ving dismissed the nine hundred and ninety-eight knights and squires,
whom he had rescued from the castle of Ormandine, with warm thanks for
the assistance they had rendered him, and sincere wishes for their
welfare, they all departed to their separate countries and homes, and
such as were married to their wives and children, who had long been
mourning their absence, and in most cases, though not in all, wishing
for their return; Saint George and his beautiful bride, the enchanting
Sabra, set out on their travels, through many unknown and strange lands,
attended by the faithful De Fistycuff, whose wife would much rather that
he had gone back to look after her and their children in England.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

THE TOURNAMENT AT CONSTANTINOPLE.

Now it happened that the great Emperor of the East held a grand
tournament at Constantinople, to which all the knights and nobles of
Christendom were invited, to do honour to his nuptials with a princess
he was about to wed. Thither came the Seven Champions, not knowing each
other after their long separation, but each believing the others in some
distant quarter of the globe. The Emperor had, however, pitched seven
tents of seven different colours, wherein the Seven Champions might
remain till the sound of the silver trumpets summoned them to appear.
Seven days the tournament was to last, and each day a different Knight
was to be Champion of the field.

The first day, Saint Denis of France, under the title of the Golden
Knight, was the Champion. His tent was of the colour of the celandine,
and on the summit flamed a sun of wondrous brilliancy.

His horse, an iron grey, was graced with a plume of gold-bespangled
feathers. Before him rode the faithful Le Crapeau, bearing his banner,
on which was designed the golden _fleur-de-lys_. Numberless were the
foreign knights with whom he tilted, every one of whom he overthrew.

Next day, Saint James of Spain, habited in silver armour, rode forth as
the Champion; his Squire, the faithful Pedrillo, bearing aloft four
banners, on each of which were inscribed his names and titles, and those
of his ancestors, so that not a spot of silk remained uncovered. Well
he behaved himself, to the admiration of all beholders.

Clad in blue steel, and called the Azure Knight, on the third day, Saint
Anthony of Italy rode forth as the chief Champion, attended by the
faithful Niccolo, bearing his standard, an eagle on a field of blue.
Above his