Meanwhile, returning to the castle to rejoin her victim, Duessa finds the Red Cross Knight gone, spurs after him, and on overtaking him gently reproaches him for abandoning her in such a place!  Then she entices him to rest by a fountain, whose bewitched waters deprive the drinker of all strength.  She herself offers Georgos a draught from this fountain, and, after he has drunk thereof, the giant Orgolio spurs out of the forest and, attacking him with a mighty club, lays him low and bears him off to his dungeon, to torture him the rest of his life.  Meantime Duessa humbly follows the giant, promising him her love, while the dwarf, who has watched the encounter from afar, sorrowfully collects his master’s armor and, piling it hastily on his steed, rides off in quest of help.

Meanwhile the real Una, on awakening in the hermitage to learn that the Red Cross Knight and the dwarf have gone, rides after them as fast as her little white ass can trot.  Of course her attempt to overtake her companions is vain, and after travelling a long distance she dismounts in a forest to rest.  Suddenly she is almost paralyzed with fear, for a roaring lion bursts through the thicket to devour her.  Still, in fairy-land wild beasts cannot harm kings’ daughters, provided they are pure, so the lion—­the personification of Courage—­not only spares Una, but humbly licks her feet, and accompanies her as watch-dog when she resumes her journey.  They two soon reach the house of Superstition, an old woman, whose daughter, Stupidity, loves a robber of churches.  When this lover attempts to visit her secretly by night, he is slain by the lion; whereupon the two women angrily banish Una.  She is therefore again wandering aimlessly in the forest when Archimago meets her in the guise of the Red Cross Knight, for he wishes her to believe he is her missing champion.  On perceiving the lion, however, the magician approaches Una cautiously, but the fair maiden, suspecting no fraud, joyfully runs to meet him, declaring she has missed him terribly.

They two have not proceeded far before they encounter Sansloi,—­Lawlessness,—­brother of the two knights with whom Georgos recently fought.  Anxious to avenge their death, this new-comer boldly charges at the wearer of the Red Cross.  Although terrified at the mere thought of an encounter, Archimago is forced to lower his lance in self-defence, but, as he is no expert, he is overthrown at the first blow.  Springing down from his steed, Sansloi sets his foot upon his fallen foe and tries to remove his helmet so as to deal him a deadly blow.  But no sooner does he behold the crafty lineaments of Archimago in place of those of the Red Cross Knight, than he contemptuously abandons his opponent to recover his senses at leisure, and starts off in pursuit of Una, whose beauty has charmed his lustful eye.