Christian captives, and to pay two hundred
thousand pieces of gold. All this was to be
done within forty days; but, not being done,
King Richard ordered some three thousand
Saracen prisoners to be brought out in the
front of his camp, and there, in full view
of their own countrymen, to be deliberately
butchered.

The French King had no part in this
atrocity; for he was by that time travelling
homeward with the greater part of his men;
being offended by the overbearing conduct of
the English King; being anxious to look
after his own dominions; and being ill besides
from the unwholesome air of that hot and
sandy country. King Richard carried on the
war without him, and remained in the East,
meeting with a variety of adventures, nearly
a year and a half. Every night when his
army was on the march, and came to a halt,
the heralds cried out three times, to remind
all the soldiers of the cause in which they
were engaged, "Save the Holy Sepulchre!"
and then all the soldiers knelt, and said
"Amen!" Marching or encamped, the army
had continually to strive with the hot air of
the glaring desert, or with the Saracen soldiers
animated and directed by the brave Saladin,
or with both together. Sickness and death,
battle and wounds, were always among them;
but through every difficulty King Richard
fought like a giant, and worked like a common
labourer. Long and long after he was quiet
in his grave, his terrible battle-axe with
twenty English pounds of English steel in
its mighty head was a legend among the
Saracens; and when all the Saracen and
Christian hosts had been dust for many a
year, if a Saracen horse started at any object
by the wayside, his rider would exclaim,
"What dost thou fear ? Dost thou think
King Richard is behind it?"

No one admired this king's renown for
bravery more than Saladin himself, who was a
generous and gallant enemy. When Richard
lay ill of a fever, Saladin sent him fresh
fruits from Damascus, and snow from the
mountain tops. Courtly messages and
compliments were frequently exchanged between
them—and then King Richard would mount
his horse and kill as many Saracens as he
could; and Saladin would mount his, and
kill as many Christians as he could. In this
way King Richard fought to his heart's
content at Arsoof and at Jaffa; and finding
himself with nothing exciting to do at Ascalon,
except to rebuild, for his own defence,
some fortifications there which the Saracens
had destroyed, he kicked his ally the Duke of
Austria, for being too proud to work at them.

The army at last came within sight of the
Holy City of Jerusalem; but, being then a
mere nest of jealousy, and quarrelling and
fighting, soon retired, and agreed with the
Saracens upon a truce for three years, three
months, three days, and three hours. Then,
the English Christians, protected by the noble
Saladin from Saracen revenge, visited Our
Saviour's tomb; and then King Richard
embarked with a small force at Acre to return
home.

But he was shipwrecked in the Adriatic
Sea, and was fain to pass through Germany,
under an assumed name. Now, there were
many people in Germany who had served in
the Holy Land under that proud Duke of
Austria who had been kicked; and some of
them easily recognising a man so remarkable
as King Richard, carried their intelligence to
the kicked Duke, who straightway took him
prisoner at a little inn near Vienna.

The Duke's master the Emperor of
Germany, and the King of France, were equally
delighted to have so troublesome a monarch
in safe keeping. Friendships which are
founded on a partnership in doing wrong, are
never true; and the King of France was,
now, quite as heartily King Richard's foe, as he
had ever been his friend in his unnatural
conduct to his father. He monstrously pretended
that King Richard had designed to poison him
in the East; he charged him with having
murdered there, a man whom he had in truth
befriended; he bribed the Emperor of Germany
to keep him close prisoner; and finally, through
the plotting of these two princes, Richard
was brought before the German legislature,
charged with the foregoing crimes, and many
others. But, he defended himself so well, that
many of the assembly were moved to tears by
his eloquence and earnestness. It was
decided that he should be treated, during the
rest of his captivity, in a manner more becoming
his dignity than he had been, and that he
should be set free on the payment of a heavy
ransom. This ransom the English people
willingly raised. When Queen Eleanor took
it over to Germany, it was at first evaded
and refused. But, she appealed to the honor
of all the princes of the German Empire, and
appealed so well that it was accepted, and
the King released. Thereupon, the King of
France wrote to Prince John—" Take care of
thyself. The devil is unchained!"

Prince John had reason to fear his brother,
for he had been a traitor to him in his
captivity. He had secretly joined the French
King; had vowed to the English nobles and
people that his brother was dead; and had
vainly tried to seize the crown. He was now
in France, at a place called Evreux. Being
the meanest and basest of men, he contrived
a mean and base expedient for making
himself acceptable to his brother. He invited
the French officers of the garrison in that
town to dinner, murdered them all, and then
took the fortress. With this recommendation
to the goodwill of a lion-hearted monarch, he
hastened to King Richard, fell on his knees
before him, and obtained the intercession of
Queen Eleanor. "I forgive him," said the
King, "and I hope I may forget the injury
he has done me, as easily as he will forget my
pardon."