of Saladin. An Arab writer called it " the column on which the Frankish towns in Syria rest. Thither put in the tall ships which float like mountains over the sea. It is the meeting place of crafts and caravans, the place where Mussulman and Christian merchants muster from all sides." But arts and crafts and all the gentler pursuits were out of the picture now. On the small hill rising out of the malarial plain the tent of King Guy formed the center of the Christian camp. The arrivals from abroad had brought to his aid many famous knights — James of Avesnes, who soon became an outstanding leader ; Robert of Dreux, grandson of Louis VI ; Philip of Beauvais, brother of the former, and a priest as well as warrior; the Counts of Brienne and Bar, the Landgrave, Louis of Thuringia. The latter had influenced the Marquess of Montferrat to join and there was also the grim Gerard de Rideford, another of the knights recently released from the prison at Damascus upon taking the vow not to bear arms against the Sultan. There was almost constant fighting. After a time Guy's troops succeeded in blockading the city, but the line down by the sea was made up of light-armed troops, and the Sultan's forces broke through these and opened a way to the gate so that there was no longer any interruption to free ingress. But small parties were at grips between the camps as before. Rapid moving Arabs cut off foraging parties of the Franks and brought their heads to the Sultan. Women in