is castles.

BRANCH XX.

TITLE I.

The story saith that King Arthur goeth his way and Lancelot and Messire
Gawain with him, and they had ridden so far one day that night came on
in a forest and they might find no hold. Messire Gawain marvelled him
much that they had ridden the day long without finding neither hold nor
hermitage. Night was come and the sky was dark and the forest full of
gloom. They knew not whitherward to turn to pass the night.

"Lords," saith the King, "Where may we be able to alight to-night?"

"Sir, we know not, for this forest is fight wearisome."

They make the squire climb up a tall tree and tell him to look as far
as he may to try whether he may espy any hold or house where they may
lodge. The squire looketh on all sides, and then telleth them he seeth
a fire a long way off as if it were in a waste house, but that he seeth
nought there save the fire and the house.

"Take good heed," saith Lancelot, "in which quarter it is, so that you
may know well how to lead us thither."

He saith that right eath may he lead them.

II.

With that he cometh down and mounteth again on his hackney, and they go
forward a great pace and ride until they espy the fire and the hold.
They pass on over a bridge of wattles, and find the courtyard all
deserted and the house from within great and high and hideous. But
there was a great fire within whereof the heat might be felt from afar.
They alight of their horses, and the squire draweth them on one side
amidst the hall, and the knights set them beside the fire all armed.
The squire seeth a chamber in the house and entereth thereinto to see
if he may find any meat for the horses, but he cometh forth again the
swiftest he may and crieth right sweetly on the Mother of the Saviour.
They ask him what aileth him, and he saith that he hath found the most
treacherous chamber ever he found yet, for he felt there, what with
heads and what with hands, more than two hundred men dead, and saith
that never yet felt he so sore afeared. Lancelot went into the chamber
to see whether he spake true, and felt the men that lay dead, and
groped among them from head to head and felt that there was a great
heap of them there, and came back and sate at the fire all laughing.
The King asketh whether the squire had told truth. Lancelot answereth
him yea, and that never yet had he found so many dead men together.

"Methinketh," saith Messire Gawain, "Sith that they are de