WHILE Melikul-Salih, Sultan of Egypt, was exerting his last energy to save the empire of the Ayoubites from the Franks, arrival after arrival swelled the army that lay encamped around the oriflamme on the plains of Damietta. Thither, recovered from their fright, gathered the crusaders whose ships the storm had driven on the Syrian coast; thither came the Count of Poictiers, with the arrihre beat of the French army; and thither, under their grand masters, to take part in the holy enterprise, hurried the Templars and Hospitallers, whose discipline and knowledge of Eastern warfare rendered their presence of the utmost importance. With such allies, and an army of sixty thousand men, twenty thousand of whom were cavalry, the Saint-king might well flatter himself with the hope of accomplishing something great.
When affairs reached this stage, Louis resolved on leaving Damietta; and a council of princes and peers was held to deliberate on the measures most likely to complete the conquest of Egypt. The more prudent recommended the King to attack Alexandria; but several, who were young and fiery, insisted on proceeding to Cairo. Foremost among those eager to march to the Egyptian capital, was the Count of Artois. "If," said he, "you wish to kill a serpent, you ought to begin by crushing its head."
After a warm discussion, Louis declared in favor of the bolder project; and orders were given for marching to Cairo. Leaving Queen Margaret, with the Countesses of Artois and Poictiers, at Damietta, under the protection of a strong garrison, the crusaders moved, in feudal array, along the banks of the Nile; while a fleet, with provisions and engines of war ascended the river.
For a time the armed pilgrims marched on without any foe worthy of their steel appearing. Five hundred horsemen, however, hung about, and caused some surprise by stating that they had come to aid the crusaders in their progress. Seeing that they seemed pacific, and that their number was too small to inspire dread, the King commanded his soldiers not to molest them. But it soon appeared that they were not bent on so amicable a mission as they pretended. No sooner, indeed, was a favorable opportunity presented, than they fell on the Templars, and one knight of the order, struck with a battle-axe, ere he was aware of his danger, fell dead from his horse.
"Down with the Pagan dogs!" cried twenty voices, as the body of the knight rolled at the feet of the marshal, of the order.
"Yes, companions," shouted the marshal, "attack them in the name of God; for I cannot suffer thus."
As the marshal spoke, the Templars put their horses in motion, and charged the Saracens. At the same time a cry to arms rung through the crusaders ranks; and hundreds, spurring forward, surrounded the Moslem warriors on all sides. No chance of escape remained for them; and such as did not fall hy the weapons of their foes, perished in the waters of the Nile.
After this adventure, the crusaders- continued their march, and soon approached the town of Man-sou rah. At this point, however, their progress was interrupted by two obstacles. One was the canal known as the Achmoum, with a deep bed and steep banks; the other was the Saracen army, which, under Fakreddin, appeared encamped on the opposite bank.
"Sire," said a knight to the King, "I have learned that the Emir boasts of his intention to dine in your tent on Sebastian's day."
"Does he?" said Louis on hearing this. "However, I will take good care to prevent him."
The obstacle presented by the canal of Achmoum appeared insuperable, for the time being, to the crusaders. Indeed,, they were so impressed with the depth of its bed and the steepness of its banks, that they neglected to ascertain whether there was no ford by which it could be crossed. Instead of looking for a ford, they commenced the construction of a causeway; and this led to serious consequences. The Saracens, in fact, at once perceived their advantage; and while many men, protected by machines and wooden castles, were occupied with the work, the Saracens exercised their utmost ingenuity to retard their progress. It soon appeared that Fakreddin, though he had retreated from Damietta, was by no means inclined to acknowledge the superiority of the Franks without a struggle. Every day brought fresh annoyances, and every night new troubles. After the Saracens had once ventured to attack the camp, and found the Franks not quite invincible, their audacity became greater; and in the conflicts that took place day by day, the crusaders had not always the advantage.
Notwithstanding their gallant bravery, the French knights found that they were encountering no contemptible foes. Every day the Saracens showed a fiercer determination to prevent the completion of the causeway; and they exerted themselves to the utmost of their power, to produce consternation among the crusaders by discharging Greek fire. The horrors endured during one night have been described by Joinville. On that occasion the Saracens brought a terrible engine, and placed it opposite the machines guarded by the lordly chronicler and a knight named Sir Walter Curel. The engine vomited forth huge bodies of flame, which drew after it a tail, that looked in the darkness, like a fiery serpent. Nothing could have exceeded the surprise and horror of the crusaders at this mode of attack. Every man gave way to bewilderment, and called on his neighbors for aid; but in the midst of the consternation around him, Sir Walter Curei retained his presence of mind. " Gentlemen," cried the brave knight," we appear to be lost; for if they set fire to our chas-chateils, we shall be burned; and, if we quit our posts, we are dishonored. God alone can save us from this peril. Wherefore I advise every one, whenever this fire is thrown, to cast himself on his knees and call upon the name of the Lord."
The advice of Sir Walter appeared much too good to be neglected; and his wisdom was generally acknowledged. Seven times during the night, the engine sent forth its shower of fire; and, each time, the crusaders threw themselves on their knees, the King setting the example of prostrating himself on the ground, and crying aloud, " Good Lord, preserve me and my people!"
Hours passed over, without the Greek fire doing serious mischief; but, at length, one of the bodies of flame fell beside the chas-chateil guarded by Lord de Courtenay, struck a bank in front of his position, and ran along the ground towards his men. This circumstance created a fearful panic. "Help, my lord, we are burnt," cried one of Courtenay's knights, rushing towards Joinville; " there is a long train of fire running straight for our castle." Joinville instantly hastened to render assistance; and the fire was extinguished. But this operation waa not performed without danger; for, from the opposite bank, arrows and darts coming in showers, rattled against steel cap and chain mail.
While such scenes were enacted, Fakreddin was not idle. From the first, he had lost no opportunity of ascertaining the position and prospects of the crusaders. As intelligence on such subjects could only be obtained from captives, the Emir offered a handsome reward for every Frank brought to his tent; and thia.. led a Saracen soldier to perform an exploit so extraordinary as to have been carefully recorded by Arabian chroniclers, who omitted far more important events.
It appears that the Saracen soldier determined to take a Christian prisoner to the Emir's tent, and fell upon a most whimsical plan for accomplishing his purpose. Having scooped out a melon, and thrust his head into the cavity, he threw himself into the stream, and swam down in such a way that the melon seemed to float on the water. The trick proved successful; for one of the crusaders, yielding to temptation and eager to gratify his appetite, rushed into the canal and grasped at the melon. Scarcely, however, had the Frank stretched out his hand, when he found himself seized by the Saracen, and dragged forcibly away to the Emir's tent.
Meanwhile, the crusaders had been more than a month engaged in the attempt to construct a causeway, and were quite as far from accomplishing their object as during the first week. Suddenly they became aware that the passage of the Achmoum might be effected by means much simpler. One day a Bedouin presented himself to the Constable of France, and engaged, for five hundred golden bezants, to point out a ford by which the crusaders might safely reach the opposite bank. The Constable immediately made inquiries, and, having ascertained that the Bedouin was not deceiving him, paid the sum demanded. One night, in the month of February, the crusaders, having left the Duke of Burgundy to guard their camp, marched along the bank of the canal, and awaited the break of day to plunge through the water, and advance on Mansourah.
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From John G. Edgar
The Crusades and the Crusaders, 1860
