Then Gilbert ground his
teeth silently and did the best he could, retracing his steps over many
miles, exploring a new road, and choking down the humiliation bravely,
because he had given his word.
But little by little that humiliation turned to honour, even among the
men who were with him; for most of them were taken from the Queen's
army, and besides, they saw every day that Gilbert was right, so that
they trusted him and would have followed him through storm and fire.
Also in the Queen's army it began to be known, and it spread to the
other French, and to the Germans, and to the Poles and the Bohemians,
that when the troops followed the march chosen by Gilbert, all went
well, and they found water and forage for their horses, and food and a
good camping-ground; but often, when the King and the Emperor had their
way, there was hunger and cold and lack of water.
The men began to say to each other, when they knew, "This is Sir
Gilbert's road, and to-day is a feast-day;" and then, "This is the
King's road, and to-day is Friday." And on Gilbert's days they sang as
they marched, and trudged along cheerfully, and his name ran like a
sound of gladness along the endless lines. He grew, therefore, to be
beloved by many who had never seen him in the great host, and at last
even by the most of the soldiers.
So they came to Ephesus at last, very weary, and with some sick persons
among them. Conrad the Emperor was in ill case, though he was of the
strongest, and at Ephesus messengers met him who had come by sea from
the Emperor of the Greeks, begging that he and all his men would sail
back to Constantinople and spend the rest of the winter there, and
afterwards go by sea again to Syria.
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