and lead
it away. Since it belongs to my lord Gawain it is not meet that I should
appropriate it." Kay takes the horse, remounts, and coming to the royal
tent, tells the King the whole truth, keeping nothing back. And the King
summoned Gawain, saying: "Fair nephew Gawain, if ever you were true and
courteous, go quickly after him and ask him in winsome wise who he is
and what his business. And if you can influence him and bring him along
with you to us, take care not to fail to do so." Then Gawain mounts his
steed, two squires following after him. They soon made Erec out, but did
not recognise him. Gawain salutes him, and he Gawain: their greetings
were mutual. Then said my lord Gawain with his wonted openness: "Sire,"
says he, "King Arthur sends me along this way to encounter you. The
Queen and King send you their greeting, and beg you urgently to come and
spend some time with them (it may benefit you and cannot harm), as they
are close by." Erec replies: "I am greatly obliged to the King and Queen
and to you who are, it seems, both kind of heart and of gentle mien. I
am not in a vigorous state; rather do I bear wounds within my body: yet
will I not turn aside from my way to seek a lodging-place. So you need
not longer wait: I thank you, but you may be gone." Now Gawain was a man
of sense. He draws back and whispers in the ear of one of the squires,
bidding him go quickly and tell the King to take measures at once to
take down and lower his tents and come and set them up in the middle of
the road three or four leagues in advance of where they now are.
There the King must lodge to-night, if he wishes to meet and extend
hospitality to the best knight in truth whom he can ever hope to see;
but who will not go out of his way for a lodging at the bidding of any
one. The fellow went and gave his message. The King without delay causes
his tents to be taken down. Now they are lowered, the sumpters loaded,
and off they set. The King mounted Aubagu, and the Queen afterwards
mounted a white Norse palfrey. All this while, my lord Gawain did not
cease to detain Erec, until the latter said to him: "Yesterday I covered
more ground than I shall do to-day. Sire, you annoy me; let me go.
You have already disturbed a good part of my day." And my lord Gawain
answers him: "I should like to accompany you a little way, if you do not
object; for it is yet a long while until night. They spent so much time
in talking that all the tents were set up