The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-24

400 Paynims, some wounded and most of
them dead. Roland. strange to say, was
still unscathed, but very weary with the
fight and almost at his last gasp for
breath In his head he felt a great pain
and his body burned as with fever. He
had only one thought now, rs Charles
coming?" and taking his olifant. he blew
one last feeble blast.
But the emperor feeble as the blast
was, heard it-for he had approached
very near-and cried out "Barons things
are going i'll. Roland is lost to us. Spur
on, press your steeds and sound your
trrmpets to give warning that we are
near" Then the blare of $1,000 trumpets
rang out and echoed through the Py-
renees. The Paynims heard the sound.
ut is Charlesr they cried. The cry ran
from rank to rank and also the cry that
Roland must be killed before the en-
peror arrived or Spain was lost to them
forever. Four hundred of the bravest
pagans made a charge to where Roland
and Turpin stood. But the trumpets
sounded nearer and nearer and the Sar-
acens turned and galloped away.
The archbishop and Roland were left
alone upon the field and Turpin dropped
from wounds and WEAKNESS. Roland I'M
laced his oorslet and took off his golden
helmet He tore up his tunie to make
bandages for this valiant priest and laid
him tenderly down upon a grassy place.
Then. seeing that the valiant archbishop
was dying, he said: II crave of you
boon. Those twelve peers; we should not
leave them thus uncared for. [ will
gather their bodies and bring them today
at your feet" Co. replied the arch
bishop; thank heaven the field is ours
Then Roland brought-one by one-the
bodies of the peers and the body of his
friend Oliver and laid them all In a row
at the feet of the dying Turpin. There
the archbishop gave the dead heroes his
blessing and his absolution. Then Turpin
meekly murmured his Mea Culpa, raised
his eyes to heaven and expired. Go,
thou knight of noble race" cried Ro-
land, never one since the apostles served
the Lord on high more willingly. May
the gates of Paradise be wide open for
thee.
Anu iOW was diOHc-tht ooiS
survivor of that fatal field He COM
mended himself to the Archangel Gabriel
and taking his Olifant in one hand an
his good sword Durendal In the other
walked painfully to the nearest hill from
which he might see the approach Of the
army of France. One of the wounded
Saracens, as he walked, caught him and
tried TO pull him down, crying: you are
Charles terrible nephew; l will have your
sword to show at home Roland struck
the Paynim over the head with his Oil
FAINT so strongly that he killed him, and
went on to see If Charles was near. But
Roland was exhausted and felt that death
was creeping upon him. He laid down
under a pine tree with his face toward
Spain and confessed his sins. "Mea Gull
pa he cried, MY God, that by Thy
great mercy brought me so far in this
fight 7 confess my sins from the hour
of my birth to this, my dying day Then
he thought for a while an angel stood
beside him and cheered him. He thought
of many things; of his old home; of
the countries he had conquered and the
battles he had fought. Then taking from
his right hand his mailed glove he raised
1t to heaven as an offering to God and
died while angels took his soul to Para
disc. When. little after. the Emperor
Charles reached Roncevaux, a wrathful
man was he. Where are my peers?' he
cried, where my nephew Roland and the
Great Oliver? Where is Turpin, that
great Archbishop? Hathendom shall smart
for this"
There was great mourning that day in
the defles OF the Pyrenees. Old Duke
Names was the first to rally from the
shock of that horrible sight DO you
see," cried he, that cloud of dust yon-
der? That is the Paynim force. Fall upon
them from the rear and at least avenge
our slaughtered friends" Charlemagne
aroused himself He had been stunned
by the magnitude of the disaster to his
rear guard. Guard these defiles.'' cried
the emperor, 'leave the dead as they
are; only see that no beasts of prey come
upon them. You, my Duke, shall have
this charge. BY the grace of God We will
return to you" Then he set his whole
army in motion, leaving only thousand
DaTOHS Will Tie Duht Ilc Oiotitu tHc
trumpets sounded. Sixty thousand OF
them blew their blast. But daylight was
waning and the river Ebro was near.
Then Charles thought that an angel stood
beside him and said: Ride on, daylight
shall not fail thee" lie rode on 1t
seemed to Charlemagne that the sun
stood still upon the hill, even as 1t stood
for Joshua, and he caught the Paynim
host
At the banks of the Ebro he met
them and rode among them such a ride
as never before had they seen. Some
swan the river and some We're drowned
in it. Victory was his, and. dismounting,
he and his knights knelt and gave
thanks to God. All slept that night
wherever they dropped. They were too
weary even to post sentinels. But by
the early morning Charles had another
vision. An angel came to him and told
him that he must march for Saragossa.
In Saragossa the great King found
King Marsillus and the Calph of Baby
Ion, who had brought his forces to his
aid. This Emr had three hundred
thousand fresh troops; but Charles took
the city. 1t was great battle. The
townsmen watched .he changing for
tunes of the day with intense regard.
But they did not take much part in
the battle. Queen Bramhila, the wife
of Marsillus, stood in a tower with her
women watching the fight When she
saw the rout of the Paynim army she
rushed into the chamber where the
wounded King lay and said: Our peo-
ple are beaten; the Emir of Babylon is