Stories of King Arthur's Knights, Told to the ChildrenMacgregor, Mary
General
Stories of King Arthur's Knights, Told to the Children
Macgregor, Mary
Arthur, King -- Juvenile literature; Arthurian romances -- Adaptations
Then Elaine sat down and sewed, as Sir Torre would have wise
maidens do. But what she sewed was a beautiful cover for the
shield, and that Sir Torre would not have her do, for he cared
neither for the strange knight nor his shield.
Lancelot rode on towards Camelot, with Lavaine as his squire, till
they came to a wood where a hermit lived. And they stayed at the
hermitage all night, and the next morning they rode on till they
reached Camelot.
And when Lavaine saw the King sitting on a high throne, ready to
judge which knight was worthy to have the diamond, he did not think
of the grandeur of the throne, nor of the King's marvellous dress
of rich gold, nor of the jewels in his crown. He could think only
of the nobleness and beauty of the great King's face, and wish that
his fair sister Elaine might see him too.
Then many brave knights began to fight, and all wondered why Sir
Lancelot was not there. And they wondered more at the strange
knight, with the bare shield and the red sleeve with pearls on his
helmet, who fought so bravely and overthrew the others one by one.
And the King said, 'Surely this is Sir Lancelot himself.' But when
he saw the lady's favour on the knight's helmet, he said, 'No, it
cannot be Sir Lancelot.'
When at last the tournament was over, the King proclaimed that the
strange knight who wore the red sleeve embroidered with pearls had
won the prize, and he called him to come to take the diamond.
But no one came, and the knight with the red sleeve was nowhere to
be seen. For Sir Lancelot had been wounded in his last fight, and
when it was over, had ridden hastily from the field, calling
Lavaine to follow. And when they had ridden a little way into the
wood, Sir Lancelot fell from his horse. 'The head of the spear is
still in my side,' he moaned; 'draw it out, Lavaine.'
At first Lavaine was afraid, for he thought of the pain it would
give the knight, and he was afraid too that the wound would bleed
till his knight bled to death. But because Sir Lancelot was in
great suffering, Lavaine at last took courage, and pulled the head
of the spear out of Lancelot's side. Then he, with great
difficulty, helped the knight on to his horse, and slowly and
painfully they rode towards the hermitage.
They reached it at last, and the hermit came out and called two of
his servants to carry the knight into his cell; and they unarmed
him and put him to bed. Then the hermit dressed the knight's wound
and gave him wine to drink.
When King Arthur found the strange knight had disappeared, and
heard that he was wounded, he said that the prize should be sent to
so gallant a victor. 'He was tired and wounded, and cannot have
ridden far,' said the King. And turning to Sir Gawaine, he gave him
the diamond, and told him to go and find the knight and give him
the prize he had won so bravely.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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