of the plain, and men came and took his horse
and placed it in a manger, and the lion went after and lay down on the
straw. Hospitable and kind were all within the castle, but so full of
sorrow that it might have been thought death was upon them. At length,
when they had eaten and drunk, Owen prayed the earl to tell him the
reason of their grief.

'Yesterday,' answered the earl, 'my two sons were seized, while they
were hunting, by a monster who dwells on those mountains yonder, and he
vows that he will not let them go unless I will give him my daughter to
wife.'

'That shall never be,' said Owen; 'but what form hath this monster?'

'In shape he is a man, but in stature he is a giant,' replied the earl,
'and it were better by far that he should slay my sons than that I
should give up my daughter.'

Early next morning the dwellers in the castle were awakened by a great
clamour, and they found that the giant had arrived with the two young
men. Swiftly Owen put on his armour and went forth to meet the giant,
and the lion followed at his heels. And when the great beast beheld the
hard blows which the giant dealt his master he flew at his throat, and
much trouble had the monster in beating him off.

'Truly,' said the giant, 'I should find no difficulty in fighting thee,
if it were not for that lion.' When he heard that Owen felt shame that
he could not overcome the giant with his own sword, so he took the lion
and shut him up in one of the towers of the castle, and returned to the
fight. But from the sound of the blows the lion knew that the combat was
going ill for Owen, so he climbed up till he reached the top of the
tower, where there was a door on to the roof, and from the tower he
sprang on to the walls, and from the walls to the ground. Then with a
loud roar he leaped upon the giant, who fell dead under the blow of his
paw.

Now the gloom of the castle was turned into rejoicing, and the earl
begged Owen to stay with him till he could make him a feast, but the
knight said he had other work to do, and rode back to the place where he
had left Luned, and the lion followed at his heels. When he came there
he saw a great fire kindled, and two youths leading out the maiden to
cast her upon the pile.

'Stop!' he cried, dashing up to them. 'What charge have you against
her?'

'She boasted that no man in the world was equal to Owen,' said they,
'and we shut her in a cave, and agreed that none should deliver her but
Ow