n be living any more,' said Rolf, 'if He lets thee
live, King Richard.' Richard went away. The time dragged, the rain fell
pitilessly, without end. He found rivers in floods, fords roaring
torrents, all ways choked. At every turn the Duke of Burgundy and
Saint-Pol worked against him.

Also he found Ascalon in ruins, but grimly set about rebuilding it. This
took him all the winter, because the French (judging, perhaps, that they
had done their affair) took to the ships and sailed back to Acre. There
they heard, what came more slowly to King Richard, strange news of the
Marquess of Montferrat, and terrible news of Jehane Saint-Pol.

CHAPTER VI

THE CHAPTER CALLED CLYTEMNESTRA

At Acre, by the time September was set, the sun had put all the air to
the sword, so that the city lay stifled, stinking in its own vice; and
the nights were worse than the days. Then was the great harvest of the
flies, when men died so quickly that there was no time to bury them. So
also mothers saw their children flag or felt their force grow thin: one
or another swooned suddenly and woke no more; or a woman found a dead
child at the breast, or a child whimpered to find his mother so cold. At
this time, while Jehane lay panting in bed, awake hour by hour and
fretting over what she should do when the fountains of her milk should
be dry, and this little Fulke, royal glutton, crave without getting of
her--she heard the women set there to fan her talking to each other in
drowsy murmurs, believing that she slept. By now she knew their speech.

Said one between the slow passes of the fans, 'Giafar ibn Mulk hath come
into the city secretly.' And the other, 'Then we have a thief the more.'

'Peace,' said the first, 'thou grudger. He is one of my lovers, and
telleth me whatsoever I seek to know. He is come in from Lebanon; so
much, and more, I know already.'

'What ill report doth he bring of his master?' asked the second, a lazy
girl, whose name was Misra, as the first was called Fanoum.

Fanoum answered, 'Very ill report of the Melek'--that was King Richard's
name here--'but it is according to the desires of the Marquess.'

'Ohe!' said Misra, 'we must tell this sleeper. She is moon of the
Melek.'

'Thou art a fool to think me a fool,' said Fanoum. 'Why, then, shall I
be one to turn the horn of a mad cow, to pierce my own thigh? Let the
Franks kill each other, what have we but gain? They are dogs alike.'

Misra said, 'Hearken thou, O F