The first messenger who came back told that Sir
Gilbert had reached the hills, and led the Queen by the way he had
followed, saying that so far he had met no enemies.
But on the morrow, as they drew near to the mountains and rode up the
rising ground, they saw afar off a man standing by one who lay stark on
the ground, and driving off a vulture and a score of ravens with a long
staff. The Queen's heart stood still when she saw this sight, and she
spurred her Arab mare forward before all the army till she stopped
beside the dead body and saw that the face was not Gilbert's. The
squire who was guarding the dead told her how, very early in the
morning, some fifty Seljuk horsemen had come down from the hills and
had shot arrows at Gilbert and his men from a distance, wheeling
quickly and galloping away out of sight before the Christians could
mount; and this one knight had been killed, and his squire had stayed
by him till the army should come up, while the rest rode on, and took
both the horses with them in case they should lose any of their own.
There they buried the body deep, when the Queen's chaplain had blessed
it, and they marched on till noon, and encamped. From that time the
Queen made her ladies ride in the centre of the great host, protected
on all sides; but she herself, with the Lady Anne of Auch, still kept
the van, for in this way she was nearer to Gilbert. She also sent out
parties of scouts to the right and left, to give warning of the
Seljuks; and the King guarded the rear, where there was also great
danger.
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