country, and that too in great danger; at length, however, they reached Dyrrachium, where the count was encouraged by a letter from the emperor, and having crossed the woody and mountainous district of Epirus, his army encamped in the district of Pelagonia, which abounded in all kinds of necessaries. Here the venerable bishop of Puy, who had pitched his tents away from the rest of the army, was attacked and taken prisoner by the Bulgarians. One of them, demanding money from him, protected him against the others ; and a tumult arising, the whole army was aroused, and, seizing their arms, rescued the bishop from their hands. Resuming their march, the pilgrims proceeded through Thessalonica and Macedonia, and after a series of continued labours and toils arrived at Rodetus, a city lying on the shores of the Hellespont, about four miles from Con stantinople, where they were met by messengers from the princes, who had gone before them, praying them to finish their business with the emperor and join them as soon as possible. The count, therefore, acceding to a request which came both from the imperialists and from the princes of the crusaders, left his army under the custody of the bishops and nobles who were in the camp, and, making all haste with a small retinue to Constantinople, obtained an audience with the emperor, by whom he was received with all honour ; but when he was urged to take the oath of allegiance to the emperor, as the others had done, he decidedly refused. The emperor, taking offence thereat, harassed him and his army with all kinds of stratagems, and commanded his troops to make a sudden attack on the crusaders and try to destroy them ; whereupon his centurions and quinquagenarians who commanded his troops, in obedience to the commands of their master, attacked the count's scouts unawares and in the night, and, taking them altogether by surprise, slew numbers of them. The count, hearing this, charged the emperor with dishonourable conduct, and Alexius, repenting of what he had done, invited Boamund to an audience (for he had not yet crossed the Hellespont), and endeavoured by the intervention of himself and his friends to be reconciled to the count. The mediators, though indignant at what had happened, saw that there was no room for taking vengeance, and having higher aims in view, reconciled the count with