Chapter 5 - Page 2

white on his forehead, and one white foot behind. For speed he was
unrivalled, though in strength he yielded to Bayard. Rinaldo mounted
upon Rabican, and issued from the cavern.
As he pursued his way, he met a fugitive from Agrican's army, who
gave such an account of the prowess of a champion who fought on the
side of Angelica, that Rinaldo was persuaded this must be Orlando,
though at a loss to imagine how he could have been freed from
captivity. He determined to repair to the scene of the contest to
satisfy his curiosity, and Flordelis, hoping to find Florismart with
Orlando, consented to accompany him.
While these things were doing, all was rout and dismay in the
Tartarian army, from the death of Agrican. King Galafron, arriving
at this juncture with an army for the relief of his capital, Albracca,
assaulted the enemy's camp, and carried all before him. Rinaldo had
now reached the scene of action, and was looking on as an
unconcerned spectator, when he was espied by Galafron. The king
instantly recognized the horse Rabican, which he had given to
Argalia when he sent him forth on his ill-omened mission to Paris.
Possessed with the idea that the rider of the horse was the murderer
of Argalia, Galafron rode at Rinaldo, and smote him with all his
force. Rinaldo was not slow to avenge the blow, and it would have gone
hard with the king had not his followers instantly closed round him
and separated the combatants.
Rinaldo thus found himself, almost without his own choice,
enlisted on the side of the enemies of Angelica, which gave him no
concern, so completely had his draught from the fountain of hate
steeled his mind against her.
For several successive days the struggle continued, without any
important results, Rinaldo meeting the bravest knights of Angelica's
party, and defeating them one after the other. At length he
encountered Orlando, and the two knights bitterly reproached one
another for the cause they had each adopted, and engaged in a
furious combat. Orlando was mounted upon Bayard, Rinaldo's horse,
which Agrican had by chance become possessed of, and Orlando had taken
from him as the prize of victory. Bayard would not fight against his
master, and Orlando was getting the worse of the encounter, when
suddenly Rinaldo, seeing Astolpho, who for love of him had arrayed
himself on his side, hard beset by numbers, left Orlando, to rush to
the defence of his friend. Night prevented the combat from being
renewed; but a challenge was given and accepted for their next
meeting.
But Angelica, sighing in her heart for Rinaldo, was not willing that
he should be again exposed to so terrible a venture. She begged a boon
of Orlando, promising she would be his, if he would do her bidding. On