Charlemagne]

It was Blancandrin who first spoke, showing with his hands the

presents he had brought with him, and offering that the King would

receive baptism, and do homage for his lands, if only the Emperor

Charles would return with his army into France, 'for,' said

Blancandrin, 'you have been too long in this country.'

When Blancandrin had spoken, the Emperor sat silent with his head

bent, thinking of the words of the Saracen, for never was it his

custom to be hasty in his speech. At length he looked up, and a proud

look was on his face.

'You have said well,' he answered, 'yet King Marsile is my deadly

enemy, and how do I know that I can put my trust in your offers?'

'You will have hostages,' replied the Saracen, 'sons of the highest

nobles, and my own son will be among them. And when you have gone back

to your own palace, my master will follow you on the Feast of St.

Michael, and will be made a Christian in the waters of Aix.'

'If he does this,' said Charles, 'his soul may still be saved,' and he

bade hospitality to be shown to his guests.

Before sunrise next morning the Emperor left his bed, and heard Mass

said and Matins sung. Then he seated himself under a pine, and called

his Barons to council. Many there were whose names men still remember:

Ogier the Dane, and Archbishop Turpin of Rheims, and the brave Count

of Gascony, Count Roland, nephew of Charles, and his friend the

valiant Oliver. Ganelon was there too, by whom the wrong was to be

wrought. As soon as they were all seated, the Emperor spoke and told

them afresh what the messengers had said. 'But Marsile makes one

condition,' continued Charles, 'which is that I must return to France,

where he will come to me as my vassal. Now, does he swear falsely, or

can I trust his oath?' 'Let us be very careful how we answer him,'

cried the nobles with one voice.

At that Roland sprang to his feet. 'It is madness to put faith in

Marsile,' said he; 'seven years have we been in Spain, and many towns

have I conquered for you, but Marsile we have always proved a traitor.

Once before he sent us an embassy of Unbelievers each one bearing an

olive branch, and they made you the same promises. Once before you

called a meeting of your barons who counselled you to do the thing

they knew you wished, and you sent to the Court of the Unbelievers the

noble Counts Basil and Bazan. And how did Marsile treat them? He

commanded that they should be led into the mountains and that their

heads should be cut off, which was done. No! Go on with the war, as

you have begun it; march on Saragossa and lay siege to the town,

though it should last to the end of your life, and avenge those whom

Marsile put to death.'

With bent head the Emperor listened to Roland, twisting all the while

his fingers in his moustache. He kept silent, turning over in his mind

the things Roland had said, and the nobles kept silence, too, all

except Ganelon. For Ganelon rose and stood before Charles and began to

speak. 'Believe none of us,' he said; 'think of nothing but your own

advantage when Marsile offers to become your vassal, and to do homage

for the whole of Spain, and to receive baptism besides; he who wishes

you to reject such offers cares nothing for the deaths the rest of us

may die. Pay no attention to such madness, but listen to your wise

men.'

He sat down in his place, and then the Duke Naimes took up his words.

'You have heard,' he said to Charles, 'the words of Ganelon. Wise

counsel, if we only follow it! Marsile knows that he is conquered at

last. You have won his towns, and vanquished him in battle, and he is

reduced to beg for your pity. It would be shameful to ask for anything

further, and the more so as you have hostages as pledges of his good

faith. It is time that the war ended; therefore send him one of your

barons to speak with him face to face.' And the nobles answered, 'The

Duke has spoken well.'

'Noble lords, what envoy shall we send to King Marsile at Saragossa?'

'I will go, if it is your pleasure,' said Duke Naimes. 'Give me your

glove and the wand of office.' 'No,' replied Charles, 'your wisdom is

great, and I cannot spare you from my side. Remain where you are, I

command you.'

'Let me go,' cried Roland. 'No, no,' answered Count Oliver; 'you are

too hasty and too imprudent. You would only fall into some trap. With

the King's good leave I will go instead.'

'Hold your peace,' said Charles, shaking his head; 'you will neither

of you go. None of my twelve peers shall be chosen.'

Then Turpin of Rheims left his seat and spoke to Charles with his loud

and ringing voice. 'Fair King, give your Franks a little peace. For

seven years you have been in Spain, and your barons have all that time

been fighting and suffering. It is now, sire, that the glove and the

wand of office should be given. I will go and visit this Unbeliever,

and will tell him in what scorn I hold him.' But the Emperor, full of

rage, cried out, 'By my beard, you will stop with me. Go to your place

on the white carpet, and give me none of your advice unless I ask for

it.'

'Good Frankish Knights,' said Charles, 'choose me a baron from my own

land, who shall be envoy to King Marsile, and who, at need, can fight

well.'

'Ah,' cried Roland, 'let it be Ganelon, my stepfather; you will not

find a better man.' 'Yes,' said the Franks, 'he is the man; let him go

if the King pleases.'

'Ganelon,' commanded the King, 'come here and I will give you the

glove and the wand of office. It is the voice of the barons that has

chosen you.'

'No,' replied Ganelon, 'it is Roland's doing, and to the end of my

life I will bear him hatred for it. Oliver also will I hate, since

Oliver is his friend. And never more will I love the twelve peers, for

they love him. Under your own eyes, sire, I throw down my challenge.'

'You are angry about nothing,' said the King, 'and as I have commanded

you, you will go.'

'I can go, but it will be my death, as it was the death of Basil and

of his brother Bazan. Who goes there, returns not. But, sire, do not

forget that your sister is my wife and that I have a son Baldwin, who,

if he lives, will be the bravest of the brave. To him I leave all my

lands. Guard him well, for I shall see him no more.'

'Your heart is too tender,' said Charles, 'but there is no help for

it, you must go.'

At the words of the King, Ganelon flung his fur mantle to the ground

in fury. 'It is to you,' he cried, turning to Roland, 'that I owe this

peril. I am your stepfather, and that is reason enough that you send

me to lose my head at the Court of King Marsile. Let it be so; but if

ever I return I will bring on you such trouble that it will only end

with your life.'

'You talk like a madman,' said Roland. 'All men know that I care

nothing for threats. But it needs a wise man to go on such a mission,

and if the King pleases, I will go in your place.'

'You will not go in my place,' answered Ganelon. 'I am not your

vassal, to do as you bid me. Charles has commanded me to go to

Saragossa, therefore to Saragossa I go. But beware of what I do when I

get there.'

At this Roland began to laugh, and when Ganelon saw him laughing, it

seemed as if his heart would burst with anger. 'I hate you,' he

muttered to Roland. 'I should never have been chosen but for you.

Great Emperor,' he said aloud to Charles, 'behold me ready to obey

your orders.'

[Illustration: MARSILE THREATENS GANELON WITH A JAVELIN]

'Listen, fair Count,' replied Charles, 'for this is the message I

would have you bear to King Marsile. If he agrees to become my vassal,

and to receive Holy Baptism, I will give him half of Spain as a fief.

The other half will be held by Roland, my nephew. If these terms do

not please King Marsile, I will myself besiege Saragossa, and will

take him and bind him in chains. Then he shall be brought to Aix,

where he shall be put to a shameful death. So take this letter which

is sealed with my seal, and give it into the hand of the Infidel.'

When Ganelon had put the letter in safety, the King held out to him

his glove, but the Count was not quick to seize it, and it fell to the

ground. 'Heavens,' cried the Franks who were standing round, 'how

dreadful an omen! This message will be the cause of dire misfortunes.'

'I will send you news of them,' Ganelon answered. And he said to

Charles, 'Let me depart, sire, as I must go. I wish to lose no time.'

'Go then,' replied the King, making over him the sign of the cross and

giving him the wand of office. And Ganelon went.

It was not long before he overtook the Saracens, who had lingered,

hoping he might join them, and Blancandrin began to sing the praises

of Charles and his conquests. 'He is a wonderful man,' answered

Ganelon, 'and of such a strong will that no man may strive against

it.'

'How brave are these Franks,' went on Blancandrin; 'but your nobles

were ill-advised in the counsel they gave the King upon this matter.

It bodes evil to Charles and to many beside him.'

'None of them merit this blame,' said Ganelon, 'save Roland only, and

the shame will be on his head. His pride is so great that he thinks no

sword can touch him, but until he is really dead peace we can never

have.' Here the Saracen glanced at Ganelon beside him. 'He is a fine

man,' thought he, 'but there is cunning in his eye,' and then

Blancandrin spoke. 'Let us understand each other plainly,' he said;

'is it your wish to be avenged of Roland? Then, by the beard of

Mahomet, deliver him into our hands. King Marsile is a generous

master, and knows how to repay those who serve him.' Ganelon heard his

words, and bent his head in silence.

But the silence did not last long: before they had arrived at

Saragossa, Ganelon had made an agreement with Blancandrin, that they

would find some means of causing Roland to perish. This decided, they

rode through the gates of the town, and dismounted from their horses.

In the shadow of a pine, a throne was placed covered with soft silk

from Alexandria, and on it sat he who was once the master of the whole

of Spain. Twenty thousand Saracens stood around him, but not a sound

was made, so eager they were to hear Charles's answer. Blancandrin

advanced to the King's throne, leading Ganelon by the wrist.

'Greeting, great King,' said he; 'we delivered your message to

Charles, and he raised his two hands to heaven, and answered nothing.

But he has sent you one of his great lords, and he will tell you if it

is peace or no peace.'

'Let him speak,' replied Marsile, 'and we will listen.'

Ganelon waited a little before he spoke, for he knew that one careless

word might prove his own ruin. 'Greeting,' he said, when at last he

had made ready his speech. 'This is the message sent you by

Charlemagne. You must receive Holy Baptism, and Charles will allow you

to do homage for half of Spain. The other half he gives to Roland, his

nephew, and a proud neighbour you will find him. If these terms do not

please you, he will lay siege to Saragossa, and will seize your

person, and carry you to Aix, the capital of the Empire, where you

will die a shameful death.' When he heard this, Marsile trembled with

rage, and drawing a dart he would have thrown it at Ganelon had not

someone held him from behind. Ganelon looked on, his hand on his

sword, which he drew a little from its scabbard. 'Sword,' said he,

'you are sharp and bright. While I wear you at the Court of this

King, the Emperor can never say that I have died alone in a foreign

land. But before I die you shall drink the blood of the best in his

army.'

The Infidels who were standing by prayed Marsile to go back to his

seat in order that the matter might be decided, 'You put yourself in

the wrong,' said the old Caliph, 'when you wish to strike this Frank.'

'Sire,' answered Ganelon, 'I will suffer this insult patiently, but

not all the treasure of your kingdom should hinder my delivering the

message of my master.' With that he threw from his shoulders his

mantle of zibeline, but kept light hold of his sword. 'See,' said the

Saracens, 'did you ever behold a prouder warrior?' Ganelon drew near

the King and repeated the message that Charles had given him. When he

had finished he held out the letter, and Marsile, who had studied in

the best schools of learning, broke the seal and read it to himself.

'Listen to this, my lords,' he cried, 'and say if ever you heard such

madness! Charles bids me think of Basil and Bazan, whose heads I cut

off, up there in the mountains. And if I wish my own life to be

spared, I am to send him my uncle, the Caliph, to deal with as he

thinks fit.' The Saracens heard the message in grim silence, which was

broken by the voice of the King's son. 'Ganelon must be mad indeed to

give such a message as that,' said he, 'and he deserves death for his

boldness. Deliver him to me, and I will do justice on him.' Ganelon

understood his words but said nothing, only he quietly placed his back

against a pine tree, and played with the hilt of his sword.

King Marsile rose and went into his orchard, followed by his best

councillors, Jorfalon his son, his uncle the Caliph, and others whom

he most trusted. 'Summon the Frank also,' Blancandrin whispered in his

ear, 'for he has promised to throw in his lot with us.' 'Bring him,'

answered the King, and Blancandrin brought him into the orchard, where

the web of treason was woven.

'Noble Ganelon,' said Marsile, 'I acted foolishly towards you just

now, when, in my anger, I sought to strike you. Let me offer you the

mantle of marten fur in amends. It has just arrived from a far

country, and is worth five hundred pounds in gold.' 'I accept it

gladly,' replied Ganelon as the King hung the cloak round his neck,

'and may you be rewarded in as splendid a gift!'

'Ganelon,' continued the King, 'I wish you to be my friend, though it

will not be wise to show you openly my goodwill. Tell me about

Charlemagne, and whether what I have heard of him is really the truth.

They say he is very old, nearly two hundred years, and that he has

wandered from one country to another and been in the thick of every

fight, and has made the most powerful Kings beggars. When will he grow

tired of all these wars? It is time that he rested himself at Aix.'

'No,' said Ganelon, 'those who told you that Charlemagne was like that

did not speak truly. My tongue could never tell of his goodness and

his honour towards all men. Who could ever paint what Charlemagne is?

I would rather die than leave his service.'

'What you say is wonderful,' replied Marsile, 'but after all he has

done, will repose never seem sweet to him?'

'Not while his nephew Roland lives,' said Ganelon. 'There is not such

a fighter under heaven, and his comrade Oliver is famous also for his

prowess. The twelve peers whom the Emperor so dearly loves, with

twenty thousand picked men from the van of the army--truly Charlemagne

may rest in peace, and fear no man.'

'Fair lord,' answered Marsile, 'my subjects are the finest you can

see, and at any moment I can summon four hundred thousand men to give

battle to Charlemagne.'

'You will not conquer him this time,' said Ganelon, 'and in a fight

thousands of your soldiers would be killed. Hear my counsel. Send

Charles yet more gold and silver, and offer twenty other hostages, on

condition he returns himself to France, leaving his rear-guard behind

him. This, being the post of danger, will be claimed by his nephew

Roland, whose comrade Oliver is always by his side. It will be easy to

manage that the two Counts shall meet their deaths, and Roland and

Oliver once dead the King will have no more heart for war.'

'Fair lord,' replied Marsile, 'what shall I have to do in order to

kill Roland?'

'That I can easily tell you,' answered Ganelon. 'When Charlemagne has

passed safely through the mountains, with the most part of his

soldiers, his baggage and his hostages, then have a hundred thousand

of your Infidels ready to fall upon Roland and his rear-guard of

twenty thousand men. The Franks will fight hard, but they cannot stand

against such numbers, though of their foes many will be left upon the

field. Then lose not a moment, but give them battle a second time.

They will be too few and too weak to fight long, and for the rest of

your life you will have peace. If you kill Roland, you will have cut

off the Emperor's right arm. Farewell to the splendid armies of the

Franks; never more will such forces be gathered together; never will

Charles wear again his golden crown, but all Spain shall be in peace.'

Marsile heard the words of Ganelon, and stooped and kissed his neck,

and ordered his costliest treasures to be brought before him. Then he

said: 'There is no further need of speech between us; swear that I

shall find him in the rear-guard, and I shall swear that you shall

have your revenge.' And Ganelon swore. But Marsile was not content

with the oath that Ganelon made. He commanded that a copy of the Koran

should be brought, the sacred book of Mahomet, and placed it on a

chair of ivory, which stood under an olive tree. With his hand on the

book Marsile also took his oath, that if among the rear-guard of

Charlemagne's army he found Roland, he would fall upon him with all

his host and compass his death, and that of the twelve peers of

France. So the bond of treachery was sealed. Then the Infidels crowded

round, and one offered Ganelon his sword, and another his helmet,

while the Queen brought bracelets of precious stones as gifts for his

wife. Marsile asked his treasurer if he had made ready the presents

that were to be sent to Charles, and pressing Ganelon in his arms, he

declared that not a day should pass without his friend likewise

receiving presents, if only he would give his help in the slaying of

Roland. 'You keep me too long,' was Ganelon's answer, and he mounted

his horse and went.

All this while the Emperor Charles was marching towards France, but he

halted at a small town which long ago had been taken by Roland,

waiting till he heard some tidings of Ganelon, and received the news

that Marsile had agreed to do homage for Spain. At length, one morning

at dawn, a messenger came to the King's tent telling him that Ganelon

had arrived, and Charles hastened forth with Roland and Oliver, Duke

Naimes and a thousand more, to meet Ganelon. 'Greeting,' said the

traitor, bowing low; 'I bring you the keys of Saragossa, and twenty

hostages, and great gifts. The noble King Marsile beseeches you not to

blame him, because the Caliph, his uncle, has not come with me. I have

seen--seen with my own eyes--three hundred thousand men all covered

with armour sail away in ships with the Caliph for their leader,

because they could neither defend their own faith nor forswear it. But

hardly were they out of sight of land than a fierce tempest overtook

them, and they were all lost. The Caliph must have died with the rest,

or the King would have bade him come with me. As to the King himself,

sire, before a month has passed he will be in France, ready to receive

baptism in your presence. And he will become your vassal, and do

homage for the kingdom of Spain.'

'You have done wisely,' said Charles, 'and your reward shall be

great.' So trumpets were sounded and tents were struck, and the host

marched with gaiety in their hearts to France the Fair.

[Illustration: The Dream of Charlemagne]

'My war is finished,' said the King, as his army gladly turned their

backs on Spain, and at nightfall spread their tents and slept till day

began. But little he knew that four hundred thousand Unbelievers, with

shields slung from their necks and swords in their hands, were riding

silently through the mountain passes with the intent of hiding

themselves in a wood till the moment came. There they were, and the

Franks knew nothing of it, nor what would come.

Charles slept, and in his sleep he dreamed that Ganelon took his stout

lance of ash wood from his hands and brandished it in the air, then

broke it with his fists. After this dream came another. He was no

longer shut fast in by the mountains, but was at home in France,

standing in his chapel at Aix. Here a bear appeared before him and bit

so deep into his arm that it reached the bone. Then from the other

side, from the Ardennes, there sprang a leopard and would have torn

him in pieces, had not a greyhound come to his aid, and attacked first

the bear and then the leopard. 'A fight! a fight!' cried the Franks,

but they knew not which would be victorious. And all the while Charles

slept soundly. With the dawn a thousand horns awoke the sleepers, and

the clamour of a camp began. 'My lords,' said Charles, calling all his

barons together, 'you see these narrow defiles through which we must

pass? To whom shall I give the command of the rear-guard which must

protect the rest of my army?'

'To Roland, to Roland my stepson,' cried Ganelon. 'No Knight is so

brave as he, and we may trust to him the safety of our host.' Charles

listened and looked him in the face. 'You must be the devil himself,'

he said, 'for you seem as if your body was shaken by some evil

passion. If Roland goes to the rear, who then shall command the van?'

'Ogier, the Dane,' answered Ganelon. 'There is no better man.'

When Count Roland heard his name he pressed forward. 'Fair stepfather,

I owe you much love for proposing me to lead the rear-guard of the

army. Charles the King shall lose nothing through me; not a horse or a

mule shall fall till his price is paid in blows received by the

Infidels.' 'You speak well,' said Ganelon, 'and what you say is true.'

Then Roland turned to Charlemagne: 'Give me, O King, the bow which you

hold in your hand. I will promise not to let it fall, as Ganelon did

your glove.'

But the King sat silent, with his head bent, and tears ran down his

cheeks. At last Naimes drew near and spoke to him, and among them all

Charles had no more faithful friend. 'You have heard, sire, what Count

Roland said. If he is to lead the rear-guard--and there is no man that

can do it better--give him the bow that you have drawn, for which he

asks.' So the King gave it to him, and Roland took it gladly. 'Fair

nephew,' said the King, 'I wish to leave half of my army behind with

you; keep it close to you, it will be your safeguard.'

'No,' answered the Count; 'to accept the half of your army would be to

shame my race. Leave me twenty thousand Franks, and you will pass the

defiles in safety. While I live you need fear no man.' Quickly Count

Roland girded on his armour, girded on his sword Durendal, the comrade

of many fights, and mounted his horse Veillantif, whom all men knew.

'We will follow you to death,' cried the Franks as they saw him. But

Roland answered them nothing. The first to come to his side was

Oliver, his old companion, then Turpin the Archbishop, the Count

Gautier, and many more, and after that they chose twenty thousand men,

the best that Charles had with him. Some of them he sent, under Count

Gautier, to drive the Unbelievers from the hill-top, and that same day

they fought a fierce battle. And while Charles and his army entered

the pass of Roncevalles, Roland took up his ground and prepared for

the fight, which he knew must come shortly. And Ganelon, the traitor,

knew it too.

High were the mountains, and dark the valleys; terrible were the

defiles amidst the black rocks. The army marched slowly and with great

difficulty; fifteen miles away you could hear the sound of their

tramping. But when they caught sight of Gascony, of France, where they

had left their homes and their wives, there was not a man among them

who did not weep for happiness. Charles alone shed tears of sorrow,

for he thought of his nephew in the passes of Spain. 'Ganelon has

betrayed us,' said he to Duke Naimes, 'and he has betrayed Roland too.

It was he who caused him to stay behind with the rear-guard, and if I

lose him--O God! I shall never find such another.'

The nephew of Marsile had craved a boon, that he and eleven of his

comrades should measure themselves against the Twelve Peers of France,

and that none but himself should strike the first blow at Roland. The

noblest subjects of Marsile flocked at his call, and a gay show they

made when ready for battle, and mounted on horses as eager for the

fray as themselves. So great was the noise that the sound reached even

to the French camp. 'I think, comrade, that it will not be long before

we fight with the Saracens,' said Oliver.

'May it be as you say,' answered Roland; 'it is our duty to make a

stand here for the King, as one should be ready to suffer all pains

for one's liege lord. For him one must endure heat and cold, hunger

and thirst, and strike hard blows with all one's might, and take heed

that no evil song can be made on us after we are dead. The right is on

the side of the Christians. Look to yourselves, for you will never see

a bad example from me.'