volume one

HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES. 367
soon liurled from his horse, and Conrad with one hlow of his
sword, dealt npon the shoulder of the Mussulman, divided
his body into two parts.* This prodigy of valour and
strength redoubled the ardour of the Christians, and spread
terror among the infidels. From this moment the Mussulmans
began to seek safety within the walls of the city, and
left the Crusaders masters of tlie banks of the river.
Eastern authors speak of the fright of the inhabitants of
Damascus after the victory of the Christians. The Mussulmans
prostrated themselves t upon ashes during several days;
they exposed in the middle of the great mosque, the Koran
and women and children gathered around
compiled by Omar ;
the sacred book to invoke the aid of Mahomet against their
enemies. The besieged already contemplated abandoning
the city ; they placed in the streets, towards the entrance
into the gardens, large posts, chains, and heaps of stones, in
order to retard the march of the besiegers, and thus to afford
them time to fly with their riches and their families by the
north and south gates.
The Christians were so thoroughly persuaded they should
shortly be masters of Damascus, that it became a question
among the leaders, to whom the sovereignty of the city
should be given. The greater part of the barons and lords
who were in the Christian army, courted the favour of the
king of France and the emperor of Germany, and all at
once forgot the siege of the city, in their earnest endeavours
to obtain the government of it. Thierri of Alsace, count of
Flanders, who had been twice in Palestine before the crusade,
and who had given up to his family all his possessions
in Europe, solicited the principality more warmly than the
others, and prevailed over his opponents and rivals. This
preference gave birth to jealousy, and infused discouragement
in the army ; as long as the city they were about to conquer
remained a bait for their ambition, the leaders showed them-
* Percussit eum inter coUura et sinistrum humerura ictu mirabili ; ita
quod ensis secuit totutn pectus cum humeris et descendit obliquando
usque ad latus dextrum, taliter quod pars dexteiior abscissa penitiis cum
capita cecidit super terram, et tunc oranes Turci, qui ictum tarn formida-
biiem viderant stupefacti, statim fug4 remedio nostrorum gladios evase-
runt.
—
G. C. chap. ii.
f" All these details, and some others which were not known to the
authors of the West, are taken from the Arabian chronicle of Ibnferat.