u
will stay till I put on my armor you shall immediately have your will in
this matter."

Thereupon he went back into his tent and armed himself and mounted his
horse and took a good stout spear of ash-wood into his hand.

Then all the knights of Cornwall who were with Sir Tristram came forth to
behold what their champion would do, and all their esquires, pages, and
attendants came forth for the same purpose, and it was a very pleasant time
of day for jousting.

[Sidenote: Sir Tristram overthrows Sir Morganor] Then first of all Sir
Morganor essayed Sir Tristram, and in that encounter Sir Tristram smote him
so dreadful, terrible a blow that he cast him a full spear's length over
the crupper of his horse, and that so violently that the blood gushed out
of the nose and mouth and ears of Sir Morganor, and he groaned very
dolorously and could not arise from where he lay.

"Hah," quoth Sir Ector, "that was a very wonderful buffet you struck my
fellow. But now it is my turn to have ado with you, and I hope God will
send me a better fortune."

[Sidenote: Sir Tristram overthrows Sir Ector] So he took stand for battle
as did Sir Tristram likewise, and when they were in all wise prepared they
rushed very violently to the assault. In that encounter Ector suffered
hardly less ill fortune than Sir Morganor had done. For he brake his spear
against Sir Tristram into as many as an hundred pieces, whilst Sir
Tristram's spear held so that he overthrew both the horse and the
knight-rider against whom he drove.

Then all the knights of Cornwall gave loud acclaim that their knight had
borne himself so well in those encounters. But Sir Tristram rode back to
where those two knights still lay upon the ground, and he said: "Well,
Messires, this is no very good hap that you have had with me."

Upon that speech Sir Ector de Maris gathered himself up from the dust and
said: "Sir Knight, I pray you of your knighthood to tell us who you be and
what is your degree, for I declare to you, I believe you are one of the
greatest knights-champion of the world."

"Sir," said Sir Tristram, "I am very willing to tell you my name and my
station; I am Sir Tristram, the son of King Meliadus of Lyonesse."

"Ha," quoth Sir Ector, "I would God I had known that before I had ado with
you, for your fame hath already reached to these parts, and there hath been
such report of your prowess and several songs have been made about you by
minstrels and poets. I who