aims with untiring persistence.

He looked at the phaen askance, and drummed his fingers against his
thigh. "Well, we will go together. We may find something, and in
any case I shan't be sorry to converse with such a singular
individual as yourself."

"But I should warn you, Maskull. You and I are of different
creations. A phaen's body contains the whole of life, a man's body
contains only the half of life--the other half is in woman. Faceny
may be too strong a draught for your body to endure.... Do you not
feel this?"

"I am dull with my different feelings. I must take what precautions
I can, and chance the rest." He bent down, and, taking hold of the
phaen's thin and ragged robe, tore off a broad strip, which he
proceeded to swathe in folds around his forehead. "I'm not forgetting
your advice, Leehallfae. I would not like to start the walk as
Maskull and finish it as Digrung."

The phaen gave a twisted grin, and they began to move upstream. The
road was difficult. They had to stride from boulder to boulder, and
found it warm work. Occasionally a worse obstacle presented itself,
which they could surmount only by climbing. There was no more
conversation for a long time. Maskull, as far as possible, adopted
his companion's counsel to avoid the water, but here and there he was
forced to set foot in it. The second or third time he did so, he
felt a sudden agony in his arm, where it had been wounded by Krag.
His eyes grew joyful; his fears vanished; and he began deliberately
to tread the stream.