Francis, therefore, went to the Crusaders and warned them. They laughed scornfully. The order for advance was given. The Crusaders charged into battle. Francis was in anguish--tears filled his eyes. The Saracens came out and fell upon the Christian soldiers and slaughtered them. Over 6000 of them either fell under the scimitar or were taken prisoner. The Crusaders were defeated. Francis' mind was now fully made up. He went to a Cardinal, who represented the Pope, with the Crusading Army to ask his leave to go and preach to the Sultan of Egypt. "No," said the Cardinal, "I cannot give you leave to go. I know full well that you would never escape to come back alive. The Sultan of Egypt has offered a reward of gold to any man who will bring to him the head of a Christian. That will be your fate." "Do suffer us to go, we do not fear death," pleaded Francis and Illuminato, again and again. "I do not know what is in your minds in this," said the Cardinal, "but beware--if you go--that your thoughts are always to God." "We only wish to go for great good, if we can work it," replied Francis. "Then if you wish it so much," the Cardinal at last agreed, "you may go." So Francis and Illuminato girded their loins and tightened their sandals and set away from the Crusading Army towards the very camp of the enemy. As he walked Francis sang with his full, loud, clear voice. These were the words that he sang: Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. As they walked along over the sandy waste they saw two small sheep nibbling the sparse grass growing near the Nile. "Be of good cheer," said Francis to Illuminato, smiling, "it is the fulfilling of the Gospel words 'Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves.'" Then there appeared some Saracen soldiers. They were, at first, for letting the two unarmed men go by; but, on questioning Francis, they grew angrier and angrier. "Are you deserters from the Christian camp?" they asked. "No," replied Francis. "Are you envoys from the commander come to plead for peace?" "No," was the answer again. "Will you give up the infidel religion and become a true believer and say 'There is no God but Allah, and Mahomet is his prophet?'" "No, no," cried Francis, "we are come to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Sultan of Egypt." The eyes of the Saracen soldiers opened with amazement: they could hardly believe their ears. Their faces flushed under their dark skins with anger. "Chain them," they cried to one another. "Beat them--the infidels." Chains were brought and snapped upon the wrists and ankles of Francis and Illuminato. Then they took rods and began to beat the two men--just as Paul and Silas had been beaten eleven centuries earlier. As the rods whistled through the air and came slashing upon their wounded backs Francis kept crying out one word--"Soldan--Soldan." That is "Sultan--Sultan."