King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
hart, with a white hound next after him, and thirty couple of black
running hounds, making full cry; and the hart made circuit of the Table
Round, and past the other tables; and suddenly the white hound flew upon
him and bit him fiercely, and tore out a piece from his haunch. Whereat
the hart sprang suddenly with a great leap, and overthrew a knight
sitting at the table, who rose forthwith, and, taking up the hound,
mounted, and rode fast away.
But no sooner had he left, than there came in a lady, mounted on a white
palfrey, who cried out to the king, "Lord, suffer me not to have this
injury!--the hound is mine which that knight taketh." And as she spake,
a knight rode in all armed, on a great horse, and suddenly took up the
lady and rode away with her by force, although she greatly cried and
moaned.
Then the king desired Sir Gawain, Sir Tor, and King Pellinore to mount
and follow this adventure to the uttermost; and told Sir Gawain to bring
back the hart, Sir Tor the hound and knight, and King Pellinore the
knight and the lady.
So Sir Gawain rode forth at a swift pace, and with him Gaheris, his
brother, for a squire. And as they went, they saw two knights fighting
on horseback, and when they reached them they divided them and asked the
reason of their quarrel. "We fight for a foolish matter," one replied,
"for we be brethren; but there came by a white hart this way, chased by
many hounds, and thinking it was an adventure for the high feast of King
Arthur, I would have followed it to have gained worship; whereat my
younger brother here declared he was the better knight and would go
after it instead, and so we fight to prove which of us be the better
knight."
"This is a foolish thing," said Sir Gawain. "Fight with all strangers,
if ye will, but not brother with brother. Take my advice, set on against
me, and if ye yield to me, as I shall do my best to make ye, ye shall go
to King Arthur and yield ye to his grace."
"Sir knight," replied the brothers, "we are weary, and will do thy wish
without encountering thee; but by whom shall we tell the king that we
were sent?"
"By the knight that followeth the quest of the white hart," said Sir
Gawain. "And now tell me your names, and let us part."
"Sorlous and Brian of the Forest," they replied; and so they went their
way to the king's court.
Then Sir Gawain, still following his quest by the distant baying of the
hounds, came to a great river, and saw the hart swimming over and near
to the further bank. And as he was about to plunge in and swim after, he
saw a knight upon the other side, who cried, "Come not over here, Sir
knight, after that hart, save thou wilt joust with me."
"I will not fail for that," said Sir Gawain; and swam his horse across
the stream.
Anon they got their spears, and ran against each other fiercely; and Sir
Gawain smote the stranger off his horse, and turning, bade him yield.
"Nay," replied he, "not so; for though ye have the better of me on
horseback, I pray thee, valiant knight, alight, and let us match
together with our swords on foot."
"What is thy name?" quoth Gawain.
"Allardin of the Isles," replied the stranger.
Then they fell on each other; but soon Sir Gawain struck him through the
helm, so deeply and so hard, that all his brains were scattered, and Sir
Allardin fell dead. "Ah," said Gaheris, "that was a mighty stroke for a
young knight!"
Then did they turn again to follow the white hart, and let slip three
couple of greyhounds after him; and at the last they chased him to a
castle, and there they overtook and slew him, in the chief courtyard.
At that there rushed a knight forth from a chamber, with a drawn sword
in his hand, and slew two of the hounds before their eyes, and chased
the others from the castle, crying, "Oh, my white hart! alas, that thou
art dead! for thee my sovereign lady gave to me, and evil have I kept
thee; but if I live, thy death shall be dear bought." Anon he went
within and armed, and came out fiercely, and met Sir Gawain face to
face.
"Why have ye slain my hounds?" said Sir Gawain; "they did but after
their nature: and ye had better have taken vengeance on me than on the
poor dumb beasts."
"I will avenge me on thee, also," said the other, "ere thou depart this
place."
Then did they fight with each other savagely and madly, till the blood
ran down to their feet. But at last Sir Gawain had the better, and
felled the knight of the castle to the ground. Then he cried out for
mercy, and yielded to Sir Gawain, and besought him as he was a knight
and gentleman to save his life. "Thou shalt die," said Sir Gawain, "for
slaying my hounds."
"I will make thee all amends within my power," replied the knight.
But Sir Gawain would have no mercy, and unlaced his helm to strike his
head off; and so blind was he with rage, that he saw not where a lady
ran out from her chamber and fell down upon his enemy. And making a
fierce blow at him, he smote off by mischance the lady's head.
"Alas!" cried Gaheris, "foully and shamefully have ye done--the shame
shall never leave ye! Why give ye not your mercy unto them that ask it?
a knight without mercy is without worship also."
Then Sir Gawain was sore amazed at that fair lady's death, and knew not
what to do, and said to the fallen knight, "Arise, for I will give thee
mercy."
"Nay, nay," said he, "I care not for thy mercy now, for thou hast slain
my lady and my love--that of all earthly things I loved the best."
"I repent me sorely of it," said Sir Gawain, "for I meant to have struck
thee: but now shalt thou go to King Arthur and tell him this adventure,
and how thou hast been overcome by the knight that followeth the quest
of the white hart."
"I care not whether I live or die, or where I go," replied the knight.
So Sir Gawain sent him to the court to Camelot, making him bear one dead
greyhound before and one behind him on his horse. "Tell me thy name
before we part," said he.
"My name is Athmore of the Marsh," he answered.
Then went Sir Gawain into the castle, and prepared to sleep there and
began to unarm; but Gaheris upbraided him, saying, "Will ye disarm in
this strange country? bethink ye, ye must needs have many enemies
about."
No sooner had he spoken than there came out suddenly four knights, well
armed, and assailed them hard, saying to Sir Gawain, "Thou new-made
knight, how hast thou shamed thy knighthood! a knight without mercy is
dishonored! Slayer of fair ladies, shame to thee evermore! Doubt not
thou shalt thyself have need of mercy ere we leave thee."
Then were the brothers in great jeopardy, and feared for their lives,
for they were but two to four, and weary with traveling; and one of the
four knights shot Sir Gawain with a bolt, and hit him through the arm,
so that he could fight no more. But when there was nothing left for them
but death, there came four ladies forth and prayed the four knights'
mercy for the strangers. So they gave Sir Gawain and Gaheris their
lives, and made them yield themselves prisoners.
On the morrow, came one of the ladies to Sir Gawain, and talked with
him, saying, "Sir knight, what cheer?"
"Not good," said he.
"It is your own default, sir," said the lady, "for ye have done a
passing foul deed in slaying that fair damsel yesterday--and ever shall
it be great shame to you. But ye be not of King Arthur's kin."
"Yea, truly am I," said he; "my name is Gawain, son of King Lot of
Orkney, whom King Pellinore slew--and my mother, Belisent, is
half-sister to the king."
When the lady heard that, she went and presently got leave for him to
quit the castle; and they gave him the head of the white hart to take
with him, because it was in his quest; but made him also carry the dead
lady with him--her head hung round his neck and her body lay before him
on his horse's neck.
So in that fashion he rode back to Camelot; and when the king and queen
saw him, and heard tell of his adventures, they were heavily displeased,
and, by order of the queen, he was put upon his trial before a court of
ladies--who judged him to be evermore, for all his life, the knight of
ladies' quarrels, and to fight always on their side, and never against
any, except he fought for one lady and his adversary for another; also
they charged him never to refuse mercy to him that asked it, and swore
him to it on the Holy Gospels. Thus ended the adventure of the white
hart.
Meanwhile, Sir Tor had made him ready, and followed the knight who rode
away with the hound. And as he went, there suddenly met him in the road
a dwarf, who struck his horse so viciously upon the head with a great
staff, that he leaped backwards a spear's length.
"Wherefore so smitest thou my horse, foul dwarf?" shouted Sir Tor.
"Because thou shalt not pass this way," replied the dwarf, "unless thou
fight for it with yonder knights in those pavilions," pointing to two
tents, where two great spears stood out, and two shields hung upon two
trees hard by.
"I may not tarry, for I am on a quest I needs must follow," said Sir
Tor.
"Thou shalt not pass," replied the dwarf, and therewith blew his horn.
Then rode out quickly at Sir Tor one armed on horseback, but Sir Tor was
quick as he, and riding at him bore him from his horse, and made him
yield. Directly after came another still more fiercely, but with a few
great strokes and buffets Sir Tor unhorsed him also, and sent them both
to Camelot to King Arthur. Then came the dwarf and begged Sir Tor to
take him in his service, "for," said he, "I will serve no more recreant
knights."
"Take then a horse, and come with me," said Tor.
"Ride ye after the knight with the white hound?" said the dwarf; "I can
soon bring ye where he is."
So they rode through the forest till they came to two more tents. And
Sir Tor alighting, went into the first, and saw three damsels lie there,
sleeping. Then went he to the other, and found another lady also
sleeping, and at her feet the white hound he sought for, which instantly
began to bay and bark so loudly, that the lady woke. But Sir Tor had
seized the hound and given it to the dwarf's charge.
"What will ye do, Sir knight?" cried out the lady; "will ye take away my
hound from me by force?"
"Yea, lady," said Sir Tor; "for so I must, having the king's command;
and I have followed it from King Arthur's court, at Camelot, to this
place."
"Well," said the lady, "ye will not go far before ye be ill handled, and
will repent ye of the quest."
"I shall cheerfully abide whatsoever adventure cometh, by the grace of
God," said Sir Tor; and so mounted his horse and began to ride back on
his way. But night coming on, he turned aside to a hermitage that was in
the forest, and there abode till the next day, making but sorrowful
cheer of such poor food as the hermit had to give him, and hearing a
Mass devoutly before he left on the morrow.
And in the early morning, as he rode forth with the dwarf towards
Camelot, he heard a knight call loudly after him, "Turn, turn! Abide,
Sir knight, and yield me up the hound thou tookest from my lady." At
which he turned, and saw a great and strong knight, armed full
splendidly, riding down upon him fiercely through a glade of the forest.
Now Sir Tor was very ill provided, for he had but an old courser, which
was as weak as himself, because of the hermit's scanty fare. He waited,
nevertheless, for the strange knight to come, and at the first onset
with their spears, each unhorsed the other, and then fell to with their
swords like two mad lions. Then did they smite through one another's
shields and helmets till the fragments flew on all sides, and their
blood ran out in streams; but yet they carved and rove through the thick
armor of the hauberks, and gave each other great and ghastly wounds. But