In the Holy Land during the Wars of the Crusades crusaders defended a seaport being besieged by Muslims. The siege had lasted almost a year. The fighting had been violent many had died.

Suddenly trumpets sounded. Instantly the fighting stopped. A camel train appeared one camel plodding along in front of the next - a long line stretching back into the distance. The Arab armies parted; the gates to the city opened the drawbridges dropped. One after another camel after camel - an endless chain of camels plodded into the city. Two thousand of them.

It was a smaller camel train all that was left of 20000 animals that had arrived at a terminal city inland and been divided into smaller trains and sent on to their final destinations. On the back of each animal rested a cargo so precious that it could have made a man rich for life - if he could but seize it. But few tried. Those who tried and failed were punished with a painful death.

Once in the city the camel drivers directed their charges through twisting narrow streets down to the harbor. There their cargoes were off-loaded by sweating stevedores who re-loaded them on waiting Christian ships . . . As soon as the last ship had departed the Saracen ships re-established their blockade the camels departed the gates closed the drawbridge raised and arrows began to fly and large rocks again were catapulted against enemies as the fighting re-commenced. . . .