Christopher answered to him and said: "I am he that thou seekest." And then Christopher was glad, and bound him to be his servant perpetual, and took him for his master and Lord.
As they went together by a common way, they found there a cross, erect and standing. Anon as the devil saw the cross he was afeared and fled, and left the right way, and brought Christopher about by a sharp desert. And after, when they were past the cross, he brought him to the highway that they had left. When Christopher saw that, he marvelled, and demanded whereof he doubted, and had left the high and fair way, and had gone so far about by so aspre a desert. And the devil would not tell him in no wise.
Then Christopher said to him: "If thou wilt not tell me, I shall anon depart from thee, and shall serve thee no more."
Wherefor the devil was constrained to tell him, and said: "There was a man called Christ which was hanged on the cross, and when I see his sign I am sore afraid, and flee from it wheresoever I see it."
To whom Christopher said: "Then he is greater, and more mightier than thou, when thou art afraid of his sign; and I see well that I have labored in vain, when I have not founden the greatest Lord of the world. And I will serve thee no longer. Go thy way then, for I will seek Christ."
And when he had long sought and demanded where he should find Christ, at last he came into a great desert, to an hermit that dwelt there, and this hermit preached to him Jesus Christ and informed him in the
faith diligently, and said to him: "This king whom thou desirest to serve, requireth the service that thou must oft fast."
Christopher said to him: "Require of me some other thing, and I shall do it, for that which thou requirest I may not do."
The hermit said: "Thou must then wake and make many prayers." And Christopher said to him: "I wot not what it is; I may do no such thing." And then the hermit said to him: "Knowest thou such a river, in which many be perished and lost?" To whom Christopher said: "I know it well."
Then said the hermit: "Because thou art noble and high of stature and strong in thy members, thou shalt be resident by that river, and thou shalt bear over all them that shall pass there, which shall be a thing right convenable to our Lord Jesu Christ whom thou desirest to serve, and I hope he shall show himself to thee."