One night the conversation turned to Richard Adams book SHARDIK, about an ancient empire ruled by an enormous, semimythical bear. This triggered Doc Webster:

The only way to become a knight in Shardiks empire was to apply for a personal interview with the bear. This had its drawbacks. If he liked your audition, you were knighted on the spot – but if you failed, Lord Shardik was quite likely to club your head off your shoulders with one mighty paw.

Even so, there were many applicants – for the peasantry were poor, and if a candidate failed for knighthood, his family received, by way of booby-prize, a valuable sheepdog from the Royal Kennels. This consoled them, for truly it is written:

For the mourning after a terrible knight, nothing beats the dog of the bear that hit you.