hey dragged me here and said
I should die unless he should come to deliver me by a certain day, and
that is no further than the day after to-morrow. His name is Owen the
son of Urien, but I have none to send to tell him of my danger, or of a
surety he would deliver me.'

Owen held his peace, but gave the maiden some of the meat, and bade her
be of good cheer. Then, followed by the lion, he set out for a great
castle on the other side of the plain, and men came and took his horse
and placed it in a manger, and the lion went after and lay down on the
straw. Hospitable and kind were all within the castle, but so full of
sorrow that it might have been thought death was upon them. At length,
when they had eaten and drunk, Owen prayed the earl to tell him the
reason of their grief.

'Yesterday,' answered the earl, 'my two sons were seized, while thy were
hunting, by a monster who dwells on those mountains yonder, and he vows
that he will not let them go unless I give him my daughter to wife.'

'That shall never be,' said Owen; 'but what form hath this monster?'

'In shape he is a man, but in stature he is a giant,' replied the earl,
'and it were better by far that he should slay my sons than that I
should give up my daughter.'

Early next morning the dwellers in the castle were awakened by a great
clamour, and they found that the giant had arrived with the two young
men. Swiftly Owen put on his armour and went forth to meet the giant,
and the lion followed at his heels. And when the great beast beheld the
hard blows which the giant dealt his master he flew at his throat, and
much trouble had the monster in beating him off.

'Truly,' said the giant, 'I should find no difficulty in fighting thee,
if it were not for that lion.' When he heard that Owen felt shame that
he could not overcome the giant with his own sword, so he took the lion
and shut him up in one of the towers of the castle, and returned to the
fight. But from the sound of the blows the lion knew that the combat
was going ill for Owen, so he climbed up till he reached the top of
the tower, where there was a door on to the roof, and from the tower he
sprang on to the walls, and from the walls to the ground. Then with a
loud roar he leaped upon the giant, who fell dead under the blow of his
paw.

Now the gloom of the castle was turned into rejoicing, and the earl
begged Owen to stay with him till he could make him a feast, but the
knight said he had other wor