for him overseas, and that he must prepare to face it was never absent. It sent him to Ascalon and to Acre, and in both places he made careful inspection of the defenses and impressed upon his lieutenants the im portance of sticking closely to their task of making these as perfect as possible. A short time in Jerusalem, and shorter still in Damascus, and in the spring of 1189 he was again in the field. Among the objectives this time was Belfort, a strong fortress near Banias, which was ruled by.Reginald of Sidon. Among all his opponents this one was, next to that other Reginald whose head he had taken as the price of his perfidy, the most annoying. It could not be otherwise. As the Sultan was supervising the arrangements in his camp outside Reginald's stronghold, the latter came unannounced to inform him that all his trouble was unnecessary. It was his intention to surrender the castle, anyhow, so why summon all this huge force of men, this mass of military supplies, this vast array of destructive engines of war? A more courteous, elegant, plausible cavalier had never been seen. Modest, frank and more open to reason than any of the many knights with whom circumstance had made Saladin acquainted. His many engaging qualities attracted the Sultan at once and led him to listen appreciatively to his proposals. Let the Sultan take up more important matters, said the knight ingratiatingly. In the meantime he would have found a safe asylum for his wife and family who were then in Tyre. Probably it would take three months to