Then he laughed and bethought him of Falcon his own steed,
and dived down under the water; but as he came up, laughing still
and gasping, he heard a noise of the clatter of horse hoofs,
as if some one were riding swiftly up the further side
of the grassy table, where it was stony, as he had noted
when they passed by.
A deadly fear fell upon his heart as he thought of his love left all alone;
so he gat him at once out of the water and cast his shirt over his head;
but while his arms were yet entangled in the sleeves thereof, came to his
ears a great and awful sound of a man's voice roaring out, though there were
no shapen words in the roar. Then were his arms free through the sleeves,
and he took up the bow and fell to bending it, and even therewith he heard
a great wailing of a woman's voice, and she cried out, piteously: "Help me,
O help, lovely creature of God!"
Yet must he needs finish bending the bow howsoever his heart died
within him; or what help would there be of a naked and unarmed man?
At last it was bent and an arrow nocked on the string, as he leapt
over the river and up the slope.
But even as he came up to that pleasant place he saw all in a moment of time;
that there stood Silverfax anigh the Cave's mouth, and the Lady lying on
the earth anigh the horse; and betwixt her and him the Knight of the Sun
stood up stark, his shining helm on his head, the last rays of the setting
sun flashing in the broidered image of his armouries.
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