Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table 5

Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table 5

At length they reached an open space where there was a black lawn, and

on the lawn a black hawthorn, whereon hung a black banner on one side,

and a black shield and spear, big and long, on the other. Close by stood

a black horse covered with silk, fastened to a black stone. A Knight,

covered with black armour, sat on the horse, and when she saw him the

damsel bade him ride away, as his horse was not saddled. But the Knight

drew near and said to her, "Damsel, have you brought this Knight from

King Arthur's Court to be your champion?" "No, truly," answered she,

"this is but a kitchen boy, fed by King Arthur for charity." "Then why

is he clad in armour?" asked the Knight; "it is a shame that he should

even bear you company." "I cannot be rid of him," said she, "he rides

with me against my will. I would that you were able to deliver me from

him! Either slay him or frighten him off, for by ill fortune he has this

day slain the two Knights of the passage." "I wonder much," said the

Black Knight, "that any man who is well born should consent to fight

with him." "They do not know him," replied the damsel, "and they think

he must be a famous Knight because he rides with me." "That may be,"

said the Black Knight, "but he is well made, and looks likely to be a

strong man; still I promise you I will just throw him to the ground, and

take away his horse and armour, for it would be a shame to me to do

more." When Sir Beaumains heard him talk thus he looked up and said,

"Sir Knight, you are lightly disposing of my horse and armour, but I

would have you know that I will pass this lawn against your will or not,

and you will only get my horse and armour if you win them in fair fight.

Therefore let me see what you can do." "Say you so?" answered the

Knight, "now give up the lady at once, for it ill becomes a kitchen page

to ride with a lady of high degree." "It is a lie," said Beaumains, "I

am a gentleman born, and my birth is better than yours, as I will prove

upon your body."

 

With that they drew back their horses so as to charge each other hotly,

and for the space of an hour and a half they fought fiercely and well,

but in the end a blow from Beaumains threw the Knight from his horse,

and he swooned and died. Then Beaumains jumped down, and seeing that the

Knight's horse and armour were better than his own, he took them for

himself and rode after the damsel. While they were thus riding together,

and the damsel was chiding him as ever she did, they saw a Knight coming

towards them dressed all in green. "Is that my brother the Black Knight

who is with you?" asked he of the damsel. "No, indeed," she replied,

"this unhappy kitchen knave has slain your brother, to my great sorrow."

"Alas!" sighed the Green Knight, "that my brother should die so meanly

at the hand of a kitchen knave. Traitor!" he added, turning to

Beaumains, "thou shalt die for slaying my brother, for he was a noble

Knight, and his name was Sir Percard." "I defy you," said Beaumains,

"for I slew him as a good Knight should."

 

Then the Green Knight seized a horn which hung from a thorn tree, and

blew three notes upon it, and two damsels came and armed him, and

fastened on him a green shield and a green spear. So the fight began and

raged long, first on horseback and then on foot, till both were sore

wounded. At last the damsel came and stood beside them, and said, "My

lord the Green Knight, why for very shame do you stand so long fighting

a kitchen knave? You ought never to have been made a Knight at all!"

These scornful words stung the heart of the Green Knight, and he dealt a

mighty stroke which cleft asunder the shield of Beaumains. And when

Beaumains saw this, he struck a blow upon the Knight's helmet which

brought him to his knees, and Beaumains leapt on him, and dragged him to

the ground. Then the Green Knight cried for mercy, and offered to yield

himself prisoner unto Beaumains. "It is all in vain," answered

Beaumains, "unless the damsel prays me for your life," and therewith he

unlaced his helmet as though he would slay him. "Fie upon thee, false

kitchen page!" said the damsel, "I will never pray to save his life, for

I am sure he is in no danger." "Suffer me not to die," entreated the

Knight, "when a word may save me! Fair Knight," he went on, turning to

Beaumains, "save my life, and I will forgive you the death of my

brother, and will do you service for ever, and will bring thirty of my

Knights to serve you likewise." "It is a shame," cried the damsel, "that

such a kitchen knave should have you and thirty Knights besides." "Sir

Knight," said Beaumains, "I care nothing for all this, but if I am to

spare your life the damsel must ask for it," and he stepped forward as

if to slay him. "Let be, foul knave," then said the damsel, "do not slay

him. If you do, you will repent it." "Damsel," answered Beaumains, "it

is a pleasure to me to obey you, and at your wish I will save his life.

Sir Knight with the green arms, I release you at the request of this

damsel, and I will fulfil all she charges me."

 

Then the Green Knight kneeled down, and did him homage with his sword.

"I am sorry," said the damsel, "for the wounds you have received, and

for your brother's death, for I had great need of you both, and have

much dread of passing the forest." "Fear nothing," answered the Green

Knight, "for this evening you shall lodge in my house, and to-morrow I

will show you the way through the forest." And they went with the Green

Knight. But the damsel did not mend her ways with Beaumains, and ever

more reviled him, till the Green Knight rebuked her, saying Beaumains

was the noblest Knight that held a spear, and that in the end she would

find he had sprung from some great King. And the Green Knight summoned

the thirty Knights who did him service, and bade them henceforth do

service to Beaumains, and guard him from treachery, and when he had need

of them they would be ready to obey his orders. So they bade each other

farewell, and Beaumains and the damsel rode forth anew. In like manner

did Sir Beaumains overcome the Red Knight, who was the third brother,

and the Red Knight cried for mercy, and offered to bring sixty Knights

to do him service, and Beaumains spared his life at the request of the

damsel, and likewise it so happened to Sir Persant of Inde.

 

And this time the damsel prayed Beaumains to give up the fight, saying,

"Sir, I wonder who you are and of what kindred you have come. Boldly you

speak, and boldly you have done; therefore I pray you to depart and save

yourself while you may, for both you and your horse have suffered great

fatigues, and I fear we delay too long, for the besieged castle is but

seven miles from this place, and all the perils are past save this one

only. I dread sorely lest you should get some hurt; yet this Sir Persant

of Inde is nothing in might to the Knight who has laid siege to my

lady." But Sir Beaumains would not listen to her words, and vowed that

by two hours after noon he would have overthrown him, and that it would

still be daylight when they reached the castle. "What sort of a man can

you be?" answered the damsel, looking at him in wonder, "for never did a

woman treat a Knight as ill and shamefully as I have done you, while you

have always been gentle and courteous to me, and no one bears himself

like that save he who is of noble blood." "Damsel," replied Beaumains,

"your hard words only drove me to strike the harder, and though I ate in

King Arthur's kitchen, perhaps I might have had as much food as I wanted

elsewhere. But all I have done was to make proof of my friends, and

whether I am a gentleman or not, fair damsel, I have done you

gentleman's service, and may perchance do you greater service before we

part from each other." "Alas, fair Beaumains, forgive me all that I have

said and done against you." "With all my heart," he answered, "and since

you are pleased now to speak good words to me, know that I hear them

gladly, and there is no Knight living but I feel strong enough to meet

him."

 

So Beaumains conquered Sir Persant of Inde, who brought a hundred

Knights to be sworn into his service, and the next morning the damsel

led him to the castle, where the Red Knight of the Red Lawn held fast

the lady. "Heaven defend you," cried Sir Persant, when they told him

where they were going; "that is the most perilous Knight now living, for

he has the strength of seven men. He has done great wrong to that lady,

who is one of the fairest in all the world, and it seems to me that this

damsel must be her sister. Is not her name Linet?" "Yes, Sir," answered

she, "and my lady my sister's name is dame Lyonesse." "The Red Knight

has drawn out the siege for two years," said Sir Persant, "though he

might have forced an entrance many a time, but he hoped that Sir

Lancelot du Lake or Sir Tristram or Sir Gawaine should come to do battle

with him." "My Lord Sir Persant of Inde," said the damsel, "I bid you

knight this gentleman before he fight with the Red Knight." "That I will

gladly," replied Sir Persant, "if it please him to take the order of

knighthood from so simple a man as I am." "Sir," answered Beaumains, "I

thank you for your goodwill, but at the beginning of this quest I was

made a Knight by Sir Lancelot. My name is Sir Gareth of Orkney and Sir

Gawaine is my brother, though neither he nor King Arthur, whose sister

is my mother, knows of it. I pray you to keep it close also."

 

Now word was brought unto the besieged lady by the dwarf that her sister

was coming to her with a Knight sent by King Arthur. And when the lady

heard all that Beaumains had done, and how he had overthrown all who

stood in his way, she bade her dwarf take baked venison, and fat capons,

and two silver flagons of wine and a gold cup, and put them into the

hands of a hermit that dwelt in a hermitage close by. The dwarf did so,

and the lady then sent him to greet her sister and Sir Beaumains, and to

beg them to eat and drink in the hermit's cell, and rest themselves,

which they did. When they drew near the besieged castle Sir Beaumains

saw full forty Knights, with spurs on their heels and swords in their

hands, hanging from the tall trees that stood upon the lawn. "Fair Sir,"

said the damsel, "these Knights came hither to rescue my sister, dame

Lyonesse; and if you cannot overthrow the Knight of the Red Lawn, you

will hang there too."

 

[Illustration: The Lady of Lyonesse sees Sir Gareth]

 

"Truly," answered Beaumains, "it is a marvel that none of King Arthur's

Knights has dealt with the Knight of the Red Lawn ere this;" and they

rode up to the castle, which had round it high walls and deep ditches,

till they came to a great sycamore tree, where hung a horn. And whoso

desired to do battle with the Red Knight must blow that horn loudly.

 

"Sir, I pray you," said Linet, as Beaumains bent forward to seize it,

"do not blow it till it is full noontide, for during three hours before

that the Red Knight's strength so increases that it is as the strength

of seven men; but when noon is come, he has the might of one man only."

 

"Ah! for shame, damsel, to say such words. I will fight him as he is, or

not at all," and Beaumains blew such a blast that it rang through the

castle. And the Red Knight buckled on his armour, and came to where

Beaumains stood. So the battle began, and a fierce one it was, and much

ado had Beaumains to last out till noon, when the Red Knight's strength

began to wane; they rested, and came on again, and in the end the Red

Knight yielded to Sir Beaumains, and the lords and barons in the castle

did homage to the victor, and begged that the Red Knight's life might be

spared on condition they all took service with Beaumains. This was

granted to them, and Linet bound up his wounds and put ointment on them,

and so she did likewise to Sir Beaumains. But the Red Knight was sent to

the Court of King Arthur, and told him all that Sir Beaumains had done.