"Andre Norton - WW - Horn Crown" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

we had come into this other world and what danger we
had eluded by coming.

"There shall be a council at the night camp," Garn was
continuing. "Then shall be decided where we settle. The
Sword Brothers have scouted well. This land is wide. For-
tune may favor even those of us who have not grown so
great in the past."

I still sought the reason for this frankness of speech
from him. It was as unlikely as if my plodding horse had
spoken. What Garn said began to sink into my mind past
the surprise that he spoke so at all. A large land -- open
for settlement. There was near a hundred clans, most of
them far beyond us in numbers of kin, stock, all which
might put a lord into the first consideration. Only no lord
would want to spread his meiny so thinly that it could not
be easily defended. Thus there was a very good chance

that even so small a clan as ours might come into land
riches.

Garn was continuing: "Those of the kin-blood will be
present and there will be a drawing of lots. This has been
agreed upon -- that there will be only one choice. Either
for shore lands or for the inner ways. Siwen, Uric,
Farkon, Dawuan have already spoken for the shore. The
rest of us will have the choice. I think," he hesitated, "I
would speak with you, Hewlin, and Everad, also with
Stig, when we halt for nooning."

My agreement was perhaps unheard, for abruptly he
wheeled his mount and rode to where Everad held his
place in our march. He left me still surprised. Garn made
his own decisions; there would be no need for any consult-
ing, even of his heir. It was doubly startling that he would
ask any advice of Stig, who was the headman of the field
workers, the non-kin.

What was in his mind? Why had he mentioned the
shore lands? We had had no such settlement in the past.
To turn aside from long custom was not in our way of
life. Still -- we had come into a new world, which was per-
haps reason enough to break with that custom and lead us
into new ways.

I tried to remember how far we might be from the
shore, which the Sword Brothers had explored only in
very small part. There had been talk of harsh cliffs and
reefs leading cruelly into the sea. We were not a sea-going