ide, and many of which were as large as
houses, had been swept away like straws before the rush of snow, and for
a moment they feared that the refuge had also been carried away. Turning
the corner, however, they saw to their delight that the limits of the
avalanche had not extended so far, the refuges, as they afterward
learned, being so placed as to be sheltered by overhanging cliffs from
any catastrophe of this kind.

They found the guide upon his knees, muttering his prayers before a
cross, which he had formed of two sticks laid crosswise on the ground
before him; and he could scarce believe his eyes when they entered, so
certain had he considered it that they were lost. There were no longer
any signs of the wolves. The greater portion, indeed, of the pack had
been overwhelmed by the avalanche, and the rest, frightened and scared,
had fled to their fastnesses in the woods.

The knight now removed his helmet, and discovered a handsome young man
of some twenty-four or twenty-five years old.

"I am," he said, "Baron Ernest of Kornstein. To whom do I owe my life?"

"In spite of my red cross," Cuthbert said, "I am English. My name is Sir
Cuthbert, and I am Earl of Evesham. I am on my return from the Holy Land
with my followers; and as we are passing through countries where many
of the people are hostile to England, we have thought it as well for a
time to drop our nationality. But to you I do not hesitate to tell the
truth."

"You do well," the young knight said, "for, truth to say, the people of
these parts bear but little love to your countrymen. You have saved my
life when I was in the sorest danger. I had given myself up for lost,
for even my armor could not have saved me long from these wretches; and
my sword and life are at your disposal. You are young indeed," he said,
looking with surprise at Cuthbert, who had now thrown back the hood of
his cloak, "to have gained the honor of knighthood. You scarce look
eighteen years of age, although, doubtless, you are older."

"I am scarce seventeen," Cuthbert said; "but I have had the good fortune
to attract the notice of King Richard, and to have received the
knighthood from his sword."

"None more worthy," said the young knight, "for although King Richard
may be fierce and proud, he is the worthiest knight in Christendom, and
resembles the heroes of romance rather than a Christian king."

"He is my lord and master," Cuthbert said, "and I love him beyond all
men, an