and the sward about it, the sign of many horses having gone by,
and deemed that they had passed but a little while.
So he lay on the ground to rest him and let his horse stray
about and bite the grass; for the beast loved him and would
come at his call or his whistle.

Ralph was drowsy when he lay down, and though he said to
himself that he would nowise go to sleep, yet as oft happens,
he had no defence to make against sleepiness, and presently
his hands relaxed, his head fell aside, and he slept quietly.
When he woke up in a little space of time, he knew at once that
something had awaked him and that he had not had his sleep out;
for in his ears was the trampling of horse-hoofs and the clashing
of weapons and loud speech of men. So he leapt up hastily,
and while he was yet scarce awake, took to whistling on his horse;
but even therewith those men were upon him, and two came up to him
and laid hold of him; and when he asked them what they would,
they bade him hold his peace.

Now his eyes cleared, and he saw that those men were in goodly war-gear,
and bore coats of plate, and cuir-bouilly, or of bright steel; they held
long spears and were girt with good swords; there was a pennon with them,
green, whereon was done a golden tower, embattled, amidst of four white ways;
and the same token bore many of the men on their coats and sleeves.
Unto this same pennon he was brought by the two men who had taken him,
and under it, on a white horse, sat a Knight bravely armed at all points
with the Tower and Four Ways on his green surcoat; and beside him was
an ancient man-at-arms, with nought but an oak wreath on his bare head,
and his white beard falling low over his coat: but behind these twain a tall
young man, also on a white horse and very gaily clad, upheld the pennon.