e: _Sir Ewaine doeth battle with the thieves._]

After that Sir Ewaine looked about him, but could find no weapon to his
hand, wherefore he catched up the solid wooden bench whereon he had been
lying awhile since. And he whirled that bench about his head and he
smote with it upon the right hand and the left and he smote the thieves
down upon the one side and the other. And so great was his fury that
they bore back from before him in terror of his madness.

[Sidenote: _Sir Ewaine is wounded._]

So Sir Ewaine might have slain all those thieves (though there were a
score and seven of them in all) only for the captain of the band. He,
beholding the fury of Sir Ewaine, ran to where there was a javelin that
stood in a corner of that place. And he catched up the javelin and threw
it at Sir Ewaine; and the javelin pierced through the shoulder of Sir
Ewaine and pinned him fast to the wall of the hut.

Then Sir Ewaine wist that he was very sorely wounded, wherefore he
roared aloud. And he strove with the javelin and anon he wrenched
himself loose from the wall to which he had been pinned. Then he rushed
at the thieves with the javelin still pinned through his shoulder and
they made way before the terror of his onset.

Now as the robbers parted from before his onset, Sir Ewaine perceived
that there was a way for him to the door. Thereupon he cast himself upon
the door and he burst it open and fled away into the forest with the
javelin still transfixed in his shoulder.

[Sidenote: _Sir Ewaine escapeth._]

Therewith, perceiving that their captive was escaping from them, the
thieves rushed after Sir Ewaine and pursued him with great outcry. But
ever they were afraid of the violence of his anger (for he had slain or
broken the bones of eleven of them) wherefore they followed him not with
as good a will as they would else have done. Hence it befell that Sir
Ewaine made his escape from them and so got safe away into the cover of
the night and of the forest, though sorely and woefully wounded.

After he had thus escaped from that danger, Sir Ewaine knew not what to
do. For he was faint and bedizzied because of his wound and the agony
thereof. But he wist that he must free himself from that javelin,
wherefore he catched the haft of the weapon and he broke it in twain.
After that he plucked out the javelin by the point which had transfixed
his shoulder and with that a great issue of blood burst forth from the
wound so that Sir Ewai