sel unto Arthur and asked him, "What cheer?" "I
cannot say," said he. "Sir," said she, "if ye will fight for my lord,
ye shall be delivered out of prison, and else ye escape never with
life."

"Now," said Arthur, "that is hard, yet had I liefer to fight with a
knight than to die in prison," and so it was agreed that he should do
the battle on this covenant, that he should be delivered and all the
prisoners. With that all the twenty knights were brought out of the
dark prison into the hall, and set free, but they all abode to see the
battle.

Now turn we unto Accolon of Gaul, that was with King Arthur and King
Uriens on the stag-hunt and that fell asleep on the magic ship. When
he awoke he found himself beside a deep well, within half a foot of its
edge, in great peril of death.

"Heaven save my lord King Arthur and King Uriens," said he, "for these
damsels in the ship have betrayed us. They were devils and no women,
and if I may escape this misadventure, I shall destroy all false
damsels that use enchantments, wherever I may find them."

Right then there came a dwarf with a great mouth and a flat nose, and
saluted Sir Accolon and said he came from Queen Morgan le Fay. "She
greeteth you well," said he, "and biddeth you be of strong heart, for
ye shall fight to-morn with a knight at the hour of prime, and
therefore she hath sent you here Excalibur, Arthur's sword, and the
scabbard, and she biddeth you as ye love her, that ye do the battle to
the uttermost without any mercy, like as ye promised her when ye spake
together in private."

Sir Accolon believed he fully understood the message, and he said he
should keep his promise now that he had the sword. Just then a knight,
who was no other than Sir Ontzlake himself, with a lady and six
squires, came up on horseback, saluted Sir Accolon, and begged him to
come and rest himself at his manor. So Accolon mounted upon a spare
horse and rode to the manor, where he had passing good cheer.

Meantime Sir Damas sent to his brother, Sir Ontzlake, and bade him make
ready to fight the next day with a good knight who had agreed to do
battle for the disputed heritage; and it happened through Morgan le
Fay's trickery that Accolon was lodged with Sir Ontzlake at the very
time when this message came. Now Sir Ontzlake was sore troubled at the
message, for he had been wounded in both thighs by a spear a short time
before, and was suffering much. Still, wounded as he was, he wo