by some
heathen?" And the third time he smote a rock with it. Loud rang the
steel, but it brake not, bounding back as though it would rise to the
sky. And when Count Roland saw that he could not break the sword, he
spake again but with more content in his heart. "O Durendal," he said,
"a fair sword art thou, and holy as fair. There are holy relics in thy
hilt, relics of St. Peter and St. Denis and St. Basil. These heathen
shall never possess thee; nor shalt thou be held but by a Christian
hand."

And now Roland knew that death was very near to him. He laid himself
down with his head upon the grass, putting under him his horn and his
sword, with his face turned towards the heathen foe. Ask you why he did
so? To show, forsooth, to Charlemagne and the men of France that he
died in the midst of victory. This done, he made a loud confession of
his sins, stretching his hand to heaven, "Forgive me, Lord," he cried,
"my sins, little and great, all that I have committed since the day of
my birth to this hour in which I am stricken to death." So he prayed;
and, as he lay, he thought of many things, of the countries which he had
conquered, and of his dear fatherland France, and of his kinsfolk, and
of the good King Charles. Nor, as he thought, could he keep himself from
sighs and tears; yet one thing he remembered beyond all others--to pray
for forgiveness of his sins. "O Lord," he said, "who art the God of
truth, and didst save Daniel Thy prophet from the lions, do Thou save my
soul and defend it against all perils!" So speaking he raised his right
hand, with the gauntlet yet upon it, to the sky, and his head fell back
upon his arm and the angels carried him to heaven. So died the great
Count Roland.

THE CID

Unlike some of the other heroes told about in this book, the Cid was a
real man, whose name was Rodrigo Diaz, or Ruydiez. He was born in Burgos
in the eleventh century and won the name of "Cid," which means
"Conqueror," by defeating five Moorish kings. This happened after Spain
had been in the hands of the Arabs for more than three hundred years, so
it is small wonder that the Spaniards looked upon their hero as a very
remarkable man.

When Rodrigo was still a youth, his father, Diego Laynez, was grossly
insulted by Don Gomez. The custom in those days was to avenge such an
insult by slaying the offender; but Diego was too old and feeble to bear
arms. When he finally told his son of the wrong, Rodrigo sought out