Part 14 (1/2)

At this moment the Lady of the Lake, who had given Arthur his sword, came upon the field. She was invisible, but anyone who had listened intently could have heard a sound like the ripple of water as she walked. She caused Excalibur to fall out of the hand of Sir Accalon and drop near Arthur.

When it fell, Arthur saw that it was his own Excalibur. He grasped its handle and some of his strength came back. He struggled to his feet, and rus.h.i.+ng up to Sir Accalon, seized the scabbard of Excalibur and threw it far over the field.

”Now,” he said, ”send for a second sword and fight with me.”

Then Sir Accalon was afraid. Yet he thought that Arthur was so weak that he could still be overcome. So he sent for a second sword, and they began to fight again. Arthur's strength, however, had largely returned, and in a short time he gave Sir Accalon a mortal stroke.

Sir Accalon fell to the ground, and the king, leaning over him, cried:

”Tell me who you are.”

Then Sir Accalon was filled with remorse, and he said:

”Oh, my king, I have been a traitor to you, but now I am dying, and I am sorry for what I have done. I deserve my death.”

He told the king his name, and all about his treachery, and that of Morgan le Fay.

King Arthur was sad.

”It is very hard to be deceived in a friend,” he said, ”but I forgive you freely. I will try to cure your wound, and sometime I shall trust you again.”

”You cannot cure me,” said Sir Accalon. ”I am dying. Let them carry me off the field.”

So he was taken to a neighboring abbey, while the people crowded about the king to congratulate him, but Arthur said:

”I am sad at heart. My victory is no comfort to me, for to-day I have lost a friend whom I believed true.”

Then he called the two brothers, Sir Damas and Sir Ontzlake, and judged their cause. He decided that their property must be divided equally between them, and that they must be friends. They promised never to quarrel again. Arthur told them that they must be kind to other knights and to all people. He said that if he heard that they were not, he would come and punish them.

After this, Sir Damas gave back to the twenty knights all their money, and they went on their way rejoicing. King Arthur mounted his horse and rode over to the abbey, where he sat by the bed of Sir Accalon till the poor knight died. Then the king went back alone to his Court at Camelot.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Holy Grail]

[Ill.u.s.tration] HOW ARTHUR FOUGHT WITH A GIANT

Once upon a time King Arthur and some of his knights were sailing in a s.h.i.+p. The king, being tired, went to sleep in his cabin, and began to dream. It seemed to him that he was sailing with his people when a great dragon flew out of the west. This dragon had a blue head and a gold back. Underneath he shone like a rainbow.

Flames of fire rushed out of his mouth and covered land and sea.

As he flew, there came out of the east a great bear, very rough, and as black as coal, and with wings that flapped like windmills.

The bear and the dragon roared loudly, and they began to fight and struggle till the sea was all red with blood. At last the dragon conquered.

When the king awoke from this dream he sent for Merlin and told him of it, and asked for an explanation.

”My lord,” Merlin replied, ”the dragon betokens yourself; the colors on its body are signs of your glory. The bear betokens some tyrant who torments the people and whom you will slay.”

Soon after this, the s.h.i.+p in which the company was, came in sight of land. When they had anch.o.r.ed, the knights noticed on the beach a crowd of people who were weeping. Descending from the s.h.i.+p, Arthur asked one of the men what troubled them, and what was the name of their country.