“Sir,” said the forester, “if you will follow along yonder road for a distance you will find a very large, strong castle surrounded by a broad moat.  In front of that castle is a stream of water with a fair, shallow ford, where the roadway crosses the water.  Upon this side of that ford there groweth a thorn-tree, very large and sturdy, and upon it hangs a basin of brass.  Strike upon that basin with the butt of your spear, and you shall presently meet with that adventure concerning which I have just now spoken.”  “Fellow,” said Sir Ector, “grammercy for your news.”  And, therewith, straightway he rode off in search of that adventure.

He rode a great distance at a very fast gait and by and by he came to the top of a hill and therewith he saw before him the mouth of a fair valley.  Across from where he stood was another hill not very large or high, but exceedingly steep and rocky.  Upon this farther hill was builded a tall, noble castle of gray stone with many towers and spires and tall chimneys and with several score of windows, all shining bright in the clear weather.  A fair river ran down into the mouth of that valley and it was as bright and as smooth as silver, and on each side of it were smooth level meadow-lands—­very green—­and here and there shady groves of trees and plantations of fruit-trees.  And Sir Ector perceived that the road upon which he travelled crossed the aforesaid river by a shallow ford, and he wist that this must be the ford whereof the forester had spoken.  So he rode down unto that ford, and when he had come nigh he perceived the thorn-tree of which the forester had told him, and he saw that a great basin of brass hung to the thorn-tree, just as the forester had said.

[Sidenote:  Sir Ector smites upon the brazen basin] Then Sir Ector rode to that thorn-tree and he smote upon that basin of brass with the butt of his spear, so that the basin rang with a noise like thunder; and he smote it again and again, several times over.  But though he was aware of a great commotion within that fair castle, yet no adventure befell him, although he smote the brazen basin several times.

Now, his horse being athirst, Sir Ector drove him into the ford that he might drink, and whilst he was there he was suddenly aware where, on the other side of the stream, was a singular party coming along the roadway.  For first of all there rode a knight entirely clad in black, riding upon a black horse, and all the harness and furniture of that horse entirely of black.  Behind him, that knight led four horses as though they were pack-horses, and across each one of those four horses was a knight in full armor, bound fast to the saddle like to a sack of grain, whereat Sir Ector was very greatly astonished.

As soon as that sable knight approached the castle, several came running forth and relieved him of those horses he led and took them into the castle, and as soon as he had been thus relieved the sable knight rode very violently up to where Sir Ector was.  As soon as he had come to the water’s edge he cried out:  “Sir Knight, come forth from out of that water and do me battle.”