red from many new
wounds.

Two hours longer the fight continued, Turquine giving Lancelot many
wounds and receiving stinging blows in return, till at the end he drew
back faint with loss of breath and of blood, and bore his shield low
through weakness. This Lancelot quickly perceived, and leaped fiercely
upon him, seizing him by the beaver of his helmet and dragging him down
to his knees. Then he tore off his helm, and swinging in the air his
fatal blade, smote off his head so that it leaped like a live thing upon
the ground, while the body fell prostrate in death.

"So much for Turquine," said Lancelot. "He will take prisoner no more
Round Table knights. But by my faith, there are not many such men as he,
and he and I might have faced the world. Now, damsel, I am ready to go
with you where you will, but I have no horse."

"Take that of this wounded knight; and let him go into the manor and
release the prisoners."

"That is well advised," said Lancelot, who thereupon went to Gaheris and
begged that he would lend him his horse.

"Lend it!" cried Gaheris. "I will give it, and would give ten if I had
them, for I owe my life and my horse both to you. You have slain in my
sight the mightiest man and the best knight that I ever saw, except
yourself. And, fair sir, I pray you tell me your name?"

"My name is Lancelot du Lake. I owe you rescue for King Arthur's sake,
and for that of Gawaine, your brother and my comrade. Within that manor
you will find many Knights of the Round Table, whose shields you may see
on yonder tree. I pray you greet them all from me, and say I bid them
take for their own such stuff as they find there. I must ride on with
this damsel to keep my promise, but I hope to be back at the court by
the feast of Pentecost. Bid Lionel and Hector await me there."

This said, he mounted and rode on, while Gaheris went into the
manor-house. Here he found a yeoman porter, who accosted him surlily.
Gaheris flung the dogged fellow to the floor, and took from him his
keys. With these he opened the prison doors and released the captives,
who thanked him warmly for their rescue, for they saw that he was
wounded, and deemed that he had vanquished Turquine.

"It was not I," said Gaheris, "that slew your tyrant. You have Lancelot
to thank for that. He greets you all, and asks Lionel and Hector to wait
for him at the court."

"That we shall not do," said they. "While we live we shall seek him."

"So shall I," said