l, and many others who struck in against us for charles of
blois."
"you are right," said sir william, "for i can also see them.
there is much spanish blazonry also, if i could but read it. don
diego, you know the arms of your own land. who are they who have
done us this honor?"
the spanish prisoner looked with exultant eyes upon the deep and
serried ranks of his countrymen.
"by saint james!" said he, "if ye fall this day ye fall by no
mean hands, for the flower of the knighthood of castile ride
under the banner of don tello, with the chivalry of asturias,
toledo, leon, cordova, galicia, and seville. i see the guidons
of albornez, cacorla, rodriguez, tavora, with the two great
orders, and the knights of france and of aragon. if you will
take my rede you will come to a composition with them, for they
will give you such terms as you have given me."
"nay, by saint paul! it were pity if so many brave men were drawn
together, and no little deed of arms to come of it. ha! william,
they advance upon us; and, by my soul! it is a sight that is
worth coming over the seas to see."
as he spoke, the two wings of the spanish host, consisting of the
knights of calatrava on the one side and of santiago upon the
other, came swooping swiftly down the valley, while the main body
followed more slowly behind. five hundred paces from the english
the two great bodies of horse crossed each other, and, sweeping
round in a curve, retired in feigned confusion towards their
centre. often in bygone wars had the moors tempted the hot-
blooded spaniards from their places of strength by such pretended
flights, but there were men upon the hill to whom every ruse an
trick of war were as their daily trade and practice. again and
even nearer came the rallying spaniards, and again with cry of
fear and stooping bodies they swerved off to right and left, but
the english still stood stolid and observant among their rocks.
the vanguard halted a long bow shot from the hill, and with
waving spears and vaunting shouts challenged their enemies to
come forth, while two cavaliers, pricking forward from the
glittering ranks, walked their horses slowly between the two
arrays with targets braced and lances in rest like the
challengers in a tourney.
"by saint paul!" cried sir nigel, with his one eye glowing like
an ember, "these appear to be two very worthy and debonair
gentlemen. i do not call to mind when i have seen any people who
seemed of so great a heart and so high of enterprise. we have our
horses, sir william: shall we not relieve them of any vow which
they may have upon their souls?"
felton's reply was to bound upon his charger, and to urge it down
the slope, while sir nigel followed not three spears'-lengths
behind him. it was a rugged course, rocky and uneven, yet the
two knights, choosing their men, dashed onwards at the top of
their speed, while the gallant spaniards flew as swiftly to meet
them. the one to whom felton found himself opposed was a tall
stripling with a stag's head upon his shield, while sir nigel's
man was broad and squat with plain steel harness, and a pink and
white torse bound round his helmet. the first struck felton on
the target with such force as to split it from side to side, but
sir william's lance crashed through the camail which shielded
the spaniard's throat, and he fell, screaming hoarsely, to the
ground. carried away by the heat and madness of fight, the
english knight never drew rein, but charged straight on into the
array of the knights of calatrava. long time the silent ranks
upon the hill could see a swirl and eddy deep down in the heart
of the spanish column, with a circle of rearing chargers and
flashing blades, here and there tossed the white plume of the
english helmet, rising and falling like the foam upon a wave,
with the fierce gleam and sparkle ever circling round it until at
last it had sunk from view, and another brave man had turned from
war to peace.
sir nigel, meanwhile, had found a foeman worthy of his steel for
his opponent was none other than sebastian gomez, the picked
lance of the monkish knights of santiago, who had won fame in a
hundred bloody combats with the moors of andalusia. so fierce was
their meeting that their spears shivered up to the very grasp,
and the horses reared backwards until it seemed that they must
crash down upon their riders. yet with consummate horsemanship
they both swung round in a long curvet, and then plucking out
their swords they lashed at each other like two lusty smiths
hammering upon an anvil. the chargers spun round each other,
biting and striking, while the two blades wheeled and whizzed and
circled in gleams of dazzling light. cut, parry, and thrust
followed so swiftly upon each other that the eye could not follow
them, until at last coming thigh to thigh, they ca
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