volume one

HISTORY OF THE CEUSADES. 4)65
Bword and lance. Saladin, more respected by his troops,
commanded a disciplined army, and often profited by the
disorder and confusion of the Christians to combat them
'with advantage and snatch a victor}-. Every battle began at
sunrise, and the Christians were generally conquerors up
to the middle of the dav : but when even thev had invaded
and partly plundered tbe camp of the Mussulmans, and at
evening returned home loaded with booty, they were almost
sure to find their o^^m camp had been broken into by the
troops of Saladin or the garrison.
Alter the sultan's descent from the mountain of Karouba,
an Egyptian fleet entered the port of Ptolemais. At the
same time Saladin welcomed to his camp his brother Malec-
Adel, who brought with him troops raised in Egvpt. This
double reinforcement revived the courage of the Mussulmans,
but they did not long profit by these advantages, and the
hope of conquering the Christians began to give way to the
most serious alarms. A report was spread throughout the
East that t^e emperor of G-ermany had quitted Europe at
the head of a numerous army, and was advancing towards
Syria. Saladin sent troops to meet such a formidable
enemy, and several Mussulman princes quitted the sultan's
armv to defend their own states, which were menaced bv the
Crusaders coming from the AVest. Ambassadors were sent
to the caliph of Bagdad, the princes of Africa and Asia, and
to the Mussulman powers of Spain, to engage them to unite
their eflbrts against the enemies of Islamism. AMiilst terror
thus took possession of the Saracens, the Crusaders conceived
fresh hopes, and redoubled their eiforts to gain possession of
Ptolemais before the arrival of the Germans. After several
contests, they resolved to make one last attempt to drive the
Mussulman armv bevond the mountains. Mai'chins: from
their camp, they presented themselves in order of battle
before the Saracens. The Mussulman historians compare
their multitude to that which ^viU assemble at the last dav in
the valley of Jehoshaphat.
At the first signal, the two armies approached, mingled,
and soon appeared nothing but one horrible, contending mass.
Arrows hissed tlirough the air, lances crossed, and the rapid
blows of sabres and swords resounded from the bucklers and
steel casques. The Christian knights seemed animated with