a while to gather victual, a day or
two, or three maybe: so my Lord will hold a tourney there: that is to
say that I myself and some few others shall try thy manhood somewhat."
"What?" said Ralph, "are the new colt's paces to be proven? And how if
he fail?"

Quoth Otter, laughing: "Fail not, I rede thee, or my lord's love for
thee shall be something less than nothing." "And then will he slay me?"
said Ralph. Said Otter: "Nay I deem not, at least not at first: he
will have thee home to Utterbol, to make the most of his bad bargain,
and there shalt thou be a mere serving-thrall, either in the house or
the field: where thou shalt be well-fed (save in times of scarcity),
and belike well beaten withal." Said Ralph, somewhat downcast: "Yea, I
am a thrall, who was once a knight. But how if thou fail before me?"
Otter laughed again: "That is another matter; whatever I do my Lord
will not lose me if he can help it; but as for the others who shall
stand before thy valiancy, there will be some who will curse the day
whereon my lord bought thee, if thou turnest out a good spear, as ye
call it in your lands. Howsoever, that is not thy business; and I bid
thee fear naught; for thou seemest to be a mettle lad."

So they talked, and that day wore like the others, but the haze did not
clear off, and the sun went down red. In the evening David talked with
Ralph in his tent, and said: "If to-morrow be clear, knight, thou shalt
see a new sight when thou comest out from the canvas." Said Ralph: "I
suppose thy meaning is that we shall see the mountains from hence?"
"Yea," said David; "so hold up thine heart when that sight first cometh
before thine eyes. As for us, we are used to the sight, and that from
a place much nigher to the mountains: yet they who are soft-hearted
amongst us are overcome at whiles, when there is storm and tempest, and
evil tides at hand."

Said Ralph: "And how far then are we from Utterbol?" Said David:
"After we have left Bull-mead in the Dale of the Tower, where to-morrow
thou art to run with the spear, it is four days' ride to Utterness; and
from Utterness ye may come (if my lord will) unto Utterbol in twelve
hours. But tell me, knight, how deemest thou of thy tilting
to-morrow?" Said Ralph: "Little should I think of it, if little lay
upon it." "Yea," said David, "but art thou a good tilter?" Ralph
laughed: quoth he, "That hangs on the goodness of him that tilteth
against me: I have both overth