238 THE HISTORY OE THE ORDER OF [book ii.

their scimitars, and pushing their horses after theminto the very sea. Driven, pursued, ah, what willbecome of them? Alas! My God have compassionon them . 1

“ Unable in those floods of rain, and pelting hailand roaring wind, to get near the water for perhapstwo hours (though no judging of time then, thingsseemed very long or very short accordingly), sobeset was it by that deplorable multitude; not evenat the charge of the pitiless Mamelukes, from myfear that my wounded breast would be crushed, didI stir; till there came so tremendous a crash, thatone might think it an earthquake dividing theglobe, and glancing towards the Templars’ Tower,I saw their flag drop, and the toAver itself tumbledown, at which, believing all Acre was falling topieces I, almost frantic, flew right through thecrowd, and flung myself into the sea, and somepaces out, was fished up into a boat. And whofished me Avas the pious Patriarch; but Avhose com-passion had alloAved such numbers to embark, thatwe shortly went doAvn in the harbour; and betterfor me, for Ave certainly should have foundered,and been lost, every soul of us, Avhen out in thoseboisterous Avaves; but here, though most of the un-fortunates Avere drowned, and amongst them the1 Michaud: Hist., y. 144.