there." "My lord," said Sir Bedivere, "your command shall be done, and
lightly bring you word again." And so Sir Bedivere departed, and by
the way he beheld that noble sword, where the pommel and the haft were
all of precious stones. And then he said to himself, "If I throw this
rich sword into the water, thereof shall never come good, but harm and
loss." And then Sir Bedivere hid Excalibur under a tree; and as soon
as he might, he came again unto King Arthur, and said he had been at
the water. "What sawest thou there?" said the king. "Sir," said he, "I
saw nothing but waves and wind."--"That is untruly said of thee," said
King Arthur. "Therefore go thou lightly, and do my command; as thou
art to me life and dear, spare not, but throw it in." Then Sir
Bedivere returned again, and took the sword in his hand; and then he
thought it sin and shame to throw away that noble sword: and so after
he hid the sword and returned again, and told the king that he had
been at the water and done his command. "What saw ye there?" said the
king. "Sir," said he, "I saw nothing but the water lap and waves
wan."--"Ah! traitor untrue," said King Arthur, "now hast thou betrayed
me two times, who would have weened that thou that hast been unto me
so self and dear, and thou art named a noble knight, and wouldest
betray me for the rich sword. But now go again lightly, for thy long
tarrying putteth me in great jeopardy of my life, for I have taken
cold; and but if thou do as I command thee, and if ever I may see
thee, I shall slay thee with mine own hands, for thou wouldest for my
rich sword see me dead." Then Sir Bedivere departed and went to the
sword and lightly took it up and went to the water's side, and there
he bound the girdle about the belts. And then he threw the sword into
the water as far as he might, and there came an arm and a hand above
the water, and met it and caught it, and so shook it thrice and
brandished. And then the hand vanished away with the sword in the
water.