The treasure was enormous, not only in gold, but in jewels. For centuries the choicest gems of the Orient, gathered in the colonies in Asia Minor, in Africa and Spain, as well as in Egypt, had been deposited in the caskets of the Caliphs. The romancers responsible for the Arabian Nights could not picture the brilliance and the artistry of some of these rare pieces. Ibn el-Athir speaks of an emerald " one and one half times the size of a hand." Without asking whose hand, or how this could possibly have been set in a ring, as alleged, the character of some of these jewels may be believed to have been beyond anything existing today, even among the richest of crown jewels. In May, 1174 Nur ed-din died. With that event the way was clear for Saladin to enter upon his far-reaching plans. Although he still asserted his devotion to the house of his former chief, and the name of the latter's son, el-Melek es-Saleh Ism'ail appeared in the Khotba delivered throughout Egypt, it could not have been meant for long continuance. The lion being gone, the whelp could not be considered seriously. But it would not do to say as much just yet. There were too many jealous rivals in the strongholds of Syria, and some would go so far as to make common cause with the Franks if necessary to thwart his supremacy. So he must still bide his time, though he could pave the way for the future. In the fall of the same year there was another attempt on Egypt by the Franks. This had been meant to