eeth shall be drawn out, and you shall
kill him easily. But during the fight beware lest you let go the clue.'

And after the lion shall come four men, who will set on you and seek to
turn you from their path; but beware of them also, and if you are in
peril call to me, and I will succour you. And now return to the palace
and put on your armour, and so, farewell.'

When the knight heard this he was right glad, and stole back to the
palace, where he found that the emperor was still sitting at his
council. He sat down in the great hall to await him, but the time seemed
very long before his host entered.

'How have you sped?' asked he.

'My lord, now that through your goodness I have seen the princess,' said
the knight, 'there can be but one ending to my journey. I go at once in
quest of the tree, and I am content whatever fate may befall me.'

'May fortune be with you!' answered the emperor, who never failed to
give good wishes to his daughter's suitors, as he felt quite sure that
they would be of no use.

So the knight bowed low and left the hall, going straight to the
gatekeeper's house, where he had put off his armour on arriving. On
pretence of sharpening his sword, he borrowed a pot of ointment from the
man, and, unseen by him, rubbed the paste thickly over his armour. After
this he looked about to see that no one was watching him, and took the
path that led to the garden.

[Illustration: THE LADY OF SOLACE HELPS THE FALLEN KNIGHT]

A large iron gate supported by two posts stood at the entrance, and
round one of these he firmly bound one end of the thread which the Lady
of Solace had given him. Holding the other end in his hand, he
advanced for a long while without seeing or hearing any strange thing,
till a roar close to him caused him to start. The knight had just time
to draw his sword and hold up his shield before the lion was upon him;
but, as he had been forewarned, the great beast dashed aside the shield,
and fastened his teeth in the arm that held it. The pain was such that
the knight leaped backwards, but the lion's teeth were fixed fast in the
ointment, and they all came out of his mouth, so that he could bite no
more. And when he rushed at his enemy with his claws they stuck also, so
that the knight with a blow of his sword was able to kill him with ease.

Mightily he rejoiced at seeing his foe dead before him, and by ill
fortune he forgot that, had it not been for the counsel of the Lady of
Sola