l you of one more famous adventure that he did at this time.

[Sidenote: Sir Tristram hears from Cornwall of Sir Palamydes] Sir Tristram
had been at the court of King Arthur for about a year when one day there
came a messenger unto the court at Camelot with news that Sir Palamydes,
the Saracen knight aforetold of in this history, had through a cunning
trick seized the Lady Belle Isoult and had carried her away to a lonely
tower in the forest of Cornwall. The messenger bore a letter from King Mark
beseeching Sir Tristram to return as immediately as possible unto Cornwall
and to rescue that lady from her captivity. And the letter further said
that two knights of Cornwall had already essayed to rescue the Lady Belle
Isoult, but that they had failed, having been overcome and sorely wounded
in battle by Sir Palamydes. And the letter said that it was acknowledged by
all men that Sir Tristram was the only knight of Cornwall who could achieve
the rescue of Belle Isoult from so wonderful and puissant a knight as Sir
Palamydes.

So in answer to that letter, Sir Tristram immediately left the court of
King Arthur and returned in all haste to Cornwall, and there he found them
all in great perturbation that the Lady Belle Isoult had thus been stolen
away.

But Sir Tristram did not remain at court very long for, after he had
obtained such information as he desired, he immediately left Tintagel and
plunged into the forest with Gouvernail as his companion in quest of that
lonely tower where Belle Isoult was said to be held prisoner.

After several adventures of no great note he came at last very, very deep
into the forest and into an open space thereof; and in the midst of that
open space he beheld a lonely tower surrounded by a moat. And he wist that
that must be the place where the Lady Belle Isoult was held prisoner.

[Sidenote: Sir Tristram finds Sir Palamydes in the forest] But when Sir
Tristram drew nigh to this tower he perceived a single knight sitting at
the base of the tower with head hanging down upon his breast as though he
were broken-hearted with sorrow. And when he came still more nigh, Sir
Tristram was astonished to perceive that that mournful knight was Sir
Palamydes the Saracen, and he wondered why Sir Palamydes should be so
broken-hearted.

And now it must be told why it was that Sir Palamydes came to be in such a
sorry case as that; for the truth was that he was locked and shut outside
of the tower, whilst the L