ew the king.

Damas was glad at heart to learn that a knight had at last consented to
fight for him, and the more so when he saw Arthur and marked his strong
limbs and the high spirit in his face. But he and none there save the
damsel, knew who his prisoner was.

"It were a pity," said all who saw him, "that such a knight should die
in prison. It is wise in him to fight, whatever betide."

Then agreement was made that Arthur should do battle to the uttermost
for the lord of the castle, who, on his part, agreed to set free the
imprisoned knights. To this covenant both parties took oath, whereupon
the twenty knights were brought from their dark prison to the castle
hall, and given their freedom and the privilege of seeing the battle.

But now we must leave the story of Arthur and Damas, and turn to that of
Accolan of Gaul, the third of the three knights who had gone to sleep in
the enchanted ship. This knight was, unknown to Arthur, a lover of
Morgan le Fay, being he for whose sake she had counterfeited the magic
scabbard of the sword Excalibur.

She loved him, indeed, as ardently as she had grown to hate her royal
brother, and through this love had laid a treacherous plot for Arthur's
death.

When Accolan awoke, to his surprise he found himself no longer in the
ship, but lying within half a foot of the side of a deep well, in
seeming peril of his life, for he might at any moment have fallen into
the water. Out of this well there came a pipe of silver, from which a
crystal stream ran into a high marble basin. When Accolan beheld all
this he crossed himself and said,--

"God save my lord King Arthur, and King Uriens, for those damsels in the
ship have betrayed us all. They were not women, but devils, and if I
escape this misadventure I shall destroy all enchantresses wherever I
find them."

As he spoke, there came to him a dwarf with a great mouth and a flat
nose, who saluted him, and said that he came from Morgan le Fay.

"She sends you her greetings, and bids you be of strong heart, for
to-morrow it shall be your task to fight a knight of the greatest
prowess. That you may win in the combat she has sent you Arthur's sword
Excalibur, with its magical scabbard. She bids you do the battle to the
uttermost without mercy, and promises to make a queen of the damsel whom
you shall send to her with the head of the knight you fight with."

"I shall do her bidding," said Accolan, "and cannot fail to win, now
that I hav