XV. When Don Ramon Berenguer the Count of Barcelona heard this, it
troubled him to the heart, and he held it for a great dishonour,
because that part of the land of the Moors was in his keeping. And he
spake boastfully saying, Great wrong doth that Cid of Bivar offer unto
me; he smote my nephew in my own court and never would make amends for
it, and now he ravages the lands which are in my keeping, and I have
never defied him for this nor renounced his friendship; but since he
goes on in this way I must take vengeance. So he and King Abenalfange
gathered together a great power both of Moors and Christians, and went
in pursuit of the Cid, and after three days and two nights they came up
with him in the pine-forest of Tebar, and they came on confidently,
thinking to lay hands on him. Now my Cid was returning with much spoil,
and had descended from the Sierra into the valley when tidings were
brought him that Count Don Ramon Berenguer and the King of Denia were
at hand, with a great power, to take away his booty, and take or slay
him. And when the Cid heard this he sent to Don Ramon saying, that the
booty which he had won was none of his, and bidding him let him go on
his way in peace: but the Count made answer, that my Cid should now
learn whom he had dishonoured, and make amends once for all. Then my
Cid sent the booty forward, and bade his knights make ready. They are
coming upon us, said he, with a great power both of Moors and
Christians, to take from us the spoils which we have so hardly won, and
without doing battle we cannot be quit of them; for if we should
proceed they would follow till they overtook us: therefore let the
battle be here, and I trust in God that we shall win more honour, and
something to boot. They come down the hill, drest in their hose, with
their gay saddles, and their girths wet; we are with our hose covered
and on our Galician saddles;--a hundred such as we ought to beat their
whole company. Before they get upon the plain ground let us give them
the points of our lances; for one whom we run through, three will jump
out of their saddles; and Ramon Berenguer will then see whom he has
overtaken to-day in the pine-forest of Tebar, thinking to despoil him
of the booty which I have won from the enemies of God and of the faith.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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