CHAPTER II.
THE CRIME He joined a horde of adventurers who were passing through the place.
He learned what it was to suffer hunger, thirst, sickness and filth.

He grew accustomed to the din of battles and to the sight of dying men.

The wind tanned his skin.

His limbs became hardened through contact with armour, and as he was very strong and brave, temperate and of good counsel, he easily obtained command of a company.
At the outset of a battle, he would electrify his soldiers by a motion of his sword.

He would climb the walls of a citadel with a knotted rope, at night, rocked by the storm, while sparks of fire clung to his cuirass, and molten lead and boiling tar poured from the battlements.
Often a stone would break his shield.