he squire then conveyed him in great pain to the hermitage, and left
him in care of the hermit. And as the chronicle tells, he lay there
long, and barely escaped with life.

[Illustration: Copyright 1895 by E. A. Abbey; from a Copely print
copyright 1896 by Curtis and Cameron.

OATH OF KNIGHTHOOD.]

"Sir Galahad," said the squire, when he had returned to the abbey, "King
Bagdemagus has paid dearly for his venture. He lies at a hermitage
sorely wounded. As for you, the knight that overthrew him sends you
greeting, and bids you to bear this shield, through which marvellous
adventures shall come to you."

"Then blessed be God and fortune," said Galahad.

He now resumed his arms and mounted his horse, hanging the white shield
about his neck and commending himself to God. Uwaine offered to bear him
company, but this was not to be.

"Sir knight," said Galahad, "I thank you for your offer, but I must go
alone, save that this squire shall bear me fellowship."

With these words the youthful knight rode away, and soon came to where
the white knight abode by the hermitage. They saluted each other
courteously, and fell into a conversation in which the white knight told
Galahad the story of the magical shield.

"In the far past time," he said, "soon after Joseph of Arimathea took
down the body of our Lord from the holy cross, and bore it from
Jerusalem to a city named Sarras, there was a king of Sarras named
Evelake, who was then at war with the Saracens. This king, through the
teachings of Joseph, was converted from the old law to the new, and for
him this shield was made, in the name of Him who died on the cross.
Afterwards, when Evelake was in battle, the shield was covered with a
cloth, which was only removed in times of deadly peril, and then his
enemies saw the figure of a man on the cross, before which they fell
back discomfited. At times the cross of the shield would vanish away,
and at times stand out clear and bright; and such was its virtue that a
soldier whose hand was stricken off was made whole again by touching
the cross. The time came at length when Joseph left Palestine and
journeyed westward, and King Evelake with him, till they came to Great
Britain, where all the people had been pagans, but were then converted
to the Christian faith. Soon afterwards Joseph sickened and came near to
death, and while he lay in his bed he bade Evelake bring him the shield,
and on it he traced a red cross with his own blood.