Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/282

 264: THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE. hearts," in the interests of Yenice, had been borne in the hopes that on the capture of Zara a way might be found for a speedy departure oiUre-mer. But the pilgrims now saw that their allies cared nothing for the object of the pilgrimage, and were mainly bent on recovering territory and destroying a rival, while they believed that their own leaders were bent upon amassing the largest possible amount of spoil from a Christian people. They themselves were suffering much from cold and hunger,^ and would have been content so to suffer if it were in the execution of their vow. Now, however, both their spiritual and their temporal interests were being sacri- ficed. Those who thought most of the first found themselves under the ban of excommunication, and those who might have been disposed to disregard spiritual censure found that they were being used to benefit the Venetians while others obtained the spoil. Hence there were daily desertions. The strictest orders were given that none should leave the camp. These orders, however, were insufficient to check the evil. A thou- sand went without leave. The clamor for permission to go away was so great that the leaders judged it well to give per- mission to another thousand. Many merchant ships went away filled with soldiers. One had five hundred on board, who were all drowned. Another detachment tried to return home through '^Slavonia" — that is, through Dalmatia and Styria — but, after being badly assailed by the peasants, had to ret-urn to the army. It should be noted also that this anxiety to leave the army was mainly caused by the desire of the deserters to be about the business for which they had left home. The object of most of those who left the camp was to get to Syria or Egypt. » " Devastatio."