low that he
fell to the earth stark dead. Then the other carter, his fellow, was
afraid of going the same way, and cried out, "Fair lord, save my life
and I will bring you where ye will."

Sir Launcelot leaped into the cart, and the carter drove at a great
gallop, Sir Launcelot's horse following after with more than forty
arrows in him.

More than an hour and a half later, Queen Guenever was in a bay window
of the castle with her ladies, and espied an armed knight approaching,
standing in a cart.

"See, madam," said a lady to her, "there rideth in a cart a goodly
armed knight; I suppose he rideth to hanging."

Then the Queen espied by his shield that Sir Launcelot of the Lake
himself was there. "Alas," said the Queen; "now I see that well is it
with him who hath a trusty friend. Ah, most noble knight, I see well
thou are hard bestead, when thou ridest in a cart."

By this time Sir Launcelot had come to the gates of that castle, and
there he descended from the cart, and cried so that all the castle
rang: "Where art thou, false traitor Sir Meliagrance, and knight of the
Table Round? Now come forth here, thou traitor knight, thou and thy
fellowship with thee, for here I am, Sir Launcelot of the Lake, that
shall fight with thee."

With these words he burst the gate wide open upon the porter, and smote
him under his ear with his gauntlet so that he staggered back like a
dead man. When Sir Meliagrance heard that Sir Launcelot was there, he
ran unto Queen Guenever and fell upon his knees, putting himself wholly
at her mercy, and begging her to control the wrath of Sir Launcelot.

"Better is peace than ever war," said the Queen, "and the less noise
the more is my honour."

So she and her ladies went down to Sir Launcelot, thanked him for all
his trouble in her behalf, told him of Meliagrance's repentance, and
bade him come in peaceably with her.

"Madam," said Sir Launcelot, "if ye are accorded with him, I am not
inclined to be against peace, howbeit Sir Meliagrance hath done full
shamefully to me, and cowardly. Ah, madam, had I known ye would be so
soon accorded with him, I would not have made such haste unto you."

"What," said the Queen, "do ye repent of your good deeds? Wit ye well
I never made peace with him for labour or love that I had unto him, but
to suppress all shameful noise."

"Madam," said Sir Launcelot, "ye understand full well I was never glad
of shameful slander nor noise; and there is neit