was sick not long after his
arrival at Acre, but whether his illness really prevented his
co-operating with Philip in the assault, or was only made use of as a
pretext, is not quite certain. At any rate, Richard left Philip to
make the assault alone, and the consequence was that the French troops
were driven back from the walls with great loss. Richard secretly
rejoiced at this discomfiture, but Philip was in a great rage.

Not long afterward Richard planned an assault, to be executed with
_his_ troops alone; for Philip now stood aloof, and refused to aid
him. Richard had no objection to this; indeed, he rejoiced in an
opportunity to show the world that he could succeed in accomplishing a
feat of arms after Philip had attempted it and failed.

[Illustration: THE ASSAULT.]

So he brought forward the engines that he had caused to be built at
Messina, and set them up. He organized his assaulting columns and
prepared for the attack. He made the scaling-ladders ready, and
provided his men with great stores of ammunition; and when the
appointed day at length arrived, he led his men on to the assault,
fully confident that he was about to perform an exploit that would
fill all Europe with his fame.

But, unfortunately for him, he was doomed to disappointment. His men
were driven back from the walls. The engines were overthrown and
broken to pieces, or set on fire by flaming javelins sent from the
walls, and burned to the ground. Vast numbers of his soldiers were
killed, and at length, all hope of success having disappeared, the
troops were drawn off, discomfited and excessively chagrined.

The reflections which would naturally follow in the minds of Philip
and Richard, as they sat in their tents moodily pondering on these
failures, led them to think that it would be better for them to cease
quarreling with each other, and to combine their strength against the
common enemy. Indeed, their situation was now fast becoming very
critical, inasmuch as every day during which the capture of the town
was delayed the troops of Saladin on the mountains around them were
gradually increasing in numbers, and gaining in the strength of their
position, and they might at any time now be expected to come pouring
down upon the plain in such force as entirely to overwhelm the whole
army of the Crusaders.

So Richard and Philip made an agreement with each other that they
would thenceforth live together on better terms, and endeavor to
combi