Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere went to the King where he lay, swooning from the blow, and bore him to a little chapel on the sea-shore.  As they laid him on the ground, Sir Lucan fell dead beside the King, and Arthur, coming to himself, found but Sir Bedivere alive beside him.

CHAPTER XXXVII

THE PASSING OF ARTHUR

So King Arthur lay wounded to the death, grieving, not that his end was come, but for the desolation of his kingdom and the loss of his good knights.  And looking upon the body of Sir Lucan, he sighed and said:  “Alas! true knight, dead for my sake!  If I lived, I should ever grieve for thy death, but now mine own end draws nigh.”  Then, turning to Sir Bedivere, who stood sorrowing beside him, he said:  “Leave weeping now, for the time is short and much to do.  Hereafter shalt thou weep if thou wilt.  But take now my sword Excalibur, hasten to the water side, and fling it into the deep.  Then, watch what happens and bring me word thereof.”  “My Lord,” said Sir Bedivere, “your command shall be obeyed”; and taking the sword, he departed.  But as he went on his way, he looked on the sword, how wondrously it was formed and the hilt all studded with precious stones; and, as he looked, he called to mind the marvel by which it had come into the King’s keeping.  For on a certain day, as Arthur walked on the shore of a great lake, there had appeared above the surface of the water a hand brandishing a sword.  On the instant, the King had leaped into a boat, and, rowing into the lake, had got the sword and brought it back to land.  Then he had seen how, on one side the blade, was written, “Keep me,” but on the other, “Throw me away,” and, sore perplexed, he had shown it to Merlin, the great wizard, who said:  “Keep it now.  The time for casting away has not yet come.”  Thinking on this, it seemed to Bedivere that no good, but harm, must come of obeying the King’s word; so hiding the sword under a tree, he hastened back to the little chapel.  Then said the King:  “What saw’st thou?” “Sir,” answered Bedivere, “I saw naught but the waves, heard naught but the wind.”  “That is untrue,” said King Arthur; “I charge thee, as thou art true knight, go again and spare not to throw away the sword.”

Sir Bedivere departed a second time, and his mind was to obey his lord; but when he took the sword in his hand, he thought:  “Sin it is and shameful, to throw away so glorious a sword.”  Then, hiding it again, he hastened back to the King, “What saw’st thou?” said Sir Arthur.  “Sir, I saw the water lap on the crags.”  Then spoke the King in great wrath:  “Traitor and unkind!  Twice hast thou betrayed me!  Art dazzled by the splendour of the jewels, thou that, till now, hast ever been dear and true to me?  Go yet again, but if thou fail me this time, I will arise and, with mine own hands, slay thee.”

Then Sir Bedivere left the King and, that time, he took the sword quickly from the place where he had hidden it and, forbearing even to look upon it, he twisted the belt about it and flung it with all his force into the water.  A wondrous sight he saw, for, as the sword touched the water, a hand rose from out the deep, caught it, brandished it thrice, and drew it beneath the surface.