One day King Arthur spoke to those who were around him, saying: “If I thought you would not disparage me while I was not listening to you, I would sleep for a little. And as for the rest of you, you can obtain a flagon of mead and some meat from Kai, and entertain one another with relating tales.” And when he had said this, King Arthur went to sleep.
Arthur was in a chamber of his palace in Caerleon, and Owen, the son of Urien, and Kynon, and Kai were with him, and Queen Gwenhuivar and her maidens were there also. In the center of the chamber King Arthur sat upon a seat of green rushes, over which was spread a covering of flame-colored satin, and a cushion of red satin was under his elbow. And when he turned to sleep, Kai went to the kitchen and to the mead-cellar, and returned bearing a flagon of mead and a golden goblet, and broiled collops of meat. They ate, and they began to drink the mead out of the golden goblet.
Then said Kai: “It is time I should get paid by being told a story.” “Kynon,” said Owen to the other knight who was there, “do thou pay Kai the tale that is his due.” “Truly,” said Kynon, “thou art older, Owen, and art a better teller of tales than I, and hast seen more marvelous things; do thou, therefore, pay Kai his tale.” “Begin thyself,” said Owen, “with the best tale thou knowest.” “I will do so,” said Kynon. Then he began:
“I was the oldest 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 to achieve in my own country, 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.
“In that valley there were trees of equal growth, and a river ran through it, and a path was by the side of the river. I followed the path until midday, and continued my journey along the remainder of the valley until the evening; and at the end of the plain I came to a great castle, at the foot of which was a torrent. 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 shafts of the bone of the whale, and were winged with peacock’s feathers; their shafts also had golden heads. And they had daggers with blades of gold, and with hilts of the bone of the whale. The two youths were throwing their daggers.
“And a little way from them I saw a man clad in a robe and 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 this man, I went toward him and saluted him, and such was his courtesy that he no sooner received my greeting than he returned it. And he went with me toward the castle.
“In the hall of the castle I saw four and twenty maidens embroidering satin at a window. And this I tell thee, Kai, that the least fair of them was fairer than the fairest maid that thou hast ever beheld in the Island of Britain, and the least lovely of them was more lovely than Gwenhuivar when she appears at the Offering on the day of the Nativity, or at the feast of Easter. The maidens rose up at my coming, and six of them took my horse and divested me of my armor; and six others took my arms, and washed them in a vessel until they were perfectly bright. And the third six spread cloths upon the tables and prepared meat. And the fourth six took off my soiled garments, and placed others upon me; namely, an under-vest and doublet of fine linen, and a robe, and a surcoat, and a mantle of yellow satin with a broad gold band upon the mantle. They placed cushions both beneath and around me, with coverings of red linen; and I sat down.
“Now the six maidens who had taken my horse unharnessed him, as well as if they had been the best squires in the Island of Britain. Then, behold, they brought bowls of silver wherein was water to wash, and towels of linen, and I washed. Then, in a little while, the man who had brought me into the hall sat down to the table. I sat next to him, and below me sat all the maidens, except those who waited on us. And the table was of silver, and the cloths upon the table were of linen; and no vessel was served upon the table that was not either of gold or of silver, or of buffalo-horn. And verily, Kai, I saw there every sort of meat and every sort of liquor that I have ever seen elsewhere; but the meat and liquor were better served there than I have ever seen them in any other place.
“Until the repast was half over, neither the man nor any one of the maidens spoke a single word to me; but when the man perceived it would be more agreeable to me to converse than to eat any more, he began to inquire of me who I was and where I had come from. I said I was glad to find that there was some one who would discourse with me. ‘Chieftain,’ said the man, ‘we would have talked with thee sooner, but we feared to disturb thee during thy repast; now, however, we will discourse.’
“Then I told the man who I was, and what was the cause of my journey; and said that I was seeking whether anyone was superior to me, or whether I could gain the mastery over all. The man looked upon me, and he smiled and said, ‘If I did not fear to distress thee too much, I would show thee that which thou seekest.’ Upon this I became anxious and sorrowful, and when the man perceived it, he said, ‘If thou wouldst rather that I should show thee thy disadvantage than thine advantage, I will do so. Sleep here to-night, and in the morning arise early, and take the road upward through the valley until thou reachest the wood through which thou earnest hither. A little way within the wood thou wilt meet with a road branching off to the right, by which thou must proceed, until thou comest to a large sheltered glade with a mound in the center. And thou wilt see a guardian of great stature on the top of the mound. He is not smaller in size than two men of this world. And he has a club of iron, and it is certain that there are no two men in the world who would not find their burden in that club. He has but one foot, and there is but one eye in the middle of his forehead. He is the guardian of the wood. And thou wilt see a thousand wild animals grazing around him. Inquire of him the way out of the glade, and he will reply to thee briefly, and will point out the road by which thou shalt find that which thou art in quest of.’
“The next morning I arose and equipped myself, and mounted my horse, and proceeded straight through the valley to the wood; and I followed the crossroad which the man had pointed out to me, till at length I arrived at the glade. And there I was three times more astonished at the number of wild animals I beheld than the man had said I should be. And the guardian was there, sitting on the top of the mound. Huge of stature as the man had told me he was, I found him to exceed by far the description he had given me of him. As for the iron club which the man had told me was a burden for two men, I am certain, Kai, that it would be a heavy weight for four warriors to lift; and this was in the guardian’s hand.
“He only spoke to me in answer to my questions. I asked him what power he held over the wild animals that were around. ‘I will show thee, little man,’ said he. And he took his club in his hand, and with it he struck a stag a great blow so that he brayed vehemently, and at his braying the animals came together, as numerous as the stars in the sky, so that it was difficult for me to find room in the glade to stand among them. There were serpents, and dragons, and divers sorts of animals. And the guardian looked at them, and bade them go and feed; and they bowed their heads, and did him homage as vassals to their lord.
“Then the guardian said to me, ‘Seest thou now, little man, what power I hold over these animals?’ Then I inquired of him the way, and he became very rough in his manner to me; however, he asked me whither I would go. And when I told him who I was and what I sought, he directed me. ‘Take,’ said he, ‘that path that leads toward the head of the glade, and ascend the wooded steep until thou comest to its summit; and there thou wilt find an open space like to a large valley, and in the midst of it a tall tree, whose branches are greener than the greenest pine trees. Under this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the fountain a marble slab, and on the marble slab a silver bowl, attached by a chain of silver, so that it may not be carried away. Take the bowl, and throw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so that thou wilt think that Heaven and Earth are trembling with its fury. With the thunder there will come a shower so severe that it will be scarce possible for thee to endure it and live. And the shower will be of hailstones; and after the shower the weather will become fair, but every leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away by the shower. Then a flight of birds will come and alight upon the tree; and in thine own country thou didst never hear a strain so sweet as that which they will sing. And at the moment thou art most delighted with the song of the birds, thou wilt hear a murmuring and complaining coming toward thee along the valley. And thou wilt see a knight upon a coal-black horse, clothed in black velvet, and with a pennon of black linen upon his lance; and he will ride unto thee to encounter thee with the utmost speed. If thou fleest from him he will overtake thee, and if thou abidest there, as sure as thou art a mounted knight, he will leave thee on foot. And if thou dost not find trouble in that adventure, thou needst not seek it during the rest of thy life.’