ENTER MOOKMER. 3 



tower grows, fungus-like, a low stone shed 

 or two. In the village there were no roads, 

 scarcely any tracks. The bridge across the In- 

 gour was too bad for our beasts to cross, though 

 a little barrier across the middle would seem 

 to imply that truant goats and pigs still at- 

 tempted the passage. But the river was shal- 

 low still, so the men found a ford close at hand. 

 As usual on enterino- a villao-e, we asked 

 for the priest, knowing that here, as else- 

 where, comfort other than spiritual is gener- 

 ally to be found with the clergy. But there 

 was only one priest in Mookmer, and he 

 lived three versts away, at the other end of 

 the chain of hamlets. One glance at the 

 place we were entering was enough to con- 

 vince us that most of our dreams of comfort 

 indulged in e7i route would neve'* be realised 

 here. Still we did expect when Simon II. 

 offered to house us and take care of us that 

 we should at least have a roof over our heads. 



B 2 



