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THE CRUSADES, AND THE EAST 185 the Mongols. From this time forward Egypt was ruled by the Mamelukes, a magnificent body of soldiery composed primarily of young slaves trained to arms. Mameluke captains The Mame- succeeded each other as masters of Egypt, but lukes. the Mameluke soldiers proved themselves more than a match for all foreign enemies. The Mongol tide rolled eastwards as- well as westwards; it brought all China under its sway. Perhaps its most striking characteristic was the completeness of its tolerance for all re- ligions, and the thoroughness with which as a rule it wiped out those who had defied it. The dominion, however, so vast and so suddenly achieved, could not last, and the Mongol Empire soon broke up.
