the king, and struck him so hard that
he broke his armor. Then he thrust his spear through the king's right
shoulder, as though he held no shield.

"The shield can be borne only by a peerless knight. It does not belong
to you," said the warrior, as he gave it to the squire, telling him
to carry it back to the abbey and to give it to Sir Galahad with his
greeting.

"Then tell me your name," said the squire.

"I will tell neither you nor any one on earth," said the warrior. And
he disappeared, and the squire saw him no more.

"I will take the wounded King to an abbey, that his wounds may be
dressed," thought the squire.

And with great difficulty the King and his squire reached an abbey.
And the monks thought his life could not be saved, but after many days
he was cured.

Then the squire rode back to the abbey where Galahad waited. "The
warrior who wounded the King bids you bear this shield," he said.

Galahad hung the shield round his neck joyfully, and rode into the
valley to seek the warrior dressed in white.

And when they met they saluted each other courteously. And the warrior
told Sir Galahad strange tales of the white shield, till the knight
thanked God that now it was his. And all his life long the white
shield with the red cross was one of his great treasures.

Now Galahad rode back to the abbey, and the monks were glad to see him
again. "We have need of a pure knight," they said, as they took Sir
Galahad to a tomb in the churchyard.

A pitiful noise was heard, and a voice from the tomb cried, "Galahad,
servant of God, do not come near me." But the young knight went
towards the tomb and raised the stone.

Then a thick smoke was seen, and through the smoke a figure uglier
than any man leaped from the tomb, shouting, "Angels are round thee,
Galahad, servant of God. I can do you no harm."

The knight stooped down and saw a body all dressed in armor lying
there, and a sword lay by its side.

"This was a false knight," said Sir Galahad. "Let us carry his body
away from this place."

"You will stay in the abbey and live with us," entreated the monks.
But the boy-knight could not rest. Would he see the light that was
brighter than any sunbeam again? Would his adventures bring him at
last to the Holy Grail?

Sir Galahad rode on many days, till at last he reached a mountain. On
the mountain he found an old chapel. It was empty and very desolate.
Galahad knelt alone before the altar, and asked God to