of them are
before, and two behind him." "Now," said Owain, "do you return and await
me near the portal of the Castle." So they returned, and Owain pressed
forward, until he met the Earl. And Owain drew him completely out of his
saddle, and turned his horse's head towards the Castle, and, though it
was with difficulty, he brought the Earl to the portal, where the pages
awaited him. And in they came. And Owain presented the Earl as a gift
to the Countess. And said to her, "Behold a requittal to thee for thy
blessed balsam."

The army encamped around the Castle. And the Earl restored to the
Countess the two Earldoms, he had taken from her, as a ransom for his
life; and for his freedom, he gave her the half of his own dominions, and
all his gold, and his silver, and his jewels, besides hostages.

And Owain took his departure. And the Countess and all her subjects
besought him to remain, but Owain chose rather to wander through distant
lands and deserts.

And as he journeyed, he heard a loud yelling in a wood. And it was
repeated a second and a third time. And Owain went towards the spot, and
behold a huge craggy mound, in the middle of the wood; on the side of
which was a grey rock. And there was a cleft in the rock, and a serpent
was within the cleft. And near the rock, stood a black lion, and every
time the lion sought to go thence, the serpent darted towards him to
attack him. And Owain unsheathed his sword, and drew near to the rock;
and as the serpent sprung out, he struck him with his sword, and cut him
in two. And he dried his sword, and went on his way, as before. But
behold the lion followed him, and played about him, as though it had been
a greyhound, that he had reared.

They proceeded thus throughout the day, until the evening. And when it
was time for Owain to take his rest, he dismounted, and turned his horse
loose in a flat and wooded meadow. And he struck fire, and when the fire
was kindled, the lion brought him fuel enough to last for three nights.
And the lion disappeared. And presently the lion returned, bearing a
fine large roebuck. And he threw it down before Owain, who went towards
the fire with it.

And Owain took the roebuck, and skinned it, and placed collops of its
flesh upon skewers, around the fire. The rest of the buck he gave to the
lion to devour. While he was doing this, he heard a deep sigh near him,
and a second, and a third. And Owain called out to know whether