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III.8. CHAPTER VIII

THE KING GOES TO JAFFA — THE PRINCE OF ANTIOCH VISITS THE CAMP — THE SULTAN OF DAMASCUS AND SARACENS OF EGYPT LEAGUE TOGETHER AGAINST THE CHRISTIANS — SKIRMISHES AND OTHER ANECDOTES,

WHILST the King was fortifying the city of Cesarea, the messengers from Egypt returned to him, and brought him the truce, drawn up on the King's terms as aforesaid. And according to the agreement between the King and them, the King was to proceed on an appointed day to Jaffa; and on the day that the King was due at Jaffa, the Egyptian Emirs were bound by oath to be at Gaza, to deliver to him the kingdom of Jerusalem. The truce, just as the messengers had brought it, was sworn to by the King and rich men of the army, and by our oaths we were to help them against the Sultan of Damascus.

When the Sultan of Damascus knew that we had made an alliance with the Egyptians, he sent about

three thousand Turks, well equipped, to Gaza, whither the Egyptians were to come; for he knew very well that if they succeeded in joining us, he might get the worst of it. All the same, the King did not desist from setting out for Jaffa. When the Count of Jaffa saw that the King was coming, he dressed up his castle in such a way that it had all the look of a defensible town. For on each battlement, of which there must have been quite five hundred, he put a target with his arms and a pennon; which made a very fine show, for his arms were " or " with a " cross gules patee."

We camped all about the castle in the fields, and surrounded the castle, which lies on the coast, from sea to sea. Presently the King started fortifying a new suburb, all round the castle, from sea to sea; I saw the King himself, many a time, carry the hod to the trenches, to gain the pardon.

The Egyptian Emirs failed us with regard to the promised agreement; for they dared not come to Gaza, because of the Sultan of Damascus' men that were there. However they kept their word, so far as to send the King all the heads of Christians that they had hung round the walls of Cairo Castle,

since the time when the Counts of Bar and Montfort were taken; which heads the King caused to be laid in consecrated soil. They also sent him those children who had been taken when the King was taken; which went much against the grain, for they had become Mohammedans. And along with these things they sent the King an elephant, which the King sent into France.

Whilst we were awaiting the day which the King had appointed for the Egyptian Emirs, the Count of Eu, who had been knighted, came to the camp, and brought with him the good knight Lord Ernulf of Guimenée and his two brothers, ten in all. He stayed on in the King's service, and the King knighted him.

About this time the Prince of Antioch came to the camp again, with the Princess, his mother. The King treated him with great distinction, and knighted him with all honours. In years he was not more that sixteen, but such a sensible child I never saw. He asked the King to hear what he had to say, in his mother's presence, and the King consented. This was what he said to the King, his mother being present: "Sir, it is quite true that

my mother will have me in her ward for another four years; but that is no reason why she should let my land go to rack and ruin. I say this, Sir, because the city of Antioch is going to ruin in her hands. I beseech you, Sir, ask her to give me some money, so that I may go to the relief of my people there and assist them. Truly, Sir, she ought to do so; for if I live in the city of Tripolis with her, it can only be at great expense, and what I spend there will be all to no purpose."

The King willingly listened to him, and did all in his power to persuade his mother to give him some money as much as the King could drag from her.

Directly he left the King, he went to Antioch. With the Prince there came three musicians from Greater Armenia, brothers; who were on their way to Jerusalem on pilgrimage; and they had three horns, that curved round in front of their faces. When they began to play on their horns, you would have thought it the voice of swans leaving their pool, and they played the sweetest airs and so exquisite that it was a marvel to hear them. They did three wonderful tumbling-feats: for one could put a cloth under their feet, and they would turn

a somersault standing, so that they came up again with their feet on the cloth. Two of them used to turn head backwards, and the eldest used to do so too; but if one made him turn head foremost, he used to cross himself, for he was afraid that he would break his neck in going over.

Whilst we were staying at Jaffa an Emir belonging to the Sultan of Damascus' party came to cut corn at a village three good leagues from the camp. It was agreed that we should attack him. When he heard us coming, he fled. A young valet of gentle birth set off in pursuit of them as they were fleeing, and bore down two of their knights to earth, without breaking his lance, and he wounded the Emir so that the spear snapped off in his body.

Whilst the King was encamped by Jaffa, the Master of St. Lazar had got wind at Ramah, three good leagues from the camp, of some cattle and other things, where he thought he might make a fine haul. He kept no discipline in the camp, but did just as he liked, so he went off to the place without telling the King. When he had collected his booty, the Saracens fell upon him, and routed him so utterly, that of all the men whom he had in

his troop with him, only four escaped. Directly he entered the camp, he began to call to arms. I went to arm myself, and begged the King to allow me to go to the place, and he gave me leave, and ordered me to take with me the Temple and the Hospital. When we reached the place, we found that some other fresh Saracens had come down into the valley where the Master of St. Lazar had suffered his disaster. While these new Saracens were examining the dead bodies, the Master of the King's cross-bowmen attacked them, and before we could come up, our people had routed them, and slain several.

A serjeant of the King's, and a serjeant of the Saracens bore one another to earth with their lances. One of the King's serjeants, seeing this, took the two horses, and led them off, meaning to steal them; and, to avoid being seen, he went in between the walls of the town of Ramah. As he was leading them along, an old cistern over which he passed gave way beneath him, and the three horses and he himself went to the bottom. I was told of it, and went to see, and found the cistern still crumbling in beneath them, so that in a very little while they would have been completely covered over.

So we came back without any losses, except what the Master of St. Lazar had lost there.

The Sultan of Damascus took his men that were at Gaza, and entered Egypt. The Emirs came out to fight him. The Sultan's division routed the Emirs with whom they engaged, while the other division of the Egyptian Emirs routed the rearguard of the Sultan. So the Sultan of Damascus went away back to Gaza, wounded in his head and in his hand; but before they left Gaza, the Egyptian Emirs sent messengers, and made peace with him ;and failed us of all our agreements. And from that time on we had no truce nor peace, neither with the men of Damascus, nor with the men of Egypt. And know, that when we were at our most, we never mustered at any time more than fourteen hundred men-at-arms.