t
he had not his senses or was drunk. However, I made bold to say to him:
'Come, let me know whether thou art a creature of good or not.' And
he replied: 'I am a man.' 'What kind of a man art thou?' 'Such as thou
seest me to be: I am by no means otherwise.' 'What dost thou here?' 'I
was here, tending these cattle in this wood.' 'Wert thou really tending
them? By Saint Peter of Rome! They know not the command of any man.
I guess one cannot possibly guard wild beasts in a plain or wood or
anywhere else unless they are tied or confined inside.' 'Well, I tend
and have control of these beasts so that they will never leave this
neighbourhood.' 'How dost thou do that? Come, tell me now!' 'There is
not one of them that dares to move when they see me coming. For when
I can get hold of one I give its two horns such a wrench with my hard,
strong hands that the others tremble with fear, and gather at once round
about me as if to ask for mercy. No one could venture here but me, for
if he should go among them he would be straightway done to death. In
this way I am master of my beasts. And now thou must tell me in turn
what kind of a man thou art, and what thou seekest here.' 'I am, as
thou seest, a knight seeking for what I cannot find; long have I sought
without success.' 'And what is this thou fain wouldst find?' 'Some
adventure whereby to test my prowess and my bravery. Now I beg and
urgently request thee to give me some counsel, if possible, concerning
some adventure or marvellous thing.' Says he: 'Thou wilt have to do
without, for I know nothing of adventure, nor did I ever hear tell
of such. But if thou wouldst go to a certain spring here hard by and
shouldst comply with the practice there, thou wouldst not easily come
back again. Close by here thou canst easily find a path which will
lead thee thither. If thou wouldst go aright, follow the straight path,
otherwise thou mayst easily go astray among the many other paths.
Thou shalt see the spring which boils, though the water is colder than
marble. It is shadowed by the fairest tree that ever Nature formed, for
its foliage is evergreen, regardless of the winter's cold, and an iron
basin is hanging there by a chain long enough to reach the spring. And
beside the spring thou shalt find a massive stone, as thou shalt see,
but whose nature I cannot explain, never having seen its like. On the
other side a chapel stands, small, but very beautiful. If thou wilt take
of the water in the