Page 516

516 A HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES I 
by the service of preachers, poets, and romancers. It entered into his political
ambitions also. The campaigns soon to be opened against Damascus were preceded
and accompanied by poetic denunciations and pointed demonstrations of the
injury done to the cause of Islam by the alliance of its political chiefs
with the Franks. Later on, it was to range him against the Fã~imids
of Egypt. Whatever part private ambition may have had in his policy, it cannot
be questioned that in the twenty-five years that lay ahead of him he was
to go far towards creating the general unity and even exaltation of spirit
amongst the Moslems of Syria of which Saladin was to reap the benefit after
him. 
 For the moment he set himself to make the most of his victory at Inab, and
even hoped to seize Antioch in its temporary state of defenselessness. Foiled
in these hopes by the patriarch Airnery and the speed of Baldwin's advance
to its support, he rejoined al-YaghislyanI, whom he had previously detached
to invest Apamea. After its surrender, he returned to the north and seized
Ilãrim and all the remaining castles east of the Orontes before concluding
an armistice with Antioch. Mascüd, the sultan of Rum, also joined in
the scramble for spoils, and having captured Marash, Sam, and Duluk, laid
siege to Tell Bashir and appealed to Nürad-Din for assistance. 
 But Nür-ad-Din's interest at this moment lay in a different direction.
On August 28 Unur of Damascus had died, and a violent struggle broke out
between the prince Abak and rival parties among his officers. Before Nür-ad-DIn
could seize the opportunity to intervene, however, his brother Saif-ad-DIn
Ghãzi of Mosul died also (September 6). On receipt of this news Nür-ad-DIn
rode hellfor-leather toward Mosul with a small party of followers, and reached
and occupied Sinjar. A faction in the army of Mosul was favorable to his
interest, but ~Ali Kflchük and the vizir set up a younger brother, Qu~b-ad-DIn
MaudUd, as their prince, and when Nür-ad-DIn was joined by the Artukid
Kara Arsian, the Mosul forces marched out to give battle. The fratricidal
strife was finally averted by the vizir, who persuaded Nür-ad-Din to
surrender Sinjar in return for the surrender to him of Horns and Rahba. 
 On his return to Syria Nur-ad-Din, after sending Shirküh to join the
sultan Mas~ud at Tell Bashir, negotiated the raising of the siege on payment
of tribute by Joscelin. His ally, the Artukid Kara Arsian, was engaged during
the autumn and winter months in conquering the fortresses of Joscelin's Armenian
vassals on the