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Itinerary
138
vessel. And when they answered that it belonged to the king of France, the
king in his eager haste approached it; but it had no mark of being French,
neither did it bear any Christian symbol or standard; and on looking at it
near, the king began to wonder at its immense size and compact make, for
it was crowned with three tall masts, and its sides were marked with
streaks of red and yellow, and it was well furnished in all manner of
equipments, so that nothing could exceed them, and it was abundantly
supplied with all kinds of provisions. One of those on board said, that
while at Baruth, he saw the vessel laden with all these things; viz. one
hundred camel-loads of arms, slings, bows, darts, and arrows: it had also
on board seven Saracen admirals, and eighty chosen Turks, besides a
quantity of all kinds of provisions, exceeding computation. They had also
on board a large quantity of Greek fire, in bottles, and two hundred most
deadly serpents for the destruction of the Christians. Others were therefore
sent to obtain more exact information who they were, and when, instead of
their former answer, they replied that they were Genoese, bound for Tyre,
our men began to doubt the truth at this change of reply; one of our
galleymen persisted that they were Saracens, and on the kingÕs questioning
him, he said, ÒI give you leave to cut off my head, or hang me on a tree, if I
do not prove these men to be Saracens. Now let a galley be sent quickly
after them, for they are making away, and let no kind of salute be given
them by us, and in this way we shall have certain proof what their
intention is, and how far they are to be believed.Ó At the kingÕs command,
therefore, a galley was sent at full speed after them. and on reaching their
ship, and rowing by its side without giving a salute, they began to throw
darts and arrows at our men. On seeing this, the king ordered the ship to
be attacked forthwith, and after casting a shower of darts against each
other, the ship relaxed in its speed, for the wind carried it but slowly along.
Though our galleymen rowed repeatedly round the ship, to scrutinize the
vessel, they could find no point of attack: it appeared so solid and so
compact, and of such strong materials; and it was defended by a guard of
warriors, who kept throwing darts at them. Our men, therefore, relished
not the darts, nor the great height of the ship, for it was enough to strive
against a foe on equal ground, whereas a dart thrown from above always

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Itinerary
139
tells upon those below, since its iron point falls downwards. Hence, their
ardour relaxed, but the spirit of the king increased, and he exclaimed
aloud, ÒWill you allow the ship to get away untouched and uninjured?
Shame upon you! are you grown cowards from sloth, after so many
triumphs? The whole world knows that you engaged in the service of the
Cross, and you will have to undergo the severest punishment, if you
permit an enemy to escape while he lives, and is thrown in your way.Ó Our
men, therefore, making a virtue of necessity, plunged eagerly into the
water under the shipÕs side, and bound the rudder with ropes to turn and
retard its progress, and some, catching hold of the cables, leapt on board
the ship. The Turks receiving them manfully, cut them to pieces as they
came on board, and lopping off the head of this one, and the hands of that,
and the arms of another, cast their bodies into the sea. Our men seeing this,
and glowing with anger, gained fresh courage from the thirst for
vengeance, and crossing over the bulwarks of the vessel, attacked the
Turks in a body with great fierceness,who, though giving way a little,made
an obstinate resistance. The Turks gathering boldness from despair, used
all their efforts to repel those who threatened them, cutting off the arms,
hands, and even heads of our men; but they, after a mighty struggle, drove
the Turks back as far as the prow of the ship, while from the interior others
rushed upon our men in a body, preparing to die bravely or repel the foe;
they were the choice youth of the Turks, fitted for war, and suitably armed.
The battle lasted a long time, and many fell on both sides; but at last, the
Turks, pressing boldly on our men, drove them back, though they resisted
with all their might, and forced them from the ship. Upon which our men
retired to their galleys, and surrounding the vessel on all sides, tried to find
a more easy mode of attacking it. The king seeing the danger his men were
in, and that while the ship was uninjured it would not be easy to take the
Turks with the arms and provisions therein, commanded that each of the
galleys should attack the ship with its spur, i.e. its iron beak. Then the
galleys drawing back, were borne by rapid strokes of the oar against the
shipÕs sides to pierce them, and thus the vessel was instantly broken, and
becoming pervious to the waves, began to sink. When the Turks saw it,
they leapt into the sea to die, and our men killed some of them and

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