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imminent, and tospare a few minutes to look at his three companions.
    All three were younger than Barron, as well as he could judge. Colryn was tall, lanky yet delicately built,and his face was narrow and fine, with a shadow of brown curly beard. His voice was soft, but heseemed unusually self-possessed for so young a man, and he talked and laughed with animation as theyrode. Lerrys was sturdy, with hair almost red enough for a Terran, and seemed hardly into his twenties. Gwynn, the third, was swart and tall, the oldest of the three; except for a nod and brief greeting, he hadpaid no attention to Barron and seemed a little aloof from the younger men.
    All three wore loose heavy breeches, falling in flaps over high, carefully-fitted boots, and laced tunic-likeshirts in rich, dark colors. Gwynn and Colryn had thick, fur-lined riding cloaks, and Lerrys a short loosefur jacket with a hood. All three wore short gauntlets, knives in their belts and smaller knives in pocketsat the top of their boots; Gwynn had a sword as well, although for riding it was swung across the crupperof his horse. They all had hair cut smoothly below their ears and a variety of amulets and jewelry. Theylooked fierce, bright and barbaric. Barron, aware of his own thoroughly civilized clothing, hair, grooming

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    and manner, felt queerly frightened.   Damn it, I’m not ready for this sort of thing   !

    They rode at first through cobbled streets, between the crowded houses and markets of the Old Town;then along wider stone roads where the going was smoother, between high houses set back behindgardens and unfamiliar high towers. Finally the stone road ended to become trampled grass and the ridersturned aside toward a long, low enclosure and through wooden and stone fences and gateways into asort of compound of reddish, trampled earth, where several dozen unfamiliarly dressed men were doingvarious things: loading and unloading animals, saddling and grooming them, cooking over open fires or onbraziers, washing and splashing in a wooden trough, and carrying buckets of feed and water to thebeasts. It was very cold and very confusing, and Barron was glad, at last, to reach the lee of a roughstone wall, where he was permitted to slide from his horse and turn it over, at Colryn’s nod, to a roughlydressed man who came to lead it away.
    He walked between Gwynn and Lerrys, Colryn remaining behind to see to the animals, under a shelterroofed and walled against the wind. Lerrys said, “You’re not used to riding; why don’t you rest while weget food ready? And haven’t you any riding clothes? I can bring your bag—it would be better to changeinto them now.”
    Although Barron knew that the youngster was trying to be kind, he felt irritated at the continued harpingon this point. “The clothes I have with me are just like this; I’m sorry.”
    “In that case you’d better come with me,” Lerrys said, and led him out of the shelter again, through the opposite end of the long enclosure. Heads turned to follow them as they passed; someone shouted something and people laughed loudly. He heard repeated murmurs of Terranan   , which didn’t need any interpreting. Lerrys turned and said firmly, “   Chaireth .” That caused a momentary silence and then a brief flurry of quiet words and mutters. They all moved away with some deference as the young redhead motioned to them. Finally the two came out into a market or shop—mostly clay jars and coarse glassware, a multitude of loose garments lying over baskets and barrels. Lerrys said firmly, “You can’t possibly travel into the mountains in the outfit you’re wearing. I don’t mean to sound offensive, but its impossible.”
    “I wasn’t given any orders—”
    “Listen, my friend”—Lerrys used the Darkovan word   com’ii   —“You have no idea how cold it gets, travelling in the open, especially back in the hills. Your clothes may be warm”—he touched a fold of the light