146 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book it.

got a little better. It was only a gleam before death.But it sufficed to increase the pride and courageof the Moslems, who besides were getting largereinforcements every day. Still the beginnings ofthe march of the crusaders were triumphant. Butthen they encountered a small body of cavalry,only about five hundred at first, but it next dayincreased, and killed a Templar; and from that dayforward they had to fight for every step. A stormwas gathering all round them; they could not butsee it, except that homeward was a meagre line ofsombre light; but soon a retreat became as impos-sible as an advance. But the word impossible wasto be erased from their dictionary.

About this time the sultan expired, and his sonwas far off in Mesopotamia. Yet the death was con-cealed by the heroic widow, “ whom no woman everexceeded in beauty, nor man in intellect; ” andnaming Fakr-eddin as Atabec or regent, she disclosedthe secret to him alone. For weeks the guards wereposted as usual at the sultan’s door, and despatchesbrought in as usual; and his council received hiscounterfeited clarne, or signature, daily, to variousordinances, by which Fakr-eddin commanded thetroops, and continued to face the invaders, 1 whonow on the 19th of December got to the extreme

1 Arab. Chron., 455.