Having stolen Gawain’s horse Gringolet, Greoreas mounted his nephew on the great steed and sent him to find Gawain and bring him back his head. The nephew found Gawain, mounted on the Ugly Squire’s Sorry Nag, on the river bank facing the Rock of Canguin. Gawain waited for him and, although so much worse mounted, easily defeated him.
Presently Gawain gave his enemy’s nephew to the Ferryman of Canguin, in lieu of his newly recovered Gringolet, to pay for the passage over the river. By rules of combat, the defeated man was his conqueror’s prisoner. In any case, Greoreas’ nephew would not appear to have lost by the transfer, for the brief battle had left him badly wounded; since the Ferryman treated him and Gawain with equal courtesy, like two guests rather than guest and prisoner, we can probably assume that the nephew’s wounds were well cared for.
Sources
Perceval, or Le Conte del Graal | Chrétien de Troyes, late 12th century
First Continuation of Chrétien’s Perceval | Attributed to Wauchier of Denain, c. 1200
Durmart le Gallois | Early 13th century
Le Livre d’Artus | Early 13th century