the palmer loudly bade his master crave mercy, seeing it was useless
to contend against magic weapons. Hearing this, Sir Guyon surrendered,
and he and Prince Arthur humbly offered to escort Britomart, whom they
naturally took for a powerful knight.

They had not gone very far when they beheld at a distance a damsel
dashing madly through the bushes, casting fearful glances behind her,
for she was closely pursued by a grizzly forester. All their chivalric
instincts aroused, Prince Arthur and his companions spurred hotly
after the distressed damsel, while Britomart and her nurse calmly rode
on, until they came to a castle, at whose gates one knight was
desperately fighting against six. Seeing this, Britomart boldly rode
to the rescue of the oppressed knight, and fought beside him to such
good purpose that they defeated their assailants. Then, entering the
castle, Britomart and her nurse proceeded to care for their companion,
the Red Cross Knight, who had received serious wounds.

Although he had noticed in the midst of the conflict that a golden
curl had escaped from Britomart's helmet and fallen over her breast,
and had thus discovered her sex, he courteously ignored it until they
were about to ride away together, when he respectfully offered to
serve as the lady's protector and escort. Thereupon Britomart
explained who she was, adding that she was in quest of Sir Artegall,
of whom she spoke rather slightingly, because she did not wish her
companion to know how deeply she had fallen in love with a stranger.
Judging from her tone that she did not approve of Sir Artegall, the
Red Cross Knight hotly protested he was the noblest and most courteous
knight that had ever lived, which, of course, pleased Britomart.

Meantime, Prince Arthur and Sir Guyon, with their respective