d to me," said Kai. "Nay," answered Kynon, "fairer will
it be for thee to fulfil Arthur's behest in the first place, and then we
will tell thee the best tale that we know." So Kai went to the kitchen
and to the mead-cellar, and returned, bearing a flagon of mead, and a
golden goblet, and a handful of skewers upon which were broiled collops
of meat. Then they ate the collops and began to drink the mead. "Now"
said Kai, "it is time for you to give me my story." "Kynon," said Owain,
"do thou pay to Kai the tale that is his due." "Truly," said Kynon,
"thou art older, and are a better teller of tales, and hast seen more
marvellous things than I; do thou therefore pay Kai his tale." "Begin
thyself," quoth Owain, "with the best that thou knowest." "I will do
so," answered Kynon.

"I was the only son of my mother and father; and I was exceedingly
aspiring, and my daring was very great. I thought there was no
enterprise in the world too mighty for me, and after I had achieved all
the adventures that were in my own country, {17a} I equipped myself, and
set forth to journey through deserts, and distant regions. And at length
it chanced that I came to the fairest valley in the world, wherein were
trees of equal growth; and a river ran through the valley, and a path was
by the side of the river. And I followed the path until mid-day, and
continued my journey along the remainder of the valley until the evening;
and at the extremity of a plain I came to a large and lustrous Castle, at
the foot of which was a torrent. And I approached the Castle, and there
I beheld two youths, with yellow curling hair, each with a frontlet of
gold upon his head, and clad in a garment of yellow satin; and they had
gold clasps upon their insteps. In the hand of each of them was an ivory
bow, strung with the sinews of the stag; and their arrows had their
shafts of the bone of the whale, and were winged with peacock's feathers.
The shafts also had golden heads. And they had daggers with blades of
gold, and with hilts of the bone of the whale. And they were shooting
their daggers.

"And a little way from them, I saw a man {17b} in the prime of life, with
his beard newly shorn, clad in a robe and a mantle of yellow satin; and
round the top of his mantle was a band of gold lace. On his feet were
shoes of variegated leather, fastened by two bosses of gold. When I saw
him, I went towards him and saluted him; and such was his courtesy, that
he