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himself that Richard thus greeted him at the close of the day: 'Maiden knight, you have borne yourself as a lion, and done the deed of six croisés ; and granted him a lion between six crosses on a red field, with the motto, Tinctus cruore Saraceno,'2 i.e. 'tinted with Saracen blood,' whence his family are said to have assumed the name of Tynte.

5. In September, a great battle was fought, in which Saladin 3 and his brother had almost defeated the invaders, but Coeur-de-Lion by extraordinary efforts beat them back, and remained master of the field. It is even said that Richard and Saladin met hand to hand, but this is uncertain.

6. This victory opened the way to Joppa, where the Crusaders spent the next month in the repair of the fortifications, while the Saracen forces lay at Ascalon. While here, Richard often amused himself with hawking, and one day was asleep under a tree when he was aroused by the approach of a party of Saracens, and springing on his horse he rashly pursued them and fell into an ambush. Four knights were slain, and he would have been seized had not a Gascon knight called out

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1 Croisés, Crusaders, so called because they wore a cross marked on the shoulder.

2 Granted... Saraceno. This passage means that the knight was permitted to use for his badge a device consisting of six crosses painted on a red ground, with a lion between them. Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, then in possession of the Holy Land.

1 Ambush, a number of men hiding in order to surprise the

enemy.

that he himself was King Richard, and allowed himself to be taken.

7. Richard offered ten noble Saracens in exchange for this generous knight, whom Saladin restored, together with a valuable horse that had been captured at the same time. A present of another Arab steed accompanied them; but Richard's half-brother, William Longsword, insisted on trying the animal before the King should mount it. No sooner was he on its back than it dashed at once across the country, and before he could stop it he found himself in the midst of the enemy's camp. The two Saracen princes were extremely shocked and distressed lest this should be supposed a trick, and instantly escorted Longsword back with a gift of three other steeds, which proved to be more manageable.

8. From Joppa the Crusaders marched to Ramla, and thence on New Year's Day, 1192, set out for Jerusalem through a country full of greater obstacles1 than they had yet met with. They were too full of spirit to be discouraged until they came to Bethany, where his officers represented to Richard that it would be unwise to lay siege to such fortifications as those of Jerusalem at such a season of the year, especially while the enemy held Ascalon and could attack him from thence.

9. He yielded and retreated to Ascalon, which Saladin had ruined and abandoned, and began 'Obstacles, things in the way.

early to repair the fortifications so as to be able to leave some of his knights there. The soldiers grumbled, saying they had not come to Palestine to build Ascalon, but to conquer Jerusalem; whereupon Richard set the example of himself carrying stones, and called on Leopold, Duke of Austria, to. do the But Leopold sulkily replied, 'I am not the son of a mason;' and this made Richard so angry that he struck him a blow. Leopold straightway quitted the army and returned home.

same.

THE THIRD CRUSADE. 1190-1192.

PART II.

I. It was not without great grief that Coeurde-Lion finally gave up his hopes of taking Jerusalem. He again advanced as far as Bethany; but a quarrel with Hugh of Burgundy and the defection of the Austrians made it impossible for him to proceed, and he turned back once more. While riding out with a party of knights, one of them called out, 'This way, my lord, and you will see Jerusalem!' 'Alas!' said Richard, hiding his face with his mantle, 'those who are not worthy to win the Holy City are not worthy to behold it!' 2. He returned to Acre, but there hearing that Saladin was besieging Joppa, he embarked

'Defection, leaving, ceasing to support,

his troops and sailed to its aid. The Crescent 1 shone on its walls as he entered the harbour; but while he looked on in dismay he was hailed by a priest, who leaped into the sea and swam out to inform him that there was yet time to rescue the garrison, though the town was in the hands of the enemy. Richard hurried his vessel forward, leaped into the water breast-high, dashed upwards on the shore, ordered some of his followers to raise a bulwark of casks and beams to protect the landing of the rest, and rushing up a flight of stairs, entered the city alone, crying, 'St. George! St. George!' That cry dismayed the infidels, and those in the town, to the number of three thousand, fled in the utmost confusion, and were pursued for two miles by three knights who had been fortunate enough to find him.

3. Richard pitched his tent outside the walls, and remained there with so few troops that all were contained in ten tents. Very early one morning, before the King was out of bed, a man rushed into his tent, crying out, 'O King! we are all dead men!' Springing up, Richard fiercely silenced him: 'Peace! or thou diest by my hand!' Then, while hastily donning his suit of mail, he heard that the glitter of arms had been seen in the distance, and in another moment the enemy were upon them, seven thousand in number.

1 Crescent, a figure in the shape of the moon when it is broad in the middle and tapering at the ends. This was the emblem worn by the followers of Mahomet, just as a cross was the emblem adopted by the followers of Christ.

4. Richard had neither helmet nor shield, and only seventeen of his knights had horses; but undaunted, he drew up his little force in a compact body, the knights kneeling on one knee covered by their shields, their lances pointed outwards, and between each pair an archer with an assistant to load his cross-bow; and he stood in the midst encouraging them with his voice, and threatening to cut off the head of the first who turned to fly. In vain did the Saracens charge that mass of brave men, not one-seventh of their number; the shields and lances could not be beaten down; and without one forward step or one bolt from the crossbows wave after wave of the enemy was turned back.

5. At last the King gave the word for the crossbowmen to advance, while he with the seventeen mounted knights charged lance in rest. His terrible axe bore down all before it, and he dashed like lightning from one part of the plain to another, with not a moment to smile at the timely gift from the polite Malek-el-Afdal, who, in the hottest of the fight, sent him two fine horses, desiring him to use them in escaping from this dreadful peril.

6. Next came a terrified fugitive1 with news that three thousand Saracens had entered Joppa! Richard summoned a few knights, and without a word to the rest galloped back to the city. The panic inspired by his presence instantly cleared the streets, and riding back, he again led his 1 Fugitive, a person who is fleeing from danger.

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