P utir di christian warriors was forthwith arrested. The waters continued to J^°BJÎS. increase upon us, and in this terrible inundation we lost all our horses and saddles, our carriages, baggage, furniture, and moveables, and everything that we had. W e ourselves could neither advance nor retreat, and knew not whither to turn. W e could not attack the Egyptians on account of the great lake which extended itself between them and us ; we were without food, and being caught and pent up like fish in a net, there was nothing left for us but to treat with the sultan. " W e agreed to surrender JJamietta, with all the prisoners which we had in Tyre and at Acre, on condition that the sultan restored to us the wood of the true cross and the prisoners that he detained at Cairo and Damascus. We , with some others, were deputed by the whole army to announce to the people of ©annetta the terms that had been imposed upon us. These were very displeasing to the bishop of Acre,* to the chancellor, and some others, who wished to defend the town, a measure which we should indeed have greatly approved of, had there been any reasonable chance of success; for we would rather have been thrust into perpetual imprisonment than have surrendered, to the shame of Christendom, this conquest to the infidels. But after having made a strict investigation into the means of defence, and finding neither men nor money wherewith to protect the place, we were obliged to submit to the conditions of the sultan, who, after having exacted from us an oath and hostages, accorded to us a truce of eight years. During the negotiations the sultan faithfully kept his word, and for the space of fifteen days furnished our soldiers with the bread and com necessary for their subsistence. * Our historian, James de Vitry;he Butaequently become one cT the hostages. Coatin. Hist, apud Marttne, toni. r. col. C98.