vilion. It
was a marvellous tent, in the centre of the camp, and formed so as to
resemble a fortified city, being divided into streets, flanked with
towers, and furnished with everything likely to contribute to the luxury
of an oriental. In an apartment, ornamented with gold and gems, the emir
sat, face to face with a dark-browed Saracen chief, and playing at
chess. But the game did not by any means monopolise the attention of the
persons engaged in it; for the companion of the emir was no less
celebrated a person than Bibars Bendocdar, the chief of the Mamelukes;
and between him and Fakreddin there was much discussion as to the best
mode of dealing with the enemies who menaced the empire with ruin.

And who was Bibars Bendocdar? It is necessary that we should learn, in
order to comprehend the events that were ere long to startle and terrify
the nations of Christendom.

At the time when Louis, King of France, undertook his Crusade, it was
the custom, when two eastern potentates went to war, for the conqueror
to sell the subjects of the vanquished enemy as slaves; and many of
these, bought by merchants, were carried to Egypt, and sold to the
sultan, who had them trained from boyhood to serve him as soldiers.
Carefully were these young captives reared; and, when their beards began
to grow, they were taught to draw the bow and wield the sword. After
becoming expert in military exercises, they were admitted into that
famous body, which Saladin the Great had instituted, and known as
Mamelukes. Their privileges were many. They were highly favoured by the
sultan, wearing his emblazonments of pure gold, only adding bars of
vermilion, with birds or roses or griffins for difference, and acting as
his body-guard in time of war, and watching over his safety while he
slept.

It seems that Bibars Bendocdar was originally brought to Egypt as a
slave, and, in course of time, enrolled as one of the Mamelukes. As such
he rose rapidly. His ambition was intense; and, being both able and
unscrupulous, he had no reason to despair of his ambition being one day
gratified. No position, indeed, could be more favourable to a man eager
to emerge from obscurity to eminence, than that which he occupied; and
he not only succeeded in winning the confidence of the sultan, but
contrived to insinuate himself into the good graces of the soldiers. In
truth, this with him was no difficult matter. He had profoundly studied
human nature as it was exhibited