“It is Lozelle,” said Wulf, “upon the horse that Sinan promised him.”

At the sight of the man a fury took hold of Godwin.  With a shout of warning he drew his sword.  Lozelle saw, and out leapt his blade in answer.  Then sweeping past the officers who were with them and reining up their steeds, in a second they were face to face.  Lozelle struck first and Godwin caught the stroke upon his buckler, but before he could return it the fedais of either party rushed between them and thrust them asunder.

“A pity,” said Godwin, as they dragged his horse away.  “Had they left us alone I think, brother, I might have saved you a moonlight duel.”

“That I do not want to miss, but the chance at his head was good if those fellows would have let you take it,” answered Wulf reflectively.

Then the horses began to gallop again, and they saw no more of Lozelle.  Now, skirting the edge of the town, they came to the narrow, wall-less bridge that spanned the gulf between it and the outer gate and city.  Here the officer wheeled his horse, and, beckoning to them to follow, charged it at full gallop.  After him went the brethren—­Godwin first, then Wulf.  In the deep gateway on the further side they reined up.  The captain turned, and began to gallop back faster than he had come—­as fast, indeed, as his good beast would travel.

“Pass him!” cried Godwin, and shaking the reins loose upon the neck of Flame he called to it aloud.

Forward it sprang, with Smoke at its heels.  Now they had overtaken the captain, and now even on that narrow way they had swept past him.  Not an inch was there to spare between them and the abyss, and the man, brave as he was, expecting to be thrust to death, clung to his horse’s mane with terror in his eyes.  On the city side the brethren pulled up laughing among the astonished fedais who had waited for them there.

“By the Signet,” cried the officer, thinking that the knights could not understand, “these are not men; they are devils, and their horses are goats of the mountains.  I thought to frighten them, but it is I who was frightened, for they swept past me like eagles of the air.”

“Gallant riders and swift, well-trained steeds,” answered one of the fedais, with admiration in his voice.  “The fight at the full moon will be worth our seeing.”

Then once more they took the sand-strewn road and galloped on.  Thrice they passed round the city thus, the last time by themselves, for the captain and the fedais were far outstripped.  Indeed it was not until they had unsaddled Flame and Smoke in their stalls that these appeared, spurring their foaming horses.  Taking no heed of them, the brethren thrust aside the grooms, dressed their steeds down, fed and watered them.

Then having seen them eat, there being no more to do, they walked back to the guest-house, hoping to find Rosamund.  But they found no Rosamund, so sat down together and talked of the wonderful things that had befallen them, and of what might befall them in the future; of the mercy of Heaven also which had brought them all three together safe and sound, although it was in this house of hell.  So the time passed on, till about the hour of sunset the women servants came and led them to the bath, where the black slaves washed and perfumed them, clothing them in fresh robes above their armour.