THE HOST OF THE SOLDAN OF DAMASCUS PASSES 3EFORE ACRE FINE FEAT OF ARMS OF JOHN LE GRAND
When these Saracens had departed from before Jaffa and me before Acre, they sent word to the Lord of Assur, who is constable of the kingdom of Jerusalem, that they would story the gardens of the city if he did not send them fifty outstand bezants; and he made answer that he would send them none. Then they arrayed their battalions, and came . along the sands of Acre, and so near to the city as to be within the shot of a swivel-crossbow. The Lord of .sur issued from the town, and set himself on Mount St. there where the cemetery of St. Nicholas is, to defend e gardens. Our foot sergeants issued from Acre, and began harass the Saracens with bows and crossbows.
The Lord of Assur called to him a knight of Genoa, whose me was my Lord John le Grand, and ordered him to go d recall the lesser people who had issued from the town of .re, so that they should not put themselves in peril. While was bringing them back, a Saracen began to cry out to n, in the Saracen tongue, that he would joust with him, if at were his pleasure; and my Lord John told him he would do so willingly. While my Lord John was going wards the Saracen to joust, he looked to has left hand, and w a little troop of Turks, full eight in number, who had led to see the joust. He left the jousting with the racon, and went towards the little troop of Turks, who ire stopping quite still, to see the joust, and ran one of them through the body with his lance, and laid him dead.
1 hen the others saw this, they ran upon him as he was turning towards our people, and one of them struck him a eat blow with his mace on his steel cap; and as this Turk tossed, my Lord John with his sword struck him on the bran that was wrapped round his head, and caused the urban to fly off into the field. (They wear turbans when they because the turbans will ward off the heavy blow of a lord.) Another Turk spurred upon him, and would have just his spear between his shoulders; but my Lord John w the spear coming and inclined to the left; then as the
Saracen passed, my Lord John gave him a back-handed stroke with the sword across the arm, so that his spear fie into the midst of the field. And so my Lord John retimed and brought back his foot people. And these fine strike were struck before the Lord of Assur, and the men of not that were in Acre, and before all the women who were loll king on upon the walls.
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