e threateneth to make desolate, and all the lands that
march with his own, for no King hateth he so much as King Arthur on
account of the head of the Giant whereof he made such joy at his court."

"Damsel," saith Perceval, "Where is the Knight of the Dragon?"

"Sir," saith she, "He is in the isles of the Elephants that wont to be
the fairest land and the richest in the world. Now hath he made it all
desolate, they say, in such sort that none durst inhabit there, and the
island wherein he abideth is over against the castle of the Damsel of
the Golden Circlet, so that every day she seeth him carry knights off
bodily from the forest that he slayeth and smiteth limb from limb,
whereof hath she right sore grief at heart."

XIII.

Perceval heareth this that the damsel telleth him, and marvelleth much
thereat, and taketh thought within himself, sith that the adventure is
thus thrown upon him, that great blame will he have thereof and he
achieveth it not. He taketh leave of the King and Queen, and so goeth
his way and departeth from the Court. Messire Gawain departeth and
Lancelot with him, and say they will bear him company to the piece of
ground, and they may go thither. Perceval holdeth their fellowship
right dear. The King and Queen have great pity of Perceval, and say
all that never until now no knight went into jeopardy so sore, and that
sore loss to the world will it be if there he should die. They send to
all the hermits and worshipful men in the forest of Cardoil and bid
them pray for Perceval that God defend him from this enemy with whom he
goeth forth to do battle. Lancelot and Messire Gawain go with him by
the strange forests and by the islands, and found the forests all void
and desolate and wasted in place after place. The Damsel followeth them
together with the dead knight. And so far have they wandered that they
come into the plain country before the forest. So they looked before
them and saw a castle that was seated in the plain without the forest,
and they saw that it was set in a right fair meadow-land, and was
surrounded of great running waters and girdled of high walls, and had
within great halls with windows. They draw nigh the castle and see
that it turneth all about faster than the wind may run, and it had at
the top the archers of crossbows of copper that draw their shafts so
strong that no armour in the world might avail against the stroke
thereof. Together with them were men of copper th