“Then art thou theirs?”
“I was till they went to the war.”
“What war?”
“Do I know? They went far away last year, and came back in the summer.”
“Whose art thou now?”
“These are the king’s forests.”
“Who put thee here to make pitch?”
“The royal forester, a relative of these men, who also brought horses with them; but since he went away once with them, he has not come back.”
“And do guests come to these men?”
“Nobody comes here, for there are swamps around, and only one road. It is a wonder to me that ye could come, my master; for whoso does not strike the road, will be drawn in by the swamp.”