oul knight, and may the vengeance strike thee
soon!'

Balin went on, heavy of mind, for he knew not why he had been caused to
do this evil.

For many days he passed through the saddened land, and he felt that in
a little while death would meet him.

Then suddenly one day he came upon a castle in a wood, and he heard a
horn blow, as it had been at the death of a beast.

'Here,' said Balin, 'shall I meet my death-wound, for that blast was
blown for me.'

As he came on the green before the castle, many ladies and knights met
him and welcomed him with fair semblance, and gave him good cheer.

'Now,' said the lady of the castle, when he had eaten, 'ye must do a
joust for me with a knight hereby who hath won from me a fair island in
a stream, and he hath overcome every knight that hath essayed to win it
back for me.'

'Well, as you claim it for your good cheer,' said Balin, 'I will e'en
joust, though both I and my horse are spent with travelling, and my
heart is heavy. Nevertheless, show me the place.'

'But, sir,' said a knight, 'thou shouldst change thy shield for a
bigger. For the strange knight is a strong one and a hardy.'

Balin cared not, and so took the shield with a device upon it that was
not his own. Then he and his horse were led to a great barge, and so
they were poled across the wide stream to an island.

When Balin had landed and mounted his horse, he rode a little way
towards a stout tower, and from it a knight issued, his armour all in
red, and the trappings of his horse of the same colour. They couched
their lances and came marvellously fast together, and smote each other
in the midmost of their shields; and the shock of their spears was so
great that it bore down both horses and men, and for a little while the
knights were dazed.

The stranger rose up first, for Balin was much bruised and wearied; and
the red knight drew his sword and came towards Balin, who thereupon got
upon his feet, and they fought most fiercely together. So they fought
till their breaths failed.

Many were the bouts they fought, and they rested oftentimes, and then
to battle again, so that in a little while the grass of the sward where
they struggled was red with the blood of their wounds.

But the more wearied they were the fiercer they fought to vanquish each
the other, so that their hauberks were in tatters, their helms were
broken, and their shields were rived and cracked. At the last the red
knight could not lift