ready for you, there to rest until
the hour of the feast. Fear not; you shall meet your brethren
then. You knights have leave, if it so pleases you, to exercise
your horses in the gardens. They stand saddled in the courtyard,
to which this woman will bring you," and she pointed to one of
those two maids who had cleaned the armour, "and with them are
guides and an escort."

"She means that we must go," muttered Godwin, adding aloud,
"farewell, sister, until tonight."

So they parted, unwillingly enough. In the courtyard they found
the horses, Flame and Smoke, as they had been told, also a
mounted escort of four fierce-looking fedais and an officer. When
they were in the saddle, this man, motioning to them to follow
him, passed by an archway out of the courtyard into the gardens.
Hence ran a broad road strewn with sand, along which he began to
gallop. This road followed the gulf which encircled the citadel
and inner town of Masyaf, that was, as it were, an island on a
mountain top with a circumference of over three miles.

As they went, the gulf always on their right hand, holding in
their horses to prevent their passing that of their guide, swift
as it was, they saw another troop approaching them. This was also
preceded by an officer of the Assassins, as these servants of
Al-je-bal were called by the Franks, and behind him, mounted on a
splendid coalblack steed and followed by guards, rode a mail-clad
Frankish knight.

"It is Lozelle," said Wulf, "upon the horse that Sinan promised
him."

At the sight of the man a fury took hold of Godwin. With a shout
of warning he drew his sword. Lozelle saw, and out leapt his
blade in answer. Then sweeping past the officers who were with
them and reining up their steeds, in a second they were face to
face. Lozelle struck first and Godwin caught the stroke upon his
buckler, but before he could return it the fedais of either party
rushed between them and thrust them asunder.

"A pity," said Godwin, as they dragged his horse away. "Had they
left us alone I think, brother, I might have saved you a
moonlight duel."

"That I do not want to miss, but the chance at his head was good
if those fellows would have let you take it," answered Wulf
reflectively.

Then the horses began to gallop again, and they saw no more of
Lozelle. Now, skirting the edge of the town, they came to the
narrow, wall-less bridge that spanned the gulf between it and the
outer gate and city. Here the offic