The deformed savage was then by the fire, with his face besmeared¹ with the clotted blood of swine², part of which he had already devoured, and was roasting the remainder upon spits³ by the fire. But at the sight of them, whose appearance was a surprise to him, he hastened to his club⁴, which two strong men could hardly lift from the ground. Upon this the king drew his sword, and guarding himself with his shield, ran with all his speed to prevent his getting it. But the other […] gave the king such a terrible blow⁵ upon his shield, that he made the shores⁶ ring with the noise, and perfectly stunned the king's ears with it. Arthur, fired with rage at this, lifted up his sword, and gave him a wound in the forehead, which was not indeed mortal, but yet such as made the blood gush out over his face and eyes, and so blinded him […]. However, his loss of sight, by reason of the blood flowing over his eyes, made him exert⁷ himself with greater fury. […] But Arthur, nothing daunted⁸, slipped out of his hands, and so bestirred⁹ himself with his sword, that he gave the giant no respite till he had struck it up to the very back through his skull. At this the hideous monster raised a dreadful roar, and like an oak torn up from the roots by the winds, so did he make the ground resound with his fall. Arthur, bursting out into a fit of laughter at the sight, commanded Bedver to cut off his head, and give it to one of the armour-bearers, who was to carry it to the camp, and there expose it to public view, but with orders for the spectators of this combat to keep silence. […] After this victory, they returned at the second watch of the night to the camp with the head; to see which there was a great concourse of people, all extolling¹⁰ this wonderful exploit of Arthur, by which he had freed the country from a most destructive and voracious monster.