THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE - outriders poetry project

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© 2009 Max Wickert
them and made great slaughter of these Saracen archers, until the train could be brought to safety in
the mountains where the Christians would not lose it.
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While these things were happening and the baggage train was brought to safety, King Almont who
rode at the rear, on an ambling mule, with a goshawk on his wrist, reached a hilltop and was about
to let fly his goshawk because some of his dogs had caught the scent of partridges. As Almont
turned down into a valley, he caught sight of the Charles’ tents and banners some two leagues
toward the valley’s end. Almont called out to Sinagon and said: “By my faith, these are not our
people!” Even as he was pointing at that gathering, he heard the noise of the attack on his own
men.
At this, Almont handed his goshawk to a squire and turned sown another valley whence the noise
was coming. He saw his men half out of their mind with panic, and one of them told him: “Our
baggage train is lost.” Amont dismounted from his mule, armed and leapt upon a great stallion.
This was not, however, his superb horse Briador, for he had left him at the tower so as not to ruin
him on the mountain terrain.
While he was riding down into the vale, he saw Marquis Berlingher with two thousand knights come
into view. Beholding so many excellent weapons, so many pennants, so many handsome steeds, and
seeing the Marquis so well appointed that his armor blazed in the light, he called one of his
interpreters (his name was Butran, and said to him: “Hurry to that troop that is descending from
yonder hill, and tell that knight who is so well armed to come before and to yield me that armor and
that horse, and that I will make him a rich man if he renounces his God. That way he need not
expect death at my hands. For if I defeat him, I will cut off the heads of all his men.”