Α.η. 1192.] RAISING ΤΠΕ SIEGE OF JOITA. 119 I low king Richard forced Saladin to raise the siege of J oppa. King Richard, after the death of the duke of Burgundy, embarked on board his ships of war with a small force, and hastened to .Joppa to render assistance to the besieged ; but owing to the, violence of the winds and the heavy sea his ships were driven in a contrary direction towards Cyprus, and the inhabitants of Acre, seeing this, suspected that the king was returning home. Rut the king and those with him, in spite of the fury of the winds, by means of strong rowing, made an oblique course, and on the third day, at glimmer of dawn, they arrived with but three ships at Joppa. In the meantime Saladin, after frequent assaults, had now taken the city, and had slain all the infirm and wounded soldiers, who, on account of their weakness remained there; but five of them bolder than the rest, whom Richard had placed there in charge of the city; left it anil betook themselves to the castle, where they were debating about surrendering the castle before they should be compelled to do so by assaults of the enemy. This they would quickly have done had they not been forewarned by the patriarch, who was allowed free passage between the two armies, that the army of Saladin had, to avenge the deaths of their friends and relatives whom the English king had beheaded without mercy in many places, sworn to slay them all, notwithstanding they should have Saladin's free permission to depart. Thus they were in great danger of death, and were in doubt as to what thev should do, considering the number and ferocity of their enemies, and the few there were of themselves, and having no confidence in the king's coining to assist them : when however, they learned that the king had arrived thev became bolder and defended themselves courageously. The king, knowing from the fierce struggles both of besiegers and besieged, that the castle of the city was not yet taken, leaped nimbly into the sea armed as he was, and with his followers, boldly threw himself like a raging lion into the thickest of the enemy's troops, hewing them down right and left. The Turks being unable to endure this sudden attack, and thinking that he had brought a mon1 numerous army with him, soon abandoned the siege, exhorting each other to tlv, and announcing the inopportune arrival of the king: ami their panic was such that their flight could not be checked till thev