Presently, as they passed a thick wood, a man broke out of it and spoke to them:
"Help! help! they are drowning my lord!"
"Follow! I lead!" shouted Gareth to the damsel, and rushed into the wood. There he found six men trying to drown a seventh. Gareth attacked them with such vigor that they fled. When the rescued man had recovered, he thanked Gareth warmly.
"I am the lord of the castle yonder," he said, "and these are my enemies. You came in time."
Then he begged Gareth and the lady to stay all night in his castle. They agreed, and he led the way. He took them into his large hall and was about to seat them side by side at a dining table. But the damsel said in scorn:
"This is a kitchen boy, and I will not sit by him."
The lord looked surprised. He took Gareth to another table and sat beside him. After they had eaten, he said:
"You may be a kitchen boy, or the damsel may be out of her mind, but whichever is the case, you are a good fighter and you have saved my life."
The next morning Gareth and the damsel set forth. They rode for a while in silence, and then she said:
"Sir Kitchen Boy, although you are so low, I would like to save your life. Soon we are coming to one who will overthrow you; so turn back."