



Produced by Chris Curnow, Lindy Walsh, Suzan Flanagan and
the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net







TOLD TO THE CHILDREN SERIES
EDITED BY LOUEY CHISHOLM


       KING ARTHUR'S KNIGHTS




                TO
          MARIE WINIFRED




[Illustration: BESIDE HER STOOD HER BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER

Page 7]




            STORIES OF

       King Arthur's Knights

      TOLD TO THE CHILDREN BY

          MARY MACGREGOR

         WITH PICTURES BY

         KATHARINE CAMERON

           [Illustration]

     LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK
     NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.




ABOUT THIS BOOK


More than four hundred years ago there lived a diligent man called
Sir Thomas Malory, who wrote in English words many of the beautiful
Welsh tales about King Arthur's Knights, that the people of Wales
loved so well.

All the stories in this little book were found in Malory's big
book, except 'Geraint and Enid.' But it, too, is one of the old
Welsh tales that tell of the brave knights and fair ladies of King
Arthur's court.

Many times, since Sir Thomas Malory wrote his book, have these
stories been told again to old and young, but perhaps never before
have they been told to the children so simply as in this little
book.

                                                  MARY MACGREGOR.




LIST OF STORIES

                                      Page

     Geraint and Enid,                   1

     Lancelot and Elaine,               29

     Pelleas and Ettarde,               45

     Gareth and Lynette,                61

     Sir Galahad and the Sacred Cup,    88

     The Death of King Arthur,         107




LIST OF PICTURES


     GERAINT AND ENID.

     Beside her stood her beautiful daughter,  _Frontispiece_

                                                      At page

     Through woods and swamps Enid and Geraint rode
     silently,                                             20


     LANCELOT AND ELAINE.

     The Lily Maid of Astolat,                             44


     PELLEAS AND ETTARDE.

     Sir Pelleas was always at his lady's side,            50


     GARETH AND LYNETTE.

     Sometimes the birds and beasts, his woodland
     friends, would call to him,                           62

     The Lady Lyonors,                                     84


     SIR GALAHAD AND THE SACRED CUP.

     'My strength is as the strength of ten
     Because my heart is pure,'                           102


     THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR,                            114




GERAINT AND ENID


Queen Guinevere lay idly in bed dreaming beautiful dreams. The
sunny morning hours were slipping away, but she was so happy in
dreamland, that she did not remember that her little maid had
called her long ago.

But the Queen's dreams came to an end at last, and all at once she
remembered that this was the morning she had promised to go to the
hunt with King Arthur.

Even in the hunting-field, the King was not quite happy if his
beautiful Queen Guinevere were not there. This morning he had
waited for her in vain, for in dreamland the Queen had forgotten
all about the hunt.

'If I dress quickly, I shall not be very late,' thought the Queen,
as she heard the far-off sound of the hunting-horn. And she was so
quick that in a very short time she and her little waiting-maid
were out, and riding up to a grassy knoll. But the huntsmen were
already far away. 'We will wait here to see them ride homewards,'
said the Queen, and they drew up their horses to watch and listen.

They had not waited long, when they heard the sound of horse's
hoofs, and turning round, the Queen saw Prince Geraint, one of
Arthur's knights. He was unarmed, except that his sword hung at his
side. He wore a suit of silk, with a purple sash round his waist,
and at each end of the sash was a golden apple, which sparkled in
the sunlight.

'You are late for the hunt, Prince Geraint,' said the Queen.

'Like you, I have come, not to join the hunt, but to see it pass,'
said the Prince, bowing low to the beautiful Queen. And he asked to
be allowed to wait with her and the little maid.

As they waited, three people, a lady, a knight and a dwarf, came
out of the forest, and rode slowly past. The knight had his helmet
off, and the Queen saw that he looked young and bold.

'I cannot remember if he is one of Arthur's knights. I must know
his name,' she said. And she sent her little maid to find out who
the strange knight was.

But when the little maid asked the dwarf his master's name, the
dwarf answered rudely that he would not tell her.

'Then I will ask your master himself,' said the maid. But as she
stepped towards the knight, the dwarf struck her with his whip, and
the little maid, half-angry and half-frightened, hurried back to
the Queen, and told her how the dwarf had treated her.

Prince Geraint was angry when he heard how rude the dwarf had been
to the Queen's little messenger, and said that he would go and find
out the knight's name.

But the dwarf, by his master's orders, treated the Prince as rudely
as he had treated the little maid. When Geraint felt the dwarf's
whip strike his cheek, and saw the blood dropping on to his purple
sash, he felt for the sword at his side. Then he remembered that
while he was tall and strong, the dwarf was small and weak, and he
scorned to touch him.

Going back to the Queen, Geraint told her that he had not been able
to find out the knight's name either, 'but with your leave, I will
follow him to his home, and compel him to ask your pardon,' said
the Prince. And the Queen allowed him to follow the knight.

'When you come back, you will perhaps bring a bride with you,' said
the Queen. 'If she be a great lady, or if she be only a
beggar-maid, I will dress her in beautiful robes, and she shall
stand among the fairest ladies of my court.'

'In three days I shall come back, if I am not slain in battle with
the knight,' said Geraint. And he rode away, a little sorry not to
hear the merry sound of the hunter's horn, and a little vexed that
he had undertaken this strange adventure.

Through valleys and over hills Geraint followed the lady, the
knight and the dwarf, till at last, in the evening, he saw them go
through the narrow streets of a little town, and reach a white
fortress. Into this fortress the lady, the knight and the dwarf
disappeared.

'I shall find the knight there to-morrow,' thought Geraint 'Now I
must go to an inn for food and a bed,' for he was hungry and tired
after his long ride.

But all the inns in the little town were full, and every one seemed
too busy to take any notice of the stranger.

'Why is there such a bustle in your town this evening?' asked
Geraint, first of one person and then of another. But they hurried
past him, muttering, 'The Sparrow-hawk has his tournament here
to-morrow.'

'The Sparrow-hawk! that is a strange name,' thought Geraint. But he
did not know that this was one of the names of the knight he had
followed so far.

Soon Geraint reached a smithy, and he looked in, and saw that the
smith was busy sharpening swords and spears. 'I will go in and buy
arms,' thought Geraint.

And because the smith saw that the stranger was dressed like a
Prince, he stopped his work for a moment to speak to him.

'Arms?' he said, when Geraint told him what he wanted. 'There are
no arms to spare, for the Sparrow-hawk holds his tournament here
to-morrow.'

'The Sparrow-hawk again!' thought Geraint. 'I wonder who he can
be.' Then he turned to the smith again and said, 'Though you cannot
give me arms, perhaps you can tell me where to find food and a
bed.'

'The old Earl Yniol might give you shelter. He lives in that
half-ruined castle across the bridge,' said the smith. And he
turned again to his work, muttering, 'Those who work for the
Sparrow-hawk have no