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Article GHIVA.LET, ← Page 8 of 12 →
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Ghiva.Let,
the fortress ^ of Margat , which lay between Tripoli and Laodicea , was stormed and captured by the sultan Kelaoun , who with all his army at once marched against Laodicea . This then flourishing city fell almost without a struggle , the town was pillaged , and the inhabitants massacred , or sold into slavery ; a few who escaped perishing in the desert . The city of Tripoli and its inhabitants shared the same fate , the Moslems sweeping it w ith the besom of destruction .
Kelaoun ivas preparing to attack Acre , when death ended his career . His son Kb alii , who thirsted even more for war than his father , assembled all the Moslem powers to his banner ; and , at the head of 60 , 000 horse and 140 , 000 foot soldiers , marched against Acre . A chronicler of the age says : —" ¦ An innumerable people of all nations , and of every tongue , thirsting for Christian blood , were assembled together from the deserts of the east and the south ; the earth
trembled beneath their footsteps , and the air was rent with the sound of their trumpets and cymbals . The sun ' s rays , reflected from their shields , gleamed on the distant mountains ; and the points of their spears shone like the stars of heaven . They wandered about the walls , spying out their weaknesses and defects ; some barked like dogs , some roared like lions , some lowed and bellowed like oxen , some struck drums with twisted sticks after their fashion , some threw darts , some cast stones , and some shot arrows and bolts from cross-bows . 'V
Acre was invested by Khalil , on the 5 th of April , and from the first no hope was entertained of saving it ; but although the harbour was crowded with their vessels , the Knights Templar and Hospitallers Scorned to retire . There was a garrison of over 12 , 000 men , besides the strength of the two Orders ; these forces were marshalled in four divisions , the first being under the command of Hugh de Grandison , an English Knight ; William de Beauieu being the
commander-in-chief . After a siege of six : weeks , and the performance of many deeds of heroism , each succeeding breach costing the assailants many lives—whilst mounted on the wall , engaged hand to hand with the infidels—the Grand Master of the Temple fell ; the defenders became panic-stricken , and the infidels rushed in with the
cry of " Allah acbar ! " Makrisi , their own historian , says : — "The victorious Mussulmans slaughtered , pillaged , and made prisoners ; the number of the dead was incalculable , and so was the number of women and children who were reduced to slavey . " The survivors of the illustrious Order of the Temple , in number about 300 , fought their way to their convent , and there , shutting the gate , bade defiance to their foes . The Temple was a place of great
strength , and of considerable extent . They immediately elected for their Grand Master , Brother Grandiiii , and prepared for defence . The next morning the sultan offered them " favourable terms for surrender , to which they agreed , provided that a galley for their transport was placed at their disposal ; and that each man might carry away as much as he could load himself with . Khalil promised the fulfilment of these conditions , and a guard of 300 Moslems was charged to see
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ghiva.Let,
the fortress ^ of Margat , which lay between Tripoli and Laodicea , was stormed and captured by the sultan Kelaoun , who with all his army at once marched against Laodicea . This then flourishing city fell almost without a struggle , the town was pillaged , and the inhabitants massacred , or sold into slavery ; a few who escaped perishing in the desert . The city of Tripoli and its inhabitants shared the same fate , the Moslems sweeping it w ith the besom of destruction .
Kelaoun ivas preparing to attack Acre , when death ended his career . His son Kb alii , who thirsted even more for war than his father , assembled all the Moslem powers to his banner ; and , at the head of 60 , 000 horse and 140 , 000 foot soldiers , marched against Acre . A chronicler of the age says : —" ¦ An innumerable people of all nations , and of every tongue , thirsting for Christian blood , were assembled together from the deserts of the east and the south ; the earth
trembled beneath their footsteps , and the air was rent with the sound of their trumpets and cymbals . The sun ' s rays , reflected from their shields , gleamed on the distant mountains ; and the points of their spears shone like the stars of heaven . They wandered about the walls , spying out their weaknesses and defects ; some barked like dogs , some roared like lions , some lowed and bellowed like oxen , some struck drums with twisted sticks after their fashion , some threw darts , some cast stones , and some shot arrows and bolts from cross-bows . 'V
Acre was invested by Khalil , on the 5 th of April , and from the first no hope was entertained of saving it ; but although the harbour was crowded with their vessels , the Knights Templar and Hospitallers Scorned to retire . There was a garrison of over 12 , 000 men , besides the strength of the two Orders ; these forces were marshalled in four divisions , the first being under the command of Hugh de Grandison , an English Knight ; William de Beauieu being the
commander-in-chief . After a siege of six : weeks , and the performance of many deeds of heroism , each succeeding breach costing the assailants many lives—whilst mounted on the wall , engaged hand to hand with the infidels—the Grand Master of the Temple fell ; the defenders became panic-stricken , and the infidels rushed in with the
cry of " Allah acbar ! " Makrisi , their own historian , says : — "The victorious Mussulmans slaughtered , pillaged , and made prisoners ; the number of the dead was incalculable , and so was the number of women and children who were reduced to slavey . " The survivors of the illustrious Order of the Temple , in number about 300 , fought their way to their convent , and there , shutting the gate , bade defiance to their foes . The Temple was a place of great
strength , and of considerable extent . They immediately elected for their Grand Master , Brother Grandiiii , and prepared for defence . The next morning the sultan offered them " favourable terms for surrender , to which they agreed , provided that a galley for their transport was placed at their disposal ; and that each man might carry away as much as he could load himself with . Khalil promised the fulfilment of these conditions , and a guard of 300 Moslems was charged to see