The La Jara chronicle., 1906-08-17

I among them. What is this golden BAN
ner which waves over the leftf
| 1t is the ensign of the Knights of
Calatraya answered FELTON,.
| And the one upon the right!
1t marks the Knights Of Santiago and
1 see by the banner that the grand mas
| ter rides at their head
You are right, for 1 can also see
| them. There is much Spanish blazonry
| also If 1 could but read 1t. Don Diego,
you know the arms OF your own country,
and who they who have done US so
| much honorf
| The Spanish prisoner looked with exul-
| tant eyes upon the deep aud serried ranks
Of his countrymen.
by Saint James he said. ''if ye fail
| this day, ye fall by no mean hands for
| the flower of the army OF CASTLE ride
under the banner of Don Telo. with the
chivalry of Asturias, Toledo, Leon. Cor
| dova. Galicia and Seville and the knights
of France and Aragon- If you will take
my rede, you will come to a compost
| tion with them, for they will give you
such terms as you have given me-
Nay, by Saint Paul, 1t were pity II
so many brave men. We're drawn together
and no little deed of arms come of ii. Ha!
William, they advance upon us, and by
my soul 1t is sight worth coming over
the seas to witness
As he spoke the two wings of the Span
ish host. consisting of the Knights of
Calatraya on the one side and of Santiago
| on the other came swooping swiftly down
the valley. while the main body followed
more slowly behind. The vanguard halted
| long bow-shot from the hill and with
waving spears and vaunting shouts chal-
lenged their enemies to come forth. while
| two cavaliers. pricking forward from the
glitterlng ranks, walked their horses slow
| ly between the two arrays with targets
brnced and lances In rest like the chal-
/ lengers in tourney.
by Saint PAUL" cried Sir Nigel. with
his eye glowing like an ember. these
appear to be two very worthy and debo-
nair gentlemen. l do not call to mind
when l have seen any people who seemed
OF so great heart and so high of enter
prise. We have our horses, Sir William:
shall be not relieve them of any vow which
/ they may have upon their soulsf
| Feltons reply was to bound upon his
| charger. and to urge 1t down the slope
while Sir Nigel followed not three spears
| lengths behind him. 1t was rugged
course, rocky and uneven. yet the two
| knights, choosing their men. dashed on
| wards at the top of their speed. while
the gallant Spaniards few as swiftly to
meet them. The one to whom FELTON,
found himself opposed tall stripping
with n stays head upon his shield, while
| Sir Nigels man was broad and squat, with
plain steel harness. and a pink and white
/ torse bound round his helmet. The first
struck FELTON, on the target with such
| force hs 10 spit IL from sue 10 sue, put
Sir Williams lance crashed through the
CANAL which shielded the Spaniard' s
throat, and he fell. screaming hoarsely, to
the ground. Carried away by the heat and
madness of fight. the English knight never
drew rein, but charged straight on Into the
array of the Knights OF Calatrnva. Long
time the silent ranks upon the hill could
see swirl .and eddy deep down In the
heart of the Spanish column. with
circle of renrlng chargers and flashing
taIa and shnra sod
plume of the English helmet. rising and
falling like the foam upon wave. with
the fierce CLEAN and sparkle ever circling
round It, until at last 1t had sunk from
war to peace.
Sir Nigel. meanwhile. had found a foe
man worthy OF his steel. for his opponent
was none other than Sebastian Gomez, the
picked lance Of the monkish Knights of
Santiago. who had won fame in a hun.
dred bloody combats with the Moors of
Andnlusia. So fierce their meeting
that their spears shivered up to the very
grasp. and the horses reared backwards
until 1t seemed that they must crash down
upon their riders Yet with consummate
horsemanship they both swung round In
n long curvet. and then plucking out their
swords they lnshed at each other like two
lusty smiths hammering upon their anvil.
The chargers spun round each others, bit
ing and striking. while the two blades
wheeled and whzzed and circled In CLEANS
of dazzling light. Cut, parry. and thrust
followed so swiftly upon each others that
the eye could not follow them, until at
last coming thigh to thigh, they cast their
arms around each other and rolled of
their saddles to the ground. The heavier
Spaniard threw himself upon his enemy.
and pinning him down beneath him raised
his sword to slay him, while shout OF
triumph from the ranks of his count
rymen. But the fatal blow never fell. for
even as his arm quivered before descend
ing, the Spaniard gave shudder. and
stiffenng himself, rolled heavily over upon
his side. with the blood gushing from his
arm-plt and from the slit of his vfzor. Sir
Nigel sprang to his feet with his bloody
dagger in his left hand and gazed down
upon his adversary, but the fatal and
sudden stab In the vital spot. which the
Spaniard had exposed by raising his arm.
had proved Instantly mortal. The Eng
lishman leaped upon his horse and made
for the hill, at the very instant that yell
of rage from a thousand voices and the
clang of score of bugles announced the
Spanish onset.
CHAPTER XVII.
But the islanders were ready and eager
for the encounter. With feet firmly
planted, their sleeves rolled back to give
free play to their muscles, their long
yellow bow-staves In their left hands, and
their quivers slung to the front, they had
waited in the fourdeep harrow formation
which gave strength to their array, and
yet permitted every man to draw his arrow
freely without harm TO those In front.
On swept the Spaniards, over the level
and up to the slope, ere they met the
binding storm of the English arrows.
Down went the whole ranks In whirl
OF mad confusion, horses plunging and
kicking, bewildered men falling, rising,
staggering on or back, while ever new
lines of horsemen came spurripg through
the gaps and urged their chargers up the
fatal slope. All around him, Alleyne could
hear the stern. short orders of the master
bowmen, while the air was tlled with
the keen twanglng OF the strings and the
swish and patter Of the shafts. Right
ACROSS the foot Of the hill there hnd