[Sidenote:  Sir Lamorack leaves Tintagel] After that Sir Lamorack did not tarry longer at Tintagel, but immediately left the King’s court without making speech with anyone.  And thereafter he went down to the seashore and embarked in a boat with intent to sail to Camelot where King Arthur was then holding court.  For his heart was still so bitter against Sir Tristram that he intended to lay complaint against him before the court of chivalry at Camelot.

But Sir Lamorack did not reach Camelot upon that voyage; for, whilst he was in passage, there suddenly arose a great tempest of wind, and in spite of all that the mariners could do, that small ship wherein he sailed was driven upon a cruel headland of rocks and cliffs where it was dashed to pieces.

But Sir Lamorack had foreseen that that small boat was to be wrecked, wherefore, before the end came, he stripped himself entirely naked and leaped into the waters and swam for his life.

[Sidenote:  Sir Lamorack is shipwrecked upon a strange land] So he swam for a long time until he was wellnigh exhausted and upon the point of drowning in the waters.  But at that moment he came by good hap to where was a little bay of quiet water, whereinto he swam and so made shift to come safe to land—­but faint and weak, and so sick that he feared that he was nigh to death.  Then Sir Lamorack perceived that there was heather at that place growing upon the rocks of the hillside, so he crawled into the heather and lay him down therein in a dry spot and immediately fell into such a deep sleep of weariness that it was more like to the swoon of death than to slumber.

[Sidenote:  Of Sir Nabon le Noir] Now the lord of that country whereunto Sir Lamorack had come was a very wicked knight, huge of frame and very cruel and hard of heart.  The name of this knight was Sir Nabon, surnamed le Noir; for he was very swarth of hue, and he always wore armor entirely of black.  This knight had several years before slain the lord of that land, and had seized upon all of the island as his own possession, and no one dared to come against him for to recover these possessions, for his prowess was so remarkable and his body so huge that all the world was afraid of him.  So he dwelt there unmolested in a strong castle of stone built up upon a rock near to the seashore, whence he might behold all the ships that passed him by.  Then, whenever he would see such a ship pass by, he would issue forth in his own ships and seize upon that other vessel, and either levy toll upon it or sink it with all upon board.  And if he found any folk of high quality aboard such a ship, that one he would seize and hold for ransom.  So Sir Nabon made himself the terror of all that part of the world, and all men avoided the coasts of so inhospitable a country.  Such was the land upon which Sir Lamorack had been cast by the tempest.

[Sidenote:  The fisher-folk disarm Sir Lamorack] Now whilst Sir Lamorack lay sleeping in the heather in that wise as aforetold, there came by that way several fisher-folk; these, when they saw him lying there, thought at first that he was dead.  But as they stood talking concerning him, Sir Lamorack was aware of their voices and woke and sat up and beheld them.