nd fell in the wind like a wave of the sea. His
soldiers cheered lustily for their beloved commander. Then King
Arthur raised his hand for silence, and spoke in a loud, clear
voice:

"My knights and men whom I love, remember that you are fighting
to-day for your rights and for the independence of Britain.
Strike well, and do not forget that great courage is as powerful
as great numbers."

With that, he gave the signal for attack. The Romans stood in
full battle array with their emperor in front. Beside him were
sixteen kings with gold helmets and silver armor. The English
approached, shouting a battle-cry.

Then the Romans, at the call of the trumpet, rushed forward, and
in a moment the two great armies clashed together. Clouds of dust
arose through which could be seen at intervals the heads of
horses and the helmets of men. The few poor shepherds and women
who stood on the outside did not know that the greatest battle of
the time was going on under that cloud of dust.

[Illustration: _"King Arthur raising his hand for silence"_]

Inside the cloud there was great confusion. Britains and Romans
were fighting side by side, so closely packed that sometimes it
was hard to strike. All fought bravely, but no one did so well as
Arthur and Sir Lancelot. The battle did not cease until it was
dark. Each side had lost many men. King Arthur wept as he rode
over the field and counted his dead knights, and even his
beautiful horse drooped its head as if it, also, understood.

But the next day the two armies began to fight again, and when
the emperor finally saw that his men were losing and that most of
the kings who were helping him were dead, he said:

"This Arthur is a demon and not a man. I will fight with him
myself and end this battle." And before any one could stop him,
he spurred up to King Arthur and said:

"You on the white horse who refuse to pay me tribute, come out
that I may kill you."

Then Arthur rode quickly towards the emperor. The two men began
to fight, and Arthur soon saw that he was contending with a
powerful man. He gave the emperor many a stroke with Excalibur,
but he himself received deep blows. At last the emperor pierced
Arthur's helmet, and wounded him deeply in the cheek.

King Arthur raised his good Excalibur with a last effort and
struck his enemy with it so fiercely on the head that the blow
cleft the helmet and pierced to the emperor's chin. He fell from
his horse without a moan. When th