The Mabinogion | Page 7

scarce 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
needest 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 everything 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 can endure 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
flank 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 shouldst

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.
And 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