The Worm Ouroboros by Eric Rücker Eddison (english readers txt) 📕

“They had forth the great map o’ the world, of this Demonland, to

study their business. I was by, pouring the wine, and I heard their

disputations. ‘Tis a wondrous map wrought in crystal and bronze, most

artificial, with waters a-glistering and mountains standing

substantial to the touch. My Lord points with’s sword. ‘Here,’ a

saith, ‘standeth Corinius, by all sure tellings, and budgeth not from

Krothering. And, by the Gods, ‘a saith, ‘tis a wise disposition. For,

mark, if we go by Gashterndale, as go we must to come at him, he

striketh down on us as hammer on anvil. And if we will pass by toward

the head of Thunderfirth,’ and here a pointeth it out with’s sword,

‘down a cometh on our flank; and every-gate the land’s slope serveth

his turn and fighteth against us.”

“I mind me o’ those words,” said the young man, “‘cause my Lord

Brandoch Daha laughed and said, ‘Are we grown so strange by our

travels, our own land fighteth o’ the opposite party? Let me study it

again.’

“I filled his cup. Dear Gods, but I’d fill him a bowl of mine own

heart’s blood if he required it of me, after our times together,

father. But more o’ that anon. The stoutest gentleman and captain

without peer.

“But Lord Spitfire, that was this while vaunting up and down the

chamber, cried out and said, ”Twere folly to travel his road prepared

us. Take him o’ that side he looketh least to see us: south through

the mountains, and upon him in his rear up from Mardardale.’

“‘Ah,’ saith my Lord, ‘and be pressed back into Murkdale Hags if we

miss of our first spring. ‘Tis too perilous. ‘Tis worse than

Gashterndale.’

“So went it: a nay for every yea, and nought to please ‘em. Till i’

the end my Lord Brandoch Daha, that had been long time busy with the

map, said: ‘Now that y’ have threshed the whole stack and found not

the needle, I will show you my rede, ‘cause ye shall not say I

counselled you rashly.’

“So they bade him say his rede. And he said unto my Lord, ‘Thou and

our main power shall go by Switchwater Way. And let the whole land’s

face blaze your coming before you. Ye shall lie tomorrow night in some

good fighting-stead whither it shall not be to his vantage to move

against you: haply in the old shielings above Wrenthwaite, or at any

likely spot afore the road dippeth south into Gashterndale. But at

point of day strike camp and go by Gashterndale and so up on to the

Side to do battle with him. So shall all fall out even as his own

hopes and expectations do desire it. But I,’ saith my Lord Brandoch

Daha, ‘with seven hundred chosen horse, will have fared by then clean

along the mountain ridge from Transdale even to Erngate End; so as

when he turneth all his battle northward down the Side to whelm you,

there shall hang above the security of his flank and rear that which

he ne’er dreamed on. If he support my charging of his flank at

unawares, with you in front to cope him, and he with so small an

advantage upon us in strength of men: if he stand that, why then,

goodnight! the Witches are our masters in arms, and we may off cap to

‘em and strive no more to right us.’

“So said my Lord Brandoch Daha. But all called him daft to think on’t.

Carry an army a-horseback in so small time ‘cross such curst ground?

It might not be. ‘Well,’ quoth he, ‘sith you count it not possible, so

much the more shall he. Cautious counsels never will serve us this

tide. Give me but my pick of man and horse to the number of seven

hundred, and I’ll so set this masque you shall not desire a better

master of the revels.’

“So i’ the end he had his way. And past midnight they were at it, I

wis, planning and studying.

“At dawn was the whole army marshalled in the meadows below Moonmere,

and my Lord spake among them and told us he was minded to march into

the west country and exterminate the Witches out of Demonland; and he

bade any man that deemed he had now his fill of furious war and deemed

it a sweeter thing to go home to his own place, say forth his mind

without fear, and he would let him go, yea, and give him good gifts

thereto, seeing that all had done manful service; but he would have no

man in this enterprise who went not to it with his whole heart and

mind.”

The damosel said, “I wis there was not a man would take that offer.”

“There went up,” said the soldier, “such a shout, with such a

stamping, and such a clashing together of weapons, the land shook

with’t, and the echoes rolled in the high corries of the Scarf like

thunder, of them shouting ‘Krothering!’ ‘Juss!’ ‘Brandoch Daha!’ ‘Lead

us to Krothering!’ Without more ado was the stuff packed up, and ere

noon was the whole army gotten over the Stile. While we halted for

daymeal hard by Blackwood in Amadardale, came my Lord Brandoch Daha

a-riding among the ranks for to take his pick of seven hundred of our

ablest horse. Nor a would not commit this to his officer, but himself

called on each lad by name whenso he saw a likely one, and speered

would a ride with him. I trow he gat never a nay to that speering. My

heart was a-cold lest he’d o’erlook me, watching him ride by asjaunty

as a king. But a reined in’s horse and saith, ‘Arnod, ‘tis a bonny

horse thou ridest. Could he carry thee to a swine-hunt down from

Erngate End i’ the morning?’ I saluted him and said, ‘Not so far only,

Lord, but to burning Hell so thou but lead us.’ ‘Come on,’ saith he.

”Tis a better gate I shall lead thee: to Krothering hall ere

eventide.’”

“So now was our strength sundered, and the main army made ready to

march westward down Switchwater Way; with the Lord Zigg to lead the

horse, and the Lord Volle and my Lord’s self and his brother the Lord

Spitfire faring in the midst amongst ‘em all. And with them yonder

outland traitor, Lord Gro; but I do think him more a stick of

sugar-paste than a man of war. And many gentlemen of worth went with them:

Gismor Gleam of Justdale, Astar of Rettray, and Bremery of Shaws, and

many more men of mark. But there abode with my Lord Brandoch Daha,

Arnund of By, and Tharmrod of Kenarvey, Kamerar of Stropardon, Emeron

Galt, Hesper Golthring of Elmerstead, Styrkmir of Blackwood, Melchar

of Strufey, Quazz’s three sons from Dalney, and Stypmar of Failze:

fierce and choleric young gentlemen, after his own heart, methinks;

great horsemen, not very forecasting of future things afar off but

entertainers of fortune by the day; too rash to govern an army, but

best of all to obey and follow him in so glorious an enterprise.

“Ere we parted, came my Lord to speak with my Lord Brandoch Daha. And

my Lord looked into the lift that was all dark cloud and wind; and

quoth he, ‘Fail not at the tryst, cousin. ‘Tis thy word, that thou and

I be finger and thumb; and never more surely than tomorrow shall this

be seen.’

“‘O friend of my heart, content thee,’ answereth my Lord Brandoch

Daha. ‘Didst ever know me neglect my guests? And have I not bidden you

to breakfast with me tomorrow morn in Krothering meads?’

“Now we of the seven hundred turned leftward at the watersmeet up

Transdale into the mountains. And now came ill weather upon us, the

worst that ever I knew. ‘Tis soft enow and little road enow in

Transdale, as thou knowest, father, and weary work it was with every

deer-track turned a watercourse and underfoot all slush and mire, and

nought for a man to see save white mist and rain above and about him,

and soppy bent and water under’s horsehooves. Little there was to

tell us we were won at last to the top of the pass, and ‘twere not the

cloud blew thicker and the wind wilder about us. Every man was wet to

the breech, and bare a pint o’ water in’s two shoes.

“Whiles we were halted on the Saddle my Lord Brandoch Daha rested not

at all, but gave his horse to his man to hold and himself fared back

and forth among us. And for every man he had a jest or a merry look,

so as ‘twas meat and drink but to hear or to behold him. But a little

while only would he suffer us to halt; then right we turned, up along

the ridge, where the way was yet worse than in the dale had been, with

rocks and pits hidden in the heather, and slithery slabs of granite.

By my faith, I think no horse that was not born and bred to’t might

cross such country, wet or fine; he should be foundered or should

break his legs and his rider’s neck ere he should be gotten two hours’

journey along those ridges; but we that rode with my Lord Brandoch

Daha to Krothering Side were ten hours riding so, besides our halts to

water our horses and longer halts to feed ‘em, and the last part o’

the way through murk night, and all the way i’ the wind’s teeth with

rain blown on the wind like spray, and hail at whiles. And when the

rain was done, the wind veered to the northwest and blew the ridges

dry. And then the little bits of rotten granite blew in our faces like

hailstones on the wind. There was no shelter, not o’ the lee side of

the rocks, but everywhere the storm-wind baffled and buffeted us, and

clapped his wings among the crags like thunder. Dear Heaven, weary we

were and like to drop, cold to the marrow, nigh blinded man and horse,

yet with a dreadful industry pressed on. And my Lord Brandoch Daha was

now in the van now in the rear-guard, cheering men’s hearts who marked

with what blithe countenance himself did suffer the same hardships as

his meanest trooper: like to one riding at ease to some great wedding-feast; crying, ‘What, lads, merrily on! These fen-toads of the Druima

shall learn too late what way our mountain ponies do go like stags

upon the mountain.’

“When it began to be morning we came to our last halt, and there was

our seven hundred horse hid in the corrie under the tall cliffs of

Erngate End. I warrant you we went carefully about it, so as no prying

swine of Witchland looking up from below should aspy a glimpse of man

or horse o’ the skyline. His highness first set his sentinels and let

call the muster, and saw that every man had his morning meal and every

horse his feed. Then he took his stand behind a crag of rock whence he

could overlook the land below. He had me by him to do his errands. In

the first light we looked down westward over the mountain’s edge and

saw Krothering and the arms of the sea, not so dark but we might

behold their fleet at anchor in Aurwath roads, and their camp like a

batch of beehives so as a man might think to cast a stone into’t below

us. That was the first time I’d e’er gone to the wars with him. Faith,

he’s a