s, which mayhappen I will tell
thee hereafter. But now I bid thee drink of this water, and then do
off thine helm and hauberk and give me thy sword and dagger, and go
with us peaceably; and be not overmuch ashamed, for I have overcome men
who boasted themselves to be great warriors."

So Ralph drank of the water, and did off his helm, and cast water on
his face, and arose, and said smiling: "Nay, my master, I am nought
ashamed of my mishaps: and as to my going with thee and the Lady, thou
hast heard me say under thy dagger that I would not forbear to follow
her; so I scarce need thy command thereto." The knight scowled on him
and said: "Hold thy peace, fool! Thou wert best not stir my wrath
again." "Nay," said Ralph, "thou hast my sword, and mayst slay me if
thou wilt; therefore be not word-valiant with me."

Said the Knight of the Sun: "Well, well, thou hast the right of it
there. Only beware lest thou try me overmuch. But now must we set
forth on our road; and here is work for thee to do: a hundred yards
within the thick wood in a straight line from the oak-tree thou shalt
find two horses, mine and the knight's who fell before me; go thou and
bring them hither; for I will not leave thee with my lady, lest I have
to slay thee in the end, and maybe her also."

Ralph nodded cheerfully, and set off on his task, and was the readier
therein because the Lady looked on him kindly and compassionately as he
went by her. He found the horses speedily, a black horse that was of
the Black Knight, and a bay of the Knight of the Sun, and he came back
with them lightly.

But when he came to the oak-tree again, lo, the knight and the Lady
both kneeling over the body of the Black Knight, and Ralph saw that the
Knight of the Sun was sobbing and weeping sorely, so that he deemed
that he was taking leave of his friend that lay dead there: but when
Ralph had tied up those other two steeds by Silverfax and drawn rear to
those twain, the Knight of the Sun looked up at him, and spake in a
cheerful voice: "Thou seemest to be no ill man, though thou hast come
across my lady; so now I bid thee rejoice that there is a good knight
more in the world than we deemed e'en now; for this my friend Walter
the Black is alive still." "Yea," said the Lady, "and belike he shall
live a long while yet."

So Ralph looked, and saw that they had stripped the knight of his
hauberk and helm, and bared his body, and that the Lady was dressing a
great