When he woke up in a little space of time, he knew at once that
something had awaked him and that he had not had his sleep out;
for in his ears was the trampling of horse-hoofs and the clashing
of weapons and loud speech of men. So he leapt up hastily,
and while he was yet scarce awake, took to whistling on his horse;
but even therewith those men were upon him, and two came up to him
and laid hold of him; and when he asked them what they would,
they bade him hold his peace.
Now his eyes cleared, and he saw that those men were in goodly war-gear,
and bore coats of plate, and cuir-bouilly, or of bright steel; they held
long spears and were girt with good swords; there was a pennon with them,
green, whereon was done a golden tower, embattled, amidst of four white ways;
and the same token bore many of the men on their coats and sleeves.
Unto this same pennon he was brought by the two men who had taken him,
and under it, on a white horse, sat a Knight bravely armed at all points
with the Tower and Four Ways on his green surcoat; and beside him was
an ancient man-at-arms, with nought but an oak wreath on his bare head,
and his white beard falling low over his coat: but behind these twain a tall
young man, also on a white horse and very gaily clad, upheld the pennon.
On one side of these three were five men, unarmed, clad in green coats,
with a leafless tree done on them in gold: they were stout carles,
bearded and fierce-faced: their hands were bound behind their backs
and their feet tied together under their horses' bellies.
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