feigned that he would ride into the town, after possessing himself of the
key of the black hole and after stowing a suit of his man's apparel and a
loaf of bread into his saddle-poke. Then he wandered about the wood for
some time, and as soon as it fell dark he stole back to the house again
on foot. He had made a bold and well-devised plan, and yet he might have
come to a foul end; for, albeit the hounds, who knew him well, let him
pass into the cell, within he was so fiercely set upon that it needed all
his strength and swiftness to withstand it. The froward wretches had
plotted to fall upon him and to escape with the wench from their prison,
even if it were over his dead body.

One of the bear-leaders had made shift to strip the cords from his hands,
and when my brother entered into the dark place where the prisoners lay,
they flew at him to fell him. But even on the threshold Herdegen saw
through their purpose, and had no sooner shut the door than he drew his
hunting knife. Then the old beldame gripped him by the throat and clawed
him tooth and nail; one of the ruffians beat him with a stave torn from
the bedstead till he weened he had broken or bruised all his limbs, while
the other, whose hands were yet bound, pressed between him and the door.
In truth he would have come to a bad end, but that the younger woman
saved him at the risk of her own life. The man who had rid himself of
his bonds had raised the heavy earthen pitcher to break Herdegen's head
withal, when the brave wench clutched the wretch by the arm and hung on
to him till Herdegen stuck him with his knife. Thus the ringleader fell,
and my brother pulled up his deliverer and dragged her to the door. As
he opened it the old woman and the other prisoner put forth their last
strength to force their way out, but with his strong arm he thrust them
back and locked the door upon them.

Thus he led the young woman, who had come off better than he had feared