went forwards till they came in sight of the mound and the tents.
"Go unto yonder men," said Peredur to Etlym, "and desire them to come
and do me homage." So Etlym went unto them, and said unto them
thus,--"Come and do homage to my lord." "Who is thy lord?" said
they. "Peredur with the long lance is my lord," said Etlym. "Were
it permitted to slay a messenger, thou shouldest not go back to thy
lord alive, for making unto Kings, and Earls, and Barons so arrogant
a demand as to go and do him homage." Peredur desired him to go back
to them, and to give them their choice, either to do him homage, or
to do battle with him. And they chose rather to do battle. And that
day Peredur overthrew the owners of a hundred tents; and the next day
he overthrew the owners of a hundred more; and the third day the
remaining hundred took counsel to do homage to Peredur. And Peredur
inquired of them, wherefore they were there. And they told him they
were guarding the serpent until he should die. "For then should we
fight for the stone among ourselves, and whoever should be conqueror
among us would have the stone." "Await here," said Peredur, "and I
will go to encounter the serpent." "Not so, lord," said they; "we
will go altogether to encounter the serpent." "Verily," said
Peredur, "that will I not permit; for if the serpent be slain, I
shall derive no more fame therefrom than one of you." Then he went
to the place where the serpent was, and slew it, and came back to
them, and said, "Reckon up what you have spent since you have been
here, and I will repay you to the full." And he paid to each what he
said was his claim. And he required of them only that they should
acknowledge themselves his vassals. And he said to Etlym, "Go back
unto her whom thou lovest best, and I will go forwards, and I will
reward thee for having been my attendant." And he gave Etlym the
stone. "Heaven repay thee and prosper thee," said Etlym.