"Sir," said Arthur, "when I could not find my brother's sword and returned by this place I saw the sword sticking in the stone. So I came and pulled at it and it yielded easily, and I took it to Sir Kay, for I would not have my brother sword-less."
"Were there any knights about the stone?" asked Sir Ector.
"None," said Arthur.
"Now I understand," said Sir Ector; "you, Arthur, are to be king of
Britain."
[Illustration: KING ARTHUR Statue by Peter Vischer, in the Hofkirche, Innsbruck]
"Why should I be king of Britain?" asked the boy.
"I know not why, except that God wills it so, for it has been ordained that the man who should draw the sword from the stone is the true-born king of Britain. Now let me see whether you can put the sword where it was and draw it forth again."
"That is not difficult," said Arthur, as he thrust the sword back into the stone.
Sir Ector tried to pull it out again, but he could not move it.
"Now you try," he said to Sir Kay.