with her, each of them borne in arms, and she knelt down on both her
knees before her husband, weeping bitterly, and she would have kissed
his hand; and she said to him, Lo now you are banished from the land by
mischief-making men, and here am I with your daughters, who are little
ones and of tender years, and we and you must be parted, even in your
life time. For the love of St. Mary tell me now what we shall do. And
the Cid took the children in his arms, and held them to his heart and
wept, for he dearly loved them. Please God and St. Mary, said he, I
shall yet live to give these my daughters in marriage with my own
hands, and to do you service yet, my honoured wife, whom I have ever
loved, even as my own soul.

XXIV. A great feast did they make that day in the Monastery for the
good Campeador, and the bells of St. Pedro's rung merrily. Meantime the
tidings had gone through Castille how my Cid was banished from the
land, and great was the sorrow of the people. Some left their houses to
follow him, others forsook their honourable offices which they held.
And that day a hundred and fifteen knights assembled at the bridge of
Arlanzon, all in quest of my Cid; and there Martin Antolinez joined
them, and they rode on together to St. Pedro's. And when he of Bivar
knew what a goodly company were coming to join him, he rejoiced in his
own strength, and rode out to meet them and greeted them full
courteously; and they kissed his hand, and he said to them, I pray to
God that I may one day requite ye well, because ye have forsaken your
houses and your heritages for my sake, and I trust that I shall pay ye
two fold. Six days of the term allotted were now gone, and three only
remained: if after that time he should be found, within the King's
dominions, neither for gold nor for silver could he then escape. That
day they feasted together, and when it was evening the Cid distributed
among them, all that he had, giving to each man according to what he