126 THE BATTLE OF ARSOUF. 



his brother Malek did the same in another quarter, 

 they rode undaunted in the middle of showers of mis- 

 siles which up to this moment had been almost exclu- 

 sively used ; but the Sultan perceiving in the Christian 

 columns signs of wavering and fatigue, that many of 

 the horses, especially of the hospitalers were wounded, 

 now gave the signal for close attack and ordered the 

 jereed, the lance, the scymetar and the sword to be used. 



Immediately the orange and green ensigns advance and 

 crowds of the best armed Saracens, the Mailed Courds, 

 named arslani or lions, and well mounted Mamelukes, 

 and Delli Cassis of the household led by their Sanjiaks 

 and Beglerbeys press upon the rear, uttering terrific 

 howlings and every invocation and opprobrious epi- 

 thet imaginable; the backs of the warriors already in- 

 cumbered with the number of arrows sticking in their 

 armour, now felt the lance and the stroke of the sabre. 

 A Knight of St. John, exclaimed "Oh thou glorious 

 St. George ! dost thou abandon us? is Christianity 

 to fall beneath the sword of these barbarians ? *' 



Moved by this exclamation, Gamier de Naples, the 

 grand master of the prder, instantly seeks the King, 

 and represents the condition of the rear guard with fer- 

 vid eloquence. " Sir/' said he, " we are menaced with 

 an eternal disgrace; for we shall be vanquished as if 

 we wanted courage ; we almost suffer ourselves to be 

 disarmed w ithout being permitted to resist. Must we 

 then still forbear and let Saracen insolence beard us 

 without retort '.'" "Yes," replied Richard, with a 

 calm but collected expression ; " yes ! you must still 

 continue to hold firm a little longer. I cannot be pre- 

 sent every where." 



While the king anxiously viewed the progress of the 

 van which was now on the point of entering the gar- 

 dens and prickly pear inclosures of Arsouf; the chief 

 dejectedly returned to his post where noble and knight 

 burned with anger and shame. The Saracens became 

 every moment more enterprizing against the hospitalers 

 whom of all Christians they hated most. These said 

 to each other, " what prevents our turning and charging 



