When he came to the stream he looked up and saw a little fire
glittering not far from the cave, but had no clear sight of the Lady,
though he thought he saw her gown fluttering nigh one of the thorn-bushes.
Then he did off his raiment and entered that pool of the stream,
and was glad to bathe him in the same place where her body had been
but of late; for he had noted that the stones of the little shore
were still wet with her feet where she had gone up from the water.

But now, as he swam and sported in the sun-warmed pool
he deemed he heard the whinnying of a horse, but was not sure,
so he held himself still to listen, and heard no more.
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