Next day they marched to meet the enemy, whom they saw when they had at
length reached the beautiful land that is watered by the Dordone
(Dordogne). The morning after their arrival, a terrible battle took
place between them and the Moors. Roland, Olivier, Ogier, Archbishop
Turpin, and the other paladins fought like heroes, and led their men
again and again against the foe. At night-fall, and not till then, did
the Moors acknowledge themselves beaten. They fled to Pampeluna, where
they found more troops that had just arrived from Africa. Eigoland and
his men were impatient to avenge the defeat they had sustained, and
they were sure that they could do so, for they trusted in their
numbers, their skill, and their prophet.
Karl did not at once follow the fugitives. He waited for reinforcements
from France, and from Marsilio, who, although a heathen, had formerly
aided him. He sent messengers to him; but soon afterwards learnt that
the faithless king had murdered them, and had joined the Moors. Then
the emperor called his heroes around him, and, telling them of the evil
tidings he had had, asked them whether they advised him to risk a
battle, when the enemy’s numbers were so overwhelming.
“Let us go forward,” cried brave Roland; “before us lie two objects,
victory or paradise; who is it that will draw back?”
The rest agreed with him, and the horns sounded to battle; and a great
battle took place, in which many men were slain on either side, and
each party fought with a desperate valour. At last Eigoland fell under
the sword of Roland, and then the Moors took flight.
The emperor reduced the country to obedience to his rule. Saragossa
alone held out, for there Marsilio had taken up his station and
determined to defend the town alone until the arrival of the troops his
liege lord Baligant, caliph of Babylon, had promised to send to his
aid. Karl, remembering his former kindness, had determined to treat
Marsilio with the greatest forbearance. He therefore sent Ganelon, one
of his paladins, to offer the king terms, and they were these:
Marsilio’s life should be spared if he would be baptized, and become a
vassal of the empire. Ganelon would have liked to decline the honour of
carrying this message; but he knew the emperor too well to dare
remonstrance.
The king received the ambassador with all kindness, listened to his
message quietly, and begged for a short time to think the matter over,
and consult his friends. Meanwhile he led Ganelon over the palace, and
showed him all his treasures. When he saw that the sight of these
things had had the desired effect on the ambassador, he offered him
three baggage-horse loads of gold, three of silver, and three of costly
stuffs, if he would turn the emperor’s vengeance away from him, and
save him from becoming a Frankish vassal. Ganelon promised to do all
that the heathen wished; nay, for double the reward, he even promised
to detain a division of the Frankish army when the rest had gone away,
on the pretext of guarding the country, and then to deliver them into
Marsilio’s hands. The compact was soon concluded, and each of the
contracting parties swore to keep his share of the bargain.
Marsilio, who thought little of bloodshed, did not hesitate to hand
over some of the nobles of his host as hostages for his good faith,
which therefore was not doubted. Ganelon spoke strongly of Marsilio’s
repentance for the past, and promises for the future; and then, when he
had succeeded in turning matters as he wished, and the emperor was
about to return to France with his whole army in the belief that he now
possessed a faithful vassal in Marsilio, went on to persuade him to
leave Roland and the other paladins behind at the head of a small force
to watch the borders. His eloquence carried all before it, and what he
advised was done. He alone of all the paladins returned to France with
the emperor, while Roland and the other ten remained with six thousand
chosen warriors to guard the land from foreign invasion.