f wine barrels. This time the wine outlasted the
Tartars.

"They have no head for wine, you see," Mathieu said. "Poor innocent
world conquerors. They drink a beverage called kumiss, which is
fermented mare's milk. Very mild, but it satisfies their desire to get
drunk. When they conquered the civilized lands, for the first time they
could have as much wine as they wanted. They have an ungodly appetite
for it."

When the Tartar ambassadors collapsed, unconscious, Mathieu and the host
had both sighed with relief. With the Tartars' gold, Mathieu bought two
carts and three mules, and they loaded John Chagan and Philip Uzbek in
one and the remaining barrels of Montefiascone wine in the other.

"Montefiascone may be the only town in the world that can say it has
been invaded by Tartars and profited," said Mathieu. Simon laughed.

He had thought to bring flint, tinder, a lantern, and a supply of
candles with him, and now Thierry rode at the head of the party with the
lantern raised on the end of a long tree branch, giving them a little
light to follow. At least this way the Tartars would not go over a cliff
in their cart in the dark.

"If I could have found you this morning, I would have asked you to come
along and bring some of your Frenchmen," the old friar said. "But you
were meeting with Cardinal Ugolini, were you not?"

When Mathieu mentioned Ugolini, Simon immediately found himself thinking
of the cardinal's beautiful niece. He wondered, was she older than he?
How would she react if he tried to see her again? He wished he could
forget Tartars and crusaders and Saracens and devote himself to paying
court to Sophia. Of course, if he went anywhere near Ugolini's
establishment again, de Verceuil would undoubtedly think he was trying
to continue the forbidden negotiations.

"My efforts went badly," he told Friar Mathieu. Before going on, he
peered as far along the road ahead as he could see. De Pirenne and de
Puys were both riding at the head of the party, just behind Thierry with
his lantern. Hethum and the other Armenians came next, and they
understood no French. Simon and Friar Mathieu were at the end of the
line, behind the two carts. There was no risk in talking.

"Cardinal Ugolini nearly convinced me that our efforts to liberate the
Holy Land are futile. And then de Verceuil knew that I had gone to
Ugolini, and he was furious. How did he know where I had been?"

Friar Mathieu smiled. "He had you followed."

"