night that so well matched me."

"My name," he said, "is Balan, brother of the great knight Balin."

"Alas," said Balin, "that ever I should see this day." And with these
words he fell back unconscious.

Balan, on his hands and knees, crept to his brother and took the helm
from off his head, but even then he did not know him, so bloody and
wounded was his face.

When a few minutes later Balin recovered consciousness, he cried, "Oh
Balan, my brother, thou hast slain me and I thee. On this account all
the world shall speak of us."

"Alas," said Balan, "that I ever saw this day, and shame on me that I
knew you not, for I saw your two swords; but because you had a strange
shield I thought you were some strange knight."

"There is a false knight in the castle," said Balin, "that got me to
leave my own shield and gave me his, and for this reason are we both to
die. Would that I might live to destroy the castle and prevent the foul
customs that pertain here."

"That, indeed, were the right thing to do," said Balan, "for on the day
that I came hither I happened to kill the knight that kept the island,
and since then never have I been able to depart but have been compelled
to keep this island against all comers. If you had slain me, then must
you have kept the island, for no man may leave because of an
enchantment."

[Illustration: THE FIGHT]

While they were still talking, the chief lady of the castle, with four
knights and six ladies and six yeomen, came to them and listened to
their complaining.

"We are two brothers," said they, "born from one mother, and in one
grave must we lie, so we pray you to bury us here where the battle was
fought."

Weeping at the sad spectacle the lady granted their request and promised
that they should be interred with great ceremonies.

"Now," said Balin, "will you send us a priest that we may receive our
sacrament, the blessed body of our Lord Jesus Christ?"

"Yes," said the lady, "I will send at once."

When the priest had come and administered the last rite, Balin said,
"When we are buried in a single tomb, and when the inscription upon it
reads that two brothers in ignorance slew each other, then will every
good knight who comes this way see our tomb and pray for the peace of
our souls."

Amidst the weeping of the ladies and the gentlewomen there, Balan died,
but Balin lingered on until after midnight. The lady kept her promise
and buried both in one tomb, and placed befor