r Lancelot and Elaine 226

The Search for the Holy Grail 243

The Death of Arthur 260

[Illustration] A LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

_King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table_ Frontispiece

_"All about him old oaks stood like giant guardians"_ 10

_"He hardly more than touched the sword"_ 25

_Arthur and the Lady of the Lake_ 31

_King Bors and King Ban_ 41

_"Arthur saw Guinevere bending over the wall"_ 65

_"Gareth rode at him fiercely"_ 93

_"He dismounted and poured water into the fountain"_ 105

_"They fought till their breath failed"_ 129

_"King Arthur raising his hand for silence"_ 167

_"The king touched him lightly with his sword"_ 175

_"He pushed him until he was but a step from the edge"_ 191

_"He struck so fiercely the bottom fell out"_ 209

_"She staid near it all day long in the turret"_ 231

_"And across it slowly moved the Holy Grail"_ 253

TO
DWIGHT AND ROGER

[Illustration: The Holy Grail]

King Arthur and His Knights

[Illustration: _"All about him old oaks stood like giant
guardians"_]

[Illustration] HOW ARTHUR BECAME KING

Once upon a time, a thousand years before Columbus discovered
America, and when Rome was still the greatest city in the world,
there lived a brave and beautiful youth whose name was Arthur.
His home was in England, near London; and he lived with the good
knight Sir Hector, whom he always called father.

They dwelt in a great square castle of gray stone, with a round
tower at each corner. It was built about a courtyard, and was
surrounded by a moat, across which was a drawbridge that could be
raised or lowered. When it was raised the castle was practically
a little island and very hard for enemies to attack.

On one side of the moat was a large wood, and here Arthur spent a
great deal of his time. He liked to lie under the trees and gaze
up at the blue of the sky. All about him old oaks stood like
giant guardians watching sturdily over the soil where t