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soldiers ; and any and every crusader who conies to Cyprus for provisions shall be allowed to buy them freely, and shall pay no duty upon them.' Eichard, accustomed to the rougher manners of Europe, was not only pacified but charmed by Isaac's Oriental courtesy ; and he retired, after many civilities, delighted with the results of the interview. Nor was Isaac himself any the less satisfied, though, as will appear presently, for somewhat different reasons. His only object in meeting Eichard at all had not been to make him a friend, but to gauge his character as an enemy ; and the con-clusion he had come to with regard to that point was this : he considered Eichard as a man absorbed by a single passion—a desire to reach his destination and begin his conflict with the infidel—and for this reason unlikely, come what might, to waste his time by remaining in Cyprus to assert himself. Accordingly the two monarchs had hardly retired to rest when Isaac quietly rose, and not pausing to dress himself, mounted a horse and galloped off to Colossi. From this place, which is not two hours from Limasol, he had the hardihood to send a message to Eichard, telling him and his followers to be quit of the island instantly, ' or else,' he said, ' I will very soon let you know how little I think of you and all your barbarous Franks.' The result of this message was singularly unex-pected. Instead of pocketing the insult and hurrying on to Palestine, Eichard at once disembarked his 184 IN AN ENCHANTED ISLAND

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