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understand English? I said get lost.” Shawn helped Chris to his feet. “Or I’ll sic the warrior here on you.”
    Chris tried to hide a smile.
    “You’ve lost it, Shawn.” Cliff spat on the ground and turned to go. “Me and you are through.”
    “That’s fine with me. I’m hanging with a new gang now—the Three Musketeers.”

In the Middle Ages, when a boy reached the age of seven he could become a
page
and begin training to become a knight. He would be sent to the castle of a relative to learn about weapons, tend falcons, and run errands. He would also spend part of his time with the lady of the castle, learning courtesy. A page’s main training took place in the tiltyard, where he would run, wrestle, and learn to use a blunted sword, wield a lance, and ride a horse.
    At the age of fourteen a page became a
squire.
He would then be sent to serve a particular knight. During this time he would work on perfecting his fighting skills, but his main duty was to attend the knight. His duties included helping the knight to dress, carving his meat, and sleeping on the floor beside his bed. The squire accompanied the knight to tournaments, and even to war.

    When he reached the age of twenty-one, if the money was available for his initiation and for the necessary equipment, a squire could become a
knight.
    Several squires were usually dubbed knights during one ceremony. The initiation began with a ceremonial bath. Then the young men had their beards and heads shaved. Each candidate was clothed in a white tunic, black hose, and a red cloak.
    They were now ready for the
vigil
, in which they would spend the entire night awake, standing or kneeling in a church at the altar steps.
    The formal initiation took place the following morning. The candidate’s sponsor would fit him in his armor, including his golden spurs and his sword. The new knight would then kneel and receive the
dubbing
, a light tap on each shoulder with the flat part of a swordblade, which proclaimed that he was a true knight and warrior of the realm.

Don’t miss all the exciting action!

Read the other action-packed books in Gary Paulsen’s
WORLD OF ADVENTURE
The Legend of Red Horse Cavern
    Will Little Bear Tucker and his friend Sarah Thompson have heard the eerie Apache legend many times. Will’s grandfather especially loves to tell them about Red Horse—an Indian brave who betrayed his people, was beheaded, and now haunts the Sacramento Mountain range, searching for his head. To Will and Sarah it’s just a story—until they decide to explore a newfound mountain cave, a cave filled with dangerous treasures.
    Deep underground, Will and Sarah uncover an old chest stuffed with a million dollars. But now armed bandits are after them. When they find a gold Apache statue hidden in a skull, it seems Red Horse is hunting them too. Then they lose their way, and each step they take in the damp, dark cavern could be their last.
Rodomonte’s Revenge
    Friends Brett Wilder and Tom Houston are video game whizzes. So when a new virtual reality arcade called Rodomonte’s Revenge opens near their home, they make sure that they are its first customers. The game is awesome. There are flaming fire rivers to jump, beastly buzz-bugs to fight, and ugly tunnel spiders to escape. If they’re good enough they’ll faceRodomonte, an evil giant waiting to do battle within his hidden castle.
    But soon after they play the game, strange things start happening to Brett and Tom. The computer is taking over their minds. Now everything that happens in the game is happening in real life. A buzz-bug could gnaw off their ears. Rodomonte could smash them to bits. Brett and Tom have no choice but to play Rodomonte’s Revenge again. This time they’ll be playing for their lives.
Escape from Fire Mountain
    “… 
please, anybody … fire … need help.
”
    That’s the urgent cry thirteen-year-old Nikki Roberts hears over the CB radio the weekend she’s left alone in her