. This
difficulty the saint had foreseen, and had taught Astolpho the means of
remedying. He now put those means in operation. Having reached a place
whence he beheld a vast plain and the sea, he chose from his troops
those who appeared to be the best made and the most intelligent. These
he caused to be arranged in squadrons at the foot of a lofty mountain
which bordered the plain, and he himself mounted to the summit to carry
into effect his great design. Here he found vast quantities of
fragments of rock and pebbles. These he set rolling down the mountain's
side, and, wonderful to relate, as they rolled they grew in size, made
themselves bodies, legs, necks, and long faces. Next they began to
neigh, to curvet, to scamper on all sides over the plain. Some were
bay, some roan, some dapple, some chestnut. The troops at the foot of
the mountain exerted themselves to catch these new-created horses,
which they easily did, for the miracle had been so considerate as to
provide all the horses with bridles and saddles. Astolpho thus suddenly
found himself supplied with an excellent corps of cavalry, not fewer
(as Archbishop Turpin asserts) than eighty thousand strong. With these
troops Astolpho reduced all the country to subjection, and at last
arrived before the walls of Agramant's capital city, Biserta, to which
he laid siege.

We must now return to the camp of the Christians, which lay before
Arles, to which city the Saracens had retired after being defeated in a
night attack led on by Rinaldo. Agramant here received the tidings of
the invasion of his country by a fresh enemy, the Abyssinians, and
learned that Biserta was in danger of falling into their hands. He took
counsel of his officers, and decided to send an embassy to Charles,
proposing that the whole quarrel should be submitted to the combat of
two warriors, one from each side, according to the issue of which it
should be decided which party should pay tribute to the other, and the
war should cease. Charlemagne, who had not heard of the favorable turn
which affairs had taken in Africa, readily agreed to this proposal, and
Rinaldo was selected on the part of the Christians to sustain the
combat.

The Saracens selected Rogero for their champion. Rogero was still in
the Saracen camp, kept there by honor alone, for his mind had been
opened to the truth of the Christian faith by the arguments of
Bradamante, and he had resolved to leave the party of the infidels on
the