ABSTRACT
A n d , that night, there came a message to King Charles that the Lord King of Aragon was coming with all his forces and all the forces of Sicily, by sea and by land, and that he was not forty leagues away. And King Charles who heard this and who was a very wise lord, as well in feats of arms as in all other matters, thought that, if the King of Aragon was coming, it was certain that he could not come without some of his own host knowing it, and that, as they had betrayed King Manfred, so they might betray him. And, besides this, he feared that Calabria would rebel against him, and therefore he decided to embark that night and go across to Reggio. And at dawn, whilst they were still embarking, the people of Messina saw that they were going ; but there were many left yet, and the almugavars fell upon them and all who had remained on land, horse and foot, were killed. And then the almugavars raided the tents and took so much booty that Messina was enriched for ever after and so were the almugavars it is needless to say.
