_June_] the troops of Champagne and their count served under Richard’s standard, and their own sovereign remained in command only of the strictly “French” followers who had come to Acre in his train.[655] The wind which had brought Richard’s galleys swiftly to Acre on June 8 changed again before the slower vessels of his fleet could follow him, and until they arrived he had no engines of war.[656] But “Mategriffon” had been packed on one of the galleys; on the 10th it was set up, and by daybreak on the 11th his archers were looking down into Acre from the tall wooden tower, and “Kill-Greek” was ready to become “Kill-Turk.” Philip renewed his attacks on the “Accursed Tower,” the chief defence of the city on its [Sidenote: _June 11-14_] eastern side; and all along the line of the walls stone-casters and miners set vigorously to work. Richard meanwhile “went about among the groups, instructing some, criticizing others, encouraging others; he seemed to be everywhere and at every man’s side, so that to him might fairly be ascribed whatsoever each man was doing.”[657] Within a day or two, however, he was prostrated by a strange illness, a kind of malarial fever which among other effects caused alopecia or loss of hair.[658] Much against his wishes, a general assault was nevertheless made under Philip’s orders on June 14. It failed, and so did another three or four days later.[659] Presently Philip was attacked by the same malady which had struck down Richard.[660] In Richard’s case it seems to have been complicated by his chronic trouble, ague;[661] and thus Philip was the first to recover. Richard occupied part of his time of enforced inactivity in an exchange of courtesies with Saladin. Each party was anxious for information as to the strength, or weakness, of the other; and the courtesies of chivalry, which were quite as familiar to the Moslem as to the Christian prince, were utilized by both for this purpose. Saladin appears to have opened communications by sending a gift of fruit to the two royal invalids. Richard was eager for a personal interview [Sidenote: _June 19-July 21_] with his courteous adversary; this Saladin refused, on the ground that “kings should not have speech with each other till terms of peace between them have been arranged”; he consented, however, to a meeting between his brother Safadin and the king, but when the time for it came Richard was still too ill to leave his tent. Richard next despatched to the Saracen camp a negro slave as a gift to the Sultan.[662] On the king’s part these proceedings were unwise, not in themselves, but because they were liable to be misconstrued by his fellow-Crusaders and to bring upon him the suspicions of the other princes in the host, and especially of Philip Augustus, with whom he was already at variance about a much more serious matter which practically depended upon their joint decision. This was nothing less than the disposal of the Crown of Jerusalem.