King Arthur was at
Caerlleon upon Usk; and one day he sat in his chamber; and with him
were Owain the son of Urien, and Kynon the son of Clydno, and Kai
the son of Kyner; and Gwenhwyvar and her handmaidens at needlework
by the window. And if it should be said that there was a porter at
Arthur’s palace, there was none. Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr was there,
acting as porter, to welcome guests and strangers, and to receive
them with honour, and to inform them of the manners and customs of
the Court; and to direct those who came to the Hall or to the
presence-chamber, and those who came to take up their
lodging.
In the centre of the chamber King
Arthur sat upon a seat of green rushes, over which was spread a
covering of flame-coloured satin, and a cushion of red satin was
under his elbow.
Then Arthur spoke, “If I thought
you would not disparage me,” said he, “I would sleep while I wait
for my repast; and you can entertain one another with relating
tales, and can obtain a flagon of mead and some meat from Kai.”
And the King went to sleep. And Kynon the son of Clydno asked Kai
for that which Arthur had promised them. “I, too, will have the
good tale which he promised to me,” said Kai. “Nay,” answered
Kynon, “fairer will it be for thee to fulfill Arthur’s behest, in
the first place, and then we will tell thee the best tale that we
know.” So Kai went to the kitchen and to the mead-cellar, and
returned bearing a flagon of mead and a golden goblet, and a
handful of skewers, upon which were broiled collops of meat. Then
they ate the collops and began to drink the mead. “Now,” said Kai,
“it is time for you to give me my story.” “Kynon,” said Owain, “do
thou pay to Kai the tale that is his due.” “Truly,” said Kynon,
“thou are older, and art a better teller of tales, and hast seen
more marvellous things than I; do thou therefore pay Kai his tale.”
“Begin thyself,” quoth Owain, “with the best that thou knowest.”
“I will do so,” answered Kynon.
“I was the only son of my mother
and father, and I was exceedingly aspiring, and my daring was very
great. I thought there was no enterprise in the world too mighty
for me, and after I had achieved all the adventures that were in my
own country, I equipped myself, and set forth to journey through
deserts and distant regions. And at length it chanced that I came
to the fairest valley in the world, wherein were trees of equal
growth; and a river ran through the valley, and a path was by the
side of the river. And I followed the path until mid-day, and
continued my journey along the remainder of the valley until the
evening; and at the extremity of a plain I came to a large and
lustrous Castle, at the foot of which was a torrent. And I
approached the Castle, and there I beheld two youths with yellow
curling hair, each with a frontlet of gold upon his head, and clad
in a garment of yellow satin, and they had gold clasps upon their
insteps. In the hand of each of them was an ivory bow, strung with
the sinews of the stag; and their arrows had shafts of the bone of
the whale, and were winged with peacock’s feathers; the shafts also
had golden heads. And they had daggers with blades of gold, and
with hilts of the bone of the whale. And they were shooting their
daggers.
“And a little way from them I saw
a man in the prime of life, with his beard newly shorn, clad in a
robe and a mantle of yellow satin; and round the top of his mantle
was a band of gold lace. On his feet were shoes of variegated
leather, fastened by two bosses of gold. When I saw him, I went
towards him and saluted him, and such was his courtesy that he no
sooner received my greeting than he returned it. And he went with
me towards the Castle. Now there were no dwellers in the Castle
except those who were in one hall. And there I saw four-and-twenty
damsels, embroidering satin at a window. And this I tell thee,
Kai, that the least fair of them was fairer than the fairest maid
thou hast ever beheld in the Island of Britain, and the least
lovely of them was more lovely than Gwenhwyvar, the wife of Arthur,
when she has appeared loveliest at the Offering, on the day of the
Nativity, or at the feast of Easter. They rose up at my coming,
and six of them took my horse, and divested me of my armour; and
six others took my arms, and washed them in a vessel until they
were perfectly bright. And the third six spread cloths upon the
tables and prepared meat. And the fourth six took off my soiled
garments, and placed others upon me; namely, an under-vest and a
doublet of fine linen, and a robe, and a surcoat, and a mantle of
yellow satin with a broad gold band upon the mantle. And they
placed cushions both beneath and around me, with coverings of red
linen; and I sat down. Now the six maidens who had taken my horse,
unharnessed him, as well as if they had been the best squires in
the Island of Britain. Then, behold, they brought bowls of silver
wherein was water to wash, and towels of linen, some green and some
white; and I washed. And in a little while the man sat down to the
table. And I sat next to him, and below me sat all the maidens,
except those who waited on us. And the table was of silver, and
the cloths upon the table were of linen; and no vessel was served
upon the table that was not either of gold or of silver, or of
buffalo-horn. And our meat was brought to us. And verily, Kai, I
saw there every sort of meat and every sort of liquor that I have
ever seen elsewhere; but the meat and the liquor were better served
there than I have ever seen them in any other place.
“Until the repast was half over,
neither the man nor any one of the damsels spoke a single word to
me; but when the man perceived that it would be more agreeable to
me to converse than to eat any more, he began to inquire of me who
I was. I said I was glad to find that there was some one who would
discourse with me, and that it was not considered so great a crime
at that Court for people to hold converse together. ‘Chieftain,’
said the man, ‘we would have talked to thee sooner, but we feared
to disturb thee during thy repast; now, however, we will
discourse.’ Then I told the man who I was, and what was the cause
of my journey; and said that I was seeking whether any one was
superior to me, or whether I could gain the mastery over all. The
man looked upon me, and he smiled and said, ‘If I did not fear to
distress thee too much, I would show thee that which thou seekest.’
Upon this I became anxious and sorrowful, and when the man
perceived it, he said, ‘If thou wouldest rather that I should show
thee thy disadvantage than thine advantage, I will do so. Sleep
here to-night, and in the morning arise early, and take the road
upwards through the valley until thou reachest the wood through
which thou camest hither. A little way within the wood thou wilt
meet with a road branching off to the right, by which thou must
proceed, until thou comest to a large sheltered glade with a mound
in the centre. And thou wilt see a black man of great stature on
the top of the mound. He is not smaller in size than two of the
men of this world. He has but one foot; and one eye in the middle
of his forehead. And he has a club of iron, and it is certain that
there are no two men in the world who would not find their burden
in that club. And he is not a comely man, but on the contrary he
is exceedingly ill-favoured; and he is the woodward of that wood.
And thou wilt see a thousand wild animals grazing around him.
Inquire of him the way out of the glade, and he will reply to thee
briefly, and will point out the road by which thou shalt find that
which thou art in quest of.’
“And long seemed that night to
me. And the next morning I arose and equipped myself, and mounted
my horse, and proceeded straight through the valley to the wood;
and I followed the cross-road which the man had pointed out to me,
till at length I arrived at the glade. And there was I three times
more astonished at the number of wild animals that I beheld, than
the man had said I should be. And the black man was there, sitting
upon the top of the mound. Huge of stature as the man had told me
that he was, I found him to exceed by far the description he had
given me of him. As for the iron club which the man had told me
was a burden for two men, I am certain, Kai, that it would be a
heavy weight for four warriors to lift; and this was in the black
man’s hand. And he only spoke to me in answer to my questions.
Then I asked him what power he held over those animals. ‘I will
show thee, little man,’ said he. And he took his club in his hand,
and with it he struck a stag a great blow so that he brayed
vehemently, and at his braying the animals came together, as
numerous as the stars in the sky, so that it was difficult for me
to find room in the glade to stand among them. There were
serpents, and dragons, and divers sorts of animals. And he looked
at them, and bade them go and feed; and they bowed their heads, and
did him homage as vassals to their lord.
“Then the black man said to me,
‘Seest thou now, little man, what power I hold over these animals?’
Then I inquired of him the way, and he became very rough in his
manner to me; however, he asked me whither I would go? And when I
told him who I was and what I sought, he directed me. ‘Take,’ said
he, ‘that path that leads towards the head of the glade, and ascend
the wooded steep until thou comest to its summit; and there thou
wilt find an open space like to a large valley, and in the midst of
it a tall tree, whose branches are greener than the greenest
pine-trees. Under this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the
fountain a marble slab, and on the marble slab a silver bowl,
attached by a chain of silver, so that it may not be carried away.
Take the bowl and throw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and thou
wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so that thou wilt think that
heaven and earth are trembling with its fury. With the thunder
there will come a shower so severe that it will be scarce possible
for thee to endure it and live. And the shower will be of
hailstones; and after the shower, the weather will become fair, but
every leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away by
the shower. Then a flight of birds will come and alight upon the
tree; and in thine own country thou didst never hear a strain so
sweet as that which they will sing. And at the moment thou art
most delighted with the song of the birds, thou wilt hear a
murmuring and complaining coming towards thee along the valley.
And thou wilt see a knight upon a coal-black horse, clothed in
black velvet, and with a pennon of black linen upon his lance; and
he will ride unto thee to encounter thee with the utmost speed. If
thou fleest from him he will overtake thee, and if thou abidest
there, as sure as thou art a mounted knight, he will leave thee on
foot. And if thou dost not find trouble in that adventure, thou
needest not seek it during the rest of thy life.’
“So I journeyed on, until I
reached the summit of the steep, and there I found everything as
the black man had described it to me. And I went up to the tree,
and beneath it I saw the fountain, and by its side the marble slab,
and the silver bowl fastened by the chain. Then I took the bowl,
and cast a bowlful of water upon the slab; and thereupon, behold,
the thunder came, much more violent than the black man had led me
to expect; and after the thunder came the shower; and of a truth I
tell thee, Kai, that there is neither man nor beast that can endure
that shower and live. For not one of those hailstones would be
stopped, either by the flesh or by the skin, until it had reached
the bone. I turned my horse’s flank towards the shower, and placed
the beak of my shield over his head and neck, while I held the
upper part of it over my own head. And thus I withstood the
shower. When I looked on the tree there was not a single leaf upon
it, and then the sky became clear, and with that, behold the birds
lighted upon the tree, and sang. And truly, Kai, I never heard any
melody equal to that, either before or since. And when I was most
charmed with listening to the birds, lo, a murmuring voice was
heard through the valley, approaching me and saying, ‘Oh, Knight,
what has brought thee hither? What evil have I done to thee, that
thou shouldst act towards me and my possessions as thou hast this
day? Dost thou not know that the shower to-day has left in my
dominions neither man nor beast alive that was exposed to it?’ And
thereupon, behold, a Knight on a black horse appeared, clothed in
jet-black velvet, and with a tabard of black linen about him. And
we charged each other, and, as the onset was furious, it was not
long before I was overthrown. Then the Knight passed the shaft of
his lance through the bridle rein of my horse, and rode off with
the two horses, leaving me where I was. And he did not even bestow
so much notice upon me as to imprison me, nor did he despoil me of
my arms. So I returned along the road by which I had come. And
when I reached the glade where the black man was, I confess to
thee, Kai, it is a marvel that I did not melt down into a liquid
pool, through the shame that I felt at the black man’s derision.
And that night I came to the same castle where I had spent the
night preceding. And I was more agreeably entertained that night
than I had been the night before; and I was better feasted, and I
conversed freely with the inmates of the castle, and none of them
alluded to my expedition to the fountain, neither did I mention it
to any; and I remained there that night. When I arose on the
morrow, I found, ready saddled, a dark bay palfrey, with nostrils
as red as scarlet; and after putting on my armour, and leaving
there my blessing, I returned to my own Court. And that horse I
still possess, and he is in the stable yonder. And I declare that
I would not part with him for the best palfrey in the Island of
Britain.
“Now of a truth, Kai, no man ever
before confessed to an adventure so much to his own discredit, and
verily it seems strange to me, that neither before nor since have I
heard of any person besides myself who knew of this adventure, and
that the subject of it should exist within King Arthur’s dominions,
without any other person lighting upon it.”
“Now,” quoth Owain, “would it not
be well to go and endeavour to discover that place?”
“By the hand of my friend,” said
Kai, “often dost thou utter that with thy tongue which thou wouldst
not make good with thy deeds.”
“In very truth,” said Gwenhwyvar,
“it were better thou wert hanged, Kai, than to use such uncourteous
speech towards a man like Owain.”
“By the hand of my friend, good
Lady,” said Kai, “thy praise of Owain is not greater than
mine.”
With that Arthur awoke, and asked
if he had not been sleeping a little.
“Yes, Lord,” answered Owain,
“thou hast slept awhile.”
“Is it time for us to go to
meat?”
“It is, Lord,” said Owain.
Then the horn for washing was
sounded, and the King and all his household sat down to eat. And
when the meal was ended, Owain withdrew to his lodging, and made
ready his horse and his arms.
On the morrow, with the dawn of
day, he put on his armour, and mounted his charger, and travelled
through distant lands and over desert mountains. And at length he
arrived at the valley which Kynon had described to him; and he was
certain that it was the same that he sought. And journeying along
the valley by the side of the river, he followed its course till he
came to the plain and within sight of the Castle. When he
approached the Castle, he saw the youths shooting their daggers in
the place where Kynon had seen them, and the yellow man, to whom
the Castle belonged, standing hard by. And no sooner had Owain
saluted the yellow man than he was saluted by him in return.
And he went forward towards the
Castle, and there he saw the chamber, and when he had entered the
chamber he beheld the maidens working at satin embroidery, in
chairs of gold. And their beauty and their comeliness seemed to
Owain far greater than Kynon had represented to him. And they rose
to wait upon Owain, as they had done to Kynon, and the meal which
they set before him gave more satisfaction to Owain than it had
done to Kynon.
About the middle of the repast,
the yellow man asked Owain the object of his journey. And Owain
made it known to him, and said, “I am in quest of the Knight who
guards the fountain.” Upon this the yellow man smiled, and said
that he was as loth to point out that adventure to Owain as he had
been to Kynon. However, he described the whole to Owain, and they
retired to rest.
The next morning Owain found his
horse made ready for him by the damsels, and he set forward and
came to the glade where the black man was. And the stature of the
black man seemed more wonderful to Owain than it had done to Kynon,
and Owain asked of him his road, and he showed it to him. And
Owain followed the road, as Kynon had done, till he came to the
green tree; and he beheld the fountain, and the slab beside the
fountain, with the bowl upon it. And Owain took the bowl, and
threw a bowlful of water upon the slab. And, lo, the thunder was
heard, and after the thunder came the shower, much more violent
than Kynon had described, and after the shower the sky became
bright. And when Owain looked at the tree, there was not one leaf
upon it. And immediately the birds came, and settled upon the
tree, and sang. And when their song was most pleasing to Owain, he
beheld a Knight coming towards him through the valley, and he
prepared to receive him; and encountered him violently. Having
broken both their lances, they drew their swords, and fought blade
to blade. Then Owain struck the Knight a blow through his helmet,
head-piece and visor, and through the skin, and the flesh, and the
bone, until it wounded the very brain. Then the black Knight felt
that he had received a mortal wound, upon which he turned his
horse’s head, and fled. And Owain pursued him, and followed close
upon him, although he was not near enough to strike him with his
sword. Thereupon Owain descried a vast and resplendent Castle.
And they came to the Castle gate. And the black Knight was allowed
to enter, and the portcullis was let fall upon Owain; and it struck
his horse behind the saddle, and cut him in two, and carried away
the rowels of the spurs that were upon Owain’s heels. And the
portcullis descended to the floor. And the rowels of the spurs and
part of the horse were without, and Owain with the other part of
the horse remained between the two gates, and the inner gate was
closed, so that Owain could not go thence; and Owain was in a
perplexing situation. And while he was in this state, he could see
through an aperture in the gate, a street facing him, with a row of
houses on each side. And he beheld a maiden, with yellow curling
hair, and a frontlet of gold upon her head; and she was clad in a
dress of yellow satin, and on her feet were shoes of variegated
leather. And she approached the gate, and desired that it should
be opened. “Heaven knows, Lady,” said Owain, “it is no more
possible for me to open to thee from hence, than it is for thee to
set me free.” “Truly,” said the damsel, “it is very sad that thou
canst not be released, and every woman ought to succour thee, for I
never saw one more faithful in the service of ladies than thou. As
a friend thou art the most sincere, and as a lover the most
devoted. Therefore,” quoth she, “whatever is in my power to do for
thy release, I will do it. Take this ring and put it on thy
finger, with the stone inside thy hand; and close thy hand upon the
stone. And as long as thou concealest it, it will conceal thee.
When they have consulted together, they will come forth to fetch
thee, in order to put thee to death; and they will be much grieved
that they cannot find thee. And I will await thee on the
horseblock yonder; and thou wilt be able to see me, though I cannot
see thee; therefore come and place thy hand upon my shoulder, that
I may know that thou art near me. And by the way that I go hence,
do thou accompany me.”
Then she went away from Owain,
and he did all that the maiden had told him. And the people of the
Castle came to seek Owain, to put him to death, and when they found
nothing but the half of his horse, they were sorely grieved.
And Owain vanished from among
them, and went to the maiden, and placed his hand upon her
shoulder; whereupon she set off, and Owain followed her, until they
came to the door of a large and beautiful chamber, and the maiden
opened it, and they went in, and closed the door. And Owain looked
around the chamber, and behold there was not even a single nail in
it that was not painted with gorgeous colours; and there was not a
single panel that had not sundry images in gold portrayed upon
it.
The maiden kindled a fire, and
took water in a silver bowl, and put a towel of white linen on her
shoulder, and gave Owain water to wash. Then she placed before him
a silver table, inlaid with gold; upon which was a cloth of yellow
linen; and she brought him food. And of a truth, Owain had never
seen any kind of meat that was not there in abundance, but it was
better cooked there than he had ever found it in any other place.
Nor did he ever see so excellent a display of meat and drink, as
there. And there was not one vessel from which he was served, that
was not of gold or of silver. And Owain ate and drank, until late
in the afternoon, when lo, they heard a mighty clamour in the
Castle; and Owain asked the maiden what that outcry was. “They are
administering extreme unction,” said she, “to the Nobleman who owns
the Castle.” And Owain went to sleep.
The couch which the maiden had
prepared for him was meet for Arthur himself; it was of scarlet,
and fur, and satin, and sendal, and fine linen. In the middle of
the night they heard a woful outcry. “What outcry again is this?”
said Owain. “The Nobleman who owned the Castle is now dead,” said
the maiden. And a little after daybreak, they heard an exceeding
loud clamour and wailing. And Owain asked the maiden what was the
cause of it. “They are bearing to the church the body of the
Nobleman who owned the Castle.”
And Owain rose up, and clothed
himself, and opened a window of the chamber, and looked towards the
Castle; and he could see neither the bounds, nor the extent of the
hosts that filled the streets. And they were fully armed; and a
vast number of women were with them, both on horseback and on foot;
and all the ecclesiastics in the city, singing. And it seemed to
Owain that the sky resounded with the vehemence of their cries, and
with the noise of the trumpets, and with the singing of the
ecclesiastics. In the midst of the throng, he beheld the bier,
over which was a veil of white linen; and wax tapers were burning
beside and around it, and none that supported the bier was lower in
rank than a powerful Baron.
Never did Owain see an assemblage
so gorgeous with satin, and silk, and sendal. And following the
train, he beheld a lady with yellow hair falling over her
shoulders, and stained with blood; and about her a dress of yellow
satin, which was torn. Upon her feet were shoes of variegated
leather. And it was a marvel that the ends of her fingers were not
bruised, from the violence with which she smote her hands together.
Truly she would have been the fairest lady Owain ever saw, had she
been in her usual guise. And her cry was louder than the shout of
the men, or the clamour of the trumpets. No sooner had he beheld
the lady, than he became inflamed with her love, so that it took
entire possession of him.
Then he inquired of the maiden
who the lady was. “Heaven knows,” replied the maiden, “she may be
said to be the fairest, and the most chaste, and the most liberal,
and the wisest, and the most noble of women. And she is my
mistress; and she is called the Countess of the Fountain, the wife
of him whom thou didst slay yesterday.” “Verily,” said Owain, “she
is the woman that I love best.” “Verily,” said the maiden, “she
shall also love thee not a little.”
And with that the maid arose, and
kindled a fire, and filled a pot with water, and placed it to warm;
and she brought a towel of white linen, and placed it around
Owain’s neck; and she took a goblet of ivory, and a silver basin,
and filled them with warm water, wherewith she washed Owain’s head.
Then she opened a wooden casket, and drew forth a razor, whose
haft was of ivory, and upon which were two rivets of gold. And she
shaved his beard, and she dried his head, and his throat, with the
towel. Then she rose up from before Owain, and brought him to eat.
And truly Owain had never so good a meal, nor was he ever so well
served.
When he had finished his repast,
the maiden arranged his couch. “Come here,” said she, “and sleep,
and I will go and woo for thee.” And Owain went to sleep, and the
maiden shut the door of the chamber after her, and went towards the
Castle. When she came there, she found nothing but mourning, and
sorrow; and the Countess in her chamber could not bear the sight of
any one through grief. Luned came and saluted her, but the
Countess answered her not. And the maiden bent down towards her,
and said, “What aileth thee, that thou answerest no one to-day?”
“Luned,” said the Countess, “what change hath befallen thee, that
thou hast not come to visit me in my grief? It was wrong in thee,
and I having made thee rich; it was wrong in thee that thou didst
not come to see me in my distress. That was wrong in thee.”
“Truly,” said Luned, “I thought thy good sense was greater than I
find it to be. Is it well for thee to mourn after that good man,
or for anything else, that thou canst not have?” “I declare to
heaven,” said the Countess, “that in the whole world there is not a
man equal to him.” “Not so,” said Luned, “for an ugly man would be
as good as, or better than he.” “I declare to heaven,” said the
Countess, “that were it not repugnant to me to cause to be put to
death one whom I have brought up, I would have thee executed, for
making such a comparison to me. As it is, I will banish thee.” “I
am glad,” said Luned, “that thou hast no other cause to do so, than
that I would have been of service to thee where thou didst not know
what was to thine advantage. And henceforth evil betide whichever
of us shall make the first advance towards reconciliation to the
other; whether I should seek an invitation from thee, or thou of
thine own accord shouldst send to invite me.”
With that Luned went forth: and
the Countess arose and followed her to the door of the chamber, and
began coughing loudly. And when Luned looked back, the Countess
beckoned to her; and she returned to the Countess. “In truth,”
said the Countess, “evil is thy disposition; but if thou knowest
what is to my advantage, declare it to me.” “I will do so,” quoth
she.
“Thou knowest that except by
warfare and arms it is impossible for thee to preserve thy
possessions; delay not, therefore, to seek some one who can defend
them.” “And how can I do that?” said the Countess. “I will tell
thee,” said Luned. “Unless thou canst defend the fountain, thou
canst not maintain thy dominions; and no one can defend the
fountain, except it be a knight of Arthur’s household; and I will
go to Arthur’s Court, and ill betide me, if I return thence without
a warrior who can guard the fountain as well as, or even better
than, he who defended it formerly.” “That will be hard to
perform,” said the Countess. “Go, however, and make proof of that
which thou hast promised.”
Luned set out, under the pretence
of going to Arthur’s Court; but she went back to the chamber where
she had left Owain; and she tarried there with him as long as it
might have taken her to have travelled to the Court of King Arthur.
And at the end of that time, she apparelled herself and went to
visit the Countess. And the Countess was much rejoiced when she
saw her, and inquired what news she brought from the Court. “I
bring thee the best of news,” said Luned, “for I have compassed the
object of my mission. When wilt thou, that I should present to
thee the chieftain who has come with me hither?” “Bring him here
to visit me to-morrow, at mid-day,” said the Countess, “and I will
cause the town to be assembled by that time.”
And Luned returned home. And the
next day, at noon, Owain arrayed himself in a coat, and a surcoat,
and a mantle of yellow satin, upon which was a broad band of gold
lace; and on his feet were high shoes of variegated leather, which
were fastened by golden clasps, in the form of lions. And they
proceeded to the chamber of the Countess.
Right glad was the Countess of
their coming, and she gazed steadfastly upon Owain, and said,
“Luned, this knight has not the look of a traveller.” “What harm
is there in that, lady?” said Luned. “I am certain,” said the
Countess, “that no other man than this chased the soul from the
body of my lord.” “So much the better for thee, lady,” said Luned,
“for had he not been stronger than thy lord he could not have
deprived him of life. There is no remedy for that which is past,
be it as it may.” “Go back to thine abode,” said the Countess,
“and I will take counsel.”
The next day the Countess caused
all her subjects to assemble, and showed them that her earldom was
left defenceless, and that it could not be protected but with horse
and arms, and military skill. “Therefore,” said she, “this is what
I offer for your choice: either let one of you take me, or give
your consent for me to take a husband from elsewhere to defend my
dominions.”
So they came to the determination
that it was better that she should have permission to marry some
one from elsewhere; and, thereupon, she sent for the bishops and
archbishops to celebrate her nuptials with Owain. And the men of
the earldom did Owain homage.
And Owain defended the Fountain
with lance and sword. And this is the manner in which he defended
it: Whensoever a knight came there he overthrew him, and sold him
for his full worth, and what he thus gained he divided among his
barons and his knights; and no man in the whole world could be more
beloved than he was by his subjects. And it was thus for the space
of three years.
It befell that as Gwalchmai went
forth one day with King Arthur, he perceived him to be very sad and
sorrowful. And Gwalchmai was much grieved to see Arthur in this
state; and he questioned him, saying, “Oh, my lord! what has
befallen thee?” “In sooth, Gwalchmai,” said Arthur, “I am grieved
concerning Owain, whom I have lost these three years, and I shall
certainly die if the fourth year passes without my seeing him. Now
I am sure, that it is through the tale which Kynon the son of
Clydno related, that I have lost Owain.” “There is no need for
thee,” said Gwalchmai, “to summon to arms thy whole dominions on
this account, for thou thyself and the men of thy household will be
able to avenge Owain, if he be slain; or to set him free, if he be
in prison; and, if alive, to bring him back with thee.” And it was
settled according to what Gwalchmai had said.
Then Arthur and the men of his
household prepared to go and seek Owain, and their number was three
thousand, besides their attendants. And Kynon the son of Clydno
acted as their guide. And Arthur came to the Castle where Kynon
had been before, and when he came there the youths were shooting in
the same place, and the yellow man was standing hard by. When the
yellow man saw Arthur he greeted him, and invited him to the
Castle; and Arthur accepted his invitation, and they entered the
Castle together. And great as was the number of his retinue, their
presence was scarcely observed in the Castle, so vast was its
extent. And the maidens rose up to wait on them, and the service
of the maidens appeared to them all to excel any attendance they
had ever met with; and even the pages who had charge of the horses
were no worse served, that night, than Arthur himself would have
been in his own palace.
The next morning Arthur set out
thence, with Kynon for his guide, and came to the place where the
black man was. And the stature of the black man was more
surprising to Arthur than it had been represented to him. And they
came to the top of the wooded steep, and traversed the valley till
they reached the green tree, where they saw the fountain, and the
bowl, and the slab. And upon that, Kai came to Arthur and spoke to
him. “My lord,” said he, “I know the meaning of all this, and my
request is, that thou wilt permit me to throw the water on the
slab, and to receive the first adventure that may befall.” And
Arthur gave him leave.
Then Kai threw a bowlful of water
upon the slab, and immediately there came the thunder, and after
the thunder the shower. And such a thunderstorm they had never
known before, and many of the attendants who were in Arthur’s train
were killed by the shower. After the shower had ceased the sky
became clear; and on looking at the tree they beheld it completely
leafless. Then the birds descended upon the tree, and the song of
the birds was far sweeter than any strain they had ever heard
before. Then they beheld a knight on a coal-black horse, clothed
in black satin, coming rapidly towards them. And Kai met him and
encountered him, and it was not long before Kai was overthrown.
And the knight withdrew, and Arthur and his host encamped for the
night.
And when they arose in the
morning, they perceived the signal of combat upon the lance of the
Knight. And Kai came to Arthur, and spoke to him: “My lord,” said
he, “though I was overthrown yesterday, if it seem good to thee, I
would gladly meet the Knight again to-day.” “Thou mayst do so,”
said Arthur. And Kai went towards the Knight. And on the spot he
overthrew Kai, and struck him with the head of his lance in the
forehead, so that it broke his helmet and the head-piece, and
pierced the skin and the flesh, the breadth of the spear-head, even
to the bone. And Kai returned to his companions.
After this, all the household of
Arthur went forth, one after the other, to combat the Knight, until
there was not one that was not overthrown by him, except Arthur and
Gwalchmai. And Arthur armed himself to encounter the Knight. “Oh,
my lord,” said Gwalchmai, “permit me to fight with him first.” And
Arthur permitted him. And he went forth to meet the Knight, having
over himself and his horse a satin robe of honour which had been
sent him by the daughter of the Earl of Rhangyw, and in this dress
he was not known by any of the host. And they charged each other,
and fought all that day until the evening, and neither of them was
able to unhorse the other.
The next day they fought with
strong lances, and neither of them could obtain the mastery.