The knight turned to Gawain at once: 'Take whichever you prefer,' he said, 'and I will take the other.'
'I hardly know which to choose,' Gawain replied, 'but since you so kindly give me the choice, it is not right for me to keep you waiting. I will take the Water-bridge.'
So the two knights parted, and Gawain rode down the path the girl had shown. He rode for many days, for the path twisted here and there and the way was steep and stony.
At last he sees the bridge and dismounts, wondering how he can cross it. The river is very wide and, as the girl has said, as much water churns and bubbles above the bridge as flows beneath it. Gawain thinks it is unlikely that he can hold his breath long enough to walk on the bridge underwater to the other side, but he is determined to try.
As he goes closer, the river seems suddenly still and, taking a deep breath, Gawain wades onto the bridge and into the glassy green water. It comes to his knees, then his chest, then above his head. The bridge is narrow and slippery, but Gawain keeps his footing well, until suddenly in midstream the bridge seems to flip him off and he flies head over heels into the river. At once the water begins to whirl and churn, and apart from the water that rushes in at his ears and eyes and mouth, Gawain is buffeted and bounced by the waves as much as if a whole gang of robbers was beating him black and blue.
