Chapter LXXXVI
Far ahead we could make out bright points of light from the sun twinkling on the arms and armour of the Sultan's men as they swarmed about the head of the Frankish army. Still the army moved relentlessly forward and I could imagine the armoured might of the Hospital, all those big men on their big horses with their long lances and straight swords, punching throught the Sultan's array, brushing aside his lightly armoured troops and opening the way for the long lines of Franks to follow.
The tail of the army slowly laboured up the slope and we ambled along behind them. As we neared the place where the fighting was going on we could see the Sultan's men darting in to fire their arrows and then swooping away again, just as Guy had described to us all those years ago. The last of the rearguard disappeared over the crest of the slope and the Sultan's men closed in behind them.
As we neared the crest, however, there was a shout and the Sultan's men fled to left and right, some even charging down the hill towards us. Behind them, their hooves shaking the ground, came the entire body of the Templars, their long white surcoats flapping in the wind of their passage.
"Quick," Babrak shouted, dragging on his horse's reins.
We turned and followed him off to the right out of the way of those charging men, for if they reached us they would cut us down before we could explain who we were. Some of the Sultan's men followed us, others scattered in every direction.
We only galloped a short way, however, for the Templars' charge never reached us. A trumpet blew and they turned and cantered back over the crest to rejoin the army. A moment later we drew rein also and followed them and so did the Sultan's men, who paused only to regroup after the confusion of the charge and then swooped in to the attack again.
We passed the crest and looked down on the scene below us. The entire slope was filled with the Sultan's army, through the midst of which the Franks marched steadily onward. The Sultan's men were thickest near us, however, and only a few scattered bands galloped around near the head of the Nasrani army.
"See the wisdom of the Sultan," Babrak grunted to us. "He leaves the foreguard alone, for if they charge against him, they merely open the way for the rest of the army to follow, whereas when the rearguard charge, they are opening up a gap between themselves and the army and their charge is weakened because they dare not go too far."
Even as he spoke a trumpet sounded and the Templars turned as one man and charged back up the slope towards us. Again there was confusion as the Sultan's men scattered, but I noted that while those directly in front of the Templars fled in every direction, those on the sides only rode a short way and then sat their horses and fired their arrows into the mass of armoured men. Not a single one of the Sultan's men was hurt, but two of the great horses were hit and fell and only one of the riders struggled to his feet and ran awkwardly back towards the army. The other lay where he had fallen and when the Templars turned the Sultan's men gathered round him, their weapons raised.
"Waste of time," Hamed snorted. "He'll have broken his neck. He landed on his head, I saw it."
That was how the afternoon passed: the army marched forward steadily, drawing nearer to Tiberias with every step despite the swarms of men who galloped around them and fired clouds of arrows into their midst. We followed, a little to one side out of the way of the short, controlled charges of the Templars which drove back their tormentors and gave them respite for a few minutes. Not once did the Templars manage to catch a single one of the Sultan's men, but the whole route was marked by the bodies of those who were hit by the arrows. We saw no living man, for as soon as the army passed the Sultan's men dealt with those who had fallen and if they were not already dead, they were quickly dispatched.
"Look at the horses," Hilmi pointed as yet another Templar charge halted and turned away.
Even at this distance we could see the swathes of foam that coated their heaving sides. Their mouths were hanging open and they were clearly in great distress.
"They need water," Hamed said.
"And there is no water," Babrak told us. "Thanks to the folly of Gerard de Ridefort."
"I wonder if he regrets his foolishness now?" Hamed asked.
"I doubt he has the intelligence to realise it," Babrak spoke with contempt.
"There is water ahead," Hilmi exclaimed. "Look."
In the far distance we could see a blue haze where the Sea of Galilee lay far beneath us.
"Another six or seven miles," Babrak said. "Three hours, maybe four."
"They'll speed up as they near the water," Hamed sounded hopeful.
"The Sultan will redouble his efforts," Babrak shook his head. He glanced over his shoulder at the sun. "It will be dark before they get there."
I looked at the sun as well. "If they can march just a little faster, they will make it."
"Now what?" Babrak sounded alarmed.
We watched aghast as the footmen at the head of the army turned aside from the direct path to the lake and marched instead towards a low hill on the left. After a moment the Hospitallers in the van turned back and rode towards the hill also.
"There is water in the village beyond the hill," I told the others, "but by God, it is not enough for such a host."
"It may be better than nothing," Hilmi said.
The army reached the hill and disappeared over the crest, but soon we saw a great crowd of men on the skyline and they were standing still looking down upon us instead of moving down the other side towards the spring.
"By the beard of the Prophet!" Babrak exclaimed. "The fools are making camp!"
Even as he spoke we saw the red cloth of the king's tent begin to rise on the highest point of the hill and beside it the tents and pavilions of the nobles. The long line of the army marched slowly to the hill and was swallowed up by the crowd on the summit. Finally the rearguard disappeared into the mass of men and I saw the Templars swing down from their saddles and their squires come forward to lead the horses away.
"I have been on that hill," I said. "On top there is a wide, flat place with room enough for an army so that it is like a fortress or a castle. There is, however, no water. No water at all."
The battle seemed to have ceased, for although there were a few groups of men here and there around the base of the hill firing arrows towards the Frankish army, most of the Sultan's men were streaming away in the direction of the lake. Several parties of soldiers passed near us and one of them called to tell us that the Sultan's camp was over the hill to the right.
We stayed where we were and after a while the Sultan's men began to drift back, some still holding the food they had been given or drinking from water skins that appeared to have been newly filled. Babrak sent Hilmi and me off to see if we could fill our water skins and we found the Sultan's camp without difficulty and joined the men around the camels where cool water was being handed out, fresh from the Lake of Galilee. Once our skins were full and our horses watered we crowded round another group of camels and received rations of bread and dates.
When we returned Babrak and Hamed were staring at a group of richly dressed emirs who were sitting their horses not an arrow shot away. In their midst was a short, slightly built man whom I recognised at once. I tugged at Hilmi's sleeve.
"Look! There's the Sultan."
"May God preserve him," Hilmi exclaimed. "Which one is the Sultan?"
"The one with the green surcoat," I said, pointing to the group.
"Go and receive the Sultan's bounty," Hilmi said to Babrak and Hamed after we had stared a while at the Sultan, and they rode off.
Hilmi and I dismounted and hobbled our horses, then ate our bread and dates while the beasts grazed near us. We watched as increasing numbers of men gathered around the perimeter of the Frankish position, firing arrows towards it. There was no response from the Franks, only every so often a scream as an arrow found its mark.
It was almost dark when the other two returned and fully dark by the time they had eaten. We divided the night between us, for though we expected no attack from either side, we dared not leave the horses unguarded. Babrak took the first watch, so the rest of us wrapped our cloaks about us and lay down on the ground to sleep, our saddlebags under our heads.
