The Ridge A novel by Isa Darby (© I. Darby 1991) Revised 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 "There's a cave near the top of that hill, sir. Do you want us to search it?" Seated upon a black stallion, the officer glanced up at the hill. His chain mail glistened in the hot afternoon sun and his sword hilt shone like an evening star. He, like so many of the European knights, found the heat of Palestine almost unbearable. Clearly irritated by the humidity, he wiped the sweat from his brow with a grubby white cloth. "They're long gone by now and I fear the Saracens may discover our presence here. Our treaty with the Emir in Jerusalem forbids us to venture this far inland." (My thanks, for inspiration, to Dream Theater, Yes, Jethro Tull, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Rush and Steve Hackett).
