Chapter 6 - Page 2

to put Rogero
into his hands. The dwarf, kneeling before the King, presented him
with the ring, and Agramant, delighted at the success of his
mission, crowned him in recompense King of Tingitana.
All were now anxious to go in quest of Rogero. The cavalcade
accordingly departed, and in due time arrived at the mountain of
Carena.
At the bottom of this was a fruitful and well-wooded plain,
watered by a large river, and from this plain was descried a beautiful
garden on the mountain-top, which contained the mansion of Atlantes;
but the ring, which discovered what was before invisible, could not,
though it revealed this paradise, enable Agramant or his followers
to enter it. So steep and smooth was the rock by nature, that even
Brunello failed in every attempt to scale it. He did not, for this,
despair of accomplishing the object; but, having obtained Agramant's
consent, caused the assembled courtiers and knights to celebrate a
tournament upon the plain below. This was done with the view of
seducing Rogero from his fastness, and the stratagem was attended with
success.
Rogero joined the tourney, and was presented by Agramant with a
splendid horse, Frontino, and a magnificent sword. Having learned from
Agramant his intended invasion of France, he gladly consented to
join the expedition.
Rodomont, meanwhile, was too impatient to wait for Agramant's
arrangements, and embarked with all the forces he could raise, made
good his landing on the coast of France, and routed the Christians
in several encounters. Previously to this, however, Gano, or Ganelon
(as he is sometimes called), the traitor, enemy of Orlando and the
other nephews of Charlemagne, had entered into a traitorous
correspondence with Marsilius, the Saracen king of Spain, whom he
invited into France. Marsilius, thus encouraged, led an army across
the frontiers, and joined Rodomont. This was the situation of things
when Rinaldo and the other knights who had obeyed the summons of Dudon
set forward on their return to France.
When they arrived at Buda in Hungary, they found the king of that
country about despatching his son, Ottachiero, with an army to the
succor of Charlemagne. Delighted with the arrival of Rinaldo, he
placed his son and troops under his command. In due time the army
arrived on the frontiers of France, and, united with the troops of
Desiderius, king of Lombardy, poured down into Provence. The
confederate armies had not marched many days through this gay tract,
before they heard a crash of drums and trumpets behind the hills,
which spoke the conflict between the paynims, led by Rodomont, and the
Christian forces. Rinaldo, witnessing from a mountain the prowess of
Rodomont, left his troops in charge of his friends, and