Boy Crusaders: A Story of the Days of Louis IX. Read online

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  Presented to Master Thomas St. Lawrence Stephenson as a Birthday present from the Crew of the yacht "Northumbria"

  Sept. 12th 1841[1]

  In vain were all attempts to drag him from his steed;before his mighty battle-axe the Saracens seemed to fall as corn beforethe reaper.--p. 169.]

  THE

  BOY CRUSADERS:

  =A Story of the Days of Louis IX.=

  BY

  J. G. EDGAR,

  AUTHOR OF 'THE BOY PRINCES,' ETC.

  =Eight Full Page Illustrations.=

  =Edinburgh:=

  GALL & INGLIS, 6 GEORGE STREET.

  PREFACE.

  AMONG the many adventurous enterprises which rendered the age offeudalism and chain-armour memorable in history, none were moreremarkable or important than the 'armed pilgrimages' popularly known asthe Crusades; and, among the expeditions which the warriors of mediaevalEurope undertook with the view of rescuing the Holy Sepulchre from theSaracens, hardly one is so interesting as that which had Louis IX. forits chief and Joinville for its chronicler.

  In this volume I have related the adventures of two striplings, who,after serving their apprenticeship to chivalry in a feudal castle in thenorth of England, assumed the cross, embarked for the East, took part inthe crusade headed by the saint-King of France, and participated in theglory and disaster which attended the Christian army, after landing atDamietta--including the carnage of Mansourah, and the massacre ofMinieh.

  In writing the 'Boy Crusaders' for juvenile readers, my object hasbeen--while endeavouring to give those, for whose perusal the work isintended, as faithful a picture as possible of the events whichJoinville has recorded--to convey, at the same time, as clear an idea asmy limits would permit, of the career and character of the renownedFrench monarch who, in peril and perplexity, in captivity and chains, soeminently signalised his valour and his piety.

  J. G. E.

  CONTENTS.

  CHAPTER PAGE I. A FEUDAL CASTLE 9 II. THE BROTHERS-IN-ARMS 14 III. THE HEIRS OF THE ESPECS 21 IV. ST. LOUIS 28 V. TAKING THE CROSS 36 VI. EMBARKING FOR THE EAST 41 VII. THE ARMED PILGRIMS AT CYPRUS 45 VIII. EASTWARD 49 IX. AN ADVENTURE 55 X. ON THE LADDER OF LIFE 60 XI. THE VOYAGE 68 XII. AT DAMIETTA 74 XIII. INCURSIONS 82 XIV. A RENEGADE 88 XV. CAPTURE OF A CARAVAN 96 XVI. A COUNCIL OF WAR 103 XVII. FACE TO FACE 109 XVIII. DELAY AND DANGER 113 XIX. THE CAPTIVE 119 XX. PASSING THE ACHMOUN 124 XXI. THE CARNAGE OF MANSOURAH 128 XXII. THE BATTLE 136 XXIII. HOW JOINVILLE KEPT THE BRIDGE 142 XXIV. THE FIRST FRIDAY IN LENT 150 XXV. MORTIFICATIONS AND MISERIES 158 XXVI. THE MASSACRE OF MINIEH 165 XXVII. JOINVILLE IN PERIL 173 XXVIII. NEWS OF DISASTER 181 XXIX. A WOUNDED PILGRIM 185 XXX. ST. LOUIS IN CHAINS 191 XXXI. THE TRAGEDY OF PHARESCOUR 199 XXXII. PERILS AND SUSPENSE 204 XXXIII. ACRE 210 XXXIV. A RESCUE 214 XXXV. MISSION TO BAGDAD 222 XXXVI. THE LAST OF THE CALIPHS 229 XXXVII. A RECOGNITION 234 XXXVIII. WOE TO THE CALIPH 240 XXXIX. IN THE LION'S MOUTH 246 XL. END OF THE ARMED PILGRIMAGE 253 XLI. A SUDDEN DISCOVERY 260 XLII. HOMEWARD BOUND 266 XLIII. A ROYAL VISIT 272 XLIV. THE FEAST OF KINGS 279

  THE BOY CRUSADERS.