“Aha! for what do you take me, and why do you send these brats against me? By my faith, Kingling, I do not thank you. If this be a sample of your court it is but a poor one, and it is no wonder you are foremost in it. But, in truth, I believe you are but sending me the refuse of your knighthood, which you are not sorry to be rid of. You hope thus to tire me, and to rid yourself of these small fry of warriors. I shall not satisfy your wishes. I should blush to deal seriously with these puny creatures. By the Prophet, my father would be astonished to see the task I have had set me!” Shrugging his shoulders, Angoulaffre took his post at the end of the lists. He refused the lance which was brought him by thirty squires. “It would be a rare jest if I needed arms to fight these pigmies,” said he, as he rode forward at an easy pace. Ganelon and Wolf charged upon him, lance in rest, but instead of aiming at the giant they aimed at his horse. “Cowards and bunglers!” shouted Angoulaffre. “Oh, Charlemagne, I shall not do you the pleasure of ridding you of such knights. I intend to spare them, and let them go in peace for your disgrace for ever after.” So saying, the giant stooped, and, seizing the two as he had done Oliver, he looked at them quite unconcernedly. “Faugh! the wretched Christians! it would be a murder to put them to death;” and with these words he rode off towards the chapel, still holding Ganelon and Wolf in his grasp. [Illustration: 072] You have, of course, my dear readers, not forgotten the chapel of which I spoke at the beginning of the story. It was surmounted by a huge iron cross. Angoulaffre went up to it, and without injuring his prisoners, he hung them by their belts, one on each limb of the cross, like a couple of rings on a ringstand. [Illustration: 073] “Gallant defenders of the cross,” said the colossus, as he rode back to his place in the lists; “become its guardians also!” [Illustration: 074] CHAPTER XI. HOW ANGOULAFFRE HAD AN ATTACK OF TOOTHACHE, WHICH WAS THE DEATH OF HIM. ROLAND heard no further. The insolence of the giant had aroused in his heart one of those fits of fury which, when coupled with strength and courage like his, nothing can resist. The dishonour done to Ganelon and Wolf enraged him, for he no longer saw in them either rivals or unworthy opponents. They were knights--they were Christians, and he felt a share of the insult offered to them. He sprang on the back of Veillantif, and dashed into the lists. A murmur of applause saluted his entrance. People felt that the real struggle was only now commencing, and that if Roland were vanquished there was no one to take his place. The honour of the French name was the stake of this contest. Three pages ran to pick up the gauntlet which Angoulaffre had flung down in defiance, and dragged it with difficulty into the middle of the lists. Roland stooped, picked it up, and flung it in the giant’s face.