would not suffer me, and for grief and pain my son’s heart burst, and he died, and behold I am here.’
Then I thought I could win glory, and I was much rejoiced thereat, and said to the old man,
‘Would you love to be revenged?’
But he set his teeth, and pulled at the skirt of his surcoat, as hardly for his passion he said, ‘Yes.’
‘Then,’ I said, ‘I will go and try to slay this knight, if you will show me the way to La Haute Garde.’
And he, taking my hand, said, ‘O glorious knight, let us go now!’ And he did not ask who I was, or whether I was a good knight, but began to go down the stairs at once, so I put on my armour and followed him.
And we two set forth alone to La Haute Garde, for no man else dared follow us, and I rejoiced in thinking that while Guy was sitting at the King’s table feasting, I was riding out to slay the King’s enemies, for it never once seemed possible to me that I should be worsted.
It was getting light again by then we came in sight of High Gard; we wound up the hill on foot, for it was very steep; I blew at the gates a great blast which was even as though the stag
should blow his own mort, or like the blast that Balen heard.
For in a very short while the gates opened and a great band of armed men, more than thirty I think, and a knight on horseback among them, who was armed in red, stood before us, and on one side of him was a serving man with a silver dish, on the other, one with a butcher’s cleaver, a knife, and pincers.