ood a golden
eagle, and at each corner a green silver griffin shining in the sun.
Beautiful as was the tent, still more lovely was the lady who stood
before it--a maiden queen--crowned with an imperial diadem, and clothed
in a robe of green, with the body formed of lace of gold, and her
crimson kirtle bound with violet-coloured velvet, the wide sleeves being
embroidered with flowers of gold and rich pearls. Around her stood her
maiden attendants in comely attire, with silver coronets on their heads,
and silver bows in their hands, while at their backs hung quivers full
of golden arrows.

With courteous words the Queen invited the Knight and his Lady to enter
her pavilion, when she told him that her country was sorely afflicted by
the arts of a wicked magician, named Osmond, who had sought her love,
and having been rejected had conceived the most deadly hatred against
her.

"He has built," she said, "a mighty tower on the borders of my realm,
from which issues so deadly and dark a smoke that my people are driven
from their homes, and the country remains desolate. He has left the
guarding of the castle to a terrible giant, the ugliest monster eyes
ever beheld. He is thirty feet in height, his head three times the size
of that of the largest ox, his eyes larger than two sunflowers, and his
teeth, with which he can break a bar of iron, standing out a foot from
his mouth; his arms long and bony, his skin black as coal and hard as
brass, and his strength so great that he can carry away three knights in
armour, and their steeds, with the greatest ease."

"Now, by my halidom, but I will fetter this monster and break the
enchantment, or never see this place again." In vain the Princess Sabra
entreated him not to undertake the adventure.

Even the Amazonian Queen thought it beyond his power.

At daybreak, accompanied by De Fistycuff, he set forth, leaving the side
of his weeping wife, and assuring her that he would return in safety.
As he and his Squire advanced into the enchanted district the light of
day decreased; darker and darker it grew, till they could with
difficulty grope their way before them, while dense clouds of smoke
seemed to be rolling thicker and thicker over their heads. Nothing
could surpass the melancholy and depressing gloom of the air.

At length, by a faint glimmer of lurid light, they beheld the gates of
the enchanted tower, at which sat, on a block of rock, a huge giant in
his iron coat, with