er, but we
feared to disturb thee during thy repast. Now, however, we will
discourse.' Then I told the man who I was, and what was the cause of my
journey. And said that I was seeking whether any one was superior to me,
or whether I could gain the mastery over all. The man looked upon me,
and he smiled, and said, 'If I did not fear to distress thee too much,
{19b} I would shew thee that which thou seekest.' Upon this I became
anxious and sorrowful; and when the man perceived it, he said, 'If thou
wouldst rather that I should shew thee thy disadvantage, than thine
advantage, I will do so. Sleep here to-night, and in the morning, arise
early, and take the road upwards through the valley, until thou reachest
the wood, through which thou camest hither. A little way within the
wood, thou wilt meet with a road, branching off to the right; by which
thou must proceed, until thou comest to a large sheltered glade, with a
mound in the centre. And thou wilt see a black man of great stature, on
the top of the mound; he is not smaller in size than two of the men of
this world. He has but one foot, and one eye, in the middle of his
forehead. And he has a club of iron, and it is certain that there are no
two men in the world, who would not find their burden in that club. And
he is not a comely man, but on the contrary he is exceedingly ill
favoured; and he is the woodward of that wood. And thou wilt see a
thousand wild animals, grazing around him. Enquire of him the way out of
the glade, and he will reply to thee briefly, {20} and will point out the
road, by which thou shalt find that which thou art in quest of.'

"And long seemed the night to me. And the next morning I arose, and
equipped myself, and mounted my horse, and proceeded straight through the
valley, to the wood, and I followed the crossroad which the man had
pointed out to me, till at length I arrived at the glade. And there was
I three times more astonished at the number of wild animals that I
beheld, than the man had said I should be. And the black man was there,
sitting upon the top of the mound. Huge of stature as the man had told
me that he was, I found him to exceed by far the description he had given
me of him. As for the iron club, which the man had told me was a burden
for two men, I am certain, Kai, that it would be a heavy weight for four
warriors to lift. And this was in the black man's hand. And he only
spoke to me in answer to my questions.