Read The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights for Free Online Page B

went to his station.
    In the dawn light, when the armies could see each other, the men of the north were happy to see how small was Arthur’s force. Then Ulfius and Brastias delivered the attack with three thousand men. They drove furiously into the northern host, striking right and left and causing great execution on the enemy. When the eleven lords saw how so few penetrated so deeply into their battle line, they were ashamed and mounted a fierce counterattack.
    Sir Ulfius’s horse was killed under him, but he put his shield before him and continued to fight on foot. Duke Estance of Cambenet set upon Ulfius to kill him, but Sir Brastias saw his friend in danger and singled Estance out and the two ran together with such force that both of them were struck down and the horses’ knees burst to the bone and both men lay stunned on the ground. Then Sir Kay with six knights drove a wedge into the enemy until they were met by the eleven lords, and Gryfflet and Sir Lucas the Butler were unhorsed. Now the battle became a confused melee of wheeling, charging, striking knights, and each man chose an enemy and engaged him as if in single combat.
    Sir Kay saw Gryfflet fighting on fast and quickly. He struck down King Nentres and took his horse to Gryfflet and mounted him. With the same spear, Sir Kay struck King Lot and wounded him. Seeing this, the young King of a Hundred Knights ran at Sir Kay and unhorsed him and took his horse to King Lot.
    Thus it went on, for it was every knight’s pride and duty to help and defend his friends, and an armored knight on foot was in double danger because of the weight of his equipment. The battle raged and neither side gave ground. Gryfflet saw his friends Sir Kay and Sir Lucas unhorsed and he returned their favor. He chose the good knight Sir Pynnel and with his great spear cast him from the saddle and gave his horse to Sir Kay. The fighting continued and many men were stripped from their saddles and their horses given to dismounted men. Then the eleven lords were filled with rage and frustration because their greater army could make no headway against Arthur and their losses in dead and wounded were very great.
    Now King Arthur came into the fight with shining eager eyes and he saw Brastias and Ulfius fallen and in great peril of their lives because they were caught in the harness of their wounded horses and the threshing hooves battered them. Arthur charged at Sir Cradilment like a lion and drove his spear into the knight’s left side and he grasped the reins and led his horse to Ulfius and said with the fierce and formal gaiety of fighting men, “My old friend, it seems to me that you could use a horse. Please use this one.”
    And Ulfius replied, “Why, so I do. Thank you, my lord.” Then King Arthur swung into the battle, striking, feinting, swerving his horse, fighting so marvelously that men watched in wonder.
    The King of a Hundred Knights saw Cradilment brought to earth and he turned on Sir Ector, Arthur’s foster father, and struck him down, and took his horse. When Arthur saw Cradilment, whom he had already defeated once, riding Sir Ector’s horse, his fury rose and he engaged again with Cradilment and gave him such a sword stroke that the blade sliced down through helmet and shield and deep into the horse’s neck, so that horse and man dropped instantly to the ground. Meanwhile, Sir Kay went to the rescue of his father, unhorsed a knight, and helped Sir Ector to mount himself again.
    Sir Lucas lay unconscious under his horse and Gryfflet manfully tried to defend his friend against fourteen knights. Then Sir Brastias, newly mounted, moved in to help. He struck the first on the visor so hard that his blade went into his teeth. He caught the second at elbow with a swinging stroke and cut his arm cleanly off and it fell to the ground. He struck a third at shoulder where the armor meets gorget, and shoulder and arm were carved off. The earth was