THE BATTLE OF ARSOUF. 127 



in full career ? Why not wipe off the stain Christian 

 valour receives ? "At this moment the object of the 

 king was attained, his van took post among the fences 

 of Arsouf ; now the purposes of the hero commenced, 

 for the cry of St. George arose, and two knights were 

 seen dashing into the masses of the enemy, and dis- 

 appeared in the crowd.* The Grand Master Gamier 

 de Naples, George de St. Alban, Robert de Bruges, 

 &c., of the order ; turn their horses and charge. King 

 Richard and Sir Will. Desbarres rush on to the rescue ; 

 the Bishop of Salisbury, Robert Earl of Leicester, 

 David Earl of Huntingdon, Will. Earl of Arundel, 

 Merjeth a Welsh prince, Robert de Quincy, Gilbert 

 de Ferrers, Will. Longespee, Stephen le Flemming, 

 Baldwin de Gaunt and other English knights follow 

 the king. Further on the Flemish Chivalry likewise 

 anxious to relieve James of Avesnes and his two kins- 

 men are led on by the Count de St. Pol, John de Nele, 

 with Ferry de Viane, Manasses de Lisle and Baldwin 

 of Bruges ; these also are surrounded by the 

 confused hordes of the enemy but compel them 

 to give way. The Sultan in vain endeavours 

 to rally them, he is himself wounded in the 

 shoulder ; they recoil in all directions and numbers 

 fall by the single hand of the redoubted Inglez 

 Malek, Richard. Boha-eddin himself flies to the hill 

 where Saladin's tent was still standing ; only seventeen 

 servants remained, his banners were erect and his sign 

 of battle was still beating upon the kettle drums, but 

 as the Christians came nearer, all gave way and sought 

 security in the forest of Arsouf which the crusaders 

 had passed in the morning. 



Three times they rallied from the wood and rushed 

 back ttpon the Christians, who never pursued beyond 

 a certain distance from the Carrochio with the great 

 standard of the cross. This ponderous rallying mark 



* I suspect it was James of Avesnes and his nephew who began 

 the attack without orders and thus perished before Richard could 

 rmac to the rescue, for they were surrounded. V 



