Then at first that fellow stood like one struck with amazement; but in a moment he cried out aloud as with a great fear, and instantly turned again and ran away, yelling like one who had gone mad.

But Sir Tristram thundered after him at speed, and, in a little, came up with him, and catched him by the collar of his jerkin and held him fast.  And Sir Tristram said:  “Fellow, who are you?”

“Lord,” quoth the fellow, “I am an attendant upon the knight of yonder castle, which same is hight Sir Nabon surnamed le Noir.”

[Sidenote:  Sir Tristram talks with a knave of the earth] Then Sir Tristram said:  “Sirrah, why did you run from me when you first beheld me?” And the fellow replied:  “Messire, you are the first stranger who hath dared to come hither to this country; wherefore, seeing you, and seeing that you rode upon horseback, and not knowing how you came to this land, I wist not whether you were a man of flesh and blood, or whether you were a spirit come hither for to punish us for our sins; so I ran away from you.”

“Well,” said Sir Tristram, “as you see, I am no spirit, but a man of flesh and blood.  Yet I have great hope that I have indeed been sent hither for to punish those who have done evil, for I come hither seeking the knight of yonder castle for to do battle with him in behalf of that lady whose lord he slew so treacherously as I have heard tell.  And I hope to take away from him this island and return it to the Lady Loise, to whom it belongeth.”

“Alas, Messire,” quoth the fellow, “this is for you a very sorry quest upon which you have come.  For this Sir Nabon whom you seek is accounted to be the most potent knight in all of the world.  Yea; he is held to be a bigger knight than even Sir Launcelot of the Lake or Sir Tristram of Lyonesse or Sir Lamorack of Gales.  Wherefore I beseech you to turn about and go away whither you have come whilst there is still the chance for you to escape.”

[Sidenote:  Sir Tristram sends challenge to Sir Nabon] “Gramercy for your pity, good fellow,” quoth Sir Tristram, “and may God grant that it may not be deserved.  Nevertheless, in spite of the danger in this quest, I am still of the same mind as I was when I came hither.  So do you presently go to your lord and tell him from me that a knight hath come to do battle with him upon the behalf of the lady to whom this island by rights belongeth.”

Therewith Sir Tristram let the fellow go, and he ran off with great speed and so away to the postern of the castle and entered in and shut the door behind him.

Now at that time Sir Nabon le Noir was walking along the wall of the castle, and his son, who was a lad of seventeen years, was with him.  There the messenger from Sir Tristram found him and delivered his message.  Thereupon Sir Nabon looked over the battlements and down below and he beheld that there was indeed a tall and noble knight seated upon horseback in a level meadow that reached away, descending inland from the foot of the crags whereon the castle stood.