"Done."
But the bet was never to be decided, for the instant Henry left the path he was poked back by the spearmen, who scowled and made signs that they were to proceed straight ahead.
Where the way came to lead past the foot of a very rugged cliff, they saw above them many goats.
"Domesticated," said Francis. "Look at the herd boys."
"I was sure it was goat-meat in that stew," Henry nodded. "I always did like goats. If the Lady Who Dreams, whoever she may be, vetoes the priest and lets us live, and if we have to stay with the Lost Souls for the rest of our days, I'm going to petition to be made master goatherd of the realm, and I'll build you a nice little cottage, Leoncia, and you can become the Exalted Cheese-maker to the Queen."
But he did not whimsically wander farther, for, at that ejaculaticn of appreciation from Torres. Fully a mile in length it stretched, with more than half the same in width, and was a perfect oval. With one exception, no habitation broke the fringe of trees, bamboo thickets, and rushes that circled its shore, even along the foot of the cliff where the bamboo was exceptionally luxuriant. On the placid surface was so vividly mirrored the surrounding mountains that the eye could scarcely discern where reality ended and reflection began.
In the midst of her rapture over the perfect reflection, Leoncia broke off to exclaim her disappointment in that the water was not crystal clear:
"What a pity it is so muddy!"
"That's because of the wash of the rich soil of the valley floor," Henry elucidated. "It's hundreds of feet deep, that soil."
"The whole valley must have been a lake at some time," Francis concurred. "Run your eye along the cliff and see the old water-lines. I wonder what made it shrink."