Said Hallblithe raising the cup: "Herewith I wish thee youth!" and he drank.
"Good is the wish," said the elder; "now ask thou the old carle whatso thou wilt."
Said Hallblithe: "What is this land called?"
"Son," said the other, "hast thou heard it called the Isle of Ransom?"
"Yea," said Hallblithe, "but what wilt thou call it?"
"By no other name," said the hoary carle.
"It is far from other lands?" said Hallblithe.
"Yea," said the carle, "when the light winds blow, and the ships sail slow."
"What do ye who live here?" said Hallblithe. "How do ye live, what work win ye?"
"We win diverse work," said the elder, "but the gainfullest is robbing men by the high hand."
"Is it ye who have stolen from me the Hostage of the Rose?" said Hallblithe.
Said the Long-hoary, "Maybe; I wot not; in diverse ways my kinsmen traffic, and they visit many lands. Why should they not have come to Cleveland also?"
"Is she in this Isle, thou old runagate?" said Hallblithe.
"She is not, thou young fool," said the elder. Then Hallblithe flushed red and spake: "Knowest thou the Puny Fox?"
"How should I not?" said the carle, "since he is the son of one of my sons."
"Dost thou call him a liar and a rogue?" said Hallblithe.
The elder laughed; "Else were I a fool," said he; "there are few bigger liars or bigger rogues than the Puny Fox!"
"Is he here in this Isle?" said Hallblithe; "may I see him?"
The old man laughed again, and said: "Nay, he is not here, unless he hath turned fool since yesterday: why should he abide thy sword, since he hath done what he would and brought thee hither?"
Then he laughed, as a hen cackles a long while, and then said: "What more wilt thou ask me?"
But Hallblithe was very wroth: "It availeth nought to ask," he said;
"and now I am in two minds whether I shall slay thee or not."
"That were a meet deed for a Raven, but not for a man," said the carle, "and thou that hast wished me luck! Ask, ask!"
But Hallblithe was silent a long while. Then the carle said, "Another cup for the longer after youth!"
Hallblithe filled, and gave to him, and the old man drank and said:
"Thou deemest us all liars in the Isle of Ransom because of thy beguiling by the Puny Fox: but therein thou errest. The Puny Fox is our chiefest liar, and doth for us the more part of such work as we need: therefore, why should we others lie. Ask, ask!"
"Well then," said Hallblithe, "why did the Puny Fox bewray me, and at whose bidding?"
Said the elder: "I know, but I will not tell thee. Is this a lie?"
"Nay, I deem it not," said Hallblithe: "But, tell me, is it verily true that my trothplight is not here, that I may ransom her?"
Said the Long-hoary: "I swear it by the Treasure of the Sea, that she is not here: the tale was but a lie of the Puny Fox."
