in their hands, hanging from the tall trees that stood upon
the lawn. 'Fair Sir,' said the damsel, 'these Knights came hither to
rescue my sister, dame Lyonesse; and if you cannot overthrow the
Knight of the Red Lawn, you will hang there too.'

'Truly,' answered Beaumains, 'it is a marvel that none of King
Arthur's Knights has dealt with the Knight of the Red Lawn ere this';
and they rode up to the castle, which had round it high walls and deep
ditches, till they came to a great sycamore tree, where hung a
horn. And whoso desired to do battle with the Red Knight must blow
that horn loudly.

[Illustration: The Lady of Lyonesse sees Sir Gareth]

'Sir, I pray you,' said Linet, as Beaumains bent forward to seize it,
'do not blow it till it is full noontide, for during three hours
before that the Red Knight's strength so increases that it is as the
strength of seven men; but when noon is come, he has the might of one
man only.'

'Ah! for shame, damsel, to say such words. I will fight him as he is,
or not at all,' and Beaumains blew such a blast that it rang through
the castle. And the Red Knight buckled on his armour, and came to
where Beaumains stood. So the battle began, and a fierce one it was,
and much ado had Beaumains to last out till noon, when the Red
Knight's strength began to wane; they rested, and came on again, and
in the end the Red Knight yielded to Sir Beaumains, and the lords and
barons in the castle did homage to the victor, and begged that the Red
Knight's life might be spared on condition they all took service with
Beaumains. This was granted to them, and Linet bound up his wounds and
put ointment on them, and so she did likewise to Sir Beaumains. But
the Red Knight was sent to the Court of King Arthur, and told him all
that Sir Beaumains had done. And King Arthur and his Knights
marvelled.

Now Sir Beaumains had looked up at the windows of Castle Perilous
before the fight, and had seen the face of the Lady Lyonesse, and had
thought it the fairest in all the world. After he had subdued the Red
Knight, he hasted into the castle, and the Lady Lyonesse welcomed him,
and he told her he had bought her love with the best blood in his
body. And she did not say him nay, but put him off for a time. Then
the King sent letters to her to bid her, and likewise Sir Gareth, come
to his Court, and by the counsel of Sir Gareth she prayed the King to
let her call a tournament, and to proclaim that the Knight who bore