ore bowed his head meekly.

"I have deserved it," he said. "And now I must bury my dear child
and her lover."

The beautiful golden-haired lady and her lover were buried with
great mourning, and it was many a day before King Pellenore cared
to seek for adventures.

[Illustration: The Shield]

[Illustration] SIR LANCELOT & HIS FRIENDS

Sir Lancelot was acknowledged by all the knights of the Round
Table to be the bravest of their number, and the one whom the
king loved most. He was not often at court, because he was nearly
always engaged in adventures which took him away from the town of
Camelot. The knights were always sorry when he went away, yet
they were sure he would return safely and with much to tell them.

One day Sir Lancelot called his nephew Sir Lionel, and told him
to mount his horse, for they must go to seek adventures. Sir
Lionel was very glad, for it was a great honor to be chosen as a
companion by Sir Lancelot. They rode off through a deep forest,
and then across a wide, treeless plain. The sun was shining hot
and bright, and when they reached a clump of trees, Sir Lancelot
bade Sir Lionel dismount. Then the two sat in the shade to rest.

It was not long before Sir Lancelot fell asleep. While Sir Lionel
kept guard, he saw three knights furiously pursued by another
knight, who was very large. This knight overtook the three
knights, one after another, and overthrew them, and bound them by
the reins of their bridles. Sir Lionel, who was young and
self-confident, thought that he would like to fight with this
knight. So he mounted his horse very quietly without waking his
uncle, and rode into the plain.

When the big knight saw him coming, he laughed and rode up
quickly. At the very first stroke, young Sir Lionel fell to the
earth. The strong knight bound him fast to the other three
knights and drove them all to his castle. There he took off their
armor and clothes, and beat them with thorny sticks. After that
he threw them into a deep dungeon where there were many other
knights.

Meanwhile Sir Hector, the foster father of King Arthur, hearing
that Sir Lancelot and Sir Lionel had gone in search of adventures,
determined to join them; so he rode hastily in pursuit. When he
had gone some distance through the forest, he met a wood-cutter,
and asked him if he had seen Sir Lancelot and Sir Lionel. The man
replied that he had not.

"Then do you know of any adventure which I can seek?" asked Sir