But a mighty army of Saracens came up and besieged the Crusaders in turn, and the latter were put to it to withstand the hardships to which they were subjected. Many of the leaders deserted, and it looked as though a debacle was inevitable, but, at the crucial moment, as happened frequently with these hardbitten warriors, they sallied out to fight against overwhelming odds and routed the enemy. It seemed hardly less than a miracle and, in fact, it was the discovery of the Holy Lance, with which the Roman soldier had pierced the side of Christ, which overcame the overwhelming odds against the Crusaders. That and the sudden appearance of a host of ghostly soldiers on white horses, bearing white banners, undoubtedly evoked by the presence of the Lance. Strangely enough, there were doubters among the Crusaders even then, men of so little faith that they would not believe Peter Bartholomew's report of the vision which had led him to the finding of the Lance, nor subsequent visions equally marvelous and moving. And, when Peter passed through the ordeal of fire, in the presence of forty thousand Crusaders, even then some remained unconvinced. Of course, when Peter died a few days later these unbelievers laid his death to his burns, and refused to listen to those who insisted he had been the victim of the enthusiasts who had grabbed him when he issued from the flames to carry him off in triumph, mauling him severely in their zeal. Somewhat over a month later — the date cannot