"But he wishes you to join him immediately, as you will see by the letter that I have carefully put away in my cuirass," said the warrior hunting for the parchment. "Charles will not regret to see me arrive a day or two later if I return to him after successfully attending to the mission that he confided to me. I shall find the horses and the armor at the abbey, where I shall see you again, and now I shall move on with my men. But you must have made a wide circuit, to judge by the road you are on!" "Charles gave me the command of a large troop that he has cantonned on the frontiers of Brittany." "Does he expect to attack Armorica?" "I do not know. I left the troops entrenched in two old Roman camps, one to the right, the other to the left of a long road that winds up there." "Is the troop large?" "About two thousand men distributed in two camps." "Charles can undertake nothing against Brittany with so small a number of soldiers." "All he expects to do is to reconnoiter the frontier of the country until after the war with the Frisians is ended, when he will be able to give his attention in person to the accursed Armorica. This province has resisted our arms for more than three centuries, since the glorious Clovis conquered Gaul. Indeed it is a shame to us!" "Yes, the independence of Armorica is a shame to the arms of the Franks." "Here is Charles' letter," said Bertchram pulling from under his cuirass a scroll of parchment that he delivered to Amael, and ordering the two horses which his slaves had unsaddled to be brought forward, he added: "Look at them! Are there any nobler or more spirited animals in the world?" "No," answered Amael unable to avoid admiring the two superb stallions, that were with difficulty held by the slaves. The horses reared and caracoled, daintily striking the ground with their hoofs; one was ebony black, with a bluish tinge; the other, white as snow, shone like silver. Their nostrils were inflated, their eyes sparkled under their long manes, and they lashed the air with their flowing tails. "These are noble horses!" said Amael smothering a sigh; and motioning to the slaves to re-cover the animals with their housings, he muttered: "Adieu, fine battle horses! Adieu magnificent armors!" Turning to the Frank, Amael said: "I wish you a happy journey.... I shall see you again at the abbey of Meriadek where I hope you may enjoy yourself." "Adieu, Berthoald; but ... a thought strikes me. Should your men refuse to admit me during your absence, what shall I do?" "Keep Charles' letter; it will notify my men of Charles' pleasure. You may break the seal before them." "I shall do it that way. Adieu, I shall take your place at the abbey, where I expect to have a dull time until your return. Adieu, and come back soon." "One more question.... Who are the chiefs of the troops that are cantonned near the frontiers of Brittany?" "Two friends of yours, Hermann and Gondulf. They asked me to remember them to you."