The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-11-24

followers of Duke Godfrey, some of Count |
whilst Feroz stood on tho wall willingly aiding |
each to descend from the battlements on to the
ramparts. Soon, then, there were to be seen
on tho tower, or mounting upon ladders sol.
with swords, and each carrying spear in Els
left hand, whilst with his right he grasped the
ladder by tho aid of which he was mounting.
number Of 6xe and twenty Crnsa1ers.-
But whom these had reached the tower, q
panic fell upon those whose duty it was t0A eye
e o. them ne se s sts a
and then finding that their ascent was followed
by dead silence, they feared that their com,
panions had been set upon and murdered. ana md
brave example that had already been given to
them.
The soldiers who had assembled the tower,
suspecting the cause of the delay, and perceive
ing that some who were about to mount had
Withdrawn from the ladders, now leant over
the battlements, and in suppressed tones bid
their friends beneath be of good cheer, to come
after them quickly, for that no treachery was
to be spprehended, and NO danger to be IN
oarr~d.
Tho moment that these gxhortations were
heard, there was q universal rush made by the
whole body of the Crusaders who stood beneath
the tower to mount upou its battlements.
Emulation took the place of fear, and they
first to ascend, and whilst they who before
ho-itatcd now hurried to get upon the ladders,
these, unable to bear the weight, first bent
and thsn broke, for the old decayed ramparts,
failing to hold the hooks and ropes by which
the ladders were upheld, numbers were dashed
to tho earth. or the men fell upon the points of
| the lances which rested against the walls, or
| were struck by the stones which had been un-
loosened from the ramparts, and SO here were
many Crusaders slain upen the spot or NOR
tally wounded, being transixed with spears,
or miserably crushed by the descending stones.
This unforeseen accident excited the appre-
hension which had but the moment before been
allayed, because they attribut ted the accident to
treaehery on the part of tho Turks, and yet, in
the midst of that awful suspense, with bitter
pains and thrilling agony endured by the dying
and the wounded. and the suspicion of q foul
| stratagem, by which their own lives and those
| Of their companions, were so jeopardized, still
there was no cry from the Crusaders to denote
that pain was felt, that diss sters had occurred,
OF that doubt and dismay were pervadtng their
ranks.
| In tho midst of all these various events Fe-
| roz remained steady and mistaken in his reso-
| luton. Perceiving the cause of the accident
that had happened, he had hooks and cords
| aud ladders again attached to the walls, and
| then boldly called upon the doubling, the
| timid and the rresolute to come up to him, as
surfing them against the possibility of similar
! calamity occurring. The exhortation OF Feroz
| and the invitation of those Crusaders who
were already in the tower produced the de-
sired effect upon the rest, and at last there was
| placed upon the tower and its adjacent RAM
| parts not less than six hundred valiant Chris
| tinn warriors.
| (To be continued.)