able at once promised the required reward, in the event of the
information proving satisfactory; but it was not till the money was told
down that the Bedouin conducted him to the spot, and convinced him that
the ford was there. Gladly hastening to Louis, the constable revealed
the means of extricating the armed pilgrims from their embarrassment;
and the king, assembling the princes and nobles, decided on leaving the
Duke of Burgundy on the Damietta side with a sufficient force to guard
the camp; and then, mastering their men and mounting their horses, they
at midnight marched along the bank of the canal to the ford pointed out
by the Bedouin, and awaited the break of day to dash through the water
and move towards Mansourah.

It was the morning of Tuesday, the 8th of February, 1250--Shrove
Tuesday--when the armed pilgrims, under the auspices of King Louis,
halted on the Damietta side of the Achmoun, and awaited the signal to
pass to that on which Mansourah was situated. Everything so far had gone
quite as smoothly as could reasonably have been expected. Some horsemen,
indeed, rode too near the margin of the canal, and, getting on soft and
slippery ground, they and their horses fell in and were drowned. Among
them was Sir John of Orleans, a valiant knight, who bore the French
banner. But this was a slight misfortune compared with that which the
folly and presumption of one man was preparing for that ill-starred
host.

At all times, and under all circumstances, the Count of Artois was one
of the most unreasonable of human beings; and at this moment, so
important to Louis, to France, to the Crusaders, and to the Christian
kingdom of Jerusalem, nothing would satisfy his ambition but being the
first to cross. Not unaware of his brother's failings, Louis protested;
but the count persisted; and, promising to wait with patience on the
opposite bank for the main army, he placed himself at the head of the
van, which was formed of the Templars, the Hospitallers, and the English
Crusaders, and dashed into the canal.

Now, at this moment the opposite bank was occupied by several hundred
Saracen horsemen, who seemed prepared to oppose the landing of the
Crusaders. No sooner, however, did the Saracens perceive that the
Crusaders were fording the canal safely than they gave way, and fled
towards the camp of the Emir Fakreddin at Djedile.

It was then that, in spite of all the warnings he had received and all
the promises he had made