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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Knight of the White Cross, by G.A. Henty
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Knight of the White Cross
+
+Author: G.A. Henty
+
+Release Date: January, 2004  [EBook #4932]
+Posting Date: April 13, 2009
+Last Updated: March 11, 2018
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A KNIGHT OF THE WHITE CROSS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Martin Robb
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A KNIGHT OF THE WHITE CROSS
+
+
+By G.A. Henty
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+MY DEAR LADS,
+
+The order of the Knights of St. John, which for some centuries played
+a very important part in the great struggle between Christianity and
+Mahomedanism, was, at its origin, a semi-religious body, its members
+being, like other monks, bound by vows of obedience, chastity, and
+poverty, and pledged to minister to the wants of the pilgrims who
+flocked to the Holy Places, to receive them at their great Hospital--or
+guest house--at Jerusalem, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and to
+defend them on their passage to and from the sea, against attack by
+Moslems. In a comparatively short time the constitution of the order was
+changed, and the Knights Hospitallers became, like the Templars, a
+great military Order pledged to defend the Holy Sepulchre, and to war
+everywhere against the Moslems. The Hospitallers bore a leading share
+in the struggle which terminated in the triumph of the Moslems, and the
+capture by them of Jerusalem. The Knights of St. John then established
+themselves at Acre, but after a valiant defence of that fortress,
+removed to Crete, and shortly afterwards to Rhodes. There they fortified
+the town, and withstood two terrible sieges by the Turks. At the end
+of the second they obtained honourable terms from Sultan Solyman, and
+retiring to Malta established themselves there in an even stronger
+fortress than that of Rhodes, and repulsed all the efforts of the Turks
+to dispossess them. The Order was the great bulwark of Christendom
+against the invasion of the Turks, and the tale of their long struggle
+is one of absorbing interest, and of the many eventful episodes none
+is more full of incident and excitement than the first siege of Rhodes,
+which I have chosen for the subject of my story.
+
+Yours truly, G. A. Henty
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I The King Maker
+
+
+A stately lady was looking out of the window of an apartment in the
+Royal Chateau of Amboise, in the month of June, 1470. She was still
+handsome, though many years of anxiety, misfortune, and trouble, had
+left their traces on her face. In the room behind her, a knight was
+talking to a lady sitting at a tambour frame; a lad of seventeen was
+standing at another window stroking a hawk that sat on his wrist,
+while a boy of nine was seated at a table examining the pages of an
+illuminated missal.
+
+“What will come of it, Eleanor?” the lady at the window said, turning
+suddenly and impatiently from it. “It seems past belief that I am to
+meet as a friend this haughty earl, who has for fifteen years been the
+bitterest enemy of my House. It appears almost impossible.”
+
+“'Tis strange indeed, my Queen; but so many strange things have befallen
+your Majesty that you should be the last to wonder at this. At any rate,
+as you said but yesterday, naught but good can come of it. He has done
+his worst against you, and one can scarce doubt that if he chooses he
+has power to do as much good for you, as in past times he has done you
+evil. 'Tis certain that his coming here shows he is in earnest, for
+his presence,--which is sure sooner or later to come to the ears of the
+Usurper,--will cause him to fall into the deepest disgrace.”
+
+“And yet it seemed,” the queen said, “that by marrying his daughter
+to Clarence he had bound himself more firmly than ever to the side of
+York.”
+
+“Ay, madam,” the knight said. “But Clarence himself is said to be alike
+unprincipled and ambitious, and it may well be that Warwick intended to
+set him up against Edward; had he not done so, such an alliance would
+not necessarily strengthen his position at Court.”
+
+“Methinks your supposition is the true one, Sir Thomas,” the queen said.
+“Edward cares not sufficiently for his brother to bestow much favour
+upon the father of the prince's wife. Thus, he would gain but little
+by the marriage unless he were to place Clarence on the throne. Then
+he would again become the real ruler of England, as he was until Edward
+married Elizabeth Woodville, and the House of Rivers rose to the first
+place in the royal favour, and eclipsed the Star of Warwick. It is no
+wonder the proud Earl chafes under the ingratitude of the man who owes
+his throne to him, and that he is ready to dare everything so that he
+can but prove to him that he is not to be slighted with impunity. But
+why come to me, when he has Clarence as his puppet?”
+
+“He may have convinced himself, madam, that Clarence is even less to
+be trusted than Edward, or he may perceive that but few of the Yorkists
+would follow him were he to declare against the Usurper, while assuredly
+your adherents would stand aloof altogether from such a struggle.
+Powerful as he is, Warwick could not alone withstand the united forces
+of all the nobles pledged to the support of the House of York. Thence,
+as I take it, does it happen that he has resolved to throw in his lot
+with Lancaster, if your Majesty will but forgive the evil he has done
+your House and accept him as your ally. No doubt he will have terms to
+make and conditions to lay down.”
+
+“He may make what conditions he chooses,” Queen Margaret said
+passionately, “so that he does but aid me to take vengeance on that
+false traitor; to place my husband again on the throne; and to obtain
+for my son his rightful heritage.”
+
+As she spoke a trumpet sounded in the courtyard below.
+
+“He has come,” she exclaimed. “Once again, after years of misery and
+humiliation, I can hope.”
+
+“We had best retire, madam,” Sir Thomas Tresham said. “He will speak
+more freely to your Majesty if there are no witnesses. Come, Gervaise,
+it is time that you practised your exercises.” And Sir Thomas, with his
+wife and child, quitted the room, leaving Queen Margaret with her son to
+meet the man who had been the bitterest foe of her House, the author of
+her direst misfortunes.
+
+For two hours the Earl of Warwick was closeted with the queen; then he
+took horse and rode away. As soon as he did so, a servant informed Sir
+Thomas and his wife that the queen desired their presence. Margaret was
+standing radiant when they entered.
+
+“Congratulate me, my friends,” she said. “The Star of Lancaster has
+risen again. Warwick has placed all his power and influence at our
+disposal. We have both forgiven all the past: I the countless injuries
+he has inflicted on my House, he the execution of his father and so many
+of his friends. We have both laid aside all our grievances, and we stand
+united by our hate for Edward. There is but one condition, and this I
+accepted gladly--namely, that my son should marry his daughter Anne.
+This will be another bond between us; and by all reports Anne is a
+charming young lady. Edward has gladly agreed to the match; he could
+make no alliance, even with the proudest princess in Europe, which would
+so aid him, and so strengthen his throne.”
+
+“God grant that your hopes may be fulfilled, madam,” the knight said
+earnestly, “and that peace may be given to our distracted country! The
+Usurper has rendered himself unpopular by his extravagance and by the
+exactions of his tax collectors, and I believe that England will gladly
+welcome the return of its lawful king to power. When does Warwick
+propose to begin?”
+
+“He will at once get a fleet together. Louis, who has privately brought
+about this meeting, will of course throw no impediment in his way; but,
+on the other hand, the Duke of Burgundy will do all in his power to
+thwart the enterprise, and will, as soon as he learns of it, warn
+Edward. I feel new life in me, Eleanor. After fretting powerless for
+years, I seem to be a different woman now that there is a prospect of
+action. I am rejoiced at the thought that at last I shall be able to
+reward those who have ventured and suffered so much in the cause of
+Lancaster.”
+
+“My hope is, madam, that this enterprise will be the final one,--that,
+once successful, our dear land will be no longer deluged with blood,
+and that never again shall I be forced to draw my sword against my
+countrymen.”
+
+“'Tis a good and pious wish, Sir Thomas, and heartily do I join in it.
+My married life has been one long round of trouble, and none more than I
+have cause to wish for peace.”
+
+“There is the more hope for it, madam, that these wars have greatly
+diminished the number of powerful barons. It is they who are the authors
+of this struggle; their rivalries and their ambitions are the ruin of
+England. Save for their retainers there would be no armies to place in
+the field; the mass of people stand aloof altogether, desiring only to
+live in peace and quiet. 'Tis the same here in France; 'tis the powerful
+vassals of the king that are ever causing trouble.”
+
+“'Tis so indeed, Sir Thomas. But without his feudal lords how could a
+king place an army in the field, when his dominions were threatened by a
+powerful neighbour?”
+
+“Then it would be the people's business to fight, madam, and I doubt not
+that they would do so in defence of their hearths and homes. Besides,
+the neighbour would no longer have the power of invasion were he also
+without great vassals. These great barons stand between the king and
+his subjects; and a monarch would be a king indeed were he able to rule
+without their constant dictation, and undisturbed by their rivalry and
+ambitions.”
+
+“That would be a good time indeed, Sir Thomas,” the queen said, with a
+smile; “but methinks there is but little chance of its coming about, for
+at present it seems to me that the vassals are better able to make or
+unmake kings, than kings are able to deprive the great vassals of
+power; and never since Norman William set foot in England were they more
+powerful than they are at present. What does my chance of recovering our
+throne rest upon? Not upon our right, but on the quarrel between Warwick
+and the House of Rivers. We are but puppets that the great lords play
+against each other. Did it depend upon my will, it should be as you
+say; I would crush them all at a blow. Then only should I feel really a
+queen. But that is but a dream that can never be carried out.”
+
+“Not in our time, madam. But perhaps it may come sooner than we expect;
+and this long war, which has destroyed many great families and weakened
+others, may greatly hasten its arrival. I presume until Warwick is ready
+to move naught will be done, your Majesty?”
+
+“That is not settled yet. Warwick spoke somewhat of causing a rising
+in the north before he set sail, so that a portion at least of Edward's
+power may be up there when we make our landing.”
+
+“It would be a prudent step, madam. If we can but gain possession of
+London, the matter would be half finished. The citizens are ever ready
+to take sides with those whom they regard as likely to win, and just as
+they shout at present 'Long live King Edward!' so would they shout 'Long
+live King Henry!' did you enter the town.”
+
+“This may perhaps change the thought that you have entertained, Sir
+Thomas, of making your son a Knight of St. John.”
+
+“I have not thought the matter over, madam. If there were quiet in the
+land I should, were it not for my vow, be well content that he should
+settle down in peace at my old hall; but if I see that there is still
+trouble and bloodshed ahead, I would in any case far rather that he
+should enter the Order, and spend his life in fighting the infidel than
+in strife with Englishmen. My good friend, the Grand Prior of the Order
+in England, has promised that he will take him as his page, and at
+any rate in the House of St. John's he will pass his youth in security
+whatsoever fate may befall me. The child himself already bids fair to
+do honour to our name, and to become a worthy member of the Order. He is
+fond of study, and under my daily tuition is making good progress in the
+use of his weapons.”
+
+“That is he,” the prince said, speaking for the first time, “It was but
+yesterday in the great hall downstairs he stood up with blunted swords
+against young Victor de Paulliac, who is nigh three years his senior. It
+was amusing to see how the little knaves fought against each other;
+and by my faith Gervaise held his own staunchly, in spite of Victor's
+superior height and weight. If he join the Order, Sir Thomas, I warrant
+me he will cleave many an infidel's skull, and will do honour to the
+langue of England.”
+
+“I hope so, prince,” the knight said gravely. “The Moslems ever gain in
+power, and it may well be that the Knights of St. John will be hardly
+pressed to hold their own. If the boy joins them it will be my wish that
+he shall as early as possible repair to Rhodes. I do not wish him to
+become one of the drones who live in sloth at their commanderies in
+England, and take no part in the noble struggle of the Order with the
+Moslem host, who have captured Constantinople and now threaten all
+Europe. We were childless some years after our marriage, and Eleanor and
+I vowed that were a son born to us he should join the Order of the White
+Cross, and dedicate his life to the defence of Christian Europe against
+the infidel. Our prayers for a son were granted, and Gervaise will enter
+the Order as soon as his age will permit him. That is why I rejoice at
+the grand prior's offer to take him as his page, for he will dwell in
+the hospital safely until old enough to take the first steps towards
+becoming a knight of the Order.”
+
+“I would that I had been born the son of a baron like yourself,” the
+prince said earnestly, “and that I were free to choose my own career.
+Assuredly in that case I too would have joined the noble Order and
+have spent my life in fighting in so grand a cause, free from all the
+quarrels and disputes and enmities that rend England. Even should I some
+day gain a throne, surely my lot is not to be envied. Yet, as I have
+been born to the rank, I must try for it, and I trust to do so worthily
+and bravely. But who can say what the end will be? Warwick has ever
+been our foe, and though my royal mother may use him in order to free my
+father, and place him on the throne, she must know well enough that he
+but uses us for his own ends alone, and that he will ever stand beside
+the throne and be the real ruler of England.”
+
+“For a time, Edward,” the queen broke in. “We have shown that we can
+wait, and now it seems that our great hope is likely to be fulfilled.
+After that, the rest will be easy. There are other nobles, well nigh as
+powerful as he, who look with jealousy upon the way in which he lords
+it, and be assured that they will look with a still less friendly eye
+upon him when he stands, as you say, beside the throne, once your father
+is again seated there. We can afford to bide our time, and assuredly it
+will not be long before a party is formed against Warwick. Until then
+we must bear everything. Our interests are the same. If he is content
+to remain a prop to the throne, and not to eclipse it, the memory of
+the past will not stand between us, and I shall regard him as the weapon
+that has beaten down the House of York and restored us to our own, and
+shall give him my confidence and friendship. If, on the other hand,
+he assumes too much, and tries to lord it over us, I shall seek other
+support and gather a party which even he will be unable successfully to
+withstand. I should have thought, Edward, that you would be even more
+glad than I that this long time of weary waiting for action is over, and
+that once again the banner of Lancaster will be spread to the winds.”
+
+“I shall be that, mother. Rather would I meet death in the field than
+live cooped up here, a pensioner of France. But I own that I should feel
+more joy at the prospect if the people of England had declared in our
+favour, instead of its being Warwick--whom you have always taught me to
+fear and hate--who thus comes to offer to place my father again on the
+throne, and whose goodwill towards us is simply the result of pique and
+displeasure because he is no longer first in the favour of Edward. It
+does not seem to me that a throne won by the aid of a traitor can be a
+stable one.”
+
+“You are a foolish boy,” the queen said angrily. “Do you not see that by
+marrying Warwick's daughter you will attach him firmly to us?”
+
+“Marriages do not count for much, mother. Another of Warwick's daughters
+married Clarence, Edward's brother, and yet he purposes to dethrone
+Edward.”
+
+The queen gave an angry gesture and said, “You have my permission to
+retire, Edward. I am in no mood to listen to auguries of evil at the
+present moment.”
+
+The prince hesitated for a moment as if about to speak, but with an
+effort controlled himself, and bowing deeply to his mother, left the
+room.
+
+“Edward is in a perverse humour,” the queen said in a tone of much
+vexation to Sir Thomas Tresham, when Gervaise had left the room.
+“However, I know he will bear himself well when the hour of trial
+comes.”
+
+“That I can warrant he will, madam; he has a noble character, frank and
+fearless, and yet thoughtful beyond his years. He will make, I believe,
+a noble king, and may well gather round him all parties in the state.
+But your Majesty must make excuses for his humour. Young people are
+strong in their likes and dislikes. He has never heard you speak aught
+but ill of Warwick, and he knows how much harm the Earl has done to your
+House. The question of expediency does not weigh with the young as with
+their elders. While you see how great are the benefits that will accrue
+from an alliance with Warwick, and are ready to lay aside the hatred of
+years and to forget the wrongs you have suffered, the young prince is
+unable so quickly to forget that enmity against the Earl that he has
+learnt from you.”
+
+“You are right, Sir Thomas, and I cannot blame Edward that he is unable,
+as I am, to forget the past. What steps would you advise that I myself
+should take? Shall I remain passive here, or shall I do what I can to
+rouse our partisans in England?”
+
+“I should say the latter, madam. Of course it will not do to trust to
+letters, for were one of these to fall into the wrong hands it might
+cause the ruin of Warwick's expedition; but I should say that a cautious
+message sent by word of mouth to some of our old adherents would be of
+great use. I myself will, if your Majesty chooses to entrust me with the
+mission, undertake to carry it out. I should take ship and land in the
+west, and would travel in the guise of a simple country gentleman,
+and call upon your adherents in all the western counties. It would be
+needful first to make out a list of the nobles who have shown themselves
+devoted to your cause, and I should bid these hold themselves and their
+retainers in readiness to take the field suddenly. I should say no word
+of Warwick, but merely hint that you will not land alone, but with a
+powerful array, and that all the chances are in your favour.”
+
+“But it would be a dangerous mission, Sir Thomas.”
+
+“Not greatly so, madam. My own estates lie in Sussex, and there would be
+but little chance of my recognition, save by your own adherents, who may
+have seen me among the leaders of your troops in battle; and even that
+is improbable. At present Edward deems himself so securely seated on
+the throne that men can travel hither and thither through the country
+without being questioned, and the Lancastrians live quietly with the
+Yorkists. Unless I were so unfortunate as to meet a Yorkist noble who
+knew that I was a banished man and one who had the honour of being in
+your Majesty's confidence, I do not think that any danger could possibly
+arise. What say you, wife?”
+
+“I cannot think that there is no danger,” Lady Tresham said; “but even
+so I would not say a word to hinder you from doing service to the cause.
+I know of no one else who could perform the mission. You have left my
+side to go into battle before now, and I cannot think that the danger
+of such an expedition can be as great as that which you would undergo
+in the field. Therefore, my dear lord, I would say no word now to stay
+you.”
+
+She spoke bravely and unfalteringly, but her face had paled when Sir
+Thomas first made the proposal, and the colour had not yet come back to
+her cheeks.
+
+“Bravely spoken, dame,” the queen said warmly. “Well, Sir Thomas, I
+accept your offer, and trust that you will not be long separated from
+your wife and son, who will of course journey with me when I go to
+England, where doubtless you will be able to rejoin us a few days after
+we land. Now let us talk over the noblemen and gentlemen in the west,
+upon whom we can rely, if not to join our banner as soon as it is
+spread, at least to say no word that will betray you.”
+
+Two days later Sir Thomas Tresham started on his journey, while the
+queen remained at Amboise eagerly awaiting the news that Warwick had
+collected a fleet, and was ready to set sail. Up to this point the Duke
+of Clarence had sided with Warwick against his brother, and had passed
+over with him to France, believing, no doubt, that if the Earl should
+succeed in dethroning Edward, he intended to place him, his son-in-law,
+upon the throne. He was rudely awakened from this delusion by Charles of
+Burgundy, who, being in all but open rebellion against his suzerain,
+the King of France, kept himself intimately acquainted with all that was
+going on. He despatched a female emissary to Clarence to inform him
+of the league Warwick had made with the Lancastrians, and the intended
+marriage between his daughter Anne and the young prince; imploring him
+to be reconciled with his brother and to break off his alliance with the
+Earl, who was on the point of waging war against the House of York.
+
+Clarence took the advice, and went over to England, where he made his
+peace with Edward, the more easily because the king, who was entirely
+given up to pleasure, treated with contempt the warnings the Duke
+of Burgundy sent him of the intended invasion by Warwick. And yet a
+moment's serious reflection should have shown him that his position was
+precarious. The crushing exactions of the tax gatherers, in order to
+provide the means for Edward's lavish expenditure, had already caused
+very serious insurrections in various parts of the country, and his
+unpopularity was deep and general. In one of these risings the royal
+troops had suffered a crushing defeat. The Earl Rivers, the father, and
+Sir John Woodville, one of the brothers, of the queen had, with the Earl
+of Devon, been captured by the rebels, and the three had been beheaded,
+and the throne had only been saved by the intervention of Warwick.
+
+Thus, then, Edward had every reason for fearing the result should the
+Earl appear in arms against him. He took, however, no measures whatever
+to prepare for the coming storm, and although the Duke of Burgundy
+despatched a fleet to blockade Harfleur, where Warwick was fitting out
+his expedition, and actually sent the name of the port at which the Earl
+intended to land if his fleet managed to escape from Harfleur, Edward
+continued carelessly to spend his time in pleasure and dissipation,
+bestowing his full confidence upon the Archbishop of York and the
+Marquis of Montague, both brothers of the Earl of Warwick.
+
+The elements favoured his enemies, for early in September the Duke of
+Burgundy's Fleet, off Harfleur, was dispersed by a storm, and Warwick,
+as soon as the gale abated, set sail, and on the 13th landed on the
+Devonshire coast. His force was a considerable one, for the French king
+had furnished him both with money and men; on effecting his landing
+he found no army assembled to oppose him. A few hours after his
+disembarkation, he was joined by Sir Thomas Tresham, who gave him the
+good news that the whole of the west was ready to rise, and that in a
+few days all the great landowners would join him with their retainers.
+This turned out to be the case, and Warwick, with a great array, marched
+eastward. Kent had already risen, and London declared for King
+Henry. Warwick, therefore, instead of marching thither, moved towards
+Lincolnshire, where Edward was with his army, having gone north to
+repress an insurrection that had broken out there at the instigation of
+Warwick.
+
+Lord Montague now threw off the mask, and declared for King Henry. Most
+of the soldiers followed him, and Edward, finding it hopeless to oppose
+Warwick's force, which was now within a short march of him, took ship
+with a few friends who remained faithful, and sailed for Holland.
+Warwick returned to London, where he took King Henry from the dungeon in
+the Tower, into which he himself had, five years before, thrown him, and
+proclaimed him king.
+
+On the day that this took place Dame Tresham arrived in London with her
+son. The queen had found that she could not for the present cross, as
+she was waiting for a large French force which was to accompany her.
+As it was uncertain how long the delay might last, she counselled her
+friend to join her husband. The revolution had been accomplished without
+the loss of a single life, with the exception of that of the Earl
+of Worcester, who was hated for his cruelty by the people. Edward's
+principal friends took refuge in various religious houses. The
+queen, her three daughters, and her mother, fled to the sanctuary at
+Westminster. All these were left unmolested, nor was any step taken
+against the other adherents of the House of York. Warwick was now
+virtually King of England. The king, whose intellect had always been
+weak, was now almost an imbecile, and Margaret of Anjou was still
+detained in France. Sir Thomas Tresham went down to his estates in Kent,
+and there lived quietly for some months. The Duke of Clarence had joined
+Warwick as soon as he saw that his brother's cause was lost; and as
+the Duke had no knowledge of his changed feelings towards him, he
+was heartily welcomed. An act of settlement was passed by Parliament
+entailing the Crown on Henry's son Edward, Prince of Wales, and in case
+of that prince's death without issue, on the Duke of Clarence. On the
+12th of March following (1471) Edward suddenly appeared with a fleet
+with which he had been secretly supplied by the Duke of Burgundy, and,
+sailing north, landed in the Humber. He found the northern population by
+no means disposed to aid him, but upon his taking a solemn oath that
+he had no designs whatever upon the throne, but simply claimed to be
+restored to his rights and dignities as Duke of York, he was joined by
+a sufficient force to enable him to cross the Trent. As he marched south
+his army speedily swelled, and he was joined by many great lords.
+
+Warwick had summoned Henry's adherents to the field, and marched
+north to meet him. When the armies approached each other, the Duke of
+Clarence, who commanded a portion of Henry's army, went over with his
+whole force to Edward, and Warwick, being no longer in a position to
+give battle, was obliged to draw off and allow Edward to march unopposed
+towards London. The citizens, with their usual fickleness, received him
+with the same outburst of enthusiasm with which, five months before,
+they had greeted the entry of Warwick. The unfortunate King Henry was
+again thrown into his dungeon in the Tower, and Edward found himself
+once more King of England.
+
+Sir Thomas Tresham, as soon as he heard of the landing of Edward, had
+hastened up to London. In his uncertainty how matters would go, he
+brought his wife and son up with him, and left them in lodgings, while
+he marched north with Warwick. As soon as the defection of Clarence
+opened the road to London, he left the Earl, promising to return in
+a few days, and rode to town, arriving there two days before Edward's
+entry, and, purchasing another horse, took his wife and son down to
+St. Albans, where leaving them, he rejoined Warwick. In a few days the
+latter had gathered sufficient forces to enable him to risk the fortunes
+of a battle, and, marching south, he encamped with his army on the
+common north of Barnet. Edward had come out to meet him, and the two
+armies slept on Easter Eve within two miles of each other.
+
+Late in the evening Clarence sent a messenger to the Earl, offering to
+mediate, but the offer was indignantly refused by Warwick.
+
+In the darkness, neither party was aware of the other's precise
+position. Warwick was much stronger than the king in artillery, and had
+placed it on his right wing. The king, in his ignorance of the enemy's
+position, had placed his troops considerably more to the right than
+those of Warwick's army. The latter, believing that Edward's line was
+facing his, kept up a heavy cannonade all night upon where he supposed
+Edward's left to be--a cannonade which was thus entirely futile.
+
+In the morning (April 14th) a heavy mist covered the country and
+prevented either force from seeing the other's dispositions. Warwick
+took the command of his left wing, having with him the Duke of Exeter.
+Somerset was in command of his centre, and Montague and Oxford of his
+right.
+
+Edward placed himself in the centre of his array, the Duke of Gloucester
+commanded on his right, and Lord Hastings on his left.
+
+Desirous, from his inferiority in artillery, to fight out the battle
+hand to hand, Edward, at six o'clock in the morning, ordered his
+trumpets to blow, and, after firing a few shots, advanced through the
+mist to attack the enemy. His misconception as to Warwick's position,
+which had saved his troops from the effects of the cannonade during the
+night, was now disadvantageous to him, for the Earl's right so greatly
+outflanked his left that when they came into contact Hastings found
+himself nearly surrounded by a vastly superior force. His wing fought
+valiantly, but was at length broken by Oxford's superior numbers, and
+driven out of the field. The mist prevented the rest of the armies from
+knowing what had happened on the king's left. Edward himself led
+the charge on Warwick's centre, and having his best troops under his
+command, pressed forward with such force and vehemence that he pierced
+Somerset's lines and threw them into confusion.
+
+Just as Warwick's right had outflanked the king's left, so his own
+left was outflanked by Gloucester. Warwick's troops fought with great
+bravery, and, in spite of the disaster to his centre, were holding their
+ground until Oxford, returning from his pursuit of the king's left, came
+back through the mist. The king's emblem was a sun, that of Oxford
+a star with streaming rays. In the dim light this was mistaken by
+Warwick's men for the king's device, and believing that Oxford was far
+away on the right, they received him with a discharge of arrows. This
+was at once returned, and a conflict took place. At last the mistake was
+discovered, but the confusion caused was irreparable. Warwick and
+Oxford each suspected the other of treachery, and the king's right still
+pressing on, the confusion increased, and the battle, which had been so
+nearly won by the Earl, soon became a complete defeat, and by ten in the
+morning Warwick's army was in full flight.
+
+Accounts differ as to the strength of the forces engaged, but it is
+probable that there was no great inequality, and that each party brought
+some fifteen thousand men into the field. The number of slain is also
+very uncertain, some historians placing the total at ten thousand,
+others as low as one thousand; but from the number of nobles who fell,
+the former computation is probably nearest to the truth. Warwick, his
+brother Montague, and many other nobles and gentlemen, were killed, the
+only great nobles on his side who escaped being the Earls of Somerset
+and Oxford; many were also killed on Edward's side, and the slaughter
+among the ordinary fighting men was greater than usual.
+
+Hitherto in the battles that had been fought during the civil war; while
+the leaders taken on the field were frequently executed, the common
+soldiers were permitted to return to their homes, as they had only
+been acting under the orders of their feudal superiors, and were not
+considered responsible for their acts. At Barnet, however, Edward,
+smarting from the humiliation he had suffered by his enforced flight
+from England, owing to the whole country declaring for his rival, gave
+orders that no quarter was to be granted. It was an anxious day at St.
+Albans, where many ladies whose husbands were with Warwick's army had,
+like Dame Tresham, taken up their quarters. It was but a few miles from
+the field of battle. In the event of victory they could at once join
+their husbands, while in case of defeat they could take refuge in the
+sanctuary of the abbey. Messengers the night before had brought the news
+that the battle would begin at the dawn of day, and with intense anxiety
+they waited for the news.
+
+Dame Tresham and her son attended early mass at the abbey, and had
+returned to their lodgings, when Sir Thomas rode up at full speed.
+His armour was dinted and his plume shorn away from his helmet. As he
+entered the house he was met by his wife, who had run downstairs as she
+heard his horse stop at the door. A glance at his face was sufficient to
+tell the news.
+
+“We have lost the day,” he said. “Warwick and Montague are both killed.
+All is lost here for the present. Which will you do, my love, ride with
+me to the West, where Queen Margaret will speedily land, if indeed she
+has not landed already, or take sanctuary here with the boy?”
+
+“I will go with you,” she said. “I would vastly rather do so.”
+
+“I will tell you more on the road,” he said. “There is no time to be
+lost now.”
+
+The woman of the house was called, and at once set her son to saddle
+the other horse and to give a feed to that of the knight. Dame Tresham
+busied herself with packing the saddlebags while her husband partook of
+a hasty meal; and ten minutes after his arrival they set off, Gervaise
+riding behind his father, while the latter led the horse on which his
+wife was mounted. A thick mist hung over the country.
+
+“This mist told against us in the battle, wife, for as we advanced our
+forces fell into confusion, and more than once friend attacked friend,
+believing that he was an enemy. However, it has proved an advantage to
+us now, for it has enabled great numbers to escape who might otherwise
+have been followed and cut down. I was very fortunate. I had left my
+horse at a little farmhouse two miles in the rear of our camp, and in
+the fog had but small hope of finding it; but soon after leaving the
+battlefield, I came upon a rustic hurrying in the same direction as
+myself, and upon questioning him it turned out that he was a hand on
+the very farm at which I had left the horse. He had, with two or three
+others, stolen out after midnight to see the battle, and was now making
+his way home again, having seen indeed but little, but having learned
+from fugitives that we had been defeated. He guided me to the farmhouse,
+which otherwise I should assuredly never have reached. His master was
+favourable to our party, and let the man take one of the cart horses, on
+which he rode as my guide until he had placed me upon the high road to
+St. Albans, and I was then able to gallop on at full speed.”
+
+“And Warwick and his brother Montague are both killed?”
+
+“Both. The great Earl will make and unmake no more kings. He has been a
+curse to England, with his boundless ambition, his vast possessions, and
+his readiness to change sides and to embroil the country in civil war
+for purely personal ends. The great nobles are a curse to the
+country, wife. They are, it is true, a check upon kingly ill doing and
+oppression; but were they, with their great arrays of retainers and
+feudal followers, out of the way, methinks that the citizens and yeomen
+would be able to hold their own against any king.”
+
+“Was the battle a hard fought one?”
+
+“I know but little of what passed, except near the standard of Warwick
+himself. There the fighting was fierce indeed, for it was against the
+Earl that the king finally directed his chief onslaught. Doubtless he
+was actuated both by a deep personal resentment against the Earl for the
+part he had played and the humiliation he had inflicted upon him, and
+also by the knowledge that a defeat of Warwick personally would be the
+heaviest blow that he could inflict upon the cause of Lancaster.”
+
+“Then do you think the cause is lost?”
+
+“I say not that. Pembroke has a strong force in Wales, and if the West
+rises, and Queen Margaret on landing can join him, we may yet prevail;
+but I fear that the news of the field of Barnet will deter many from
+joining us. Men may risk lands and lives for a cause which seems to
+offer a fair prospect of success, but they can hardly be blamed for
+holding back when they see that the chances are all against them.
+Moreover, as a Frenchwoman, it cannot be denied that Margaret has never
+been popular in England, and her arrival here, aided by French gold and
+surrounded by Frenchmen, will tell against her with the country people.
+I went as far as I could on the day before I left Amboise, urging her on
+no account to come hither until matters were settled. It would have been
+infinitely better had the young prince come alone, and landed in the
+West without a single follower. The people would have admired his trust
+in them, and would, I am sure, have gathered strongly round his banner.
+However, we must still hope for the best. Fortune was against us today:
+it may be with us next time we give battle. And with parties so equally
+divided throughout the country a signal victory would bring such vast
+numbers to our banners that Edward would again find it necessary to
+cross the seas.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II THE BATTLE OF TEWKESBURY
+
+
+Riding fast, Sir Thomas Tresham crossed the Thames at Reading before any
+news of the battle of Barnet had arrived there. On the third day after
+leaving St. Albans he reached Westbury, and there heard that the news
+had been received of the queen's landing at Plymouth on the very day on
+which her friends had been defeated at Barnet, and that she had already
+been joined by the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Devon, and others, and
+that Exeter had been named as the point of rendezvous for her friends.
+As the Lancastrians were in the majority in Wiltshire and Somerset,
+there was no longer any fear of arrest by partisans of York, and after
+resting for a day Sir Thomas Tresham rode quietly on to Exeter, where
+the queen had already arrived.
+
+The battle of Barnet had not, in reality, greatly weakened the
+Lancastrian cause. The Earl of Warwick was so detested by the adherents
+of the Red Rose that comparatively few of them had joined him, and the
+fight was rather between the two sections of Yorkists than between York
+and Lancaster. The Earl's death had broken up his party, and York and
+Lancaster were now face to face with each other, without his disturbing
+influence on either side. Among those who had joined the queen was
+Tresham's great friend, the Grand Prior of St. John's. Sir Thomas took
+up his lodgings in the house where he had established himself. The queen
+was greatly pleased at the arrival of Dame Tresham, and at her earnest
+request the latter shared her apartments, while Gervaise remained with
+his father.
+
+“So this is the young Knight of St. John,” the prior said, on the
+evening of the arrival of Sir Thomas. “I would, Tresham, that I were at
+present at Rhodes, doing battle with the infidels, rather than engaged
+in this warfare against Englishmen and fellow Christians.”
+
+“I can well understand that,” Sir Thomas said.
+
+“I could not hold aloof here, Tresham. The vows of our Order by no means
+hinder us from taking part in the affairs of our own country. The rule
+of the Order is indeed against it, but the rule is constantly broken.
+Were it otherwise there could be no commanderies in this or any
+other country; we should have, on entering the Order, to abandon our
+nationality, and to form part of one community in the East. The Order
+is true to its oaths. We cannot defend the Holy Sepulchre, for that,
+for the present, is hopelessly lost; but we can and do wage war with
+the infidel. For this funds are necessary as well as swords, and our
+commanderies throughout Europe supply the funds by which the struggle is
+maintained, and, when it is needed, send out contingents to help those
+fighting in the East. It was from the neglect of this cardinal point
+that the Templars fell. Their commanderies amassed wealth and wide
+possessions, but unlike us the knights abstained altogether from
+fulfilling their vows, and ceased to resist the infidel. Therefore they
+were suppressed, and, with the general approval of Europe, a portion of
+their possessions was handed over to the knights of St. John. However,
+as I understand, it is your wish that as soon as the boy comes of age
+to wield arms he shall go to Rhodes and become an active member of the
+Order. This is indeed the rule with all neophytes, but having served
+a certain time they are then permitted to return and join one of the
+commanderies in their native countries.”
+
+“I do not wish that for Gervaise,” his father said; “at least, I wish
+him to remain at Rhodes until all the civil troubles are absolutely
+at an end here. My life has been ruined by them. Loving retirement and
+quiet, and longing for nothing so much as a life among my tenantry, I
+have almost from a boy been actively engaged in warfare or have been
+away as an exile. Here every one of gentle blood has been more or less
+mixed up in these civil broils. To few of us does it personally matter
+whether a member of the House of York or Lancaster sits on the throne,
+and yet we have been almost compelled to take sides with one or the
+other; and now, in my middle age I am on the eve of another battle
+in which I risk my life and fortune. If we win I gain naught but the
+satisfaction of seeing young Edward made King of England. If we lose I
+am going into exile again, or I may leave my wife a widow, and my child
+penniless.”
+
+“It is too true, Tresham; and as I am as likely to fall as you are, the
+child might be left without a protector as well as fatherless. However,
+against that I will provide. I will write a letter to Peter D'Aubusson,
+who is the real governor of Rhodes, for the Grand Master Orsini is so
+old that his rule is little more than nominal. At his death D'Aubusson
+is certain to be elected Grand Master. He is a dear friend of mine. We
+entered the Order the same year, and were comrades in many a fight with
+the Moslems, and I am quite sure that when I tell him that it is my last
+request of him, he will, in memory of our long friendship, appoint your
+son as one of the Grand Master's pages. As you know, no one, however
+high his rank, is accepted as a novice before the age of sixteen.
+After a year's probation he is received into the body of the Order as a
+professed knight, and must go out and serve for a time in Rhodes. After
+three years of active service he must reside two more at the convent,
+and can then be made a commander. There is but one exception to the
+rule--namely, that the pages of the grand master are entitled to
+the privilege of admission at the age of twelve, so that they become
+professed knights at thirteen. Your son is now but nine, you say, and
+we must remember that D'Aubusson is not yet Grand Master, and Orsini may
+live for some years yet. D'Aubusson, however, can doubtless get him to
+appoint the boy as one of his pages. But, in any case, there are three
+years yet to be passed before he can go out. Doubtless these he will
+spend under his mother's care; but as it is as well to provide against
+everything, I will furnish your dame with a letter to the knight who
+will probably succeed me as Grand Prior of the English langue, asking
+him to see to the care and education of the boy up to the time when he
+can proceed to Rhodes. We may hope, my dear Tresham, that there will be
+no occasion to use such documents, and that you and I may both be able
+personally to watch over his career. Still, it is as well to take every
+precaution. I shall, of course, give D'Aubusson full particulars about
+you, your vow, and your wishes.”
+
+“I thank you greatly, old friend,” Sir Thomas said. “It has taken a
+load off my mind. I shall leave him here with his mother when we march
+forward, and bid her, if ill befalls me, cross again to France, and then
+to keep Gervaise with her until she can bring herself to part with him.
+She has her jewels and a considerable sum of money which I accepted from
+the man who has been enjoying my estates for the last five years, in
+lieu of the monies that he had received during that time. Therefore, she
+will not lack means for some years to come. Besides, Queen Margaret has
+a real affection for her, and will, doubtless, be glad to have her with
+her again in exile.”
+
+“When I am old enough,” Gervaise said, suddenly looking up from a missal
+of the Grand Prior's which he had been examining, “I will chop off the
+head of the Duke of York, and bring mother back to England.”
+
+“You will be a valiant champion no doubt, my boy,” the prior said,
+laughing. “But that is just what your father does not want. Chop off the
+heads of as many infidels as you will, but leave Englishmen alone, be
+they dukes or commoners. It is a far more glorious career to be aiding
+to defend Europe against the Moslem than to be engaged in wars with your
+own countrymen. If the great lords will fight, let them fight it out
+themselves without our aid; but I hope that long before you become a
+man even they will be tired of these perpetual broils, and that some
+agreement may be arrived at, and peace reign in this unhappy land.”
+
+“Besides, Gervaise,” his father added, “you must bear in mind always
+that my earnest wish and hope is that you will become a champion of
+the Cross. I took a solemn vow before you were born that if a son were
+granted to me I would dedicate him to the service of the Cross, and if I
+am taken from you, you must still try to carry that oath into effect.
+I trust that, at any rate for some years after you attain manhood,
+you will expend your whole strength and powers in the defence of
+Christianity, and as a worthy knight of the Order of St. John. Too many
+of the knights, after serving for three years against the infidels,
+return to their native countries and pass the rest of their lives in
+slothful ease at their commanderies, save perhaps when at any great
+crisis they go out for a while and join in the struggle. Such is not the
+life I should wish you to lead. At the death of your mother and myself,
+you will have no family ties in England--nothing to recall you here. If
+the House of York succeeds in establishing itself firmly on the throne,
+my estates will be forfeited. Therefore, regard Rhodes as your permanent
+home, and devote your life to the Order. Beginning so young, you may
+hope to distinguish yourself--to gain high rank in it; but remember that
+though these are my wishes, they are not my orders, and that your career
+must be in your own hands.”
+
+“I will be a brave knight, father,” the boy said firmly.
+
+“That is right, my boy. Now go upstairs to your bed; it is already late.
+I do not regret my vow,” he went on, after Gervaise had left the room,
+“though I regret that he is my only son. It is singular that men should
+care about what comes after them, but I suppose it is human nature.
+I should have liked to think that my descendants would sit in the old
+house, and that men of my race and name would long own the estates. But
+doubtless it is all for the best; for at least I can view the permanent
+loss of my estates, in case the Yorkists triumph, without any poignant
+regret.”
+
+“Doubtless it is for the best, Tresham, and you must remember that
+things may not, even now, turn out as you think. A knight who has done a
+brave service does not find much difficulty in obtaining from the Pope
+a dispensation from his vows. Numbers of knights have so left the Order
+and have married and perpetuated their name. It is almost a necessity
+that it should be so, for otherwise many princes and barons would
+object to their sons entering the Order. Its object is to keep back the
+irruption of the Moslems, and when men have done their share of hard
+work no regret need be felt if they desire to leave the Order. Our
+founder had no thought of covering Europe with monasteries, and beyond
+the fact that it is necessary there should be men to administer our
+manors and estates, I see no reason why any should not freely leave when
+they reach the age of thirty or thirty-five, and indeed believe that it
+would strengthen rather than weaken us were the vows, taken at the age
+of seventeen, to be for fifteen years only.”
+
+“There is something in that,” the knight said thoughtfully. “However,
+that is far in the distance, and concerns me but little; still, I agree
+with you, for I see no advantage in men, after their time of usefulness
+to the Order is past, being bound to settle down to a monastic life if
+by nature and habit unsuited for it. There are some spirits who,
+after long years of warfare, are well content so to do, but there are
+assuredly others to whom a life of forced inactivity, after a youth and
+manhood spent in action, must be well nigh unendurable. And now tell me
+frankly what you think of our chances here.”
+
+“Everything depends upon time. Promises of aid have come in from all
+quarters, and if Edward delays we shall soon be at the head of an
+overwhelming force. But Edward, with all his faults and vices, is an
+able and energetic leader, and must be well aware that if he is to
+strike successfully he must strike soon. We must hope that he will not
+be able to do this. He cannot tell whether we intend to march direct to
+London, or to join Pembroke in Wales, or to march north, and until he
+divines our purpose, he will hardly dare to move lest we should, by some
+rapid movement, interpose between himself and London. If he gives us a
+month, our success is certain. If he can give battle in a fortnight, no
+one can say how the matter will end.”
+
+Edward, indeed, was losing no time. He stayed but a few days in London
+after his victory at Barnet, and on the 19th of April left for Windsor,
+ordering all his forces to join him there. The Lancastrians had
+endeavoured to puzzle him as to their intended movements by sending
+parties out in various directions; but as soon as he had gathered a
+force, numerically small, but composed of veteran soldiers, he hurried
+west, determined to bring on a battle at the earliest opportunity. The
+queen's advisers determined to move first to Wells, as from that point
+they could either go north or march upon London. Edward entered Abingdon
+on the 27th, and then, finding the Lancastrians still at Wells, marched
+to the northwest, by which means he hoped to intercept them if they
+moved north, while he would be able to fall back and bar their road
+to London if they advanced in that direction. He therefore moved to
+Cirencester, and waited there for news until he learned that they had
+visited Bristol and there obtained reinforcements of men and supplies of
+money and cannon, and had then started on the high road to Gloucester.
+
+He at once sent off messengers to the son of Lord Beauchamp, who held
+the Castle of Gloucester for him, assuring him that he was following at
+full speed, and would come to his aid forthwith. The messengers
+arrived in time, and when the queen, after a long march, arrived before
+Gloucester, she found the gates shut in her face. The governor had taken
+steps to prevent her numerous adherents in the town from rising on
+her behalf, and, manning the walls, refused to surrender. Knowing that
+Edward was coming up rapidly, it was evident that there was no time to
+spare in an attempt to take the town, and the queen's army therefore
+pressed on, without waiting, to Tewkesbury. Once across the river they
+would speedily be joined by the Earl of Pembroke, and Edward would be
+forced to fall back at once.
+
+By the time they reached the river, however, they were thoroughly
+exhausted. They had marched thirty-six miles without rest, along bad
+roads and through woods, and were unable to go farther. The queen urged
+that the river should be crossed, but the leaders of the force were of
+opinion that it was better to halt. Edward would be able to follow them
+across the river, and were he to attack them when in disorder, and
+still further wearied by the operation of making the passage, he would
+certainly crush them. Moreover, a further retreat would discourage the
+soldiers, and as a battle must now be fought, it was better to fight
+where they were, especially as they could choose a strong position. The
+queen gave way, and the army encamped on a large field in front of the
+town. The position was well calculated for defence, for the country
+around was so broken and intercepted with lanes and deep hedges and
+ditches, that it was extremely difficult of approach.
+
+In the evening Edward came up, his men having also marched some
+six-and-thirty miles, and encamped for the night within three miles of
+the Lancastrian position. The queen's troops felt confident of victory.
+In point of numbers they were superior to their antagonists, and had the
+advantage of a strong position. Sir Thomas Tresham had, as he proposed,
+left his wife and son at Exeter when the force marched away.
+
+“Do not be despondent, love,” he said to his weeping wife, as he bade
+her goodbye. “Everything is in our favour, and there is a good hope of a
+happy termination to this long struggle. But, win or lose, be assured it
+is the last time I will draw my sword. I have proved my fidelity to the
+House of Lancaster; I have risked life and fortune in their cause; but
+I feel that I have done my share and more, and whichever way Providence
+may now decide the issue of the struggle, I will accept it. If we lose,
+and I come scatheless through the fight, I will ride hither, and we will
+embark at Plymouth for France, and there live quietly until the time
+comes when Edward may feel himself seated with sufficient firmness on
+the throne to forgive past offences and to grant an amnesty to all who
+have fought against him. In any other case, dear, you know my wishes,
+and I bid you carry them out within twenty-four hours of your receiving
+news of a defeat, without waiting longer for my appearance.”
+
+As soon as it was light, Edward advanced to the attack. The Duke of
+Gloucester was in command of the vanguard. He himself led the centre,
+while the rear was commanded by the Marquis of Dorset and Lord Hastings.
+The most advanced division of Lancastrians was commanded by the Duke of
+Somerset and his brother. The Grand Prior of the Order of St. John and
+Lord Wenlock were stationed in the centre, the Earl of Devon with
+the reserve. Refreshed by their rest, the queen's troops were in good
+spirits. While awaiting the attack, she and the prince rode among the
+ranks, encouraging the men with fiery speeches, and promising large
+rewards to all in case of victory.
+
+Gloucester made his advance with great difficulty. The obstacles to his
+progress were so many and serious that his division was brought to
+a halt before it came into contact with the defenders. He therefore
+brought up his artillery and opened a heavy cannonade upon Somerset's
+position, supporting his guns with flights of arrows, and inflicting
+such heavy loss upon him that the duke felt compelled to take the
+offensive.
+
+Having foreseen that he might be obliged to do so, he had, early in the
+morning, carefully examined the ground in front of him, and had found
+some lanes by which he could make a flank attack on the enemy. Moving
+his force down these lanes, where the trees and hedges completely hid
+his advance from the Yorkists, he fell suddenly upon Edward's centre,
+which, taken by surprise at the unexpected attack, was driven in
+confusion up the hill behind it. Somerset was quick to take advantage
+of his success, and wheeling his men round fell upon the Duke of
+Gloucester's division, and was equally successful in his attack upon
+it. Had the centre, under Lord Wenlock, moved forward at once to his
+support, the victory would have been assured; but Wenlock lay inactive,
+and Somerset was now engaged in conflict with the whole of Edward's
+force. But even under these circumstances he still gained ground, when
+suddenly the whole aspect of the battle was changed.
+
+Before it began Edward had sent two hundred spearmen to watch a wood
+near the defenders' lines, as he thought that the Lancastrians might
+place a force there to take him in flank as he attacked their front. He
+ordered them, if they found the wood unoccupied, to join in the fight
+as opportunity might offer. The wood was unoccupied, and the spearmen,
+seeing the two divisions of their army driven backwards, and being
+thereby cut off from their friends, issued from the wood and, charging
+down in a body, fell suddenly upon Somerset's rear.
+
+Astounded and confused by an attack from such a quarter, and believing
+that it was an act of treachery by one of their own commanders,
+Somerset's men, who had hitherto been fighting with the greatest
+bravery, fell into confusion. Edward's quick eye soon grasped the
+opportunity, and rallying his troops he charged impetuously down upon
+the Lancastrians, seconded hotly by Gloucester and his division.
+
+The disorder in Somerset's lines speedily grew into a panic, and the
+division broke up and fled through the lanes to the right and left.
+Somerset, after in vain trying to stop the panic, rode furiously back
+into the camp, followed by his principal officers, and riding up to
+Lord Wenlock he cleft his head in two with a battleaxe. His resentment,
+although justified by the inactivity of this nobleman at such a crisis,
+was yet disastrous, as it left the centre without a leader, and threw
+it into a state of disorganization, as many must have supposed that
+Somerset had turned traitor and gone over to the enemy. Before any
+disposition could be made, Edward and Gloucester poured their forces
+into the camp, and the Lancastrians at once broke and fled. Many of
+their leaders took refuge in the church, an asylum which they deemed
+inviolable, and which the Lancastrians had honourably respected in their
+hour of triumph.
+
+Among them were the Duke of Somerset, the Grand Prior of the Order
+of St. John, Sir Humphrey Audely, Sir Gervis of Clifton, Sir William
+Gainsby, Sir William Cary, Sir Henry Rose, Sir Thomas Tresham, and seven
+esquires. Margaret of Anjou fell into the hands of the victors. As to
+the fate of the young prince, accounts differ. Some authorities say that
+he was overtaken and slain on the field, but the majority related that
+he was captured and taken before Edward, who asked him, “What brought
+you to England?” On his replying boldly, “My father's crown and mine own
+inheritance,” Edward struck him in the mouth with his gauntlet, and his
+attendants, or some say his brothers, at once despatched the youth with
+their swords.
+
+The king, with Gloucester and Clarence, then went to the church at
+Tewkesbury, where the knights had taken refuge, burst open the doors,
+and entered it. A priest, bearing the holy vessels, threw himself before
+the king, and would not move until he promised to pardon all who had
+taken sanctuary there. The king then retired, and trusting in the royal
+word, the gentlemen made no attempt to escape, although it is said that
+they could easily have done so. Two days later a party of soldiers by
+the king's orders broke into the church, dragged them from the foot of
+the altar, and beheaded them outside.
+
+The news of the issue of the fatal battle of Tewkesbury, the capture of
+the queen, and the death of the prince, was borne to Exeter by fugitives
+on the following day. Beyond the fact that the Earl of Devon and other
+nobles were known to have been killed, and Somerset with a party of
+knights had taken sanctuary, they could give no details as to the fate
+of individuals. In the deepest distress at the utter ruin of the cause,
+and in ignorance of the fate of her husband, who she could only hope was
+one of those who had gained sanctuary, Dame Tresham prepared for flight.
+This accomplished, she had only to wait, and sit in tearless anguish at
+the window, listening intently whenever a horseman rode past. All night
+her watch continued. Gervaise, who had cried himself to sleep, lay on
+a couch beside her. Morning dawned, and she then knew that her husband
+would not come, for had he escaped from the field he would long ere this
+have been with her. The messenger with the news had arrived at eight the
+previous morning, and, faithful to her husband's wishes, at that hour
+she ordered the horses to be brought round, and, joining a party
+of gentlemen who were also making for the coast, rode with them to
+Plymouth. Arrangements were at once made with the captain of a small
+ship in the port, and two days later they landed at Honfleur, where
+Sir Thomas had enjoined his wife to wait until she heard from him or
+obtained sure news of his fate.
+
+A week after her arrival the news was brought by other fugitives of the
+violation of the sanctuary by the king, and the murder of Somerset and
+the gentlemen with him, of whom Sir Thomas Tresham was known to have
+been one.
+
+The blow proved fatal to Dame Tresham. She had gone through many trials
+and misfortunes, and had ever borne them bravely, but the loss of her
+husband completely broke her down. Save to see his wishes concerning
+their son carried out, she had no longer any interest in life or any
+wish to live. But until the future of Gervaise was assured, her mission
+was unfulfilled. His education was her sole care; his mornings were
+spent at a monastery, where the monks instructed the sons of such of the
+nobles and gentry of the neighbourhood as cared that they should be able
+to read and write. In the afternoon he had the best masters in the town
+in military exercises. His evenings he spent with his mother, who strove
+to instill in him the virtues of patience, mercy to the vanquished, and
+valour, by stories of the great characters of history. She herself spent
+her days in pious exercises, in attending the services of the Church,
+and in acts of charity and kindness to her poorer neighbours. But her
+strength failed rapidly, and she was but a shadow of her former self
+when, two years and a half after her arrival at Honfleur, she felt that
+if she was herself to hand Gervaise over to the Order of St. John, she
+must no longer delay. Accordingly she took ship to London, and landing
+there made her way with him to the dwelling of the Order at Clerkenwell.
+It was in process of rebuilding, for in 1381 it had been first plundered
+and then burned by the insurgents under Wat Tyler. During the ninety
+years that had elapsed since that event the work of rebuilding had
+proceeded steadily, each grand prior making additions to the pile which,
+although not yet fully completed, was already one of the grandest and
+stateliest abodes in England.
+
+On inquiring for the grand prior, and stating that she had a letter
+of importance for him, Dame Tresham and her son were shown up to his
+apartment, and on entering were kindly and courteously received by him
+when informed that she was the widow of the late Sir Thomas Tresham.
+
+“I am the bearer of a letter for you, given into my hand by my husband's
+dear friend your predecessor,” she said, “a few days before his murder
+at Tewkesbury. It relates to my son here.”
+
+The grand prior opened the letter and read it.
+
+“Assuredly, madam, I will carry out the wishes here expressed,” he said.
+“They are, that I should forward at once the letter he has given you to
+Sir Peter D'Aubusson, and that until an answer is received from him, I
+should take care of the boy here, and see that he is instructed in all
+that is needful for a future knight of our Order. I grieve to see that
+you yourself are looking so ill.”
+
+“My course is well nigh run,” she said. “I have, methinks, but a few
+days to live. I am thankful that it has been permitted to me to carry
+out my husband's wishes, and to place my boy in your hands. That done,
+my work on earth is finished, and glad indeed am I that the time is at
+hand when I can rejoin my dear husband.”
+
+“We have a building here where we can lodge ladies in distress or need,
+Dame Tresham, and trust that you will take up your abode there.”
+
+“I shall indeed be thankful to do so,” she replied. “I know no one in
+London, and few would care to lodge a dying woman.”
+
+“We are Hospitallers,” the grand prior said. “That was our sole mission
+when we were first founded, and before we became a military order, and
+it is still a part of our sworn duty to aid the distressed.”
+
+A few minutes later Dame Tresham was conducted to a comfortable
+apartment, and was given into the charge of a female attendant. The next
+day she had another interview with the grand prior, to whom she handed
+over her jewels and remaining money. This she prayed him to devote to
+the furnishing of the necessary outfit for Gervaise. She spent the rest
+of the day in the church of the hospital, had a long talk with her son
+in the evening, giving him her last charges as to his future life and
+conduct, and that night, as if she had now fulfilled her last duty on
+earth, she passed away, and was found by her attendant lying with a look
+of joy and peacefulness on her dead face.
+
+Gervaise's grief was for a time excessive. He was nearly twelve years
+old, and had never until now been separated from her even for a day. She
+had often spoken to him of her end being near, but until the blow came
+he had never quite understood that it could be so. She had, on the night
+before her death, told him that he must not grieve overmuch for her, for
+that in any case they must have soon been sundered, and that it was
+far better that he should think of her as at rest, and happy, than as
+leading a lonely and sorrowful life.
+
+The grand prior, however, wisely gave him but little time to dwell upon
+his loss, but as soon as her funeral had taken place, handed him over
+to the knights who had the charge of the novices on probation, and
+instructed them in their military exercises, and of the chaplain who
+taught them such learning as was considered requisite for a knight of
+the Order.
+
+The knights were surprised at the proficiency the lad had already
+attained in the use of his weapons.
+
+“By St. Agatha,” one of them exclaimed, after the conclusion of his
+first lesson, “you have had good teachers, lad, and have availed
+yourself rarely of them. If you go on like this you will become a
+distinguished knight of our Order. With a few more years to strengthen
+your arms I warrant me you will bear your part well in your first tussle
+with the Moslem corsairs.”
+
+It fortunately happened that a party of knights were starting for Rhodes
+a few days after the admission of Gervaise to the Hospital, and the
+letter to Sir Peter D'Aubusson was committed to their charge. They were
+to proceed to Bordeaux by ship, then to journey by land to Marseilles,
+and thence, being joined by some French knights, to sail direct to
+Rhodes. Two months later an answer was received. D'Aubusson wrote to the
+grand prior saying that he would gladly carry out the last wishes of his
+dead friend, and that he had already obtained from the grand master the
+appointment of Gervaise Tresham as one of his pages, and begged that he
+might be sent out with the next party of knights leaving England. It
+was three months before such an opportunity occurred. During that time
+Gervaise remained at the house of St. John's studying diligently, and
+continuing his military exercises. These were severe; for the scions of
+noble houses, who hoped some day to distinguish themselves as knights,
+were put through many gymnastic exercises--were taught to spring on to
+a horse when clad in full armour, to wield heavy battleaxes, to run and
+climb, and to prepare themselves for all the possibilities of the mode
+of fighting of the day.
+
+Gervaise gained the encomiums, not only of his special preceptor, but of
+the various knights in the house, and of the grand prior himself, both
+for his strength and activity, and for the earnestness with which he
+worked. When the time approached for his leaving England, the grand
+prior ordered for him the outfit which would be necessary in his
+position as a page of the grand master. The dresses were numerous and
+rich, for although the knights of St. John wore over their armour the
+simple mantle of their order, which was a sleeveless garment of black
+relieved only by a white cross on the chest, they indulged in the finest
+and most costly armour, and in rich garments beneath their black mantles
+when not in armour.
+
+“I am well pleased with you, Gervaise,” the grand prior said, on the
+evening before he was to leave, “and I see in you the making of a
+valiant knight of the Order. Maintain the same spirit you have shown
+here; be obedient and reverent to your superiors; give your whole mind
+to your duties; strive earnestly during the three or four years that
+your pagedom will last, to perfect yourself in military exercises, that
+when the time comes for you to buckle on armour you will be able to bear
+yourself worthily. Remember that you will have to win your knighthood,
+for the Order does not bestow this honour, and you must remain a
+professed knight until you receive it at the hands of some distinguished
+warrior. Ever bear in mind that you are a soldier of the Cross. Avoid
+luxury, live simply and modestly; be not led away by others, upon whom
+their vows may sit but lightly; keep ever in your mind that you have
+joined the Order neither to gain fame nor personal advantage, but simply
+that you may devote the strength and the intelligence that God has given
+you to protect Christendom from the advance of the infidel. I shall
+hear of you from time to time from D'Aubusson, and feel sure that the
+expectations I have formed of you will be fulfilled.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III THE GRAND MASTER'S PAGE
+
+
+The grand prior had, in accordance with Dame Tresham's request, sent the
+steward of the house to one of the principal jewellers of the city who,
+as the Order were excellent customers, paid a good price for her jewels.
+After the payment for the numerous dresses required for the service as
+a page to the grand master, the grand prior handed the balance of the
+money Dame Tresham had brought with her, and that obtained by the sale
+of her jewels, to one of the knights under whose charge Gervaise was to
+travel, to be given by him to D'Aubusson for the necessities of
+Gervaise as a page. During their term of service the pages received
+no remuneration, all their expenses being paid by their families.
+Nevertheless, the post was considered so honourable, and of such great
+advantage to those entering the Order, that the appointments were
+eagerly sought after.
+
+The head of the party was Sir Guy Redcar, who had been a commander in
+England, but who was now relinquishing that post in order to take a high
+office in the convent at the Island. With him were four lads between
+seventeen and twenty who were going out as professed knights, having
+served their year of probation as novices at the grand priory. With
+these Gervaise was already acquainted, as they had lived, studied, and
+performed their military exercises together. The three eldest of these
+Gervaise liked much, but the youngest of the party, Robert Rivers, a
+relation of the queen, had always shown a very different spirit from
+the others. He was jealous that a member of one of the defeated and
+disinherited Lancastrian families should obtain a post of such honour
+and advantage as that of page to the grand master, and that thus,
+although five years younger, Gervaise should enter the Order on an
+equality with him.
+
+In point of strength and stature he was, of course, greatly superior
+to Gervaise; but he had been spoilt from his childhood, was averse
+to exercise, and dull at learning, and while Gervaise was frequently
+commended by his instructors, he himself was constantly reproved, and
+it had been more than once a question whether he should be received as
+a professed knight at the termination of his year of novitiate. Thus,
+while the other lads treated Gervaise kindly, and indeed made rather
+a pet of him, Robert Rivers ignored him as much as possible, and if
+obliged to speak to him did so with a pointed rudeness that more than
+once brought upon him a sharp reproof from his companions. Gervaise
+himself was but little affected by Robert's manner. He was of an
+exceptionally good tempered nature, and, indeed, was so occupied with
+his work and so anxious to satisfy his teachers, that Robert's ill
+humour passed almost unnoticed.
+
+The journey was performed without incident. During their passage across
+the south of France, Gervaise's perfect knowledge of the language gained
+for him a great advantage over his companions, and enabled him to be of
+much use to Sir Guy. They had fine weather during their passage up the
+Mediterranean, and in the day their leader gave them their first lessons
+in the management and discipline of a ship.
+
+“You will be nearly as much at sea as you are on land for the five years
+you must stay at the convent,” he said; “and it is essential to the
+education of a knight of our Order to know all things connected with the
+management of a ship, even to its building. We construct our own galleys
+at Rhodes, using, of course, the labour of slaves, but under our own
+superintendence; and it is even more essential to us to know how to
+fight on sea than on land. There is, too, you see, a rivalry among
+ourselves, for each langue has its duties, and each strives to perform
+more gallant deeds and to bring in more rich prizes than the others. We
+of England are among the smallest of the langues, and yet methinks we do
+a fair portion of the work, and gain fully our share of honour. There is
+no fear of your having much time on your hands, for it is quite certain
+that there will soon be open war between Mahomet and the Order. In spite
+of the nominal truce, constant skirmishes are taking place, so that, in
+addition to our fights with pirates, we have sometimes encounters with
+the sultan's galleys.
+
+“Seven years ago, a number of our Order took part in the defence
+of Lesbos, and lost their lives at its capture, and we have sure
+information that Mahomet is preparing for an attack on the Island. No
+doubt he thinks it will be an easy conquest, for in '57 he succeeded
+in landing eighteen thousand men on the Island, and in ravaging a large
+district, carrying off much booty. Since then, however, the defences of
+Rhodes have been greatly strengthened. Zacosta, our last grand master,
+laboured diligently to increase the fortifications, and, specially,
+built on one side of the entrance to the harbour a strong tower, called
+Fort St. Nicholas. Orsini has carried on the works, which have been
+directed by D'Aubusson, who is captain general of the forces of the
+Island, and who has deepened the ditches and built a wall on the sea
+front of the town six hundred feet in length and twenty feet in height,
+money being found by the grand master from his private purse.
+
+“At present we are not sure whether the great armament that Mahomet is
+preparing is intended for the capture of Negropont, which belongs to
+Venice, or of Rhodes. Unfortunately Venice and Rhodes are not good
+friends. In the course of our war with Egypt in '58 we captured from
+some Venetian vessels, in which they were travelling, several Egyptian
+merchants with a great store of goods. The Venetians protested that as
+the ships were theirs we had no right to interfere with our enemies who
+were travelling in them, and, without giving time for the question to
+be discussed, at once attacked our galleys, and sent a fleet against
+Rhodes. They landed on the Island, and not only pillaged the district
+of Halki, but, a number of natives having sought shelter in a cave, the
+Venetians blocked up the entrance with brushwood, set it on fire, and
+suffocated them all.
+
+“Shortly afterwards, another and larger fleet appeared off Rhodes, and
+demanded the restitution of the Egyptians and their merchandise. There
+was a great division of opinion in the council; but, seeing the great
+danger that threatened us both from the Turks at Constantinople and the
+Venetians, and that it was madness at such a time to engage in war with
+a Christian power, the grand master persuaded the council to accede to
+their request. There has never been any friendly feeling between Venice
+and ourselves since that time. Still, I trust that our common danger
+will reunite us, and that whether Negropont or Rhodes is attacked by the
+Moslems, we shall render loyal aid to each other.”
+
+There was great excitement among Gervaise and his companions when it was
+announced that Rhodes was in sight, and as they approached the town
+they gazed with admiration at the castle with its stately buildings, the
+palace of the grand master and the Hospital of St. John, rising above
+the lower town, the massive walls strengthened by projecting bastions,
+and the fortifications of the ports. Of these there were two, with
+separate entrances, divided from each other by a narrow tongue of land.
+At its extremity stood Fort St. Nicholas, which was connected by a
+strong wall running along the promontory to the town. The inner port,
+as it was called, was of greater importance, as it adjoined the town
+itself. It was defended in the first place by Fort St. Nicholas, and at
+the inner entrance stood the towers of St. John and St. Michael, one
+on either side. Into this the vessel was steered. There were many craft
+lying there, among them eight or ten of the galleys of the Order.
+
+“We will go first to the house of our langue,” Sir Guy said, “and tell
+them to send down slaves to fetch up our baggage; then I will take you,
+Gervaise, to Sir Peter D'Aubusson, and hand you over to his care.”
+
+On landing, Gervaise was surprised at the number of slaves who were
+labouring at the public works, and who formed no small proportion of the
+population in the streets. Their condition was pitiable. They were, of
+course, enemies of Christianity, and numbers of them had been pirates;
+but he could not help pitying their condition as they worked in the full
+heat of the sun under the vigilant eyes of numbers of overseers, who
+carried heavy whips, in addition to their arms. Their progress to the
+upper city was slow, for on their way they met many knights, of whom
+several were acquainted with Sir Guy; and each, after greeting
+him, demanded the latest news from England, and in return gave him
+particulars of the state of things at Rhodes.
+
+At last they arrived at the house of the English langue. The Order
+was divided into langues or nationalities. Of these there were
+eight--Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Germany, England, Aragon, and
+Castile and Portugal. The French element was by far the strongest. The
+Order had been founded in that country, and as it possessed no less than
+three langues, and held the greater part of the high official positions
+in the Order, it was only kept in check by the other langues acting
+together to demand their fair share of dignities. The grand master's
+authority was considerable, but it was checked by the council, which
+was composed of the bailiffs and knights of the highest order, known
+as Grand Crosses. Each langue had its bailiff elected by itself: these
+resided constantly at Rhodes. Each of these bailiffs held a high office;
+thus the Bailiff of Provence was always the grand commander of the
+Order. He controlled the expenditure, superintended the stores, and
+was governor of the arsenal. The Bailiff of Auvergne was the
+commander-in-chief of all the forces, army and navy. The Bailiff of
+France was the grand hospitaller, with the supreme direction of the
+hospitals and infirmaries of the Order, a hospital in those days
+signifying a guest house. The Bailiff of Italy was the grand admiral,
+and the Bailiff of England was chief of the light cavalry. Thus the
+difficulties and jealousies that would have arisen at every vacancy were
+avoided.
+
+In the early days of the Order, when Jerusalem was in the hands of the
+Christians, the care of the hospitals was its chief and most important
+function. Innumerable pilgrims visited Jerusalem, and these were
+entertained at the immense guest house of the Order. But with the loss
+of Jerusalem and the expulsion of the Christians from Palestine, that
+function had become of very secondary importance although there was
+still a guest house and infirmary at Rhodes, where strangers and the
+sick were carefully attended by the knights. No longer did these ride
+out to battle on their war horses. It was on the sea that the foe was
+to be met, and the knights were now sailors rather than soldiers. They
+dwelt at the houses of their respective langues; here they ate at a
+common table, which was supplied by the bailiff, who drew rations for
+each knight, and received, in addition, a yearly sum for the supply of
+such luxuries as were not included in the rations. The average number of
+knights residing in each of these langues averaged from a hundred to a
+hundred and fifty.
+
+It was not until some hours after his arrival that Sir Guy could find
+time to take Gervaise across to the house of the langue of Auvergne, to
+which D'Aubusson belonged. It was a larger and more stately pile than
+that of the English langue, but the arrangements were similar in all
+these buildings. In the English house Gervaise had not felt strange, as
+he had the companionship of his fellow voyagers; but as he followed
+Sir Guy through the spacious halls of the langue of Auvergne, where no
+familiar face met his, he felt more lonely than he had done since he
+entered the house at Clerkenwell.
+
+On sending in his name Sir Guy was at once conducted to the chamber
+occupied by D'Aubusson. The knight was seated at his table, examining
+some plans. The room was furnished with monastic simplicity, save that
+the walls were hung with rich silks and curtains captured from Turkish
+galleys.
+
+“Welcome back to us, Sir Guy,” D'Aubusson said, rising, and warmly
+shaking his visitor's hand. “I have been looking for your coming, for we
+need men with clear heads. Of strong arms and valiant spirits we have no
+lack; but men of judgment and discretion, who can be trusted to look at
+matters calmly and not to be carried away by passion, are welcome indeed
+to us. I was expecting you about this time, and when I heard that a ship
+had arrived from Marseilles I made inquiries, and was glad to find that
+you were on board.”
+
+“I am heartily glad to be back, D'Aubusson; I am sick of the dull life
+of a commandery, and rejoice at the prospect of stirring times again.
+This lad is young Tresham, who has come out in my charge, and for
+whom you have been good enough to obtain the post of page to the grand
+master.”
+
+“And no slight business was it to do so,” D'Aubusson said with a smile.
+“It happened there was a vacancy when the letter concerning him arrived,
+and had it been one of the highest offices in the Order there could not
+have been a keener contention for it. Every bailiff had his candidate
+ready; but I seldom ask for anything for members of my langue, and when
+I told the other bailiffs that it was to me a matter of honour to carry
+out the last request of my dead friend, they all gave way. You see, I am
+placed in a position of some little difficulty. The grand master is
+so enfeebled and crippled that he leaves matters almost entirely in
+my hands, and it would be an abuse of my position, and would excite no
+little jealousy, were I to use the power I possess to nominate friends
+of my own to appointments. It is only by the most rigid impartiality,
+and by dividing as fairly as possible all offices between the eight
+langues, that all continue to give me their support. As you know, we
+have had great difficulties and heartburnings here; but happily they
+have to a great extent been set at rest by forming a new langue of
+Castile and Portugal out of that of Aragon. This has given one more vote
+to the smaller langues, and has so balanced the power that of late the
+jealousies between us have greatly subsided, and all are working well
+together in face of the common danger. Well, young sir, and how like you
+the prospect of your pageship?”
+
+“I like it greatly, sir, but shall like still more the time when I can
+buckle on armour and take a share of the fighting with the infidels. I
+would fain, sir, offer to you my deep and humble thanks for the great
+kindness you have shown me in procuring me the appointment of page to
+the grand master.”
+
+The knight smiled kindly. “There are the less thanks due, lad, inasmuch
+as I did it not for you, but for the dear friend who wrote to me on your
+behalf. However, I trust that you will do credit to my nomination by
+your conduct here.”
+
+“There is a letter from our grand prior which I have brought to you,”
+ Sir Guy said. “He commended the lad to me warmly, and seems to be
+greatly pleased with his conduct.”
+
+D'Aubusson cut the silken string that bound the missive together, and
+read the letter.
+
+“He does indeed speak warmly,” he said, as he laid it down on the table.
+
+“He tells me that the lad, young as he was, had been well trained when
+he came, and that he worked with great diligence during the five months
+he was in the House, and displayed such skill and strength for his age,
+as to surprise his preceptors, who prophesied that he would turn out a
+stout swordsman, and would be a credit to the Order.”
+
+“He is well furnished with garments both for ordinary and state
+occasions,” Sir Guy said; “and in this packet are some sixty gold
+crowns, which are the last remains of his patrimony, and which I was to
+hand to you in order to pay the necessary expenses during his pageship.”
+
+“He could have done without that,” D'Aubusson said. “Recommended to me
+as he is, I would have seen that he lacked nothing, but was provided
+with all necessaries for his position. I will in the future take care
+that in all things he is on a par with his companions.” He touched a
+bell on the table, and a servitor entered.
+
+“Tell Richard de Deauville to come here,” he said.
+
+A minute later the hangings at the door were pushed aside, and a lad
+about a year older than Gervaise appeared, and, bowing deeply to the
+knight, stood in a respectful attitude, awaiting his orders.
+
+“Deauville, take this youth, Gervaise Tresham to your room. He is
+appointed one of the pages of the grand master. He is English, but he
+speaks French as well as you do, having lived in France for some years.
+Take him to your apartment and treat him kindly and well, seeing that he
+is a stranger and new to all here. Tomorrow he will go to the palace.”
+
+Gervaise bowed deeply to the two knights, and then followed the page.
+
+“I suppose you arrived in that ship which came in today,” the latter
+said, as soon as they had left the room. “You are in luck indeed to have
+obtained a pageship at the grand master's. You begin to count your time
+at once, while we do not begin to count ours until we are seventeen.
+Still, good luck may befall us yet, for if the grand master dies, Sir
+Peter is sure to be chosen to succeed him. Then, you see, we too shall
+be pages of the grand master.”
+
+“How many are there of you?”
+
+“Only De Lille and myself. Of course D'Aubusson will take on the grand
+master's present pages; but as there are five vacancies on an average
+every year, he will be able to find room for us among the number.”
+
+“Why, how many pages has the grand master?” Gervaise asked, in surprise.
+
+“Sixteen of them, so you may guess the duties are easy enough, as only
+two are generally employed, except, of course on solemn occasions.”
+
+“Are there any other English besides myself?”
+
+The boy shook his head. “There are eight belonging to the French
+langues; the others are Spaniards, Italians, or Germans. There, this is
+our room and this is De Lille. De Lille, this is the grand master's new
+page, Master Gervaise Tresham, and our lord says we are to treat him
+kindly and entertain him well until tomorrow, when he will go to the
+palace. He speaks our language, and has been some years in France.”
+
+“How came you to be there?” De Lille asked Gervaise.
+
+“My father was a Lancastrian, and my mother a great friend of our
+Queen Margaret of Anjou, and they were with her all the time she was in
+exile.”
+
+“How quarrelsome you English are!” De Lille said. “You seem to be always
+fighting among yourselves.”
+
+“I don't think,” Gervaise said, with a smile, “there is any love lost
+between Louis of France and the Duke of Burgundy, to say nothing of
+other great lords.”
+
+“No; you are right there. But though we talk a great deal about
+fighting, it is only occasionally that we engage in it.”
+
+The pages' room was a small one. It contained two pallets, which
+served as seats by day, and two wooden chests, in which they kept their
+clothes.
+
+Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of a bell.
+
+“That is supper,” De Lille said, jumping up. “We will leave you here
+while we go down to stand behind our lord's chair. When the meal is over
+we will bring a pasty or something else good, and a measure of wine,
+and have our supper together up here; and we will tell the servitors to
+bring up another pallet for you. Of course, you can go down with us if
+you like.”
+
+“Thank you, I would much rather stay here. Every one would be strange to
+me, and having nothing to do I should feel in the way.”
+
+The boys nodded, and taking their caps ran off, while Gervaise, tired by
+the excitement of the day, lay down on the bed which a servant brought
+up a few minutes after they had left him, and slept soundly until their
+return.
+
+“I think I have been asleep,” he said, starting up when they entered the
+room again.
+
+“You look as if you had, anyhow,” De Lille laughed. “It was the best
+thing you could do. We have brought up supper. We generally sit down
+and eat after the knights have done, but this is much better, as you are
+here.” They sat down on the beds, carved the pasty with their daggers,
+and after they had finished Gervaise gladly accepted the proposal of the
+others to take a walk round the walls.
+
+They started from the corner of the castle looking down upon the spit of
+land dividing the two ports.
+
+“You see,” De Lille said, “there is a row of small islands across the
+mouth of the outer port, and the guns of St. Nicholas, and those on this
+wall, would prevent any hostile fleet from entering.”
+
+“I hardly see what use that port is, for it lies altogether outside the
+town, and vessels could not unload there.”
+
+“No. Still, it forms a useful place of refuge. In case a great fleet
+came to attack us, our galleys would lay up in the inner port, which
+would be cleared of all the merchant craft, as these would hamper the
+defence; they would, therefore, be sent round into the outer port, where
+they would be safe from any attack by sea, although they would doubtless
+be burnt did an army besiege the town.”
+
+Passing along the walls of the grand master's palace, which was a
+strongly fortified building, and formed a citadel that could be defended
+after the lower town and the rest of the castle had been taken, they
+came to the western angle of the fortifications.
+
+“You must know that each langue has charge of a separate part of the
+wall. From the foot of the mole of St. Nicholas to the grand master's
+palace it is in charge of France. On the line where we now are, between
+the palace and the gate of St. George, it is held by Germany. From that
+gate to the Spanish tower Auvergne is posted. England takes the wall
+between the Spanish tower and that of St. Mary. You defend only the
+lower storey of that tower, the upper part being held by Aragon, whose
+charge extends up to the gate of St. John. Thence to the tower of
+Italy--behind which lies the Jews' quarter--Provence is in charge, while
+the sea front thence to the mole of St. Nicholas, is held by Italy
+and Castile, each taking half. Not only have the langues the charge of
+defending each its portion of the wall, but of keeping it in order at
+all times; and I may say that nowhere is the wall better kept or more
+fairly decorated with carvings than where England holds.”
+
+“You have not told me who defends the palace itself.”
+
+“That is in charge of a force composed of equal numbers of picked
+knights from each langue.”
+
+Gervaise leant on the battlement and looked with admiration at the scene
+beyond. The land side was surrounded by hills, the ground rising
+very gradually from the foot of the walls. Every yard of ground was
+cultivated, and was covered with brilliant vegetation. Groves and
+orchards occurred thickly, while the slopes were dotted with chapels,
+summer houses--in which the natives of the city spent most of their time
+in the hot season--and other rustic buildings.
+
+“What a rich and beautiful country!” he said.
+
+“It is very pleasant to look at,” De Lille agreed. “But all this would
+be a sore disadvantage to us if the Turks were besieging us, for the
+groves and orchards would conceal their approaches, the walls and
+buildings would give them shelter, and our cannon would be of little use
+until they reached the farther side of the ditch. If the Turks come,
+I hear it is decided to level all the buildings and walls, and to chop
+down every tree.”
+
+“If they were to plant their cannon on the hills they would do us much
+harm,” Gervaise remarked.
+
+“The Turks are clumsy gunners they say,” Deauville replied, “and they
+would but waste their powder and ball at that distance, without making a
+breach in our walls.”
+
+“Even if they did, they could surely scarce pass that deep fosse,”
+ Gervaise said, looking down into the tremendous cutting in the solid
+rock that ran round the whole circuit of the walls; it was from forty
+to sixty feet deep, and from ninety to a hundred and forty feet wide. It
+was from this great cutting that the stones for the construction of the
+walls, towers, and buildings of the town had been taken, the work having
+been going on ever since the knights established themselves at Rhodes,
+and being performed by a host of captives taken in war, together with
+labour hired from neighboring islands. Upon this immense work the Order
+had expended no small proportion of their revenue since their capture
+of the island in 1310, and the result was a fortress that, under the
+conditions of warfare of that age, seemed almost impregnable; and this
+without any natural advantage of position.
+
+In addition to the five great towers or bastions, the wall was
+strengthened by square towers at short intervals. On looking down from
+the wall upon which the three pages were standing, on to the lower town,
+the view was a singular one. The houses were all built of stone, with
+flat roofs, after the manner of most Eastern cities. The streets were
+very narrow, and were crossed at frequent intervals by broad stone
+arches. These had the effect, not only of giving shelter from an enemy's
+fire, but of affording means by which troops could march rapidly across
+the town upon the roofs of the houses to reinforce the defenders of the
+wall, wherever pressed by the enemy. Thus the town from above presented
+the appearance of a great pavement, broken only by dark and frequently
+interrupted lines.
+
+“How different to the towns at home!” Gervaise exclaimed, as, after
+gazing long upon the beautiful country outside the walls, he turned and
+looked inward. “One would hardly know that it was a town at all.”
+
+“Yes, it is rather different to the view from the top of the tower of
+Notre Dame, which I ascended while I was staying in Paris. But this sort
+of building is best here; the thickness of the stone roofs keeps out
+the heat of the sun, and it is only when it is almost overhead that it
+shines down into the narrow streets. As you can see by the number of
+the people on the roofs, they use them as a resort in the evening. Then
+carpets are spread, and they receive visitors, and can talk to their
+neighbours over the low walls that separate the roofs. You can trace the
+divisions. Some of the house roofs are larger than others, but all are
+upon the same level; this being the regulation, in order that there
+might be free passage everywhere for the troops.”
+
+By the time they had made the circuit of the walls darkness had fallen,
+and concealed the martial features of the scene. Lights twinkled
+everywhere upon the stone terraces; the sound of lutes and other musical
+instruments came up softly on the still air, with the hum of talk and
+laughter. The sea lay as smooth as a mirror, and reflected the light of
+the stars, and the black hulls of the galleys and ships in the harbour
+lay still and motionless.
+
+Greatly pleased with his first experience of the city that was to be his
+future home, Gervaise returned, with his companions, to the auberge of
+Auvergne.
+
+The next morning the bailiff D'Aubusson bade Gervaise accompany him to
+the palace of the grand master. Here he introduced him to Orsini, an
+old and feeble man, who, after a few kind words, handed him over to the
+chamberlain, who, in turn, led him to the official who was in charge of
+the pages. That officer took him down to the courtyard, where four young
+knights were engaged in superintending the military exercises of the
+pages. The scene was exactly the same as that to which Gervaise had been
+accustomed at the House in London. Some of the lads were fighting with
+blunted swords, others were swinging heavy bars of iron, climbing ropes,
+or vaulting on to the back of a wooden horse. All paused as the official
+entered with his charge.
+
+“This is your new comrade, boys,” he said--“Master Gervaise Tresham, a
+member of the English langue. Be good comrades to him. By the reports I
+hear I am sure that you will find him a worthy companion.”
+
+The pages had been prepared to like the newcomer, for it was well known
+that he owed his appointment to the bailiff of Auvergne, who was the
+most popular of the officials of the Order, and who was already regarded
+as the grand master. His appearance confirmed their anticipation. His
+fair complexion and nut brown hair tinged with gold, cut somewhat short,
+but with a natural wave, contrasted with their darker locks and faces
+bronzed by the sun. There was an honest and frank look in his grey eyes,
+and an expression of good temper on his face, though the square chin and
+firm lips spoke of earnestness and resolution of purpose. The official
+took him round the circle and presented him first to the knights and
+then to each of his comrades.
+
+“You may as well join them in their exercises. In that way you will
+sooner become at home with them.”
+
+Gervaise at once laid down his mantle, removed his doublet, and then
+joined the others. There was but one half hour remaining before they
+broke off to go to dinner, which was at half past ten, but the time
+sufficed to show the young pages that this English lad was the equal
+of all--except two or three of the oldest--both in strength and in
+knowledge of arms. He could climb the rope with any of them, could vault
+on to the wooden horse with a heavy cuirass and backpiece on him, and
+held his own in a bout with swords against Conrad von Berghoff, who was
+considered the best swordplayer among them. As soon as the exercises
+were over all proceeded to the bath, and then to dinner. The meal was a
+simple one, but Gervaise enjoyed it thoroughly, for the table was loaded
+with an abundance of fruits of kinds altogether novel to him, and which
+he found delicious.
+
+The official in charge of them sat at the head of the table, and the
+meal was eaten in silence. After it was over and they had retired to
+their own rooms discipline was at an end, and they were free to amuse
+themselves as they liked. There were many questions to be asked and
+answered, but his display of strength and skill in the courtyard saved
+Gervaise from a good deal of the teasing to which a newcomer among a
+party of boys is always exposed.
+
+He, on his part, learnt that the duties of the pages were very light.
+Two only were on duty each day, being in constant attendance on the
+grand master, and accompanying him wherever he went. When he dined in
+public four of them waited on him at table, and one of them performed
+the duties of taster. If he returned to the palace after dark, six
+others lined the staircase with torches. On occasions of state ceremony,
+and at the numerous religious festivals, all were in attendance. By this
+time Gervaise's trunks had been brought over from the English auberge,
+where they had been conveyed from the ship, and his garments were taken
+out and inspected by his comrades, who all admitted that they were, in
+point of beauty of colour and material, and in fashion, equal to their
+own.
+
+“You will have to get one more suit, Gervaise,” one of the lads said.
+“At one or two of the grand ceremonies every year we are all dressed
+alike; that is the rule. On other occasions we wear what we choose, so
+that our garments are handsome, and I think it looks a good deal better
+than when we are dressed alike; though no doubt in religious processions
+that is more appropriate. De Ribaumont, our governor, will give orders
+for the supply of your state costume. He is a good fellow. Of course,
+he has to be rather strict with us; but so long as there is nothing done
+that he considers discreditable to our position, he lets us do pretty
+nearly as we like.
+
+“We have four hours a day at our military exercises, and two hours with
+the sub-chaplain, who teaches us our books and religious duties. The
+rest of our time we can use as we like, except that every day eight of
+us ride for two hours and practise with the lance; for although it is at
+sea we fight the Moslems, we are expected to become finished knights in
+all matters. These eight horses are kept for our service, and such as
+choose may at other times ride them. On Saturdays we are free from
+all our exercises; then some of us generally go on horseback for long
+excursions on the island, while others take boats and go out on the sea;
+one afternoon in the week we all make a trip in a galley, to learn our
+duties on board.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV A PROFESSED KNIGHT
+
+
+Gervaise was soon quite at home in the palace of the grand master, and
+his companions were, like other boys, of varying characters; but as all
+were of noble families, were strongly impressed with the importance of
+the Order and the honour of their own position, and were constantly
+in contact with stately knights and grave officials, their manners
+conformed to those of their elders; and even among themselves there was
+no rough fun, or loud disputes, but a certain courtesy of manner that
+was in accordance with their surroundings. This came naturally to
+Gervaise, brought up as he had been by his father and mother, and having
+at frequent intervals stayed with them for months at the various
+royal castles in which Margaret of Anjou and her son had been assigned
+apartments during their exile. Even at St. John's house the novices
+with whom he lived were all a good deal older than himself, and the
+discipline of the house was much more strict than that at Rhodes.
+
+He enjoyed both his exercises with the knights and the time spent
+with the sub-chaplain, no small proportion of the hours of study being
+occupied in listening to stories of chivalry; it being considered one of
+the most important parts of a knight's education that he should have a
+thorough acquaintance, not only with the laws of chivalry, but with the
+brave deeds both of former and of living knights, with the relations of
+the noble houses of Europe to each other, especially of the many great
+families whose members were connected with the Order of St. John.
+
+These matters formed, indeed, the main subject of their studies. All
+were taught to read and write, but this was considered sufficient in the
+way of actual instruction. The rules of the Order had to be committed
+to memory. Beyond this their reading consisted largely of the lives
+of saints, especially of those who distinguished themselves by their
+charity or their devotion to their vows of poverty, to both of which the
+members of the Order were pledged. Gervaise, however, could see around
+him no signs whatever of poverty on their part. It was true that they
+all lived and fed together in the auberges of their respective langues,
+and that they possessed no houses or establishments of their own; but
+the magnificence of their armour and attire, and the lavish expenditure
+of some upon their pleasures, contrasted strangely with the poverty
+to which they had vowed themselves. It was true that in many cases the
+means to support the expenditure was derived from the shares the knights
+received of the plunder acquired in their captures of Moslem ships; but
+undoubtedly many must have possessed large private means; the bailiffs,
+for example, although only required by the rules to place before the
+knights at their auberges the rations they received for them, with
+such luxuries as could be purchased by their yearly allowance for that
+purpose, expended annually very large sums in addition, and supplied
+their tables with every dainty, in order to gain popularity and goodwill
+among the members of the langue.
+
+Not only did the post of bailiff confer upon its owner a very high
+position at Rhodes, but it was a stepping stone to the most lucrative
+offices in their langues. The bailiffs at Rhodes had the right of
+claiming any of the grand priories or bailiwicks at home that might
+fall vacant, and the grand master was frequently chosen from among their
+number, as, by being present at Rhodes, they had many advantages in the
+way of making themselves popular among the electors. The emoluments of
+some of these provincial bailiwicks were large; and as the bailiffs at
+Rhodes were generally elected by seniority--although younger knights who
+had greatly distinguished themselves were sometimes chosen--they were
+usually glad to resign the heavy work and responsibility of their
+position at Rhodes, and to retire to the far easier position of a
+provincial bailiff. In the majority of cases, doubtless, the fortunes
+of the high officials were obtained from the money amassed when in
+possession of rich commanderies at home; but even this was assuredly
+incompatible with their vows of poverty.
+
+His hours of leisure Gervaise spent either on the water or in the
+saddle, and his love of exercise of all sorts excited the wonder and
+even the amusement of his companions, who for the most part preferred
+spending the time at their disposal in sleep, in idly looking out from
+a shaded room at what was going on outside, or in visits to friends and
+relations at the auberges of the langues to which they belonged. The
+natural consequence was, that by the time he reached the end of his
+three years' pageship, Gervaise was indisputably superior in strength,
+activity, and skill in military exercises, to any of his companions.
+The majority of these, after completing their time, returned to the
+headquarters of their langue at home, to pass their time there, until of
+an age to be eligible for the charge of a commandery obtained for them
+by family influence, which had no small share in the granting of these
+appointments. As it was known, however, that Gervaise intended to remain
+permanently in the Island, his progress was watched with particular
+attention by his instructors; and, seeing his own earnestness in the
+matter, they took special pains with his training. The bailiff of
+Auvergne continued to take much interest in him, inquiring often from
+the officers in charge of the pages, and from his instructors, of his
+conduct and progress, and occasionally sending for him to his auberge
+and talking with him as to his life and progress. Just before his
+pageship terminated, he said to him, “I was rather puzzled at first,
+Gervaise, as to what we should do with you when your term of office
+concluded, but I am so no longer, for, although you are some two years
+younger than the professed knights who come out here, you are better
+fitted than the majority to take your place in the naval expeditions,
+and to fight the Moslem pirates. I will see that you have your share of
+these adventures. All young knights are, as you know, obliged to make
+three voyages, but beyond that many of them do not care to share in
+the rough life at sea, and prefer the bustle, and, I grieve to say,
+the gaiety and pleasures of this city. For one, then, really eager
+to distinguish himself, the opportunities are frequent. When danger
+threatens, or heavy engagements are expected, every knight is desirous
+of bearing his part in the fray; but this is not the case when the work
+to be done consists of scouring the sea for weeks, without perchance
+coming across a single pirate. Of course, as soon as your pageship is
+over you will go to the English auberge, but I shall still keep my eye
+upon you, and shall do my best to help you to achieve distinction; and
+I shall take upon myself the providing of your arms and armour as a
+knight.”
+
+Accordingly, on the day on which his duties as a page terminated, two
+servitors of the auberge of Auvergne brought across to the palace a suit
+of fine armour and a sword, a battleaxe, a lance, and a dagger; also
+three complete suits of clothes, two of them for ordinary wear, and one
+for state occasions. The next day Gervaise took the oaths of the Order
+in the Church of St. John. The aged master himself received the vows,
+and formally inducted him as a professed knight of the Order, Peter
+D'Aubusson and the bailiff of the English langue acting as his sponsors,
+vouching that he was of noble blood and in all ways fitted to become
+a knight of Justice, this being the official title of the professed
+knights of the Order. Ten newly arrived novices were inducted at the
+same time, and the ceremony was a stately one, attended by a number of
+the knights from each langue, all in full armour.
+
+The ceremony over, Gervaise bore the title of Sir Gervaise Tresham;
+but this was an honorary rather than a real title, as the Order did not
+profess to bestow the honour of knighthood, and it was usual for its
+members to receive the accolade at the hands of secular knights. At the
+conclusion of the ceremony, he returned with the bailiff of the English
+langue to the auberge, and took up his quarters there. By his frequent
+visits he was well known to all the members, and in a day or two felt as
+much at home as he had done in the pages' room in the palace. A week was
+given to him before he was assigned to any special duty, and he was glad
+when he was told off as one of the knights who were to take their turn
+in superintending the work of the slaves employed in strengthening
+the fortifications, although he would rather that any other employment
+should have been assigned to him, because he felt deep pity for the
+unfortunate men who were engaged in the work.
+
+He knew well enough that if he himself were ever made prisoner by the
+Turks, his lot would be as hard and as hopeless as that of the Moslem
+captives; but this, although he often repeated it to himself in order to
+abate his feeling of commiseration, was but a poor satisfaction. He saw
+one side of the picture, and the other was hidden from him; and although
+he told himself that after slaving in a Turkish galley he would feel a
+satisfaction at seeing those who had been his tyrants suffering the same
+fate, he was well aware that this would not be the case, and that his
+own sufferings would only make him sympathise more deeply with those of
+others. He had found, soon after his arrival on the Island, that it was
+best to keep his feelings on this subject to himself. While the knights
+were bound, in accordance with their vows, to relieve sufferings of any
+kind among Christians, they seemed to regard their captives rather in
+the light of brute beasts than human beings. The slaves were struck on
+the smallest provocation, and even the killing of a slave was considered
+a very venial offence, and punished only because the slave was of value
+to the Order.
+
+It was true that edicts were from time to time published by the council,
+enjoining fair treatment of slaves, and it was specially ordered that
+those employed as servants in the auberges were not to be struck. The
+lot of these servants was, indeed, very much easier than that of
+those engaged on the public works, and such occupation was therefore
+considered a privilege, the servants being for the most part selected
+from among the captives of superior rank.
+
+For the next six months Gervaise worked at various duties in the town.
+He was employed for a fortnight in the infirmary, then for a while he
+was transferred to the galleys; but for the most part he was with the
+slaves working on the fortifications. At the end of that time he was,
+to his great delight, informed by the bailiff that he was one of the six
+knights of the langue told off to join a galley that was on the point
+of sailing. Among those going in her was Sir Ralph Harcourt, one of his
+companions on the journey from England.
+
+“So you are to go with us, Gervaise,” the young knight said, “to try
+your luck for the first time against the infidels. This is my third
+voyage, and I hope that it will be more fortunate than its predecessors,
+for, beyond picking up two or three small craft, which did not venture
+upon resistance, we gained neither honour nor booty. I regard you as
+having specially good fortune, and besides being glad that we shall
+be together, I expect that you will bring good luck to us, and that we
+shall meet with foes worth contending with. The corsairs have been very
+active of late, and have captured many prizes, while, on the other hand,
+our galleys have been unfortunate, and have but seldom come upon the
+miscreants.”
+
+“How many knights will there be on board?”
+
+“Forty. Aragon, like us, furnishes five, Germany ten, Portugal five,
+Auvergne ten, and Provence five. We shall be commanded by Sir Louis
+Ricord, a knight of Auvergne, and we could wish no better, for he has
+proved himself a good seaman and a brave captain. Two other galleys are
+to start with us. We are to cruise separately unless one gets news of a
+force so superior that he will need aid to attack it, when he will meet
+the others at a rendezvous agreed upon, and we shall work together.”
+
+“Who are the other three Englishmen?”
+
+“John Boswell, Marmaduke Lumley, and Adam Tedbond--all, as you know,
+brave knights and good companions.”
+
+That evening Gervaise received a message from D'Aubusson, requesting him
+to call at his auberge.
+
+“So you are going to sea, Sir Gervaise? I hear from your bailiff that
+you have been working to his satisfaction in the town.”
+
+“Yes, sir. I shall indeed be glad to change it for a life at sea. In
+truth, it is grievous to me to witness the sufferings of the slaves, and
+I would rather do any other work.”
+
+“They are far better off than the Christians who fall into the hands
+of the Turks,” the bailiff said; “and, moreover, it is because their
+countrymen are preparing to attack us that we are forced to use their
+labour in strengthening our fortifications. They have naught to complain
+of in the way of food. Still, I would myself gladly see their lot
+alleviated; but we could not afford to keep so great a number of
+captives in idleness; they must work for their living. Had it not been
+for their labour we could never have built and fortified the city. After
+all, they are little worse off than our serfs at home; they build our
+castles and till our land.”
+
+“It may be so, sir; but with us in England men are free, and it was,
+when I first came, strange to me to see them working under the fear of
+the whip. It is necessary, I know, that such work should be done, but I
+own that I shall be glad to be away from the sight of the poor wretches,
+pirates and enemies of the faith though they be.”
+
+“I can understand your feelings, and I too felt somewhat the same when
+I first came here. Nevertheless, there is work that must be done if the
+Order is not to be crushed by the infidels. Here are captives, for the
+most part malefactors, who have to be fed; and there is no injustice in
+their having, like all men, to give work for food. I have learnt to see
+this and recognise the necessity, though I would that the work could
+be obtained without the use of harshness and severity. We ourselves are
+prepared at any moment to sacrifice our lives for the good of the Order
+and for the great cause, and it would be wrong, nay, sinful, not to use
+the means that have been placed ready to our hand. Now, Sir Gervaise, I
+wish you a pleasant voyage. You will find the life somewhat hard, after
+your three years' residence at the palace, but this I know you will
+not mind. I have specially commended you to Ricord as one in whom I am
+personally interested, and from whom I hope great things in the future.
+Be brave; be resolute. From what you have said I need not say--be
+merciful. Fulfill all orders promptly and without question; bear
+yourself courteously to all; above all things, remember that you are a
+soldier, not only of the Order, but of the Cross.”
+
+The next day Gervaise embarked with his companions on board the galley.
+It was a long, low boat, similar to those in use by the Venetians and
+Genoese. It was rowed by fifty slaves, who slept at night on or beneath
+the benches they sat on by day. The knights occupied the great cabins
+in the poop. There were two tiers of these; the upper one contained the
+little cabin of the commander, while the rest of the space on this deck,
+and that below it, was used by the knights in common. In the upper cabin
+they took their meals, and a third of their number slept there, the
+remainder in the cabin below. A fourth of their number were, however,
+always on guard, lest any attempt at a rising or escape should be made
+by the galley slaves.
+
+On leaving the harbour the galley, with its two consorts, rowed north,
+and Gervaise learnt that they were to cruise between the mainland and
+the islands. Some of these were in the hands of the Turks, while others
+were still occupied by Greeks.
+
+Except when there was a formal and actual state of war, the Moslem and
+Christian islands remained in a state of neutrality, trading with
+each other and avoiding all unfriendly proceedings that would lead
+to struggles which would be fatal to the prosperity of both. The
+Archipelago, and indeed the whole of the eastern portion of the
+Mediterranean, was infested by pirates, fitted out, for the most part,
+on the mainland. These, when in force, openly kept the sea, attacking
+the Christian merchant ships, but when cruising alone they hid in
+unfrequented bays, or behind uninhabited islets, until they could pounce
+upon a passing ship whose size promised an easy capture. The Order of
+St. John furnished a maritime police, earning thereby the deep gratitude
+of Spain, France, and Italy. They were aided occasionally by the
+Venetians, but these, being frequently engaged in quarrels with their
+neighbours, did but a small share of this work, only sending their
+fleets to sea when danger threatened some of their possessions in the
+Levant.
+
+“This is delightful, Ralph,” Gervaise said, as they stood together on
+the poop, looking back at the receding city.
+
+“What a pleasant change it is from standing in the broiling sun watching
+those poor wretches toiling at the fortifications! There is only one
+drawback to my pleasure. I wish that we carried sails, and were moved
+along by the breeze, instead of by the exertions of the slaves.”
+
+“Much chance we should have of catching a pirate under such
+circumstances!” Ralph said, laughing. “You might as well set a tortoise
+to catch a hare.”
+
+“I don't say that we should not be obliged to carry rowers, Ralph; but
+all the prizes that have been brought in since I have been at Rhodes
+carry masts and sails, as well as oars, and, as I understand, for the
+most part cruise about under sail, and only use the oars when chasing or
+fleeing.”
+
+“That is so; because, you see, in most cases the crew themselves have
+to row, and I have no doubt if we had no slaves to do the work we should
+soon take to masts and sails also; but for speed the rowing galleys are
+the best, for unless a brisk wind were blowing, the mast and sails would
+but check her progress when the oars were out, and at any rate constrain
+her to travel only before the wind. I know your weakness about the
+slaves, Gervaise; but as we could neither build our fortifications
+nor row our galleys without them, I cannot go as far as you do in the
+matter, though I own that I am sometimes sorry for them. But you must
+remember that it is the fault of their people, and not of ours, that
+they are here.”
+
+“All that is true enough, Ralph, and I cannot gainsay you. Still I would
+rather that we were gliding along with sails instead of being rowed by
+slaves.”
+
+“At any rate, Gervaise, you will not see them ill treated, for I myself
+heard Ricord, just before we were starting, tell the slave overseers
+that so long as the rowers did fair work they were not to use their
+whips, and that only if we were in chase of a pirate were they to be
+urged to their utmost exertions.”
+
+“I am right glad to hear it, Ralph, and shall be able to enjoy the
+voyage all the more, now you have told me that such orders have been
+issued.”
+
+For a fortnight they cruised about among the islands. Several times
+boats rowed out from the shore to the galley with complaints of outrages
+by pirates under a notorious corsair named Hassan Ali, who had landed,
+burnt villages, killed many of the inhabitants, and carried off the rest
+as slaves; but no one could give any clue to aid them in their search
+for the corsairs. The time passed very pleasantly. There was no occasion
+for speed; often they lay all day in some bay, where they could approach
+near enough to the shore to lie in the shade of trees, while two or
+three of the knights ascended a hill and kept watch there for the
+appearance of any vessels of a suspicious character. One morning, after
+passing the night at anchor, Harcourt and Gervaise were despatched just
+before sunrise to take a look round before the galley got under way.
+From the top of the hill they had an uninterrupted view of the sea,
+studded with islands on all sides of them. Beyond a few fishing boats,
+looking like black specks on the glassy surface, no craft were in sight.
+They were about to return to the galley when, taking a last look round,
+Gervaise suddenly exclaimed, “Look, Ralph! There is smoke ascending from
+that island to the southwest. There was none just now.”
+
+“You mean from that bay, Gervaise? Yes, I see it; it is not more than a
+light mist.”
+
+“It is growing thicker,” Gervaise said, “and spreading. Maybe it is but
+a hut that has accidentally caught fire, but it seems to me that the
+smoke is rising from several points.”
+
+“I think you are right, Gervaise. Let us hurry down with the news. It
+may be that it is a village which has been attacked by pirates who have
+landed on the other side of the island during the night, for I can see
+no ships in the bay.”
+
+A few minutes' run and they stood on the shore.
+
+“Quick, men!” Ralph said to the rowers of the boat that had brought them
+ashore. “Row your hardest.”
+
+The slaves bent to their oars, and they were soon alongside the galley,
+which lay two or three hundred yards from the shore. Those on board had
+noticed the young knights running down the hill, and, marking the speed
+at which the boat was rowing, concluded at once that they must have
+observed one of the pirate's ships.
+
+“Do you see anything of them, Sir Ralph?” the commander shouted, as they
+came close.
+
+“We have seen no ships, Sir Louis, but there is smoke coming up from a
+bay in an island four or five miles away to the southwest. It seems to
+us that it is far too extensive a fire to be the result of an accident,
+for there was no smoke until within two or three minutes of the time we
+left, and before we started it was rising from several points, and we
+both think that it must come from a village that has been attacked by
+pirates.”
+
+The commander rapidly issued his orders, and in two or three minutes the
+anchor was weighed, the boat hoisted on deck, and the oars in motion.
+
+“Stretch to your oars!” Ricord shouted to the slaves. “Hitherto we have
+exacted no toil from you, but you have to work now, and woe be to him
+who does not put out his full strength.”
+
+Grateful for the unusual leniency with which they had been treated,
+the slaves bent to their oars, and the galley sped rapidly through the
+water. On rounding the end of the island there was an exclamation of
+satisfaction from the knights as they saw wreaths of white smoke rising
+from the distant island.
+
+“There can be no doubt that it is a village in flames,” Sir Louis said;
+“and from the suddenness with which it broke out, it is clear that it
+must have been fired at several points. You say you saw no craft near?”
+ he asked, turning to Harcourt.
+
+“There were none there, or from the top of the hill we should assuredly
+have made them out, Sir Louis.”
+
+“Then the pirates--if this be, as I hope, their work--must have landed
+at some other point on the island, and if they catch sight of us they
+may make for their ship and slip away, unobserved by us. Instead of
+rowing direct, therefore, we will make for that islet to the right, and
+row round behind it. There are two others almost adjoining it. Once past
+these, 'tis not more than half a mile to that island stretching away
+south. Once round that, we shall be beyond the one from which we see the
+smoke rising, and can come down on its southern side. The course will
+be double the distance that it would be if we took a straight line, but
+except when we cross from island to island we shall not be exposed to
+their view, and may fall upon their ships before the crews have returned
+from their work of plunder.”
+
+The knights fully agreed, and orders were given to the helmsman
+accordingly.
+
+“We must not over fatigue the rowers,” the commander said. “We may have
+a long chase if they have started before we get round.”
+
+He therefore gave orders to the slaves that, while they were to exert
+themselves to the utmost when crossing the open sea, they were to relax
+their efforts and to row within their strength while coasting along
+behind the islands. On board, everything was made in readiness for a
+fight: the knights buckled on their armour, the cooks set cauldrons of
+pitch over the fire, the cannoneers loaded her eight guns. It was an
+hour and a half after their start before they rounded the end of the
+last island. It extended a little farther to the south than did that to
+which they were making, and as they rounded the point, eager looks were
+cast in search of the pirate ships. No craft were, however, to be seen.
+
+“They must be in some bay or inlet,” the commander said; “they can
+hardly have left, for it would have taken them half an hour at least to
+cross the island with their booty and captives, and even if they made
+straight away after having fired the village, their ship could have gone
+no great distance, for we must have seen her if she put to sea--unless
+indeed they were anchored on the east of the island, and have sailed in
+that direction.”
+
+“Keep them rowing along steadily,” he said to the overseers of the
+slaves; “but do not press them too hard. We may have a chase yet, and
+need all their strength, for most of these pirates are fast craft, and
+if they should get a start of three or four miles, it will be a long row
+before we catch them.”
+
+They made straight for the island, and on nearing it coasted along its
+southern side. It was some three miles long, the shore being for the
+most part steep, but here and there falling gradually to the water's
+edge. Two or three little clusters of houses could be seen as they rowed
+along; one of these was on fire.
+
+“That is good,” Sir Louis exclaimed, as, on turning a point, they saw
+the flames. “That cannot have been lighted long, and we are pretty
+certain to come upon the vessels before the marauders have set sail.”
+
+Several inlets and small bays were passed, but all were empty. A few
+fishing boats lay on the shore, but there were no signs of life, as no
+doubt the people would, long since, have taken alarm and sought shelter
+in the woods. There was a sharp point just before they reached the
+southeastern extremity of the island, and as the galley shot past this,
+a shout of exultation rose from the knights, for, near the mouth of an
+inlet that now opened to their view, there lay four long, low vessels,
+above each of which floated the Moslem flag. A number of men were
+gathered on the shore near the ships, and heavily laden boats were
+passing to and fro.
+
+A yell of rage and alarm rose from the ships as the galley came into
+view. There was a stir and movement on the shore, and numbers of men
+leapt into the boats there, and started for the ships. These were some
+quarter of a mile away when first seen, and half that distance had been
+traversed when a puff of smoke shot out from the side of one of them,
+followed almost immediately by a general discharge of their cannon. One
+ball tore along the waist of the galley, killing six of the rowers, and
+several oars on both sides were broken. Two balls passed through the
+cabins in the poop. But there was no pause in the advance of the galley.
+The whips of the slave masters cracked, and the rowers whose oars were
+intact strained at them. There was no reply from the guns, but the
+knights raised loud the war cry of the Order, a war cry that was never
+heard without striking a thrill of apprehension among their Moslem foes.
+
+As they neared the pirate ships, the helm was put down, and the galley
+brought up alongside the largest of them and a broadside poured into
+her; then the knights, headed by their commander, leapt on to her deck.
+
+Although a number of the crew had not yet come off from shore, the
+Moslems still outnumbered their assailants, and, knowing that their
+consorts would soon come to their aid, they threw themselves in a body
+on the Christians. But in a hand-to-hand conflict like this, the knights
+of the Hospital were irresistible. Protected by their armour and long
+shields from the blows of their enemies' scimitars and daggers, their
+long, cross handled swords fell with irresistible force on turbaned head
+and coat-of-mail, and, maintaining regular order and advancing like a
+wall of steel along the deck, they drove the Moslems before them, and
+the combat would soon have terminated had not a shout been raised by
+one of the overseers of the slaves. One of the other ships had rowed
+alongside the galley, and the crew were already leaping on board it. At
+the same moment another ship came up alongside that they had boarded,
+while the fourth was maneuvering to bring up under her stern.
+
+“Sir John Boswell,” Sir Louis shouted, “do you and your countrymen, with
+the knights of Spain, finish with these miscreants; knights of Germany
+and Provence keep back the boarders; knights of Auvergne follow me,” and
+he leapt down into the galley.
+
+The English and Spanish knights redoubled their exertions. The Moslems
+endeavoured to rally, seeing that help was at hand, and that but a small
+body were now opposed to them, but their numbers availed little. The ten
+knights kept their line, and, hewing their way forward, pressed them so
+hotly that the Turks broke and sprang over the bulwarks into the sea.
+Then the knights looked round. A fierce fight was going on between those
+of Germany and Provence and the enemy, who strove desperately to board
+from the ship alongside. The other vessel was now almost touching the
+stern, and her crew were swarming to her side in readiness to leap on
+board as soon as the vessels touched.
+
+“We will keep them at bay there,” Sir John Boswell shouted. “Do you, Don
+Pedro, and your comrades, aid Ricord. When his foes are finished with,
+you can come back to help us.”
+
+Then, with the four English knights, he ran along the deck, and reached
+the stern just in time to hurl backwards the Moslems, who had already
+obtained a footing. For a time the five knights kept back the surging
+mass of their foes. The deck was wide enough for each to have fair play
+for his sword, and in vain the pirates strove to obtain a footing.
+
+At last Sir Marmaduke Lumley fell, severely wounded by an arrow from a
+Moslem marksman, and before the others could close the gap a score of
+pirates leapt on to the deck.
+
+“Fall back, comrades, fall back; but keep together!” Sir John Boswell
+shouted, as he cleft the skull of one of the pirate officers who sprang
+at him. “Sir Louis will soon finish his work, and be here to our aid.
+Ah!” he exclaimed, looking over his shoulder, as he retired a step,
+“Provence and Germany are overmatched too.”
+
+This was indeed the case. Stoutly as they fought the knights were unable
+to guard the whole of the line of bulwark, and the Moslems had already
+obtained a footing on the deck. The discipline of the knights stood them
+in good stead. Drawing closely together as they retreated, they made a
+stand on the opposite side of the deck, and were here joined by Sir John
+Boswell and his companions. They now formed a semicircle, each flank
+resting on the bulwark, and the pirates in vain endeavoured to break
+their line. Again and again they flung themselves upon the knights, only
+to be beaten off with heavy loss. At length a loud cheer arose from the
+galley, and Sir Louis Ricord, with the knights of Auvergne and Spain
+having cleared the galley of their foes, and carried the pirate that had
+grappled with her, sprang on to the deck of the ship, and fell upon
+the throng that were attacking the knights there, oblivious of what was
+going on elsewhere. At once the English knights and their comrades took
+the offensive, and fell upon their assailants who, at the sight of the
+reinforcement, for a moment stood irresolute. For a short time there was
+a fierce struggle; then the pirates sprang back to their two ships, and
+endeavoured to cast off the grapnels. But the knights followed hotly
+upon them, and, panic stricken now, the pirates sprang overboard. Many
+were drowned, but the greater part managed to swim to shore.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V SCOURGES OF THE SEA
+
+
+Breathless and faint from their tremendous exertions, the knights
+removed their helmets.
+
+“By St. Mary,” Sir Louis said, “this has been as hard a fight as I have
+ever been engaged in, and well may we be content with our victory! Well
+fought, my brave comrades! Each of these vessels must have carried twice
+our number at least, and we have captured four of them; but I fear the
+cost has been heavy.”
+
+Seven knights had fallen, struck down by sword, arrow, or thrust of
+spear. Of the rest but few had escaped unwounded, for, strong as was
+their armour, the keen Damascus blades of the Moslems had in many cases
+cut clean through it, and their daggers had found entry at points where
+the armour joined; and, now that the fight was over, several of the
+knights sank exhausted on the deck from loss of blood.
+
+But the dressing of wounds formed part of a knight of St. John's
+training. Those who were unwounded unbuckled the armour and bandaged the
+wounds. Others fetched wine and water from the galley. The chains of the
+galley slaves were removed, and these were set to clear the decks of the
+Moslem corpses. The anchors were dropped, for what little wind there
+was drifted them towards the shore. They had learned from a dying pirate
+that the vessels were part of the fleet of Hassan Ali, a fact that added
+to the satisfaction felt by the knights at their capture, as this man
+was one of the most dreaded pirates of the Levant. They learnt that he
+himself had not been present, the expedition being under the command of
+one of his lieutenants, who had fallen in the fight.
+
+“Now, comrades, let us in the first place take food; we have not broken
+our fast this morning. Then let us consider what had best be done, for
+indeed we have got as much in our hands as we can manage; but let us
+leave that till we eat and drink, for we are faint from want of food
+and from our exertions. But we shall have to eat what comes to hand, and
+that without cooking, for our servants all joined the pirates when they
+boarded us, and are either dead or are ashore there.”
+
+A meal was made of bread and fruit, and this with wine sufficed to
+recruit their energies.
+
+“It seems to me, comrades,” Sir Louis said, when all had finished, “that
+the first thing is to search the holds of these vessels and see what
+valuables are stored there. These may be all carried on board one ship,
+and the others must be burnt, for it is clear that, as there are four of
+them, we cannot take them to Rhodes; and even with one and our galley
+we should fare but ill, if we fell in with two or three more of Hassan's
+ships.”
+
+“But how about the pirates on shore, Sir Louis?” a knight asked. “There
+were very many who could not get off to their ships during the fight,
+and scores must have swum ashore. I should say that there must be full
+two hundred, and it will be a grievous thing for the islanders if we
+leave them there.”
+
+“It is certain,” the commander said, “that we are not strong enough
+to attack them, for were we to land, a party would have to be left on
+board, or the pirates might elude our search, seize some fishing boats,
+and regain possession. Certainly, we are in no position to divide our
+forces.”
+
+“Methinks,” Sir John Boswell said, “that the best plan would be to send
+a boat, manned with ten galley slaves, taking two or three of us to the
+rendezvous, to fetch hither the other two galleys. With their aid we
+might take all the four ships safe into port, after first clearing the
+island of these pirates. It is but forty miles away, and eight hours'
+rowing would take us there.”
+
+There was a general murmur of assent, for all wished that the trophies
+of their bravery should, if possible, be carried to Rhodes.
+
+“That will certainly be the best plan, Sir John, though it may detain us
+here for two or three days, or even more, for it is quite uncertain when
+the other two galleys may put in at the rendezvous. Will you yourself
+undertake the mission?”
+
+“With pleasure.”
+
+“How many will you take with you?”
+
+“Two will be sufficient, for we shall have no fighting to do, as we
+shall have to trust to our speed if we fall in with an enemy. I will
+take, with your permission, Sir Ralph Harcourt and Sir Gervaise Tresham,
+both of whom have today fought with distinguished bravery. Indeed, I
+owe my life to them, for more than once, when I was hotly pressed, they
+freed me from my assailants. Truly none bore themselves better in the
+fray than they did.”
+
+Three or four others joined in hearty commendations of the two young
+knights.
+
+“Indeed,” one said, “I was greatly surprised to see how Tresham bore
+himself. He is but a lad, with scarce, one would think, strength to hold
+his own in such a fray. It chanced that he was next to me in the circle,
+and for a time I kept my eye on him, thinking he might require my aid;
+but I soon saw that I need not trouble myself on his account, for he
+wielded his weapon as doughtily as the best knight of the Order could
+have done, and one of the proofs is that, while most of us bear marks of
+the conflict, he has escaped without scratch. I trust, Sir Louis, that
+when you give an account of the fighting you will specially mention that
+this, the youngest knight of the Order, bore himself as stoutly as any
+of them. I say this, Sir John, because, not being of your langue, I can
+speak more warmly than you can do of his skill and bravery.”
+
+“I thank you, De Boysey,” Sir John Boswell said, “and I am proud that
+my young countryman should have so gained your approbation. And now,”
+ he went on, “while the galley slaves are getting a meal--which they have
+right well earned today--I should like to see what there is under the
+hatches of these ships, so that I can give our comrades in the other
+galleys some idea of the value of this booty we have taken.”
+
+They rose from the table, and, going on board the prizes, lifted the
+hatches.
+
+“Beware!” De Boysey exclaimed, looking down into the hold, when the
+first hatch was taken off. “There are people below.”
+
+A chorus of cries followed his exclamation.
+
+“They are the voices of women and children,” Sir Louis exclaimed. “They
+must be captives.”
+
+This turned out to be so. In the holds of the four ships were found over
+a hundred and fifty women and children; these had been brought on board
+in the first boat loads by the pirates, and when the Christian galley
+had been seen coming round the point, had been thrust below, and the
+hatches thrown over them. They had heard the din of battle above, but
+knew not how the conflict had terminated, and, being afraid to cry out,
+had remained silent until, on the hatch being lifted, they had seen the
+figures of Christian knights standing in the bright sunshine. All had
+come from the village on the other side of the island. They related how
+the pirates had suddenly burst upon them, had slaughtered all the men,
+set fire to the village, and had driven them before them across the
+island to the ships. The poor creatures were delighted at their escape
+from slavery, but at the same time were full of grief at the loss of
+husbands, fathers, and sons.
+
+Some laughed, others cried; while some thanked God for their rescue
+others heaped imprecations upon the authors of their misfortunes.
+
+The knights explained to them that for a short time they must remain on
+board, as half the pirates were still on shore, but that aid would soon
+arrive that would enable them to clear the island.
+
+Half an hour later Sir John Boswell, with the two young knights, started
+in a rowing boat, manned by ten of the galley slaves. The wind had
+sprung up since the fight ceased, and as it was nearly astern, they
+anticipated that they would make a good passage, and be at the little
+islet, named as the place of rendezvous, before nightfall.
+
+Among the many bales of rich merchandise in the hold of the pirate
+vessels an abundance of wine had been discovered, and of this a tankard
+had been given to each of the slaves, by Sir Louis's orders, as a token
+of satisfaction at their work in the morning.
+
+They had gone some two miles when, from one of the inlets in the island
+they had left a large fishing boat was seen to issue out.
+
+“By St. George!” Sir John exclaimed, “that boat must be full of pirates.
+And if they see us, which they cannot help doing, and take it in their
+heads to chase us, we shall have a hard time of it.”
+
+The fishing boat for a few minutes kept along the coast, and then
+suddenly her course was altered, and her head directed towards their
+boat.
+
+“Now stretch to your oars,” Sir John, who spoke some Turkish, said to
+the slaves. “Keep ahead of that boat, and I promise you, on my honour as
+a Christian knight, that I will myself purchase your freedom as soon as
+we get to Rhodes.”
+
+With a shout of delight, the galley slaves bent to their oars, and the
+boat flew along at a greatly increased speed.
+
+“There is but small chance of our getting away,” Sir John said quietly.
+“At present we must be rowing as fast as they sail; but wind never
+tires, while there are limits to the powers of muscle and bone. If those
+fellows follow us--and I doubt not that they will, for they must be
+thirsting for vengeance--they will overtake us long before we get to the
+rendezvous; and even did we reach it, the chances are that we should not
+find either of the galleys there. We must hold on as long as we can,
+and as a last resource must run ashore. Unfortunately there are no large
+islands on our way. Nor have we any hope of assistance from our friends
+behind. The inlet looks east, and they will know nothing of our danger;
+nor, if they did, could they help us. The galley is short handed now,
+and there are the captured ships to look after, and the captives we
+rescued. We have only ourselves to depend on.”
+
+At the end of an hour's rowing the boat astern had gained little; but
+the exertions of the rowers were telling severely upon them. They were
+still doing their best, but their breath came in short gasps, the rowing
+was getting short and unsteady, and there was a sensible decrease in the
+speed of the boat. Three miles ahead of them was an islet about half
+a mile in diameter. In some parts it was covered with foliage, but
+elsewhere it was bare rock.
+
+“That must be our goal,” Sir John said. “They will be close to us by the
+time we get there.” Then he said to the rowers, “Stop for a minute to
+get breath. We will land at that islet ahead, and I shall hold to my
+promise if we get there in time. Those of you who like can remain in the
+boat until your countrymen come up; those who choose can leave the boat
+and hide yourselves as best you may. I leave the choice to yourselves.
+If we are overtaken and fall, I cannot keep my promise, and it will be
+best then for you to remain in the boat.”
+
+For three or four minutes the slaves bent forward over their oars; but
+as soon as Sir John gave the word they straightened themselves up and
+began rowing again. The rest had done them good, and they again fell
+into a long, steady stroke.
+
+“Shall we buckle on our armour again?” Sir Ralph Harcourt asked; for
+they had not put it on when they left the ship, as the heat was very
+great.
+
+“I think we had better don our mail shirts only. In climbing about that
+rock ahead of us, the less weight we carry the better, and with this
+heat I would rather fight unprotected than in casque and armour.
+Besides, there can be little doubt that, if they come upon us, it will
+be our last battle. That craft behind is crowded with men, and, armour
+or no armour, it will come to the same in the end. If it were not that
+we have a mission to fulfil, and that it is of all things important to
+send the galleys to aid our friends, I would say let us choose a spot
+at the foot of the rocks there, where they cannot attack us in the rear,
+and there fight it out as becomes knights of the Cross; but as it is our
+duty above all things to carry this message, we must strive to preserve
+our lives, and must, if we can, conceal ourselves from these paynims.”
+
+“What are you going to do?” Sir John asked the slaves, when they were
+within a quarter of a mile of the islet. “I should think, after we have
+left the boat, it will be best for you to sit quietly on your benches
+till our pursuers arrive.”
+
+“They would cut our throats at once, Sir Knight; they will be furious at
+our having given them so long a chase. Hassan Ali's men care little whom
+they slay, and, irritated by their misfortune, it will be naught to them
+whether we are Moslem or Christian. I, for one, shall take to the woods,
+and hide.”
+
+There was a chorus of assent among the other rowers.
+
+“I trust that you may escape,” the knight said. “It is for us they
+will be hunting, and if they catch and slay us they will not trouble to
+search the island further.”
+
+“It seems to me, Sir John,” Gervaise said, “that with the aid of these
+good fellows we may yet have a chance of escape.”
+
+“What is your plan, Sir Gervaise?”
+
+“I think, Sir John, that if, when we land, we climb straight up that
+hill, in full sight of the shore, the pirates, when they see us, will
+follow at once. The slaves should, therefore, be safe for a time if they
+hide in that wood to the left of the spot we are making for. Will you
+tell them to keep down by the water's edge among the bushes, and that
+after crossing that crest, we will try to make a dash round, so as to
+join them there. 'Tis probable that most of the pirates will start in
+pursuit of us, and if we and the slaves make a rush for the shore we may
+seize our boat, push off, and capture their craft, if there are but
+a few left on board, knock out a plank and scuttle her, and then row
+away.”
+
+“By St. George, your plan is a good one, Tresham! A right good scheme,
+and we will try it.”
+
+He at once translated what Gervaise had said to the rowers, by whom
+it was received with short exclamations of approval, for they were too
+breathless and exhausted for talk. Already they could hear the yells of
+the pirates, who, as the boat ran up on the beach were but a quarter of
+a mile behind.
+
+“Now, away for that wood!” Sir John cried, as he leapt ashore. “Now,
+comrades, for a climb up the hill!”
+
+It was a steep ascent, and more than once one had to be helped up by the
+others, and then in turn to assist them to get up beside him. Louder and
+louder rose the shouts of the pirates, but the knights did not glance
+back until they reached the top of the hill; then they turned and looked
+round. A swarm of men were climbing after them, and were already halfway
+up the cliff.
+
+“Heave them down!” Sir John exclaimed, pointing to some loose rocks, and
+set the example by lifting a great stone and hurling it over the edge.
+Harcourt and Gervaise at once did the same, and twenty or thirty rocks
+were speedily sent rolling down the steep ascent, and yells, shouts, and
+cries were heard below.
+
+“That will check them a bit. Now let us be off,” Sir John Boswell said,
+and they at once started. After crossing a hundred yards of bare rock
+they stood at the edge of another slope into a deep valley, beyond which
+rose the central hill of the island. The valley ran right across,
+and was filled with trees extending to the sea at either end. Running
+rapidly down, the knights were within the shelter of the wood before the
+Moslems had reached the brow behind them. A minute later they heard the
+shouts of their enemies. Once in the wood they turned to the left, and
+in a few minutes stood on the sea shore. It was a little bay some two
+hundred yards across, and at either point the cliffs rose abruptly from
+the water.
+
+“We shall have to swim round the point,” Sir John said.
+
+“Take off your mail shirts. We will make our way along the rocks as far
+as we can, and then drop them into the sea, otherwise they will know
+that we have taken to the water.”
+
+They hurried along the rocks, and were able to make their way to within
+fifty yards of the point; then, throwing their mail shirts into the sea,
+they plunged in. All knew the importance of getting round before any of
+the pirates, who would be searching the valley, came down on the shore,
+and they swam their hardest until they rounded the corner. The wood
+rang with the shouts of their pursuers, but no yell had risen from the
+water's edge. A hundred yards farther, and they were able to land, and
+were in a short time in the shelter of the trees that fringed the water
+to the point where they had left the boat. There was no longer any
+occasion for speed, and they made their way through the thick bushes and
+undergrowth quietly, until they recovered breath after their exertions.
+They had gone a few hundreds yards when from the bushes the slaves
+suddenly rose up.
+
+“All has gone well,” Sir John said to them in their own language. “The
+pirates are searching for us on the other side of the hill. There are
+not likely to be many of them left here. We shall soon be in possession
+of our boat again.”
+
+Followed by the slaves, they made their way forward until they stood at
+the edge of the wood. Five or six pirates were standing on the shore.
+
+“I expect they have been left there,” Harcourt said, “to prevent the
+slaves from carrying off the boat. They must have seen them run into the
+wood. They won't reckon on our being with them.”
+
+Drawing their swords, the three knights rushed out, followed by the
+slaves. They had but a hundred yards to run. The pirates, on seeing
+them, raised a yell and drew their scimitars; but the sight of the
+knights rushing upon them, when they had expected but a few unarmed
+rowers, was too much for their courage, and when their assailants were
+still fifty yards away they turned and fled. The fishing craft had been
+run ashore but a few yards from their boat.
+
+“Get her afloat, Harcourt, and bring her to the stern of the fisherman.
+Now, Tresham, follow me.”
+
+Sir John Boswell climbed up on to the fishing boat, which was a craft of
+some fifteen tons burden. She was entirely deserted, but the sail still
+hung from the yard, and a fire was burning on a stone hearth, raised on
+some logs of wood in the centre of the deck.
+
+“Look for something to stave in a plank, Tresham.”
+
+Gervaise leapt down into the hold. There were some nets and spare sails
+lying there, but nothing that would answer the purpose. He examined the
+planks. The boat was very strongly and roughly built.
+
+“There is nothing here, Sir John, that will do, and nothing short of a
+heavy sledge hammer would suffice to smash one of these planks.”
+
+“There are a lot of them coming down the hill, Tresham. We have not many
+minutes to spare, but we must disable the craft. They will soon be after
+us again; they have run her hard and fast here, but when they all come
+back they will soon get her off. Let us try one of these sweeps.”
+
+He lifted one of the heavy oars, and holding it upright he and Gervaise
+together tried to drive the handle through the bottom. Again and again
+they raised it and drove it down; but the plank was too strong, and too
+securely fastened to the timbers.
+
+“We must give it up,” the knight said, with a sigh. “Fortune has
+befriended us so far, Tresham, but she has deserted us at last. Another
+three minutes, and we shall have thirty or forty of them upon us.”
+
+At this moment the lad's eye fell upon the fire.
+
+“We shall manage yet,” he exclaimed, and, seizing a blazing brand, he
+jumped below and set fire to the sails stowed there; they were as dry as
+tinder, and the flame shot up at once.
+
+“That is good, Tresham,” the knight said; “but they will put it out
+before it has caught the boat.”
+
+“Not before it has burnt the sails,” Gervaise replied. “Now for this
+one,” and he applied the brand to the lower edge of the great sail.
+Without a word Sir John seized another brand, and fired the sail on the
+other side of the deck. The flames flashed up, and a wild yell of rage
+and alarm broke from the pirates, who were now rushing down towards the
+beach.
+
+“Now to the boat, Tresham; we have no time to lose if we would avoid
+being pounded with stones.”
+
+They dropped over the stern into the boat. The galley slaves dipped
+their oars into the water, and she shot away just as the foremost of the
+pirates reached the edge of the water. A few stones were thrown; but
+the pirates were so anxious about the craft, by which alone they could
+escape from the island, that the majority at once climbed on board.
+
+At a word from the knight, the slaves stopped rowing a hundred yards
+from the shore. The sail was already consumed, and the yard and the
+upper part of the mast were in flames. A dense smoke was rising from the
+hold, and the pirates were throwing buckets of water down into it. In a
+few minutes the smoke decreased.
+
+“I thought that they would be able to put it out; but, as far as we are
+concerned, it matters little. They have lost their sails, and as I saw
+but four sweeps, we can travel five miles to their one. If we find the
+galleys we will look in here on our way back, and if they have not left
+we will fire that craft more effectually, and then the pirates will be
+trapped, and we can leave them till we have fetched off Sir Louis
+and his prizes, and then have a grand hunt here. We took no prisoners
+before, and a hundred slaves will be a useful addition to our wall
+builders. Now, Tresham, I have to thank you warmly, for Harcourt and I
+doubly owe our lives to you. It was thanks to your quickness of wit that
+we regained our boat, for I would not have given a ducat for our chances
+had you not thought of that scheme. In the second place, we should
+assuredly have been overtaken again had it not been for your happy
+thought of crippling them by burning their sails. By St. George,
+Harcourt, this young countryman of ours is as quick and as ready of wit
+as he has shown himself a brave and gallant fighter! We have no lack of
+sturdy fighters; but the wit to devise and to seize upon the right thing
+in the moment of danger is vastly more rare. As for myself, I have no
+shame that this lad, who is young enough to be my son, should have thus,
+twice in a single hour, pointed out the way to safety. With sword and
+battleaxe I can, I trust, hold my own with any man; but my brain is dull
+when it comes to hatching schemes. If we live, we shall see Sir Gervaise
+one of the most distinguished knights of the Order.”
+
+“While I feel gratified indeed, as I may well be by your commendation,
+Sir John, I must, under your favour, say that you have given me a far
+greater degree of credit than is my due. There was the fire, and there
+was the sail, and the thought that the one would destroy the other was
+simply a natural one, which might have occurred to a child. As to the
+plan about the boat, seeing that there was the hill and the wood, it
+flashed upon me at once that we might make a circuit and come back to
+her.”
+
+“Just so, lad; but those thoughts did not flash upon my mind, nor upon
+that of Harcourt. It is just because those sort of ideas do flash upon
+the minds of some men, and not of others, that the first rise to the
+rank of distinguished commanders, while the others remain simple knights
+who would play their part in a charge or in the defence of a breach, but
+would be of no account as leaders.
+
+“Now row along steadily, men,” he went on, speaking to the slaves.
+“We are still in good time, for it was not an hour from the moment we
+touched the island to our departure from it, and much of that time we
+have gained by the speed with which you rowed before. At any rate, we
+shall make out the island before sunset, and whether we arrive there a
+little sooner or later matters little. Harcourt, hand me that wineskin
+and a goblet. A draught will do us good after our climb and swim, and
+these good fellows will be none the worse for a cup also.”
+
+Inspired with the hope of freedom, the slaves rowed steadily, and the
+sun had just set when they entered a little inlet in the rocky isle that
+was their place of rendezvous.
+
+“Thanks be to the saints!” Sir John exclaimed, as they reached the
+entrance. “There is Santoval's galley.”
+
+There was a stir on board the galley as the boat was seen approaching.
+The knights had put on their armour, which they had found still lying
+in the boat, the pirates, in their haste to pursue, having left her
+unexamined, while those who had remained on guard had abstained from
+touching anything until the return of their captain and comrades.
+
+“Whence come you, Sir John, and what is the news? No misfortune has
+befallen Ricord's galley, I hope?” the Spanish knight in command
+shouted, as the boat came near enough for him to recognize the features
+of its occupants.
+
+“All is well,” Sir John shouted back; “but we have taken more prizes
+than we can manage, though not without hard fighting. Seven knights have
+fallen, and at least ten others will not be able to buckle their armour
+on again for some time to come, so I have been sent here to beg your
+assistance; and it is well that it should be given speedily, for if more
+pirate vessels come up before you join, Ricord and his companions will
+be in a sorry plight.”
+
+By this time the boat had reached the side of the galley, and as Sir
+John and his two companions stepped on board, the knights crowded
+round to hear the details of the news. Exclamations of approval and
+satisfaction arose when Sir John related the incidents of the fight, and
+told them that the four vessels that had fallen into their hands formed
+part of Hassan Ali's fleet.
+
+“That is good news indeed, Boswell,” Don Santoval said; “and I would I
+had been there to take part in so gallant a fight. It is well you found
+us here, for with four prizes on hand, and with half his strength dead
+or disabled, Ricord must be in sore need of aid. We will start tomorrow
+morning at daybreak. As all the ships were taken, there is little fear
+of any of the other pirates hearing news of what has happened.”
+
+“I don't know,” Sir John replied. “There were, as I told you, some two
+hundred pirates left on the island. About half those, we know, seized a
+fishing boat and escaped, for they chased us, and we have had as narrow
+an escape from death as has ever fallen to my lot, though I have been
+in over a score of hard fought battles. The rest may well have taken
+another fishing boat and made off also, for we saw several craft along
+the shores of the island. If so, they may have made for Hassan Ali's
+rendezvous, wherever that may be, just as I made here, and by this time
+some of his ships may be on the way there.”
+
+“By St. Anthony, this alters the situation gravely!” Don Santoval said.
+“Fellow knights, we must lose no time in going to Ricord's assistance.
+The slaves have had a long row today, but they must start on another.
+Let them have a good meal to strengthen them, and a cup of wine each.
+Whatever their scruples at other times, they never refuse wine when
+there is heavy work to be done, knowing full well that a draught of it
+helps them mightily in their labours. Your men must have rowed well, Sir
+John, to have brought you here so quickly?”
+
+“I have promised them their freedom,” Sir John said; “and they shall
+have it, even if I have to pay their value into the treasury. As I told
+you, we were hotly pursued, for the craft with her sail went faster than
+we with our oars; and, knowing the importance of bringing the news here,
+I encouraged them by promising them their freedom, should we get away.
+Not only did they row right manfully, but they proved faithful in our
+extremity, and, when all seemed lost, stuck to us instead of deserting
+and joining the pirates.”
+
+“But how did you get away, Sir John, if their craft outsailed you?”
+
+“I owe my life entirely to the quick wit of my young countryman, Sir
+Gervaise Tresham here.” And Sir John then related the incidents of their
+adventure on the island, his narrative eliciting warm expressions of
+approval from the knights.
+
+“Of course, you will go with us, Boswell?” Don Santoval said, when the
+master of the slaves announced that these had eaten their meal, and were
+ready.
+
+“I must do so,” Sir John replied. “I want you, on your way, to look in
+at that island where we had so narrow an escape, and if we find their
+craft still there we can destroy it. The place is directly in our
+course; we shall, therefore, lose but little time in looking in. Of
+course, they may have gone as soon as they got their vessel afloat,
+but it is hardly likely. They would have no idea of my returning with
+a galley so soon, and will probably set to to make a dozen more oars
+before they start, for she had but four on board, which will scarce
+suffice to send her a mile an hour through the water. Therefore, I fancy
+they will not put off until tomorrow morning. If that is so, and we
+destroy their craft, they will be trapped in the islet, and on our
+return we can capture them all. I think of leaving Harcourt and Tresham
+in the boat, in order that when Piccolomini's galley comes in, they may
+direct him also to join us.”
+
+“He may be in at any moment; we met him three days since. He had
+captured a pirate, and sent her off under charge of ten of his knights.
+We agreed to meet him this evening; and as he is not here, he will
+probably be in the first thing in the morning.”
+
+Gervaise and Harcourt took their places in the boat again. The galley
+got up its anchor and started. Just as she reached the mouth of the
+inlet another galley rounded the point and nearly ran into her.
+
+“I am going to Ricord's assistance, Piccolomini,” Don Santoval shouted.
+
+“Is it urgent?” the commander of the galley shouted back. “We have had
+a very long row, and can go no farther, unless his strait is a very sore
+one.”
+
+“No. Come on in the morning. You will hear all the news from a boat
+lying two hundred yards astern. Two young English knights are waiting in
+her to give you the news. Ricord has made a fine capture. Row on, men.”
+ And the galley proceeded on her way, while the newcomer proceeded up the
+harbour.
+
+Harcourt and Gervaise at once went on board, and the former gave the
+Italian commander an account of the battle that had taken place, and
+the capture of the four pirate vessels. After the exclamations
+of satisfaction by the knights had ceased, he recounted their own
+adventures, which were heard with lively interest.
+
+“I hope indeed that Santoval will burn that fishing boat, and that we
+shall capture the pirates,” the commander said. “We have need of
+more slaves to carry out the works at Rhodes. Now, let us to supper,
+gentlemen, and then to sleep. In six hours we will be off again, for if
+some more of these villains have escaped and carried the news to Hassan
+Ali, our swords may be sorely needed by Ricord and Santoval tomorrow.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI KNIGHTED
+
+
+At three in the morning all on board the galley were astir. A ration
+of bread and meat was served out to the slaves, and the boat was soon
+afterwards under way. The rowers of the English knight's boat had been
+warmly commended by the commander and placed in charge of the overseer,
+with instructions that they were to be treated as free men. As soon as
+the galley slaves set to work, however, they seated themselves on
+the benches and double banked some of the oars, anxious to please the
+knights. With the exception of those whose turn it was to be on watch,
+most of the knights slept until daybreak.
+
+“At the rate we are rowing, Gervaise,” Harcourt said, as they went up
+on to the poop together, “it will not take us very long to join our
+friends. We are going through the water at fully six miles an hour; and
+as we have already been two hours under way, in another three we shall
+be there.”
+
+An hour and a half later they passed the island where they had landed.
+The two young knights pointed out to the others the valley into which
+they had descended, and the point round which they had swum. In a few
+minutes they caught sight of the landing place.
+
+“Look, Gervaise, there is something black showing just above the water.”
+
+“I see it. I think it is a line of timbers. There were certainly no
+rocks there when we ran ashore.”
+
+“Then Santoval must have found the craft still there and burnt her,” one
+of the knights standing by remarked, “and the pirates are caged up. It
+will take them some time to make a raft that will carry them to the next
+island, and before they can do that we shall be back again. I shall be
+sorry if they escape, for they are as ruthless a set of villains as sail
+the seas.”
+
+The galley had traversed half the remaining distance when the sound of
+a gun was faintly heard. For a moment there was an absolute hush on the
+poop; then three or four shots in rapid succession were heard.
+
+“Some more pirate ships must have come up,” the commander exclaimed.
+Then he shouted down to the slaves, “Row, men--row for your lives!
+Overseer, do not spare your lash if any hang back from their work.”
+
+The galley had been travelling fast before, but her speed greatly
+increased as the slaves rowed their hardest. Fast as she was travelling,
+the impatience of the knights was extreme. They walked up and down the
+deck, making vows of candles that should be burnt at the shrine of St.
+John if they arrived in time to take a share in the fight, stopping at
+times to listen to the sound of artillery, which was now so frequent as
+to show that a severe engagement was being fought. Many of the younger
+knights ran down to the waist and double banked the oars, and in a
+shorter time than it seemed possible the galley arrived at the mouth of
+the bay.
+
+A desperate fight was going on. Ricord's ship lay, idle and deserted,
+at anchor. Five pirate crafts surrounded Santoval's galley. Two of them
+were alongside of her; the others were raking her fore and aft with
+their shot. The young knights left the oars, sprang up to the poop and
+joined in the shout of encouragement raised by the others, and then,
+resuming their helmets and armour, stood ready to leap on board an enemy
+as soon as they reached her. Piccolomini directed the helmsman to lay
+him alongside one of the ships grappling with Santoval. As they came up,
+their galley's cannon poured their fire into her, and a moment later the
+knights sprang on board.
+
+In the din of battle their shout had been unheard. The pirates thronging
+the other side of their ship were intent only on overcoming the
+resistance of the knights, and even the discharge of cannon had not
+called their attention to their foe, until the latter, shouting the war
+cry of the Order, fell suddenly upon them. A panic at once seized them.
+Some were cut down almost unresistingly, but the great majority, running
+to the bow or stern, threw themselves overboard and swam to the other
+ships. The pirate ship on the other side of Santoval's galley instantly
+threw off the grapnels and thrust off from her side, and, immediately
+hauling in the sheets of the big sail, began at once to draw away, while
+her three consorts made for the mouth of the bay.
+
+“Back to your galley, comrades,” Piccolomini shouted, “or with this
+brisk wind they will escape us.”
+
+The knights at once crossed on to their own craft, the oars were got
+out, and the chase began. A minute or two later Don Santoval followed
+them, but soon gave up, as so large a number of the oars had been broken
+when the two pirate ships ran alongside him, that it would have been
+hopeless to pursue. The wind was blowing freshly, and was rapidly
+increasing in strength, so that, in spite of the efforts of the galley
+slaves, the pirates gradually drew away, running straight before
+the wind, and aiding the effects of the sails with oars. Seeing the
+hopelessness of the chase, Piccolomini abandoned it, after rowing for
+two miles, and returned to the island. The other two galleys were lying
+beside each other, and Piccolomini had his craft steered alongside them.
+
+“Thanks, Piccolomini, for arriving so opportunely,” Santoval, who was
+seated on the deck leaning against the bulwarks, said, as his fellow
+commander leapt on board, and came towards him.
+
+“Would that I had arrived sooner, Santoval, for I see that you have been
+grievously wounded!”
+
+“Ay. One of the paynims' cannonballs has carried off both my legs below
+the knee. The leech has been searing the wounds with a hot iron, and
+says that he thinks I shall get over it; but if so I fear that my
+fighting days are past, unless, indeed, I fight seated on a chair.
+However, I ought not to grumble. I have lost many brave comrades, and
+others are wounded more sorely than I am.”
+
+Sir Louis Ricord now joined them. He embraced Piccolomini warmly.
+
+“I never heard a more welcome shout, Piccolomini, than that which you
+gave when you fell upon the Moslems, for in truth the issue of the
+conflict was doubtful. I was delighted when this morning at daybreak
+Santoval's galley rowed in. We had all kept watch during the night,
+thinking the pirates might obtain boats and make an attack upon us; and,
+with but twenty of us fit to wield a sword, our position would have been
+a bad one, and at any rate they might have recaptured the prizes. We
+agreed that Santoval and his knights should land at once. This they did.
+Sir John Boswell had of course told me how his boat had been chased by
+a fishing craft, manned by a large number of the pirates, and that he
+feared the rest might similarly have escaped, and might have gone to
+bring some more of Hassan Ali's ships upon us.
+
+“As soon as Santoval landed, some of the natives came down and told him
+that there was not a pirate remaining there, the rest having started
+in another boat a few minutes after the one that had chased Boswell.
+Santoval left two of his men with orders to ascend to the highest spot
+on the island, and to keep watch, and then brought the rest off to
+his galley. Our first step was, of course, to send all the women and
+children ashore. Then we consulted as to what had best be done if the
+pirates should come back in force. We hoped, at any rate, that this
+would not happen until you arrived. We expected that you would be here
+before noon; but we decided that, should they get here before you, we
+from our galley would embark on Santoval's, as it was better to fight in
+one strongly manned boat than to divide our forces.
+
+“It was scarce half an hour after Santoval came down before the men left
+on the lookout appeared on the beach. On fetching them off, they told us
+that as soon as they reached the top of the hill they saw five vessels
+approaching with sails and oars, and that they would be here in half an
+hour at the outside. We at once abandoned my galley, brought the rowers
+and the wounded here, and prepared for the fight. As you saw, they ran
+their two biggest ships alongside us, and for two hours the fight went
+on. They were crowded with men, who in vain strove to get a footing on
+our decks. Had we only had these two to deal with, we should have had
+nothing to fear, heavily manned though they were; but the other three
+kept sailing backwards and forwards, discharging their guns into us as
+they passed, firing not only shot, but bags of bullets.
+
+“Their gunners were skilful, and, as you see, they have completely
+riddled our poop. Twenty knights have been killed, and eleven others are
+sorely wounded. Scarce one has escaped unscathed. You may guess, then,
+how welcome was your aid, which we had not expected for another three
+hours. We were on the point of abandoning the waist and gathering on the
+poop, which we could still have defended for a considerable time, when,
+as if dropped from the skies, you fell upon the pirates, and turned the
+tables. How is it that you were here so early?”
+
+“We started at three o'clock, instead of waiting for daybreak. It
+seemed, from the story of the two young knights, that it was possible
+you might be attacked early, and, crippled as your command was, and with
+four prizes on your hands, I deemed it best to come on as soon as the
+rowers had had a few hours' rest.”
+
+“It is well that you did so; it would have been a grievous affair had
+two of our galleys been captured by the pirates. It would have been a
+blow to the prestige of the Order, and would have brought such strength
+to Hassan Ali and other pirate leaders that nothing short of sending out
+a fleet would have recovered our ascendancy; and as every ducat we
+can spare has to be spent on the fortifications, it would have been a
+misfortune indeed had we been obliged to fit out such an expedition at
+present.”
+
+“Who have fallen, Sir Louis?”
+
+“Five more of the knights of my galley--Pierre des Vignes, Raoul de
+Montpelier, Ernest Schmidt, Raymond Garcia, and Albert Schenck. Here is
+the list of the knights of Santoval's galley.”
+
+“'Tis a long list, and a sad one,” Piccolomini said, after reading
+the names. “With the seven who fell in your first fight, twenty-seven
+knights have fallen, all brave comrades. Truly, we can ill spare such
+a loss. It is true there are five prizes to show for it, and we have
+struck Hassan Ali a blow that will resound through the Levant; but the
+cost is heavy.”
+
+“It is indeed,” Ricord agreed. “The four vessels are well filled with
+rich spoil that the scoundrels had gathered, and I doubt not the one you
+captured is equally rich. Still, had they been ten times as valuable,
+the booty would be dearly purchased at such a price.”
+
+There was now a consultation among the leaders, and it was agreed that
+six knights should be placed in each of the captured ships, with ten of
+the galley slaves to work the sails, the others being equally divided
+between the three galleys. They were, in the first place, to row to the
+island where the pirates were imprisoned, and to slay or capture the
+whole of them; afterwards they were to make direct for Rhodes; with
+so numerous a fleet there was no fear of their being attacked. The
+arrangements took but a short time to complete. An hour later they left
+the port, the three galleys rowing ahead, while the five prizes, under
+easy sail, followed them.
+
+Sir John Boswell had been wounded, but not so seriously as to altogether
+disable him, and he was in command of one of the prizes, having Sir
+Adam Tedbond, Harcourt, Gervaise, and a German knight, with him. Sir
+Marmaduke Lumley, who, after the first fight was over, was found, to the
+surprise and pleasure of his comrades, to be still living, was, with the
+rest of the wounded, on board one of the galleys. Two of the pirates
+had fallen dead across him, and in the ardour of their attack on the
+knights, he had lain there unnoticed until the return of Sir Louis and
+his comrades had driven the pirates overboard. The leech was of opinion
+that he might yet recover from his wound.
+
+On arriving at the island, sixty of the knights disembarked. The woods
+near the shore were first searched, but were found untenanted. They were
+about to advance up the hill when a man appeared on the crest above them
+waving a white flag. He was told to come down, and on his arrival said
+that he was sent by his companions to offer to surrender, on the promise
+that their lives should be spared. The knights were well pleased to be
+saved the trouble of a long search through the woods, and the messenger
+left at once to acquaint the pirates that their terms were accepted. In
+a short time some eighty men made their way down the hill. On reaching
+the beach they were disarmed, divided equally between the galleys, and
+distributed among the rowers, filling up the places of those who had
+been killed by the fire of the Moslems, and of the men drafted into the
+prizes. They begged for food and water before they began work, and, on
+being questioned, admitted that their surrender was due principally
+to the fact that they had been unable to find food of any sort on the
+island, and that after searching all over it no spring of water could be
+discovered.
+
+“In that case,” Sir John Boswell said, “I have no doubt they have all
+surrendered. I before thought it probable that a good many of them would
+have remained hidden, trusting to be able to make a raft after we
+had left, and so get away, believing rightly enough that we should be
+disinclined to search every foot of the island for them. As it is, I
+doubt not, all are here.”
+
+The little fleet anchored that night at the rendezvous, and after two
+more days' rowing reached Rhodes, where the appearance of the three
+galleys, followed by their five prizes, was greeted with great
+acclamation. The news, however, that twenty-seven knights had fallen,
+and that thirteen or fourteen others were very gravely wounded, damped
+the satisfaction that every one had at first felt. D'Aubusson came
+down as soon as they reached the mole, and was greatly affected when he
+received Ricord's report.
+
+“It is an unfortunate loss indeed, Sir Louis,” he said, “though it may
+be that the victory is not too dearly purchased. I do not speak of the
+captured ships, nor of the spoil they contain, nor even of the slaves
+you have brought us, welcome though all may be, but of the effect that
+the defeat and capture of these craft of Hassan Ali's will have. It is
+plain that the preparations the sultan is making, and the belief that
+Rhodes is doomed, have so encouraged the infidels that they are becoming
+really formidable at sea. This blow will show them that the Order has
+yet power to sweep the sea of pirates. Since, however, this adventure
+has taught us that a single leader like Hassan sails with at least nine
+ships under his orders, it is clear that in future our galleys must not
+adventure singly among the islands. It was fortunate indeed that first
+Santoval, and then Piccolomini, arrived to your assistance. How was it
+that they happened to come up so opportunely?”
+
+“Sir John Boswell, with Ralph Harcourt and Gervaise Tresham; went in
+a boat to the rendezvous we had arranged, and reached it after an
+adventure, which I will leave Sir John to tell himself. I may say that
+the two young knights named had in our encounter both obtained very high
+credit amongst us all for the valour with which they fought. No one bore
+himself more stoutly, and I am glad to take this early opportunity of
+bringing their conduct before your notice. As you will learn from Sir
+John, Gervaise Tresham afterwards showed a quickness of wit that was the
+means of saving the lives of those with him, and I may say also of all
+with me, for had they failed to reach the rendezvous we should have
+fallen easy victims to the five ships Hassan Ali brought against us.”
+
+Sending for Sir John Boswell, the grand prior heard from him the details
+of his adventure in the boat.
+
+“I am right glad to hear you speak so warmly of Tresham, Sir John, for I
+regard him as my special protege, and am pleased indeed to find that at
+this outset of his career he has proved himself not only a brave knight,
+but full of resource, and quick at invention. I think, Sir John, that
+these two young knights have shown themselves well worthy of receiving
+the honour of secular knighthood.”
+
+“Assuredly they have,” Sir John agreed.
+
+“Then, Sir John, will you bestow it upon them? The Order, as an Order,
+does not bestow the honour, but its members do not forfeit their right
+as knights to bestow it individually, and none among us are more worthy
+of admitting them to your rank than yourself.”
+
+“I would gladly do it, Sir Peter; but the honour would come far better
+from yourself, and would not only be more highly prized by them, but
+would be of greater value in the eyes of others. I am but a simple
+knight commander of the Order, and my name would scarce be known beyond
+its ranks. But to be knighted by one whose name is known and honoured
+throughout Europe would give them a standing wherever they went, and
+place them on a level with the best.”
+
+“If that is your opinion, Boswell, I will myself undertake it, and
+will do it at once; it were better done here than at a conclave of the
+Order--now, when they are fresh from the battle. Let the knights be
+summoned from the other galleys at once.”
+
+In a few minutes the whole of the knights were assembled on the poop of
+the galley.
+
+“Friends, and brother knights,” D'Aubusson said. “First, in the name
+of the Order, I have to thank you all most heartily for the brave deeds
+that you have performed, and for the fresh honour you have won for it.
+Every man has, as I learn from the three commanders, borne himself as
+a true and valiant knight, ready to give his life in the cause of the
+Order and of humanity. Two names have been specially brought before me
+by commander Ricord, and by the good knight Sir John Boswell; they are
+those of two young companions who, though knights of our Order, have not
+yet received secular knighthood, and this, in the opinion of these
+two knights, they have right worthily won. Sir Ralph Harcourt and Sir
+Gervaise Tresham, step forward.”
+
+The two young knights, colouring with pleasure at this unexpected
+honour, removed their helmets, and stood with bowed heads before the
+grand prior. D'Aubusson went on, turning to the knights around him, “I
+am about, comrades, to undertake the office of knighting them. Sir
+Louis Ricord and Sir John Boswell stand as their sponsors. But before I
+proceed I would ask you all whether you, too, approve, and hold that Sir
+Ralph Harcourt and Sir Gervaise Tresham have proved themselves worthy of
+the honour of secular knighthood at my hands?”
+
+There was a general reply in the affirmative, the answer of the
+survivors of Ricord's crew being specially emphatic. The grand prior
+drew his sword, and the two young knights knelt before him, their
+sponsors standing beside them.
+
+“Sir Ralph Harcourt, you have now been four years a knight of this
+Order, but hitherto you have had no opportunity of drawing sword against
+the infidels. Now that the chance has come, you have proved yourself a
+true and valiant brother of the Order, and well worthy of the secular
+accolade. It is in that capacity that I now knight you. It is not the
+grand prior of Auvergne, but Sir Peter D'Aubusson, of the grand cross of
+St. Louis, who now bestows upon you the honour of secular knighthood.”
+ He touched him lightly with the sword. He then turned to Gervaise.
+
+“You, Sir Gervaise Tresham, are young indeed to receive the honour of
+secular knighthood; but valour is of no age, and in the opinion of
+your commanders, and in that of your comrades, you have proved yourself
+worthy of the honour. You have shown too, that, as Sir John Boswell has
+related to me, you are not only brave in action, but able, in the moment
+of danger, to plan and to execute. You were, he tells me, the means of
+saving his life and that of your comrade, and, by thus enabling him to
+bear to the place of rendezvous the news of Sir Louis's danger, were
+also the means of saving the lives of Sir Louis and his companions,
+and of bringing home in safety the prizes he had taken. With such a
+beginning it is easy to foresee that you will win for yourself some day
+a distinguished position in the ranks of the Order, and are most worthy
+of the honour I now bestow upon you.” And he touched him with his sword.
+
+The two young knights rose to their feet, bowed deeply to D'Aubusson,
+and then retired, with their sponsors. They were at once surrounded by
+the knights, who shook them by the hand, and warmly congratulated
+them upon the honour that had befallen them, receiving equally warm
+congratulations on their arrival at the auberge of the langue.
+
+The five prizes turned out, when their cargoes were landed, to be much
+more valuable than the cursory examination made by the knights had
+warranted them in expecting. They contained, indeed, an accumulation of
+the most valuable contents of the prizes taken by the pirates for a long
+time previously; and as these desperadoes preyed upon Turkish
+commerce as well as Christian, the goods consisted largely of Eastern
+manufactures of all kinds. Costly robes, delicate embroidery, superb
+carpets, shawls, goldsmiths' work, and no small amount of jewels, were
+among the spoil collected, and the bulk of the merchandise captured was,
+two days later, despatched in galleys to Genoa and Marseilles, to be
+sold for the benefit of the Order.
+
+D'Aubusson without hesitation carried out Sir John Boswell's promise to
+the slaves who had rowed his boat. They were not only set at liberty,
+but were each presented with a sum of money, and were placed on board a
+galley, and landed on the mainland.
+
+The English knights were all proud of the honour that had been won by
+their young countrymen, the only exception being Robert Rivers, who was
+devoured with jealousy at their advancement. He did not openly display
+his feelings, for the reports not only of Sir John Boswell, but of the
+other two English knights, were so strong that he dared not express
+his discontent. He himself had twice been engaged with pirates, but
+had gained no particular credit, and indeed had, in the opinion of his
+comrades, been somewhat slack in the fray. He was no favourite in the
+auberge, though he spared no pains to ingratiate himself with the senior
+knights, and had a short time before been very severely reprimanded by
+the bailiff for striking one of the servants.
+
+“I have more than once had to reprove you for your manners to the
+servants,” the bailiff said. “You will now be punished by the septaine;
+you will fast for seven days, on Wednesday and Friday you will receive
+bread and water only, and will be confined to the auberge for that
+period. The next time that I have reason to complain of you, I shall
+bring the matter before the grand master, and represent to him that it
+were best to send you home, since you cannot comport yourself to the
+servants of the auberge as befits a knight of the Order. We have always
+borne the reputation of being specially kind to our servants, and it
+is intolerable that one, who has been but a short time only a professed
+knight, should behave with a hauteur and insolence that not even the
+oldest among us would permit himself. There is not one of the servants
+here who was not in his own country of a rank and station equal, if not
+superior, to your own; and though misfortune has fallen upon them, they
+are to be pitied rather than condemned for it. In future, you are to
+give no order whatever to the servants, nor to address them, save when
+at meals you require anything. If you have any complaints to make of
+their conduct to you, you will make them to me, and I will inquire into
+the matter; and if I find they have failed in their duty they will be
+punished. I shall keep my eye upon you in the future. There are other
+faults that I have observed in you. More than once I have heard you
+address Sir Gervaise Tresham in a manner which, were not duelling
+forbidden by our rules, might bring about bloodshed; and from what I
+have seen when I have been watching the exercises, he is as much your
+superior in arms as he is in manner and disposition.”
+
+This reproof had greatly subdued Robert Rivers; and as he felt that
+any display of his jealousy of Gervaise would be resented by the
+other knights, and might result in serious consequences to himself, he
+abstained from any exhibition of it when they returned to the auberge,
+although he could not bring himself to join in the congratulations
+offered to them. The next day, however, when he was talking to Ralph
+Harcourt, he remarked, “From what I hear, Harcourt, D'Aubusson praised
+young Tresham very highly. It seems to me that there was nothing at all
+out of the way in what he did, and it was very unfair that he should be
+selected for higher praise than yourself.”
+
+“It was not unfair at all,” Ralph said warmly, for he was of a generous
+nature, and incapable of the base feeling of envy. “Tresham did a great
+deal more than I did. When we saw the pirate boat gaining so fast upon
+us, it seemed to Sir John Boswell, as well as to myself, that there was
+scarce a chance of escape, and that all we could do was to choose a spot
+on which to make a stand, and then to sell our lives as dearly as we
+could. I could see that Sir John was scanning the hill for a spot where
+we could best defend ourselves. As to hiding on so small an island, with
+a hundred men eager for our blood searching for us, it was well nigh
+impossible. It was Tresham's suggestion alone that saved our lives and
+enabled us to fetch succour to Sir Louis. Sir John, who is an old and
+tried soldier, said that for quickness and merit of conception, the
+oldest knight in the Order could not have done better; and he is not
+one to praise unduly. I am four years older than Gervaise Tresham, but
+I tell you that were he named tomorrow commander of a galley, I would
+willingly serve under him.”
+
+“Well, well, you need not be angry, Harcourt, I have nothing to say
+against Tresham. No doubt he had a happy thought, which turned out well;
+but I cannot see that there was anything wonderful in it, and it seemed
+to me unfair that one who is a mere boy should receive higher praise
+than yourself, who, as I heard Sir John and Sir Adam Tedbond say last
+night at the refectory, bore yourself right gallantly.”
+
+“I did my best,” Ralph said shortly; “but there was small credit in that
+when we were fighting for our lives. The most cowardly beast will fight
+under such circumstances. When you see a Moslem rushing at you, scimitar
+in hand, and know that if you do not cut him down he will cut you down,
+you naturally strike as hard and as quickly as you can. You have never
+liked Gervaise, Rivers. I am sure I don't know why, but you always speak
+in a contemptuous sort of tone about him. True, it does him no harm,
+but it certainly does you no good. For what reason should you feel a
+contempt for him? Although so much younger, he is a better swordsman and
+a better rider than you are. He is liked by every one in the auberge,
+which is more than can be said of yourself; he is always good tempered,
+and is quiet and unassuming. What on earth do you always set yourself
+against him for?”
+
+“I do not know that I do set myself against him,” Rivers said sullenly.
+“I own to having no great liking for him, which is natural enough,
+seeing that his father was a Lancastrian, while we are Yorkists; but it
+is not pleasant to see so much made of a boy, merely because D'Aubusson
+has favoured him.”
+
+“I am certain,” Harcourt said hotly, “that such an idea has never
+occurred to any one but yourself. Sir Peter is a great man and will soon
+be our grand master, but at present he is but grand prior of the langue
+of Auvergne, and whether he favours Tresham or not is a matter that
+concerns none of us. Gervaise is liked by us for his own good qualities.
+He bears himself, as a young knight should do, respectfully towards his
+seniors, and is ever ready to do a service to any one. No one has
+ever seen him out of temper; he is always kind and considerate to the
+servants, and when in command of parties of slaves at the public works
+never says a harsh word to them, but treats them as if they were human
+beings, and not brute beasts. Besides, though he is more skilful than
+any of us with his sword, or indeed at any of the military exercises, he
+is unassuming, and has no particle of pride or arrogance. It is for
+all these things that he is liked, and the friendship of D'Aubusson
+has naught whatever to do with it. It is not only D'Aubusson who has
+prophesied that he will rise to a distinguished rank in the Order.
+Boswell and Ricord both said the same, and I for one thoroughly believe
+it. Is there one among us under the age of twenty--and I might go
+farther--who has already won such credit for himself? One who when but
+sixteen can make his mark in an Order like ours is certain to rise to
+high office, and you and I may, before many years are over, be proud to
+serve under him.”
+
+“That I will never do,” Rivers said fiercely. “I would rather go and
+bury myself for life in the smallest commandery in England.”
+
+“That may be,” Harcourt retorted, his temper also roused, “But possibly
+you might prefer that to fighting under any other leader.”
+
+“That is a reflection on my courage, Sir Ralph Harcourt, I shall lay
+this matter before the bailiff.”
+
+“You can do as you like,” Harcourt said disdainfully, “But I don't think
+you will benefit by your pains.”
+
+When his temper cooled down Rivers acknowledged to himself the truth of
+what Harcourt said. He was not in the favour of the bailiff, while both
+Harcourt and Tresham stood at the present moment high in his estimation.
+Any complaint would lead to an inquiry into the matter that had led
+to the former's words, and even if Harcourt were reprimanded for using
+them, he himself would assuredly not gain in the estimation of the
+knights. Harcourt himself thought no more of the matter, though he
+laughingly told Gervaise that Rivers was by no means gratified at their
+both attaining the honour of secular knighthood, which virtually placed
+them over his head.
+
+“He is not a nice fellow,” Gervaise said. “But naturally it must be
+galling to him, and to a good many others who have not yet had the
+chance of distinguishing themselves. I think it is very good of them
+that they are all so kind and cordial. Of course it is otherwise with
+you, who are as old as most of the other professed knights serving here;
+but with me it is quite different, and as Rivers, somehow, has never
+been very friendly with me, of course it is doubly galling to him. I
+hope he will soon get an opportunity of winning his spurs too.”
+
+“That is just like you, Tresham. If I were in your place, I should
+have no good wishes for a fellow who has never lost an opportunity of
+annoying me, and that without the smallest cause of offence on my part.”
+
+“I am sure you would not wish him ill, Harcourt. You would make
+allowance for him just as I do, and feel that if he had had the same
+opportunities he would have obtained the same credit and honours.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII A FIRST COMMAND
+
+
+The first news that the knights heard on their return from their
+expedition was that the Grand Master Orsini was seriously ill, and that,
+at his advanced age, the doctors feared there was little hope of his
+rallying. Gervaise felt a keen regret on hearing that the kind and
+gentle old man, who had been for three years his master, was at the
+point of death. Nevertheless, it was generally felt among the knights
+that, in view of the dangers that threatened Rhodes, it was for the good
+of the Order that a strong and capable man, whom all respected, and who
+possessed their entire confidence, should at such a time be invested
+with absolute power.
+
+D'Aubusson had, indeed, for some years been the real head of the
+community, but every question had, if only as a matter of form, to
+be referred to the grand master, in order to obtain his approval and
+signature. In the state of feebleness to which he had for some months
+past fallen, much time was frequently lost before he could be made to
+understand the questions referred to him. Moreover, orders of D'Aubusson
+could be appealed against, his views thwarted, and his authority
+questioned; and it was therefore felt that, much as they all respected
+the old grand master, it would be an advantage to the Order when the
+supreme authority passed into the hands of D'Aubusson.
+
+Four days after the return of the expedition Orsini died. A few hours
+later the grand council was convened, and D'Aubusson unanimously
+elected grand master of the Order. The ceremony of the funeral of his
+predecessor was an imposing one. Every knight of the Order in Rhodes was
+present, together with a number of the leading natives of the Island;
+and although Gervaise had, since his arrival on the Island, seen many
+stately ceremonies, this far surpassed anything he had previously
+beheld.
+
+Gervaise had, at one of his first interviews with D'Aubusson after his
+arrival at the Island, been advised by him to acquire some knowledge of
+Turkish.
+
+“There are but few knights of the Order who speak the language,” he
+said. “As a rule, while young men are ready to devote any amount of time
+to acquiring dexterity in all martial exercises, they will bestow no
+labour in obtaining knowledge that may be fully as useful to them as
+skill in arms. In our dealings with the Turks, one or other party has
+to employ an interpreter, and it is often by no means certain that these
+men convey the full meaning of the speeches they translate. Again, we
+have large numbers of Turkish slaves, and it is highly to be desired
+that the knights should be able to give their orders to these men in
+their own language. Lastly, a knight who has been taken prisoner by the
+Turks--and even the bravest might meet with such a misfortune--would
+find it an alleviation of his lot, and might be able to plan and carry
+out his escape, did he speak Turkish well. I should strongly counsel you
+to acquire a knowledge of the tongue.”
+
+Gervaise had intended to follow the advice of the grand prior, but the
+duties of his office as page, and the time required for his military
+exercises and his studies with the chaplain, had rendered it well nigh
+impossible, during the first three years, to turn his attention to
+learning Turkish. As soon as his pageship was at an end, and he found
+that his duties included supervision of Turkish slaves, he felt the want
+of a knowledge of the language, and from that time devoted an hour a day
+to its study, employing one of the servants of the auberge, who was a
+man of rank and education at home, to instruct him.
+
+While he conscientiously spent this amount of time at the work, it was
+the most disagreeable portion of this day's labour. The events, however,
+that had taken place during the expedition had impressed him greatly
+with the utility of a knowledge of Turkish, for had it not been for Sir
+John Boswell's possessing some acquaintance with the language, it would
+have been impossible to communicate with the rowers of their boat, or
+to have arranged the plan by which they had escaped the pirates. He had
+then and there determined that as soon as he returned to Rhodes he would
+take the matter up in a very different spirit to that in which he before
+approached it. He had on the way home spoken to Sir John, who had highly
+approved of the determination.
+
+“I myself, when I was a young knight of eighteen, was taken captive,
+twenty-six years ago, at the time when the Egyptian fleet appeared
+before Rhodes. Our galleys advanced to attack them, but under cover of
+night they retired, and proceeding to the mainland took shelter under
+the guns of a Turkish fort. We attacked them there; it was a desperate
+engagement, but without any decisive advantage on either side. We lost
+no less than sixty knights, the Egyptians seven hundred men; and their
+fleet returned to Egypt. I and three others who were left wounded on the
+deck of one of their ships we had boarded, but failed to capture, were
+carried to Egypt, and remained there captive for six months, when we
+were ransomed by the Order.
+
+“During that time I learnt enough of their language, which is akin to
+Turkish, to be able to make myself understood and to understand what was
+said to me. I have kept up that much for intercourse with the slaves
+and servants at Rhodes, and have found it very useful. I consider, then,
+that you will do well to acquire their tongue; it will be useful not
+only to yourself, but to others, and when we get back I will, if you
+like, ask the bailiff to free you from all duty in order that you may
+devote yourself to it.”
+
+The head of the langue at once granted Sir John's request.
+
+“I would,” he said, “that more of our young knights would give a portion
+of their time to study; but most of them look to returning home when
+their term of service here has expired. Many think only of amusement,
+and all imagine that advancement is best achieved by valour. Tresham has
+already distinguished himself very greatly; so much so, that I think
+it would be well if he did not go on another expedition for a time, but
+stayed here while others have the opportunity of doing the same. Were we
+to send him out with the next galleys that start, I should be accused of
+favouritism, and the lad, who is now deservedly popular with all, would
+be regarded with envy, and possibly even with dislike.
+
+“At the same time, after what he has done I should have difficulty in
+refusing, were he to volunteer to sail in the next galley that sets out.
+The desire, then, on his part to learn Turkish is in all ways opportune.
+It will, too, in the long run be of great advantage to him in the Order,
+will give him weight, and bring him into prominence. I do not think
+there are six in the Order who can fairly translate a Turkish document;
+there are but two who could write a reply in the same language. Inform
+him, then, that from the present time he will be excused from all work,
+except, of course, to join in ceremonials when all are required to be
+present; and if you, Sir John, will pick out from among the servitors
+here one who is well instructed and educated, and capable of writing as
+well as reading his language, I will similarly relieve him of all other
+work, and place him at the disposal of young Tresham. Tell the lad that
+I hope he will persevere until he obtains a complete knowledge of the
+tongue. You can mention to him what I have said as to my opinion of the
+advantage the knowledge of it will be to him in the Order.”
+
+Gervaise accordingly devoted himself to study. His instructor was a Turk
+of fine presence. He had been a large landowner in Syria, and held
+a high official position in the province, but had been captured in a
+galley on his way to Constantinople, whither he was proceeding on an
+official mission. He was delighted with his new post. Gervaise, both as
+the youngest member of the community, and from the kind manner in
+which he always spoke to the servants,--all of whom had acquired some
+knowledge of English,--was a general favourite among them, and the Turk
+was glad that he was to be thrown with him. Still more he rejoiced at
+being appointed his instructor, as it relieved him from all menial work
+which, although preferable to that to which the bulk of the slaves were
+condemned, yet galled his spirit infinitely.
+
+Now that he had entered upon the work with the approbation of his
+superior, and a conviction of its great utility, Gervaise set to work
+with the same zeal and ardour which he had exhibited in his military
+exercises. During the heat of the day he sat in the shade reading and
+writing with his instructor. In the cool of the morning and afternoon
+he walked with him on the walls, or in the country beyond them. After
+sunset he sat with him in an unfrequented corner of the roof, all the
+time conversing with him, either of his own country, or that of his
+instructor.
+
+At first this was difficult, and he had to eke out the Turkish words
+he had acquired with English; but it was not long before there was no
+necessity for this. His intercourse for ten or twelve hours a day with
+this Turk, and the pains taken by his instructor, caused him to acquire
+the language with extreme rapidity. Of course, he had to put up with
+a great deal of banter from the younger knights upon his passion for
+study. Sometimes they pretended that his mania, as they considered it,
+arose from the fact that he was determined to become a renegade, and was
+fitting himself for a high position in the Turkish army. At other times
+they insisted that his intention was to become a Turkish dervish, or to
+win a great Turkish heiress and settle in Syria. But as he always bore
+their banter good temperedly, and was ready occasionally to join them in
+the sport when assaults-at-arms were carried on, they soon became tired
+of making fun of him.
+
+After nine months' constant work, the young knight's studies were
+abruptly stopped by the receipt of a letter from the Pasha of Syria,
+offering a considerable sum for the ransom of his instructor. The
+request was at once acceded to, as it was the policy of the knights to
+accept ransoms for their prisoners, both because the sums so gained
+were useful, and because they were themselves compelled sometimes to pay
+ransom for members of the Order. Suleiman Ali was, it was arranged, to
+be put on board an Egyptian craft bound for Acre, a safe conduct having
+been sent for the vessel and her crew, and for a knight, who was to
+receive the ransom from the pasha.
+
+“At any rate, Sir Gervaise,” the Turk said, when the young knight
+expressed great regret at his leaving them, “our position as instructor
+and pupil would have come to an end shortly. For the last three months
+there has been but little teaching between us; we have talked, and that
+has been all, save that for a short time each day you read and wrote.
+But there has been little to teach. You speak the native language now
+as fluently as I do, and would pass anywhere as a Syrian, especially
+as there are slight differences of speech in the various provinces. I
+believe that in Syria you would not be suspected of being anything but
+a native, and assuredly you would be taken for a Syrian elsewhere.
+You have learnt enough, and it would be but a waste of time for you, a
+knight and a soldier, to spend another day in study.”
+
+On the following day Gervaise was, to his surprise, sent for by the
+grand master. Except on the occasion of a few public ceremonies, he
+had not seen D'Aubusson since he had been elected to his present
+high dignity, and the summons to attend at the palace therefore came
+unexpectedly.
+
+“We have become quite strangers, Tresham,” the grand master said
+cordially when he entered. “I have not forgotten you, and have several
+times questioned your bailiff concerning you. He tells me that you
+have become quite an anchorite, and that, save at your meals and for an
+occasional bout-at-arms, you are seldom to be seen. I was glad to
+hear of your devotion to study, and thought it better to leave you
+undisturbed at it. Yesterday evening I sent for your instructor. He is
+a man of influence in Syria, and I wished to learn how he was affected
+towards us, now that he is about to return there. We talked for some
+time, and I then asked him what progress you had made, and was surprised
+and pleased to find that in his opinion you could pass anywhere as a
+native, and that you were perfectly capable of drawing up and writing
+any document I might desire to send to the sultan or any of his
+generals. This is far more than I had expected, and shows how earnestly
+you must have worked. Your knowledge may prove of much assistance to the
+Order, and believe me, the time you have spent in acquiring it may prove
+of much greater advantage to you in your career than if you had occupied
+it in performing even the most valiant deeds, and that at some future
+time it will ensure your appointment to a responsible office here. It
+was partly to assure you of my approbation that I sent for you, partly
+to inform you that I have appointed you to proceed with Suleiman Ali as
+the knight in charge of the vessel, and to receive the ransom agreed on,
+upon your handing him over. The office is an honourable one and one of
+trust, and it is the first fruits of the advantages you will gain by
+your knowledge of Turkish. No, do not thank me. I am selecting you
+because you are better fitted than any knight I can spare for the
+mission, and also, I may say, because the choice will be pleasing
+to Suleiman Ali, whose goodwill I am desirous of gaining. Before now
+Turkish provinces have thrown off their allegiance to the sultan. They
+have, I must admit, been usually reconquered, but such might not be
+always the case; and if such an event happened in Syria, this man's
+influence and goodwill might be of great advantage to us, as it might
+well suit us to ally ourselves with Syria against Constantinople. I am
+glad to say that I found him at least as well disposed as any man could
+be who had been some years in slavery. He admitted that, for a slave,
+he had been kindly and gently treated, and added that any unpleasant
+memories he might have retained had been obliterated by the nine months
+of pleasant companionship spent with you.”
+
+When Gervaise returned to dinner at the auberge, and informed Ralph
+Harcourt and the other young knights that he had been appointed to take
+charge of the vessel in which Suleiman Ali was to be conveyed to
+Acre, the statement was at first received with incredulity. It seemed
+incredible that the youngest knight in the langue should be chosen for
+such a mission, involving as it did a separate command. Even the older
+knights, when the news was passed down the table, were surprised.
+
+“I must say that I am astonished at the grand master's choice. Sir
+Gervaise Tresham doubtless distinguished himself greatly some months
+since, but from that time he has not been out with the galleys, or,
+indeed, done anything that would seem to recommend him for so marked a
+favour as a separate command.”
+
+“I don't know, Wingate,” Sir John Boswell said. “It seems to me that
+when a young knight of seventeen eschews all pleasure, refrains from
+volunteering for service at sea, and spends his whole time in study, he
+does distinguish himself, and that very greatly. Of the three or four
+hundred young knights here I doubt if one other would have so acted.
+Certainly, none to my knowledge have done so. Yet I do not suppose
+that D'Aubusson selected him for this duty as a reward for so much self
+denial and study, but because by that self denial and study he is more
+fitted for it than any of us here, save some three or four knights in
+the other langues, all of whom are in too high a position to be employed
+in so unimportant a duty. He can speak Turkish--not a few score of
+words and sentences such as I can, but, as Suleiman Ali tells me, like a
+native. Were one of us chosen for this mission, it would be necessary to
+send an interpreter with him; and every one knows how hard it is to do
+business in that manner. It seems to me that the grand master has acted
+wisely in putting aside all question of seniority, and employing the
+knight who is better suited than any other for it.”
+
+“You are right, Boswell,” the bailiff said. “I really have been
+astonished at the manner in which Tresham has given himself up to study.
+It would have been a natural thing had he, after gaining so much credit,
+been anxious and eager to gain more. When you spoke to me about his
+determination to learn Turkish, I thought he would speedily tire of it,
+and that when the next galley sailed, his name would be among the list
+of volunteers for the service. I am sure, comrades, that there are few,
+if any, among us who would not infinitely prefer fighting the Moslems
+to spending our whole time in learning their language; and I for one
+consider the fact that he has for nine months laboured so incessantly
+and assiduously that he has come, as Boswell says, to speak it like
+a native, is even more to his credit than the deed for which he was
+knighted.”
+
+This conversation took place at the upper end of the table, and was not
+heard at the lower end where the younger knights were seated.
+
+“I am not chosen from favour,” Gervaise said hotly, to one of his
+companions who had asserted that this was so. “I am simply chosen
+because I can speak Turkish.”
+
+“How much Turkish can you speak?” one of them laughed. Gervaise turned
+to the Turkish servant behind them, and said, in his language, “Hassan,
+Sir Giles Trevor wishes to know how well I speak Turkish. You have heard
+me talking with Suleiman Ali. Will you give him your opinion about it?”
+
+The man turned gravely to Sir Giles Trevor.
+
+“My lord,” he said, in English, “Sir Gervaise Tresham, he speaks Turkish
+same as I do. If he dress up in Turk clothes I suppose him Turk, not
+know he Christian by his speech.”
+
+Exclamations of surprise broke from the young knights.
+
+“Well, you have earned the appointment, Tresham,” Ralph Harcourt said
+heartily. “You always told me when I asked you that you were getting on,
+but I had not the least idea that you were getting on like this. And can
+you read and write the Turkish language?”
+
+“Well enough for practical purposes, Ralph. At any rate, I wrote a
+complimentary letter this morning from the grand master to the governor
+of Syria, and the bailiff of Spain, who was, as you know, for ten years
+a prisoner among the Turks, read it through at D'Aubusson's request,
+to see that there was no error in it, and was good enough to pass it
+without alteration.”
+
+“I would give a good deal,” Sir Giles Trevor said, “if I could follow
+your example, and shut myself up for nine months with an infidel to
+study his language; but I could not do it if my life depended on it. I
+should throw myself off the wall at the end of the first fortnight.”
+
+“I don't pretend that I can do what Tresham has done,” Ralph Harcourt
+said. “I always hated our lessons with the chaplain, who gave me the
+character of having the thickest head of any of his pupils; but I
+vow”--and he kissed the handle of his dagger--“I will spend half an hour
+a day in trying to learn something of Turkish. Of course, I know that
+such time will not be enough to learn a great deal; but if one could get
+up just enough to be able to give orders to the slaves, to question
+the captain of a vessel one has captured, and to make them understand
+a little, if by bad luck one fell into their hands, it would be quite
+enough for me. I am sure sometimes one is quite at a loss how to pass
+the hours when the sun is at its hottest, and if one tried one ought to
+be able to pick up a little without much trouble. Look at the servants;
+there is not one of them but speaks a little English. And if an infidel
+can learn enough English to get on with, without any regular study, I
+can't see why we shouldn't be able to learn enough Turkish in the same
+way.”
+
+Two or three of the other young knights declared that they too would
+devote a short time during the heat of the day to learning Turkish, and
+they agreed to begin together forthwith with one of the servants, who
+spoke English most fluently. Robert Rivers was not present, for he had
+returned to England six months before, to take up his residence at the
+House in Clerkenwell, in order that he might bring to bear the interest
+of his many powerful friends to secure for him an appointment as
+commander of one of the estates of the Order in England. His departure
+had caused general satisfaction among the other knights, whom his
+arrogance and ill temper had frequently irritated. Gervaise especially
+was glad at his leaving the Island, for after he received the honour
+of knighthood, Rivers made a point of always addressing him with an
+affectation of deference and respect that often tried his temper to the
+utmost.
+
+“It is well that Rivers has gone,” Ralph said, laughing, “for I don't
+know how he would have supported the chagrin your appointment would have
+given him. He was devoured with jealousy as it was, but this would have
+been a trial beyond bearing.”
+
+“I am heartily glad he has gone,” Gervaise said gravely. “I have put up
+with a great deal from him, but I don't think I could have stood much
+more. If our vows had not forbidden our fighting I should have called
+him to account long ago; but the only thing else to do was for me
+to lodge a formal complaint before the bailiff, of his continually
+offensive bearing and manner, which I could not bring myself to do, and
+indeed there was no special matter that would have seemed to justify me,
+no single speech that in itself would warrant such grave action on my
+part. I used to wish over and over again that we could but meet in some
+quiet spot in England, both unarmed, and could there settle the matter
+in good English fashion, with our fists, or even with a couple of
+quarterstaffs.”
+
+The others laughed.
+
+“That would be a very unknightly form of contest.”
+
+“I care not for that,” Gervaise replied. “It would be a very
+satisfactory one anyhow, and quite serious enough for the occasion. His
+sneers and petty insults were not sufficient to justify the drawing of
+blood, and there has been enough of that shed for the last twenty years
+in England without two brother knights betaking themselves to their
+swords against each other. But a sound thrashing would have done neither
+of us harm, and if it had fallen to his lot to get the largest share of
+it, it might have done him some good.”
+
+“He thinks he is sure of an appointment,” one of the others said, “but
+he has been so frequently in trouble here that it is likely that the
+official report, which is always sent home to the grand prior when the
+knights return to England, will be so unfavourable that even the most
+powerful influence will fail to obtain him a post. If so, we may have
+him back here again, especially if the Turks carry out their threat of
+assailing us, for an appeal will be made to all the grand priors for
+knights to aid in the defence.”
+
+That evening Gervaise went again to the palace to receive final
+instructions.
+
+“The craft in which you are to travel is an Egyptian trader. As at
+present war has not been formally declared between us and the sultan,
+peaceful traders, as you know, carry on their avocations unmolested
+either by the warships of the Turks or by ours; they do not enter our
+ports without a special permit, and the crews are never allowed to land,
+in order that no detailed account of our fortifications may be taken
+to the sultan. Moreover, brawls might arise between them and the native
+population, or they might aid slaves to escape. However, you will be
+altogether safe from interference from Turkish war vessels, and if
+overhauled by one of them the safe conduct will be sufficient to prevent
+interference with you. But it is not so with pirates. They will plunder
+their own countrymen as readily as they will Christians, and the safe
+guard of the governor of Syria will be of no use whatever to you. In
+this consists the danger of your mission. I cannot send one of our war
+galleys on such an errand, and if there are not enough knights on board
+to beat off any pirate, the fewer there are the better. I hear that
+the craft is a fast sailor, and as the crew will be as anxious to avoid
+pirates as you, they will do their best to escape. I leave it to you to
+take any route. You can either sail hence direct for Acre, or you can
+coast along the shores of Anatolia and Syria, lying up at night in bays.
+
+“Should you be overtaken I do not think it would be of any use for you
+to disguise yourself, for some of the crew would be sure to denounce
+you. Should the worst happen, and you are captured by pirates, you will
+of course in the first place show them your safe conduct, and if I find
+that you do not return I shall send at once to the governor of Syria,
+complaining of your capture when furnished with his safeguard, and
+requesting him to order a search for you to be made at every port on the
+coast, with instructions that you are to be at once released, and either
+sent to him for return hither, or placed on board a craft bound for any
+Christian port; while you, on your part, will endeavour to acquaint
+the Turkish authorities with the fact that you have been seized while
+travelling with a safe conduct from the governor of Syria.
+
+“But, more than from any efforts on your part or mine, I rely upon
+Suleiman Ali, who will, I am sure, as soon as he is set on shore, lose
+no time in acquainting the pasha of your capture, and in calling upon
+him to interfere in your favour. In that case, the worst that could
+befall you would be a temporary detention, unless, indeed, the pirates
+should take you to Egypt. As that country is friendly with us at
+present, since Egypt dreads the ever increasing power of the Turks, it
+will be but a question of ransom, for I have secret agents there who
+will inform me without delay of the arrival of a Christian captive.”
+
+“I understand, sir, and will do my best in the matter. If I am captured
+I trust that an opportunity of escape will soon present itself, for I
+should, if taken, conceal from my captors the fact that I understand
+their language, and should thus, if I could evade my guard, have every
+chance of escaping, as in a native dress I could meet and converse with
+those hunting for me, without their having a suspicion of my being the
+white slave for whom they were in search.”
+
+“Once at Acre you will be safe. But do not land unless it is absolutely
+necessary, for you might fall a victim to the fanaticism of its
+inhabitants, and no knight has ever set foot on shore there since the
+ill fated day when the Moslems wrested it from us, bathed the ruined
+walls with the best blood of our Order and the Templars', and destroyed
+the last hope of our ever recovering the Holy Sepulchre.”
+
+The next morning at daybreak Gervaise and Suleiman Ali went on board the
+Egyptian trader, and sailed for Acre. The current of opinion had changed
+at the auberge when the knights came to think over the mission on which
+Gervaise was about to start, and the slight feeling of jealousy with
+which the younger knights had received the news was entirely dissipated.
+While it did not seem to them that there was any chance of his
+distinguishing himself, they perceived, as they thought it over, the
+considerable danger there was of capture by pirates, and Ralph and some
+of his companions came down to the mole to see him off, with feelings in
+which envy bore no part whatever.
+
+“I see now, Gervaise, that it is truly no holiday excursion on which you
+are starting. I should envy you greatly were you going in command of an
+armed galley, prepared to beat off any craft that might try to overhaul
+you; but, going alone as you are, it is a very different thing. Should
+pirates meet you, you could offer no resistance, and your position would
+be a perilous one indeed. However, I think you are born to good luck,
+and am confident that your patron saint will look after you, and
+therefore expect to see you back here in a fortnight's time at the
+outside.”
+
+“I hope so with all my heart, Ralph. It will be no fault of mine if I
+tarry.”
+
+“Will you keep the open sea, or skirt the land, Tresham?” one of the
+others asked.
+
+“I shall keep the open sea. The grand master left me to choose my
+course; but I think there is more danger by the coast--where pirates may
+be hiding in unfrequented bays, in readiness to pounce upon a passing
+craft--than in the open sea, where we should have at least the advantage
+that we could not be taken by surprise, and might make a race of it. But
+the sun will be up in a few minutes, and my orders were to set out at
+sunrise, so I must say goodbye at once.”
+
+As soon as the vessel was under way, Gervaise took a seat on the poop by
+the side of Suleiman Ali, and related to him the conversation he had had
+with the grand master.
+
+“The risk that you will run has not escaped me,” the Turk said, “and
+indeed, I now regret that you were chosen as my escort. I almost wish
+that my son had not purchased my freedom at the present time, since it
+involves the risk of you losing yours. There is no doubt that the sea
+swarms with pirates; the sultan is too busy with his own struggles for
+Empire to bestow any attention upon so small a matter. The pashas and
+the officers of the ports have not the power, even had they the will,
+to put down piracy in their districts, and indeed are, as often as not,
+participators in the spoils. Your Order, which, years back, scoured the
+seas so hotly that piracy well nigh ceased, have now for forty years
+been obliged to turn their attention chiefly to their own defence. They
+possess a comparatively small fleet of galleys, and their wealth is
+expended on their fortress.
+
+“What with Egypt and the sultan their hands are too full for them to act
+as the police of the sea, and the consequence is that from every port,
+bay, and inlet, pirate craft set out--some mere rowboats, some, like
+those under the command of Hassan Ali, veritable fleets. Thus the
+humblest coasters and the largest merchant craft go alike in fear of
+them, and I would that the sultan and Egypt and your Order would for two
+or three years put aside their differences, and confine their efforts to
+sweeping the seas of these pests, to storming their strongholds, and to
+inflicting such punishment upon them as that, for a very long time to
+come, peaceful merchants might carry on their trade without fear.
+
+“I heard you tell the captain that he was to steer straight for Acre,
+and I think you are right in avoiding the coast, where the most harmless
+looking fishing boat may carry a crowd of pirates hidden in her hold. At
+the same time, if you will take my advice you will head much more to
+the south, so as to be out of the regular track of ships making from
+Constantinople or the islands to Acre. You may meet pirates anywhere,
+but they are assuredly thicker along the more frequented routes. The
+safest plan of all would probably be to bear south, and strike the
+Egyptian coast well to the east of the mouth of the Nile. Thence, till
+you get to Palestine, the country is utterly barren and uninhabited,
+while, running up the coast to Palestine, there are, save at Jaffa, no
+ports to speak of until you arrive at Acre; and besides, the inhabitants
+there, even if pirates, would not venture to disregard the pasha's
+safe conduct. I do not by any means say that such a course would be
+absolutely safe. You may meet with vessels on your way south, and
+doubtless some of them cruise off the barren coast I speak of, to
+intercept traders to and from Egypt and Acre, and other Syrian ports;
+for the trade carried on is considerable, and, although of the same
+religion, the Turks are disposed to view the Egyptians as enemies rather
+than as friends, and would have even less hesitation in plundering them
+than in robbing their own countrymen.”
+
+“I think that your suggestion is a good one, and will follow it, at any
+rate. The course is a good deal longer, but that is comparatively of
+little moment. The great thing is to carry you safely to Acre.”
+
+“And to get back with equal safety,” Suleiman said, with a smile.
+
+“That is quite as important in my eyes; in fact, of the two, I would far
+rather that we were captured on our voyage thither, for in that case I
+might be able to arrange for the ransom of both of us.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII AN EVENING AT RHODES
+
+
+Suleiman Ali's advice was carried out. It added considerably to the
+length of the voyage; but they saw only one doubtful craft. She was
+lying close inshore under the shadow of the sand hills, and they did
+not see her until she hoisted her sails and shot out from the land. They
+were, however, three miles distant from the land at the time, and the
+wind was blowing from the north; consequently the pirate was dead to
+leeward. Every sail was set at once on board the trader, and, being a
+fast sailor, she maintained her position until nightfall. The wind then
+dropped, and just as the light faded they could see that the vessel
+behind them had put out her sweeps. The trader kept up her sails until
+certain that she could be no longer seen; then the canvas was lowered,
+and the crew took to the boats and towed her due north.
+
+The night was fortunately a dark one, and those watching anxiously from
+the deck of the trader were unable to discern her pursuer as she passed
+behind them. As soon as they were well assured that she must have
+gone on, the boats were got in, the sails hoisted again, and, taking
+advantage of every light flaw of wind, they proceeded on their course.
+In the morning the sails of the galley could be seen on the horizon, but
+the distance was too great for her to take up the pursuit again with any
+chance of success, and the trader continued her course to Acre without
+seeing more of her.
+
+As soon as the trader entered the port, the Egyptian captain went on
+shore, taking with him a copy of the safe conduct and the letter from
+the grand master to the pasha. Going to the residence of the governor,
+he handed these to him, saying that he had on board Aga Suleiman Ali,
+and a knight who was charged to deliver him up on payment of the ransom.
+
+“I have been expecting you,” the governor said. “I have received a
+letter from the pasha, stating that he had written to the grand master
+respecting the ransom of the aga, and sending me the amount which
+Suleiman's son had offered. The young man was not of age when his father
+was captured, but he is so now, and was therefore able to raise the
+sum required. I will go down to the port with you myself, hand over
+the ransom, and welcome Suleiman, whom I know well, back from his
+captivity.”
+
+The transfer was speedily made; a heavy purse was handed to Gervaise,
+and Suleiman was a free man.
+
+“Send me word, if you can, when you return to Rhodes,” the latter said,
+as he bade farewell to the young knight. “I shall be anxious until I
+hear. Fortune was with us as we sailed hither, but it may desert you
+on your return. Should aught befall you, tell your captors that if they
+bring you to me I will pay any ransom that they could, in fairness,
+require. Should they refuse to do this, send, if possible, a messenger
+to me, and on receipt of your message I will send a trusty man to
+purchase your freedom. You have treated me as a friend and an equal, and
+a friend I shall always remain.”
+
+The vessel was to remain four days in port, to discharge her cargo and
+take in another, and Suleiman had talked of remaining at Acre until she
+sailed, but Gervaise protested strongly against this.
+
+“You have your family, from whom you have been so long separated,
+awaiting your return with anxiety, and I pray you to make no stay on my
+account. I am well content to remain on board here, and to look at the
+city which has so often been the theatre of great deeds--which Richard
+the Lion Heart captured, and which so many of the Hospitallers died to
+defend. I was charged by the grand master not to land, and indeed I feel
+myself that it would be an act of folly to do so. There are doubtless
+many on shore who have relatives and friends now working as slaves among
+us, and some of these might well seek to avenge them by slaying one of
+the Order. I feel your kindness, but it would be a pain to me to know
+that you were lingering here on my account, when you must be longing to
+embrace your children.”
+
+The four days passed rapidly. Gervaise had, at the suggestion of the
+governor, laid aside the mantle and insignia of the Order.
+
+“If you do not do so,” he said, “I must place a strong guard of soldiers
+on board, in order to ensure that the pasha's safeguard is not violated.
+Sailors are a turbulent race, and were you recognised here they might
+make a tumult, and slay you before a word of what was going on reached
+me. In any case I shall place two soldiers on board until you leave the
+port.”
+
+On the morning of the fifth day the sails were got up, and the vessel
+sailed out from the port. Fortune again favoured them, and they reached
+Rhodes without any adventure. Gervaise went at once to the palace, and
+handed over the purse of gold to the treasurer. He then sent up his name
+to the grand master, and was immediately conducted to his room.
+
+“I am glad to see you back, Tresham. I have been uneasy about you. Have
+you fulfilled your mission without adventure?”
+
+“Without any adventure, sir, save that we were once chased by a pirate
+on our way east, but escaped in the darkness. Save for that, the voyage
+has been wholly uneventful. I have received the ransom, and handed the
+purse to your treasurer.”
+
+“I am glad that your first command has turned out so well. I will see
+that you do not lack employment; and the fact that you are able to act
+as interpreter will ensure you a welcome on any galley. At present,
+however, it is not my intention to send out many cruisers. Every life
+now is precious, and no amount of spoil that can be brought in will
+counter balance the loss of those who fall. However, I may find some
+mission on which you can be employed. I know that you love an active
+life; and as, for nine months, you have put a rein on your inclinations,
+and have devoted yourself wholly to study, so that you might be of
+greater use to the Order, you have a good right to any employment in
+which your knowledge can be utilised.”
+
+On his arrival at the auberge, Gervaise was very heartily greeted by the
+younger knights.
+
+“I told you you were born lucky, Gervaise,” Ralph Harcourt said. “There
+has been more than one wager made that you would be captured; but I,
+for my part, was confident that your good fortune would not desert you.
+Still, though not surprised, we are delighted to see you again. Now tell
+us about your voyage.”
+
+Gervaise gave a brief account of the adventure with the pirate, and then
+described the visit of the governor to the ship.
+
+“Did he say anything to you?”
+
+“He was courteous and solemn; just the sort of man you would fancy a
+Turkish governor should be. He looked a little surprised when I accosted
+him in Turkish, but asked no questions at the time, though I daresay he
+inquired afterwards of Suleiman how I came to speak the language. The
+only time he actually said anything was when he requested that I would
+not wear the mantle of the Order while in port, as sailors were a
+turbulent race, and it might lead to an attack upon me; and as he was
+responsible to the pasha that his safe conduct should be respected, it
+would be necessary, if I declined to follow his advice, to keep a strong
+body of soldiers on board. As this would have been a horrible nuisance,
+especially as I wanted to enjoy in quiet the view of the city, with its
+castle and walls, I acceded at once to his request, which seemed to me
+a reasonable one. He did send two soldiers on board, but they remained
+down in the waist, and did not interfere with my pleasure in any way.”
+
+“Next to Jerusalem, how I should like to see Acre!” Ralph Harcourt
+exclaimed. “It is, of all other cities, the most closely connected with
+our Order. We helped to win it, and we were the last to defend it.
+We have heard so much about the fortress, and it has been so often
+described to me, that I know the situation of every bastion--at least,
+as it was when we left it, though I know not what changes the Turks may
+since have made.”
+
+“That I know not, Ralph. Of course, I only saw the seafront, and it was
+upon the land side that the attack was made. We know that the breaches
+were all repaired long ago, and it is said that the place is stronger
+than ever. From the port all was solid and massive. It is indeed a grand
+and stately fortress. Here we have done all that was possible to make
+Rhodes impregnable, but nature did nothing for us; there nature has done
+everything, and the castle looks as if it could defy the assaults of an
+army, however large. And indeed, it was not wrested from us by force.
+The knights, when the city walls were stormed and the town filled with
+their foes fought their way down to the water's edge and embarked there,
+for they were reduced to a mere handful; and however strong a castle may
+be, it needs hands to defend it. Still, it well nigh moved me to tears
+to see the Turkish banner waving over it, and to think how many tens
+of thousands of Christian soldiers had died in the effort to retain the
+holy places, and had died in vain.”
+
+“I wonder whether the Turks will ever be forced to relinquish their hold
+of the holy places?”
+
+“Who can tell, Sir Giles?” the bailiff, who had come up to the group
+unobserved, said quietly. “Certainly not in our time--not until the
+Moslem power, which threatens not only us, but all Europe, has crumbled
+to dust. So long as Acre remains in their power there is no hope. I say
+not but that by a mighty effort of all Christendom, Palestine might be
+wrested from the infidels, as it was wrested before; but the past shows
+us that while men or nations can be stirred to enthusiasm for a time,
+the fire does not last long, and once again the faithful few would be
+overwhelmed by the odds that would be brought against them, while Europe
+looked on impassive, if not indifferent. No, knights; the utmost that
+can be hoped for, is that the tide of Moslem invasion westward may be
+stayed. At present we are the bulwark, and as long as the standard of
+our Order waves over Rhodes so long is Europe safe by sea. But I foresee
+that this cannot last: the strongest defences, the stoutest hearts,
+and the bravest of hearts, cannot in the long run prevail against
+overpowering numbers. As at Acre, we may repel assault after assault,
+we may cause army after army to betake themselves again to their ships;
+but, as a rock is overwhelmed by the rising tide, so must Rhodes succumb
+at last, if left by Europe to bear alone the brunt of Moslem invasion.
+All that men can do we shall do. As long as it is possible to resist,
+we shall resist. When further resistance becomes impossible, we shall, I
+trust, act as we did before.
+
+“We were driven from Palestine, only to fortify ourselves at Rhodes.
+If we are driven from Rhodes, we shall, I feel assured, find a home
+elsewhere, and again commence our labours. The nearer we are to Europe
+the more hope there is that Christendom will aid us, for they will more
+generally understand that our defeat would mean the laying open of the
+shores of the Mediterranean, from Turkey to Gibraltar, to the invasion
+of the Moslems. However, comrades, this is all in the future. Our share
+is but in the present, and I trust the flag of the Order will float over
+Rhodes as long, at least, as the lifetime of the youngest of us, and
+that we may bequeath the duty of upholding the Cross untarnished to
+those who come after us; and we can then leave the issue in God's
+hands.”
+
+All listened respectfully to the words of their leader, although his
+opinion fell like cold water upon the fiery zeal and high hopes of his
+hearers. The possibility of their losing Rhodes had never once entered
+into the minds of the majority of them. It was likely that ere long they
+might be called upon to stand a siege, but, acquainted as they were with
+the strength of the place--its deep and seemingly impassable moat, its
+massive walls, and protecting towers and bastions--it had seemed to them
+that Rhodes was capable of withstanding all assaults, however numerous
+the foe, however oft repeated the invasion. The bailiff was, as all
+knew, a man of dauntless courage, of wide experience and great judgment,
+and that he should believe that Rhodes would, although not in their
+time, inevitably fall, brought home to them for the first time the fact
+that their fortress was but an outpost of Europe, and one placed so
+distant from it that Christendom, in the hour of peril, might be unable
+to furnish them with aid. As the bailiff walked away, there was silence
+for a short time, and then Sir Giles Trevor said cheerfully, “Well, if
+it lasts our time we need not trouble our heads as to what will take
+place afterwards. As the bailiff says, our duty is with the present, and
+as we all mean to drive the Turks back when they come, I do not see that
+there is any occasion for us to take it to heart, even if it be fated
+that the Moslems shall one day walk over our tombs. If Christendom
+chooses to be supine, let Christendom suffer, say I. At any rate, I am
+not going to weep for what may take place after I am turned into dust.”
+
+“That sounds all very well, Sir Giles,” Ralph Harcourt said, “and I have
+no argument to advance against it, though I am sure there is much to be
+said; but if the bailiff, or the chaplain, or indeed any of the elders,
+had heard you say so, I have no doubt you would have had a fitting
+reply.”
+
+Sir Giles tossed his head mockingly. “I shall fight neither better nor
+worse, friend Harcourt, because it may be that someday the Moslems are,
+as the bailiff seems to think, destined to lord it here. I have only
+promised and vowed to do my best against the Moslems, and that vow only
+holds good as long as I am in the flesh; beyond that I have no concern.
+But what are we staying here for, wasting our time? It is the hour for
+those of us who are going, to be starting for the ball given by Signor
+Succhi; as he is one of the richest merchants in the town, it will be a
+gay one, and there is no lack of fair faces in Rhodes. It is a grievous
+pity that our elders all set their will against even the younger members
+of the community joining in a dance. It was not one of the things I
+swore to give up. However, here in Rhodes there is no flying in the face
+of rules.”
+
+Three or four of the other young knights were also going.
+
+“What are you thinking of doing, Gervaise?” Harcourt asked.
+
+“I have nothing particular to do, Ralph, except that, first of all, I
+must write a letter to Suleiman Ali and hand it to the bailiff, praying
+him to send it off by the first vessel that may put in here on her way
+to Acre. If I do not do it now it may be neglected, and I promised to
+write directly I got here. I will not be half an hour, and after that I
+shall be ready to do anything you like.”
+
+In less than that time, indeed, he rejoined Ralph. “Now what shall we
+do with ourselves? What do you say to a stroll through the streets? I am
+never tired of that.”
+
+“I like better to go by way of the roofs, Gervaise. The streets are
+badly lit, and although they are busy enough in some quarters, they are
+so narrow that one gets jostled and pushed. On the terraces everything
+is quiet. You have plenty of light and music, and it is pleasant to
+see families sitting together and enjoying themselves; and if one is
+disposed for a cup of wine or of cool sherbet, they are delighted to
+give it, for they all are pleased when one of us joins a group. I have
+quite a number of acquaintances I have made in this way while you have
+been working away at your Turkish.”
+
+“Very well,” Gervaise said. “If such is your fancy, Ralph, let us take
+one of the paths across the roofs. I might walk there twenty years by
+myself without making an acquaintance, and I do not pledge myself to
+join in these intimacies of yours. However, I shall be quite content to
+amuse myself by looking on at the scene in general, while you are paying
+your visits and drinking your sherbet.”
+
+“There are plenty of fair girls among the Rhodians,” Ralph said, with a
+smile; “and though we are pledged to celibacy we are in no way bound to
+abstain from admiration.”
+
+Gervaise laughed.
+
+“Admire as much as you like, Ralph, but do not expect me to do so. I
+have scarcely as much as spoken to a woman since I entered the House in
+London, and I should have no idea what to say to a young girl.”
+
+“But it is part of the education of a true knight to be courteous to
+women. It is one of the great duties of chivalry. And you must remember
+that we are secular knights, as well knights of the Order.”
+
+“The work of the Order is quite sufficient for me at present, Ralph. In
+time I may come to like the society of women, to admire their beauty,
+and possibly even to wear the colour of some one, for that seems to be
+the fashion; though why we, who are bound to celibacy, should admire one
+woman more than another I cannot understand.”
+
+They had by this time descended from the castle, and were taking their
+way along one of the broad paths that led over the flat roofs of the
+houses by means of the bridges thrown across the streets.
+
+“These are some acquaintances of mine,” Ralph said, stopping at one of
+the walls, some three feet high, that bordered the path.
+
+Beyond was an enclosure of some fifty feet square. Clumps of shrubs and
+flowers, surrounded by stonework some eight or ten inches high enclosing
+the earth in which they grew, were scattered here and there. Lamps were
+hung to cords stretched above it, while others were arranged among the
+flowers. In the centre a large carpet was spread, and on this some eight
+or ten persons were seated on cushions. A girl was playing a lute, and
+another singing to her accompaniment. She stopped abruptly when her eye
+fell upon the figures of the two young knights.
+
+“There is Sir Ralph Harcourt, father!” she exclaimed in Italian, which
+was the language most used on the Island, and spoken with more or less
+fluency by all the knights, among whom it served as a general medium of
+communication. “Are you waiting to be invited in, Sir Knight?” she
+went on saucily. “I thought that by this time you would know you were
+welcome.”
+
+“Your tongue runs too fast, child,” her father said, as he rose and
+walked across to Ralph. “You are welcome, Sir Ralph, very welcome. I
+pray you enter and join us.”
+
+“I will do so with pleasure, Signor Vrados, if you will also extend your
+hospitality to my friend Sir Gervaise Tresham.”
+
+“Most gladly,” the merchant said. “I pray him to enter.”
+
+The two knights passed through the gate in the wall. All rose to their
+feet as they went up to the carpet, and greeted Ralph with a warmth
+which showed that he was a favourite. He introduced Gervaise to them.
+
+“I wonder that I do not know your face, Sir Knight,” the merchant's
+wife said. “I thought I knew all the knights of the Order by sight, from
+seeing them either at the public ceremonies, or observing them pass in
+the streets.”
+
+“For the last nine months Sir Gervaise has been an anchorite. He has
+been learning Turkish, and has so devoted himself to the study that even
+I have scarce caught sight of him, save at meals. As for walking in the
+streets, it is the last thing he would think of doing. I consider myself
+a good and conscientious young knight, but I am as nothing in that
+respect to my friend. I used to look upon him as my little brother, for
+we were at the House of the Order in London together. He is four years
+younger than I am, and you know four years between boys makes an immense
+difference. Now the tables are turned, and I quite look up to him.”
+
+“You will believe as much as you like, Signora, of what Sir Ralph says,”
+ Gervaise laughed. “As you have, he says, known him for some time,
+you must by this time have learnt that his word is not to be taken
+literally.”
+
+“We learned that quite early in our acquaintance,” the girl who had
+first noticed them said, with an affectation of gravity. “I always tell
+him that I cannot believe anything he says, and I am grateful to you,
+Sir Knight, for having thus borne evidence to the quickness of my
+perception.”
+
+By this time the servants had brought some more cushions, and on these
+Ralph and Gervaise seated themselves. Wine, sherbet, and cakes, were
+then handed round. The master of the house placed Gervaise on his right
+hand, as a stranger.
+
+“You have been among our islands, Sir Gervaise? But indeed, I need not
+ask that, since I know that you and Sir Ralph were knighted together for
+your valour in that affair with the ships of Hassan Ali. We come from
+Lesbos. It is now eighty years since my family settled in Rhodes, and we
+have seen it grow from a small place to a great fortress.”
+
+“'Tis a wonderful place,” Gervaise said. “I know nothing of the
+fortresses of Europe, but it seems to me that no other can well be
+stronger than this--that is, among places with no natural advantages.”
+
+“The knights have always had an abundance of slaves,” the merchant said;
+“so many that they have not only had sufficient for their work here, but
+have been able to sell numbers to European potentates. Yes, Rhodes is
+wonderfully strong. That great fosse would seem as if it could defy the
+efforts of an army to cross; and yet the past has shown that even the
+strongest defences, held with the greatest bravery, can be carried by
+generals with immense armies, and careless how they sacrifice them so
+that they do but succeed. Look at Acre, for example.”
+
+“I was looking at it five days ago,” Gervaise said, “and thinking that
+it was beyond the might of man to take.”
+
+“Do you mean that you were at Acre?” the merchant asked, with surprise.
+
+“Yes. I went there to hand over a captive who had been ransomed. Of
+course I had a safe conduct, and I was glad indeed of the opportunity of
+seeing so famous a fortress.”
+
+“You were fortunate indeed, Sir Knight, and it was, if you will pardon
+my saying so, singular that so young a knight should have been chosen.
+Assuredly, even the senior knights of the Order would rejoice at the
+opportunity of beholding a fortress so intimately connected with the
+past history of the Order.”
+
+“It was due entirely to my being able to speak Turkish,” Gervaise said.
+“As my friend Sir Ralph was mentioning, I have been studying hard, and
+can now speak the language fluently; and as this was a necessity on
+such a mission, and the few knights who can so speak it are all in high
+office, and could hardly be asked to undertake so unimportant a service,
+I was selected.”
+
+“And you really speak Turkish well? It is an accomplishment that few,
+save Greeks subject to Turkey, possess. Do you intend, may I ask, to
+make Rhodes your home? I ask because I suppose you would not have taken
+this labour had you intended shortly to return to England.”
+
+“Yes; I hope to remain here permanently. I know that the first step
+towards promotion here is generally a commandery at home, but I did not
+enter the Order with any idea of gaining office or dignity. I desire
+simply to be a knight of the Cross, and to spend my life in doing
+faithful service to the Order.”
+
+“A worthy ambition indeed, and one that, so far as my experience goes,
+very few knights entertain. I see yearly scores of young knights depart,
+no small proportion of whom never place foot on Rhodes again, although
+doubtless many of them will hasten back again as soon as the danger of
+an assault from the Turks becomes imminent. You see, we who dwell here
+under the protection of the Order naturally talk over these things among
+ourselves; and although, in the matter of fortifications, all will admit
+that enormous efforts have been made to render the town secure, it is
+clear that in the matter of knights to defend them there is very much
+left to be desired. It is all very well to say that the knights from all
+parts of Europe would flock hither to defend it; but the journey would
+be a long one, and would occupy much time, and they would probably
+not receive news that the Turks had sailed until the place was already
+invested. Then it would be difficult, if not altogether impossible, for
+ships with reinforcements to make their way through the Turkish fleet,
+and to enter the port. To man the walls properly would need a force five
+times as numerous as that which is now here. I recognise the valour
+of your knights; they have accomplished wonders. But even they cannot
+accomplish impossibilities. For a time they could hold the walls; but
+as their number became reduced by the fire of the Turkish cannon and the
+battles at the breaches, they would at last be too weak any longer
+to repel the onslaughts of foes with an almost unlimited supply of
+soldiers.”
+
+“That is true enough,” Gervaise admitted; “and to my mind it is shocking
+that four-fifths at least of the Order, pledged to oppose the infidels,
+should be occupied with the inglorious work of looking after the manors
+and estates of the society throughout Europe, while one-fifth, at most,
+are here performing the duties to which all are sworn. Of the revenues
+of the estates themselves, a mere fraction finds its way hither. Still,
+I trust that the greater part of the knights will hasten here as soon as
+danger becomes imminent, without waiting for the news that the Turkish
+armament has actually set forth.”
+
+For an hour the two young knights remained on the roof, Gervaise talking
+quietly with the merchant, while his companion laughed and chatted with
+the ladies and friends of their host. After they had left, with the
+promise that it would not be long before they repeated their visit,
+Ralph bantered Gervaise on preferring the society of the merchant to
+that of his daughters.
+
+“I found him a pleasant and very well informed man, Ralph, and enjoyed
+my talk with him just as you enjoyed talking nonsense to his daughters
+and listening to their songs. Who was the man sitting next to the eldest
+daughter?”
+
+“He doesn't belong to Rhodes, but is a Greek from one of the islands,
+though I did not catch from which. I don't know whether he is a relative
+of the family, or a business connection of the merchant's, or a stranger
+who has brought a letter of introduction to him. Nothing was said on
+that head; why do you ask?”
+
+“I don't like the man's face; he is a handsome fellow, but has a crafty
+expression. He did not say much, but it seemed to me that at times, when
+he appeared to be sitting carelessly sipping his sherbet, he was really
+trying to listen to what Vrados was saying to me. He could not do
+so, for we were on the other side of the circle, and were speaking in
+somewhat low tones, while the rest of you were chatting and laughing.”
+
+“What should he want to listen for, most sapient knight?”
+
+“That I can't tell, Ralph; but I am certain that he was trying to
+listen.”
+
+“Well, as you were no doubt both talking more sensibly than most of us,”
+ Ralph laughed, “he certainly showed his discernment.”
+
+“I daresay I am wrong,” Gervaise said quietly; “but you know we have our
+spies at Constantinople, and probably the sultan has his spies here; and
+the idea occurred to me that perhaps this man might be one of them.”
+
+“Well, I am bound to say, Gervaise,” Ralph said, a little irritably,
+“I have never heard so grave an accusation brought on such insufficient
+evidence--or rather, as far as I can see, without a shadow of evidence
+of any kind. We drop in upon a man who is one of our most respected
+merchants, whose family has been established here many years, whose
+interests must be the same as those of the Order; and because a guest of
+his does not care to take any active part in my joking with the girls,
+and because you imagine that there is a cunning expression on his face,
+you must straightway take it into your head that he must be a spy.”
+
+“Excuse me, Ralph, I simply said that the idea occurred to me that he
+might be a spy, which is a very different thing to my accusing him of
+being one. I am ready to admit that the chances are infinitely greater
+that he is an honest trader or a relation of the merchant, and that his
+presence here is perfectly legitimate and natural, than that he should
+be a spy. Still, there is a chance, if it be but one out of a thousand,
+that he may be the latter. I don't think that I am at all of a
+suspicious nature, but I really should like to learn a little about
+this man. I do not mean that I am going to try to do so. It would be an
+unworthy action to pry into another's business, when it is no concern of
+one's own. Still, I should like to know why he is here.”
+
+Ralph shrugged his shoulders.
+
+“This comes of living the life of a hermit, Gervaise. Other people meet
+and talk, and enjoy what society there is in the city, without troubling
+their heads for a moment as to where people come from or what their
+business is here, still less whether they are spies. Such ideas do not
+so much as occur to them, and I must say that I think the sooner you
+fall into the ways of other people the better.”
+
+“There is no harm done,” Gervaise said composedly. “I am not thinking
+of asking our bailiff to order him to be arrested on suspicion. I only
+remarked that I did not like the man's face, nor the way in which, while
+he pretended to be thinking of nothing, he was trying to overhear what
+we were saying. I am quite willing to admit that I have made a mistake,
+not in devoting myself to Turkish, but in going to the merchant's with
+you this evening. I have had no experience whatever of what you call
+society, and, so far from it giving me pleasure to talk to strangers,
+especially to women, it seems to me that such talk is annoying to me,
+at any rate at present. When I get to your age, possibly my ideas may
+change. I don't for a moment wish to judge you or others; you apparently
+enjoy it, and it is a distraction from our serious work. I say simply
+that it is an amusement which I do not understand. You must remember
+that I entered the Order in consequence of a solemn vow of my dead
+father, that I regard the profession we make as a very serious one, and
+that my present intention is to devote my life entirely to the Order and
+to an active fulfilment of its vows.”
+
+“That is all right, Gervaise,” Ralph said good temperedly. “Only I think
+it would be a pity if you were to turn out a fanatic. Jerusalem and
+Palestine are lost, and you admit that there is really very little
+chance of our ever regaining them. Our duties, therefore, are changed,
+and we are now an army of knights, pledged to war against the infidels,
+in the same way as knights and nobles at home are ever ready to engage
+in a war with France. The vow of poverty is long since obsolete. Many of
+our chief officials are men of great wealth, and indeed, a grand master,
+or the bailiff of a langue, is expected to spend, and does spend, a sum
+vastly exceeding his allowance from the Order. The great body of knights
+are equally lax as to some of their other vows, and carry this to a
+length that, as you know, has caused grave scandal. But I see not that
+it is in any way incumbent on us to give up all the pleasures of life.
+We are a military Order, and are all ready to fight in defence of
+Rhodes, as in bygone days we were ready to fight in defence of the Holy
+Sepulchre. Kings and great nobles have endowed us with a large number of
+estates, in order to maintain us as an army against Islam; and as such
+we do our duty. But to affect asceticism is out of date and ridiculous.”
+
+“I have certainly no wish to be an ascetic, Ralph. I should have no
+objection to hold estates, if I had them to hold. But I think that at
+present, with the great danger hanging over us, it would be better
+if, in the first place, we were all to spend less time in idleness or
+amusement, and to devote all our energies to the cause. I mean not only
+by fighting when the time comes for fighting, but by endeavouring in
+every way to ward off danger.”
+
+“When I see danger, I will do my best to ward it off, Gervaise; but I
+cannot go about with my nose in the air, snuffing danger like a hunting
+dog in pursuit of game. At any rate, I will not bother you to accompany
+me on my visits in future.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX WITH THE GALLEY SLAVES
+
+
+Gervaise, on consideration, was obliged to own to himself that Ralph was
+right in saying that he had no ground whatever for suspicion against
+the Greek he had met at Signor Vrados's; and he could see no means of
+following the matter up. It would not, he felt, be honourable to go
+again to the merchant's house, and to avail himself of his hospitality,
+while watching his guest. He determined to dismiss the matter from
+his mind, and had, indeed, altogether done so when, a week later, it
+suddenly recurred to his memory.
+
+A party of slaves, under the escort of overseers and in charge of a
+knight who had been with them at their work on the fortifications, were
+passing along the street on their way back to barracks. It was already
+dusk, and as Gervaise was going the same way as they were, he stood
+aside in a doorway to let them pass. He was on the point of stepping out
+to follow them, when he saw a man, who had been standing in the shadow
+of the wall, fall in with their ranks, and, as he walked engaged in an
+earnest conversation with one of the slaves. He kept beside him for a
+hundred yards or so, then passed something into the slave's hand, and
+turned abruptly down a side opening. There were but few people about,
+and in the growing darkness the action of the man passed unobserved by
+the overseers. Gervaise, thinking the occurrence a strange one, turned
+down the same lane as the man.
+
+He slackened his pace until the latter was fifty yards ahead, so that he
+would not, had he looked round, have been able to perceive that it was
+a knight who was behind him. After passing through several streets, the
+man turned into a refreshment house. The door stood open, and as the
+place was brightly lit up, Gervaise, pausing outside, was able to see
+what was going on inside. The man he had followed was on the point
+of seating himself at one of the tables, and as he did so Gervaise
+recognised him as the Greek he had met at the merchant's house. He at
+once walked on a short distance, and then paused to think.
+
+The vague suspicions he had before entertained as to the man now
+recurred with double force; he was certainly in communication with one
+or more of the slaves, and such communication, so secretly effected,
+could be for no good purpose. So far, however, there was nothing he
+could tax the man with. He would probably deny altogether that he had
+spoken to any of the slaves, and Gervaise could not point out the one
+he had conversed with. At any rate, nothing could be done now, and he
+required time to think what steps he could take to follow up the matter.
+He resolved, however, to wait and follow the Greek when he came out.
+After a few minutes he again repassed the door, and saw that the man was
+engaged in earnest conversation with another. After considering for
+a time, Gervaise thought that it would be best for him to follow this
+other man when he left, and ascertain who he was, rather than to keep
+a watch on the movements of the Greek, who, as likely as not, would now
+return to the merchant's.
+
+He walked several times up and down the street, until at last he saw the
+two men issue out together. They stopped for a moment outside, and
+then, after exchanging a few words, separated, the Greek going in the
+direction of the quarter in which lay the house of Vrados, while the
+other walked towards Gervaise. The latter passed him carelessly, but
+when the man had gone nearly to the end of the street, he turned and
+followed him. He could see at once that he was a lay brother of the
+Order. This class consisted of men of an inferior social position to the
+knights; they filled many of the minor offices, but were not eligible
+for promotion. Following for ten minutes, Gervaise saw him approach one
+of the barracks, or prisons, occupied by the slaves. He knocked at the
+door, and, upon its being opened, at once entered.
+
+The matter had now assumed a much more serious aspect. This young Greek,
+a stranger to Rhodes, was in communication not only with some of the
+slaves, but with a prison official, and the matter appeared so grave to
+Gervaise that, after some deliberation, he thought it was too important
+for him to endeavour to follow out alone, and that it was necessary to
+lay it before the bailiff. Accordingly, after the evening meal he went
+up to Sir John Kendall, and asked if he could confer with him alone on
+a matter over which he was somewhat troubled. The bailiff assented at
+once, and Gervaise followed him to his private apartment.
+
+“Now, what is this matter, Sir Gervaise?” he asked pleasantly. “Nothing
+serious, I trust?”
+
+“I don't know, Sir John. That is a matter for your consideration; but
+it seems to me of such importance that it ought to be brought to your
+knowledge.”
+
+The face of the bailiff grew more grave, and, seating himself in a
+chair, he motioned to Gervaise to do the same.
+
+“Now, let me hear what it is,” he said.
+
+Gervaise told his story simply. A slight smile passed across the
+bailiff's face as he mentioned that he had met the Greek on the roof
+of the house of Signor Vrados, and had not liked the expression of his
+face.
+
+“Vrados has some fair daughters, has he not?” he asked.
+
+“Yes, sir; but I know little of them. That is the only visit that I ever
+paid there, or, indeed, to the house of any one in the town.”
+
+Sir John's face grew grave again as Gervaise recounted how he had seen
+the man enter into communication with a slave; and he frowned heavily
+when he heard of his meeting afterwards with one of the prison officers.
+
+“In truth, Sir Gervaise,” he said, after a pause, “this seems to be a
+right serious matter, and you have done wisely in informing me of what
+you have seen. Assuredly there is mischief of some sort in the wind. The
+question is how to get to the bottom of it. Of course, the grand master
+might order the arrest of this Greek and of the prison officer, but
+you may be sure that neither would commit himself unless torture were
+applied; and I, for one, have no belief in what any man says under such
+circumstances. The most honest man may own himself a traitor when racked
+with torture, and may denounce innocent men. It is at best a clumsy
+device. What think you of the matter?”
+
+“I have hardly thought it over yet, Sir John; and certainly no plan has
+yet occurred to me.”
+
+“Well, think it over, Sir Gervaise. It is not likely that a few days
+will make any difference. But I will take measures to see that this
+Greek does not sail away from the Island at present, and will speak to
+the port master about it. I will myself give the matter consideration,
+but as you have shown yourself so quick witted in following up the
+matter so far, I rely upon you more than myself to carry it farther.
+There may possibly be some simple explanation of the matter. He may come
+from an island where the Turks are masters, and has, perhaps, brought a
+message from some relatives of a slave; as to the talk with the prison
+officer, it may be wholly innocent. If we should find that it is so we
+will keep this matter to ourselves, if possible, or we shall get finely
+laughed at by our comrades for having run upon a false scent. If, on the
+other hand, the matter should turn out to be serious, you will assuredly
+get great credit for having discovered it. Therefore, turn it over in
+your mind tonight, and see if you can arrive at some scheme for seeing
+further into it before we take any steps.”
+
+In the morning Gervaise again called upon Sir John Kendall.
+
+“Well, Sir Gervaise, I hope that you have hit upon some scheme for
+getting to the bottom of this matter. I confess that I myself, though I
+have had a sleepless night over it, have not been able to see any
+method of getting to the root of the affair, save by the application of
+torture.”
+
+“I do not know whether the plan I have thought of will commend itself to
+your opinion, sir, but I have worked out a scheme which will, I think,
+enable us to get to the bottom of the matter. I believe that a galley is
+expected back from a cruise today or tomorrow. Now, sir, my idea is that
+I should go on board a small craft, under the command of a knight upon
+whose discretion and silence you can rely, such as, for example, Sir
+John Boswell, and that we should intercept the galley. Before we board
+her I should disguise myself as a Turkish slave, and as such Sir John
+should hand me over to the officer in command of the galley, giving him
+a letter of private instructions from you as to my disposal. If they
+have other slaves on board I would ask that I should be kept apart from
+them, as well as from the rowers of the galley. On being landed I should
+be sent to the prison where I saw the officer enter last night, and the
+slaves and rowers should be distributed among the other prisons. Thus,
+then, the slaves I should be placed with would only know that I had
+arrived in the galley with other slaves captured by it. I have no doubt
+I should be able to maintain my assumed character, and should in a short
+time be taken into the confidence of the others, and should learn what
+is going on. It would be well, of course, that none of the officials
+of the prison should be informed as to my true character, for others,
+besides the one I saw, may have been bribed to participate in whatever
+plot is going on.”
+
+“And do you mean to say, Sir Gervaise, that you, a knight of the Order,
+are willing to submit to the indignity of being treated as a slave? To
+keep up the disguise long enough to be taken into the confidence of the
+plotters, you might have to stay there for some time; and if the prison
+officials believe you to be but an ordinary slave, you will be put to
+work either on the walls or in one of the galleys.”
+
+“I am ready to do anything for the benefit of the Order, and the safety
+of Rhodes, that will meet with your approval,” Gervaise replied. “It
+will no doubt be unpleasant, but we did not enter the Order to do
+pleasant things, but to perform certain duties, and those duties
+necessarily involve a certain amount of sacrifice.”
+
+“Do you think you would be able to maintain the character? Because
+you must remember that if detected you might be torn in pieces by the
+slaves, before the officers could interfere to protect you.”
+
+“I feel sure that I can do so, Sir John.”
+
+“What story would you tell them?”
+
+“I would say that I had come from Syria, and sailed from Acre in a
+trader, which is perfectly true, and also that I was taken off the ship
+I was on by a galley--which would not be altogether false, as I crossed
+one as I landed. I think there would be very little questioning, for I
+should pretend to be in a state of sullen despair, and give such short
+answers to questions that I should soon be left alone.”
+
+“The scheme is a good one, Sir Gervaise, though full of danger and
+difficulty. If you are ready to render this great service to the Order,
+I willingly accept the sacrifice you offer to make. I will send one of
+my slaves down into the town to buy garments suitable for you, and also
+stains for your skin. It will, of course, be necessary for you to shave
+a portion of your head in Turkish fashion. I will also see Sir John
+Boswell, and ask him to arrange for a craft to be ready to start at
+noon. The galley is not expected in until evening, but of course she may
+arrive at any moment now. Come here again in an hour's time, and I will
+have the clothes ready for you.”
+
+“May I suggest, sir, that they should be those appropriate to a small
+merchant? This might seem to account for my not being placed with the
+other slaves who may be on board the galley, as it would be supposed
+that I was set apart in order that I should be sent to one of the
+auberges as a servant; and my afterwards being herded with the others
+would be explained by its being found that there was no opening for
+me in such a capacity. I should think there would be no difficulty in
+obtaining such a suit, as garments of all kinds are brought here in
+prizes, and are bought up by some of the Greek merchants, who afterwards
+find opportunities of despatching them by craft trading among the
+islands.”
+
+Just before noon Gervaise walked down to the port with Sir John Boswell,
+a servant following with a bundle.
+
+“It seems to me a hare brained scheme, lad,” Sir John, who had just
+joined him, said, as they issued from the auberge; “though I own, from
+what the bailiff tells me, that there must be some treacherous plot on
+hand, and when that is the case it is necessary that it should be probed
+to the bottom. But for a knight to go in the disguise of an infidel
+slave seems to me to be beyond all bounds.”
+
+“If one is ready to give one's life for the Order, Sir John, surely one
+need not mind a few weeks' inconvenience. I shall, at any rate, be no
+worse off than you were when serving as a Turkish slave.”
+
+“Well, no, I don't know that you will,” Sir John replied doubtfully.
+“But that was from necessity, and not from choice; and it is, moreover,
+an accident we are all exposed to.”
+
+“It is surely better to do a thing of one's own free will than because
+one is forced to do it, Sir John?”
+
+The knight was silent. He was a stout fighting man, but unused to
+argument.
+
+“Well,” he said, after a long pause, “I can only hope that it will turn
+out all right, and promise that if you are strangled in prison, I will
+see that every slave who had a hand in it shall be strung up. I have
+told Kendall frankly that if I were in his place I would not permit you
+to try such a venture. However, as I could think of no other plan by
+which there would be a chance of getting to the bottom of this matter,
+my words had no effect with him. I should not have so much cared if the
+officers of the gaol knew who you were; but I can see that if there is
+treachery at work this would defeat your object altogether. What do you
+suppose this rascal Greek can be intending?”
+
+“That I cannot say, Sir John. He may be trying to get an exact plan of
+the fortifications, or he may be arranging some plan of communication by
+which, in case of siege, news of our condition and of the state of our
+defences may be conveyed to the Turkish commander.”
+
+By this time they had reached the port, and embarked at once on a
+trading vessel belonging to one of the merchants, from whom Sir John
+had readily obtained her use for a day or two. Her sails were hoisted
+at once, and she rowed out from the port. Having proceeded some three
+or four miles, they lowered her sails, and lay to in the course a galley
+making for the port would take. A sailor was sent up to the masthead to
+keep a lookout. Late in the afternoon he called down that he could make
+out a black speck some twelve miles away. She carried no sails, and he
+judged her to be a galley.
+
+“It will be dark before she comes along,” Sir John Boswell said. “You
+can hoist your sails, captain, and return to within half a mile of the
+port, or she may pass us beyond hailing distance.”
+
+Gervaise at once retired to the cabin that had been set aside for their
+use, and proceeded to disguise himself. An hour later Sir John came
+down. He looked at Gervaise critically.
+
+“You are all right as far as appearances go. I should take you anywhere
+for a young Turk. Your clothes are not too new, and are in accordance
+with the tale you are going to tell, which is that you are the son of
+a Syrian trader. If, as Suleiman says, you speak Turkish well enough to
+pose as a native, I think you ought to be able to pass muster. How long
+will that dye last? Because if it begins to fade they will soon suspect
+you.”
+
+“It will last a fortnight; at least, so Sir John Kendall says. But he
+has arranged that if at the end of ten days I have not succeeded in
+finding out anything, he will send down to the prison, and under the
+pretence that he wants to ask me some questions about what ransom my
+father would be likely to pay for me, he will have me up to the auberge,
+and there I can dye myself afresh.”
+
+“How are you to communicate with him in case of need?”
+
+“His servant Ahmet, who got the things for me, is to come down every
+morning, and to be near the door of the prison at the hour when the
+slaves are taken out to work. If I have aught to communicate I am to
+nod twice, and Sir John Kendall will send down that evening to fetch me,
+instead of waiting until it is time for me to renew my dye.”
+
+“What is going to be said to Harcourt and the others to account for your
+absence?”
+
+“The bailiff will merely say that he has suddenly sent me away by ship,
+on a private mission. They may wonder, perhaps, but none of them will
+venture to ask him its nature.”
+
+“Well, I must say that you seem to have made all your arrangements
+carefully, Tresham, and I hope it will turn out well. I was against
+the scheme at first, but I own that I do not see now why it should not
+succeed; and if there is any plot really on hand, you may be able to get
+to the bottom of it.”
+
+It was an hour after darkness had completely fallen when the regular
+beat of oars was heard. The ship's boat was already in the water, and
+Gervaise, wrapped up in his mantle, followed Sir John out of his cabin
+and descended with him into the boat, which was at once rowed towards
+the approaching galley. Sir John hailed it as it came along.
+
+“Who is it calls?” a voice said.
+
+“It is I--Sir John Boswell. Pray take me on board, Sir Almeric. It is a
+somewhat special matter.”
+
+The order was given, the galley slaves ceased rowing, and the boat ran
+alongside. Gervaise unclasped his mantle and gave it to Sir John, and
+then followed him on board.
+
+“I congratulate you on your return, and on your good fortune in having,
+as your letter stated, made a prosperous voyage,” Sir John said, as he
+shook hands with the commander of the galley.
+
+“I would speak a word with you aside,” he added in a low voice.
+
+Sir Almeric moved with him a few paces from the other knights.
+
+“I am sent here by our bailiff, Sir Almeric. I have a Turkish prisoner
+here with me who is to be landed with those you have taken. There are
+special reasons for this, which I need not now enter into. Will you let
+him sit down here by the helm? My instructions are that he is not to
+mingle with the other slaves; and as there are reasons why it is wished
+that his coming on board in this manner shall not be known to them, I
+myself am to take him up to one of the prisons, or at least to hand him
+over to the officer sent down from that prison to take up the captives
+allotted to it. The matter is of more importance than it seems to be,
+or, as you may imagine, I should not be charged to intercept you on such
+an errand.”
+
+“Of course, I don't understand anything about it, Sir John, but will do
+as you ask me.”
+
+He went to where Gervaise had crouched down by the bulwark, beckoned him
+to follow, and, walking aft, motioned to him to sit down there. Then
+he returned to Sir John, and joined the other knights, who were all too
+anxious to learn the latest news--who had left the island, and who had
+come to it since they sailed--to interest themselves in any way with
+the figure who had gone aft, supposing him, indeed, to be Sir John's
+servant, the lantern suspended over the poop giving too feeble a light
+for his costume to be noted.
+
+A quarter of an hour later they anchored in the harbour. Some of the
+knights at once went ashore to their respective auberges, but Sir
+Almeric and a few others remained on board until relieved of their
+charge in the morning, an account being sent on shore of the number of
+captives that had been brought in. No thought was given to Gervaise, who
+slept curled up on the poop. Sir John Boswell passed the night on board.
+In the morning an officer came off with a list of the prisons to which
+the slaves were to be sent. Sir John Kendall had seen the officer
+charged with the distribution, who had, at his request, not included the
+prison of St. Pelagius in the list.
+
+A message, however, had been sent to that prison, as well as to the
+others, for an officer to attend at the landing stage. In the morning
+Sir John went ashore in one of the boats conveying the slaves, of whom
+some forty had been captured. Gervaise followed him into the boat, and
+took his seat by the others, who were too dispirited at the fate which
+had befallen them to pay any attention to him.
+
+When he landed, Sir John asked which was the officer from St. Pelagius.
+One stepped forward.
+
+“This is the only slave for you,” he said, pointing to Gervaise. “He is
+of a better class than the rest, and in the future may be he will do for
+a servitor at one of the auberges, but none have at present occasion for
+one, and so he is to go to you. He says that his father is a merchant,
+and will be ready to pay a ransom for him; but they all say that, and we
+must not heed it overmuch. As he seems a smart young fellow, it may be
+that he will be sent to one of the auberges later on; but at present,
+at any rate, you can put him with the rest, and send him out with the
+gangs.”
+
+“He is a well built young fellow, Sir John,” the officer remarked, “and
+should make a good rower in a galley. I will put him in the crew of the
+St. Elmo. Follow me,” he said, in Turkish, to Gervaise, and then led the
+way up to the prison. On entering he crossed a courtyard to a door which
+was standing open. Within was a vaulted room, some forty feet long by
+twenty wide; along each side there were rushes strewn thickly.
+
+“The others have just started to their work,” he said, “so that for
+today you can sleep.”
+
+After he had left, Gervaise looked with some disgust at the rushes, that
+had evidently been for weeks unchanged.
+
+“I would rather have the bare stones, if they were clean,” he muttered
+to himself. “However, it can't be helped.”
+
+He presently strolled out into the courtyard, where some other slaves,
+disabled by illness or injuries, were seated in the sun. Gervaise walked
+across to them, and they looked listlessly up at him as he approached.
+
+“You are a newcomer,” one said, as he came up. “I saw you brought in,
+but it didn't need that. By the time you have been here a week or two,
+your clothes will be like ours,” and he pointed to his ragged garments.
+“When did you arrive? Are there no others coming up here?”
+
+“The galley came in last night,” Gervaise said, “but they did not land
+us until this morning. I wish they had killed me rather than that I
+should have been brought here to work as a slave.”
+
+“One always thinks so at first,” the man said. “But somehow one clings
+to life. We shall die when Allah wills it, and not before.”
+
+“What is the matter with your foot?” Gervaise asked.
+
+“I was with the gang quarrying stones, and a mass of rock fell upon it.
+I have been in the infirmary for weeks, and I own that the Christian
+dogs treated me well. A slave has his value, you see. I am nearly cured
+now, but I shall never walk well again. I expect they will put me in one
+of their accursed galleys.”
+
+“How long have you been here?”
+
+“Seven years; it seems a lifetime. However, there is hope yet. They
+don't tell us much, but we hear things sometimes, and they say that the
+sultan is going to sweep them out of Rhodes as they were swept out of
+Acre. When will it be?”
+
+“I know not. I am from Syria, but even there they are making
+preparations. The sultan has had troubles in the East, and that has
+delayed him, but he will be here before long, and then we shall see. It
+will be our turn then.”
+
+“It will, indeed!” one of the others exclaimed. “Oh, to see these dogs
+brought down, and suffering as we have suffered, toiling at oars in one
+of our galleys, or at the fortifications of one of our castles! It will
+make amends for all our suffering. Had you a hard fight with them?”
+
+“No. We were but a small craft, and it was vain to attempt resistance. I
+would gladly have fought, but the sailors said it would only throw away
+their lives. There was but little on board, and they allowed the vessel
+to go free with those of the sailors who were too old to be made useful
+for hard work.”
+
+No further questions were asked. The men seemed to have no interest save
+in their own misery, and Gervaise soon left them, and, sitting down in a
+shady corner, presently dropped off to sleep.
+
+In the evening all came in from their various work. The officer man who
+had brought Gervaise in went up to the overseer of the galley slaves
+and informed him that he had told off the new slave--pointing to
+Gervaise--to his gang.
+
+“He was brought in by the galley that arrived last night,” he said; “he
+was the only slave sent up here. I hear that he had been set aside to be
+appointed a servitor, but there are no vacancies, so they sent him here
+till one should occur; and I was ordered to make him useful in other
+ways in the meantime.”
+
+“I am two or three hands short,” the overseer said. “I wish now I had
+sent in an application yesterday, for if I had done so, no doubt they
+would have sent me some more men. However, this fellow will make up an
+even number, and he is strong and active, though at present he looks
+sulky enough under his bad fortune.”
+
+A few of the slaves spoke to Gervaise as they were waiting for food to
+be brought them, but the majority dropped upon the rushes, too exhausted
+with toil and heat to feel an interest in anything. The food consisted
+of rye bread, with thin broth, brought in a great iron vessel. Each
+slave had a horn, which was used for soup or water, and which, when done
+with, he had, by the rule enforced among themselves, to take out to the
+fountain in the courtyard and wash, before it was added to the pile in
+the corner of the room.
+
+The cool of the evening aided the meal in restoring the energies of the
+slaves. Several gathered round Gervaise, and asked questions as to what
+he knew of the prospects of an early invasion of Rhodes; but as soon as
+the officer left the room, closing and locking the door after him,
+the slaves became for the most part silent. A few men sat in groups
+together, talking in undertones, but the greater number threw themselves
+down on the rushes, either to sleep or to think alone. Gervaise was
+struck by the manner in which most of them lay, without making the
+slightest movement, so long as there was light to enable him to make out
+their figures. He himself addressed two or three of them, as they lay
+with their eyes wide open, asking questions with reference to the work;
+but in no case did he receive any reply. The men seemed altogether
+unconscious of being addressed, being absorbed in the thought of their
+far distant homes and families which they might never see again.
+
+Gervaise walked a few times up and down the room, and as he approached
+a silence fell each time upon the groups of men talking together. More
+than once a figure rose soon afterwards from the ground, and, as he came
+along again, asked him a few questions about himself. As soon as it was
+dark, he lay down in a vacant space on the rushes. Shortly afterwards
+talking ceased altogether, and there was quiet in the vaulted room. With
+the first gleam of daylight they were astir, and, when the doors were
+opened, poured out into the courtyard, where all had a wash at the
+fountain. Half an hour later, a meal, precisely similar to that of the
+previous evening, was served out; then the overseers called over the
+muster roll, the gangs were made up, and each, under its officer,
+started for its work.
+
+Gervaise, with the men of his room, proceeded down to the port, and
+at once took their seats on the benches of the galley, one foot being
+chained to a ring in the deck, the other to that of a companion at the
+oar. The slaves were more cheerful now. As there was no work to do at
+present, they were allowed to talk, and an occasional laugh was heard,
+for the sun and brightness of the day cheered them. Many, after years
+of captivity, had grown altogether reckless, and it was among these
+that there was most talking; the younger men seemed, for the most part,
+silent and moody.
+
+“You will get accustomed to it,” the man next to Gervaise said
+cheeringly. “When I first came here, it seemed to me that I could not
+support the life for a month--that the fate was too dreadful to be
+borne, and that death would be most welcome; but, like the rest, I
+became accustomed to it in time. After all, the work is no harder than
+one would do at home. There is no stint of food, and it is no worse than
+one would have, were one labouring in the fields. Were it not for the
+loss of those we love, it would be nothing; and in time one gets over
+even that. I have long ago told myself that if they are not dead, at
+least they are dead to me. They have their livings to get, and cannot
+be always mourning, and I have tried to forget them, as they must have
+forgotten me.”
+
+“Do you work hard?” Gervaise asked.
+
+“No. We who are in the galleys are regarded by the others with envy.
+Sometimes--often, indeed--we have naught to do all day. We bask in the
+sun, we talk, we sleep, we forget that we are slaves. But, generally, we
+go out for an hour or two's exercise; that is well enough, and keeps us
+strong and in health. Only when we are away on voyages is the work hard.
+Sometimes we row from morning to night; but it is only when they are in
+chase of another craft that we have really to exert ourselves greatly.
+Then it is terrible. We may be doing our best, our very best, and yet to
+the impatient knights it seems that we might do more. Then they shout to
+the overseer, and he lays his whip on our backs without mercy. Then we
+row until sometimes we drop, senseless, off the benches. But this, you
+understand, is not very often; and though the work on a cruise is long,
+it is not beyond our strength. Besides, when we are away in the galley
+there is always hope. The galley may meet with four or five of our
+ships, and be captured, or a storm may arise and dash her upon the
+shore; and though many would lose their lives, some might escape,
+and each man, in thinking of it, believes that he will be one of the
+fortunate ones.
+
+“Take my advice: always look cheerful if you can; always put your hand
+on the oar when the order is given, and row as if you were glad to be at
+work again; and always make a show, as if you were working your
+hardest. Never complain when you are struck unjustly, and always speak
+respectfully to the overseer. In that way you will find your life much
+easier than you would think. You will be chosen for small boat service;
+and that is a great thing, as we are not chained in the small boats.
+Some men are foolish and obstinate, but, so far from doing any good,
+this only brings trouble on themselves; they come in for punishment
+daily, they are closely watched, and their lives made hells for them.
+Even as a help to escape it pays best to be cheerful and alert. We all
+think of escape, you know, though it is seldom indeed that a chance ever
+comes to any of us. It is the one thing except death to look forward to,
+and there is not a man among us who does not think of it scores of times
+a day; but, small as the chance is, it is greatest for those who behave
+best. For instance, it is they only who man small boats; and when a
+small boat rows ashore, it is always possible that the guard may be
+careless--that he will keep the boat at the landing place, instead of
+pushing off at once into deep water, as he ought to do--and that in this
+way a chance will, sooner or later, come for springing ashore and making
+a dash for liberty.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X. A PLOT DISCOVERED.
+
+
+The conversation between Gervaise and his fellow slave was interrupted
+by the arrival at the side of the quay of a party of knights. Silence
+instantly fell upon the slaves; all straightened themselves up to the
+oars, and prepared for a start. Among the knights who took their places
+on the poop Gervaise saw with amusement his friend Ralph. He had no fear
+of a recognition, for the darkly stained skin and the black hair had so
+completely altered him that when he had looked at himself in a mirror,
+after the application of the dye, he was surprised to find that he would
+not have known it to be his own face. Ralph was in command of the party,
+which consisted of young knights who had but recently arrived at Rhodes;
+and as it was the first time he had been appointed as instructor,
+Gervaise saw that he was greatly pleased at what he rightly regarded as
+promotion.
+
+The galley at once pushed off from the wharf, and rowed out of the
+port. The work was hard; but as the slaves were not pressed to any
+extraordinary exertions, Gervaise did not find it excessive. He
+congratulated himself, however, that the stain was, as he had been
+assured, indelible, save by time, for after a few minutes' exercise he
+was bathed in perspiration. As the galley had been taken out only that
+instruction might be given to the young knights, the work was frequently
+broken.
+
+Sometimes they went ahead at full speed for a few hundred yards, as if
+to chase an adversary; then they would swerve aside, the slaves on one
+side rowing, while those on the other backed, so as to make a rapid
+turn. Then she lay for a minute or two immovable, and then backed water,
+or turned to avoid the attack of an imaginary foe. Then for an hour she
+lay quiet, while the knights, divesting themselves of their mantles and
+armour, worked one of the guns on the poop, aiming at a floating
+barrel moored for the purpose a mile out at sea. At eleven o'clock they
+returned to the port. Bread and water were served out to the slaves, and
+they were then permitted to lie down and sleep, the galley being moored
+under the shadow of the wall.
+
+At four o'clock another party of knights came down, and the work was
+similar to that which had been performed in the morning. At seven
+o'clock the slaves were taken back to their barracks.
+
+“Well, what do you think of your work?” one of the slaves asked
+Gervaise, as they ate their evening meal.
+
+“It would not be so bad if it was all like that.”
+
+“No. But I can tell you that when you have to row from sunrise to
+sunset, with perhaps but one or two pauses for a few minutes, it is
+a different thing altogether, especially if the galley is carrying
+despatches, and speed is necessary. Then you get so worn out and
+exhausted, that you can scarce move an oar through the water, until you
+are wakened up by a smart as if a red hot iron had been laid across your
+shoulders. It is terrible work then. The whip cracks every minute across
+some one's back; you are blinded by exhaustion and rage, and you feel
+that you would give the world if you could but burst your chain, rush on
+your taskmasters, and strike, if only one blow, before you are killed.”
+
+“It must be terrible,” Gervaise said. “And do you never get loose, and
+fall upon them?”
+
+The man shook his head.
+
+“The chains are too strong, and the watch too vigilant,” he said. “Since
+I came here I have heard tales of crews having freed themselves in the
+night, and fallen upon the Christians, but for my part I do not believe
+in them. I have thought, as I suppose every one of us has thought, how
+such a thing could be done; but as far as I know no one has hit on a
+plan yet. Now and then men have managed to become possessed of a file,
+and have, by long and patient work, sawn through a chain, and have,
+when a galley has been lying near our own shore, sprung overboard
+and escaped; but for every attempt that succeeds there must be twenty
+failures, for the chains are frequently examined, and woe be to the man
+who is found to have been tampering with his. But as to a whole gang
+getting free at once, it is altogether impossible, unless the key of
+the pad locks could be stolen from an overseer, or the man bribed into
+aiding us.”
+
+“And that, I suppose, is impossible?” Gervaise said.
+
+“Certainly, impossible for us who have no money to bribe them with, but
+easy enough if any one outside, with ample means, were to set about it.
+These overseers are, many of them, sons of Turkish mothers, and have
+no sympathy, save that caused by interest, with one parent more than
+another. Of course, they are brought up Christians, and taught to hold
+Moslems in abhorrence, but I think many of them, if they had their free
+choice, would cross to the mainland. Here they have no chance of ever
+being aught but what they are--overseers of slaves, or small prison
+officials. They are despised by these haughty knights, and hated by us,
+while were they to reach the mainland and adopt their mothers' religion,
+everything would be open to them. All followers of the Prophet have
+an equal chance, and one may be a soldier today, a bey tomorrow, and
+a pasha a year hence, if he be brave, or astute, or capable in any way
+beyond his fellows. Men like these warders would be sure to make their
+way.
+
+“They cannot have gathered much during their service, therefore the
+offer of a large sum of money would find plenty among them eager to earn
+it. But, you see, they are but the inferiors. On our voyages on board
+the galley, the knights inspect our fetters twice a day, and the keys
+are kept in the commander's cabin. For an hour or two, when we are not
+on a long passage, the padlocks are unfastened, in order that we may
+jump over and bathe, and exercise our limbs; but at this time the
+knights are always on guard, and as we are without arms we are
+altogether powerless. It is the same thing here. The senior warders, who
+all belong to the Order, although of an inferior grade, come round, as
+you have seen, to examine our fetters, and themselves lock and bar the
+doors. If one or two of these could be corrupted, escape would be easy
+enough.”
+
+“But is it impossible to do this?” Gervaise asked eagerly. “My father
+has money, and would I know be ready, if I could communicate with him,
+to pay a handsome sum, if sure that it would result in my obtaining my
+freedom.”
+
+The man nodded significantly.
+
+“There may be other means of doing it,” he said. “Perhaps it will not be
+long before you hear of it. You seem a stout fellow, and full of spirit,
+but, as yet, anything that may be going on is known but to a few, and
+will go no further until the time comes that all may be told. I think
+not so badly of men of our faith as to believe that any one would betray
+the secret for the sake of obtaining his own freedom and a big reward;
+but secrets, when known by many, are apt to leak out. A muttered word or
+two in sleep, or the ravings of one down with fever, might afford ground
+for suspicion, and torture would soon do the rest. I myself know nothing
+of the secret, but I do know that there is something going on which, if
+successful, will give us our freedom. I am content to know no more until
+the time comes; but there are few, save those engaged in the matter,
+that know as much as this, and you can see that it is better it should
+be so. Look at that man opposite; he has been here fifteen years; he
+seldom speaks; he does his work, but it is as a brute beast--despair has
+well nigh turned him into one. Think you that if such a man as that were
+to know that there is hope, he would not be so changed that even the
+dullest would observe it? I see you are a brisk young fellow, and I say
+to you, keep up your courage. The time is nearer than you think when you
+will be free from these accursed shackles.”
+
+Each morning, as he went out to work with his gang, Gervaise saw the
+servant from the auberge standing near; but he made no sign. He was
+satisfied that his suspicions had been justified, and that he was not
+leading this life in vain, but he thought it better to wait until the
+week passed, and he was taken away to have his colour renewed, than to
+make a sign that might possibly rouse the suspicions of his comrades. On
+the eighth morning, when the door of the room was unlocked, the overseer
+said--“Number 36, you will remain here. You are wanted for other work.”
+
+After the gang had left the prison, the overseer returned.
+
+“I am to take you up to the English auberge. The knight who handed
+you over to me when you landed, told me that you might be wanted as a
+servitor; and as it is he who has sent down, it may be that a vacancy
+has occurred. If so, you are in luck, for the servitors have a vastly
+better time of it than the galley slaves, and the English auberge has
+the best reputation in that respect. Come along with me.”
+
+The English auberge was one of the most handsome of the buildings
+standing in the great street of the Knights. Its architecture was Gothic
+in its character, and, although the langue was one of the smallest of
+those represented at Rhodes, it vied with any of them in the splendour
+of its appointments. Sir John Boswell was standing in the interior
+courtyard.
+
+“Wait here for a few minutes,” he said to the overseer. “The bailiff
+will himself question the slave as to his accomplishments; but I fancy
+he will not be considered of sufficient age for the post that is vacant.
+However, if this should not be so, I shall no doubt find a post to fit
+him ere long, for he seems a smart young fellow, and, what is better, a
+willing one, and bears himself well under his misfortunes.”
+
+Then he motioned to Gervaise to follow him to the bailiff's apartments.
+
+“Well, Sir Gervaise,” Sir John Kendall exclaimed, as the door closed
+behind him, “have you found aught to justify this cruel penance you have
+undertaken?”
+
+“As to the penance, Sir John, it has been nothing unsupportable. The
+exercise is hard enough, but none too hard for one in good health and
+strength, and, save for the filth of the chamber in which we are shut
+up at night, and the foul state of the rushes on which we lie, I
+should have naught to complain of. No, I have as yet heard nothing of a
+surety--and yet enough to show me that my suspicions were justified, and
+that there is a plot of some sort on foot,” and he related to the two
+knights the conversation he had had with the galley slave.
+
+“By St. George!” the bailiff said, “you have indeed been justified in
+your surmises, and I am glad that I attached sufficient importance to
+your suspicions to let you undertake this strange enterprise. What think
+you, Sir John Boswell?”
+
+“I think with you, that Sir Gervaise has fully justified his insistence
+in this matter, which I own I considered to be hare brained folly. What
+is to be done next, Sir Gervaise?”
+
+“That is what I have been turning over in my mind. You see, I may have
+little warning of what is going to take place. I may not hear of it
+until we are locked up for the night and the affair is on the point of
+taking place, and it will, of course, be most needful that I shall be
+able to communicate with you speedily.”
+
+“That, of course, is of vital importance,” the bailiff said. “But how is
+it to be managed?”
+
+“That is what I cannot exactly see, Sir John. An armed guard remains in
+our room all night. But, in the first place, he might be himself in the
+plot, and if not, the slaves would almost certainly overpower him and
+kill him, as a preliminary to the work of knocking off their chains.”
+
+“Is there a window to the room? At least, of course there is a window,
+but is it within your reach?”
+
+“There are six small loopholes--one on each side of the door, and two in
+each of the side walls; they are but four inches across and three feet
+in length, and there are two crossbars to each; they are four feet from
+the floor.”
+
+“At any rate, they are large enough for your arm to pass through, Sir
+Gervaise, and you might drop a strip of cloth out.”
+
+“Certainly I could, Sir John. I could easily hide a piece of white
+cotton a yard or so long in my clothes, scanty as these are, and could
+certainly manage, unobserved, to drop it outside the window.”
+
+“Then the rest is for us to contrive, Boswell. We must have some one
+posted in the yard of the prison, with instructions to go every ten
+minutes throughout the night to see if a strip of white cotton has been
+dropped out. When he finds it he must go at once to William Neave, the
+governor. He is a sturdy Englishman, and there is no fear of his having
+been bribed to turn traitor; but it were well to take no one into
+our confidence. I think we cannot do better than employ Ahmet on this
+business, as he already knows that Sir Gervaise is masquerading there.
+We will have William Neave up here presently. Tell him that for certain
+reasons we wish Ahmet to pass the night for the present in the prison,
+and arrange with him on what excuse we can best bestow him there without
+exciting suspicion. At any rate, Sir Gervaise, that is our affair.”
+
+He went to a closet and took out a white mantle, tore a strip off the
+bottom, and gave it to Gervaise.
+
+“It would be best not to keep you here any longer,” he said, “so renew
+your stain while I speak. As soon as you learn the details of the plot,
+you will drop this out from the loophole on the right hand side of the
+door; that is to say, the one on your right, standing inside. If the
+affair is not to come off at once, it were best for you to proceed as
+before. Ahmet will be outside when you go out with your gang, and on
+your nodding to him we will make some excuse to take you away on your
+return. I say this because if you see that the affair, whatever it is,
+is not imminent, you might think it better to remain with them longer,
+so as to learn their plans more fully, instead of having the thing put a
+stop to at once.”
+
+“I understand, Sir John; but, as I have said, I do not think we should
+all be told until the blow is ready to be struck, as they would be
+afraid that some one might inform against them, if time and opportunity
+were granted them.”
+
+“I think so too, Sir Gervaise. This afternoon we will call upon the
+grand master, for we have no means of knowing how serious or how
+extended this plot may be; it may include only the crew of a single
+galley, and, on the other hand, the whole of the slaves may be
+implicated in it. It is evident, therefore, that the matter is too
+serious to be kept any longer from his knowledge.”
+
+Three more days passed. On the third evening, after the allowance of
+broth and bread had been consumed, and the door was closed and locked
+upon them for the night, three or four of the galley slaves, after
+talking eagerly together, beckoned to the others to gather round them
+at the end of the room farthest from the door. Two of them took up arms
+full of the bedding, and stuffed it into the side windows. Gervaise
+saw, in the dim light, a look of intense excitement on the faces of the
+slaves. It had been vaguely known among them that a plot was in hand,
+although but few had been admitted into the confidence of the leaders.
+Hitherto all had feared that it concerned only a small number, but
+the preparations now made to insure that they should not be overheard,
+showed that, whatever the plan might be, all were to share in it.
+
+“Thanks be to Allah, the All Powerful,” one of the men began, “my lips
+are unsealed, and I can tell you the great news that our hour for escape
+from bondage is at hand! We need not fear the warder there,” he went on,
+as several eyes were turned apprehensively towards the guard, who, with
+his spear beside him, was leaning carelessly against the wall at the
+farther end, looking through the window into the courtyard; “he is
+with us. You must know that for the last two months an agent from
+Constantinople has been on the Island, and has been engaged in arranging
+this affair. Two of our taskmasters belonging to the Order have been
+bribed by large sums of money, and several of the overseers, who are
+half of our blood, have eagerly embraced the prospect of returning
+to their mothers' country, and of avowing openly their belief in our
+religion. These, again, have bought over many of the guards, ours
+included, and tonight all will be ready for action. Those not of our
+party will be killed without ceremony. Duplicate keys have been made of
+all the padlocks of the fetters; the guards who are with us have each
+one of them, the others will have been slipped into the hands of one man
+in each gang as they returned tonight from work. The overseers who are
+in the plot will, at midnight, go quietly round and unlock the doors,
+and remove the bars from the outside. We have, therefore, only to
+overcome the eight or ten men who patrol the prison; and as we shall
+have the arms of the guards, some thirty in number, we shall make quick
+work of them.
+
+“The two guards at the outside gates must, of course, be killed.
+Duplicates of the keys have been made, and will be hidden in a spot
+known to some of our party, close to the gate. Thus we have but to issue
+out and rush down, in a body, to the port. I and another are to take the
+arms of our guard, and two others are told off in each room to do the
+same. That will give us sixty armed men. We shall make very short work
+of the guards at the gate leading into the port. Then twenty of us are
+to run along the mole to Fort St. Nicholas, twenty to the Tower of St.
+Michael, and twenty to that of St. John. There will be, at the most, but
+three or four men keeping watch at each fort, and thus we shall have in
+our possession the three forts commanding the entrance to the harbour.
+There are, as you know, six galleys manned by crews from our prison
+there. The crew of each galley will embark upon it, and man the oars;
+the rest will divide themselves among the galleys. Before starting, we
+shall seize and set fire to all other galleys and ships in the port. The
+gangs in four of the rooms have been told off specially for this duty.
+Before firing them, they are to take out such provisions as they may
+find, and transport them to the galleys. We who take the forts are
+provided with hammers and long nails, to drive down the vent holes of
+the cannon; when we have done this, we are to wait until one of the
+galleys fetches us off. Ten minutes should be ample time for all there
+is to be done, and even if the alarm is given at once, we shall be
+away long before the knights can be aroused from sleep, buckle on their
+armour, and get down to the port.”
+
+Exclamations of delight and approbation burst from his hearers.
+
+“Then it is only we of this prison who are in the plot?” one said.
+
+“Yes. In the first place, it would have been too dangerous to attempt to
+free all. In the second, the galleys would not carry them; we shall be
+closely packed as it is, for there are over a thousand here. I hear that
+there was a talk of freeing all, and that we, instead of embarking at
+first, should make for the other prisons, burst open the doors, and
+rescue the others; but by the time we could do so the knights would
+be all in arms, and our enterprise would fail altogether, for as but a
+small proportion of us can obtain weapons, we could not hope to overcome
+them. Were it not for the strong wall that separates their quarter from
+the town, we might make straight for their houses and slay them before
+the alarm could be given. As it is, that would be impossible, and
+therefore the plan will be carried out as I have told you. The loss of
+all their galleys and of over one thousand slaves will be a heavy blow
+for them. Great pains have been taken to prevent confusion when we reach
+the port. The men in each room have been instructed as to the galleys on
+which they are to embark. As for you, you know precisely what is to be
+done; you will simply take your places, and then wait until all are on
+board. No galley is to push out from the wharf until the last man of
+those employed in burning the ships has returned, with the provisions
+found in them. Then the order will be given by the man who has arranged
+all this, and the six galleys will put out together.
+
+“One is to row to each of the forts to carry off the party that will
+have been engaged in silencing its cannon. Our galley is to row to St.
+Nicholas, and take off the twenty men I shall lead there. There is no
+possibility of failure. Everything has, you see, been arranged. One of
+the overseers who is in the plot walked by my side as we returned from
+the port, and gave me the instructions, and all the others will have
+been told in the same way, or else by the guards in charge of them.”
+ The gang now broke up into little groups, talking excitedly over the
+unlooked for news, and exulting over the speedy advent of liberty.
+Gervaise strolled carelessly to the window, and dropped out the white
+strip of stuff. It was now quite dark, and there was no fear of any one
+observing the movement. Then he joined the others. After an hour and
+a half had passed he heard footsteps approaching the door. There was a
+pause; then the outside bars were taken down, and a key turned in the
+lock. A deep silence fell on the slaves. Then a voice called, “Number
+36!”
+
+“What is it?” replied Gervaise, without raising himself from his seat on
+the bedding. “I have done my share of work today, and earned my night's
+sleep.”
+
+“It is a knight from the English auberge; he has come to fetch you. It
+seems that you are to go there as a servitor.”
+
+“What a cursed fortune,” Gervaise muttered, in Turkish, “just when a
+road to freedom is open! I have a good mind to say I am ill, and cannot
+go till the morning.”
+
+“No, no!” one of the others exclaimed. “They would only drag you out,
+and when they saw that there was naught the matter with you, would
+suspect that there must be some reason why you did not want to go,
+when, as every one knows, the position of the servitors is in every way
+preferable to ours.”
+
+“Now then, why are you delaying?” a voice said sharply, and a warder
+entered with a lighted torch. “Get up, you lazy hound! It will be worse
+for you if I have to speak again.”
+
+“I am coming,” Gervaise grumbled. “I was just asleep.”
+
+He rose, as if reluctantly, and went forward. The warder gave him an
+angry push, followed him out, and locked and barred the door after him.
+
+“I suppose this is the right man?” Sir John Boswell said.
+
+“This is Number 36, Sir Knight, the same who was taken over to your
+auberge the other day,” and he held the light close to Gervaise's face.
+
+“Yes, that is the man. Follow me,” he added, in Turkish. The gate of
+the courtyard was unbarred, and they passed out unquestioned. Sir John
+strolled on ahead. Gervaise followed him a pace or two behind. Not until
+they had passed through the gate of the castle did Sir John turn.
+
+“I have not spoken to you,” he said, “as we may have been watched. Keep
+your news until we reach the auberge.”
+
+Upon entering it they went up at once to Sir John Kendall's apartments.
+
+“Well, Sir Gervaise, the strip of cotton was brought to us safely. What
+is your news?”
+
+“It is very serious, Sir John, and I have been in terrible anxiety since
+I dropped it out, lest it should not come to hand in time. As it is,
+you have till midnight to make your preparations.” He then repeated the
+statement made by the galley slave.
+
+“By my faith,” Sir John Kendall exclaimed, “this is a pretty plot
+indeed! And had it succeeded, as it certainly would have done but for
+your vigilance, it would have been a heavy blow to us. The burning of
+all our galleys would have crippled us sorely, and the loss of over
+a thousand slaves would have been a serious one indeed, when we so
+urgently require them for completing our defences. Get rid of those
+clothes at once, Sir Gervaise, and don your own. We must go straight
+to the grand master. You will find your clothes and armour in the next
+room. I had them taken there as soon as your token was brought me.”
+
+In a few minutes Gervaise returned in his usual attire, and with his
+armour buckled on. The two knights were already in their coats of
+mail, and leaving the auberge they went to the grand master's palace.
+A servitor had already been sent to D'Aubusson to inform him that they
+were coming, and he advanced to meet them as they entered.
+
+“Welcome, Sir Gervaise!” he said. “Whether your news be good or bad,
+whether you have found that it is a general rising of the slaves that
+is intended, or a plot by which a handful of slaves may seize a boat
+and escape, the gratitude of the Order is no less due to you for the
+hardships and humiliations you have undergone on its behalf.”
+
+“It concerns but one prison: that of St. Pelagius.”
+
+“The largest of them,” the grand master put in.
+
+“The whole of the slaves there are to be liberated at twelve o'clock
+tonight, are to seize the three water towers and to spike the guns, to
+burn all the shipping in the harbour, to make off with six galleys, and
+destroy the rest.”
+
+“By St. John!” D'Aubusson exclaimed, “this is indeed a serious matter.
+But tell me all about it. There must be treachery indeed at work for
+such a scheme to be carried out.”
+
+Gervaise now told him all the details he had learned.
+
+“So two of the Order, though but of the inferior grade, are in the
+plot?” the grand master said; “and several of the overseers? One of the
+villains is, of course, the man you saw this Greek talking with. We
+must get hold of the other if we can. As to the slaves, now that we have
+warning, there is an end of the matter, though without such warning they
+would surely have succeeded, for the plans are well laid, and they would
+have been at sea before we could have gathered in any force at the port.
+If it were not that it would cost the lives of many of the warders and
+of the prison guards, I should say we ought to take post outside the
+gate, for we should then catch the traitors who are to accompany them.
+As it is, we must be beforehand with them. A hundred men will be more
+than ample for our purpose. Do you take fifty of your knights, Sir John
+Kendall, and I will draw fifty of those of Auvergne. At eleven o'clock
+we will meet at the gate leading down into the town, and will march to
+the private entrance of the governor's house. I will go in first with a
+few of you, tell him what we have discovered, and post guards to prevent
+any one from leaving his house. Then, having admitted the others, we
+will go quietly out and place a party at each door of the overseers'
+house, with orders to seize any who may come out. The rest, in small
+parties, will then go round the prison, and, entering each room, show
+the slaves that their plot has been discovered. This we must do to save
+the lives of the guards who may be faithful to their trust. As to the
+higher officials engaged in the affair, we must obtain their names from
+the overseers or slaves. It is not likely that the two traitors will
+quit their houses, as they will leave the matter in the hands of the
+overseers, who, as you say, intend to first open the doors, and then to
+accompany the slaves in their escape. Do not warn the knights until it
+is nearly time to start, Sir John. The less stir made the better, for no
+one can say whether they may not have suborned some of the servitors to
+send instant news of any unusual movements in any of the auberges.”
+
+At half past ten Sir John Kendall went round among the knights and bade
+fifty of them arm themselves quietly, and proceed, one by one, down to
+the gate, and there await orders. Up to this time Gervaise had remained
+in the bailiff's room, so as to avoid the questioning that would take
+place, and he went down to the gate with the bailiff and Sir John
+Boswell.
+
+The knights assembled rapidly. None were aware of the reason for which
+they had been called out at such an hour, and there was a buzz of talk
+and conjecture until Sir John Kendall arrived. He was followed by four
+of the servants, who at once lighted the torches they carried, when
+he proceeded to go through the roll, and found that the muster was
+complete. Many of the knights had gazed in some surprise at Gervaise,
+whose dark complexion altogether concealed his identity, and it was
+supposed that he must be some newly arrived knight, though none had
+heard that any ship had entered the harbour that day.
+
+Two or three minutes later fifty knights of the langue of Auvergne
+came down, headed by the grand master himself, whose appearance greatly
+heightened the surprise of the English knights. The torches were now
+extinguished, the gate thrown open, and the party descended into the
+town. Gervaise had purposely fallen in by the side of Harcourt.
+
+“You are but newly arrived, Sir Knight?” the latter said, as they moved
+off.
+
+“Not so very newly, Ralph,” Gervaise replied.
+
+“What! is it you, Gervaise?” Harcourt exclaimed, with a start of
+surprise. “Why, I did not know you, though I looked hard at you in the
+torch light. What have you done with yourself? Where have you been? Do
+you know what all this is about?”
+
+“I cannot tell you now, Ralph. You must be content to know that I have
+been in prison, and working in the galleys.”
+
+“The saints defend us! Why, what on earth had you done to entail such
+punishment as that? It is an outrage. The grand master and the council
+have the right to expel a knight from the Order after due trial and
+investigation, but not to condemn him to such penalties as the galleys.
+It is an outrage upon the whole Order, and I would say so to the grand
+master himself.”
+
+“There was no outrage in it, Ralph. Wait until you hear the whole story.
+That I have not disgraced you, you may judge from the fact that I am in
+the armour and mantle of the Order, and that, as you saw, I came down
+with Sir John Kendall himself.”
+
+There were no people about in the streets, though the lights still
+burned on a few of the roofs. For a short distance the knights marched
+down towards the port, and then turned down a street to the right. After
+a few minutes' marching they halted under a high wall which all knew to
+be that of the prison of St. Pelagius. Six knights were posted at the
+main entrance, with orders that none should be allowed to leave the
+prison, and that any persons who came up to the gate were to be at once
+seized and made prisoners.
+
+The rest marched on to a small door leading into the governor's house.
+Here they were halted, and told to wait till called in; six knights of
+England, and as many of Auvergne, being told off to accompany the grand
+master and Sir John Kendall. A note had been sent to the governor,
+informing him that the grand master intended to visit the prison at
+eleven o'clock, but that the matter was to be kept an absolute secret;
+and that the governor himself was to be down at the gate to admit him.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI IN COMMAND OF A GALLEY
+
+
+William Neave, the governor of the prison, looked astonished indeed
+when, upon his opening the door, the grand master and the bailiff of
+the English langue, with the twelve knights behind them, entered. He had
+been puzzled when, four days before, he had received an order from
+the grand master that Ahmet, a servitor in the auberge of the English
+langue, should be permitted to pass the night in his house, with
+authority to move freely and without question, at any hour, in the
+courtyard of the gaol, and to depart at any hour, secretly and without
+observation, by the private gate. Still more had he been surprised when
+he received the message that the grand master would pay him a secret
+visit at eleven o'clock at night.
+
+“Let no word be spoken until we are in your apartments,” D'Aubusson said
+in a low voice, as he entered. “But first lead four of these knights and
+post them so that none can enter the gaol from the house. If there are
+more than four doors or windows on that side, you must post a larger
+number. It is imperative that there shall be no communication whatever
+between your servants and the gaol.”
+
+As soon as this was done, the rest of the party were taken to the
+governor's rooms.
+
+“I can now explain to you all,” the grand master said, “the reason of
+our presence here. I have learned that at twelve tonight there will be
+a general rising of the slaves in this prison, and that, aided by
+treachery, they will free themselves from their fetters, overpower and
+slay such of the guards in their rooms as have not been bribed, throw
+open the gates, make their way down to the port, burn all the shipping
+there, and make off in the six galleys manned by them, having first
+overpowered the sentries in the three forts commanding the entrance, and
+spiked the guns.”
+
+Exclamations of astonishment burst from the knights, who now, for the
+first time, learnt the reason of their being called out. The governor
+listened with an expression of stupefaction.
+
+“With all deference to your Highness,” he said hesitatingly, “it seems
+to me that some one must have been deceiving you with this tale. It is
+altogether incredible that such a plot should have been hatched without
+a whisper of the matter coming to my ears. It could only be possible
+were there, not one but many, traitors among the officials; if this is
+so, then indeed am I a dull ass, and unfit for my duty here, of which
+I shall pray you to relieve me, and to order such punishment as the
+council may deem just to be allotted to me for having so signally been
+hoodwinked.”
+
+“My news is sure,” the grand master said; “but I deem not that you are
+in any way to blame in the matter. The plot has been matured, not as
+a consequence of any laxity of discipline in the prison, but from
+deliberate treachery, against which no mortal being can guard. The
+traitors are two of the officials who, being members of the Order, none
+would suspect of connivance in such a deed. With them are several--I
+know not how many--under officials, warders, and guards; all these have
+been bribed by an emissary from Constantinople, now in the town, and
+who is doubtless furnished with large means. It is well, indeed, for the
+Order, that this terrible act of treachery has been discovered in time
+to prevent the plot from coming to a head, for the loss of all our
+galleys, to say nothing of the disgrace of having been thus bearded by
+slaves, would be a very heavy blow to it.
+
+“Now that the house is safely guarded, William Neave, you can admit
+the rest of the knights, who are waiting outside. Then you will, in the
+first place, conduct a party, and post them so that they may arrest,
+as they come out to perform their share of the work, all officials,
+warders, and guards, of whatever rank. When you have posted knights to
+carry out this--and I need not say that the operation must be performed
+as silently as possible, for it is above all things necessary that
+the men concerned shall have no suspicion that their plot has been
+discovered--you will conduct other parties to the various rooms occupied
+by the slaves. The guards on duty inside will be made prisoners. The
+doors will then be locked and barred as before. The appearance of the
+knights and the arrest of the guards will be sufficient to show the
+slaves that their plot has been discovered, and there will be no fear of
+their making any attempt to carry it into execution. I will myself post
+the main body of the knights in the courtyard. The arrest of the guards
+is to be carried out at once, as all those not concerned in the plot
+would be killed when the hour comes for the rising. Therefore this part
+of the business must be carried out immediately. I should not, however,
+lead the guards away to a cell, for the less tramping of feet the
+better. Therefore I shall place two knights in each room, and beg them
+to remain inside in charge until the traitors outside are secured.”
+
+The knights outside were now marched up. The grand master ordered half
+those of Auvergne to go round to the main gate, which would be opened
+for them by the governor; they were to enter quietly, and remain in a
+body close to it until they received further orders. Sir John Kendall
+told off the rest of the knights to the various duties of watching the
+houses occupied by the officials and warders, and of entering the prison
+rooms and remaining in them on guard. The governor, with his private
+servants, bearing a supply of torches, was to lead them to the various
+cells, and unlock the doors. The knights were enjoined to move as
+noiselessly as possible, and to avoid all clashing of arms against
+armour.
+
+The governor produced a number of cloths intended to be served out to
+the slaves. Strips of these were cut off and wrapped round the feet of
+the English knights, so as to deaden the sound of their boots on the
+stone pavement. Then, accompanied by the grand master and Sir John
+Kendall, he went the round of the cells.
+
+In some of these the slaves were found standing up in an attitude of
+eager expectation, which, as the door opened, and the light of the
+torches showed a party of knights, changed into one of terror and
+consternation. Scarce a word was spoken. The guard was ordered to
+lay down his arms, and to take one of the torches. Two knights placed
+themselves, one on each side of him, with drawn swords. The door was
+again locked and barred, and the party proceeded to the next cell. In
+less than a quarter of an hour this part of the work was finished,
+and D'Aubusson, Sir John Kendall, and the governor, then took up their
+station with a party of knights who, concealed behind a buttress, were
+watching the doors of the officials' houses.
+
+Ten minutes later one of these doors was heard to open, and five dark
+figures came noiselessly out. They were allowed to go a short distance,
+in order to see if any others followed; but as no others came out, the
+governor stepped forward.
+
+“Whither are you going, at this time of night?” he asked. There was a
+momentary pause, a few hasty words were exchanged, then the five men
+rushed towards him with bared swords or knives; but before they reached
+him the knights poured out from their hiding place.
+
+“We are betrayed,” one of the men shouted in Turkish. “Fight to the
+last. Better be killed than tortured and executed.” With a yell of fury
+and despair, they rushed upon the knights. So desperate was their attack
+that the latter were forced to use their swords, which indeed, burning
+with rage at the treachery of these men, they were not backward in
+doing, and in less than a minute the five traitors lay, with cloven
+heads, dead on the pavement.
+
+“It is as well so,” D'Aubusson said, looking sternly down upon them;
+“perhaps better so, since it has saved us the scandal of their trial.
+We might have learned more from them, but we have learnt enough, since,
+doubtless, they have no accomplices among the warders, or they would
+have been with them. Now we will deal with the arch traitors. There is
+no need for further concealment; the noise of this fray will assuredly
+have been heard by them, for they will be listening for the sounds that
+would tell them the slaves had been liberated.”
+
+Followed by the knights, he went to the door of the house occupied
+by the overseers, all of whom were members of the lower branch of the
+Order. It was indeed evident that an alarm had been given there, for
+lights appeared at the windows. As they opened the door and entered the
+hall, several half-dressed men rushed down the stairs with drawn swords,
+two of them carrying torches in their left hands. As the light fell
+upon the figures of the grand master and the knights, they paused in
+astonishment.
+
+“There is treachery at work in the prison,” D'Aubusson said quietly. “I
+pray you to collect your comrades and to assemble here at once.”
+
+In a minute or two some twenty officials were gathered in the hall.
+
+“Are all here?” D'Aubusson asked the governor.
+
+The latter counted the men.
+
+“There are two short,” he said--“Pietro Romano and Karl Schumann. They
+occupy the same room. Go and fetch them down, four of you.”
+
+The four men nearest to the stairs at once went up with two torches.
+They returned in a minute.
+
+“The door is fastened on the inside, and we can obtain no response.”
+
+“Fetch an axe and break it in,” the grand master ordered. “Sir John
+Boswell, do you, with some other knights, take post without; they may
+attempt to escape by the window, though, as we hold the gates, it would
+avail them little. Sir Gervaise Tresham, do you follow us.”
+
+Gervaise, who had been placed with the party watching the house,
+followed the grand master and governor upstairs. A few blows with an axe
+splintered the door; its fastenings gave way, and they entered the room.
+The window was open, and two figures lay prostrate on the ground near
+it.
+
+“I half expected this,” the grand master said. “They were listening
+there. The conflict in the yard told them that the plot had been
+discovered, and as they saw us approaching the house, they dared not
+meet the punishment of their crimes, and have fallen by their own
+daggers. Put a torch close to their faces. Sir Gervaise, do you
+recognise in either of these men the official you saw in conversation
+with the Greek?”
+
+Gervaise stepped forward and examined the men's faces.
+
+“This is the man,” he said, pointing to one of them. “I marked him so
+closely that I cannot be mistaken.”
+
+“That is Pietro Romano,” the governor said; “he was an able officer,
+but discontented with his position and given to quarrelling with his
+comrades.”
+
+“Have a hole dug and bury them in the prison,” D'Aubusson said; “they
+have been false to their vows, and false to their religion. They have
+chosen their own mode of death; let them be buried like dogs, as they
+are. But let a careful search be made of their garments and of this
+room. It may be that they have some documents concealed which may be of
+use to us.”
+
+The grand master then descended to the hall.
+
+“Members of the Order,” he said to the overseers, “your guilty
+companions have met death by their own hands, as the others concerned
+in this plot have met theirs by the swords of the knights. It were well
+that this matter were not spoken of outside the prison. The attempt has
+been detected, and has failed; but were it talked of, it might incite
+others to repeat the attempt, and possibly with better success. Now,”
+ he went on, turning to the governor, “our work is done here. Call up
+the other warders. Let them take the men now prisoners in the rooms, and
+place them in a dungeon. Let fresh men be placed on guard, and let all
+the knights gather in the courtyard.”
+
+When this was done, and all the knights again assembled, D'Aubusson
+said, “Our work is nearly done, brothers. The traitors are all dead, and
+the revolt is at an end. It remains but to capture the author of this
+attempt; but I believe he is already in our hands. I have given an
+accurate description of him to Da Veschi, who has taken four knights
+with him, and they probably will catch him down at the port; if not, he
+will be arrested the first thing in the morning. As to the slaves, they
+will be so utterly cowed by the discovery, that there will be no fear of
+their repeating the attempt. I have ordered the officials of the prison
+to say naught in the town of what has taken place. There can, however,
+be no concealment among ourselves. I shall, of course, lay the whole
+matter before the council. The fact that a strong body of knights has,
+at so late an hour, started on some unknown mission is, of course,
+already known in the auberges of Auvergne and England. No concealment
+of the facts is therefore possible. It is the most serious attempt at a
+revolt of the slaves that has ever taken place, and will be a warning
+to us that more vigilance must be exercised. As it is, we have only been
+saved from the loss of our galleys and slaves by the acuteness of one of
+the youngest of our knights, who, in the first place, noted a suspicious
+occurrence which would have been passed by without attracting a moment's
+thought by ninety-nine out of a hundred men. He laid the matter before
+his bailiff, Sir John Kendall, who accepted his offer to disguise
+himself as a slave, to enter the prison under circumstances that would
+excite no suspicions among the others, and to live and work among them
+in order to ascertain whether there was any plot on hand. This task--a
+painful one, as you may imagine--he carried out, and for two weeks he
+rowed as a galley slave. His lot was as hard as that of the others, for,
+as he had reason to believe that some of the officials were concerned in
+the plot, it was necessary that all should be kept in ignorance that
+he was other than he seemed to be. Thanks to his perfect knowledge of
+Turkish, he was able to carry his mission through with complete success,
+and to obtain full particulars of the plot we have tonight crushed.
+The knight who has performed this inestimable service is Sir Gervaise
+Tresham, of the English langue. The action he has performed will be
+noted in the annals of the Order as an example of intelligence and of
+the extreme of self sacrifice, as well as of courage; for his life would
+have been assuredly forfeited had the slaves entertained the slightest
+suspicion of his real character.”
+
+There was a murmur of acclamation among the knights. Not one of them but
+would have freely risked his life in the service of the Order, but there
+were few who would not have shrunk from the idea of living as a slave
+among the slaves, sharing their tasks, and subject to the orders of men
+of inferior rank and often brutal manners.
+
+The knights now returned to their auberges. It was past midnight, but
+at the English house the lamps and flambeaux were lighted in the great
+hall. The servitors were called up, wine placed on the table, and the
+knights discussed the incidents of the evening.
+
+When the meal had concluded, Sir John Kendall said, “Brother knights,
+when the grand master bestowed the honour of secular knighthood upon
+this young comrade of ours, he predicted that he would rise to high
+distinction in the Order. I think you will all agree with me that the
+prediction is already in a fair way of being fulfilled, and that the
+services he has rendered to the Order justify us, his comrades of the
+English langue, in feeling proud of him. I drink, brothers, to his
+health.”
+
+A loud shout rose from the assembled knights, for upon the return of the
+party who had been away, the rest of those at the auberge had hastily
+robed themselves and descended to the hall to gather the news. When the
+shout had died away, and the wine cups were emptied, Gervaise, who was
+sitting on Sir John Kendall's right hand, would gladly have retained his
+seat, but the bailiff told him that he must say a few words, and after
+standing in embarrassed silence for a minute he said, “Sir John Kendall,
+and brother knights, I can only say that I am very sensible of the
+kindness with which you have been pleased to regard what seems to me
+after all to have been a very ordinary affair. I saw a man, whom I knew
+to be a stranger in the Island, speaking surreptitiously to a slave,
+and afterwards saw him conversing with a prison officer. That naturally
+struck me as curious, and I followed the officer, to see to which prison
+he belonged. Any one would have thought, as I did, that such a thing was
+strange, if not suspicious, and the only way to find out whether there
+was anything in it was to mix with the slaves; as I spoke Turkish
+well enough to do so I asked Sir John Kendall's permission to disguise
+myself. He gave me every assistance, and I shared their lot for a
+fortnight. There was no very great hardship in that--certainly nothing
+to merit the praise that Sir John Kendall has been kind enough to bestow
+on me. Nevertheless, I am very glad to have gained your good opinion and
+very grateful to him and to you for drinking to my health.”
+
+Then he sat down abruptly.
+
+Sir John Kendall now rose, and the knights, following his example,
+betook themselves to their dormitories.
+
+The next morning notices were sent by the grand master to the bailiffs
+of the auberges, and the knights of the grand cross who happened to
+be in the Island, to assemble in council. Messages were also sent to
+Gervaise, requesting him to repair at the same hour to the palace, as
+the council would probably require his attendance.
+
+“Oh dear! I wish this was all over,” he said to Ralph, as the latter
+assisted him to buckle on his armour.
+
+“I don't see anything to sigh about,” Ralph said. “I think that you are
+the most fortunate fellow in the world. I do not say that you have not
+well deserved it, because it is the tremendous way you worked at Turkish
+and gave up everything else that has enabled you to do this. Still,
+there was luck in your noticing that villain talking to the galley
+slaves, and then to one of the officers of the prison. Of course, as the
+grand master said last night, it isn't one in a thousand who would have
+thought anything more about it, and I am sure I shouldn't; so that, and
+all the rest, is entirely your own doing. Still, it was a piece of
+luck that you noticed him talking with a slave. Don't think I envy you,
+Gervaise; I don't a bit, and I feel as much as any one that you have
+well deserved the honour you have obtained. Still, you know, it is a
+sort of consolation to me that luck had a little--just a little--to do
+with it.”
+
+“In my opinion luck had everything to do with it,” Gervaise said
+heartily, “and I feel downright ashamed at there being such a fuss made
+over it. It was bad enough before, merely because I had hit on a
+plan for our escape from those pirates, but this is worse, and I feel
+horribly nervous at the thought of having to appear before the grand
+master and the council.”
+
+“Well, that brown dye will hide your blushes, Gervaise. I can only say
+I wish that I was in your place. By-the-bye, have you heard that they
+caught that rascal Greek last night?”
+
+“No, I have not heard anything about it.”
+
+“Yes. The knights hid themselves behind a pile of goods on the wharf.
+There was no one about, so far as they could see, but soon after twelve
+they saw a figure come up on to the deck of a fishing boat moored by the
+quay. It was the Greek; he stood there for a minute or two listening,
+and then went down again; he did this five or six times, and at one
+o'clock they saw him throw up his arms, as if in despair; he stepped
+ashore, and was about to make his way up into the town when they rushed
+out and seized him. There is no doubt as to what his fate will be. I am
+sorry to say that I hear my friend Vrados has been arrested; but there
+can be no doubt about his loyalty, and he will assuredly be able
+to explain to the satisfaction of the council how this man became a
+resident at his house.”
+
+“I am sorry I met him there, Ralph. It is a very unpleasant thing to
+have gone to a house, to have been received kindly, and then to be the
+means of bringing trouble upon it.”
+
+“Yes. I feel that a little myself, because I took you there; and yet I
+cannot regret it, for if you had not seen him and taken an objection to
+him, you might not have noticed him particularly when he spoke to one of
+the galley slaves. It is certainly curious that you should have doubted
+the man, for I have met him there several times, and even after your
+visit with me I could see nothing in him to justify your dislike.”
+
+Gervaise went up to the palace, and while waiting in the great hall
+until summoned before the council he was warmly accosted by several
+knights,--some of whom were quite strangers to him,--who all joined in
+congratulating him on the immense service he had done to the Order. It
+was upwards of an hour before he was called in.
+
+“The council have received, Sir Gervaise Tresham,” the grand master
+said, “full details from Sir John Kendall of the manner in which you
+first discovered, and have since followed up the daring plot by which
+the slaves at St. Pelagius were to have risen, slain the guards who were
+faithful, spiked the cannon in the three water forts, burnt the merchant
+shipping, carried off six galleys and burnt the rest, and in their
+name I thank you for having saved the Order from a great calamity. The
+members of the council agree with me that you have shown an amount of
+discernment of the highest kind, and that you are worthy of exceptional
+favour and reward for your conduct. I therefore in my own name appoint
+you to the commandery of our manor of Maltby in Lincolnshire, which,
+having fallen vacant, is in my gift; and I release it from the usual
+payment of the first year's revenue. Knowing that you desire to
+establish yourself here, the council have, at my request, decided to
+make an exception to the general rule that a knight, on promotion to a
+commandery, must return and take charge of it in two years from the time
+the grant is made to him. The commandery will therefore be administered
+by the senior of the knights attached to it.
+
+“The council, on their part, have requested the bailiff of Auvergne, as
+grand master of the Fleet, to appoint you to the command of the galley
+now building, and approaching completion. This he has consented to
+do, feeling, as we all feel, that although such an appointment is
+unprecedented for a young knight, yet in the present case such an
+exception may well be made. I may add that the Admiral has--in
+order that no knight greatly your senior should be placed under your
+command--determined that he will appoint to it only young knights, who
+will, we are assured, gladly serve under one who has so distinguished
+himself, feeling certain that, under his command, they will have ample
+opportunities against the infidels to prove themselves worthy of the
+Order. I may add, also, that the bailiffs of all the langues promise
+that they will select from among the young knights such as may seem best
+fitted for such service, by their skill in warlike exercises, by their
+ready obedience to orders, and good conduct. And I foresee that the
+spirit of emulation, and the desire to show that, though still but
+professed knights, they are capable of performing as valiant deeds as
+their elders, will make the galley under your command one of the most
+successful in the Order.
+
+“As you are aware, it is a stringent rule, which even in so exceptional
+a case we should not be justified in breaking, that a knight must reside
+in the Island for five years previous to being promoted to a commandery.
+It is now two months more than that time since you were received as page
+to the late grand master, and in promoting you to a commandery I have
+not, therefore, broken the rule. You may retire, Sir Gervaise.”
+
+Gervaise, overwhelmed by the unlooked for honours thus bestowed upon
+him, bowed deeply to the grand master and the members of the council,
+and then retired from the chamber. He passed out of the palace by a side
+door, so as to avoid being accosted by the knights in the great hall,
+and took his way out on to the ramparts, where he walked up and down for
+a considerable time before returning to the auberge. He felt no hilarity
+at his promotion. He had never entertained any ambition for rising to
+high office in the Order, but had hoped only to perform his duty as a
+true knight, to fight against the infidels, and some day, if need be, to
+die for the Order. The commandery was, he knew, a rich one, and as
+its chief he would draw a considerable revenue from the estate. This
+afforded him no pleasure whatever, except inasmuch as it would enable
+him, in his new command of the galley, to keep a handsome table, and to
+entertain well the knights who served under him.
+
+It seemed to him, however, that the reward and honours were so far
+beyond his deserts that he felt almost humiliated by their bestowal. The
+responsibility, too, was great. Would these young knights, the youngest
+of whom could be but a year his junior, serve willingly under his
+orders? And, above all, would they be able to emulate the deeds of
+experienced warriors, and would the galley worthily maintain the fame of
+the Order?
+
+At the end of two hours he was joined by Ralph Harcourt.
+
+“I have been looking for you everywhere, Gervaise. You seemed to have
+disappeared mysteriously. None had marked you leave the council chamber,
+or knew where you had gone; and after searching everywhere I remembered
+your fondness for walks upon the walls, so I climbed to the top of
+St. John's tower and thence espied you. Well, I congratulate you most
+heartily on the honours that have fallen to your share, especially that
+of the command of a new galley.”
+
+“It is too much altogether, Ralph. I feel ashamed at being thus thrust
+into a post that ought to be given to a knight of age and experience.
+How can I expect a number of young knights, of whom well nigh all must
+be my seniors in age, to obey me as they would an older man?”
+
+“What has age to do with it?” Ralph said. “You have shown that you have
+a head to think, and, as you before proved, you have an arm to strike.
+Why, every young knight in the Order must feel proud that one of their
+own age has gained such honour. It raises them all in their own esteem,
+and you will see that you will get the pick among all the professed
+knights, and of a good many who have finished their profession, and are
+serving here in the hope of some day getting promotion to a commandery.
+Not such an one as you have got; that, in the ordinary course of things,
+does not fall to a knight until he is well on in years, and has served
+in many commanderies of smaller value. I can tell you, directly Sir John
+Kendall came back and told us that you had been appointed commander of
+the new galley, and that it was to be manned wholly by young knights,
+there was not one of those serving their profession in the auberge who
+did not beg Sir John to put down his name for it; and ten or twelve
+others, myself among them, who have obtained full knighthood also.”
+
+“You don't mean to say that you have put down your name to serve under
+me, Ralph? It would be monstrous.”
+
+“I see nothing monstrous in it, Gervaise. As I said just now, years have
+nothing to do with it, and, putting aside our friendship, I would rather
+serve under you than under many knights old enough to be your father. I
+don't know whether I shall have the luck to be one of the chosen, as Sir
+John said that there were to be only seven from each langue, which will
+make forty-nine--with yourself fifty. If I am chosen--and, knowing
+our friendship, I hope that the bailiff will let me go with you--it is
+likely enough I may be named your lieutenant, as I shall be the only one
+beside yourself who is a secular knight, and am, therefore, superior in
+rank to the rest.”
+
+“That would be pleasant indeed, Ralph, though I would rather that you
+had been made commander and I lieutenant; but at any rate, with you
+to support me, I shall feel less oppressed by the thought of my
+responsibility.”
+
+As Ralph had declared would be the case, the young knights in the other
+auberges were as anxious as those of England to be enrolled among the
+crew of the new galley, and the bailiffs had some trouble in choosing
+among the aspirants. Very few were selected outside the rank of
+professed knights, and as great pains were taken to comply with the
+grand master's wishes that only young knights of good conduct and
+disposition, and distinguished by their proficiency in warlike
+exercises, should be chosen, the crew was in every way a picked one.
+Most of them had made one or two of the three months' voyages in
+the galleys, though comparatively few had had the good fortune to be
+absolutely engaged with the Moslem pirates.
+
+To the great satisfaction of himself and Gervaise, Ralph Harcourt
+was nominated lieutenant of the galley. The fact that so many had
+volunteered impressed all those who were chosen with the sense that it
+was at once an honour and a piece of good fortune to be selected, and
+all were determined that the boy galley, as the elder knights laughingly
+termed it, should do honour to the Order.
+
+It was a fortnight before she was launched. Gervaise had heard, with
+great satisfaction, that it had been decided by the council that no
+punishment should be inflicted upon the slaves for their share in the
+intended rising at St. Pelagius. All were guilty, and there was no means
+of saying who had taken prominent parts in the plot. The council felt
+that it was but natural that they should grasp at the prospect of
+freedom, for they themselves would have done the same had they been
+captives of the infidels. Even the warders and guards were allowed to
+go unpunished, although their offence was a much more serious one. Those
+who could have named the men who had accepted bribes were dead, and the
+lesson had been so severe a one that there was no probability of any
+again turning traitors. The author of the rising had been publicly
+executed. Seeing the hopelessness of denial, he had boldly avowed his
+share in the matter, and had acknowledged that he was acting as agent
+for the sultan, and had been supplied with ample funds before leaving
+Constantinople.
+
+He declared that he was absolutely unable to give any names whatever of
+those concerned in the plot, save those of the two overseers, as these
+had undertaken the work of suborning the warders and guards, though he
+admitted that he had on several occasions spoken to slaves as the gangs
+were on their way back to the prison, and had told them to be prepared
+to take part in a plan that was on foot for their rescue from slavery.
+The torture had not been, as was then the usual custom, applied to
+extort information; partly because his story was probable, still more
+because the grand master and council did not wish that more publicity
+should be given to the affair, and were glad that it should be allowed
+to drop without any further trial of the delinquents. In the city
+generally it was only known that a plot had been discovered for the
+liberation and escape of some of the slaves; and, outside the members of
+the Order, none were aware of its extent and dangerous character. To the
+satisfaction of Gervaise and Ralph, Vrados was able to produce letters
+and documents that satisfied the council that he had been deceived as to
+the character of the Greek, and was wholly innocent in the matter.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII THE BOY GALLEY
+
+
+Among those most pleased at the appointment of Gervaise to the command
+of the galley was Sir John Boswell. Ever since the adventure with the
+pirates, the knight had exhibited an almost fatherly interest in him;
+had encouraged him in his studies, ridden with him on such occasions as
+he had permitted himself a short holiday, and had, whenever they were
+together, related to him stories of war, sieges, battles, and escapes,
+from which he thought the young knight might gain lessons for his future
+guidance.
+
+“I doubt, Gervaise,” he said one day, as they were riding quietly along
+the road, “whether our plan of life is altogether the best. We were
+founded, you know, simply as a body of monks, bound to devote ourselves
+solely to the care of the sick, and to give hospitality to pilgrims in
+Palestine. Now this was monkish work, and men who devoted themselves
+solely to such a life of charity as that in our Hospital at Jerusalem,
+might well renounce all human pleasures; but when the great change
+was made by Master Raymond du Puy, and from a nursing body we became a
+brotherhood in arms, it seems to me that the vows of celibacy were no
+longer needful or desirable. The crusaders were, many of them, married
+men, but they fought no worse for that. It would have been far better,
+methinks, had we been converted into an Order pledged to resist the
+infidel, but without the vows of poverty and of celibacy, which have
+never been seriously regarded.
+
+“The garrison here might be composed, as indeed it is now, principally
+of young knights, of those who have not cared to marry, and of the
+officers of the Order whose wives and families might dwell here with
+them. This would have many advantages. Among others, the presence of so
+many ladies of rank would have the excellent effect of discountenancing
+and repressing extravagances and dissolute habits, which are but too
+common, and are a shame to the Order. Knights possessing commanderies
+throughout Europe would be no worse stewards for being married men, and
+scandals, such as contributed largely to the downfall of the Templars,
+would be avoided.
+
+“The sole vow necessary, so far as I can see, would be that knights
+should remain unmarried and disposable at all times for service until
+ten years after making their profession, and that afterwards they should
+ever be ready to obey the summons to arms, on occasions when the safety
+of Rhodes, or the invasion of any Christian country by the Moslems,
+rendered their services needful, when they would come out just as the
+knights of Richard the Lion Heart went out as crusaders. I have spent
+half my life since I joined the Order in commanderies at home, and a
+dull life it was, and I was glad enough to resign my last command and
+come out here. Had I been able to marry, I might now have had a son of
+your age, whose career I could watch and feel a pride in. My life would
+have been far happier in England, and in all respects I should be a
+better man than I am now. Methinks it would strengthen rather than
+weaken the Order. As a fighting body we should be in no way inferior
+to what we are now, and we should be more liked and more respected
+throughout Europe, for naturally the sight of so many men leading a
+luxurious life in commanderies causes a feeling against them.”
+
+“But I suppose, Sir John, that there is no great difficulty in obtaining
+a dispensation from our vows?”
+
+“In this, as in all other matters, everything depends upon interest or
+money. Of course, dispensations are not common; but doubtless any knight
+when he had served his term of active service could, especially if
+his request were backed by the grand master, obtain from the Pope
+a dispensation of his vows. If he had a commandery it would make a
+vacancy, and give the grand prior, or the grand master, or the council,
+in whosoever's gift it might be, an opportunity of rewarding services or
+of gratifying some powerful family.”
+
+“I agree with you that it would have been much better, Sir John. I can
+understand that monks, ever living a quiet life apart from the world,
+should be content so to continue; but among a body of warlike knights
+there must be many who, in time, must come to regret the vows they took
+when boys. The cadet of a noble family might, by the death of elder
+brothers, come to be the head of a great family, the ruler over wide
+domains. Surely it would be desirable that such a man should be able to
+marry and have heirs.”
+
+“Doubtless it could be managed in such cases, Gervaise, but it is a pity
+that it should have to be managed. I can see no reason in the world why
+a knight, after doing ten years of service here, should not be free
+to marry, providing he takes a vow to render full service to the Order
+whenever called upon to do so. Already the vow of poverty is everywhere
+broken. Already, in defiance of their oaths, too many knights lead idle
+and dissolute lives. Already, knights, when in their own countries,
+disregard the rule that they shall draw sword in no cause save that of
+the Holy Sepulchre, and, like other knights and nobles, take part in
+civil strife or foreign wars. All this is a scandal, and it were better
+by far to do away with all oaths, save that of obedience and willingness
+to war with the infidel, than to make vows that all men know are
+constantly and shamelessly broken.
+
+“I am fond of you, Gervaise. I am proud of you, as one who has brought
+honour to our langue, and who, in time, will bring more honour. I am
+glad that, so far as there can be between a young knight and one of
+middle age, there is a friendship between us. But see what greater
+pleasure it would give to my life were you my son, for whom I could
+lay by such funds as I could well spare, instead of spending all my
+appointments on myself, and having neither kith nor kin to give a sigh
+of regret when the news comes that I have fallen in some engagement with
+the infidels. I often think of all these things, and sometimes talk them
+over with comrades, and there are few who do not hold, with me, that it
+would be far better that we should become a purely military Order, like
+some of the military Orders in the courts of the European sovereigns,
+than remain as we are, half monk, half soldier--a mixture that, so far
+as I can see, accords but badly with either morality or public repute.
+
+“However, I see no chance of such a change coming, and we must be
+content to observe our vows as well as may be, so long as we are willing
+to remain monks and try to obtain dispensation from our vows should we
+desire to alter our mode of life. We ought either to have remained monks
+pure and simple, spending our lives in deeds of charity, a life which
+suits many men, and against which I should be the last to say anything,
+or else soldiers pure and simple, as were the crusaders, who wrested
+the Holy Sepulchre from the hands of the infidels. At present, Gervaise,
+your vocation lies wholly in the way of fighting, but it may be that the
+time will come when you may have other aims and ambitions, and when the
+vows of the Order will gall you.”
+
+“I hope not, Sir John,” Gervaise said earnestly.
+
+“You are young yet,” the knight replied, with an indulgent smile. “Some
+day you may think differently. Now,” he went on, changing the subject
+abruptly, “when will your galley be ready?”
+
+“This is my last ride, Sir John. The shipwrights will have finished
+tomorrow, and the next day we shall take possession of her, and begin to
+practise, so that each man shall know his duties, and the galley slaves
+learn to row well, before we have orders to sail. I wish you were going
+with us, Sir John.”
+
+“I should like it, lad, in many respects. It does one good to see the
+enthusiasm of young men, and doubtless you will be a merry party.
+But, on the other hand, unless I mistake, you will be undertaking wild
+adventures, and my time for these is well nigh passed. When the Turk
+comes here, if he ever comes--and of that I have little doubt--I
+shall be ready to take my full share of the fighting; but I shall seek
+adventures no longer, and shall go no more to sea. Next only to the
+bailiff, I am the senior of our auberge, and--but this is between
+ourselves, lad--am like to succeed to the grand priory of England when
+it becomes vacant, and if not I shall, as the grand master has told me,
+have the offer of the next high office vacant in the palace.”
+
+Two days later Gervaise and his company of young knights went down to
+the port to take part in the launch of the new galley. This was the
+occasion of a solemn ceremony, the grand master and a large number of
+knights being present. A religious service first took place on her
+poop, and she was named by the grand master the Santa Barbara. When the
+ceremony was over, Gervaise was solemnly invested with the command of
+the galley by the grand marshal of the navy; then the shores were struck
+away, and the galley glided into the water, amid the firing of guns, the
+blowing of trumpets, and the cheers of the spectators who had gathered
+at the port to witness the ceremony.
+
+The next morning a gang of galley slaves were marched down. A third of
+these had been drawn from the crews of other galleys, their places being
+supplied by new hands. The remainder were taken from the men employed
+on the fortifications. Three weeks were occupied in teaching the rowers
+their work, and getting them well together. They were a fine crew, for
+the governor of St. Pelagius, grateful to Gervaise for the discovery of
+the plot, had ordered the overseers to pick out from the various gangs
+men specially suited by age and strength for the work.
+
+The dye by this time had entirely worn off his face, and although his
+hair was still several shades darker than of old, it differed even more
+widely from the ebon hue that it had been when he was in prison. Thus,
+although he recognised three or four men upon the benches who had been
+fellow occupants of his cell, he had no fear whatever of their detecting
+in the commander of the galley their late companion in misfortune.
+
+Only a portion of the knights had been out each day while the crew were
+learning to row, as there was but little for them to learn. The galley
+carried no sails, and the knights were soldiers rather than sailors, and
+fought on the deck of their ship, as if defending a breach, or storming
+one held by the enemy. Moreover, as all of them had already made one or
+more voyages, they were accustomed to such duties as they would have to
+discharge on board.
+
+All were glad when an order was published for the galley to sail. On the
+eve of departure Gervaise was sent for by the grand master. The general
+of the galleys was with him when Gervaise entered the room. The bailiff
+of Auvergne always held the position of grand marshal, and the bailiff
+of Italy that of second in command, with the title of grand admiral.
+These officials, however, as heads of their respective langues, had many
+other duties to perform, and it was only on great occasions that they
+took any practical share in the work of which they were nominally heads.
+The real control in all naval questions rested with the general of the
+galleys, who was elected by the council, but on the nomination of the
+grand master.
+
+His power when at sea with the fleet was absolute. He could suspend any
+officer from duty, and had unquestioned power of life and death over
+the crews. He had been frequently on board the galley since she had been
+launched, and had been pleased with the attention paid by Gervaise to
+his duties, and with the ready manner in which the young knights carried
+out his orders.
+
+“Sir Gervaise Tresham,” he said, “it is usual, as you know, to appoint
+each galley to a certain cruising ground, to which it is confined during
+its three months' absence. At present there is a galley on each of these
+stations, and as the last relief took place but a month since, it is
+better that they should remain at the stations allotted to them. I
+have therefore, after consultation with his Highness the grand master,
+decided to give you a free hand. You are as likely to meet with pirates
+in one quarter as in another, and you will pick up from vessels you
+may overhaul news of their doings, which will enable you to direct your
+course to the point where you will be most useful.”
+
+“In the first place, however, you will proceed to the coast of Tunis.
+Visconti's galley is already there, but the coast swarms with corsairs,
+and we have had many complaints as to their depredations. The Court of
+Spain has twice represented to us lately that the pirates have grown
+so bold that vessels have been carried off, even when coasting from one
+Spanish port to another. Visconti is specially watching the coast near
+Tunis, and you will therefore perhaps do better to proceed farther west,
+for every village from Tunis to Tangier is little better than a nest
+of pirates. I should imagine that you will find ample employment there
+during your three months' cruise. When I say that you are free to
+choose your own cruising ground, I do not mean that you should go up the
+Levant, or to the east of the Mediterranean, but that you are not bound
+to keep close along the African coast, but may, should you obtain any
+information to warrant your doing so, seek the pirates along the shores
+of Spain, Sardinia, Corsica, or Sicily.
+
+“I need not warn you to act with prudence as well as courage, for you
+have proved that you possess both qualities. Do not allow yourself to
+be carried away by the impetuosity of your knights; it is more often
+the duty of a commander to restrain than to encourage his crew, and with
+such young blood as you have under your command the necessity will be
+greater than usual. Be kind to your slaves, but be ever watchful;
+yet this I need not tell you. Maintain a strict but not over severe
+discipline. You are all knights and comrades of the Order, and equals
+when on shore, but on board you are the captain and they are your
+soldiers. I have this afternoon had a meeting of your knights, and have
+urged upon them very strongly that, having volunteered to serve under
+you, they must obey your orders as promptly and willingly as if you were
+the senior knight of the Order, and that it behooves them specially
+upon the present occasion, when the crew is composed entirely of young
+knights, to show themselves worthy of the honour that has been done to
+them by entrusting a galley of the Order to their charge. I told them
+I should regard your report of their individual conduct with the same
+attention and respect with which I should that of any other commander,
+and that they might greatly make or mar their future prospects in the
+Order by their conduct during the cruise. I am convinced, from what I
+know of you, that you will exercise no undue harshness, but will act
+with tact and discretion, as well as firmness.”
+
+“I will try to do so, your Excellency. I feel that it is a heavy
+responsibility and will spare no pains to justify the unmerited honour
+that has been bestowed upon me.”
+
+“You have seen that the taking in of stores is complete, and that
+nothing is wanting for the voyage?”
+
+“Yes, sir. I stood by while the overseer of stores checked off every
+sack and barrel as it came on board. The water is to be brought off this
+evening, and as I was unable to be present, Sir Ralph Harcourt is there
+to count the barrels and see that all are full.”
+
+“Goodbye, Sir Gervaise,” the grand master said, as the interview
+terminated.
+
+“Hitherto you have given me, from the time you reached the Island,
+naught but reason for satisfaction at my nomination of you as page,
+and I have no fear that you will fail this time. Remember that valour,
+however great, cannot prevail against overpowering odds. You had a
+lesson of that when you served under Ricord, though finally the affair
+turned out well. I do not say, don't attempt desperate undertakings, but
+don't attempt impossible ones. Be careful of the lives of your knights.
+Remember that ere long every sword may be of the utmost consequence in
+the defence of Rhodes, and that even the capture of pirates may be too
+dearly purchased; but that, at the same time, the honour of the flag
+of the Order must be upheld at all hazards. Ah!” he broke off, seeing
+a slight smile on the young knight's face, “you think my orders
+contradictory? It may be so; but you know what I mean, and I fear not
+that you will blunder in carrying them out. Be prudent, and yet not
+over prudent. I mean, be not rash, unless there are such benefits to be
+obtained as would justify great risk in obtaining them.”
+
+On returning to the auberge, Gervaise had a long chat with Ralph.
+
+“I think the admiral's talk with us this afternoon had an excellent
+effect, Gervaise. I do not say that every one was not before disposed
+to obey you in all things, willingly and cheerfully; but he put it so
+strongly to them that they had volunteered specially for service in this
+galley, knowing well who was to be its commander, and the circumstance
+that the crew was to consist solely of young knights, and had therefore
+specially pledged their honour so to act that the enterprise should be
+in all respects a successful one. To render it so, obedience was even
+a greater necessity than valour. This was the most important of all the
+vows taken by the knights of the Order, and it was only by the strictest
+and most unquestioning obedience on the part of all to the orders of
+their superiors, that the work of a vast community could be carried
+on. Passing over the fact that you were their superior in rank, both as
+being a secular knight and a knight commander of the Order, you had
+been specially appointed by the grand master and council, as well as
+by himself, and that they bestowed upon you while at sea, and in
+the absence of any officers of superior rank, their full powers and
+authority. You were, in fact, their representative and agent, and
+therefore to be regarded with the same deference and respect that would
+be due to the oldest knight similarly placed. 'Lastly,' he said, in a
+less serious tone, 'you must remember that this is an experiment, and,
+as some think, a somewhat rash one. Never before did a galley, manned
+entirely from among the youngest of our knights, put to sea; and you may
+be sure that, unless successful, the experiment is not likely to be ever
+repeated. You have been selected from among many other candidates, and
+you have not only to justify the choice, but to uphold the reputation
+and honour of the young knights of your Order, by all of whom your
+doings will be regarded with special interest, as reflecting credit not
+only upon yourselves individually, but as representatives and champions
+of them all.'
+
+“I could see that his words had a great effect. He had placed me beside
+him, and I marked their faces as he spoke. Each face lit up at his
+appeal, and I do not think there was one but silently registered a vow
+to do all in his power to prove himself worthy of the confidence placed
+in him and his companions by the grand master and admiral. I had before
+no shadow of fear that everything would not go well. I knew almost all
+of them personally, and if I myself had had the selection from among
+the whole body of knights in the convent, I could not have made a choice
+that would have suited me better. It seems to me that in each auberge
+the bailiff has endeavoured to pick out the seven young knights whom he
+considered would most worthily support the honour of the langue. Still,
+confident as I was before, I feel more so now, after the admiral's
+address to us.”
+
+“I had no fear either, Ralph, though doubtless the admiral's words
+will carry great weight with them. It was thoughtlessness rather than
+anything else that I dreaded; but now that the admiral himself has
+spoken to them, there is no fear that anything will occur to give us
+trouble. I have particularly noticed that when we have been on board,
+and have been laughing and chatting together before we got under way,
+their manner changed directly the first order was given, and that all
+the commands were carried out with as much goodwill and alacrity as if
+they were under Ricord himself.”
+
+On the following morning the knights all went on board the Santa
+Barbara. Their baggage was carried down by slaves, and by the personal
+servants from each auberge who were to go as their attendants during
+the voyage. The grand master had advanced Gervaise a sum equal to half a
+year's income of his commandery, and with this he had purchased a stock
+of the best wines, and various other luxuries, to supplement the rations
+supplied from the funds of the Order to knights when at sea. Gervaise
+had to go round early to the admiral to sign the receipt for stores and
+to receive his final orders in writing. All were, therefore, on board
+before him and, when he arrived, were drawn up in military order to
+receive him.
+
+Every knight was in full armour, and as, at a word from Ralph, they
+drew their swords and saluted the young commander, Gervaise felt with a
+thrill of pleasure and of confidence that with such a following he
+need not fear any encounter with a pirate force, unless in overwhelming
+numbers.
+
+The young knights were all, with the exception only of Ralph Harcourt,
+between the ages of seventeen and nineteen, and their young faces, free
+in most cases even from the suspicion of a moustache, looked almost
+those of boys. But there was no mistaking the ardour and enthusiasm in
+their faces, and the lack of breadth and weight, that years alone would
+give to them, was compensated by skill in their weapons, acquired by
+long and severe training, and by the activity and tireless energy of
+youth.
+
+“Knights and comrades,” Gervaise said as, after walking through the
+double line to the end of the poop he turned and faced them, “I am
+proud indeed to command so gallant a body of knights. The success of our
+expedition depends upon you rather than upon me, and as I feel assured
+of your warm cooperation I have no fear as to what the result will be,
+if Dame Fortune will but favour us by throwing in our way some of those
+scourges of the sea in search of whom we are about to set out. Many of
+us have already encountered them, and, fighting side by side with older
+knights, have borne our share of the work, while those who have not done
+so will, I am sure, do equally well when the opportunity arrives. We
+shall not this voyage have the encouragement and confidence inspired by
+the presence of those who have long and valiantly borne the standard of
+the Order; but, on the other hand, we have to show that we are worthy
+of the confidence reposed in us, and that the young knights of the Order
+can be trusted to emulate the deeds of those who have rendered the name
+of the Hospitallers a terror to the infidel.”
+
+A shout of approbation greeted the close of his address. Gervaise then
+walked forward to the end of the poop, and looked down upon the slaves,
+who, with their oars out, were awaiting the order to row.
+
+“Men,” he said in Turkish, “it is my desire that, while it is necessary
+that you should do your work, your lot shall be no heavier than can be
+avoided. You will not be taxed beyond your powers, save when the enemy
+is in sight, or there is supreme need for haste, but then you must be
+called upon for your utmost exertions. I wish your work to be willing.
+I abhor the use of the lash, and so long as each man does his fair quota
+of work, I have given the strictest orders that it shall never be used.
+I have, at my own cost, made provision that your daily rations shall be
+improved while under my command. Meat will be served out to you daily,
+when it can be obtained, and for those of you who hold that the strict
+tenets of your religion may be relaxed while engaged in such severe
+labour, a ration of wine will also be served out; and such other
+indulgences as are compatible with the discipline and safety of the
+ship, will also be granted to you.”
+
+There was a murmur of gratitude among the slaves. Gervaise then gave the
+order to row, and the galley started on her voyage. The knights had now
+fallen out from their ranks, and were soon laughing and talking gaily.
+Being all of noble families and knightly rank, there was, except when on
+actual duty, a tone of perfect equality and good fellowship prevailing
+among them. French was the common language, for as the Order was of
+French foundation, and three of the seven langues belonged to that
+country, most of the high dignitaries being chosen from their ranks,
+it was natural that the French language should be the general medium of
+communication between them.
+
+Until noon the slaves rowed steadily and well. Work was then stopped,
+for there was scarce a breath of wind stirring the water. Even under the
+awning that had, as the sun gained power, been erected over the poop,
+the heat was oppressive. The knights had all divested themselves of
+their armour, and most of them retired below for a siesta. As soon as
+the slaves stopped rowing, an awning, which Gervaise had purchased,
+and which was rolled up under the break of the poop, was, to their
+astonishment, drawn over them.
+
+“Don't you think you are spoiling your slaves, Sir Gervaise?” one of the
+Spanish knights asked doubtfully.
+
+“On the contrary, Sir Pedro, I hope that I am improving them. You have
+not worked as a galley slave, but I have, and I can assure you that I
+used to feel the hours when we were lying broiling in the sun, doing
+nothing, much more trying than those during which I was at work. I used
+to be quite giddy and sick with the heat, and on getting out the
+oars again had scarce strength to work them. But this is not the most
+important point. In port the slaves always sleep in the prison, but at
+sea they must rest on their benches; and to do so with clothes soaked
+with the heavy dew must be a severe trial, and most prejudicial to the
+health. The awning cost but a few ducats, and I reckon that, putting
+aside the comfort to the slaves, it will be very speedily repaid by
+their better health and capacity for labour. When away in the galley
+with Sir Louis Ricord, I used to feel the greatest pity for the
+unfortunate wretches when at daybreak, in their drenched clothes, and
+shivering with cold and wet, they rose to commence their work. I then
+took a vow that if ever I should come to command a galley I would
+provide an awning for the slaves.”
+
+Two or three of the knights standing by expressed their warm approval
+of what Gervaise said. There was, in those days, but little of that
+sentiment of humanity that is now prevalent, and slaves were everywhere
+regarded as mere beasts of burden rather than as human beings. When,
+however, they had the question put to them, as Gervaise had done, they
+were ready to give a hearty agreement, although it was the utilitarian
+rather than the humanitarian side of the question that recommended it
+to them. After three hours' rest the journey was renewed, and just
+at nightfall the galley anchored off an islet lying to the north of
+Carpathos.
+
+While the servants were laying the tables along the poop for the
+evening meal, Gervaise went down to see that his orders were carried out
+regarding the food for the slaves. They were already eating their
+bread and meat with an air of satisfaction that showed how warmly they
+appreciated the unusual indulgence, while there were few indeed who did
+not hold up their drinking horns as a servant passed along between the
+benches with a skin of wine. Gervaise spoke to many of them.
+
+“Ah, my lord,” one of them said, “if we were always treated like this,
+slavery would be endurable. For ten years have I rowed in Christian
+galleys, but never before has an awning been spread to keep off the sun
+or the dew. We shall not forget your kindness, my lord, and will row our
+hardest right cheerfully when you call upon us for an effort.”
+
+There was a murmur of assent from the galley slaves around.
+
+“May Allah be merciful to you, as you are merciful to us!” another slave
+exclaimed. “The blessing of those whom you regard as infidels can at
+least do you no harm.”
+
+“On the contrary, it can do me good,” Gervaise said. “The God you
+Moslems and we Christians worship is, I believe, the same, though under
+another name.”
+
+Gervaise had, indeed, during his long conversations with Suleiman Ali,
+often discussed with him the matter of his faith, and had come, in
+consequence, to regard it in a very different light to that in which it
+was viewed by his companions. There was faith in one God at the
+bottom of both Mohammedanism and Christianity. The Mohammedans held
+in reverence the lawgivers and prophets of the Old Testament, and even
+regarded Christ Himself as being a prophet. They had been grievously led
+away by Mahomet, whom Gervaise regarded as a false teacher; but as he
+had seen innumerable instances of the fidelity of the Moslems to their
+creed, and the punctuality and devotion with which the slaves said their
+daily prayers, exposed though they were to the scorn and even the anger
+of their taskmasters, he had quite lost, during his nine months
+of constant association with Suleiman Ali, the bigoted hatred of
+Mohammedanism so universal at the time. He regarded Moslems as foes to
+be opposed to the death; but he felt that it was unfair to hate them for
+being hostile to Christianity, of which they knew nothing.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII THE FIRST PRIZES
+
+
+After leaving the slaves, Gervaise joined his companions on the poop.
+They were engaged in an animated discussion as to whether it was
+advisable to grant indulgences to slaves. The majority approved of the
+steps Gervaise had taken, but some asserted that these concessions would
+only lead them to look for more, and would create discontent among the
+crews of other galleys not so favoured.
+
+“Well, comrades,” said Gervaise, “I think that so far I am better
+qualified than any of you to give an opinion; but it may be that it will
+fall to the lot of some of you to be a slave in Turkish hands. In that
+case, I can affirm with certainty, that you will keenly appreciate any
+alleviation, however small, of your lot. You must remember that the one
+feeling of the slave is dull despair. Death is the only relief he has
+to look forward to. Do you think that a man so feeling can do his best,
+either at an oar or at any other kind of work? I am sure it would not be
+so in my case. But if you brighten his life a little, and show him
+that he is not regarded as merely a brute beast, and that you take some
+interest in him, he will work in a different spirit. Even viewed from a
+merely monetary point of view it must pay well to render him as content
+as possible with his lot. You know how great is the mortality among the
+slaves--how they pine away and die from no material malady that can be
+detected, but simply from hopelessness and weariness of life, aided,
+undoubtedly, in the case of the galley slaves, by sleeping in the damp
+night air after an exposure all day to the full heat of the sun. This
+brings an answer to your second objection. Undoubtedly it might cause
+discontent among the slaves of other galleys when they hear that others
+are treated better than themselves. But I hope that if, on our return,
+we bring back all our slaves in good condition and health, the contrast
+between their appearance and that of the slaves in most other galleys
+will be so marked that the admiral may consider it would be well to
+order awnings to be fixed to all the vessels of the Order, and even to
+grant to all slaves, when away on voyages, the little indulgences I
+have given them here. The expense would be very trifling, and it would
+certainly add a great deal to the average life of a slave, and would
+render him capable of better work. There is another advantage. If
+the Turks learn that their countrymen in our hands are treated with a
+certain amount of kindness and consideration, it might lead them to act
+similarly to those of our Order who may be unfortunate enough to fall
+into their hands.”
+
+“There is a great deal in what you say, Sir Gervaise,” one of the
+knights, who had before taken the opposite point of view, said. “There
+is no reason why our galley should not be a model one, and though, like
+enough, the seniors will laugh at our making innovations, D'Aubusson
+is a reformer, and will certainly support anything that he sees to be
+beneficial, from whatever quarter it comes.”
+
+Supper was now served, and the young knights were well pleased with the
+entertainment provided for them. It was the principal meal of the day.
+Their fast was broken by a glass of wine, a manchet of bread, and fruit
+soon after rising. At eleven o'clock they sat down to a more substantial
+meal; but in that climate the heat was at that hour considerable, and as
+there were duties to be performed, there was no sitting long at table.
+At supper the day's work was over, their appetite was sharpened by the
+cool evening breeze, and the meal was hearty and prolonged. After it was
+concluded, several of the knights brought up from below viols and other
+instruments of music; for the ability to accompany the voice with such
+an instrument was considered an essential part of the education of a
+knight.
+
+For some hours the songs and romances, so popular at the time, were sung
+in the various languages represented on board; then the knights, one by
+one, went down to their sleeping places, until only the seven knights of
+the langue of Auvergne, who were to watch the first night, remained on
+deck. Five of these wrapped themselves in their mantles and lay down on
+the benches. One of the others descended to the waist, walked along the
+plank between the lines of sleeping slaves, and took up his place in
+the bow, while the other paced up and down the poop, the fall of
+his footsteps being the only sound to break the silence that reigned
+throughout the ship.
+
+In the morning, as soon as the knights had all taken a plunge in the
+sea, the oars were got out, and the galley proceeded on her way. Passing
+through the islands and skirting the southern shore of Greece, she
+continued her course west. Malta was sighted, but they did not put in
+there. Pantellaria was passed, and in a fortnight after leaving Rhodes,
+Cape Bon, at the entrance to the bay of Tunis, was sighted. Until Greece
+was left behind them, the nights had generally been spent in small
+ports, where supplies of fresh meat, fish, and fruit, were obtainable.
+So far no incident had marked the voyage. The weather had continued
+fine, and they had heard nothing, from ships they had fallen in with,
+of any Moslem pirates having been seen. A few hours, however, after
+sighting the coast of Africa, a dark object was seen ahead.
+
+“It is a ship of some sort,” Ralph said; “but her masts have gone. It
+may be that she is a merchantman that has been captured and sacked by
+the Moorish pirates.”
+
+Orders were given to the rowers to quicken their pace, and in little
+over an hour they were alongside the hull. As soon as the vessels were
+close enough for those on the poop of the galley to look down on to
+the deck of the other craft, it was seen that Ralph's suppositions were
+correct. Two bodies lay stretched upon it. One was crushed under the
+fallen mast; the other lay huddled up in a heap, a cannon ball having
+almost torn him asunder. The knights leapt on to the deck as soon as the
+galley ran alongside. Gervaise made first for the man lying beneath the
+mast; as he came up to him, the sailor opened his eyes and murmured,
+“Water!” Gervaise called out to one of the servants to bring water from
+the galley, and, as soon as it came, poured some between the man's lips,
+and the knights by their united efforts lifted the mast from across his
+body. It was evident, however, that he had but a short time to live,
+and the dew of death was on his face. After a few minutes he rallied a
+little, and looked gratefully at his rescuers.
+
+“You have been attacked by pirates,” Gervaise said. “Was there one
+galley, or two?”
+
+“Three galleys,” the man replied in a faint whisper.
+
+“Do you know where they were from?”
+
+“Tripoli.”
+
+“How long ago?”
+
+“It was about three hours after sunrise when we saw them coming up,” the
+man said, his voice gaining in strength, as some wine they gave him took
+effect. “It was useless to fight, and I hauled down our flag, but in
+spite of that one of the pirates fired a broadside, and one of the
+shot hit the mast and brought it down, and I was crushed under it. They
+boarded us, took off all the crew as captives, and emptied the hold; I
+knew that I was done for, and begged them to kill me; but they paid
+no attention. I know a little of their language, and as I lay there I
+caught something of what they were saying; they are bound for the Island
+of Sardinia, where they have a rendezvous, and are to join a great
+gathering of their consorts. I don't know the name of the place, but it
+is on the east coast. More water!”
+
+Gervaise knelt to pour some water between his lips, when he gave a
+sudden cry, a shudder ran through his frame, and he was dead.
+
+“Let us return on board, gentlemen,” Gervaise said, rising to his feet.
+“We can do nothing here.”
+
+As soon as he regained the deck of the galley, he signed to Ralph to
+follow him below.
+
+“Now, Ralph,” he said, “this is one of those cases in which we have to
+decide whether we ought or ought not to be prudent. From what that poor
+fellow said, the pirates have about five hours' start of us, and as they
+can have no idea that they are pursued, we can doubtless overtake them
+before they reach Sardinia. The question is, ought we to pursue them at
+once, or ought we to coast along until we find Visconti's galley? Three
+of these Tripoli pirates, crowded as they always are with men, would
+prove serious opponents, yet we might engage them with a fair hope of
+victory. But we may be seriously disabled in the fight, and should be,
+perhaps, unable to carry the news to Genoa that there are many pirate
+ships gathering on the coast of Sardinia to prey upon their commerce.”
+
+“We might be days, or even weeks, before we light upon Visconti's
+galley, Gervaise, and even when we found it, he might not consider
+himself justified in leaving the coast where he is stationed. Besides,
+while we are spending our time looking for him, the pirates will be
+committing terrible depredations. It must be a big expedition, under
+some notorious pirate, or they would never venture so far north.”
+
+“Then you think that I should be justified in pursuing them alone. It is
+a fearful responsibility to have to decide.”
+
+“I think so, Gervaise. There is no saying what misfortunes might happen
+if we did not venture to do so.”
+
+“Very well then, so be it. But before deciding finally on so grave a
+matter, I will lay it before the company.”
+
+“There is no doubt as to what their decision will be,” Ralph said, with
+a smile.
+
+“Perhaps not, Ralph; but as they will be called upon to risk their lives
+in a dangerous enterprise, it is as well that they should have a say in
+the matter.”
+
+When they returned on to the poop, there was an expression of eagerness
+and excitement on the faces of the young knights which showed how
+anxiously they had been awaiting the result of the conference below.
+Gervaise stepped on to a bench, and motioned to them to close up round
+him.
+
+“Comrades,” he said, “although the responsibility of whatever course may
+be taken must rest upon my shoulders, yet I think it but right that,
+as a general before a battle often calls a council of war to assist him
+with its advice, so I should lay before you the two courses open to us,
+and ask your opinion upon them. Sir Ralph Harcourt and I are of one mind
+in the matter, but as the decision is a grave one we should be loath to
+act upon it without your concurrence.”
+
+He then repeated the alternatives as he had laid them before Ralph.
+“Now,” he went on, “as you see, there is grave danger, and much risk
+in the one course; but if successful its advantages are obvious. On
+the other hand, the second plan is more sure, more prudent, and more in
+accordance with the instructions I have received. I ask you to let me
+know frankly your opinion on the subject. If your view agrees with ours,
+although it will not relieve me from the responsibility of deciding,
+it will at least, in the event of things turning out badly, be a
+satisfaction to know that the course had your approval, and that it was
+your desire, as well as ours, that we should undertake it. First, then,
+let all who are in favour of following the pirates go to the starboard
+side of the deck, while those who are in favour of joining Visconti, and
+laying this serious matter we have discovered before him, move to the
+larboard side.”
+
+There was a rush of the knights to the right, and not one moved to the
+other side.
+
+“Your decision is the same as ours,” Gervaise said. “To the north, then!
+If there is great peril in the adventure, there is also great honour to
+be gained.”
+
+The knights gave a shout of satisfaction at finding that their choice
+was also that of the officers.
+
+“Lay her head to the north,” Gervaise said to the pilot. Then he went
+to the end of the poop, and ordered the slaves to row on. “Row a long,
+steady stroke, such as you can maintain for many hours. We have a long
+journey before us, and there is need for haste. Now is the time for
+willing work.”
+
+The oars dipped into the water, and the galley was soon moving along
+at a much faster pace than that at which they had performed the journey
+from Rhodes. The slaves had not, from their benches, been able to see
+what had passed on board the dismantled vessel, but from the order and
+the change of course, they had no doubt that the knights had obtained
+some clue to the direction taken by the corsairs who had captured and
+sacked the ship.
+
+“There is but little wind,” Gervaise said to Ralph, “and their sails
+will be of slight use to them; therefore we shall go fully three feet to
+their two. It is quite possible that we may not catch sight of them,
+for we cannot tell exactly the course they will take. We shall steer for
+Cape Carbonara, which is some hundred and thirty miles distant. If we
+do not see them by the time we get there, we shall be sure that we have
+passed them on the way, unless, indeed, a strong wind should spring up
+from the south. However, I hope that we shall catch sight of them before
+that, for we shall be able from our lookout to discover their masts and
+sails some eight or ten miles away, while they will not be able to see
+us until we are within half that distance. They cannot be more than
+twenty miles away now, for the light breeze will aid them but little,
+and as they will see no occasion for haste, they will not be rowing at
+their full power, with so long a passage before them.”
+
+Already, indeed, one of the knights had perched himself on the seat at
+the top of a low mast some fifteen feet above the poop, that served as a
+lookout.
+
+“You can see nothing yet, I suppose, Cairoli?”
+
+“No; the line of sea is clear all round.”
+
+It was indeed some four hours before the knight on the lookout cried
+that he could make out three dark specks on the horizon. Gervaise at
+once ascended to the lookout, by the ladder that was fixed against the
+post.
+
+“They are making to the left of the course we are taking. Turn her head
+rather more to the west. That will do. They are directly ahead now.” He
+then came down to the deck again. “I would that we had seven or eight
+more hours of daylight, Ralph, instead of but three at the outside.
+However, as we know the course they are taking, we are not likely to
+miss them, for as we shall not be near enough for them to make us out
+before the sun sets, there will be no chance of their changing it. Do
+you think they will row all night?”
+
+“I should not think so. If the land were nearer they might keep on until
+they make it, but as they have had no wind since daylight, they will lie
+on their oars until morning. You see, at sunset they will still be some
+eighty miles from Cape Carbonara, and the slaves could not possibly row
+that distance without rest; so that if we keep on we may take them by
+surprise.”
+
+“That is what I have been thinking, Ralph, but it would be well not to
+attack them until nearly daybreak. We should capture one galley easily
+enough; but the others, being ignorant of our force, might make off in
+different directions, and we might lose both of them. If, on the other
+hand, we could fall upon them a short time before daylight, we should be
+able to keep them in sight, and, even if they separated, they would soon
+come together and continue their course, or, as I hope, when they see
+that we are alone, bear up and fight us. I think that our best plan will
+be to row on until it is dark, then give the slaves six hours' rest, and
+after that go on quietly. If we can make them out, which we may do if
+they have lights on board, we will stop, and wait until it is the hour
+to attack them. If we miss them, we will row on to Sardinia and lie up,
+as we proposed, until they come along.”
+
+“I think that will be a very good plan, Gervaise.”
+
+Before sunset the three pirate ships could be clearly made out from the
+deck, but the pilot judged them to be fully ten miles away. Half an hour
+later the slaves were told to cease rowing. Gervaise had ordered the
+cooks to prepare them a good meal, and this was at once served, together
+with a full ration of wine. As soon as they had consumed it, they were
+told to lie down and sleep, as at one o'clock the galley would be again
+under way.
+
+The knights' supper was served below, as lights on the poop might be
+made out, should a lookout be placed by the corsairs in their tops.
+
+“We had better follow the example of the galley slaves,” Gervaise said,
+rising as soon as the meal was finished, “and, with the exception of
+Spain, who is on watch, turn in to sleep till we are off again. All of
+you will, of course, don your armour on rising.”
+
+At the appointed hour the galley was again under way. There was not a
+breath of air, and before starting, pieces of cloth were wrapped round
+the oars at the rowlocks to deaden the sound, which might otherwise have
+been heard at a considerable distance on so still a night. After an hour
+and a half's rowing, the knight on the lookout said that he could see a
+light some distance ahead. The pilot, an experienced old sailor, joined
+him, and speedily descended to the poop again.
+
+“It is a ship's light,” he said. “I should say that it was a lantern on
+board the ship of the captain of the expedition, and is shown to enable
+the other two to keep near him. I cannot say how far it is away, for
+I do not know at what height it hangs above the water; but I should
+imagine, from the feebleness of the light, that it must be some two
+miles distant.”
+
+As soon as the light had been noticed, the slaves had been ordered to
+cease rowing, and they were now told that they would not be required
+again for fully two hours. When the first gleam of dawn appeared in
+the east they were called to their work again. The lantern was still
+burning, and, in a quarter of an hour, the knights on the poop were
+able, in the broadening light, to make out three shadowy forms some
+two miles ahead of them. They decreased this distance by more than half
+before they could discern any signs of life or motion on board. Then
+a sudden stir was apparent; they could hear shouts from one vessel to
+another, oars were thrust out, and an effort made to get the heads of
+the ships in the same direction, so as to catch the light breeze that
+had just sprung up.
+
+The moment he saw that the galley was discovered, Gervaise shouted down
+to the slaves to row their hardest, and told the pilot to steer for the
+ship farthest to the east. She was some four or five hundred yards from
+her nearest consort, and the same distance separated that vessel from
+the third craft.
+
+“We shall have time to carry her, Ralph, before the others come to her
+assistance, and they will only arrive one at a time. If we were to lie
+alongside the middle craft, which is probably that of the chief, as it
+is she that has the light burning, we might have the other two upon us
+before we had done with her, for she is evidently the largest, and most
+likely the strongest handed, of them.”
+
+The leader of the pirates evidently saw that there was no chance of
+evading the fight. A flag was run up to the masthead of his ship, and
+the three vessels began to endeavour to turn, so as to meet the galley.
+The operation, however, took some time. In the confusion, orders were
+misunderstood, and instead of all the slaves on one side rowing whilst
+those on the other side backed, all order was lost, and long before the
+craft for which the galley was making had got round, the latter was upon
+her.
+
+“Shall I ram her, Sir Gervaise?” the pilot asked.
+
+“No; we might damage ourselves; besides, I do not want to sink her.
+Sheer away the oars on one side!”
+
+The galley carried eight guns--three on each side of the poop, and two
+forward; and these had been loaded with small pieces of iron. A few
+shots had been fired by the pirates, but, owing to the confusion that
+prevailed on board, the guns were discharged so hurriedly that the shot
+either flew overhead or passed wide of the galley. Excited as the young
+knights were, and eager for the fray, a general laugh broke out as the
+galley swept along by the pirate ship, breaking many of her oars, and
+hurling all the slaves who manned them backwards off their benches. A
+moment later the guns poured their iron contents among the pirates who
+clustered thickly on the forecastle and poop, and as the vessels grated
+together the knights sprang on board the corsair.
+
+The members of the English langue had each been provided with short
+pieces of rope, and before joining their companions in the fray they
+lashed the vessels together, side by side. The fight was a very short
+one. France and Auvergne, led by Ralph Harcourt, boarded at the bow, the
+other five langues at the poop; and so impetuous was their onset that
+the pirates, who had still scarce recovered from their surprise at being
+hastily aroused from sleep to repel the attack of the foe who had so
+suddenly sprung out from the darkness upon them, offered but a feeble
+resistance. Many threw themselves overboard, and swam to the ship
+nearest to them; others were cut down; and the rest flung away their
+arms, and cried for quarter.
+
+All who did so were, without the loss of a minute's time, thrown down
+into the hold of their ship, and the hatches secured over them. It had
+before been arranged that Ralph should take the command of the corsair,
+having with him France, Auvergne, and Germany. As soon, therefore, as
+the captives were fastened below, Gervaise called the knights of the
+other four langues back to the deck of the galley. The lashings were
+cast off, she was pushed from the side of the prize, and the oars were
+got out. There was no time to be lost, for the largest of the three
+pirate ships, which had, directly it was seen that her consort
+was captured, poured two heavy broadsides into the prize, was now
+approaching--rowing but slowly, however, for the third vessel to come
+up.
+
+She was but a hundred yards away when the galley swept round the bow of
+the prize and advanced to meet her. As she did so, Ralph discharged the
+eight guns of the prize, which he had at once reloaded, into the bow of
+the corsair, the shot raking the crowded deck from end to end. When but
+a few yards distant, the two bow guns of the galley poured in a shower
+of missiles, and a moment later she ran alongside the pirate, the poop
+guns, as before, preparing the way for the boarders. But no sooner had
+they leapt on deck than they were met by the pirates, headed by their
+captain.
+
+Gervaise had specially charged the knights not to allow themselves to
+be carried away by their ardour. “We are sure to be greatly outnumbered,
+and, when we first spring on board, we must cut our way across the deck,
+and then form ourselves in a double or treble line across it, and, so
+fighting, gradually force them before us.”
+
+This, in spite of the efforts of the pirates, was accomplished, and,
+once formed, the corsairs strove in vain to break through the wall
+of steel. For a time, however, no forward movement could be made, so
+furious were the attacks upon them, led by the pirate chief. Several
+times breaches were made in the front rank, but the knights behind each
+time bore back the assault, and restored the line. The knights had won
+their way half along the poop when a yell of exultation rose from the
+corsairs as the third of their vessels rowed up on the other side of the
+galley, and her crew sprang on board it. Gervaise called the knights of
+the second line from their places, and ranged them along the bulwark, to
+prevent the Moors from boarding from the poop of the galley.
+
+Then for a moment he looked round. The prize was creeping up, and was a
+length or two away, coming up alongside. Its approach was also noticed
+by the pirates, who, with wild shouts, flung themselves upon their
+opponents. Gervaise sprang forward to take the place of a young Italian
+knight, who staggered back, with his helmet cleft by a heavy blow from
+the keen yataghan of the pirate captain. The corsair, shouting his war
+cry of “Allah!” sprang with the bound of a wild cat upon Gervaise; his
+weapon descended on his uplifted guard, and shore right through the
+stout blade. With a shout of triumph, the corsair raised his arm to
+repeat the blow; but Gervaise in turn sprang forward, and struck with
+all his force with the pommel of his sword on the forehead of his
+opponent. The latter fell as if shot, his weapon dropping from his hand
+beside him.
+
+Dismayed at the fall of their leader, his followers recoiled for a
+moment. Another tall pirate sprang forward to take his place, and,
+shouting to them to follow, was about to throw himself upon Gervaise,
+when a gun crashed out close alongside. A storm of iron swept away the
+front line of Moors, and the shout of “St. John!” “St. John!” rose above
+the din. It was one of the bow guns of the prize, and as she swept along
+gun after gun poured its contents among the pirates.
+
+“Do you clear the galley, Ralph. We can manage here now,” Gervaise said,
+as Ralph leapt on board. The latter, followed by his party of knights,
+rushed across the poop, and sprang on to the galley among the pirates,
+who had been striving in vain to break through the line of defenders.
+Gervaise called to his party to follow him, and, taking the offensive,
+fell upon the remnant of the corsairs who still held the forward end of
+the poop.
+
+The discharge of the cannon at such close quarters had wrought terrible
+havoc among them, and the pirates, with but slight resistance, turned,
+and either ran down the ladder or leapt into the water. The knights
+followed them forward among the benches of the rowers, who cheered
+loudly in many tongues as they passed them. At the forecastle the Moors
+made another stand, but the knights forced their way up, and in two
+minutes all was over.
+
+“Now to the aid of our comrades!” Gervaise shouted, as the last of the
+corsairs was struck down.
+
+Ralph's party had indeed cleared the poop of the galley, but they in
+vain endeavoured to climb up on to that of the third pirate ship, whose
+superior height gave a great advantage to its defenders. Gervaise leapt
+down on to the bow of the galley, followed by the knights, and then ran
+aft until he could climb into the waist of the pirate. So intent were
+the corsairs upon defending the poop that they did not see what was
+going on elsewhere, and Gervaise had obtained a fair footing before he
+was noticed. Then a number of men ran down and attacked his party. But
+it was too late, for the whole of the knights had, by this time, leaped
+on board. Their assailants were forced back, and, pressing close upon
+them, the knights gained the poop before the main body of the pirates
+were aware of their coming.
+
+Warned by the shouts and shrieks of their comrades that they had been
+taken in the rear, the Moslems who were defending the side of the poop
+wavered for a moment. Ralph took advantage of their hesitation, and
+sprang on board, his companions pouring in after him. There was a
+stern and desperate fight. The Moslems fought with the fury of despair,
+disdaining to ask or accept quarter. A few leapt overboard, preferring
+death by drowning to that by the swords of the Christians; but the great
+majority died fighting to the last. A shout of triumph rose from the
+knights as the last of the Moslems fell.
+
+The first impulse of all of them was to take off their helmets in order
+to breathe the fresh air, and for a while they all stood panting from
+their exertions.
+
+“Nobly and gallantly done, comrades!” Gervaise exclaimed. “This is
+indeed a victory of which we have all a right to be proud. Now, the
+first thing is to free the slaves of their shackles; there are many
+white faces among them. Let our langue look after the wounded, while the
+released captives clear the decks of the bodies of the fallen pirates.”
+
+It took an hour's hard work to knock off the chains of the slaves. The
+greater portion of them were Christians--Greeks, Italians, Spaniards,
+and French, who had been captured in various raids by the corsairs; and
+among them were the crew of the ship that had been overhauled by the
+galley on the previous day. Besides these, there were a few Moslems who
+had been sentenced to labour in the galleys for various crimes.
+
+Among the Christians, the joy at their liberation was intense. Some
+laughed, some cried, others were too overcome to speak coherently. Among
+the rest were found, to the intense pleasure of their rescuers, three
+knights of the Order who had for years been missing. They had been taken
+prisoners on an island at which the galley to which they belonged
+had touched. Many of the knights had landed, and three of them, all
+belonging to the langue of Italy, had wandered away from the rest, and
+had not returned. A search had been made for them, and it was discovered
+that a struggle had taken place. As there were no marks of blood, it
+was supposed that they were suddenly pounced upon by a party of hidden
+marauders, who had been watching them from some hiding place, and had
+thrown themselves upon the knights before they had had time to draw
+their swords. Following the trail by bushes broken down, and plants
+crushed under foot, it was found to lead to a creek on the other side
+of the island. Here there were signs that a craft had been anchored,
+as there were the ashes of fires, fragments of food, and other matters,
+scattered about on the shore. Hours had passed before the knights had
+been missed, and therefore the craft in which they had been carried off
+was long out of sight. Letters were written by the grand master to
+the Pasha of Syria, to the Emperor of Egypt, and to the Bey of Tunis,
+offering to ransom the knights, but all replied that they were unaware
+of any such captives having been landed.
+
+An attempt had then been made to ascertain whether they had been carried
+to Tripoli; but the bey had little authority over the various tribesmen
+along the coast, and only replied that no such captives had been sold in
+the city. Thus all hope of ransoming them had died away, and their names
+were inscribed in the list of those who had fallen into the hands of the
+infidels, but of whose subsequent fate no clue could be obtained.
+
+All were greatly emaciated, and their faces showed signs of the
+sufferings they had undergone. The young knights were all familiar
+with their names, but personally none had known them, for they had been
+carried off two or three months before Gervaise and Ralph Harcourt had
+arrived at Rhodes.
+
+All three had struggled desperately to break their chains while the
+fight was going on, and had, as soon as the contest was decided, risen
+to their feet and shouted the battle cry of the Order; then, overcome by
+their emotions, they sank down upon their benches, and remained as if
+in a stupor until the knights, who had hurried first to them, struck
+off their fetters. Then the three men grasped each other's hands, while
+tears streamed down their cheeks.
+
+“It is no dream, comrades,” one of them said, in a hoarse voice. “We are
+free again. Let us first return thanks to God for our release, and then
+we can thank these our brothers.”
+
+The three knights knelt at the benches where they had toiled and
+suffered, and hid their faces in their hands. No sounds came from their
+lips, but their stifled sobs and the heaving of their naked shoulders,
+seamed and scarred by the strokes of their taskmasters' whips, told
+the young knights, who stood unhelmeted and silent around, how deep was
+their emotion. Then they rose.
+
+“I am Fabricius Caretto,” one said; “this is Giacomo Da Vinci; this
+Pietro Forzi: all knight commanders of the Order, and now for six years
+prisoners in the hands of these corsairs. Assuredly no one would know
+us, so changed are we.” He looked round inquiringly for a familiar face.
+“Your commander must surely be a comrade of ours?”
+
+“We know all your names,” Gervaise said, coming forward, “though none
+of us reached the convent until after your capture. I have the honour
+to command this galley. My name is Gervaise Tresham, and I have for my
+lieutenant Sir Ralph Harcourt. All of us, glad as we are at the capture
+we have effected of these three corsairs, are still more pleased that we
+should have been the means of rescuing three noble knights of our Order
+from captivity. Now, I pray you first of all to accompany me on
+board the galley, where we will do all we can to make you forget the
+sufferings you have gone through. After you have bathed, and reclad
+yourselves, I will present to you the knights my comrades, amongst whom
+are seven of your own langue. Three of these I will tell off to see to
+your comfort, for, as you will understand, I have my hands full indeed
+at present.”
+
+“First, before all things, Sir Knight, let me express to you all our
+deep gratitude and our admiration of the gallant deed that you have
+accomplished in thus, single handed, capturing three vessels belonging
+to the fiercest and most dreaded of the corsairs of Tripoli. God bless
+you all, sirs”--and his voice broke again--“for the deed you have done,
+and for bringing us out of this living hell!”
+
+Gervaise called to three of the Italian knights, and, followed by them
+and the released captives, led the way to the galley. Here he left them
+in charge of their countrymen. “Give them each a draught of old Cyprus,
+and something to eat,” he said aside to one of the knights; “they sorely
+need refreshment before aught else, for, as you see, they are well nigh
+dazed with this unlooked for change. I will put out clothes enough
+for one of them; the others you must supply for the present from your
+stores. Now I must be off.”
+
+There was indeed much to be done. Four of the knights were told off to
+attend upon the most urgent cases among their own wounded. Only two of
+their number had been killed outright, but there were four serious cases
+among the wounded, while eight or ten others had received wounds that
+required bandaging and attending to. As fast as the slaves' fetters
+were struck off, food and wine were given to them, together with such
+garments as could be found at the moment. Then the bodies of the fallen
+pirates were thrown overboard, while the wounded were attended to, and
+the released Christians were divided equally between the three prizes.
+To each of these the knights of one of the langues were told off, the
+seniors being appointed to the command. There were in all some ninety
+Christian captives on board the three ships. Thus each vessel had a
+complement of seven knights and thirty Christians, and to these were
+added ten of the thirty Moslems found at the oars, and fifteen of the
+pirates to whom quarter had been given.
+
+It was past noon before all these arrangements had been made, and during
+the time so occupied, the ships lay idly side by side, drifting slowly
+before the wind, the sails having been lowered as soon as the struggle
+was over. Up to this time, the knights had been too busily engaged to
+think of food, but they were right glad when they were summoned to a
+meal on board the galley.
+
+Gervaise found the three knights in the cabin, dressed in the usual
+attire of the Order. They presented a very different appearance, indeed,
+to that which they wore when he had first seen them. They had bathed,
+and combed their matted hair, which was alone sufficient to transform
+them, but the feeling that they were once more free men, and knights of
+an honoured Order, had done even more to effect the change; and although
+they looked thin and worn, the martial bearing had come back naturally
+as they donned their knightly robes and buckled on swords.
+
+“I am glad to see that you are better,” Gervaise said, as he went up to
+greet them. “Twenty years seem to have dropped off your shoulders since
+this morning.”
+
+“We are not the same men, Sir Gervaise. We were slaves, and are now
+free. We were Christian dogs; now we are Christian knights. We were
+subject to scoffs and blows; now, thank God, we have swords to strike
+with, and though as yet our arms may not have regained their full
+strength, we could at least bear a share in a fray. Our comrades have
+been telling us somewhat of how this wonderful thing has come about,
+and have been explaining what at first filled us with surprise, that a
+galley should be manned solely by young knights, of whom their commander
+is one of the youngest. We can testify, at least, that had the grand
+master been himself in command, and his crew composed of veteran
+knights, he could have done no better.”
+
+“We were fortunate in taking them so much by surprise that the first of
+their ships fell into our hands before her consorts could come to her
+assistance; and her guns did us good service in our struggle with the
+others.”
+
+“The matter was well arranged, as well as gallantly fought,” one of the
+other knights said. “Had you first fallen foul of the chief's galley,
+it would have gone hard with you, for his crew were so strong that you
+could scarce have overcome them before the other two vessels came up to
+his assistance.”
+
+“Now let us to our meal,” Gervaise said.
+
+The three knights were placed at the head of the table by him, and it
+was pleasant to see how they enjoyed their food.
+
+“I can scarce persuade myself that I am not dreaming,” Caretto said.
+“Sometimes, when lying at night, wet through with the damp air, I have
+wondered to myself whether I could ever have lived thus, and whether
+I should ever exchange my hard bread and water for what seemed to me
+fabulous luxuries, though at the time one had taken them as a matter of
+course. You cannot tell how strange it feels to me to come back to the
+old life again.”
+
+“You will soon be accustomed to it,” Gervaise said, with a smile, “and
+then you will look upon your captivity as a dream, just as you then
+regarded your past life.”
+
+“I suppose, Sir Gervaise,” Pietro Forzi said, “that you will sail direct
+for Rhodes with your prizes?”
+
+“No indeed,” Gervaise replied. “At the same time that we learned, from a
+dying man left on board the ship the pirates captured yesterday, of
+the course they had taken, and were so enabled to follow them, we also
+learned that they were on their way to join a corsair fleet that was
+collecting at some point on the eastern side of Sardinia, with the
+intention of sweeping the coast of Italy. It was this, rather than the
+capture of these three vessels, that induced us to disobey the general
+instructions we had been given to cruise along the northern coast of
+Africa, and determined us to push north to give warning along the coast
+from Naples to Genoa of the danger that threatened, and, if possible, to
+enable Genoa to fit out her galleys to encounter the corsairs. That duty
+has still to be fulfilled, though I fear that Genoa will be able to
+do little, for of late she has been engaged in a long civil struggle
+between her great families, and has taken but a small part in maritime
+affairs. However, we can at least warn her, as well as Naples, Pisa,
+and other towns, and may possibly find some opportunity for ourselves
+striking another blow against the pirates.”
+
+“If so, certainly we shall be glad to accompany you, if you will allow
+us to serve under you; for nothing would please us so much as the
+opportunity of paying off a small share of the vengeance we owe them.
+But of course, if you would rather, we will sail for Rhodes in the
+prizes.”
+
+“I am not thinking of sending them to Rhodes at present,” Gervaise said.
+“It seems to me that we may be able, in some way, to utilise them to
+advantage. They have their sails, and rowers for the oars. There will
+be, in each, besides seven knights of the Order, thirty men who, like
+yourselves, must feel willing to strike a blow at their late oppressors.
+I need hardly say that I shall be glad indeed to have the company and
+aid of three such well known knights of the Order, and would, could I
+do so, gladly resign my command into your experienced hands. But this
+I cannot do, and, anticipating that you would be willing to join us in
+this expedition, I have been thinking how I could best utilise your aid.
+I have thought that, if you would accept the positions, I would appoint
+one of you to each of the prizes, to act, not as its commander, but as
+the leader of the band of released captives. Most of them are sailors,
+of course, and with them you could work the guns and give effective aid
+to the little party of knights in any actual fight.”
+
+The three knights all exclaimed that they would gladly accept the posts
+he offered them.
+
+“The idea is a capital one, Sir Gervaise; and, as long as it does
+not come to close fighting, the three ships should be able to render
+efficient aid to your galley in any encounter. They will be, at any
+rate, a match for their own number of pirate ships,” Caretto said.
+
+As soon as the meal concluded, the Moslem captives were questioned one
+by one as to the rendezvous at which the pirate fleet was to assemble;
+all, however, protested that the place was known only to the three
+commanders, all of whom had fallen in the fight.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV THE CORSAIR FLEET
+
+
+An hour later all was ready for a start. The knights of the langues of
+France, Germany, and Spain went on board their respective ships, as did
+the three parties of released captives, with the knights who were to
+command them, while the rowers took their seats on the benches, shackled
+with the chains that had recently held the Christians. The wind was from
+the south, and with sails and oars the prizes were able to keep fairly
+abreast of the galley. With a few short intervals of rest, the slaves
+continued their work all night, until, shortly before daybreak, land was
+seen ahead, and the pilot at once pronounced it to be Cape Carbonara.
+
+“A good landfall, Gervaise,” Ralph said. “The pilot has done right well.
+I suppose you mean to anchor when you get there?”
+
+“Certainly, Ralph. The slaves will have rowed nearly eighteen hours,
+with only two hours' rest. They must have some hours, at least, of sleep
+before we go on. As you and I have been up all night, we will turn in
+also. We will send a boat ashore to try and find out from the natives
+they may come across whether any vessels, bearing the appearance of
+Moorish corsairs, have been seen passing up the coast, and also to find
+out what bays and inlets there are where they would be likely to anchor.
+Some of the Italian knights had best go with the boat, for though I
+believe these people speak a different dialect to those of the mainland,
+they would have more chance of understanding them than any of the
+others.”
+
+The sun had risen when the little fleet came to an anchor close to the
+cape. A boat was at once prepared to go ashore, and Gervaise begged
+Fabricius Caretto, the senior of the rescued Italian knights, to
+endeavour to find out whether a swift sailing craft of some kind could
+be hired. If so, he was to secure her on any terms, and come off in her
+at once to the galley.
+
+Gervaise had already talked the matter over with Ralph, and they agreed
+that a strongly manned craft of this kind would go faster than any of
+those they had taken, and that, moreover, it would be a pity to weaken
+their force by sending one of the prizes away. Having seen them off,
+Gervaise retired to the cabin and threw himself down for a short sleep,
+leaving the knights who had been off watch during the night, to see
+that all went well. In two hours he was roused. A native craft had come
+alongside with Sir Fabricius Caretto.
+
+“I think she is just the craft for us,” the knight said, as Gervaise
+came on deck. “She belongs to a large fishing village just round the
+point to the left. There were several boats there, but the villagers all
+said that this was the speediest vessel anywhere along the coast. She
+belongs to two brothers, who, with four men, constitute her regular
+crew; but I have arranged for twelve others to go in her, in order that
+they may row her along at a good pace if the wind falls light.”
+
+“Are your companions come off yet?”
+
+“No; but we can hoist a flag for their recall.”
+
+“Do so. I shall be greatly obliged if you will undertake this mission to
+the seaports. It needs one of name and rank to speak with the nobles and
+officials authoritatively.”
+
+“I will gladly do so, Sir Gervaise. Give me your instructions, and you
+can rely upon my carrying them out.”
+
+“I thank you greatly, Sir Fabricius, and shall be glad if you will take
+with you any two of the knights you may select. I have to write letters
+for you to deliver to the authorities at Naples, Pisa, and Genoa. I
+shall write but briefly, and leave you to explain matters more fully. I
+shall merely say that I have intelligence of the arrival here of a fleet
+of Moorish corsairs, of whose strength I am ignorant, but that assuredly
+their intention is to make a raid on the commerce of the coast, and
+perhaps to land at unprotected places. At Ostia, after warning the
+authorities to send orders along the coast for the inhabitants to be on
+their guard, pray them to carry word at once to Rome, and request his
+Holiness the Pope to order some armed galleys to put to sea as soon
+as possible. Beg them at Naples and Pisa to do the same thing. But of
+course it is from Genoa that we must hope for the most assistance.
+
+“In each place you will, if possible, see the syndic himself, and such
+of his council as can be got quickly together. The moment you have done
+all you can at Genoa sail for the Island of Madalena, which lies off the
+northeastern point of the island. There you will either find us, or a
+boat with a message where to direct your course. I think perhaps it will
+be best to omit Naples--it will save you fully a day, if not two, to do
+so. Pray them at Ostia to send off news down the coast, or to request
+the papal authorities to despatch mounted messengers. 'Tis likely that,
+at first, at any rate, the corsairs will try the narrower waters to the
+north. From here to Ostia is nigh two hundred miles, and if the wind is
+brisk you may arrive there tomorrow afternoon, and start again at night,
+arriving at Pisa before noon on the following day; while, allowing for
+four or five hours to ascend the river there, you may be at Genoa next
+morning.
+
+“Three hours should suffice to gather from the authorities what force
+they can despatch, and as soon as you have learned this, embark again
+and sail south. You may reach Madalena in two days. Thus, at the
+earliest, it must be from six to seven days before you can bring us the
+news there; if you meet with calms or foul winds you may be well nigh
+double that time. If at Ostia you can get a faster craft than this, hire
+it, or take a relay of fresh rowers. I will furnish you with means when
+I give you the letters.”
+
+In less than half an hour Gervaise was on deck again. The boat had
+returned with the other Italian knights. An ample store of provisions
+had been placed on board the Sperondra, both for the crew and for the
+three knights, and, without a minute's delay, these took their places on
+board, the great sails were hoisted, and the craft glided rapidly away.
+
+“The villagers spoke truly as to her speed,” Ralph said, as they looked
+after her. “Even with this light wind, she is running fully six miles an
+hour, and as, by the look of the sky, there will be more of it soon, she
+will make the run to Ostia well within the time we calculated.”
+
+Gervaise now questioned the other Italian knights as to what information
+they had gained.
+
+They said the peasants had told them that several strange craft, using
+both oars and sails, had been noticed passing northwards, and that so
+strong was the opinion that these were either Algerines or Tunisians
+that, for the last three or four days, none of the fishing craft had
+ventured to put to sea. They were able to tell but little as to the
+bays along the coastline, which they described as very rugged and
+precipitous. Five or six little streams ran, they knew, down from
+the mountains. They thought the most likely places for corsairs to
+rendezvous would be in a deep indentation north of Cape Bellavista, or
+behind Cape Comino. If not at these places, they might meet in the great
+bay at whose entrance stands Tavolara Island, and that beyond, there
+were several deep inlets on the northeastern coast of the Island.
+Gervaise had a consultation with Ralph.
+
+“The first thing is to find out where these corsairs have their meeting
+place, Ralph; and this must be done without their catching sight of the
+galley or of the prizes, which some of them would be sure to recognise.”
+
+Ralph nodded.
+
+“It is a difficult question, Gervaise. Of course, if we had a boat
+speedy enough to row away from the corsairs it would be easy enough; but
+with wind and oars they go so fast that no boat could escape them.”
+
+“That is quite certain, Ralph; and therefore, if it is done by a boat,
+it must be by one so small and insignificant that they would pay but
+little attention to it if they caught sight of it. My idea is that we
+should take our own little boat, which is a fast one, paint it black, to
+give it the appearance of a fisherman's boat, and hire a couple of good
+rowers from the village. This, with one knight dressed as a fisherman,
+should go ahead of us, and explore every inlet where ships could be
+sheltered. We would follow ten miles behind. When we get near the places
+where the natives think the fleet is likely to be, the boat must go on
+at night, while we anchor. In that way they ought to be able to discover
+the corsairs, while themselves unseen, and to gain some idea of their
+numbers and the position in which they are anchored, and bring us back
+news.”
+
+“Shall I go myself, Gervaise?”
+
+“I could not spare you, Ralph. The risk of capture does not seem to me
+to be great, but there certainly is a risk, and I dare not part with
+you. It had better be an Italian, because there will doubtless be an
+opportunity of landing at villages and questioning the inhabitants,
+therefore we will send Fosco. If there are some eight or ten corsairs
+gathered in any of these bays the news is sure to travel along the
+shore, and we may get some tidings in that way. The first thing is to
+send off to the village again to fetch two young fishermen; they must
+be active fellows, strong, and possessed of some courage. I will ask da
+Vinci to go himself and select them. While he is away we will paint our
+boat black, and make ready for her to start at once; the sooner she is
+off the better.”
+
+The Italian knight at once undertook the mission, and started for the
+shore. Fosco, who had been chosen principally because he was light of
+frame, as well as very shrewd and intelligent, was then called up, and
+his mission explained to him. He was delighted at having been selected.
+Gervaise took him down to the cabin, and they consulted the maps with
+which the galley was furnished.
+
+“You will row on to Muravera; it is some twenty miles from here. You
+see, the village lies at the mouth of a river. As soon as you arrive
+there, you will land and find out whether there is any report of
+Moorish pirates having been seen along the coast. We shall be there this
+evening, and you will come on board and report. Next day you will get to
+Lunasei, which is about five miles on this side of Cape Bellavista, and
+they will certainly know there if the pirates are lying behind the cape.
+If they are so, you will row back to meet us; if they are not, you will
+remain there until we come up in the evening. Remember that, should you
+on either day be seen and chased, and you find they are overtaking you,
+you will make for the shore, land, and conceal yourselves. We shall keep
+along near the coast, and as we pass you can come down to the water's
+edge and signal to us to take you off. Now you had better disguise
+yourself, so as to be in readiness to start as soon as da Vinci
+comes off with the men. You will only need to take a small stock of
+provisions, as each night you can replenish them here.”
+
+An hour later da Vinci came off with two stalwart young fishermen. The
+little boat had already been painted, and it was lowered at once; Fosco
+stepped into it, and started.
+
+Two hours later the prizes got up sail, and, accompanied by the galley,
+coasted quietly along the shore, arriving, late in the afternoon, at
+Muravera. Fosco at once came on board.
+
+“There is no news here beyond that which we gained this morning, Sir
+Gervaise,” he said. “Strange ships have certainly been seen sailing
+north, but they did not approach the coast.”
+
+A similar report was given at Lunasei; there were certainly no corsairs
+lying behind Cape Bellavista, or news would assuredly have reached the
+village. At Orosei, next day, the report was the same; there were no
+strange ships at Cape Comino. They had been warned overnight that
+the coast beyond the cape was so precipitous, that there would be no
+villages at which to make inquiries, and arranged with Fosco that the
+ships should anchor north of the cape, and that he should go on at once
+to inspect the next bay. If he found ships there, he was to return at
+once; if not, he was, at daybreak, to land at one of the villages in the
+bay, and to make inquiries.
+
+No news was brought in by him during the night.
+
+“It is evident the pirates are not in the bay, Gervaise,” Ralph said, as
+they came on deck at daybreak.
+
+“Yes; and I am glad of it. It is a large bay, and if the Genoese send
+half a dozen galleys, some of the pirates might still escape, while the
+next bays are deeper and narrower, and it would be more easy to entrap
+them all. I have all along thought it most probable that they would
+rendezvous there. The maps show no villages for many miles round, and
+they might lie there for weeks without so much as a shepherd getting
+sight of them from the cliffs. Moreover, it is the nearest point for
+cutting off ships coming down between Corsica and the mainland, and they
+can, besides, snap up those proceeding from the south to Marseilles, as
+these, for the most part, pass between Sardinia and Corsica.”
+
+At eight o'clock the boat was seen coming round the point.
+
+“Any news, Fosco?” Gervaise asked, as it approached the galley.
+
+“None, Sir Gervaise. They have heard nothing of pirates, nor seen
+anything of them.”
+
+Exclamations of disappointment broke from the knights.
+
+“That makes it all the more likely,” Gervaise said, “that they are
+lying in one of the inlets to the north. You see, lower down they kept
+comparatively close to the shore, being careless who might notice them;
+but as they approached their rendezvous, they would be more careful, and
+might either pass along at night, or keep far out. If they had not been
+anxious to conceal their near presence, they would have been likely to
+put into this bay in search of plunder and captives; for Tempe, one of
+the largest of the Sardinian towns, lies but a short distance away, and
+there must be a considerable amount of traffic.”
+
+“There are four or five small craft lying there,” Fosco, who had by this
+time stepped on board, put in, “and a considerable number of fishing
+boats. When I came upon the ships in the dark, I thought at first that
+I had lighted on the pirates, but on letting the boat drift closely by
+them I soon saw they were not corsair galleys.”
+
+“Shall we get up anchor and go into the bay?” Ralph asked.
+
+“It were safer not to do so, Ralph. Possibly one of the craft lying
+there might be presently captured by them, and they might learn from her
+crew of the presence of a galley of the Order there. Therefore I think
+it best to remain where we are till nightfall, and then to proceed and
+anchor on the north side of the Island of Madalena, if we can find a
+sheltered cove where we could not be seen either from the land or by
+passing ships.”
+
+During the day there was a good deal of discussion among the knights
+as to whether the corsairs might not already have sailed away. It was
+evident that if all their ships had arrived, there would be no motive
+for delay. Three ships they knew would never join them, and others might
+have been detained, from some cause or another. There could be no doubt
+that the pirates had already ample force for capturing as many merchant
+vessels as they might come across. But it might be intended to carry out
+some more daring project--to sack and burn towns along the coast, carry
+off the leading people for ransom, and fill the vessels with slaves--the
+attack being made simultaneously on several unprotected towns. A vast
+amount of plunder could thus be reaped, together with captives of even
+greater money value. Were this their plan, they would doubtless delay
+until all those who had promised to join in the expedition had arrived.
+The balance of opinion, then, was that the corsairs were still in
+hiding.
+
+By daybreak next morning they were moored in a sheltered little bay to
+the north of Madalena, the galley lying inside the prizes, so as to be
+concealed as much as possible from view of any craft that might happen
+to pass the mouth of the bay. Fosco started as soon as darkness fell in
+the evening, and returned early in the morning.
+
+“They are there,” he shouted, as he neared the galley, “hidden in a deep
+inlet that runs into one of the narrow bays.”
+
+“How many are there of them?”
+
+“Seventeen or eighteen, I could not say which. They are all moored side
+by side.”
+
+By this time Fosco's boat had reached the galley.
+
+“You have done well indeed,” Gervaise said, as the young knight ascended
+to the poop. “Now give us a full account of what you have seen.”
+
+“As you know, Sir Gervaise, the bay opposite this island splits up into
+two, running a long way inland, like the fangs of a great tooth. I had,
+of course, no difficulty in finding the entrance to the bay itself, as
+it is but a short distance across the strait. I steered first for the
+left hand shore, and kept close along under the shadow of the cliffs,
+which, in many cases, rise almost straight out from the water. We rowed
+very quietly, fearing to run against a rock; for although it was light
+enough to see across the water, and to make out any craft that might be
+anchored there, it was very dark along the foot of the cliffs. There was
+no need for haste, as I knew I had plenty of time to explore both arms
+of the bay, and to be back here before day began to break.
+
+“We rowed up to the end of the inlet, and then, having assured ourselves
+that it was empty, came down the other side, and turned up the western
+arm. We had got some distance along when I fancied I heard voices,
+and so let the boat drift along, only dipping the oars in the water
+occasionally. I could make out no signs whatever of the corsairs, when
+suddenly we came upon a break in the cliffs. It was only some fifty
+yards across, and here a creek came in at right angles to the shore.
+I could have given a shout of pleasure as I looked up it, for there a
+score of lights were burning above a dark mass, and we could hear the
+sound of talking and laughter. It was but a glimpse I caught, for the
+men at once backed water, and we were soon round the corner again.
+
+“Up till then the fishermen had been ready enough to go where I wanted,
+but the sight of that clump of galleys regularly scared them, and they
+wanted to row straight away; but of course I pointed out to them that
+they had taken pay to do this thing, and that they had to do it. They
+said that if caught they would be either killed or made slaves of, and
+I could not contradict them, but said that, in the first place, as I was
+ready to run the risk, there was no reason why they shouldn't do so, and
+in the second, there was no chance whatever of their being taken, as,
+if discovered, we should get so long a start that we could either escape
+them altogether or run the boat ashore at some point where the trees
+came down to the water's edge, carry the boat up and hide it, and then
+move up into the hills until the corsairs had gone.
+
+“We waited there three or four hours, looking round the point
+occasionally. At the end of that time all was quiet. Two or three of
+the lanterns still burned, but there was no sign of life or movement on
+their decks. After waiting another half hour to ensure the crews being
+asleep, we rowed quietly up the creek, keeping within an oar's length of
+the rocks. There was not much to see; the galleys lay two abreast, and
+as there was no space between them, I supposed the whole were lashed
+together. There were eight of them on the side we went along, but I
+think there were only seven on the other side. As I thought it did not
+much matter whether there were fifteen or sixteen, and as the men were
+in a state of horrible fright, we turned and went back again, and I own
+I felt very glad myself when we got round the point without an alarm
+being given. We came quietly out, and it was fortunate we did so, for we
+had not gone a quarter of a mile when we heard the sound of oars, and,
+lying silently under the cliff, we saw two large galleys row past us.”
+
+“It is a strong force, Gervaise,” Ralph said, as they paced up and down
+the poop together. “Probably in each of those galleys are eighty or a
+hundred men, in addition to the rowers. It is evident that unless Genoa
+sends us help we shall not be able to interfere with their plans.”
+
+“I don't know, Ralph. I think we may injure them sorely, though we might
+not be able to defeat them altogether. I want you tonight to take one of
+the prizes, and row round to the bay we passed, and there to buy three
+coasting vessels and six or eight fishing boats. Get as much pitch,
+oil, and other combustibles, as you can purchase in the villages on
+the shore. If you can engage a score of fishermen to man them, all the
+better. My idea is that if Caretto returns with news that the Genoese
+have no galleys ready for sea, we must do what we can to injure these
+corsairs. If we smear these craft you are going to fetch with pitch and
+oil, and fill the holds with combustibles, and so turn them into fire
+ships, we may at least do the pirates a tremendous lot of harm. When we
+get to the mouth of this inlet, we could have the fire ships rowed in by
+three or four men in each, they having a boat behind in which to escape
+as soon as the boats are lighted. The sight of a dozen craft coming
+down on them in flames would cause a terrific panic, for, moored closely
+together, as they are, if one took fire there would be little chance
+of the others escaping. Of course, we should add to the confusion by
+opening a fire with all our guns, and could hope to capture some at
+least of them as they tried to make their way out.”
+
+“It is a grand idea, Gervaise; a splendid idea! It would be a terrific
+blow to the Moors, and would make the sea safe from them for a long
+time.”
+
+“When you buy the other things, Ralph, get a quantity of black cloth--it
+matters not how coarse, or of what material; and also some white. As
+soon as you come back with it, all hands shall set to work to make the
+stuff up into mantles of the Order, with the white cross. We will put
+these on to the Christians in the prizes, and the Moors will suppose
+that they are attacked by four of the galleys of the Order. If you can
+get some more arms and some iron headpieces, all the better.”
+
+“I will do what I can, Gervaise; the arms will certainly be wanted,
+for those we found on the decks were sufficient only to arm half the
+Christians. As to the steel caps, that will not matter so much, as in
+the darkness and confusion the sight of the mantles will be quite enough
+to convince the corsairs that we are all knights of the Order. By the
+way, Gervaise, we have not yet looked into the holds of the prizes.”
+
+“That is so, Ralph; we knew, of course, that as the ships had but
+just started we should find nothing in them save the cargo of that
+unfortunate craft they captured.”
+
+On searching they found, as they had expected, that the cargo of the
+captured ship had been of no great value. It consisted of wine, olive
+oil, and grain. These were all useful, for the number of mouths to be
+fed was considerable, and heavy inroads had already been made on the
+stores of the galley. The rowers of the four vessels were at once set to
+work to crush the grain between flat stones brought from the shore, and
+an ample supply of coarse flour for their use for at least a fortnight
+was obtained before sunset.
+
+As soon as darkness fell, Ralph and two of the French knights started
+in one of the prizes. Late on the following afternoon a sail was seen
+coming from the north, and before the sun set they were able to make
+her out to be the craft in which Caretto had sailed. The anchor of
+the galley was at once got up, and she rowed out to meet the boat and
+conduct her into the little bay. It was almost dark when they came
+within hailing distance.
+
+“What news do you bring, Sir Fabricius?”
+
+“Bad news, I regret to say. I do not think that Genoa will be able to
+send out any galleys for at least a fortnight. There have been civil
+dissensions, and fighting between rival factions, and in consequence her
+ships are all dismantled and laid up. Crews will have to be collected
+for them, repairs executed, and officers chosen; a fortnight will be the
+earliest time in which they can be here. Pisa has no war galleys, and
+unless the Pope sends some out directly he gets the news, the corsairs
+will have it their own way. Have you discovered them?”
+
+“Yes; they lie but a few miles from here. There were fifteen or sixteen
+of them two days ago, and two others joined them that night. You have
+lost no time indeed. We had scarce begun to expect you, Sir Fabricius,”
+ he added, as the knight and his two comrades stepped on board.
+
+“I have done my best,” the knight said angrily. “But I am in a rage with
+my ill success. All I have accomplished is that no merchant vessels will
+put to sea at present. At Ostia they would only send off a message to
+Rome, to ask for orders. At Pisa the authorities at first treated my
+story as a fiction, and, I believe, took me for an impostor; but on the
+news spreading, some knights came forward and recognised me. Then we had
+a meeting of the council. All talked, wrangled, and protested. They said
+that it was absurd to suppose that they could, at a moment's notice, fit
+out ships to cope with a fleet of corsairs; and their sole idea was to
+man the forts, and to repel an attack. However, mounted messengers
+were sent off at once, up and down the coast, to give warning to the
+inhabitants of the towns to put themselves into a posture of defence,
+and to the villagers to fly with their wives and families into the
+interior as soon as they saw galleys of doubtful appearance approaching.
+I was there but four hours, and then started for Genoa.”
+
+“There was almost a panic there too, as the members of the council were
+mostly merchants, and were filled with dismay for the safety of their
+ships and goods at sea. Of course, there was no thought that the
+corsairs, however strong, would venture an attack upon Genoa itself.
+I told them that you had captured three of the corsairs with a single
+galley, and that if they could send you ten others you would probably be
+able to make head against the pirates; but, as I have told you, Genoa
+is at peace with all the world; her war galleys are laid up, and most of
+them would need repair and recaulking before they would be fit to send
+to sea. Although they maintained that no more than a week should elapse
+before they would be ready to sail I am right sure that it will be
+double that time before they are fitted out.
+
+“Of course, in Genoa I was well known, though my family estates lie near
+Mantua, and my acquaintances flocked round me and urged me to stay until
+the galleys were ready for sea. This I would not hear of, and, six hours
+after my arrival, started again. We made the voyage to Corsica at a good
+speed, but since then we have had the oars constantly out to help the
+sails. The men have well earned their pay, I can assure you. It is
+enough to make one mad with rage to think that these pirates will be
+able to harry the coast of Italy at their pleasure; for there can
+be little chance that they will abide quiet much longer at this
+rendezvous.”
+
+“It is annoying, indeed,” Gervaise agreed; and a murmur of
+disappointment ran round the assembled knights. “However, we have the
+consolation that we have done all we could, and I am sure that we shall
+do so in the future.”
+
+Gervaise had charged Ralph to say nothing about the object of his
+mission, and the general supposition was that he had sailed to endeavour
+to purchase some bullocks, as the supply of meat was nearly exhausted.
+Ralph himself had let drop a few words to this effect, and had indeed
+been charged by Gervaise to bring off a few oxen if they could be
+obtained without loss of time. Gervaise was on deck at midnight, and
+soon afterwards the beat of oars was heard. It was a still night,
+and one of the knights on watch remarked to him, “It seems to me, Sir
+Gervaise, that the sound is a confused one, and that there must be
+several vessels rowing. Shall I call up our companions? It may be that
+it is the pirate fleet coming out.”
+
+“You need not do that,” Gervaise replied. “I am expecting Sir Ralph to
+bring back with him some fishing boats, for which I think I can find a
+use. We should have heard before this if the corsairs had been putting
+out. Fosco is in his boat watching the mouth of the inlet, and would
+have started with the news had there been any stir on board their
+galleys.”
+
+It was a quarter of an hour before a number of dark objects entered the
+little bay. As soon as they did so, they ceased rowing, and the splashes
+of the anchors as they fell into the water were heard. Then came the
+sound of a boat's oars, and Ralph was soon alongside.
+
+“I see that you have succeeded, Ralph.”
+
+“There is no fear of failing when one is ready to pay the full value of
+what one wants to get. I have bought three coasters and eight fishing
+boats, and have a sufficient store of pitch and oil, with plenty of
+straw and faggots. There was no difficulty in getting men to come with
+me. As soon as they heard that a fleet of eighteen Moorish galleys was
+in the next bay, they were ready enough to aid in any plan for their
+destruction, for they knew well enough that some of them would be sure
+to make raids all along the coast, sacking and burning, and carrying off
+men, women, and children, as slaves. I said I only wanted two men for
+each craft, but so many were willing to come that I have some thirty
+more than the number I asked for, and we can divide these among us. They
+are strong, active looking fellows.”
+
+“We will keep them here then, Ralph. You see, there are one-and-twenty
+of our knights in the three prizes, and as we lost two in the
+capture, and four others are not fit to put on armour, we have but
+six-and-twenty, and the addition will be very welcome. What are they
+armed with?”
+
+“They have bows and arrows, and long pikes and axes.”
+
+“Good. Have you managed to collect any more arms?”
+
+“Yes. The people are all charcoal burners and woodmen in winter, and
+I was therefore able to get together some thirty or forty axes and
+hatchets, which will be ample, with the arms we took from the Moors, to
+equip the ninety Christians.”
+
+“I think we can depend upon these for fighting, Ralph.”
+
+“I don't think there is any doubt about that. A few of them are pretty
+well worn out with labour and suffering, but all have gained strength
+and spirits greatly in the past week, and you may be sure that they
+will fight to the death rather than run the risk of another turn in the
+galleys.”
+
+“And have you got the stuff to make the mantles?”
+
+“Yes. There was plenty of the coarse black cloth which they wear in
+summer--in winter, of course, they are clad in sheepskins; and I have
+sufficient white cotton cloth to make the crosses.”
+
+“We have only one thing to wish for now, Ralph, and that is, that the
+corsairs may not take it into their heads to sail tomorrow. Fosco will
+bring me news at daybreak, and we will at once send another boat off to
+watch the mouth of the bay when he leaves it. If they sail, we cannot
+venture to attack them as long as they keep together, the odds are far
+too heavy, and our only plan will be to follow them at a distance, when
+we can just keep their upper sails in sight, and then to attack any
+detachment that may separate from the main body.”
+
+“I hope it will not come to that, Gervaise. It would be hard indeed,
+when you have devised such a splendid plan, and we have got everything
+ready to carry it out, if they were to give us the slip. Do the others
+know anything about it yet?”
+
+“No. I thought it better to keep silence till tomorrow. No doubt some of
+the galley slaves understand enough of one or other of our languages
+to gather what is on foot. Besides, their late captives might, in their
+satisfaction at the thought of revenge, say enough to them to let them
+know that an attack on their fleet was intended, and one of them might,
+in some way, free himself from his irons and swim ashore. We know there
+is a small fishing village across the island, and there would be no
+difficulty in stealing a boat and making off with the news. I do not say
+that the risk is great; still, it were better not to throw away even
+a chance. The knights have all turned in in a very gloomy mood, for
+Caretto has returned with news that there is no hope of assistance from
+Genoa for a fortnight, and it seemed, therefore, that all our pains had
+been thrown away. And now we may as well turn in until daylight.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV A SPLENDID EXPLOIT
+
+
+Gervaise was up again at dawn. He was amused at the wonder of the
+knights, as they came up one by one, at the sight of the little fleet
+anchored outside them. As soon as it was fairly daylight, he sent off to
+the three prizes to request all the knights to come on board the galley.
+When all were assembled there he said, “You are all aware, comrades,
+that Sir Fabricius Caretto has brought news that the galleys at Genoa
+are all laid up, and that it will be a fortnight before they can put to
+sea. Long before that, the corsairs will assuredly be ravaging all the
+villages and small towns along the coast of Italy, unless we can prevent
+their doing so. It would be simple madness to try to attack them at sea;
+of that I feel sure you are all conscious. It would be only throwing
+away our lives and our galley.”
+
+There was a murmur of assent among the knights. They were ready for any
+encounter in which there was a chance, however faint, of success; but
+all saw that for a single galley to attack one of the largest corsair
+fleets that had ever set out, would be nothing short of insanity. Their
+leader's words, however, seemed to show that he had some plan in his
+mind by which he hoped to strike a blow at the enemy, and all listened
+eagerly for what was coming.
+
+“We have heard from our comrade Fosco that their ships lie moored in two
+lines, side by side in a narrow inlet. He has returned this morning with
+the news that they are still there. He thinks that three or four more
+have arrived during the last two days, and it is probable they are
+waiting for the three we captured to join them. Tonight it is my
+intention to attack them, but not by rowing in and boarding them, for
+that would be hopeless. Yesterday Sir Ralph Harcourt went, as you are
+aware, to fetch provisions. But this was a part only of the object of
+his trip. He has, as you see, brought back eleven craft with him; these,
+I may tell you, are laden with combustibles--pitch, oil, straw, and
+faggots. They will be rowed and towed to the inlet tonight, set on fire,
+and launched against the pirates.”
+
+An enthusiastic cheer broke from the knights. They saw at once that,
+lying as the corsairs were, side by side, the destruction of many of
+them was certain.
+
+“He has also brought fishermen,” Gervaise went on, “two or three of whom
+will go in each fire ship, having a boat towing behind, in which they
+will escape as soon as the craft are alongside the galleys. The galley
+and the three prizes will take their post at the mouth of the inlet.
+The fire of our guns will add to the confusion among the pirates, and we
+shall endeavour to fall upon any galleys that may extricate themselves
+from the mass, and try to make their escape. Sir Ralph has brought back
+materials for making ninety mantles of the Order, for the Christians on
+board the three prizes, and thirty fishermen to bring the crew of our
+galley up to its full strength. The light of the flames will suffice
+to show the pirates that, as they will believe, four vessels, manned
+by knights of the Order, are barring the entrance. Many will, we may
+calculate, jump overboard and swim ashore rather than face us, and we
+shall be able, at any rate, to capture three or four of their craft,
+for, as they come out, one by one, we can all close round them; and with
+nearly fifty knights, ninety released captives, burning for vengeance,
+and some fifty or sixty fishermen, for those from the fire ships will,
+of course, join us--we shall make short work of them, and may even hope
+to entirely destroy their fleet.”
+
+Again a joyous shout rose from the knights. This would indeed be an
+exploit that all might be proud to share in, and, breaking the ranks in
+which they had stood while Gervaise addressed them, they crowded round
+him with exclamations of enthusiasm and devotion.
+
+“Now,” he said, as soon as silence was a little restored, “the knights
+of the langues on board the prizes will send at once to the coaster on
+the left of the other two. Sir Ralph will go there now, and supply each
+with materials for making the mantles for the Christians; he has brought
+thread, and fish bone needles. You will see that the stuff is cut up
+into suitable lengths, and handed over to your crews, and that each man
+makes up his mantle. There can be but little sewing required for these
+sleeveless gowns, nor need it be carefully done. The great thing is that
+the white crosses shall be conspicuous. As soon as you have set them
+to work, you will examine the state of the arms, see how many more are
+needed to complete the list, and then send off to Sir Ralph, who will
+furnish as many as are required: the fishermen have brought their
+own weapons. See that the slaves are all well fed today, and, before
+evening, inspect well their fetters, so that you may be free from all
+anxiety as to an attempt by them to escape during the conflict.
+
+“The rest of you will go on board these native craft, and see that
+the combustibles are fairly distributed among them, the wood and straw
+soaked with pitch and oil, as also the sails and ropes, and that the
+decks are well coated; this is a most important duty. Get some torches
+made also, so that there shall be two on board each craft; these are to
+be lighted the last thing before we get to the point, and will be thrown
+down into the straw and faggots in the hold, by the fishermen when they
+get close to the corsairs. All this can be prepared before our morning
+meal, and when you assemble here I hope to receive your reports that
+everything is in readiness. One of the other coasters has some bullocks
+on board. Sir Ralph will send one to each of the prizes, and one to us.
+They had better be killed and cut up at once, in order that the crews
+may have two good meals today of fresh meat. See that the galley slaves
+have their share.”
+
+No time was lost in carrying out the orders. Ralph, as soon as the
+cloth, arms, and meat were distributed, went round in a boat to see that
+the combustibles were properly laid for firing, and everything done to
+insure that the flames should spread rapidly. The Sards shared in
+the work, and rations and wine were distributed to them; and when the
+knights sat down to their meal on board the galley, they were able to
+report that everything was in perfect readiness, and that the work of
+sewing the mantles was making good progress.
+
+The day passed slowly to the young knights, all of whom were burning
+with excitement at the thought of the coming fray. The released
+Christians were no less exultant at the prospect of taking vengeance for
+the sufferings they had so long endured, and the scene on board all four
+ships was most animated.
+
+After talking it over with Ralph, Gervaise told off three more of the
+knights to each of the prizes, so that there should be ten on board
+each. This reduced the strength on board the galley to seventeen; but as
+they would have the assistance of a strong band of Sards they considered
+this to be ample, under the circumstances. It was arranged that the
+galley, with one of the prizes, should close with the first corsair that
+came out, and that the other two prizes should attack the second. After
+capturing these, they were to assist each other as circumstances might
+dictate. Gervaise strongly impressed upon the knights in command of each
+prize that they were not, single handed, to attack a corsair unless one
+of their consorts was near, and free to give assistance.
+
+“We must run no risk of a reverse,” he said. “We are certain of
+destroying many of their vessels and of breaking up their fleet, and it
+is far better that a few should escape than that we should run the risk
+of losing ten of our number, to say nothing of those we have rescued
+from captivity. In the excitement of the fight this order must be
+strictly borne in mind. Our victory must be marred by no misfortune
+brought on by headstrong rashness. The corsairs are bound to be very
+strongly manned, and ten knights, even aided by such assistance as
+they may get from the Christians, might find themselves altogether over
+matched against a crowd of desperate men.”
+
+As soon as it was dusk the anchors were drawn up, and the fleet got
+under way. They proceeded but slowly, for the wind was light, and the
+fishing boats moved heavily through the water. There was, however, no
+occasion for speed, for Gervaise did not wish to commence the attack
+until past midnight. The guns had all been loaded before starting, and a
+pile of ammunition was placed near each. Presently the wind nearly died
+out, and the galley and prizes then took the coasters and fishing craft
+in tow. It was nearly one o'clock when they got within half a mile of
+the inlet. The tow ropes were then thrown off, the fishermen got out
+sweeps, and the galley led the way, the fire ships followed in a body,
+and the three prizes brought up the rear. The oars had all been muffled,
+and slowly they made their way, until Fosco, who was standing next to
+Gervaise on board the galley, said that the point just ahead marked the
+entrance to the inlet. They then stopped rowing until the fire ships
+were all close up.
+
+These were, as had previously been arranged, in two lines. Five fishing
+boats, each manned by four men and having its small boat in tow behind
+it, formed the first line; the three coasters, each with six men at the
+oars, and the three other fishing boats, formed the second. The torches
+were now lighted. Ralph took his place in the centre boat of the first
+line; Gervaise went on board one of the coasters, and the order was
+given to the men to row. What wind there was was favourable, blowing
+from the northwest, and therefore right into the inlet. Scarcely had the
+first boats reached the entrance when a shout was heard.
+
+“Row, men, your hardest now!” Ralph shouted; the Sards bent to their
+oars, and the five boats advanced rapidly towards the corsairs. As they
+did so, a babel of shouts and cries rose from the dark mass of ships,
+which swelled into a tumult of alarm as on Ralph's order, “Throw your
+torches into the straw!” a flash of flame leapt up from each boat. Five
+more strokes, and they were alongside the two outside ships. As they
+crashed heavily into them, the men leapt from their seats and sprang
+over into the small boats, threw off the painters, and rowed astern,
+opening on either hand to allow the second line of fire ships to pass.
+These, by Gervaise's directions, divided, and three bore along on either
+side of the corsairs, and then ran in among them, throwing grapnels to
+fasten the fire ships alongside. Then, as the flames sprang up from the
+holds, the crews betook themselves to their boats, and rowed out of the
+inlet.
+
+By the time they reached the galley and prizes, the eleven fire ships
+were a mass of flame, which was spreading to the corsairs. Lying packed
+together as these were, the confusion was terrible. Numbers of men
+endeavoured to push off the fire ships, but it was too late; others
+tried to extricate their galleys from the mass, throwing off the
+hawsers, and striving with hand and oar to push their vessels out of the
+line. As soon as the boats were alongside the galley, the guns of the
+four vessels opened fire with grape into the crowded ships, now lit up
+by the flames as clearly as at noontide, while the battle cry of the
+Order sounded high above the din.
+
+“Nothing can save the ships near this end of the line,” Ralph said, “but
+some of those behind may make their way out between the others and the
+rocks. I can see that some of them there are lowering their yards and
+sails to prevent their catching fire as they pass.”
+
+The knights distributed among the guns worked them incessantly,
+directing their fire chiefly against the outside ships, so as to hinder
+the crews in their endeavours to arrest the progress of the flames; but
+they were soon able to fire impartially into the mass. As the heat of
+the flames drove the pirates back, scores of men leapt overboard, and
+made for the shore. Presently, two or three ships were seen making their
+way along the narrow line of water on either side of the flaming group
+in front. As the first advanced, the galley and one of the prizes rowed
+a short distance forward to meet it. Its deck was crowded with men,
+among whom a discharge of the cannon from both ships created terrible
+slaughter.
+
+A moment afterwards they closed with it, one on either side, and the
+knights, the released captives, and the Sards, sprang down on to its
+deck. The fight lasted but a minute. Appalled by the disaster that had
+befallen them, by the terrible effect of the broadsides, poured in at a
+few yards' distance, and by the sight of so many of the dreaded warriors
+of the Cross, some of the corsairs threw down their arms and flung
+themselves on the deck or into the hold, crying for quarter; those who
+resisted fell either under the swords of the knights, the vengeful axes
+of the late captives, or the pikes of the Sards; but the great bulk,
+leaping from the bow or stern, swam ashore.
+
+“Back to your ships!” Gervaise shouted, the moment resistance ceased.
+“Leave her floating here; she will help to block the way.”
+
+Six vessels alone managed to make their escape from the blazing mass of
+ships, and all of these were captured almost as easily as the first had
+been. As soon as it seemed that all the remainder were involved in
+the flames, boats were lowered and sent on board the prizes to take
+possession. Save for the wounded on the decks, they were entirely
+deserted by their crews, as those who had run below, as soon as they
+found that their captors had left the vessels, dropped into the water,
+and made their way, either by swimming or with the assistance of oars,
+to the shore. There remained only the slaves, chained to their benches.
+A few of these had been killed by the broadsides; but the guns had been
+aimed at the poops and forecastles, where the corsairs were clustered
+together, and consequently the number of galley slaves who had fallen
+was comparatively small.
+
+In none of the galleys was the proportion of Christians anything like so
+large as that in the three prizes first taken, the greater portion being
+men of inland tribes who had been captured in warfare, or malefactors
+who, instead of being executed, had been sold to the corsairs.
+Nevertheless, in the six galleys some seventy Christians were found,
+and at once freed. It was terrible to think that in the galleys that had
+been destroyed a large number of Christians must have perished in the
+flames, and Gervaise expressed bitter regret that he had not considered
+that his attack by fire ships must necessarily involve the loss of so
+many Christian lives.
+
+“It can't be helped,” Ralph said, as Gervaise poured out his feelings to
+him. “To very many of them death must have been welcome, and if we had
+not attacked them as we did, and they had sailed for Italy, hundreds,
+if not thousands, of Christians would have been killed, and as many more
+carried away into captivity; so, you see, the balance is all in favour
+of the course we adopted.”
+
+Gervaise admitted this, but nevertheless his regret at the fate of
+so many unfortunate captives quite overpowered for the time his
+satisfaction at the complete success that had been achieved. The victory
+had been almost a bloodless one on the part of the assailants. A few of
+the knights had received wounds. Two among the Christian crews had been
+killed, and four Sards; while two score had received wounds more or less
+serious, as, unlike the knights, they had no defensive armour. While
+waiting for daylight to appear, all their wounds were dressed and
+bandaged by the knights.
+
+In the morning the captured galleys were towed out, and anchored a short
+distance away, and then Gervaise rowed up to the head of the inlet,
+followed by the other three ships. They found that eleven of the
+corsairs had been burnt, and to their satisfaction, they discovered four
+uninjured galleys lying there, deserted, save by the slaves.
+
+Seeing the fate of their comrades who had first issued out, the
+commanders had, instead of trying to escape, rowed quietly to the head
+of the inlet, the movement being covered by the flame and smoke, and had
+there landed, having laden themselves with stores for their support on
+shore. This was a great satisfaction to the knights, for not only did
+it swell the list of prizes, but it reduced by over thirty the number of
+Christian slaves who had perished in the flames. Taking the galleys
+in tow, they rowed out of the inlet, whose banks were strewn with half
+charred timbers, oars, and relics of the fight.
+
+As soon as they had anchored by the side of their first prizes, a
+council was held on board the Santa Barbara. It was clearly impossible
+to take thirteen prizes to Rhodes, for there would be but three or four
+knights to each, and were they to fall in with but one Moorish pirate,
+they might suffer great disaster, while, should they meet with a storm,
+they would fare badly indeed, as they could not depend upon the rescued
+Christians for the management of the sails and oars in heavy weather. At
+the same time, all were most anxious that the prizes should be carried
+to Rhodes. Never, save as the result of some great battle, had such a
+fleet of captured galleys been brought in, and the knights were prepared
+to endure all dangers rather than part with one of them. Finally, after
+much discussion, it was determined that they should make for Genoa. From
+thence the rescued captives would be able to find their way to their
+homes. The great majority were Italians and Spaniards; the former could
+proceed by land or sea to their respective homes, while the Spaniards
+would have no long time to wait before a vessel of their own nationality
+entered the port, even if one were not lying there when they arrived.
+Moreover, in any case it would be necessary to despatch a vessel to
+Genoa, in order that it might be known that the danger was averted, and
+that there was no longer any necessity for getting the galleys ready for
+sea.
+
+The chief ostensible reason, however, for going to Genoa was that there
+would be no difficulty in engaging as many sailors as might be necessary
+to take the prizes to Rhodes. Underlying all the arguments was another
+reason which Ralph laughingly stated.
+
+“It is all very well to bring forward one argument after another, but
+not one of you has the courage to say what I am sure all of you have
+at the bottom of your hearts. You know very well that you want to go to
+Genoa to enjoy a triumph. The Rhodians are all very well, but there are
+very many more fair faces at Genoa. Fie, Sir Knights! Such a spirit is
+little in accordance with the vows of the Order. Are we not bound to
+humility? And here you are all longing for the plaudits of the nobles
+and ladies of Genoa!”
+
+Some of the young knights laughed, others coloured hotly.
+
+“They need not be ashamed of the feeling,” Caretto said. “Is it not the
+ardent desire of all true knights to do gallant deeds, and do they not
+value above all things the guerdon of applause from the fair eyes of
+ladies. Your comrades have performed the gallant deeds, and well deserve
+the reward. Now, Sir Gervaise, if not for this reason, at any rate for
+the others that have been brought forward, I suppose we are all agreed
+that we sail for Genoa. For our part we are heartily glad that such
+is your decision. We, and the young knights of our langue, have many
+friends there, and in their name I am sure I can promise you a reception
+as hearty and sincere as that which we shall ourselves receive.”
+
+It was settled that the rescued captives should be divided equally
+among the thirteen prizes, and that three knights should go in each. The
+Moorish captives were also divided equally among them, to aid with the
+sails, and to row a few oars, in case of a dead calm setting in. The
+commands were distributed according to seniority, the three rescued
+Italian knights remaining on board the Santa Barbara with Gervaise.
+
+The Sards were anxious to return to their villages, in order to carry
+the news that several hundreds of Moorish pirates had landed.
+
+“We shall have great trouble with them,” one of the young fishermen,
+who spoke a little Italian, said to Gervaise. “There are always a great
+number of swine, and herds of goats, up among the forests on the hills.
+We must send up and drive in as many of these as possible, and of course
+we shall send messengers to Tempe; but it will need a very large force
+to combat these pirates, who will be able to come down and plunder
+and destroy, and then retire to the hills, whence it will be hard to
+dislodge them.”
+
+“I am sorry indeed that such trouble should have been caused to you,”
+ Gervaise replied; “but I am afraid that I can give you no assistance.”
+
+“We shall hunt them down in time,” the Sard said confidently.
+
+“There are many villages scattered about Tempe, and what with us
+fishermen, and the woodmen and charcoal burners, we shall soon get a
+strong body together. Besides, we know the mountains, and they do not.”
+
+“I should say that you had best avoid a pitched battle with them, but
+keep on harassing them by night and day, cutting off all who separate
+themselves from the main body, until at last they are completely worn
+out.”
+
+“We shall deal with them, Sir Knight. We are all hunters, for there are
+wild boars and stags in the forest, and wolves too, and wild sheep on
+the higher mountains. Every man among us can use his bow skillfully, and
+wield pike and hatchet. The hunt will not be unprofitable, either, for
+we can get a good price for all we take alive, to work in the mines.”
+
+An hour later one of the galleys started with the Sards for their
+villages in the bay of Tempe. After landing them, she was to rejoin the
+rest of the fleet at their former anchorage at Madalena. By nightfall
+all were gathered there, and the next morning they set out for Genoa.
+The wind was light; but in their anxiety to return home as soon as
+possible the released captives all volunteered to take their former
+places on the benches, and the vessels were kept going at a fair rate
+of speed. Two days' rowing took them to Bastia, where their approach
+created unbounded excitement until the banner of the Order was seen
+floating from the stern of the Santa Barbara, while smaller flags, that
+had been hastily manufactured, flew from the mastheads of the thirteen
+prizes. Even then the inhabitants feared to put out, believing that
+the flags were but a ruse, and numbers of them fled at once, with their
+families and valuables, to the mountains. It was not until a boat was
+lowered, and Ralph, accompanied by three or four other knights, rowed
+ashore, that the panic was allayed.
+
+As soon as it was understood that the galley of the knights had not only
+captured the thirteen corsairs, but had destroyed eleven others, and had
+thus annihilated a fleet that was intended to prey upon the commerce
+of Italy, and ravage the western coast, the alarm was succeeded by the
+wildest enthusiasm. By the time Ralph had obtained the fresh meat and
+stores he came ashore to purchase, the greater part of the population
+were gathered on the shore, and a flotilla of boats put out with him,
+filled with picturesquely dressed men and women. Some carried flags,
+others green boughs, while the ladies had bouquets and baskets of fruit.
+The galley was the first attraction, and, mounting her sides, the ladies
+presented their offerings of fruit, while the men cheered, and waved
+their hats; many musicians came out in the boats, and these played on
+bagpipes and three-reeded flutes a succession of airs peculiar to the
+island.
+
+Gervaise received his visitors on the poop. These were at first
+altogether incredulous when told that it was the lad before them who
+had commanded the galley, had performed such a remarkable feat, and had
+freed them from a terrible danger. The youth of the knights of the Order
+no less surprised them, and had not Gervaise assured them that it was
+altogether contrary to the rules of the Order for a knight to allow
+himself to be embraced, many of the ladies would have taken this form
+of showing their enthusiasm and gratitude. The next morning the fleet
+started for Genoa. The wind was much stronger than it had been on the
+previous day, and it was therefore unnecessary for the oars to be put
+out, except, indeed, on board the galley. There, at nightfall, the
+Christians relieved the slaves for some hours at their benches, and the
+next morning the circle of hills round Genoa, with the city nestling at
+their feet on the water's edge, and climbing for some distance up their
+slopes, was in view. Caretto at once suggested that it would be well to
+signal to the fleet to lie to.
+
+“If we do not do so,” he said, “they will assuredly think that it is the
+corsair fleet advancing to attack and burn the vessels in port, and you
+may be saluted as you approach by a shower of cannonballs. If you will
+permit me, Sir Gervaise, I will go forward in one of the prizes and
+explain matters, and will return here in a short time.”
+
+“Thank you, Sir Fabricius. As such mischance as you mention might indeed
+very well occur, we will lower sail and lie here until you return.”
+
+While Caretto was away, the knights and crews breakfasted, and the
+former put on their armour and gayest attire, in readiness for the
+landing. Gervaise, although with much inward vexation, considered it
+necessary to do the same.
+
+“I do wish,” he said to Ralph, who was smiling at his rueful face, “that
+you could for today take my place, and let me pass as lieutenant.”
+
+“I should not mind at all, Gervaise. But you must put up with the
+disagreeables as well as the advantages of being commander, and must
+submit to be honoured and feted here, as well as getting no end of
+credit at Rhodes. You will have the satisfaction of well deserving it,
+for I am sure the plan of attacking them with fire ships would never
+have occurred to any one else, and if it had not been for that, we
+should have had the mortification of seeing them sail off without being
+able to move a finger to interfere with them.”
+
+“If one were fighting for fame and honour, all that would be true
+enough; but members of an Order, whose sole object is to defend
+Christendom from the Moslems, should strive only to do their duty, and
+care nothing for such things as honour and glory.”
+
+“Human nature is human nature, and I don't see any reason why one should
+despise honour and glory when they come to one in the course of duty.
+I fancy you will think so too, Gervaise, in course of time. I am quite
+sure that among the fifty knights, there is not one who does not feel
+well content that he has not only done his duty to the Order, but has
+gained a share in the credit and honour that will certainly be given to
+all who have taken a part in so crushing a defeat of the corsairs. As
+for myself, I do not for a moment pretend that I am not sensible of the
+fact that, as second in command of the galley, my chances of obtaining
+promotion in the Order are very greatly improved.”
+
+It was nearly two hours before Caretto returned.
+
+“It was well indeed that I went in,” he said to Gervaise, “for I found
+the city in an uproar. The alarm bells of the churches were calling all
+citizens to arms, and troops were being hurried down to the forts and
+batteries. Rumour had of course exaggerated the strength of the fleet,
+and half the population believed that the safety of the city itself was
+menaced by the approach of a mighty squadron. As soon as my news was
+bruited abroad, and they learned that the fleet consisted solely of
+prizes captured from the Moors by a galley of the Order, alarm quickly
+changed into delight, the sharp, angry clang of the bells was succeeded
+by peals of gladness, and the joy of the citizens at being relieved from
+the cloud of anxiety that had hung over the city since my last visit,
+was unbounded. I went at once to the council chamber, where I found many
+of the leading citizens already assembled, having been summoned in hot
+haste as soon as our approach was made out. At first they were almost
+incredulous when I told them that every ship of the pirate fleet had
+been either destroyed or captured, and that the fleet in the offing
+consisted entirely of your galley and the thirteen corsairs she had
+captured. As soon as they really grasped the fact, they sent off
+messengers to the churches to order the joy bells to be rung, and to the
+dockyard to arrest all work upon the galleys. Then I had to give them a
+short account of the surprise and destruction of the corsair fleet, and
+finally they begged me to ask you to delay your entry to the port for
+a couple of hours, in order that they might have time to prepare a
+suitable reception for you.”
+
+“I suppose there is no help for it,” Gervaise said. “Is there anything
+that we ought to do?”
+
+“I should decorate the galley with all the flags on board: should set
+every one to work to make great flags with the cross of the Order to
+hoist to the masthead of the prizes, instead of the little things that
+are now flying; and under them we will hoist the flags of the corsairs,
+among which are those of Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers. I do not know that
+there is aught else we can do.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI FESTIVITIES
+
+
+At last the fleet, headed by the galley, to which all the knights had
+returned, rowed towards the port. A gun flashed out from the fort at
+its entrance, and at once those from all the other batteries responded;
+bells pealed out again, and a confused roar of cheering broke from the
+crowds occupying every spot from which a view of the harbour could be
+obtained. The ships in the port were all decked with flags, and the
+front windows and balconies of every house were hung with tapestries and
+bright curtains. As soon as the galley entered the port, a state barge,
+flying the flag of the Republic, advanced to meet her from the wharf.
+As she approached, Ralph gave orders for the oars to be laid in, and
+the barge was soon alongside. The knights were already ranged along
+the poop, and, accompanied by Ralph and Caretto, Gervaise moved to the
+gangway to receive the visitors. At their head was Battista Fragoso, the
+doge, in his robe of state, and following him were a body of the highest
+nobles of Genoa, all brilliant in gala costume.
+
+“This, my lord duke,” Caretto said, “is Sir Gervaise Tresham, a knight
+commander of our Order, and the commander of this, their galley. He has
+before, as you may well believe from his appointment to so honourable a
+post, highly distinguished himself, but what he has before accomplished
+is far surpassed by the brilliant action that he has now achieved. He
+has won a victory that not only reflects the highest honour upon the
+Order, but is an inestimable service to Italy, and has freed her from a
+corsair fleet that would have been a scourge to her, both at sea and to
+the towns and villages along the coast. Not only has he, with the brave
+knights under his orders, annihilated the corsair fleet, burning eleven
+of their galleys, and capturing thirteen others, but he has restored
+to freedom no less than two hundred Christian captives, among them the
+cavaliers Giacomo da Vinci, Pietro Forzi, and myself.”
+
+“In the name of the Republic, Sir Gervaise Tresham, and I may say in
+that of all Italy, I thank you most heartily for the splendid service
+that you have rendered us. It would have seemed to me well nigh
+incredible that a single galley, even if commanded and manned by the
+most famous knights of your great Order, should have accomplished so
+extraordinary a feat. Still more strange is it that it should have been
+performed by so young a knight, with a crew composed, as Sir Fabricius
+Caretto has told us, of knights chosen from among the youngest of the
+Order.”
+
+“You give far more credit to us, your Highness, than we deserve,”
+ Gervaise replied. “Three of the ships were indeed captured in fair
+fight, but we caught the rest asleep and massed together as to be
+incapable of successful resistance, and they fell easy victims to the
+fire ships we launched against them. Any credit that is due to me is
+shared equally by my subcommander here, Sir Ralph Harcourt, and indeed
+by every knight of my company.”
+
+“This, doubtless, may be so, Sir Gervaise,” the doge said, with a slight
+smile, “but it is to the head that plans, rather than to the hand that
+strikes, that such success as you have achieved is due; and the credit
+of this night attack is, as the cavalier Caretto tells me, wholly yours,
+for until you issued your final orders it seemed to him, and to the two
+good knights his companions, that there was naught to do but to remain
+in port and watch this corsair fleet sail away to carry out its work of
+destruction.”
+
+By this time they had reached the poop of the galley. Gervaise now
+called forward the knights one by one, and presented them to the doge,
+who expressed to them all the gratitude felt by himself and the whole of
+the citizens of Genoa for the service they had rendered to the Republic.
+This ceremony being over, the knights broke up their ranks and conversed
+for a few minutes with those who had come on board with the doge. The
+latter then took his place in the barge with his companions, inviting
+Gervaise and Ralph to accompany him. As the barge left the side of the
+galley, which followed closely behind her, the guns again thundered
+out their welcome, and a roar of greeting rose from the inhabitants. On
+landing, the party waited until the knights had joined them, and
+then proceeded up the street to the ducal palace, amidst enthusiastic
+cheering from the crowd that lined the road, occupied the windows and
+balconies, and even scrambled on the housetops, the ladies waving their
+handkerchiefs and scarves.
+
+At the palace were assembled all the municipal authorities, and the
+congratulations given on board were here repeated. After this there was
+a great banquet, at which Gervaise was placed on the right hand of the
+doge, who, at the conclusion of the feast, called upon the assembled
+guests to drink to the health of the knights of St. John, who had saved
+the commerce and seacoast of Italy from the greatest danger that had
+menaced them since the days when the Northern rovers had desolated the
+shores of the Mediterranean. The toast was drunk with enthusiasm, and
+Gervaise then replied with a few words of thanks for the honour done to
+himself and his comrades.
+
+The party then left the banqueting hall for the great reception rooms,
+where the wives and daughters of all the nobles and principal citizens
+of Genoa were assembled. Most of the young knights, belonging as
+they did to noble families, and accustomed from childhood to courtly
+ceremonies and festivities, were quite at home here. Caretto, his two
+companions, and their six Italian comrades, speedily introduced them,
+and each was soon surrounded by a group of ladies, anxious to hear from
+his lips the details of the exploits of the galley.
+
+“But how is it that you are all so young, Sir Ralph?” one of the ladies,
+to whom Harcourt had been introduced as the second in command, asked
+him, when he had finished his account of the capture of the galleys.
+“We heard from those who met you on landing, that all your comrades were
+young, but we were filled with surprise when you entered the room, for
+many of them are but lads.”
+
+“You may say that all of us are but lads, Countess. I am the oldest of
+the party, and am but little over twenty-two, but few of the others are
+over nineteen; they are all professed knights of the Order, who, as you
+doubtless know, come out to Rhodes when only sixteen. Some, of course,
+do not join until later, but I think that all here entered at the
+earliest age permitted, and almost all had served in two or three
+voyages in the galleys before they were appointed to the Santa Barbara.
+The reason why so young a crew was chosen was that our commander was
+also young. He had done such exceptional service to the Order that he
+was appointed to the command of a galley, and he has, as all will allow,
+well justified the choice. It was because it was deemed inexpedient
+to place knights many years his senior under his command, and partly,
+perhaps, to encourage the younger knights, by giving them an exceptional
+opportunity of distinguishing themselves, that the crew was chosen
+entirely from their ranks. I was selected as second in command because
+Gervaise and I had been special friends when we came out from England in
+the same ship, and had before fought side by side against the Moslems.”
+
+“I see that you wear gilded spurs, Sir Ralph,” another lady said; “you
+must therefore be a dubbed knight?”
+
+“Yes; I had the good fortune to be knighted by D'Aubusson himself, at
+the same time that Sir Gervaise was also so honoured. It was for an
+affair with the Turkish pirates. It was Gervaise who really won the
+honour, for I had no share in the affair, save that of doing my best in
+the fight.”
+
+“And who could do more?” the countess queried.
+
+“Gervaise could do more, Countess, as was shown in that attack on the
+corsairs by means of fire ships. He has a head to plan, and, in the case
+I speak of, a happy thought of his not only saved the lives of ourselves
+and Sir John Boswell, but, indirectly, was the means of preventing two
+of our galleys being captured by the corsairs.”
+
+“Which is Sir Gervaise?” one of the ladies asked.
+
+Ralph smiled.
+
+“Look round the hall, signoras, and see if any of you can pick him out
+from the rest of us.”
+
+The ladies looked round the hall.
+
+“There are only about twenty here; the rest are in the other rooms. Do
+not set us to work guessing, if he is not in sight, Sir Ralph.”
+
+“Oh yes, he is in sight. Now do each of you fix on the one you think
+most accords with your ideas of what a knight, brave in action and wise
+and prudent in council, would be like.”
+
+The six ladies each fixed on one of the young knights.
+
+“You are all wrong,” said Ralph.
+
+“How can we choose?” the countess said laughingly, “when none of them
+resemble our ideal hero? Most of them are pleasant and courtly looking
+youths, but as yet there is scarce a vestige of hair on their faces,
+and one could not fancy any of them as the destroyer of the fleet of
+corsairs.”
+
+“Do you see the one speaking to the elderly lady in the recess?”
+
+“Yes; she is the wife of Fragoso. You do not mean to say that that lad
+is the commander of the galley? Why, he looks the youngest of you all.”
+
+“He is between seventeen and eighteen, and there are several others who
+are no older. Yes, that is Sir Gervaise, Knight Commander of the Order
+of St. John.”
+
+“But how can he possibly have served his time as a professed knight?”
+
+“He was one of the grand master's pages, and his time in that service
+counted just as it would have done had he entered as a professed knight;
+and at fifteen, therefore, he stood in the same position as those three
+or four years older than himself. He speaks Turkish as well as our own
+tongue, and, as I told you, we received the accolade at the hands of the
+grand master, a year and a half ago. He is now a knight commander, and
+will assuredly one day occupy one of the highest posts in the Order.”
+
+“You do not speak as if you were jealous, Sir Ralph; and yet methinks
+it cannot be pleasant for you all to have one younger than yourselves
+placed at your head.”
+
+“I do not think there is one of us who so feels,” Ralph said earnestly.
+“In the first place, he has performed excellent service; in the next
+place, even those who did not know him before, have felt, since we
+started, that he is a born leader. Then, too, we regard with pride one
+who has brought credit upon the younger members of the Order. Moreover,
+we all owe our posts in the galley to the fact that he was chosen for
+its command. It is a difficult position for him to fill, but he has
+managed so that, while all obey his orders as cheerfully and willingly
+as if he were a veteran, when off duty we regard him as one of
+ourselves.”
+
+“You are a staunch friend, Sir Ralph.”
+
+“I am a staunch friend of Sir Gervaise, Countess, for the more I know of
+him the more I care for him. He well deserves the promotion and honour
+that have fallen to his share.”
+
+“Will you bring him across here to us, Sir Ralph? I want to talk to
+this hero of yours, and I am sure that my daughter is longing to be
+introduced to him.”
+
+Ralph waited until Gervaise was disengaged, and then brought him across,
+and, after introducing him, moved away at once, leaving Gervaise to be
+interrogated by the ladies.
+
+“You must be accustomed to festivities, Sir Gervaise, for we have just
+heard that you were one of the grand master's pages?”
+
+“I am accustomed to them, signora; but that is not at all the same thing
+as liking them.”
+
+The reply was given so earnestly that all the ladies smiled.
+
+“Your taste is quite exceptional. Do you mean to say that you would
+rather be on board your galley than here?”
+
+“It would not be polite,” Gervaise said, with a laugh, “if I were to say
+that I would infinitely rather be on board; but indeed I have not, like
+most of my comrades, been brought up in court or castle. Until the day I
+joined the Order, we led the lives of exiles. My father belonged to the
+defeated party in England, and, save for a few months when the cause to
+which he was attached was triumphant, we lived quietly on the estates
+he had recovered, our life being one of care and anxiety. So, you see,
+I had no training in gaiety and pleasure. At Rhodes there are state
+receptions and religious pageants, but a meeting such as this, is, of
+course, impossible in a convent; and since I was eleven years old I
+think I have only once spoken to a woman. So you can well understand,
+signora, that I feel awkward in speech, and I pray you to make allowance
+for my ignorance of the language of courtesy, such as would naturally be
+expected in a knight, even though belonging to a religious Order.”
+
+“There is naught to make allowance for,” the countess said gently.
+“Women can appreciate simple truth, and are not, as men seem to think,
+always yearning for compliments. Those who are most proficient in
+turning phrases are not often among those foremost in battle, or wisest
+in council, and I can tell you that we women value deeds far higher than
+words. Sir Fabricius Caretto is a cousin of mine, and has this afternoon
+been speaking so highly of you to me and my young daughter here, that I
+am glad indeed to make your acquaintance. How long do you intend to stay
+in Genoa?”
+
+“No longer than it will take me to engage men to carry the prizes to
+Rhodes. I am afraid that sounds rude,” he broke off, as he noticed a
+smile on the faces of the ladies.
+
+“Not rude,” said the countess; “though most knights would have put it
+differently, and said that their duty compelled them to leave as soon as
+the prizes could be manned. But it comes to the same thing. Of
+course, you will remain the guest of the doge as long as you are
+here; otherwise, it would have given us the greatest pleasure to have
+entertained you. My cousin is, of course, staying with us, and you see
+we all feel a very deep obligation to you. He has been so long a slave
+among the Moors, that we had almost come to hope death had freed him
+from his fetters; so you may imagine our pleasure when he arrived here
+so suddenly ten days ago. We were expecting that he would remain with us
+for some time, but he says that he must first go back to Rhodes, after
+which he will ask for leave, and return here. We have a banquet tomorrow
+evening to celebrate his return, and earnestly hoped that you would be
+present, but, since you say that you do not care for such gaieties,
+we shall, if you prefer it, be glad if you will come to join us at our
+family meal at twelve.”
+
+“Thank you, countess, I should very greatly prefer it, and it will give
+me real pleasure to come.”
+
+“Your friend, Sir Ralph Harcourt, has been telling us how you have
+destroyed the corsair fleet that has been so alarming us. He, too, is an
+Englishman, though he speaks Italian well.”
+
+“Yes, he speaks it a great deal better than I do,” Gervaise said. “He is
+a dear friend of mine, and it is, indeed, chiefly owing to his support
+and influence that I have been able to manage so pleasantly and well in
+the command of a body of young knights, most of whom are my seniors.”
+
+“He tells us that you speak Turkish?”
+
+“Yes; I thought that it would be very useful, and spent nearly a year in
+acquiring it, the bailiff of my langue being kind enough to relieve
+me of all other duties. I was fortunate enough to find in one of the
+servants of the auberge a well educated and widely informed Turk, who
+was a very pleasant companion, as well as an excellent instructor, and I
+learnt much from him besides his language. The knowledge of Turkish has
+already proved to me most useful, and was indeed the means by which
+I obtained both my commandery and my appointment as captain of the
+galley.”
+
+“Perhaps you will tell us the story tomorrow; that is, if it is too long
+to tell us now?”
+
+“It is indeed much too long; but if it will interest you I shall be glad
+to recount it tomorrow.”
+
+The next day Gervaise went to the palace of the Countess Da Forli. She
+was a widow with no children, except Claudia, the young daughter who
+had accompanied her to the fete the evening before. Caretto, and four
+or five relations of the family, were the only guests beside himself. It
+was a quiet and sociable meal, and served with less ceremony than usual,
+as the countess wished to place Gervaise as much as possible at his
+ease. During the meal but little was said about the affair with the
+pirates, Caretto telling them some of his experiences as a captive.
+
+“It is well, Claudia,” he said, laughing, “that you did not see me at
+the time I was rescued, for I was such a scarecrow that you would never
+have been able to regard me with due and proper respect afterwards. I
+was so thin that my bones almost came through my skin.”
+
+“You are thin enough now, cousin,” the girl said.
+
+“I have gained so much weight during the last ten days that I begin to
+fear that I shall, ere long, get too fat to buckle on my armour. But,
+bad as the thinness was, it was nothing to the dirt. Moreover, I was
+coming near to losing my voice. There was nothing for us to talk about
+in our misery, and often days passed without a word being exchanged
+between Da Vinci, Forzi, and myself. Do you know I felt almost more
+thankful for the bath and perfumes than I did for my liberty. I was able
+at once to enjoy the comfort of the one, while it was some time before
+I could really assure myself that my slavery was over, and that I was a
+free man again.”
+
+“And now, Sir Gervaise,” the countess said, when the meal was over, “it
+is your turn. Claudia is longing to hear your story, and to know how you
+came to be in command of a galley.”
+
+“And I am almost as anxious,” Caretto said. “I did not like to ask the
+question on board the galley, and have been looking forward to learning
+it when I got to Rhodes. I did, indeed, ask the two knights who
+accompanied me on my mission here, but they would only tell me that
+every one knew you had performed some very great service to the Order,
+and that it concerned some intended rising among the slaves, the details
+being known to only a few, who had been, they understood, told that it
+was not to be repeated.”
+
+“It was a very simple matter,” Gervaise said, “and although the grand
+master and council were pleased to take a very favourable view of it,
+it was, in fact, a question of luck, just as was the surprise of the
+corsairs. There is really no secret about it--at least, except in
+Rhodes: there it was thought best not to speak of it, because the fact
+that the attempt among the slaves was almost successful, might, if
+generally known, encourage others to try to escape, and perhaps with
+greater success. I told you last night, Countess, that I had only once
+before in the last six or seven years spoken to a woman, and it was on
+that occasion that the adventure, so far as I was concerned, had its
+commencement.”
+
+He then, beginning at his visit with Ralph Harcourt to the Greek
+merchant and his family on the roof of the house, recounted the
+suspicions he had entertained, the manner in which they were confirmed,
+and the method by which he had discovered the plot for the rising. He
+was interrupted several times when he attempted to abbreviate the story,
+or to omit some of the details, and there were exclamations of surprise
+at his proposal to personate a Turkish prisoner, and to share the lot of
+the slaves in their prison, and on the benches of the galley.
+
+“I had no idea, Sir Gervaise,” Caretto said, when he had concluded,
+“that you too had been a galley slave, and I understand now the care
+you showed to render the lot of the rowers as easy as possible. It was
+a splendid scheme, and well carried out. Indeed, I no longer wonder
+that you were appointed to the command of a galley, and received a rich
+commandery in England at the hands of the grand master himself. What
+think you, Countess; did I speak too highly in his favour?”
+
+“Not one jot, cousin. Why, Sir Gervaise, it seems to me that you have
+been born two centuries too late, and that you should have been a knight
+errant, instead of being sworn to obey orders, and bound to celibacy.
+Do you wear no lady's favour in your helm? I know that not a few of your
+Order do so.”
+
+“As I have said, Countess, I know no ladies who would bestow favours
+upon me; in the second place, I am but eighteen, and it would be
+ridiculous for me to think of such matters; lastly, it seems to me that,
+being vowed to the Order, I can desire no other mistress.”
+
+Claudia, who had listened with rapt attention to the story, whispered in
+her mother's ear. The latter smiled.
+
+“It seems to me, Sir Gervaise,” she went on, “that after what you have
+done for Italy there are many fair maidens who would feel it an honour
+that their colours should be borne by one who has shown himself so
+valiant a knight. You see, a gage of this kind does not necessarily mean
+that there is any deep feeling between the knight who bears it and the
+lady who bestows it; it shows only that she, on her part, feels it an
+honour that her gage should be worn by a distinguished knight, and, on
+his part, that he considers it as somewhat more than a compliment, and
+wears it as a proof of regard on the part of one whose good opinion at
+least he values. It is true that among secular knights it may mean even
+more than this, but it ought not to mean more among knights of an Order
+like yours, pledged to devote their lives to a lofty and holy aim. My
+daughter Claudia whispers to me that she would deem it an honour indeed
+if you would wear her token, accepting it in the spirit in which I have
+spoken. She is fourteen now, and, as you know, a maid of fourteen here
+is as old as one of sixteen or seventeen in your country.”
+
+Gervaise turned to the girl, who was standing by her mother's chair,
+looking earnestly at him. He had noticed her the evening before; she had
+asked no questions, but had listened so intently that he had felt
+almost embarrassed. Claudia's was a very bright face, and yet marked by
+firmness and strength. He turned his eyes again to the countess.
+
+“I never thought of wearing a woman's favour,” he said; “but if your
+daughter will bestow one upon me, I shall be proud to wear it, and trust
+that I may carry it unstained. I shall feel honoured indeed that one so
+fair, and, as I am sure by her face, so deserving of all the devotion
+that a knight of our Order can give, has thought me worthy of being one
+of those on whom she could bestow so high a favour, with the confidence
+that it would be ever borne with credit and honour.”
+
+“What shall I give him, mother?” Claudia asked the countess, without a
+shadow of the embarrassment with which Gervaise had spoken.
+
+“Not a kerchief, Claudia. In the rough work of the knights, it could
+not be kept without spot or stain. Moreover, if I judge Sir Gervaise
+rightly, methinks he would prefer some token that he could wear without
+exciting attention and remark from his comrades. Go, fetch him any of
+your jewels you may think fit.”
+
+“Then I will give him this,” the girl said; and unfastening a thin gold
+chain she wore round her neck, she pulled up a heart shaped ornament, in
+pink coral set in gold and pearls.
+
+Her mother uttered a low exclamation of dissent.
+
+“I know, mother; it was your last gift, and I prize it far beyond
+anything I have; therefore, it is all the more fit to be my token.” Then
+she turned to Gervaise, and went on, without the slightest tremor in her
+voice, or accession of colour in her cheeks. “Sir Gervaise Tresham, I
+bestow upon you this my favour, and shall deem it an honour indeed to
+know that it is borne by one so brave and worthy. You said that you
+would be glad to be one of those who bore my favours. You will be more
+than that, for I vow to you that while you live no other knight shall
+wear a favour of mine.”
+
+“Claudia!” her mother said disapprovingly.
+
+“I know what I am saying, mother. I have often wondered why maidens
+should so carelessly bestow their favours upon every knight who begged
+for them, and have said to myself that when my time came I would grant
+it but once, and only then to one whom I deemed worthy of it in all
+ways--one in whose loyalty and honour I could trust implicitly, and who
+would regard it as something sacred, deeming it an honour to wear it,
+as being the pledge of my trust and esteem. Kneel, Sir Gervaise, while I
+fasten this round your neck.”
+
+Gervaise took out the small brooch, that fastened the collar of his
+silken doublet, and then knelt on one knee. The girl fastened the clasp
+round his neck, and as he rose he hid the heart beneath the doublet, and
+fastened the collar.
+
+“Lady Claudia,” he said earnestly, “I accept your favour in the spirit
+in which you bestow it. So long as I live I shall prize and value it
+beyond any honour I may gain, and as I feel it next to my heart, it will
+ever recall to me that you gave it me as a pledge of your esteem and
+trust, and I will strive to the utmost so to bear myself that I may be
+worthy of the gift.”
+
+None of the others spoke while the little ceremony was being performed.
+Caretto glanced at the countess with an amused smile, but the latter
+looked grave, and somewhat vexed. However, she made an effort to dispel
+the cloud on her face, and, when Gervaise ceased speaking, said, “This
+has been a somewhat more serious business than I intended, Sir Gervaise.
+But do not think that I regret in any way the course it has taken; 'tis
+well for a maiden on the threshold of womanhood that she should place
+before herself a lofty ideal, and that she should entertain a warm
+feeling of friendship for one worthy of it. So also it is good for a
+young knight to know that he has the trust and confidence of a pure and
+innocent maiden; such a knowledge will aid him to be in all ways true to
+the vows he has taken, and to remember always that he is bound to be not
+only a valiant knight of his Order, but a sincere soldier of the Cross.”
+
+Then she went on more lightly. “Have you heard, Sir Gervaise, that there
+is a question of making you a noble of Genoa?”
+
+“No, indeed,” Gervaise replied, in great surprise; “such an idea never
+entered into my thoughts.”
+
+“Nevertheless, I know that it was spoken of last night, and although it
+has not yet been finally settled, and will not be until the council meet
+this afternoon, I should not tell you if I did not think that it was as
+good as agreed upon; and I am pleased to be the first to whisper to
+you that it is intended to bestow upon you an honour that is jealously
+guarded and seldom granted, even to crowned heads, unless as a token of
+gratitude for some signal service done to the Republic.”
+
+“I should feel most honoured and most grateful, Countess, for so
+extraordinary a favour, did I feel that I had done any extraordinary
+action to merit it. There can be no doubt that the destruction of the
+corsairs has saved Genoa and all the maritime towns from immense loss
+by damage to their trade, and by the raids that would have been made at
+various points on the coast. But I cannot see that the mere fact that we
+have destroyed their fleet merits any marked honour. They were caught in
+a trap, and half of them burned, and this might have been done equally
+as well by the Sardinian fishermen, unarmed, and without our aid. As to
+the fighting, it was of small account. The first three craft we captured
+offered a much stouter resistance, and we lost two of our number; but
+in the other affair no knight was killed, or even seriously wounded, and
+believe me, Countess, I feel absolutely ashamed at the fuss that is made
+over it. It seems to me that I am a sort of impostor, obtaining credit
+under false pretences.”
+
+“No man is a fair judge of his own actions, Sir Gervaise,” Caretto said.
+“A man may believe himself a Solon, or a Roland; others may consider him
+as a fool, or an empty braggart; and it must be taken that the general
+opinion of the public is the judgment from which there is no appeal.
+It is not the mob of Genoa only who regard the services that you have
+rendered as extraordinary, but it is the opinion of the councillors and
+authorities of the Republic, and of those who, like myself, have borne
+our share in warfare, that not only is the service great, but that it is
+due to the singular ability with which you, in command of only a single
+galley, have wholly destroyed or captured the fleet that threatened
+our commerce. As our councillors, therefore, all competent judges, are
+unanimous in their opinion that you have deserved the highest honours
+that Genoa can bestow upon you, it is useless for you to set up your
+own opinion to the contrary. Take the good things that fall to you, Sir
+Gervaise, and be thankful. It is seldom that men obtain more honours
+than they deserve, while it very often happens that they deserve far
+more than they obtain. Fortune has doubtless some share in every man's
+career; but when it is not once, but several times, that a knight gains
+special credit for deeds he has performed, we may be sure that fortune
+has less to do with the matter than his personal merits. Three times
+have you earned special credit; upon the first occasion, the grand
+master--no mean judge of conduct and character--deemed you worthy of
+secular knighthood, an honour which has not, in my memory, been bestowed
+at Rhodes upon any young knight; on the second, you were promoted to the
+command of a galley, though never before has such a command been given
+to any, save knights of long experience; and now, for the third time,
+the councillors of one of the greatest of Italian cities are about to do
+you honour. It is good to be modest, Sir Gervaise, and it is better to
+underestimate than to overrate one's own merits, but it is not well to
+carry the feeling to an extreme. I am quite sure that in your case your
+disclaimer is wholly sincere and unaffected; but take my advice, accept
+the honours the world may pay you as not undeserved, determining only in
+your mind that if you deem them excessive, you will at least do all
+in your power to show that they are not ill bestowed. You will not, I
+trust, take my counsel amiss.”
+
+“On the contrary, Sir Fabricius,” Gervaise said warmly. “I am really
+but a boy yet, though by good fortune pushed strangely forward, and I
+am glad indeed to receive council from a knight of vastly greater
+experience than myself and, in future, however much I may be conscious
+in my own mind that anything I have done is greatly overrated, I will at
+least abstain from protest. And now, Countess, I must pray you to excuse
+me. I know that Sir Ralph Harcourt is, before this, down at the dockyard
+waiting my coming to engage sailors.”
+
+“You will come tomorrow at the same time, I hope, Sir Gervaise. As
+Claudia's sworn knight we have now a claim upon you, and for the short
+time that you remain here you must regard this as your home, although
+you must necessarily remain the guest of the doge.”
+
+“He is a fine young fellow, indeed,” Caretto said, after Gervaise
+had left. “There is no affectation about his modesty, and he really
+considers that this success he has gained is solely a stroke of good
+fortune. Of course, I have been asking many questions about him of the
+young knights of his own langue, Harcourt among them. They tell me that
+he is always in earnest in everything he undertakes. He is without a
+rival among the younger knights of the convent in his skill in arms, and
+for strength and activity in all exercises; he seems to care nothing
+for the ordinary amusements in which they join at Rhodes, and for nine
+months was scarcely ever seen by those in the auberge, save when they
+gathered for meals, so continuously did he work to acquire a perfect
+command of Turkish. How thoroughly he succeeded is evident from the fact
+that he was able to live among the galley slaves without exciting any
+suspicions in their minds that he was other than he pretended to be, a
+Syrian captive. That he is brave goes without saying, though perhaps
+no braver than the majority of his companions. The extraordinary thing
+about him is that although, as he himself says, little more than a boy,
+he has the coolness to plan, and the head to carry out, schemes that
+would do credit to the most experienced captain. He is already a credit
+to the Order, and, should he live, will assuredly rise to the highest
+offices in it, and may even die its grand master. In the stormy times
+that are coming on, there will be ample opportunities for him still
+further to distinguish himself, and to fulfil the singular promise of
+his youth. That he possesses great tact, as well as other qualities,
+is shown by the enthusiasm with which his companions regard him. In no
+case, among those to whom I have spoken, have I discerned the smallest
+jealousy of him. The tact that is needed to stand thus among fifty young
+knights, almost all his seniors in age, will assuredly enable him later
+on to command the confidence and affection of older men.”
+
+When the other guests had left, and Caretto only remained, the countess
+turned to Claudia. “You went too far, Claudia. I was willing enough,
+when you asked me, that you should bestow a favour upon him. Most young
+knights wear such a favour, which may be a sign of devotion, but which
+far more frequently is a piece of gallantry. In the case of a knight
+hospitaller it can only be the latter; it is in his case merely a sign
+that he has so distinguished himself that some maiden feels a pride that
+her gift should be carried into battle by him, and, on his part, that he
+too is proud of the gift so bestowed by one whose goodwill he prizes.
+In that way I was willing that you should grant him your favour. But
+the manner in which you gave it was far more serious than the occasion
+warranted, and your promise to grant no similar favour to another as
+long as he lived, surprised, and, I may almost say, shocked me. You are,
+according to our custom here, considered almost a woman, and had not
+Sir Gervaise belonged to a religious Order, and were he of a presuming
+disposition, he might well have gathered a meaning from your words far
+beyond what you intended, and have even entertained a presumptuous hope
+that you were not indifferent to his merits. In the present case, of
+course, no harm is done; still, methinks that it would be far better had
+the words been unspoken. Your cousin here will, I am sure, agree with
+me.”
+
+Caretto did not speak, but stood playing with his moustache, waiting for
+Claudia's reply. The girl had stood with downcast eyes while her mother
+was speaking.
+
+“I only expressed what I felt, mother,” she said, after a pause, “and I
+do not think that Sir Gervaise Tresham is likely to misunderstand me.
+It seems to me that never among those whom I have met have I seen one
+so worthy. No praises can be higher than those with which my cousin has
+spoken of him. He has rescued him, whom we dearly love, from slavery;
+he has saved Genoa from great disaster, and many towns and villages from
+plunder and ruin. I do indeed feel proud that such a knight should wear
+my gage, and, were there no other reason, I should be unwilling that, so
+long as he carried it, another should possess a similar one from me. I
+am sure that Sir Gervaise will have felt that this was the meaning of my
+words; I wished him to see that it was not a favour lightly given by a
+girl who might, a few weeks hence, bestow a similar one upon another,
+but was a gage seriously given of the honour in which I held him.”
+
+“Very well said, Claudia,” Caretto broke in, before the countess could
+reply. “I warrant me the young knight will not misunderstand your gift,
+and that he will prize it highly and carry it nobly. He is not one of
+those who will boast of a favour and display it all times, and, except
+perhaps to his friend Sir Ralph Harcourt, I will wager he never tells a
+soul who was its donor.”
+
+When Claudia shortly afterwards left the room, he said to the countess,
+“Excuse me for breaking in, Agatha, but I felt that it was much better
+to agree with her, and not to make overmuch of the matter; she is just
+of an age to make some one a hero, and she could hardly have chosen a
+better subject for her worship. In the first place, he is a knight
+of St. John; in the second, he is going away in a few days, perhaps
+tomorrow, and may never cross her path again. The thought of him will
+prevent her fancy from straying for a time, and keep her heart whole
+until you decide on a suitor for her hand.”
+
+“Nevertheless, I would rather that it had not been so. Claudia is not
+given to change, and this may last long enough to cause trouble when I
+bring forward the suitor you speak of.”
+
+“Well, in any case it might be worse,” Caretto said philosophically.
+And then, with a smile in answer to her look of inquiry, “Knights of the
+Order have, ere now, obtained release from their vows.”
+
+“Fabricius!” the countess exclaimed, in a shocked voice.
+
+“Yes, I know, Agatha, that the child is one of the richest heiresses
+in Italy, but for that very reason it needs not that her husband should
+have wide possessions. In all other respects you could wish for no
+better. He will assuredly be a famous knight; he is the sort of man to
+make her perfectly happy; and, lastly, you know I cannot forget that I
+owe my liberation from slavery to him. At any rate, Agatha, as I said
+before, he may never cross her path again, and you may, a year or two
+hence, find her perfectly amenable to your wishes.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII CAPTURED
+
+
+Upon the following day the doge requested Gervaise to accompany him to
+a meeting of the council. Upon entering the grand hall he found not only
+the members of the council assembled in their robes of office, but a
+large gathering of the nobles and principal citizens of Genoa, together
+with the knights of the galley whom, under Ralph Harcourt's orders,
+Gervaise found, to his surprise, drawn up in order across the Hall.
+Here, in the name of the Republic, Battista Fragoso announced to him
+that, by the unanimous decision of the council, he had been elected
+a noble of Genoa; an honour, he added, on only one or two previous
+occasions in the history of the Republic bestowed upon any but of
+princely rank, but which he had nobly earned by the great service he
+had rendered to the State. His name was then inscribed in the book
+containing the names and titles of the nobles of Genoa. Next, Battista
+Fragoso presented him with a superb suit of Milanese armour, as his own
+personal gift, and then with a casket of very valuable jewels, as the
+gift of the city of Genoa. Each presentation was accompanied by the
+plaudits of the assembly, and by the no less warm acclamations of the
+knights. Ralph was then called forward, and presented with a suit of
+armour but little inferior to that given to Gervaise, and each knight
+received a heavy gold chain of the finest workmanship of Genoa.
+
+Two days later the preparations for departure were complete, and a
+sufficient number of men were engaged to man the prizes. This charge,
+also, Genoa took upon itself, and put on board much stronger crews than
+Gervaise deemed necessary for the navigation of the ships. The weather
+was fine and the wind favourable, and a quick passage was made to
+Rhodes. When the harbour was in sight, the ships were ordered to proceed
+in single file, the galley leading the way with a huge banner of the
+Order floating from her stern, and smaller flags on staffs at each side.
+It was not until they passed by the two forts guarding the entrance that
+the flags fluttering at the mastheads of the prizes afforded to those
+on shore an intimation of the event that had taken place, and even then
+none supposed that this fleet of prizes had been taken by the one galley
+that headed them.
+
+As the Santa Barbara slowly rowed up the harbour, the State barge of
+the grand master put off to meet it, and D'Aubusson, with a party of
+knights, soon stepped on board.
+
+“Welcome back, Sir Gervaise! although I little expected to see you
+return so soon. What is the meaning of this procession that follows you?
+By their rig and appearance they are Moors, but how they come to be thus
+sailing in your wake is a mystery to us all.”
+
+“They are Moors, your Excellency; they form part of an expedition fitted
+out by the corsairs of Algiers, Tripoli, Tunis, and other piratical
+strongholds, for the purpose of destroying the commerce and ravaging the
+coasts of Western Italy. Fortunately, we fell in with a ship that had
+been plundered by three of them on their way north, and learned from the
+dying captain, who was the only one of her crew left with life on board,
+the direction they were taking, and something of the nature of the
+expedition. We pursued the three galleys, came up with them, had the
+good fortune to capture them, and then had the delight of finding among
+their rowers the noble knights, Fabricius Caretto, Giacomo Da Vinci, and
+Pietro Forzi.”
+
+The grand master, and the knights with him, uttered an exclamation of
+joy, and, as the three knights named stepped forward, embraced them with
+the liveliest pleasure.
+
+“My dear Caretto,” the grand master exclaimed, “it is almost a
+resurrection, for we have all long mourned you as dead; and your return
+to us at the present time is indeed fortunate; for upon whose judgment
+and aid could I better rely than those of my old comrade in arms?” Then,
+turning to Gervaise, he went on: “It was a daring and brilliant exploit
+indeed, Sir Gervaise, and in due time honour shall be paid to you and
+your brave companions, to whom and to you I now tender the thanks of the
+Order. But tell me the rest briefly, for I would fain hear from these
+noble knights and old friends the story of what has befallen them.”
+
+“My tale is a very brief one, your Highness. The Cavalier Caretto sailed
+at once in a swift craft from the south of Sardinia, to carry warnings
+to the cities on the coast of Italy of the danger that threatened them,
+and in order that some war galleys might be despatched by Genoa to meet
+the corsair fleet. During his absence we discovered the little inlet in
+which the pirates lay hidden, waiting doubtless the arrival of the three
+ships we had captured, to commence operations. On the return of the
+knight with the news that it would be at least a fortnight before Genoa
+could fit out any galleys, and fearing that the pirates might at any
+moment put to sea, we procured some small Sardinian craft, and fitted
+them as fire ships; with the captives we had rescued, and some Sard
+fishermen, we manned the three prizes, distributing the knights between
+them, and at night launched the fire ships against the corsairs, whose
+ships were crowded together. Eleven of them were burnt; six we captured
+as they endeavoured to make their way out, and took possession of four
+others whose crews had run them ashore and deserted them. None escaped.”
+
+Exclamations of astonishment and almost of incredulity broke from the
+knights.
+
+“And is it possible, Sir Gervaise, that these thirteen vessels that
+follow you are all prizes captured by your galley alone?”
+
+“It is, as I have the honour to tell your Highness. But their capture,
+except in the case of the first three, was due almost solely to good
+fortune and to the position in which we found them, almost incapable of
+defence.”
+
+“What think you, knights and comrades?” the grand master said to his
+companions. “There were some of you who deemed it rash to entrust a
+galley to so young a commander and so youthful a crew. What say you now?
+Never in the annals of the Order has such a sight been witnessed as that
+of thirteen prizes being brought in by a single galley, to say naught
+of eleven others destroyed. Caretto, you and your comrades must have had
+some share in this marvellous victory.”
+
+“By no means,” the Italian replied; “beyond having the honour of aiding
+to carry out the orders of Sir Gervaise Tresham, the commander of the
+galley. The plan was wholly of his own devising, its execution solely
+due to his arrangement of the details, and that without the slightest
+suggestion on the part of myself or my comrades. I will presently
+narrate to you the whole story; it will come better from my lips than
+from those of Sir Gervaise, whose disposition is to wholly underestimate
+the merit of the action he has performed. But I must also bear
+testimony, not only to the bravery displayed by Sir Gervaise, Sir Ralph
+Harcourt, his lieutenant, and every one of the knights his crew, but
+to the admirable discipline, order, and good fellowship on board the
+galley, which would have done credit to the most experienced commander
+and to the most veteran knights of the Order.”
+
+The grand master paused a moment, and then said in a loud voice, “Sir
+Gervaise Tresham, Sir Ralph Harcourt, and knights of the seven langues
+of the Order--As yet I can hardly appreciate the full extent of the
+service that you have rendered. I thanked you but now for the capture of
+three corsairs; but what can I say when I learn that you have destroyed
+or taken a whole fleet? I invite you all to a banquet that I shall hold
+tonight, where the Cavalier Caretto will relate to us all the details of
+this marvellous exploit.”
+
+Within a few minutes after the return of the grand master and his party
+ashore, the flags of the Order were run up to the flagstaffs of every
+fort and bastion: the bells of the churches chimed out a triumphant
+peal, and a salute was fired from the guns of the three water forts,
+while along the wall facing the port, the townspeople waved numberless
+gay flags as a welcome to the galley. Most of the knights went ashore
+at once, but Gervaise, under the excuse that he wished to see that
+everything was in order before landing, remained on board until it was
+time to go to the banquet, being sure that by that time the knights
+would have fully told the story at their respective auberges, and that
+there would be no more questions to answer. The banquet differed but
+little from that at Genoa, and Gervaise was heartily glad when it was
+over.
+
+The next day the grand master sent for him.
+
+“If I judge rightly, Sir Gervaise, the thing that will best please you
+at present, is an order to put to sea again at once, to conclude the
+usual period of service of the galley.”
+
+“It is indeed,” Gervaise replied earnestly. “But I should be glad, sir,
+if you will allow that the time should begin to count afresh from our
+present start. We have really had but a short period of service, for we
+wasted a week at Genoa, and ten days on our journey back here, so that
+we have had really no more than a month's active service.”
+
+“Yes, if you count only by time,” D'Aubusson said, with a smile.
+“Reckoning by results, you have done a good five years' cruise. However,
+so small a request can certainly be granted. The places of the two
+knights who were killed, and of four others whose wounds are reported
+to me as being too severe for them to be fit for service for some time,
+shall be filled up at once from the langues to which each belonged. You
+will cruise among the Western islands, whence complaints have reached us
+of a corsair who has been plundering and burning. Sometimes he is heard
+of as far north as Negropont, at others he is off the south of the
+Morea; then, again, we hear of him among the Cyclades. We have been
+unwilling to despatch another galley, for there is ample employment for
+every one here. After the blow you have struck on the Moorish corsairs,
+they are likely to be quiet for a little. You had best, therefore, try
+for a time if you cannot come across this pirate. You must let me know
+how much you paid for the vessels you used as fire ships, and to the
+Sards; this is an expense chargeable to the general service. I may tell
+you that to me it is due that no recognition of your exploits, such as
+that which Genoa bestowed upon you, will be made. At the council this
+morning it was urged that some signal mark of honour should be granted;
+but I interposed, saying that you had already received exceptional
+promotion, and that it would not be for your good, or that of the
+Order, for so young a knight to be raised to an official position of
+a character usually held by seniors, and that I was perfectly sure
+you would prefer remaining in command of your galley to any promotion
+whatever that would retain you on the Island.”
+
+“Indeed I should, your Highness. I wish to gain experience and to do
+service to the Order, and so far from pleasing me, promotion would
+trouble and distress me, and, could it have been done, I would most
+gladly have sent home the prizes, instead of going to Genoa, and would
+myself have continued the cruise.”
+
+“So the Cavalier Caretto told me,” the grand master replied. “Very well,
+then. In three days you shall set out again. The admiral tells me that
+never before has a galley returned with the slaves in such good health
+and condition, and that unquestionably your plan of erecting an awning
+to shelter them from the midday heat and the night dews has had a
+most beneficial effect on their health; he has recommended its general
+adoption.”
+
+Three days later the Santa Barbara again left port, and was soon upon
+her station. For some weeks she cruised backwards and forwards along the
+coast and among the islands. They often heard of the pirate ship, but
+all their efforts to find her were unavailing.
+
+One evening there were signs of a change of weather, and by morning it
+was blowing a furious gale from the north; in spite of the efforts of
+the rowers, the galley narrowly escaped being driven ashore; but she at
+last gained the shelter of an island, and anchored under its lee, the
+slaves being utterly worn out by continuous exertion. As soon as the
+gale abated they again put to sea, and, after proceeding for some miles,
+saw a ship cast up on shore. Some people could be made out on board of
+her, and a white flag was raised.
+
+“She must have been driven ashore during the gale,” Gervaise said. “We
+will row in to within a quarter of a mile of her and see what we can do
+for them.”
+
+As soon as the anchor was dropped a boat was lowered.
+
+“I will go myself, Ralph, for I shall be glad to set my foot on shore
+again. There must be people on the island; I wonder none of them have
+come to the aid of those poor fellows. I suppose the villages are on the
+other side of the island, and they have not yet heard of the wreck.”
+
+Gervaise asked three of the knights to accompany him, and the boat,
+rowed by galley slaves, was soon on its way. All were glad at the change
+afforded to the monotony of their life on board, and at the prospect of
+a scamper on shore.
+
+There were but five or six men to be seen on the deck of the wreck, and
+these had, as the boat approached, come down to the rocks as if to meet
+those who came to their aid; but as the knights leapt out, they threw
+themselves suddenly upon them with knives and scimitars that had
+hitherto been concealed beneath their garments, while at the same moment
+a crowd of men appeared on the deck of the ship, and, leaping down, ran
+forward with drawn swords. Two of the knights fell dead before they had
+time to draw their weapons. The third shook off his two assailants,
+and for a minute kept them both at bay; but others, rushing up, cut him
+down.
+
+Gervaise had received a slight wound before he realised what was
+happening. He snatched his dagger from its sheath, and struck down one
+assailant; but ere he could raise it to strike again, another leapt on
+to his back, and clung there until the rest rushed up, when he shouted,
+“Take him alive! take him alive!” and, throwing down their weapons, half
+a dozen of the pirates flung themselves upon Gervaise, and strove
+to pull him to the ground, until at last, in spite of his desperate
+resistance, they succeeded in doing so. His armour was hastily stripped
+off, his hands and feet bound, and then at the orders of the pirate who
+had leapt on his back, and who was evidently the captain, half a dozen
+men lifted him on to their shoulders. As they did so four guns from the
+galley flashed out, and the balls flew overhead. The pirates, who had
+already begun to quarrel over the armour and arms of the fallen knights,
+at once took to their heels, followed by the galley slaves from the
+boat.
+
+“Make haste,” the captain said to the men carrying Gervaise.
+
+“They are lowering their boats; we must be under way before they come
+up.”
+
+In a minute or two Gervaise was set down on his feet, the cords round
+his legs were cut, and he was made to hurry along with his captors. In
+a short time an inlet was reached, and here Gervaise saw, to his
+mortification, the pirate craft for which the Santa Barbara had in vain
+been searching. As soon as the party were all on board, the ropes by
+which she was moored to two trees were thrown off; the great sails
+hoisted, and she sailed boldly out. Although the gale had entirely
+abated, there was still a brisk wind blowing, and it was evident to the
+captain of the corsair that under such circumstances he could outsail
+the galley that had long been searching for him; when, therefore,
+the Santa Barbara came in sight, just as he and his crew had finished
+stripping the wreck of its contents, the idea had occurred to him to
+attempt to entice some of the knights to land.
+
+As soon as the vessel was under way he abused his followers hotly for
+not having obeyed his orders to capture the knights without bloodshed;
+but they pleaded that it was as much as they had been able to do to
+capture Gervaise in that way, and that they could never have overcome
+the four together, before the boats would have had time to come from the
+ship.
+
+Gervaise had been told to sit down with his back to a mast and in this
+position he could, when the vessel heeled over to the breeze, obtain a
+view of the sea. It was with a feeling of bitter mortification and rage
+that he saw the galley lying but half a mile away, as the corsair issued
+from the inlet. A moment later he heard a gun fired, and saw the signal
+hoisted to recall the boats.
+
+“If the wind had been favourable,” the captain said to his mate, “we
+would have borne down upon her, and could have reached and captured her
+before the boats got back, for you may be sure that they have landed
+almost all their men. However, we can't get there against the wind, and
+we will now say goodbye to them.”
+
+Gervaise knew well that at the pace they were running through the water
+the galley would have no chance whatever of overtaking her, and that,
+ere the knights came on board again, she would be already two or three
+miles away. A point of land soon concealed the galley from view, and
+when he caught sight of her, as she rounded the point, she was but a
+speck in the distance.
+
+They passed several islands in the course of the day, changing their
+direction to a right angle to that which they had at first pursued, as
+soon as they were hidden from the sight of the galley by an intervening
+island. As night came on they anchored in a little bay on the coast of
+the Morea. The sails being furled, the sailors made a division of the
+booty they had captured on the island, and of the portable property
+found on board the wreck. A gourd full of water was placed to Gervaise's
+lips by one of the men of a kinder disposition than the rest. He drank
+it thankfully, for he was parched with thirst excited by the pain caused
+by the tightness with which he had been bound.
+
+He slept where he sat. All night four men remained on guard, although
+from what he heard they had no fear whatever of being overtaken. In
+the morning his arms were unbound, and they stripped off his tunic and
+shirt. They had evidently respect for his strength, for before loosing
+his arms they tightly fastened his ankles together. The removal of his
+shirt exposed Claudia's gift to view.
+
+“Take that from him and give it to me,” the captain said. As the two men
+approached, Gervaise seized one in each hand, dashed them against
+each other, and hurled them on the deck. But the exertion upset his
+equilibrium, and after making a vain effort to recover it, he fell
+heavily across them. The captain stooped over him, and, before he could
+recover himself, snatched the chain from his neck.
+
+“You are a stout fellow,” he said, laughing, “and will make a fine
+slave. What have you got here that you are ready to risk your life
+for?” He looked at the little chain and its pendant with an air of
+disappointment. “'Tis worth but little,” he said, showing it to his
+mate. “I would not give five ducats for it in the market. It must be a
+charm, or a knight would never carry it about with him and prize it so
+highly. It may be to things like this the Christians owe their luck.”
+
+“It has not brought him luck this time,” the mate observed with a laugh.
+
+“Even a charm cannot always bring good luck, but at any rate I will try
+it;” and he put it round his neck just as Gervaise had worn it. The
+latter was now unbound, and permitted to move about the deck. The
+strength he had shown in the struggle on shore, and the manner in which
+he had hurled, bound as he was, two of their comrades to the deck, had
+won for him the respect of his captors, and he was therefore allowed
+privileges not granted to the seamen of the vessel that had had the ill
+fortune to be cast on shore so close to the spot where the corsair
+was hiding. These had been seized, driven to the ship, and having been
+stripped of the greater portion of their clothes, shut down in the hold.
+
+Although angry that but one out of the four who landed had been
+captured, the captain was in a good humour at having tricked his
+redoubtable foes, and was disposed to treat Gervaise with more
+consideration than was generally given to captives. The latter had not
+spoken a word of Turkish from the time he was captured, and had shaken
+his head when first addressed in that language. No suspicion was
+therefore entertained that he had any knowledge of it, and the Turks
+conversed freely before him.
+
+“Where think you we had better sell him?” the mate asked the captain,
+when Gervaise was leaning against the bulwark watching the land, a short
+quarter of a mile away. “He ought to fetch a good ransom.”
+
+“Ay, but who would get it? You know how it was with one that Ibrahim
+took two years ago. First there were months of delay, then, when the
+ransom was settled, the pasha took four-fifths of it for himself, and
+Ibrahim got far less than he would have done had he sold him as a slave.
+The pashas here, and the sultans of the Moors, are all alike; if they
+once meddle in an affair they take all the profit, and think they do
+well by giving you a tithe of it. There are plenty of wealthy Moors who
+are ready to pay well for a Christian slave, especially when he is a
+good looking young fellow such as this. He will fetch as much as all
+those eight sailors below. They are only worth their labour, while
+this youngster will command a fancy price. I know a dozen rich Moors in
+Tripoli or Tunis who would be glad to have him; and we agreed that we
+would run down to the African coast for awhile, for that galley has been
+altogether too busy of late for our comfort, and will be all the more
+active after this little affair; besides, people in these islands have
+got so scared that one can't get within ten miles of any of them now
+without seeing their signal smokes rising on the hills, and finding,
+when they land, the villages deserted and stripped of everything worth
+carrying away.”
+
+This news was a disappointment to Gervaise. He had calculated that he
+would be sold at one of the Levant ports, and had thought that with his
+knowledge of Turkish he should have no great difficulty in escaping
+from any master into whose hands he might fall, and taking his chance of
+either seizing a fishing boat, or of making his way in a trading ship to
+some district where the population was a mixed one, and where trade was
+winked at between the merchants there, and those at some of the Greek
+towns. To escape from Tunis or Tripoli would be far more difficult;
+there, too, he would be beyond the reach of the good offices of Suleiman
+Ali, who would, he was sure, have done all in his power to bring about
+his release. Of one thing he was determined: he would not return to
+Rhodes without making every possible effort to recover Claudia's gage,
+as he considered it absolutely incumbent on him as a knight to guard, as
+something sacred, a gift so bestowed. The fancy of the corsair to
+retain the jewel as a charm he regarded as a piece of the greatest good
+fortune. Had it been thrown among the common spoil, he would never have
+known to which of the crew it had fallen at the division, still less
+have traced what became of it afterwards; whereas now, for some time, at
+any rate, it was likely to remain in the captain's possession.
+
+Had it not been for that, he would have attempted to escape at the first
+opportunity, and such an opportunity could not fail to present itself
+ere long, for he had but to manage to possess himself of Moslem garments
+to be able to move about unquestioned in any Turkish town. When it
+became dark he was shut up in the hold, which was, he found, crowded
+with captives, as, in addition to the crew of the wreck, between forty
+and fifty Greeks, for the most part boys and young girls, had been
+carried off from the villages plundered. It was pitch dark below,
+although the scuttle had been left open in order to allow a certain
+amount of air to reach the captives; Gervaise, therefore, felt his way
+about cautiously, and lay down as soon as he found a clear space. Save
+an occasional moan or curse, and the panting of those suffering from the
+heat and closeness of the crowded hold, all was still. The majority
+of the captives had been some time in their floating prison, and
+their first poignant grief had settled down into a dull and despairing
+acceptance of their fate; the sailors, newly captured, had for hours
+raved and cursed, but, worn out by their struggle with the elements, and
+their rage and grief, they had now fallen asleep.
+
+It was long before Gervaise dozed off. He was furious with himself for
+having fallen into the trap; if he had, as he said to himself, lain off
+the beach in the boat, and questioned the supposed shipwrecked sailors,
+their inability to reply to him would have at once put him on his guard;
+as it was, he had walked into the snare as carelessly and confidently as
+a child might have done. Even more than his own captivity, he regretted
+the death of his three comrades, which he attributed to his own want
+of care. The next morning he was again allowed on deck. The vessel was
+under way, and her head was pointing south. To his surprise some of the
+crew gave him a friendly greeting; he was unable to understand a manner
+so at variance with their hatred to the Christians, until one of them
+said to him in a mixture of Greek and Italian, “We have heard from
+our countrymen who were in the boat with you, that they received much
+kindness at your hands, and that of all the Christians they had served
+under, you were the kindest master. Therefore, it is but right now Allah
+has decreed that you in turn should be a slave to the true believers,
+that you should receive the same mercy you gave to Moslems when they
+were in your power.”
+
+The captain came up as the man was speaking. He talked for a time to the
+sailor, who then turned again to Gervaise. “The captain says that he is
+told you were the commander of that galley; he has questioned the eight
+men separately, and they all tell the same story: and yet he cannot
+understand how so young a man should command a galley manned by warriors
+famous for their deeds of arms, even among us who are their foes.”
+
+“This galley was an exception,” Gervaise replied; “the knights on
+board were all young, as they could be better spared than those more
+experienced, at a time when your sultan is known to be preparing for an
+attack on Rhodes.”
+
+The captain was silent for a minute when this was interpreted to him; he
+had at the time noticed and wondered at the youth of the four knights,
+and the explanation seemed to him a reasonable one.
+
+“I wish I had known it,” he said after a pause; “for had I done so, I
+would have fought and captured her yesterday; I have half a mind to go
+back and seek her now.”
+
+He called up one of the ex slaves who was a native of Tripoli, and who
+had now taken his place as a member of the crew, and asked him a number
+of questions. Gervaise felt uncomfortable while the man was answering.
+Fortunately, his rowers had agreed to say nothing whatever of the
+destruction of the corsair fleet, of which no word had as yet reached
+the pirates, deeming that, in their anger at the news, the pirates might
+turn upon them for the part that they had, however involuntarily, borne
+in it.
+
+As soon as he perceived that the captain entertained the idea of
+returning to engage the galley, the man felt that if he were to avoid
+a return into captivity he must deter him from taking such a step. He
+therefore, in answer to his questions as to the strength of the crew of
+the galley and the fighting powers of the knights, reported the capture
+of the three vessels. The captain listened almost incredulously to his
+statement, and, calling up another two of the men, questioned them also
+as to the occurrence. Having heard them, he turned away and paced the
+deck, in evident anger; however, he gave no instructions for a change of
+course, and, to the great satisfaction of the eight rescued slaves, the
+vessel continued her course southward.
+
+As they neared the African coast, Gervaise kept an eager lookout, in
+hopes that Visconti's galley might appear in sight. The captain's temper
+had not recovered from the effect of the news of the capture of three
+Moorish vessels by the galley commanded by Gervaise, and the latter,
+seeing the mood he was in, kept forward so as to avoid coming in contact
+with him. He had early taken the opportunity of saying to one of the
+released galley slaves, “I pray you, if you have any feeling of kindness
+towards me for the efforts I made to alleviate your condition, say
+no word of my knowledge of Turkish, and ask the others also to remain
+silent on this point.”
+
+The man had nodded, and the request was observed by them all.
+
+The captain's irritation showed itself in his treatment of the other
+captives. These were brought up every day from the hold, and kept on
+deck until dark, as the price they would fetch in the slave market in
+Tripoli would depend greatly upon their health and appearance; but when
+the captain came near them he several times struck them brutally, if
+they happened to be in his way. Gervaise had the greatest difficulty in
+restraining his indignation, and, indeed, only did so because he felt
+that his interference would but make things worse for them. When at last
+the ship cast anchor off Tripoli, the captain ordered the boats to be
+lowered. As he walked towards the gangway, he happened to push against
+one of the captives, a Greek girl of some ten years of age. With an
+angry exclamation he struck her to the deck. Gervaise sprang forward.
+
+“You brute!” he exclaimed in English. “I have a good mind to throw you
+overboard, and will do so the next time you strike one of these children
+without cause.”
+
+Infuriated by Gervaise's interference and threatening attitude, the
+corsair drew his long knife; but before he could strike, Gervaise caught
+his wrist; the knife fell from his hand, and Gervaise kicked it through
+the open gangway into the sea. The captain shouted to his men to seize
+the Christian, but the young knight's blood was up now. The first
+man who came at him he seized by the sash round his waist, and threw
+overboard; the two next he stretched on the deck with blows from his
+clenched fist. Some of the others now drew their weapons, but the
+captain shouted to them to sheath them.
+
+“Fools!” he yelled. “Is it not enough that your cowardice has already
+cost us the lives of three knights, whose capture would have brought us
+a big sum? Throw him down and bind him. What! are fifty of you afraid of
+one unarmed man? No wonder these Christians capture our ships, if this
+is the mettle of our crews!”
+
+Goaded by his words, the men made a general rush upon Gervaise, and, in
+spite of his desperate efforts, threw him on to the deck and bound him;
+then the captain, seizing a heavy stick in his left hand, his right
+being still powerless, showered blows upon him until Gervaise almost
+lost consciousness. “Throw some water over the dog,” the corsair said,
+as he threw down the stick, panting with his exertions; and then,
+without waiting to see if his order was obeyed, he took his place in the
+boat, and was rowed ashore.
+
+As soon as he had left, three or four of the ex galley slaves carried
+Gervaise into the shade of the sail. The sailors, several of whom
+bore signs of the late struggle, looked on sullenly, but offered no
+opposition when the men took off the ropes and raised him into a sitting
+posture against the mast. He had not entirely lost consciousness, and
+was now fast recovering himself.
+
+“Is there anything we can do for you?” one of the men asked in Italian.
+
+“No I shall soon be all right again, although I am bruised all over, and
+shall be stiff for a day or two. You had best leave me now, or you will
+incur the enmity of these fellows.”
+
+Gervaise was indeed bruised from his neck to his heels. Even in
+his passion the pirate had avoided striking him on the head, as a
+disfiguring mark on the face would diminish his value. Sitting there, he
+congratulated himself that he had been beaten with a stick and not
+with a whip; a stick is a weapon, and he did not feel the same sense of
+dishonour that he would have experienced had he been beaten with a
+whip. That such might be his lot in slavery he recognised. The backs of
+Caretto and his two companions were seamed with the marks inflicted
+by the gang master's whip, and he could scarce hope to escape the same
+treatment; but at present he hardly felt a slave. There was another
+reflection that to some extent mitigated the pain of his bruises;
+the pirate captain held his treasured gage, and it was his fixed
+determination to recover it. The man had at first in a rough way treated
+him fairly, and had allowed him more liberty than the other captives,
+and he would have felt reluctant to take extreme measure against him to
+recover the gage. Now he was not only free from any sense of obligation,
+but had a heavy score to settle with him.
+
+After a time he got up and walked stiffly and painfully up and down
+the deck, knowing that this was the best plan to prevent the limbs
+from stiffening. The corsair did not return until night set in; he was
+accompanied by an Arab, whose dress and appearance showed that he was
+a person of importance. The other slaves had all been sent below, but
+Gervaise still remained on deck, as the mate had not cared to risk
+another conflict by giving him orders in the absence of the captain. As
+the pirate stepped on deck he ordered some torches to be brought.
+
+“This is the Christian I spoke of,” he said to the Arab, pointing to
+Gervaise, who was leaning carelessly against the bulwark.
+
+“He is, as you see, capable of hard work of any kind; his strength is
+prodigious, for it took ten of my best men to bind him this morning.”
+
+“Why did you wish to bind him?” the Arab asked coldly; “you told me that
+although so strong he was of a quiet disposition, and would make a good
+household slave.”
+
+“I struck a slave girl who stood in my way,” the captain said, “and he
+came at me so suddenly that I had to call upon the men to bind him. He
+threw one of them overboard, and with his naked hands knocked down two
+others; and, as I have told you, it took all the efforts of eight or ten
+more before they could overcome him.”
+
+The Arab took a torch from one of the sailors, walked across to
+Gervaise, who was naked from the waist upwards, his upper garments
+having been torn into shreds in the struggle, and examined him closely.
+
+“And then you beat him,” he said, turning to the captain.
+
+“Certainly I beat him. Do you think that a slave is to mutiny on board
+my ship, and escape unpunished?”
+
+The Arab, without replying, again inspected Gervaise.
+
+“You ask a large sum for him,” he said.
+
+“I should ask twice as much,” the captain replied, “if it were not for
+the regulation that one slave from each cargo brought in belongs to the
+sultan, and his officers would as a matter of course choose this fellow,
+for the others are merely such as are sold in the market every day. This
+man is one of the accursed Order of Rhodes, and would fetch a ransom
+many times greater than the sum I ask for him, only I have not the time
+to wait for months until the affair could be arranged.”
+
+“And, moreover, Hassan,” the Arab said grimly, “it has doubtless not
+escaped you that as the Sultan of Turkey is fitting out an expedition
+to destroy the community of Rhodes, the chance of their ransoming their
+comrade is a very slight one.”
+
+“Threatened men live long,” the captain said. “The sultan has been
+talking of attacking them for years, and something has always happened
+to prevent his carrying out his intention. It may be the same again.”
+
+“I will take him,” the Arab said shortly. “Here is a purse with the sum
+you named; count it, and see that it is right.” As he stood apart while
+the pirate counted out the money, the eight released slaves came up in a
+body, and one of them, bowing low before the merchant, said,
+
+“My lord, we have long been slaves of the Christian knights at Rhodes,
+and have worked in their galleys. We were rescued the other day when
+this knight was taken prisoner. Our life has been a hard one. We have
+borne toil, and hardship, and blows, the heat of the sun by day, and the
+damp by night, but we would humbly represent to you that since we were
+placed in the galley commanded by this knight our lot has been made
+bearable by his humanity and kindness. He erected an awning to shade us
+from the sun's rays, and to shelter us from the night dews. He provided
+good food for us. He saw that we were not worked beyond our strength,
+and he forbade us being struck, unless for good cause. Therefore, my
+lord, now that misfortune has fallen upon him, we venture to represent
+to you the kindness with which he has treated us, in the hope that it
+may please you to show him such mercy as he showed to us.”
+
+“You have done well,” the Arab said, “and your words shall not be
+forgotten. When you land tomorrow, inquire for the house of Isaac
+Ben Ibyn. You are doubtless penniless, and I may be able to obtain
+employment for those of you who may stop at Tripoli, and to assist those
+who desire to take passage to their homes elsewhere. We are commanded to
+be grateful to those who befriend us, and as you have shown yourselves
+to be so, it is right that I, an humble servant of the Great One, should
+in His name reward you.”
+
+Motioning to Gervaise to follow him, the Arab stepped into his boat.
+Gervaise turned to the men, and said in Italian, “Thanks, my friends,
+you have well discharged any debt that you may think you owe me. Will
+you tell that villain”--and he pointed to the captain threateningly--“I
+warn him that some day I will kill him like a dog!” Then, turning, he
+stepped into the bow of the boat, and the two men who rowed it at once
+pushed off.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII A KIND MASTER
+
+
+When the boat reached the shore the Arab handed a long bernouse to
+Gervaise, signed to him to pull the hood well over his head, and then
+led the way through the streets until he stopped at a large house,
+standing in a quiet quarter of the town. He struck on the door with his
+hand, and it was at once opened by a black slave.
+
+“Call Muley,” the Arab said.
+
+The slave hurried away, and returned in a minute with a man somewhat
+past middle age, and dressed in a style that indicated that he was a
+trusted servant.
+
+“Muley,” his master said, “I have bought this Christian who has been
+brought in by Hassan the corsair. He is one of the knights who are the
+terrors of our coasts, but is, from what I hear, of a kind and humane
+disposition. I am told that he was a commander of one of their galleys,
+and though I should not have believed it had I only Hassan's word, I
+have heard from others that it was so. My wife has long desired to have
+a Christian slave, and as Allah has blessed my efforts it was but right
+that I should gratify her, though in truth I do not know what work I
+shall set him to do at present. Let him first have a bath, and see that
+he is clad decently, then let him have a good meal. I doubt if he has
+had one since he was captured. He has been sorely beaten by the corsair,
+and from no fault of his own, but only because he opposed the man's
+brutality to a child slave. If any of his wounds need ointment, see that
+he has it. When all is ready, bring him to the door of my apartments, in
+order that I may show to my wife that I have gratified her whim.”
+
+Then he motioned to Gervaise to follow Muley, who was the head of his
+household. Gervaise resisted the impulse to thank his new master, and
+followed in silence.
+
+He was first taken to a bathroom, furnished with an abundance of hot and
+cold water. Muley uttered an exclamation as, on Gervaise throwing off
+his bernouse, he saw that his flesh was a mass of bruises. After filling
+the bath with hot water, he motioned to Gervaise to get in, and lie
+there until he returned. It was some time before he came back, bringing
+a pot of ointment and some bandages. It was only on the body that the
+wounds needed dressing, for here the blows had fallen on the naked skin.
+When he had dressed them, Muley went out and returned with some Turkish
+garments, consisting of a pair of baggy trousers of yellow cotton, a
+white shirt of the same material, and a sleeveless jacket of blue cloth
+embroidered with yellow trimming; a pair of yellow slippers completed
+the costume. Muley now took him into another room, where he set before
+him a dish of rice with a meat gravy, a large piece of bread, and a
+wooden spoon.
+
+Gervaise ate the food with a deep feeling of thankfulness for the fate
+that had thrown him into such good hands. Then, after taking a long
+draught of water, he rose to his feet and followed Muley into the
+entrance hall. The latter stopped at a door on the opposite side,
+knocked at it, and then motioned to Gervaise to take off his slippers.
+The door was opened by the Arab himself.
+
+“Enter,” he said courteously, and led Gervaise into an apartment where
+a lady and two girls were sitting on a divan. They were slightly veiled;
+but, as Gervaise afterwards learnt, Ben Ibyn was not a Moor, but a
+Berber, a people who do not keep their women in close confinement as
+do the Moors, but allow them to go abroad freely without being entirely
+muffled up.
+
+“Khadja,” the merchant said, “this is the Christian slave I purchased
+today. You have for a long time desired one, but not until now have I
+found one who would, I thought, satisfy your expectations. What think
+you of him?”
+
+“He is a noble looking youth truly, Isaac, with his fair, wavy hair, his
+grey eyes, and white skin; truly, all my neighbours will envy me such
+a possession. I have often seen Christian slaves before, but they have
+always been broken down and dejected looking creatures; this one bears
+himself like a warrior rather than a slave.”
+
+“He is a warrior; he is one of those terrible knights of Rhodes whose
+very name is a terror to the Turks, and whose galleys are feared even
+by our boldest corsairs. He must be of approved valour, for he was
+commander of one of these galleys.”
+
+The girls looked with amazement at Gervaise. They had often heard tales
+of the capture of ships that had sailed from Tripoli, by the galleys
+of the Christian knights, and had pictured those fierce warriors as of
+almost supernatural strength and valour. That this youth, whose upper
+lip was but shaded with a slight moustache, should be one of them,
+struck them as being almost incredible.
+
+“He does not look ferocious, father,” one of them said. “He looks
+pleasant and good tempered, as if he could injure no one.”
+
+“And yet this morning, daughter, he braved, unarmed, the anger of Hassan
+the corsair, on the deck of his own ship; and when the pirate called
+upon his men to seize him he threw one overboard, struck two more on to
+the deck, and it needed eight men to overpower him.”
+
+“I hope he won't get angry with us!” the younger girl exclaimed.
+Gervaise could not suppress a laugh, and then, turning to the merchant,
+said in Turkish, “I must ask your pardon for having concealed from you
+my knowledge of your tongue. I kept the secret from all on board the
+corsair, and meant to have done the same here, deeming that if none knew
+that I spoke the language it would greatly aid me should I ever see
+an opportunity of making my escape; but, Ben Ibyn, you have behaved so
+kindly to me that I feel it would not be honourable to keep it a secret
+from you, and to allow you and the ladies to talk freely before me,
+thinking that I was altogether ignorant of what you were saying.”
+
+“You have acted well and honourably,” Ben Ibyn said, putting a hand on
+his shoulder kindly. “We have heard much of the character of the Order,
+and that though valiant in battle, your knights are courteous and
+chivalrous, deeming a deceitful action to be unworthy of them, and
+binding themselves by their vows to succour the distressed and to be
+pitiful to the weak. We have heard that our wounded are tended by
+them in your hospitals with as much care as men of their own race and
+religion, and that in many things the knights were to be admired even by
+those who were their foes. I see now that these reports were true, and
+that although, as you say, it might be of advantage to you that none
+should know you speak Arabic, yet it is from a spirit of honourable
+courtesy you have now told us that you do so.
+
+“I did not tell you, wife,” he went on, turning to her, “that the reason
+why he bearded Hassan today was because the corsair brutally struck a
+little female captive; thus, you see, he, at the risk of his life, and
+when himself a captive, carried out his vows to protect the defenceless.
+And now, wife, there is one thing you must know. For some time, at any
+rate, you must abandon the idea of exciting the envy of your friends by
+exhibiting your Christian captive to them. As you are aware, the sultan
+has the choice of any one slave he may select from each batch brought
+in, and assuredly he would choose this one, did it come to his ears,
+or to the ears of one of his officers, that a Christian knight had been
+landed. For this reason Hassan sold him to me for a less sum than
+he would otherwise have demanded, and we must for some time keep his
+presence here a secret. My idea is that he shall remain indoors until
+we move next week into our country house, where he will be comparatively
+free from observation.”
+
+“Certainly, Isaac. I would not on any account that he should be handed
+over to the sultan, for he would either be put into the galleys or have
+to labour in the streets.”
+
+“I will tell Muley to order the other slaves to say nothing outside
+of the fresh arrival, so for the present there is no fear of its being
+talked about in the town. Hassan will, for his own sake, keep silent
+on the matter. I have not yet asked your name,” he went on, turning to
+Gervaise.
+
+“My name is Gervaise Tresham; but it will be easier for you to call me
+by my first name only.”
+
+“Then, Gervaise, it were well that you retired to rest at once, for I am
+sure that you sorely need it.” He touched a bell on the table, and told
+Muley, when he appeared, to conduct Gervaise to the place where he was
+to sleep, which was, he had already ordered, apart from the quarters of
+the other slaves.
+
+“The young fellow is a mass of bruises,” Ben Ibyn said to his wife, when
+the door closed behind Gervaise. “Hassan beat him so savagely, after
+they had overpowered and bound him, that he well nigh killed him.”
+
+An exclamation of indignation burst from the wife and daughters.
+
+“Muley has seen to his wounds,” he went on, “and he will doubtless be
+cured in a few days. And now, wife, that your wish is gratified, and I
+have purchased a Christian slave for you, may I ask what you are going
+to do with him?”
+
+“I am sure I do not know,” she said in a tone of perplexity. “I had
+thought of having him to hand round coffee when my friends call, and
+perhaps to work in the garden, but I did not think that he would be
+anything like this.”
+
+“That is no reason why he should not do so,” Ben Ibyn said. “These
+Christians, I hear, treat their women as if they were superior beings,
+and feel it no dishonour to wait upon them; I think you cannot do better
+than carry out your plan. It is certain there is no sort of work that
+he would prefer to it; therefore, let it be understood that he is to be
+your own personal attendant, and that when you have no occasion for his
+services, he will work in the garden. Only do not for the present let
+any of your friends see him; they would spread the news like wildfire,
+and in a week every soul in the town would know that you had a good
+looking Christian slave, and the sultan's officer would be sending for
+me to ask how I obtained him. We must put a turban on him. Any one who
+caught a glimpse of that hair of his, however far distant, would know
+that he was a Frank.”
+
+“We might stain his face and hands with walnut juice,” Khadja said, “he
+would pass as a Nubian. Some of them are tall and strong.”
+
+“A very good thought, wife; it would be an excellent disguise. So shall
+it be.” He touched the bell again. “Tell Muley I would speak with him.
+Muley,” he went on, when the steward appeared, “have you said aught to
+any of the servants touching the Christian?”
+
+“No, my lord; you gave me no instructions about it, and I thought it
+better to wait until the morning, when I could ask you.”
+
+“You did well. We have determined to stain his skin, and at present he
+will pass as a Nubian. This will avoid all questions and talk.”
+
+“But, my lord, they will wonder that he cannot speak their tongue.”
+
+“He must pass among them as a mute; but indeed he speaks Arabic as well
+as we do, Muley.”
+
+The man uttered an exclamation of surprise.
+
+“He had intended to conceal his knowledge,” Ben Ibyn went on, “which
+would have been politic; but when he found that my intentions were kind,
+he told us that he knew our tongue, and now revealed his knowledge, as
+he thought it would be dishonourable to listen to our talk, leaving us
+under the impression that he could not understand us.”
+
+“Truly these Christians are strange men,” Muley said. “This youth, who
+has not yet grown the hair on his face, is nevertheless commander of a
+war galley. He is ready to risk his life on behalf of a slave, and can
+strike down men with his unarmed hand; he is as gentle in his manner as
+a woman; and now it seems he can talk Arabic, and although it was in his
+power to keep this secret he tells it rather than overhear words that
+are not meant for his ear. Truly they are strange people, the Franks.
+I will prepare some stain in the morning, my lord, and complete his
+disguise before any of the others see him.”
+
+The next morning Muley told Gervaise that his master thought that it
+would be safer and more convenient for him to pass as a dumb Nubian
+slave. Gervaise thought the plan an excellent one; and he was soon
+transformed, Muley shaving that part of the hair that would have shown
+below the turban, and then staining him a deep brownish black, from the
+waist upwards, together with his feet and his legs up to his knee, and
+darkening his eyebrows, eyelashes, and moustache.
+
+“Save that your lips lack the thickness, and your nose is straighter
+than those of Nubians, no one would doubt but that you were one of that
+race; and this is of little consequence, as many of them are of mixed
+blood, and, though retaining their dark colour, have features that in
+their outline resemble those of the Arabs. Now I will take you to Ben
+Ibyn, so that he may judge whether any further change is required before
+the servants and slaves see you.”
+
+“That is excellent,” the merchant said, when he had carefully inspected
+Gervaise, “I should pass you myself without recognizing you. Now you can
+take him into the servants' quarters, Muley, and tell them that he is a
+new slave whom I have purchased, and that henceforth it will be his
+duty to wait upon my wife, to whom I have presented him as her special
+attendant, and that he will accompany her and my daughters when they go
+abroad to make their purchases or visit their friends. Give some reason,
+if you can think of one, why you have bestowed him in a chamber separate
+from the rest.”
+
+Gervaise at once took up his new duties, and an hour later, carrying a
+basket, followed them into the town. It was strange to him thus to be
+walking among the fanatical Moors, who, had they known the damage that
+he had inflicted upon their galleys, would have torn him in pieces.
+None gave him, however, more than a passing look. Nubian slaves were
+no uncommon sight in the town, and in wealthy Moorish families were
+commonly employed in places of trust, and especially as attendants in
+the harems. The ladies were now as closely veiled as the Moorish women,
+it being only in the house that they followed the Berber customs.
+Gervaise had learnt from Muley that Ben Ibyn was one of the
+richest merchants in Tripoli, trading direct with Egypt, Syria, and
+Constantinople, besides carrying on a large trade with the Berber
+tribes in the interior. He returned to the house with his basket full
+of provisions, and having handed these over to the cook, he went to the
+private apartments, as Khadja had requested him to do. Here she and
+her daughters asked him innumerable questions as to his country and its
+customs, and then about Rhodes and the Order to which he belonged.
+Their surprise was great when they heard that the knights were bound to
+celibacy.
+
+“But why should they not marry if they like? Why should they not have
+wives, children, and homes like other people?” Khadja asked.
+
+“It is that they may devote their whole lives to their work. Their home
+is the convent at Rhodes, or at one of the commanderies scattered over
+Europe, where they take charge of the estates of the Order.”
+
+“But why should they not marry then, Gervaise? At Rhodes there might be
+danger for women and children, but when they return to Europe to take
+charge of the estates, surely they would do their duty no worse for
+having wives?”
+
+Gervaise smiled.
+
+“I did not make the rules of the Order, lady, but I have thought myself
+that although, so long as they are doing military work at the convent,
+it is well that they should not marry, yet there is no good reason why,
+when established in commanderies at home, they should not, like other
+knights and nobles, marry if it so pleases them.”
+
+In the evening the merchant returned from his stores, which were
+situated down by the port. Soon after he came in he sent for Gervaise.
+“There is a question I had intended to ask you last night,” he said,
+“but it escaped me. More than two months since there sailed from this
+port and others many vessels--not the ships of the State, but corsairs.
+In all, more than twenty ships started, with the intention of making a
+great raid upon the coast of Italy. No word has since been received of
+them, and their friends here are becoming very uneasy, the more so as we
+hear that neither at Tunis nor Algiers has any news been received. Have
+you heard at Rhodes of a Moorish fleet having been ravaging the coast of
+Italy?”
+
+“Have you any friends on board the ships that sailed from here, or any
+interest in the venture, Ben Ibyn?”
+
+The merchant shook his head. “We Berbers,” he said, “are not like the
+Moors, and have but little to do with the sea, save by the way of trade.
+For myself, I regret that these corsair ships are constantly putting
+out. Were it not for them and their doings we might trade with the ports
+of France, of Spain, and Italy, and be on good terms with all. There is
+no reason why, because our faiths are different, we should be constantly
+fighting. It is true that the Turks threaten Europe, and are even now
+preparing to capture Rhodes; but this is no question of religion. The
+Turks are warlike and ambitious; they have conquered Syria, and war with
+Egypt and Persia; but the Moorish states are small, they have no thought
+of conquest, and might live peaceably with Europe were it not for the
+hatred excited against them by the corsairs.”
+
+“In that case I can tell you the truth. Thirteen of those ships were
+taken into Rhodes as prizes; the other eleven were burnt. Not one of the
+fleet escaped.”
+
+Exclamations of surprise broke from Ben Ibyn, his wife, and daughters.
+
+“I am astonished, indeed,” the merchant said. “It was reported here that
+the Genoese galleys were all laid up, and it was thought that they would
+be able to sweep the seas without opposition, and to bring home vast
+spoil and many captives, both from the ships they took and from many of
+the villages and small towns of the coast. How came such a misfortune to
+happen to them? It will create consternation here when it is known, for
+although it was not a state enterprise, the sultan himself and almost
+all the rich Moors embarked money in the fitting out of the ships, and
+were to have shares in the spoil taken. How happened it that so strong a
+fleet was all taken or destroyed, without even one vessel being able to
+get away to carry home the news of the disaster?”
+
+“Fortune was against them,” Gervaise said. “Three ships on their way
+up were captured by a galley of our Order, and her commander having
+obtained news of the whereabouts of the spot where the corsairs were to
+rendezvous, found them all lying together in a small inlet, and launched
+against them a number of fishing boats fitted out as fire ships. The
+corsairs, packed closely together, were unable to avoid them, and, as
+I told you, eleven of their ships were burnt, four were run ashore to
+avoid the flames, while six, trying to make their way out, were captured
+by the galley, aided by the three prizes that were taken and which the
+knights had caused to be manned by Sards.”
+
+“The ways of Allah the All Seeing are wonderful,” the merchant said.
+“It was indeed a marvellous feat for one galley thus to destroy a great
+fleet.”
+
+“It was the result of good fortune rather than skill and valour,”
+ Gervaise said.
+
+“Nay, nay; let praise be given where it is due. It was a marvellous
+feat; and although there is good or bad fortune in every event, such a
+deed could not have been performed, and would not even have been thought
+of, save by a great commander. Who was the knight who thus with one
+galley alone destroyed a strongly manned fleet, from which great things
+had been looked for?”
+
+Gervaise hesitated. “It was a young knight,” he said, “of but little
+standing in the Order, and whose name is entirely unknown outside its
+ranks.”
+
+“By this time it must be well known,” Ben Ibyn said; “and it will soon
+be known throughout Christendom, and will be dreaded by every Moor. What
+was it?”
+
+Gervaise again hesitated.
+
+“I would not have told you the story at all, Ben Ibyn, had I supposed
+you would have cared to inquire into the matter. Of course, I will tell
+you the name if you insist upon it, but I would much rather you did not
+ask.”
+
+“But why?” the merchant asked, in surprise. “If I hear it not from you,
+I shall assuredly hear it ere long from others, for it will be brought
+by traders who are in communication with Italy. I cannot understand why
+you should thus hesitate about telling me the name of this commander.
+When known it will doubtless be cursed by thousands of Moorish wives and
+mothers; but we Berbers are another race. None of our friends or kindred
+were on board the fleet; and we traders have rather reason to rejoice,
+for, in the first place, so severe a lesson will keep the corsairs in
+their ports for a long time; and in the second, had the fleet succeeded
+according to general expectation, so great a store of European goods
+would have been brought home that the market would have been glutted,
+and the goods in our storehouses would have lost all their value. What
+reason, then, can you possibly have in refusing to tell me the name of
+the commander who has won for himself such credit and glory?”
+
+Gervaise saw that Ben Ibyn was seriously annoyed at what he deemed his
+unaccountable obstinacy.
+
+“I will tell you, Ben Ibyn, rather than excite your displeasure, though
+I would much have preferred not to do so, for you speak so much more
+highly of the affair than it merits. I had myself the honour of being in
+command of that galley.”
+
+The ladies broke into exclamations of surprise, while the merchant
+regarded him with grave displeasure.
+
+“I had thought you truthful,” he said; “but this passes all belief. Dost
+tell me that a beardless youth could with one galley overcome a great
+fleet, commanded by the most noted captains on our coast?”
+
+“I thought that you would not believe me,” Gervaise said quietly; “and,
+therefore, would have much preferred to keep silence, knowing that I had
+no means of supporting my claim. That was not the only reason; the other
+was, that already a great deal too much has been said about an affair
+in which, as I have told you, I owed everything to good fortune, and am
+heartily sick of receiving what I consider altogether undue praise. Ah!”
+ he exclaimed suddenly, “the thought has just occurred to me of a way by
+which you can obtain confirmation of my story; and, as I value your good
+opinion and would not be regarded as a boaster and a liar, I entreat you
+to take it. I heard you tell the eight men who were rowers in my boat
+when I was captured, to call upon you today, that you might do something
+for them.”
+
+“They came this morning to my store,” the merchant said. “They told
+me their wishes. I promised them that I would make inquiry about ships
+sailing East; and they are to come to me again tomorrow.”
+
+“Then, sir, I beseech you to suffer me to go down with you to your
+stores and meet them there. The galley of which I was in command at the
+time I was captured is the same as that in which a few weeks before I
+fought the corsairs, and these eight men were with me at that time.
+I begged them for my sake to maintain an absolute silence as to that
+affair, and I have no doubt that they have done so, for in the fury
+the news would excite, they might fall victims to the first outburst,
+though, of course, wholly innocent of any share in the misfortune.
+Did you question them without my being present, they might still keep
+silent, fearing to injure me. But if, before you begin to do so, I tell
+them that they can speak the truth with reference to me, they will, I am
+sure, confirm my story, incredible as it may now appear to you.”
+
+“That is a fair offer,” the merchant said gravely, “and I accept it,
+for it may be that I have been too hasty, and I trust it may prove so. I
+would rather find myself to be in fault than that the esteem with which
+you have inspired me should prove to be misplaced. We will speak no
+further on the subject now. I have not yet asked you how it is that you
+come to speak our language so well.”
+
+Gervaise related how he had studied with Suleiman Ali, and had escorted
+him to Syria and received his ransom.
+
+“I had hoped,” he said, “that the corsair would have taken me to Syria,
+for there I could have communicated with Suleiman, who would, I am sure,
+have given me such shelter and aid as he was able, in the event of my
+making my escape from slavery and finding myself unable to leave by
+sea.”
+
+The next day Gervaise went with Ben Ibyn to his stores. The eight
+men arrived shortly afterwards, and the merchant, in the presence
+of Gervaise, questioned them as to whether they knew anything of a
+misfortune that was said to have befallen some ships that had sailed
+for the coast of Italy. The men, surprised at the question, glanced at
+Gervaise, who said, “Tell Ben Ibyn the truth; it will do neither you nor
+me any harm, and will be mentioned by him to no one else.”
+
+Accordingly the story was told. Ben Ibyn listened gravely.
+
+“It was the will of Allah,” he said, when it was concluded. “I have
+wronged you, Gervaise, but your tale seemed too marvellous to be true.
+
+“Do not speak of this to others;” he went on to the eight men. “Now as
+to yourselves. For the four of you who desire to return to Syria I have
+taken passage in a trader that sails tomorrow and will touch at Joppa
+and Acre. Here is money to provide yourselves with garments and to carry
+you to your homes. For you,” he said to two who were natives of the
+town, “I can myself find employment here, and if your conduct is good,
+you will have no reason to regret taking service with me. The two of
+you who desire to go to Smyrna I will give passage there in a ship which
+will sail next week; in the meantime, here is money for your present
+wants.”
+
+Two days later the merchant's family moved to his house two miles
+outside the town, and here Gervaise remained for six months. His life
+was not an unpleasant one; he was treated with great kindness by the
+merchant and his wife, his duties were but slight, and he had no more
+labour to perform in the garden than he cared to do. Nevertheless, he
+felt that he would rather have fallen into the hands of a less kind
+master, for it seemed to him that it would be an act almost of treachery
+to escape from those who treated him as a friend; moreover, at the
+country house he was not in a position to frame any plans for escape,
+had he decided upon attempting it, nor could he have found out when
+Hassan made one of his occasional visits to the port.
+
+One evening the merchant returned from the town accompanied by one of
+the sultan's officers and four soldiers. Ben Ibyn was evidently much
+depressed and disturbed; he told Muley as he entered, to fetch Gervaise.
+When the latter, in obedience to the order, came in from the garden, the
+officer said in Italian, “It having come to the ears of the sultan my
+master that the merchant Ben Ibyn has ventured, contrary to the law,
+to purchase a Christian slave brought secretly into the town, he has
+declared the slave to be forfeited and I am commanded to take him at
+once to the slaves' quarter.”
+
+“I am at the sultan's orders,” Gervaise said, bowing his head. “My
+master has been a kind one, and I am grateful to him for his treatment
+of me.”
+
+Gervaise, although taken aback by this sudden change in his fortunes,
+was not so cast down as he might otherwise have been; he would now be
+free to carry out any plan for escape that he might devise, and by his
+being addressed in Italian it was evident to him that his knowledge
+of Turkish was unsuspected. When among the other slaves he had always
+maintained his character of a mute; and it was only when alone in his
+master's family that he had spoken at all. He had no doubt that his
+betrayal was due to one of the gardeners, who had several times shown
+him signs of ill will, being doubtless jealous of the immunity he
+enjoyed from hard labour, and who must, he thought, have crept up and
+overheard some conversation; but in that case it was singular that
+the fact of his knowledge of Turkish had not been mentioned. Gervaise
+afterwards learned that Ben Ibyn had been fined a heavy sum for his
+breach of the regulations.
+
+He was now placed between the soldiers, and marched down to the town,
+without being allowed to exchange a word with the merchant. On his
+arrival there he was taken to the slaves' quarter; here his clothes were
+stripped from him, and he was given in their place a ragged shirt and
+trousers, and then turned into a room where some fifty slaves were
+lying. Of these about half were Europeans, the rest malefactors who had
+been condemned to labour.
+
+The appearance of all was miserable in the extreme; they were clothed in
+rags, and the faces of the Europeans had a dull, hopeless look that told
+alike of their misery and of their despair of any escape from it. They
+looked up listlessly as he entered, and then an Italian said, “Cospetto,
+comrade; but I know not whether your place is with us, or with the
+Moslems across there. As far as colour goes I should put you down as a
+Nubian; but your hair is of a hue that consorts but badly with that of
+your flesh.”
+
+“I am an Englishman,” Gervaise replied; “but I have been passing under a
+disguise which has unfortunately been detected, so you see here I am.”
+
+The mystery explained, his questioner had no further interest in the
+matter, and Gervaise, picking out a vacant place on the stone floor, sat
+down and looked round him. The room, although large, was roughly built,
+and had doubtless been erected with a view to its present purpose. There
+were only a few windows; and these were small, strongly barred, and
+twelve feet above the floor.
+
+“Not easy to get out of them,” Gervaise said to himself “at least, not
+easy without aid; and with these Moslems here it is clear that nothing
+can be done.”
+
+They were roused at daybreak next morning, and were taken out to their
+work under the guard of six armed Moors, two overseers, provided with
+long whips, accompanied them. The work consisted of cleaning the streets
+and working on the roads, and at times of carrying stones for the use of
+the masons employed in building an addition to the palace of the sultan.
+This was the work to which the gang was set that morning, and it was not
+long before the vigour with which Gervaise worked, and the strength he
+displayed in moving the heavy stones, attracted the attention of the
+overseers and of the head of the masons.
+
+“That is a rare good fellow you have got there, that black with the
+curious hair,” the latter said. “What is the man? I never saw one like
+him.”
+
+“He is a Christian,” one of the overseers said. “He was smuggled into
+the town and sold to Ben Ibyn the Berber, who, to conceal the matter,
+dyed him black; but it got to the ears of the sultan, and he had him
+taken from the Berber, and brought here; I have no doubt the merchant
+has been squeezed rarely.”
+
+“Well, that is a good fellow to work,” the other said. “He has just
+moved a stone, single handed, that it would have taken half a dozen of
+the others to lift. I wish you would put him regularly on this job; any
+one will do to sweep the streets; but a fellow like that will be of real
+use here, especially when the wall rises a bit higher.”
+
+“It makes no difference to me,” the overseer said. “I will give orders
+when I go down that he shall be always sent up with whichever gang comes
+here.”
+
+The head mason, who was the chief official of the work, soon saw that
+Gervaise not only possessed strength, but knowledge of the manner in
+which the work should be done.
+
+Accustomed as he had been to direct the slaves at work on the
+fortifications at Rhodes, he had learned the best methods of moving
+massive stones, and setting them in the places that they were to occupy.
+At the end of the day the head mason told one of the slaves who spoke
+Italian to inquire of Gervaise whether he had ever been employed on
+such work before. Gervaise replied that he had been engaged in the
+construction of large buildings.
+
+“I thought so,” the officer said to the overseer; “the way he uses his
+lever shows that he knows what he is doing. Most of the slaves are worth
+nothing; but I can see that this fellow will prove a treasure to us.”
+
+Gervaise returned to the prison well satisfied with his day's work. The
+labour, hard though it was, was an absolute pleasure to him. There was,
+moreover, nothing degrading in it, and while the overseers had plied
+their whips freely on the backs of many of his companions, he had not
+only escaped, but had, he felt, succeeded in pleasing his masters. The
+next morning when the gangs were drawn up in the yard before starting
+for work, he was surprised at being ordered to leave the one to which
+he belonged and to fall in with another, and was greatly pleased when he
+found that this took its way to the spot at which they were at work on
+the previous day.
+
+At the end of the week, when the work of the day was finished, the head
+mason came down to the prison and spoke to the governor; a few minutes
+afterwards Gervaise was called out. The governor was standing in the
+courtyard with an interpreter.
+
+“This officer tells me that you are skilled in masonry,” the governor
+said, “and has desired that you shall be appointed overseer of the gang
+whose duty it is to move the stones, saying he is sure that with half
+the slaves now employed you would get as much work done as at present.
+Have you anything to say?”
+
+“I thank you, my lord, and this officer,” Gervaise replied. “I will do
+my best; but I would submit to you that it would be better if I could
+have the same slaves always with me, instead of their being changed
+every day; I could then instruct them in their work. I would also submit
+that it were well to pick men with some strength for this labour, for
+many are so weak that they are well nigh useless in the moving of heavy
+weights; and lastly, I would humbly submit to you that if men are to
+do good work they must be fed. This work is as heavy as that in the
+galleys, and the men there employed receive extra rations to strengthen
+them; and I could assuredly obtain far better results if the gang
+employed upon this labour were to receive a somewhat larger supply of
+food.”
+
+“The fellow speaks boldly,” the governor said to the head mason, when
+the reply was translated.
+
+“There is reason in what he says, my lord. Many of the slaves, though
+fit for the light labour of cleaning the streets, are of very little use
+to us, and even the whip of the drivers cannot get more than a momentary
+effort from them. If you can save twenty-five men's labour for other
+work, it will pay to give more food to the other twenty-five. I should
+let this man pick out his gang. He has worked in turn with all of them,
+and must know what each can do; besides, it is necessary that he should
+have men who can understand his orders.”
+
+Gervaise accordingly was allowed to pick out his gang; and he chose
+those whom he had observed to be the strongest and most handy at the
+work.
+
+“You will be responsible,” the governor said to him, “for the masons
+being supplied with stone, and if you fail you will be punished and put
+to other labour.”
+
+So far from there being any falling off in the work, the head mason
+found that, even though the walls began to rise and the labour of
+transporting the stones into their positions became greater, the masons
+were never kept standing. The men, finding their position improved,
+both in the matter of food and in the immunity they enjoyed from blows,
+worked cheerfully and well. Gervaise did not content himself with
+giving orders, but worked at the heaviest jobs, and, little by little,
+introduced many of the appliances used by the skilled masons of Rhodes
+in transporting and lifting heavy stones. Gradually his own position
+improved: he was treated as an overseer, and was permitted to sleep
+under an arcade that ran along one side of the yard, instead of being
+confined in the close and stifling cell. His dye had long since worn
+off.
+
+One day as he was going up with his gang under charge of the usual
+guards to the building, he saw Hassan, who grinned maliciously.
+
+“Ah, ah, Christian dog!” he said; “you threatened me, and I have not
+forgotten it. The last time I was here I made it known to an officer of
+the sultan that Ben Ibyn had a Christian slave who had been smuggled
+in; and here you are. I hope you like the change. Look, I have still got
+your amulet, and it has brought me better luck than it did you. I have
+been fortunate ever since, and no money could buy it from me.”
+
+He had been walking close to Gervaise as he spoke, and one of the guards
+pushed him roughly aside.
+
+Time passed on. One day on his return from work a well dressed Moor met
+him as the gang broke up in the courtyard.
+
+“I have permission to speak to you,” he said to Gervaise, and drew him
+aside. “Know, O Christian, that I have received a letter from Suleiman
+Ali, of Syria. He tells me that he has heard from Ben Ibyn, the Berber,
+that you are a slave, and has asked me to inquire of the sultan the
+price that he will take for your ransom, expressing his willingness to
+pay whatever may be demanded, and charging me to defray the sum and to
+make arrangements by which you may return to Europe. This I am willing
+to do, knowing Suleiman Ali by report as a wealthy man and an honourable
+one. I saw the sultan yesterday. He told me that I should have an answer
+this morning as to the ransom that he would take. When I went to him
+again today, he said that he had learnt from the governor of the prison
+and from the head mason that you were almost beyond price, that you had
+been raised to the position of superintendent of the slaves employed in
+the building of his palace, and that you were a man of such skill that
+he would not part with you at any price until the work was finished.
+After that he would sell you; but he named a price threefold that at
+which the very best white slave in Tripoli would be valued. However,
+from the way in which Suleiman Ali wrote, I doubt not that he would pay
+it, great as it is, for he speaks of you in terms of affection, and I
+would pay the money could you be released at once. As it is, however,
+I shall write to him, and there will be ample time for an answer to be
+received from him before the building is finished.”
+
+“Truly I am deeply thankful to my good friend, Suleiman Ali; but for
+reasons of my own I am not desirous of being ransomed at present,
+especially at such a cost, which I should feel bound in honour to repay
+to him; therefore, I pray you to write to him, saying that while I thank
+him from my heart for his kindness, I am not able to avail myself of it.
+In the first place, I am well treated here, and my position is not an
+unpleasant one; secondly, the sum required for ransom is altogether
+preposterous; thirdly, I am not without hopes that I may some day find
+other means of freeing myself without so great a sacrifice; and lastly,
+that I have a reason which I cannot mention, why, at present, I would
+not quit Tripoli, even were I free tomorrow. You can tell him that this
+is the reason which, most of all, weighs with me. Do not, however, I
+pray you, let the sultan know that I have refused to be ransomed, for
+he might think I was meditating an escape, and would order extra
+precautions to be taken to prevent my doing so. Will you also see Ben
+Ibyn, and thank him from me for having written to Suleiman Ali on my
+behalf?”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX ESCAPE
+
+
+Gradually a greater amount of liberty was given to Gervaise. Escape
+from Tripoli was deemed impossible, especially as he was supposed to be
+entirely ignorant of Arabic. He was, indeed, scarcely regarded now as a
+slave by the head mason, and instead of being clad in rags was dressed
+like other overseers. He was no longer obliged to walk with the gang to
+and from the palace, and was at last granted permission to go into the
+town for an hour or two after his work was over, instead of returning
+direct to the prison. The first time this permission was given to him
+he placed himself on the road by which Ben Ibyn would leave the town,
+choosing a quiet spot where the meeting would not be observed. Gervaise
+had for some time taken to staining his face, hands, and legs with
+walnut juice, beginning with a weak solution, and very gradually
+increasing the strength until he had reached a shade approximating to
+that of the lighter coloured portion of the population. The head mason
+had on one occasion noticed it, and said, “The sun is darkening your
+skin, Gervaise, until you might verily pass as a Moor.”
+
+Gervaise detected an expression of doubt in the tone the officer had
+spoken to the interpreter, and replied at once, “It is not altogether
+the sun. Since I have obtained permission to come to my work alone,
+I have taken to slightly darkening my skin, in order to go to and fro
+unmolested, and free from the insults that the boys and beggars hurl at
+Christians.”
+
+The master mason nodded approvingly when the answer was translated to
+him.
+
+“It is a wise step,” he said; “for truly the hatred of Christians is
+very strong among the lower classes, especially since it became known
+that the galleys that sailed from here nearly two years ago were, with
+all the fleet from which so much was expected, utterly destroyed. It is
+well, then, that you should pass unnoticed, for were there a tumult in
+the street you might lose your life, and I should lose the best labour
+overseer I have ever had.”
+
+Thus, then, as Gervaise walked through the streets on the first occasion
+of obtaining his liberty, he attracted no attention whatever. When he
+saw Ben Ibyn approaching he stepped out to meet him. The merchant looked
+in his face, but for a moment failed to recognise him, then he exclaimed
+suddenly, “It is Gervaise! Ah, my son, I am indeed rejoiced to see
+you. We have spoken of you so often at home, and sorely did my wife and
+daughters grieve when you were torn from us. I did not dare to send any
+message to you, for the sultan pretended great anger against me, and
+used the opportunity to squeeze me hardly; but I have frequently made
+inquiries about you, and was glad indeed to find that even in prison you
+received promotion; had it been otherwise--had I found that you were
+in misery--I would have endeavoured, whatever the risk, to aid you to
+escape.”
+
+“I have indeed nothing to complain of, and was sorry to learn that you
+had suffered on my account. Have you ever learned how it came about that
+I was denounced?”
+
+“No, indeed; I would have given much to know, and assuredly the dog,
+whoever he was, should have been made to suffer.”
+
+“It was Hassan. The villain met me when I was with the gang, and boasted
+that it was he who had sent me there. He had told the news to some
+official, who had, of course, repeated it to the sultan; doubtless he
+concealed his own share in the matter, otherwise he too would, next time
+he returned here, have had to pay for his part in it.”
+
+“I will make him pay more heavily than the sultan would,” Ben Ibyn said
+sternly; “I will speak to my friends among the merchants, and henceforth
+no Berber will buy aught from him; and we have hitherto been his best
+customers. But let us not waste our time in speaking of this wretch. How
+comes it that you are walking freely in the streets of Tripoli? I can
+see that your face is stained, although you are no longer a Nubian.”
+
+Gervaise told him how it was that he was free to walk in the city after
+his work was done.
+
+“I shall now,” he went on, “be able to carry out any plan of escape that
+may occur to me; but before I leave, as I shall certainly do ere long,
+I mean to settle my score with Hassan, and I pray you to send one of
+the men who were with me in the galley, and whom you took into your
+employment, directly you hear that his ship is in harbour. Do not give
+him either a note or a message: bid him simply place himself in the
+road between the prison gate and the palace, and look fixedly at me as I
+pass. I shall know it is a signal that Hassan is in the port.”
+
+“Can I aid you in your flight? I will willingly do so.”
+
+“All that I shall need is the garb of a peasant,” Gervaise said. “I
+might buy one unnoticed; but, in the first place, I have no money, and
+in the second, when it is known that I have escaped, the trader might
+recall the fact that one of the slave overseers had purchased a suit of
+him.”
+
+“The dress of an Arab would be the best,” the merchant said. “That I
+will procure and hold in readiness for you. On the day when I send
+you word that Hassan is here, I will see that the gate of my garden is
+unbarred at night, and will place the garments down just behind it. You
+mean, I suppose, to travel by land?”
+
+“I shall do so for some distance. Were I to steal a boat from the port,
+it would be missed in the morning, and I be overtaken. I shall therefore
+go along the coast for some distance and get a boat at one of the
+villages, choosing my time when there is a brisk wind, and when I may
+be able to get well beyond any risk of being overtaken. Now, Ben Ibyn, I
+will leave you; it were better that we should not meet again, lest some
+suspicion might fall upon you of having aided in my escape. I cannot
+thank you too much for all your past kindness, and shall ever bear a
+grateful remembrance of yourself and your family.”
+
+“Perhaps it were better so,” Ben Ibyn said; “for if the Moors can find
+any excuse for plundering us, they do so. Have you heard the news that
+the Sultan of Turkey's expedition for the capture of Rhodes is all but
+complete, and will assuredly sail before many weeks have passed?”
+
+“I have not heard it,” Gervaise replied; “and trust that I may be in
+time to bear my share in the defence. However, the blow has been so
+often threatened that it may be some time before it falls.”
+
+“May Allah bless you, my son, and take you safely back to your friends!
+Be assured that you shall have notice as soon as I know that Hassan has
+returned, and you shall have the bundle with all that is needful, behind
+my gate.”
+
+Another two months passed. Gervaise looked in vain for Ben Ibyn's
+messenger as he went to and from the palace, and chafed terribly at the
+delay, when, for aught he knew, the Turkish fleet might already have
+brought Mahomet's army to Rhodes. At last, as he came back from work, he
+saw with intense satisfaction one of the men, whose face he recognised,
+leaning carelessly against the wall. The man gave no sign of
+recognition, but looked at him earnestly for a minute, and then
+sauntered off up the street. Gervaise went up into the town as usual,
+walked about until it became quite dark, and then went to the gate that
+led into the merchant's garden. He found that it was unfastened,
+and, opening it, he went in and closed it behind him. As he did so he
+started, for a voice close by said,
+
+“Master, it is I, the messenger whom you saw two hours since. Ben Ibyn
+bade me say that he thought you might require some service, and, knowing
+that I could be trusted, bade me wait for you here. He thought that you
+might possibly need a messenger to Hassan.”
+
+“The very thing,” Gervaise exclaimed. “I have been puzzling myself in
+vain as to how I could get speech with him in some quiet place; but
+with your assistance that will be easy; but first let me put on this
+disguise.”
+
+This was easily effected, even in the dark. A loose flowing robe of
+white cotton, girt in at the waist, a long bernouse with hood to cover
+the head, a sash with a dagger, and a scimitar, completed the disguise.
+
+“Here is a pouch,” the man said, “with money for your journey, and
+a long sword, which he says you can hang at your back beneath your
+bernouse.”
+
+Gervaise gave an exclamation of pleasure. By its length and weight he
+was sure that the weapon must have been the property of a Christian
+knight.
+
+“Shall I carry the message this evening?” the man asked. “It is early
+still, and it were best that you should not linger in the city, where
+there is sure to be a strict search for you in the morning.”
+
+“But perhaps he may recognise your face?”
+
+“It is blackened, my lord, and I am dressed as you were when with Ben
+Ibyn.”
+
+“Let us settle our plans, then, before we sally out from here; we could
+not find a safer place for talking. What message, think you, would be
+the most likely to tempt Hassan to come ashore? You do not know what
+spoil he has brought?”
+
+“No; besides, if a merchant wanted to buy he would go on board to
+inspect Hassan's wares. We must have something to sell. It must be
+something tempting, and something that must be disposed of secretly. I
+might tell him that my employer--and I would mention some merchant whose
+name would carry weight with him--has received from the interior a large
+consignment of slaves, among whom are three or four girls, who would
+fetch high prices in Egypt, and as he believes they have been captured
+from a tribe within the limits of the sultan's territory, he is anxious
+to get rid of them, and will either dispose of them all cheaply in a
+lot, or will hand them over to him to take to Egypt to sell, giving him
+a large commission for carrying them there and disposing of them.”
+
+“I do not like tempting even an enemy by stories that are untrue,”
+ Gervaise said doubtfully.
+
+“I have no scruples that way,” the man said, with a laugh; “and it is I
+who shall tell the story, and not you.”
+
+Gervaise shook his head.
+
+“Could you not say that you came from one who owes him a heavy debt and
+desires to pay him?”
+
+“I do not think that would bring him ashore. Hassan doubtless trades for
+ready money, and must be well aware that no one here can be greatly in
+his debt. No, my lord; leave the matter in my hands. I will think of
+some story before I go on board that will fetch him ashore. But first we
+must settle where I am to bring him; there are some deserted spots near
+the wall on the east side of the town.”
+
+“I know where you mean,” Gervaise agreed; “let us go in that direction
+at once, for the sooner you are off the better.”
+
+In half an hour a spot was fixed on, near some huts that had fallen into
+ruin. Here Gervaise seated himself on a sand heap, while the man hurried
+away. The moon had just risen, it being but three days since it was at
+its full. The night was quiet; sounds of music, laughter, and occasional
+shouts came faintly from the town. Seated where he was, Gervaise could
+see the port and the ships lying there. Half an hour later he saw a boat
+row off to one of them, which he had already singled out, from its size
+and general appearance, as being that of Hassan; ten minutes later he
+saw it returning. At that distance separate figures could not be made
+out, but it seemed to him that it loomed larger than before, and he
+thought that certainly one, if not more, persons, were returning with
+his messenger. Presently he heard men approaching; then Hassan's voice
+came distinctly to his ears.
+
+“How much farther are you going to take me? Remember, I warned you that
+unless I found that my journey repaid me, it would be bad for you.”
+
+“It is but a few yards farther, my lord. There is my master the sheik of
+the Beni Kalis awaiting you.”
+
+Gervaise rose to his feet as Hassan and two of his crew came up.
+
+“Now,” the former said roughly, “where have you bestowed these captives
+you want to sell me?”
+
+“Will you please to follow me into this courtyard?” Gervaise said.
+He had, while waiting, reconnoitred the neighbourhood, and found an
+enclosure with the walls still perfect, and had determined to bring
+Hassan there, in order to prevent him from taking to flight. Hassan
+entered it unsuspectingly, followed by his two men. Gervaise fell back
+a little, so as to place himself between them and the entrance. Then he
+threw back the hood of his bernouse.
+
+“Do you recognise me, Hassan?” he said sternly. “I am the captive whom
+you beat almost to death. I told you that some day I would kill you;
+but even now I am willing to forgive you and to allow you to depart in
+peace, if you will restore the amulet you took from me.”
+
+The corsair gave a howl of rage.
+
+“Christian dog!” he exclaimed. “You thought to lead me into a trap,
+but you have fallen into one yourself. You reckoned that I should come
+alone; but I suspected there was something hidden behind the story of
+that black, and so brought two of my crew with me. Upon him, men! Cut
+him down!” So saying, he drew his scimitar, and sprang furiously upon
+Gervaise. The latter stepped back into the centre of the gateway, so as
+to prevent the men, who had also drawn their swords, passing to attack
+him from behind. He had undone the clasp of his bernouse, and allowed it
+to fall to the ground as he addressed Hassan, and his long sword flashed
+in the moonlight as the corsair sprang forward.
+
+Hassan was a good swordsman, and his ferocious bravery had rendered him
+one of the most dreaded of the Moorish rovers. Inferior in strength to
+Gervaise, he was as active as a cat, and he leapt back with the spring
+of a panther, avoiding the sweeping blow with which Gervaise had hoped
+to finish the conflict at once; the latter found himself therefore
+engaged in a desperate fight with his three assailants. So furiously did
+they attack him that, foot by foot, he was forced to give ground. As he
+stepped through the gateway one of the pirates sprang past him, but as
+he did so, a figure leapt out from beyond the wall, and plunged a dagger
+into his back, while at the same moment, by cutting down another pirate,
+Gervaise rid himself of one of his assailants in front; but as he did
+so, he himself received a severe wound on the left shoulder from Hassan,
+who, before he could again raise his weapon, sprang upon him, and tried
+to hurl him to the ground.
+
+Gervaise's superior weight saved him from falling, though he staggered
+back some paces; then his heel caught against a stone, and he fell,
+dragging Hassan to the ground with him. Tightly clasped in each other's
+arms, they rolled over and over. Gervaise succeeded at last in getting
+the upper hand, but as he did so Hassan twisted his right arm free,
+snatched the dagger from Gervaise's girdle, and struck furiously at him.
+Gervaise, who had half risen to his knees, was unable to avoid the
+blow, but threw himself forward, his weight partly pinning the corsair's
+shoulders to the ground, and the blow passed behind him, inflicting but
+a slight wound in the back; then, with his right hand, which was now
+free, he grasped Hassan by the throat with a grip of iron. The pirate
+struggled convulsively for a moment, then his left hand released his
+grasp of his opponent's wrist. A minute later Gervaise rose to his feet:
+the pirate was dead.
+
+Gervaise stooped and raised the fallen man's head from the ground, felt
+for the chain, pulled up Claudia's gage, and placed it round his own
+neck; then he turned to his guide.
+
+“I have to thank you for my life,” he said, holding out his hand to him.
+“It would have gone hard with me if that fellow had attacked me from
+behind. I had not bargained for three of them.”
+
+“I could not help it, my lord. It was not until Hassan had stepped down
+into the boat that I knew he was going to take any one with him; then he
+suddenly told two of his men to take their places by him, saying to me,
+as he did so, 'I know not whether this message is a snare; but mind,
+if I see any signs of treachery, your life at any rate will pay the
+forfeit.' I knew not what to do, and indeed could do nothing; but,
+knowing my lord's valour, I thought that, even against these odds, you
+might conquer with such poor aid as I could give you.”
+
+“It was not poor aid at all,” Gervaise said heartily. “Greatly am I
+indebted to you, and sorry indeed am I, that I am unable to reward you
+now for the great service that you have rendered me.”
+
+“Do not trouble about that, my lord. I am greatly mistaken if I do not
+find in the sashes of these three villains sufficient to repay me amply
+for my share in this evening's work. And now, my lord, I pray you to
+linger not a moment. The gates of the town shut at ten o'clock, and it
+cannot be long from that hour now. But first, I pray you, let me bind up
+your shoulder; your garment is soaked with blood.”
+
+“Fortunately my bernouse will hide that; but it were certainly best to
+staunch the blood before I start, for it would be hard for me to get at
+the wound myself.”
+
+The man took one of the sashes of the corsairs, tore it into strips, and
+bandaged the wound; then with another he made a sling for the arm. As
+he took off the sashes a leather bag dropped from each, and there was a
+chink of metal. He placed them in his girdle, saying, “I shall have time
+to count them when I get back.”
+
+Gervaise sheathed his sword, and put on the bernouse, pulling the hood
+well over his head; then, with a few more words of thanks, started for
+the gate, leaving the man to search Hassan's girdle.
+
+The gate was a quarter of a mile distant. Gervaise passed through with
+the usual Arabic salutation to the sentry, and with difficulty repressed
+a shout of exultation as he left Tripoli behind him.
+
+Following the coast road he walked till daylight; then he left it and
+lay down among the sand hills for five or six hours. He calculated that
+no pursuit would be begun until midday. His absence was not likely to be
+noticed until the gangs began work in the morning, when an alarm would
+be given. The sentries at the gates on the previous evening would
+be questioned, and when it was found that no one answering to his
+description had passed out before these were closed, there would be
+a rigid search throughout the city and port. The vessels would all
+be examined, and the boatmen questioned as to whether any craft was
+missing. Not until the search proved absolutely fruitless would it be
+seriously suspected that he had, either by passing through the gates in
+disguise, or by scaling the walls, made for the interior. None knew that
+he could speak Arabic, and it would be so hopeless an undertaking for
+any one unacquainted with the language to traverse the country without
+being detected, that the Moors would be slow to believe that he had
+embarked upon such adventure. However, when all search for him in the
+town and in the vessels in the port proved fruitless, doubtless mounted
+men would be despatched in all directions; some would take the coast
+roads, while others would ride into the interior to warn the head men of
+the villages to be on the lookout for an escaped slave.
+
+After a sleep of five hours, Gervaise pursued his journey. He had walked
+for eight hours, and calculated that he must be fully thirty miles from
+Tripoli, and that not until evening would searchers overtake him. After
+walking four miles he came to a large village. There he purchased a bag
+of dates, sat down on a stone bench by the roadside to eat them, and
+entered into conversation with two or three Moors who sauntered up. To
+these he represented that he belonged to a party of his tribe who had
+encamped for the day at a short distance from the village in order
+to rest their horses before riding into Tripoli, whither they were
+proceeding to exchange skins of animals taken in the chase, and some
+young horses, for cotton clothes, knives, and other articles of barter
+with the tribes beyond them.
+
+After quenching his thirst at a well in front of the mosque, he retraced
+his steps until beyond the village, then struck out into the country,
+made a detour, came down into the road again, and continued his journey
+eastward. He walked until nightfall, and then again lay down.
+
+He was now fully fifty miles from Tripoli, and hoped that he was beyond
+the point to which horsemen from that town would think of pursuing their
+search. It was likely that they would not have gone beyond the village
+at which he had halted on the previous day; for when they learned from
+the inhabitants that no stranger, save an Arab, had entered it, they
+would content themselves with warning the head man to be on the watch
+for any stranger unable to speak their tongue, and would not consider it
+necessary to push their steps farther.
+
+For four days Gervaise continued his journey. At each village through
+which he passed he added to his stock of dates, until he had as many
+as he could carry under his bernouse without attracting observation. He
+also purchased a large water bottle, which he slung round his neck.
+
+All this time the sea lay to his left like a sheet of glass, and he
+knew that until a change of weather occurred, it was useless for him
+to attempt to escape by boat. On the fifth day there were signs of a
+change. He saw a dark line far out at sea; it came across the water
+rapidly, and presently a gentle breeze began to blow from the northwest;
+it gradually increased in strength, and when, in the afternoon, he
+stopped at a village, the waves were breaking upon the shore.
+
+After repeating his usual story, he sauntered down to the water's edge.
+There were several boats hauled up, and a hundred yards out two or three
+larger craft were lying at anchor. He entered into conversation with
+some of the fishermen, and his questions as to the boats led them to
+believe him altogether ignorant of the sea. The craft were, they told
+him, used sometimes for fishing, but they often made voyages to towns
+along the coast with dates and other produce. Each boat carried a single
+short mast, to the top of which was attached a long tapering spar, on
+which the sail was furled.
+
+Gervaise knew that these small feluccas were generally fast sailors and
+fair sea boats, and resolved to seize one of them, trusting that when
+once the sail was shaken out he would be able to manage it single
+handed. Accustomed to boats, he picked out that which he thought would
+be the fastest, and then walked away for half a mile, and lay down to
+sleep until the village was silent for the night. He had with him some
+oaten cakes he had bought there, a string of fish he had purchased from
+the boatmen, and with these and the dates he thought he could manage
+for four or five days at least. As to water, he could only hope that he
+should find a supply on board the boat. When he judged it to be about
+ten o'clock he went down to the shore again, took off his clothes and
+made them into a bundle; then, wading out into the water to within fifty
+yards of the felucca, swam off to it, towing the bundle behind him.
+
+He had no difficulty in climbing on board, and after dressing himself in
+the clothes he had worn at Tripoli, and had kept on underneath the Arab
+attire, he pulled the head rope until the craft was nearly over the
+anchor. He then loosened the line that brailed up the sail, got the
+stone that served as an anchor on board, hauled the sheet aft, and took
+his place at the tiller. The wind had dropped a good deal with the sun,
+but there was still sufficient air to send the light craft fast through
+the water. He steered out for a time, and then, when he thought himself
+a good mile from the shore, headed east. By the appearance of the water
+as it glanced past, he thought that he must be making from five to six
+miles an hour, and when the sun rose at five o'clock, believed that he
+was nearly forty miles on his way. He now fastened the tiller with a
+rope and proceeded to overhaul the craft.
+
+It was decked over forward only, and he crept into the cabin, which was
+little more than three feet high. The first thing his eye lit on was a
+bulky object hanging against the side, and covered with a thick black
+blanket of Arab manufacture. Lifting this, he saw, as he expected, that
+the object beneath it was a large waterskin well filled; the blanket had
+evidently been placed over it to keep it cool when the sun streamed down
+on the deck above it. There was also a large bag of dates, and another
+of flat cakes, and he guessed that these had all been put on board the
+evening before, in readiness for a start in the morning. This relieved
+him of his chief anxiety, for he had been unable to think of any plan
+for replenishing his supply, or to concoct a likely tale that, were he
+obliged to go on shore, would account for his being alone in a craft of
+that size.
+
+The wind increased again after sunrise, and being unable to reef the
+sail single handed he managed partially to brail it up. All day the
+craft flew along with the wind on the quarter, making six or seven miles
+an hour; and he felt that by morning he would be well beyond pursuit. On
+the run he passed several craft engaged in fishing, but these gave him
+no uneasiness. He had in the morning, with some old sails he found,
+constructed three rough imitations of human figures, one with the Arab
+dress and another with the bernouse, and had placed them against the
+bulwarks, so that at a short distance it would appear that there were
+three men on board. Feeling confident that the deception would not be
+noticed, he kept his course without swerving, and passed some of the
+fishing boats within hailing distance, waving his hand and shouting the
+usual Arab salutation to their crews.
+
+During the day he contented himself with eating some dates and an
+oatmeal cake or two; but at sunset he added to this two or three fish
+that he had split open and hung up to dry in the sun and wind. There was
+charcoal on board, and a flat stone served as a hearth in the bottom of
+the boat, but he had no means of lighting a fire, for this the fishermen
+would have brought off when they came on board in the morning. After he
+had finished his meal and taken his place again at the tiller he
+altered his course. Hitherto he had been steering to the south of east,
+following the line of coast, but he now saw before him the projecting
+promontory of Cape Mezurata, which marks the western entrance of the
+great Gulf of Sydra; and he now directed his course two points north
+of east, so as to strike the opposite promontory, known as Grenna, more
+than a hundred miles away. The wind fell much lighter, and he shook out
+the sail to its full extent. All night he kept at his post, but finding
+the wind perfectly steady he lashed the tiller so as to keep the boat's
+head in the direction in which he was steering, and dozed for some
+hours, waking up occasionally to assure himself that she was keeping her
+course.
+
+At sunrise he indulged in a wash in sea water, and felt freshened and
+revived. He now kept a sharp lookout for distant sails, for he was out
+of the ordinary course a coaster would take, and would have attracted
+the attention of any corsair coming out from the land; the sea, however,
+remained clear of ships. All day the felucca made rapid progress, for
+although the wind freshened, Gervaise did not lessen sail as before,
+being now accustomed to the boat and confident of her powers. As soon
+as the wind died away again after sunset, he lay down for a good sleep,
+feeling this was an absolute necessity, and knowing that before morning
+he should be obliged to keep a sharp lookout for land. He slept longer
+than he had intended, for the day was breaking when he opened his eyes.
+He sprang to his feet, and saw the land stretching ahead of him at a
+distance, as he thought, of some fifteen miles, and at once put the helm
+down and bore more to the north.
+
+He judged, from what he had heard on the coast, that he must be nearly
+off Cape Tejones, behind which lies the town of Bengasi, and was
+confirmed in the belief on finding half an hour later that the coast,
+which had run nearly north and south, trended sharply away to the
+northeast. All day long he kept about the same distance from the land,
+and at night, instead of keeping on his course, brailed up the sail
+entirely, and allowed the vessel to drift, as he knew that before
+morning he should lose the coast if he continued as he was going. He
+slept without moving until daylight, and then saw, to his satisfaction,
+by means of landmarks he had noticed the evening before, that the boat
+had drifted but a few miles during the night. As the day went on, he saw
+that the coastline was now east and west, and felt that he must be off
+the most northerly point of the promontory; he accordingly laid his
+course to the northeast, which would take him close to Cape Saloman, the
+most easterly point of Crete, and from two hundred and fifty to three
+hundred miles distant.
+
+For twenty-four hours he sailed quietly on, the wind dropping lighter
+and lighter; then it suddenly died out altogether; for some hours there
+was not a breath to stir the surface of the water, and the heat was
+stifling. Gervaise slept for some time; when he awoke the same stillness
+reigned, but there was a change in the appearance of the sky; its
+brightness was dulled by a faint mist, while, although the sea was of
+a glassy smoothness, there was an imperceptible swell that caused the
+felucca to sway uneasily. Gervaise had sufficient experience of the
+Levant to know that these signs were ominous of a change, and he at
+once set to work to prepare for it. Although he saw that it would be
+difficult for him unaided to hoist the long spar back into its place,
+he decided to lower it. This was not difficult, as its weight brought it
+down on to the deck as soon as he slackened the halliards; he unhooked
+it from the block, and then lashed the sail securely to it. When he had
+done this he looked round. A bank of dark clouds lay across the horizon
+to the northwest, and in a short time he could see that this was rising
+rapidly.
+
+Before taking down the spar and sail, he had deliberated as to whether
+it would be better to run before the coming gale or to lie to, and had
+decided on the latter alternative, as, were it to continue to blow long,
+he might be driven on to the Egyptian coast. Moreover, the felucca's
+bow was much higher out of water than the stern, and he thought that she
+would ride over the waves with greater safety than she would did they
+sweep down upon her stern.
+
+He had heard that the Greeks, when caught in a sudden gale in small
+boats, often lashed the oars together, threw them overboard with a rope
+attached, and rode to them safely through a sea that would otherwise
+have overwhelmed them. After much consideration as to what had best be
+done, he took the anchor rope, which was some sixty yards in length,
+fastened one end to each end of the spar, and then lashed the middle of
+the rope to the bow of the felucca; then, using an oar as a lever, he
+with great labour managed to launch the spar over the bow, with the sail
+still attached to it.
+
+When he had completed this, he looked round at the state of the weather.
+The clouds had risen so fast that their edge was nearly overhead,
+spanning the sky like a great arch. Ahead of him it seemed almost as
+black as night. He had not been out in many of the gales that at times
+sweep the eastern waters of the Mediterranean with terrible violence,
+but had seen enough of them to know that it was no ordinary one that he
+was about to encounter. He looked over the bow; the spar at present was
+lying in contact with the stem. With an oar he pushed it across so as to
+be at right angles with the craft, and then, there being nothing else to
+do, sat down and waited for the storm to burst. In a short time he
+heard a dull moaning sound, a puff of wind struck the boat, but in a few
+seconds died out; it was sufficient to give the light craft stern way,
+and she drifted backwards, the rope tightening, until the spar lay
+across her bows, and some twenty yards away.
+
+The dull moaning had grown louder; and now ahead of him he saw a white
+line. It approached with extraordinary rapidity. Knowing the fury with
+which it would burst upon him, he leapt down, and stood at the entrance
+to the cabin, with his head just above the deck. With a deafening roar
+the wind struck the boat, which staggered as if she had on her full
+course struck on a rock, while a shower of spray flew over her. Half
+blinded and deafened, Gervaise crawled into the cabin, closed the door,
+and lay down there; whatever happened, there was nothing he could do. He
+was soon conscious that the spar and sail were doing their work, for
+the boat still lay head to wind. The noise overhead and around was
+deafening; above the howl of the wind could be heard the creaking of the
+timbers, and the boat seemed to shiver as each fresh gust struck her.
+
+In half an hour he looked out again. There was, as yet, but little sea;
+the force of the wind seemed to flatten the water, and the instant a
+wave lifted its head it was cut off as if by a knife, and carried
+away in spray. The boat herself was moving rapidly through the water,
+dragging the spar behind her, and Gervaise almost trembled at the
+thought of the speed at which she would have flown along had it not been
+for the restraint of the floating anchor. Gradually the sea got up, but
+the light craft rode easily over it, and Gervaise, after commending
+his safety to God, lay down, and was soon fast asleep. In spite of the
+motion of the vessel, he slept soundly for many hours. When he awoke he
+opened the cabin door and looked out. A tremendous sea was running, but
+he thought the wind, although so strong that he could scarce lift his
+head above the shelter of the bulwark, was less violent than it had
+been when it first broke upon him. He saw to his satisfaction that the
+felucca breasted the waves lightly, and that although enveloped in spray
+she took no green water over the bows.
+
+The spar and sail acted not only as a floating anchor, but as a
+breakwater, and the white crested waves, which came on as if they
+would break upon the boat, seemed robbed of half their violence by
+the obstruction to their course, and passed under the felucca without
+breaking. For forty-eight hours the gale continued; at the end of
+that time it ceased almost as suddenly as it had begun. The sun shone
+brightly out, the clouds cleared entirely away. It was some hours before
+the sea went down sufficiently for Gervaise to attempt to get the spar
+on deck again. It was a heavy task, taxing his strength to the utmost,
+but after a deal of labour it was got on board, and then raised to its
+position at the masthead; the sail was shaken out, and the felucca again
+put on her course.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX BELEAGUERED
+
+
+One morning towards the end of May, 1480, Sir John Boswell was standing
+with some other knights on St. Stephen's Hill, near the city, having
+hurried up as soon as a column of smoke from a bonfire lighted by the
+lookout there, gave the news that the Turkish fleet was at last in
+sight. A similar warning had been given a month previously, but the
+fleet had sailed past the island, being bound for Phineka, which was the
+rendezvous where Mahomet's great armament was to assemble. There could
+be but little doubt that the long expected storm was this time about to
+burst. The fleet now seen approaching numbered a hundred and sixty
+large ships, besides a great number of small craft, conveying a force
+variously estimated at from seventy to a hundred thousand men.
+
+“'Tis a mighty fleet,” Sir John said; “and the worst of it is that we
+know there are more to follow; still, I doubt not we shall send them
+back defeated. Our defences are all complete; our recent peace with
+Egypt has enabled us to fill up our magazines with provisions of all
+kinds; the inhabitants of the Island have had ample warning to move
+into the town, carrying with them everything of value; so the Turks
+will obtain but little plunder, and will be able to gather no means of
+subsistence on the island, as every animal has been driven within the
+walls, and even the unripe corn has been reaped and brought in. However
+long the siege lasts, we need be in no fear of being reduced to sore
+straits for food. Look over there. There is a small craft under sail,
+and it comes not from the direction of Phineka. See! one of the Turkish
+galleys has separated from the rest and is making off in that direction.
+It may be that the little craft contains one or two of our comrades who
+are late in coming to join us.”
+
+“It may well be so, Sir John, for they have been straggling in by twos
+and threes for the last month.”
+
+“I will get the grand master's leave to put out in one of the galleys,”
+ Sir John said, “for, by the way they are bearing, the Turks will cut the
+little craft off before she can gain the port.”
+
+He hurried to D'Aubusson, who was standing a short distance apart from
+the others, gazing at the Turkish fleet. A minute later he was running
+down the hill to the town, accompanied by three or four other knights;
+they made direct for the outer port, where two galleys were lying in
+readiness, leapt on board one of them, which already contained its quota
+of knights, and at once rowed out of the port. Just as they did so the
+Turkish galley fired a gun.
+
+“I fear we shall be too late,” Sir John said; “the Turk is gaining fast
+on the other craft, whatever she may be. There goes another gun. Row
+your hardest!” he shouted down to the slaves.
+
+The Turkish ship did not fire again; the wind was light, and they were
+going two feet through the water to every one sailed by the other craft.
+The galley from Rhodes was still half a mile away when the Turk was
+close to the boat that was trying to escape. Sir John and the knights
+chafed as they saw they would be too late.
+
+“I can't make out why the boat did not use her oars,” the former said.
+“Of course, she could not have kept away from the galley, but if she had
+rowed it would have made some difference, and we might have been nearly
+up.”
+
+“I can only see one man on board of her, Sir John,” one of the younger
+knights said; and two or three others murmured that they were of the
+same opinion.
+
+“The others must be lying down; she cannot have less than from fifteen
+to twenty men. The Turk is close alongside. They still hold on. There!
+She has gone about and escaped the attempt to run her down. Now she is
+heading for us again! Brave fellows! brave fellows!” Sir John exclaimed,
+while a cheer broke from those around him; “but they have done
+for themselves. They must have seen us coming out, and if they had
+surrendered might have hoped to have been retaken. Their chance of
+getting quarter was truly not great, for expecting--as the Turks
+do--to carry off both us and all the inhabitants of the Island, a dozen
+fishermen would have seemed to them scarcely worth keeping. However, by
+holding on they have thrown away any chance they may have had. The Turks
+are alongside; they are leaping down into the little craft. Ah! Two more
+galleys have just left their fleet, and are heading here.”
+
+“See, Sir John,” one of the knights exclaimed, “there is a single man
+standing in the bow of that craft: he is facing the Moors alone. See how
+they crowd there; you can see the weapons flashing in the sun. They have
+to press past the mast to get at him, and as yet he seems to hold them
+all at bay.”
+
+“He has chosen his post well, D'Urville. The number of his assailants
+prevents the archers on the Turkish craft using their bows. Fire those
+bow guns!” he shouted to the knights forward: “Take steady aim at the
+galley. It will distract their attention.”
+
+“Nobly done indeed!” one of the other knights shouted. “I have seen him
+strike down four of the Turks.”
+
+“Row, men, row! 'Tis useless!” Sir John muttered, as he clenched the
+hilt of his sword. “Useless! A Roland could not long maintain so unequal
+a fight.”
+
+A groan broke from those around him as suddenly the dark mass of the
+assailants made a forward move, and the single figure was lost to sight.
+It was but for an instant; a moment later the crowd separated, and a man
+was seen to spring overboard.
+
+“They will riddle him with their spears when he comes up; we shall have
+nothing to do but to avenge him. To your stations, comrades! It is our
+turn now, and we have no time to lose, for the other two Turks will
+be up in twenty minutes, and I had orders not to fight if it could be
+avoided: but we must take this fellow.”
+
+Five minutes later the galley ran alongside the Turk, to which those who
+had captured the boat had already hastily returned. The ships discharged
+their guns into each other, and then, as the galley ran alongside, the
+knights tried to leap on board of her. They were opposed by a dense mass
+of Turks, for in addition to her usual crew the Moslem was crowded with
+troops. For three or four minutes the knights tried, but in vain, to get
+a footing on board; then Sir John shouted to them to forbear, and gave
+orders to the rowers at once to push off. A cloud of arrows swept across
+the poop as they did so; but for the most part these fell harmless from
+the armour of the knights. For a time the cannon on both sides continued
+to fire, but as the Christians increased their distance it gradually
+ceased.
+
+They had gone but a hundred yards from the Turk when a head appeared
+over the stern railing of the poop, and a figure swung itself on to the
+deck. The man was attired in Turkish garments, but his head was bare,
+and the exclamation, “A Christian!” broke from the knights.
+
+The man strode up to Sir John Boswell.
+
+“You used to say you would make matters even with me some day, Sir John,
+and you have more than kept your word.”
+
+Sir John fell back a pace in astonishment, and then with a shout, “By
+St. George, it is Tresham!” threw his arms round Gervaise's neck, while
+the knights thronged round with exclamations of satisfaction.
+
+“And it was you whom we saw keep the Turks at bay for three good minutes
+single handed,” Sir John said, holding Gervaise at arm's length to gaze
+into his face. “Truly it seemed well nigh impossible that any one who
+was like to be on that craft could have performed so doughty a deed. And
+how did you escape?”
+
+“It was simple enough,” Gervaise replied. “As soon as I dived I turned
+and swam along under the boat and came up by the stern, and then held on
+by the rudder, sheltered from their sight. I saw that the galley would
+be up in five minutes, and had no fear of their wasting time to look for
+me. Directly you came alongside her I dived again, and rose under your
+stern. I did not think that you would be able to take her, for all their
+craft are crowded with troops; so I contented myself with holding on
+until you were out of reach of their arrows, and then I climbed up.”
+
+“I am delighted to see you again, Gervaise. I was feeling very sore at
+the moment, and I know the others felt the same, at being obliged to
+sheer off without making a capture; but the grand master's orders were
+strict. We noted your craft pursued by the Turks, and I asked leave to
+take out a galley to cut her off. He said, 'Take one, Sir John, but do
+not adventure an attack against the Turk unless she is likely to fall
+an easy prize to you. Her capture would be of little benefit to us, and
+would be dearly purchased at the cost of a knight's life. Therefore,
+as soon as we engaged her, and I found that she was full of troops and
+could not be captured without heavy loss, and that two of her consorts
+might arrive before we accomplished it, it was plainly my duty to
+abandon the attempt, although, you may guess, it went sorely against
+the grain to give the order, especially as I knew that a host would be
+looking on from St. Stephen's Hill. However, your rescue more than makes
+up for our failure; and thankful indeed am I that I made the suggestion
+that we should put out to save that little craft, though I thought it
+contained but a few fishermen or some coasting sailors, who had, in
+ignorance that the Turks were at hand, tried to enter Rhodes. One of
+those looking on with me did, indeed, suggest that she might have on
+board a knight or two coming to join us, but I did not give the matter a
+second thought.”
+
+“And how go things, Sir John? And how are old friends?”
+
+“Ralph Harcourt and, I think, all your comrades in the Santa Barbara,
+except the three who fell by your side when you were captured, are well,
+and at present on the Island, as, for the last two years, none have been
+allowed to depart. As to other matters, they go not so well as one could
+wish. The commanderies have not responded to our call for aid as they
+should have done. For this, however, they are not altogether to blame,
+for we have been so often threatened with attack, and have so frequently
+applied for aid in money or men, that they must have begun to doubt
+whether the danger was really imminent. In other respects we are well
+prepared. We have obtained large stores of provisions from Egypt, and
+shall have no ground for uneasiness on that score. The defences have
+been greatly strengthened, and no one fears that we shall not be able
+to beat off an attack. We have destroyed the principal buildings outside
+the walls, though it would have been better could we have gone much
+further in this direction. And now let us have your adventures and
+escape.”
+
+“'Tis a long story, Sir John, and I must pray you to let me defer it for
+a time. In the first place, I have two or three wounds that I shall be
+glad to have bandaged.”
+
+“Why did you not say so at once?” Sir John exclaimed. “In those dark
+clothes, soaked with water as they are, I did not see the bloodstains;
+but I ought to have looked for them, for surely no one could have gone
+through that fight--altogether unprotected with armour too--without
+being wounded. Come below, and we will attend to them.”
+
+“Also order me some wine and food, Sir John; I have touched nothing save
+water for twenty-four hours, and before that fasted somewhat strictly.”
+
+By the time Gervaise's wounds, which were not severe, had been bandaged,
+and he had eaten a hasty meal, the galley was alongside the mole,
+between the two harbours.
+
+He was provided with some clothes, and went with Sir John straight to
+the English auberge, where the knight insisted that he should at once
+lie down.
+
+“I will report your return to D'Aubusson, and will tell him it is by my
+orders that you are resting. Your wounds are not very deep, but you must
+have lost a good deal of blood, and were you to exert yourself now,
+and be pestered with questions, it would probably bring on an attack
+of fever. There is nothing to do at present, for it must be some days
+before they can land and bring up their guns.”
+
+Gervaise obeyed the orders not unwillingly, for he felt that he was
+really weak, and was greatly worn out by want of sleep. Sir John
+Kendall, at Boswell's request, issued orders that he was on no account
+whatever to be disturbed, and that no one was to enter his room unless
+he sounded the bell placed by the bedside. Gervaise indeed, falling off
+to sleep a few minutes after he had lain down, did not awake until the
+following morning. Having no idea that he had slept more than two or
+three hours, he sounded the bell in order to inquire whether Ralph had
+returned to the auberge. He was surprised to find his friend had just
+risen, and that he himself had been asleep some eighteen hours!
+
+A few minutes later Ralph hurried into the room.
+
+“Thank God that you are back again, Gervaise!” he said, as he grasped
+the hand of his friend. “I did not return until late in the evening,
+having been at work with a large body of slaves at the fortifications;
+and you may guess what joy I felt at the news. You are changed a good
+deal.”
+
+“I don't suppose you will think so at the end of a day or two, Ralph. I
+lost a good deal of blood yesterday, and have been on short rations; but
+I shall very soon pick up again.”
+
+“They will bring you some broth and wine directly, Gervaise. Early as
+it is, the grand master has already sent down to inquire as to your
+health.”
+
+“I will reply in person as soon as I have had a meal and dressed.”
+
+“And I suppose we must all wait to hear what you have been doing until
+you return, Gervaise?”
+
+“I suppose so, Ralph. Of course it is a long story; but I must tell you
+at once that there is nothing very exciting in it, and that it differed
+little from that of others who have been prisoners among the Moors, save
+that I was strangely fortunate, and suffered no hardships whatever. And
+now I want to ask you about clothes. Have my things been sold, or are
+they still in the store?”
+
+“No; the question was raised but a short time since. It was mooted, by
+the way, by that old enemy of yours, Robert Rivers, who returned
+here some three months ago with a batch of knights from the English
+commanderies. Sir John Boswell answered him roundly, I can tell you, and
+said that they should be kept, were it for another fifty years, for
+that he would wager his life that you would sooner or later make your
+escape.”
+
+“I am sorry that fellow has returned, Ralph. Has he got a commandery
+yet?”
+
+“No; I believe that Sir John Kendall sent home so bad a report of him,
+that even the great influence of his family has not sufficed to obtain
+his appointment, and that he has been merely the assistant at one of
+the smaller manors. Sir John Boswell told me in confidence that he
+understood that Rivers did not at first volunteer to come out in
+response to the appeal of the grand master, but that the grand prior
+informed him that unless he took this opportunity of retrieving his
+character, he might give up all hope of ever obtaining advancement. Ah,
+here is your breakfast.”
+
+An hour later Gervaise presented himself at the palace, clothed in the
+suit of armour that had been given to him by Genoa. Although he was
+engaged with several members of the council at the time, the grand
+master ordered him to be at once admitted as soon as he heard that he
+was in attendance.
+
+“Welcome back, Sir Gervaise Tresham,” he said warmly, as he entered. “We
+all rejoice greatly at your return, and I consider it a happy omen for
+the success of our defence that so brave and distinguished a knight
+should at the last moment have arrived to take a share in it.”
+
+The others present all shook Gervaise cordially by the hand, and
+congratulated him on his return.
+
+“You must dine with me this evening,” D'Aubusson went on, “and tell us
+the story of your captivity and escape. At present, as you may suppose,
+we have too many matters on hand to spare time for aught that is not
+pressing and important. You will need a few days' rest before you are
+fit for active service, and by that time we will settle as to what post
+will best suit you.”
+
+Twice that day had Gervaise to recount his adventures, the first time to
+Sir John Kendall and the knights of his auberge, the second to the grand
+master. Most of the leading members of the Order were assembled at
+the palace, and, among others, he was introduced to the Viscount de
+Monteuil, the elder brother of D'Aubusson, one of the most famous
+leaders of the day. He had brought with him a considerable body of
+retainers, and, although not a member of the Order, had offered his
+services in defence of the town. The council had gratefully accepted the
+offer, and had unanimously named him Commander of the Forces. Many other
+knights and soldiers had come from different parts of Europe, animated
+alike by the desire to aid in the defence of Christendom against the
+advance of the Moslems, and to gain credit and honour by taking part in
+a siege that was sure to be a desperate one.
+
+“My brother has already spoken of you to me, Sir Gervaise,” the viscount
+said, when the young knight was presented to him; “although indeed there
+was no occasion for him to do so, since the name of the knight who
+two years ago saved the commerce of Italy from ruin, and with a single
+galley destroyed or captured a great fleet of over twenty Barbary
+pirates, and thus for a time put a stop to the depredations of the
+infidels, is known throughout Europe. By the way, I am the bearer of a
+message to you. I took ship at Genoa on my way hither, and stayed two or
+three days there while she was being got ready for sea. Knowing that I
+was bound hither, a certain very beautiful young lady of noble family,
+to whom I had the honour of being introduced, prayed me that if you
+should by any chance have escaped from captivity--and she said that she
+was convinced that you would, when you heard that Rhodes was threatened,
+assuredly endeavour to escape and to come hither to take a share in the
+defence--I was to tell you that she trusted you still bore her gage, and
+that she, on her part, had held fast to the promise she made you.”
+
+“I still have her gage, Viscount; for though I was for a long time
+deprived of it, I succeeded in regaining it when I made my escape,”
+ Gervaise said quietly; and De Monteuil at once turned the conversation
+to another topic.
+
+Gervaise found that no attempt was to be made to take the offensive
+against the Turks, and that they were to be permitted to advance against
+the city without interference. Many of the more fiery spirits among the
+knights chafed at this prohibition. The records of the past showed that
+armies as large as that of Mahomet had suffered defeat at the hands
+of bodies of knights no stronger than that gathered for the defence of
+Rhodes. D'Aubusson, however, knew that between the undisciplined hordes
+that gathered in countless numbers to oppose the crusaders, and the
+troops of Mahomet, well trained in warfare, who had borne his standard
+victoriously in numerous battles, there was but little comparison. They
+were commanded, too, by Paleologus, a general of great capacity. Under
+such circumstances, although victory might be possible, the chances of
+defeat would be far greater, and while victory could be only won at a
+great sacrifice of life, defeat would mean annihilation to the garrison,
+and the loss of the city upon whose fortifications such an enormous
+amount of money and labour had been expended.
+
+On the other hand, he felt perfectly confident that the city could be
+successfully defended, and that at a cost of life far less than would
+be attained by a victory in the open field, while the blow that would
+be inflicted upon the prestige and power of the enemy, by being
+ignominiously compelled to retire to their ships, after the failure of
+all their attacks, would be as great as if their army had been defeated
+in the field. Therefore the grand master, with the full assent of his
+leaders, turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of the younger knights,
+that they might be allowed to make a sortie. He calmly waited behind
+the formidable defences he had for the past ten years been occupied in
+perfecting, in anticipation of the assault of the Moslem host.
+
+Accordingly, after disembarking at their leisure, the Turkish army moved
+forward, and took their post upon St. Stephen's Hill. From this eminence
+they commanded a full view of the town, the hills sloping gently down
+to the foot of the walls. In later times the first care of a general
+commanding the defence would have been to construct formidable works
+upon this commanding position. But the cannon of that period were so
+cumbrous and slowly worked, and so inaccurate in their aim, that the
+advantage of occupying a position that would prevent an enemy from
+firing down into a town was considered to be more than counterbalanced
+by the weakening of the garrison by the abstraction of the force
+required to man the detached work, and by the risk of their being
+surrounded and cut off without the garrison of the town being able to
+aid them.
+
+That the defence of St. Stephen's Hill was considered unnecessary for
+the safety of Rhodes is shown by the fact that no attempt had been made
+to fortify it when, forty years later, the Moslems again besieged the
+city.
+
+There was no shadow of apprehension felt by the garrison of Rhodes
+as the great array of their foes was seen moving on to the hill, and
+preparing to pitch its camp. On the summit was the great tent of the
+pasha; round this were the marquees of the other commanders, while the
+encampments of the troops stretched far away along the upper slopes of
+the hill.
+
+Previous to the despatch of the expedition, the sultan had made
+preparations for aiding his arms by treachery. The agent he had sent
+to propose a temporary truce had, during his stay on the Island, made
+himself thoroughly acquainted with the outline of the works. A very
+accurate plan of them had also been obtained from an inhabitant of
+Rhodes, who had abandoned Christianity and taken service with the Turks.
+
+In addition to this he had arranged with a renegade German, known as
+Maitre Georges, a man of very great ability as an artilleryman and
+engineer, to desert to the city, and there do all in his power to assist
+the besiegers, both by affording them information and by giving bad
+advice to the besieged. On the day after Paleologus, who was himself a
+renegade Greek, had established his camp, he sent in a herald to summon
+the city to surrender, at the same time making lavish promises that the
+lives and property of the native population should be respected, and
+that they should be allowed to continue to reside there, to enjoy the
+full exercise of their religion and of all other rights they possessed.
+The pasha had no real hope that the knights would obey the summons,
+but he thought that he might excite a spirit of disaffection among the
+townspeople that would, when the crisis came, greatly hamper the efforts
+of the defenders.
+
+The Rhodians, however, were well satisfied with the rule of the Order.
+The knights, although belonging to the Catholic Church, had allowed the
+natives of the Island, who were of the Greek faith, perfect freedom in
+the exercise of their religion, and their rule, generally, had been
+fair and just. The wealth and prosperity of the Island had increased
+enormously since their establishment there, and the population had no
+inclination whatever to change their rule for that of the Turks. The
+summons to surrender being refused, the enemy made a reconnaissance
+towards the walls.
+
+D'Aubusson had no longer any reason for checking the ardour of the
+knights, and a strong body of horsemen, under the command of De
+Monteuil, sallied out and drove the Turks back to their camp.
+
+Maitre Georges, who was acting as the military adviser of the pasha, saw
+at once that the weakest point of the defence was Fort St. Nicholas, at
+the extremity of the mole along the neck of land dividing the outer from
+the inner port. At a short distance away, on the opposite side of the
+port, stood the church of St. Anthony, and in the gardens of the church
+a battery was at once erected. The garden was but three hundred yards
+from St. Nicholas, and the danger that would arise from the construction
+of the battery was at once perceived, and an incessant fire opened upon
+it from the guns on the wall round the grand master's palace. Numbers of
+the workmen were killed, but the erection of the battery was pushed on
+night and day, and ere long three of the immense cannon that had been
+brought from Constantinople,--where sixteen of them had been cast under
+the direction of Maitre Georges--were placed in position. These cannon
+were eighteen feet in length, and carried stone balls of some twenty-six
+inches in diameter.
+
+Before these were ready to open fire, Gervaise had entirely regained his
+health and strength. The grand master, being unwilling to appoint him to
+a separate command over the heads of knights many years his senior, had
+attached him to his person in the capacity of what would now be called
+an aide-de-camp.
+
+“I know, Gervaise, that I can rely upon your coolness and discretion. I
+cannot be everywhere myself, and I want you to act as my eyes in places
+where I cannot be. I know that the knights, so far as bravery and
+devotion are concerned, will each and every one do his best, and will
+die at their posts before yielding a foot; but while fighting like
+paladins they will think of naught else, and, however hardly pressed,
+will omit to send to me for reinforcements. Nay, even did they think
+of it, they probably would not send, deeming that to do so would be
+derogatory, and might be taken as an act of cowardice. Now, it is
+this service that I shall specially look for from you. When a post is
+attacked, I shall, when my presence is required elsewhere, send you to
+represent me. I do not, of course, wish you to interfere in any way in
+the conduct of the defence, in which you will take such share as you
+can; but you are specially to observe how matters go, and if you see
+that the knights are pressed and in sore need of assistance to enable
+them to hold the post, you will at once bring the news to me, and I will
+hurry there with reinforcements.”
+
+No post could have been more in accordance with the desire of Gervaise,
+for the portion of the wall defended by the English langue was far
+removed from the point selected by the Turks for their first attack, the
+sea front being defended half by the langue of Italy, and half by that
+of Castile. Fort St. Nicholas was under the command of the Cavalier
+Caretto, and as soon as the Turkish battery was completed, Gervaise
+went down there with an order from the grand master that he was for the
+present to consider himself as forming part of the garrison. This
+was pleasant for both Caretto and himself, for the Italian knight had
+conceived a strong friendship for the young Englishman, and had rejoiced
+greatly at his return from captivity, but had been so much occupied with
+his duty of placing the castle in all respects in a state of defence,
+that he had had no opportunity for a private conversation with him since
+his return to Rhodes.
+
+Gervaise, on his part, was no less pleased. Caretto had shown so much
+tact after his release from the Moors, and had so willingly aided him
+in any capacity allotted to him, without in the slightest degree
+interposing his council unasked, that Gervaise had come to like him
+greatly, even before their arrival at Genoa. Circumstances there had
+brought them closely together, and their friendship had been cemented
+during their voyage to Rhodes. Caretto had gone back to Italy, where
+he had a commandery, a few days after Gervaise had sailed on his last
+voyage, and had only returned to Rhodes three months before Gervaise
+escaped from captivity.
+
+“This is turning the tables,” Caretto said, with a laugh, when Gervaise
+presented the grand master's order. “I was under your command last time,
+and now it seems that you are to be under mine. I suppose you applied
+to come here, in order to have a fresh opportunity of distinguishing
+yourself. I heard that you had been placed on D'Aubusson's own staff.”
+
+“Yes, and am on it still; and it is by his orders and not by my own
+solicitation that I am here. I will tell you what my duties are. The
+grand master knows the commanders of posts have their hands so full
+that they will have no time for sending complete reports to him, and he
+considers, moreover, that they might, in some cases, however pressed,
+hesitate to ask for aid until too late for reinforcements to be brought
+up. My duty will be to let the grand master know how matters are going,
+and to send to him at once if it seems to me that help is needed. I
+should, of course, always send for reinforcements, at the request of a
+commander; but it is only in the event of his being too busy in the heat
+of the fray to think of aught but resisting an attack, that I should
+exercise my own judgment in the matter.”
+
+Caretto nodded.
+
+“It is a good thought of D'Aubusson's. When one is in the thick of a
+fight in a breach, with the Moslems swarming round, it does not occur to
+one to draw out of the fray to send off messages. For myself, I shall be
+glad indeed to have that matter off my mind, though it is not every one
+I should care to trust with such a responsibility. Some might send off
+for aid when it was not needed, others might delay so long that help
+might come too late; but with one so cool headed as yourself I should
+not fear any contingency. And now, as I am not busy at present, let us
+have a comfortable talk as to what has happened since we met last. I was
+at the banquet at the grand master's on the night when you related your
+adventures. You had certainly much to tell, but it seems to me for some
+reason or other you cut short certain details, and I could not see why,
+as there seemed no prospect of escape open to you, you did not accept
+the offer of Suleiman Ali to ransom you.”
+
+“I saw no chance of escape at the moment, but I did not doubt that I
+could get away from the town whenever I chose, although it was not
+clear how I should proceed afterwards. It was for this opportunity I
+was waiting, and I felt sure that, with my knowledge of the language, it
+would come sooner or later. In the next place, my captors had fixed
+an exorbitant sum for my ransom, and I did not wish to impose upon the
+generosity of Suleiman. There was another reason--a private one.”
+
+“You don't mean to say that you had fallen in love with a Moorish
+damsel, Sir Gervaise?” Caretto laughed.
+
+“For shame, Cavalier! As if a Christian knight would care for a Moslem
+maiden, even were she as fair as the houris of their creed!”
+
+“Christian knights have done so before now,” Caretto laughed, greatly
+amused at the young knight's indignation, “and doubtless will do so
+again. Well, I suppose I must not ask what the private matter was,
+though it must have been something grave indeed to lead you, a slave,
+to reject the offer of freedom. I know that when I was rowing in their
+galleys, no matter of private business that I can conceive would have
+stood in my way for a single moment, had a chance of freedom presented
+itself.”
+
+“It was a matter of honour,” Gervaise said gravely, “and one of which I
+should speak to no one else; but as you were present at the time, there
+can, I think, be no harm in doing so. At the time that I was captured, I
+was stripped of everything that I had upon me, and, of course, with the
+rest, of the gage which the Lady Claudia had given me, and which hung
+round my neck where she had placed it. It was taken possession of by the
+captain of the pirates, who, seeing that it bore no Christian emblem,
+looked upon it as a sort of amulet. I understood what he was saying,
+but, as I was desirous that my knowledge of Turkish should not be
+suspected, I said nothing. I was very glad that he so regarded it, for
+had he taken it to be an ordinary trinket, he might have parted with it,
+and I should never have been able to obtain a clue as to the person to
+whom he sold it. As it was, he put it round his neck, with the remark
+that it might bring him better luck than had befallen me. He told me
+jeeringly months afterwards that it had done so, and that he would never
+part with it. Given me as it was, I felt that my honour was concerned in
+its recovery, and that, should I ever meet Lady Claudia again, I should
+feel disgraced indeed, if, when she asked whether I still bore her gage,
+I had to confess that it was lost.”
+
+“But lost from no fault of your own,” Caretto put in.
+
+“The losing was not indeed from any fault of my own, and had the pirate
+thrown it into the sea I should have held myself free from disgrace; but
+as it was still in existence, and I knew its possessor, I was bound in
+honour to recover it. At the time Suleiman Ali's messenger arrived the
+corsair was away, and there was no saying when his ship would return;
+therefore, I decided at once not to accept the offer of freedom. Had it
+not been for that, I own that I should have done so, for I knew that
+I could repay Suleiman from the revenues of my commandery, which would
+have accumulated in my absence; but if I had had to wait ten years
+longer to regain the gage, I felt that I was in honour bound to do so.
+It was, in fact, some six months before the corsair put into that port
+again. The moment he did so I carried out the plans I had long before
+determined upon. I obtained a disguise from Ben Ibyn, and by a ruse
+succeeded in inducing the pirate to meet me outside the town, believing
+that I was an Arab chief who wished to dispose of some valuable slave
+girls he had brought in. I had with me one of my old galley slaves, who
+had been taken into Ben Ibyn's employment; and when the pirate came up
+with two of his crew, and furiously attacked me as soon as I threw off
+my disguise, it would have gone hard with me had he not stood by me, and
+killed one of them who was about to attack me in the rear. I slew the
+other and Hassan, and the gage is in its place again.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI THE FORT OF ST. NICHOLAS
+
+
+“Well, you have proved indeed,” Caretto said, when Gervaise finished his
+story, “that you are worthy of the bestowal of a gage by a fair damsel.
+I do not think that many knights, however true they might be to the
+donor, would have suffered months of slavery in order to regain a token,
+lost by no fault or carelessness of their own; and no lady could have
+blamed or held them in any way dishonoured by the loss.”
+
+“I had a message by the Viscount De Monteuil from Lady Claudia the other
+day, saying that she trusted I had kept her gage. I can assure you that
+the six months of slavery were cheaply purchased by the pleasure I felt
+that I still possessed it; and I was glad, too, to learn that I had not
+been forgotten by her.”
+
+“Of that you may well assure yourself, Tresham; my commandery is not far
+from Genoa, and I was frequently with her, but never without her drawing
+me aside and asking me if I had heard any news of you, and talking over
+with me the chances there might be of your escape. I can tell you that
+there are not a few young nobles of Genoa who would give much to be
+allowed as you are to carry her gage, or wear her colours. You should
+see her now; you would scarce know her again, so altered and improved is
+she; there is no fairer face in all Italy.”
+
+“I hope some day to meet her again,” Gervaise replied; “although I own
+to knowing it were better that I should not do so. Until she gave me her
+gage I had scarcely noticed her. I have, as you know, no experience of
+women, and had so much on my mind at the time, what with the fuss they
+were making about us, and the question of getting the prizes here, that
+in truth I paid but slight attention to the fair faces of the dames of
+Genoa. But the gracious and earnest way in which, though scarce more
+than a child, she gave me her gage, and vowed that no other knight
+should possess one so long as I lived, struck me so greatly that I own
+I gave the matter much more thought than was right or becoming in one
+of our Order. The incident was much more gratifying to me than all
+the honour paid me by the Republic, and during the long months of
+my captivity it has recurred to me so frequently that I have in vain
+endeavoured to chase it from my thoughts, as sinful thus to allow myself
+constantly to think of any woman. Do not mistake me, Sir Fabricius. I
+am speaking to you as to a confessor, and just as I have kept her amulet
+hidden from all, so is the thought of her a secret I would not part with
+for my life. I do not for a moment deceive myself with the thought that,
+beyond the fact that her gift has made her feel an interest in me and my
+fate, she has any sentiment in the matter: probably, indeed, she looks
+back upon the gift as a foolish act of girlish enthusiasm that led her
+into making a promise that she now cannot but find unpleasantly binding;
+for it is but natural that among the young nobles of her own rank and
+country there must be some whom she would see with pleasure wearing her
+colours.”
+
+Caretto looked at him with some amusement.
+
+“Were you not bound by your vows as a knight of the Order, how would you
+feel in the matter?”
+
+“I should feel worse,” Gervaise said, without hesitation. “I have
+oftentimes thought that over, and I see that it is good for me I am so
+bound. It does not decrease my chances, for, as I know, there are no
+chances; but it renders it more easy for me to know that it is so.”
+
+“But why should you say that you have no chances, Tresham?”
+
+“Because it is easy to see that it is so. I am, save for my commandery
+and prospects in the Order, a penniless young knight, without home or
+estate, without even a place in my country, and that country not hers. I
+know that it is not only sinful, but mad, for me to think so frequently
+of her, but at least I am not mad enough to think that I can either win
+the heart or aspire to the hand of one who is, you say, so beautiful,
+and who is, moreover, as I know, the heiress to wide estates.”
+
+“'There was a squire of low degree, Loved the king's daughter of
+Hungarie,'” Caretto sang, with a laugh. “You are not of low degree,
+but of noble family, Gervaise. You are not a squire, but a knight, and
+already a very distinguished one; nor is the young lady, though she be a
+rich heiress, a king's daughter.”
+
+“At any rate, the squire was not vowed to celibacy. No, no, Sir
+Fabricius, it is a dream, and a pleasant one; but I know perfectly well
+that it is but a dream, and one that will do me no harm so long as I
+ever bear in mind that it is so. Many a knight of the Order before me
+has borne a lady's gage, and carried it valiantly in many a fight, and
+has been no less true to his vows for doing so.”
+
+“Upon the contrary, he has been all the better a knight, Gervaise; it
+is always good for a knight, whether he belongs to the Order or not, to
+prize one woman above all others, and to try to make himself worthy of
+his ideal. As to the vow of celibacy, you know that ere now knights have
+been absolved from their vows, and methinks that, after the service
+you have rendered to Italy by ridding the sea of those corsairs, his
+Holiness would make no difficulty in granting any request that you might
+make him in that or any other direction. I don't know whether you are
+aware that, after you sailed from here, letters came from Rome as well
+as from Pisa, Florence, and Naples, expressive of the gratitude felt
+for the services that you had rendered, and of their admiration for the
+splendid exploit that you had performed.”
+
+“No; the grand master has had his hands so full of other matters that
+doubtless an affair so old escaped his memory. Indeed, he may have
+forgotten that I sailed before the letters arrived.”
+
+“Do not forget to jog his memory on the subject, for I can tell you that
+the letters did not come alone, but were each accompanied by presents
+worthy of the service you rendered. But as to the vows?”
+
+“As to the vows, I feel as I said just now, that I would not free myself
+of them if I could, for, being bound by them, I can the more easily and
+pleasantly enjoy my dream. Besides, what should I do if I left the Order
+without home, country, or means, and with naught to do but to sell my
+sword to some warlike monarch? Besides, Caretto, I love the Order,
+and deem it the highest privilege to fight against the Moslems, and to
+uphold the banner of the Cross.”
+
+“As to that, you could, like De Monteuil and many other knights here,
+always come out to aid the Order in time of need. As to the vows, I am
+not foolish enough to suppose that you would ask to be relieved from
+them, until you had assured yourself that Claudia was also desirous that
+you should be free.”
+
+“It is absurd,” Gervaise said, almost impatiently. “Do not let us talk
+any more about it, Caretto, or it will end by turning my head and making
+me presumptuous enough to imagine that the Lady Claudia, who only saw
+me for three or four days, and that while she was still but a girl, has
+been thinking of me seriously since.”
+
+“I do not know Claudia's thoughts,” Caretto remarked drily, “but I
+do know that last year she refused to listen to at least a score of
+excellent offers for her hand, including one from a son of the doge
+himself, and that without any reasonable cause assigned by her, to the
+great wonderment of all, seeing that she does not appear to have any
+leaning whatever towards a life in a nunnery. At any rate, if at some
+future time you should pluck up heart of grace to tell her you love her,
+and she refuses you, you will at least have the consolation of knowing
+that you are not the only one, by a long way, whose suit has been
+rejected. And now as to our affairs here. Methinks that tomorrow that
+battery will open fire upon us. It seems completed.”
+
+“Yes, I think they are nearly ready,” Gervaise said, turning his mind
+resolutely from the subject they had been discussing. “From the palace
+wall I saw, before I came down here, large numbers of men rolling huge
+stones down towards the church. Our guns were firing steadily; but could
+they load them ten times as fast as they do, they would hardly be able
+to stop the work, so numerous are those engaged upon it.”
+
+“Yes we shall soon learn something of the quality of their artillery.
+The tower is strong enough to resist ordinary guns, but it will soon
+crumble under the blows of such enormous missiles. Never have I seen or
+heard in Europe of cannon of such size; but indeed, in this matter the
+Turks are far ahead of us, and have, ever since cannon were first cast,
+made them of much larger size than we in Europe have done. However,
+there is one comfort; they may destroy this fort, but they have still
+to cross the water, and this under the fire of the guns on the palace
+walls; when they once land, their great battery must cease firing, and
+we shall be able to meet them on equal terms in the breach. Fight
+as hard as they may, I think we can hold our own, especially as
+reinforcements can come down to us more quickly than they can be brought
+across the water.”
+
+The next morning, at daybreak, the deep boom of a gun announced to the
+city that the great battering cannon had begun their work. In the fort
+the sleeping knights sprang to their feet at the concussion that seemed
+to shake it to its centre. They would have rushed to the walls, but
+Caretto at once issued orders that no one should show himself on the
+battlements unless under special orders.
+
+“There is nothing whatever to be done until the Turks have breached the
+wall, and are ready to advance to attack us. Every sword will be needed
+when that hour comes, and each man owes it to the Order to run no
+useless risk, until the hour when he is required to do his share of the
+fighting.”
+
+The time required to reload the great cannon was considerable, but at
+regular intervals they hurled their heavy missiles against the wall,
+the distance being so short that every ball struck it. After some twenty
+shots had been fired, Caretto, accompanied by Gervaise, went out by a
+small gate on the eastern side of the tower, and made their way round
+by the foot of the wall to see what effect the shots had produced on the
+solid masonry.
+
+Caretto shook his head.
+
+“It is as I feared,” he said. “No stones ever quarried by man could long
+resist such tremendous blows. In some places, you see, the stones are
+starred and cracked, in others the shock seems to have pulverised the
+spot where it struck; but, worse, still, the whole face of the wall
+is shaken. There are cracks between the stones, and some of these are
+partly bulged out and partly driven in. It may take some time before
+a breach is effected, but sooner or later the wall will surely be
+demolished.”
+
+“I will go up and make my report to the grand master.”
+
+“Do so, Gervaise. I almost wonder that he has not himself come down to
+see how the wall is resisting.”
+
+Gervaise, on reaching the palace, heard that D'Aubusson was at present
+engaged in examining no less a person than Maitre Georges, the right
+hand of Paleologus, who had soon after daybreak presented himself before
+the wall on the other side of the town, declaring that he had left the
+Turkish service, and craving to be admitted. News had been sent at once
+to D'Aubusson, who despatched two of the senior knights, with orders to
+admit him and receive him with all honour. This had been done, and
+the grand master, with some of his council, were now closeted with
+the newcomer. Several of the knights were gathered in the courtyard,
+discussing the event. There was no question that if the renegade came in
+good faith, his defection would be a serious blow to the assailants,
+and that his well known skill and experience would greatly benefit the
+defenders.
+
+“For my part,” Sir John Boswell, who formed one of the detachment which
+the English langue, as well as all the others, contributed to form the
+garrison of the palace said, “I would have hung the fellow up by the
+neck over the gateway, and he should never have set foot within the
+walls. Think you that a man who has denied his faith and taken service
+with his enemies is to be trusted, whatever oaths he may take?”
+
+“You must remember, Boswell,” another said, “that hitherto Georges has
+not fought against Christians, but has served Mahomet in his wars with
+other infidels. I am not saying a word in defence of his having become a
+renegade; yet even a renegade may have some sort of heart, and now that
+he has been called upon to fight against Christians he may well have
+repented of his faults, and determined to sacrifice his position and
+prospects rather than aid in the attack on the city.”
+
+“We shall see. As for me, I regard a renegade as the most contemptible
+of wretches, and have no belief that they have either a heart or
+conscience.”
+
+When Maitre Georges came out from the palace, laughing and talking with
+the two knights who had entered with him, it was evident that he was
+well pleased with his reception by the grand master, who had assigned
+to him a suite of apartments in the guest house. In reality, however,
+D'Aubusson had no doubt that his object was a treacherous one, and that,
+like Demetrius, who had come under the pretence of bringing about a
+truce, his object was to find out the weak points and to supply the
+Turks with information. Georges had, in his conversation with him, laid
+great stress on the strength of the Turkish army, the excellent quality
+of the troops, and the enormous battering train that had been prepared.
+But every word he spoke but added to the grand master's suspicions; for
+if the man considered that the capture of the city was morally certain,
+it would be simply throwing away his life to enter it as a deserter.
+
+The grand master was, however, too politic to betray any doubt of
+Georges' sincerity. Were he treated as a traitor, Paleologus might
+find another agent to do the work. It was, therefore, better to feign
+a belief in his story, to obtain all the information possible from him,
+and at the same time to prevent his gaining any knowledge of affairs
+that would be of the slightest use to the Turks. Instructions were
+therefore given to the two knights that, while Georges was to be treated
+with all courtesy, he was to be strictly watched, though in such a
+manner that he should be in ignorance of it, and that, whenever he
+turned his steps in the direction of those parts of the defences where
+fresh works had been recently added and preparations made of which it
+was desirable the Turks should be kept in ignorance, he was to be met,
+as if by accident, by one of the knights told off for the purpose, and
+his steps diverted in another direction.
+
+Georges soon made himself popular among many of the knights, who had no
+suspicions of his real character. He was a man of exceptional figure,
+tall, strong, splendidly proportioned, with a handsome face and gallant
+bearing. He was extremely well informed on all subjects, had travelled
+widely, had seen many adventures, was full of anecdote, and among
+the younger knights, therefore, he was soon regarded as a charming
+companion. His very popularity among them aided D'Aubusson's plans, as
+Georges was generally the centre of a group of listeners, and so had but
+few opportunities of getting away quietly to obtain the information he
+sought. Gervaise delivered his report to the grand master.
+
+“I am free now,” D'Aubusson said, “and will accompany you to St.
+Nicholas. I have been detained by the coming of this man Georges. He
+is a clever knave, and, I doubt not, has come as a spy. However, I have
+taken measures that he shall learn nothing that can harm us. No lives
+have been lost at the tower, I hope?”
+
+“No, sir; Caretto has forbidden any to show themselves on the walls.”
+
+“He has done well. This is no time for rash exposure, and where there is
+naught to be gained, it is a grave fault to run risks.”
+
+On arriving at the end of the mole, D'Aubusson, accompanied by Caretto,
+made an investigation of the effect of the Turks' fire.
+
+“'Tis worse than I expected,” he said. “When we laid out our
+fortifications the thought that such guns as these would be used against
+them never entered our minds. Against ordinary artillery the walls would
+stand a long battering; but it is clear that we shall have to depend
+more upon our swords than upon our walls for our defence. Fortunately,
+although the Turks have indeed chosen the spot where our walls are most
+open to the assaults of their battery, they have to cross the water to
+attack the breach when it is made, and will have to fight under heavy
+disadvantage.”
+
+“Tresham was last night saying to me, that it seemed to him it would not
+be a difficult matter for one who spoke Turkish well, to issue at night
+on the other side of the town, and to make his way round to the battery,
+disguised of course as a Turkish soldier, and then, mixing with the
+artillery men, to drive a spike into one of the touch holes. He said
+that he would gladly volunteer for the task.”
+
+D'Aubusson shook his head decidedly. “It would be too dangerous; and
+even were a spike driven in, the Turks would have no great difficulty
+in extracting it, for the tubes are so big that a man might crawl in and
+drive the spike up from the inside. Moreover, could one or more of the
+guns be disabled permanently, others would be brought down and set in
+their place, so that nothing would be gained but a very short delay,
+which would be of no advantage to us, and certainly would in no way
+justify the risking of the life of so distinguished a young knight.”
+
+The bombardment of St. Nicholas continued for some days. A breach was
+fast forming in the wall, and a slope composed of the fallen rubbish
+extended from the front of the breach to the water's edge. The grand
+master was frequently on the spot, and as this was at present the sole
+object of attack, the garrison was strengthened by as many knights as
+could be sheltered within its walls. At night the shattered masonry
+that had fallen inside was carried out, and with it a new work thrown
+up across the mole, to strengthen the defence on that side, should the
+enemy land between the town and the fort. Small batteries were planted
+wherever they could sweep the approaches to the breach, and planks
+studded with nails were sunk in the shallow water of the harbour, to
+impede the progress of those who might attempt to swim or wade across.
+For the time, therefore, the functions of Gervaise were in abeyance, and
+he laboured with the rest of the garrison at the defences.
+
+At daybreak on the 9th of June, a great number of vessels and boats,
+crowded with soldiers, bore down on St. Nicholas. As they approached,
+every gun on the fortifications that could be brought to bear upon them
+opened fire; but in a dense mass they advanced. Some made their way to
+the rocks and landed the soldiers there; others got alongside the mole;
+but the majority grounded in the shallow water of the harbour, and
+the troops, leaping out, waded to the foot of the breach. On its crest
+D'Aubusson himself had taken up his station. Beside him stood Caretto,
+and around them the most distinguished knights of the Order. With wild
+shouts the Turks rushed up the breach, and swarmed thickly up the ruined
+masonry until, at its summit, they encountered the steel clad line of
+the defenders. For hours the terrible struggle continued. As fast as the
+head of the Turkish column broke and melted away against the obstacle
+they tried in vain to penetrate, fresh reinforcements took the place
+of those who had fallen, and in point of valour and devotion the Moslem
+showed himself a worthy antagonist of the Christian. It was not only
+at the breach that the conflict raged. At other points the Turks, well
+provided with ladders, fixed them against the walls, and desperately
+strove to obtain a footing there. From the breach clouds of dust rose
+from under the feet of the combatants, mingling with the smoke of
+the cannon on the ramparts, the fort, and Turkish ships, and at times
+entirely hid from the sight of the anxious spectators on the walls of
+the town and fortress, and of the still more numerous throng of Turks
+on St. Stephen's Hill, the terrible struggle that continued without a
+moment's intermission.
+
+The combatants now fought in comparative silence. The knights, exhausted
+and worn out by their long efforts beneath the blazing sun, still showed
+an unbroken front; but it was only occasionally that the battle cry of
+the Order rose in the air, as a fresh body of assailants climbed up the
+corpse strewn breach. The yell of the Moslems rose less frequently;
+they sacrificed their lives as freely and devotedly as those who led the
+first onset had done; but as the hours wore on, the assurance of victory
+died out, and a doubt as to whether it was possible to break through the
+line of their terrible foes gained ground. D'Aubusson himself, although,
+in spite of the remonstrances of the knights, always in the thickest
+of the fray, was yet ever watchful, and quickly perceived where the
+defenders were hotly pressed, and where support was most needed.
+Gervaise fought by his side, so that, when necessary, he could carry his
+orders to a little body of knights, drawn up in reserve, and despatch
+them to any point where aid was needed. The cannon still continued their
+fire on both sides. A fragment of one of the stone balls from a basilisk
+struck off D'Aubusson's helmet. He selected another from among the
+fallen knights, and resumed his place in the line. Still the contest
+showed no signs of terminating. The Turkish galleys ever brought up
+reinforcements, while the defenders grew fewer, and more exhausted.
+During a momentary pause, while a fresh body of Turks were landing,
+Gervaise said to the grand master,
+
+“If you will give me leave, sir, I will go out at the watergate, swim
+up the inner harbour, and in a very short time turn a few of the craft
+lying there into fire ships, and tow them out with a couple of galleys.
+At any rate, we can fire all these craft that have grounded, and create
+a panic among the others.”
+
+“Well thought of, Gervaise! I will write an order on one of my tablets.
+Do you take my place for a minute.” Withdrawing behind the line, the
+grand master sat down on a fragment of stone, and, drawing a tablet
+from a pouch in his girdle, he wrote on it, “In all things carry out
+the instructions of Sir Gervaise Tresham: he is acting by my orders and
+authority, and has full power in all respects.”
+
+He handed the slip of parchment to Gervaise, who hurried to the water
+gate in the inner harbour, threw off his helmet and armour, issued out
+at the gate, and plunged into the sea. He swam out some distance, in
+order to avoid the missiles of the Turks, who were trying to scale the
+wall from the mole, and then directed his course to St. Michael's, which
+guarded the inner entrance to the fort. He had fastened the parchment
+in his hair, and as some of the garrison of the tower, noticing his
+approach, came down to assist him, he handed it to them and was at once
+taken to the commander of St. Michael, answering as he went the anxious
+questions as to how matters stood at the breach.
+
+“Aid is sorely needed. The Turks have gained no foot of ground as
+yet, but many of the knights are killed and most of the others utterly
+exhausted with heat and labour. Unless aid reaches them speedily, the
+tower, with all its defenders, will be lost.”
+
+The instant the commander knew what was required, he bade six of the
+knights embark with Gervaise in a boat moored behind the tower, and row
+up the harbour to the spot where the shipping was all massed together,
+protected by the high ground of the fortress from the Turkish fire.
+Gervaise waved his hand, as he neared the end of the harbour, to the
+officer on the walls, and while the six knights who were with him ran
+off to tell the master of the galleys to prepare two of them to leave
+the port instantly, Gervaise explained to the officer in charge of the
+wall at that point the plan that he was charged to carry out, and asked
+for twenty knights to assist him.
+
+“It will leave us very weak along here,” the officer said. “Then let me
+have ten, and send for another ten from other parts of the wall. Here is
+the grand master's order, giving me full power and authority, and it is
+all important that no single moment shall be wasted.”
+
+“You shall have twenty of mine,” the officer said, “and I will draw ten
+from the langue next to us to fill their places.”
+
+In a few minutes the quay was a scene of bustle and activity. Gervaise
+picked out ten of the smallest vessels; the knights went among the other
+ships, seized all goods and stores that would be useful as combustibles,
+and compelled the crews to carry them on board the craft chosen as fire
+ships. Then barrels were broken open, old sails and faggots saturated
+with oil and pitch, and in little more than a quarter of an hour after
+his arrival, Gervaise had the satisfaction of seeing that the ten boats
+were all filled with combustibles, and ready to be set on fire. He now
+called for volunteers from the sailors, and a number of them at once
+came forward, including many of the captains. He placed one of these in
+command of each fire ship, and gave him four of the sailors.
+
+“The galleys will tow you out,” he said, “and take you close to the
+enemy's ships. We shall range you five abreast, and when I give the
+word, the one at the end of the line will steer for the nearest Turk,
+and, with oars and poles, get alongside. The captain will then light the
+train of powder in the hold, throw the torch among the straw, and see
+that, if possible, the men fasten her to the Turk; but if this cannot
+be done, it is not essential, for in the confusion the enemy will not
+be able to get out of the way of the fire ship as it drives down against
+her. At the last moment you will take to your boats and row back here.
+We will protect you from the assaults of any of the Turkish ships.”
+
+Having made sure that all the captains understood the orders, Gervaise
+took command of one of the galleys, the senior knight going on board
+the other. The ten fire ships were now poled out until five were ranged
+abreast behind each craft; Gervaise requested the commander of the other
+galley to lie off the point of St. Nicholas until he had got rid of his
+five fire ships, then to advance and launch his craft against the Turks.
+The smoke of the guns lay so heavy on the water, and the combatants were
+so intent upon the struggle at the breach, that Gervaise steered his
+galley into the midst of the Turkish vessels laden with troops ready
+to disembark, without attracting any notice; then, standing upon the
+taffrail, he signalled to the two outside boats to throw off their ropes
+and make for the Turkish ship nearest to them. This they did, and it was
+not until a sheet of flame rose alongside, that the enemy awoke to the
+sense of danger.
+
+The other three fire ships were almost immediately cast off. Two of them
+were equally successful, but the Turks managed to thrust off the third.
+She drifted, however, through the shipping, and presently brought
+up alongside one of the vessels fast aground. With but ten knights,
+Gervaise could not attack one of the larger vessels, crowded with
+troops; but there were many fishing boats that had been pressed into the
+service, and against one of these Gervaise ordered the men to steer the
+galley. A shout to the rowers made them redouble their efforts. A yell
+of dismay arose from the Turkish troops as they saw the galley bearing
+down upon them, and frantic efforts were made to row out of her way.
+These were in vain, for her sharp prow struck them amidships, cutting
+the boat almost in two, and she sank like a stone, the galley, without a
+pause, making for another boat.
+
+Looking back, Gervaise saw that his consort was already in the midst of
+the Turks, among whom the wildest confusion prevailed, each ship trying
+to extricate herself from the mass, upon which the batteries of the
+fortress now concentrated their efforts. Two fresh columns of flame
+had already shot up, and satisfied that all was going well, Gervaise
+continued his attack upon the smaller craft, six of whom were overtaken
+and sunk. Three or four of the larger vessels endeavoured to lay
+themselves alongside the galley, but her speed was so superior to theirs
+that she easily evaded the attempts, and, sweeping round, rejoined
+the other galley which had just issued from among the Turks, who were
+already in full retreat. The defenders of St. Nicholas, reanimated by
+the sight of the discomfiture of the Turkish fleet, with a loud shout
+rushed down from the spot which they had held for so many hours, drove
+their assailants before them, and flung themselves upon the crowd
+assembled at the foot of the breach.
+
+These had already suffered terribly from the fire of the batteries.
+Again and again they had striven to storm the mound of rubbish, and had
+each time been repulsed, with the loss of their bravest leaders. Seeing
+themselves abandoned by the ships, a panic seized them, and as the
+knights rushed down upon them they relinquished all thoughts of
+resistance, and dashed into the shallow water. Many were drowned in the
+attempt to swim across the deep channel in the middle, some succeeded,
+while others made their escape in the boats in which they had been
+brought ashore from the ships.
+
+The struggle was over. The two galleys made for the breach, and the
+knights leapt out as soon as the boats grounded, and, wading ashore,
+joined the group that had so long and gallantly sustained the unequal
+fight. Fatigue, exhaustion, and wounds, were forgotten in the triumph
+of the moment, and they crowded round the grand master and Caretto, to
+whose joint exertions the success of the defence was so largely due.
+
+“Do not thank me, comrades,” D'Aubusson said. “No man has today fought
+better than the rest. Every knight has shown himself worthy of the fame
+of our Order. The meed of praise for our success is first due to Sir
+Gervaise Tresham. At the moment when I began to doubt whether we could
+much longer withstand the swarms of fresh foes who continued to pour
+against us, while we were overcome by heat and labour, Sir Gervaise, who
+had throughout been fighting at my side, offered to swim into the port,
+to fit out a dozen of the merchant craft there as fire ships, and to tow
+them round into the midst of the Turkish vessels behind the two galleys
+that were lying ready for service. I remembered how he had before
+destroyed the corsair fleet at Sardinia with fire ships, and the
+proposal seemed to me as an inspiration sent from Heaven, at this moment
+of our great peril. I wrote him an order, giving him full authority to
+act in my name, and in a time that seemed to me incredibly short I saw
+him round the point with the fire ships in tow. You saw, as well as
+I did, how completely the plan was carried out. Ten or twelve of the
+Turkish ships are a mass of flames, and besides these I noted that
+the galley ran down and destroyed several smaller craft filled with
+soldiers. The panic in the ships spread to the troops on shore, and
+rendered the last part of our task an easy one. I say it from my heart
+that I consider it is to Sir Gervaise Tresham that we owe our success,
+and that, had it not been for his happy thought, the sun would have gone
+down on our dead bodies lying on the summit of the breach, and on the
+Turkish flag waving over the fort of St. Nicholas.”
+
+Until now none of the defenders of the breach had known how what seemed
+to them an almost miraculous change in the fortune of the fight had come
+about, and they thronged round Gervaise, shaking his hand, and many of
+them warmly embracing him, according to the custom of the time.
+
+“It was but natural that the idea should occur to me,” he said, “having
+before successfully encountered them with fire ships; and as all on
+shore, and especially these knights, aided me with all their power, it
+took but a brief time to get the boats in readiness for burning. Much
+credit, too, is due to the merchant captains and sailors who volunteered
+to take charge of the fire ships and to manoeuver them alongside the
+Turks.”
+
+The grand master and the knights who had borne the brunt of the battle
+now retired along the mole to the town, bearing with them their most
+seriously wounded comrades, and assisting those whose wounds were less
+severe. The twenty knights who had manned the two galleys remained in
+the fort. Caretto continued in command, as, although he had suffered
+several wounds, he refused to relinquish his post. Gervaise, who
+had,--thanks partly to his skill with his weapons, but still more to
+the temper of the splendid suit of armour presented to him by
+Genoa,--escaped without a scratch, volunteered to remain with him until
+next morning, his principal motive for making the request being his
+desire to escape from further congratulations and praise for the success
+of his plan. After Caretto's wounds had been dressed by the knights, and
+he and Gervaise had partaken of some food and wine, which they greatly
+needed, Caretto was persuaded to lie down for a time, the knights
+promising to bring him word at once if they perceived any movement
+whatever on the part of the enemy. Gervaise remained with him, feeling,
+now the excitement was over, that he sorely needed rest after his
+exertions in the full heat of the summer sun.
+
+“It has been a great day, Gervaise,” Caretto said, “and I only hope that
+when again I go into battle with the infidel, I shall have you at hand
+to come forward at the critical moment with some master stroke to secure
+victory. Claudia will be pleased indeed when she hears how the knight
+who bears her gage has again distinguished himself. She will look on the
+gay and idle young fops of Genoa with greater disdain than ever. Now you
+need not say anything in protest, the more so as I feel grievously weak,
+and disposed for sleep.”
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII THE STRUGGLE AT THE BREACH
+
+
+Two hours later Caretto and Gervaise were roused by the arrival of a
+hundred knights in place of the previous garrison; these bore the news
+that the pasha had sent in a flag of truce to ask for an armistice until
+sundown, to enable him to carry off for burial the bodies of those who
+had fallen in the attack. The request had been willingly granted; but
+D'Aubusson had at the same time thought it well to send down a strong
+reinforcement to the garrison to prevent any attempt at treachery on the
+part of the Turks.
+
+“I have seldom heard pleasanter news,” Caretto said; “for just as I fell
+asleep I was wondering how we were to rid ourselves of the corpses of
+the infidels. By tomorrow the place would have become unbearable; and
+though, living, the Turks could not turn us out of the tower, they would
+when dead speedily have rid the place of us.”
+
+In half an hour a number of Moslem vessels were seen approaching.
+Caretto did not wish the Turks to imagine that he doubted their good
+faith, and while directing the main body of knights to remain in
+concealment near the breach, he placed two on sentry duty on the crest
+of the ruins, and, with four other knights and Gervaise, went down in
+complete armour to salute the officer in command of the burying party,
+as he landed from the boats. The ships anchored a short distance out,
+and a number of boats rowed from them to the shore. As the Turkish
+officer landed, Caretto saluted him, and said in Arabic,
+
+“I give you courteous greeting, Sir. When the cannon cease to sound and
+swords are sheathed, there is no longer animosity between brave men; and
+no braver than those whose bodies lie stretched there, breathed the air
+of heaven. If, sir, I and the knights with me do not uncover our heads,
+it is from no want of respect for the dead, but solely because we dare
+not stand bareheaded under the fierce rays of the sun.”
+
+The Turk answered with equal courtesy, complimenting the knights on
+their defence.
+
+“Had I not seen it with my own eyes,” he said, “I should have deemed it
+altogether impossible that so small a number of men could thus for hours
+have withstood the attacks of some of the best of the sultan's troops.
+Tales have come down to us from our fathers of the marvellous prowess
+of the knights of your Order, and how at Smyrna, at Acre, and elsewhere,
+they performed such feats of valour that their name is still used by
+Turkish mothers as a bugbear to frighten their children. But the stories
+have always seemed to me incredible; now I perceive they were true, and
+that the present members of the Order in no way fall short of the valour
+of their predecessors.”
+
+The knights remained with the Turkish commander and some of his officers
+while the work of collecting and carrying away the dead was performed,
+the conversation on their side being supported by Caretto and Gervaise.
+No less than seven hundred bodies were carried down to the boats,
+besides a great many wounded by the artillery fire. None were, however,
+found breathing among the great pile of dead at the upper part of the
+breach, for the axes and double handed swords of the knights had, in
+most of the cases, cleft through turban and skull.
+
+“This represents but part of our loss,” the Turkish commander said
+sadly, as the last party came down with their burdens to the boats.
+“At least as many more must have perished in the sea, either in their
+endeavours to escape when all was lost, in the destruction of their
+vessels by fire, by the shot from your batteries, or by being run down
+by your galleys. Ah, Sir Knight, if it had not been for the appearance
+of your fire ships, methinks the matter might have ended differently.”
+
+“In that I altogether agree with you,” Caretto said. “We were indeed,
+well nigh spent, and must have soon succumbed had it not been that the
+fire ships arrived to our rescue. You have a fair right to claim that
+the victory would have remained in your hands, had not those craft gone
+out and snatched it from you.”
+
+Then, with salutes on both sides, the Turks took their places in the
+boats, and the knights returned to the fort. As soon as darkness came
+on, a large body of slaves were marched down from the town, and, under
+the direction of the knights, laboured all night at the mound, removing
+great quantities of the fallen stones and rubbish in a line halfway up
+it, and piling them above so as to form a scarp across the mound that
+would need ladders to ascend. Another party worked at the top of the
+mound, and there built up a wall eight feet high. The work was completed
+by daylight, and the knights felt that they were now in a position to
+resist another attack, should Paleologus again send his troops to the
+assault.
+
+The night had passed quietly. There was a sound of stir and movement in
+the Turkish battery, but nothing that would excite the suspicion of a
+large body of troops being in motion. When it became light it was seen
+that the Turkish ships had sailed away to their previous anchorage on
+the other side of the Island, and although at considerable intervals
+the great cannon hurled their missiles against the fort, it was evident
+that, for the time at least, the attack was not to be pressed at that
+point. A fresh body of slaves, however, came down from the town to
+relieve those who had been all night at work, and the repair of the
+defences was continued, and with greater neatness and method than had
+been possible in the darkness.
+
+At eight o'clock the bells of St. John's Church gave notice that a
+solemn service of thanksgiving for the repulse of the enemy was about
+to be held. Notice had been sent down early to the tower; and all the
+knights who could be spared, without too greatly weakening the garrison,
+went up to attend it; the service was conducted with all the pomp and
+ceremony possible, and after it was over a great procession was formed
+to proceed to the shrine, where a picture of the Virgin held in special
+reverence by the Order was placed.
+
+As it wound through the streets in splendid array, the grand master and
+officials in all their robes of state, the knights in full armour and
+the mantles of the Order, while the inhabitants in gala costume lined
+the streets, windows, and housetops, the ladies waving scarves and
+scattering flowers down on the knights, the roar of great cannon on the
+south side of the city showed that the Turks had commenced the attack in
+another quarter. Without pausing, the procession continued its way, and
+it was not until the service in the chapel had been concluded that any
+steps were taken to ascertain the direction of the attack. As soon as it
+was over, the knights hastened to the walls. During the night the
+Turks had transported their great basilisks, with other large pieces of
+artillery, from the camp to the rising ground on the south side of the
+city, and had opened fire against the wall covering the Jews' quarter,
+and at the same time against the tower of St. Mary on the one hand and
+the Italian tower on the other.
+
+From other commanding spots huge mortars were hurling great fragments of
+rock and other missiles broadcast into the town. The portion of the wall
+selected for the attack showed that the Turks had been well informed by
+their spies of the weak points of the defence. The wall behind which the
+Jews' quarter lay, was, to all appearance, of thick and solid masonry;
+but this was really of great age, having formed part of the original
+defences of the town, before the Order had established itself there.
+The masonry, therefore, was ill fitted to resist the huge balls hurled
+against it by the basilisks. The langue of Provence was in charge of
+this part of the wall, and, leaving them for the present to bear the
+brunt of the storm, the grand master sent the knights who could be
+spared, to assist the inhabitants to erect shelters against the storm of
+missiles falling in the town.
+
+Sheds with sharply sloping roofs, constructed of solid timber, were
+built against the inner side of the walls, and beneath these numbers of
+the inhabitants found refuge. The work was performed with great celerity
+by the inhabitants, aided by the gangs of slaves, and in two or three
+days the townspeople were all in shelter, either in these sheds, in the
+vaults of the churches, or in other strongly constructed buildings.
+
+Among the missiles hurled into the town were balls filled with Greek
+fire, but the houses being entirely built of stone, no conflagrations
+of importance were caused by them, as a band of knights was organised
+specially to watch for these bombs, and whenever one of them was seen to
+fall, they hurried from their lookout to the spot, with a gang of slaves
+carrying baskets of earth and buckets of water, and quenched the flames
+before they had made any great headway.
+
+The roar of the bombardment was almost continuous, and was heard at
+islands distant from Rhodes, telling the inhabitants how the battle
+between the Christians and the Moslems was raging.
+
+It was not long before the wall in the front of the Jews' quarter began
+to crumble, and it was soon evident that it must, ere many days, succumb
+to the storm of missiles hurled against it. D'Aubusson lost no time in
+making preparations to avert the danger. He ordered all the houses in
+rear of the wall to be levelled; a deep semicircular ditch was then dug,
+and behind this a new wall, constructed of the stones and bricks from
+the houses destroyed, was built, and backed with an earthen rampart of
+great thickness and solidity.
+
+The work was carried on with extraordinary rapidity. The grand master
+himself set the example, and, throwing aside his robes and armour,
+laboured with pick and shovel like the commonest labourer. This excited
+the people to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, and all classes threw
+themselves into the task. Knights and slaves, men, women, and children,
+and even the inmates of the convents and nunneries, aided in the work,
+and when at last the outer wall fell, and the Turks thought that success
+was at hand, the pasha saw with astonishment and dismay that entry to
+the city was still barred by a work as formidable as that which he had
+destroyed at an enormous expenditure of ammunition. There was now a
+short breathing time for the besieged; but the depression which the
+failure of their efforts excited among the Turks, was shortly dispelled
+by the arrival of a ship, with a despatch from Constantinople, in which
+the pasha was informed that the sultan himself was about to proceed to
+Rhodes with a reinforcement of a hundred thousand men, and a fresh park
+of artillery.
+
+Paleologus had some doubts as to whether the report was true or was
+merely intended to stimulate him to new efforts for the speedy capture
+of the place. Knowing well that the grand master was the heart and soul
+of the defence, and that the failure of the assault was mainly due
+to his energy and ability, he determined to resort to the weapon so
+frequently in use in Eastern warfare--that of assassination. To this
+end he employed two men, one a Dalmatian, the other an Albanian; these
+presented themselves before the walls as deserters, and as there was no
+reason for suspecting their tale, they were admitted within the gates,
+and welcomed as having escaped from enforced service. They soon spread
+the tale of the speedy coming of the sultan with vast reinforcements,
+and as the pasha had on the previous day caused salutes to be fired,
+and other demonstrations to be made, the news was readily credited, and
+caused the greatest dismay among the defenders.
+
+Some of the knights of the Italian and Spanish langues believed the
+prospect of a successful defence against so enormous a force was
+absolutely hopeless, and determined to put pressure upon D'Aubusson to
+treat for surrender before it became too late. They opened negotiations
+with an Italian named Filelfo, one of D'Aubusson's secretaries, who
+undertook to lay their opinion before the grand master. D'Aubusson at
+once summoned the knights concerned in the matter before him. They found
+him with several members of the council.
+
+“Sir Knights,” he said, “I have heard from my secretary your opinions
+in the matter of a surrender, and since you are in such terror of the
+Moslem sultan, you have my full permission to leave the town; and, more
+than that, I will myself secure your safe departure, which might be
+imperilled if your comrades or even the inhabitants of the town came to
+learn that you had advocated surrender; but,” he went on, changing his
+tone from that of sarcasm to sternness, “if you remain with us, see that
+the word surrender never again passes your lips, and be assured that,
+should you continue your intrigues, in that direction, you shall meet
+with the fate you so justly deserve.”
+
+Overwhelmed by the grand master's accusation and sternness, the Italian
+and Spanish knights threw themselves on their knees and implored him to
+grant them an early opportunity of retrieving their fault by battle with
+the infidel. Feeling that the lesson had been sufficiently severe, and
+that henceforth there would be no renewal of intrigues for a surrender,
+D'Aubusson forgave them, and promised them a place in the van when next
+the Moslems attacked. The incident was not without its advantage, for
+the two pretended deserters, believing that Filelfo, who had also fallen
+under the displeasure of the grand master, would be ready to join in the
+conspiracy against his life, approached him. Filelfo, who was greatly
+attached to D'Aubusson, saw by their manner that they wished to engage
+him in some intrigue, and, feigning great resentment and anger at
+his disgrace, led them on until they divulged the entire plot for
+D'Aubusson's assassination, and made brilliant offers to him if he would
+afford them facilities for carrying it out, producing, in proof of their
+power to do so, a letter of the pasha, authorising them to make such
+promises in his name.
+
+Filelfo at once divulged the whole plot to D'Aubusson. The two men were
+immediately arrested, tried by the council, and sentenced to death. They
+were not, however, formally executed, for the populace, obtaining news
+of their treachery, broke in upon their guards, and tore them to
+pieces. Foiled in his attempt on the life of the grand master, the pasha
+prepared for a renewal of the attack, and it was not long before the
+knights on the lookout at the church of St. John perceived that the fort
+of St. Nicholas was again to be the scene of the attack. It was ere long
+discovered that a large number of men were busy some distance along the
+shore in building a long structure, that could only be intended for a
+floating bridge. Among the sailors who had aided in the attack with the
+fire ships were several men belonging to an English trader in the port.
+All who had done so had been handsomely rewarded for their conduct, and
+five of the Englishmen had afterwards gone to the English auberge and
+had asked to be enrolled for service against the Turks, as they were
+weary of remaining on board in idleness when there was work to be done.
+Their offer had been accepted, and they had, in common with all the
+sailors in the port, laboured at the construction of the inner wall.
+When that was completed, Sir John Boswell, under whose special charge
+they had been placed, said to Gervaise, “I think that I cannot do better
+than send these men down to St. Nicholas. It is probable that now the
+Turks see that they can do nothing at the new breach, they may try again
+there. Sailors are accustomed to night watches, and there are many of
+our knights who are not used to such work, and can be better trusted to
+defend a breach than to keep a vigilant watch at night. Will you take
+these men down to Caretto, and tell him that he can sleep soundly if
+he has a couple of them on watch? One of them, Roger Jervis, who is the
+mate of their ship, can speak some Italian, and as he is in command of
+them, Caretto will find no trouble in making them understand him.”
+
+St. Nicholas had now been put into a fair state of defence, as a party
+had been kept steadily at work there. Gervaise had not been to the tower
+since the morning after the assault, and saw with satisfaction how
+much had been done to render it secure. He found that Caretto was fast
+recovering from his wounds.
+
+“As it seems probable, Sir Fabricius,” he said, after the first
+greetings to the knight, “that the Turks will favour you with another
+visit, I have brought you five watchdogs. They are countrymen of mine,
+and were among those who navigated the fire ships the other day. Sir
+John Boswell has sent them down; they are, of course, accustomed to
+keep watch at night. One of them is mate of their vessel, and will be in
+command of them; he speaks a little Italian, and so will understand any
+orders you may give him. I have been speaking to him as we came down; he
+will divide his men into two watches, and will himself be on guard all
+night. Will you assign them some quiet place where they can sleep in the
+daytime? They can erect a shelter with a piece of sail cloth and a few
+bits of board, and they will, of course, be furnished with food.”
+
+“I shall be very glad to have them, for I am always restless at night,
+lest those on watch should close their eyes. You see, they have quite
+made up their minds that this fort will not be attacked again, and so
+are less inclined to be vigilant than they would be, did they think that
+an attack was impending.”
+
+Now that there was reason to believe that St. Nicholas might again be
+attacked, Gervaise was frequently there with orders or inquiries from
+the grand master. A number of vessels in the harbour were fitted up as
+fire ships, so as to be in readiness when the attack came. He was about
+to start early one morning when he saw Roger Jervis coming up with a
+heavy anchor on his shoulder.
+
+“Why, what are you bringing that up here for?” he asked. “Have you been
+diving; for I see your clothes are dripping with water?”
+
+“Ay, ay, sir, I have been in the water, and that Italian commander
+told me to come straight up here to tell the grand master all about the
+story; and right glad am I to have met you, for I should have made but
+a poor fist of it alone; I don't know more of their lingo than just to
+talk a few words of it.”
+
+“Then you had better tell me the story before I take you in.”
+
+“Well, it was like this, Sir Knight: I had Hudson and Jeffreys posted
+upon the wall, and I thought I would take a turn down on the rocks, for
+it was a dark night, and you can see much farther when you are by the
+edge of the water than you can when you are at the masthead. I sat there
+for an hour, and was thinking that it was about time to go up and turn
+out the other watch, when I saw something dark upon the water. It wasn't
+a ship, that was certain, and if it was a boat there wasn't any one in
+it; but it was too dark to make quite sure what it was. I watched it for
+a time, though I did not think much of the thing, taking it for a boat
+that had got adrift, or maybe a barrel from one of the Turkish ships.
+Presently I made out that it was a good bit nearer than when I first saw
+it.
+
+“That puzzled me. There is no tide to speak of in these seas, and there
+was no wind moving about. I could make out now that it was a boat,
+though a very small one, but certainly there was no one rowing it. It
+looked a very strange craft, and as I saw by the way it was bearing that
+it would come ashore about five or six fathoms from where I was sitting,
+I slid quietly off the rock, put my sword down by me handy for action,
+and waited. Presently the boat came up alongside the rock, and a fellow
+stood up from behind the stern. I was glad to see him, for I had begun
+to think that there was witchcraft in the thing moving along by itself,
+but I can tell you I was savage with myself for not having guessed there
+was a man swimming behind and pushing it on.
+
+“He stooped over the boat, and took something heavy out; then he felt
+about among the rocks under the water, and then laid the thing down
+there, and seemed to me to be settling it firm. I had half a mind to
+jump up and let fly at him, but then I thought it would be better to let
+him finish what he was doing, and go off with the idea that no one had
+seen him. So I kept hid until he started again. He waded a short way
+before he had to swim, and I could see that as he went he was paying out
+a rope over the stern. It was clear enough now what he had been up to:
+he had been fixing an anchor. What he did it for, or what use it could
+be to him, I could not say, but it was certain that he would not take
+all that trouble, with the chance of being knocked on the head, for
+nothing; so I waited for a bit till he had got out of sight, and over to
+the other side of the port.
+
+“Then I got up and felt about, and, chancing to get my foot under the
+rope, went right over into the water. After that you may guess I was not
+long in finding the anchor. I unknotted the rope from it and carried it
+ashore; then it struck me that the Turks might take it into their heads
+to give a pull on it in the morning, and if they did; they would find
+out that their game, whatever it was, had been found out; so I got hold
+of a stone of about twenty pound weight, and fastened the rope's end
+round it. That was enough to prevent the rope getting slack and make
+them think that it was still fast to the anchor; but, of course, if they
+pulled hard on it it would come home directly. I went and reported the
+matter the first thing this morning to the governor. He seemed to think
+that it was important, and told me to bring the anchor up to the grand
+master, who would get one of the English knights to find out all about
+it; for he could not make out much of what I said.”
+
+“It is very important,” Gervaise said, “and you behaved very wisely in
+the matter, and have rendered a great service by your discovery. I will
+take you in at once to the grand master.”
+
+Still bearing the anchor, the sailor followed Gervaise into an apartment
+where D'Aubusson was taking council with some of the senior knights.
+
+“Pardon my interrupting your Highness,” Gervaise said; “but the matter
+is so important that I knew you would listen to it, however occupied you
+were.” And he then repeated the narrative of the sailor's discovery.
+
+“This is indeed of the highest importance,” D'Aubusson said, “and the
+knowledge that it gives us may enable us to defeat an attempt, that
+might otherwise have proved our ruin. You see, knights, it solves the
+question that we were just discussing. We agreed that this long floating
+bridge that they have been constructing, was intended to enable them to
+cross the outer port and again attack St. Nicholas; and yet it seemed to
+us that even by night our batteries would be able to keep up such a fire
+on the boats, towing the head of the bridge across, as to render it well
+nigh impossible for them to get it over. Now you see what their plan is.
+With the aid of this rope, the end of which they think is firmly fixed
+on our side, they mean to haul the bridge across, and that so silently
+that they hope to be upon us almost before we have time to don our
+armour. We shall now be fully prepared, and need have no fear of the
+result.”
+
+There could now be little doubt that the attack would be made without
+loss of time, especially as the Turks believed that they could get
+their bridge across unseen. The fire ships--which were altogether more
+formidable than those Gervaise had improvised--were ordered to be made
+ready for action. This being arranged, the admiral left the council
+at once, that no time should be lost in getting them in readiness.
+D'Aubusson then turned to the English sailor.
+
+“You have rendered us a great service indeed by your vigilance, and
+showed great prudence by allowing the Turk to believe that he had
+accomplished his mission unsuspected. Had he thought he had been
+observed, some other plan would have been adopted. For so great a
+service it is meet that a great reward should be given.”
+
+He then took a bag from the hands of one of his secretaries, whom he
+had sent to fetch it, while they were discussing the matter of the fire
+ships.
+
+“Here are two hundred golden crowns,” he added, handing the bag to the
+seaman. “With these you can either settle on shore, or can build a
+stout ship and pursue your calling. Should you do so, call her the St.
+Nicholas, in remembrance of the gratitude of the Order of St. John for
+your having saved that fort from the Turks.”
+
+Astonished and delighted at the reward, which represented a very large
+sum in those days, the sailor stammered his thanks, and added, “I hope
+tonight that if I again have charge of a fire ship, I may be able to do
+more to prove to your Highness how grateful I am for the gift.”
+
+Throughout the day preparations for the defence of St. Nicholas went on
+unceasingly. Gangs of men, as usual, worked in the breach; but, as it
+was deemed advisable that there should be no outward show of activity
+that would lead the Turks to suspect that their design had been
+discovered, neither reinforcements of men nor munitions were sent along
+the mole; everything being taken out by boats, which, rowing closely
+along under the wall, were hidden from the view of the Turks. Barrels
+of Greek fire and pitch, cauldrons for heating the latter, a store of
+firewood, great balls of cotton steeped in oil and turpentine, sheaves
+of darts, spikes on short staves, that were, after darkness fell, to be
+thrust in among the fallen masonry to form a chevaux-de-frise--these,
+and all other matters that the ingenuity of the defenders could suggest,
+were landed at the water gate of the fort, while the garrison was
+strengthened by the addition of a large number of knights. Stores
+of ammunition were collected in readiness at all the batteries that
+commanded the mouth of the outer port, and by sunset D'Aubusson felt
+that everything that was possible had been done to meet the impending
+storm.
+
+At midnight the Turkish preparations were complete. The attack by the
+bridge was to be assisted by a large number of boats and other craft,
+and many armed galleys were also brought up to destroy or tow away
+the defenders' fire ships. Paleologus himself was down by the shore
+directing the preparations. Some of his best troops were placed upon the
+floating bridge, and, when all was ready, the order was given to pull
+upon the rope. No sooner, however, did the strain come upon it than
+there was a jerk, the rope slackened, and it was at once evident that
+the anchor had been discovered and the well laid plan disconcerted.
+Paleologus was furious, but, believing that the attack he had arranged
+would still be irresistible, he ordered a number of boats to take the
+bridge in tow, while a still larger force was to make a direct attack
+upon the breach. The movement was to be conducted as silently as
+possible until it was discovered, and then a dash forward was to be
+made.
+
+It was two o'clock before the fresh arrangements were completed and
+the boats put out. They had gone but a short distance when the anxious
+watchers in St. Nicholas learnt by the dull, confused sound that came
+across the water, that the attack was, in spite of the failure of the
+plan to take the bridge silently across, to be persevered in. A cannon
+was at once fired to give notice to the other batteries to be in
+readiness, and as soon as the dark mass of boats was made out the guns
+of the fort opened a destructive fire upon them, and a moment later were
+seconded by those from the fortress; these, however, were at present
+being fired almost at random, as the Turkish boats could not be made out
+at that distance. Now that all need for concealment was at an end, the
+Turkish war cry rose shrilly in the air, and the boatmen bent to their
+oars. The great cannon at St. Anthony's Church hurled their tremendous
+missiles at the tower, seconded by the fire of a number of other pieces
+that had in the darkness been brought down almost to the water's edge.
+
+As before, the boats swept up to the foot of the breach, the Turks
+leaped out, and, undismayed by the storm of shot, climbed up to the
+assault. The short ladders that they had brought with them enabled them
+to surmount the escarpments so laboriously made, and with loud shouts
+of “Allah!” they flung themselves upon the defenders on the crest of
+the breach. Here they were met by a line even more difficult to break
+through than before. The knights were ranged three deep; those in the
+front were armed with swords and battleaxes, while those in the other
+two lines thrust their spears out between the swordsmen, covering them
+with a hedge of steel points. Others in the rear brought up buckets of
+blazing pitch and Greek fire, and, advancing through gaps left for the
+purpose, hurled the buckets down into the struggling mass on the slope.
+There the fire not only carried death among the assailants, but the
+lurid flames enabled the batteries to direct their shot with terrible
+effect upon the breach, the crowded boats at its foot, and the bridge
+which was, with immense labour, presently got into position.
+
+It was not long before fresh light was thrown upon the scene, as the
+fire ships, issuing out from the inner harbour, burst into columns of
+flame, and, towed by boats, came into action. They were convoyed by
+the two galleys, each with a full complement of knights, and these soon
+became engaged in a fierce fight with the Turkish vessels that bore down
+to arrest the course of the fire ships. The scene was indeed a terrible
+one, the roar of cannon, the shouts of the combatants, the screams of
+the poor wretches upon whom the terrible Greek fire fell, the clash of
+arms and the shouts and cries of the Turks as they pressed across the
+bridge, united in a din that thrilled with horror the spectators, both
+in the city and on St. Stephen's Hill.
+
+Several of the Turkish galleys, in their efforts to arrest the approach
+of the fire ships towards the bridge, became themselves involved in the
+flames; but they were so far successful that when daylight broke the
+bridge was still intact and the combat at the breach continued to rage
+with determination and fury on both sides. The Turks there were led by
+a brave young prince named Ibrahim, a near relative of the sultan, with
+whom he was a great favourite, and he was ever in the front line of
+the assailants, his splendid bravery animating the soldiers to continue
+their efforts. As the daylight broadened out, however, the light enabled
+the Christian gunners to aim with far greater accuracy than had before
+been possible, and, concentrating their fire upon the bridge,
+across which reinforcements continued to press to the support of the
+assailants, they succeeded in sinking so many of the boats that it was
+no longer passable.
+
+Next they turned their fire upon the Turkish galleys, four of which they
+sank. Shortly afterwards, a ball struck the gallant young leader of the
+Turks, who, although previously several times wounded, had continued to
+fight in the front line. He fell dead, and his followers, disheartened
+by his fall and by the destruction of the bridge, at once abandoned
+their efforts, and rushed down to the foot of the breach. The terrible
+scene enacted at the repulse of the previous attack was now repeated.
+The concentrated fire of the guns of the defenders carried destruction
+into the crowded mass. Some gained the boats that still remained
+uninjured, and rowed for the opposite shore; the greater number rushed
+into the water and strove to recross it either by swimming or by the aid
+of the debris of the shattered boats. Their total loss was greater even
+than that suffered by them in the first attack, between two and three
+thousand being either killed or drowned, among them a number of their
+best officers. The amount of spoil, in the form of rich jewels and
+costly gold ornaments, found on the bodies of the dead piled on the
+breach, was very great.
+
+For three days after this terrible repulse the Turks were inactive,
+the pasha remaining shut up in his tent, refusing to see any one, or to
+issue orders. At the end of that time he roused himself from his stupor
+of grief and disappointment, and, abandoning the idea of any further
+attack upon the point that had cost him so dearly, he ordered the troops
+to move round and renew the attack upon the wall in front of the Jews'
+quarter, and commence the construction of a battery on the edge of the
+great ditch facing the retrenchment behind the breach before effected.
+The knights of Italy and Spain determined to seize the opportunity
+of retrieving the disgrace that had fallen upon them. At night they
+descended into the deep cutting, carrying across their ladders, and,
+silently mounting the opposite side, rushed with loud shouts into the
+unfinished battery. The Turks there, taken utterly by surprise, made but
+a slight resistance; a few were immediately cut down, and the rest fled
+panic stricken.
+
+The knights at once set the woodwork of the battery on fire, hurled the
+guns down into the ditch, and then returned triumphantly into the town,
+the dashing feat completely reinstating them in the good opinion of the
+grand master and their comrades.
+
+The incident showed the pasha that he must neglect no precautions, and,
+accordingly, he commenced his works at a distance from the walls, and
+pushed his approaches regularly forward until he again established
+a battery on the site of that from which his troops had been so
+unceremoniously ejected. While forming the approaches, the workmen
+had been constantly harassed by the fire from the guns on the walls,
+suffering considerable loss of life; but their numerical superiority was
+so vast that the loss in no way affected the plans of the pasha.
+
+As soon as the battery was completed, gangs of men, accustomed to mining
+operations, set to work in its rear to drive sloping passages downwards,
+opening into the face of the great cutting, and through these vast
+quantities of earth and stones were poured, so as to afford a passage
+across it, the depth being largely diminished by the great pile of
+rubbish that had already fallen from the breached wall. This novel mode
+of attack was altogether unexpected. The knights had regarded the fosse
+that had been cut at such an enormous expenditure of labour as forming
+an altogether impassable obstruction, and were dismayed at seeing the
+progress made in filling it up. D'Aubusson himself, full of resources as
+he was, saw that the defence was seriously threatened, unless some plan
+of meeting this unexpected danger could be devised.
+
+He consulted Maitre Georges; but the latter could make no suggestion;
+his only advice being the erection of a battery at a spot where it
+was almost self evident that it could be of no utility whatever.
+Other circumstances combined to render the suspicions D'Aubusson had
+entertained of the good faith of the renegade almost a certainty.
+Georges was seized, tried, and put to torture, and under this owned that
+he had been sent into the town for the purpose of betraying it; and he
+was, the same day, hung in the great square. His guilt must always be
+considered as uncertain. There was no proof against him, save his
+own confession; and a confession extorted by torture is of no value
+whatever. There are certainly many good grounds for suspicion, but it
+is possible that Georges really repented his apostacy, and acted in good
+faith in deserting the standard of Paleologus. He was undoubtedly a man
+of altogether exceptional ability and acquirements, and even the knights
+who have written accounts of the siege do justice to the fascination of
+his manner and the charm of his conversation.
+
+D'Aubusson now set to work in another direction to counteract the
+efforts of the Turks. He erected an immense wooden catapult, which threw
+huge pieces of rock into the midst of the Turkish works, crushing down
+the wooden screens erected to hide their approaches, breaking in the
+covered ways, and causing great loss of life among the besiegers. At
+the same time galleries were driven below the breach, opening into the
+ditch, where their exits were concealed by masses of rubbish. Through
+these strong working parties issued out at night, and carried away up
+the passages the rocks and other materials that the Turks had, during
+the day, brought, with immense labour, from a distance to the shoot. The
+materials so carried away were piled up behind the retrenchment, greatly
+adding to its thickness and strength.
+
+For some days the Turks observed, to their astonishment, that the road
+they were constructing across the ditch was diminishing instead of
+increasing in bulk, and at length it became so evident that the garrison
+were in some way removing the materials, that the pasha determined to
+deliver the assault before the heap was so far diminished as to become
+impassable. His former defeats had, however, taught him that success
+could not be always calculated upon, however good its prospect might
+appear; and although he had no real hope that the defenders would
+yield, he sent a formal summons for them to do so. This was refused with
+disdain, and preparations were at once made for the assault.
+
+The pasha promised to his soldiers the sack of the town and all the
+booty captured, and so assured were they of success that sacks were
+made to carry off the plunder. Stakes, on which the knights, when taken
+prisoners, were to be impaled, were prepared and sharpened, and each
+soldier carried a coil of rope with which to secure his captive.
+
+Before ordering the assault, the way was prepared for it by a terrible
+fire from every siege gun of the Turks. This was kept up for twenty-four
+hours, and so tremendous was the effect that the knights were unable
+to remain on the ramparts. The Turkish troops moved into position for
+attack, their movements being covered by the roar of the guns, and soon
+after sunrise on the 22nd of July the signal was given, and at a number
+of different points the Turks rushed to the assault. All these attacks,
+save that on the breach, were merely feints, to distract the attention
+of the garrison, and to add to the confusion caused by this sudden and
+unexpected onslaught. The pasha's plans were well designed and carried
+out; the knights, unable to keep their places on the ramparts under the
+storm of missiles, had retired to shelter behind the walls. There was no
+thought of an instant assault, as they considered that this would not be
+delivered until the new wall behind the breach had been demolished.
+
+Consequently, the rush of the Turks found the defenders altogether
+unprepared. Swarming across the mass of debris in the ditch, they
+ascended the breach without opposition, and their scaling ladders were
+placed against the new wall before the knights could hurry up to its
+defence. Even before the alarm was given in the town, the Turkish
+standard was waving on the parapet, and the Moslems were crowding on
+to the wall in vast numbers. The suddenness of the attack, the complete
+surprise, the sound of battle at various points around the walls, caused
+for a time confusion and dismay among the knights charged with the
+defence of the wall facing the breach. Roused by the uproar, the
+inhabitants of the town rushed up to their roofs to ascertain what
+was happening, and their cries of wild terror and alarm at seeing the
+Turkish banner on the walls added to the confusion. D'Aubusson sprang
+up from the couch, on which he had thrown himself in full armour, at the
+first sound of the alarm, and, sending off messages to all the auberges
+to summon every man to the defence, ran down into the town, followed by
+a small party of knights.
+
+Rushing through the streets, now filled with half dressed people wild
+with terror, he reached the foot of the wall, whose summit was crowded
+with the enemy, and saw in an instant that all was lost unless they
+could be driven thence without delay. The effect of his presence was
+instantaneous. The knights, hitherto confused and dismayed, rallied at
+once, and prepared for the desperate undertaking. The bank on the inside
+was almost perpendicular, and those charged with its defence had used
+two or three ladders for ascending to the rampart. These were at once
+seized and planted against the wall.
+
+The position of the contending parties was now reversed; the Christians
+were the assailants, the Turks the defenders. D'Aubusson himself was
+the first to ascend. Covering his head with his shield, he mounted the
+rampart; but ere he could gain a footing on the top he was severely
+wounded and hurled backwards. Again he made the attempt, but was again
+wounded and thrown down. Once more he mounted, and this time made good
+his footing. A moment later, Gervaise, who had accompanied him from the
+palace, stood beside him. Animated with the same spirit as his leader,
+he threw himself recklessly against the Turks, using a short, heavy
+mace, which in a melee was far more useful than the long sword.
+Scimitars clashed upon his helmet and armour; but at every blow he
+struck a Turk fell, and for each foot he gained a knight sprang on to
+the wall and joined him. Each moment their number increased, and the war
+cry of the Order rose louder and fiercer above the din. The very number
+of the Turks told against them. Crowded together as they were they could
+not use their weapons effectually, and, pressing fiercely upon them, the
+knights drove them back along the wall on either hand, hurling them down
+into the street or over the rampart. On so narrow a field of battle the
+advantage was all on the side of the knights, whose superior height and
+strength, and the protection afforded by their armour, rendered them
+almost invincible, nerved as they were with fury at the surprise that
+had overtaken them, and the knowledge that the fate of the city depended
+upon their efforts. After a quarter of an hour's desperate conflict the
+Turks were driven down the partial breach effected in the wall by the
+last bombardment, and the Christians were again the masters of their
+ramparts. Paleologus, however, hurried up reinforcements, headed by
+a band of janissaries, whose valour had decided many an obstinate
+conflict. Before ordering them to advance, he gave instructions to
+a company of men of approved valour to devote all their efforts to
+attacking D'Aubusson himself, whose mantle and rich armour rendered him
+a conspicuous object among the defenders of the breach. Advancing to the
+attack, the janissaries burst through the mass of Turks still continuing
+the conflict, and rushed up the breach. Then the chosen band, separating
+from the rest, flung themselves upon the grand master, the suddenness
+and fury of their attack isolating him and Gervaise from the knights
+around.
+
+Surrounded as he was by foes, already suffering from two severe wounds
+and shaken by his falls from the ladder, the grand master yet made a
+valiant defence in front, while Gervaise, hurling his mace into the face
+of one of his assailants, and drawing his two handed sword, covered him
+from the attack from behind. D'Aubusson received two more severe wounds,
+but still fought on. Gervaise, while in the act of cutting down an
+assailant, heard a shout of triumph from behind, and, looking round, he
+saw the grand master sinking to the ground from another wound. With a
+cry of grief and fury Gervaise sprang to him, receiving as he did so
+several blows on his armour and shield intended for the fallen knight,
+and, standing across him, showered his blows with such strength and
+swiftness that the janissaries shrank back before the sweep of the
+flashing steel. More than one who tried to spring into close quarters
+fell cleft to the chin, and, ere his assailants could combine for
+a general rush, a body of knights, who had just beaten off their
+assailants, fell upon the ranks of the janissaries with a force and fury
+there was no withstanding, and the chosen troops of the sultan for the
+first time broke and fled.
+
+Excited almost to madness by the sight of their beloved master stretched
+bleeding on the ground, the knights dashed down the breach in eager
+pursuit. This action was decisive of the fate of the struggle. The panic
+among the janissaries at once spread, and the main body of troops, who
+had hitherto valiantly striven to regain the advantage snatched from
+them, now lost heart and fled in confusion. But their escape was barred
+by the great body of reinforcements pressing forward across the heap of
+rubbish that formed the breach over the deep ditch. Maddened by fear,
+the fugitives strove to cut a way through their friends. The whole of
+the defenders of the breach now fell upon the rear of the struggling
+mass, hewing them down almost without resistance, while the cannon from
+the walls and towers kept up an unceasing fire until the last survivors
+of what had become a massacre, succeeded in gaining their works beyond
+the ditch, and fled to their camp. From every gateway and postern the
+knights now poured out, and, gathering together, advanced to the attack
+of St. Stephen's Hill. They met with but a faint resistance. The greater
+portion of the disorganised troops had made no pause at their camp, but
+had continued their headlong flight to the harbour, where their ships
+were moored, Paleologus himself, heartbroken and despairing at his
+failure, sharing their flight. The camp, with all its rich booty and
+the great banner of the pasha, fell into the hands of the victors, who,
+satisfied with their success, and exhausted by their efforts, made no
+attempt to follow the flying foe, or to hinder their embarkation; for
+even now the Turks, enormously outnumbering them as they did, might be
+driven by despair to a resistance so desperate as once again to turn the
+tide of victory.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII THE REWARD OF VALOUR
+
+
+Gervaise knew nothing at the time of the final result of the battle, for
+as soon as the knights had burst through the circle of his opponents,
+he sank insensible on the body of the grand master. When he came to
+himself, he was lying on a bed in the hospital of the Order. As soon
+as he moved, Ralph Harcourt, who was, with other knights, occupied
+in tending the wounded, came to his bedside. “Thank God that you are
+conscious again, Gervaise! They told me that it was but faintness and
+loss of blood, and that none of your wounds were likely to prove mortal,
+and for the last twelve hours they have declared that you were asleep:
+but you looked so white that I could not but fear you would never wake
+again.”
+
+“How is the grand master?” Gervaise asked eagerly. Ralph shook his head.
+
+“He is wounded sorely, Gervaise, and the leech declares that one at
+least of his wounds is mortal; still, I cannot bring myself to believe
+that so great a hero will be taken away in the moment of victory, after
+having done such marvels for the cause not only of the Order, but of all
+Christendom.”
+
+“Then you beat them back again from the breach?” Gervaise said.
+
+“That was not all. They were in such confusion that we sallied out,
+captured their camp, with the pasha's banner and an enormous quantity of
+spoil, and pursued them to their harbour. Then we halted, fearing that
+they might in their desperation turn upon us, and, terribly weakened as
+we were by our losses, have again snatched the victory from our grasp.
+So we let them go on board their ships without interference, and this
+morning there is not a Turkish sail in sight. The inhabitants are well
+nigh mad with joy. But elated as we are at our success, our gladness is
+sorely damped by the state of the grand master, and the loss of so many
+of our comrades, though, indeed, our langue has suffered less than any
+of the others, for the brunt of the attacks on St. Nicholas and the
+breach did not fall upon us, still we lost heavily when at last we
+hurried up to win back the wall from them.”
+
+“Who have fallen?” Gervaise asked.
+
+“Among the principal knights are Thomas Ben, Henry Haler, Thomas
+Ploniton, John Vaquelin, Adam Tedbond, Henry Batasbi, and Henry Anlui.
+Marmaduke Lumley is dangerously wounded. Of the younger knights, some
+fifteen have been killed, and among them your old enemy Rivers. He died
+a coward's death, the only one, thank God, of all our langue. When
+the fray was thickest Sir John Boswell marked him crouching behind the
+parapet. He seized him by the gorget, and hauled him out, but his knees
+shook so that he could scarcely walk, and would have slunk back when
+released. Sir John raised his mace to slay him as a disgrace to the
+Order and our langue, when a ball from one of the Turkish cannon cut him
+well nigh in half, so that he fell by the hands of the Turks, and not by
+the sword of one of the Order he had disgraced. Fortunately none, save
+half a dozen knights of our langue, saw the affair, and you may be sure
+we shall say nothing about it; and instead of Rivers' name going down to
+infamy, it will appear in the list of those who died in the defence of
+Rhodes.”
+
+“May God assoil his soul!” Gervaise said earnestly. “'Tis strange that
+one of gentle blood should have proved a coward. Had he remained at
+home, and turned courtier, instead of entering the Order, he might have
+died honoured, without any one ever coming to doubt his courage.”
+
+“He would have turned out bad whatever he was,” Ralph said
+contemptuously; “for my part, I never saw a single good quality in him.”
+
+Long before Gervaise was out of hospital, the glad tidings that
+D'Aubusson would recover, in spite of the prognostications of the leech,
+spread joy through the city, and at about the same time that Gervaise
+left the hospital the grand master was able to sit up. Two or three days
+afterwards he sent for Gervaise.
+
+“I owe my life to you, Sir Gervaise,” he said, stretching out his thin,
+white hand to him as he entered. “You stood by me nobly till I fell,
+for, though unable to stand, I was not unconscious, and saw how
+you stood above me and kept the swarming Moslems at bay. No knight
+throughout the siege has rendered such great service as you have done.
+Since I have been lying unable to move, I have thought of many things;
+among them, that I had forgotten to give you the letters and presents
+that came for you after you sailed away. They are in that cabinet;
+please bring them to me. There,” he said, as Gervaise brought a bulky
+parcel which the grand master opened, “this letter is from the Holy
+Father himself. That, as you may see from the arms on the seal, is from
+Florence. The others are from Pisa, Leghorn, and Naples. Rarely, Sir
+Gervaise, has any potentate or knight earned the thanks of so many great
+cities. These caskets accompanied them. Sit down and read your letters.
+They must be copied in our records.”
+
+Gervaise first opened the one from the Pope. It was written by his own
+hand, and expressed his thanks as a temporal sovereign for the great
+benefit to the commerce of his subjects by the destruction of the
+corsair fleet, and as the head of the Christian Church for the blow
+struck at the Moslems. The other three letters were alike in character,
+expressing the gratitude of the cities for their deliverance from the
+danger, and of their admiration for the action by which a fleet was
+destroyed with a single galley. Along with the letter from Pisa was
+a casket containing a heavy gold chain set with gems. Florence sent a
+casket containing a document bestowing upon him the freedom of the city,
+and an order upon the treasury for five thousand ducats that had been
+voted to him by the grand council of the Republic; while Ferdinand, King
+of Naples, bestowed on him the grand cross of the Order of St. Michael.
+
+“The armour I had hung up in the armoury, where it has been carefully
+kept clean. I guessed what it was by the weight of the case when it
+came, and thought it best to open it, as it might have got spoilt by
+rust. It is a timely gift, Sir Gervaise, for the siege has played havoc
+with the suit Genoa gave you; it is sorely battered, dinted, and broken,
+and, although you can doubtless get it repaired, if I were you I would
+keep it in its present state as a memorial--and there could be no
+prouder one--of the part you bore in the siege. I have seen Caretto
+this morning. He sails for Genoa tomorrow, where he will, I hope, soon
+recover his strength, for the wounds he received at St. Nicholas have
+healed but slowly. He said”--and a momentary smile crossed the grand
+master's face--“that he thought a change might benefit you also, for he
+was sure that the air here had scarce recovered from the taint of
+blood. Therefore, here is a paper granting you three months' leave. His
+commandery is a pleasant one, and well situated on the slopes of the
+hills; and the fresh air will, doubtless, speedily set you up. I should
+like nothing better than a stay there myself, but there is much to do to
+repair the damages caused by the siege, and to place the city in a state
+of defence should the Turks again lay siege to it; and methinks Mahomet
+will not sit down quietly under the heavy reverse his troops have met
+with.”
+
+“But I should be glad to stay here to assist in the work, your
+Highness.”
+
+“There are plenty of knights to see to that,” D'Aubusson replied, “and
+it will be long before you are fit for such work. No, I give my orders
+for you to proceed with Caretto to Genoa--unless, indeed, you would
+prefer to go to some other locality to recruit your strength.”
+
+“I would much rather go with Sir Fabricius, your Highness, than to any
+place where I have no acquaintances. I have a great esteem and respect
+for him.”
+
+“He is worthy of it; there is no nobler knight in the Order, and, had
+I fallen, none who could more confidently have been selected to fill
+my place. He has an equally high opinion of you, and spoke long and
+earnestly concerning you.”
+
+A fortnight later the ship carrying the two knights arrived at Genoa.
+
+“I will go ashore at once, Gervaise,” Caretto said. “I know not whether
+my cousin is in the city or on her estate; if the former, I will stay
+with her for a day or two before going off to my commandery, and of
+course you will also be her guest. I hope she will be here, for methinks
+we shall both need to refit our wardrobes before we are fit to appear in
+society.”
+
+“Certainly I shall,” Gervaise agreed; “for, indeed, I find that my gala
+costume suffered a good deal during my long absence; and, moreover,
+although I have not increased in height, I have broadened out a good
+deal since I was here two years ago.”
+
+“Yes; you were a youth then, Gervaise, and now you are a man, and one
+of no ordinary strength and size. The sun of Tripoli, and your labours
+during the siege, have added some years to your appearance. You are, I
+think, little over twenty, but you look two or three years older. The
+change is even greater in your manner than in your appearance; you were
+then new to command, doubtful as to your own powers, and diffident with
+those older than yourself. Now for two years you have thought and acted
+for yourself, and have shown yourself capable of making a mark even
+among men like the knights of St. John, both in valour and in fitness to
+command. You saved St. Nicholas, you saved the life of the grand master;
+and in the order of the day he issued on the morning we left, granting
+you three months' leave for the recovery of your wounds, he took the
+opportunity of recording, in the name of the council and himself, their
+admiration for the services rendered by you during the siege, and his
+own gratitude for saving his life when he lay helpless and surrounded by
+the Moslems--a testimony of which any knight of Christendom might well
+feel proud.”
+
+It was three hours before Caretto returned to the ship.
+
+“My cousin is at home, and will be delighted to see you. I am sorry that
+I have kept you waiting so long, but at present Genoa, and, indeed,
+all Europe, is agog at the news of the defeat of the Turks, and Italy
+especially sees clearly enough that, had Rhodes fallen, she would have
+been the next object of attack by Mahomet; therefore the ladies would
+not hear of my leaving them until I had told them something at least of
+the events of the siege, and also how it came about that you were there
+to share in the defence. I see that you are ready to land; therefore,
+let us be going at once. Most of the people will be taking their siesta
+at present, and we shall get through the streets without being mobbed;
+for I can assure you that the mantle of the Order is just at present
+in such high favour that I had a hard task to wend my way through the
+streets to my cousin's house.”
+
+On arriving at the palace of the Countess of Forli, Gervaise was
+surprised at the change that had taken place in the Lady Claudia. From
+what Caretto had said, he was prepared to find that she had grown out of
+her girlhood, and had altered much. She had, however, changed even more
+than he had expected, and had become, he thought, the fairest woman that
+he had ever seen. The countess greeted him with great cordiality; but
+Claudia came forward with a timidity that contrasted strangely with
+the outspoken frankness he remembered in the girl. For a time they all
+chatted together of the events of the siege, and of his captivity.
+
+“The news that you had been captured threw quite a gloom over us, Sir
+Gervaise,” the countess said. “We at first consoled ourselves with the
+thought that you would speedily be ransomed; but when months passed
+by, and we heard that all the efforts of the grand master had failed to
+discover where you had been taken, I should have lost all hope had it
+not been that my cousin had returned after an even longer captivity
+among the Moors. I am glad to hear that you did not suffer so many
+hardships as he did.”
+
+“I am in no way to be pitied, Countess,” Gervaise said lightly. “I had a
+kind master for some months, and was treated as a friend rather than as
+a slave; afterwards, I had the good fortune to be made the head of
+the labourers at the buildings in the sultan's palace, and although I
+certainly worked with them, the labour was not greater than one could
+perform without distress, and I had naught to complain of as to my
+condition.”
+
+After talking for upwards of an hour, the countess told Caretto that she
+had several matters on which she needed his counsel, and retired with
+him to the next room of the suite opening from the apartment in which
+they had been sitting. For a minute or two the others sat silent, and
+then Claudia said,
+
+“You have changed much since I saw you last, Sir Gervaise. Then it
+seemed to me scarcely possible that you could have performed the feat of
+destroying the corsair fleet; now it is not so difficult to understand.”
+
+“I have widened out a bit, Lady Claudia. My moustache is really a
+moustache, and not a pretence at one; otherwise I don't feel that I have
+changed. The alteration in yourself is infinitely greater.”
+
+“I, too, have filled out,” she said, with a smile. “I was a thin girl
+then--all corners and angles. No, I don' t want any compliments, of
+which, to tell you the truth, I am heartily sick. And so,” she went
+on in a softer tone, “you have actually brought my gage home! Oh, Sir
+Gervaise,”--and her eyes filled with tears--“my cousin has told me! How
+could you have been so foolish as to remain voluntarily in captivity,
+that you might recover the gage a child had given you?”
+
+“Not a child, Lady Claudia. A girl not yet a woman, I admit; yet it
+was not given in the spirit of a young girl, but in that of an earnest
+woman. I had taken a vow never to part with it, as you had pledged
+yourself to bestow no similar favour upon any other knight. I was
+confident that you would keep your vow; and although in any case, as
+a true knight, I was bound to preserve your gift, still more so was I
+bound by the thought of the manner in which you had presented it to me.”
+
+“But I could not have blamed you--I should never have dreamt of blaming
+you,” she said earnestly, “for losing it as you did.”
+
+“I felt sure, Lady Claudia, that had it been absolutely beyond my power
+to regain it you would not have blamed me; but it was not beyond my
+power, and that being so had I been obliged to wait for ten years,
+instead of two, I would not have come back to you without it. Moreover,
+you must remember that I prized it beyond all things. I had often
+scoffed at knights of an order like ours wearing ladies' favours. I had
+always thought it absurd that we, pledged as we are, should thus declare
+ourselves admirers of one woman more than another. But this seemed to me
+a gage of another kind; it was too sacred to be shown or spoken of, and
+I only mentioned it to Caretto as he cross questioned me as to why I
+refused the offer of ransom; and should not have done so then, had he
+not been present when it was bestowed. I regarded it not as a lightly
+given favour, the result of a passing fancy by one who gave favours
+freely, but as a pledge of friendship and as a guerdon for what I had
+done, and therefore, more to be honoured than the gifts of a Republic
+freed from a passing danger. Had you then been what you are now, I might
+have been foolish enough to think of it in another light, regardless of
+the fact that you are a rich heiress of one of the noblest families in
+Italy, and I a knight with no possessions save my sword.”
+
+“Say not so, Sir Gervaise,” she said impetuously. “Are you not a knight
+on whom Genoa and Florence have bestowed their citizenship, whom the
+Holy Father himself has thanked, who has been honoured by Pisa, and
+whom Ferdinand of Naples has created a Knight of the Grand Cross of St.
+Michael, whom the grand master has singled out for praise among all the
+valiant knights of the Order of St. John, who, as my cousin tells me,
+saved him and the fort he commanded from capture, and who stood alone
+over the fallen grand master, surrounded by a crowd of foes. How can you
+speak of yourself as a simple knight?”
+
+Then she stopped, and sat silent for a minute, while a flush of colour
+mounted to her cheeks.
+
+“Give me my gage again, Sir Gervaise,” she said gently. In silence
+Gervaise removed it from his neck, wondering greatly what could be her
+intention. She turned it over and over in her hand.
+
+“Sir Knight,” she said, “this was of no great value in my eyes when I
+bestowed it upon you; it was a gage, and not a gift. Now it is to me of
+value beyond the richest gem on earth; it is a proof of the faith and
+loyalty of the knight I most esteem and honour, and so in giving it to
+you again, I part with it with a pang, for I have far greater reason to
+prize it than you can have. I gave it you before as a girl, proud that
+a knight who had gained such honour and applause should wear her favour,
+and without the thought that the trinket was a heart. I give it to you
+now as a woman, far prouder than before that you should wear her gage,
+and not blind to the meaning of the emblem.”
+
+Gervaise took her hand as she fastened it round his neck, and kissed
+it; then, still holding it, he said, “Do you know what you are doing,
+Claudia? You are raising hopes that I have never been presumptuous
+enough to cherish.”
+
+“I cannot help that,” she said softly. “There is assuredly no
+presumption in the hope.”
+
+He paused a moment.
+
+“You would not esteem me,” he said, holding both her hands now, “were
+I false to my vows. I will return to Rhodes tomorrow, and ask the grand
+master to forward to the Pope and endorse my petition, that I may be
+released from my vows to the Order. I cannot think that he or the Holy
+Father will refuse my request. Then, when I am free, I can tell you how
+I love and honour you, and how, as I have in the past devoted my life to
+the Order, so I will in the future devote it to your happiness.”
+
+The girl bowed her head.
+
+“'Tis right it should be so,” she said. “I have waited, feeling in my
+heart that the vow I had given would bind me for life, and I should be
+content to wait years longer if needs be. But I am bound by no vows, and
+can acknowledge that you have long been the lord of my life, and that
+so long as you wore the heart I had given you, so long would I listen to
+the wooing of no other.”
+
+“I fear that the Countess, your mother--” Gervaise began, but she
+interrupted him.
+
+“You need not fear,” she said. “My mother has long known, and knowing
+also that I am not given to change, has ceased to importune me to listen
+to other offers. Her sole objection was that you might never return from
+captivity. Now that you have come back with added honours, she will
+not only offer no objection, but will, I am sure, receive you gladly,
+especially as she knows that my cousin Sir Fabricius, for whom she has
+the greatest affection, holds you in such high esteem.”
+
+Six months later Gervaise again landed at Genoa, after having stayed
+at Rome for a few days on his way back. D'Aubusson had expressed no
+surprise at his return to Rhodes, or at the request he made.
+
+“Caretto prepared me for this,” he said, smiling, “when he asked me if
+you might accompany him to Genoa. The Order will be a loser, for you
+would assuredly have risen to the grand priorage of your langue some
+day. But we have no right to complain; you have done your duty and more,
+and I doubt not that should Mahomet again lay siege to Rhodes, we may
+count on your hastening here to aid us?”
+
+“That assuredly you may, sir. Should danger threaten, my sword will be
+as much at the service of the Order as if I were still a member of it.”
+
+“I by no means disapprove,” D'Aubusson went on, “of knights leaving us
+when they have performed their active service, for in civil life they
+sometimes have it in their power to render better service to the
+Order than if passing their lives in the quiet duties of a provincial
+commandery. It will be so in your case: the lady is a great heiress,
+and, as the possessor of wide lands, your influence in Northern Italy
+may be very valuable to us, and in case of need you will, like my
+brother De Monteuil, be able to bring a gathering of men-at-arms to our
+aid. Have no fear that the Pope will refuse to you a release from your
+vows. My recommendation alone would be sufficient; but as, moreover, he
+is himself under an obligation to you, he will do so without hesitation.
+Since you have been away, your friend Harcourt has been appointed a
+commander of a galley, and Sir John Boswell, being incapacitated by
+the grievous wounds he received during the siege, has accepted a rich
+commandery in England, and sailed but two days since to take up his
+charge. By the way, did you reply to those letters expressing your
+thanks and explaining your long silence?”
+
+“Yes, your Highness, I wrote the same evening you gave them to me.”
+
+“That is right. The money voted you by Florence will be useful to you
+now, and there is still a sum sent by your commandery owing to you by
+the treasury. I will give you an order for it. However rich an heiress a
+knight may win, 'tis pleasant for him to have money of his own; not that
+you will need it greatly, for, among the presents you have received, the
+jewels are valuable enough for a wedding gift to a princess.”
+
+Gervaise was well received at Rome, and the Pope, after reading the
+grand master's letter, and learning from him his reason for wishing
+to leave the Order, without hesitation granted him absolution from his
+vows. A few months later there was a grand wedding at the cathedral of
+Genoa, the doge and all the nobles of the Republic being present.
+
+Ralph Harcourt and nine other young knights had accompanied Gervaise
+from Rhodes by the permission, and indeed at the suggestion, of the
+grand master, who was anxious to show that Gervaise had his full
+approval and countenance in leaving the Order. Caretto, who had been
+appointed grand prior of Italy, had brought the knights from all the
+commanderies in the northern republics to do honour to the occasion,
+and the whole, in their rich armour and the mantles of the Order, made a
+distinguishing feature in the scene.
+
+The defeat of the Turks created such enthusiasm throughout Europe that
+when the grand prior of England laid before the king letters he had
+received from the grand master and Sir John Kendall, speaking in the
+highest terms of the various great services Gervaise had rendered to the
+Order, Edward granted his request that the act of attainder against Sir
+Thomas Tresham and his descendants should be reversed and the estates
+restored to Gervaise. The latter made, with his wife, occasional
+journeys to England, staying a few months on his estates in Kent; and as
+soon as his second son became old enough, he sent him to England to
+be educated, and settled the estate upon him. He himself had but few
+pleasant memories of England; he had spent indeed but a very short time
+there before he entered the house of the Order in Clerkenwell, and that
+time had been marked by constant anxiety, and concluded with the loss
+of his father. The great estates that were now his in Italy demanded his
+full attention, and, as one of the most powerful nobles of Genoa, he had
+come to take a prominent part in the affairs of the Republic.
+
+He was not called upon to fulfil his promise to aid in the defence of
+Rhodes, for the death of Mahomet just at the time when he was preparing
+a vast expedition against it, freed the Island for a long time from
+fear of an invasion. From time to time they received visits from Ralph
+Harcourt, who, after five years longer service at Rhodes, received a
+commandery in England. He held it a few years only, and then returned to
+the Island, where he obtained a high official appointment.
+
+In 1489 Sir John Boswell became bailiff of the English langue, and Sir
+Fabricius Caretto was in 1513 elected grand master of the Order, and
+held the office eight years, dying in 1521.
+
+When, in 1522, forty-two years after the first siege, Rhodes was again
+beleaguered, Gervaise, who had, on the death of the countess, become
+Count of Forli, raised a large body of men-at-arms, and sent them, under
+the command of his eldest son, to take part in the defence. His third
+son had, at the age of sixteen, entered the Order, and rose to high rank
+in it.
+
+The defence, though even more obstinate and desperate than the first,
+was attended with less success, for after inflicting enormous losses
+upon the great army, commanded by the Sultan Solyman himself, the town
+was forced to yield; for although the Grand Master L'Isle Adam, and
+most of his knights, would have preferred to bury themselves beneath
+the ruins rather than yield, they were deterred from doing so, by the
+knowledge that it would have entailed the massacre of the whole of
+the inhabitants, who had throughout the siege fought valiantly in the
+defence of the town. Solyman had suffered such enormous losses that he
+was glad to grant favourable conditions, and the knights sailed away
+from the city they had held so long and with such honour, and afterwards
+established themselves in Malta, where they erected another stronghold,
+which in the end proved an even more valuable bulwark to Christendom
+than Rhodes had been. There were none who assisted more generously and
+largely, by gifts of money, in the establishment of the Order at Malta
+than Gervaise. His wife, while she lived, was as eager to aid in the
+cause as he was himself, holding that it was to the Order she owed her
+husband. And of all their wide possessions there were none so valued by
+them both, as the little coral heart set in pearls that she, as a girl,
+had given him, and he had so faithfully brought back to her.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's A Knight of the White Cross, by G.A. Henty
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