Part Three
It
befell that as Gwalchmai went forth one day with King Arthur, he perceived him
to be very sad and sorrowful. And Gwalchmai was much grieved to see Arthur in
this state; and he questioned him, saying, "Oh, my lord! what has befallen
thee?"
"In sooth, Gwalchmai," said Arthur, "I am grieved concerning
Owain, whom I have lost these three years, and I shall certainly die if the
fourth year passes without my seeing him. Now I am sure, that it is through the
tale which Kynon the son of Clydno related, that I have lost Owain."
"There is no need for thee," said Gwalchmai, "to summon to arms
thy whole dominions on this account, for thou thyself and then men of thy
household will be able to avenge Owain, if he be slain; or to set him free, if
he be in prison; and, if alive, to bring him back with thee." And it was
settled according to what Gwalchmai had said.
Then Arthur and the men of his household prepared to go and seek Owain, and
their number was three thousand, besides their attendants. And Kynon the son of
Clydno acted as their guide. And Arthur came to the Castle where Kynon had been
before, and when he came there the youths were shooting in the same place, and
the yellow man was standing hard by. When the yellow man saw Arthur he greeted
him, and invited him to the Castle; and Arthur accepted his invitation, and they
entered the Castle together. And great as was the number of his retinue, their
presence was scarcely observed in the Castle, so vast was its extent. And the
maidens rose up to wait on them, and the service of the maidens appeared to them
all to excel any attendance they had ever met with; and even the pages who had
charge of the horses were no worse served, that night, than Arthur himself would
have been in his own palace.
The next morning Arthur set out thence, with Kynon for his guide, and came to
the place where the black man was. And the stature of the black man was more
surprising to Arthur than it had been represented to him. And they came to the
top of the wooded steep, and traversed the valley till they reached the green
tree, where they saw the fountain, and the bowl, and the slab. And upon that,
Kai came to Arthur and spoke to him. "My lord," said he, "I know
the meaning of all this, and my request is, that thou wilt permit me to throw
the water on the slab, and to receive the first adventure that may befall."
And Arthur gave him leave.
Then Kai threw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and immediately there came the
thunder, and after the thunder the shower. And such a thunderstorm they had
never known before, and many of the attendants who were in Arthur's train were
killed by the shower. After the shower had ceased the sky became clear; and on
looking at the tree they beheld it completely leafless. Then the birds descended
upon the tree, and the song of the birds was far sweeter than any strain they
had ever heard before. Then they beheld a knight on a coal-black horse, clothed
in black satin, coming rapidly towards them. And Kai met him and encountered
him, and it was not long before Kai was overthrown. And the Knight withdrew, and
Arthur and his host encamped for the night.
And when they arose in the morning, they perceived the signal of combat upon the
lance of the Knight. And Kai came to Arthur, and spoke to him: "My
lord," said he, "though I was overthrown yesterday, if it seem good to
thee, I would gladly meet the Knight again to-day."
"Thou mayst do so," said Arthur. And Kai went towards the Knight. And
on the spot he overthrew Kai, and struck him with the head of his lance in the
forehead, so that it broke his helmet and the headpiece, and pierced the skin
and the flesh, the breadth of the spear-head, even to the bone. And Kai returned
to his companions.
After this, all the household of Arthur went forth, one after the other, to
combat the Knight, until there was not one that was not overthrown by him,
except Arthur and Gwalchmai. And Arthur armed himself to encounter the Knight.
"Oh, my lord," said Gwalchmai, "permit me to fight with him
first." And Arthur permitted him. And he went forth to meet the Knight,
having over himself and his horse a satin robe of honour which had been sent him
by the daughter of the Earl of Rhangyw, and in this dress he was not known by
any of the host. And they charged each other, and fought all that day until the
evening, and neither of them was able to unhorse the other.
The next day they fought with strong lances, and neither of them could obtain
the mastery.
And the third day they fought with exceeding strong lances. And they were
incensed with rage, and fought furiously, even until noon. And they gave each
other such a shock that the girths of their horses were broken, so that they
fell over their horses' cruppers to the ground. And they rose up speedily, and
drew their swords, and resumed the combat; and the multitude that witnessed
their encounter felt assured that they had never before seen two men so valiant
or so powerful. And had it been midnight, it would have been light from the fire
that flashed from their weapons. And the Knight gave Gwalchmai a blow that
turned his helmet from off his face, so that the Knight knew that it was
Gwalchmai. Then Owain said, "My lord Gwalchmai, I did not know thee for my
cousin, owing to the robe of honour that enveloped thee; take my sword and my
arms."
Said Gwalchmai, "Thou, Owain, art the victor; take thou my sword." And
with that Arthur saw that they were conversing, and advanced towards them.
"My lord Arthur," said Gwalchmai, "here is Owain, who has
vanquished me, and will not take my arms."
"My lord," said Owain, "it is he that has vanquished me, and he
will not take my sword."
"Give me your swords,"said Arthur, "and then neither of you has
vanquished the other." Then Owain put his arms around Arthur's neck, and
they embraced. And all the host hurried forward to see Owain, and to embrace
him; and there was nigh being a loss of life, so great was the press.
And they retired that night, and the next day Arthur prepared to depart.
"My lord," said Owain, "this is not well of thee; for I have been
absent from thee these three years, and during all that time, up to this very
day, I have been preparing a banquet for thee, knowing that thou wouldst come to
seek me. Tarry with me, therefore, until thou and thy attendants have recovered
the fatigues of the journey, and have been anointed."
And they all proceeded to the Castle of the Countess of the Fountain, and the
banquet which had been three years preparing was consumed in three months. Never
had they a more delicious or agreeable banquet. And Arthur prepared to depart.
Then he sent an embassy to the Countess, to beseech her to permit Owain to go
with him for the space of three months, that he might show him to the nobles and
the fair dames of the island of Britain. And the Countess gave her consent,
although it was very painful to her. So Owain came with Arthur to the island of
Britain. And when he was once more amongst his kindred and friends, he remained
three years, instead of three months, with them.
And as Owain one day sat at meat, in the city of Caerlleon upon Usk, behold a
damsel entered upon a bay horse, with a curling mane and covered with foam, and
the bridle and so much as was seen of the saddle were of gold. And the damsel
was arrayed in a dress of yellow satin. And she came up to Owain, and took the
ring from off his hand. "Thus," said she, "shall be treated the
deceiver, the traitor, the faithless, the disgraced, and the beardless."
And she turned her horse's head and departed.
Then his adventure came to Owain's remembrance, and he was sorrowful; and having
finished eating he went to his own abode and made preparations that night. And
the next day he arose but did not go to the court, but wandered to the distant
parts of the earth and to uncultivated mountains. And he remained there until
all his apparel was worn out, and his body was wasted away, and his hair was
grown long. And he went about with the wild beasts and fed with them, until they
became familiar with him; but at length he grew so weak that he could no longer
bear them company. Then he descended from the mountains to the valley, and came
to a park that was the fairest in the world, and belonged to a widowed Countess.
One day the Countess and her maidens went forth to walk by a lake, that was in
the middle of the park. And they saw the form of a man. And they were terrified.
Nevertheless they went near him, and touched him, and looked at him. And they
saw that there was life in him, though he was exhausted by the heat of the sun.
And the Countess returned to the Castle, and took a flask full of precious
ointment, and gave it to one of her maidens. "Go with this," said she,
"and take with thee yonder horse and clothing, and place them near the man
we saw just now. And anoint him with this balsam, near his heart; and if there
is life in him, he will arise through the efficacy of this balsam. Then watch
what he will do."
And the maiden departed from her, and poured the whole of the balsam upon Owain,
and left the horse and the garments hard by, and went a little way off, and hid
herself to watch him. In a short time she saw him begin to move his arms; and he
rose up, and looked at his person, and became ashamed of the unseemliness of his
appearance. Then he perceived the horse and the garments that were near him. And
he crept forward till he was able to draw the garments to him from off the
saddle. And he clothed himself, and with difficulty mounted the horse. Then the
damsel discovered herself to him, and saluted him. And he was rejoiced when he
saw her, and enquired of her, what land and what territory that was.
"Truly," said the maiden, "a widowed Countess owns yonder Castle;
at the death of her husband, he left her two Earldoms, but at this day she has
but this one dwelling that has not been wrested from her by a young Earl, who is
her neighbour, because she refused to become his wife." "That is a
pity," said Owain. And he and the maiden proceeded to the Castle; and he
alighted there, and the maiden conducted him to a pleasant chamber, and kindled
a fire and left him.
And the maiden came to the Countess, and gave the flask into her hand. "Ha!
maiden," said the Countess, "where is all the balsam?"
"Have I not used it all?" said she.
"Oh, maiden," said the Countess, "I cannot easily forgive thee
this; it is sad for me to have wasted seven-score pounds' worth of precious
ointment, upon a stranger whom I know not. However, maiden, wait thou upon him,
until he is quite recovered."
And the maiden did so, and furnished him with meat and drink, and fire, and
lodging, and medicaments, until he was well again. And in three months he was
restored to his former guise, and became even more comely than he had ever been
before.
One day Owain heard a great tumult, and a sound of arms in the Castle, and he
enquired of the maiden the cause thereof. "The Earl," said she,
"whom I mentioned to thee, has come before the Castle, with a numerous
army, to subdue the Countess." And Owain enquired of her whether the
Countess had a horse and arms in her possession. "She has the best in the
world," said the maiden. "Wilt thou go and request the loan of a horse
and arms for me," said Owain, "that I may go and look at this
army?"
"I will," said the maiden.
And she came to the Countess, and told her what Owain had said. And the Countess
laughed. "Truly," said she, "I will even give him a horse and
arms for ever; such a horse and such arms had he never yet, and I am glad that
they should be taken by him to-day, lest my enemies should have them against my
will to-morrow. Yet I know not what he would do with them."
The Countess bade them bring out a beautiful black steed, upon which was a
beechen saddle, and a suit of armour, for man and horse. And Owain armed
himself, and mounted the horse, and went forth, attended by two pages completely
equipped, with horses and arms. And when they came near to the Earl's army, they
could see neither its extent, nor its extremity. And Owain asked the pages in
which troop the Earl was. "In yonder troop," said they, "in which
are four yellow standards. Two of them are before, and two behind him."
"Now," said Owain, "do you return and await me near the portal of
the Castle." So they returned, and Owain pressed forward until he met the
Earl. And Owain drew him completely out of his saddle, and turned his horse's
head towards the Castle, and, though it was with difficulty, he brought the Earl
to the portal, where the pages awaited him. And in they came. And Owain
presented the Earl as a gift to the Countess. And said to her, "Behold a
requital to thee for thy blessed balsam."
The army encamped around the Castle. And the Earl restored to the Countess the
two Earldoms he had taken from her, as a ransom for his life; and for his
freedom he gave her the half of his own dominions, and all his gold, and his
silver, and his jewels, besides hostages.
And Owain took his departure. And the Countess and all her subjects besought him
to remain, but Owain chose rather to wander through distant lands and deserts.
And as he journeyed, he heard a loud yelling in a wood. And it was repeated a
second and a third time. And Owain went towards the spot, and beheld a huge
craggy mound, in the middle of the wood; on the side of which was a grey rock.
And there was a cleft in the rock, and a serpent was within the cleft. And near
the rock stood a black lion, and every time the lion sought to go thence, the
serpent darted towards him to attack him. And Owain unsheathed his sword, and
drew near to the rock; and as the serpent sprang out, he struck him with his
sword, and cut him in two. And he dried his sword, and went on his way, as
before. But behold the lion followed him, and played about him, as though it had
been a greyhound that he had reared.
They proceeded thus throughout the day, until the evening. And when it was time
for Owain to take his rest, he dismounted, and turned his horse loose in a flat
and wooded meadow. And he struck fire, and when the fire was kindled, the lion
brought him fuel enough to last for three nights. And the lion disappeared. And
presently the lion returned, bearing a fine large roebuck. And he threw it down
before Owain, who went towards the fire with it.
And Owain took the roebuck, and skinned it, and placed collops of its flesh upon
skewers, around the fire. The rest of the buck he gave to the lion to devour.
While he was doing this, he heard a deep sigh near him, and a second, and a
third. And Owain called out to know whether the sigh he heard proceeded from a
mortal; and he received answer that it did. "Who art thou?" said
Owain.
"Truly," said the voice, "I am Luned, the hand-maiden of the
Countess of the Fountain."
"And what dost thou here?" said Owain.
"I am imprisoned," said she, "on account of the knight who came
from Arthur's Court, and married the Countess. And he stayed a short time with
her, but he afterwards departed for the Court of Arthur, and has not returned
since. And he was the friend I loved best in the world. And two of the pages in
the Countess's chamber traduced him, and called him a deceiver. And I told them
that they two were not a match for him alone. So they imprisoned me in the stone
vault, and said that I should be put to death, unless he came himself, to
deliver me, by a certain day; and that is no further off than the day after
to-morrow. And I have no one to send to seek him for me. And his name is Owain
the son of Urien."
"And art thou certain that if that knight knew all this, he would come to
thy rescue?"
"I am most certain of it," said she.
When the collops were cooked, Owain divided them into two parts, between himself
and the maiden; and after they had eaten, they talked together, until the day
dawned. And the next morning Owain enquired of the damsel, if there was any
place where he could get food and entertainment for that night. "There is,
lord," said she; "cross over yonder, and go along the side of the
river, and in a short time thou wilt see a great Castle, in which are many
towers, and the Earl who owns that Castle is the most hospitable man in the
world. There thou mayst spend the night."
Never did sentinel keep stricter watch over his lord, than the lion that night
over Owain.
And Owain accoutred his horse, and passed across by the ford, and came in sight
of the Castle. And he entered it, and was honourably received. And his horse was
well cared for, and plenty of fodder was placed before him. Then the lion went
and lay down in the horse's manger; so that none of the people of the Castle
dared to approach him. The treatment which Owain met with there, was such as he
had never known elsewhere, for every one was as sorrowful, as though death had
been upon him. And they went to meat; and the Earl sat upon one side of Owain,
and on the other side his only daughter. And Owain had never seen any more
lovely than she. Then the lion came and placed himself between Owain's feet, and
he fed him with every kind of food that he took himself. And he never saw
anything equal to the sadness of the people.
In the middle of the repast the Earl began to bid Owain welcome.
"Then," said Owain, "behold, it is time for thee to be
cheerful."
"Heaven knows," said the Earl, "that it is not thy coming that
makes us sorrowful, but we have cause enough for sadness and care."
"What is that?" said Owain. "I have two sons," replied the
Earl, "and yesterday they went to the mountains to hunt. Now there is on
the mountain a monster who kills men and devours them, and he seized my sons;
and to-morrow is the time he has fixed to be here, and he threatens that he will
then slay my sons before my eyes, unless I will deliver into his hands this my
daughter. He has the form of a man, but in stature he is no less than a
giant."
"Truly," said Owain, "that is lamentable. And which wilt thou
do?"
"Heaven knows," said the Earl, "it will be better that my sons
should be slain against my will, than that I should voluntarily give up my
daughter to him to ill-treat and destroy." Then they talked about other
things, and Owain stayed there that night.
The next morning they heard an exceeding great clamour, which was caused by the
coming of the giant with the two youths. And the Earl was anxious both to
protect his Castle and to release his two sons. Then Owain put on his armour and
went forth to encounter the giant, and the lion followed him. And when the giant
saw that Owain was armed, he rushed towards him and attacked him. And the lion
fought with the giant, much more fiercely than Owain did. "Truly,"
said the giant, "I should find no difficulty in fighting with thee, were it
not for the animal that is with thee." Upon that Owain took the lion back
to the Castle and shut the gate upon him, and then he returned to fight the
giant, as before. And the lion roared very loud, for he heard that it went hard
with Owain. And he climbed up till he reached the top of the Earl's hall, and
thence he got to the top of the Castle, and he sprang down from the walls and
went and joined Owain. And the lion gave the giant a stroke with his paw, which
tore him from his shoulder to his hip, and his heart was laid bare, and the
giant fell down dead. Then Owain restored the two youths to their father.
The Earl besought Owain to remain with him, and he would not, but set forward
towards the meadow where Luned was. And when he came there he saw a great fire
kindled, and two youths with beautiful curling auburn hair were leading the
maiden to cast her into the fire. And Owain asked them what charge they had
against her. And they told him of the compact that was between them, as the
maiden had done the night before. "And," said they, "Owain has
failed her, therefore we are taking her to be burnt."
"Truly," said Owain, "he is a good knight, and if he knew that
the maiden was in such peril, I marvel that he came not to her rescue; but if
you will accept me in his stead, I will do battle with you."
"We will," said the youths, "by him who made us."
And they attacked Owain, and he was hard beset by them. And with that the lion
came to Owain's assistance, and they two got the better of the young men. And
they said to him, "Chieftain, it was not agreed that we should fight save
with thyself alone, and it is harder for us to contend with yonder animal than
with thee." And Owain put the lion in the place where the maiden had been
imprisoned, and blocked up the door with stones, and he went to fight with the
young men, as before. But Owain had not his usual strength, and the two youths
pressed hard upon him. And the lion roared incessantly at seeing Owain in
trouble; and he burst through the wall until he found a way out, and rushed upon
the young men, and instantly slew them. So Luned was saved from being burned.
Then Owain returned with Luned to the dominions of the Countess of the Fountain.
And when he went thence he took the Countess with him to Arthur's Court, and she
was his wife as long as she lived.
And then he took the road that led to the Court of the savage black man, and
Owain fought with him, and the lion did not quit Owain until he had vanquished
him. And when he reached the Court of the savage black man he entered the hall,
and beheld four-and-twenty ladies, the fairest that could be seen. And the
garments which they had on were not worth four-and-twenty pence, and they were
as sorrowful as death. And Owain asked them the cause of their sadness. And they
said, "We are the daughters of Earls, and we all came here with our
husbands, whom we dearly loved. And we were received with honour and rejoicing.
And we were thrown into a state of stupor, and while we were thus, the demon who
owns this Castle slew all our husbands, and took from us our horses, and our
raiment, and our gold, and our silver; and the corpses of our husbands are still
in this house, and many others with them. And this, Chieftain, is the cause of
our grief, and we are sorry that thou art come hither, lest harm should befall
thee.
And Owain was grieved when he heard this. And he went forth from the Castle, and
he beheld a knight approaching him, who saluted him in a friendly and cheerful
manner, as if he had been a brother. And this was the savage black man. "In
very sooth," said Owain, "it is not to seek thy friendship that I am
here."
"In sooth," said he, "thou shalt not find it then." And with
that they charged each other, and fought furiously. And Owain overcame him, and
bound his hands behind his back. Then the black savage besought Owain to spare
his life, and spoke thus: "My lord Owain," said he, "it was
foretold that thou shouldst come hither and vanquish me, and thou hast done so.
I was a robber here, and my house was a house of spoil; but grant me my life,
and I will become the keeper of an Hospice, and I will maintain this house as an
Hospice for weak and for strong, as long as I live, for the good of thy
soul." And Owain accepted this proposal of him, and remained there that
night.
And the next day he took the four-and-twenty ladies, and their horses, and their
raiment, and what they possessed of goods and jewels, and proceeded with them to
Arthur's Court. And if Arthur was rejoiced when he saw him, after he had lost
him the first time, his joy was now much greater. And of those ladies, such as
wished to remain in Arthur's Court remained there, and such as wished to depart
departed.
And thenceforward Owain dwelt at Arthur's Court greatly beloved, as the head of
his household, until he went away with his followers; and those were the army of
three hundred ravens which Kenverchyn had left him. And wherever Owain went with
these he was victorious.
And this is the tale of The Lady of the Fountain.