Stories of Charlemagne and the Twelve Peers of France by Alfred John Church

After these things it was told Huon that there was a certain tower / not far from the city of Tormont, a very marvellous place where there / dwelt a giant, Angolafer by name. The gate of this tower, for so the / story ran, was kept by two men of brass, each of whom held in his / hand an iron flail. These two beat with their flails without ceasing / for one single moment, the one striking while the other ceased; and / this they did so quickly that not even a swallow could fly between / them without taking harm. But if a man could by any means pass into / the tower, and overcome the giant, then he would find treasures / without end.

When Huon heard of these things, he thought in himself, "This is an / adventure after my own heart. " So he made his way to the tower. / When he saw the men of brass striking with their flails, he wondered / much how he might win by them. After a while he spied a bason of / gold, tied with a chain to a marble pillar; on this he struck three / great strokes with his sword, for he said to himself, "If I may come / to speech with some human creature 'twere better than dealing with / these men of brass. " And so it fell out. There was a certain damsel / in the tower, Sybil by name, whom the giant kept prisoner, and she, / hearing the sound, ran to a window and looked out. When she saw / Huon, she said, "Who is this? He is a fair knight. I judge him to / be of France, for I see on his shoulder three crosses, gules; 'twere / a pity that he should come to harm; yet what could fifty knights do / against this giant? Yet if he is come for some good end, I would / fain help him."