The approaching riders ascended the rise and slowed their steeds to a trot. Both were men, and both rode without saddles. Hanging over their bodies were thick, gray-brown furs, and although their faces were woolly with bristly beards, their heads were shaved bare. Their wide eyes seemed to glisten as if always close to tears. Their skin was the rich brown, almost black, of fertile soil. They looked carefully from one traveler to the next with faces that were impassive but not unfriendly. ...