Both Christians and Mohammedans fought with terrible earnestness.
The fight went on all day, and the field was covered with the bodies
of the slain. But towards evening, during a resolute charge made
by the Franks, Abd-er-Rahman was killed. Then the Saracens gradually
retired to their camp.

It was not yet known, however, which side had won; and the Franks
expected that the fight would be renewed in the morning.

But when Charles Martel, with his Christian warriors, appeared on
the field at sunrise there was no enemy to fight. The Mohammedans
had fled in the silence and darkness of the night and had left behind
them all their valuable spoils. There was now no doubt which side
had won.

The battle of Tours, or Poitiers, as it should be called, is
regarded as one of the decisive battles of the world. It decided
that Christians, and not Moslems, should be the ruling power in
Europe.

Charles Martel is especially celebrated as the hero of this battle.
It is said that the name MARTEL was given to him because of his
bravery during the fight. Marteau (mar-to') is the French word for
hammer, and one of the old French historians says that as a hammer
breaks and crushes iron and steel, so Charles broke and crushed
the power of his enemies in the battle of Tours.

But though the Saracens fled from the battlefield of Tours, they
did not leave the land of the Franks; and Charles had to fight