hority with which he vested him.

As the count bent low to receive his commission, the emperor's glove
dropped to the ground, and the startled Franks whispered to one another:

"God! What is this? Evil will come of this quest." But it was treated as
an accident, and Ganelon passed on his journey.

And on that journey he held deep and evil converse with the heathen
concerning Roland and his overweening pride.

Now when the Saracen emissaries were returned to Saragossa, they stood
before Marsilius, crying, "Mahomet save thee!" and presented Ganelon,
who bore King Karl's answer.

When the Christian was summoned to speak, he gave his emperor's answer
boldly. Marsilius listened in silence to the terms of treaty till
Ganelon reached the part where Charlemagne declared that if his terms
were rejected, he would besiege Saragossa, and bear Marsilius captive to
France, there to die a "villainous death of shame." At this Marsilius
was sorely enraged, and, forgetting how serious were his straits, sprang
from his throne, and would have dealt death to the Christian had not his
wise nobles interposed and persuaded him to temper his wrath with
judgment.

When Marsilius was pacified, Ganelon was again asked for the terms of
the treaty, and he again gave them as they had been intrusted to him.
Much the heathen questioned him concerning King Karl, and he answered
without fear, always praising his emperor; but when Marsilius desired of
him the secret of Charlemagne's aggressive and warlike policy,--for the
emperor was past the age when men are given over to ambition,--Ganelon
assured him that Roland was the evil genius of the emperor, always
urging him to greater deeds of violence, always inciting him to greater
heights of power.

The wily heathen put the question several times, in as many forms, but
Ganelon's answer was always the same,--Roland ruled the emperor, and as
long as Roland lived, so long would Charlemagne slay and oppress. And he
ended significantly,--

"Whoso shall bring death to Roland shall wring from Karl his greatest
strength; he shall see the marvelous hosts of Franks melt away and leave
this mighty land at peace."

Then villainous heathen and treacherous Christian devised there a plan
by which the gallant Roland was to suffer death, and the Frankish power
in Spain was to be forever destroyed. It was Ganelon's evil brain that
conceived the plot; it was the heathen, Marsilius, who was to execute
it.

By his o