tell him what
to do next.

And as he prayed a voice said, "Thou brave knight, go to the Castle of
Maidens and rescue them."

Galahad rose, and gladly journeyed on to the Castle of Maidens.

There he found seven knights, who long ago had seized the castle from
a maiden to whom it belonged. And these knights had imprisoned her and
many other maidens.

When the seven knights saw Sir Galahad they came out of the castle.
"We will take this young knight captive, and keep him in prison," they
said to each other, as they fell upon him.

But Sir Galahad smote the first knight to the ground, so that he
almost broke his neck. And as his wonderful sword flashed in the
light, sudden fear fell on the six knights that were left and they
turned and fled.

Then an old man took the keys of the castle to Galahad. And the knight
opened the gates of the castle, and set free many prisoners. He gave
the castle back to the maiden to whom it belonged, and sent for all
the knights in the country round about to do her homage.

Then once again Sir Galahad rode on in search of the Holy Grail. And
the way seemed long, yet on and on he rode, till at last he reached
the sea.

There, on the shore, stood a maiden, and when she saw Sir Galahad, she
led him to a ship and told him to enter.

The wind rose and drove the ship, with Sir Galahad on board, between
two rocks. But when the ship could not pass that way, the knight left
it, and entered a smaller one that awaited him.

In this ship was a table, and on the table, covered with a red cloth,
was the Holy Grail. Reverently Sir Galahad sank on his knees. But
still the Sacred Cup was covered.

At last the ship reached a strange city, and on the shore sat a
crippled man. Sir Galahad asked his help to lift the table from the
ship.

"For ten years I have not walked without crutches," said the man.

"Show that you are willing, and come to me," urged the knight.

And the cripple got up, and when he found that he was cured, he ran
to Sir Galahad, and together they carried the wonderful table to the
shore.

Then all the city was astonished, and the people talked only of the
great marvel. "The man that was a cripple for ten years can walk,"
each said to the other.

The king of the city heard the wonderful tale, but he was a cruel king
and a tyrant. "The knight is not a good man," he said to his people,
and he commanded that Galahad should be put in prison. And the prison
was underneath the p