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none of his ships had made landfall anywhere on the island. The protests of his physician delayed him a few days. What held Richard for the remainder of the ten days they spent at Rhodes was the question of what to do about Cyprus. From every side Richard heard complaints of Isaac Comnenus, the tyrant who had seized the island by a ruse, governed by force with a group of paid mercenaries who were as vicious and depraved as their master, and was hated by all the surrounding rulers because he obstructed the trade routes. |
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Cyprus in itself was a rich prize. Before the advent of Comnenus it had been a supply base for the early Crusades and for the Latin kingdoms of the Holy Land. Isaac, however, found there was more to be made out of friendship with Saladin, and he had done all he could to interfere with any aid sent to the besiegers of Acre. What was more, there was good reason to believe that the twenty-five missing ships had been blown to Cyprus. A few might have foundered, but the fact that none of them had rejoined Richard at Rhodes more than hinted that they had met a foul reception. That decided Richard. They would make for Cyprus and check up on the rumors. It was as useful a goal as any other. |
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For four days after the storm the ship holding the ladies sailed quietly, they knew not whither. No one was quite happy to be out of sight of land for so long, but there was plenty of water and supplies and no immediate danger. Late in the afternoon of the second day, two ships were sighted to the south. An anxious conference was held as to whether they should allow the ships to overtake them or run. There was, of course, a good chance that the ships were part of Richard's fleet. The ladies wanted to wait both because they would feel safer if they were not completely alone and because they wished news of their safety to be carried to the rest of the fleet as quickly as possible. |
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