Page:Great Men and Famous Women Volume 5.djvu/76

 42 WORKMEN AND HEROES army than before marches forth to exterminate Roland's handful, now reduced to 300. During this battle a terrible storm passes over France, thunder and whirl- winds, rain and hail, there came. The people thought that the end of the world had come, but this was only a foreshadowing of Roland's death. At last all the nobles are killed except Ro- land, Olivier, the archbishop, and sixty men. Then only will Roland deign to blow his horn. Charlemagne hears it thirty leagues away, and orders his army to return to Roncesvalles. Ganelon alone seeks to dissuade him, and is put in chains by the desire of the nobles, who suspect him. The army of Charles hur- ries back, but all too late. They will not arrive in time. Away in the Pass of Cizra, Roland looks around on his dead comrades and weeps. He returns to Olivier's side, who is engaged in a hand-to-hand encounter with King Marsil's uncle, the Moslem prince, Algalif, from whom he receives his death-wound. Oliv- ier reels in his saddle, his eyes are dimmed with blood, and as he strikes madly about with his spear, he smashes Roland's helmet. The friend of Olivier is as- tonished, but soft and low he speaks to him thus : "' Hast thou done it, my comrade, wittingly? Roland who loves thee so dear am I. Thou hast no quarrel with me to seek ? ' Olivier answered, ' I hear thee speak, But I see thee not ; God seeth thee. Have I struck thee, brother, forgive it me?' ' I am not hurt, O Olivier ; And in sight of God, I forgive thee here.' Then to each other his head hath laid, And in love like this was their parting made." With hands clasped Sir Olivier cries to God for admittance into Paradise, and for a blessing on " King Karl and France the fair," and above all on -his brother Roland. Then his hands fall, his head sinks on his breast, and he passes away. Filled with grief, Roland murmurs : " So many days and years gone by We lived together. And thou hast never done me wrong. Since thou art dead, to live is pain." Once more Roland turns to where Count Walter of Hum and the arch- bishop alone stand at bay : " And the heathen cries, ' What a felon three ! Look to it, lords, that they shall not flee.' " Count Walter falls at last, just as they hear the welcome sound of Charle- magne's trumpets, at which the Saracens flee, leaving Roland and the archbishop unconquered. But their end is near. Roland swoons, and the good archbishop,