The Once and Future King. T. White H.

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СКАЧАТЬ a good deal of daylight at their seats. There was a change in tempo, and Sir Grummore’s horse could be definitely seen to be cantering. In another minute King Pellinore’s was doing so too. It was a terrible spectacle.

      ‘Oh, dear!’ exclaimed the Wart, feeling ashamed that his blood-thirstiness had been responsible for making these two knights joust before him. ‘Do you think they will kill each other?’

      ‘Dangerous sport,’ said Merlyn, shaking his head.

      ‘Now!’ cried the Wart.

      With a blood-curdling beat of iron hoofs the mighty equestrians came together. Their spears wavered for a moment within a few inches of each other’s helms – each had chosen the difficult point-stroke – and then they were galloping off in opposite directions. Sir Grummore drove his spear deep into the beech tree where they were sitting, and stopped dead. King Pellinore, who had been run away with, vanished altogether behind his back.

      ‘Is it safe to look?’ inquired the Wart, who had shut his eyes at the critical moment.

      ‘Quite safe,’ said Merlyn. ‘It will take them some time to get back in position.’

      ‘Whoa, whoa, I say!’ cried King Pellinore in muffled and distant tones, far away among the gorse bushes.

      ‘Hi, Pellinore, hi!’ shouted Sir Grummore. ‘Come back, my dear fellah, I’m over here.’

      There was a long pause, while the complicated stations of the two knights readjusted themselves, and then King Pellinore was at the opposite end from that at which he had started, while Sir Grummore faced him from his original position.

      ‘Traitor knight!’ cried Sir Grummore.

      ‘Yield, recreant, what?’ cried King Pellinore.

      They fewtered their spears again, and thundered into the charge.

      ‘Oh,’ said the Wart, ‘I hope they don’t hurt themselves.’

      But the two mounts were patiently blundering together, and the two knights had simultaneously decided on the sweeping stroke. Each held his spear at right angles toward the left, and, before the Wart could say anything further, there was a terrific yet melodious thump. Clang! went the armour, like a motor omnibus in collision with a smithy, and the jousters were sitting side by side on the green sward, while their horses cantered off in opposite directions.

      ‘A splendid fall,’ said Merlyn.

      The two horses pulled themselves up, their duty done, and began resignedly to eat the sward. King Pellinore and Sir Grummore sat looking straight before them, each with the other’s spear clasped hopefully under his arm.

      ‘Well!’ said the Wart. ‘What a bump! They both seem to be all right, so far.’

      Sir Grummore and King Pellinore laboriously got up.

      ‘Defend thee,’ cried King Pellinore.

      ‘God save thee,’ cried Sir Grummore.

      With this they drew their swords and rushed together with such ferocity that each, after dealing the other a dent on the helm, sat down suddenly backwards.

      ‘Bah!’ cried King Pellinore.

      ‘Booh!’ cried Sir Grummore, also sitting down.

      ‘Mercy,’ exclaimed the Wart. ‘What a combat!’

      The knights had now lost their tempers and the battle was joined in earnest. It did not matter much, however, for they were so encased in metal that they could not do each other much damage. It took them so long to get up, and the dealing of a blow when you weighed the eighth part of a ton was such a cumbrous business, that every stage of the contest could be marked and pondered.

      In the first stage King Pellinore and Sir Grummore stood opposite each other for about half an hour, and walloped each other on the helm. There was only opportunity for one blow at a time, so they more or less took it in turns, King Pellinore striking while Sir Grummore was recovering, and vice versa. At first, if either of them dropped his sword or got it stuck in the ground, the other put in two or three extra blows while he was patiently fumbling for it or trying to tug it out. Later, they fell into the rhythm of the thing more perfectly, like the toy mechanical people who saw wood on Christmas trees. Eventually the exercise and the monotony restored their good humour and they began to get bored.

      The second stage was introduced as a change, by common consent. Sir Grummore stumped off to one end of the clearing, while King Pellinore plodded off to the other. Then they turned round and swayed backward and forward once or twice, in order to get their weight on their toes. When they leaned forward they had to run forward, to keep up with their weight, and if they leaned too far backward they fell down. So even walking was complicated. When they had got their weight properly distributed in front of them, so that they were just off their balance, each broke into a trot to keep up with himself. They hurtled together as it had been two boars.

      They met in the middle, breast to breast, with a noise of shipwreck and great bells tolling, and both, bouncing off, fell breathless on their backs. They lay thus for a few minutes, panting. Then they slowly began to heave themselves to their feet, and it was obvious that they had lost their tempers once again.

      King Pellinore had not only lost his temper but he seemed to have been a bit astonished by the impact. He got up facing the wrong way, and could not find Sir Grummore. There was some excuse for this, since he had only a slit to peep through – and that was three inches away from his eye owing to the padding of straw – but he looked muddled as well. Perhaps he had broken his spectacles. Sir Grummore was quick to seize advantage.

      ‘Take that!’ cried Sir Grummore, giving the unfortunate monarch a two-handed swipe on the nob as he was slowly turning his head from side to side, peering in the opposite direction.

      King Pellinore turned round morosely, but his opponent had been too quick for him. He had ambled round so that he was still behind the King, and now gave him another terrific blow in the same place.

      ‘Where are you?’ asked King Pellinore.

      ‘Here,’ cried Sir Grummore, giving him another.

      ‘The poor King turned himself round as nimbly as possible, but Sir Grummore had given him the slip again.

      ‘Tally-ho back!’ shouted Sir Grummore, with another wallop.

      ‘I think you’re a cad,’ said the King.

      ‘Wallop!’ replied Sir Grummore, doing it.

      What with the preliminary crash, the repeated blows on the back of his head, and the puzzling nature of his opponent, King Pellinore could now be seen to be visibly troubled in his brains. He swayed backward and forward under the hail of blows which were administered, and feebly wagged his arms.

      ‘Poor King,’ said the Wart. ‘I wish he would not hit him so.’

      As if in answer to his wish, Sir Grummore paused in his labours.

      ‘Do you want Pax?’ asked Sir Grummore.

      King Pellinore made no answer.

      Sir Grummore favoured him СКАЧАТЬ