For there came to us a man from out of the wild- wood, and prayed us peace, and we gave it him; and he told us that he was of a House of the Gael, and that his House had been in a great battle against these Welshmen, whom he calleth the Romans; and that he was taken in the battle, and sold as a thrall in one of their garths; and howbeit, it was not their master-garth, yet there he learned of their customs: and sore was the lesson! Hard was his life amongst them, for their thralls be not so well entreated as their draught-beasts, so many do they take in battle; for they are a mighty folk; and these thralls and those aforesaid unhappy freemen do all tilling and herding and all deeds of craftsmanship: and above these are men whom they call masters and lords who do nought, nay not so much as smithy their own edge-weapons, but linger out their days in their dwellings and out of their dwellings, lying about in the sun or the hall-cinders, like cur-dogs who have fallen away from kind.
"So this man made a shift to flee away from out of that garth, since it was not far from the great river; and being a valiant man, and young and mighty of body, he escaped all perils and came to us through the Mirkwood.

But we saw that he was no liar, and had been very evilly handled, for upon his body was the mark of many a stripe, and of the shackles that had been soldered on to his limbs; also it was more than one of these accursed people whom he had slain when he fled.

So he became our guest and we loved him, and he dwelt among us and yet dwelleth, for we have taken him into our House.

But yesterday he was sick and might not ride with us; but may be he will follow on and catch up with us in a day or two.

And if he come not, then will I bring him over to the Wolfings when the battle is done." Then laughed the Beaming man, and spake: "How then if ye come not back, nor Wolfkettle, nor the Welsh Guest, nor I myself?
Meseemeth no one of these Southland Cities shall we behold, and no more of the Southlanders than their war-array." "These are evil words," said Wolfkettle, "though such an outcome must be thought on.