7 - The Crusader

Summary

Indeed, the duke lived for a good six years in that country and governed his duchy well. One morning the noble lord chanced to be taking his ease outside his castle when he saw a ship sail into the harbor, a ship that had come from Christian Ethiopia, the land of the Moors, and he asked who owned the ship, and what news they brought. They told the duke: “We are merchants and we set out from Ethiopia but could not help being driven here by the winds. We had no intention of coming to this country. We implore you, most noble knight, for the sake of God to show us mercy and help us, lord, to preserve our lives. We shall give you as much of our goods as you would like, with no limits because we are in your hands. We would only ask that you leave enough to keep us from starvation and that we can get home alive.”

When he heard this, the bold warrior realized what things were like in the country they came from. Duke Ernst asked if there was a war there, and they told him what the situation was. They said: “The troops of the king of Babylon often cause great damage to the lands of the king of Ethiopia. They have frequently attacked with very considerable force, trying to make the king renounce Christianity and so to increase the numbers of heathens and unbelievers. They regularly invade our country with a great army and have to be stopped. On many occasions they have had to give way and flee from our land because of our forces and the king's bravery in battle. He is unwavering in his belief.”

When he had heard their story, the duke asked the merchants if they would help him secretly and covertly. “It has long been my desire to get to Jerusalem,” he said, and if they would help him to get there, he would reward them handsomely. He was also inclined, he said, if there was a war, to stay for a time there with the king, and then move on to Jerusalem. When the merchants heard this, they were very happy indeed, and promised him faithfully that they would do whatever he said.