ed he, helping the knight to rise, 'for he hath
nobly fought and so deserves not to die.'

'Gramercy,' said Sir Persaunt, 'and now I know thou art the strong
knight who slew my brothers the Black Knight of the Thorn and the Green
Knight of the Wood. And now I will be your man, and five hundred
knights of mine shall do your service as and when you will.'

And that night they supped bounteously in Sir Persaunt's castle, and
the lady besought Beaumains to sit by her at the same table, and all
three made merry company.

In the morning, after they had heard mass and broken their fast,
Beaumains and the lady set out again, and Sir Persaunt went with them
to the drawbridge.

'Fair lady,' said he, 'where dost thou lead this valiant knight?'

'Sir,' said the lady, 'he is going to raise the siege which hath been
set by the tyrant knight of the Reed Lands.'

'Ah, then he goes to Castle Dangerous, and on the most perilous
adventure that any man could take. For they say the Red Knight hath the
strength of seven men. And he doth oppress one of the fairest and
sweetest ladies in the world. I think you are her sister, Dame Linet?'

'That is my name,' replied the lady, 'and my sister is Dame Lyones.'

'This Red Knight is the most dangerous knight in the world,' said Sir
Persaunt to Beaumains, 'and hath besieged that fair lady these two
years. Many times he might have forced her for terror to have married
him, but he keeps the siege in hopes that Sir Lancelot or even King
Arthur would come to rescue the lady. For he hateth all true knights,
but those two with most bitterness.'

So they parted from Sir Persaunt and rode onwards, and the lady spoke
now full friendly to Beaumains.

In a little while, when they had passed through a fair forest, they
came upon a plain, and in the distance was a high castle with many
tents about it, and men passing to and fro between them. And as they
rode under some withered trees by the edge of the forest, they saw,
hanging by their necks from the bare boughs, many goodly knights in
armour, with their shields and swords hung before them.

At this shameful sight Beaumains checked his horse and asked: 'What
means this?'

'Fair sir,' said Linet, 'abate not your cheer at this dreadful sight,
for ye have need now of all your courage, or else are we all shamed and
destroyed. These dead knights are those who have come against the Red
Knight trying to rescue my sister from his power. But the tyrant kni