the other two nurses give it the teat and they will die also, but the fourth shall suckle it with milk of your flocks for a year, and in that time it shall wax as great and as fair as we ourselves are who have made it be begotten, but take heed that neither thou nor thy wife, nor any other except the nurse, see it during that year. The Giant accordingly did as these Idols commanded, and in this wise was the monstrous beast brought up. When the year was past the Giant, who understood from the nurse that it was grown monstrous great, and who heard its strong and terrible voice, resolved with his daughter, who was his wife, to go see it; so they entered the chamber where it was bounding about, but the monster, as soon as it beheld its mother, leaped at her and with its claws cut her nostrils open, and tore out her eyes, so that she dropt down dead. The Giant drew his sword to slay it but it gave him such a wound on the leg as tore it off and he fell and died speedily, then it leapt over him, and having poisoned all the people in the Castle with its breath, took to wing and fled among the mountains. It was not long before the Island was dispeopled, they who could, flying by sea, and the rest being by it slain, and thus hath it remained for forty years.
Great things hast thou told me Master! quoth the Knight of the Green Sword, and the Lord our God is of long suffering with those who offend him, but if they do not amend at last the judgment waxeth heavier like the sin. Now I beseech you say mass betimes, for I will go see this Island, and if it please God to assist me, restore it to his service. The remaining part of the night the mariners passed in great fear, as well of the sea, which was still raging, as of the Endriago, thinking that it would come upon them from a Castle hard at hand where it sometimes lodged. At morning the Master sung mass, and the Knight having humbly heard it besought God to help him in this great danger which he undertook for his sake, or if it was his pleasure that he should then meet his death, to have mercy upon his soul. Then he armed himself and made his horse be landed, and took Gandalin with him, saying to the sailors, friends, I will go into yonder Castle, and if I find the Endriago there I will fight it, and if not will see if the Castle be in such state that you can lodge in it till the weather be abated, and I will then seek this beast among the mountains; if I escape from it I will return to you, if I do not come back do ye as ye shall think best. At this were they all sorely dismayed, for they, even where they
were, could not endure the fear of the Endriago, and Master Helisabad, who was a man of learning and a priest of the mass, dissuaded him all he could, saying that such things were against the nature of man, and that he ought to give up the thought lest he should fall into the guilt of self-murder; but the Knight of the Green Sword replied, that if he entertained any thought like that he must have given up the quest of adventures altogether, it became him to kill this monster or die in the enterprize. Then he saw that Gandalin, while he was thus talking, had armed himself to assist him, and was on horseback lamenting greatly; and he said to him, who has told thee to do this thing? disarm thyself! for if thou dost thus to serve and help me, that is not to be done by losing thy own life, but by preserving it that thou mayest relate the manner of my death in that place from whence chiefly I receive it. So making him disarm he went with him to the Castle.
He found the Castle desolate, none but birds having their home therein, but there were good dwellings there, albeit somewhat ruinous, and the doors had chains and bars wherewith the men might secure themselves; at this being full glad he bade Gandalin call them, and they, though in
great fear of the Endriago, went into the Castle, for the storm still continued. Good friends, then said the Knight, I shall go seek the Endriago, if it falls out well, Gandalin shall wind his horn, and then be ye assured that the beast is dead and I living; if the chance be against me there will be no need to make any sign; do ye therefore bring food from the galley to last ye till the storm abates, and secure yourselves here. Then the Knight of the Green Sword departed leaving them all lamenting, but the lamentations and bitter grief of Ardian the Dwarf cannot be expressed, he tore his hair and beat his face, and dashed his head against the wall calling himself wretched, that his fortune had made him serve such a master, for he had been a thousand times brought to the point of death in beholding his feats, and now he was about to attempt what the Emperor of Constantinople with all his power could not effect! so he went up upon the walls like one out of his senses and looked after his master. Master Helisabad made an altar be erected and placed the relics there which he had brought to enable him to say mass, and made all the men take each a wax taper in his hand, and kneel round the altar and pray to God to preserve that Knight, who for his service and their sakes, knowingly exposed himself to death.
But the Green Sword Knight rode on and Gandalin followed him weeping, for sure he thought that his Master's days would this day have their end. The Knight turned to him—my good brother hast thou so little faith in God and in the sight of my Lady Oriana, that thou despairest thus? Not only is her recollection present to me now but her very person, and I see her beholding me and telling me to defend her from this foul monster. What then my true friend ought I to do? for her life and death are mine, and the bare memory of her has made me go through all that I have yet performed, how then will this actual vision enable me? and with these thoughts his courage was so kindled that he thought he was long in finding the Endriago. By this he came to a valley in the mountain, a wild and craggy and deep place. Shout Gandalin, said he, that the Endriago may hear thee, and if I should die here I pray thee endeavour to carry to my Lady Oriana that which is entirely her own—my heart, and tell her I sent it to her that I might not have to give account to God for retaining that which was another's. When Gandalin heard this he not only called out aloud but began to shriek and tear his hair, hoping to die himself before he saw the death of his Master, whom he loved so dearly, and it was nothing
before they saw the Endriago come bounding over the rocks, but fiercer and more terrible than ever; and the reason was, that the Devils seeing how this Knight put more trust in his Mistress Oriana than in God had power thereby to enter it and make it more terrible than before, thinking that if that Knight perished there would be none other so bold as to attack this monster.
The Endriago came on breathing smoke and flames of fire in its fury, and gnashing its teeth and foaming, and ruffling its scales and clapping its wings that it was horrible to see it, and when the Knight saw it and heard its dreadful voice he thought all that had been told him was nothing to what the truth was, and the monster bounded towards them more eagerly because it was long since it had seen living man. But the horses took fright at seeing it and ran away in spite of all the Knight and Gandalin could do, so the Knight dismounted and said, brother, keep you aloof that we may not both perish, and see what success God will give me against this dreadful Devil, and pray to him to help me that I may restore this Island to his service, or if I am to die here to have mercy upon my soul; for the rest do as I have said before. But Gandalin could not answer for exceeding agony, for