THE VOYAGE.
IT was the Saturday before Pentecost, in the year 1249, when the fleet
of King Louis and the armed pilgrims, consisting of no fewer than
eighteen hundred vessels, great and small, issued gallantly from the
port of Limisso, and steered towards Egypt.
At first nothing could have been more gay and pleasant than the voyage
of the Crusaders. It seemed as if the whole sea, so far as the eye could
reach, was covered with cloth and with banners of bright colours.
Everything appeared promising. The voyage, however, was not destined to
prove prosperous. Suddenly the wind, which had been favourable, changed,
and blew violently from the coast of Egypt. Great confusion was the
consequence; and, though the Genoese mariners exerted all their skill,
the fleet was utterly dispersed. Indeed, when King Louis, having put
back, reached Limisso, he found, to his horror, that not more than
two-thirds of the armed pilgrims remained in his company. Concluding
that his companions had been drowned, the saintly monarch was grieved
beyond measure, and on the point of giving way to despair.
It happened, however, that while Louis was mourning over the mishap,
William Longsword, Earl of Salisbury, arrived at Cyprus with the English
Crusaders, and administered some degree of consolation. In truth,
Longsword was just the man to explain all in the most satisfactory
manner. Having been accustomed from his youth to cross the narrow seas,
he felt none of that vague terror of the ocean which made the French
knights, when they embarked, invoke the protection of the saints; and he
expressed his opinion that, in all probability, the missing vessels were
safe on the Syrian coast. But the indifference which the earl showed for
dangers at which the French trembled had the effect of making him many
enemies, and arousing the natural jealousies which afterwards proved so
baneful to the expedition.
It ought to be borne in mind, that at the period of St. Louis's crusade
there existed no love between the nobles of France and the nobles of
England; and it appears that the French were in the habit of treating
the English with some degree of scorn. Nor was it unnatural that such
should have been the case; for, during half a century, in almost every
struggle between the kingdoms, the French had been victorious. Philip
Augustus, after holding his own against Richard Coeur de Lion, had
succeeded in driving John from the continent; and Louis, when forced to
take the field against Henry, had pursued his royal brother-in-law from
the bridge of Taillebourg to the gates of Bordeaux. Remembering such
triumphs, the French, who have in all ages been vain and boastful, were
continually vaunting about their prowess, and repeating the story of
some Englishman having cut off the tail of Thomas a Becket's horse, and
of Englishmen having ever after that outrage been born with tails like
horses.
Such being the state of affairs, the Earl of Salisbury did not inspire
the French nobles with any particular affection for him and his
countrymen who had arrived at Cyprus, when they heard him speaking
lightly of the dangers of the sea. In fact, the French lords, who a few
hours earlier had been sinking under sea-sickness, trembling at the
sound of raging billows, and wishing themselves safely in their own
castles, cursed 'Longsword,' as the worst of 'English tails.'
But the King of France did not share the malice of his countrymen; and,
much comforted by the words of the English earl, he resolved on again
tempting the sea. Accordingly, on Monday morning, he ordered the
mariners to spread their sails to the wind. The weather proving
favourable, the fleet made gallantly for the shores of Egypt; and on the
morning of Thursday, about sunrise, the watch on deck of the vessel that
led the van, shouted 'Land!'
'Surely, not yet,' exclaimed several voices; but the pilot to make
certain ascended to the round-top of the vessel.
'Gentlemen,' cried the pilot, 'it is all right. We are before Damietta,
so you have nothing to do but to recommend yourselves to God.'
'Hurrah!' shouted the mariners; and from ship to ship the tidings
passed; and, as the words of the pilot flew from deck to deck, a cry of
joy burst from thousands of lips. Great was the excitement that
prevailed; and the chiefs of the expedition hastily arrayed themselves
to go on board the king's ship and hold a council of war.
And now all eyes were turned towards the shore; and it seemed that the
Crusaders were likely to encounter a desperate resistance in any attempt
to land. A fleet and formidable engines of war defended the mouth of the
Nile. A numerous army of horse and foot appeared on the beach, as if
bent on contesting every inch of ground. At the head of this mighty
host, wearing armour of burnished gold, figured the Emir Fakreddin, one
of the foremost of Saracen warriors. From the midst trumpets and drums
sounded a stern defiance to the armament of the Christians. But,
undaunted by the aspect of affairs, the armed pilgrims steadily pursued
their course; and ship after ship, moving calmly forward, anchored
within a mile of the shore.
Meanwhile, the pilgrims, princes, and nobles, had reached the king's
ship; and Louis, leaning on his sword, received them with satisfaction
on his countenance.
'Gentlemen,' said he, 'our voyage has not been without its perils, but
let us be thankful that we are at length face to face with the enemies
of Christ.'
'Yes, sire,' said the chiefs, 'and it is therefore expedient to form
some plan of action.'
'And, under the circumstances,' added several, 'it will be prudent to
await our comrades who have been separated from us by the tempest.'
It soon appeared that among the chiefs there was a general wish to await
the coming of their missing comrades; but the king was young, and the
drums and horns of the Saracens had so chafed his pride that he would
not hear of delay.
'We have not come hither,' said he, excitedly, 'to listen to the insults
of our enemies; nor have we any port in which to shelter from the wind.
A second tempest may disperse what remains of our fleet. To-day God
offers us a victory; another day He may punish us for having neglected
to conquer.'
'Sire, be it as you will,' replied the assembled chiefs, not caring to
debate the point with their king.
And so, with much less deliberation than was necessary under the
circumstances, and without duly considering the resources of the enemy
whom they had to combat, King Louis and the chief Crusaders resolved to
disembark on the morrow and give battle. Meantime a strict watch was
maintained, and several swift vessels were despatched towards the mouth
of the Nile to observe the motions of the Saracens.
It happened that the Saracens, in spite of their dauntless show, were by
no means in the best mood to make an obstinate resistance, nor were they
in any sanguine mood as to the result of their preparations. At such a
crisis, the presence of the sultan was necessary to sustain their
spirits, and stimulate their fanaticism.
Now at that time Melikul Salih was Sultan of Egypt; but he was not at
Damietta, and his absence caused much uncertainty and dismay among the
warriors assembled to defend his dominions. Melikul Salih was then at
Cairo; and almost every man in Fakreddin's army knew that Melikul Salih
was dying.