38 THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE. ened, and the city was prepared to offer a terrible obstacle to the progress of the Crusaders. In May, 1097, Godfrey de Bouillon and a host, variously estimated, and no doubt exag- gerated, at from 300,000 to 700,000 men, arrived before Nicsea and laid siege to it. A more imposing army had rarely ap- peared, even in Asia Minor. Its leaders would have been glad to push forward without delay to the Holy Land, but it was impossible that they should leave the capital of the Turk- ish kingdom in their rear. The ancient city stands at the eastern end of the beautiful lake Ascanius, which is about thirty miles long. It has no navigable outlet to the Marmora, or rather to the Gulf of Moudania, though there exists a small stream by which it might be connected with the gulf. The lake supplied it with abundant fish, and as the Crusaders were without boats it was almost impossible to deprive it of its supplies from the southern end of the lake. The Crusaders found among the hills near the city the remains of the first band which had pushed forward in the vain hope of taking Nicsea by a rush. This band had been led by a certain Keynard, and with them had been Peter the Hermit, who seems to have sunk into oblivion after the cru- sade got fairly under way. The sufferings of these Crusaders had been terrible. The few survivors were covered with rags or were entirely naked, and were dying of starvation. They had been utterly crushed by Kilidji Arslan. The great body of Crusaders under Godfrey, when they encamped, to resist the attacks of their enemy, used the countless bones of their brethren to aid in constructing the fortifications which they hurriedly threw up for their defence. Kilidji Arslan had left his family within the besieged cit}-. The sultan himself had remained outside to harass the be- siegers. The neighboring hills enabled him to do this with safety to himself, but with terrible loss to the besiegers. After a siege of six or seven weeks it became evident that the numbers of Crusaders were overwhelming. The city was attacked on three sides. The enthusiasm of the besiegers was fired by the renown of Nicsea, the birthplace of their creed. The sultan soon found that he had an enemy to deal with
