The goodwife came to Isledale-river at church-time, and men marvelled
how she had crossed the river; and she said she knew not whether a man
or a troll had brought her over.

The priest said he was surely a man, though a match for few; "But
let us hold our peace hereon," he said; "maybe he is chosen for the
bettering of thy troubles." So the goodwife was there through the
night.

CHAP. LXV.

<i>Of Guest and the Troll-wife</i>.

Now it is to be told of Guest, that when it drew towards midnight,
he heard great din without, and thereafter into the hall came a huge
troll-wife, with a trough in one hand and a chopper wondrous great in
the other; she peered about when she came in, and saw where Guest
lay, and ran at him; but he sprang up to meet her, and they fell
a-wrestling terribly, and struggled together for long in the hall. She
was the stronger, but he gave back with craft, and all that was before
them was broken, yea, the cross-panelling withal of the chamber. She
dragged him out through the door, and so into the outer doorway, and
then he betook himself to struggling hard against her. She was fain to
drag him from the house, but might not until they had broken away all
the fittings of the outer door, and borne them out on their shoulders:
then she laboured away with him down towards the river, and right down
to the deep gulfs.

By then was Guest exceeding weary, yet must he either gather his might
together, or be cast by her into the gulf. All night did they contend
in such wise; never, he deemed, had he fought with such a horror for
her strength's sake; she held him to her so hard that he might turn
his arms to no account save to keep fast hold on the middle of the
witch.

But now when they came on to the gulf of the river, he gives the hag a
swing round, and therewith got his right hand free, and swiftly seized
the short-sword that he was girt withal, and smote the troll therewith
on the shoulder, and struck off her arm; and therewithal was he free,
but she fell into the gulf and was carried down the force.

Then was Guest both stiff and weary, and lay there long on the rocks,
then he went home, as it began to grow light, and lay down in bed, and
all swollen and blue he was.

But when the goodwife came from church, she thought her house had
been somewhat roughly handled: so she went to Guest and asked what had
happed that all was broken and down-trodden. He told her all as it had
befallen: she d