horns and
wood-knives, and many good dogs they had.

Now it happened that this lady, the huntress, was one day chasing a
deer, keeping the direction by the noise of the hounds. The deer, hard
pressed, came down to the spring where Sir Launcelot was sleeping, and
there sank down exhausted, and lay there a great while. At length the
dogs came fast after, and beat about, for they had lost the very
perfect track of the deer. Just then there came that lady, the
huntress, who knew by the sounds of the dogs that the deer must be at
the spring. So she came swiftly and found the deer. She put a broad
arrow in her bow, and shot at it, but aimed too high, and so by
misfortune the arrow smote Sir Launcelot deep in the thick of the
thigh. When Sir Launcelot felt himself so hurt, he jumped up madly,
and saw the lady that had smitten him. And when he saw it was a woman,
he said thus; "Lady or damsel, whatever thou be, in an evil time ye
bare a bow; the devil made you a shooter."

"Now mercy, fair sir," said the lady; "I am a gentlewoman that am wont
to hunt here in this forest, and truly I saw you not; there was the
deer by the spring, and I believed I was doing well to shoot, but my
hand swerved."

"Alas," said Sir Launcelot, "ye have done mischief to me."

And so the lady departed, and Sir Launcelot, as well as he might,
pulled out the arrow, but the head remained still in his thigh; and so
he went feebly to the hermitage, ever bleeding as he went. And when
Sir Lavaine and the hermit spied that Sir Launcelot was hurt, wit ye
well they were passing sorry; but neither Sir Lavaine nor the hermit
knew how he was hurt, or by whom. Then with great pain the hermit gat
the arrow's head out of Sir Launcelot's thigh, but much of his blood
was shed, and the wound was passing sore.

"Ah, mercy," said Sir Launcelot, "I call myself the most unhappy man
that liveth; for ever when I would most gladly have honour there
befalleth me some unhappy thing. Now, so heaven help me, I shall be in
the field upon Candlemas Day at the jousts, whatsoever come of it."

So all that might heal Sir Launcelot was gotten, and, when the day
came, he and Sir Lavaine had themselves and their horses arrayed, and
so departed and came nigh to the field. Many proved good knights with
their retainers were there ready to joust, and King Arthur himself came
into the field with two hundred knights, the most part noble knights of
the Table Round. And there wer