The White Knight: Tirant Lo BlancMartorell, Joanot
General
The White Knight: Tirant Lo Blanc
Martorell, Joanot
Adventure and adventurers -- Fiction; Adventure stories; Knights and knighthood -- Fiction
After all the captains had heard the words of this ambassador,
they talked to the other Moors who had gone into the city with
him, and when they knew the truth of the situation, they killed
Cale-ben-Cale and chose a new king. Nonetheless, they armed
themselves for battle and went in sight of the Christians.
The sun was nearly down, but they still decided to go up a nearby
hill. When the hermit king saw them, he said:
"In faith, they're afraid of us. That's why they've gone up to
such a high place. Let everyone do what I do, and with Divine
help we will have vengeance on our enemies."
He took a basket in one hand, and a spade in the other, and went
in front of them all. When the great lords saw the king do this,
each of them did the same, and followed him.
Before leaving the city, the virtuous king had procured
everything necessary for the war. Around the palisade he dug a
deep ditch that led to a large water hole, and they left a great
entryway in the middle, through which one hundred fifty men could
pass at one time. On the other side they dug another ditch that
led to a high cliff.
The king said:
"Since we've finished, and there are only two hours left till
dawn, you, Duke of Gloucester, and you, Count of Salisbury, go
quickly to the countess, and ask her to give me two large barrels
that belong to William of Warwick. They are full of copper
spikes, and she will find them upstairs, in the weapons room."
They went there quickly and begged and commanded her, on the
king's behalf, so that she gave them to them, even though she was
upset with the king because he had not given her son back to her.
But she realized how great their needs were, and so she did it,
although she could not help saying:
"Lord, have mercy on me! What's going on that this king knows so
much about my house? There's nothing I have that has to do with
weapons or war that he doesn't know about. I don't know if he is
only guessing or if he's a wizard."
The barons had the barrels of spikes loaded onto carts, and took
them to the camp. When they were before the king, they told him
everything the countess had said, and the virtuous king burst out
laughing, and he smiled and joked with them at length.
Afterward he had the spikes taken to the gate, and they placed
them on the ground so that when the Moors came through, they
would stick into their feet. He also had many holes, like wells,
dug, so that if they escaped one danger they would fall into
another. And the Christians worked at this all night long.
When daylight broke, the Moors began to beat drums, and they blew
trumpets and pipes, and shouted their battle-cries, and with
great joy they streamed down the mountain to attack the
Christians. The hermit king ordered all the men to lie down on
the ground, and pretend to be asleep. When they were almost
within range of bombards they all got up, and gave signs of being
unprepared for battle. When the Moors were inside the entryway,
the king said:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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