sobbing
and wailing broke out from him, for he was young and strong, and sorrow
dealt hardly with him.

But presently he arose to his feet and went hither and thither, and
came upon the quenched coals of the cooking-fire: she had baked cakes
for his eating, and he saw them lying thereby, and hunger constrained
him, so he took and ate of them while the tears ran down his face and
mingled with the bread he ate. And when he had eaten, he felt stronger
and therefore was life more grievous to him, and when he thought what
he should do, still one thing seemed more irksome than the other.

He went down to the water to drink, and passed by the body of the
Knight of the Sun, and wrath was fierce in his heart against him who
had overthrown his happiness. But when he had drunk and washed hands
and face he came back again, and hardened his heart to do what he must
needs do. He took up the body of the Lady and with grief that may not
be told of, he drew it into the cave, and cut boughs of trees and laid
them over her face and all her body, and then took great stones from
the scree at that other end of the little plain, and heaped them upon
her till she was utterly hidden by them. Then he came out on to the
green place and looked on the body of his foe, and said to himself that
all must be decent and in order about the place whereas lay his love.
And he came and stood over the body and said: "I have naught to do to
hate him now: if he hated me, it was but for a little while, and he
knew naught of me. So let his bones be covered up from the wolf and
the kite. Yet shall they not lie alongside of her. I will raise a
cairn above him here on this fair little plain which he spoilt of all
joy." Therewith he fell to, and straightened his body, and laid his
huge limbs together and closed his eyes and folded his arms over his
breast; and then he piled the stones above him, and went on casting
them on the heap a long while after there was need thereof.

Ralph had taken his raiment from the stream-side and done them on
before this, and now he did on helm and hauberk, and girt his sword to
his side. Then as he was about leaving the sorrowful place, he looked
on Silverfax, who had not strayed from the little plain, and came up to
him and did off saddle and bridle, and laid them within the cave, and
bade the beast go whither he would. He yet lingered about the place,
and looked all around him and found naught to help him, and could fram