"Ha, God!" saith the damsel, "How am I betrayed, sith that I am parted
from the best knight in the world! Lancelot, you have done that which
never yet no knight might do! Now am I grieved that you should escape
on such wise, and that your life hath been saved in this manner by me.
Better should I love you mine own dead, than another's living. Now
would I fain that you had had your head smitten off, and that it were
hanging with the others! So would I solace myself by beholding it!"
Lancelot took no account of that he heard, for the grief that lay at
his heart of the Queen. He mounteth on his horse and issueth forth of
the orchard by a postern gate, and entereth into the forest, and
commendeth him to God. The lord of the Castle of the Griffons
marvelleth much that Lancelot delayeth so long. He thinketh that he
durst not come down, and saith to his knights, "Let us go up and cut
off his head, sith that he durst not come down."
He maketh search for him all through the hall and the chambers, but
findeth him not.
"He hath gone," saith he, "through the cavern, so have the griffons
devoured him."
So he sendeth the twain most hardy of his knights to see. But the
brachet had returned after the damsel, whereof the griffons were wroth,
and they forthwith seized on the two knights that entered into their
cavern and slew them and devoured.