# XIII: Now They Rest for the Night in the Strait Pass explained — The Water of the Wondrous Isles > Chapter companion for The Water of the Wondrous Isles by William Morris. ## What happens After traveling for about six hours through a narrow mountain pass, the knight and Birdalone stop to rest. Birdalone is exhausted and nearly falls from her horse. The knight lifts her down, makes a bed for her, covers her with his surcoat, and then lies down on the opposite side of the pass, where both fall asleep. ## Themes in this chapter ### Journey and Quest The chapter depicts a perilous night journey through a mountain pass, highlighting the physical toll and the necessity of rest. ## Character check-ins ### Birdalone Exhausted after the long ride, she is laid down to rest by the knight and falls asleep. ### The Black Knight He stops to check on Birdalone, makes her a bed, covers her with his surcoat, and then rests himself. ## Key lines > At last, when they had been going a long while, it might be some six hours, and it had long been night in the world without, but moonlit, and they had rested but seldom, and then but for short whiles, the knight drew rein and spake to Birdalone, and asked her was she not weary. After about six hours of travel through the moonlit night with only brief rests, the knight halted and asked Birdalone if she was tired. _The knight checks on Birdalone's condition after a long, arduous ride._ > He said: By my deeming we be now half through this mountain highway, and belike there is little peril in our resting; for I think not that any one of them knoweth of this pass, or would dare it if he did; and they doubtless came into the dale by the upper pass, which is strait enough, but light and open. He judged they were halfway through the mountain road and that it was safe to rest, as their pursuers likely did not know of this pass or would not dare to use it. _The knight assesses their position and the safety of stopping._ > Then he lifted her off her horse, and laid her down in the seemliest place he might find; and the pass there was much widened, and such light as there was in the outer world came down freely into it, though it were but of the moon and the stars; and the ground was rather sandy than rocky. He lifted her from the horse and placed her on the best spot he could find, where the pass widened and the moonlight and starlight fell on sandy ground. _The knight carefully makes Birdalone comfortable for rest._ > So he dight Birdalone’s bed as well as he might, and did off his surcoat and laid it over her; and then stood aloof, and gazed on her; and he muttered: It is an evil chance; yet the pleasure of it, the pleasure of it! He arranged her bed as best he could, took off his surcoat to cover her, then stood apart looking at her, murmuring that it was a bad situation but still pleasurable. _The knight's conflicted feelings are revealed as he cares for Birdalone._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_water_of_the_wondrous_isles_se/chapters/xiii-now-they-rest-for-the-night-in-the-strait-pass - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_water_of_the_wondrous_isles_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_water_of_the_wondrous_isles_se/chapters