24 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book I.

East. Acre was now completely occupied by a forestof ships on the sea side, and there remained only alittle spot open towards the land. Even that wasclosed about the end of August, and then reallybegan the siege of Acre; one of the mightiest eventsof the middle ages. The Moslem had been twoyears working at its defences, under direction ofone of the ablest engineers then in existence. Atfirst Saladin’s emirs had advised him to throwdown Acre; but when he saw how fine a city itwas, he sent for the famous Egyptian, who hadbuilt the Cairo citadel . 1 That celebrated Caracouschwas then in Acre, and continued in it during thewhole siege, as one of the two that directed thewhole government and nearly every operation . 2The Christians had to resist both the garrison andthe Moslem army. There was much blood shed;yet conversation often ensued by mutual accord,when tired of fighting. Nor unfrequently, the belli-gerents disarmed and mixed, singing, dancing, gam-bling, friends for some minutes, and, at a signalresuming their arms, enemies as before. In thosepacific intervals, their children not seldom playedat battle, mimicking their fathers, for some trifle.When a boy was down, his parents ransomed him

1 Arab. Chron., 246.

2 Id. 246.