CHAPTER XXII.
THE BATTLE.
NO sooner did Guy Muschamp find the door of his prison opened, than herushed out to ascertain the cause of the tumult to which he was indebtedfor liberty, and he discovered that the camp was deserted and abandoned,save by the wounded and the slain. However, he hastily donned his steelcap, possessed himself of a short sword; and having with littledifficulty caught a stray horse, saddled and bridled, he mounted, androde forth with the idea of following the Crusaders, who by this timewere disappearing within the gates of Mansourah.
Fortunately, however, for Guy, he was not destined to share the fate ofhis gallant countrymen who fell victims to the vain folly of the Countof Artois. Nevertheless, his danger was great. By this time the Count ofBrittany and a multitude of warriors were riding towards Mansourah toaid the Count of Artois; and, as the Saracens who came out to opposetheir progress rapidly spread over the plain, Guy began to find hisposition somewhat perilous, and to give himself up for lost. At thatmoment, however, his eye and his ear were attracted by the gleaming ofspears and the ringing of mail to a ruined house; and, canteringthither, he found to his joyful surprise, that the Lord of Joinville andhis knights had taken shelter there, to await the arrival of the king,who was still engaged in passing the main body of his army over theAchmoun.
Nor had they long to wait. As with breathless anxiety they watched theSaracens, swarming like bees from their hives, and covering the plain,Louis, having at length crossed the canal, with sound of trumpets andclarions, rode up at the head of his cavalry, and, with a German swordin his hand, halted on an eminence to survey the field. And neither inair nor appearance did Louis, at that moment, look unworthy of the parthe was acting as chief of the pilgrim army. His magnificent armour, hisgilded helmet, and his noble bearing, gave him the appearance of beingtaller by the shoulders than any of his companions. As he reined up hiswhite charger--the symbol of sovereignty--and, with the oriflammedisplayed before him, endeavoured calmly to estimate the chances of theconflict, the Lord of Joinville and his knights, surrounded as they werewith danger, could not but utter exclamations expressive of admiration.
'By St. James,' exclaimed Joinville, 'I never in my life saw a morehandsome man under arms.'
'Certes,' replied one of the knights, 'I could almost believe that theangel of battles had come to our aid.'
While the king was still surveying the combat, that every moment becamemore fierce and sanguinary, the Constable of France rode up to informhim of the peril of the Count of Artois.
'Sire,' said the constable, 'your noble brother is shut up in Mansourah;and, albeit he and his comrades hold out gallantly, they must perish ifnot aided forthwith.'
'Well, constable,' answered Louis, 'on to the rescue, in God's name, andI will speedily follow.'
The constable, without more words, gave his horse the spur, and dashedtowards Mansourah, whither the king and his knights also attempted tomake their way. But this was no easy matter. Every moment the Saracensseemed to increase in numbers; and the Crusaders, while strugglingbravely not to be overwhelmed by odds, were exposed to terrible hazard.Louis soon found himself in the thick of the fight and environed byfoes. Nothing seemed to remain to him but to sell his life dearly; andsix Saracens, rushing forward simultaneously, attempted to seize hisbridle, and take him captive. But, at that moment, Louis--gentle andsaintly as was his nature--used his German sword with a vigour andeffect, scarcely excelled by Richard Coeur de Lion at Joppa, when hecharged among the Mamelukes of Saladin, or by Edward Longshanks atKakhow, when the sweep of his sword, and the rush of his grey steed,struck terror into the heart of the host of Bibars Bendocdar. Downbefore that short German sword went turban and caftan; till the Frenchknights, aware of their king's danger, spurred in to his rescue, and,with a mighty effort, saved him from captivity.
And now another attempt was made to reach Mansourah. But it was toolate. All was over with the brave band who had followed the Count ofArtois into the city; and every moment the aspect of affairs became moremenacing; for Bibars Bendocdar, elate with his victory within the walls,issued from the gate, animating his soldiers with the words--'God ispowerful,' and hoping to deal with the French king, as he had dealt withthe French king's brother. Nor, at first, did it appear that theCrusaders could escape utter defeat. Not aware what was occurring, andsuddenly attacked by a mighty force led by a dauntless chief, they werepressed and whirled about and separated from each other, and forced toencounter countless odds at every disadvantage. Yet even in suchcircumstances the warriors of France maintained their high reputationfor valour; and, as the combat proceeded and became keener and keener,many a strong Saracen went to his account.
On both sides, indeed, great was the display of personal prowess andcourage; but there was no generalship. Amidst clouds of dust, and undera glowing sun, Christian and Moslem fought hand to hand, and steel tosteel. Helmet and turban mingled confusedly in the struggle; whilebanners rose and fell, and knights were unhorsed, and saddles emptied.From Mansourah to Achmoun, and from the Nile to the ford pointed out bythe Bedouin, the ground, literally covered with combatants, shook withthe rush of their horses, and the sky was rent by the opposing war-criesof 'Islam! Islam!' and 'Montjoie, St. Denis!' What with the shouts ofthe living, the shrieks of the dying, and the yells of the Saracens, asthey bore down on their adversaries like hawks on their prey, all wasbloodshed, confusion, and clamour, and the carnage was such as few men,who fought on that field and survived it, ever remembered without athrill of awe.
And as the day sped on and the battle continued to rage all over theplain, and warriors fell in heaps before and around him, Louis becamepainfully aware that Mansourah could not be reached, and that theCrusaders were no longer fighting to conquer the Saracens but to savethemselves. And there was considerable danger of Bibars Bendocdardrawing near to the Achmoun, and cutting off all communication betweenthe camp of the Duke of Burgundy, and the Christian army struggling forexistence on the plains of Mansourah. On becoming aware of the danger,the king decided on falling back towards the canal, and, with theoriflamme displayed, moved in that direction.
Unfortunate were the consequences. A report immediately spread that theking was retreating because the Saracens were everywhere victorious, andimmediately there was a panic, and several squadrons disbanded andrushed towards the canal. A terrible scene followed, and men and horseswere drowned while struggling in the water. Nothing could have exceededthe disorder and dismay. Louis, indeed, made strenuous efforts torestore confidence, but his voice was scarcely heard in the tumult; andhe must have rejoiced when night put an end to the conflict, and whenBibars Bendocdar retired to Mansourah, with the determination to attackthe Crusaders on another day, as the tiger draws back to make a moreterrible spring.
Repairing to Djedile, Louis dismounted, and took possession of the campwhich, at daybreak, had been occupied by the Emir Fakreddin; and whenhis red tent was pitched there, the Prior of Rosnay presented himself,and kissed the king's hand.
'Sire,' said he, wishing to break the news gently, 'I know not if youhave heard tidings of your noble brother, the Count of Artois?'
'I know all,' answered Louis, mournfully.
'Sire,' said the prior, endeavouring to administer consolation, 'no Kingof France has ever reaped such honour as you have done this day. Youhave crossed a dangerous river; you have gained a victory; you have putyour enemies to flight; you have captured their engines of war; and nowyou are taking possession of their camp.'
'May God be praised for all that I have, with His aid, been able to doin His cause,' said Louis, with a faltering voice, and tears rollingdown his cheeks, as he entered his pavilion.
'On my faith, sir prior,' said John de Valery, with the tone of a manwho has a presentiment of coming calamity, 'I marvel how you can speakof this day's work as a triumph of our arms. Often have I fought forvictory; but this day I have felt too surely that I was fighting not forvictory but for life.'
'In truth,' said the Lord of Joinvi
lle, who had joined them, 'I wouldfain hope for better fortune in the future; for, call this a victory ifyou will, such another victory would be worse than a defeat.'
Boy Crusaders: A Story of the Days of Louis IX. Page 23