rly and donned mine
armor. And there came to me one of those youths aforetold of, and he
aided me to my horse and afterward guided me through that valley. So he
brought me to the borders of a woodland that lay beyond the valley and
there he showed me a path and bade me take that path and it would bring
me to that adventure I sought.

"Thereafter I followed that path, and after I had gone upon the way a
considerable distance I came, some time before midday, to that mound
whereof the lady had spoken.

"On the top of the mound there sat a man of gigantic size and so
hideously ugly that I never beheld his like in all of my life before
that time. This being called to me in a voice exceedingly loud and
rough, demanding of me whither I went and upon what business. Thereupon
I told him that I sought a certain magic fountain and that I would be
much beholden to him if he would direct me upon my way. Upon this he
laughed very boisterously, and after a while he said: 'Take that path
yonder through the glade. Follow that path until you come to a hill.
From the hilltop you will find before you a valley, and you will see in
the valley a fountain of water that flows into a small lake with many
lilies about the margin. At the fountain is a tall tree with
wide-spreading branches, and beneath the tree is a marble slab, and upon
the slab is a silver bowl attached to it by a chain of silver. Take some
of the water of that fountain into the silver bowl and fling it upon the
marble slab, and I believe you will find an adventure that will satisfy
your desires for a very long time to come.'

[Sidenote: _Sir Sagramore cometh to the valley of the fountain._]

[Sidenote: _Sir Sagramore poureth water upon the slab._]

"So spake that gigantic oaf. I took the path to which he directed me,
and I followed the path until I came to the hill, and I climbed the hill
and there I beheld the valley of which he spake. And I beheld the lake
of lilies of which he spake and I beheld the fountain that flowed into
the lake and I beheld the tree that overshadowed the fountain, so I
straightway rode down into the valley thereunto. And when I had come to
the tree I beheld the slab of stone and the bowl of silver just as that
gigantic herdsman had said that I would find them. Then I dipped the
silver bowl into the water as he had told me to do and I flung the water
of the fountain upon the marble slab.

"Then immediately a very singular thing happened, for lo! t