So came he to a big bird-cherry, whereof many boughs hung low down
laden with fruit: his belly rejoiced at the sight, and he caught
hold of a bough, and fell to plucking and eating. But whiles he was
amidst of this, he heard suddenly, close anigh him, a strange noise
of roaring and braying, not very great, but exceeding fierce and
terrible, and not like to the voice of any beast that he knew. As
has been aforesaid, Walter was no faint-heart; but what with the
weakness of his travail and hunger, what with the strangeness of his
adventure and his loneliness, his spirit failed him; he turned round
towards the noise, his knees shook and he trembled: this way and
that he looked, and then gave a great cry and tumbled down in a
swoon; for close before him, at his very feet, was the dwarf whose
image he had seen before, clad in his yellow coat, and grinning up
at him from his hideous hairy countenance.

How long he lay there as one dead, he knew not, but when he woke
again there was the dwarf sitting on his hams close by him. And
when he lifted up his head, the dwarf sent out that fearful harsh
voice again; but this time Walter could make out words therein, and
knew that the creature spoke and said:

"How now! What art thou? Whence comest? What wantest?"

Walter sat up and said: "I am a man; I hight Golden Walter; I come
from Langton; I want victual."

Said the dwarf, writhing his face grievously, and laughing forsooth:
"I know it all: I asked thee to see what wise thou wouldst lie. I
was sent forth to look for thee; and I have brought thee loathsome