the
valley to seek the warrior dressed in white.

And when they met they saluted each other courteously. And the
warrior told Sir Galahad strange tales of the white shield, till
the knight thanked God that now it was his. And all his life long
the white shield with the red cross was one of his great treasures.

Now Galahad rode back to the abbey, and the monks were glad to see
him again. 'We have need of a pure knight,' they said, as they took
Sir Galahad to a tomb in the churchyard.

A pitiful noise was heard, and a voice from the tomb cried,
'Galahad, servant of God, do not come near me.' But the young
knight went towards the tomb and raised the stone.

Then a thick smoke was seen, and through the smoke a figure uglier
than any man leaped from the tomb, shouting, 'Angels are round
thee, Galahad, servant of God. I can do you no harm.'

The knight stooped down and saw a body all dressed in armour lying
there, and a sword lay by its side.

'This was a false knight,' said Sir Galahad. 'Let us carry his body
away from this place.'

'You will stay in the abbey and live with us,' entreated the monks.
But the boy-knight could not rest. Would he see the light that was
brighter than any sunbeam again? Would his adventures bring him at
last to the Holy Grail?

Sir Galahad rode on many days, till at last he reached a mountain.
On the mountain he found an old chapel. It was empty and very
desolate. Galahad knelt alone before the altar, and asked God to
tell him what to do next.

And as he prayed a voice said, 'Thou brave knight, go to the Castle
of Maidens and rescue them.'

Galahad rose, and gladly journeyed on to the Castle of Maidens.

There he found seven knights, who long ago had seized the castle
from a maiden to whom it belonged. And these knights had imprisoned
her and many other maidens.

When the seven knights saw Sir Galahad they came out of the castle.
'We will take this young knight captive, and keep him in prison,'
they said to each other, as they fell upon him.

But Sir Galahad smote the first knight to the ground, so that he
almost broke his neck. And as his wonderful sword flashed in the
light, sudden fear fell on the six knights that were left, and they
turned and fled.

Then an old man took the keys of the castle to Galahad. And the
knight opened the gates of the castle, and set free many prisoners.
He gave the castle back to the maiden to whom it belonged, and sent
for all the knights in the