her, andsleeping in the forked branches of trees at night. Of course thenecessity of thus keeping to the dense woods, and making her way throughthorny thickets, rendered her journey very fatiguing; but Branwen wasunusually strong and healthy, though the grace of her slender frame gaveher a rather fragile appearance, and she did not find herself exhaustedeven at the end of a long day's march; while her dressed-deerskin skirtand leggings bid defiance to thorns. So did the rude but serviceableshoes which her friend Beniah had constructed for her out of raw hide.
One thing that troubled the poor girl much was the fact that she had notyet discovered the trail of Bladud. In reality, she had crossed it morethan once, but, not being possessed of the keen eye of the hunter, shehad not observed it, until she came to a muddy swamp, on the edge ofwhich there was an unmistakable track--a trail which a semi-blind mancould hardly have missed. Stopping for a few minutes to take particularnote of it, she afterwards went on with renewed hope and energy.
But this state of things did not last, for the trail became to herindistinguishable the moment the swamp was passed, and at last, during avery dark wet day, she lost herself as well as the trail. At evening ofthe same day she climbed into a tree. Opening out her bundle of driedmeat, she began to eat and bemoan her fate. Tears were in her eyes, andthere was a slight tendency to sob in her voice, as she muttered toherself--
"I--I wouldn't mind being lost so much, if I only knew what to do orwhere to go. And this meat won't hold out another week at the rate I'vebeen eating. But I could hardly help it--I have been _so_ hungry.Indeed, I'm hungry _now_, but I must not eat so much. Let me see. Ishall divide it into two parts. That will last me twelve days or so, bywhich time I should be there--if I'm still going in the right direction.And now, divide the half into six--there--each of these will do for--Oh! but I forgot, that's only enough for breakfast. It will need twoportions for each day, as it will be impossible to do without supper. Imust just eat half of to-night's portion, and see how it feels."
With this complicated end in view, she dried her eyes and began supper,and when she had finished it she seemed to "see" that it didn't "feel"enough, for, after much earnest consideration, she quietly began to eatthe second portion, and consumed it.
She was putting away the remnants, and feeling altogether in a moresatisfactory state of mind, when her eyes fell upon an object whichcaused her heart to bound with alarm, and drove all the colour from hercheeks.
At the foot of the tree, looking up at her in blank amazement--open-eyedand mouthed--stood a man; a big, rough-looking man, in hairy garmentsand with a hairy face, which was topped by a head of hair that rendereda cap needless. He stood with his feet apart and an arrow across hisbow, like one who sees a lovely bird which he is about to bring down.
"Oh! don't shoot!" she cried, becoming suddenly and alarmingly aware ofthe action--"don't shoot! It's me! I--I'm a girl--not a beast!"
To make quite sure that the man understood her, Branwen jumped to theground quickly and stood before him.
Recovering himself, the man lowered his bow and said something in adialect so uncouth, that the poor girl did not understand him. Indeed,she perceived, to her horror, that he was half-witted, and couldarticulate with difficulty.
"I don't know what you say, good man, but I am lost in this forest, andbelong to King Hudibras' town. I am on my way to visit the hunter ofthe Hot Swamp, and I would think it so very, _very_ kind if you wouldguide me to his hut."
The idiot--for such he was--evidently understood the maiden, though shedid not understand him, for he threw back his head, and gave vent to aprolonged gurgling laugh.
Branwen felt that her only chance was to put a bold face on matters.She, therefore, by a violent effort, subdued her emotion and continued.
"You know King Hudibras?"
The man nodded and grinned.
"Then I am quite sure that if you behave well, and show me the way tothe Hot Swamp, he will reward you in a way that will make your heartdance with joy. Come, guide me. We have a good deal of the day stillbefore us."
Thus speaking, she put her hand quietly within that of the idiot, and ina voice of authority said--"lead on!"
Regarding the girl with a look of mute surprise, the man obeyed, but,instead of leading her to the region named, he conducted her over aneighbouring ridge, into what appeared to her to be a robber's den.There was nothing for it now but to carry out the _role_ which she hadlaid down. The desperate nature of the case seemed to strengthen her toplay her part, for, as she was led into the circle of light caused by acamp-fire, round which a band of wild-looking men were standing, aspirit of calm determination seemed to take possession of her soul.
"What strange sort of animal is this you have caught, lad?" demanded oneof the band.
Before an answer could be given, a tall, fierce-looking woman came outof a booth, or temporary hut, close to the camp-fire, pushed her waythrough the crowd of men, who fell back respectfully, and, going up toBranwen, grasped her by the wrist.
"Never ye mind what animal she is," cried the woman, shaking her fist atthe man who had spoken, "she is my property." Then, turning to hercaptive as she led her into the hut, she said:
"Don't be afraid, my dear. Black-hearted though some of them are, notone will dare to touch you as long as you are under my protection."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
BRANWEN IN IMMINENT DANGER.
It is a wonderful, but at the same time, we think, a universal andimportant fact, that love permeates the universe. Even a female snail,if we could only put the question, would undoubtedly admit that it lovesits little ones.
At least we have the strongest presumption from analogy that the idea iscorrect, for do we not find lions and tigers, apes and gorillas, engagedin lovingly licking--we don't mean whipping--and otherwise fondlingtheir offspring? Even in Hades we find the lost rich man praying forthe deliverance of his brethren from torment, and that, surely, was lovein the form of pity. At all events, whatever name we may give it, therecan be no doubt it was unselfish. And even selfishness is lovemisapplied.
Yes, let us be thankful that in one form or another love permeates theuniverse, and there is no place, however unfavourable, and no person,however unlikely, that can altogether escape from its benign influence.
We have been led to these reflections by the contemplation of thatrugged, hard-featured, square-shouldered, angry old woman who soopportunely took Branwen under her protection.
Why she did so was a complete mystery to the poor girl, for the womanseemed to have no amiable traits of character about her, and she spokeso harshly to every one--even to her timid captive--that Branwen couldnot help suspecting she was actuated by some sinister motive inprotecting her.
And Branwen was right. She had indeed a sinister end in view--but lovewas at the bottom even of that. The woman, whose name was Ortrud, had ason who was to the full as ugly and unamiable as herself, and she lovedthat son, although he treated her shamefully, abused her, and sometimeseven threatened to beat her. To do him justice, he never carried thethreat into execution. And, strange to say, this unamiable blackguardalso loved his mother--not very demonstratively, it is true, except inthe abusive manner above mentioned.
This rugged creature had a strong objection to the wild, lawless lifeher son was leading, for instead of sticking to the tribe to which hebelonged, and pillaging, fighting with, and generally maltreating everyother tribe that was not at peace with his, this mistaken young man hadassociated himself with a band of like-minded desperadoes--who made himtheir chief--and took to pillaging the members of every tribe thatmisfortune cast in his way. Now, it occurred to Ortrud that the bestway to wean her son from his evil ways would be to get him married tosome gentle, pretty, affectionate girl, whose influence would be exertedin favour of universal peace instead of war, and the moment she set eyeson Branwen, she became convinced that her ambition was on the point ofattainment. Hence her unexpected and sudden display of interest in thefair captive, whom she m
eant to guard till the return of her son from aspecial marauding expedition, in which he was engaged at the time with afew picked men.
Whatever opinion the reader may have by this time formed of Branwen, wewish it to be understood that she had "a way with her" of insinuatingherself into the good graces of all sorts and conditions of men--including women and children. She was particularly successful withpeople of disagreeable and hardened character. It is not possible toexplain why, but, such being the case, it is not surprising that shesoon wormed herself into the confidence of the old woman, to such anextent, that the latter was ere long tempted to make her more or less ofa confidant.
One day, about a week after the arrival of our heroine in the camp, oldOrtrud asked her how she would like to live always in the green woods.The look of uncertainty with which she put the question convinced thecaptive that it
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