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Itinerary
196
him for contracting friendship with the Gentiles. But Saphadin pleaded
that he wished to make peace between them, and the king thought he was
adopting a wise policy, by which the bounds of Christianity would be
enlarged, and a creditable peace concluded, particularly since the
departure of the French king, from whom he feared treachery, for he had
always found his friendship hollow and deceitful. When, however, the
king discovered that the promises of Saphadin were mere words, and
likely to produce no result, particularly in the matter of Fort Erach of
Mount Royal, of which, according to the understood conditions, the king
demanded the demolition, but the Turks would not consent to it, he at once
broke off the negotiations. This failure of the treaty becoming known, the
enemy were soon again to be seen on our flanks, and King Richard was
again in the field to meet them; and by way of wiping out the former
charges which had been made against him, he brought every day numbers
of Turkish heads, to prove that his zeal had not slackened in the cause of
Christianity. The difficulties thrown in his way, and accusations made
against him, had arisen from those who sought to obtain his money; for it
is rare to find persons not actuated by the desire of gain.
Chapter XXXII. Ñ Of the annoyance which our men experienced from the rains
and the enemy, whilst they encamped between St. George and Ramula, and in the
town of Ramula itself.
When the two forts were repaired and garrisoned, Richard moved his
army towards Ramula; which caused Saladin to order Ramula to be
dismantled, because he did not dare meet the king in the field. He then
withdrew with his troops towards Darum, because he had most confidence
in the mountainous districts. Our troops then encamped between St.
George and Ramula, where they remained twenty-two days waiting for
reinforcements and provisions. There also we endured severe attacks from
the enemy, and the heavy rains drove the king of Jerusalem and our people
to remove into St. George and Ramula: the count of St. Paul went to the
Castle of the Baths. We stopped in Ramula seven weeks, not however in
case, for we had a rough beginning, though it was afterwards made
amends for by a more pleasant termination. The Turks would not allow us

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Itinerary
197
the least repose, but continually attacked us with their javelins. On the eve
of St. Thomas the Apostle, King Richard had sallied forth with a small
retinue towards a fort called Whitecastle, on some enterprise against the
Turks, but foreboding something wrong, by inspiration as is thought from
heaven, he returned to the camp. The same hour he was told that Saladin
had a little before sent a body of three hundred of his choicest troops to
Whitecastle, where Richard was going. The same day also King Guy went
to Acre, whither he was followed the next day by Stephen de Torneham. In
the middle of the night of the Holy Innocents, the Hospitallers and
Templars left the camp, and returned in the morning with two hundred
oxen, which they had driven off from the mountains near Jerusalem.
Chapter XXXIII. Ñ Of the glorious victory gained by the earl of Leicester against
the Turks, when our men at last came to his assistance.
The noble earl of Leicester, one day, followed by a few men only,
endeavoured to drive off a large body of Turks who were passing by with
much arrogance and boasting. The enemy fled with precipitation, and were
followed by three of the swiftest knights in the earlÕs train: by this act of
imprudence they placed themselves in the power of the Turks, who turned
back and made them prisoners. The earl, seeing this, spurred his horse and
rode into the midst of more than a hundred Turks, to rescue the knights.
His men, following him, pursued the enemy over a river, when a fresh
force of about five hundred Turkish cavalry charged them with bows and
lances of reed, and cutting off the retreat of the earl and his small party,
essayed to make him prisoner. Already was Garin Fitz-Gerald dismounted
and severely beaten with the iron maces. A fierce struggle took place.
Drogo de Fontenille Putrell and Robert Nigel were unhorsed, and the
Turks made such exertions to seize the earl that at last they struck him also
from his horse, and almost drowned him in the river. but the earl defended
himself bravely, and dealt his blows on every side of him, seconded by
Henry Fitz-Nicholas and the brave Robert de Newbury, whose generosity
has gained for him immortal renown; for, seeing the earl hard pressed, in
the midst of his enemies, and engaged in a doubtful contest, he gave his

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