Then came Iddawc and they that were with him, and stood before Arthur
and saluted him. "Heaven grant thee good," said Arthur. "And where,
Iddawc, didst thou find these little men?" "I found them, lord, up
yonder on the road." Then the Emperor smiled. "Lord," said Iddawc,
"wherefore dost thou laugh?" "Iddawc," replied Arthur, "I laugh not;
but it pitieth me that men of such stature as these should have this
island in their keeping, after the men that guarded it of yore."
Then said Iddawc, "Rhonabwy, dost thou see the ring with a stone set
in it, that is upon the Emperor's hand?" "I see it," he answered.
"It is one of the properties of that stone to enable thee to remember
that thou seest here to-night, and hadst thou not seen the stone,
thou wouldest never have been able to remember aught thereof."

After this they saw a troop coming towards the ford. "Iddawc,"
inquired Rhonabwy, "to whom does yonder troop belong?" "They are the
fellows of Rhuvawn Pebyr the son of Prince Deorthach. And these men
are honourably served with mead and bragget, and are freely beloved
by the daughters of the kings of the Island of Britain. And this
they merit, for they were ever in the front and the rear in every
peril." And he saw but one hue upon the men and the horses of this
troop, for they were all as red as blood. And when one of the
knights rode forth from the troop, he looked like a pillar of fire
glancing athwart the sky. And this troop encamped above the ford.

Then they beheld another troop coming towards the ford, and these
from their horses' chests upwards were whiter than the lily, and
below blacker than jet. And they saw one of these knights go before
the rest, and spur his horse into the ford in such a manner that the
water dashed over Arthur and the Bishop, and those holding counsel