nto. And on the mound there sat
the being of whom Sir Sagramore had spoken, and Sir Ewaine was amazed at
his hideous aspect. For he was of giant stature and swarthy black, and
his hair was red as brick. His mouth gaped wide like a cavern and the
teeth within were sharp like the teeth of a wild beast.

To this creature Sir Ewaine spake, saying, "Sirrah, whither shall I go
to find that Adventure of the Fountain?"

Upon this that giant being laughed like the pealing of thunder and he
said: "Ho! little man, have you come also to that adventure? The day
before yesterday one came hither and sped but ill, and so also, I doubt
not, it will fare with you. Take you yonder path, and I believe you will
come to that adventure all too soon for your own good."

[Sidenote: _Sir Ewaine cometh to the valley of the fountain._]

So Sir Ewaine took the path that that being directed, and so entering
the woodlands again he rode for a long while through the thick forests.
Then after a while he came to a hill and he ascended the hill, and when
he had reached the top thereof he found that the forest ceased and that
the open country lay spread out before him and he beheld a fair and
level valley lying beneath the hill. And he beheld that the valley was
very fertile with many fields and plantations of fair trees. And Sir
Ewaine beheld in that valley a lake and a fountain that flowed into the
lake and a tree that overshadowed the fountain, and he wist that this
was the place where Sir Sagramore had met with that adventure aforetold
of. So straightway he rode down into that valley and toward that place
where was the enchanted fountain overshadowed by the tree. And when he
reached that place he beheld the slab of stone and the silver bowl
chained to the slab by a silver chain just as Sir Sagramore had beheld
those things.

[Sidenote: _Sir Ewaine casteth water upon the slab._]

Then Sir Ewaine took the silver bowl into his hand and he dipped up
water therein from the fountain, and he flung the water upon the marble
slab as Sir Sagramore had done.

Then straightway it befell as it had with Sir Sagramore, for first the
earth began to tremble and to quake and then the sky began to thunder,
and then there arose a great cloud that overspread the sky, so that it
became all black like unto night time, although it was still the middle
of the day. Then there came the great wind, the like of which Sir Ewaine
had never before known in all his life, for it