26 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book i.

the Christians were lost. They made use of theopportunity, and built the spot up. Next day theMoslems came too late. The Frank camp wasimpregnable, and every passage to Acre impossible.The Grand Master of the Templars was taken , 1 thesame who had been taken at Hattim, and given hisfreedom; but this time the soldan had him slain.Three Christian women, who had fought on horse-back, like brave men, were made prisoners, andtheir sex discovered only when their armour wasdragged off . 2 Ten ^thousand corpses of Christians(most of them knights) were thrown into the riverby the soldan’s orders. Christian infantry tooksmall part in many actions. Some pious Moslemcivilians, quiet lookers on, having made off ontheir mules, passed Jordan, frightening the wholecountry; and never stopping to eat or drink, buthastening forward, each with his hands firmly seton his beast’s neck and breathing with difficulty;some of them never pulling in, till they got toDamascus; they were soon followed by the truth,that all was well, and that their party had gained avictory; “ at this their spirits grew calm , and theyregretted having run away.” 3

But the stench of the slaughter caused sickness,

1 Arab. Chron., 251.

2 Id., 251.