That the Christians remained in possession was due largely to the internecine strife among the Mohammedans. Security had vanished and every city was a prize for the strongest sword. The slave of today might be the master tomorrow. In the ccmstant upsets and revolutions no ruler could depend upon his followers. The tale is told of a Sultan who was reduced to begging at the door of the mosque where he had shone in splendor. The people, bewildered by the frequent changes of leadership accepted every new master with indifference. Their lot would be neither better nor worse with the change of ruler. With the piping times of fraternal good will between Christians and Moslems at an end, the former extended their power. An Arab chronicler laments at the weakness of the Moslems and the ever-increasing raids of the Christians. " Their troops were numerous and their hands extended as if to seize all Islam. Day after day their raids followed one another. Through these they did the Mussulmans much mischief, smiting them with desolation and ruin. Thus was the happy star of the Mussulmans darkened, the sky of their puissance cloven in twain and the sun of their prosperity dimmed." Except for a few strong cities the Christians appeared to be everywhere. Even to the frontier of Egypt. They took the people's money and their goods and " weighed them down with scorn and oppression." They interrupted commerce and even those towns which escaped their invasion were compelled to pay