Page:Singular adventures of Sir Gawen, and the enchanted castle.pdf/6

6 deep and settled gloom, that scarce permitted the moon to stream by sits upon the building Sir Gawen drew near; ardent curiosity mingled with awe, dilated his bosom, and he inwardly congratulated himself upon so singular an adventure, when turning round to question his companion, a glimpse of the moon poured full upon his eye so horrid a contexture of feature, so wild and preternatural a combination, that smote with terror, and unable to move a cold sweat trickled from every pore and immediately this infernal being, seizing him by the arm & hurrying him over the drawbridge to the great entrance of the keep the portcullis fell with a tremenduous sound, & the knight starting as it were from a trance drew his sword in act to destroy his treacherous guide, when instantly a horrible and infernal laugh burst from her, and in a moment the whole castle was in an uproar peal after peal issuing from every quarter, till at length growing faint. they died away and a dead silence ensued. SiSir [sic] Gawen who during this strange tumult had collected all his scattered powers, now looked round him with determined resolution; his terrible companion had disappeared, and the moon shining full upon the portcullis, convinced him that any escape that way was impracticable; the wind sighed through the elms: