front of the battle.'

"The Sultans gave command at once to all of their soldiers who had
armor, that they should rush forth immediately, and should join in
mounting upon the rampart, now that these birds were encaged again. And
they, with the horsemen, followed close upon Queen Calafia, and
immediately the army rushed forth and pressed upon the wall; but not so
prosperously as they had expected, because the people of the town were
already there in their harness, and as the Pagans mounted upon their
ladders, the Christians threw them back, whence very many of them were
killed and wounded. Others pressed forward with their iron picks and
other tools, and dug fiercely in the circuit of the wall. These were
very much distressed and put in danger by the oil and other things which
were thrown upon them, but not so much but that they succeeded in making
many breaches and openings. But when this came to the ears of the
Emperor, who always kept command of ten thousand horsemen, he commanded
all of them to defend these places as well as they could. So that, to
the grief of the Pagans, the people repaired the breaches with many
timbers and stones and piles of earth.

"When the Queen saw this repulse, she rushed with her own attendants
with great speed to the gate Aquilena, which was guarded by Norandel.[2]
She herself went in advance of the others, wholly covered with one of
those shields which we have told you they wore, and with her lance held
strongly in her hand. Norandel, when he saw her coming, went forth to
meet her, and they met so vehemently that their lances were broken in
pieces, and yet neither of them fell. Norandel at once put hand upon his
sword, and the Queen upon her great knife, of which the blade was more
than a palm broad, and they gave each other great blows. At once they
all joined in a _melee_, one against another, all so confused and with
such terrible blows that it was a great marvel to see it, and if some of
the women fell upon the ground, so did some of the cavaliers. And if
this history does not tell in extent which of them fell, and by what
blow of each, showing the great force and courage of the combatants, it
is because their number was so great, and they fell so thick, one upon
another, that that great master, Helisabat, who saw and described the
scene, could not determine what in particular passed in these exploits,
except in a few very rare affairs, like this of the Queen and Norandel,
who both