With a persuasive word he started them away.
The pursuing, watchful figure followed at a distance, on up the road, on over the little hills, on into the high hills, the dogs carrying along steadily the grisly load.

And once their driver halted them, and sat in the grey gloom and dust beside the dead body.
"Where do you go, dwarf ?" he said.
"I go to the Ancient House," he made answer to himself.
"What do you get ?" "I do not go to get; I go to give." "What do you go to give ?" "I go to leave an empty basket at the door, and the lantern that the Shopkeeper set in the hand of the pedlar." "Who is the pedlar, hunchback ?" "The pedlar is he that carries the pack on his back." "What carries he in the pack ?" "He carries what the Shopkeeper gave him--for he had no money and no choice." "Who is the Shopkeeper, dwarf ?" "The Shopkeeper--the Shopkeeper is the father of dwarfs and angels and children--and fools." "What does he sell, poor man ?" "He sells harness for men and cattle, and you give your lives for the harness." "What is this you carry, dwarf ?" "I carry home the harness of a soul." "Is it worth carrying home ?" "The eyes grow sick at sight of the old harness in the way." The watching figure, hearing, pitied.
It was Valmond.

Excited by Parpon's last words at the hotel, he had followed, and was keen to chase this strange journeying to the end, though suffering from the wound in his head, and shaken by the awful accident of the evening.

But, as he said to himself; some things were to be seen but once in the great game, and it was worth while seeing them, even if life were the shorter for it.
On up the heights filed the strange procession until at last it came to Dalgrothe Mountain.

On one of the foot-hills stood the Rock of Red Pigeons.