Hot rage took possession of the heart of Wendelin when he saw the tears rain down from the lady’s large eyes onto her gown, which was already as wet as if she had just been drawn from the lake.

When the knight noticed this, an overwhelming pity chased the anger from his heart, and George, who was a soft-hearted man, sobbed aloud at her pitiful appearance.  The voice of the knight, too, was unsteady as he called to the fair prisoner that he was a German, Wendelin by name, and that he had set out on a knightly quest to kill dragons, and to draw his sword for all who were oppressed.  He had already conquered in many combats, and nothing would please him better than to fight for her.

At this she ceased to weep, but she shook her head gently—­her hair being chained impeded her motion,—­and answered sadly.  “My enemy is too powerful.  You are young and beautiful, and the darling, perhaps, of a loving mother at home, I cannot bear that you should suffer the same fate as the others.  Behold that nut-tree over there!  What seem to be white gourds hanging on its naked branches are their skulls!  Go your way quickly, for the evil spirit that keeps me prisoner, and will not release me until I have sworn an oath to become his wife, will soon return.  His name is Misdral, he is very fierce and mighty, and lives among the waste rocks over there on the north shore of the lake.  You have my thanks for your good intention, and now proceed on your journey.”  The knight, however, did not follow her advice, but approached the beautiful woman without more words, and caught hold of her hair to unbind it from the ring.  No sooner had he touched the emeralds than two brown snakes came hissing towards him.

“Oho!” exclaimed Sir Wendelin.  With one hand he caught their two necks together in his powerful grip, with the other he grasped their tails, tore them in two, and threw them out onto the cliffs above the lake.

When the imprisoned lady saw this, she heaved a deep sigh of relief and spoke:  “Now I believe that you will be able to liberate me.  Draw this ring from my finger!”

The knight obeyed and as he touched the lady’s fingers, which were slender and pointed, he felt his heart warm within him, and he would gladly have kissed her.  But he only withdrew the ring.  As he forced it onto the end of his own little finger the lady said to him:  “Whenever you turn it round you will be changed to a falcon; for you must know. . . .  But woe to us!  There, where the water is lashed into foam, is the monster swimming towards us!”

She had hardly finished before a hideous creature drew itself out of the lake.  It looked as if it were covered with mouldering pumice-stone.  Two toads peeped from the cavities of the eyes, brown eel-grass hung dripping and disordered over its neck and forehead, and in place of teeth there were long iron spikes in its jaws which protruded and crossed one another over its lips.