r surmise is correct; no other cause brings me here."
"Friend, you must suffer hardship to obtain her," he replies; "and you
are sorely wounded, as I see by the wounds and the flowing blood. You
will not find him who brought her hither so generous as to give her up
without a struggle; but you must tarry, and have your wounds cared for
until they are completely healed. I will give you some of 'the three
Marys' ointment, [418] and something still better, if it can be found,
for I am very solicitous about your comfort and your recovery. And the
Queen is so confined that no mortal man has access to her--not even my
son, who brought her here with him and who resents such treatment, for
never was a man so beside himself and so desperate as he. But I am well
disposed toward you, and will gladly give you, so help me God, all of
which you stand in need. My son himself will not have such good arms but
that I will give you some that are just as good, and a horse, too,
such as you will need, though my son will be angry with me. Despite the
feelings of any one, I will protect you against all men. You will have
no cause to fear any one excepting him who brought the Queen here. No
man ever menaced another as I have menaced him, and I came near driving
him from my land, in my displeasure because he will not surrender her
to you. To be sure, he is my son; but feel no concern, for unless he
defeats you in battle, he can never do you the slightest harm against my
will." "Sire," he says, "I thank you. But I am losing time here which
I do not wish to waste. I have no cause to complain, and have no wound
which is paining me. Take me where I can find him; for with such arms
as I have, I am ready to divert myself by giving and receiving blows."
"Friend, you had better wait two or three weeks until your wounds are
healed, for it would be well for you to tarry here at least two weeks,
and not on any account could I allow it, or look on, while you fought
in my presence with such arms and with such an outfit." And he replies:
"With your permission, no other arms would be used than these, for I
should prefer to fight with them, and I should not ask for the slightest
postponement, adjournment or delay. However, in deference to you, I
will consent to wait until to-morrow; but despite what any one may say,
longer I will not wait." Then the king assured him that all would
be done as he wished; then he has the lodging-place prepared, and
insistently reque