Chapter 5, A Judgment, Summary

Taran chases after Smoit as he floats down the river and over the falls, jumping into the water to rescue his friend. Taran pulls Smoit from the water and suggests to his men that they take him to the home of the farmer Taran had met a few days previously, since it was close by. On the way, Taran and his party find the missing cows the lords have been fighting over and who scattered due to the fighting. Once at the home of Taran's friend, however, they find their welcome is not as warm as before because the fighting has ruined the farmer's fields. Before Taran can address the farmer's complaints, the battling lords appear. Smoit threatens to take the lords to his dungeon, but Taran, asking for the favor Smoit promised him upon saving his life, asks...