About a quarter of four one afternoon three young men were standing together ona road leading down to a swiftrunning river. It was an old road beaten downhard b... » 

About a quarter of four one afternoon three young men were standing together ona road leading down to a swiftrunning river. It was an old road beaten downhard by thousands of feet through hundreds of years. It led down to the riverand then along its bank through a village scatteringly nestled by the fords ofthe river. The young men were intently absorbed in conversation. «