baggage they reached Pamphilia.
The Governor of that city gave them shelter.
‘We will not encroach on your goodness,’ said the King. ‘We shall stay only until we can find transport to Antioch.’
The Governor told the King that Antioch was forty days’ march from Satalia, the port close by, but by sea it would take only three days.
‘My army is in no fit state to march,’ said Louis. ‘If you can provide us with boats to take us to Antioch we will repay you well as soon as this can be arranged.’
The Governor said he would do what he could.
Impatiently Eleonore awaited the arrival of the vessels. She had heard her father talk of his brother Raymond who had become the Prince of Antioch through his marriage with the granddaughter of Bohemund. ‘Raymond,’ her father had said, ‘was the handsomest man I ever saw. Women always found him irresistible.’ So it seemed had Constance, Bohemund’s granddaughter, and so she had brought him Antioch. Eleonore was eager to see this man. As her uncle he would surely make them welcome. In Antioch she could acquire some beautiful clothes. She was deeply grieved at the loss of the baggage, for to appear romantic and beautiful was necessary to her enjoyment of life.
Each day she awaited the arrival of the vessels which would carry them to Antioch, and when at last they came there was bitter disappointment. Seaworthy they undoubtedly were, but there were so few of them that they could not carry the army and all its adherents.
Louis was nonplussed. This could only mean that some of them would have to do the hazardous land march which would take forty days.
‘I cannot subject any to that,’ he cried to his bishops. ‘We must try to carry everyone in the ships.’
‘They would sink,’ was the terse reply.
‘Yet I cannot leave them to march across the land. The Arabs will attack them. They would suffer hardship, hunger … No, I cannot do it.’
‘Yet we cannot stay here, Sire.’
He spent long hours on his knees begging Heaven to show him what he must do. Time was passing; he must act quickly. Finally he made his decision.
He embarked on the ships with the queen, her ladies, the best of his army and some of the bishops.
And so Louis and Eleonore left for Antioch. The King had lost more than three-quarters of his army.
The journey which was to have taken three days had stretched out to three weeks. The weather had been good however and it seemed as though fortune was smiling on them at last.
Ahead lay the green and fertile land, and Raymond, Prince of Antioch, uncle to Eleonore, having been advised of their coming had prepared special honours for them.
As soon as the ships were sighted he personally set out to greet them, and he had ordered his subjects of Antioch to gather and line the route the visitors would take that they might be given a welcome.
Thus it was that Eleonore and her uncle met.
She looked up at him for although she was by no means small he towered above her. Rumour had been true when it had said that he was the handsomest prince in Christendom. There was the faintest resemblance between them; they were both gay and adventurous; they were both ambitious; they were both eager to live their lives to the full and take the utmost advantage from it. They recognised each other as two of a kind and there was immediate rapport between them.
He took her hand and kissed it. ‘What pleasure this gives me,’ he said.
‘I am very happy to be here,’ replied Eleonore.
He had turned to Louis. The King of France! This poor creature! Noble-looking in a saintly kind of way, of course, but no husband for his fiery Queen. It was going to be an amusing and exciting situation.
‘Welcome to Antioch, Sire,’ said Raymond, bowing.
‘Our gratitude to you, kinsman. We have had an arduous journey.’
‘I heard with dismay of what had happened to your army. But let us not despair. Here you may rest among friends and make fresh plans. But come. Let me
The Governor of that city gave them shelter.
‘We will not encroach on your goodness,’ said the King. ‘We shall stay only until we can find transport to Antioch.’
The Governor told the King that Antioch was forty days’ march from Satalia, the port close by, but by sea it would take only three days.
‘My army is in no fit state to march,’ said Louis. ‘If you can provide us with boats to take us to Antioch we will repay you well as soon as this can be arranged.’
The Governor said he would do what he could.
Impatiently Eleonore awaited the arrival of the vessels. She had heard her father talk of his brother Raymond who had become the Prince of Antioch through his marriage with the granddaughter of Bohemund. ‘Raymond,’ her father had said, ‘was the handsomest man I ever saw. Women always found him irresistible.’ So it seemed had Constance, Bohemund’s granddaughter, and so she had brought him Antioch. Eleonore was eager to see this man. As her uncle he would surely make them welcome. In Antioch she could acquire some beautiful clothes. She was deeply grieved at the loss of the baggage, for to appear romantic and beautiful was necessary to her enjoyment of life.
Each day she awaited the arrival of the vessels which would carry them to Antioch, and when at last they came there was bitter disappointment. Seaworthy they undoubtedly were, but there were so few of them that they could not carry the army and all its adherents.
Louis was nonplussed. This could only mean that some of them would have to do the hazardous land march which would take forty days.
‘I cannot subject any to that,’ he cried to his bishops. ‘We must try to carry everyone in the ships.’
‘They would sink,’ was the terse reply.
‘Yet I cannot leave them to march across the land. The Arabs will attack them. They would suffer hardship, hunger … No, I cannot do it.’
‘Yet we cannot stay here, Sire.’
He spent long hours on his knees begging Heaven to show him what he must do. Time was passing; he must act quickly. Finally he made his decision.
He embarked on the ships with the queen, her ladies, the best of his army and some of the bishops.
And so Louis and Eleonore left for Antioch. The King had lost more than three-quarters of his army.
The journey which was to have taken three days had stretched out to three weeks. The weather had been good however and it seemed as though fortune was smiling on them at last.
Ahead lay the green and fertile land, and Raymond, Prince of Antioch, uncle to Eleonore, having been advised of their coming had prepared special honours for them.
As soon as the ships were sighted he personally set out to greet them, and he had ordered his subjects of Antioch to gather and line the route the visitors would take that they might be given a welcome.
Thus it was that Eleonore and her uncle met.
She looked up at him for although she was by no means small he towered above her. Rumour had been true when it had said that he was the handsomest prince in Christendom. There was the faintest resemblance between them; they were both gay and adventurous; they were both ambitious; they were both eager to live their lives to the full and take the utmost advantage from it. They recognised each other as two of a kind and there was immediate rapport between them.
He took her hand and kissed it. ‘What pleasure this gives me,’ he said.
‘I am very happy to be here,’ replied Eleonore.
He had turned to Louis. The King of France! This poor creature! Noble-looking in a saintly kind of way, of course, but no husband for his fiery Queen. It was going to be an amusing and exciting situation.
‘Welcome to Antioch, Sire,’ said Raymond, bowing.
‘Our gratitude to you, kinsman. We have had an arduous journey.’
‘I heard with dismay of what had happened to your army. But let us not despair. Here you may rest among friends and make fresh plans. But come. Let me
Similar Books
