elot had ridden on till he found himself in a low
country full of meadows and rivers. Here he passed a bridge at whose end
were three pavilions of silk and sendal, and at the door of each a white
shield on the truncheon of a spear, while three squires stood at the
pavilion doors. Lancelot rode leisurely by, without a word and hardly a
look.

When he had passed, the knights looked after him, saying to one another,
"That is the proud Kay. He deems no knight so good as he, though it has
often been proved otherwise."

"I shall ride after him," said one. "We shall see if his pride does not
have a fall. Watch me, comrades, if you would see some sport."

He sped but poorly, as it proved, for within a short time he was hurled
grovelling to the earth. Then the two others rode in succession against
the disguised knight, and both met with the same sorry fate.

"You are not Kay, the seneschal," they cried. "He never struck such
blows. Tell us your name and we will yield."

"You shall yield, whether you will or not," he replied. "Look that you
be at court by Whitsunday, and yield yourselves to Queen Guenever,
saying to her that Sir Kay sent you thither as prisoners."

This they swore to do, in dread of worse handling, and Lancelot rode on,
leaving them to help themselves as best they might. Not far had he gone
when he entered a forest, and in an open glade of this saw four knights
resting under an oak. He knew them at sight to be from Arthur's court,
two of them being Gawaine and Uwaine; the other two Hector de Maris, and
Sagramour le Desirous.

They, as the three previous knights had done, mistook Lancelot for Kay,
and Sagramour rode after him, vowing that he would try what skill the
seneschal had. He quickly found, for horse and man together were hurled
to the ground, while Lancelot sat unmoved in his saddle.

"I would have sworn that Kay could not give such a buffet as that," said
Hector. "Let us see what I can do with him."

His luck was even worse, for he went to the earth with a spear-hole in
his shoulder, his shield and armor being pierced.

"By my faith!" said Uwaine, "that knight is a bigger and stronger man
than Kay. He must have slain the seneschal and taken his armor. He has
proved himself a hard man to match, but if Kay has been slain it is our
duty to revenge him."

He thereupon rode against Lancelot, but with as ill fortune as his
fellows, for he was flung so violently to the earth that he lay long out
of