noon
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 . Meanwhile Gilbert went farther up into the mountains , searching out the best way to the pass , distrusting the Greek guides , who nevertheless feared him and told him the truth , though it was the secret wish of the Greek Emperor that the army should all be destroyed , because he desired no increase of the western power in Asia .