Said the minstrel:  “Yea, fair sir, and of this cloud I must tell thee that it will change no more till the bones of the earth are tumbled together.  Forsooth this is no cloud, but the topmost head of the mountain ridge which men call the Wall of the World:  and if ever thou come close up to the said Wall, that shall fear thee, I deem, however fearless thou be.”  “Is it nigh to Utterness?” said Ralph.  “Nay,” said the minstrel, “not so nigh; for as huge as it seemeth thence.”

Said Ralph:  “Do folk tell that the Well at the World’s End lieth beyond it?” “Surely,” said the minstrel.

Said Ralph, his face flushing:  “Forsooth, that ancient lord of Goldburg came through those mountains, and why not I?” “Yea,” said the minstrel, “why not?” And therewith he looked uneasily on Ralph, who heeded his looks naught, for his mind was set on high matters.

On then they rode, and when trees or some dip in the land hid that mountain top from them, the way seemed long to Ralph.

Naught befell to tell of for some while; but at last, when it was drawing towards evening again, they had been riding through a thick pine-wood for a long while, and coming out of it they beheld before them a plain country fairly well grassed, but lo! on the field not far from the roadside a pavilion pitched and a banner on the top thereof, but the banner hung down about the staff, so that the bearing was not seen:  and about this pavilion, which was great and rich of fashion, were many tents great and small, and there were horses tethered in the field, and men moving about the gleam of armour.

At this sight the minstrel drew rein and stared about him wildly; but Ralph said:  “What is this, is it the peril aforesaid?” “Yea,” quoth the minstrel, shivering with fear.  “What aileth thee?” said Ralph; “have we not the let-pass, what then can befall us?  If this be other than the Lord of Utterbol, he will see our let-pass and let us alone; or if it be he indeed, what harm shall he do to the bearers of his own pass?  Come on then, or else (and therewith he half drew his sword) is this Lord of Utterbol but another name for the Devil in Hell?”

But the minstrel still stared wild and trembled; then he stammered out:  “I thought I should bring thee to Utterness first, and that some other should lead thee thence, I did not look to see him.  I dare not, I dare not!  O look, look!”

As he spake the wind arose and ran along the wood-side, and beat back from it and stirred the canvas of the tents and raised the folds of the banner, and blew it out, so that the bearing was clear to see; yet Ralph deemed it naught dreadful, but an armoury fit for a baron, to wit, a black bear on a castle-wall on a field of gold.