‘Rain,’ said Brock as he lifted his nose and sniffed at the air, and just as they left the trees the first large wet spots began to fall. Beth put up the hood of her cloak and felt grateful for its cover as she heard the rain pattering down on it. They headed out over the stretch of moors through which the Urkku had walked that morning with Warrigal once again in the lead. However, he had to keep stopping now and conferring with Nab for it was the boy who was able to feel most strongly the currents in the earth which told them the way to follow. The rain soon began to turn the hard crisp surface of the snow into a wet soft slush and the going became more difficult as they departed from the route along which the shoot had gone and headed into an area of bog where the green spongy surface of moss and rushes squelched beneath their feet and Beth found her wellingtons sinking in almost to the top. Perryfoot, although he was much better, was still unable to keep pace with the others so he was being carried again by Nab but Sam was having great difficulty behind them as his legs kept sinking in the mulch and Brock had to help him out.
Fortunately they were soon clear of the bog and now they began to descend through the foothills. It was less sharp and craggy here; instead gentle green slopes and soft valleys surrounded them and here and there they saw flocks of sheep grazing, seemingly oblivious to the weather. Soon they were walking through a particularly deep valley with a rushing stream on one side and they were completely hidden from view by the steep banks on either side which were covered with gorse bushes, thorn trees and the strewn remains of last year’s bracken, standing out dark brown with the wet. The sky ahead was full of the pinks and crimsons of sunset and the dark clouds had broken up allowing shafts of cold winter sunlight to break through. The rain had stopped but with its departure the cold wind had returned adding to the discomfort they all felt at still being soaked from the rain. In a way the sunlight made them feel worse as it gave the illusion of warmth and made them even more aware of how cold and damp they were. Wearily they trudged on through the valley along a muddy path that ran next to the stream. Sam’s wounds had begun to ache badly again and he and Brock were falling further and further behind until, as dusk drew in, the others had to keep stopping to let them catch up or they would have been out of sight. Gone now was the magic euphoria of the Scyttel when the power of the rocks and the wind had filled them with a feeling of limitless energy and invincibility. Now the thought of plodding on through the night filled them with unutterable despair. To make matters worse the rain had started to fall heavily again and it was so cold that the drops were coming down as hail, stinging their faces and necks and making them smart with soreness where they hit. And they were hungry. The animals had not really stopped to eat since they had left Ellmondrill so long ago and Beth had not eaten since lunchtime two days ago. Strangely she had not realized it until now and was only at this moment beginning to feel hungry; the excitement of everything had allowed her no room for thoughts of food; but now she became scared as her stomach began to rumble and feel hollow and empty. ‘What am I going to eat?’ she thought to herself. She would have to eat what the boy ate, whatever that was. She wondered when they would stop for food, if ever, and, gripping Nab’s hand tightly to make him look at her, she pointed a finger to her open mouth. To her relief he nodded and stopped.
Softly and very low, Nab called to Warrigal and the owl flew back and perched on a branch of the alder tree under which they had stopped. There the four of them waited for Sam and Brock and when they had arrived it was arranged that Perryfoot and Sam would stay under the shelter of the tree and try to keep as dry as they could while the others went off in search of food. Warrigal would bring something back for Sam and Brock for Perryfoot while Nab and Beth would look after themselves. Then they separated and Beth found herself being led by the boy down into the stream where they splashed along looking minutely at the damp dripping banks and picking out little green shoots and roots which he handed to her and she ate. The tastes were mostly strange: some were vaguely familiar and reminded her of salad vegetables, like the water-cress which he found and which she had had many times before, but others were tangy and acidic or else bland and tasteless. Sometimes she recognized the plant but had never eaten it before, like chickweed, but more often she had no idea what she was eating. Occasionally he would find a fungus growing and hand it to her with a look of pride and satisfaction, for edible fungi were difficult to find at this time of year. Then she closed her eyes and chewed little bits off and swallowed them without thinking. She loved mushrooms but some of these were slimy as they slid down her throat and she had to fight hard to avoid being sick even though they tasted of very little.
When they had walked along the stream for some little while they clambered up the steep bank and Nab led her to a patch of scrubland where he again proceeded to produce little pieces of green foliage and leaves for her to eat. Finally after what Beth guessed must have been about two hours of searching for food, he stood up and they began the long walk back to the alder where they had left Perryfoot and Sam. She felt very little better and just hoped that what she had eaten would keep her going through the night. She thought with longing of the meals at home and the wonderfully satisfied feeling of warmth and fullness after a good supper and began to panic a little. Still, if it kept the boy going it must be all right for her, she thought, and tried to put all thoughts of food out of her mind although to her intense annoyance visions of large chunks of whole nut chocolate kept appearing and making her mouth water and her tummy rumble.
When they got back they found that Warrigal and Brock had returned and that Perryfoot and Sam had gratefully finished the food that had been brought for them.
‘Come on then,’ said Nab. ‘We must put some distance behind us before dawn. ’ Then he looked at Perryfoot who had put his ears down so that they hung limply on either side of his face. He looked indescribably miserable. ‘I suppose you still want to be carried,’ said the boy, and the hare visibly brightened. Sam looked on enviously as Perryfoot was again hoisted into his sling and the little procession set off once more. It was dark now so they moved more slowly and kept closer together. To their relief the rain had stopped and nearly all the snow had been washed away but the wind was still very cold. Above them the moon occasionally peeped out from behind a black cloud and sometimes a star could be seen twinkling merrily. The rest had done Sam’s leg good and they made steady progress through the night until, by the time that dawn broke through on another grey wintry day, they had almost reached the bottom of the foothills and could see a huge plain stretching as far as the eye could see with only an odd hummock dotted here and there to break the flatness. On the very far edge of the plain, almost out of sight in the distance, one of these hummocks stood out larger than the rest and they could just make out, on the summit, a number of large standing stones.
‘There is where we make for,’ said Nab.
They were standing on top of a small hill which fell away steeply in front into a sheltered grassy hollow. The travellers made their way down into it and curled up close together at the bottom so that they were well out of the wind. They all fell asleep almost immediately, exhausted as they were, and did not wake up until late afternoon. Beth felt terrible; her legs were shaky and she was so dizzy and faint that she could hardly stand. Nevertheless she was afraid to show the others; she must persevere and start walking: perhaps once she was on the move she would feel better. Speed was obviously important and she must not hold them back from their destination wherever it was. She was also worried deep inside about how they would react if she became a burden to them, and for the first time she began to wonder why they had brought her with them in any case. Perhaps it was just as a favour to the boy because he wanted her with him after their meeting by the stream and if she became ill he would choose, or perhaps be forced, to go on with them and leave her behind.
