But the hound he saw tied to
a bench nigh the dais, and the bristles on the beast's neck arose,
and he snarled on Face-of-god, and strained on his leathern leash.
Then Face-of-god went up to him and called him by his name, Sure-
foot, and gave him his hand to lick, and he brought him water, and
fed him with flesh from the meat on the board; so the beast became
friendly and wagged his tail and whined and slobbered his hand.
Then he went all about the house, and saw and heard no living thing
therein save the mice in the panels and Sure-foot. So he came back
to the dais, and sat him down at the board and ate his fill, and
thought concerning his case. And it came into his mind that the
Woman of the Mountain had some deed for him to do which would try his
manliness and exalt his fame; and his heart rose high and he was
glad, and he saw himself sitting beside her on the dais of a very
fair hall beloved and honoured of all the folk, and none had aught to
say against him or owed him any grudge. Thus he pleased himself in
thinking of the good days to come, sitting there till the hall grew
dusk and dark and the night-wind moaned about it.
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