'Thou wouldst have slain a man with the very spear that Longius the Roman thrust into the side of our Lord Jesus when He suffered on the Rood; and by that thou hast defiled it, and caused such ill that never shall its tale be ended until a stainless knight shall come, one of those who shall achieve the Holy Graal.'
'It repents me,' said Balin heavily, 'but the adventure was forced upon me.'
As he rode through the land, he saw how it seemed that a dire pestilence had swept over it; for where he had seen the golden corn waving in miles of smiling fields, he saw it now blackened along the ground; the trees were stripped of their leaves and fruit, the cattle lay dead in the meads, and the fish rotted in the streams, while in the villages lay the people dead or dying in shattered or roofless cottages.
As he passed, those that were alive cursed him, and called down upon him the wrath of Heaven.
'See, see,' they cried, 'thou murderous knight, how the evil stroke thou gavest to King Pellam by that hallowed spear hath destroyed this happy land! Go! thou foul knight, and may the vengeance strike thee soon!'
Balin went on, heavy of mind, for he knew not why he had been caused to do this evil.
For many days he passed through the saddened land, and he felt that in a little while death would meet him.
Then suddenly one day he came upon a castle in a wood, and he heard a horn blow, as it had been at the death of a beast.
'Here,' said Balin, 'shall I meet my death-wound, for that blast was blown for me.'
As he came on the green before the castle, many ladies and knights met him and welcomed him with fair semblance, and gave him good cheer.