perceiving the knight, bellowed aloud, and
changed itself into a dragon spouting fire. Herr Wendelin rejoiced at
this, for his favourite pastime was to kill that sort of beast. He had no
sooner, however, plunged his good sword into a soft part of the monster,
and seen the blood flow from the wound, than his opponent changed itself
into a griffin, and raising itself from the ground swooped upon him. His
defence now became more difficult, as the evil spirit continued to attack
him in ever changing forms, but Sir Wendelin was no coward, and knew well
how to use his arm and sword. At length, however, the knight began to
feel that his strength was deserting him; his sword seemed to grow
heavier and heavier in his hand, and his legs felt as if an hundredweight
had been attached to them. His squire, noting his fatigue, grew faint,
and began to think the best thing for him would be to ride off, for the
fight was likely to end badly for his master. The knight's knees were
trembling under him, and as the monster, in the form of a unicorn,
charged against his shield he fell to the ground.

The creature shrank suddenly together and in the guise of a black, agile
rat shot towards him.

Sir Wendelin felt that he was losing consciousness, he heard faintly a
voice from the grotto where the lady was imprisoned calling to him: "The
ring, remember the ring!"

He was just able to turn with his thumb the ring on his little finger.
Immediately he felt himself lighter and freer than he had ever felt
before, and his heart seemed to harden to a steel spring, while a gay and
reckless mood came over him. A wild desire to fly took possession of him
at the same time, and it seemed as if he were only fourteen years old
once more. Some strange force impelled him aloft into the air, to which
he yielded, spreading the two large wings, that he suddenly found himself
in possession of, as naturally as if he had used them all his life. He
soon felt the feathers on his back stroked by the clouds, and yet he saw
everything below him on the earth more distinctly than ever before. Even
the smallest things appeared perfectly clear to his sharpened eyes, and
yet he seemed to see them as if reflected in a brilliant mirror. He could
distinguish even the hairs on the rat and suddenly another impulse came
over him--the impulse to stoop down and catch the long-tailed vermin in
his beak and claws. Wendelin had been changed into a falcon, and the rat
struggled in va