STORIES FROM HISTORY SERIES EDITED BY JOHN LANG STORIES FROM THE CRUSADES [Illustration: Wherever the battle was hottest, Richard seemed to spring from the ground See page 75] STORIES FROM THE CRUSADES BY JANET HARVEY KELMAN WITH PICTURES BY L. D. LUARD LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO. TO KATHARINE AND BARBARA THE HEROES OF THE CRUSADES The stories in this book are of heroes who lived hundreds of years ago. They caught sight of a beautiful dream and lived and died to make it come true. Their eagerness swept along with them not only men who had never dreamed the dream and who did not know for what end they fought, but bad men also who only wished to get what they could for themselves. The Crusades are long past, yet to-day there are men who see visions of good and who wish to bring them down to earth. With them are others who fight selfishly as did Bohemond and Baldwin long ago. But there are still men like Francis, who carry goodwill with them, and great knights like Tancred and like Louis, who live to fight for the poor and the weak. LIST OF STORIES Chap. Page I. How Peter preached of Jerusalem 1 II. How Tancred fought under the Banner of the Cross 17 III. How the Kings fought for Glory and not for Christ 51 IV. How Frederick came to his Kingdom 82 V. How Louis thought Death a little Thing 92 LIST OF PICTURES Wherever the battle was hottest Richard seemed to spring from the ground _Frontispiece_ At page Peter set off with an unruly band of men 16 Bohemond led the way himself 38 Peter held a lance-head high in the air 40 They knelt on the rocky track 42 Barbarossa waits until his country needs him 64 A wild and fierce race called Tartars 92 Louis leapt into the water 98 CHAPTER I HOW PETER PREACHED OF JERUSALEM Once upon a time there was an ugly little boy called Peter, who lived in his father’s castle in France. He was a restless boy, and liked always to do or to hear something new. His home was very quiet, for his father was a great fighter, and was often away at the wars for months at a time. But though one day was very like another in Peter’s life when he was young, he used to hear tales of pilgrimage and of battle that made him long to be free to go out into the world himself.