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