thou dost not find trouble in that adventure, thou
needst not seek it during the rest of thy life.'

"So I journeyed on, until I reached the summit of the steep. And there I
found every thing, as the black man had described it to me. And I went
up to the tree, and beneath it I saw the fountain, and by its side the
marble slab; and the silver bowl, fastened by the chain. Then I took the
bowl, and cast a bowlful of water upon the slab; and thereupon behold the
thunder came, much more violent than the black man had led me to expect;
and after the thunder came the shower; and of a truth I tell thee, Kai,
that there is neither man nor beast that could endure that shower and
live. For not one of those hailstones would be stopped either by the
flesh, or by the skin, until it had reached the bone. I turned my
horse's flanks towards the shower, and placed the beak of my shield over
his head and neck, while I held the upper part of it over my own head.
And thus I withstood the shower. When I looked on the tree, there was
not a single leaf upon it, and then the sky became clear; and with that,
behold the birds lighted upon the tree, and sang. And truly, Kai, I
never heard any melody equal to that, either before or since. And when I
was most charmed with listening to the birds, lo, a murmuring voice was
heard through the valley, approaching me, and saying, 'Oh, Knight, what
has brought thee hither? What evil have I done to thee, that thou
shouldest act towards me and my possessions, as thou hast this day? Dost
thou not know that the shower to-day has left in my dominions neither man
nor beast alive, that was exposed to it?' And thereupon, behold a Knight
on a black horse appeared, clothed in jet black velvet, and with a tabard
of black linen about him. And we charged each other; and as the onset
was furious, it was not long before I was overthrown. Then the Knight
passed the shaft of his lance through the bridle rein of my horse, and
rode off with the two horses; leaving me where I was. And he did not
even bestow so much notice upon me, as to imprison me, nor did he despoil
me of my arms. So I returned along the road by which I had come. And
when I reached the glade where the black man was, I confess to thee, Kai,
it is a marvel that I did not melt down into a liquid pool, through the
shame that I felt at the black man's derision. And that night I came to
the same Castle, where I had spent the night preceding. And I