The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-06


 and Sir Bedivere, and they were sore wounded. "Jesu have mercy!' cried King Arthur, q am come unto mine end, but would to God I knew where that traitor Modred is that before I die l might de- stroy the cause of all this mischief" They pointed out to him Modred, who was leaning upon his sword surrounded by heap of slain. They warned him that he should not attack Modred per sonally, for Modred's hosts were slain or scattered, and though the King rode with only two knights he was master of the field. But Arthur said: "Betide me death betide me life, now I see him wonder he shall never escape my hands" Then. setting his lance in rest the King charged down upon Sir Modred and pierced him through and through.
 But Modred as the lance went through him, thrust himself with all the might he had up the spear of Arthur to the very bur, or guard and dealt one dying blow at the King with such force that the noble King fell from his steed senseless and wounded unto death. Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere took up the King and bore him to a little chapel not far from the edge of the sea- where they eased him of his armor and sought to staunch his wounds. But Sir Lucan was so badly wounded that he fe ldown dead, even with the exertion of carrying the King to the chapel Then said Arthur to Sir Bedivere: My time hieth fast Take thou my sword Excalibur. and go with 1t to yata nd TI,., come and tell me what thou hast seen" Sir Bedivere took Excalibur and went out to the beach where the moonlight shone upon the sea. But when he saw the glitter of the noble sword, where the pummel and haft were all of preci- ous stones, he said to himself: If I throw this rich sword into the water therefore shall come no good, but harm and loss" So he hid the sword under a tree and returned to the King, who said, What didst thou seer" "I saw nothing but the water stirred by the winds" replied Sir Bedivere. That is untruly said" retorted the King. "Go thou again and throw the sword out into the waves" A second time did Sir Bedivere seek the beach and a second time did his heart fail him, and he re- turned to the King, saying he had seen only the moonlight shining on the waves.
 Traitor, untrue," exclaimed the King, now hast thou betrayed me two times. Who would have thought that such a noble knight would have betrayed me for rich sword" Then Sir Bedivere ran swiftly to where he had hidden Excalibur and, taking it in both hands threw it into the water as far out as he could. And as the dazzling sword touched the waves a hand reached up out of the sea and grasped the hilt, shook it three times and brandished 1t and drew 1t down into the depths.
 | Sir Bedivere ran to where the royal Arthur lay and told him what he had seen. Alas, help me from hence, for l dread have tarried too long" Then Sir Bedivere took the King upon his back and carried him to the shore, and as he did so he saw coming a little barge with many fair ladies in it and among them three queens; and they were all in blaclShoods and wept and shrieked when they saw the wounded Arthur. Sir Bedivere placed the King in the barge and In the lap of one of the queens did Arthur lay his head. Fare we'll" said Arthur to Sir Bedivere, "I Will unto the isle vale of Avalon to heal me of my wounds, and if you hear no more of me pray for my soul" Tn en the barge went out across the shining moonlit sea with the wailing women and the stricken King until the mists hid 1t from the sight of Bedivere. The knight, weeping for his vanished King, lied into forest and journeyed until he came out of 1t to a chapel in which he saw hermit kneeling and weeping before newly made grave.
 When the hermit saw Sir Bediyere he at once addressed him by name. for that same hermit was he who had be- foretime been Archbishop of Canter- bury. That night, the hermit told him. there had come to the chapel a great | number of ladies who bore a corpse ana prayed that it be buried, and 100 tapers and 100 pieces of gold and they left with the hermit that mass might be said for the repose of the dead mans soul. "Alas!' cried Sir Bedivere, that man was my lord. King Arthur By my will from hence will never go all the days of my life, but be a hermit with you to pray for the soul of my lord. King Arthur" And there did Bediyere abide with him who had been Arch bishop of Canterbury. putting on coarse clothes and serving the hermit full low ly in fasting and prayers. More of the death of King Arthur is not known of certainty. There are men in many parts of England who say that Arthur Is not dead, but gone into some place from whence be will come again to rule all England. But many men say there Is written upon his tomb this verse: "Iiic jacet Arthurus, rex quondram. rexque futurus."
 Now while all this was taking place there had come over to Dover, in re- | sponse to the letter of Sir Gawaine Launcelot and many noble knights to do service unto Arthur. When he was told that the King and Modred were both slain and an hundred thousand with them in that great battle of the west, Launcelot cried out that he had come too late, and so, summoning to him the leaders of the great host which he had brought with him he told them that he would ride forth to seek the Queen. for he had heard that she was in great distress And if in fifteen days. they heard no more of him they were to take their ships and return again to France. Sir Bors de Ganis remonstrated