Francis, indeed, wanted Jesus Christ to conquer men more than he wanted anything on earth; but he knew that men are only conquered by Jesus Christ if their hearts are changed by Him.
"Even if the Saracens are put to the sword and overwhelmed, still they are not saved," he said to himself.
As he thought these things he felt sure that he heard them calling to him (as the Man from Macedonia had called to St. Paul)--"Come over and help us." St. Paul had brought the story of Jesus Christ to Europe; and had suffered prison and scourging and at last death by the executioner"s sword in doing it; must not Francis be ready to take the same message back again from Europe to the Near East and to suffer for it?
"I will go," he said, "but to save the Saracens, not to slay them."
He was not going out to fight, yet he had in his heart a plan that needed him to be braver and more full of resource than any warrior in the armies of the Crusades. He was as much a Lion-hearted hero as Richard Coeur-de-Lion himself, and was far wiser and indeed more powerful.
So he took a close friend, Brother Illuminato, with him and they sailed away together over the seas. They sailed from Italy with Walter of Brienne, with one of the Crusading contingents in many ships.
Southeast they voyaged over the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Francis talked with the Crusaders on board; and much that they said and did made him very sad. They squabbled with one another.
The knights were arrogant and sneered at the foot soldiers; the men-at-arms did not trust the knights. They had the Cross on their armour; but few of them had in their hearts the spirit of Jesus who was nailed to the Cross.
At last the long, yellow coast-line of Egypt was sighted. Behind it lay the minarets and white roofs of a city. They were come to the eastern mouth of the Nile, on which stood the proud city of Damietta.
The hot rays of the sun smote down upon the army of the Crusaders as they landed. The sky and the sea were of an intense blue; the sand and the sun glared at one another.
Francis would just be able to hear at dawn the cry of the muezzin from the minarets of Damietta, "Come to prayer: there is no G.o.d but Allah and Mahomet is his prophet. Come to prayer. Prayer is better than sleep."
John of Brienne began to muster his men in battle array to attack the Sultan of Egypt, Malek-Kamel, a name which means "the Perfect Prince."
Francis, however, was quite certain that the attempt would be a ghastly failure. He hardly knew what to do. So he talked it over with his friend, Brother Illuminato.
"I know they will be defeated in this attempt," he said. "But if I tell them so they will treat me as a madman. On the other hand, if I do not tell them, then my conscience will condemn me. What do you think I ought to do?"
"My brother," said Illuminate, "what does the judgment of the world matter to you? If they say you are mad it will not be the first time!"
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 G.o.d."
"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 spa.r.s.e gra.s.s 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 G.o.d 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."
He thus made them understand that he wished to be taken to their Commander-in-Chief. So they decided to take these strange beings to Malek-Kamel.
As the Sultan sat in his pavilion Francis and Illuminato were led in.
They bowed and saluted him courteously and Malek-Kamel returned the salute.
"Have you come with a message from your Commander?" said the Sultan.
"No," replied Francis.
"You wish then to become Saracens--worshippers of Allah in the name of Mahomet?"
"Nay, nay," answered Francis, "Saracens we will never be. We have come with a message from G.o.d; it is a message that will save your life. If you die under the law of Mahomet you are lost. We have come to tell you so: if you listen to us we will show all this to you."
The Sultan seems to have been amused and interested rather than angry.
"I have bishops and archbishops of my own," he said, "they can tell me all that I wish to know."
"Of this we are glad," replied Francis, "send and fetch them, if you will."
The Sultan agreed; he sent for eight of his Moslem great men. When they came in he said to them: "See these men, they have come to teach us a new faith. Shall we listen to them?"
"Sire," they answered him at once, "thou knowest the law: thou art bound to uphold it and carry it out. By Mahomet who gave us the law to slay infidels, we command thee that their heads be cut off. We will not listen to a word that they say. Off with their heads!"