volume one

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• were
HISTORY OF THE CEUSADES. 103
them. Some were crushed "beneath the fragments of their
own machines ; others fell pierced with poisoned darts
sometimes, even, savs an historian, the besiegers sported
with their efforts, catching them with iron hands,*- or hooks,
which, falling upon them, seized them, and lifted them ahve
into the city. After having stripped them, the Turks hung
them upon their ramparts, and then launched them, by
means of their machines, stark naked into the camp of the
Christians.
A Saracen, t whom history describes to us as a giant,
performed during this siege exploits which surpass those
related of fabulous antiquity. He was not less remarkable
for his skill than for the strength of his arm ; he never cast
a javelin in vain, and all whom he hit were sure to sink
beneath the blow. AVhen he had exhausted his arrows, and
could make no more use of his bow, he seized masses of
rock, and rolled them down upon the assailants. One day,
when he was standing on the platform of a tower attacked
by Raymond, he alone defied the efforts of tlie enemies. At
one time he hurled a shower of stones upon the besiegers ;
then, raising his voice, he defied the bravest of the Chris-
tians to the combat, loading them with the most violent
abuse. All eyes were turned towards him, and a thousand
arrows flew at once from the Christian army to punish his
audacity. For a moment all the efforts of the besiegers
directed against a single man. His body was covered
with wounds and bristling with arrows ; but he defended
himself skilfully, and was still braving the crowd of his
enemies, when Godfrey, attracted by the noise of this general
• attack, seized a cross-bow, and taking aim at the redoubtable
Saracen, shot him through the heart, and his immense
body rolled from the platform into the ditch.
This victory, which appears rather to belong to the heroes
of the epopea than to those of history, was celebrated by the
acclamations of the Christian army. The Crusaders, who
gained several other advantages, redoubled their zeal and
* These iron hands were nothing more than the machine called the
raven by the Romans, which they employed
likewise made use of it in sieges.
in grappling vessels : they
t See William of Tyre, lib. iii.
;