Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/117

 DYNASTIC TROUBLES. 99 Meantime tlic Wallacbs and Bulgarians, althongli defeated by Branas in the Balkans, had been dispersed but Revolt of -^ 1 1 mi 1 T • 11.,. waiiachs and not cruslied. Inej had again mustered their forces, and were in rebellion. While Branas had been making this attempt before Constantinople in 118G, their prep- arations for a second war were being completed. The emper- or determined in the spring of the following year to march against them himself. lie invited Conrad to accompany him, but the Crusader, who was dissatisfied with the empty title of cresar, and, apparently, with his wife, preferred rather to sail for Palestine, Avhere, after obtaining several victories over the Saracens, he was assassinated by an emissary of Khasis, the Old Man of the Mountain. Isaac went to Adrianople, and thence to Basterna, near to which place he came up with the enemy. JS'icetas accompanied him in this expedition as his secretary, and relates in detail what he saw : how the Wallachs first threw their darts, then charged with their lances, but fled before the steady march of the Eomans in order to induce the latter to break their line ; how, as soon as the imperial troops ceased to advance, they returned to the charge with the ut- most fury, and would have succeeded if the emperor had not brought up his reserve. The enemy was defeated, but Asan continually harassed the imperial troops, marched hither and thither, kept them occupied during the whole of the summer, until at length the emperor returned to the capital, and placed his troops in winter quarters near Philippopolis, and postponed operations until the spring of 1188. When spring came three months were spent in the siege of Lovtcha, without being able to capture it, and Isaac returned to the capital. During the next three years the Wallachs and Bulgarians continued in re- volt. They were joined by a band of Comans, and held pos- session of a large portion of the open country to the north of the Balkans. In 1191 Isaac himself again took the field against them, but with the result that he was surprised and narrowly escaped capture. This success encouraged the enemy to make further attempts against the empire. The rebels were no longer content to ravage the open country and to plunder vil- lages, but they boldly attacked the fortified towns. They