groaned and wept at giving up their cherished hopes of
visiting the Holy Sepulchre.

One of these pilgrims, while the army was near Jerusalem, reached the
summit of a hill, and called to Richard in much excitement, "Sire, sire,
come hither and I will show you Jerusalem!" But the king, casting his
coat-of-arms before his eyes, wept as he cried out, "Fair Lord God, I
pray Thee not to let me see Thy Holy City, if so be that I may not
deliver it out of the hands of Thine enemies."

As sadly grieved as their king at thus leaving the Holy City in infidel
hands, the army marched despondently back to Jaffa, and thence to Acre,
the French and English mutually accusing each other of having been the
cause of the failure to take Jerusalem. The Duke of Burgundy vented his
spite by composing a scurrilous song about Richard, which was sung in
the French camp. The King of England, much annoyed, revenged himself in
a similar manner by writing a few stinging lines, in which he answered
these "_trumped-up scandals_ with a few plain truths" about the duke and
his other enemies. The singing of these princely satires did not add to
the harmony of the camp.

When Richard reached Acre, he began to make preparations to return to
England, for John was again conspiring to seize the throne. As the king
was about to embark, envoys came in great haste, and besought him to
come to the relief of Jaffa. They related that the town had been taken
by Saladin, and that only the citadel yet held out. The king cut short
the entreaties of the messenger by exclaiming, "God yet lives, and with
His guidance I will set out to do what I can."

The French refused to go with him, but some noble knights started to the
rescue by land, while the king and a few chosen comrades set out by
sea. When the galleys reached Jaffa, the Turks, by thousands, swarmed to
the shore, ready to destroy all who should attempt to land. The king's
friends said to him, "It will be vain to attempt a landing in the face
of so many enemies." But when a fugitive priest, leaping from the wall,
swam to the galley and told Richard that some of his fellow-Christians
were still alive and holding the citadel, Coeur-de-Lion exclaimed,--

"Then, even though it please God, in whose service I come hither, that
we should die here with our brethren, let him perish who will not go
forward with me." So saying, the king, with a shout of "Saint George!
Saint George!" leaped from his red galley into the w