



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