118 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book i.

even then it was difficult to persuade the crusaders(or the commander-in-chief himself who had goneto Orfa to visit his brother) to quit that pleasantresidence. First to avoid the heats of summer—then a fever in autumn retarded them by carryingoff nearly all the women and children and beggars,at the rate of fifty thousand a month—which, thoughto their deep concern at the time (for the crusaderswere renowned for charity), but eventually a kind-ness of Providence, relieved them from what Avouldhave acted as a distraction, if not temptation, andcertainly an unwieldy heavy tail and impediment.And to that succeeded the cold of winter, so thatit was early in March of 1099 that they at lastmarched; and Bohemond of the Red Flag remainedthere as Sovereign Prince of Antioch.

At Laodicea they were joined by several English—exiles from Hastings.—noble warriors who hadleft their darling homes and quiet firesides toWilliam the Conqueror, and full of pious zeal andsignal valour, proceeded to deliver the HolySepulchre; which did not prevent the army tothin. For numbers died of distress, hunger, andsickness all along ; although there was no fighting.But whatever still rested with the least tinge ofindiscipline or discord kept working themselvesoff by death. One day a young officer saw what