“What, my noble lords!” he cried, “wouldst have me deliver my brothers and my cousin Renaud, because, however unwillingly, they have aided me. No, a thousand times no,” he exclaimed. “It were far better to die, sword in hand, than to purchase peace by such an act of cowardice.” Maugis was furious, but later becoming calm, he invited the two to visit his arsenal and view his means of defense. Said he to them earnestly: “There is not a knight among my followers, nor an inhabitant of this citadel, but who would prefer the most bloody death and to find a grave under its ruins, rather than surrender Montfort to Charlemagne.” De Naimes and Oger returned to Paris and repeated the words of Maugis to the king, making no attempt to conceal their admiration for the brave young man. Charlemagne, on the contrary, flew into a violent rage and gave orders to his army to prepare immediately for an assault on the Château Montfort. And thus was commenced a lifetime of the most bitter struggles, for the brave Maugis and his intrepid brothers. A doubly bitter struggle for Maugis, from the importunity of his friends to use his occult powers to relieve them when sore beset, but which he conscientiously resisted because he feared it was an offense to God. And bitterest of all was his love and longing for Yolande, from whom such cruel fate separated him. It was only a short time after this when the scouts of Maugis reported the advance of the army, led by the emperor in person, and so he was not taken off his guard when early one morning he watched from his high position on the battlements of his fortress the glint of the sun on the accouterments and arms of the besieging army surrounding his position on the plain below. He observed with interest, that to invest his château, Charlemagne was obliged to very much spread out his forces, and resolved to take advantage of it. Accordingly, when the time was most favorable, he made a sortie with his soldiers from a gate invisible to the enemy and threw himself on them with such great impetuosity that before they had even time to resist the ground was strewn with the dead. He had become master of the king’s camp and forthwith fired the tents, burning alike, in the general conflagration, men and horses and all the supplies of the king’s army. [Illustration: CHÂTEAU MONTFORT.] After this great success, Maugis rallied his troops and was about to attack the army of the king, when at that very moment he came face to face with a detachment headed by his father, the old Duke d’Aymon. To fight his own father was impossible, therefore Maugis arrested his movements. On his part the duke prudently retired before the forces of his son, but if his own life was safe, not so his soldiers. Maugis threw his troops upon those of his father and those of the king accompanying him, attacking them on all sides, successfully blocking all means of their escape.