n, as if the folk had long since
left the fields to become solitary wastes.

At length it befell that one evening he could find no place wherein to
shelter for the night; there was no hermit's cell nor castle nor
knight's hold through all the way by which he had come that day.
Towards twilight he came upon a wide moor, and the cold moon peered at
him over the distant mountains. Far in the midst of the waste he saw a
great pile, as of a castle, and pricked his horse towards it.

It was indeed a castle, but its walls were broken and mossy, as if long
years had passed since it housed fire and gay company. He rode over the
drawbridge into the great courtyard, and the echo of his horse's
hoofbeats was the only sound that greeted him.

He sought the upper chambers, and found in one a rough bed of fern
leaves, and, having supped from the scrip he carried with him, he
composed himself to sleep, glad that at least a roof and thick walls
shielded him from the freezing cold which now swept over the land.

Forthwith he slept; but at midnight he awoke and found it was deeply
dark, and looking to the arrow slit in the wall he sought some friendly
star. As he looked, a great red light burst through, and with that
there came, thrusting fiercely, a great spear like a long flame, which
darted at him, and then stayed just before him. The point of it burned
blue and dazzling.

As he lay marvelling, the spear went back a space; then he grasped his
sword that lay beside him, but before he could defend himself the
flaming spear dashed forward again and smote him in the shoulder.

Then the spear went back and the chamber was deep dark again, and for
very pain Sir Bors lay and groaned. Nor could he sleep more that night.
When it was dawn he arose, thinking to ride forth, but when he went
down into the courtyard to saddle his horse in the stable, he marvelled
to see that where there had been an open ruined gateway the night
before, was now a great black oaken door, spiked and bolted.

For a long time he essayed by every means to get himself out of that
castle, but he could not find a way. Yet never did he hear or see aught
that showed that any one lived there. Many times he went throughout the
place, but never found aught but ruin and emptiness, and the dust and
darkness of long neglect everywhere.

When three days had gone, Sir Bors was faint with the pain of his wound
and the hunger with which he suffered. Then, as he sat beside his ho