Blancandrin.

Then Roland, one of the twelve chosen knights and the nephew of
Charlemagne, rose flushed with anger and cried, "Believe not this
Marsil, he was ever a traitor. Carry the war to Saragossa. War! I say
war!"

Ganelon a knight, who hated Roland, strode to the foot of the throne,
saying, "Listen not to the counsel of fools but accept King Marsil's
gifts and promises."

Following the counsel of Duke Naimes the wisest of the court,
Charlemagne declared that some one should be sent to King Marsil and
asked the lords whom he should send.

"Send me," cried Roland. "Nay," said Oliver, "let me go rather." But
the Emperor said, "Not a step shall ye go, either one or other of
you."

"Ah!" said Roland, "if I may not go, then send Ganelon my stepfather."
"Good!" replied the great Emperor, "Ganelon it shall be."

Ganelon trembled with passion and said, "this is Roland's work," for
he knew he would never return alive to his wife and child. The quarrel
between Roland and Ganelon was bitter indeed. "I hate thee," Ganelon
hissed at last. "I hate thee!" Then, struggling to be calm, he turned
to the Emperor and said, "I am ready to do thy will."

"Fair Sir Ganelon," said Charlemagne, "this is my message to the
heathen King Marsil. Say to him that he shall bend the knee to gentle
Christ and be baptized in His name. Then will I give him full half of
Spain to hold in fief. Over the other half Count Roland, my nephew,
well beloved, shall reign."

Without a word of farewell Ganelon went to his own house. There he
clad himself in his finest armor. Commending his wife and child to the
care of the knights who pressed round to bid him Godspeed, Ganelon,
with bent head, turned slowly from their sight and rode to join the
heathen Blancandrin.

II

GANELON'S TREASON

As Ganelon and Blancandrin rode along together beneath the olive-trees
and through the fruitful vineyards of sunny Spain, the heathen began
to talk cunningly. "What a wonderful knight is thy Emperor," he said.
"He hath conquered the world from sea to sea. But why cometh he within
our borders? Why left he us not in peace?"

"It was his will," replied Ganelon. "There is no man in all the world
so great as he. None may stand against him."

"You Franks are gallant men indeed," said Blancandrin, "but your dukes
and counts deserve blame when they counsel the Emperor to fight with
us now."

"There is none deserveth that blame save Roland," said Ganelon. "S