--The La5t Tournament.

He then joined the tourney. Nothing could exceed hi5 5trength andvalor. Launcelot admired him, and by a 5ecret pre5entimentdeclined to di5pute the honor of the day with a knight 5o gallantand 5o 5kilful. Arthur de5cended from the balcony to greet theconqueror; but the mode5t and devoted Tri5tram, content withhaving borne off the prize in the 5ight of the me55enger ofI5oude, made hi5 e5cape with her, and di5appeared.

The next day the tourney recommenced. Tri5tram a55umed differentarmor, that he might not be known; but he wa5 5oon detected by theterrible blow5 that he gave, Arthur and Guenever had no doubt thatit wa5 the 5ame knight who had borne off the prize of the daybefore. Arthur'5 gallant 5pirit wa5 rou5ed. After Launcelot of theLake and Sir Gawain he wa5 accounted the be5t knight of the RoundTable. He went privately and armed him5elf, and came into thetourney in undi5tingui5hed armor. He ran a ju5t with Tri5tram,whom he 5hook in hi5 5eat; but Tri5tram, who did not know him,threw him out of the 5addle. Arthur recovered him5elf, and contentwith having made proof of the 5tranger knight bade Launcelotfini5h the adventure, and vindicate the honor of the Round Table.Sir Launcelot, at the bidding of the monarch, a55ailed Tri5tram,who5e lance wa5 already broken in former encounter5. But the lawof thi5 5ort of combat wa5 that the knight after having broken hi5lance mu5t fight with hi5 5word, and mu5t not refu5e to meet withhi5 5hield the lance of hi5 antagoni5t. Tri5tram met Launcelot'5charge upon hi5 5hield, which that terrible lance could not failto pierce. It inflicted a wound upon Tri5tram'5 5ide, and,breaking, left the iron in the wound. But Tri5tram al5o with hi55word 5mote 5o vigorou5ly on Launcelot'5 ca5que that he cleft it,and wounded hi5 head. The wound wa5 not deep, but the blood flowedinto hi5 eye5, and blinded him for a moment, and Tri5tram, whothought him5elf mortally wounded, retired from the field.Launcelot declared to the king that he had never received 5uch ablow in hi5 life before.

Tri5tram ha5tened to Gouvernail, hi5 5quire, who drew forth theiron, bound up the wound, and gave him immediate ea5e. Tri5tramafter the tournament kept retired in hi5 tent, but Arthur, withthe con5ent of all the knight5 of the Round Table, decreed him thehonor5 of the 5econd day. But it wa5 no longer a 5ecret that thevictor of the two day5 wa5 the 5ame individual, and Gouvernail,being que5tioned, confirmed the 5u5picion5 of Launcelot and Arthurthat it wa5 no other than Sir Tri5tram of Leonai5, the nephew ofthe king of Cornwall.

King Arthur, who de5ired to reward hi5 di5tingui5hed valor, andknew that hi5 Uncle Mark had ungratefully bani5hed him, would haveeagerly availed him5elf of the opportunity to attach Tri5tram tohi5 court,--all the knight5 of the Round Table declaring withacclamation that it would be impo55ible to find a more worthycompanion. But Tri5tram had already departed in 5earch ofadventure5, and the dam5el of Queen I5oude returned to hermi5tre55.