First, the king fell out with the Archduke of Austria." "On what ground did this happen ?" Cuthbert asked.
"For once," the earl said, "the king our master was wholly in the wrong, which is not generally the case.

We had just taken Ascalon, and were hard at work fortifying the place.

King Richard with his usual zeal, in order to encourage the army, seized heavy stones and himself bore them into their place.

The Archduke stood near with some of his knights: and it may be that the haughty Austrian looked somewhat superciliously at our king, thus labouring.
"'Why do you not make a show of helping ?' King Richard said, going up to him.

'It would encourage the men, and show that the labour upon which we are engaged can be undertaken by all without derogation.' "To this the Archduke replied,-- "'I am not the son of a mason!' "Whereupon Richard, whose blood no doubt had been excited by the air of the Austrian, struck him with his hand a fierce blow across the face.