At this same time, in the battle which preceded the siege, occurred an incident which illustrates Nur eddin's faith in the efficacy of prayer. The right wing had retreated before the cavalry of the Franks, whereupon he dismounted from his horse, and throwing himself upon the ground, cried out: " Ο my God and my Seigneur and my Master ! Mahmoud, son of Zenghi and grandson of ak-Sonkor, implores Thee not to frustrate his hope and to come to his aid. Thou wilt aid thus the faith Thou hast revealed to Thy Prophet and Apostle. Deign to answer my prayer and render happy my return to my home. Permit not that mine enemies rejoice in my reverse ! " He remained prostrated, rolling his body on the ground, while the tears rolled down his cheeks. The possibility that all this was only excellent acting— a performance not beyond oriental conception — intended to arouse his men to the limit of their powers, was suggested by one commentator, who insisted that the retreat of the right wing had been a deliberate ruse, meant to entice the cavalry of the enemy to a fruitless chase, and leaving the rest of the Christian army exposed to attacks it could not withstand, as turned out to be the sequence of events. The same maneuver, as we will see, was used later by other Moslem commanders. What Shirkuh had learned of conditions in Egypt only whetted his appetite for the second expedition. For the Egyptians as soldiers he had only contempt,