Boy Crusaders: A Story of the Days of Louis IX.

by John Henry Goldfrap

  CHAPTER XII.

  AT DAMIETTA.

  ABOUT a mile from the sea, on the northern bank of the second mouth ofthe Nile, stood the city of Damietta, with its mosques, and palaces, andtowers, and warehouses, defended on the river side by a double rampart,and on the land side by a triple wall. Fair and enchanting to the eyewas the locality in which it was situated; and as the Crusaders directedtheir gaze towards the groves of oranges and citrons, loaded withflowers and fruit, the woods of palms and sycamores, the thickets ofjasmines and odoriferous shrubs, the vast plains, with pools and lakeswell stocked with fish, the thousand canals intersecting the land, andcrowned with papyrus and reeds, they, feeling the influence of a richclimate and a beautiful sky, could not find words sufficiently strong toexpress their admiration and delight.

  'Now, good Walter,' said Guy Muschamp, as the brothers-in-arms, havingascended to the castle of the 'Hilda,' looked earnestly towards theshore, 'who can deny that such a land is worth fighting to conquer?'

  'On my faith,' exclaimed Walter Espec, with enthusiasm, 'it is sopleasant to the eye, that I could almost persuade myself I am lookingupon that terrestrial paradise in which the father and mother of mankindlived so happily before eating the fatal apple.'

  No wonder, when such was the aspect of the country around Damietta, thatthe armed pilgrims were impatient to land.

  And no time was lost; for, of all the armed pilgrims, King Louis wasperhaps the most eager to encounter the enemies of his religion; and,soon after daybreak, on the morning of Friday, a signal was given forthe fleet to weigh anchor and draw near to the shore.

  Meanwhile the Saracens, under the Emir Fakreddin, were on the alert; andwhile a bell, that had remained in the great mosque of Damietta eversince John de Brienne seized the city in 1217, tolled loudly to warn theinhabitants of the danger, the Moslem warriors got under arms, and withcavalry and infantry occupied the whole of that part of the strand atwhich the Crusaders had resolved to disembark.

  But the armed pilgrims were nothing daunted by the sight of theformidable preparations made to oppose their landing. Getting intobarques which had been provided for the purpose, they prepared to fighttheir way ashore, in defiance of all dangers. Ranging themselves in twolines, with their lances in their hands, and their horses by theirsides, the knights and nobles stood erect in their boats, while infront, and on the wings of the armament, were placed crossbowmen toharass and keep off the foe. Nor did Louis in that hour appear in anyway unworthy to be the leader of brave men. Attended by his brothers andhis knights, the King of France, arrayed in chain-mail, with his helmeton his brow, his shield on his neck, and his lance in his hand, figuredprominently on the right of his array. By his side stood the cardinallegate; and in front of him was a boat in which the oriflamme, broughtfrom the abbey of St. Denis, was proudly displayed.

  It was an exciting occasion, and the hearts of the saint-king and hismailed comrades beat high as the barques moved onward to the Egyptianstrand. The warriors, standing steady and silent as graven images, gazedearnestly on their multitudinous foes. For a time no attempt was made tooppose their progress. No sooner, however, were they within bowshot,than a shower of arrows and javelins rattled against the mail of theCrusaders. For a moment the ranks of the Christian warriors were shaken.But the crossbowmen, without the delay of an instant, retaliated withdamaging effect; and while their shafts carried death into the Saracenhost, the rowers redoubled their efforts to reach the shore, and bringChristian and Moslem hand to hand and foot to foot.

  Again the silence was unbroken, save by the plashing of oars and thetumultuous shock of the barques pressing on in disorder. Ere long,however, there was a loud shout. The Lord of Joinville, closely followedby Baldwin de Rheims, had reached the shore; and they were settingtheir men in battle order, and covering themselves with their shields,and presenting the points of their lances to check the impetuosity ofthe enemy.

  And now King Louis lost all patience; and deeming it no time to stand onhis regal dignity, he leaped from his barge, and plunging up to hisshoulders in the water, struggled towards the shore. Inspired by hisexample, the Crusaders threw themselves into the sea in a body, andpressed eagerly onward, with cries of 'Montjoie! St. Denis!' Again thesilence was unbroken, save by the clash of mail, the noise of a densecrowd of armed men struggling with the waves, which were so elevated bythe rush, that they fell and broke at the feet of the Saracens. In a fewmoments, however, the oriflamme was landed, and the saint-king, with thesalt water running off his armour, was on his knees giving thanks to Godfor having preserved him and his companions from the perils of the deep.

  'And now, gentlemen,' said Louis, as he rose and looked excitedly aroundhim, 'let us forthwith charge our enemies in the name of God.'

  'Be patient, sire,' replied the knights, interfering; 'it is better toawait the landing of our comrades, that we may fight with advantage.'

  Louis allowed himself to be persuaded; and it speedily appeared thatcaution was necessary; for, while the Crusaders were still strugglingashore in disorder, the Saracen cavalry came down upon them with animpetuosity which convinced the French that their adversaries were notto be despised. But Joinville and Baldwin of Rheims rendered theircomrades good service. Hastily closing their ranks, they contrived notonly to stay the rush, but to present so impenetrable a front, that theSaracens retired baffled to prepare for a fresh spring.

  And again, with an enthusiastic energy which would have struck terrorinto antagonists less bold, the Saracens under Fakreddin charged downupon the Crusaders; and then began, all along the coast, a confusedconflict which raged for hours--Christian and Moslem fighting hand tohand; while the two fleets engaged at the mouth of the Nile; and theQueen of France and the Countess of Anjou, and other ladies of highrank, who remained on board at a distance, awaited the issue of thecontest with terrible anxiety, and, with priests around them, sangpsalms and prayed fervently for the aid and protection of the God ofbattles. At length the conflict came to an end. Both on the water and onthe land the Crusaders were victorious. The Saracen fleet, after gettingdecidedly the worst of the combat, escaped up the Nile; and the Saracensoldiers, beaten and dispersed, retired precipitately, and flying inconfusion towards Damietta, abandoned their camp, and left several oftheir emirs dead on the field.

  After witnessing the flight of the Saracens, Louis ordered his pavilion,which was of bright scarlet, to be pitched on the ground where he hadconquered, and caused the clergy to sing the Te Deum. The Crusaders thenset up their tents around that of the king, and passed the night inrejoicing over the victory they had won.

  Next day the Crusaders had still stronger reason to congratulatethemselves on the good fortune which had attended their arms. Atdaybreak, looking towards Damietta, they observed that columns of smokewere rising from the bosom of the city, and that the whole horizon wason fire. Without delay the King of France sent one of his knights and abody of cavalry to ascertain the cause; and, on reaching Damietta, theknight found the gates open, and learned on entering that the Saracens,after setting fire to that part called the Fonde, which was a row ofshops and warehouses, had abandoned the city. Returning to the camp at agallop, while his men remained to extinguish the fire, the knightannounced the glad tidings to the saint-king.

  'Sire,' said he, 'I bring good news; Damietta may be taken possession ofwithout striking a blow.'

  It was not very easy, even after hearing all, to credit this knight'sreport; and Louis was somewhat suspicious of a stratagem. However, hegave orders for marching towards the gates, and moving slowly, and withmuch caution, took possession. It was clear that the city had beenabandoned by its defenders; and the king, the cardinal legate, and theclergy, having formed in procession, walked to the grand mosque, whichwas speedily converted into a Christian church, and sang psalms ofpraise and thanksgiving.

  And now the Crusaders, with Damietta in their possession, were indeedelate, and rather inclined to magnify their successes; and the Queen ofFrance and the Countess of Anjou, and the
other ladies were broughtashore and lodged in the palaces of the city; and five hundred knightswere charged with the duty of guarding the ramparts and towers; and thewarriors of the Cross, encamping in the plain outside the gates, gavethemselves up to dissipation, and deluded themselves with the idea thatno enterprise was too difficult for them to accomplish.

  'Now,' said the French, as they quaffed the red wine and rattled thedice-box, 'we have only to await the coming of our companions from thecoast of Syria, and of the Count of Poictiers, with the _arriere ban_ ofFrance, to undertake the conquest of Egypt.'

  'Ay,' said others, 'and then let the Saracens and their sultan tremble.'

  'Nothing,' echoed a third party, 'can withstand the warriors of France,when animated by the presence and example of their king.'

  'I dislike all this boasting,' remarked Bisset, the English knight, toWalter Espec and Guy Muschamp, 'and, albeit I wish not to be thought aprophet of evil, I predict that it will end in mischief and disaster.'

  'The saints forbid,' exclaimed Guy, gaily. 'For my part I dread nothingbut the thought of being devoured by some of the crocodiles which, mensay, are hatched in the waters of the Nile.'

  'Nevertheless, mark my words,' said Bisset, more gravely than it was hiswont to speak. 'At present the Frenchmen believe that, because they haveplied their swords with some effect, that henceforth the Saracens willfly before their scabbards. Now they are all singing songs of triumph;ere long, if you and I live, we'll hear them singing to a very differenttune.'

  'Ah, sir knight,' said Walter, smiling, 'you say this from nationaljealousy, and because they call us "English tails."'

  '"English tails!"' repeated Bisset, scornfully; 'I tell you, for yourcomfort, that when the hour of real danger arrives, we "English tails"are likely to find our way so deep into the Saracens' ranks, that not abragging Frenchman will venture to come nigh the tails of ourwar-steeds.'

  'By St. John of Beverley,' exclaimed Guy, laughing merrily, 'I cannotbut think that the French and English Crusaders are already inclined tohate each other much more than either French or English hate theSaracens.'