ABSTRACT
A n d when the Infante and all the Company knew that I had burnt and demolished all the places and castles and that I had left Boca Daner in safety, they arranged their departure. And the ordering of it, which the Lord Infante made, was this : that En Rocafort and those who were with him, and the Turks and the Turcopoles should start one day ahead ; namely, where they had lain one night, the next the Lord Infante should lie and En Berenguer de Entenza and En Ferran Ximeno and all their companies ; so that, all the time, they should be at a day’s journey distant from each other. And so they went, very well ordered, on short journeys. And when they were within two journeys of Cristopol, the Devil, who does nothing but evil, arranged that the host of En Berenguer de Entenza should get up earlier, because of the great heat, and the men of En Rocafort only got up in broad daylight, because they had been lying in a plain which was all gardens, and there was every kind of good fruit of the season, and good water and much wine which they found in the houses. And so, being well lodged, they delayed leaving, and the others had been quite the opposite, wherefore they got up early. And so the van of the host of the Lord Infante overtook the rear of the host of En Rocafort. And when the men of En Rocafort saw them , the voice of the D evil arose amongst them, crying :— “ To arms ! to arms ! see the company of En Berenguer de Entenza and En Ferran Ximeno coming to kill us ! ” And so the word went from one to the other, as far as the van. And En Rocafort had the armour put on the horses and all got ready, and also
the Turks and Turcopoles. What shall I tell you ? The noise reached the Lord Infante and En Berenguer de Èntenza and En Ferran Ximeno. And En Berenguer de Entenza quickly mounted his horse, with only a hauberk1 on without any armour, with his sword girded on and a hunting spear in his hand, and he proceeded to head off and drive back his men and make them return. And whilst he was thus rallying them as well as he could (for he did not know whence the noise arose and headed them off, like a wise rich hom and expert knight) there came, on his horse, fully armed, En Gisbert de Rocafort, younger brother of En Berenguer de Rocafort, and likewise En Dalmau Sant-Marti, their uncle, on his horse and well armed. And together they came towards En Berenguer de Entenza heading off his men, but they thought he was urging on the company. And both together rushed at him and En Berenguer de Entenza cried :— “ What is this ? ” But both attacked him and found him unarmed, and thrust their lances right through him, so that, then and there, they slew him, and this was a great wrong and a great loss, that they, when he was acting rightly, killed him. And when they had killed him they went to look for the others and especially for En Ferran Ximeno. And En Ferran, also an expert and wise knight, came out at the noise without any armour, and mounted his horse and was heading off the men. And when he saw that the men of En Rocafort had killed En Berenguer de Entenza, and that the Turks and Turcopoles were with them and did what they com manded and that every man would be killed, he fled with about thirty horsemen to a castle which belonged to the Emperor. See into what danger he had to put himself, being obliged to put himself into the power of his enemies, who received him willingly when they saw
the fight. What shall I tell you ? Thus killing and wounding they came as far as where the banner of the Lord Infante and his company was. So the Lord Infante came armed, on his horse, mace in hand, and rallied the men as well as he could. And as soon as En Rocafort and his company saw them, they surrounded him, so that no one could do him any hurt, neither the Turks nor the Turcopoles. W hat shall I tell you ? As soon as the Lord Infante was with them, the fighting ceased ; nevertheless it did not cease so completely that throughout that day, they did not kill some of our men, namely, of the company of En Berenguer de Entenza and En Ferran Ximeno, over a hundred and fifty horsemen and full five hundred afoot. See if it was not indeed the work of the Devil, for if the country had been inhabited by people ready to come out to attack them they would all have been killed.
