nso, seeking revenge
for the three oaths he had been compelled to take, banished the Cid from
his dominions, on the charge of invading the territory of his allies.

Thus the champion went forth as a knight-errant, with few followers, but a
great name. Tears came into his eyes as he looked back upon his home, its
doors open, its hall deserted, no hawks upon the perches, no horses in the
stalls. "My enemies have done this," he said. "God be praised for all
things." He went to Burgos, but there the people would not receive him,
having had strict orders from the king. Their houses were closed, the
inn-keepers barred their doors, only a bold little maiden dared venture
out to tell him of the decree. As there was no shelter for him there, he
was forced to seek lodging in the sands near the town.

Needing money, he obtained it by a trick that was not very honorable,
though in full accord with the ethics of those times. He pawned to the
Jews two chests which he said were treasure chests, filled with gold. Six
hundred marks were received, and when the chests were afterwards opened
they proved to be filled with sand. This was merely a good joke to poet
and chronicler. The Jews lay outside the pale of justice and fair-dealing.

Onward went the Cid, his followers growing in number as he marched. First
to Barcelona, then to Saragossa, he went, seeking knightly adventures
everywhere. In Saragossa he entered the service of the Moorish king, and
for several years fought well and sturdily for his old enemies. But time
brought a change. In 1081 Alfonso captured Toledo and made that city his
capital, from which he prepared to push his way still deeper into the
Moorish dominions. He now needed the Cid, whom he had banished five years
before.

But it was easier to ask than to get. The Cid had grown too great to be at
any king's beck and call. He would fight for Alfonso, but in his own way,
holding himself free to attack whom he pleased and when he pleased, and to
capture the cities of the Moslems and rule them as their lord. He had
become a free lance, fighting for his own hand, while armies sprang, as it
were, from the ground at his call to arms.

In those days of turmoil valor rarely had long to wait for opportunity.
Ramon Berenguer, lord of Barcelona, had laid siege to Valencia, an
important city on the Mediterranean coast. Thither marched the Cid with
all speed, seven thousand men in his train, and forced Ramon to raise the
siege. T