himself took the vow and headed a noble army. The ways of God are not our
ways, and although the army of Germany joined that of France, but little
results came of this great effort. The Emperor Conrad, with the Germans,
was attacked by the Turk Saladin of Iconium, and was defeated with a loss
of 60,000 men. The King of France, with his army, was also attacked with
fury, and a large portion of his force were slaughtered. Nothing more
came of this great effort, and while the first Crusade seemed to show
that the men-at-arms of Europe were irresistible, the second on the
contrary gave proof that the Turks were equal to the Christian knights.
Gradually the Christian hold of the Holy Land was shaken. In 1187,
although fighting with extraordinary bravery, the small army of Christian
Knights of the Temple and of St. John were annihilated, the King of
Jerusalem was made prisoner, and the Christian power was crushed. Then
Saladin, who commanded the Turks, advanced against Jerusalem, and forced
it to capitulate.

"Such, my boy, is the last sad news which has reached us; and no wonder
that it has stirred the hearts of the monarchs of Europe, and that every
effort will be again made to recapture the holy sepulchre, and to avenge
our brethren who have been murdered by the infidels."

"But, Father Francis, from your story it would seem that Europe has
already sacrificed an enormous number of lives to take the holy
sepulchre, and that after all the fighting, when she has taken it, it is
only to lose it again."

"That is so, my son; but we will trust that in future things will be
better managed. The Templars and Hospitallers now number so vast a number
of the best lances in Europe, and are grown to be such great powers, that
we may believe that when we have again wrested the holy sepulchre from