lee away ere
harm befall thee."

But to this address Beaumains paid no heed, otherwise he turned about
his horse and straightway put himself into array for defence. And as Sir
Kay drew nigh, Beaumains beheld the device upon his shield and knew who
was the knight who came thitherward and that it was Sir Kay who followed
after him and called upon him to stay.

Then Beaumains remembered him of all the many affronts that Sir Kay had
put upon him for all that year past and with that his anger grew very
hot within him. And he said to himself: "This is well met; for now my
time hath come. For either this is the day of satisfaction for me or
else it is the day in which I shall lay my dead body down beside the
highroad."

Meantime Sir Kay had come nigh, and finding that Beaumains had prepared
himself, he also made himself straightway ready for battle. Then Lynette
drew her palfrey to one side of the way and to a place whence she might
behold all that befell.

[Sidenote: _Sir Kay doeth battle with Beaumains._]

So when Beaumains and Sir Kay were in all ways prepared, each gave shout
and drave forward very violently to the assault. And they met in the
midst of that course and in that encounter the spear of Sir Kay held and
the spear of Beaumains, because it was not very well directed, was
broken into several pieces, so that he would have fallen only for the
address of horsemanship that Sir Gawaine had taught him in the year that
had passed.

But when Lynette beheld how that the spear of Beaumains was broken in
that wise, and how that he was nearly cast out of the saddle in that
encounter, she laughed very high and shrill. And she cried out in a loud
voice: "Hah! thou kitchen knave, if thou showest not better address than
that, thou wilt not be likely to succeed in this adventure that thou
hast undertaken."

Now Beaumains heard the high laughter of Lynette and the words that she
called out to him and with that he was more angry than ever. So
therewith he ground his teeth together, and, casting aside the stump of
his spear which he still held in his hand, he drew his sword and made at
Sir Kay with all his might and main. And he put aside Sir Kay's defence
with great violence, and having done so he rose up in his stirrups and
lashed a blow at Sir Kay that fell upon his helm like to a bolt of
lightning. For in that one blow Beaumains lashed forth all his rage and
the indignation of a whole year of the scorn of Sir Kay. And he