ed. Antioch lay in their way, and was besieged with many
difficulties and dangers; some from the presumption of a foolish faith;
others from the thoroughness with which supplies had been destroyed by
the Turks. Famine came on through the lack of foresight, and pestilence
quickly followed. The winter rains inundated the camps, and the dead in
the general distress were left unburied. The foraging parties could
repulse the Turks and even capture their camps, but could not find
within practicable range food enough for the army. Their communications
were cut off by sea through the withdrawal of the Italian and Flemish
fleets, and the army settled down to abject misery, despair, and death,
as they heard that Swerro, King of Denmark, with his promised bride and
fifteen hundred warriors, had been slain by the Turks while marching to
join the main army. Almost for the first time soldiers began to desert,
hopeless of capturing Antioch or of reaching the Holy Land.

[Sidenote: _Peter Reappears_]

Peter the Hermit, who appears to have marched silently with the army,
now, of all men, shrinking under the criticisms of the army, flees
secretly from the camp. They had lost the Duke of Normandy, Tatius,
William of Melun, by temporary or permanent desertion, but the flight of
Peter made the most noise and caused the greatest scandal. He was
punished by Tancred and brought back in disgrace, and was compelled to
swear on the Bible that he would never run away again.

[Sidenote: _A Wicked Camp_]

[Sidenote: _Remedy for Wickedness_]

Perhaps he ran from the awful wickedness of the camp as well as from the
famine and pestilence. The soldiers, expecting soon to die, gave
themselves up to gambling, every phase of lust, and to drunkenness, when
the means thereof could be obtained. A good element of the clergy,
notably the Bishop of Puy, by word and example sought to stay the full
flood of wickedness. It happened then, as in every age, that a sign,
something seen of the eye, had more power than words addressed to the
conscience. An Aurora, a rare phenomenon to most, was claimed by the
preachers to be a warning from God. Processions of penitents began to
march about the camp. Penalties for drunkenness were devised, the hair
being cut off in drunken sleep. Blasphemers were branded. Turks and
Syrians were spitted and roasted by Bohemond, who thus rid the camp of
unfriendly mouths and dangerous spies. The good bishop who preached
against sin wro