When
the king heard that the standard of Saint Denis was on shore he strode
quickly across the deck of his ship . . . and refused to be parted with
the emblem of his sovereignty. He leapt into the sea . . . and waded
ashore with his shield hanging from his neck and his lance in his hands.
. . . When he reached land he looked at the enemy and asked who they were.
He was told that they were Saracens. He put his lance under his armpit
. . . and would have charged right into them if his men had not stopped
him.