[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
he repeated the name. "This meeting is great honor to us, Sir Dinedan. You are
most gentle to speak so freely and so friendly to us, who though we both are
knights are not such as someone likeyourself might have heard of."
"Why, that is true," said Sir Dinedan, "but I would hardly have thought it
otherwise. You are clearly not Cornish knights, as I see by your armor and
weapons. Also, never have I seen such a magnificent warhorse as the one you
ride."
"I am once more honored," said Brian. "My steed's name is Blanchard of Tours,
fair Sir. In a sense, you might say he was my father's gift to me on his
deathbed, for it cost nearly all of my patrimony to buy him."
"I can well believe it," said Sir Dinedan. "But you said that you needed,
perhaps, aid from me to set you on your proper way through these woods? I
would be failing in my duty to my Ancestor if I did not assist two such
courteous knights. Whither are you bound?"
"As for that," said Brian, "we do not know exactly. We search for the lost
ward of Sir James, here, a mere babe who was stolen but recently we believe,
by some of the Faery ilk and we seek to recover him."
Sir Dinedan gave a low whistle.
"That is no small task," he said. "It is not that the faeries do not abound,
but finding them is something else again. You may have a long journey still
before you. And there is little I can tell you, as far as the way you should
take. If the Ancestor were here, or if you meet him on your way through these
woods, he might be more help to you, being closer to such creatures than I am,
since I am still alive. And perhaps if I ride along with you some small way,
it will increase the chances of your meeting him, since I encounter him more
than anyone else, being of the family."
"Indeed, that is very gentle of you!" said Brian. His voice quavered a little
bit, and Jim looked at him in curiosity
"In that case," Brian went on, "if we are to bear company perhaps you would
vouchsafe me the greatest possible favor a man could ask of someone like
yourself. While I have had some small success in spear-runnings with other
knights in the country from which I come, it is exceeding bold of me to ask.
But it would forever be a golden memory for me, should I live, to remember
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that I had once encountered with a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Would
you consider breaking just a single spear with me?"
Sir Dinedan stared at him for a moment.
"I fear, Sir," he said at last, "you are confusing me with the Ancestor. It
is true I am Sir Dinedan, but I am Sir Dinedan-of-now. It is the Ancestor who
was of that great fellowship of the Table Round. But many generations have
passed since then, and the name has remained in the family. I would that you
not consider a spear-running with me to have value it does not."
"You are not the Sir Dinedan who rode with Sir Tristram against the thirty
knights of Queen Morgan le Fay, to rescue Sir Lancelot du Lac from them?"
"I am not," said Sir Dinedan. "As I say, that was my Ancestor, and by the
by that story has been much distorted by later generations, who have falsely
given much of the praise of the encounter to Sir Tristram."
Brian opened his mouth,then closed it again.
"Yes," answered Sir Dinedan-of-now. "He, as you know, was also of the Table
Round, and a valiant knight. Nevertheless, when word came that thirty knights
lay in wait for Sir Lancelot, it was the Ancestor, instead of Sir Tristram,
who immediately said that they two must assault and defeat those thirty
knights, to save Lancelot. It was Sir Tristram who demurred, saying that
adventuring against thirty other knights at once was too much; and that his
cousin Sir Lancelot had gotten him into fights like that before, and he had
determined never to be drawn into one again."
It seemed to Jim that this was coming out very patly, as if it had been told
many times. But he said nothing as Sir Dinedan continued.
"Whereupon the Ancestor shamed him, by saying that if he would fight but one
knight, the Ancestor would fight the other twenty-nine. Whereupon, Sir
Tristram agreed, they went and battled the thirty, and indeed Sir Tristram,
gaining courage, killed ten of the knights himself, after all. But it was my
Ancestor that killed twenty, thus saving Sir Lancelot. I tell you this that
you may not be misled by the tales others tell, who have it the wrong way
around."
"Er-hem!" said Brian, clearing his throat with an embarrassed air; and making
Jim quite certain that Brian was one who had heard the story the other way
around. In fact, thought Jim, if he remembered anything about Malory'sMorte
D'arthur , ithad been the other way around, and it was the present Sir Dinedan
who was giving a distorted version. For one thing, if Jim remembered
correctly, it was Sir Dinedan who was Lancelot's cousin, not Sir Tristram.
However, that seemed to be somewhat beside the point. Sir Dinedan was already
agreeing to break a lance with Brian, if a spear-running with a mere
descendant of the original Sir Dinedan would please him; and Brian was eagerly
taking him up on it. Jim thought about whether he ought to object to the
project, on the grounds of Brian's recent wound; but he could think of no way
to do so that was not certain to seriously offend his friend.
"I fear me the only spear I have with me is at my saddle," said Brian, "and
it is sharpened, of course, as is usual for a knight in a strange land."
"Why, what else could we ride with but sharpened spears?" said Sir Dinedan,
his shadow-darkened eyebrows rising in surprise. "Is it that you have broken
spears with people, when the points were not sharp?"
Page 149
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Oh, in sport, in play, you understand," said Brian airily, but to Jim's ear
with another touch of embarrassment. "No, no, sharp they should be by all
means. Do you have a choice as to the end of the clearing from which you would
begin to ride "
This commenced a small discussion as to the particulars of the meeting; but
these were soon settled. Jim was drafted into the job of giving the signal. He
sat Gorp halfway between them, raised his arm, and then dropped it again. The
two knights hurtled together as Jim hastily backed Gorp away from their
meeting-point.
The crash of their meeting sounded enormously loud in the silence of the
black-and-silver wood; and the results were almost as spectacular. Sir
Dinedan's spear glanced off Brian's shield, cunningly tilted at the last
moment to produce exactly that effect, while Brian's spear hit Sir Dinedan's
shield dead center and bore down not only the knight, but the horse he was
riding.
The horse pulled himself from under the legs of the fallen knight and got to
his feet, then shook himself vigorously. Brian had reined up, ridden back, and
was staring at Sir Dinedan; who, however, remained motionless upon the ground.
"God have mercy!" cried Brian, leaping down. "Have I killed the good knight?"
He knelt beside Sir Dinedan and lifted his visor. Sir Dinedan's eyes were
tight shut.
"Sir Dinedan ?" said Brian.
"I am not quite dead," said Sir Dinedan, faintly. "Perhaps I may even live.A
cup of wine from the flask at my saddle-bow."
Brian leaped to his feet and caught the reins of Sir Dinedan's horse,
soothing it with his voice as it started to react defensively; and plucked the
flask from where it hung at the pommel of the saddle. He brought it back,
pulled its stopper out, and gently lifted Sir Dinedan's head. He tilted the
flask to the knight's lips, and the other took several swallows before Brian
took the flask away [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
he repeated the name. "This meeting is great honor to us, Sir Dinedan. You are
most gentle to speak so freely and so friendly to us, who though we both are
knights are not such as someone likeyourself might have heard of."
"Why, that is true," said Sir Dinedan, "but I would hardly have thought it
otherwise. You are clearly not Cornish knights, as I see by your armor and
weapons. Also, never have I seen such a magnificent warhorse as the one you
ride."
"I am once more honored," said Brian. "My steed's name is Blanchard of Tours,
fair Sir. In a sense, you might say he was my father's gift to me on his
deathbed, for it cost nearly all of my patrimony to buy him."
"I can well believe it," said Sir Dinedan. "But you said that you needed,
perhaps, aid from me to set you on your proper way through these woods? I
would be failing in my duty to my Ancestor if I did not assist two such
courteous knights. Whither are you bound?"
"As for that," said Brian, "we do not know exactly. We search for the lost
ward of Sir James, here, a mere babe who was stolen but recently we believe,
by some of the Faery ilk and we seek to recover him."
Sir Dinedan gave a low whistle.
"That is no small task," he said. "It is not that the faeries do not abound,
but finding them is something else again. You may have a long journey still
before you. And there is little I can tell you, as far as the way you should
take. If the Ancestor were here, or if you meet him on your way through these
woods, he might be more help to you, being closer to such creatures than I am,
since I am still alive. And perhaps if I ride along with you some small way,
it will increase the chances of your meeting him, since I encounter him more
than anyone else, being of the family."
"Indeed, that is very gentle of you!" said Brian. His voice quavered a little
bit, and Jim looked at him in curiosity
"In that case," Brian went on, "if we are to bear company perhaps you would
vouchsafe me the greatest possible favor a man could ask of someone like
yourself. While I have had some small success in spear-runnings with other
knights in the country from which I come, it is exceeding bold of me to ask.
But it would forever be a golden memory for me, should I live, to remember
Page 148
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
that I had once encountered with a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Would
you consider breaking just a single spear with me?"
Sir Dinedan stared at him for a moment.
"I fear, Sir," he said at last, "you are confusing me with the Ancestor. It
is true I am Sir Dinedan, but I am Sir Dinedan-of-now. It is the Ancestor who
was of that great fellowship of the Table Round. But many generations have
passed since then, and the name has remained in the family. I would that you
not consider a spear-running with me to have value it does not."
"You are not the Sir Dinedan who rode with Sir Tristram against the thirty
knights of Queen Morgan le Fay, to rescue Sir Lancelot du Lac from them?"
"I am not," said Sir Dinedan. "As I say, that was my Ancestor, and by the
by that story has been much distorted by later generations, who have falsely
given much of the praise of the encounter to Sir Tristram."
Brian opened his mouth,then closed it again.
"Yes," answered Sir Dinedan-of-now. "He, as you know, was also of the Table
Round, and a valiant knight. Nevertheless, when word came that thirty knights
lay in wait for Sir Lancelot, it was the Ancestor, instead of Sir Tristram,
who immediately said that they two must assault and defeat those thirty
knights, to save Lancelot. It was Sir Tristram who demurred, saying that
adventuring against thirty other knights at once was too much; and that his
cousin Sir Lancelot had gotten him into fights like that before, and he had
determined never to be drawn into one again."
It seemed to Jim that this was coming out very patly, as if it had been told
many times. But he said nothing as Sir Dinedan continued.
"Whereupon the Ancestor shamed him, by saying that if he would fight but one
knight, the Ancestor would fight the other twenty-nine. Whereupon, Sir
Tristram agreed, they went and battled the thirty, and indeed Sir Tristram,
gaining courage, killed ten of the knights himself, after all. But it was my
Ancestor that killed twenty, thus saving Sir Lancelot. I tell you this that
you may not be misled by the tales others tell, who have it the wrong way
around."
"Er-hem!" said Brian, clearing his throat with an embarrassed air; and making
Jim quite certain that Brian was one who had heard the story the other way
around. In fact, thought Jim, if he remembered anything about Malory'sMorte
D'arthur , ithad been the other way around, and it was the present Sir Dinedan
who was giving a distorted version. For one thing, if Jim remembered
correctly, it was Sir Dinedan who was Lancelot's cousin, not Sir Tristram.
However, that seemed to be somewhat beside the point. Sir Dinedan was already
agreeing to break a lance with Brian, if a spear-running with a mere
descendant of the original Sir Dinedan would please him; and Brian was eagerly
taking him up on it. Jim thought about whether he ought to object to the
project, on the grounds of Brian's recent wound; but he could think of no way
to do so that was not certain to seriously offend his friend.
"I fear me the only spear I have with me is at my saddle," said Brian, "and
it is sharpened, of course, as is usual for a knight in a strange land."
"Why, what else could we ride with but sharpened spears?" said Sir Dinedan,
his shadow-darkened eyebrows rising in surprise. "Is it that you have broken
spears with people, when the points were not sharp?"
Page 149
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Oh, in sport, in play, you understand," said Brian airily, but to Jim's ear
with another touch of embarrassment. "No, no, sharp they should be by all
means. Do you have a choice as to the end of the clearing from which you would
begin to ride "
This commenced a small discussion as to the particulars of the meeting; but
these were soon settled. Jim was drafted into the job of giving the signal. He
sat Gorp halfway between them, raised his arm, and then dropped it again. The
two knights hurtled together as Jim hastily backed Gorp away from their
meeting-point.
The crash of their meeting sounded enormously loud in the silence of the
black-and-silver wood; and the results were almost as spectacular. Sir
Dinedan's spear glanced off Brian's shield, cunningly tilted at the last
moment to produce exactly that effect, while Brian's spear hit Sir Dinedan's
shield dead center and bore down not only the knight, but the horse he was
riding.
The horse pulled himself from under the legs of the fallen knight and got to
his feet, then shook himself vigorously. Brian had reined up, ridden back, and
was staring at Sir Dinedan; who, however, remained motionless upon the ground.
"God have mercy!" cried Brian, leaping down. "Have I killed the good knight?"
He knelt beside Sir Dinedan and lifted his visor. Sir Dinedan's eyes were
tight shut.
"Sir Dinedan ?" said Brian.
"I am not quite dead," said Sir Dinedan, faintly. "Perhaps I may even live.A
cup of wine from the flask at my saddle-bow."
Brian leaped to his feet and caught the reins of Sir Dinedan's horse,
soothing it with his voice as it started to react defensively; and plucked the
flask from where it hung at the pommel of the saddle. He brought it back,
pulled its stopper out, and gently lifted Sir Dinedan's head. He tilted the
flask to the knight's lips, and the other took several swallows before Brian
took the flask away [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]