[Sidenote: Of Sir Turquine the sable knight] Now you are to know that he
who had thus taken Sir Lionel and those three knights prisoner was one Sir
Turquine, a very cruel, haughty knight, who had a great and strong castle
out beyond the mouth of that valley in which these knights took combat as
aforetold. Moreover, it was the custom of Sir Turquine to make prisoner all
the knights and ladies who came that way; and all the knights and ladies
who were not of King Arthur's court he set free when they had paid a
sufficient ransom unto him; but the knights who were of King Arthur's
court, and especially those who were of the Round Table, he held prisoner
for aye within his castle. The dungeon of that castle was a very cold,
dismal, and unlovely place, and it was to this prison that he proposed to
take those four knights whom he had overcome, with intent to hold them
prisoner as aforetold.

And now turn we to King Arthur's court and consider what befell there after
Sir Launcelot and Sir Lionel had left it in search of adventures.

[Sidenote: Sir Ector follows Sir Launcelot and Sir Lionel] When Sir Ector
found that Sir Launcelot and Sir Lionel had gone away in that fashion he
was very much grieved in spirit; wherefore he said to himself, "Meseems my
brother might have taken me with him as well as our cousin." So he went to
King Arthur and besought his leave to quit the court and to ride after
those other two and to join in their adventures, and King Arthur very
cheerfully gave him that leave. So Sir Ector made him ready with all
despatch, and rode away at a great gait after Sir Launcelot and Sir Lionel.
And ever as Sir Ector rode he made diligent inquiry and he found that those
two knights had ridden before him, so he said to himself: "By and by I
shall overtake them--if not to-day, at least by night, or by to-morrow
day."