volume one

196
HISTORY or tue ceusades.
their indignation. As their only answer, they came to the
resolution to hasten their march towards the Holy Land,
and threatened the ambassadors of Eg^-pt to carry their
arms even to the banks of the Xile.
The Crusaders were drawing together their troops, which
had so long been dispersed, to march together towards Jerusalem,
when they were attacked by the emir of TripoH. A
prompt and bloody defeat was the reward of the temerity of
the Mussulman prince. After ha^-ing lost a great number
of his soldiers, he was obliged to purchase peace and the
safety of his capital by the payment of a considerable tribute
to the Crusaders. He fui-nished them Avith provisions in
abundance, sent back three hundi-ed Christian prisoners to
the camp, and, to leave no pretext for future hostilities, he
engaged to surrender the places he possessed when their
standards should float over the walls of Jerusalem.
The Crusaders, satisfied "with this promise extracted from
fear, had no more enemies to combat, and now only thought
of that one conquest Avhich was to assure them all others.
Eavmond alone did not partake of the new ardour of the
Christian army; he was fixed in his determination to remain
before Archas, and only gave up the siege when his soldiers
had a second time threatened to abandon his colours.
The Crusaders commenced their march towards Palestine
at the end of the month of May.* Tlie inhabitants of Phoenicia
had finished their harvest. The Christians found pro-
visions evervwhere, and admired on their passage the rich
productions of Asia, which they already looked upon as the
reward of then labours. On their left rose the mountains
of Libanus, so often celebrated by the prophets ; between
the mountains and the sea, the fields they traversed were
covered with olive-trees, which grew to the height of elms
and oaks ; in the plains and on the hills were oranges, pomegranates,
and many other sorts of trees unknown in the
West, Among these new productions one plant, the juice
of which was sweeter than honev, above all attracted the
attention of the pilgrims : this plant was the sugar-cane.
* The picture of the march and the impatience of the Christians is to
be found in Tasso, in the same colours and almost the same circumstancea
as in the historians.