Lull's blood was up. He leapt to his feet, leaned forward, and
caught the Moor a swinging blow on the face with his hand. In a fury
the Saracen snatched a dagger from the folds of his robe and, leaping
at Lull, drove it into his side. Raymund fell with a cry. Friends
rushed in. The Saracen was seized and hurried away to a prison-cell,
where he slew himself.
Lull, as he lay day after day waiting for his wound to heal and
remembering his wild blow at the Saracen, realised that, although he
had learned Arabic, he had not yet learned the first lesson of his own
new way of Crusading--to be master of himself.
IV
_The Preparation of Courage_
So Raymund Lull (at home and in Rome and Paris) set himself afresh to
his task of preparing. At last he felt that he was ready. From Paris
he rode south-east through forest and across plain, over mountain and
pass, till the gorgeous palaces and the thousand masts of Genoa came
in sight.
He went down to the harbour and found a ship that was sailing across
the Mediterranean to Africa. He booked his passage and sent his goods
with all his precious manuscripts aboard. The day for sailing came.
His friends came to cheer him. But Lull sat in his room trembling.
As he covered his eyes with his hands in shame, he saw the fiery,
persecuting Saracens of Tunis, whom he was sailing to meet.
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