THE ASSAULT CAPTURE AND PLUNDER OF TIIE CITY

The bear’s skin having thus been divided, it only remained to capture the bear.

The Crusaders and Venetians had been pressing on their works for the attack upon the city with all their might. Rewards were offered to those whose scaling-ladders and covered gangways, to be thrown out from the ships’ cross-trees to the walls, were first ready. The machines were prepared for hurling stones. Battering-rams, ballistse, mangonels, and all the engines known to the military science of the time for attacking a walled city were got ready. There was no longer any question of leaving for the Holy Land. The lust of gain had fallen upon the whole of the army, and while they were making preparations for the attack they were already planning out the best course for a division of the spoil.

THE ASSAULT, CAPTURE, AND PLUNDER OF TIIE CITY

The preparations which the leaders had been pushing on Preparations during several weeks were completed by the 8th of for the attack. April, and that day was chosen for an assault upon the city. A noteworthy change of plan had been made from that which had been acted upon nine months before. Instead of attacking simultaneously a portion of the harbor walls and a portion of the landward walls, Venetians and Crusaders alike directed their efforts against the defences on the side of the harbor. The horses were embarked once more in the lniissiers. The line of battle was drawn up; the huissiers and galleys in front, the transports a little behind, and alternating between the huissiers and the galleys.

The whole length of the line of battle was upwards of half a league, and stretched from the Blachern to beyond the Petrion. The emperor’s vermilion tent had been pitched on the hill just beyond the district of the Petrion, where he could see the ships when they came immediately under the walls. Before him was the district which had been devastated by the fire. On the morning of An assault is ^ie 9th the ships, drawn up in the order I have de- made’ scribed, passed over from the north to the south side of the harbor.