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 comrade, "If we find Roland yet alive, what
mighty strokes will we strike for him!"

But Ganelon the King handed over to the knaves of his kitchen. "Take
this traitor," said he, "who has sold his country." Ill did Gane