The Mabinogion Vol. 1 by Sir Owen Morgan Edwards and Lady Charlotte Schreiber (best big ereader txt) 📗

would not find their burden in that club.  And he is not a comely man, but on the contrary he is exceedingly ill favoured; and he is the woodward of that wood.  And thou wilt see a thousand wild animals, grazing around him.  Enquire of him the way out of the glade, and he will reply to thee briefly, [20] and will point out the road, by which thou shalt find that which thou art in quest of.’

“And long seemed the night to me.  And the next morning I arose, and equipped myself, and mounted my horse, and proceeded straight through the valley, to the wood, and I followed the crossroad which the man had pointed out to me, till at length I arrived at the glade.  And there was I three times more astonished at the number of wild animals that I beheld, than the man had said I should be.  And the black man was there, sitting upon the top of the mound.  Huge of stature as the p. 21man had told me that he was, I found him to exceed by far the description he had given me of him.  As for the iron club, which the man had told me was a burden for two men, I am certain, Kai, that it would be a heavy weight for four warriors to lift.  And this was in the black man’s hand.  And he only spoke to me in answer to my questions. [21a]  Then I asked him what power he held over those animals.  ‘I will shew thee, little man,’ said he.  And he took his club in his hand, and with it he struck a stag a great blow, so that he brayed vehemently, and at his braying, the animals came together, as numerous as the stars in the sky, so that it was difficult for me to find room in the glade, to stand among them.  There were serpents, and dragons, and divers sorts of animals.  And he looked at them, and bade them go and feed.  And they bowed their heads, and did him homage, as vassals to their lord.

“Then the black man said to me, ‘Seest thou now, little man, what power I hold over these animals?’  Then I enquired of him the way; and he became very rough in his manner to me; however he asked me whither I would go.  And when I had told him who I was, and what I sought, he directed me.  ‘Take,’ said he, ‘that path that leads towards the head of the glade, and ascend the wooded steep, until thou comest to its summit; and there thou wilt find an open space, like to a large valley, and in the midst of it a tall tree, whose branches are greener than the greenest pine trees.  Under this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the fountain, a marble slab, and on the marble slab a silver bowl, attached by a chain of silver, so that it may not be carried away. [21b]  p. 22Take the bowl, and throw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder; so that thou wilt think that heaven and earth are trembling with its fury.  With the thunder there will come a shower so severe, that it will be scarcely possible for thee to endure it and live.  And the shower will be of hailstones.  And after the shower, the weather will become fair; but every leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away by the shower.  Then a flight of birds will come and alight upon the tree; and in thine own country thou didst never hear a strain so sweet, as that which they will sing.  And at the moment thou art most delighted with the song of the birds, thou wilt hear a murmuring and complaining coming towards thee along the valley.  And thou wilt see a knight upon a coal black horse, clothed in black velvet, and with a pennon of black linen upon his lance, and he will ride unto thee to encounter thee, with the utmost speed.  If thou fleest from him he will overtake thee, and if thou abidest there, as sure as thou art a mounted knight, he will leave thee on foot.  And if thou dost not find trouble in that adventure, thou needst not seek it during the rest of thy life.’

“So I journeyed on, until I reached the summit of the steep.  And there I found every thing, as the black man had described it to me.  And I went up to the tree, and beneath it I saw the fountain, and by its side the marble slab; and the silver bowl, fastened by the chain.  Then I took the bowl, and cast a bowlful of water upon the slab; and thereupon behold the thunder came, much more violent than the black man had led me to expect; and after the thunder came the shower; and of a truth I tell thee, Kai, that there is neither man nor beast that could p. 23endure that shower and live.  For not one of those hailstones would be stopped either by the flesh, or by the skin, until it had reached the bone.  I turned my horse’s flanks towards the shower, and placed the beak of my shield over his head and neck, while I held the upper part of it over my own head.  And thus I withstood the shower.  When I looked on the tree, there was not a single leaf upon it, and then the sky became clear; and with that, behold the birds lighted upon the tree, and sang.  And truly, Kai, I never heard any melody equal to that, either before or since.  And when I was most charmed with listening to the birds, lo, a murmuring voice was heard through the valley, approaching me, and saying, ‘Oh, Knight, what has brought thee hither?  What evil have I done to thee, that thou shouldest act towards me and my possessions, as thou hast this day?  Dost thou not know that the shower to-day has left in my dominions neither man nor beast alive, that was exposed to it?’  And thereupon, behold a Knight on a black horse appeared, clothed in jet black velvet, and with a tabard of black linen about him.  And we charged each other; and as the onset was furious, it was not long before I was overthrown.  Then the Knight passed the shaft of his lance through the bridle rein of my horse, and rode off with the two horses; leaving me where I was.  And he did not even bestow so much notice upon me, as to imprison me, nor did he despoil me of my arms.  So I returned along the road by which I had come.  And when I reached the glade where the black man was, I confess to thee, Kai, it is a marvel that I did not melt down into a liquid pool, through the shame that I felt at the black man’s derision.  And that night I came to the same Castle, where I had spent the night preceding.  p. 24And I was more agreeably entertained that night, than I had been the night before; and I was better feasted, and I conversed freely with the inmates of the Castle; and none of them alluded to my expedition to the fountain, neither did I mention it to any.  And I remained there that night.  When I arose on the morrow, I found ready saddled a dark-bay palfrey, with nostrils as red as scarlet.  And after putting on my armour, and leaving there my blessing, I returned to my own Court.  And that horse I still possess, and he is in the stable yonder.  And I declare that I would not part with him for the best palfrey in the Island of Britain.

“Now of a truth, Kai, no man ever before confessed to an adventure so much to his own discredit; and verily it seems strange to me, that neither before nor since have I heard of any person, besides myself, who knew of this adventure, and that the subject of it should exist within King Arthur’s dominions, without any other person lighting upon it.”

“Now,” quoth Owain, “would it not be well to go and endeavour to discover that place?”

“By the hand of my friend,” said Kai, “often dost thou utter that with thy tongue, which thou wouldest not make good with thy deeds.”

“In very truth,” said Gwenhwyvar, “it were better thou wert hanged, Kai, than to use such uncourteous speech towards a man like Owain.”

“By the hand of my friend, good Lady,” said Kai, “thy praise of Owain is not greater than mine.”

With that Arthur awoke, and asked if he had not been sleeping a little.

“Yes, Lord,” answered Owain, “thou hast slept awhile.”

p. 25“Is it time for us to go to meat?”

“It is, Lord,” said Owain.

Then the horn for washing was sounded, and the King and all his household sat down to eat.  And when the meal was ended, Owain withdrew to his lodging, and made ready his horse and his arms.

On the morrow, with the dawn of day, he put on his armour, and mounted his charger, and travelled through distant lands, and over desert mountains.  And at length he arrived at the valley which Kynon had described to him; and he was certain that it was the same that he sought.  And journeying along the valley, by the side of the river, he followed its course till he came to the plain, and within sight of the Castle.  When he approached the Castle, he saw the youths shooting their daggers, in the place where Kynon had seen them; and the yellow man, to whom the Castle belonged, standing hard by.  And no sooner had Owain saluted the yellow man, than he was saluted by him in return.

And he went forward towards the Castle, and there he saw the chamber; and when he had entered the chamber, he beheld the maidens working at satin embroidery, in chairs of gold.  And their beauty, and their comeliness seemed to Owain far greater than Kynon had represented to him.  And they arose to wait upon Owain, as they had done to Kynon.  And the meal which they set before him, gave more satisfaction to Owain than it had done to Kynon.

About the middle of the repast the yellow man asked Owain the object of his journey.  And Owain made it known to him, and said, “I am in quest of the Knight who guards the fountain.”  Upon this, the yellow man smiled, and said that he was as loth to point out that adventure to Owain as he had been p. 26to Kynon.  However he described the whole to Owain, and they retired to rest.

The next morning Owain found his horse made ready for him by the damsels, and he set forward and came to the glade where the black man was.  And the stature of the black man seemed more wonderful to Owain, than it had done to Kynon, and Owain asked of him his road, and he showed it to him.  And Owain followed the road, as Kynon had done, till he came to the green tree; and he beheld the fountain, and the slab beside the fountain with the bowl upon it.  And Owain took the bowl, and threw a bowlful of water upon the slab.  And lo, the thunder was heard, and after the thunder came the shower, much more violent than Kynon had described, and after the shower, the sky became bright.  And when Owain looked at the tree, there was not one leaf upon it.  And immediately the birds came, and settled upon the tree, and sang.  And when their song was most pleasing to Owain, he beheld a Knight coming