But concerning his own story my father asked the stranger no more until he chose to open the matter himself.
After supper there was all the tale to be told, and when that was done the Welshman slept before the hall fire with the house-carles, but my father had me with him in the closed chamber beyond the high seat, for it seemed that he would not let me go beyond his sight again yet.
Now, that is how Owen came to me at first, and the first thing therefore that I owe to him is nothing less than life itself.

And from that time we have been, as I have said, together in all things.
On the next morning my father made his guest take him back over the ground we had crossed together, for no fresh snow had fallen, and the footprints were plain to be followed almost from the gate of the hall stockade.

So they came at last to the tree, and on it the head hung yet, but the body was clean gone.

All round the tree the snow was reddened and trampled by the fierce beasts who leapt to reach the head, and the marks of their clawing was on the trunk, where they had tried to climb it.

From the footmarks it seemed that there were eight or nine of them.