They went therefore to those of the Halca, and demanded of them that they should kill the Soldan, so soon as they had eaten with him, as he had invited them to do. Thus it befell that, after they had eaten, and the Soldan had taken leave of his emirs, and was going to his chamber, one of the knights of the Halca, who bore the Soldan’s sword, struck the Soldan therewith in the middle of the hand, between the four fingers, and clove the hand up to the arm. The Soldan turned to the emirs, who had caused this to be done to him, and said: “Lords, I make appeal to you against these people of the Halca, who desire to slay me, as you can see! ” Then the knights of the Halca made answer to the Soldan with one voice, and said: “ As thou safest that we desire to slay thee, better is it that we should slay thee than that thou should slay us! ”
Then they caused the cymbals to be struck, and all the host came to ask what was the Soldan’s will. And they answered that Damietta was taken, and that the Soldan was going thither, and that he ordered them to follow. So the host gat to their arms, and spurred towards Damietta. And when we saw that they were going towards Damietta, we were in sore trouble of heart, for we thought that Damietta was lost. But the Soldan, being young and active, fled into ‘ the tower that stood behind his chamber (as you have already ‘ heard), with three of his bishops, who had sat at meat with him; and he was there with them in the tower.
Soldan’s pavilions
Those of the Halca, who were in number five hundred mounted men, threw down the Soldan’s pavilions, and swarmed round and about the tower, besieging him and the three bishops; and they cried to him to come down. And he said so he would if they promised him safety’. They told him they would make him come down by force, for he was not in Damietta. Then they threw at him Greek fire, and it caught the tower, which was made of pine planks and cotton cloth. The tower flared up quickly, nor have I ever seen finer nor straighter flame. When the Soldan saw this, he gat down swiftly, and came flying towards the river, all along the way of which I have already spoken to you.
travel for beauty 