was ever his faithful friend. And it was in one of these wars,
when King Arthur and King Ban and King Bors went to the rescue of the
King of Cameliard, that Arthur saw Guenevere, the King's daughter,
whom he afterwards wedded. By and by King Ban and King Bors returned
to their own country across the sea, and the King went to Carlion, a
town on the river Usk, where a strange dream came to him.

He thought that the land was over-run with gryphons and serpents which
burnt and slew his people, and he made war on the monsters, and was
sorely wounded, though at last he killed them all. When he awoke the
remembrance of his dream was heavy upon him, and to shake it off he
summoned his Knights to hunt with him, and they rode fast till they
reached a forest. Soon they spied a hart before them, which the King
claimed as his game, and he spurred his horse and rode after him. But
the hart ran fast and the King could not get near it, and the chase
lasted so long that the King himself grew heavy and his horse fell
dead under him. Then he sat under a tree and rested, till he heard the
baying of hounds, and fancied he counted as many as thirty of them. He
raised his head to look, and, coming towards him, saw a beast so
strange that its like was not to be found throughout his kingdom. It
went straight to the well and drank, making as it did so the noise of
many hounds baying, and when it had drunk its fill the beast went its
way.

While the King was wondering what sort of a beast this could be, a
Knight rode by, who, seeing a man lying under a tree, stopped and said
to him: 'Knight full of thought and sleepy, tell me if a strange beast
has passed this way?'

'Yes, truly,' answered Arthur, 'and by now it must be two miles
distant. What do you want with it?'

'Oh sir, I have followed that beast from far,' replied he, 'and have
ridden my horse to death. If only I could find another I would still
go after it.' As he spoke a squire came up leading a fresh horse for
the King, and when the Knight saw it he prayed that it might be given
to him, 'for,' said he, 'I have followed this quest this twelvemonth,
and either I shall slay him or he will slay me.'

'Sir Knight,' answered the King, 'you have done your part; leave now
your quest, and let me follow the beast for the same time that you
have done.' 'Ah, fool!' replied the Knight, whose name was Pellinore,
'it would be all in vain, for none may slay that beast but I or my
next of kin'; and