Ch. XXI. Affairs being in this position, at the end of the month of July, within which the Turks had promised to restore the holy cross, and receive back their hostages, a rumour spread among the army, that the King of France, on whom the hope of the people rested, intended to return home, and was making active preparations for his journey. Oh how wicked and how insulting a proceeding, while as yet so much work remained on hand, to wish to go away, when his duty was to rule so large a multitude of people, and when his presence was so necessary to encourage the Christians to so pious a work, and to provide for the progress of so arduous an undertaking! O why did he come so long a way and with so much toil, if he intended to return almost immediately? O wonderful performance of his vow, by merely entering the Holy Land, and contending against the Turks with such small triumph! But why need we say more? The King of France alleged sickness as the cause of his return; and said that he had performed his vow as far as he was able; most of all, because he was well and sound when he took up the cross with King Henry between Trie and Gisors.... But when the inflexible determination of the King of France to return became known to all, and his refusal to yield to the murmurs of his men, or their supplications to remain, the French would have renounced their subjection to him, if it could have been done, and would have loathed his dominion; and they imprecated on him every kind of adversity and misfortune that could fall to the lot of man in this life. But for all that the King of France hastened his voyage as much as possible, and left in his stead the Duke of Burgundy, with a large number of men. Moreover, he begged King Richard to supply him with two galleys, and the King readily gave him two of his best; how ungrateful he was of this service was afterwards seen. RICHARD'S SICKNESS (1192). A TRUCE. +Source.+--_Richard of Devizes_, §§ 87, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, _Chronicles of the Crusades_. Bohn's Libraries. G. Bell & Sons. § 87. The King was extremely sick, and confined to his bed; his fever continued without intermission; the physicians whispered that it was an acute semitertian.... No one speaks of the indisposition of the King, lest the secret of their intense sorrow should be disclosed to the enemy; for it was thoroughly understood that Saladin feared the charge of the whole army less than that of the King alone; and if he should know that he was dead, he would instantly pelt the French with cow-dung, and intoxicate the best of the English with a dose that should make them tremble.