and later el-Adel. It must have been quite a household, for there were seventeen sons and a small daughter living. The Sultan and el-Adel relaxed for a time, enjoying the pleasures of the hunt, and playing polo, of which the former was extremely fond. He looked upon this as a brief interlude before he took up the many projects he had in mind. One of these was a pilgrimage to Mecca. Another was a revisiting of Egypt and the putting into effect there of plans he had in mind for that country. Finally there were larger designs for extending the consolidation of the Moslems under the Sultanate. Ibn el-Athir relates a conversation in which the Sultan, el-Adel and el-Afdal took part. El-Adel suggested an armed advance to Khelat, the Prince of which had failed to carry out his promises to the Sultan. El-Afdal preferred an advance into the territory of the heirs of Kilidj Arslan, which had frequently been an aid to the enemy. The Sultan said he would do the latter but el-Adel could at the same time take measures against Khelat. Later they would unite and pass on into Persia. In the meantime, while he was finishing matters which needed attention at home, he gave el-Adel authority to go to Kerak and put its affairs into shape. But all these projects were but mere mutterings. A greater and more powerful enemy than any they had in mind must first be conquered and no one seemed clever enough to do this. The illness which had interfered with his purposes for the past two years