to me," he
said, "Sir Roland and Sir Oliver. I implore you not to fall out with
each other in this fashion. We, sons of France, that are in this
place, are of a truth condemned to death, neither will the sounding of
your horn save us, for the King is far away, and cannot come in time.
Nevertheless, I hold it to be well that you should sound it. When the
King and his army shall come, they will find us dead--that I know full
well. But they will avenge us, so that our enemies shall not go away
rejoicing. And they will also recover our bodies, and will carry them
away for burial in holy places, so that the dogs and wolves shall not
devour them."

"You say well," cried Roland, and he put his horn to his lips, and
gave so mighty a blast upon it, that the sound was heard thirty
leagues away. King Charles and his men heard it, and the King said,
"Our countrymen are fighting with the enemy." But Ganelon answered,
"Sire, had any but you so spoken, I had said that he spoke falsely."

Then Roland blew his horn a second time; with great pain and anguish
of body he blew it, and the red blood gushed from his lips; but the
sound was heard yet farther than at first. Again the King heard it,
and all his nobles, and all his men. "That," said he, "is Roland's
horn; he never had sounded it were he not in battle with the enemy."
But Ganelon answered again: "Believe me, Sire, there is no battle. You
are an old man, and you have the fancies of a child. You know what a
mighty man of valor is this Roland. Think you that any one would dare
to attack him? No one, of a truth. Ride on, Sire; why halt you here?
The fair land of France is yet far away."

Roland blew his horn a third time, and when the King heard it he said,
"He that blew that horn drew a deep breath." And Duke Naymes cried
out, "Roland is in trouble; on my conscience he is fighting with the
enemy. Some one has betrayed him; 'tis he, I doubt not, that would
deceive you now. To arms, Sire! utter your war-cry, and help your own
house and your country. You have heard the cry of the noble Roland."

Then King Charles bade all the trumpets sound, and forthwith all the
men of France armed themselves, with helmets, and hauberks, and swords
with pommels of gold. Mighty were their shields, and their lances
strong, and the flags that they carried were white and red and blue.
And when they made an end of their arming they rode back with all
haste. There was not one of them but said to his com