The Children's Book of Ballads Author:Mary Wilder Tileston Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: GARCI PEREZ DE VARGAS. ABOUT 1248. King Ferdinand alone did stand one day upon the hill, Surveying all his leaguer, and the ramparts of Seville; The ... more »sight was grand, when Ferdinand by proud Seville was lying, O'er tower and tree far off to see the Christian banners flying. Down chanced the king his eye to fling, where far the camp below, Two gentlemen along the glen were riding soft and slow; As void of fear each cavalier seemed to be riding there, As some strong hound may pace around the roebuck's thicket lair. It was Don Garci Perez, and he would breathe the air, And he had ta'en a knight with him, that as lief had been elsewhere For soon the knight to Garci said : " Ride, ride we, or we 're lost! I see the glance of helm and lance—it is the Moorish host!" The Lord of Vargas turned him round, his trusty squire was near — The helmet on his brow he bound, his gauntlet grasped the spear; With that upon his saddle-tree he planted him right steady — " Now come," quoth he, " whoe'er they be, I trow they '11 find us ready." By this the knight who rode with him had turned his horse's head, And up the glen in fearful trim unto the camp had fled. " Ha ! gone ? " quoth Garci Perez ; he smiled, and said no more, But slowly, with his esquire, rode as he rode before. It was the Count Lorenzo, just then it happened so, He took his stand by Ferdinand, and with him gazed below; " My liege," quoth he, " seven Moors I see a-com- ing from the wood, Now bring they all the blows they may, I trow they '11 find as good ; But it is Don Garci Perez — if his cognizance they know, I guess it will be little pain to give them blow for blow." The Moors from forth the greenwood came riding one by one, A galla...« less