'He's with some girl,' said a voice above the rest, and there were loud shouts of laughter, and a return to the hubbub of before.
'Yes.' said Dirk, quietly, 'I expect he probably is.'
'Oh ah.'
Dirk had supposed that he was talking to himself and was surprised to have elicited a response from the man, though not particularly surprised at the response that had been elicited.
'Thor called this meeting tonight?' Dirk asked him.
'Oh ah.'
'Bit rude not to turn up.'
'Oh ah.'
'I expect everyone's n bit upset.'
'Not as long as there's enough pigs to go round.'
'Pigs?'
'Oh ah.'
Dirk didn't immediately know how to go on from here.
'Oh ah,' he said, resignedly.
'It's only Thor as really cares, you see,' said the old man. 'Keeps on issuing his challenge, then not being able to prove it. Can't argue. Gets all confused and angry, does something stupid, can't sort it out and gets made to do a penance. Everybody else just turns up for the pigs.'
'Oh ah.' Dirk was learning a whole new conversational technique and was astonished at how successful it was. He regarded the man with a new-found respect.
'Do you know how many stones there are in Wales?' asked the man suddenly.
'Oh ah,' said Dirk warily. He didn't know this joke.
'Nor do I. He won't tell anybody. Says count 'em yourself and goes off in a sulk.'
'Oh ah.' He didn't think it was a very good one.
'So this time he hasn't even turned up. Can't say I blame him. But I'm sorry, because I think he might be right.'
'Oh ah.'
The man lapsed into silence.
Dirk waited.
'Oh ah,' he said again, hopefully.
Nothing.
'So, er,' said Dirk, going for a cautious prompt, 'you think he might be right, eh?'
'Oh ah.'
'So.Old Thor might be right, eh? That's the story,' said Dirk.
'Oh ah.'
'In what way,' said Dirk, running out of patience at last, 'do you think he might be right?'
'Oh, every way.'
'Oh ah,' said Dirk, defeated.
'It's no secret that the gods have fallen on hard times,' said the old man, grimly. 'That's clear for all to see, even for the ones who only care about the pigs,which is most of 'em. And when you feel you're not needed any more it can be hard to think beyond the next pig,even if you used to have the whole world there with you. Everyone just accepts it as inevitable. Everyone except Thor, that is. And now he's given up. Hasn't even bothered to turn up and break a pig with us.Given up his challenge. Oh ah.'
'Oh ah,' said Dirk.
'Oh ah.'
'So, er, Thor's challenge then,' said Dirk tentatively.
'Oh ah.'
'What was it?'
'Oh ah.'
Dirk lost his patience entirely and rounded on the man.
'What was Thor's challenge to Odin?' he insisted angrily.
The man looked round at him in slow surprise,lookcd him up and down with his big sagging eyes.
'You're a mortal, aren't you?'
'Yes,' said Dirk testily, 'I'm a mortal. Of course I'm a mortal. What has being a mortal got to do with
