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Authors: Ford Madox Ford
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pillar of steel as he sat on his horse listening to the challenge. However, the trumpets for the charge sounded, and away went the knights straight towards each other like arrows, each one looking along his spear to see that it was aimed truly for his adversary — covering himself well with his shield. They went so fast that they could hardly be seen, and the crash when they met was louder than the loudest peal of thunder you ever heard.
The Princess shut her eyes at the sound. But she could not keep them shut, for the people were cheering very loudly. So she opened them reluctantly, and she seemed quite glad to see that the Knight of Sarragos had been thrown from his horse by the shock and was rolling in the dust. It was rather odd that she should be pleased at this, because as a rule she was sorry for the conquered knight; for myself I rather think she had wanted the Prince to win all along. Anyhow she congratulated him warmly on his success when he came back to his seat, and for the rest of the day she did not seem much interested in the tilting although some of it was very good, too.
So the first two days passed away and nothing particular happened. The Prince of India took his turn with the rest, till at last the third day came and there were only ten knights left. These, too, the Prince overcame, and it seemed as if all was over and he had gained the prize; but while the heralds were still calling for any one to come and defeat the Prince, and while every one was holding their breath in expectation, a loud blast from a trumpet sounded through the air, and at the other end of the lists a knight appeared. He was a very tall and splendid-looking knight — for his armour was of gold, and the crest on his helmet-top was a dragon carved out of a rose-red ruby of enormous size; and the point of his lance was made of one diamond, that sparkled in the sun a great deal more brightly than any dewdrop on a spring morning. And as to handsome, why he was a perfect blaze of handsomeness, so that there could be no objection to him. The only thing was, no one knew who he was, or where he came from.
So the Princess beckoned him to her, and he came and bowed low in his saddle.
‘Who are you, Sir Knight?’ she asked; ‘and where do you come from?’
‘I am the Knight of London, your Majesty.’
‘London, London; where’s that? — I’ve never heard of it.’
‘London is the capital city of England.’
‘But where is England?’ she asked.
‘I had thought that every one had heard of England,’ he said. ‘However, as no report of England has ever reached your ears, I will tell your Majesty. The British Islands, of which England is one, are a set of small islands off the west coast of Europe. They are composed of England, Scot—’
But here the Princess interrupted him.
‘I thank you, Sir Knight, for your information, but just now the tournament is waiting for you, and I am not very fond of geography lessons.’
The Knight bowed again, and retired to take up his place in the lists.
‘How very handsome he is!’ said the Princess to one of her maids in waiting. And the lady answered:
‘Oh, quite too handsome!’ However, by this time both the knights were in their places, and the Princess nodded to the heralds to give the signal.
‘ Laissez aller,’ they cried, which is the French for ‘Go.’
And they did go with a vengeance — they went so fast that they looked all blurred together like streaks of lightning. And when they met, it was louder than thunder, louder than the shock of avalanches, louder than — well, louder than everything you ever heard, except perhaps when some one lets the tea-tray fall down the kitchen stairs.
And when the dust cleared up, the poor Knight of India was rolling on the ground in a heap, composed of himself and his horse. But the Princess did not seem very sorry for him — so wags the world.
The Knight of London, however, was seated in his saddle as firmly as if he were
The Princess shut her eyes at the sound. But she could not keep them shut, for the people were cheering very loudly. So she opened them reluctantly, and she seemed quite glad to see that the Knight of Sarragos had been thrown from his horse by the shock and was rolling in the dust. It was rather odd that she should be pleased at this, because as a rule she was sorry for the conquered knight; for myself I rather think she had wanted the Prince to win all along. Anyhow she congratulated him warmly on his success when he came back to his seat, and for the rest of the day she did not seem much interested in the tilting although some of it was very good, too.
So the first two days passed away and nothing particular happened. The Prince of India took his turn with the rest, till at last the third day came and there were only ten knights left. These, too, the Prince overcame, and it seemed as if all was over and he had gained the prize; but while the heralds were still calling for any one to come and defeat the Prince, and while every one was holding their breath in expectation, a loud blast from a trumpet sounded through the air, and at the other end of the lists a knight appeared. He was a very tall and splendid-looking knight — for his armour was of gold, and the crest on his helmet-top was a dragon carved out of a rose-red ruby of enormous size; and the point of his lance was made of one diamond, that sparkled in the sun a great deal more brightly than any dewdrop on a spring morning. And as to handsome, why he was a perfect blaze of handsomeness, so that there could be no objection to him. The only thing was, no one knew who he was, or where he came from.
So the Princess beckoned him to her, and he came and bowed low in his saddle.
‘Who are you, Sir Knight?’ she asked; ‘and where do you come from?’
‘I am the Knight of London, your Majesty.’
‘London, London; where’s that? — I’ve never heard of it.’
‘London is the capital city of England.’
‘But where is England?’ she asked.
‘I had thought that every one had heard of England,’ he said. ‘However, as no report of England has ever reached your ears, I will tell your Majesty. The British Islands, of which England is one, are a set of small islands off the west coast of Europe. They are composed of England, Scot—’
But here the Princess interrupted him.
‘I thank you, Sir Knight, for your information, but just now the tournament is waiting for you, and I am not very fond of geography lessons.’
The Knight bowed again, and retired to take up his place in the lists.
‘How very handsome he is!’ said the Princess to one of her maids in waiting. And the lady answered:
‘Oh, quite too handsome!’ However, by this time both the knights were in their places, and the Princess nodded to the heralds to give the signal.
‘ Laissez aller,’ they cried, which is the French for ‘Go.’
And they did go with a vengeance — they went so fast that they looked all blurred together like streaks of lightning. And when they met, it was louder than thunder, louder than the shock of avalanches, louder than — well, louder than everything you ever heard, except perhaps when some one lets the tea-tray fall down the kitchen stairs.
And when the dust cleared up, the poor Knight of India was rolling on the ground in a heap, composed of himself and his horse. But the Princess did not seem very sorry for him — so wags the world.
The Knight of London, however, was seated in his saddle as firmly as if he were
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