“There is a false knight in the castle,” said Balin, “that got me to leave my own shield and gave me his, and for this reason are we both to die.  Would that I might live to destroy the castle and prevent the foul customs that pertain here.”

“That, indeed, were the right thing to do,” said Balan, “for on the day that I came hither I happened to kill the knight that kept the island, and since then never have I been able to depart but have been compelled to keep this island against all comers.  If you had slain me, then must you have kept the island, for no man may leave because of an enchantment.”

[Illustration:  THE FIGHT]

While they were still talking, the chief lady of the castle, with four knights and six ladies and six yeomen, came to them and listened to their complaining.

“We are two brothers,” said they, “born from one mother, and in one grave must we lie, so we pray you to bury us here where the battle was fought.”

Weeping at the sad spectacle the lady granted their request and promised that they should be interred with great ceremonies.

“Now,” said Balin, “will you send us a priest that we may receive our sacrament, the blessed body of our Lord Jesus Christ?”

“Yes,” said the lady, “I will send at once.”

When the priest had come and administered the last rite, Balin said, “When we are buried in a single tomb, and when the inscription upon it reads that two brothers in ignorance slew each other, then will every good knight who comes this way see our tomb and pray for the peace of our souls.”

Amidst the weeping of the ladies and the gentlewomen there, Balan died, but Balin lingered on until after midnight.  The lady kept her promise and buried both in one tomb, and placed before it the inscription: 

  HERE LIE TWO BRETHREN,
      EACH SLAIN BY
    HIS BROTHER’S HAND.

She knew not their names, but in the morning Merlin came that way, and in letters of gold wrote on the tomb, “Here lieth Balin le Savage, the knight with two swords, and Balan his brother.”  Then Merlin took the famous sword, unfastened the pommel, and offered the sword to a knight to try; but the knight could not handle it, and Merlin laughed in his face.

“Why do you laugh?” said the knight, angrily.

“For this reason,” said Merlin.  “No man shall ever handle this sword except Sir Launcelot or else Galahad, his son.”

All this Merlin wrote in letters of gold on the pommel of the sword.  The scabbard of Balin’s sword he left on the side of the island where Sir Galahad would find it.

GERAINT AND ENID[1]

[Footnote 1:  Tennyson, in his collection of poems known as the Idyls of the King worked up in beautiful form many of the legends which had grown up around the names of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table Geraint and Enid is one of the most popular of these.]