a mace of steel in his hand. At first sight of
Saint George and his Squire, he beat his teeth so mightily together that
they rang like the stroke of an anvil; and then he sprang up and rushed
forward, thinking to take the Champion, horse and all, within his mouth,
with the Squire under one arm, and to bear them into the tower.

When, however, the giant opened his mouth, showing his teeth sharp as
steel, Saint George thrust his trusty sword Ascalon so far down it, that
the monster cried out loud as thunder in his pain and terror; the very
earth trembled, his mouth smoked like a fiery furnace, and his eyes
rolled in his head like brands of flaming fire: but the Champion pressed
him harder and harder, the blood flowing in a great stream from his
mouth, till he was forced to cry out for mercy, and to beg for life.
This Saint George granted him, on condition that he would discover all
the secrets of the tower, and ever after be his true servant. Then the
giant swore to speak the truth, and told him that the necromancer had
made a huge fire in a deep vault whence all the smoke came forth, but
that near the fire was a fair and pleasant fountain, the water of which,
if any knight could cast it on the fire, the smoke would cease and the
fire be put out. This sufficed Saint George.

Ordering the giant to keep the door, and leaving De Fistycuff to watch
over him, he advanced into the tower, which was full of vast windows;
and then he entered a long dark passage with a door at one end, set as
thick with spikes of steel as are the prickles of a sea-urchin's skin;
yet, dashing open the door, in spite of the clouds of smoke which rushed
out, he descended in total darkness, thundering blows all the time
raining down on his burgonet, which he guarded off with his shield, and
voices from unseen spirits screeching in his ears, while the heat, great
at first, increased so fiercely that he was almost melted, his armour
becoming nearly red-hot.

Just as he was about to faint he espied the crystal fountain, and
quickly filling his shield from it, he cast the water on the fire.
Backwards and forwards he went, till, to his joy, he saw the smoke
ceasing and the blue sky appearing, when the light of the sun entering
the dark passage, he saw on the stairs many great images of brass, with
mighty maces of steel, which had struck him the heavy blows as he
descended.

The fire being quenched, and the enchantment being thus happily quashed,
the