nness of the
flight of the Black Knight, but presently he awoke and set spurs to his
horse and sped away in pursuit as fast as he could race his horse
forward. And ever Sir Ewaine pursued the Black Knight in that wise and
called upon him to stay, and ever the Black Knight fled all the more
rapidly away as though he heard not the voice of Sir Ewaine. And ever
though he strove, Sir Ewaine could not reach the Black Knight in his
flight.

Thus they sped as swift as the wind across the plain, the Black Knight
fleeing and Sir Ewaine pursuing, and by and by Sir Ewaine was aware that
they were approaching a walled town and a very tall and noble castle
with many high towers, and steep roofs that overlooked the houses of the
town. And Sir Ewaine perceived that many people were running hither and
thither about the castle as though in great disturbance, and that many
people were upon the walls of the town, watching the Black Knight and
him as they drew nigh. And ever the knight rode toward the gate of the
town and of the castle, speeding like the wind, and ever Sir Ewaine
pursued him without being able to overtake him. So, in a little while,
the Black Knight reached the drawbridge of the gate and he thundered
across the drawbridge and Sir Ewaine thundered after him.

Now as the knight had approached the gateway of the town the portcullis
had been lifted for to admit him, and so he rode through the gateway
with all speed. But when Sir Ewaine would have followed, the portcullis
was let fall for to keep him without.

[Sidenote: _Sir Ewaine is caught within the portcullis of the town._]

Yet so great was the fury of Sir Ewaine's chase and so closely did he
follow the Black Knight in pursuit that he was within the portcullis as
it fell. And the portcullis fell upon the horse of Sir Ewaine and smote
him just behind the saddle and cut him in twain, so that the half of the
horse fell within the portcullis and the other half of the horse fell
without the castle. And so violent was the blow of the falling of the
portcullis, and so sudden the fall of the horse, that Sir Ewaine was
flung down to the ground with so dreadful and terrible a shock that he
lay in a swoon as though he had been killed.

So as Sir Ewaine lay there, there came a number of those who were in
attendance at that part of the castle. These looked in through a wicket
of iron and beheld Sir Ewaine where he lay in that swoon in the space
between the portcullis and the inne