upon the horse. And both he and his horse were completely armed.
When he had overtaken Geraint, he said to him, "Tell me, chieftain,
whether it is through ignorance or through presumption that thou
seekest to insult my dignity, and to infringe my rules." "Nay,"
answered Geraint, "I knew not this road was forbid to any." "Thou
didst know it," said the other; "come with me to my Court, to give me
satisfaction." "That will I not, by my faith," said Geraint; "I
would not go even to thy Lord's Court, excepting Arthur were thy
Lord." "By the hand of Arthur himself," said the knight, "I will
have satisfaction of thee, or receive my overthrow at thy hands."
And immediately they charged one another. And a squire of his came
to serve him with lances as he broke them. And they gave each other
such hard and severe strokes that their shields lost all their
colour. But it was very difficult for Geraint to fight with him on
account of his small size, for he was hardly able to get a full aim
at him with all the efforts he could make. And they fought thus
until their horses were brought down upon their knees; and at length
Geraint threw the knight headlong to the ground; and then they fought
on foot, and they gave one another blows so boldly fierce, so
frequent, and so severely powerful, that their helmets were pierced,
and their skullcaps were broken, and their arms were shattered, and
the light of their eyes was darkened by sweat and blood. At the last
Geraint became enraged, and he called to him all his strength; and
boldly angry, and swiftly resolute, and furiously determined, he
lifted up his sword, and struck him on the crown of his head a blow
so mortally painful, so violent, so fierce, and so penetrating, that
it cut through all his head armour, and his skin, and his flesh,
until it wounded the very bone, and the sword flew out of the hand of
the Little King to the furthest end of the plain, and he besought
Geraint that he would have mercy and compassion upon him. "Though