courage to do. Look," and he
pushed the lioness's head with his foot, whereon it twisted round
in such a fashion that they perceived for the first time that it
only hung to the shoulders by a thread of skin.

"I am glad you did not strike a little harder," said Godwin, "or
I should now be in two pieces and drowned in my own blood,
instead of in that of this dead brute," and he looked ruefully at
his burnous and hauberk, that were soaked with gore.

"Yes," said Wulf, "I never thought of that. Who would, in such a
hurry?"

"Lady Masouda," asked Godwin, "when last I saw you you were
hanging from those jaws. Say, are you hurt?"

"Nay," she answered, "for I wear mail like you, and the teeth
glanced on it so that she held me by the cloak only. Come, let us
skin the beast, and take its pelt as a present to the lord
Al-je-bal."

"Good," said Godwin, "and I give you the claws for a necklace."

"Be sure that I will wear them," she answered, and helped Wulf to
flay the lioness while he sat by resting. When it was done Wulf
went to the little cave and walked into it, to come out again
with a bound.

"Why!" he said, "there are more of them in there. I saw their
eyes and heard them snarl. Now, give me a burning branch and I
will show you, brother, that you are not the only one who can
fight a lion."

"Let be, you foolish man," broke in Masouda. "Doubtless those are
her cubs, and if you kill them, her mate will follow us for
miles; but if they are left safe he will stay to feed them. Come,
let us begone from this place as swiftly as we can."

So having shown them the skin of the lion, that they might know
it was but a dead thing, at the sight of which they snorted and
trembled, they packed it upon one of the mules and rode off
slowly into a valley some five miles away, where was water but no
trees. Here, since Godwin needed rest, they stopped all that day
and the night which followed, seeing no more of lions, though
they watched for them sharply enough. The next morning, having
slept well, he was himself again, and they started forward
through a broken country towards a deep cleft, on either side of
which stood a tall mountain.

"This is Al-je-bal's gateway," said Masouda, "and tonight we
should sleep in the gate, whence one day's ride brings us to his
city."

So on they rode till at length, perched upon the sides of the
cleft, they saw a castle, a great building, with high walls, to
which they came at sunset. It se