ignant
prince took arms against him, joining the Moors, whom he aided to harry
the king's dominions. Fortifying his castle, and gathering a bold and
daring band from his late followers, he made incursions deep into the
country of the king, plundering hamlet and city and fighting in the ranks
of the Moslems.

This method of argument was too forcible even for the obstinacy of
Alfonso. His counsellors, finding the kingdom itself in danger, urged him
to grant Bernardo's request, and to yield him his father in return for his
castle. The king at length consented, and Bernardo, as generous and
trusting as he was brave, immediately accepted the proposed exchange,
sought the king, handed him the keys of his castle, and asked him to
fulfil his share of the contract.

Alfonso agreed to do so, and in a short time the king and his nephew rode
forth, Bernardo's heart full of joy at the thought of meeting the parent
whom he had never yet seen. As they rode forward a train came from the
opposite direction to meet them, in the midst a tall figure, clad in
splendid attire and mounted on horseback. But there was something in his
aspect that struck Bernardo's heart deep with dread.

"God help me!" he exclaimed, "is that sightless and corpse-like figure the
noble Count of Saldana, my father?"

"You wished to see him," coldly answered the king. "He is before you. Go
and greet him."

Bernardo did so, and reverently took the cold hand of his father to kiss
it. As he did so the body fell forward on the neck of the horse. It was
only a corpse. Alfonso had killed the father before delivering him to his
son.

Only his guards saved the ruthless tyrant at that moment from death. The
infuriated knight swore a fearful oath of vengeance upon the king, and
rode away, taking the revered corpse with him. Unfortunately, the story of
Bernardo ends here. None of the ballads tell what he did for revenge. We
may imagine that he joined his power to the Moors and harried the land of
Leon during his after life, at length reaching Alfonso's heart with his
vengeful blade. But of this neither ballad nor legend tells, and with the
pathetic scene of the dead father's release our story ends.

RUY DIAZ, THE CID CAMPEADOR.

Bernardo del Carpio is not the chief Spanish hero of romance. To find the
mate of Roland the paladin we must seek the incomparable Cid, the
campeador or champion of Spain, the noblest figure in Spanish story or
romance. _El Mio Cid