. Frithjof, the viking of Norway : and Roland, the paladin of France. modest as his eye restedon his own people, and he halted for acourteous word : Lords and barons, walk your horses;save yourselves and them. These hea-thens, in sooth, have come a long way forwhat they will get. And think what glori-ous booty there will be for us ! No Kingof France ever gathered richer. But Oliver was not to be cheered ordistracted from his gloomy forebodings. I dont care to talk, he said, brusquely.* You would not sound your horn ;Charless help is sorely needed. Certainly,whatever befall us, he will not be t
. Frithjof, the viking of Norway : and Roland, the paladin of France. modest as his eye restedon his own people, and he halted for acourteous word : Lords and barons, walk your horses;save yourselves and them. These hea-thens, in sooth, have come a long way forwhat they will get. And think what glori-ous booty there will be for us ! No Kingof France ever gathered richer. But Oliver was not to be cheered ordistracted from his gloomy forebodings. I dont care to talk, he said, brusquely.* You would not sound your horn ;Charless help is sorely needed. Certainly,whatever befall us, he will not be to blame,nor those who are with him, since theyknow not a word of this. Now all that isleft us is to ride hard, and strike hard,and die hard. For Gods sake, think ofonly these two things : to give and to takehard blows. And let us not forgetCharless own battle-cry. Mountjoy ! Mountjoy ! the Frenchshout as one man, and, spurring ontheir steeds, increase their pace, and— 194 Roland for what else could they do ?—charge thefoe. Thus French and Saracens came II THE BATTLE MARSILIUSS young nephew rode Infront of the Paynim host, to showoff his splendid armour and his brave andhandsome steed, at the same time huHingdefiance and abuse at the French, andtaunting them with their pHght: * Ye foolish French, now will ye beforced to fight. They who should havedefended you have betrayed you. YourEmperor must be demented to leave youhere in this narrow pass. Here Franceshall forfeit her glorious name, andCharles lose what is to him as the rightarm of his body. There will at last berest for Spain ! Roland heard the words, and, franticwith grief and anger, charged the speaker195 19^ Roland with such fury that, at one stroke of hislance, he shattered the Saracens shield,pierced through his mailed hauberk andthrough the bones of his breast till itbroke the backbone, and the youths soulleft his body as it swayed in the saddleand dropped on the ground, the first deadof that great day,
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