aved above his burnished helmet were
of the purest white. Ten mounted pages, magnificently attired, followed
him to the field, but their duty was not so much to fight as to attend
upon their lord, and to furnish him with steed or weapon.

The Christian troops, though irregular and undisciplined, were full of
native courage; for the old warrior spirit of their Gothic sires still
glowed in their bosoms. There were two battalions of infantry, but
Ataulpho stationed them in the rear; 'for God forbid,' said he, 'that foot
soldiers should have the place of honor in the battle, when I have so many
valiant cavaliers.' As the armies drew nigh to each other, however, it was
discovered that the advance of the Arabs was composed of infantry. Upon
this the cavaliers checked their steeds, and requested that the foot
soldiery might advance and disperse this losel crew, holding it beneath
their dignity to contend with pedestrian foes. The prince, however,
commanded them to charge; upon which, putting spurs to their steeds, they
rushed upon the foe.

The Arabs stood the shock manfully, receiving the horses upon the points
of their lances; many of the riders were shot down with bolts from
cross-bows, or stabbed with the poniards of the Moslems. The cavaliers
succeeded, however, in breaking into the midst of the battalion and
throwing it into confusion, cutting down some with their swords,
transpiercing others with their spears, and trampling many under the hoofs
of their horses. At this moment, they were attacked by a band of Spanish
horsemen, the recreant partisans of Count Julian. Their assault bore hard
upon their countrymen, who were disordered by the contest with the foot
soldiers, and many a loyal Christian knight fell beneath the sword of an
unnatural foe.

The foremost among these recreant warriors was the renegado cavalier whom
Theodomir had challenged in the tent of Taric. He dealt his blows about
him with a powerful arm and with malignant fury, for nothing is more
deadly than the hatred of an apostate. In the midst of his career he was
espied by the hardy Theodomir, who came spurring to the encounter:
'Traitor,' cried he, 'I have kept my vow. This lance has been held sacred
from all other foes to make a passage for thy perjured soul.' The renegado
had been renowned for prowess before he became a traitor to his country,
but guilt will sap the courage of the stoutest heart. When he beheld
Theodomir rushing upon him, he would h