p all hope. They hid
themselves in their houses to await the end, and the silence of death
settled down upon the stricken city.

It is said that several of the leaders proposed to secure their own
safety by fleeing in the night from the beleaguered city, and were only
prevented from taking this step by the appeals of Adhemar and Godfrey,
who represented to them in strongest terms the everlasting disgrace that
such a step would bring upon them. Kerbogha had scornfully refused any
terms of surrender except "Death or captivity for all," and it seemed
that such must be the fate of the Crusaders, when the aspect of affairs
was suddenly changed by a miracle.

A priest, Bartholomew by name, announced that Saint Andrew had appeared
to him three times, saying,--

"Go to the church of my brother Peter in Antioch. Dig up the earth near
the altar, and there you will find the head of the lance that pierced
the side of our Redeemer. This sacred sign borne at the head of the army
shall deliver the Christians and pierce the heart of the infidels."

All the army believed in this vision, and after three solemn days of
fasting and praying, Bartholomew, in the presence of twelve priests and
knights, directed the workmen where to dig beneath the altar of the
church. All day the digging went on, while the great crowd outside
waited in silent impatience. At midnight, Bartholomew threw himself into
the hole, and soon reappeared, bearing a spear-head in his hand. The joy
of all was frantic, for they firmly believed that this holy relic would
insure them a victory. Famine and fear were forgotten! All demanded to
be led at once against the enemy.

The next day the gates of Antioch were thrown open, and the army marched
forth in solemn and imposing procession. At the head walked the priests,
bearing aloft the holy lance, and chanting, "Let the Lord arise and let
His enemies be scattered." The army followed in twelve divisions, each
led by one of the princes in such state as he could muster. Godfrey had
given away his all and rode a horse borrowed from the rich Raymond. Many
of the soldiers were without weapons and were so weak from want of food
that they could scarcely walk; yet their faith gave them courage, and
they surveyed the vast army of the Saracens with calm confidence in
victory,--for was not God himself with them? Not a sound was heard in
the ranks.

The Saracens, seeing this strange procession, at first supposed that the
Christia