Conrad III's stay at Pikridion showed typical barbarian mood-swings. His aggressive behaviour was interpreted by some as an attack on the capital, but he was eventually pushed to cross to Damalis by Manuel's Cuman troops. He first sent an aggressive letter demanding the imperial dromon to cross the strait; when Manuel I replied in a derisive way he crossed on a wretched little rowing-boat. In fact the numbers needing to cross were so great that every boat, of every size and kind, had to be commandeered. Conrad was remanded to restore conquered lands to Byzantium. Manuel and the Byzantines breathed a sigh of relief at his departure. Manganeios Prodromos regarded this as a great victory won with the aid of the Theotokos, an almost bloodless victory very different from the bloody battles around Nicaea. It completed the victories over westerners begun by Alexios during the First Crusade and continued by Ioannes II at Antioch