faith, and delivering up the fort into the hands of the Sultan. He was
followed by two or three of his officers; all the rest, refusing to
become Mahometans, were ruthlessly put to the sword. Thus perished the
last wretched remnant of the vast multitude which had traversed Europe
with Peter the Hermit.

Walter the Pennyless and his multitude met as miserable a fate. On
the news of the disasters of Exorogorgon, they demanded to be led
instantly against the Turks. Walter, who only wanted good soldiers to
have made a good general, was cooler of head, and saw all the dangers
of such a step. His force was wholly insufficient to make any decisive
movement in a country where the enemy was so much superior, and where,
in case of defeat, he had no secure position to fall back upon; and he
therefore expressed his opinion against advancing until the arrival of
reinforcements. This prudent counsel found no favour: the army loudly
expressed their dissatisfaction at their chief, and prepared to march
forward without him. Upon this, the brave Walter put himself at their
head, and rushed to destruction. Proceeding towards Nice, the modern
Isnik, he was intercepted by the army of the Sultan: a fierce battle
ensued in which the Turks made fearful havoc; out of twenty-five
thousand Christians, twenty-two thousand were slain, and among them
Gautier himself, who fell pierced by seven mortal wounds. The
remaining three thousand retreated upon Civitot, where they intrenched
themselves.

Disgusted as was Peter the Hermit at the excesses of the
multitude, who, at his call, had forsaken Europe, his heart was moved
with grief and pity at their misfortunes. All his former zeal revived:
casting himself at the feet of the Emperor Alexius, he implored him,
with tears in his eyes, to send relief to the few survivors at