and with several score of windows, all shining bright in the clear weather.
A fair river ran down into the mouth of that valley and it was as bright
and as smooth as silver, and on each side of it were smooth level
meadow-lands--very green--and here and there shady groves of trees and
plantations of fruit-trees. And Sir Ector perceived that the road upon
which he travelled crossed the aforesaid river by a shallow ford, and he
wist that this must be the ford whereof the forester had spoken. So he rode
down unto that ford, and when he had come nigh he perceived the thorn-tree
of which the forester had told him, and he saw that a great basin of brass
hung to the thorn-tree, just as the forester had said.

[Sidenote: Sir Ector smites upon the brazen basin] Then Sir Ector rode to
that thorn-tree and he smote upon that basin of brass with the butt of his
spear, so that the basin rang with a noise like thunder; and he smote it
again and again, several times over. But though he was aware of a great
commotion within that fair castle, yet no adventure befell him, although he
smote the brazen basin several times.

Now, his horse being athirst, Sir Ector drove him into the ford that he
might drink, and whilst he was there he was suddenly aware where, on the
other side of the stream, was a singular party coming along the roadway.
For first of all there rode a knight entirely clad in black, riding upon a
black horse, and all the harness and furniture of that horse entirely of
black. Behind him, that knight led four horses as though they were
pack-horses, and across each one of those four horses was a knight in full
armor, bound fast to the saddle like to a sack of grain, whereat Sir Ector
was very greatly astonished.

As soon as that sable knight approached the castle, several came running
forth and relieved him of those horses he led and took them into the