tness 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
in the fray, forth to freedom, to keep his word to her.

Out in the wood, in spite of thunder and lightning, he made her to put
on Eppelein's weed and mount the nag. Thereafter he led her horse to the
brook, which floweth through the woods down to the meadow-land, and bid
her ride along in the water so far as she might, to put the hounds off
the scent. The bread in the saddle-bag would feed her for a few days,
and now it lay with her to escape pursuit. And this good deed of my
brother's had smitten the lost creature to the heart; when he was about
to help her to mount he dropped down on the wet ground from loss of
blood, but as he opened his eyes again, behold, his head was resting on
her lap and she kissed his brow. Despite her own peril she had not left
him in such evil plight, but had done all she could to bring him to his
senses; nay, she had gathered leaves by the glare of the lightning to
staunch the blood which flowed freely from the worst of his wounds. Nor
was she to be moved to go on her way till he showed her that in t