As autumn arrives, Sir Ector receives a letter from Uther Pendragon, the King of Gramarye, in which he is told of the King's plan to send Sir William Twyti, the royal huntsman, to the Forest Sauvage in order to kill two or three wild boars. Sir Ector is expected to provide food and lodging for Twyti (and his retinue), as well as salt the boar flesh to keep it fresh until Twyti's departure. Sir Ector is upset about the news (which he calls "a confounded piece of tyranny"), because he will have to turn his own hounds out of their kennels to lodge the royal ones, and make a number of similar accommodations. He consoles himself with the thought that perhaps Twyti and his men will be eaten in the forest by griffin.
That Christmas night, a tremendous feast is held in Sir Ector's castle to celebrate the arrival of Twyti. Sir Grummore, King Pellinore, Twyti, and an old man named Ralph Passelewe all sing rousing songs to the delight of the entire village. Sir Ector ends the feast with a set speech he has recited before and the singing of the national anthem.
The next day, the Wart wakes up very excited about the prospect of the hunt. After White describes the dangers and terrors of boar hunting, the hunt begins. Robin Wood arrives and Sir Ector nervously introduces him to Grummore and Pellinore. Grummore is charged by a boar and is hurt; eventually, the boar is trapped in a fallen tree and is killed by Robin. Twyti becomes tearful when he learns that Beaumont, one of his hounds, has had his back broken by the boar. Robin puts the dog out of his misery; to lighten the mood, White has Pellinore find the Questing Beast pining away for Pellinore, who promises to forsake Grummore's feather bed and resume his hunt for his "old beast" of a friend.
