Sentence:  “The hermit was apparently somewhat moved to compassion by the anxiety as well as address which the stranger displayed in tending his horse; for, muttering something about provender left for the keeper's palfrey, he dragged out of a recess a bundle of <WSD>forage</WSD>, which he spread before the knight's charger. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Fodder for animals, especially cattle and horses.