Nur ed-din, but his efforts had only been mocked at, as all others had been futile. Fearless as Nur ed-din had shown himself on a hundred fields of battle, he had no stomach to pursue his aggression after the first response from the terrible sheik. A note of warning pinned to his pillow by a poisoned dagger will cool the ardor of the bravest. " If thou dost not decamp by this coming night," threatened the fearful missive, " this poniard will be plunged into thy belly." There was an insolent tone in all the Sheik's communications, the accent of the bully convinced of his omnipotence. In response to one foray of Nur ed-din's troops came this : " To threaten us with war is to threaten to throw a duck into water. The pigeon wishes to defy the eagle! Thou makest pretense to cut off my head and pull down my citadels. Fallacious hopes! Vain reveries! . . ." It was understood Nur ed-din was planning another incursion into the gloomy retreat of the Assassins when he died. There was reason to believe that the first attempt on Saladino life was inspired by the vizier, Gumishtikin, for it came shortly after the former's first move on Aleppo. A number of the cut-throats gained access to the Sultan's camp without difficulty, but they were recognized by an emir named Khamartikin, Prince of the Castle of Abou-Kobais, which was close to the territory of the Assassins.