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 playeda very important part in the great struggle between Christianity andMahomedanism, was, at its origin, a semi-religious body, its membersbeing, like other monks, bound by vows of obedience, chastity, andpoverty, and pledged to minister to the wants of the pilgrims whoflocked to the Holy Places, to receive them at their great Hospital--orguest house--at Jerusalem, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and todefend them on their passage to and from the sea, against attack byMoslems. In a comparatively short time the constitution of the order waschanged, and the Knights Hospitallers became, like the Templars, agreat military Order pledged to defend the Holy Sepulchre, and to wareverywhere against the Moslems. The Hospitallers bore a leading sharein the struggle which terminated in the triumph of the Moslems, and thecapture by them of Jerusalem. The Knights of St. John then establishedthemselves at Acre, but after a valiant defence of that fortress, removed to Crete, and shortly afterwards to Rhodes. There they fortifiedthe town, and withstood two terrible sieges by the Turks. At the endof the second they obtained honourable terms from Sultan Solyman, andretiring to Malta established themselves there in an even strongerfortress than that of Rhodes, and repulsed all the efforts of the Turksto dispossess them. The Order was the great bulwark of Christendomagainst the invasion of the Turks, and the tale of their long struggleis one of absorbing interest, and of the many eventful episodes noneis 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 theRoyal Chateau of Amboise, in the month of June, 1470. She was stillhandsome, though many years of anxiety, misfortune, and trouble, hadleft their traces on her face. In the room behind her, a knight wastalking to a lady sitting at a tambour frame; a lad of seventeen wasstanding 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 anilluminated missal. 

"What will come of it, Eleanor?" the lady at the window said, turningsuddenly and impatiently from it. "It seems past belief that I am tomeet as a friend this haughty earl, who has for fifteen years been thebitterest enemy of my House. It appears almost impossible. "

"'Tis strange indeed, my Queen; but so many strange things have befallenyour 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 donehis worst against you, and one can scarce doubt that if he chooses hehas power to do as much good for you, as in past times he has done youevil. 'Tis certain that his coming here shows he is in earnest, forhis presence, --which is sure sooner or later to come to the ears of theUsurper, --will cause him to fall into the deepest disgrace. "

"And yet it seemed, " the queen said, "that by marrying his daughterto Clarence he had bound himself more firmly than ever to the side ofYork. "

"Ay, madam, " the knight said. "But Clarence himself is said to be alikeunprincipled and ambitious, and it may well be that Warwick intended toset him up against Edward; had he not done so, such an alliance wouldnot 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 favourupon the father of the prince's wife. Thus, he would gain but littleby the marriage unless he were to place Clarence on the throne. Thenhe would again become the real ruler of England, as he was until Edwardmarried Elizabeth Woodville, and the House of Rivers rose to the firstplace in the royal favour, and eclipsed the Star of Warwick. It is nowonder the proud Earl chafes under the ingratitude of the man who oweshis throne to him, and that he is ready to dare everything so that hecan but prove to him that he is not to be slighted with impunity. Butwhy come to me, when he has Clarence as his puppet?"

"He may have convinced himself, madam, that Clarence is even less tobe trusted than Edward, or he may perceive that but few of the Yorkistswould follow him were he to declare against the Usurper, while assuredlyyour adherents would stand aloof altogether from such a struggle. Powerful as he is, Warwick could not alone withstand the united forcesof 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 lotwith Lancaster, if your Majesty will but forgive the evil he has doneyour House and accept him as your ally. No doubt he will have terms tomake and conditions to lay down. "

"He may make what conditions he chooses, " Queen Margaret saidpassionately, "so that he does but aid me to take vengeance on thatfalse traitor; to place my husband again on the throne; and to obtainfor 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 andhumiliation, I can hope. "

"We had best retire, madam, " Sir Thomas Tresham said. "He will speakmore freely to your Majesty if there are no witnesses. Come, Gervaise, it is time that you practised your exercises. " And Sir Thomas, with hiswife and child, quitted the room, leaving Queen Margaret with her son tomeet the man who had been the bitterest foe of her House, the author ofher direst misfortunes. 

For two hours the Earl of Warwick was closeted with the queen; then hetook horse and rode away. As soon as he did so, a servant informed SirThomas and his wife that the queen desired their presence. Margaret wasstanding radiant when they entered. 

"Congratulate me, my friends, " she said. "The Star of Lancaster hasrisen again. Warwick has placed all his power and influence at ourdisposal. We have both forgiven all the past: I the countless injurieshe has inflicted on my House, he the execution of his father and so manyof his friends. We have both laid aside all our grievances, and we standunited by our hate for Edward. There is but one condition, and this Iaccepted gladly--namely, that my son should marry his daughter Anne. This will be another bond between us; and by all reports Anne is acharming young lady. Edward has gladly agreed to the match; he couldmake no alliance, even with the proudest princess in Europe, which wouldso aid him, and so strengthen his throne. "

"God grant that your hopes may be fulfilled, madam, " the knight saidearnestly, "and that peace may be given to our distracted country! TheUsurper has rendered himself unpopular by his extravagance and by theexactions of his tax collectors, and I believe that England will gladlywelcome the return of its lawful king to power. When does Warwickpropose to begin?"

"He will at once get a fleet together. Louis, who has privately broughtabout 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 tothwart the enterprise, and will, as soon as he learns of it, warnEdward. I feel new life in me, Eleanor. After fretting powerless foryears, I seem to be a different woman now that there is a prospect ofaction. I am rejoiced at the thought that at last I shall be able toreward those who have ventured and suffered so much in the cause ofLancaster. "

"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 mycountrymen. "

"'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 Ihave cause to wish for peace. "

"There is the more hope for it, madam, that these wars have greatlydiminished the number of powerful barons. It is they who are the authorsof this struggle; their rivalries and their ambitions are the ruin ofEngland. Save for their retainers there would be no armies to place inthe field; the mass of people stand aloof altogether, desiring only tolive in peace and quiet. 'Tis the same here in France; 'tis the powerfulvassals of the king that are ever causing trouble. "

"'Tis so indeed, Sir Thomas. But without his feudal lords how could aking place an army in the field, when his dominions were threatened by apowerful neighbour?"

"Then it would be the people's business to fight, madam, and I doubt notthat they would do so in defence of their hearths and homes. Besides, the neighbour would no longer have the power of invasion were he alsowithout great vassals. These great barons stand between the king andhis subjects; and a monarch would be a king indeed were he able to rulewithout their constant dictation, and undisturbed by their rivalry andambitions. "

"That would be a good time indeed, Sir Thomas, " the queen said, with asmile; "but methinks there is but little chance of its coming about, forat present it seems to me that the vassals are better able to make orunmake kings, than kings are able to deprive the great vassals ofpower; and never since Norman William set foot in England were they morepowerful than they are at present. What does my chance of recovering ourthrone rest upon? Not upon our right, but on the quarrel between Warwickand the House of Rivers. We are but puppets that the great lords playagainst each other. Did it depend upon my will, it should be as yousay; I would crush them all at a blow. Then only should I feel really aqueen. 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 weakenedothers, may greatly hasten its arrival. I presume until Warwick is readyto move naught will be done, your Majesty?"

"That is not settled yet. Warwick spoke somewhat of causing a risingin the north before he set sail, so that a portion at least of Edward'spower may be up there when we make our landing. "

"It would be a prudent step, madam. If we can but gain possession ofLondon, the matter would be half finished. The citizens are ever readyto take sides with those whom they regard as likely to win, and just asthey shout at present 'Long live King Edward!' so would they shout 'Longlive King Henry!' did you enter the town. "

"This may perhaps change the thought that you have entertained, SirThomas, of making your son a Knight of St. John. "

"I have not thought the matter over, madam. If there were quiet in theland I should, were it not for my vow, be well content that he shouldsettle down in peace at my old hall; but if I see that there is stilltrouble and bloodshed ahead, I would in any case far rather that heshould enter the Order, and spend his life in fighting the infidel thanin strife with Englishmen. My good friend, the Grand Prior of the Orderin England, has promised that he will take him as his page, and atany rate in the House of St. John's he will pass his youth in securitywhatsoever fate may befall me. The child himself already bids fair todo honour to our name, and to become a worthy member of the Order. He isfond of study, and under my daily tuition is making good progress in theuse of his weapons. "

"That is he, " the prince said, speaking for the first time, "It was butyesterday in the great hall downstairs he stood up with blunted swordsagainst young Victor de Paulliac, who is nigh three years his senior. Itwas amusing to see how the little knaves fought against each other;and by my faith Gervaise held his own staunchly, in spite of Victor'ssuperior height and weight. If he join the Order, Sir Thomas, I warrantme he will cleave many an infidel's skull, and will do honour to thelangue of England. "

"I hope so, prince, " the knight said gravely. "The Moslems ever gain inpower, and it may well be that the Knights of St. John will be hardlypressed to hold their own. If the boy joins them it will be my wish thathe shall as early as possible repair to Rhodes. I do not wish him tobecome one of the drones who live in sloth at their commanderies inEngland, and take no part in the noble struggle of the Order with theMoslem host, who have captured Constantinople and now threaten allEurope. We were childless some years after our marriage, and Eleanor andI vowed that were a son born to us he should join the Order of the WhiteCross, and dedicate his life to the defence of Christian Europe againstthe infidel. Our prayers for a son were granted, and Gervaise will enterthe Order as soon as his age will permit him. That is why I rejoice atthe grand prior's offer to take him as his page, for he will dwell inthe hospital safely until old enough to take the first steps towardsbecoming a knight of the Order. "

"I would that I had been born the son of a baron like yourself, " theprince said earnestly, "and that I were free to choose my own career. Assuredly in that case I too would have joined the noble Order andhave spent my life in fighting in so grand a cause, free from all thequarrels and disputes and enmities that rend England. Even should I someday gain a throne, surely my lot is not to be envied. Yet, as I havebeen born to the rank, I must try for it, and I trust to do so worthilyand bravely. But who can say what the end will be? Warwick has everbeen our foe, and though my royal mother may use him in order to free myfather, and place him on the throne, she must know well enough that hebut uses us for his own ends alone, and that he will ever stand besidethe throne and be the real ruler of England. "

"For a time, Edward, " the queen broke in. "We have shown that we canwait, 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 aspowerful as he, who look with jealousy upon the way in which he lordsit, and be assured that they will look with a still less friendly eyeupon him when he stands, as you say, beside the throne, once your fatheris again seated there. We can afford to bide our time, and assuredly itwill not be long before a party is formed against Warwick. Until thenwe must bear everything. Our interests are the same. If he is contentto remain a prop to the throne, and not to eclipse it, the memory ofthe past will not stand between us, and I shall regard him as the weaponthat has beaten down the House of York and restored us to our own, andshall 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 othersupport and gather a party which even he will be unable successfully towithstand. I should have thought, Edward, that you would be even moreglad than I that this long time of weary waiting for action is over, andthat 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 thanlive cooped up here, a pensioner of France. But I own that I should feelmore joy at the prospect if the people of England had declared in ourfavour, instead of its being Warwick--whom you have always taught me tofear and hate--who thus comes to offer to place my father again on thethrone, and whose goodwill towards us is simply the result of pique anddispleasure because he is no longer first in the favour of Edward. Itdoes not seem to me that a throne won by the aid of a traitor can be astable one. "

"You are a foolish boy, " the queen said angrily. "Do you not see that bymarrying Warwick's daughter you will attach him firmly to us?"

"Marriages do not count for much, mother. Another of Warwick's daughtersmarried Clarence, Edward's brother, and yet he purposes to dethroneEdward. "

The queen gave an angry gesture and said, "You have my permission toretire, Edward. I am in no mood to listen to auguries of evil at thepresent moment. "

The prince hesitated for a moment as if about to speak, but with aneffort controlled himself, and bowing deeply to his mother, left theroom. 

"Edward is in a perverse humour, " the queen said in a tone of muchvexation to Sir Thomas Tresham, when Gervaise had left the room. "However, I know he will bear himself well when the hour of trialcomes. "

"That I can warrant he will, madam; he has a noble character, frank andfearless, 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 arestrong in their likes and dislikes. He has never heard you speak aughtbut ill of Warwick, and he knows how much harm the Earl has done to yourHouse. The question of expediency does not weigh with the young as withtheir elders. While you see how great are the benefits that will accruefrom an alliance with Warwick, and are ready to lay aside the hatred ofyears and to forget the wrongs you have suffered, the young prince isunable so quickly to forget that enmity against the Earl that he haslearnt 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 myselfshould take? Shall I remain passive here, or shall I do what I can torouse our partisans in England?"

"I should say the latter, madam. Of course it will not do to trust toletters, for were one of these to fall into the wrong hands it mightcause the ruin of Warwick's expedition; but I should say that a cautiousmessage sent by word of mouth to some of our old adherents would be ofgreat use. I myself will, if your Majesty chooses to entrust me with themission, undertake to carry it out. I should take ship and land in thewest, and would travel in the guise of a simple country gentleman, and call upon your adherents in all the western counties. It would beneedful first to make out a list of the nobles who have shown themselvesdevoted to your cause, and I should bid these hold themselves and theirretainers in readiness to take the field suddenly. I should say no wordof Warwick, but merely hint that you will not land alone, but with apowerful 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 bebut little chance of my recognition, save by your own adherents, who mayhave seen me among the leaders of your troops in battle; and even thatis improbable. At present Edward deems himself so securely seated onthe throne that men can travel hither and thither through the countrywithout being questioned, and the Lancastrians live quietly with theYorkists. Unless I were so unfortunate as to meet a Yorkist noble whoknew that I was a banished man and one who had the honour of being inyour Majesty's confidence, I do not think that any danger could possiblyarise. What say you, wife?"

"I cannot think that there is no danger, " Lady Tresham said; "but evenso 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 myside to go into battle before now, and I cannot think that the dangerof such an expedition can be as great as that which you would undergoin the field. Therefore, my dear lord, I would say no word now to stayyou. "

She spoke bravely and unfalteringly, but her face had paled when SirThomas first made the proposal, and the colour had not yet come back toher cheeks. 

"Bravely spoken, dame, " the queen said warmly. "Well, Sir Thomas, Iaccept your offer, and trust that you will not be long separated fromyour wife and son, who will of course journey with me when I go toEngland, where doubtless you will be able to rejoin us a few days afterwe 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 isspread, at least to say no word that will betray you. "

Two days later Sir Thomas Tresham started on his journey, while thequeen remained at Amboise eagerly awaiting the news that Warwick hadcollected a fleet, and was ready to set sail. Up to this point the Dukeof Clarence had sided with Warwick against his brother, and had passedover with him to France, believing, no doubt, that if the Earl shouldsucceed in dethroning Edward, he intended to place him, his son-in-law, upon the throne. He was rudely awakened from this delusion by Charles ofBurgundy, who, being in all but open rebellion against his suzerain, the King of France, kept himself intimately acquainted with all that wasgoing on. He despatched a female emissary to Clarence to inform himof the league Warwick had made with the Lancastrians, and the intendedmarriage between his daughter Anne and the young prince; imploring himto be reconciled with his brother and to break off his alliance with theEarl, 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 hispeace with Edward, the more easily because the king, who was entirelygiven up to pleasure, treated with contempt the warnings the Dukeof Burgundy sent him of the intended invasion by Warwick. And yet amoment's serious reflection should have shown him that his position wasprecarious. The crushing exactions of the tax gatherers, in order toprovide the means for Edward's lavish expenditure, had already causedvery serious insurrections in various parts of the country, and hisunpopularity was deep and general. In one of these risings the royaltroops had suffered a crushing defeat. The Earl Rivers, the father, andSir John Woodville, one of the brothers, of the queen had, with the Earlof 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 theEarl appear in arms against him. He took, however, no measures whateverto prepare for the coming storm, and although the Duke of Burgundydespatched a fleet to blockade Harfleur, where Warwick was fitting outhis expedition, and actually sent the name of the port at which the Earlintended to land if his fleet managed to escape from Harfleur, Edwardcontinued carelessly to spend his time in pleasure and dissipation, bestowing his full confidence upon the Archbishop of York and theMarquis of Montague, both brothers of the Earl of Warwick. 

The elements favoured his enemies, for early in September the Duke ofBurgundy'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 theDevonshire coast. His force was a considerable one, for the French kinghad furnished him both with money and men; on effecting his landinghe found no army assembled to oppose him. A few hours after hisdisembarkation, he was joined by Sir Thomas Tresham, who gave him thegood news that the whole of the west was ready to rise, and that in afew days all the great landowners would join him with their retainers. This turned out to be the case, and Warwick, with a great array, marchedeastward. Kent had already risen, and London declared for KingHenry. Warwick, therefore, instead of marching thither, moved towardsLincolnshire, where Edward was with his army, having gone north torepress an insurrection that had broken out there at the instigation ofWarwick. 

Lord Montague now threw off the mask, and declared for King Henry. Mostof the soldiers followed him, and Edward, finding it hopeless to opposeWarwick's force, which was now within a short march of him, took shipwith a few friends who remained faithful, and sailed for Holland. Warwick returned to London, where he took King Henry from the dungeon inthe Tower, into which he himself had, five years before, thrown him, andproclaimed him king. 

On the day that this took place Dame Tresham arrived in London with herson. The queen had found that she could not for the present cross, asshe was waiting for a large French force which was to accompany her. As it was uncertain how long the delay might last, she counselled herfriend to join her husband. The revolution had been accomplished withoutthe loss of a single life, with the exception of that of the Earlof Worcester, who was hated for his cruelty by the people. Edward'sprincipal friends took refuge in various religious houses. Thequeen, her three daughters, and her mother, fled to the sanctuary atWestminster. All these were left unmolested, nor was any step takenagainst the other adherents of the House of York. Warwick was nowvirtually King of England. The king, whose intellect had always beenweak, was now almost an imbecile, and Margaret of Anjou was stilldetained in France. Sir Thomas Tresham went down to his estates in Kent, and there lived quietly for some months. The Duke of Clarence had joinedWarwick as soon as he saw that his brother's cause was lost; and asthe Duke had no knowledge of his changed feelings towards him, hewas heartily welcomed. An act of settlement was passed by Parliamententailing the Crown on Henry's son Edward, Prince of Wales, and in caseof that prince's death without issue, on the Duke of Clarence. On the12th of March following (1471) Edward suddenly appeared with a fleetwith which he had been secretly supplied by the Duke of Burgundy, and, sailing north, landed in the Humber. He found the northern population byno means disposed to aid him, but upon his taking a solemn oath thathe had no designs whatever upon the throne, but simply claimed to berestored to his rights and dignities as Duke of York, he was joined bya sufficient force to enable him to cross the Trent. As he marched southhis army speedily swelled, and he was joined by many great lords. 

Warwick had summoned Henry's adherents to the field, and marchednorth to meet him. When the armies approached each other, the Duke ofClarence, who commanded a portion of Henry's army, went over with hiswhole force to Edward, and Warwick, being no longer in a position togive battle, was obliged to draw off and allow Edward to march unopposedtowards London. The citizens, with their usual fickleness, received himwith the same outburst of enthusiasm with which, five months before, they had greeted the entry of Warwick. The unfortunate King Henry wasagain thrown into his dungeon in the Tower, and Edward found himselfonce more King of England. 

Sir Thomas Tresham, as soon as he heard of the landing of Edward, hadhastened up to London. In his uncertainty how matters would go, hebrought his wife and son up with him, and left them in lodgings, whilehe marched north with Warwick. As soon as the defection of Clarenceopened the road to London, he left the Earl, promising to return ina few days, and rode to town, arriving there two days before Edward'sentry, and, purchasing another horse, took his wife and son down toSt. Albans, where leaving them, he rejoined Warwick. In a few days thelatter had gathered sufficient forces to enable him to risk the fortunesof a battle, and, marching south, he encamped with his army on thecommon north of Barnet. Edward had come out to meet him, and the twoarmies slept on Easter Eve within two miles of each other. 

Late in the evening Clarence sent a messenger to the Earl, offering tomediate, but the offer was indignantly refused by Warwick. 

In the darkness, neither party was aware of the other's preciseposition. Warwick was much stronger than the king in artillery, and hadplaced it on his right wing. The king, in his ignorance of the enemy'sposition, had placed his troops considerably more to the right thanthose of Warwick's army. The latter, believing that Edward's line wasfacing his, kept up a heavy cannonade all night upon where he supposedEdward's left to be--a cannonade which was thus entirely futile. 

In the morning (April 14th) a heavy mist covered the country andprevented either force from seeing the other's dispositions. Warwicktook 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 hisright. 

Edward placed himself in the centre of his array, the Duke of Gloucestercommanded on his right, and Lord Hastings on his left. 

Desirous, from his inferiority in artillery, to fight out the battlehand to hand, Edward, at six o'clock in the morning, ordered histrumpets to blow, and, after firing a few shots, advanced through themist to attack the enemy. His misconception as to Warwick's position, which had saved his troops from the effects of the cannonade during thenight, was now disadvantageous to him, for the Earl's right so greatlyoutflanked his left that when they came into contact Hastings foundhimself nearly surrounded by a vastly superior force. His wing foughtvaliantly, but was at length broken by Oxford's superior numbers, anddriven out of the field. The mist prevented the rest of the armies fromknowing what had happened on the king's left. Edward himself ledthe charge on Warwick's centre, and having his best troops under hiscommand, pressed forward with such force and vehemence that he piercedSomerset's lines and threw them into confusion. 

Just as Warwick's right had outflanked the king's left, so his ownleft was outflanked by Gloucester. Warwick's troops fought with greatbravery, and, in spite of the disaster to his centre, were holding theirground until Oxford, returning from his pursuit of the king's left, cameback through the mist. The king's emblem was a sun, that of Oxforda star with streaming rays. In the dim light this was mistaken byWarwick's men for the king's device, and believing that Oxford was faraway on the right, they received him with a discharge of arrows. Thiswas at once returned, and a conflict took place. At last the mistake wasdiscovered, but the confusion caused was irreparable. Warwick andOxford each suspected the other of treachery, and the king's right stillpressing on, the confusion increased, and the battle, which had been sonearly won by the Earl, soon became a complete defeat, and by ten in themorning Warwick's army was in full flight. 

Accounts differ as to the strength of the forces engaged, but it isprobable that there was no great inequality, and that each party broughtsome fifteen thousand men into the field. The number of slain is alsovery 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, hisbrother Montague, and many other nobles and gentlemen, were killed, theonly great nobles on his side who escaped being the Earls of Somersetand Oxford; many were also killed on Edward's side, and the slaughteramong the ordinary fighting men was greater than usual. 

Hitherto in the battles that had been fought during the civil war; whilethe leaders taken on the field were frequently executed, the commonsoldiers were permitted to return to their homes, as they had onlybeen acting under the orders of their feudal superiors, and were notconsidered responsible for their acts. At Barnet, however, Edward, smarting from the humiliation he had suffered by his enforced flightfrom England, owing to the whole country declaring for his rival, gaveorders 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 fromthe field of battle. In the event of victory they could at once jointheir husbands, while in case of defeat they could take refuge in thesanctuary of the abbey. Messengers the night before had brought the newsthat the battle would begin at the dawn of day, and with intense anxietythey waited for the news. 

Dame Tresham and her son attended early mass at the abbey, and hadreturned to their lodgings, when Sir Thomas rode up at full speed. His armour was dinted and his plume shorn away from his helmet. As heentered the house he was met by his wife, who had run downstairs as sheheard his horse stop at the door. A glance at his face was sufficient totell 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 withme to the West, where Queen Margaret will speedily land, if indeed shehas 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 belost now. "

The woman of the house was called, and at once set her son to saddlethe other horse and to give a feed to that of the knight. Dame Treshambusied herself with packing the saddlebags while her husband partook ofa hasty meal; and ten minutes after his arrival they set off, Gervaiseriding behind his father, while the latter led the horse on which hiswife was mounted. A thick mist hung over the country. 

"This mist told against us in the battle, wife, for as we advanced ourforces fell into confusion, and more than once friend attacked friend, believing that he was an enemy. However, it has proved an advantage tous now, for it has enabled great numbers to escape who might otherwisehave been followed and cut down. I was very fortunate. I had left myhorse at a little farmhouse two miles in the rear of our camp, and inthe fog had but small hope of finding it; but soon after leaving thebattlefield, I came upon a rustic hurrying in the same direction asmyself, and upon questioning him it turned out that he was a hand onthe very farm at which I had left the horse. He had, with two or threeothers, stolen out after midnight to see the battle, and was now makinghis way home again, having seen indeed but little, but having learnedfrom fugitives that we had been defeated. He guided me to the farmhouse, which otherwise I should assuredly never have reached. His master wasfavourable to our party, and let the man take one of the cart horses, onwhich he rode as my guide until he had placed me upon the high road toSt. 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 acurse to England, with his boundless ambition, his vast possessions, andhis readiness to change sides and to embroil the country in civil warfor purely personal ends. The great nobles are a curse to thecountry, wife. They are, it is true, a check upon kingly ill doing andoppression; but were they, with their great arrays of retainers andfeudal followers, out of the way, methinks that the citizens and yeomenwould 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 Warwickhimself. There the fighting was fierce indeed, for it was against theEarl that the king finally directed his chief onslaught. Doubtless hewas actuated both by a deep personal resentment against the Earl for thepart he had played and the humiliation he had inflicted upon him, andalso by the knowledge that a defeat of Warwick personally would be theheaviest 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 Westrises, 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 fromjoining us. Men may risk lands and lives for a cause which seems tooffer a fair prospect of success, but they can hardly be blamed forholding back when they see that the chances are all against them. Moreover, as a Frenchwoman, it cannot be denied that Margaret has neverbeen popular in England, and her arrival here, aided by French gold andsurrounded 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 onno account to come hither until matters were settled. It would have beeninfinitely better had the young prince come alone, and landed in theWest without a single follower. The people would have admired his trustin 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 equallydivided throughout the country a signal victory would bring such vastnumbers to our banners that Edward would again find it necessary tocross the seas. "

CHAPTER II THE BATTLE OF TEWKESBURY

Riding fast, Sir Thomas Tresham crossed the Thames at Reading before anynews of the battle of Barnet had arrived there. On the third day afterleaving St. Albans he reached Westbury, and there heard that the newshad been received of the queen's landing at Plymouth on the very day onwhich her friends had been defeated at Barnet, and that she had alreadybeen joined by the Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Devon, and others, andthat 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 afterresting for a day Sir Thomas Tresham rode quietly on to Exeter, wherethe queen had already arrived. 

The battle of Barnet had not, in reality, greatly weakened theLancastrian cause. The Earl of Warwick was so detested by the adherentsof the Red Rose that comparatively few of them had joined him, and thefight was rather between the two sections of Yorkists than between Yorkand Lancaster. The Earl's death had broken up his party, and York andLancaster were now face to face with each other, without his disturbinginfluence on either side. Among those who had joined the queen wasTresham's great friend, the Grand Prior of St. John's. Sir Thomas tookup his lodgings in the house where he had established himself. The queenwas greatly pleased at the arrival of Dame Tresham, and at her earnestrequest the latter shared her apartments, while Gervaise remained withhis father. 

"So this is the young Knight of St. John, " the prior said, on theevening of the arrival of Sir Thomas. "I would, Tresham, that I were atpresent at Rhodes, doing battle with the infidels, rather than engagedin 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 meanshinder us from taking part in the affairs of our own country. The ruleof the Order is indeed against it, but the rule is constantly broken. Were it otherwise there could be no commanderies in this or anyother country; we should have, on entering the Order, to abandon ournationality, and to form part of one community in the East. The Orderis 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 withthe infidel. For this funds are necessary as well as swords, and ourcommanderies throughout Europe supply the funds by which the struggle ismaintained, and, when it is needed, send out contingents to help thosefighting in the East. It was from the neglect of this cardinal pointthat the Templars fell. Their commanderies amassed wealth and widepossessions, but unlike us the knights abstained altogether fromfulfilling their vows, and ceased to resist the infidel. Therefore theywere suppressed, and, with the general approval of Europe, a portion oftheir 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 ageto wield arms he shall go to Rhodes and become an active member of theOrder. This is indeed the rule with all neophytes, but having serveda certain time they are then permitted to return and join one of thecommanderies in their native countries. "

"I do not wish that for Gervaise, " his father said; "at least, I wishhim to remain at Rhodes until all the civil troubles are absolutelyat an end here. My life has been ruined by them. Loving retirement andquiet, and longing for nothing so much as a life among my tenantry, Ihave almost from a boy been actively engaged in warfare or have beenaway as an exile. Here every one of gentle blood has been more or lessmixed up in these civil broils. To few of us does it personally matterwhether 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 theother; and now, in my middle age I am on the eve of another battlein which I risk my life and fortune. If we win I gain naught but thesatisfaction of seeing young Edward made King of England. If we lose Iam going into exile again, or I may leave my wife a widow, and my childpenniless. "

"It is too true, Tresham; and as I am as likely to fall as you are, thechild 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 soold that his rule is little more than nominal. At his death D'Aubussonis certain to be elected Grand Master. He is a dear friend of mine. Weentered the Order the same year, and were comrades in many a fight withthe Moslems, and I am quite sure that when I tell him that it is my lastrequest of him, he will, in memory of our long friendship, appoint yourson as one of the Grand Master's pages. As you know, no one, howeverhigh 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 aprofessed knight, and must go out and serve for a time in Rhodes. Afterthree 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 therule--namely, that the pages of the grand master are entitled tothe privilege of admission at the age of twelve, so that they becomeprofessed knights at thirteen. Your son is now but nine, you say, andwe must remember that D'Aubusson is not yet Grand Master, and Orsini maylive for some years yet. D'Aubusson, however, can doubtless get him toappoint the boy as one of his pages. But, in any case, there are threeyears yet to be passed before he can go out. Doubtless these he willspend under his mother's care; but as it is as well to provide againsteverything, I will furnish your dame with a letter to the knight whowill probably succeed me as Grand Prior of the English langue, askinghim to see to the care and education of the boy up to the time when hecan proceed to Rhodes. We may hope, my dear Tresham, that there will beno occasion to use such documents, and that you and I may both be ablepersonally to watch over his career. Still, it is as well to take everyprecaution. I shall, of course, give D'Aubusson full particulars aboutyou, your vow, and your wishes. "

"I thank you greatly, old friend, " Sir Thomas said. "It has taken aload off my mind. I shall leave him here with his mother when we marchforward, and bid her, if ill befalls me, cross again to France, and thento 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 fromthe man who has been enjoying my estates for the last five years, inlieu of the monies that he had received during that time. Therefore, shewill not lack means for some years to come. Besides, Queen Margaret hasa real affection for her, and will, doubtless, be glad to have her withher again in exile. "

"When I am old enough, " Gervaise said, suddenly looking up from a missalof the Grand Prior's which he had been examining, "I will chop off thehead 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 theheads of as many infidels as you will, but leave Englishmen alone, bethey dukes or commoners. It is a far more glorious career to be aidingto defend Europe against the Moslem than to be engaged in wars with yourown countrymen. If the great lords will fight, let them fight it outthemselves without our aid; but I hope that long before you become aman even they will be tired of these perpetual broils, and that someagreement may be arrived at, and peace reign in this unhappy land. "

"Besides, Gervaise, " his father added, "you must bear in mind alwaysthat my earnest wish and hope is that you will become a champion ofthe Cross. I took a solemn vow before you were born that if a son weregranted to me I would dedicate him to the service of the Cross, and if Iam 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 ofChristianity, and as a worthy knight of the Order of St. John. Too manyof the knights, after serving for three years against the infidels, return to their native countries and pass the rest of their lives inslothful ease at their commanderies, save perhaps when at any greatcrisis they go out for a while and join in the struggle. Such is not thelife 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. Ifthe House of York succeeds in establishing itself firmly on the throne, my estates will be forfeited. Therefore, regard Rhodes as your permanenthome, and devote your life to the Order. Beginning so young, you mayhope to distinguish yourself--to gain high rank in it; but remember thatthough these are my wishes, they are not my orders, and that your careermust 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 shouldcare 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 oldhouse, and that men of my race and name would long own the estates. Butdoubtless it is all for the best; for at least I can view the permanentloss of my estates, in case the Yorkists triumph, without any poignantregret. "

"Doubtless it is for the best, Tresham, and you must remember thatthings may not, even now, turn out as you think. A knight who has done abrave service does not find much difficulty in obtaining from the Popea dispensation from his vows. Numbers of knights have so left the Orderand have married and perpetuated their name. It is almost a necessitythat it should be so, for otherwise many princes and barons wouldobject to their sons entering the Order. Its object is to keep back theirruption of the Moslems, and when men have done their share of hardwork no regret need be felt if they desire to leave the Order. Ourfounder had no thought of covering Europe with monasteries, and beyondthe fact that it is necessary there should be men to administer ourmanors and estates, I see no reason why any should not freely leave whenthey reach the age of thirty or thirty-five, and indeed believe that itwould strengthen rather than weaken us were the vows, taken at the ageof 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 agreewith you, for I see no advantage in men, after their time of usefulnessto the Order is past, being bound to settle down to a monastic life ifby nature and habit unsuited for it. There are some spirits who, after long years of warfare, are well content so to do, but there areassuredly others to whom a life of forced inactivity, after a youth andmanhood spent in action, must be well nigh unendurable. And now tell mefrankly what you think of our chances here. "

"Everything depends upon time. Promises of aid have come in from allquarters, and if Edward delays we shall soon be at the head of anoverwhelming force. But Edward, with all his faults and vices, is anable and energetic leader, and must be well aware that if he is tostrike successfully he must strike soon. We must hope that he will notbe able to do this. He cannot tell whether we intend to march direct toLondon, or to join Pembroke in Wales, or to march north, and until hedivines our purpose, he will hardly dare to move lest we should, by somerapid movement, interpose between himself and London. If he gives us amonth, our success is certain. If he can give battle in a fortnight, noone can say how the matter will end. "

Edward, indeed, was losing no time. He stayed but a few days in Londonafter his victory at Barnet, and on the 19th of April left for Windsor, ordering all his forces to join him there. The Lancastrians hadendeavoured to puzzle him as to their intended movements by sendingparties out in various directions; but as soon as he had gathered aforce, numerically small, but composed of veteran soldiers, he hurriedwest, determined to bring on a battle at the earliest opportunity. Thequeen's advisers determined to move first to Wells, as from that pointthey could either go north or march upon London. Edward entered Abingdonon the 27th, and then, finding the Lancastrians still at Wells, marchedto the northwest, by which means he hoped to intercept them if theymoved north, while he would be able to fall back and bar their roadto London if they advanced in that direction. He therefore moved toCirencester, and waited there for news until he learned that they hadvisited Bristol and there obtained reinforcements of men and supplies ofmoney 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 heldthe Castle of Gloucester for him, assuring him that he was following atfull speed, and would come to his aid forthwith. The messengersarrived in time, and when the queen, after a long march, arrived beforeGloucester, she found the gates shut in her face. The governor had takensteps to prevent her numerous adherents in the town from rising onher behalf, and, manning the walls, refused to surrender. Knowing thatEdward was coming up rapidly, it was evident that there was no time tospare in an attempt to take the town, and the queen's army thereforepressed on, without waiting, to Tewkesbury. Once across the river theywould speedily be joined by the Earl of Pembroke, and Edward would beforced to fall back at once. 

By the time they reached the river, however, they were thoroughlyexhausted. They had marched thirty-six miles without rest, along badroads and through woods, and were unable to go farther. The queen urgedthat the river should be crossed, but the leaders of the force were ofopinion that it was better to halt. Edward would be able to follow themacross the river, and were he to attack them when in disorder, andstill further wearied by the operation of making the passage, he wouldcertainly crush them. Moreover, a further retreat would discourage thesoldiers, and as a battle must now be fought, it was better to fightwhere they were, especially as they could choose a strong position. Thequeen gave way, and the army encamped on a large field in front of thetown. The position was well calculated for defence, for the countryaround was so broken and intercepted with lanes and deep hedges andditches, that it was extremely difficult of approach. 

In the evening Edward came up, his men having also marched somesix-and-thirty miles, and encamped for the night within three miles ofthe Lancastrian position. The queen's troops felt confident of victory. In point of numbers they were superior to their antagonists, and had theadvantage 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 badeher goodbye. "Everything is in our favour, and there is a good hope of ahappy termination to this long struggle. But, win or lose, be assured itis the last time I will draw my sword. I have proved my fidelity to theHouse of Lancaster; I have risked life and fortune in their cause; butI feel that I have done my share and more, and whichever way Providencemay 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 willembark at Plymouth for France, and there live quietly until the timecomes when Edward may feel himself seated with sufficient firmness onthe throne to forgive past offences and to grant an amnesty to all whohave 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 receivingnews of a defeat, without waiting longer for my appearance. "

As soon as it was light, Edward advanced to the attack. The Duke ofGloucester 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 ofSomerset and his brother. The Grand Prior of the Order of St. John andLord Wenlock were stationed in the centre, the Earl of Devon withthe reserve. Refreshed by their rest, the queen's troops were in goodspirits. While awaiting the attack, she and the prince rode among theranks, encouraging the men with fiery speeches, and promising largerewards to all in case of victory. 

Gloucester made his advance with great difficulty. The obstacles to hisprogress were so many and serious that his division was brought toa halt before it came into contact with the defenders. He thereforebrought up his artillery and opened a heavy cannonade upon Somerset'sposition, supporting his guns with flights of arrows, and inflictingsuch heavy loss upon him that the duke felt compelled to take theoffensive. 

Having foreseen that he might be obliged to do so, he had, early in themorning, carefully examined the ground in front of him, and had foundsome lanes by which he could make a flank attack on the enemy. Movinghis force down these lanes, where the trees and hedges completely hidhis advance from the Yorkists, he fell suddenly upon Edward's centre, which, taken by surprise at the unexpected attack, was driven inconfusion up the hill behind it. Somerset was quick to take advantageof his success, and wheeling his men round fell upon the Duke ofGloucester's division, and was equally successful in his attack uponit. Had the centre, under Lord Wenlock, moved forward at once to hissupport, the victory would have been assured; but Wenlock lay inactive, and Somerset was now engaged in conflict with the whole of Edward'sforce. But even under these circumstances he still gained ground, whensuddenly the whole aspect of the battle was changed. 

Before it began Edward had sent two hundred spearmen to watch a woodnear the defenders' lines, as he thought that the Lancastrians mightplace a force there to take him in flank as he attacked their front. Heordered them, if they found the wood unoccupied, to join in the fightas opportunity might offer. The wood was unoccupied, and the spearmen, seeing the two divisions of their army driven backwards, and beingthereby cut off from their friends, issued from the wood and, chargingdown in a body, fell suddenly upon Somerset's rear. 

Astounded and confused by an attack from such a quarter, and believingthat it was an act of treachery by one of their own commanders, Somerset's men, who had hitherto been fighting with the greatestbravery, fell into confusion. Edward's quick eye soon grasped theopportunity, and rallying his troops he charged impetuously down uponthe Lancastrians, seconded hotly by Gloucester and his division. 

The disorder in Somerset's lines speedily grew into a panic, and thedivision broke up and fled through the lanes to the right and left. Somerset, after in vain trying to stop the panic, rode furiously backinto the camp, followed by his principal officers, and riding up toLord 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 threwit into a state of disorganization, as many must have supposed thatSomerset had turned traitor and gone over to the enemy. Before anydisposition could be made, Edward and Gloucester poured their forcesinto the camp, and the Lancastrians at once broke and fled. Many oftheir leaders took refuge in the church, an asylum which they deemedinviolable, and which the Lancastrians had honourably respected in theirhour of triumph. 

Among them were the Duke of Somerset, the Grand Prior of the Orderof St. John, Sir Humphrey Audely, Sir Gervis of Clifton, Sir WilliamGainsby, Sir William Cary, Sir Henry Rose, Sir Thomas Tresham, and sevenesquires. Margaret of Anjou fell into the hands of the victors. As tothe fate of the young prince, accounts differ. Some authorities say thathe was overtaken and slain on the field, but the majority related thathe was captured and taken before Edward, who asked him, "What broughtyou to England?" On his replying boldly, "My father's crown and mine owninheritance, " Edward struck him in the mouth with his gauntlet, and hisattendants, or some say his brothers, at once despatched the youth withtheir swords. 

The king, with Gloucester and Clarence, then went to the church atTewkesbury, where the knights had taken refuge, burst open the doors, and entered it. A priest, bearing the holy vessels, threw himself beforethe king, and would not move until he promised to pardon all who hadtaken sanctuary there. The king then retired, and trusting in the royalword, the gentlemen made no attempt to escape, although it is said thatthey could easily have done so. Two days later a party of soldiers bythe king's orders broke into the church, dragged them from the foot ofthe altar, and beheaded them outside. 

The news of the issue of the fatal battle of Tewkesbury, the capture ofthe queen, and the death of the prince, was borne to Exeter by fugitiveson the following day. Beyond the fact that the Earl of Devon and othernobles were known to have been killed, and Somerset with a party ofknights had taken sanctuary, they could give no details as to the fateof 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 wasone of those who had gained sanctuary, Dame Tresham prepared for flight. This accomplished, she had only to wait, and sit in tearless anguish atthe window, listening intently whenever a horseman rode past. All nighther watch continued. Gervaise, who had cried himself to sleep, lay ona couch beside her. Morning dawned, and she then knew that her husbandwould not come, for had he escaped from the field he would long ere thishave been with her. The messenger with the news had arrived at eight theprevious morning, and, faithful to her husband's wishes, at that hourshe ordered the horses to be brought round, and, joining a partyof gentlemen who were also making for the coast, rode with them toPlymouth. Arrangements were at once made with the captain of a smallship in the port, and two days later they landed at Honfleur, whereSir Thomas had enjoined his wife to wait until she heard from him orobtained sure news of his fate. 

A week after her arrival the news was brought by other fugitives of theviolation of the sanctuary by the king, and the murder of Somerset andthe gentlemen with him, of whom Sir Thomas Tresham was known to havebeen one. 

The blow proved fatal to Dame Tresham. She had gone through many trialsand misfortunes, and had ever borne them bravely, but the loss of herhusband completely broke her down. Save to see his wishes concerningtheir son carried out, she had no longer any interest in life or anywish to live. But until the future of Gervaise was assured, her missionwas unfulfilled. His education was her sole care; his mornings werespent at a monastery, where the monks instructed the sons of such of thenobles and gentry of the neighbourhood as cared that they should be ableto read and write. In the afternoon he had the best masters in the townin military exercises. His evenings he spent with his mother, who stroveto instill in him the virtues of patience, mercy to the vanquished, andvalour, by stories of the great characters of history. She herself spenther days in pious exercises, in attending the services of the Church, and in acts of charity and kindness to her poorer neighbours. But herstrength failed rapidly, and she was but a shadow of her former selfwhen, two years and a half after her arrival at Honfleur, she felt thatif she was herself to hand Gervaise over to the Order of St. John, shemust no longer delay. Accordingly she took ship to London, and landingthere 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 plunderedand then burned by the insurgents under Wat Tyler. During the ninetyyears that had elapsed since that event the work of rebuilding hadproceeded steadily, each grand prior making additions to the pile which, although not yet fully completed, was already one of the grandest andstateliest abodes in England. 

On inquiring for the grand prior, and stating that she had a letterof importance for him, Dame Tresham and her son were shown up to hisapartment, and on entering were kindly and courteously received by himwhen 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'sdear friend your predecessor, " she said, "a few days before his murderat 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 toSir Peter D'Aubusson, and that until an answer is received from him, Ishould take care of the boy here, and see that he is instructed in allthat is needful for a future knight of our Order. I grieve to see thatyou yourself are looking so ill. "

"My course is well nigh run, " she said. "I have, methinks, but a fewdays to live. I am thankful that it has been permitted to me to carryout 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 athand 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 inLondon, and few would care to lodge a dying woman. "

"We are Hospitallers, " the grand prior said. "That was our sole missionwhen we were first founded, and before we became a military order, andit is still a part of our sworn duty to aid the distressed. "

A few minutes later Dame Tresham was conducted to a comfortableapartment, and was given into the charge of a female attendant. The nextday she had another interview with the grand prior, to whom she handedover her jewels and remaining money. This she prayed him to devote tothe furnishing of the necessary outfit for Gervaise. She spent the restof the day in the church of the hospital, had a long talk with her sonin the evening, giving him her last charges as to his future life andconduct, and that night, as if she had now fulfilled her last duty onearth, she passed away, and was found by her attendant lying with a lookof joy and peacefulness on her dead face. 

Gervaise's grief was for a time excessive. He was nearly twelve yearsold, and had never until now been separated from her even for a day. Shehad often spoken to him of her end being near, but until the blow camehe had never quite understood that it could be so. She had, on the nightbefore her death, told him that he must not grieve overmuch for her, forthat in any case they must have soon been sundered, and that it wasfar better that he should think of her as at rest, and happy, than asleading a lonely and sorrowful life. 

The grand prior, however, wisely gave him but little time to dwell uponhis loss, but as soon as her funeral had taken place, handed him overto the knights who had the charge of the novices on probation, andinstructed them in their military exercises, and of the chaplain whotaught them such learning as was considered requisite for a knight ofthe Order. 

The knights were surprised at the proficiency the lad had alreadyattained in the use of his weapons. 

"By St. Agatha, " one of them exclaimed, after the conclusion of hisfirst lesson, "you have had good teachers, lad, and have availedyourself rarely of them. If you go on like this you will become adistinguished knight of our Order. With a few more years to strengthenyour arms I warrant me you will bear your part well in your first tusslewith the Moslem corsairs. "

It fortunately happened that a party of knights were starting for Rhodesa few days after the admission of Gervaise to the Hospital, and theletter to Sir Peter D'Aubusson was committed to their charge. They wereto proceed to Bordeaux by ship, then to journey by land to Marseilles, and thence, being joined by some French knights, to sail direct toRhodes. Two months later an answer was received. D'Aubusson wrote to thegrand prior saying that he would gladly carry out the last wishes of hisdead friend, and that he had already obtained from the grand master theappointment of Gervaise Tresham as one of his pages, and begged that hemight be sent out with the next party of knights leaving England. Itwas three months before such an opportunity occurred. During that timeGervaise remained at the house of St. John's studying diligently, andcontinuing his military exercises. These were severe; for the scions ofnoble houses, who hoped some day to distinguish themselves as knights, were put through many gymnastic exercises--were taught to spring on toa horse when clad in full armour, to wield heavy battleaxes, to run andclimb, and to prepare themselves for all the possibilities of the modeof fighting of the day. 

Gervaise gained the encomiums, not only of his special preceptor, but ofthe various knights in the house, and of the grand prior himself, bothfor his strength and activity, and for the earnestness with which heworked. When the time approached for his leaving England, the grandprior ordered for him the outfit which would be necessary in hisposition as a page of the grand master. The dresses were numerous andrich, for although the knights of St. John wore over their armour thesimple mantle of their order, which was a sleeveless garment of blackrelieved only by a white cross on the chest, they indulged in the finestand most costly armour, and in rich garments beneath their black mantleswhen not in armour. 

"I am well pleased with you, Gervaise, " the grand prior said, on theevening before he was to leave, "and I see in you the making of avaliant knight of the Order. Maintain the same spirit you have shownhere; be obedient and reverent to your superiors; give your whole mindto your duties; strive earnestly during the three or four years thatyour pagedom will last, to perfect yourself in military exercises, thatwhen the time comes for you to buckle on armour you will be able to bearyourself worthily. Remember that you will have to win your knighthood, for the Order does not bestow this honour, and you must remain aprofessed knight until you receive it at the hands of some distinguishedwarrior. Ever bear in mind that you are a soldier of the Cross. Avoidluxury, live simply and modestly; be not led away by others, upon whomtheir vows may sit but lightly; keep ever in your mind that you havejoined the Order neither to gain fame nor personal advantage, but simplythat you may devote the strength and the intelligence that God has givenyou to protect Christendom from the advance of the infidel. I shallhear of you from time to time from D'Aubusson, and feel sure that theexpectations 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 thesteward 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 asa page to the grand master, the grand prior handed the balance of themoney Dame Tresham had brought with her, and that obtained by the saleof her jewels, to one of the knights under whose charge Gervaise was totravel, to be given by him to D'Aubusson for the necessities ofGervaise as a page. During their term of service the pages receivedno remuneration, all their expenses being paid by their families. Nevertheless, the post was considered so honourable, and of such greatadvantage to those entering the Order, that the appointments wereeagerly sought after. 

The head of the party was Sir Guy Redcar, who had been a commander inEngland, but who was now relinquishing that post in order to take a highoffice in the convent at the Island. With him were four lads betweenseventeen and twenty who were going out as professed knights, havingserved their year of probation as novices at the grand priory. Withthese Gervaise was already acquainted, as they had lived, studied, andperformed their military exercises together. The three eldest of theseGervaise liked much, but the youngest of the party, Robert Rivers, arelation of the queen, had always shown a very different spirit fromthe others. He was jealous that a member of one of the defeated anddisinherited Lancastrian families should obtain a post of such honourand advantage as that of page to the grand master, and that thus, although five years younger, Gervaise should enter the Order on anequality with him. 

In point of strength and stature he was, of course, greatly superiorto Gervaise; but he had been spoilt from his childhood, was averseto exercise, and dull at learning, and while Gervaise was frequentlycommended by his instructors, he himself was constantly reproved, andit had been more than once a question whether he should be received asa professed knight at the termination of his year of novitiate. Thus, while the other lads treated Gervaise kindly, and indeed made rathera pet of him, Robert Rivers ignored him as much as possible, and ifobliged to speak to him did so with a pointed rudeness that more thanonce brought upon him a sharp reproof from his companions. Gervaisehimself was but little affected by Robert's manner. He was of anexceptionally good tempered nature, and, indeed, was so occupied withhis work and so anxious to satisfy his teachers, that Robert's illhumour passed almost unnoticed. 

The journey was performed without incident. During their passage acrossthe south of France, Gervaise's perfect knowledge of the language gainedfor him a great advantage over his companions, and enabled him to be ofmuch use to Sir Guy. They had fine weather during their passage up theMediterranean, and in the day their leader gave them their first lessonsin the management and discipline of a ship. 

"You will be nearly as much at sea as you are on land for the five yearsyou must stay at the convent, " he said; "and it is essential to theeducation of a knight of our Order to know all things connected with themanagement of a ship, even to its building. We construct our own galleysat Rhodes, using, of course, the labour of slaves, but under our ownsuperintendence; and it is even more essential to us to know how tofight on sea than on land. There is, too, you see, a rivalry amongourselves, for each langue has its duties, and each strives to performmore gallant deeds and to bring in more rich prizes than the others. Weof England are among the smallest of the langues, and yet methinks we doa fair portion of the work, and gain fully our share of honour. There isno fear of your having much time on your hands, for it is quite certainthat there will soon be open war between Mahomet and the Order. In spiteof the nominal truce, constant skirmishes are taking place, so that, inaddition to our fights with pirates, we have sometimes encounters withthe sultan's galleys. 

"Seven years ago, a number of our Order took part in the defenceof Lesbos, and lost their lives at its capture, and we have sureinformation that Mahomet is preparing for an attack on the Island. Nodoubt he thinks it will be an easy conquest, for in '57 he succeededin landing eighteen thousand men on the Island, and in ravaging a largedistrict, carrying off much booty. Since then, however, the defences ofRhodes 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, calledFort St. Nicholas. Orsini has carried on the works, which have beendirected by D'Aubusson, who is captain general of the forces of theIsland, and who has deepened the ditches and built a wall on the seafront 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 ispreparing is intended for the capture of Negropont, which belongs toVenice, or of Rhodes. Unfortunately Venice and Rhodes are not goodfriends. In the course of our war with Egypt in '58 we captured fromsome Venetian vessels, in which they were travelling, several Egyptianmerchants with a great store of goods. The Venetians protested that asthe ships were theirs we had no right to interfere with our enemies whowere travelling in them, and, without giving time for the question tobe discussed, at once attacked our galleys, and sent a fleet againstRhodes. They landed on the Island, and not only pillaged the districtof Halki, but, a number of natives having sought shelter in a cave, theVenetians blocked up the entrance with brushwood, set it on fire, andsuffocated them all. 

"Shortly afterwards, another and larger fleet appeared off Rhodes, anddemanded the restitution of the Egyptians and their merchandise. Therewas a great division of opinion in the council; but, seeing the greatdanger that threatened us both from the Turks at Constantinople and theVenetians, and that it was madness at such a time to engage in war witha Christian power, the grand master persuaded the council to accede totheir request. There has never been any friendly feeling between Veniceand ourselves since that time. Still, I trust that our common dangerwill reunite us, and that whether Negropont or Rhodes is attacked by theMoslems, we shall render loyal aid to each other. "

There was great excitement among Gervaise and his companions when it wasannounced that Rhodes was in sight, and as they approached the townthey gazed with admiration at the castle with its stately buildings, thepalace of the grand master and the Hospital of St. John, rising abovethe lower town, the massive walls strengthened by projecting bastions, and the fortifications of the ports. Of these there were two, withseparate entrances, divided from each other by a narrow tongue of land. At its extremity stood Fort St. Nicholas, which was connected by astrong wall running along the promontory to the town. The inner port, as it was called, was of greater importance, as it adjoined the townitself. It was defended in the first place by Fort St. Nicholas, and atthe inner entrance stood the towers of St. John and St. Michael, oneon either side. Into this the vessel was steered. There were many craftlying 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 tellthem 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 werelabouring at the public works, and who formed no small proportion of thepopulation in the streets. Their condition was pitiable. They were, ofcourse, enemies of Christianity, and numbers of them had been pirates;but he could not help pitying their condition as they worked in the fullheat of the sun under the vigilant eyes of numbers of overseers, whocarried heavy whips, in addition to their arms. Their progress to theupper city was slow, for on their way they met many knights, of whomseveral were acquainted with Sir Guy; and each, after greetinghim, demanded the latest news from England, and in return gave himparticulars of the state of things at Rhodes. 

At last they arrived at the house of the English langue. The Orderwas divided into langues or nationalities. Of these there wereeight--Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Germany, England, Aragon, andCastile and Portugal. The French element was by far the strongest. TheOrder had been founded in that country, and as it possessed no less thanthree langues, and held the greater part of the high official positionsin the Order, it was only kept in check by the other langues actingtogether to demand their fair share of dignities. The grand master'sauthority was considerable, but it was checked by the council, whichwas composed of the bailiffs and knights of the highest order, knownas Grand Crosses. Each langue had its bailiff elected by itself: theseresided constantly at Rhodes. Each of these bailiffs held a high office;thus the Bailiff of Provence was always the grand commander of theOrder. He controlled the expenditure, superintended the stores, andwas governor of the arsenal. The Bailiff of Auvergne was thecommander-in-chief of all the forces, army and navy. The Bailiff ofFrance was the grand hospitaller, with the supreme direction of thehospitals and infirmaries of the Order, a hospital in those dayssignifying a guest house. The Bailiff of Italy was the grand admiral, and the Bailiff of England was chief of the light cavalry. Thus thedifficulties and jealousies that would have arisen at every vacancy wereavoided. 

In the early days of the Order, when Jerusalem was in the hands of theChristians, the care of the hospitals was its chief and most importantfunction. Innumerable pilgrims visited Jerusalem, and these wereentertained at the immense guest house of the Order. But with the lossof Jerusalem and the expulsion of the Christians from Palestine, thatfunction had become of very secondary importance although there wasstill a guest house and infirmary at Rhodes, where strangers and thesick were carefully attended by the knights. No longer did these rideout to battle on their war horses. It was on the sea that the foe wasto be met, and the knights were now sailors rather than soldiers. Theydwelt at the houses of their respective langues; here they ate at acommon table, which was supplied by the bailiff, who drew rations foreach knight, and received, in addition, a yearly sum for the supply ofsuch luxuries as were not included in the rations. The average number ofknights residing in each of these langues averaged from a hundred to ahundred and fifty. 

It was not until some hours after his arrival that Sir Guy could findtime to take Gervaise across to the house of the langue of Auvergne, towhich D'Aubusson belonged. It was a larger and more stately pile thanthat of the English langue, but the arrangements were similar in allthese buildings. In the English house Gervaise had not felt strange, ashe had the companionship of his fellow voyagers; but as he followedSir Guy through the spacious halls of the langue of Auvergne, where nofamiliar face met his, he felt more lonely than he had done since heentered the house at Clerkenwell. 

On sending in his name Sir Guy was at once conducted to the chamberoccupied by D'Aubusson. The knight was seated at his table, examiningsome plans. The room was furnished with monastic simplicity, save thatthe walls were hung with rich silks and curtains captured from Turkishgalleys. 

"Welcome back to us, Sir Guy, " D'Aubusson said, rising, and warmlyshaking his visitor's hand. "I have been looking for your coming, for weneed men with clear heads. Of strong arms and valiant spirits we have nolack; but men of judgment and discretion, who can be trusted to look atmatters calmly and not to be carried away by passion, are welcome indeedto us. I was expecting you about this time, and when I heard that a shiphad arrived from Marseilles I made inquiries, and was glad to find thatyou were on board. "

"I am heartily glad to be back, D'Aubusson; I am sick of the dull lifeof a commandery, and rejoice at the prospect of stirring times again. This lad is young Tresham, who has come out in my charge, and forwhom you have been good enough to obtain the post of page to the grandmaster. "

"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 nothave been a keener contention for it. Every bailiff had his candidateready; but I seldom ask for anything for members of my langue, and whenI told the other bailiffs that it was to me a matter of honour to carryout the last request of my dead friend, they all gave way. You see, I amplaced in a position of some little difficulty. The grand master isso enfeebled and crippled that he leaves matters almost entirely inmy hands, and it would be an abuse of my position, and would excite nolittle jealousy, were I to use the power I possess to nominate friendsof my own to appointments. It is only by the most rigid impartiality, and by dividing as fairly as possible all offices between the eightlangues, that all continue to give me their support. As you know, wehave had great difficulties and heartburnings here; but happily theyhave to a great extent been set at rest by forming a new langue ofCastile and Portugal out of that of Aragon. This has given one more voteto the smaller langues, and has so balanced the power that of late thejealousies between us have greatly subsided, and all are working welltogether in face of the common danger. Well, young sir, and how like youthe prospect of your pageship?"

"I like it greatly, sir, but shall like still more the time when I canbuckle on armour and take a share of the fighting with the infidels. Iwould fain, sir, offer to you my deep and humble thanks for the greatkindness you have shown me in procuring me the appointment of page tothe grand master. "

The knight smiled kindly. "There are the less thanks due, lad, inasmuchas I did it not for you, but for the dear friend who wrote to me on yourbehalf. However, I trust that you will do credit to my nomination byyour 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 begreatly pleased with his conduct. "

D'Aubusson cut the silken string that bound the missive together, andread 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 whenhe came, and that he worked with great diligence during the five monthshe 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 astout swordsman, and would be a credit to the Order. "

"He is well furnished with garments both for ordinary and stateoccasions, " Sir Guy said; "and in this packet are some sixty goldcrowns, which are the last remains of his patrimony, and which I was tohand to you in order to pay the necessary expenses during his pageship. "

"He could have done without that, " D'Aubusson said. "Recommended to meas he is, I would have seen that he lacked nothing, but was providedwith all necessaries for his position. I will in the future take carethat in all things he is on a par with his companions. " He touched abell 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 ladabout a year older than Gervaise appeared, and, bowing deeply to theknight, stood in a respectful attitude, awaiting his orders. 

"Deauville, take this youth, Gervaise Tresham to your room. He isappointed one of the pages of the grand master. He is English, but hespeaks 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 heis 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 lattersaid, as soon as they had left the room. "You are in luck indeed to haveobtained a pageship at the grand master's. You begin to count your timeat 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, SirPeter is sure to be chosen to succeed him. Then, you see, we too shallbe pages of the grand master. "

"How many are there of you?"

"Only De Lille and myself. Of course D'Aubusson will take on the grandmaster's present pages; but as there are five vacancies on an averageevery 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 onlytwo 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 Frenchlangues; the others are Spaniards, Italians, or Germans. There, this isour room and this is De Lille. De Lille, this is the grand master's newpage, Master Gervaise Tresham, and our lord says we are to treat himkindly and entertain him well until tomorrow, when he will go to thepalace. 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 ourQueen Margaret of Anjou, and they were with her all the time she was inexile. "

"How quarrelsome you English are!" De Lille said. "You seem to be alwaysfighting among yourselves. "

"I don't think, " Gervaise said, with a smile, "there is any love lostbetween Louis of France and the Duke of Burgundy, to say nothing ofother great lords. "

"No; you are right there. But though we talk a great deal aboutfighting, it is only occasionally that we engage in it. "

The pages' room was a small one. It contained two pallets, whichserved as seats by day, and two wooden chests, in which they kept theirclothes. 

Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of a bell. 

"That is supper, " De Lille said, jumping up. "We will leave you herewhile we go down to stand behind our lord's chair. When the meal is overwe 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 tobring up another pallet for you. Of course, you can go down with us ifyou like. "

"Thank you, I would much rather stay here. Every one would be strange tome, and having nothing to do I should feel in the way. "

The boys nodded, and taking their caps ran off, while Gervaise, tired bythe excitement of the day, lay down on the bed which a servant broughtup a few minutes after they had left him, and slept soundly until theirreturn. 

"I think I have been asleep, " he said, starting up when they entered theroom again. 

"You look as if you had, anyhow, " De Lille laughed. "It was the bestthing you could do. We have brought up supper. We generally sit downand eat after the knights have done, but this is much better, as you arehere. " They sat down on the beds, carved the pasty with their daggers, and after they had finished Gervaise gladly accepted the proposal of theothers to take a walk round the walls. 

They started from the corner of the castle looking down upon the spit ofland dividing the two ports. 

"You see, " De Lille said, "there is a row of small islands across themouth of the outer port, and the guns of St. Nicholas, and those on thiswall, would prevent any hostile fleet from entering. "

"I hardly see what use that port is, for it lies altogether outside thetown, and vessels could not unload there. "

"No. Still, it forms a useful place of refuge. In case a great fleetcame to attack us, our galleys would lay up in the inner port, whichwould be cleared of all the merchant craft, as these would hamper thedefence; they would, therefore, be sent round into the outer port, wherethey would be safe from any attack by sea, although they would doubtlessbe burnt did an army besiege the town. "

Passing along the walls of the grand master's palace, which was astrongly fortified building, and formed a citadel that could be defendedafter the lower town and the rest of the castle had been taken, theycame to the western angle of the fortifications. 

"You must know that each langue has charge of a separate part of thewall. From the foot of the mole of St. Nicholas to the grand master'spalace it is in charge of France. On the line where we now are, betweenthe palace and the gate of St. George, it is held by Germany. From thatgate to the Spanish tower Auvergne is posted. England takes the wallbetween the Spanish tower and that of St. Mary. You defend only thelower storey of that tower, the upper part being held by Aragon, whosecharge extends up to the gate of St. John. Thence to the tower ofItaly--behind which lies the Jews' quarter--Provence is in charge, whilethe sea front thence to the mole of St. Nicholas, is held by Italyand Castile, each taking half. Not only have the langues the charge ofdefending each its portion of the wall, but of keeping it in order atall times; and I may say that nowhere is the wall better kept or morefairly 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 pickedknights from each langue. "

Gervaise leant on the battlement and looked with admiration at the scenebeyond. The land side was surrounded by hills, the ground risingvery gradually from the foot of the walls. Every yard of ground wascultivated, and was covered with brilliant vegetation. Groves andorchards occurred thickly, while the slopes were dotted with chapels, summer houses--in which the natives of the city spent most of their timein 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 wouldbe a sore disadvantage to us if the Turks were besieging us, for thegroves and orchards would conceal their approaches, the walls andbuildings would give them shelter, and our cannon would be of little useuntil 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 chopdown every tree. "

"If they were to plant their cannon on the hills they would do us muchharm, " Gervaise remarked. 

"The Turks are clumsy gunners they say, " Deauville replied, "and theywould but waste their powder and ball at that distance, without making abreach 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 solidrock that ran round the whole circuit of the walls; it was from fortyto sixty feet deep, and from ninety to a hundred and forty feet wide. Itwas from this great cutting that the stones for the construction of thewalls, towers, and buildings of the town had been taken, the work havingbeen going on ever since the knights established themselves at Rhodes, and being performed by a host of captives taken in war, together withlabour hired from neighboring islands. Upon this immense work the Orderhad expended no small proportion of their revenue since their captureof the island in 1310, and the result was a fortress that, under theconditions of warfare of that age, seemed almost impregnable; and thiswithout any natural advantage of position. 

In addition to the five great towers or bastions, the wall wasstrengthened by square towers at short intervals. On looking down fromthe 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, withflat roofs, after the manner of most Eastern cities. The streets werevery narrow, and were crossed at frequent intervals by broad stonearches. These had the effect, not only of giving shelter from an enemy'sfire, but of affording means by which troops could march rapidly acrossthe town upon the roofs of the houses to reinforce the defenders of thewall, wherever pressed by the enemy. Thus the town from above presentedthe appearance of a great pavement, broken only by dark and frequentlyinterrupted lines. 

"How different to the towns at home!" Gervaise exclaimed, as, aftergazing long upon the beautiful country outside the walls, he turned andlooked 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 ofNotre Dame, which I ascended while I was staying in Paris. But this sortof building is best here; the thickness of the stone roofs keeps outthe heat of the sun, and it is only when it is almost overhead that itshines down into the narrow streets. As you can see by the number ofthe people on the roofs, they use them as a resort in the evening. Thencarpets are spread, and they receive visitors, and can talk to theirneighbours over the low walls that separate the roofs. You can trace thedivisions. Some of the house roofs are larger than others, but all areupon the same level; this being the regulation, in order that theremight 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 twinkledeverywhere upon the stone terraces; the sound of lutes and other musicalinstruments came up softly on the still air, with the hum of talk andlaughter. The sea lay as smooth as a mirror, and reflected the light ofthe stars, and the black hulls of the galleys and ships in the harbourlay still and motionless. 

Greatly pleased with his first experience of the city that was to be hisfuture home, Gervaise returned, with his companions, to the auberge ofAuvergne. 

The next morning the bailiff D'Aubusson bade Gervaise accompany him tothe palace of the grand master. Here he introduced him to Orsini, anold and feeble man, who, after a few kind words, handed him over to thechamberlain, who, in turn, led him to the official who was in charge ofthe pages. That officer took him down to the courtyard, where four youngknights were engaged in superintending the military exercises of thepages. The scene was exactly the same as that to which Gervaise had beenaccustomed at the House in London. Some of the lads were fighting withblunted swords, others were swinging heavy bars of iron, climbing ropes, or vaulting on to the back of a wooden horse. All paused as the officialentered with his charge. 

"This is your new comrade, boys, " he said--"Master Gervaise Tresham, amember of the English langue. Be good comrades to him. By the reports Ihear I am sure that you will find him a worthy companion. "

The pages had been prepared to like the newcomer, for it was well knownthat he owed his appointment to the bailiff of Auvergne, who was themost popular of the officials of the Order, and who was already regardedas the grand master. His appearance confirmed their anticipation. Hisfair complexion and nut brown hair tinged with gold, cut somewhat short, but with a natural wave, contrasted with their darker locks and facesbronzed 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 andfirm lips spoke of earnestness and resolution of purpose. The officialtook him round the circle and presented him first to the knights andthen to each of his comrades. 

"You may as well join them in their exercises. In that way you willsooner become at home with them. "

Gervaise at once laid down his mantle, removed his doublet, and thenjoined the others. There was but one half hour remaining before theybroke off to go to dinner, which was at half past ten, but the timesufficed to show the young pages that this English lad was the equalof all--except two or three of the oldest--both in strength and inknowledge of arms. He could climb the rope with any of them, could vaulton to the wooden horse with a heavy cuirass and backpiece on him, andheld his own in a bout with swords against Conrad von Berghoff, who wasconsidered the best swordplayer among them. As soon as the exerciseswere over all proceeded to the bath, and then to dinner. The meal was asimple one, but Gervaise enjoyed it thoroughly, for the table was loadedwith an abundance of fruits of kinds altogether novel to him, and whichhe found delicious. 

The official in charge of them sat at the head of the table, and themeal was eaten in silence. After it was over and they had retired totheir own rooms discipline was at an end, and they were free to amusethemselves as they liked. There were many questions to be asked andanswered, but his display of strength and skill in the courtyard savedGervaise from a good deal of the teasing to which a newcomer among aparty 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 thegrand master, and accompanying him wherever he went. When he dined inpublic four of them waited on him at table, and one of them performedthe duties of taster. If he returned to the palace after dark, sixothers lined the staircase with torches. On occasions of state ceremony, and at the numerous religious festivals, all were in attendance. By thistime Gervaise's trunks had been brought over from the English auberge, where they had been conveyed from the ship, and his garments were takenout and inspected by his comrades, who all admitted that they were, inpoint of beauty of colour and material, and in fashion, equal to theirown. 

"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 dressedalike; that is the rule. On other occasions we wear what we choose, sothat our garments are handsome, and I think it looks a good deal betterthan when we are dressed alike; though no doubt in religious processionsthat is more appropriate. De Ribaumont, our governor, will give ordersfor 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 donethat he considers discreditable to our position, he lets us do prettynearly as we like. 

"We have four hours a day at our military exercises, and two hours withthe sub-chaplain, who teaches us our books and religious duties. Therest of our time we can use as we like, except that every day eight ofus ride for two hours and practise with the lance; for although it is atsea we fight the Moslems, we are expected to become finished knights inall matters. These eight horses are kept for our service, and such aschoose may at other times ride them. On Saturdays we are free fromall our exercises; then some of us generally go on horseback for longexcursions 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 ourduties on board. "

CHAPTER IV A PROFESSED KNIGHT

Gervaise was soon quite at home in the palace of the grand master, andhis companions were, like other boys, of varying characters; but as allwere of noble families, were strongly impressed with the importance ofthe Order and the honour of their own position, and were constantlyin contact with stately knights and grave officials, their mannersconformed to those of their elders; and even among themselves there wasno rough fun, or loud disputes, but a certain courtesy of manner thatwas in accordance with their surroundings. This came naturally toGervaise, brought up as he had been by his father and mother, and havingat frequent intervals stayed with them for months at the variousroyal castles in which Margaret of Anjou and her son had been assignedapartments during their exile. Even at St. John's house the noviceswith whom he lived were all a good deal older than himself, and thediscipline of the house was much more strict than that at Rhodes. 

He enjoyed both his exercises with the knights and the time spentwith the sub-chaplain, no small proportion of the hours of study beingoccupied in listening to stories of chivalry; it being considered one ofthe most important parts of a knight's education that he should have athorough acquaintance, not only with the laws of chivalry, but with thebrave deeds both of former and of living knights, with the relations ofthe noble houses of Europe to each other, especially of the many greatfamilies whose members were connected with the Order of St. John. 

These matters formed, indeed, the main subject of their studies. Allwere taught to read and write, but this was considered sufficient in theway of actual instruction. The rules of the Order had to be committedto memory. Beyond this their reading consisted largely of the livesof saints, especially of those who distinguished themselves by theircharity or their devotion to their vows of poverty, to both of which themembers of the Order were pledged. Gervaise, however, could see aroundhim no signs whatever of poverty on their part. It was true that theyall lived and fed together in the auberges of their respective langues, and that they possessed no houses or establishments of their own; butthe magnificence of their armour and attire, and the lavish expenditureof some upon their pleasures, contrasted strangely with the povertyto which they had vowed themselves. It was true that in many cases themeans to support the expenditure was derived from the shares the knightsreceived of the plunder acquired in their captures of Moslem ships; butundoubtedly many must have possessed large private means; the bailiffs, for example, although only required by the rules to place before theknights at their auberges the rations they received for them, withsuch luxuries as could be purchased by their yearly allowance for thatpurpose, expended annually very large sums in addition, and suppliedtheir tables with every dainty, in order to gain popularity and goodwillamong the members of the langue. 

Not only did the post of bailiff confer upon its owner a very highposition at Rhodes, but it was a stepping stone to the most lucrativeoffices in their langues. The bailiffs at Rhodes had the right ofclaiming any of the grand priories or bailiwicks at home that mightfall vacant, and the grand master was frequently chosen from among theirnumber, as, by being present at Rhodes, they had many advantages in theway of making themselves popular among the electors. The emoluments ofsome of these provincial bailiwicks were large; and as the bailiffs atRhodes were generally elected by seniority--although younger knights whohad greatly distinguished themselves were sometimes chosen--they wereusually glad to resign the heavy work and responsibility of theirposition at Rhodes, and to retire to the far easier position of aprovincial bailiff. In the majority of cases, doubtless, the fortunesof the high officials were obtained from the money amassed when inpossession of rich commanderies at home; but even this was assuredlyincompatible with their vows of poverty. 

His hours of leisure Gervaise spent either on the water or in thesaddle, and his love of exercise of all sorts excited the wonder andeven the amusement of his companions, who for the most part preferredspending the time at their disposal in sleep, in idly looking out froma shaded room at what was going on outside, or in visits to friends andrelations at the auberges of the langues to which they belonged. Thenatural consequence was, that by the time he reached the end of histhree 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 theheadquarters of their langue at home, to pass their time there, until ofan age to be eligible for the charge of a commandery obtained for themby family influence, which had no small share in the granting of theseappointments. As it was known, however, that Gervaise intended to remainpermanently in the Island, his progress was watched with particularattention by his instructors; and, seeing his own earnestness in thematter, they took special pains with his training. The bailiff ofAuvergne continued to take much interest in him, inquiring often fromthe officers in charge of the pages, and from his instructors, of hisconduct and progress, and occasionally sending for him to his aubergeand talking with him as to his life and progress. Just before hispageship terminated, he said to him, "I was rather puzzled at first, Gervaise, as to what we should do with you when your term of officeconcluded, but I am so no longer, for, although you are some two yearsyounger than the professed knights who come out here, you are betterfitted 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 ofthese adventures. All young knights are, as you know, obliged to makethree voyages, but beyond that many of them do not care to share inthe rough life at sea, and prefer the bustle, and, I grieve to say, the gaiety and pleasures of this city. For one, then, really eagerto distinguish himself, the opportunities are frequent. When dangerthreatens, or heavy engagements are expected, every knight is desirousof bearing his part in the fray; but this is not the case when the workto be done consists of scouring the sea for weeks, without perchancecoming across a single pirate. Of course, as soon as your pageship isover you will go to the English auberge, but I shall still keep my eyeupon you, and shall do my best to help you to achieve distinction; andI shall take upon myself the providing of your arms and armour as aknight. "

Accordingly, on the day on which his duties as a page terminated, twoservitors of the auberge of Auvergne brought across to the palace a suitof fine armour and a sword, a battleaxe, a lance, and a dagger; alsothree complete suits of clothes, two of them for ordinary wear, and onefor state occasions. The next day Gervaise took the oaths of the Orderin the Church of St. John. The aged master himself received the vows, and formally inducted him as a professed knight of the Order, PeterD'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 becomea knight of Justice, this being the official title of the professedknights of the Order. Ten newly arrived novices were inducted at thesame time, and the ceremony was a stately one, attended by a number ofthe 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 notprofess to bestow the honour of knighthood, and it was usual for itsmembers to receive the accolade at the hands of secular knights. At theconclusion of the ceremony, he returned with the bailiff of the Englishlangue to the auberge, and took up his quarters there. By his frequentvisits he was well known to all the members, and in a day or two felt asmuch at home as he had done in the pages' room in the palace. A week wasgiven to him before he was assigned to any special duty, and he was gladwhen he was told off as one of the knights who were to take their turnin superintending the work of the slaves employed in strengtheningthe fortifications, although he would rather that any other employmentshould have been assigned to him, because he felt deep pity for theunfortunate men who were engaged in the work. 

He knew well enough that if he himself were ever made prisoner by theTurks, his lot would be as hard and as hopeless as that of the Moslemcaptives; but this, although he often repeated it to himself in order toabate his feeling of commiseration, was but a poor satisfaction. He sawone side of the picture, and the other was hidden from him; and althoughhe told himself that after slaving in a Turkish galley he would feel asatisfaction at seeing those who had been his tyrants suffering the samefate, he was well aware that this would not be the case, and that hisown sufferings would only make him sympathise more deeply with those ofothers. He had found, soon after his arrival on the Island, that it wasbest to keep his feelings on this subject to himself. While the knightswere bound, in accordance with their vows, to relieve sufferings of anykind among Christians, they seemed to regard their captives rather inthe light of brute beasts than human beings. The slaves were struck onthe smallest provocation, and even the killing of a slave was considereda very venial offence, and punished only because the slave was of valueto 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 thatthose employed as servants in the auberges were not to be struck. Thelot of these servants was, indeed, very much easier than that ofthose engaged on the public works, and such occupation was thereforeconsidered a privilege, the servants being for the most part selectedfrom 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 hewas transferred to the galleys; but for the most part he was with theslaves 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 sixknights of the langue told off to join a galley that was on the pointof sailing. Among those going in her was Sir Ralph Harcourt, one of hiscompanions on the journey from England. 

"So you are to go with us, Gervaise, " the young knight said, "to tryyour luck for the first time against the infidels. This is my thirdvoyage, and I hope that it will be more fortunate than its predecessors, for, beyond picking up two or three small craft, which did not ventureupon resistance, we gained neither honour nor booty. I regard you ashaving specially good fortune, and besides being glad that we shallbe together, I expect that you will bring good luck to us, and that weshall meet with foes worth contending with. The corsairs have been veryactive of late, and have captured many prizes, while, on the other hand, our galleys have been unfortunate, and have but seldom come upon themiscreants. "

"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 LouisRicord, a knight of Auvergne, and we could wish no better, for he hasproved himself a good seaman and a brave captain. Two other galleys areto start with us. We are to cruise separately unless one gets news of aforce so superior that he will need aid to attack it, when he will meetthe 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 himto call at his auberge. 

"So you are going to sea, Sir Gervaise? I hear from your bailiff thatyou have been working to his satisfaction in the town. "

"Yes, sir. I shall indeed be glad to change it for a life at sea. Intruth, it is grievous to me to witness the sufferings of the slaves, andI would rather do any other work. "

"They are far better off than the Christians who fall into the handsof the Turks, " the bailiff said; "and, moreover, it is because theircountrymen are preparing to attack us that we are forced to use theirlabour in strengthening our fortifications. They have naught to complainof in the way of food. Still, I would myself gladly see their lotalleviated; but we could not afford to keep so great a number ofcaptives in idleness; they must work for their living. Had it not beenfor their labour we could never have built and fortified the city. Afterall, they are little worse off than our serfs at home; they build ourcastles 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 ofthe whip. It is necessary, I know, that such work should be done, but Iown 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 whenI first came here. Nevertheless, there is work that must be done if theOrder is not to be crushed by the infidels. Here are captives, for themost part malefactors, who have to be fed; and there is no injustice intheir having, like all men, to give work for food. I have learnt to seethis and recognise the necessity, though I would that the work couldbe obtained without the use of harshness and severity. We ourselves areprepared at any moment to sacrifice our lives for the good of the Orderand for the great cause, and it would be wrong, nay, sinful, not to usethe means that have been placed ready to our hand. Now, Sir Gervaise, Iwish you a pleasant voyage. You will find the life somewhat hard, afteryour three years' residence at the palace, but this I know you willnot mind. I have specially commended you to Ricord as one in whom I ampersonally interested, and from whom I hope great things in the future. Be brave; be resolute. From what you have said I need not say--bemerciful. Fulfill all orders promptly and without question; bearyourself courteously to all; above all things, remember that you are asoldier, 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 andGenoese. It was rowed by fifty slaves, who slept at night on or beneaththe benches they sat on by day. The knights occupied the great cabinsin the poop. There were two tiers of these; the upper one contained thelittle 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 cabinthey took their meals, and a third of their number slept there, theremainder in the cabin below. A fourth of their number were, however, always on guard, lest any attempt at a rising or escape should be madeby 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 andthe islands. Some of these were in the hands of the Turks, while otherswere still occupied by Greeks. 

Except when there was a formal and actual state of war, the Moslem andChristian islands remained in a state of neutrality, trading witheach other and avoiding all unfriendly proceedings that would leadto struggles which would be fatal to the prosperity of both. TheArchipelago, and indeed the whole of the eastern portion of theMediterranean, was infested by pirates, fitted out, for the most part, on the mainland. These, when in force, openly kept the sea, attackingthe Christian merchant ships, but when cruising alone they hid inunfrequented bays, or behind uninhabited islets, until they could pounceupon a passing ship whose size promised an easy capture. The Order ofSt. John furnished a maritime police, earning thereby the deep gratitudeof Spain, France, and Italy. They were aided occasionally by theVenetians, but these, being frequently engaged in quarrels with theirneighbours, did but a small share of this work, only sending theirfleets to sea when danger threatened some of their possessions in theLevant. 

"This is delightful, Ralph, " Gervaise said, as they stood together onthe poop, looking back at the receding city. 

"What a pleasant change it is from standing in the broiling sun watchingthose poor wretches toiling at the fortifications! There is only onedrawback to my pleasure. I wish that we carried sails, and were movedalong by the breeze, instead of by the exertions of the slaves. "

"Much chance we should have of catching a pirate under suchcircumstances!" Ralph said, laughing. "You might as well set a tortoiseto catch a hare. "

"I don't say that we should not be obliged to carry rowers, Ralph; butall the prizes that have been brought in since I have been at Rhodescarry masts and sails, as well as oars, and, as I understand, for themost part cruise about under sail, and only use the oars when chasing orfleeing. "

"That is so; because, you see, in most cases the crew themselves haveto row, and I have no doubt if we had no slaves to do the work we shouldsoon take to masts and sails also; but for speed the rowing galleys arethe best, for unless a brisk wind were blowing, the mast and sails wouldbut check her progress when the oars were out, and at any rate constrainher to travel only before the wind. I know your weakness about theslaves, Gervaise; but as we could neither build our fortificationsnor row our galleys without them, I cannot go as far as you do in thematter, though I own that I am sometimes sorry for them. But you mustremember that it is the fault of their people, and not of ours, thatthey are here. "

"All that is true enough, Ralph, and I cannot gainsay you. Still I wouldrather that we were gliding along with sails instead of being rowed byslaves. "

"At any rate, Gervaise, you will not see them ill treated, for I myselfheard Ricord, just before we were starting, tell the slave overseersthat so long as the rowers did fair work they were not to use theirwhips, and that only if we were in chase of a pirate were they to beurged to their utmost exertions. "

"I am right glad to hear it, Ralph, and shall be able to enjoy thevoyage all the more, now you have told me that such orders have beenissued. "

For a fortnight they cruised about among the islands. Several timesboats rowed out from the shore to the galley with complaints of outragesby pirates under a notorious corsair named Hassan Ali, who had landed, burnt villages, killed many of the inhabitants, and carried off the restas slaves; but no one could give any clue to aid them in their searchfor the corsairs. The time passed very pleasantly. There was no occasionfor speed; often they lay all day in some bay, where they could approachnear enough to the shore to lie in the shade of trees, while two orthree of the knights ascended a hill and kept watch there for theappearance of any vessels of a suspicious character. One morning, afterpassing the night at anchor, Harcourt and Gervaise were despatched justbefore 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 fromthat island to the southwest. There was none just now. "

"You mean from that bay, Gervaise? Yes, I see it; it is not more than alight mist. "

"It is growing thicker, " Gervaise said, "and spreading. Maybe it is buta hut that has accidentally caught fire, but it seems to me that thesmoke is rising from several points. "

"I think you are right, Gervaise. Let us hurry down with the news. Itmay be that it is a village which has been attacked by pirates who havelanded on the other side of the island during the night, for I can seeno 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 themashore. "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 hadnoticed the young knights running down the hill, and, marking the speedat which the boat was rowing, concluded at once that they must haveobserved one of the pirate's ships. 

"Do you see anything of them, Sir Ralph?" the commander shouted, as theycame close. 

"We have seen no ships, Sir Louis, but there is smoke coming up from abay in an island four or five miles away to the southwest. It seems tous 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 weleft, and before we started it was rising from several points, and weboth think that it must come from a village that has been attacked bypirates. "

The commander rapidly issued his orders, and in two or three minutes theanchor was weighed, the boat hoisted on deck, and the oars in motion. 

"Stretch to your oars!" Ricord shouted to the slaves. "Hitherto we haveexacted no toil from you, but you have to work now, and woe be to himwho 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 thewater. On rounding the end of the island there was an exclamation ofsatisfaction from the knights as they saw wreaths of white smoke risingfrom 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 itmust 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 assuredlyhave made them out, Sir Louis. "

"Then the pirates--if this be, as I hope, their work--must have landedat some other point on the island, and if they catch sight of us theymay make for their ship and slip away, unobserved by us. Instead ofrowing direct, therefore, we will make for that islet to the right, androw round behind it. There are two others almost adjoining it. Once pastthese, 'tis not more than half a mile to that island stretching awaysouth. Once round that, we shall be beyond the one from which we see thesmoke rising, and can come down on its southern side. The course willbe double the distance that it would be if we took a straight line, butexcept when we cross from island to island we shall not be exposed totheir view, and may fall upon their ships before the crews have returnedfrom their work of plunder. "

The knights fully agreed, and orders were given to the helmsmanaccordingly. 

"We must not over fatigue the rowers, " the commander said. "We may havea long chase if they have started before we get round. "

He therefore gave orders to the slaves that, while they were to exertthemselves to the utmost when crossing the open sea, they were to relaxtheir efforts and to row within their strength while coasting alongbehind the islands. On board, everything was made in readiness for afight: the knights buckled on their armour, the cooks set cauldrons ofpitch over the fire, the cannoneers loaded her eight guns. It was anhour and a half after their start before they rounded the end of thelast island. It extended a little farther to the south than did that towhich they were making, and as they rounded the point, eager looks werecast 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 canhardly have left, for it would have taken them half an hour at least tocross the island with their booty and captives, and even if they madestraight away after having fired the village, their ship could have goneno great distance, for we must have seen her if she put to sea--unlessindeed they were anchored on the east of the island, and have sailed inthat direction. "

"Keep them rowing along steadily, " he said to the overseers of theslaves; "but do not press them too hard. We may have a chase yet, andneed all their strength, for most of these pirates are fast craft, andif they should get a start of three or four miles, it will be a long rowbefore we catch them. "

They made straight for the island, and on nearing it coasted along itssouthern side. It was some three miles long, the shore being for themost part steep, but here and there falling gradually to the water'sedge. Two or three little clusters of houses could be seen as they rowedalong; one of these was on fire. 

"That is good, " Sir Louis exclaimed, as, on turning a point, they sawthe flames. "That cannot have been lighted long, and we are prettycertain to come upon the vessels before the marauders have set sail. "

Several inlets and small bays were passed, but all were empty. A fewfishing boats lay on the shore, but there were no signs of life, as nodoubt the people would, long since, have taken alarm and sought shelterin the woods. There was a sharp point just before they reached thesoutheastern extremity of the island, and as the galley shot past this, a shout of exultation rose from the knights, for, near the mouth of aninlet that now opened to their view, there lay four long, low vessels, above each of which floated the Moslem flag. A number of men weregathered on the shore near the ships, and heavily laden boats werepassing to and fro. 

A yell of rage and alarm rose from the ships as the galley came intoview. There was a stir and movement on the shore, and numbers of menleapt into the boats there, and started for the ships. These were somequarter of a mile away when first seen, and half that distance had beentraversed when a puff of smoke shot out from the side of one of them, followed almost immediately by a general discharge of their cannon. Oneball tore along the waist of the galley, killing six of the rowers, andseveral oars on both sides were broken. Two balls passed through thecabins 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 wereintact strained at them. There was no reply from the guns, but theknights raised loud the war cry of the Order, a war cry that was neverheard without striking a thrill of apprehension among their Moslem foes. 

As they neared the pirate ships, the helm was put down, and the galleybrought up alongside the largest of them and a broadside poured intoher; 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, theMoslems still outnumbered their assailants, and, knowing that theirconsorts would soon come to their aid, they threw themselves in a bodyon the Christians. But in a hand-to-hand conflict like this, the knightsof the Hospital were irresistible. Protected by their armour and longshields from the blows of their enemies' scimitars and daggers, theirlong, cross handled swords fell with irresistible force on turbaned headand coat-of-mail, and, maintaining regular order and advancing like awall of steel along the deck, they drove the Moslems before them, andthe combat would soon have terminated had not a shout been raised byone of the overseers of the slaves. One of the other ships had rowedalongside the galley, and the crew were already leaping on board it. Atthe 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, withthe knights of Spain, finish with these miscreants; knights of Germanyand Provence keep back the boarders; knights of Auvergne follow me, " andhe leapt down into the galley. 

The English and Spanish knights redoubled their exertions. The Moslemsendeavoured to rally, seeing that help was at hand, and that but a smallbody were now opposed to them, but their numbers availed little. The tenknights kept their line, and, hewing their way forward, pressed them sohotly that the Turks broke and sprang over the bulwarks into the sea. Then the knights looked round. A fierce fight was going on between thoseof Germany and Provence and the enemy, who strove desperately to boardfrom the ship alongside. The other vessel was now almost touching thestern, and her crew were swarming to her side in readiness to leap onboard as soon as the vessels touched. 

"We will keep them at bay there, " Sir John Boswell shouted. "Do you, DonPedro, 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 reachedthe stern just in time to hurl backwards the Moslems, who had alreadyobtained a footing. For a time the five knights kept back the surgingmass of their foes. The deck was wide enough for each to have fair playfor his sword, and in vain the pirates strove to obtain a footing. 

At last Sir Marmaduke Lumley fell, severely wounded by an arrow from aMoslem marksman, and before the others could close the gap a score ofpirates leapt on to the deck. 

"Fall back, comrades, fall back; but keep together!" Sir John Boswellshouted, as he cleft the skull of one of the pirate officers who sprangat 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 unableto guard the whole of the line of bulwark, and the Moslems had alreadyobtained a footing on the deck. The discipline of the knights stood themin good stead. Drawing closely together as they retreated, they made astand on the opposite side of the deck, and were here joined by Sir JohnBoswell and his companions. They now formed a semicircle, each flankresting on the bulwark, and the pirates in vain endeavoured to breaktheir line. Again and again they flung themselves upon the knights, onlyto be beaten off with heavy loss. At length a loud cheer arose from thegalley, and Sir Louis Ricord, with the knights of Auvergne and Spainhaving cleared the galley of their foes, and carried the pirate that hadgrappled with her, sprang on to the deck of the ship, and fell uponthe throng that were attacking the knights there, oblivious of what wasgoing on elsewhere. At once the English knights and their comrades tookthe offensive, and fell upon their assailants who, at the sight of thereinforcement, for a moment stood irresolute. For a short time there wasa fierce struggle; then the pirates sprang back to their two ships, andendeavoured to cast off the grapnels. But the knights followed hotlyupon them, and, panic stricken now, the pirates sprang overboard. Manywere drowned, but the greater part managed to swim to shore. 

CHAPTER V SCOURGES OF THE SEA

Breathless and faint from their tremendous exertions, the knightsremoved their helmets. 

"By St. Mary, " Sir Louis said, "this has been as hard a fight as I haveever been engaged in, and well may we be content with our victory! Wellfought, my brave comrades! Each of these vessels must have carried twiceour number at least, and we have captured four of them; but I fear thecost has been heavy. "

Seven knights had fallen, struck down by sword, arrow, or thrust ofspear. Of the rest but few had escaped unwounded, for, strong as wastheir armour, the keen Damascus blades of the Moslems had in many casescut clean through it, and their daggers had found entry at points wherethe armour joined; and, now that the fight was over, several of theknights sank exhausted on the deck from loss of blood. 

But the dressing of wounds formed part of a knight of St. John'straining. Those who were unwounded unbuckled the armour and bandaged thewounds. Others fetched wine and water from the galley. The chains of thegalley slaves were removed, and these were set to clear the decks of theMoslem corpses. The anchors were dropped, for what little wind therewas drifted them towards the shore. They had learned from a dying piratethat the vessels were part of the fleet of Hassan Ali, a fact that addedto the satisfaction felt by the knights at their capture, as this manwas one of the most dreaded pirates of the Levant. They learnt that hehimself had not been present, the expedition being under the command ofone of his lieutenants, who had fallen in the fight. 

"Now, comrades, let us in the first place take food; we have not brokenour fast this morning. Then let us consider what had best be done, forindeed we have got as much in our hands as we can manage; but let usleave that till we eat and drink, for we are faint from want of foodand from our exertions. But we shall have to eat what comes to hand, andthat without cooking, for our servants all joined the pirates when theyboarded us, and are either dead or are ashore there. "

A meal was made of bread and fruit, and this with wine sufficed torecruit their energies. 

"It seems to me, comrades, " Sir Louis said, when all had finished, "thatthe first thing is to search the holds of these vessels and see whatvaluables 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 ofthem, we cannot take them to Rhodes; and even with one and our galleywe should fare but ill, if we fell in with two or three more of Hassan'sships. "

"But how about the pirates on shore, Sir Louis?" a knight asked. "Therewere 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 fulltwo hundred, and it will be a grievous thing for the islanders if weleave them there. "

"It is certain, " the commander said, "that we are not strong enoughto attack them, for were we to land, a party would have to be left onboard, or the pirates might elude our search, seize some fishing boats, and regain possession. Certainly, we are in no position to divide ourforces. "

"Methinks, " Sir John Boswell said, "that the best plan would be to senda boat, manned with ten galley slaves, taking two or three of us to therendezvous, to fetch hither the other two galleys. With their aid wemight take all the four ships safe into port, after first clearing theisland 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 trophiesof their bravery should, if possible, be carried to Rhodes. 

"That will certainly be the best plan, Sir John, though it may detain ushere for two or three days, or even more, for it is quite uncertain whenthe other two galleys may put in at the rendezvous. Will you yourselfundertake the mission?"

"With pleasure. "

"How many will you take with you?"

"Two will be sufficient, for we shall have no fighting to do, as weshall have to trust to our speed if we fall in with an enemy. I willtake, with your permission, Sir Ralph Harcourt and Sir Gervaise Tresham, both of whom have today fought with distinguished bravery. Indeed, Iowe my life to them, for more than once, when I was hotly pressed, theyfreed me from my assailants. Truly none bore themselves better in thefray than they did. "

Three or four others joined in hearty commendations of the two youngknights. 

"Indeed, " one said, "I was greatly surprised to see how Tresham borehimself. He is but a lad, with scarce, one would think, strength to holdhis 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 hewielded his weapon as doughtily as the best knight of the Order couldhave done, and one of the proofs is that, while most of us bear marks ofthe conflict, he has escaped without scratch. I trust, Sir Louis, thatwhen you give an account of the fighting you will specially mention thatthis, the youngest knight of the Order, bore himself as stoutly as anyof them. I say this, Sir John, because, not being of your langue, I canspeak more warmly than you can do of his skill and bravery. "

"I thank you, De Boysey, " Sir John Boswell said, "and I am proud thatmy young countryman should have so gained your approbation. And now, "he went on, "while the galley slaves are getting a meal--which they haveright well earned today--I should like to see what there is under thehatches of these ships, so that I can give our comrades in the othergalleys some idea of the value of this booty we have taken. "

They rose from the table, and, going on board the prizes, lifted thehatches. 

"Beware!" De Boysey exclaimed, looking down into the hold, when thefirst 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. "Theymust be captives. "

This turned out to be so. In the holds of the four ships were found overa hundred and fifty women and children; these had been brought on boardin the first boat loads by the pirates, and when the Christian galleyhad been seen coming round the point, had been thrust below, and thehatches thrown over them. They had heard the din of battle above, butknew not how the conflict had terminated, and, being afraid to cry out, had remained silent until, on the hatch being lifted, they had seen thefigures of Christian knights standing in the bright sunshine. All hadcome from the village on the other side of the island. They related howthe pirates had suddenly burst upon them, had slaughtered all the men, set fire to the village, and had driven them before them across theisland to the ships. The poor creatures were delighted at their escapefrom slavery, but at the same time were full of grief at the loss ofhusbands, fathers, and sons. 

Some laughed, others cried; while some thanked God for their rescueothers heaped imprecations upon the authors of their misfortunes. 

The knights explained to them that for a short time they must remain onboard, as half the pirates were still on shore, but that aid would soonarrive that would enable them to clear the island. 

Half an hour later Sir John Boswell, with the two young knights, startedin a rowing boat, manned by ten of the galley slaves. The wind hadsprung up since the fight ceased, and as it was nearly astern, theyanticipated that they would make a good passage, and be at the littleislet, named as the place of rendezvous, before nightfall. 

Among the many bales of rich merchandise in the hold of the piratevessels an abundance of wine had been discovered, and of this a tankardhad been given to each of the slaves, by Sir Louis's orders, as a tokenof satisfaction at their work in the morning. 

They had gone some two miles when, from one of the inlets in the islandthey 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 theirheads to chase us, we shall have a hard time of it. "

The fishing boat for a few minutes kept along the coast, and thensuddenly her course was altered, and her head directed towards theirboat. 

"Now stretch to your oars, " Sir John, who spoke some Turkish, said tothe slaves. "Keep ahead of that boat, and I promise you, on my honour asa Christian knight, that I will myself purchase your freedom as soon aswe get to Rhodes. "

With a shout of delight, the galley slaves bent to their oars, and theboat 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 nevertires, while there are limits to the powers of muscle and bone. If thosefellows follow us--and I doubt not that they will, for they must bethirsting for vengeance--they will overtake us long before we get to therendezvous; and even did we reach it, the chances are that we should notfind 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 largeislands on our way. Nor have we any hope of assistance from our friendsbehind. 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 werescued. We have only ourselves to depend on. "

At the end of an hour's rowing the boat astern had gained little; butthe exertions of the rowers were telling severely upon them. They werestill doing their best, but their breath came in short gasps, the rowingwas getting short and unsteady, and there was a sensible decrease in thespeed of the boat. Three miles ahead of them was an islet about halfa mile in diameter. In some parts it was covered with foliage, butelsewhere it was bare rock. 

"That must be our goal, " Sir John said. "They will be close to us by thetime we get there. " Then he said to the rowers, "Stop for a minute toget breath. We will land at that islet ahead, and I shall hold to mypromise if we get there in time. Those of you who like can remain in theboat until your countrymen come up; those who choose can leave the boatand 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 bebest then for you to remain in the boat. "

For three or four minutes the slaves bent forward over their oars; butas soon as Sir John gave the word they straightened themselves up andbegan rowing again. The rest had done them good, and they again fellinto a long, steady stroke. 

"Shall we buckle on our armour again?" Sir Ralph Harcourt asked; forthey had not put it on when they left the ship, as the heat was verygreat. 

"I think we had better don our mail shirts only. In climbing about thatrock ahead of us, the less weight we carry the better, and with thisheat I would rather fight unprotected than in casque and armour. Besides, there can be little doubt that, if they come upon us, it willbe our last battle. That craft behind is crowded with men, and, armouror no armour, it will come to the same in the end. If it were not thatwe have a mission to fulfil, and that it is of all things important tosend the galleys to aid our friends, I would say let us choose a spotat 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 ourduty above all things to carry this message, we must strive to preserveour lives, and must, if we can, conceal ourselves from these paynims. "

"What are you going to do?" Sir John asked the slaves, when they werewithin a quarter of a mile of the islet. "I should think, after we haveleft the boat, it will be best for you to sit quietly on your benchestill our pursuers arrive. "

"They would cut our throats at once, Sir Knight; they will be furious atour having given them so long a chase. Hassan Ali's men care little whomthey slay, and, irritated by their misfortune, it will be naught to themwhether 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 theywill be hunting, and if they catch and slay us they will not trouble tosearch the island further. "

"It seems to me, Sir John, " Gervaise said, "that with the aid of thesegood 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 thathill, in full sight of the shore, the pirates, when they see us, willfollow at once. The slaves should, therefore, be safe for a time if theyhide in that wood to the left of the spot we are making for. Will youtell them to keep down by the water's edge among the bushes, and thatafter crossing that crest, we will try to make a dash round, so as tojoin them there. 'Tis probable that most of the pirates will start inpursuit of us, and if we and the slaves make a rush for the shore we mayseize our boat, push off, and capture their craft, if there are buta few left on board, knock out a plank and scuttle her, and then rowaway. "

"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 whomit was received with short exclamations of approval, for they were toobreathless and exhausted for talk. Already they could hear the yells ofthe pirates, who, as the boat ran up on the beach were but a quarter ofa 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 theothers, and then in turn to assist them to get up beside him. Louder andlouder rose the shouts of the pirates, but the knights did not glanceback until they reached the top of the hill; then they turned and lookedround. A swarm of men were climbing after them, and were already halfwayup the cliff. 

"Heave them down!" Sir John exclaimed, pointing to some loose rocks, andset 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 rockswere speedily sent rolling down the steep ascent, and yells, shouts, andcries 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 rockthey stood at the edge of another slope into a deep valley, beyond whichrose the central hill of the island. The valley ran right across, and was filled with trees extending to the sea at either end. Runningrapidly down, the knights were within the shelter of the wood before theMoslems had reached the brow behind them. A minute later they heard theshouts of their enemies. Once in the wood they turned to the left, andin a few minutes stood on the sea shore. It was a little bay some twohundred yards across, and at either point the cliffs rose abruptly fromthe 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 faras we can, and then drop them into the sea, otherwise they will knowthat we have taken to the water. "

They hurried along the rocks, and were able to make their way to withinfifty yards of the point; then, throwing their mail shirts into the sea, they plunged in. All knew the importance of getting round before any ofthe pirates, who would be searching the valley, came down on the shore, and they swam their hardest until they rounded the corner. The woodrang with the shouts of their pursuers, but no yell had risen from thewater's edge. A hundred yards farther, and they were able to land, andwere in a short time in the shelter of the trees that fringed the waterto the point where they had left the boat. There was no longer anyoccasion for speed, and they made their way through the thick bushes andundergrowth quietly, until they recovered breath after their exertions. They had gone a few hundreds yards when from the bushes the slavessuddenly rose up. 

"All has gone well, " Sir John said to them in their own language. "Thepirates are searching for us on the other side of the hill. There arenot likely to be many of them left here. We shall soon be in possessionof our boat again. "

Followed by the slaves, they made their way forward until they stood atthe edge of the wood. Five or six pirates were standing on the shore. 

"I expect they have been left there, " Harcourt said, "to prevent theslaves from carrying off the boat. They must have seen them run into thewood. They won't reckon on our being with them. "

Drawing their swords, the three knights rushed out, followed by theslaves. They had but a hundred yards to run. The pirates, on seeingthem, raised a yell and drew their scimitars; but the sight of theknights rushing upon them, when they had expected but a few unarmedrowers, was too much for their courage, and when their assailants werestill fifty yards away they turned and fled. The fishing craft had beenrun 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 ofsome fifteen tons burden. She was entirely deserted, but the sail stillhung from the yard, and a fire was burning on a stone hearth, raised onsome 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 sailslying there, but nothing that would answer the purpose. He examined theplanks. The boat was very strongly and roughly built. 

"There is nothing here, Sir John, that will do, and nothing short of aheavy sledge hammer would suffice to smash one of these planks. "

"There are a lot of them coming down the hill, Tresham. We have not manyminutes to spare, but we must disable the craft. They will soon be afterus again; they have run her hard and fast here, but when they all comeback 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 Gervaisetogether tried to drive the handle through the bottom. Again and againthey raised it and drove it down; but the plank was too strong, and toosecurely fastened to the timbers. 

"We must give it up, " the knight said, with a sigh. "Fortune hasbefriended us so far, Tresham, but she has deserted us at last. Anotherthree 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, hejumped below and set fire to the sails stowed there; they were as dry astinder, and the flame shot up at once. 

"That is good, Tresham, " the knight said; "but they will put it outbefore it has caught the boat. "

"Not before it has burnt the sails, " Gervaise replied. "Now for thisone, " 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 theother side of the deck. The flames flashed up, and a wild yell of rageand alarm broke from the pirates, who were now rushing down towards thebeach. 

"Now to the boat, Tresham; we have no time to lose if we would avoidbeing pounded with stones. "

They dropped over the stern into the boat. The galley slaves dippedtheir oars into the water, and she shot away just as the foremost of thepirates reached the edge of the water. A few stones were thrown; butthe pirates were so anxious about the craft, by which alone they couldescape from the island, that the majority at once climbed on board. 

At a word from the knight, the slaves stopped rowing a hundred yardsfrom the shore. The sail was already consumed, and the yard and theupper part of the mast were in flames. A dense smoke was rising from thehold, and the pirates were throwing buckets of water down into it. In afew minutes the smoke decreased. 

"I thought that they would be able to put it out; but, as far as we areconcerned, it matters little. They have lost their sails, and as I sawbut four sweeps, we can travel five miles to their one. If we find thegalleys we will look in here on our way back, and if they have not leftwe will fire that craft more effectually, and then the pirates will betrapped, and we can leave them till we have fetched off Sir Louisand his prizes, and then have a grand hunt here. We took no prisonersbefore, and a hundred slaves will be a useful addition to our wallbuilders. Now, Tresham, I have to thank you warmly, for Harcourt and Idoubly owe our lives to you. It was thanks to your quickness of wit thatwe regained our boat, for I would not have given a ducat for our chanceshad you not thought of that scheme. In the second place, we shouldassuredly have been overtaken again had it not been for your happythought of crippling them by burning their sails. By St. George, Harcourt, this young countryman of ours is as quick and as ready of witas he has shown himself a brave and gallant fighter! We have no lack ofsturdy fighters; but the wit to devise and to seize upon the right thingin the moment of danger is vastly more rare. As for myself, I have noshame 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 andbattleaxe I can, I trust, hold my own with any man; but my brain is dullwhen it comes to hatching schemes. If we live, we shall see Sir Gervaiseone 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 fargreater degree of credit than is my due. There was the fire, and therewas the sail, and the thought that the one would destroy the other wassimply a natural one, which might have occurred to a child. As to theplan about the boat, seeing that there was the hill and the wood, itflashed upon me at once that we might make a circuit and come back toher. "

"Just so, lad; but those thoughts did not flash upon my mind, nor uponthat of Harcourt. It is just because those sort of ideas do flash uponthe minds of some men, and not of others, that the first rise to therank of distinguished commanders, while the others remain simple knightswho would play their part in a charge or in the defence of a breach, butwould 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 wetouched the island to our departure from it, and much of that time wehave gained by the speed with which you rowed before. At any rate, weshall make out the island before sunset, and whether we arrive there alittle sooner or later matters little. Harcourt, hand me that wineskinand a goblet. A draught will do us good after our climb and swim, andthese good fellows will be none the worse for a cup also. "

Inspired with the hope of freedom, the slaves rowed steadily, and thesun had just set when they entered a little inlet in the rocky isle thatwas their place of rendezvous. 

"Thanks be to the saints!" Sir John exclaimed, as they reached theentrance. "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 lyingin the boat, the pirates, in their haste to pursue, having left herunexamined, while those who had remained on guard had abstained fromtouching anything until the return of their captain and comrades. 

"Whence come you, Sir John, and what is the news? No misfortune hasbefallen Ricord's galley, I hope?" the Spanish knight in commandshouted, as the boat came near enough for him to recognize the featuresof its occupants. 

"All is well, " Sir John shouted back; "but we have taken more prizesthan we can manage, though not without hard fighting. Seven knights havefallen, and at least ten others will not be able to buckle their armouron again for some time to come, so I have been sent here to beg yourassistance; and it is well that it should be given speedily, for if morepirate vessels come up before you join, Ricord and his companions willbe in a sorry plight. "

By this time the boat had reached the side of the galley, and as SirJohn and his two companions stepped on board, the knights crowdedround to hear the details of the news. Exclamations of approval andsatisfaction arose when Sir John related the incidents of the fight, andtold them that the four vessels that had fallen into their hands formedpart of Hassan Ali's fleet. 

"That is good news indeed, Boswell, " Don Santoval said; "and I would Ihad been there to take part in so gallant a fight. It is well you foundus here, for with four prizes on hand, and with half his strength deador disabled, Ricord must be in sore need of aid. We will start tomorrowmorning at daybreak. As all the ships were taken, there is little fearof 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 twohundred pirates left on the island. About half those, we know, seized afishing boat and escaped, for they chased us, and we have had as narrowan escape from death as has ever fallen to my lot, though I have beenin over a score of hard fought battles. The rest may well have takenanother fishing boat and made off also, for we saw several craft alongthe shores of the island. If so, they may have made for Hassan Ali'srendezvous, wherever that may be, just as I made here, and by this timesome 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 whenthere is heavy work to be done, knowing full well that a draught of ithelps them mightily in their labours. Your men must have rowed well, SirJohn, to have brought you here so quickly?"

"I have promised them their freedom, " Sir John said; "and they shallhave it, even if I have to pay their value into the treasury. As I toldyou, we were hotly pursued, for the craft with her sail went faster thanwe 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 ourextremity, and, when all seemed lost, stuck to us instead of desertingand 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, SirGervaise Tresham here. " And Sir John then related the incidents of theiradventure on the island, his narrative eliciting warm expressions ofapproval from the knights. 

"Of course, you will go with us, Boswell?" Don Santoval said, when themaster of the slaves announced that these had eaten their meal, and wereready. 

"I must do so, " Sir John replied. "I want you, on your way, to look inat that island where we had so narrow an escape, and if we find theircraft still there we can destroy it. The place is directly in ourcourse; we shall, therefore, lose but little time in looking in. Ofcourse, 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 witha galley so soon, and will probably set to to make a dozen more oarsbefore they start, for she had but four on board, which will scarcesuffice to send her a mile an hour through the water. Therefore, I fancythey will not put off until tomorrow morning. If that is so, and wedestroy their craft, they will be trapped in the islet, and on ourreturn we can capture them all. I think of leaving Harcourt and Treshamin the boat, in order that when Piccolomini's galley comes in, they maydirect him also to join us. "

"He may be in at any moment; we met him three days since. He hadcaptured 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 willprobably be in the first thing in the morning. "

Gervaise and Harcourt took their places in the boat again. The galleygot up its anchor and started. Just as she reached the mouth of theinlet 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 hada very long row, and can go no farther, unless his strait is a very soreone. "

"No. Come on in the morning. You will hear all the news from a boatlying two hundred yards astern. Two young English knights are waiting inher 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 theharbour. 

Harcourt and Gervaise at once went on board, and the former gave theItalian commander an account of the battle that had taken place, andthe capture of the four pirate vessels. After the exclamationsof satisfaction by the knights had ceased, he recounted their ownadventures, which were heard with lively interest. 

"I hope indeed that Santoval will burn that fishing boat, and that weshall capture the pirates, " the commander said. "We have need ofmore 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 ifsome more of these villains have escaped and carried the news to HassanAli, 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 rationof bread and meat was served out to the slaves, and the boat was soonafterwards under way. The rowers of the English knight's boat had beenwarmly commended by the commander and placed in charge of the overseer, with instructions that they were to be treated as free men. As soon asthe galley slaves set to work, however, they seated themselves onthe benches and double banked some of the oars, anxious to please theknights. 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 upon to the poop together, "it will not take us very long to join ourfriends. We are going through the water at fully six miles an hour; andas we have already been two hours under way, in another three we shallbe 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 whichthey had descended, and the point round which they had swum. In a fewminutes 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 norocks there when we ran ashore. "

"Then Santoval must have found the craft still there and burnt her, " oneof the knights standing by remarked, "and the pirates are caged up. Itwill take them some time to make a raft that will carry them to the nextisland, and before they can do that we shall be back again. I shall besorry if they escape, for they are as ruthless a set of villains as sailthe seas. "

The galley had traversed half the remaining distance when the sound ofa gun was faintly heard. For a moment there was an absolute hush on thepoop; 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 greatlyincreased as the slaves rowed their hardest. Fast as she was travelling, the impatience of the knights was extreme. They walked up and down thedeck, 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 attimes to listen to the sound of artillery, which was now so frequent asto show that a severe engagement was being fought. Many of the youngerknights ran down to the waist and double banked the oars, and in ashorter time than it seemed possible the galley arrived at the mouth ofthe 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 themwere alongside of her; the others were raking her fore and aft withtheir shot. The young knights left the oars, sprang up to the poop andjoined in the shout of encouragement raised by the others, and then, resuming their helmets and armour, stood ready to leap on board an enemyas soon as they reached her. Piccolomini directed the helmsman to layhim 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 theknights sprang on board. 

In the din of battle their shout had been unheard. The pirates throngingthe other side of their ship were intent only on overcoming theresistance of the knights, and even the discharge of cannon had notcalled their attention to their foe, until the latter, shouting the warcry of the Order, fell suddenly upon them. A panic at once seized them. Some were cut down almost unresistingly, but the great majority, runningto the bow or stern, threw themselves overboard and swam to the otherships. The pirate ship on the other side of Santoval's galley instantlythrew off the grapnels and thrust off from her side, and, immediatelyhauling in the sheets of the big sail, began at once to draw away, whileher three consorts made for the mouth of the bay. 

"Back to your galley, comrades, " Piccolomini shouted, "or with thisbrisk wind they will escape us. "

The knights at once crossed on to their own craft, the oars were gotout, and the chase began. A minute or two later Don Santoval followedthem, but soon gave up, as so large a number of the oars had been brokenwhen the two pirate ships ran alongside him, that it would have beenhopeless to pursue. The wind was blowing freshly, and was rapidlyincreasing in strength, so that, in spite of the efforts of the galleyslaves, the pirates gradually drew away, running straight beforethe wind, and aiding the effects of the sails with oars. Seeing thehopelessness of the chase, Piccolomini abandoned it, after rowing fortwo miles, and returned to the island. The other two galleys were lyingbeside each other, and Piccolomini had his craft steered alongside them. 

"Thanks, Piccolomini, for arriving so opportunely, " Santoval, who wasseated on the deck leaning against the bulwarks, said, as his fellowcommander leapt on board, and came towards him. 

"Would that I had arrived sooner, Santoval, for I see that you have beengrievously wounded!"

"Ay. One of the paynims' cannonballs has carried off both my legs belowthe knee. The leech has been searing the wounds with a hot iron, andsays that he thinks I shall get over it; but if so I fear that myfighting days are past, unless, indeed, I fight seated on a chair. However, I ought not to grumble. I have lost many brave comrades, andothers 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 yougave when you fell upon the Moslems, for in truth the issue of theconflict was doubtful. I was delighted when this morning at daybreakSantoval'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 beena bad one, and at any rate they might have recaptured the prizes. Weagreed 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 bya fishing craft, manned by a large number of the pirates, and that hefeared the rest might similarly have escaped, and might have gone tobring some more of Hassan Ali's ships upon us. 

"As soon as Santoval landed, some of the natives came down and told himthat there was not a pirate remaining there, the rest having startedin 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 spoton the island, and to keep watch, and then brought the rest off tohis galley. Our first step was, of course, to send all the women andchildren ashore. Then we consulted as to what had best be done if thepirates should come back in force. We hoped, at any rate, that thiswould not happen until you arrived. We expected that you would be herebefore noon; but we decided that, should they get here before you, wefrom our galley would embark on Santoval's, as it was better to fight inone strongly manned boat than to divide our forces. 

"It was scarce half an hour after Santoval came down before the men lefton the lookout appeared on the beach. On fetching them off, they told usthat as soon as they reached the top of the hill they saw five vesselsapproaching with sails and oars, and that they would be here in half anhour at the outside. We at once abandoned my galley, brought the rowersand the wounded here, and prepared for the fight. As you saw, they rantheir two biggest ships alongside us, and for two hours the fight wenton. They were crowded with men, who in vain strove to get a footing onour decks. Had we only had these two to deal with, we should have hadnothing to fear, heavily manned though they were; but the other threekept sailing backwards and forwards, discharging their guns into us asthey passed, firing not only shot, but bags of bullets. 

"Their gunners were skilful, and, as you see, they have completelyriddled our poop. Twenty knights have been killed, and eleven others aresorely wounded. Scarce one has escaped unscathed. You may guess, then, how welcome was your aid, which we had not expected for another threehours. We were on the point of abandoning the waist and gathering on thepoop, which we could still have defended for a considerable time, when, as if dropped from the skies, you fell upon the pirates, and turned thetables. How is it that you were here so early?"

"We started at three o'clock, instead of waiting for daybreak. Itseemed, from the story of the two young knights, that it was possibleyou might be attacked early, and, crippled as your command was, and withfour prizes on your hands, I deemed it best to come on as soon as therowers had had a few hours' rest. "

"It is well that you did so; it would have been a grievous affair hadtwo of our galleys been captured by the pirates. It would have been ablow to the prestige of the Order, and would have brought such strengthto Hassan Ali and other pirate leaders that nothing short of sending outa fleet would have recovered our ascendancy; and as every ducat wecan spare has to be spent on the fortifications, it would have been amisfortune indeed had we been obliged to fit out such an expedition atpresent. "

"Who have fallen, Sir Louis?"

"Five more of the knights of my galley--Pierre des Vignes, Raoul deMontpelier, Ernest Schmidt, Raymond Garcia, and Albert Schenck. Here isthe list of the knights of Santoval's galley. "

"'Tis a long list, and a sad one, " Piccolomini said, after readingthe names. "With the seven who fell in your first fight, twenty-sevenknights have fallen, all brave comrades. Truly, we can ill spare sucha loss. It is true there are five prizes to show for it, and we havestruck Hassan Ali a blow that will resound through the Levant; but thecost is heavy. "

"It is indeed, " Ricord agreed. "The four vessels are well filled withrich spoil that the scoundrels had gathered, and I doubt not the one youcaptured 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 thatsix knights should be placed in each of the captured ships, with ten ofthe galley slaves to work the sails, the others being equally dividedbetween the three galleys. They were, in the first place, to row to theisland where the pirates were imprisoned, and to slay or capture thewhole of them; afterwards they were to make direct for Rhodes; withso numerous a fleet there was no fear of their being attacked. Thearrangements took but a short time to complete. An hour later they leftthe port, the three galleys rowing ahead, while the five prizes, undereasy sail, followed them. 

Sir John Boswell had been wounded, but not so seriously as to altogetherdisable him, and he was in command of one of the prizes, having SirAdam Tedbond, Harcourt, Gervaise, and a German knight, with him. SirMarmaduke Lumley, who, after the first fight was over, was found, to thesurprise and pleasure of his comrades, to be still living, was, with therest of the wounded, on board one of the galleys. Two of the pirateshad fallen dead across him, and in the ardour of their attack on theknights, he had lain there unnoticed until the return of Sir Louis andhis comrades had driven the pirates overboard. The leech was of opinionthat he might yet recover from his wound. 

On arriving at the island, sixty of the knights disembarked. The woodsnear the shore were first searched, but were found untenanted. They wereabout to advance up the hill when a man appeared on the crest above themwaving a white flag. He was told to come down, and on his arrival saidthat he was sent by his companions to offer to surrender, on the promisethat their lives should be spared. The knights were well pleased to besaved the trouble of a long search through the woods, and the messengerleft at once to acquaint the pirates that their terms were accepted. Ina short time some eighty men made their way down the hill. On reachingthe beach they were disarmed, divided equally between the galleys, anddistributed among the rowers, filling up the places of those who hadbeen killed by the fire of the Moslems, and of the men drafted into theprizes. They begged for food and water before they began work, and, onbeing questioned, admitted that their surrender was due principallyto the fact that they had been unable to find food of any sort on theisland, and that after searching all over it no spring of water could bediscovered. 

"In that case, " Sir John Boswell said, "I have no doubt they have allsurrendered. I before thought it probable that a good many of them wouldhave remained hidden, trusting to be able to make a raft after wehad left, and so get away, believing rightly enough that we should bedisinclined to search every foot of the island for them. As it is, Idoubt not, all are here. "

The little fleet anchored that night at the rendezvous, and after twomore days' rowing reached Rhodes, where the appearance of the threegalleys, followed by their five prizes, was greeted with greatacclamation. The news, however, that twenty-seven knights had fallen, and that thirteen or fourteen others were very gravely wounded, dampedthe satisfaction that every one had at first felt. D'Aubusson camedown as soon as they reached the mole, and was greatly affected when hereceived Ricord's report. 

"It is an unfortunate loss indeed, Sir Louis, " he said, "though it maybe that the victory is not too dearly purchased. I do not speak of thecaptured ships, nor of the spoil they contain, nor even of the slavesyou have brought us, welcome though all may be, but of the effect thatthe defeat and capture of these craft of Hassan Ali's will have. It isplain that the preparations the sultan is making, and the belief thatRhodes is doomed, have so encouraged the infidels that they are becomingreally formidable at sea. This blow will show them that the Order hasyet power to sweep the sea of pirates. Since, however, this adventurehas taught us that a single leader like Hassan sails with at least nineships under his orders, it is clear that in future our galleys must notadventure singly among the islands. It was fortunate indeed that firstSantoval, and then Piccolomini, arrived to your assistance. How was itthat they happened to come up so opportunely?"

"Sir John Boswell, with Ralph Harcourt and Gervaise Tresham; went ina boat to the rendezvous we had arranged, and reached it after anadventure, which I will leave Sir John to tell himself. I may say thatthe two young knights named had in our encounter both obtained very highcredit amongst us all for the valour with which they fought. No one borehimself more stoutly, and I am glad to take this early opportunity ofbringing their conduct before your notice. As you will learn from SirJohn, Gervaise Tresham afterwards showed a quickness of wit that was themeans of saving the lives of those with him, and I may say also of allwith me, for had they failed to reach the rendezvous we should havefallen easy victims to the five ships Hassan Ali brought against us. "

Sending for Sir John Boswell, the grand prior heard from him the detailsof his adventure in the boat. 

"I am right glad to hear you speak so warmly of Tresham, Sir John, for Iregard him as my special protege, and am pleased indeed to find that atthis 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, thatthese two young knights have shown themselves well worthy of receivingthe 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 rightas knights to bestow it individually, and none among us are more worthyof admitting them to your rank than yourself. "

"I would gladly do it, Sir Peter; but the honour would come far betterfrom yourself, and would not only be more highly prized by them, butwould be of greater value in the eyes of others. I am but a simpleknight commander of the Order, and my name would scarce be known beyondits ranks. But to be knighted by one whose name is known and honouredthroughout Europe would give them a standing wherever they went, andplace them on a level with the best. "

"If that is your opinion, Boswell, I will myself undertake it, andwill do it at once; it were better done here than at a conclave of theOrder--now, when they are fresh from the battle. Let the knights besummoned from the other galleys at once. "

In a few minutes the whole of the knights were assembled on the poop ofthe galley. 

"Friends, and brother knights, " D'Aubusson said. "First, in the nameof the Order, I have to thank you all most heartily for the brave deedsthat 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 asa true and valiant knight, ready to give his life in the cause of theOrder and of humanity. Two names have been specially brought before meby commander Ricord, and by the good knight Sir John Boswell; they arethose of two young companions who, though knights of our Order, have notyet received secular knighthood, and this, in the opinion of thesetwo knights, they have right worthily won. Sir Ralph Harcourt and SirGervaise Tresham, step forward. "

The two young knights, colouring with pleasure at this unexpectedhonour, removed their helmets, and stood with bowed heads before thegrand prior. D'Aubusson went on, turning to the knights around him, "Iam about, comrades, to undertake the office of knighting them. SirLouis Ricord and Sir John Boswell stand as their sponsors. But before Iproceed I would ask you all whether you, too, approve, and hold that SirRalph Harcourt and Sir Gervaise Tresham have proved themselves worthy ofthe honour of secular knighthood at my hands?"

There was a general reply in the affirmative, the answer of thesurvivors of Ricord's crew being specially emphatic. The grand priordrew his sword, and the two young knights knelt before him, theirsponsors standing beside them. 

"Sir Ralph Harcourt, you have now been four years a knight of thisOrder, but hitherto you have had no opportunity of drawing sword againstthe infidels. Now that the chance has come, you have proved yourself atrue and valiant brother of the Order, and well worthy of the secularaccolade. It is in that capacity that I now knight you. It is not thegrand prior of Auvergne, but Sir Peter D'Aubusson, of the grand cross ofSt. 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 ofsecular knighthood; but valour is of no age, and in the opinion ofyour commanders, and in that of your comrades, you have proved yourselfworthy of the honour. You have shown too, that, as Sir John Boswell hasrelated to me, you are not only brave in action, but able, in the momentof danger, to plan and to execute. You were, he tells me, the means ofsaving his life and that of your comrade, and, by thus enabling him tobear to the place of rendezvous the news of Sir Louis's danger, werealso 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 abeginning it is easy to foresee that you will win for yourself some daya distinguished position in the ranks of the Order, and are most worthyof 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 bythe knights, who shook them by the hand, and warmly congratulatedthem upon the honour that had befallen them, receiving equally warmcongratulations on their arrival at the auberge of the langue. 

The five prizes turned out, when their cargoes were landed, to be muchmore valuable than the cursory examination made by the knights hadwarranted them in expecting. They contained, indeed, an accumulation ofthe most valuable contents of the prizes taken by the pirates for a longtime previously; and as these desperadoes preyed upon Turkishcommerce as well as Christian, the goods consisted largely of Easternmanufactures of all kinds. Costly robes, delicate embroidery, superbcarpets, shawls, goldsmiths' work, and no small amount of jewels, wereamong the spoil collected, and the bulk of the merchandise captured was, two days later, despatched in galleys to Genoa and Marseilles, to besold for the benefit of the Order. 

D'Aubusson without hesitation carried out Sir John Boswell's promise tothe 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 agalley, and landed on the mainland. 

The English knights were all proud of the honour that had been won bytheir young countrymen, the only exception being Robert Rivers, who wasdevoured with jealousy at their advancement. He did not openly displayhis feelings, for the reports not only of Sir John Boswell, but of theother two English knights, were so strong that he dared not expresshis discontent. He himself had twice been engaged with pirates, buthad gained no particular credit, and indeed had, in the opinion of hiscomrades, been somewhat slack in the fray. He was no favourite in theauberge, though he spared no pains to ingratiate himself with the seniorknights, and had a short time before been very severely reprimanded bythe bailiff for striking one of the servants. 

"I have more than once had to reprove you for your manners to theservants, " the bailiff said. "You will now be punished by the septaine;you will fast for seven days, on Wednesday and Friday you will receivebread and water only, and will be confined to the auberge for thatperiod. The next time that I have reason to complain of you, I shallbring the matter before the grand master, and represent to him that itwere best to send you home, since you cannot comport yourself to theservants of the auberge as befits a knight of the Order. We have alwaysborne the reputation of being specially kind to our servants, and itis intolerable that one, who has been but a short time only a professedknight, should behave with a hauteur and insolence that not even theoldest among us would permit himself. There is not one of the servantshere who was not in his own country of a rank and station equal, if notsuperior, to your own; and though misfortune has fallen upon them, theyare to be pitied rather than condemned for it. In future, you are togive no order whatever to the servants, nor to address them, save whenat meals you require anything. If you have any complaints to make oftheir conduct to you, you will make them to me, and I will inquire intothe matter; and if I find they have failed in their duty they will bepunished. I shall keep my eye upon you in the future. There are otherfaults that I have observed in you. More than once I have heard youaddress Sir Gervaise Tresham in a manner which, were not duellingforbidden by our rules, might bring about bloodshed; and from what Ihave seen when I have been watching the exercises, he is as much yoursuperior in arms as he is in manner and disposition. "

This reproof had greatly subdued Robert Rivers; and as he felt thatany display of his jealousy of Gervaise would be resented by theother knights, and might result in serious consequences to himself, heabstained from any exhibition of it when they returned to the auberge, although he could not bring himself to join in the congratulationsoffered to them. The next day, however, when he was talking to RalphHarcourt, he remarked, "From what I hear, Harcourt, D'Aubusson praisedyoung Tresham very highly. It seems to me that there was nothing at allout of the way in what he did, and it was very unfair that he should beselected for higher praise than yourself. "

"It was not unfair at all, " Ralph said warmly, for he was of a generousnature, and incapable of the base feeling of envy. "Tresham did a greatdeal more than I did. When we saw the pirate boat gaining so fast uponus, it seemed to Sir John Boswell, as well as to myself, that there wasscarce a chance of escape, and that all we could do was to choose a spoton which to make a stand, and then to sell our lives as dearly as wecould. I could see that Sir John was scanning the hill for a spot wherewe could best defend ourselves. As to hiding on so small an island, witha hundred men eager for our blood searching for us, it was well nighimpossible. It was Tresham's suggestion alone that saved our lives andenabled us to fetch succour to Sir Louis. Sir John, who is an old andtried soldier, said that for quickness and merit of conception, theoldest knight in the Order could not have done better; and he is notone to praise unduly. I am four years older than Gervaise Tresham, butI tell you that were he named tomorrow commander of a galley, I wouldwillingly serve under him. "

"Well, well, you need not be angry, Harcourt, I have nothing to sayagainst 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 seemedto me unfair that one who is a mere boy should receive higher praisethan yourself, who, as I heard Sir John and Sir Adam Tedbond say lastnight at the refectory, bore yourself right gallantly. "

"I did my best, " Ralph said shortly; "but there was small credit in thatwhen we were fighting for our lives. The most cowardly beast will fightunder such circumstances. When you see a Moslem rushing at you, scimitarin 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 neverliked Gervaise, Rivers. I am sure I don't know why, but you always speakin 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 acontempt for him? Although so much younger, he is a better swordsman anda 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 yourselfagainst 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 itis not pleasant to see so much made of a boy, merely because D'Aubussonhas favoured him. "

"I am certain, " Harcourt said hotly, "that such an idea has neveroccurred to any one but yourself. Sir Peter is a great man and will soonbe our grand master, but at present he is but grand prior of the langueof Auvergne, and whether he favours Tresham or not is a matter thatconcerns none of us. Gervaise is liked by us for his own good qualities. He bears himself, as a young knight should do, respectfully towards hisseniors, and is ever ready to do a service to any one. No one hasever seen him out of temper; he is always kind and considerate to theservants, and when in command of parties of slaves at the public worksnever says a harsh word to them, but treats them as if they were humanbeings, and not brute beasts. Besides, though he is more skilful thanany of us with his sword, or indeed at any of the military exercises, heis unassuming, and has no particle of pride or arrogance. It is forall these things that he is liked, and the friendship of D'Aubussonhas naught whatever to do with it. It is not only D'Aubusson who hasprophesied that he will rise to a distinguished rank in the Order. Boswell and Ricord both said the same, and I for one thoroughly believeit. Is there one among us under the age of twenty--and I might gofarther--who has already won such credit for himself? One who when butsixteen can make his mark in an Order like ours is certain to rise tohigh office, and you and I may, before many years are over, be proud toserve under him. "

"That I will never do, " Rivers said fiercely. "I would rather go andbury myself for life in the smallest commandery in England. "

"That may be, " Harcourt retorted, his temper also roused, "But possiblyyou might prefer that to fighting under any other leader. "

"That is a reflection on my courage, Sir Ralph Harcourt, I shall laythis matter before the bailiff. "

"You can do as you like, " Harcourt said disdainfully, "But I don't thinkyou will benefit by your pains. "

When his temper cooled down Rivers acknowledged to himself the truth ofwhat Harcourt said. He was not in the favour of the bailiff, while bothHarcourt and Tresham stood at the present moment high in his estimation. Any complaint would lead to an inquiry into the matter that had ledto the former's words, and even if Harcourt were reprimanded for usingthem, he himself would assuredly not gain in the estimation of theknights. Harcourt himself thought no more of the matter, though helaughingly told Gervaise that Rivers was by no means gratified at theirboth attaining the honour of secular knighthood, which virtually placedthem over his head. 

"He is not a nice fellow, " Gervaise said. "But naturally it must begalling to him, and to a good many others who have not yet had thechance of distinguishing themselves. I think it is very good of themthat they are all so kind and cordial. Of course it is otherwise withyou, 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 neverbeen very friendly with me, of course it is doubly galling to him. Ihope he will soon get an opportunity of winning his spurs too. "

"That is just like you, Tresham. If I were in your place, I shouldhave no good wishes for a fellow who has never lost an opportunity ofannoying me, and that without the smallest cause of offence on my part. "

"I am sure you would not wish him ill, Harcourt. You would makeallowance for him just as I do, and feel that if he had had the sameopportunities 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 theirexpedition was that the Grand Master Orsini was seriously ill, and that, at his advanced age, the doctors feared there was little hope of hisrallying. Gervaise felt a keen regret on hearing that the kind andgentle old man, who had been for three years his master, was at thepoint of death. Nevertheless, it was generally felt among the knightsthat, in view of the dangers that threatened Rhodes, it was for the goodof the Order that a strong and capable man, whom all respected, and whopossessed their entire confidence, should at such a time be investedwith absolute power. 

D'Aubusson had, indeed, for some years been the real head of thecommunity, but every question had, if only as a matter of form, tobe referred to the grand master, in order to obtain his approval andsignature. In the state of feebleness to which he had for some monthspast fallen, much time was frequently lost before he could be made tounderstand the questions referred to him. Moreover, orders of D'Aubussoncould be appealed against, his views thwarted, and his authorityquestioned; and it was therefore felt that, much as they all respectedthe old grand master, it would be an advantage to the Order when thesupreme authority passed into the hands of D'Aubusson. 

Four days after the return of the expedition Orsini died. A few hourslater the grand council was convened, and D'Aubusson unanimouslyelected grand master of the Order. The ceremony of the funeral of hispredecessor was an imposing one. Every knight of the Order in Rhodes waspresent, together with a number of the leading natives of the Island;and although Gervaise had, since his arrival on the Island, seen manystately ceremonies, this far surpassed anything he had previouslybeheld. 

Gervaise had, at one of his first interviews with D'Aubusson after hisarrival at the Island, been advised by him to acquire some knowledge ofTurkish. 

"There are but few knights of the Order who speak the language, " hesaid. "As a rule, while young men are ready to devote any amount of timeto acquiring dexterity in all martial exercises, they will bestow nolabour in obtaining knowledge that may be fully as useful to them asskill in arms. In our dealings with the Turks, one or other party hasto employ an interpreter, and it is often by no means certain that thesemen convey the full meaning of the speeches they translate. Again, wehave large numbers of Turkish slaves, and it is highly to be desiredthat the knights should be able to give their orders to these men intheir own language. Lastly, a knight who has been taken prisoner by theTurks--and even the bravest might meet with such a misfortune--wouldfind it an alleviation of his lot, and might be able to plan and carryout his escape, did he speak Turkish well. I should strongly counsel youto acquire a knowledge of the tongue. "

Gervaise had intended to follow the advice of the grand prior, but theduties of his office as page, and the time required for his militaryexercises and his studies with the chaplain, had rendered it well nighimpossible, during the first three years, to turn his attention tolearning Turkish. As soon as his pageship was at an end, and he foundthat his duties included supervision of Turkish slaves, he felt the wantof a knowledge of the language, and from that time devoted an hour a dayto its study, employing one of the servants of the auberge, who was aman of rank and education at home, to instruct him. 

While he conscientiously spent this amount of time at the work, it wasthe most disagreeable portion of this day's labour. The events, however, that had taken place during the expedition had impressed him greatlywith the utility of a knowledge of Turkish, for had it not been for SirJohn Boswell's possessing some acquaintance with the language, it wouldhave been impossible to communicate with the rowers of their boat, orto have arranged the plan by which they had escaped the pirates. He hadthen and there determined that as soon as he returned to Rhodes he wouldtake the matter up in a very different spirit to that in which he beforeapproached it. He had on the way home spoken to Sir John, who had highlyapproved 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 appearedbefore Rhodes. Our galleys advanced to attack them, but under cover ofnight they retired, and proceeding to the mainland took shelter underthe guns of a Turkish fort. We attacked them there; it was a desperateengagement, but without any decisive advantage on either side. We lostno less than sixty knights, the Egyptians seven hundred men; and theirfleet returned to Egypt. I and three others who were left wounded on thedeck of one of their ships we had boarded, but failed to capture, werecarried to Egypt, and remained there captive for six months, when wewere ransomed by the Order. 

"During that time I learnt enough of their language, which is akin toTurkish, to be able to make myself understood and to understand what wassaid to me. I have kept up that much for intercourse with the slavesand 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 notonly to yourself, but to others, and when we get back I will, if youlike, ask the bailiff to free you from all duty in order that you maydevote 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 portionof their time to study; but most of them look to returning home whentheir term of service here has expired. Many think only of amusement, and all imagine that advancement is best achieved by valour. Tresham hasalready distinguished himself very greatly; so much so, that I thinkit would be well if he did not go on another expedition for a time, butstayed here while others have the opportunity of doing the same. Were weto send him out with the next galleys that start, I should be accused offavouritism, and the lad, who is now deservedly popular with all, wouldbe regarded with envy, and possibly even with dislike. 

"At the same time, after what he has done I should have difficulty inrefusing, 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 thinkthere 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. Informhim, 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 bepresent; and if you, Sir John, will pick out from among the servitorshere one who is well instructed and educated, and capable of writing aswell as reading his language, I will similarly relieve him of all otherwork, and place him at the disposal of young Tresham. Tell the lad thatI hope he will persevere until he obtains a complete knowledge of thetongue. You can mention to him what I have said as to my opinion of theadvantage the knowledge of it will be to him in the Order. "

Gervaise accordingly devoted himself to study. His instructor was a Turkof fine presence. He had been a large landowner in Syria, and helda high official position in the province, but had been captured in agalley on his way to Constantinople, whither he was proceeding on anofficial mission. He was delighted with his new post. Gervaise, both asthe youngest member of the community, and from the kind manner inwhich he always spoke to the servants, --all of whom had acquired someknowledge of English, --was a general favourite among them, and the Turkwas glad that he was to be thrown with him. Still more he rejoiced atbeing appointed his instructor, as it relieved him from all menial workwhich, although preferable to that to which the bulk of the slaves werecondemned, yet galled his spirit infinitely. 

Now that he had entered upon the work with the approbation of hissuperior, and a conviction of its great utility, Gervaise set to workwith the same zeal and ardour which he had exhibited in his militaryexercises. During the heat of the day he sat in the shade reading andwriting with his instructor. In the cool of the morning and afternoonhe walked with him on the walls, or in the country beyond them. Aftersunset he sat with him in an unfrequented corner of the roof, all thetime conversing with him, either of his own country, or that of hisinstructor. 

At first this was difficult, and he had to eke out the Turkish wordshe had acquired with English; but it was not long before there was nonecessity for this. His intercourse for ten or twelve hours a day withthis Turk, and the pains taken by his instructor, caused him to acquirethe language with extreme rapidity. Of course, he had to put up witha great deal of banter from the younger knights upon his passion forstudy. Sometimes they pretended that his mania, as they considered it, arose from the fact that he was determined to become a renegade, and wasfitting himself for a high position in the Turkish army. At other timesthey insisted that his intention was to become a Turkish dervish, or towin a great Turkish heiress and settle in Syria. But as he always boretheir banter good temperedly, and was ready occasionally to join them inthe sport when assaults-at-arms were carried on, they soon became tiredof making fun of him. 

After nine months' constant work, the young knight's studies wereabruptly stopped by the receipt of a letter from the Pasha of Syria, offering a considerable sum for the ransom of his instructor. Therequest was at once acceded to, as it was the policy of the knights toaccept ransoms for their prisoners, both because the sums so gainedwere useful, and because they were themselves compelled sometimes to payransom for members of the Order. Suleiman Ali was, it was arranged, tobe put on board an Egyptian craft bound for Acre, a safe conduct havingbeen sent for the vessel and her crew, and for a knight, who was toreceive the ransom from the pasha. 

"At any rate, Sir Gervaise, " the Turk said, when the young knightexpressed great regret at his leaving them, "our position as instructorand pupil would have come to an end shortly. For the last three monthsthere has been but little teaching between us; we have talked, and thathas 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 nowas fluently as I do, and would pass anywhere as a Syrian, especiallyas there are slight differences of speech in the various provinces. Ibelieve that in Syria you would not be suspected of being anything buta 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, aknight and a soldier, to spend another day in study. "

On the following day Gervaise was, to his surprise, sent for by thegrand master. Except on the occasion of a few public ceremonies, hehad not seen D'Aubusson since he had been elected to his presenthigh dignity, and the summons to attend at the palace therefore cameunexpectedly. 

"We have become quite strangers, Tresham, " the grand master saidcordially when he entered. "I have not forgotten you, and have severaltimes questioned your bailiff concerning you. He tells me that youhave become quite an anchorite, and that, save at your meals and for anoccasional bout-at-arms, you are seldom to be seen. I was glad tohear of your devotion to study, and thought it better to leave youundisturbed at it. Yesterday evening I sent for your instructor. He isa man of influence in Syria, and I wished to learn how he was affectedtowards us, now that he is about to return there. We talked for sometime, and I then asked him what progress you had made, and was surprisedand pleased to find that in his opinion you could pass anywhere as anative, and that you were perfectly capable of drawing up and writingany document I might desire to send to the sultan or any of hisgenerals. This is far more than I had expected, and shows how earnestlyyou must have worked. Your knowledge may prove of much assistance to theOrder, and believe me, the time you have spent in acquiring it may proveof much greater advantage to you in your career than if you had occupiedit in performing even the most valiant deeds, and that at some futuretime it will ensure your appointment to a responsible office here. Itwas partly to assure you of my approbation that I sent for you, partlyto inform you that I have appointed you to proceed with Suleiman Ali asthe 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 oftrust, and it is the first fruits of the advantages you will gain byyour knowledge of Turkish. No, do not thank me. I am selecting youbecause you are better fitted than any knight I can spare for themission, and also, I may say, because the choice will be pleasingto Suleiman Ali, whose goodwill I am desirous of gaining. Before nowTurkish provinces have thrown off their allegiance to the sultan. Theyhave, I must admit, been usually reconquered, but such might not bealways the case; and if such an event happened in Syria, this man'sinfluence and goodwill might be of great advantage to us, as it mightwell suit us to ally ourselves with Syria against Constantinople. I amglad to say that I found him at least as well disposed as any man couldbe who had been some years in slavery. He admitted that, for a slave, he had been kindly and gently treated, and added that any unpleasantmemories he might have retained had been obliterated by the nine monthsof pleasant companionship spent with you. "

When Gervaise returned to dinner at the auberge, and informed RalphHarcourt and the other young knights that he had been appointed to takecharge of the vessel in which Suleiman Ali was to be conveyed toAcre, the statement was at first received with incredulity. It seemedincredible that the youngest knight in the langue should be chosen forsuch a mission, involving as it did a separate command. Even the olderknights, when the news was passed down the table, were surprised. 

"I must say that I am astonished at the grand master's choice. SirGervaise Tresham doubtless distinguished himself greatly some monthssince, 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 afavour as a separate command. "

"I don't know, Wingate, " Sir John Boswell said. "It seems to me thatwhen a young knight of seventeen eschews all pleasure, refrains fromvolunteering for service at sea, and spends his whole time in study, hedoes distinguish himself, and that very greatly. Of the three or fourhundred young knights here I doubt if one other would have so acted. Certainly, none to my knowledge have done so. Yet I do not supposethat D'Aubusson selected him for this duty as a reward for so much selfdenial and study, but because by that self denial and study he is morefitted for it than any of us here, save some three or four knights inthe other langues, all of whom are in too high a position to be employedin so unimportant a duty. He can speak Turkish--not a few score ofwords and sentences such as I can, but, as Suleiman Ali tells me, like anative. Were one of us chosen for this mission, it would be necessary tosend an interpreter with him; and every one knows how hard it is to dobusiness in that manner. It seems to me that the grand master has actedwisely in putting aside all question of seniority, and employing theknight who is better suited than any other for it. "

"You are right, Boswell, " the bailiff said. "I really have beenastonished 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 hisdetermination to learn Turkish, I thought he would speedily tire of it, and that when the next galley sailed, his name would be among the listof volunteers for the service. I am sure, comrades, that there are few, if any, among us who would not infinitely prefer fighting the Moslemsto spending our whole time in learning their language; and I for oneconsider the fact that he has for nine months laboured so incessantlyand assiduously that he has come, as Boswell says, to speak it likea native, is even more to his credit than the deed for which he wasknighted. "

This conversation took place at the upper end of the table, and was notheard at the lower end where the younger knights were seated. 

"I am not chosen from favour, " Gervaise said hotly, to one of hiscompanions who had asserted that this was so. "I am simply chosenbecause I can speak Turkish. "

"How much Turkish can you speak?" one of them laughed. Gervaise turnedto the Turkish servant behind them, and said, in his language, "Hassan, Sir Giles Trevor wishes to know how well I speak Turkish. You have heardme 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 Turkishsame as I do. If he dress up in Turk clothes I suppose him Turk, notknow he Christian by his speech. "

Exclamations of surprise broke from the young knights. 

"Well, you have earned the appointment, Tresham, " Ralph Harcourt saidheartily. "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 canyou read and write the Turkish language?"

"Well enough for practical purposes, Ralph. At any rate, I wrote acomplimentary letter this morning from the grand master to the governorof Syria, and the bailiff of Spain, who was, as you know, for ten yearsa 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 itwithout alteration. "

"I would give a good deal, " Sir Giles Trevor said, "if I could followyour example, and shut myself up for nine months with an infidel tostudy his language; but I could not do it if my life depended on it. Ishould 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 Harcourtsaid. "I always hated our lessons with the chaplain, who gave me thecharacter of having the thickest head of any of his pupils; but Ivow"--and he kissed the handle of his dagger--"I will spend half an houra day in trying to learn something of Turkish. Of course, I know thatsuch time will not be enough to learn a great deal; but if one could getup just enough to be able to give orders to the slaves, to questionthe captain of a vessel one has captured, and to make them understanda little, if by bad luck one fell into their hands, it would be quiteenough for me. I am sure sometimes one is quite at a loss how to passthe hours when the sun is at its hottest, and if one tried one ought tobe 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 infidelcan learn enough English to get on with, without any regular study, Ican't see why we shouldn't be able to learn enough Turkish in the sameway. "

Two or three of the other young knights declared that they too woulddevote a short time during the heat of the day to learning Turkish, andthey agreed to begin together forthwith with one of the servants, whospoke English most fluently. Robert Rivers was not present, for he hadreturned to England six months before, to take up his residence at theHouse in Clerkenwell, in order that he might bring to bear the interestof his many powerful friends to secure for him an appointment ascommander of one of the estates of the Order in England. His departurehad caused general satisfaction among the other knights, whom hisarrogance and ill temper had frequently irritated. Gervaise especiallywas glad at his leaving the Island, for after he received the honourof knighthood, Rivers made a point of always addressing him with anaffectation of deference and respect that often tried his temper to theutmost. 

"It is well that Rivers has gone, " Ralph said, laughing, "for I don'tknow how he would have supported the chagrin your appointment would havegiven him. He was devoured with jealousy as it was, but this would havebeen a trial beyond bearing. "

"I am heartily glad he has gone, " Gervaise said gravely. "I have put upwith a great deal from him, but I don't think I could have stood muchmore. If our vows had not forbidden our fighting I should have calledhim to account long ago; but the only thing else to do was for meto lodge a formal complaint before the bailiff, of his continuallyoffensive bearing and manner, which I could not bring myself to do, andindeed there was no special matter that would have seemed to justify me, no single speech that in itself would warrant such grave action on mypart. I used to wish over and over again that we could but meet in somequiet spot in England, both unarmed, and could there settle the matterin good English fashion, with our fists, or even with a couple ofquarterstaffs. "

The others laughed. 

"That would be a very unknightly form of contest. "

"I care not for that, " Gervaise replied. "It would be a verysatisfactory one anyhow, and quite serious enough for the occasion. Hissneers and petty insults were not sufficient to justify the drawing ofblood, and there has been enough of that shed for the last twenty yearsin England without two brother knights betaking themselves to theirswords against each other. But a sound thrashing would have done neitherof us harm, and if it had fallen to his lot to get the largest share ofit, it might have done him some good. "

"He thinks he is sure of an appointment, " one of the others said, "buthe has been so frequently in trouble here that it is likely that theofficial report, which is always sent home to the grand prior when theknights return to England, will be so unfavourable that even the mostpowerful influence will fail to obtain him a post. If so, we may havehim back here again, especially if the Turks carry out their threat ofassailing us, for an appeal will be made to all the grand priors forknights to aid in the defence. "

That evening Gervaise went again to the palace to receive finalinstructions. 

"The craft in which you are to travel is an Egyptian trader. As atpresent war has not been formally declared between us and the sultan, peaceful traders, as you know, carry on their avocations unmolestedeither by the warships of the Turks or by ours; they do not enter ourports without a special permit, and the crews are never allowed to land, in order that no detailed account of our fortifications may be takento the sultan. Moreover, brawls might arise between them and the nativepopulation, or they might aid slaves to escape. However, you will bealtogether safe from interference from Turkish war vessels, and ifoverhauled by one of them the safe conduct will be sufficient to preventinterference with you. But it is not so with pirates. They will plundertheir own countrymen as readily as they will Christians, and the safeguard of the governor of Syria will be of no use whatever to you. Inthis consists the danger of your mission. I cannot send one of our wargalleys on such an errand, and if there are not enough knights on boardto beat off any pirate, the fewer there are the better. I hear thatthe craft is a fast sailor, and as the crew will be as anxious to avoidpirates as you, they will do their best to escape. I leave it to you totake any route. You can either sail hence direct for Acre, or you cancoast 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 youto disguise yourself, for some of the crew would be sure to denounceyou. Should the worst happen, and you are captured by pirates, you willof course in the first place show them your safe conduct, and if I findthat you do not return I shall send at once to the governor of Syria, complaining of your capture when furnished with his safeguard, andrequesting him to order a search for you to be made at every port on thecoast, with instructions that you are to be at once released, and eithersent to him for return hither, or placed on board a craft bound for anyChristian port; while you, on your part, will endeavour to acquaintthe Turkish authorities with the fact that you have been seized whiletravelling with a safe conduct from the governor of Syria. 

"But, more than from any efforts on your part or mine, I rely uponSuleiman Ali, who will, I am sure, as soon as he is set on shore, loseno time in acquainting the pasha of your capture, and in calling uponhim to interfere in your favour. In that case, the worst that couldbefall you would be a temporary detention, unless, indeed, the piratesshould take you to Egypt. As that country is friendly with us atpresent, since Egypt dreads the ever increasing power of the Turks, itwill be but a question of ransom, for I have secret agents there whowill 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 capturedI trust that an opportunity of escape will soon present itself, for Ishould, if taken, conceal from my captors the fact that I understandtheir language, and should thus, if I could evade my guard, have everychance of escaping, as in a native dress I could meet and converse withthose hunting for me, without their having a suspicion of my being thewhite slave for whom they were in search. "

"Once at Acre you will be safe. But do not land unless it is absolutelynecessary, for you might fall a victim to the fanaticism of itsinhabitants, and no knight has ever set foot on shore there since theill fated day when the Moslems wrested it from us, bathed the ruinedwalls with the best blood of our Order and the Templars', and destroyedthe last hope of our ever recovering the Holy Sepulchre. "

The next morning at daybreak Gervaise and Suleiman Ali went on board theEgyptian trader, and sailed for Acre. The current of opinion had changedat the auberge when the knights came to think over the mission on whichGervaise was about to start, and the slight feeling of jealousy withwhich the younger knights had received the news was entirely dissipated. While it did not seem to them that there was any chance of hisdistinguishing himself, they perceived, as they thought it over, theconsiderable danger there was of capture by pirates, and Ralph and someof his companions came down to the mole to see him off, with feelings inwhich envy bore no part whatever. 

"I see now, Gervaise, that it is truly no holiday excursion on which youare starting. I should envy you greatly were you going in command of anarmed galley, prepared to beat off any craft that might try to overhaulyou; but, going alone as you are, it is a very different thing. Shouldpirates meet you, you could offer no resistance, and your position wouldbe a perilous one indeed. However, I think you are born to good luck, and am confident that your patron saint will look after you, andtherefore expect to see you back here in a fortnight's time at theoutside. "

"I hope so with all my heart, Ralph. It will be no fault of mine if Itarry. "

"Will you keep the open sea, or skirt the land, Tresham?" one of theothers asked. 

"I shall keep the open sea. The grand master left me to choose mycourse; but I think there is more danger by the coast--where pirates maybe hiding in unfrequented bays, in readiness to pounce upon a passingcraft--than in the open sea, where we should have at least the advantagethat we could not be taken by surprise, and might make a race of it. Butthe sun will be up in a few minutes, and my orders were to set out atsunrise, so I must say goodbye at once. "

As soon as the vessel was under way, Gervaise took a seat on the poop bythe side of Suleiman Ali, and related to him the conversation he had hadwith the grand master. 

"The risk that you will run has not escaped me, " the Turk said, "andindeed, I now regret that you were chosen as my escort. I almost wishthat my son had not purchased my freedom at the present time, since itinvolves the risk of you losing yours. There is no doubt that the seaswarms with pirates; the sultan is too busy with his own struggles forEmpire to bestow any attention upon so small a matter. The pashas andthe 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 theseas so hotly that piracy well nigh ceased, have now for forty yearsbeen obliged to turn their attention chiefly to their own defence. Theypossess a comparatively small fleet of galleys, and their wealth isexpended on their fortress. 

"What with Egypt and the sultan their hands are too full for them to actas the police of the sea, and the consequence is that from every port, bay, and inlet, pirate craft set out--some mere rowboats, some, likethose under the command of Hassan Ali, veritable fleets. Thus thehumblest coasters and the largest merchant craft go alike in fear ofthem, and I would that the sultan and Egypt and your Order would for twoor three years put aside their differences, and confine their efforts tosweeping the seas of these pests, to storming their strongholds, and toinflicting such punishment upon them as that, for a very long time tocome, 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 harmlesslooking fishing boat may carry a crowd of pirates hidden in her hold. Atthe same time, if you will take my advice you will head much more tothe south, so as to be out of the regular track of ships making fromConstantinople or the islands to Acre. You may meet pirates anywhere, but they are assuredly thicker along the more frequented routes. Thesafest plan of all would probably be to bear south, and strike theEgyptian coast well to the east of the mouth of the Nile. Thence, tillyou get to Palestine, the country is utterly barren and uninhabited, while, running up the coast to Palestine, there are, save at Jaffa, noports to speak of until you arrive at Acre; and besides, the inhabitantsthere, even if pirates, would not venture to disregard the pasha'ssafe conduct. I do not by any means say that such a course would beabsolutely safe. You may meet with vessels on your way south, anddoubtless some of them cruise off the barren coast I speak of, tointercept traders to and from Egypt and Acre, and other Syrian ports;for the trade carried on is considerable, and, although of the samereligion, the Turks are disposed to view the Egyptians as enemies ratherthan as friends, and would have even less hesitation in plundering themthan in robbing their own countrymen. "

"I think that your suggestion is a good one, and will follow it, at anyrate. The course is a good deal longer, but that is comparatively oflittle 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 farrather that we were captured on our voyage thither, for in that case Imight 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 thelength of the voyage; but they saw only one doubtful craft. She waslying close inshore under the shadow of the sand hills, and they didnot see her until she hoisted her sails and shot out from the land. Theywere, however, three miles distant from the land at the time, and thewind was blowing from the north; consequently the pirate was dead toleeward. Every sail was set at once on board the trader, and, being afast sailor, she maintained her position until nightfall. The wind thendropped, and just as the light faded they could see that the vesselbehind them had put out her sweeps. The trader kept up her sails untilcertain 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 fromthe deck of the trader were unable to discern her pursuer as she passedbehind them. As soon as they were well assured that she must havegone on, the boats were got in, the sails hoisted again, and, takingadvantage 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, butthe distance was too great for her to take up the pursuit again with anychance of success, and the trader continued her course to Acre withoutseeing more of her. 

As soon as the trader entered the port, the Egyptian captain went onshore, taking with him a copy of the safe conduct and the letter fromthe 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 aletter from the pasha, stating that he had written to the grand masterrespecting the ransom of the aga, and sending me the amount whichSuleiman's son had offered. The young man was not of age when his fatherwas captured, but he is so now, and was therefore able to raise thesum required. I will go down to the port with you myself, hand overthe ransom, and welcome Suleiman, whom I know well, back from hiscaptivity. "

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 Ihear. Fortune was with us as we sailed hither, but it may desert youon your return. Should aught befall you, tell your captors that if theybring you to me I will pay any ransom that they could, in fairness, require. Should they refuse to do this, send, if possible, a messengerto me, and on receipt of your message I will send a trusty man topurchase your freedom. You have treated me as a friend and an equal, anda friend I shall always remain. "

The vessel was to remain four days in port, to discharge her cargo andtake in another, and Suleiman had talked of remaining at Acre until shesailed, 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 myaccount. I am well content to remain on board here, and to look at thecity which has so often been the theatre of great deeds--which Richardthe Lion Heart captured, and which so many of the Hospitallers died todefend. I was charged by the grand master not to land, and indeed I feelmyself that it would be an act of folly to do so. There are doubtlessmany on shore who have relatives and friends now working as slaves amongus, and some of these might well seek to avenge them by slaying one ofthe Order. I feel your kindness, but it would be a pain to me to knowthat you were lingering here on my account, when you must be longing toembrace your children. "

The four days passed rapidly. Gervaise had, at the suggestion of thegovernor, laid aside the mantle and insignia of the Order. 

"If you do not do so, " he said, "I must place a strong guard of soldierson board, in order to ensure that the pasha's safeguard is not violated. Sailors are a turbulent race, and were you recognised here they mightmake a tumult, and slay you before a word of what was going on reachedme. In any case I shall place two soldiers on board until you leave theport. "

On the morning of the fifth day the sails were got up, and the vesselsailed out from the port. Fortune again favoured them, and they reachedRhodes without any adventure. Gervaise went at once to the palace, andhanded over the purse of gold to the treasurer. He then sent up his nameto the grand master, and was immediately conducted to his room. 

"I am glad to see you back, Tresham. I have been uneasy about you. Haveyou fulfilled your mission without adventure?"

"Without any adventure, sir, save that we were once chased by a pirateon our way east, but escaped in the darkness. Save for that, the voyagehas been wholly uneventful. I have received the ransom, and handed thepurse to your treasurer. "

"I am glad that your first command has turned out so well. I will seethat you do not lack employment; and the fact that you are able to actas interpreter will ensure you a welcome on any galley. At present, however, it is not my intention to send out many cruisers. Every lifenow is precious, and no amount of spoil that can be brought in willcounter balance the loss of those who fall. However, I may find somemission on which you can be employed. I know that you love an activelife; 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 ofgreater use to the Order, you have a good right to any employment inwhich your knowledge can be utilised. "

On his arrival at the auberge, Gervaise was very heartily greeted by theyounger knights. 

"I told you you were born lucky, Gervaise, " Ralph Harcourt said. "Therehas 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 tellus about your voyage. "

Gervaise gave a brief account of the adventure with the pirate, and thendescribed 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 aTurkish governor should be. He looked a little surprised when I accostedhim in Turkish, but asked no questions at the time, though I daresay heinquired afterwards of Suleiman how I came to speak the language. Theonly time he actually said anything was when he requested that I wouldnot wear the mantle of the Order while in port, as sailors were aturbulent race, and it might lead to an attack upon me; and as he wasresponsible to the pasha that his safe conduct should be respected, itwould be necessary, if I declined to follow his advice, to keep a strongbody 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 itscastle and walls, I acceded at once to his request, which seemed to mea reasonable one. He did send two soldiers on board, but they remaineddown in the waist, and did not interfere with my pleasure in any way. "

"Next to Jerusalem, how I should like to see Acre!" Ralph Harcourtexclaimed. "It is, of all other cities, the most closely connected withour 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 oftendescribed 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 maysince have made. "

"That I know not, Ralph. Of course, I only saw the seafront, and it wasupon the land side that the attack was made. We know that the breacheswere all repaired long ago, and it is said that the place is strongerthan ever. From the port all was solid and massive. It is indeed a grandand stately fortress. Here we have done all that was possible to makeRhodes impregnable, but nature did nothing for us; there nature has doneeverything, and the castle looks as if it could defy the assaults of anarmy, however large. And indeed, it was not wrested from us by force. The knights, when the city walls were stormed and the town filled withtheir 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 maybe, it needs hands to defend it. Still, it well nigh moved me to tearsto see the Turkish banner waving over it, and to think how many tensof thousands of Christian soldiers had died in the effort to retain theholy places, and had died in vain. "

"I wonder whether the Turks will ever be forced to relinquish their holdof the holy places?"

"Who can tell, Sir Giles?" the bailiff, who had come up to the groupunobserved, said quietly. "Certainly not in our time--not until theMoslem power, which threatens not only us, but all Europe, has crumbledto dust. So long as Acre remains in their power there is no hope. I saynot but that by a mighty effort of all Christendom, Palestine might bewrested from the infidels, as it was wrested before; but the past showsus 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 beoverwhelmed by the odds that would be brought against them, while Europelooked on impassive, if not indifferent. No, knights; the utmost thatcan be hoped for, is that the tide of Moslem invasion westward may bestayed. At present we are the bulwark, and as long as the standard ofour Order waves over Rhodes so long is Europe safe by sea. But I foreseethat this cannot last: the strongest defences, the stoutest hearts, and the bravest of hearts, cannot in the long run prevail againstoverpowering 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 succumbat 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, Itrust, 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 homeelsewhere, and again commence our labours. The nearer we are to Europethe more hope there is that Christendom will aid us, for they will moregenerally understand that our defeat would mean the laying open of theshores of the Mediterranean, from Turkey to Gibraltar, to the invasionof the Moslems. However, comrades, this is all in the future. Our shareis but in the present, and I trust the flag of the Order will float overRhodes as long, at least, as the lifetime of the youngest of us, andthat we may bequeath the duty of upholding the Cross untarnished tothose who come after us; and we can then leave the issue in God'shands. "

All listened respectfully to the words of their leader, although hisopinion fell like cold water upon the fiery zeal and high hopes of hishearers. The possibility of their losing Rhodes had never once enteredinto the minds of the majority of them. It was likely that ere long theymight be called upon to stand a siege, but, acquainted as they were withthe strength of the place--its deep and seemingly impassable moat, itsmassive walls, and protecting towers and bastions--it had seemed to themthat Rhodes was capable of withstanding all assaults, however numerousthe foe, however oft repeated the invasion. The bailiff was, as allknew, a man of dauntless courage, of wide experience and great judgment, and that he should believe that Rhodes would, although not in theirtime, inevitably fall, brought home to them for the first time the factthat their fortress was but an outpost of Europe, and one placed sodistant from it that Christendom, in the hour of peril, might be unableto furnish them with aid. As the bailiff walked away, there was silencefor a short time, and then Sir Giles Trevor said cheerfully, "Well, ifit lasts our time we need not trouble our heads as to what will takeplace afterwards. As the bailiff says, our duty is with the present, andas we all mean to drive the Turks back when they come, I do not see thatthere is any occasion for us to take it to heart, even if it be fatedthat the Moslems shall one day walk over our tombs. If Christendomchooses to be supine, let Christendom suffer, say I. At any rate, I amnot 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 haveno argument to advance against it, though I am sure there is much to besaid; 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 fittingreply. "

Sir Giles tossed his head mockingly. "I shall fight neither better norworse, friend Harcourt, because it may be that someday the Moslems are, as the bailiff seems to think, destined to lord it here. I have onlypromised and vowed to do my best against the Moslems, and that vow onlyholds 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 forthose of us who are going, to be starting for the ball given by SignorSucchi; as he is one of the richest merchants in the town, it will be agay one, and there is no lack of fair faces in Rhodes. It is a grievouspity that our elders all set their will against even the younger membersof the community joining in a dance. It was not one of the things Iswore to give up. However, here in Rhodes there is no flying in the faceof 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, Imust write a letter to Suleiman Ali and hand it to the bailiff, prayinghim to send it off by the first vessel that may put in here on her wayto Acre. If I do not do it now it may be neglected, and I promised towrite directly I got here. I will not be half an hour, and after that Ishall be ready to do anything you like. "

In less than that time, indeed, he rejoined Ralph. "Now what shall wedo with ourselves? What do you say to a stroll through the streets? I amnever tired of that. "

"I like better to go by way of the roofs, Gervaise. The streets arebadly lit, and although they are busy enough in some quarters, they areso narrow that one gets jostled and pushed. On the terraces everythingis quiet. You have plenty of light and music, and it is pleasant tosee families sitting together and enjoying themselves; and if one isdisposed for a cup of wine or of cool sherbet, they are delighted togive it, for they all are pleased when one of us joins a group. I havequite a number of acquaintances I have made in this way while you havebeen working away at your Turkish. "

"Very well, " Gervaise said. "If such is your fancy, Ralph, let us takeone of the paths across the roofs. I might walk there twenty years bymyself without making an acquaintance, and I do not pledge myself tojoin in these intimacies of yours. However, I shall be quite content toamuse myself by looking on at the scene in general, while you are payingyour visits and drinking your sherbet. "

"There are plenty of fair girls among the Rhodians, " Ralph said, with asmile; "and though we are pledged to celibacy we are in no way bound toabstain from admiration. "

Gervaise laughed. 

"Admire as much as you like, Ralph, but do not expect me to do so. Ihave scarcely as much as spoken to a woman since I entered the House inLondon, 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 towomen. It is one of the great duties of chivalry. And you must rememberthat we are secular knights, as well knights of the Order. "

"The work of the Order is quite sufficient for me at present, Ralph. Intime 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 bethe fashion; though why we, who are bound to celibacy, should admire onewoman more than another I cannot understand. "

They had by this time descended from the castle, and were taking theirway along one of the broad paths that led over the flat roofs of thehouses by means of the bridges thrown across the streets. 

"These are some acquaintances of mine, " Ralph said, stopping at one ofthe walls, some three feet high, that bordered the path. 

Beyond was an enclosure of some fifty feet square. Clumps of shrubs andflowers, surrounded by stonework some eight or ten inches high enclosingthe earth in which they grew, were scattered here and there. Lamps werehung to cords stretched above it, while others were arranged among theflowers. In the centre a large carpet was spread, and on this some eightor ten persons were seated on cushions. A girl was playing a lute, andanother singing to her accompaniment. She stopped abruptly when her eyefell upon the figures of the two young knights. 

"There is Sir Ralph Harcourt, father!" she exclaimed in Italian, whichwas the language most used on the Island, and spoken with more or lessfluency by all the knights, among whom it served as a general medium ofcommunication. "Are you waiting to be invited in, Sir Knight?" shewent on saucily. "I thought that by this time you would know you werewelcome. "

"Your tongue runs too fast, child, " her father said, as he rose andwalked across to Ralph. "You are welcome, Sir Ralph, very welcome. Ipray you enter and join us. "

"I will do so with pleasure, Signor Vrados, if you will also extend yourhospitality 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 theirfeet as they went up to the carpet, and greeted Ralph with a warmthwhich showed that he was a favourite. He introduced Gervaise to them. 

"I wonder that I do not know your face, Sir Knight, " the merchant'swife said. "I thought I knew all the knights of the Order by sight, fromseeing them either at the public ceremonies, or observing them pass inthe streets. "

"For the last nine months Sir Gervaise has been an anchorite. He hasbeen learning Turkish, and has so devoted himself to the study that evenI have scarce caught sight of him, save at meals. As for walking in thestreets, it is the last thing he would think of doing. I consider myselfa good and conscientious young knight, but I am as nothing in thatrespect to my friend. I used to look upon him as my little brother, forwe were at the House of the Order in London together. He is four yearsyounger than I am, and you know four years between boys makes an immensedifference. 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 takenliterally. "

"We learned that quite early in our acquaintance, " the girl who hadfirst noticed them said, with an affectation of gravity. "I always tellhim that I cannot believe anything he says, and I am grateful to you, Sir Knight, for having thus borne evidence to the quickness of myperception. "

By this time the servants had brought some more cushions, and on theseRalph and Gervaise seated themselves. Wine, sherbet, and cakes, werethen handed round. The master of the house placed Gervaise on his righthand, as a stranger. 

"You have been among our islands, Sir Gervaise? But indeed, I need notask that, since I know that you and Sir Ralph were knighted together foryour valour in that affair with the ships of Hassan Ali. We come fromLesbos. It is now eighty years since my family settled in Rhodes, and wehave seen it grow from a small place to a great fortress. "

"'Tis a wonderful place, " Gervaise said. "I know nothing of thefortresses of Europe, but it seems to me that no other can well bestronger 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, buthave been able to sell numbers to European potentates. Yes, Rhodes iswonderfully strong. That great fosse would seem as if it could defy theefforts of an army to cross; and yet the past has shown that even thestrongest defences, held with the greatest bravery, can be carried bygenerals with immense armies, and careless how they sacrifice them sothat they do but succeed. Look at Acre, for example. "

"I was looking at it five days ago, " Gervaise said, "and thinking thatit 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. Ofcourse I had a safe conduct, and I was glad indeed of the opportunity ofseeing so famous a fortress. "

"You were fortunate indeed, Sir Knight, and it was, if you will pardonmy saying so, singular that so young a knight should have been chosen. Assuredly, even the senior knights of the Order would rejoice at theopportunity of beholding a fortress so intimately connected with thepast 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, andcan now speak the language fluently; and as this was a necessity onsuch a mission, and the few knights who can so speak it are all in highoffice, 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, tomake Rhodes your home? I ask because I suppose you would not have takenthis labour had you intended shortly to return to England. "

"Yes; I hope to remain here permanently. I know that the first steptowards promotion here is generally a commandery at home, but I did notenter the Order with any idea of gaining office or dignity. I desiresimply to be a knight of the Cross, and to spend my life in doingfaithful 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, althoughdoubtless many of them will hasten back again as soon as the danger ofan assault from the Turks becomes imminent. You see, we who dwell hereunder the protection of the Order naturally talk over these things amongourselves; and although, in the matter of fortifications, all will admitthat enormous efforts have been made to render the town secure, it isclear that in the matter of knights to defend them there is very muchleft to be desired. It is all very well to say that the knights from allparts of Europe would flock hither to defend it; but the journey wouldbe a long one, and would occupy much time, and they would probablynot receive news that the Turks had sailed until the place was alreadyinvested. Then it would be difficult, if not altogether impossible, forships with reinforcements to make their way through the Turkish fleet, and to enter the port. To man the walls properly would need a force fivetimes as numerous as that which is now here. I recognise the valourof your knights; they have accomplished wonders. But even they cannotaccomplish impossibilities. For a time they could hold the walls; butas their number became reduced by the fire of the Turkish cannon and thebattles at the breaches, they would at last be too weak any longerto repel the onslaughts of foes with an almost unlimited supply ofsoldiers. "

"That is true enough, " Gervaise admitted; "and to my mind it is shockingthat four-fifths at least of the Order, pledged to oppose the infidels, should be occupied with the inglorious work of looking after the manorsand estates of the society throughout Europe, while one-fifth, at most, are here performing the duties to which all are sworn. Of the revenuesof 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 asdanger becomes imminent, without waiting for the news that the Turkisharmament has actually set forth. "

For an hour the two young knights remained on the roof, Gervaise talkingquietly with the merchant, while his companion laughed and chatted withthe ladies and friends of their host. After they had left, with thepromise that it would not be long before they repeated their visit, Ralph bantered Gervaise on preferring the society of the merchant tothat of his daughters. 

"I found him a pleasant and very well informed man, Ralph, and enjoyedmy talk with him just as you enjoyed talking nonsense to his daughtersand listening to their songs. Who was the man sitting next to the eldestdaughter?"

"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 relativeof the family, or a business connection of the merchant's, or a strangerwho has brought a letter of introduction to him. Nothing was said onthat head; why do you ask?"

"I don't like the man's face; he is a handsome fellow, but has a craftyexpression. He did not say much, but it seemed to me that at times, whenhe appeared to be sitting carelessly sipping his sherbet, he was reallytrying to listen to what Vrados was saying to me. He could not doso, for we were on the other side of the circle, and were speaking insomewhat 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 tolisten. "

"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 ourspies at Constantinople, and probably the sultan has his spies here; andthe 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 insufficientevidence--or rather, as far as I can see, without a shadow of evidenceof any kind. We drop in upon a man who is one of our most respectedmerchants, whose family has been established here many years, whoseinterests must be the same as those of the Order; and because a guest ofhis 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 hemight be a spy, which is a very different thing to my accusing him ofbeing one. I am ready to admit that the chances are infinitely greaterthat he is an honest trader or a relation of the merchant, and that hispresence here is perfectly legitimate and natural, than that he shouldbe 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 asuspicious nature, but I really should like to learn a little aboutthis man. I do not mean that I am going to try to do so. It would be anunworthy action to pry into another's business, when it is no concern ofone'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 meetand talk, and enjoy what society there is in the city, without troublingtheir heads for a moment as to where people come from or what theirbusiness is here, still less whether they are spies. Such ideas do notso much as occur to them, and I must say that I think the sooner youfall into the ways of other people the better. "

"There is no harm done, " Gervaise said composedly. "I am not thinkingof asking our bailiff to order him to be arrested on suspicion. I onlyremarked that I did not like the man's face, nor the way in which, whilehe pretended to be thinking of nothing, he was trying to overhear whatwe 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 withyou this evening. I have had no experience whatever of what you callsociety, 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 maychange. I don't for a moment wish to judge you or others; you apparentlyenjoy it, and it is a distraction from our serious work. I say simplythat it is an amusement which I do not understand. You must rememberthat I entered the Order in consequence of a solemn vow of my deadfather, that I regard the profession we make as a very serious one, andthat my present intention is to devote my life entirely to the Order andto an active fulfilment of its vows. "

"That is all right, Gervaise, " Ralph said good temperedly. "Only I thinkit would be a pity if you were to turn out a fanatic. Jerusalem andPalestine are lost, and you admit that there is really very littlechance 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 engagein a war with France. The vow of poverty is long since obsolete. Many ofour 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 sumvastly exceeding his allowance from the Order. The great body of knightsare equally lax as to some of their other vows, and carry this to alength that, as you know, has caused grave scandal. But I see not thatit 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 ofRhodes, as in bygone days we were ready to fight in defence of the HolySepulchre. Kings and great nobles have endowed us with a large number ofestates, in order to maintain us as an army against Islam; and as suchwe 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 noobjection to hold estates, if I had them to hold. But I think that atpresent, with the great danger hanging over us, it would be betterif, in the first place, we were all to spend less time in idleness oramusement, and to devote all our energies to the cause. I mean not onlyby fighting when the time comes for fighting, but by endeavouring inevery way to ward off danger. "

"When I see danger, I will do my best to ward it off, Gervaise; but Icannot go about with my nose in the air, snuffing danger like a huntingdog in pursuit of game. At any rate, I will not bother you to accompanyme on my visits in future. "

CHAPTER IX WITH THE GALLEY SLAVES

Gervaise, on consideration, was obliged to own to himself that Ralph wasright in saying that he had no ground whatever for suspicion againstthe Greek he had met at Signor Vrados's; and he could see no means offollowing the matter up. It would not, he felt, be honourable to goagain to the merchant's house, and to avail himself of his hospitality, while watching his guest. He determined to dismiss the matter fromhis mind, and had, indeed, altogether done so when, a week later, itsuddenly recurred to his memory. 

A party of slaves, under the escort of overseers and in charge of aknight who had been with them at their work on the fortifications, werepassing along the street on their way back to barracks. It was alreadydusk, and as Gervaise was going the same way as they were, he stoodaside in a doorway to let them pass. He was on the point of stepping outto follow them, when he saw a man, who had been standing in the shadowof the wall, fall in with their ranks, and, as he walked engaged in anearnest conversation with one of the slaves. He kept beside him for ahundred yards or so, then passed something into the slave's hand, andturned abruptly down a side opening. There were but few people about, and in the growing darkness the action of the man passed unobserved bythe overseers. Gervaise, thinking the occurrence a strange one, turneddown the same lane as the man. 

He slackened his pace until the latter was fifty yards ahead, so that hewould not, had he looked round, have been able to perceive that it wasa knight who was behind him. After passing through several streets, theman turned into a refreshment house. The door stood open, and as theplace was brightly lit up, Gervaise, pausing outside, was able to seewhat was going on inside. The man he had followed was on the pointof seating himself at one of the tables, and as he did so Gervaiserecognised him as the Greek he had met at the merchant's house. He atonce walked on a short distance, and then paused to think. 

The vague suspicions he had before entertained as to the man nowrecurred with double force; he was certainly in communication with oneor more of the slaves, and such communication, so secretly effected, could be for no good purpose. So far, however, there was nothing hecould tax the man with. He would probably deny altogether that he hadspoken to any of the slaves, and Gervaise could not point out the onehe had conversed with. At any rate, nothing could be done now, and herequired 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 wasengaged in earnest conversation with another. After considering fora time, Gervaise thought that it would be best for him to follow thisother man when he left, and ascertain who he was, rather than to keepa watch on the movements of the Greek, who, as likely as not, would nowreturn to the merchant's. 

He walked several times up and down the street, until at last he saw thetwo men issue out together. They stopped for a moment outside, andthen, after exchanging a few words, separated, the Greek going in thedirection of the quarter in which lay the house of Vrados, while theother walked towards Gervaise. The latter passed him carelessly, butwhen the man had gone nearly to the end of the street, he turned andfollowed him. He could see at once that he was a lay brother of theOrder. This class consisted of men of an inferior social position to theknights; they filled many of the minor offices, but were not eligiblefor promotion. Following for ten minutes, Gervaise saw him approach oneof the barracks, or prisons, occupied by the slaves. He knocked at thedoor, 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 theslaves, but with a prison official, and the matter appeared so grave toGervaise that, after some deliberation, he thought it was too importantfor him to endeavour to follow out alone, and that it was necessary tolay it before the bailiff. Accordingly, after the evening meal he wentup to Sir John Kendall, and asked if he could confer with him alone ona matter over which he was somewhat troubled. The bailiff assented atonce, and Gervaise followed him to his private apartment. 

"Now, what is this matter, Sir Gervaise?" he asked pleasantly. "Nothingserious, I trust?"

"I don't know, Sir John. That is a matter for your consideration; butit seems to me of such importance that it ought to be brought to yourknowledge. "

The face of the bailiff grew more grave, and, seating himself in achair, 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 thebailiff's face as he mentioned that he had met the Greek on the roofof the house of Signor Vrados, and had not liked the expression of hisface. 

"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 everpaid 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 seenthe man enter into communication with a slave; and he frowned heavilywhen 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 aright serious matter, and you have done wisely in informing me of whatyou have seen. Assuredly there is mischief of some sort in the wind. Thequestion is how to get to the bottom of it. Of course, the grand mastermight order the arrest of this Greek and of the prison officer, butyou may be sure that neither would commit himself unless torture wereapplied; and I, for one, have no belief in what any man says under suchcircumstances. The most honest man may own himself a traitor when rackedwith torture, and may denounce innocent men. It is at best a clumsydevice. What think you of the matter?"

"I have hardly thought it over yet, Sir John; and certainly no plan hasyet occurred to me. "

"Well, think it over, Sir Gervaise. It is not likely that a few dayswill make any difference. But I will take measures to see that thisGreek does not sail away from the Island at present, and will speak tothe port master about it. I will myself give the matter consideration, but as you have shown yourself so quick witted in following up thematter 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 comefrom an island where the Turks are masters, and has, perhaps, brought amessage from some relatives of a slave; as to the talk with the prisonofficer, it may be wholly innocent. If we should find that it is so wewill keep this matter to ourselves, if possible, or we shall get finelylaughed at by our comrades for having run upon a false scent. If, on theother hand, the matter should turn out to be serious, you will assuredlyget great credit for having discovered it. Therefore, turn it over inyour mind tonight, and see if you can arrive at some scheme for seeingfurther 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 forgetting to the bottom of this matter. I confess that I myself, though Ihave had a sleepless night over it, have not been able to see anymethod of getting to the root of the affair, save by the application oftorture. "

"I do not know whether the plan I have thought of will commend itself toyour 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 isexpected back from a cruise today or tomorrow. Now, sir, my idea is thatI should go on board a small craft, under the command of a knight uponwhose discretion and silence you can rely, such as, for example, SirJohn Boswell, and that we should intercept the galley. Before we boardher I should disguise myself as a Turkish slave, and as such Sir Johnshould hand me over to the officer in command of the galley, giving hima letter of private instructions from you as to my disposal. If theyhave other slaves on board I would ask that I should be kept apart fromthem, as well as from the rowers of the galley. On being landed I shouldbe sent to the prison where I saw the officer enter last night, and theslaves and rowers should be distributed among the other prisons. Thus, then, the slaves I should be placed with would only know that I hadarrived in the galley with other slaves captured by it. I have no doubtI should be able to maintain my assumed character, and should in a shorttime be taken into the confidence of the others, and should learn whatis going on. It would be well, of course, that none of the officialsof the prison should be informed as to my true character, for others, besides the one I saw, may have been bribed to participate in whateverplot 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? Tokeep up the disguise long enough to be taken into the confidence of theplotters, you might have to stay there for some time; and if the prisonofficials believe you to be but an ordinary slave, you will be put towork either on the walls or in one of the galleys. "

"I am ready to do anything for the benefit of the Order, and the safetyof Rhodes, that will meet with your approval, " Gervaise replied. "Itwill no doubt be unpleasant, but we did not enter the Order to dopleasant things, but to perform certain duties, and those dutiesnecessarily involve a certain amount of sacrifice. "

"Do you think you would be able to maintain the character? Becauseyou must remember that if detected you might be torn in pieces by theslaves, 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 atrader, which is perfectly true, and also that I was taken off the shipI was on by a galley--which would not be altogether false, as I crossedone as I landed. I think there would be very little questioning, for Ishould pretend to be in a state of sullen despair, and give such shortanswers to questions that I should soon be left alone. "

"The scheme is a good one, Sir Gervaise, though full of danger anddifficulty. 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 ofmy slaves down into the town to buy garments suitable for you, and alsostains for your skin. It will, of course, be necessary for you to shavea portion of your head in Turkish fashion. I will also see Sir JohnBoswell, and ask him to arrange for a craft to be ready to start atnoon. The galley is not expected in until evening, but of course she mayarrive at any moment now. Come here again in an hour's time, and I willhave the clothes ready for you. "

"May I suggest, sir, that they should be those appropriate to a smallmerchant? This might seem to account for my not being placed with theother slaves who may be on board the galley, as it would be supposedthat I was set apart in order that I should be sent to one of theauberges as a servant; and my afterwards being herded with the otherswould be explained by its being found that there was no opening forme in such a capacity. I should think there would be no difficulty inobtaining such a suit, as garments of all kinds are brought here inprizes, and are bought up by some of the Greek merchants, who afterwardsfind opportunities of despatching them by craft trading among theislands. "

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 justjoined him, said, as they issued from the auberge; "though I own, fromwhat the bailiff tells me, that there must be some treacherous plot onhand, and when that is the case it is necessary that it should be probedto the bottom. But for a knight to go in the disguise of an infidelslave seems to me to be beyond all bounds. "

"If one is ready to give one's life for the Order, Sir John, surely oneneed not mind a few weeks' inconvenience. I shall, at any rate, be noworse 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 becauseone is forced to do it, Sir John?"

The knight was silent. He was a stout fighting man, but unused toargument. 

"Well, " he said, after a long pause, "I can only hope that it will turnout all right, and promise that if you are strangled in prison, I willsee that every slave who had a hand in it shall be strung up. I havetold Kendall frankly that if I were in his place I would not permit youto try such a venture. However, as I could think of no other plan bywhich 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 theofficers of the gaol knew who you were; but I can see that if there istreachery at work this would defeat your object altogether. What do yousuppose this rascal Greek can be intending?"

"That I cannot say, Sir John. He may be trying to get an exact plan ofthe fortifications, or he may be arranging some plan of communication bywhich, in case of siege, news of our condition and of the state of ourdefences may be conveyed to the Turkish commander. "

By this time they had reached the port, and embarked at once on atrading vessel belonging to one of the merchants, from whom Sir Johnhad readily obtained her use for a day or two. Her sails were hoistedat once, and she rowed out from the port. Having proceeded some threeor four miles, they lowered her sails, and lay to in the course a galleymaking for the port would take. A sailor was sent up to the masthead tokeep a lookout. Late in the afternoon he called down that he could makeout a black speck some twelve miles away. She carried no sails, and hejudged her to be a galley. 

"It will be dark before she comes along, " Sir John Boswell said. "Youcan hoist your sails, captain, and return to within half a mile of theport, or she may pass us beyond hailing distance. "

Gervaise at once retired to the cabin that had been set aside for theiruse, and proceeded to disguise himself. An hour later Sir John camedown. He looked at Gervaise critically. 

"You are all right as far as appearances go. I should take you anywherefor a young Turk. Your clothes are not too new, and are in accordancewith the tale you are going to tell, which is that you are the son ofa Syrian trader. If, as Suleiman says, you speak Turkish well enough topose as a native, I think you ought to be able to pass muster. How longwill that dye last? Because if it begins to fade they will soon suspectyou. "

"It will last a fortnight; at least, so Sir John Kendall says. But hehas arranged that if at the end of ten days I have not succeeded infinding out anything, he will send down to the prison, and under thepretence that he wants to ask me some questions about what ransom myfather 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 everymorning, and to be near the door of the prison at the hour when theslaves are taken out to work. If I have aught to communicate I am tonod 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 yourabsence?"

"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 willventure to ask him its nature. "

"Well, I must say that you seem to have made all your arrangementscarefully, Tresham, and I hope it will turn out well. I was againstthe scheme at first, but I own that I do not see now why it should notsucceed; and if there is any plot really on hand, you may be able to getto the bottom of it. "

It was an hour after darkness had completely fallen when the regularbeat of oars was heard. The ship's boat was already in the water, andGervaise, wrapped up in his mantle, followed Sir John out of his cabinand descended with him into the boat, which was at once rowed towardsthe 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 asomewhat special matter. "

The order was given, the galley slaves ceased rowing, and the boat ranalongside. Gervaise unclasped his mantle and gave it to Sir John, andthen 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 heshook 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 prisonerhere with me who is to be landed with those you have taken. There arespecial reasons for this, which I need not now enter into. Will you lethim sit down here by the helm? My instructions are that he is not tomingle with the other slaves; and as there are reasons why it is wishedthat his coming on board in this manner shall not be known to them, Imyself am to take him up to one of the prisons, or at least to hand himover to the officer sent down from that prison to take up the captivesallotted 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 suchan errand. "

"Of course, I don't understand anything about it, Sir John, but will doas you ask me. "

He went to where Gervaise had crouched down by the bulwark, beckoned himto follow, and, walking aft, motioned to him to sit down there. Thenhe returned to Sir John, and joined the other knights, who were all tooanxious to learn the latest news--who had left the island, and who hadcome to it since they sailed--to interest themselves in any way withthe figure who had gone aft, supposing him, indeed, to be Sir John'sservant, the lantern suspended over the poop giving too feeble a lightfor his costume to be noted. 

A quarter of an hour later they anchored in the harbour. Some of theknights at once went ashore to their respective auberges, but SirAlmeric and a few others remained on board until relieved of theircharge in the morning, an account being sent on shore of the number ofcaptives that had been brought in. No thought was given to Gervaise, whoslept 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 whichthe slaves were to be sent. Sir John Kendall had seen the officercharged with the distribution, who had, at his request, not included theprison of St. Pelagius in the list. 

A message, however, had been sent to that prison, as well as to theothers, for an officer to attend at the landing stage. In the morningSir John went ashore in one of the boats conveying the slaves, of whomsome forty had been captured. Gervaise followed him into the boat, andtook his seat by the others, who were too dispirited at the fate whichhad 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 isof a better class than the rest, and in the future may be he will do fora servitor at one of the auberges, but none have at present occasion forone, 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 wemust not heed it overmuch. As he seems a smart young fellow, it may bethat 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 thegangs. "

"He is a well built young fellow, Sir John, " the officer remarked, "andshould make a good rower in a galley. I will put him in the crew of theSt. Elmo. Follow me, " he said, in Turkish, to Gervaise, and then led theway up to the prison. On entering he crossed a courtyard to a door whichwas standing open. Within was a vaulted room, some forty feet long bytwenty wide; along each side there were rushes strewn thickly. 

"The others have just started to their work, " he said, "so that fortoday you can sleep. "

After he had left, Gervaise looked with some disgust at the rushes, thathad evidently been for weeks unchanged. 

"I would rather have the bare stones, if they were clean, " he mutteredto 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 walkedacross 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 landus until this morning. I wish they had killed me rather than that Ishould have been brought here to work as a slave. "

"One always thinks so at first, " the man said. "But somehow one clingsto 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 Christiandogs treated me well. A slave has his value, you see. I am nearly curednow, but I shall never walk well again. I expect they will put me in oneof their accursed galleys. "

"How long have you been here?"

"Seven years; it seems a lifetime. However, there is hope yet. Theydon't tell us much, but we hear things sometimes, and they say that thesultan is going to sweep them out of Rhodes as they were swept out ofAcre. When will it be?"

"I know not. I am from Syria, but even there they are makingpreparations. The sultan has had troubles in the East, and that hasdelayed him, but he will be here before long, and then we shall see. Itwill be our turn then. "

"It will, indeed!" one of the others exclaimed. "Oh, to see these dogsbrought down, and suffering as we have suffered, toiling at oars in oneof our galleys, or at the fortifications of one of our castles! It willmake 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. Iwould gladly have fought, but the sailors said it would only throw awaytheir lives. There was but little on board, and they allowed the vesselto go free with those of the sailors who were too old to be made usefulfor hard work. "

No further questions were asked. The men seemed to have no interest savein their own misery, and Gervaise soon left them, and, sitting down in ashady corner, presently dropped off to sleep. 

In the evening all came in from their various work. The officer man whohad brought Gervaise in went up to the overseer of the galley slavesand informed him that he had told off the new slave--pointing toGervaise--to his gang. 

"He was brought in by the galley that arrived last night, " he said; "hewas the only slave sent up here. I hear that he had been set aside to beappointed a servitor, but there are no vacancies, so they sent him heretill one should occur; and I was ordered to make him useful in otherways in the meantime. "

"I am two or three hands short, " the overseer said. "I wish now I hadsent in an application yesterday, for if I had done so, no doubt theywould have sent me some more men. However, this fellow will make up aneven number, and he is strong and active, though at present he lookssulky enough under his bad fortune. "

A few of the slaves spoke to Gervaise as they were waiting for food tobe brought them, but the majority dropped upon the rushes, too exhaustedwith toil and heat to feel an interest in anything. The food consistedof rye bread, with thin broth, brought in a great iron vessel. Eachslave had a horn, which was used for soup or water, and which, when donewith, he had, by the rule enforced among themselves, to take out to thefountain in the courtyard and wash, before it was added to the pile inthe corner of the room. 

The cool of the evening aided the meal in restoring the energies of theslaves. Several gathered round Gervaise, and asked questions as to whathe knew of the prospects of an early invasion of Rhodes; but as soon asthe officer left the room, closing and locking the door after him, the slaves became for the most part silent. A few men sat in groupstogether, talking in undertones, but the greater number threw themselvesdown on the rushes, either to sleep or to think alone. Gervaise wasstruck by the manner in which most of them lay, without making theslightest movement, so long as there was light to enable him to make outtheir figures. He himself addressed two or three of them, as they laywith their eyes wide open, asking questions with reference to the work;but in no case did he receive any reply. The men seemed altogetherunconscious of being addressed, being absorbed in the thought of theirfar distant homes and families which they might never see again. 

Gervaise walked a few times up and down the room, and as he approacheda silence fell each time upon the groups of men talking together. Morethan once a figure rose soon afterwards from the ground, and, as he camealong again, asked him a few questions about himself. As soon as it wasdark, he lay down in a vacant space on the rushes. Shortly afterwardstalking ceased altogether, and there was quiet in the vaulted room. Withthe first gleam of daylight they were astir, and, when the doors wereopened, poured out into the courtyard, where all had a wash at thefountain. Half an hour later, a meal, precisely similar to that of theprevious evening, was served out; then the overseers called over themuster 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, andat once took their seats on the benches of the galley, one foot beingchained to a ring in the deck, the other to that of a companion at theoar. The slaves were more cheerful now. As there was no work to do atpresent, they were allowed to talk, and an occasional laugh was heard, for the sun and brightness of the day cheered them. Many, after yearsof captivity, had grown altogether reckless, and it was among thesethat 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 saidcheeringly. "When I first came here, it seemed to me that I could notsupport the life for a month--that the fate was too dreadful to beborne, and that death would be most welcome; but, like the rest, Ibecame accustomed to it in time. After all, the work is no harder thanone would do at home. There is no stint of food, and it is no worse thanone would have, were one labouring in the fields. Were it not for theloss of those we love, it would be nothing; and in time one gets overeven that. I have long ago told myself that if they are not dead, atleast they are dead to me. They have their livings to get, and cannotbe always mourning, and I have tried to forget them, as they must haveforgotten 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 thesun, we talk, we sleep, we forget that we are slaves. But, generally, wego out for an hour or two's exercise; that is well enough, and keeps usstrong 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 inchase 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 tothe impatient knights it seems that we might do more. Then they shout tothe overseer, and he lays his whip on our backs without mercy. Then werow until sometimes we drop, senseless, off the benches. But this, youunderstand, 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 galleythere is always hope. The galley may meet with four or five of ourships, and be captured, or a storm may arise and dash her upon theshore; and though many would lose their lives, some might escape, and each man, in thinking of it, believes that he will be one of thefortunate ones. 

"Take my advice: always look cheerful if you can; always put your handon the oar when the order is given, and row as if you were glad to be atwork again; and always make a show, as if you were working yourhardest. Never complain when you are struck unjustly, and always speakrespectfully to the overseer. In that way you will find your life mucheasier 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 punishmentdaily, 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 allthink of escape, you know, though it is seldom indeed that a chance evercomes 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 timesa day; but, small as the chance is, it is greatest for those who behavebest. For instance, it is they only who man small boats; and when asmall boat rows ashore, it is always possible that the guard may becareless--that he will keep the boat at the landing place, instead ofpushing off at once into deep water, as he ought to do--and that in thisway a chance will, sooner or later, come for springing ashore and makinga dash for liberty. "

CHAPTER X. A PLOT DISCOVERED. 

The conversation between Gervaise and his fellow slave was interruptedby the arrival at the side of the quay of a party of knights. Silenceinstantly fell upon the slaves; all straightened themselves up to theoars, and prepared for a start. Among the knights who took their placeson the poop Gervaise saw with amusement his friend Ralph. He had no fearof a recognition, for the darkly stained skin and the black hair had socompletely 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 wouldnot 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 aspromotion. 

The galley at once pushed off from the wharf, and rowed out of theport. The work was hard; but as the slaves were not pressed to anyextraordinary exertions, Gervaise did not find it excessive. Hecongratulated himself, however, that the stain was, as he had beenassured, indelible, save by time, for after a few minutes' exercise hewas bathed in perspiration. As the galley had been taken out only thatinstruction might be given to the young knights, the work was frequentlybroken. 

Sometimes they went ahead at full speed for a few hundred yards, as ifto chase an adversary; then they would swerve aside, the slaves on oneside rowing, while those on the other backed, so as to make a rapidturn. 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 shelay quiet, while the knights, divesting themselves of their mantles andarmour, worked one of the guns on the poop, aiming at a floatingbarrel moored for the purpose a mile out at sea. At eleven o'clock theyreturned to the port. Bread and water were served out to the slaves, andthey were then permitted to lie down and sleep, the galley being mooredunder the shadow of the wall. 

At four o'clock another party of knights came down, and the work wassimilar to that which had been performed in the morning. At seveno'clock the slaves were taken back to their barracks. 

"Well, what do you think of your work?" one of the slaves askedGervaise, 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 tosunset, with perhaps but one or two pauses for a few minutes, it isa different thing altogether, especially if the galley is carryingdespatches, and speed is necessary. Then you get so worn out andexhausted, that you can scarce move an oar through the water, until youare wakened up by a smart as if a red hot iron had been laid across yourshoulders. It is terrible work then. The whip cracks every minute acrosssome one's back; you are blinded by exhaustion and rage, and you feelthat you would give the world if you could but burst your chain, rush onyour taskmasters, and strike, if only one blow, before you are killed. "

"It must be terrible, " Gervaise said. "And do you never get loose, andfall upon them?"

The man shook his head. 

"The chains are too strong, and the watch too vigilant, " he said. "SinceI came here I have heard tales of crews having freed themselves in thenight, and fallen upon the Christians, but for my part I do not believein them. I have thought, as I suppose every one of us has thought, howsuch a thing could be done; but as far as I know no one has hit on aplan 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 overboardand escaped; but for every attempt that succeeds there must be twentyfailures, for the chains are frequently examined, and woe be to the manwho is found to have been tampering with his. But as to a whole ganggetting free at once, it is altogether impossible, unless the key ofthe pad locks could be stolen from an overseer, or the man bribed intoaiding us. "

"And that, I suppose, is impossible?" Gervaise said. 

"Certainly, impossible for us who have no money to bribe them with, buteasy enough if any one outside, with ample means, were to set about it. These overseers are, many of them, sons of Turkish mothers, and haveno sympathy, save that caused by interest, with one parent more thananother. Of course, they are brought up Christians, and taught to holdMoslems in abhorrence, but I think many of them, if they had their freechoice, would cross to the mainland. Here they have no chance of everbeing aught but what they are--overseers of slaves, or small prisonofficials. 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 havean equal chance, and one may be a soldier today, a bey tomorrow, anda pasha a year hence, if he be brave, or astute, or capable in any waybeyond his fellows. Men like these warders would be sure to make theirway. 

"They cannot have gathered much during their service, therefore theoffer of a large sum of money would find plenty among them eager to earnit. But, you see, they are but the inferiors. On our voyages on boardthe galley, the knights inspect our fetters twice a day, and the keysare kept in the commander's cabin. For an hour or two, when we are noton a long passage, the padlocks are unfastened, in order that we mayjump over and bathe, and exercise our limbs; but at this time theknights are always on guard, and as we are without arms we arealtogether powerless. It is the same thing here. The senior warders, whoall belong to the Order, although of an inferior grade, come round, asyou have seen, to examine our fetters, and themselves lock and bar thedoors. If one or two of these could be corrupted, escape would be easyenough. "

"But is it impossible to do this?" Gervaise asked eagerly. "My fatherhas 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 myfreedom. "

The man nodded significantly. 

"There may be other means of doing it, " he said. "Perhaps it will not belong 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, andwill go no further until the time comes that all may be told. I thinknot so badly of men of our faith as to believe that any one would betraythe 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 ortwo in sleep, or the ravings of one down with fever, might afford groundfor suspicion, and torture would soon do the rest. I myself know nothingof the secret, but I do know that there is something going on which, ifsuccessful, will give us our freedom. I am content to know no more untilthe 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 shouldbe so. Look at that man opposite; he has been here fifteen years; heseldom speaks; he does his work, but it is as a brute beast--despair haswell nigh turned him into one. Think you that if such a man as that wereto know that there is hope, he would not be so changed that even thedullest would observe it? I see you are a brisk young fellow, and I sayto you, keep up your courage. The time is nearer than you think when youwill be free from these accursed shackles. "

Each morning, as he went out to work with his gang, Gervaise saw theservant from the auberge standing near; but he made no sign. He wassatisfied that his suspicions had been justified, and that he was notleading this life in vain, but he thought it better to wait until theweek passed, and he was taken away to have his colour renewed, than tomake a sign that might possibly rouse the suspicions of his comrades. Onthe eighth morning, when the door of the room was unlocked, the overseersaid--"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 handedyou over to me when you landed, told me that you might be wanted as aservitor; and as it is he who has sent down, it may be that a vacancyhas occurred. If so, you are in luck, for the servitors have a vastlybetter time of it than the galley slaves, and the English auberge hasthe best reputation in that respect. Come along with me. "

The English auberge was one of the most handsome of the buildingsstanding in the great street of the Knights. Its architecture was Gothicin its character, and, although the langue was one of the smallest ofthose represented at Rhodes, it vied with any of them in the splendourof its appointments. Sir John Boswell was standing in the interiorcourtyard. 

"Wait here for a few minutes, " he said to the overseer. "The bailiffwill himself question the slave as to his accomplishments; but I fancyhe 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 fithim ere long, for he seems a smart young fellow, and, what is better, awilling 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 closedbehind him, "have you found aught to justify this cruel penance you haveundertaken?"

"As to the penance, Sir John, it has been nothing unsupportable. Theexercise is hard enough, but none too hard for one in good health andstrength, and, save for the filth of the chamber in which we are shutup at night, and the foul state of the rushes on which we lie, Ishould have naught to complain of. No, I have as yet heard nothing of asurety--and yet enough to show me that my suspicions were justified, andthat there is a plot of some sort on foot, " and he related to the twoknights the conversation he had had with the galley slave. 

"By St. George!" the bailiff said, "you have indeed been justified inyour surmises, and I am glad that I attached sufficient importance toyour suspicions to let you undertake this strange enterprise. What thinkyou, Sir John Boswell?"

"I think with you, that Sir Gervaise has fully justified his insistencein this matter, which I own I considered to be hare brained folly. Whatis to be done next, Sir Gervaise?"

"That is what I have been turning over in my mind. You see, I may havelittle warning of what is going to take place. I may not hear of ituntil we are locked up for the night and the affair is on the point oftaking place, and it will, of course, be most needful that I shall beable to communicate with you speedily. "

"That, of course, is of vital importance, " the bailiff said. "But how isit to be managed?"

"That is what I cannot exactly see, Sir John. An armed guard remains inour room all night. But, in the first place, he might be himself in theplot, and if not, the slaves would almost certainly overpower him andkill 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 ineach of the side walls; they are but four inches across and three feetin length, and there are two crossbars to each; they are four feet fromthe floor. "

"At any rate, they are large enough for your arm to pass through, SirGervaise, and you might drop a strip of cloth out. "

"Certainly I could, Sir John. I could easily hide a piece of whitecotton a yard or so long in my clothes, scanty as these are, and couldcertainly manage, unobserved, to drop it outside the window. "

"Then the rest is for us to contrive, Boswell. We must have some oneposted in the yard of the prison, with instructions to go every tenminutes throughout the night to see if a strip of white cotton has beendropped out. When he finds it he must go at once to William Neave, thegovernor. He is a sturdy Englishman, and there is no fear of his havingbeen bribed to turn traitor; but it were well to take no one intoour confidence. I think we cannot do better than employ Ahmet on thisbusiness, as he already knows that Sir Gervaise is masquerading there. We will have William Neave up here presently. Tell him that for certainreasons 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 withoutexciting 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 thebottom, and gave it to Gervaise. 

"It would be best not to keep you here any longer, " he said, "so renewyour 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 thedoor; that is to say, the one on your right, standing inside. If theaffair is not to come off at once, it were best for you to proceed asbefore. Ahmet will be outside when you go out with your gang, and onyour nodding to him we will make some excuse to take you away on yourreturn. 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 astop to at once. "

"I understand, Sir John; but, as I have said, I do not think we shouldall be told until the blow is ready to be struck, as they would beafraid that some one might inform against them, if time and opportunitywere granted them. "

"I think so too, Sir Gervaise. This afternoon we will call upon thegrand master, for we have no means of knowing how serious or howextended this plot may be; it may include only the crew of a singlegalley, and, on the other hand, the whole of the slaves may beimplicated in it. It is evident, therefore, that the matter is tooserious to be kept any longer from his knowledge. "

Three more days passed. On the third evening, after the allowance ofbroth and bread had been consumed, and the door was closed and lockedupon them for the night, three or four of the galley slaves, aftertalking eagerly together, beckoned to the others to gather round themat the end of the room farthest from the door. Two of them took up armsfull of the bedding, and stuffed it into the side windows. Gervaisesaw, in the dim light, a look of intense excitement on the faces of theslaves. 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, butthe 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 lipsare unsealed, and I can tell you the great news that our hour for escapefrom bondage is at hand! We need not fear the warder there, " he went on, as several eyes were turned apprehensively towards the guard, who, withhis spear beside him, was leaning carelessly against the wall at thefarther end, looking through the window into the courtyard; "he iswith us. You must know that for the last two months an agent fromConstantinople has been on the Island, and has been engaged in arrangingthis affair. Two of our taskmasters belonging to the Order have beenbribed by large sums of money, and several of the overseers, who arehalf of our blood, have eagerly embraced the prospect of returningto their mothers' country, and of avowing openly their belief in ourreligion. These, again, have bought over many of the guards, oursincluded, and tonight all will be ready for action. Those not of ourparty will be killed without ceremony. Duplicate keys have been made ofall the padlocks of the fetters; the guards who are with us have eachone of them, the others will have been slipped into the hands of one manin each gang as they returned tonight from work. The overseers who arein the plot will, at midnight, go quietly round and unlock the doors, and remove the bars from the outside. We have, therefore, only toovercome the eight or ten men who patrol the prison; and as we shallhave the arms of the guards, some thirty in number, we shall make quickwork 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 spotknown to some of our party, close to the gate. Thus we have but to issueout and rush down, in a body, to the port. I and another are to take thearms of our guard, and two others are told off in each room to do thesame. That will give us sixty armed men. We shall make very short workof the guards at the gate leading into the port. Then twenty of us areto 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, butthree or four men keeping watch at each fort, and thus we shall have inour possession the three forts commanding the entrance to the harbour. There are, as you know, six galleys manned by crews from our prisonthere. The crew of each galley will embark upon it, and man the oars;the rest will divide themselves among the galleys. Before starting, weshall seize and set fire to all other galleys and ships in the port. Thegangs 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 mayfind, and transport them to the galleys. We who take the forts areprovided with hammers and long nails, to drive down the vent holes ofthe cannon; when we have done this, we are to wait until one of thegalleys fetches us off. Ten minutes should be ample time for all thereis to be done, and even if the alarm is given at once, we shall beaway long before the knights can be aroused from sleep, buckle on theirarmour, 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 tofree all. In the second, the galleys would not carry them; we shall beclosely packed as it is, for there are over a thousand here. I hear thatthere was a talk of freeing all, and that we, instead of embarking atfirst, should make for the other prisons, burst open the doors, andrescue the others; but by the time we could do so the knights wouldbe all in arms, and our enterprise would fail altogether, for as but asmall proportion of us can obtain weapons, we could not hope to overcomethem. Were it not for the strong wall that separates their quarter fromthe town, we might make straight for their houses and slay them beforethe alarm could be given. As it is, that would be impossible, andtherefore the plan will be carried out as I have told you. The loss ofall their galleys and of over one thousand slaves will be a heavy blowfor them. Great pains have been taken to prevent confusion when we reachthe port. The men in each room have been instructed as to the galleys onwhich they are to embark. As for you, you know precisely what is to bedone; you will simply take your places, and then wait until all are onboard. No galley is to push out from the wharf until the last man ofthose employed in burning the ships has returned, with the provisionsfound in them. Then the order will be given by the man who has arrangedall this, and the six galleys will put out together. 

"One is to row to each of the forts to carry off the party that willhave 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 nopossibility of failure. Everything has, you see, been arranged. One ofthe overseers who is in the plot walked by my side as we returned fromthe port, and gave me the instructions, and all the others will havebeen 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 theunlooked for news, and exulting over the speedy advent of liberty. Gervaise strolled carelessly to the window, and dropped out the whitestrip of stuff. It was now quite dark, and there was no fear of any oneobserving the movement. Then he joined the others. After an hour anda half had passed he heard footsteps approaching the door. There was apause; then the outside bars were taken down, and a key turned in thelock. A deep silence fell on the slaves. Then a voice called, "Number36!"

"What is it?" replied Gervaise, without raising himself from his seat onthe bedding. "I have done my share of work today, and earned my night'ssleep. "

"It is a knight from the English auberge; he has come to fetch you. Itseems that you are to go there as a servitor. "

"What a cursed fortune, " Gervaise muttered, in Turkish, "just when aroad to freedom is open! I have a good mind to say I am ill, and cannotgo 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, wouldsuspect 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 waypreferable to ours. "

"Now then, why are you delaying?" a voice said sharply, and a warderentered with a lighted torch. "Get up, you lazy hound! It will be worsefor 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 anangry 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 yourauberge 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 ofthe courtyard was unbarred, and they passed out unquestioned. Sir Johnstrolled on ahead. Gervaise followed him a pace or two behind. Not untilthey 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. Keepyour 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. Whatis your news?"

"It is very serious, Sir John, and I have been in terrible anxiety sinceI 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 thestatement made by the galley slave. 

"By my faith, " Sir John Kendall exclaimed, "this is a pretty plotindeed! And had it succeeded, as it certainly would have done but foryour vigilance, it would have been a heavy blow to us. The burning ofall our galleys would have crippled us sorely, and the loss of overa thousand slaves would have been a serious one indeed, when we sourgently require them for completing our defences. Get rid of thoseclothes at once, Sir Gervaise, and don your own. We must go straightto the grand master. You will find your clothes and armour in the nextroom. 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 hisarmour buckled on. The two knights were already in their coats ofmail, 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 theywere 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 thatis intended, or a plot by which a handful of slaves may seize a boatand escape, the gratitude of the Order is no less due to you for thehardships 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'clocktonight, are to seize the three water towers and to spike the guns, toburn all the shipping in the harbour, to make off with six galleys, anddestroy 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 forsuch 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 theplot?" the grand master said; "and several of the overseers? One of thevillains is, of course, the man you saw this Greek talking with. Wemust get hold of the other if we can. As to the slaves, now that we havewarning, there is an end of the matter, though without such warning theywould surely have succeeded, for the plans are well laid, and they wouldhave 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 andof the prison guards, I should say we ought to take post outside thegate, 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 morethan ample for our purpose. Do you take fifty of your knights, Sir JohnKendall, and I will draw fifty of those of Auvergne. At eleven o'clockwe will meet at the gate leading down into the town, and will march tothe private entrance of the governor's house. I will go in first with afew of you, tell him what we have discovered, and post guards to preventany one from leaving his house. Then, having admitted the others, wewill 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 smallparties, will then go round the prison, and, entering each room, showthe slaves that their plot has been discovered. This we must do to savethe lives of the guards who may be faithful to their trust. As to thehigher officials engaged in the affair, we must obtain their names fromthe overseers or slaves. It is not likely that the two traitors willquit their houses, as they will leave the matter in the hands of theoverseers, who, as you say, intend to first open the doors, and then toaccompany the slaves in their escape. Do not warn the knights until itis nearly time to start, Sir John. The less stir made the better, for noone can say whether they may not have suborned some of the servitors tosend instant news of any unusual movements in any of the auberges. "

At half past ten Sir John Kendall went round among the knights and badefifty of them arm themselves quietly, and proceed, one by one, down tothe gate, and there await orders. Up to this time Gervaise had remainedin the bailiff's room, so as to avoid the questioning that would takeplace, and he went down to the gate with the bailiff and Sir JohnBoswell. 

The knights assembled rapidly. None were aware of the reason for whichthey had been called out at such an hour, and there was a buzz of talkand conjecture until Sir John Kendall arrived. He was followed by fourof the servants, who at once lighted the torches they carried, whenhe proceeded to go through the roll, and found that the muster wascomplete. Many of the knights had gazed in some surprise at Gervaise, whose dark complexion altogether concealed his identity, and it wassupposed that he must be some newly arrived knight, though none hadheard that any ship had entered the harbour that day. 

Two or three minutes later fifty knights of the langue of Auvergnecame down, headed by the grand master himself, whose appearance greatlyheightened the surprise of the English knights. The torches were nowextinguished, the gate thrown open, and the party descended into thetown. Gervaise had purposely fallen in by the side of Harcourt. 

"You are but newly arrived, Sir Knight?" the latter said, as they movedoff. 

"Not so very newly, Ralph, " Gervaise replied. 

"What! is it you, Gervaise?" Harcourt exclaimed, with a start ofsurprise. "Why, I did not know you, though I looked hard at you in thetorch light. What have you done with yourself? Where have you been? Doyou know what all this is about?"

"I cannot tell you now, Ralph. You must be content to know that I havebeen in prison, and working in the galleys. "

"The saints defend us! Why, what on earth had you done to entail suchpunishment as that? It is an outrage. The grand master and the councilhave the right to expel a knight from the Order after due trial andinvestigation, 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 grandmaster 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 inthe armour and mantle of the Order, and that, as you saw, I came downwith Sir John Kendall himself. "

There were no people about in the streets, though the lights stillburned on a few of the roofs. For a short distance the knights marcheddown towards the port, and then turned down a street to the right. Aftera few minutes' marching they halted under a high wall which all knew tobe that of the prison of St. Pelagius. Six knights were posted at themain entrance, with orders that none should be allowed to leave theprison, and that any persons who came up to the gate were to be at onceseized 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 ofEngland, and as many of Auvergne, being told off to accompany the grandmaster and Sir John Kendall. A note had been sent to the governor, informing him that the grand master intended to visit the prison ateleven 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 indeedwhen, upon his opening the door, the grand master and the bailiff ofthe English langue, with the twelve knights behind them, entered. He hadbeen puzzled when, four days before, he had received an order fromthe grand master that Ahmet, a servitor in the auberge of the Englishlangue, should be permitted to pass the night in his house, withauthority to move freely and without question, at any hour, in thecourtyard of the gaol, and to depart at any hour, secretly and withoutobservation, by the private gate. Still more had he been surprised whenhe received the message that the grand master would pay him a secretvisit at eleven o'clock at night. 

"Let no word be spoken until we are in your apartments, " D'Aubusson saidin a low voice, as he entered. "But first lead four of these knights andpost them so that none can enter the gaol from the house. If there aremore than four doors or windows on that side, you must post a largernumber. It is imperative that there shall be no communication whateverbetween your servants and the gaol. "

As soon as this was done, the rest of the party were taken to thegovernor's rooms. 

"I can now explain to you all, " the grand master said, "the reason ofour presence here. I have learned that at twelve tonight there will bea general rising of the slaves in this prison, and that, aided bytreachery, they will free themselves from their fetters, overpower andslay such of the guards in their rooms as have not been bribed, throwopen the gates, make their way down to the port, burn all the shippingthere, and make off in the six galleys manned by them, having firstoverpowered the sentries in the three forts commanding the entrance, andspiked the guns. "

Exclamations of astonishment burst from the knights, who now, for thefirst time, learnt the reason of their being called out. The governorlistened with an expression of stupefaction. 

"With all deference to your Highness, " he said hesitatingly, "it seemsto me that some one must have been deceiving you with this tale. It isaltogether incredible that such a plot should have been hatched withouta whisper of the matter coming to my ears. It could only be possiblewere there, not one but many, traitors among the officials; if this isso, then indeed am I a dull ass, and unfit for my duty here, of whichI shall pray you to relieve me, and to order such punishment as thecouncil may deem just to be allotted to me for having so signally beenhoodwinked. "

"My news is sure, " the grand master said; "but I deem not that you arein any way to blame in the matter. The plot has been matured, not asa consequence of any laxity of discipline in the prison, but fromdeliberate treachery, against which no mortal being can guard. Thetraitors are two of the officials who, being members of the Order, nonewould suspect of connivance in such a deed. With them are several--Iknow not how many--under officials, warders, and guards; all these havebeen bribed by an emissary from Constantinople, now in the town, andwho is doubtless furnished with large means. It is well, indeed, for theOrder, that this terrible act of treachery has been discovered in timeto prevent the plot from coming to a head, for the loss of all ourgalleys, to say nothing of the disgrace of having been thus bearded byslaves, would be a very heavy blow to it. 

"Now that the house is safely guarded, William Neave, you can admitthe rest of the knights, who are waiting outside. Then you will, in thefirst 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 tocarry out this--and I need not say that the operation must be performedas silently as possible, for it is above all things necessary thatthe men concerned shall have no suspicion that their plot has beendiscovered--you will conduct other parties to the various rooms occupiedby the slaves. The guards on duty inside will be made prisoners. Thedoors will then be locked and barred as before. The appearance of theknights and the arrest of the guards will be sufficient to show theslaves that their plot has been discovered, and there will be no fear oftheir making any attempt to carry it into execution. I will myself postthe main body of the knights in the courtyard. The arrest of the guardsis to be carried out at once, as all those not concerned in the plotwould be killed when the hour comes for the rising. Therefore this partof the business must be carried out immediately. I should not, however, lead the guards away to a cell, for the less tramping of feet thebetter. Therefore I shall place two knights in each room, and beg themto remain inside in charge until the traitors outside are secured. "

The knights outside were now marched up. The grand master ordered halfthose of Auvergne to go round to the main gate, which would be openedfor them by the governor; they were to enter quietly, and remain in abody close to it until they received further orders. Sir John Kendalltold off the rest of the knights to the various duties of watching thehouses occupied by the officials and warders, and of entering the prisonrooms and remaining in them on guard. The governor, with his privateservants, bearing a supply of torches, was to lead them to the variouscells, and unlock the doors. The knights were enjoined to move asnoiselessly as possible, and to avoid all clashing of arms againstarmour. 

The governor produced a number of cloths intended to be served out tothe slaves. Strips of these were cut off and wrapped round the feet ofthe English knights, so as to deaden the sound of their boots on thestone pavement. Then, accompanied by the grand master and Sir JohnKendall, he went the round of the cells. 

In some of these the slaves were found standing up in an attitude ofeager expectation, which, as the door opened, and the light of thetorches showed a party of knights, changed into one of terror andconsternation. Scarce a word was spoken. The guard was ordered tolay down his arms, and to take one of the torches. Two knights placedthemselves, one on each side of him, with drawn swords. The door wasagain locked and barred, and the party proceeded to the next cell. Inless 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 theirstation with a party of knights who, concealed behind a buttress, werewatching the doors of the officials' houses. 

Ten minutes later one of these doors was heard to open, and five darkfigures 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, thegovernor stepped forward. 

"Whither are you going, at this time of night?" he asked. There was amomentary pause, a few hasty words were exchanged, then the five menrushed towards him with bared swords or knives; but before they reachedhim the knights poured out from their hiding place. 

"We are betrayed, " one of the men shouted in Turkish. "Fight to thelast. Better be killed than tortured and executed. " With a yell of furyand despair, they rushed upon the knights. So desperate was their attackthat the latter were forced to use their swords, which indeed, burningwith rage at the treachery of these men, they were not backward indoing, and in less than a minute the five traitors lay, with clovenheads, 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 wouldhave been with them. Now we will deal with the arch traitors. There isno need for further concealment; the noise of this fray will assuredlyhave been heard by them, for they will be listening for the sounds thatwould tell them the slaves had been liberated. "

Followed by the knights, he went to the door of the house occupiedby the overseers, all of whom were members of the lower branch of theOrder. It was indeed evident that an alarm had been given there, forlights appeared at the windows. As they opened the door and entered thehall, several half-dressed men rushed down the stairs with drawn swords, two of them carrying torches in their left hands. As the light fellupon the figures of the grand master and the knights, they paused inastonishment. 

"There is treachery at work in the prison, " D'Aubusson said quietly. "Ipray 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. Theyoccupy 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 JohnBoswell, do you, with some other knights, take post without; they mayattempt to escape by the window, though, as we hold the gates, it wouldavail 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 axesplintered the door; its fastenings gave way, and they entered the room. The window was open, and two figures lay prostrate on the ground nearit. 

"I half expected this, " the grand master said. "They were listeningthere. The conflict in the yard told them that the plot had beendiscovered, and as they saw us approaching the house, they dared notmeet the punishment of their crimes, and have fallen by their owndaggers. Put a torch close to their faces. Sir Gervaise, do yourecognise in either of these men the official you saw in conversationwith 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 soclosely 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 hiscomrades. "

"Have a hole dug and bury them in the prison, " D'Aubusson said; "theyhave been false to their vows, and false to their religion. They havechosen their own mode of death; let them be buried like dogs, as theyare. But let a careful search be made of their garments and of thisroom. It may be that they have some documents concealed which may be ofuse to us. "

The grand master then descended to the hall. 

"Members of the Order, " he said to the overseers, "your guiltycompanions have met death by their own hands, as the others concernedin this plot have met theirs by the swords of the knights. It were wellthat this matter were not spoken of outside the prison. The attempt hasbeen detected, and has failed; but were it talked of, it might inciteothers to repeat the attempt, and possibly with better success. Now, "he went on, turning to the governor, "our work is done here. Call upthe other warders. Let them take the men now prisoners in the rooms, andplace them in a dungeon. Let fresh men be placed on guard, and let allthe knights gather in the courtyard. "

When this was done, and all the knights again assembled, D'Aubussonsaid, "Our work is nearly done, brothers. The traitors are all dead, andthe revolt is at an end. It remains but to capture the author of thisattempt; but I believe he is already in our hands. I have given anaccurate description of him to Da Veschi, who has taken four knightswith him, and they probably will catch him down at the port; if not, hewill be arrested the first thing in the morning. As to the slaves, theywill be so utterly cowed by the discovery, that there will be no fear oftheir repeating the attempt. I have ordered the officials of the prisonto say naught in the town of what has taken place. There can, however, be no concealment among ourselves. I shall, of course, lay the wholematter 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 concealmentof the facts is therefore possible. It is the most serious attempt at arevolt of the slaves that has ever taken place, and will be a warningto us that more vigilance must be exercised. As it is, we have only beensaved from the loss of our galleys and slaves by the acuteness of one ofthe youngest of our knights, who, in the first place, noted a suspiciousoccurrence which would have been passed by without attracting a moment'sthought by ninety-nine out of a hundred men. He laid the matter beforehis bailiff, Sir John Kendall, who accepted his offer to disguisehimself as a slave, to enter the prison under circumstances that wouldexcite no suspicions among the others, and to live and work among themin order to ascertain whether there was any plot on hand. This task--apainful one, as you may imagine--he carried out, and for two weeks herowed 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 inthe plot, it was necessary that all should be kept in ignorance thathe was other than he seemed to be. Thanks to his perfect knowledge ofTurkish, 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 GervaiseTresham, of the English langue. The action he has performed will benoted in the annals of the Order as an example of intelligence and ofthe extreme of self sacrifice, as well as of courage; for his life wouldhave been assuredly forfeited had the slaves entertained the slightestsuspicion of his real character. "

There was a murmur of acclamation among the knights. Not one of them butwould have freely risked his life in the service of the Order, but therewere few who would not have shrunk from the idea of living as a slaveamong the slaves, sharing their tasks, and subject to the orders of menof inferior rank and often brutal manners. 

The knights now returned to their auberges. It was past midnight, butat the English house the lamps and flambeaux were lighted in the greathall. The servitors were called up, wine placed on the table, and theknights 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 uponthis young comrade of ours, he predicted that he would rise to highdistinction in the Order. I think you will all agree with me that theprediction is already in a fair way of being fulfilled, and that theservices he has rendered to the Order justify us, his comrades of theEnglish langue, in feeling proud of him. I drink, brothers, to hishealth. "

A loud shout rose from the assembled knights, for upon the return of theparty who had been away, the rest of those at the auberge had hastilyrobed themselves and descended to the hall to gather the news. When theshout had died away, and the wine cups were emptied, Gervaise, who wassitting on Sir John Kendall's right hand, would gladly have retained hisseat, but the bailiff told him that he must say a few words, and afterstanding in embarrassed silence for a minute he said, "Sir John Kendall, and brother knights, I can only say that I am very sensible of thekindness with which you have been pleased to regard what seems to meafter all to have been a very ordinary affair. I saw a man, whom I knewto be a stranger in the Island, speaking surreptitiously to a slave, and afterwards saw him conversing with a prison officer. That naturallystruck me as curious, and I followed the officer, to see to which prisonhe belonged. Any one would have thought, as I did, that such a thing wasstrange, if not suspicious, and the only way to find out whether therewas anything in it was to mix with the slaves; as I spoke Turkishwell enough to do so I asked Sir John Kendall's permission to disguisemyself. He gave me every assistance, and I shared their lot for afortnight. There was no very great hardship in that--certainly nothingto merit the praise that Sir John Kendall has been kind enough to bestowon me. Nevertheless, I am very glad to have gained your good opinion andvery 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 bailiffsof the auberges, and the knights of the grand cross who happened tobe in the Island, to assemble in council. Messages were also sent toGervaise, requesting him to repair at the same hour to the palace, asthe council would probably require his attendance. 

"Oh dear! I wish this was all over, " he said to Ralph, as the latterassisted him to buckle on his armour. 

"I don't see anything to sigh about, " Ralph said. "I think that you arethe most fortunate fellow in the world. I do not say that you have notwell deserved it, because it is the tremendous way you worked at Turkishand gave up everything else that has enabled you to do this. Still, there was luck in your noticing that villain talking to the galleyslaves, and then to one of the officers of the prison. Of course, as thegrand master said last night, it isn't one in a thousand who would havethought anything more about it, and I am sure I shouldn't; so that, andall the rest, is entirely your own doing. Still, it was a piece ofluck 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 havewell deserved the honour you have obtained. Still, you know, it is asort of consolation to me that luck had a little--just a little--to dowith it. "

"In my opinion luck had everything to do with it, " Gervaise saidheartily, "and I feel downright ashamed at there being such a fuss madeover it. It was bad enough before, merely because I had hit on aplan for our escape from those pirates, but this is worse, and I feelhorribly nervous at the thought of having to appear before the grandmaster and the council. "

"Well, that brown dye will hide your blushes, Gervaise. I can only sayI wish that I was in your place. By-the-bye, have you heard that theycaught 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 twelvethey saw a figure come up on to the deck of a fishing boat moored by thequay. 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 oneo'clock they saw him throw up his arms, as if in despair; he steppedashore, and was about to make his way up into the town when they rushedout and seized him. There is no doubt as to what his fate will be. I amsorry to say that I hear my friend Vrados has been arrested; but therecan be no doubt about his loyalty, and he will assuredly be ableto explain to the satisfaction of the council how this man became aresident at his house. "

"I am sorry I met him there, Ralph. It is a very unpleasant thing tohave gone to a house, to have been received kindly, and then to be themeans of bringing trouble upon it. "

"Yes. I feel that a little myself, because I took you there; and yet Icannot regret it, for if you had not seen him and taken an objection tohim, you might not have noticed him particularly when he spoke to one ofthe galley slaves. It is certainly curious that you should have doubtedthe man, for I have met him there several times, and even after yourvisit with me I could see nothing in him to justify your dislike. "

Gervaise went up to the palace, and while waiting in the great halluntil summoned before the council he was warmly accosted by severalknights, --some of whom were quite strangers to him, --who all joined incongratulating him on the immense service he had done to the Order. Itwas upwards of an hour before he was called in. 

"The council have received, Sir Gervaise Tresham, " the grand mastersaid, "full details from Sir John Kendall of the manner in which youfirst discovered, and have since followed up the daring plot by whichthe slaves at St. Pelagius were to have risen, slain the guards who werefaithful, spiked the cannon in the three water forts, burnt the merchantshipping, carried off six galleys and burnt the rest, and in theirname I thank you for having saved the Order from a great calamity. Themembers of the council agree with me that you have shown an amount ofdiscernment of the highest kind, and that you are worthy of exceptionalfavour and reward for your conduct. I therefore in my own name appointyou to the commandery of our manor of Maltby in Lincolnshire, which, having fallen vacant, is in my gift; and I release it from the usualpayment of the first year's revenue. Knowing that you desire toestablish yourself here, the council have, at my request, decided tomake an exception to the general rule that a knight, on promotion to acommandery, must return and take charge of it in two years from the timethe grant is made to him. The commandery will therefore be administeredby the senior of the knights attached to it. 

"The council, on their part, have requested the bailiff of Auvergne, asgrand master of the Fleet, to appoint you to the command of the galleynow building, and approaching completion. This he has consented todo, feeling, as we all feel, that although such an appointment isunprecedented for a young knight, yet in the present case such anexception may well be made. I may add that the Admiral has--inorder that no knight greatly your senior should be placed under yourcommand--determined that he will appoint to it only young knights, whowill, we are assured, gladly serve under one who has so distinguishedhimself, feeling certain that, under his command, they will have ampleopportunities against the infidels to prove themselves worthy of theOrder. I may add, also, that the bailiffs of all the langues promisethat they will select from among the young knights such as may seem bestfitted for such service, by their skill in warlike exercises, by theirready obedience to orders, and good conduct. And I foresee that thespirit of emulation, and the desire to show that, though still butprofessed knights, they are capable of performing as valiant deeds astheir elders, will make the galley under your command one of the mostsuccessful in the Order. 

"As you are aware, it is a stringent rule, which even in so exceptionala case we should not be justified in breaking, that a knight must residein 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 pageto the late grand master, and in promoting you to a commandery I havenot, therefore, broken the rule. You may retire, Sir Gervaise. "

Gervaise, overwhelmed by the unlooked for honours thus bestowed uponhim, 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 sidedoor, 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 fora considerable time before returning to the auberge. He felt no hilarityat his promotion. He had never entertained any ambition for rising tohigh office in the Order, but had hoped only to perform his duty as atrue knight, to fight against the infidels, and some day, if need be, todie for the Order. The commandery was, he knew, a rich one, and asits chief he would draw a considerable revenue from the estate. Thisafforded him no pleasure whatever, except inasmuch as it would enablehim, in his new command of the galley, to keep a handsome table, and toentertain well the knights who served under him. 

It seemed to him, however, that the reward and honours were so farbeyond his deserts that he felt almost humiliated by their bestowal. Theresponsibility, too, was great. Would these young knights, the youngestof whom could be but a year his junior, serve willingly under hisorders? And, above all, would they be able to emulate the deeds ofexperienced warriors, and would the galley worthily maintain the fame ofthe Order?

At the end of two hours he was joined by Ralph Harcourt. 

"I have been looking for you everywhere, Gervaise. You seemed to havedisappeared mysteriously. None had marked you leave the council chamber, or knew where you had gone; and after searching everywhere I rememberedyour fondness for walks upon the walls, so I climbed to the top ofSt. John's tower and thence espied you. Well, I congratulate you mostheartily on the honours that have fallen to your share, especially thatof the command of a new galley. "

"It is too much altogether, Ralph. I feel ashamed at being thus thrustinto 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 mustbe 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 havea 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 theirown 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 professedknights, and of a good many who have finished their profession, and areserving 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 servedin many commanderies of smaller value. I can tell you, directly Sir JohnKendall came back and told us that you had been appointed commander ofthe 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 whodid not beg Sir John to put down his name for it; and ten or twelveothers, myself among them, who have obtained full knighthood also. "

"You don't mean to say that you have put down your name to serve underme, Ralph? It would be monstrous. "

"I see nothing monstrous in it, Gervaise. As I said just now, years havenothing to do with it, and, putting aside our friendship, I would ratherserve under you than under many knights old enough to be your father. Idon't know whether I shall have the luck to be one of the chosen, as SirJohn said that there were to be only seven from each langue, which willmake forty-nine--with yourself fifty. If I am chosen--and, knowingour friendship, I hope that the bailiff will let me go with you--it islikely enough I may be named your lieutenant, as I shall be the only onebeside yourself who is a secular knight, and am, therefore, superior inrank to the rest. "

"That would be pleasant indeed, Ralph, though I would rather that youhad been made commander and I lieutenant; but at any rate, with youto support me, I shall feel less oppressed by the thought of myresponsibility. "

As Ralph had declared would be the case, the young knights in the otherauberges were as anxious as those of England to be enrolled among thecrew of the new galley, and the bailiffs had some trouble in choosingamong the aspirants. Very few were selected outside the rank ofprofessed knights, and as great pains were taken to comply with thegrand master's wishes that only young knights of good conduct anddisposition, and distinguished by their proficiency in warlikeexercises, 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 inthe galleys, though comparatively few had had the good fortune to beabsolutely engaged with the Moslem pirates. 

To the great satisfaction of himself and Gervaise, Ralph Harcourtwas nominated lieutenant of the galley. The fact that so many hadvolunteered impressed all those who were chosen with the sense that itwas at once an honour and a piece of good fortune to be selected, andall were determined that the boy galley, as the elder knights laughinglytermed it, should do honour to the Order. 

It was a fortnight before she was launched. Gervaise had heard, withgreat satisfaction, that it had been decided by the council that nopunishment should be inflicted upon the slaves for their share in theintended rising at St. Pelagius. All were guilty, and there was no meansof saying who had taken prominent parts in the plot. The council feltthat it was but natural that they should grasp at the prospect offreedom, for they themselves would have done the same had they beencaptives of the infidels. Even the warders and guards were allowed togo unpunished, although their offence was a much more serious one. Thosewho could have named the men who had accepted bribes were dead, and thelesson had been so severe a one that there was no probability of anyagain turning traitors. The author of the rising had been publiclyexecuted. Seeing the hopelessness of denial, he had boldly avowed hisshare in the matter, and had acknowledged that he was acting as agentfor the sultan, and had been supplied with ample funds before leavingConstantinople. 

He declared that he was absolutely unable to give any names whatever ofthose concerned in the plot, save those of the two overseers, as thesehad undertaken the work of suborning the warders and guards, though headmitted that he had on several occasions spoken to slaves as the gangswere on their way back to the prison, and had told them to be preparedto 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 toextort information; partly because his story was probable, still morebecause the grand master and council did not wish that more publicityshould be given to the affair, and were glad that it should be allowedto drop without any further trial of the delinquents. In the citygenerally it was only known that a plot had been discovered for theliberation and escape of some of the slaves; and, outside the members ofthe Order, none were aware of its extent and dangerous character. To thesatisfaction of Gervaise and Ralph, Vrados was able to produce lettersand documents that satisfied the council that he had been deceived as tothe 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 commandof the galley was Sir John Boswell. Ever since the adventure with thepirates, the knight had exhibited an almost fatherly interest in him;had encouraged him in his studies, ridden with him on such occasions ashe had permitted himself a short holiday, and had, whenever they weretogether, related to him stories of war, sieges, battles, and escapes, from which he thought the young knight might gain lessons for his futureguidance. 

"I doubt, Gervaise, " he said one day, as they were riding quietly alongthe road, "whether our plan of life is altogether the best. We werefounded, you know, simply as a body of monks, bound to devote ourselvessolely to the care of the sick, and to give hospitality to pilgrims inPalestine. Now this was monkish work, and men who devoted themselvessolely to such a life of charity as that in our Hospital at Jerusalem, might well renounce all human pleasures; but when the great changewas made by Master Raymond du Puy, and from a nursing body we became abrotherhood in arms, it seems to me that the vows of celibacy were nolonger needful or desirable. The crusaders were, many of them, marriedmen, but they fought no worse for that. It would have been far better, methinks, had we been converted into an Order pledged to resist theinfidel, but without the vows of poverty and of celibacy, which havenever been seriously regarded. 

"The garrison here might be composed, as indeed it is now, principallyof young knights, of those who have not cared to marry, and of theofficers of the Order whose wives and families might dwell here withthem. This would have many advantages. Among others, the presence of somany ladies of rank would have the excellent effect of discountenancingand repressing extravagances and dissolute habits, which are but toocommon, and are a shame to the Order. Knights possessing commanderiesthroughout Europe would be no worse stewards for being married men, andscandals, 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 knightsshould remain unmarried and disposable at all times for service untilten years after making their profession, and that afterwards they shouldever be ready to obey the summons to arms, on occasions when the safetyof Rhodes, or the invasion of any Christian country by the Moslems, rendered their services needful, when they would come out just as theknights of Richard the Lion Heart went out as crusaders. I have spenthalf my life since I joined the Order in commanderies at home, and adull life it was, and I was glad enough to resign my last command andcome out here. Had I been able to marry, I might now have had a son ofyour age, whose career I could watch and feel a pride in. My life wouldhave been far happier in England, and in all respects I should be abetter man than I am now. Methinks it would strengthen rather thanweaken the Order. As a fighting body we should be in no way inferiorto what we are now, and we should be more liked and more respectedthroughout Europe, for naturally the sight of so many men leading aluxurious life in commanderies causes a feeling against them. "

"But I suppose, Sir John, that there is no great difficulty in obtaininga dispensation from our vows?"

"In this, as in all other matters, everything depends upon interest ormoney. Of course, dispensations are not common; but doubtless any knightwhen he had served his term of active service could, especially ifhis request were backed by the grand master, obtain from the Popea dispensation of his vows. If he had a commandery it would make avacancy, and give the grand prior, or the grand master, or the council, in whosoever's gift it might be, an opportunity of rewarding services orof gratifying some powerful family. "

"I agree with you that it would have been much better, Sir John. I canunderstand that monks, ever living a quiet life apart from the world, should be content so to continue; but among a body of warlike knightsthere must be many who, in time, must come to regret the vows they tookwhen boys. The cadet of a noble family might, by the death of elderbrothers, come to be the head of a great family, the ruler over widedomains. Surely it would be desirable that such a man should be able tomarry and have heirs. "

"Doubtless it could be managed in such cases, Gervaise, but it is a pitythat it should have to be managed. I can see no reason in the world whya knight, after doing ten years of service here, should not be freeto marry, providing he takes a vow to render full service to the Orderwhenever called upon to do so. Already the vow of poverty is everywherebroken. Already, in defiance of their oaths, too many knights lead idleand dissolute lives. Already, knights, when in their own countries, disregard the rule that they shall draw sword in no cause save that ofthe Holy Sepulchre, and, like other knights and nobles, take part incivil strife or foreign wars. All this is a scandal, and it were betterby far to do away with all oaths, save that of obedience and willingnessto war with the infidel, than to make vows that all men know areconstantly and shamelessly broken. 

"I am fond of you, Gervaise. I am proud of you, as one who has broughthonour to our langue, and who, in time, will bring more honour. I amglad that, so far as there can be between a young knight and one ofmiddle age, there is a friendship between us. But see what greaterpleasure it would give to my life were you my son, for whom I couldlay by such funds as I could well spare, instead of spending all myappointments on myself, and having neither kith nor kin to give a sighof regret when the news comes that I have fallen in some engagement withthe infidels. I often think of all these things, and sometimes talk themover with comrades, and there are few who do not hold, with me, that itwould be far better that we should become a purely military Order, likesome of the military Orders in the courts of the European sovereigns, than remain as we are, half monk, half soldier--a mixture that, so faras 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 becontent to observe our vows as well as may be, so long as we are willingto remain monks and try to obtain dispensation from our vows should wedesire to alter our mode of life. We ought either to have remained monkspure and simple, spending our lives in deeds of charity, a life whichsuits many men, and against which I should be the last to say anything, or else soldiers pure and simple, as were the crusaders, who wrestedthe 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 thetime will come when you may have other aims and ambitions, and when thevows 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. "Someday you may think differently. Now, " he went on, changing the subjectabruptly, "when will your galley be ready?"

"This is my last ride, Sir John. The shipwrights will have finishedtomorrow, and the next day we shall take possession of her, and begin topractise, so that each man shall know his duties, and the galley slaveslearn to row well, before we have orders to sail. I wish you were goingwith us, Sir John. "

"I should like it, lad, in many respects. It does one good to see theenthusiasm of young men, and doubtless you will be a merry party. But, on the other hand, unless I mistake, you will be undertaking wildadventures, and my time for these is well nigh passed. When the Turkcomes here, if he ever comes--and of that I have little doubt--Ishall be ready to take my full share of the fighting; but I shall seekadventures no longer, and shall go no more to sea. Next only to thebailiff, I am the senior of our auberge, and--but this is betweenourselves, lad--am like to succeed to the grand priory of England whenit 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 tothe port to take part in the launch of the new galley. This was theoccasion of a solemn ceremony, the grand master and a large number ofknights being present. A religious service first took place on herpoop, and she was named by the grand master the Santa Barbara. When theceremony was over, Gervaise was solemnly invested with the command ofthe galley by the grand marshal of the navy; then the shores were struckaway, and the galley glided into the water, amid the firing of guns, theblowing of trumpets, and the cheers of the spectators who had gatheredat the port to witness the ceremony. 

The next morning a gang of galley slaves were marched down. A third ofthese had been drawn from the crews of other galleys, their places beingsupplied by new hands. The remainder were taken from the men employedon the fortifications. Three weeks were occupied in teaching the rowerstheir work, and getting them well together. They were a fine crew, forthe governor of St. Pelagius, grateful to Gervaise for the discovery ofthe plot, had ordered the overseers to pick out from the various gangsmen specially suited by age and strength for the work. 

The dye by this time had entirely worn off his face, and although hishair was still several shades darker than of old, it differed even morewidely 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 beenfellow occupants of his cell, he had no fear whatever of their detectingin the commander of the galley their late companion in misfortune. 

Only a portion of the knights had been out each day while the crew werelearning to row, as there was but little for them to learn. The galleycarried no sails, and the knights were soldiers rather than sailors, andfought on the deck of their ship, as if defending a breach, or stormingone held by the enemy. Moreover, as all of them had already made one ormore voyages, they were accustomed to such duties as they would have todischarge on board. 

All were glad when an order was published for the galley to sail. On theeve of departure Gervaise was sent for by the grand master. The generalof the galleys was with him when Gervaise entered the room. The bailiffof Auvergne always held the position of grand marshal, and the bailiffof Italy that of second in command, with the title of grand admiral. These officials, however, as heads of their respective langues, had manyother duties to perform, and it was only on great occasions that theytook any practical share in the work of which they were nominally heads. The real control in all naval questions rested with the general of thegalleys, who was elected by the council, but on the nomination of thegrand master. 

His power when at sea with the fleet was absolute. He could suspend anyofficer from duty, and had unquestioned power of life and death overthe crews. He had been frequently on board the galley since she had beenlaunched, and had been pleased with the attention paid by Gervaise tohis duties, and with the ready manner in which the young knights carriedout his orders. 

"Sir Gervaise Tresham, " he said, "it is usual, as you know, to appointeach galley to a certain cruising ground, to which it is confined duringits three months' absence. At present there is a galley on each of thesestations, and as the last relief took place but a month since, it isbetter that they should remain at the stations allotted to them. Ihave therefore, after consultation with his Highness the grand master, decided to give you a free hand. You are as likely to meet with piratesin one quarter as in another, and you will pick up from vessels youmay overhaul news of their doings, which will enable you to direct yourcourse 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 ofSpain has twice represented to us lately that the pirates have grownso bold that vessels have been carried off, even when coasting from oneSpanish port to another. Visconti is specially watching the coast nearTunis, and you will therefore perhaps do better to proceed farther west, for every village from Tunis to Tangier is little better than a nestof pirates. I should imagine that you will find ample employment thereduring your three months' cruise. When I say that you are free tochoose your own cruising ground, I do not mean that you should go up theLevant, or to the east of the Mediterranean, but that you are not boundto keep close along the African coast, but may, should you obtain anyinformation to warrant your doing so, seek the pirates along the shoresof Spain, Sardinia, Corsica, or Sicily. 

"I need not warn you to act with prudence as well as courage, for youhave proved that you possess both qualities. Do not allow yourself tobe carried away by the impetuosity of your knights; it is more oftenthe duty of a commander to restrain than to encourage his crew, and withsuch young blood as you have under your command the necessity will begreater than usual. Be kind to your slaves, but be ever watchful;yet this I need not tell you. Maintain a strict but not over severediscipline. You are all knights and comrades of the Order, and equalswhen on shore, but on board you are the captain and they are yoursoldiers. I have this afternoon had a meeting of your knights, and haveurged upon them very strongly that, having volunteered to serve underyou, they must obey your orders as promptly and willingly as if you werethe senior knight of the Order, and that it behooves them speciallyupon the present occasion, when the crew is composed entirely of youngknights, to show themselves worthy of the honour that has been done tothem by entrusting a galley of the Order to their charge. I told themI should regard your report of their individual conduct with the sameattention and respect with which I should that of any other commander, and that they might greatly make or mar their future prospects in theOrder by their conduct during the cruise. I am convinced, from what Iknow of you, that you will exercise no undue harshness, but will actwith tact and discretion, as well as firmness. "

"I will try to do so, your Excellency. I feel that it is a heavyresponsibility and will spare no pains to justify the unmerited honourthat has been bestowed upon me. "

"You have seen that the taking in of stores is complete, and thatnothing is wanting for the voyage?"

"Yes, sir. I stood by while the overseer of stores checked off everysack and barrel as it came on board. The water is to be brought off thisevening, and as I was unable to be present, Sir Ralph Harcourt is thereto count the barrels and see that all are full. "

"Goodbye, Sir Gervaise, " the grand master said, as the interviewterminated. 

"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 alesson of that when you served under Ricord, though finally the affairturned out well. I do not say, don't attempt desperate undertakings, butdon't attempt impossible ones. Be careful of the lives of your knights. Remember that ere long every sword may be of the utmost consequence inthe defence of Rhodes, and that even the capture of pirates may be toodearly purchased; but that, at the same time, the honour of the flagof the Order must be upheld at all hazards. Ah!" he broke off, seeinga slight smile on the young knight's face, "you think my orderscontradictory? It may be so; but you know what I mean, and I fear notthat you will blunder in carrying them out. Be prudent, and yet notover prudent. I mean, be not rash, unless there are such benefits to beobtained 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 excellenteffect, Gervaise. I do not say that every one was not before disposedto obey you in all things, willingly and cheerfully; but he put it sostrongly to them that they had volunteered specially for service in thisgalley, knowing well who was to be its commander, and the circumstancethat the crew was to consist solely of young knights, and had thereforespecially pledged their honour so to act that the enterprise should bein all respects a successful one. To render it so, obedience was evena greater necessity than valour. This was the most important of all thevows taken by the knights of the Order, and it was only by the strictestand most unquestioning obedience on the part of all to the orders oftheir superiors, that the work of a vast community could be carriedon. Passing over the fact that you were their superior in rank, both asbeing a secular knight and a knight commander of the Order, you hadbeen specially appointed by the grand master and council, as well asby himself, and that they bestowed upon you while at sea, and inthe absence of any officers of superior rank, their full powers andauthority. You were, in fact, their representative and agent, andtherefore to be regarded with the same deference and respect that wouldbe due to the oldest knight similarly placed. 'Lastly, ' he said, in aless serious tone, 'you must remember that this is an experiment, and, as some think, a somewhat rash one. Never before did a galley, mannedentirely from among the youngest of our knights, put to sea; and you maybe sure that, unless successful, the experiment is not likely to be everrepeated. You have been selected from among many other candidates, andyou have not only to justify the choice, but to uphold the reputationand honour of the young knights of your Order, by all of whom yourdoings will be regarded with special interest, as reflecting credit notonly upon yourselves individually, but as representatives and championsof them all. '

"I could see that his words had a great effect. He had placed me besidehim, and I marked their faces as he spoke. Each face lit up at hisappeal, and I do not think there was one but silently registered a vowto do all in his power to prove himself worthy of the confidence placedin him and his companions by the grand master and admiral. I had beforeno shadow of fear that everything would not go well. I knew almost allof them personally, and if I myself had had the selection from amongthe whole body of knights in the convent, I could not have made a choicethat would have suited me better. It seems to me that in each aubergethe bailiff has endeavoured to pick out the seven young knights whom heconsidered would most worthily support the honour of the langue. Still, confident as I was before, I feel more so now, after the admiral'saddress to us. "

"I had no fear either, Ralph, though doubtless the admiral's wordswill carry great weight with them. It was thoughtlessness rather thananything else that I dreaded; but now that the admiral himself hasspoken to them, there is no fear that anything will occur to give ustrouble. 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 allthe commands were carried out with as much goodwill and alacrity as ifthey were under Ricord himself. "

On the following morning the knights all went on board the SantaBarbara. Their baggage was carried down by slaves, and by the personalservants from each auberge who were to go as their attendants duringthe voyage. The grand master had advanced Gervaise a sum equal to half ayear's income of his commandery, and with this he had purchased a stockof the best wines, and various other luxuries, to supplement the rationssupplied from the funds of the Order to knights when at sea. Gervaisehad to go round early to the admiral to sign the receipt for stores andto receive his final orders in writing. All were, therefore, on boardbefore him and, when he arrived, were drawn up in military order toreceive him. 

Every knight was in full armour, and as, at a word from Ralph, theydrew their swords and saluted the young commander, Gervaise felt with athrill of pleasure and of confidence that with such a following heneed not fear any encounter with a pirate force, unless in overwhelmingnumbers. 

The young knights were all, with the exception only of Ralph Harcourt, between the ages of seventeen and nineteen, and their young faces, freein most cases even from the suspicion of a moustache, looked almostthose of boys. But there was no mistaking the ardour and enthusiasm intheir faces, and the lack of breadth and weight, that years alone wouldgive to them, was compensated by skill in their weapons, acquired bylong and severe training, and by the activity and tireless energy ofyouth. 

"Knights and comrades, " Gervaise said as, after walking through thedouble line to the end of the poop he turned and faced them, "I amproud indeed to command so gallant a body of knights. The success of ourexpedition depends upon you rather than upon me, and as I feel assuredof 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 thosescourges of the sea in search of whom we are about to set out. Many ofus have already encountered them, and, fighting side by side with olderknights, have borne our share of the work, while those who have not doneso will, I am sure, do equally well when the opportunity arrives. Weshall not this voyage have the encouragement and confidence inspired bythe presence of those who have long and valiantly borne the standard ofthe Order; but, on the other hand, we have to show that we are worthyof the confidence reposed in us, and that the young knights of the Ordercan be trusted to emulate the deeds of those who have rendered the nameof the Hospitallers a terror to the infidel. "

A shout of approbation greeted the close of his address. Gervaise thenwalked 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 necessarythat you should do your work, your lot shall be no heavier than can beavoided. You will not be taxed beyond your powers, save when the enemyis in sight, or there is supreme need for haste, but then you must becalled 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 quotaof 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 beimproved 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 stricttenets of your religion may be relaxed while engaged in such severelabour, a ration of wine will also be served out; and such otherindulgences as are compatible with the discipline and safety of theship, will also be granted to you. "

There was a murmur of gratitude among the slaves. Gervaise then gave theorder to row, and the galley started on her voyage. The knights had nowfallen out from their ranks, and were soon laughing and talking gaily. Being all of noble families and knightly rank, there was, except when onactual duty, a tone of perfect equality and good fellowship prevailingamong them. French was the common language, for as the Order was ofFrench foundation, and three of the seven langues belonged to thatcountry, most of the high dignitaries being chosen from their ranks, it was natural that the French language should be the general medium ofcommunication 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 theawning that had, as the sun gained power, been erected over the poop, the heat was oppressive. The knights had all divested themselves oftheir armour, and most of them retired below for a siesta. As soon asthe slaves stopped rowing, an awning, which Gervaise had purchased, and which was rolled up under the break of the poop, was, to theirastonishment, drawn over them. 

"Don't you think you are spoiling your slaves, Sir Gervaise?" one of theSpanish knights asked doubtfully. 

"On the contrary, Sir Pedro, I hope that I am improving them. You havenot worked as a galley slave, but I have, and I can assure you that Iused to feel the hours when we were lying broiling in the sun, doingnothing, much more trying than those during which I was at work. I usedto be quite giddy and sick with the heat, and on getting out theoars again had scarce strength to work them. But this is not the mostimportant point. In port the slaves always sleep in the prison, but atsea they must rest on their benches; and to do so with clothes soakedwith the heavy dew must be a severe trial, and most prejudicial to thehealth. The awning cost but a few ducats, and I reckon that, puttingaside the comfort to the slaves, it will be very speedily repaid bytheir better health and capacity for labour. When away in the galleywith Sir Louis Ricord, I used to feel the greatest pity for theunfortunate wretches when at daybreak, in their drenched clothes, andshivering with cold and wet, they rose to commence their work. I thentook a vow that if ever I should come to command a galley I wouldprovide an awning for the slaves. "

Two or three of the knights standing by expressed their warm approvalof what Gervaise said. There was, in those days, but little of thatsentiment of humanity that is now prevalent, and slaves were everywhereregarded as mere beasts of burden rather than as human beings. When, however, they had the question put to them, as Gervaise had done, theywere ready to give a hearty agreement, although it was the utilitarianrather than the humanitarian side of the question that recommended itto them. After three hours' rest the journey was renewed, and justat nightfall the galley anchored off an islet lying to the north ofCarpathos. 

While the servants were laying the tables along the poop for theevening meal, Gervaise went down to see that his orders were carried outregarding the food for the slaves. They were already eating theirbread and meat with an air of satisfaction that showed how warmly theyappreciated the unusual indulgence, while there were few indeed who didnot hold up their drinking horns as a servant passed along between thebenches 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 Christiangalleys, but never before has an awning been spread to keep off the sunor the dew. We shall not forget your kindness, my lord, and will row ourhardest 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 slaveexclaimed. "The blessing of those whom you regard as infidels can atleast do you no harm. "

"On the contrary, it can do me good, " Gervaise said. "The God youMoslems and we Christians worship is, I believe, the same, though underanother name. "

Gervaise had, indeed, during his long conversations with Suleiman Ali, often discussed with him the matter of his faith, and had come, inconsequence, to regard it in a very different light to that in which itwas viewed by his companions. There was faith in one God at thebottom of both Mohammedanism and Christianity. The Mohammedans heldin reverence the lawgivers and prophets of the Old Testament, and evenregarded Christ Himself as being a prophet. They had been grievously ledaway by Mahomet, whom Gervaise regarded as a false teacher; but as hehad seen innumerable instances of the fidelity of the Moslems to theircreed, and the punctuality and devotion with which the slaves said theirdaily prayers, exposed though they were to the scorn and even the angerof their taskmasters, he had quite lost, during his nine monthsof constant association with Suleiman Ali, the bigoted hatred ofMohammedanism so universal at the time. He regarded Moslems as foes tobe opposed to the death; but he felt that it was unfair to hate them forbeing 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 wasadvisable to grant indulgences to slaves. The majority approved of thesteps Gervaise had taken, but some asserted that these concessions wouldonly lead them to look for more, and would create discontent among thecrews of other galleys not so favoured. 

"Well, comrades, " said Gervaise, "I think that so far I am betterqualified than any of you to give an opinion; but it may be that it willfall to the lot of some of you to be a slave in Turkish hands. In thatcase, I can affirm with certainty, that you will keenly appreciate anyalleviation, however small, of your lot. You must remember that the onefeeling of the slave is dull despair. Death is the only relief he hasto 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 beso in my case. But if you brighten his life a little, and show himthat he is not regarded as merely a brute beast, and that you take someinterest in him, he will work in a different spirit. Even viewed from amerely monetary point of view it must pay well to render him as contentas possible with his lot. You know how great is the mortality among theslaves--how they pine away and die from no material malady that can bedetected, but simply from hopelessness and weariness of life, aided, undoubtedly, in the case of the galley slaves, by sleeping in the dampnight air after an exposure all day to the full heat of the sun. Thisbrings an answer to your second objection. Undoubtedly it might causediscontent among the slaves of other galleys when they hear that othersare treated better than themselves. But I hope that if, on our return, we bring back all our slaves in good condition and health, the contrastbetween their appearance and that of the slaves in most other galleyswill be so marked that the admiral may consider it would be well toorder awnings to be fixed to all the vessels of the Order, and even togrant to all slaves, when away on voyages, the little indulgences Ihave given them here. The expense would be very trifling, and it wouldcertainly add a great deal to the average life of a slave, and wouldrender him capable of better work. There is another advantage. Ifthe Turks learn that their countrymen in our hands are treated with acertain amount of kindness and consideration, it might lead them to actsimilarly to those of our Order who may be unfortunate enough to fallinto their hands. "

"There is a great deal in what you say, Sir Gervaise, " one of theknights, who had before taken the opposite point of view, said. "Thereis no reason why our galley should not be a model one, and though, likeenough, the seniors will laugh at our making innovations, D'Aubussonis a reformer, and will certainly support anything that he sees to bebeneficial, from whatever quarter it comes. "

Supper was now served, and the young knights were well pleased with theentertainment 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 fruitsoon after rising. At eleven o'clock they sat down to a more substantialmeal; but in that climate the heat was at that hour considerable, and asthere 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 thecool evening breeze, and the meal was hearty and prolonged. After it wasconcluded, several of the knights brought up from below viols and otherinstruments of music; for the ability to accompany the voice with suchan instrument was considered an essential part of the education of aknight. 

For some hours the songs and romances, so popular at the time, were sungin the various languages represented on board; then the knights, one byone, went down to their sleeping places, until only the seven knights ofthe langue of Auvergne, who were to watch the first night, remained ondeck. Five of these wrapped themselves in their mantles and lay down onthe benches. One of the others descended to the waist, walked along theplank between the lines of sleeping slaves, and took up his place inthe bow, while the other paced up and down the poop, the fall ofhis footsteps being the only sound to break the silence that reignedthroughout the ship. 

In the morning, as soon as the knights had all taken a plunge in thesea, the oars were got out, and the galley proceeded on her way. Passingthrough the islands and skirting the southern shore of Greece, shecontinued her course west. Malta was sighted, but they did not put inthere. Pantellaria was passed, and in a fortnight after leaving Rhodes, Cape Bon, at the entrance to the bay of Tunis, was sighted. Until Greecewas left behind them, the nights had generally been spent in smallports, where supplies of fresh meat, fish, and fruit, were obtainable. So far no incident had marked the voyage. The weather had continuedfine, and they had heard nothing, from ships they had fallen in with, of any Moslem pirates having been seen. A few hours, however, aftersighting the coast of Africa, a dark object was seen ahead. 

"It is a ship of some sort, " Ralph said; "but her masts have gone. Itmay be that she is a merchantman that has been captured and sacked bythe Moorish pirates. "

Orders were given to the rowers to quicken their pace, and in littleover an hour they were alongside the hull. As soon as the vessels wereclose enough for those on the poop of the galley to look down on tothe deck of the other craft, it was seen that Ralph's suppositions werecorrect. Two bodies lay stretched upon it. One was crushed under thefallen mast; the other lay huddled up in a heap, a cannon ball havingalmost torn him asunder. The knights leapt on to the deck as soon as thegalley ran alongside. Gervaise made first for the man lying beneath themast; 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 fromthe 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 hisbody. 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 alittle, and looked gratefully at his rescuers. 

"You have been attacked by pirates, " Gervaise said. "Was there onegalley, 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, " theman said, his voice gaining in strength, as some wine they gave him tookeffect. "It was useless to fight, and I hauled down our flag, but inspite of that one of the pirates fired a broadside, and one of theshot hit the mast and brought it down, and I was crushed under it. Theyboarded us, took off all the crew as captives, and emptied the hold; Iknew that I was done for, and begged them to kill me; but they paidno attention. I know a little of their language, and as I lay there Icaught something of what they were saying; they are bound for the Islandof Sardinia, where they have a rendezvous, and are to join a greatgathering of their consorts. I don't know the name of the place, but itis on the east coast. More water!"

Gervaise knelt to pour some water between his lips, when he gave asudden 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 tofollow him below. 

"Now, Ralph, " he said, "this is one of those cases in which we have todecide whether we ought or ought not to be prudent. From what that poorfellow said, the pirates have about five hours' start of us, and as theycan have no idea that they are pursued, we can doubtless overtake thembefore they reach Sardinia. The question is, ought we to pursue them atonce, or ought we to coast along until we find Visconti's galley? Threeof these Tripoli pirates, crowded as they always are with men, wouldprove serious opponents, yet we might engage them with a fair hope ofvictory. But we may be seriously disabled in the fight, and should be, perhaps, unable to carry the news to Genoa that there are many pirateships gathering on the coast of Sardinia to prey upon their commerce. "

"We might be days, or even weeks, before we light upon Visconti'sgalley, Gervaise, and even when we found it, he might not considerhimself justified in leaving the coast where he is stationed. Besides, while we are spending our time looking for him, the pirates will becommitting terrible depredations. It must be a big expedition, undersome notorious pirate, or they would never venture so far north. "

"Then you think that I should be justified in pursuing them alone. It isa fearful responsibility to have to decide. "

"I think so, Gervaise. There is no saying what misfortunes might happenif we did not venture to do so. "

"Very well then, so be it. But before deciding finally on so grave amatter, I will lay it before the company. "

"There is no doubt as to what their decision will be, " Ralph said, witha smile. 

"Perhaps not, Ralph; but as they will be called upon to risk their livesin a dangerous enterprise, it is as well that they should have a say inthe matter. "

When they returned on to the poop, there was an expression of eagernessand excitement on the faces of the young knights which showed howanxiously they had been awaiting the result of the conference below. Gervaise stepped on to a bench, and motioned to them to close up roundhim. 

"Comrades, " he said, "although the responsibility of whatever course maybe 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 himwith 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 mindin the matter, but as the decision is a grave one we should be loath toact 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 riskin the one course; but if successful its advantages are obvious. Onthe other hand, the second plan is more sure, more prudent, and more inaccordance with the instructions I have received. I ask you to let meknow 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 asatisfaction to know that the course had your approval, and that it wasyour 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 starboardside of the deck, while those who are in favour of joining Visconti, andlaying this serious matter we have discovered before him, move to thelarboard side. "

There was a rush of the knights to the right, and not one moved to theother 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 tobe gained. "

The knights gave a shout of satisfaction at finding that their choicewas also that of the officers. 

"Lay her head to the north, " Gervaise said to the pilot. Then he wentto 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 longjourney before us, and there is need for haste. Now is the time forwilling work. "

The oars dipped into the water, and the galley was soon moving alongat a much faster pace than that at which they had performed the journeyfrom Rhodes. The slaves had not, from their benches, been able to seewhat had passed on board the dismantled vessel, but from the order andthe change of course, they had no doubt that the knights had obtainedsome clue to the direction taken by the corsairs who had captured andsacked the ship. 

"There is but little wind, " Gervaise said to Ralph, "and their sailswill be of slight use to them; therefore we shall go fully three feet totheir 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 forCape Carbonara, which is some hundred and thirty miles distant. If wedo not see them by the time we get there, we shall be sure that we havepassed them on the way, unless, indeed, a strong wind should spring upfrom the south. However, I hope that we shall catch sight of them beforethat, for we shall be able from our lookout to discover their masts andsails some eight or ten miles away, while they will not be able to seeus until we are within half that distance. They cannot be more thantwenty 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 attheir full power, with so long a passage before them. "

Already, indeed, one of the knights had perched himself on the seat atthe top of a low mast some fifteen feet above the poop, that served as alookout. 

"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 criedthat he could make out three dark specks on the horizon. Gervaise atonce ascended to the lookout, by the ladder that was fixed against thepost. 

"They are making to the left of the course we are taking. Turn her headrather more to the west. That will do. They are directly ahead now. " Hethen came down to the deck again. "I would that we had seven or eightmore hours of daylight, Ralph, instead of but three at the outside. However, as we know the course they are taking, we are not likely tomiss them, for as we shall not be near enough for them to make us outbefore the sun sets, there will be no chance of their changing it. Doyou think they will row all night?"

"I should not think so. If the land were nearer they might keep on untilthey make it, but as they have had no wind since daylight, they will lieon their oars until morning. You see, at sunset they will still be someeighty miles from Cape Carbonara, and the slaves could not possibly rowthat distance without rest; so that if we keep on we may take them bysurprise. "

"That is what I have been thinking, Ralph, but it would be well not toattack them until nearly daybreak. We should capture one galley easilyenough; but the others, being ignorant of our force, might make off indifferent directions, and we might lose both of them. If, on the otherhand, we could fall upon them a short time before daylight, we should beable to keep them in sight, and, even if they separated, they would sooncome together and continue their course, or, as I hope, when they seethat we are alone, bear up and fight us. I think that our best plan willbe to row on until it is dark, then give the slaves six hours' rest, andafter that go on quietly. If we can make them out, which we may do ifthey have lights on board, we will stop, and wait until it is the hourto 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 thedeck, but the pilot judged them to be fully ten miles away. Half an hourlater the slaves were told to cease rowing. Gervaise had ordered thecooks to prepare them a good meal, and this was at once served, togetherwith a full ration of wine. As soon as they had consumed it, they weretold to lie down and sleep, as at one o'clock the galley would be againunder way. 

The knights' supper was served below, as lights on the poop might bemade 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 ofSpain, who is on watch, turn in to sleep till we are off again. All ofyou will, of course, don your armour on rising. "

At the appointed hour the galley was again under way. There was not abreath of air, and before starting, pieces of cloth were wrapped roundthe oars at the rowlocks to deaden the sound, which might otherwise havebeen heard at a considerable distance on so still a night. After an hourand a half's rowing, the knight on the lookout said that he could see alight some distance ahead. The pilot, an experienced old sailor, joinedhim, and speedily descended to the poop again. 

"It is a ship's light, " he said. "I should say that it was a lantern onboard the ship of the captain of the expedition, and is shown to enablethe other two to keep near him. I cannot say how far it is away, forI do not know at what height it hangs above the water; but I shouldimagine, from the feebleness of the light, that it must be some twomiles distant. "

As soon as the light had been noticed, the slaves had been ordered tocease rowing, and they were now told that they would not be requiredagain for fully two hours. When the first gleam of dawn appeared inthe east they were called to their work again. The lantern was stillburning, and, in a quarter of an hour, the knights on the poop wereable, in the broadening light, to make out three shadowy forms sometwo miles ahead of them. They decreased this distance by more than halfbefore they could discern any signs of life or motion on board. Thena sudden stir was apparent; they could hear shouts from one vessel toanother, oars were thrust out, and an effort made to get the heads ofthe ships in the same direction, so as to catch the light breeze thathad just sprung up. 

The moment he saw that the galley was discovered, Gervaise shouted downto the slaves to row their hardest, and told the pilot to steer for theship farthest to the east. She was some four or five hundred yards fromher nearest consort, and the same distance separated that vessel fromthe third craft. 

"We shall have time to carry her, Ralph, before the others come to herassistance, and they will only arrive one at a time. If we were to liealongside the middle craft, which is probably that of the chief, as itis she that has the light burning, we might have the other two upon usbefore we had done with her, for she is evidently the largest, and mostlikely the strongest handed, of them. "

The leader of the pirates evidently saw that there was no chance ofevading the fight. A flag was run up to the masthead of his ship, andthe three vessels began to endeavour to turn, so as to meet the galley. The operation, however, took some time. In the confusion, orders weremisunderstood, and instead of all the slaves on one side rowing whilstthose on the other side backed, all order was lost, and long before thecraft for which the galley was making had got round, the latter was uponher. 

"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 twoforward; and these had been loaded with small pieces of iron. A fewshots had been fired by the pirates, but, owing to the confusion thatprevailed on board, the guns were discharged so hurriedly that the shoteither flew overhead or passed wide of the galley. Excited as the youngknights were, and eager for the fray, a general laugh broke out as thegalley swept along by the pirate ship, breaking many of her oars, andhurling all the slaves who manned them backwards off their benches. Amoment later the guns poured their iron contents among the pirates whoclustered thickly on the forecastle and poop, and as the vessels gratedtogether the knights sprang on board the corsair. 

The members of the English langue had each been provided with shortpieces of rope, and before joining their companions in the fray theylashed the vessels together, side by side. The fight was a very shortone. France and Auvergne, led by Ralph Harcourt, boarded at the bow, theother five langues at the poop; and so impetuous was their onset thatthe pirates, who had still scarce recovered from their surprise at beinghastily aroused from sleep to repel the attack of the foe who had sosuddenly sprung out from the darkness upon them, offered but a feebleresistance. Many threw themselves overboard, and swam to the shipnearest to them; others were cut down; and the rest flung away theirarms, and cried for quarter. 

All who did so were, without the loss of a minute's time, thrown downinto the hold of their ship, and the hatches secured over them. It hadbefore been arranged that Ralph should take the command of the corsair, having with him France, Auvergne, and Germany. As soon, therefore, asthe captives were fastened below, Gervaise called the knights of theother four langues back to the deck of the galley. The lashings werecast off, she was pushed from the side of the prize, and the oars weregot out. There was no time to be lost, for the largest of the threepirate ships, which had, directly it was seen that her consortwas captured, poured two heavy broadsides into the prize, was nowapproaching--rowing but slowly, however, for the third vessel to comeup. 

She was but a hundred yards away when the galley swept round the bow ofthe prize and advanced to meet her. As she did so, Ralph discharged theeight guns of the prize, which he had at once reloaded, into the bow ofthe corsair, the shot raking the crowded deck from end to end. When buta few yards distant, the two bow guns of the galley poured in a showerof missiles, and a moment later she ran alongside the pirate, the poopguns, as before, preparing the way for the boarders. But no sooner hadthey leapt on deck than they were met by the pirates, headed by theircaptain. 

Gervaise had specially charged the knights not to allow themselves tobe 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, sofighting, 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 wallof steel. For a time, however, no forward movement could be made, sofurious were the attacks upon them, led by the pirate chief. Severaltimes breaches were made in the front rank, but the knights behind eachtime bore back the assault, and restored the line. The knights had wontheir way half along the poop when a yell of exultation rose from thecorsairs as the third of their vessels rowed up on the other side of thegalley, and her crew sprang on board it. Gervaise called the knights ofthe second line from their places, and ranged them along the bulwark, toprevent the Moors from boarding from the poop of the galley. 

Then for a moment he looked round. The prize was creeping up, and was alength or two away, coming up alongside. Its approach was also noticedby the pirates, who, with wild shouts, flung themselves upon theiropponents. Gervaise sprang forward to take the place of a young Italianknight, who staggered back, with his helmet cleft by a heavy blow fromthe keen yataghan of the pirate captain. The corsair, shouting his warcry of "Allah!" sprang with the bound of a wild cat upon Gervaise; hisweapon descended on his uplifted guard, and shore right through thestout blade. With a shout of triumph, the corsair raised his arm torepeat the blow; but Gervaise in turn sprang forward, and struck withall his force with the pommel of his sword on the forehead of hisopponent. The latter fell as if shot, his weapon dropping from his handbeside him. 

Dismayed at the fall of their leader, his followers recoiled for amoment. 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 thefront line of Moors, and the shout of "St. John!" "St. John!" rose abovethe din. It was one of the bow guns of the prize, and as she swept alonggun 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 ofthe poop. 

The discharge of the cannon at such close quarters had wrought terriblehavoc among them, and the pirates, with but slight resistance, turned, and either ran down the ladder or leapt into the water. The knightsfollowed them forward among the benches of the rowers, who cheeredloudly in many tongues as they passed them. At the forecastle the Moorsmade another stand, but the knights forced their way up, and in twominutes all was over. 

"Now to the aid of our comrades!" Gervaise shouted, as the last of thecorsairs was struck down. 

Ralph's party had indeed cleared the poop of the galley, but they invain endeavoured to climb up on to that of the third pirate ship, whosesuperior height gave a great advantage to its defenders. Gervaise leaptdown on to the bow of the galley, followed by the knights, and then ranaft until he could climb into the waist of the pirate. So intent werethe corsairs upon defending the poop that they did not see what wasgoing on elsewhere, and Gervaise had obtained a fair footing before hewas noticed. Then a number of men ran down and attacked his party. Butit was too late, for the whole of the knights had, by this time, leapedon board. Their assailants were forced back, and, pressing close uponthem, the knights gained the poop before the main body of the pirateswere aware of their coming. 

Warned by the shouts and shrieks of their comrades that they had beentaken in the rear, the Moslems who were defending the side of the poopwavered for a moment. Ralph took advantage of their hesitation, andsprang on board, his companions pouring in after him. There was astern and desperate fight. The Moslems fought with the fury of despair, disdaining to ask or accept quarter. A few leapt overboard, preferringdeath by drowning to that by the swords of the Christians; but the greatmajority died fighting to the last. A shout of triumph rose from theknights as the last of the Moslems fell. 

The first impulse of all of them was to take off their helmets in orderto breathe the fresh air, and for a while they all stood panting fromtheir exertions. 

"Nobly and gallantly done, comrades!" Gervaise exclaimed. "This isindeed a victory of which we have all a right to be proud. Now, thefirst thing is to free the slaves of their shackles; there are manywhite faces among them. Let our langue look after the wounded, while thereleased 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. Thegreater portion of them were Christians--Greeks, Italians, Spaniards, and French, who had been captured in various raids by the corsairs; andamong them were the crew of the ship that had been overhauled by thegalley on the previous day. Besides these, there were a few Moslems whohad been sentenced to labour in the galleys for various crimes. 

Among the Christians, the joy at their liberation was intense. Somelaughed, some cried, others were too overcome to speak coherently. Amongthe rest were found, to the intense pleasure of their rescuers, threeknights of the Order who had for years been missing. They had been takenprisoners on an island at which the galley to which they belongedhad touched. Many of the knights had landed, and three of them, allbelonging to the langue of Italy, had wandered away from the rest, andhad not returned. A search had been made for them, and it was discoveredthat a struggle had taken place. As there were no marks of blood, itwas supposed that they were suddenly pounced upon by a party of hiddenmarauders, who had been watching them from some hiding place, and hadthrown themselves upon the knights before they had had time to drawtheir swords. Following the trail by bushes broken down, and plantscrushed under foot, it was found to lead to a creek on the other sideof 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 hadbeen missed, and therefore the craft in which they had been carried offwas long out of sight. Letters were written by the grand master tothe 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 unawareof any such captives having been landed. 

An attempt had then been made to ascertain whether they had been carriedto Tripoli; but the bey had little authority over the various tribesmenalong the coast, and only replied that no such captives had been sold inthe city. Thus all hope of ransoming them had died away, and their nameswere inscribed in the list of those who had fallen into the hands of theinfidels, but of whose subsequent fate no clue could be obtained. 

All were greatly emaciated, and their faces showed signs of thesufferings they had undergone. The young knights were all familiarwith their names, but personally none had known them, for they had beencarried off two or three months before Gervaise and Ralph Harcourt hadarrived at Rhodes. 

All three had struggled desperately to break their chains while thefight was going on, and had, as soon as the contest was decided, risento their feet and shouted the battle cry of the Order; then, overcome bytheir emotions, they sank down upon their benches, and remained as ifin a stupor until the knights, who had hurried first to them, struckoff their fetters. Then the three men grasped each other's hands, whiletears streamed down their cheeks. 

"It is no dream, comrades, " one of them said, in a hoarse voice. "We arefree again. Let us first return thanks to God for our release, and thenwe can thank these our brothers. "

The three knights knelt at the benches where they had toiled andsuffered, and hid their faces in their hands. No sounds came from theirlips, but their stifled sobs and the heaving of their naked shoulders, seamed and scarred by the strokes of their taskmasters' whips, toldthe young knights, who stood unhelmeted and silent around, how deep wastheir emotion. Then they rose. 

"I am Fabricius Caretto, " one said; "this is Giacomo Da Vinci; thisPietro Forzi: all knight commanders of the Order, and now for six yearsprisoners in the hands of these corsairs. Assuredly no one would knowus, 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 noneof us reached the convent until after your capture. I have the honourto command this galley. My name is Gervaise Tresham, and I have for mylieutenant Sir Ralph Harcourt. All of us, glad as we are at the capturewe have effected of these three corsairs, are still more pleased that weshould have been the means of rescuing three noble knights of our Orderfrom captivity. Now, I pray you first of all to accompany me onboard the galley, where we will do all we can to make you forget thesufferings you have gone through. After you have bathed, and recladyourselves, I will present to you the knights my comrades, amongst whomare seven of your own langue. Three of these I will tell off to see toyour comfort, for, as you will understand, I have my hands full indeedat present. "

"First, before all things, Sir Knight, let me express to you all ourdeep gratitude and our admiration of the gallant deed that you haveaccomplished in thus, single handed, capturing three vessels belongingto the fiercest and most dreaded of the corsairs of Tripoli. God blessyou 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 themand the released captives, led the way to the galley. Here he left themin 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 sorelyneed refreshment before aught else, for, as you see, they are well nighdazed with this unlooked for change. I will put out clothes enoughfor one of them; the others you must supply for the present from yourstores. Now I must be off. "

There was indeed much to be done. Four of the knights were told off toattend upon the most urgent cases among their own wounded. Only two oftheir number had been killed outright, but there were four serious casesamong the wounded, while eight or ten others had received wounds thatrequired bandaging and attending to. As fast as the slaves' fetterswere struck off, food and wine were given to them, together with suchgarments as could be found at the moment. Then the bodies of the fallenpirates were thrown overboard, while the wounded were attended to, andthe released Christians were divided equally between the three prizes. To each of these the knights of one of the langues were told off, theseniors being appointed to the command. There were in all some ninetyChristian captives on board the three ships. Thus each vessel had acomplement of seven knights and thirty Christians, and to these wereadded ten of the thirty Moslems found at the oars, and fifteen of thepirates to whom quarter had been given. 

It was past noon before all these arrangements had been made, and duringthe time so occupied, the ships lay idly side by side, drifting slowlybefore the wind, the sails having been lowered as soon as the strugglewas over. Up to this time, the knights had been too busily engaged tothink of food, but they were right glad when they were summoned to ameal on board the galley. 

Gervaise found the three knights in the cabin, dressed in the usualattire 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 transformthem, but the feeling that they were once more free men, and knights ofan honoured Order, had done even more to effect the change; and althoughthey looked thin and worn, the martial bearing had come back naturallyas they donned their knightly robes and buckled on swords. 

"I am glad to see that you are better, " Gervaise said, as he went up togreet them. "Twenty years seem to have dropped off your shoulders sincethis morning. "

"We are not the same men, Sir Gervaise. We were slaves, and are nowfree. We were Christian dogs; now we are Christian knights. We weresubject to scoffs and blows; now, thank God, we have swords to strikewith, and though as yet our arms may not have regained their fullstrength, we could at least bear a share in a fray. Our comrades havebeen telling us somewhat of how this wonderful thing has come about, and have been explaining what at first filled us with surprise, that agalley should be manned solely by young knights, of whom their commanderis one of the youngest. We can testify, at least, that had the grandmaster been himself in command, and his crew composed of veteranknights, he could have done no better. "

"We were fortunate in taking them so much by surprise that the first oftheir ships fell into our hands before her consorts could come to herassistance; and her guns did us good service in our struggle with theothers. "

"The matter was well arranged, as well as gallantly fought, " one of theother 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 youcould scarce have overcome them before the other two vessels came up tohis assistance. "

"Now let us to our meal, " Gervaise said. 

The three knights were placed at the head of the table by him, and itwas 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 havewondered to myself whether I could ever have lived thus, and whetherI should ever exchange my hard bread and water for what seemed to mefabulous luxuries, though at the time one had taken them as a matter ofcourse. You cannot tell how strange it feels to me to come back to theold life again. "

"You will soon be accustomed to it, " Gervaise said, with a smile, "andthen you will look upon your captivity as a dream, just as you thenregarded your past life. "

"I suppose, Sir Gervaise, " Pietro Forzi said, "that you will sail directfor Rhodes with your prizes?"

"No indeed, " Gervaise replied. "At the same time that we learned, from adying man left on board the ship the pirates captured yesterday, ofthe course they had taken, and were so enabled to follow them, we alsolearned that they were on their way to join a corsair fleet that wascollecting at some point on the eastern side of Sardinia, with theintention of sweeping the coast of Italy. It was this, rather than thecapture of these three vessels, that induced us to disobey the generalinstructions we had been given to cruise along the northern coast ofAfrica, and determined us to push north to give warning along the coastfrom Naples to Genoa of the danger that threatened, and, if possible, toenable Genoa to fit out her galleys to encounter the corsairs. That dutyhas still to be fulfilled, though I fear that Genoa will be able todo little, for of late she has been engaged in a long civil strugglebetween her great families, and has taken but a small part in maritimeaffairs. However, we can at least warn her, as well as Naples, Pisa, and other towns, and may possibly find some opportunity for ourselvesstriking another blow against the pirates. "

"If so, certainly we shall be glad to accompany you, if you will allowus to serve under you; for nothing would please us so much as theopportunity 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 theprizes. "

"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 toadvantage. They have their sails, and rowers for the oars. There willbe, in each, besides seven knights of the Order, thirty men who, likeyourselves, 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 andaid of three such well known knights of the Order, and would, could Ido so, gladly resign my command into your experienced hands. But thisI cannot do, and, anticipating that you would be willing to join us inthis expedition, I have been thinking how I could best utilise your aid. I have thought that, if you would accept the positions, I would appointone of you to each of the prizes, to act, not as its commander, but asthe 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 aidto the little party of knights in any actual fight. "

The three knights all exclaimed that they would gladly accept the postshe offered them. 

"The idea is a capital one, Sir Gervaise; and, as long as it doesnot come to close fighting, the three ships should be able to renderefficient aid to your galley in any encounter. They will be, at anyrate, a match for their own number of pirate ships, " Caretto said. 

As soon as the meal concluded, the Moslem captives were questioned oneby one as to the rendezvous at which the pirate fleet was to assemble;all, however, protested that the place was known only to the threecommanders, 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 ofFrance, Germany, and Spain went on board their respective ships, as didthe three parties of released captives, with the knights who were tocommand them, while the rowers took their seats on the benches, shackledwith the chains that had recently held the Christians. The wind was fromthe south, and with sails and oars the prizes were able to keep fairlyabreast of the galley. With a few short intervals of rest, the slavescontinued their work all night, until, shortly before daybreak, land wasseen 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 sleepbefore we go on. As you and I have been up all night, we will turn inalso. We will send a boat ashore to try and find out from the nativesthey may come across whether any vessels, bearing the appearance ofMoorish corsairs, have been seen passing up the coast, and also to findout 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 Ibelieve these people speak a different dialect to those of the mainland, they would have more chance of understanding them than any of theothers. "

The sun had risen when the little fleet came to an anchor close to thecape. A boat was at once prepared to go ashore, and Gervaise beggedFabricius Caretto, the senior of the rescued Italian knights, toendeavour to find out whether a swift sailing craft of some kind couldbe hired. If so, he was to secure her on any terms, and come off in herat once to the galley. 

Gervaise had already talked the matter over with Ralph, and they agreedthat a strongly manned craft of this kind would go faster than any ofthose they had taken, and that, moreover, it would be a pity to weakentheir 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 seethat all went well. In two hours he was roused. A native craft had comealongside with Sir Fabricius Caretto. 

"I think she is just the craft for us, " the knight said, as Gervaisecame on deck. "She belongs to a large fishing village just round thepoint to the left. There were several boats there, but the villagers allsaid that this was the speediest vessel anywhere along the coast. Shebelongs to two brothers, who, with four men, constitute her regularcrew; but I have arranged for twelve others to go in her, in order thatthey 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 tothe seaports. It needs one of name and rank to speak with the nobles andofficials authoritatively. "

"I will gladly do so, Sir Gervaise. Give me your instructions, and youcan rely upon my carrying them out. "

"I thank you greatly, Sir Fabricius, and shall be glad if you will takewith you any two of the knights you may select. I have to write lettersfor you to deliver to the authorities at Naples, Pisa, and Genoa. Ishall write but briefly, and leave you to explain matters more fully. Ishall merely say that I have intelligence of the arrival here of a fleetof Moorish corsairs, of whose strength I am ignorant, but that assuredlytheir intention is to make a raid on the commerce of the coast, andperhaps to land at unprotected places. At Ostia, after warning theauthorities to send orders along the coast for the inhabitants to be ontheir guard, pray them to carry word at once to Rome, and request hisHoliness the Pope to order some armed galleys to put to sea as soonas possible. Beg them at Naples and Pisa to do the same thing. But ofcourse it is from Genoa that we must hope for the most assistance. 

"In each place you will, if possible, see the syndic himself, and suchof his council as can be got quickly together. The moment you have doneall you can at Genoa sail for the Island of Madalena, which lies off thenortheastern point of the island. There you will either find us, or aboat with a message where to direct your course. I think perhaps it willbe best to omit Naples--it will save you fully a day, if not two, to doso. Pray them at Ostia to send off news down the coast, or to requestthe papal authorities to despatch mounted messengers. 'Tis likely that, at first, at any rate, the corsairs will try the narrower waters to thenorth. From here to Ostia is nigh two hundred miles, and if the wind isbrisk you may arrive there tomorrow afternoon, and start again at night, arriving at Pisa before noon on the following day; while, allowing forfour or five hours to ascend the river there, you may be at Genoa nextmorning. 

"Three hours should suffice to gather from the authorities what forcethey can despatch, and as soon as you have learned this, embark againand sail south. You may reach Madalena in two days. Thus, at theearliest, it must be from six to seven days before you can bring us thenews there; if you meet with calms or foul winds you may be well nighdouble that time. If at Ostia you can get a faster craft than this, hireit, or take a relay of fresh rowers. I will furnish you with means whenI give you the letters. "

In less than half an hour Gervaise was on deck again. The boat hadreturned with the other Italian knights. An ample store of provisionshad been placed on board the Sperondra, both for the crew and for thethree knights, and, without a minute's delay, these took their places onboard, the great sails were hoisted, and the craft glided rapidly away. 

"The villagers spoke truly as to her speed, " Ralph said, as they lookedafter her. "Even with this light wind, she is running fully six miles anhour, and as, by the look of the sky, there will be more of it soon, shewill make the run to Ostia well within the time we calculated. "

Gervaise now questioned the other Italian knights as to what informationthey had gained. 

They said the peasants had told them that several strange craft, usingboth oars and sails, had been noticed passing northwards, and that sostrong was the opinion that these were either Algerines or Tunisiansthat, for the last three or four days, none of the fishing craft hadventured to put to sea. They were able to tell but little as to thebays along the coastline, which they described as very rugged andprecipitous. Five or six little streams ran, they knew, down fromthe mountains. They thought the most likely places for corsairs torendezvous would be in a deep indentation north of Cape Bellavista, orbehind Cape Comino. If not at these places, they might meet in the greatbay at whose entrance stands Tavolara Island, and that beyond, therewere 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 meetingplace, Ralph; and this must be done without their catching sight of thegalley 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 boatspeedy enough to row away from the corsairs it would be easy enough; butwith 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 butlittle attention to it if they caught sight of it. My idea is that weshould take our own little boat, which is a fast one, paint it black, togive it the appearance of a fisherman's boat, and hire a couple of goodrowers from the village. This, with one knight dressed as a fisherman, should go ahead of us, and explore every inlet where ships could besheltered. We would follow ten miles behind. When we get near the placeswhere the natives think the fleet is likely to be, the boat must go onat night, while we anchor. In that way they ought to be able to discoverthe corsairs, while themselves unseen, and to gain some idea of theirnumbers and the position in which they are anchored, and bring us backnews. "

"Shall I go myself, Gervaise?"

"I could not spare you, Ralph. The risk of capture does not seem to meto be great, but there certainly is a risk, and I dare not part withyou. It had better be an Italian, because there will doubtless be anopportunity of landing at villages and questioning the inhabitants, therefore we will send Fosco. If there are some eight or ten corsairsgathered in any of these bays the news is sure to travel along theshore, and we may get some tidings in that way. The first thing is tosend off to the village again to fetch two young fishermen; they mustbe active fellows, strong, and possessed of some courage. I will ask daVinci to go himself and select them. While he is away we will paint ourboat black, and make ready for her to start at once; the sooner she isoff the better. "

The Italian knight at once undertook the mission, and started for theshore. Fosco, who had been chosen principally because he was light offrame, as well as very shrewd and intelligent, was then called up, andhis mission explained to him. He was delighted at having been selected. Gervaise took him down to the cabin, and they consulted the maps withwhich the galley was furnished. 

"You will row on to Muravera; it is some twenty miles from here. Yousee, the village lies at the mouth of a river. As soon as you arrivethere, you will land and find out whether there is any report ofMoorish pirates having been seen along the coast. We shall be there thisevening, and you will come on board and report. Next day you will get toLunasei, which is about five miles on this side of Cape Bellavista, andthey 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 willremain there until we come up in the evening. Remember that, should youon 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 keepalong near the coast, and as we pass you can come down to the water'sedge and signal to us to take you off. Now you had better disguiseyourself, so as to be in readiness to start as soon as da Vincicomes off with the men. You will only need to take a small stock ofprovisions, as each night you can replenish them here. "

An hour later da Vinci came off with two stalwart young fishermen. Thelittle boat had already been painted, and it was lowered at once; Foscostepped 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, atMuravera. Fosco at once came on board. 

"There is no news here beyond that which we gained this morning, SirGervaise, " he said. "Strange ships have certainly been seen sailingnorth, but they did not approach the coast. "

A similar report was given at Lunasei; there were certainly no corsairslying behind Cape Bellavista, or news would assuredly have reached thevillage. At Orosei, next day, the report was the same; there were nostrange ships at Cape Comino. They had been warned overnight thatthe coast beyond the cape was so precipitous, that there would be novillages at which to make inquiries, and arranged with Fosco that theships should anchor north of the cape, and that he should go on at onceto inspect the next bay. If he found ships there, he was to return atonce; if not, he was, at daybreak, to land at one of the villages in thebay, 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, asthey came on deck at daybreak. 

"Yes; and I am glad of it. It is a large bay, and if the Genoese sendhalf a dozen galleys, some of the pirates might still escape, while thenext bays are deeper and narrower, and it would be more easy to entrapthem all. I have all along thought it most probable that they wouldrendezvous there. The maps show no villages for many miles round, andthey might lie there for weeks without so much as a shepherd gettingsight of them from the cliffs. Moreover, it is the nearest point forcutting off ships coming down between Corsica and the mainland, and theycan, besides, snap up those proceeding from the south to Marseilles, asthese, 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 seenanything of them. "

Exclamations of disappointment broke from the knights. 

"That makes it all the more likely, " Gervaise said, "that they arelying in one of the inlets to the north. You see, lower down they keptcomparatively close to the shore, being careless who might notice them;but as they approached their rendezvous, they would be more careful, andmight either pass along at night, or keep far out. If they had not beenanxious to conceal their near presence, they would have been likely toput into this bay in search of plunder and captives; for Tempe, one ofthe largest of the Sardinian towns, lies but a short distance away, andthere must be a considerable amount of traffic. "

"There are four or five small craft lying there, " Fosco, who had by thistime stepped on board, put in, "and a considerable number of fishingboats. When I came upon the ships in the dark, I thought at first thatI had lighted on the pirates, but on letting the boat drift closely bythem 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 lyingthere might be presently captured by them, and they might learn from hercrew of the presence of a galley of the Order there. Therefore I thinkit best to remain where we are till nightfall, and then to proceed andanchor on the north side of the Island of Madalena, if we can find asheltered cove where we could not be seen either from the land or bypassing ships. "

During the day there was a good deal of discussion among the knightsas to whether the corsairs might not already have sailed away. It wasevident that if all their ships had arrived, there would be no motivefor delay. Three ships they knew would never join them, and others mighthave been detained, from some cause or another. There could be no doubtthat the pirates had already ample force for capturing as many merchantvessels as they might come across. But it might be intended to carry outsome more daring project--to sack and burn towns along the coast, carryoff the leading people for ransom, and fill the vessels with slaves--theattack being made simultaneously on several unprotected towns. A vastamount of plunder could thus be reaped, together with captives of evengreater money value. Were this their plan, they would doubtless delayuntil all those who had promised to join in the expedition had arrived. The balance of opinion, then, was that the corsairs were still inhiding. 

By daybreak next morning they were moored in a sheltered little bay tothe north of Madalena, the galley lying inside the prizes, so as to beconcealed as much as possible from view of any craft that might happento pass the mouth of the bay. Fosco started as soon as darkness fell inthe evening, and returned early in the morning. 

"They are there, " he shouted, as he neared the galley, "hidden in a deepinlet 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 sideby side. "

By this time Fosco's boat had reached the galley. 

"You have done well indeed, " Gervaise said, as the young knight ascendedto 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 intotwo, 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, asit is but a short distance across the strait. I steered first for theleft hand shore, and kept close along under the shadow of the cliffs, which, in many cases, rise almost straight out from the water. We rowedvery quietly, fearing to run against a rock; for although it was lightenough to see across the water, and to make out any craft that might beanchored there, it was very dark along the foot of the cliffs. There wasno need for haste, as I knew I had plenty of time to explore both armsof 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 ourselvesthat it was empty, came down the other side, and turned up the westernarm. 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 wateroccasionally. I could make out no signs whatever of the corsairs, whensuddenly we came upon a break in the cliffs. It was only some fiftyyards 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 ascore of lights were burning above a dark mass, and we could hear thesound of talking and laughter. It was but a glimpse I caught, for themen 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 theywanted to row straight away; but of course I pointed out to them thatthey had taken pay to do this thing, and that they had to do it. Theysaid that if caught they would be either killed or made slaves of, andI could not contradict them, but said that, in the first place, as I wasready to run the risk, there was no reason why they shouldn't do so, andin 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 escapethem altogether or run the boat ashore at some point where the treescame down to the water's edge, carry the boat up and hide it, and thenmove up into the hills until the corsairs had gone. 

"We waited there three or four hours, looking round the pointoccasionally. At the end of that time all was quiet. Two or three ofthe lanterns still burned, but there was no sign of life or movement ontheir decks. After waiting another half hour to ensure the crews beingasleep, we rowed quietly up the creek, keeping within an oar's length ofthe rocks. There was not much to see; the galleys lay two abreast, andas there was no space between them, I supposed the whole were lashedtogether. There were eight of them on the side we went along, but Ithink there were only seven on the other side. As I thought it did notmuch matter whether there were fifteen or sixteen, and as the men werein a state of horrible fright, we turned and went back again, and I ownI felt very glad myself when we got round the point without an alarmbeing given. We came quietly out, and it was fortunate we did so, for wehad 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 downthe poop together. "Probably in each of those galleys are eighty or ahundred men, in addition to the rowers. It is evident that unless Genoasends 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 mightnot be able to defeat them altogether. I want you tonight to take one ofthe prizes, and row round to the bay we passed, and there to buy threecoasting vessels and six or eight fishing boats. Get as much pitch, oil, and other combustibles, as you can purchase in the villages onthe shore. If you can engage a score of fishermen to man them, all thebetter. My idea is that if Caretto returns with news that the Genoesehave no galleys ready for sea, we must do what we can to injure thesecorsairs. If we smear these craft you are going to fetch with pitch andoil, and fill the holds with combustibles, and so turn them into fireships, we may at least do the pirates a tremendous lot of harm. When weget to the mouth of this inlet, we could have the fire ships rowed in bythree or four men in each, they having a boat behind in which to escapeas soon as the boats are lighted. The sight of a dozen craft comingdown on them in flames would cause a terrific panic, for, moored closelytogether, as they are, if one took fire there would be little chanceof the others escaping. Of course, we should add to the confusion byopening a fire with all our guns, and could hope to capture some atleast of them as they tried to make their way out. "

"It is a grand idea, Gervaise; a splendid idea! It would be a terrificblow to the Moors, and would make the sea safe from them for a longtime. "

"When you buy the other things, Ralph, get a quantity of black cloth--itmatters not how coarse, or of what material; and also some white. Assoon as you come back with it, all hands shall set to work to make thestuff up into mantles of the Order, with the white cross. We will putthese on to the Christians in the prizes, and the Moors will supposethat they are attacked by four of the galleys of the Order. If you canget 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 theChristians. As to the steel caps, that will not matter so much, as inthe darkness and confusion the sight of the mantles will be quite enoughto convince the corsairs that we are all knights of the Order. By theway, 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 butjust started we should find nothing in them save the cargo of thatunfortunate craft they captured. "

On searching they found, as they had expected, that the cargo of thecaptured ship had been of no great value. It consisted of wine, oliveoil, and grain. These were all useful, for the number of mouths to befed was considerable, and heavy inroads had already been made on thestores of the galley. The rowers of the four vessels were at once set towork to crush the grain between flat stones brought from the shore, andan ample supply of coarse flour for their use for at least a fortnightwas obtained before sunset. 

As soon as darkness fell, Ralph and two of the French knights startedin one of the prizes. Late on the following afternoon a sail was seencoming from the north, and before the sun set they were able to makeher out to be the craft in which Caretto had sailed. The anchor ofthe galley was at once got up, and she rowed out to meet the boat andconduct her into the little bay. It was almost dark when they camewithin hailing distance. 

"What news do you bring, Sir Fabricius?"

"Bad news, I regret to say. I do not think that Genoa will be able tosend out any galleys for at least a fortnight. There have been civildissensions, and fighting between rival factions, and in consequence herships are all dismantled and laid up. Crews will have to be collectedfor them, repairs executed, and officers chosen; a fortnight will be theearliest time in which they can be here. Pisa has no war galleys, andunless the Pope sends some out directly he gets the news, the corsairswill have it their own way. Have you discovered them?"

"Yes; they lie but a few miles from here. There were fifteen or sixteenof them two days ago, and two others joined them that night. You havelost 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 withmy ill success. All I have accomplished is that no merchant vessels willput to sea at present. At Ostia they would only send off a message toRome, to ask for orders. At Pisa the authorities at first treated mystory as a fiction, and, I believe, took me for an impostor; but on thenews spreading, some knights came forward and recognised me. Then we hada meeting of the council. All talked, wrangled, and protested. They saidthat it was absurd to suppose that they could, at a moment's notice, fitout ships to cope with a fleet of corsairs; and their sole idea was toman the forts, and to repel an attack. However, mounted messengerswere sent off at once, up and down the coast, to give warning to theinhabitants of the towns to put themselves into a posture of defence, and to the villagers to fly with their wives and families into theinterior 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 weremostly merchants, and were filled with dismay for the safety of theirships and goods at sea. Of course, there was no thought that thecorsairs, however strong, would venture an attack upon Genoa itself. I told them that you had captured three of the corsairs with a singlegalley, and that if they could send you ten others you would probably beable to make head against the pirates; but, as I have told you, Genoais at peace with all the world; her war galleys are laid up, and most ofthem would need repair and recaulking before they would be fit to sendto sea. Although they maintained that no more than a week should elapsebefore they would be ready to sail I am right sure that it will bedouble that time before they are fitted out. 

"Of course, in Genoa I was well known, though my family estates lie nearMantua, and my acquaintances flocked round me and urged me to stay untilthe galleys were ready for sea. This I would not hear of, and, six hoursafter my arrival, started again. We made the voyage to Corsica at a goodspeed, but since then we have had the oars constantly out to help thesails. The men have well earned their pay, I can assure you. It isenough to make one mad with rage to think that these pirates will beable to harry the coast of Italy at their pleasure; for there canbe little chance that they will abide quiet much longer at thisrendezvous. "

"It is annoying, indeed, " Gervaise agreed; and a murmur ofdisappointment ran round the assembled knights. "However, we have theconsolation that we have done all we could, and I am sure that we shalldo so in the future. "

Gervaise had charged Ralph to say nothing about the object of hismission, and the general supposition was that he had sailed to endeavourto purchase some bullocks, as the supply of meat was nearly exhausted. Ralph himself had let drop a few words to this effect, and had indeedbeen charged by Gervaise to bring off a few oxen if they could beobtained without loss of time. Gervaise was on deck at midnight, andsoon 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, SirGervaise, that the sound is a confused one, and that there must beseveral vessels rowing. Shall I call up our companions? It may be thatit is the pirate fleet coming out. "

"You need not do that, " Gervaise replied. "I am expecting Sir Ralph tobring back with him some fishing boats, for which I think I can find ause. We should have heard before this if the corsairs had been puttingout. Fosco is in his boat watching the mouth of the inlet, and wouldhave started with the news had there been any stir on board theirgalleys. "

It was a quarter of an hour before a number of dark objects entered thelittle bay. As soon as they did so, they ceased rowing, and the splashesof the anchors as they fell into the water were heard. Then came thesound 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 ofwhat one wants to get. I have bought three coasters and eight fishingboats, and have a sufficient store of pitch and oil, with plenty ofstraw and faggots. There was no difficulty in getting men to come withme. As soon as they heard that a fleet of eighteen Moorish galleys wasin the next bay, they were ready enough to aid in any plan for theirdestruction, for they knew well enough that some of them would be sureto make raids all along the coast, sacking and burning, and carrying offmen, women, and children, as slaves. I said I only wanted two men foreach craft, but so many were willing to come that I have some thirtymore than the number I asked for, and we can divide these among us. Theyare strong, active looking fellows. "

"We will keep them here then, Ralph. You see, there are one-and-twentyof our knights in the three prizes, and as we lost two in thecapture, and four others are not fit to put on armour, we have butsix-and-twenty, and the addition will be very welcome. What are theyarmed 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, andI was therefore able to get together some thirty or forty axes andhatchets, which will be ample, with the arms we took from the Moors, toequip 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 prettywell worn out with labour and suffering, but all have gained strengthand spirits greatly in the past week, and you may be sure that theywill fight to the death rather than run the risk of another turn in thegalleys. "

"And have you got the stuff to make the mantles?"

"Yes. There was plenty of the coarse black cloth which they wear insummer--in winter, of course, they are clad in sheepskins; and I havesufficient white cotton cloth to make the crosses. "

"We have only one thing to wish for now, Ralph, and that is, that thecorsairs may not take it into their heads to sail tomorrow. Fosco willbring me news at daybreak, and we will at once send another boat off towatch the mouth of the bay when he leaves it. If they sail, we cannotventure to attack them as long as they keep together, the odds are fartoo heavy, and our only plan will be to follow them at a distance, whenwe can just keep their upper sails in sight, and then to attack anydetachment 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 everythingready to carry it out, if they were to give us the slip. Do the othersknow anything about it yet?"

"No. I thought it better to keep silence till tomorrow. No doubt some ofthe galley slaves understand enough of one or other of our languagesto gather what is on foot. Besides, their late captives might, in theirsatisfaction at the thought of revenge, say enough to them to let themknow 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 thereis a small fishing village across the island, and there would be nodifficulty in stealing a boat and making off with the news. I do not saythat the risk is great; still, it were better not to throw away evena chance. The knights have all turned in in a very gloomy mood, forCaretto has returned with news that there is no hope of assistance fromGenoa for a fortnight, and it seemed, therefore, that all our pains hadbeen 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 theknights, as they came up one by one, at the sight of the little fleetanchored outside them. As soon as it was fairly daylight, he sent off tothe 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 Genoaare all laid up, and that it will be a fortnight before they can put tosea. Long before that, the corsairs will assuredly be ravaging all thevillages and small towns along the coast of Italy, unless we can preventtheir 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 throwingaway our lives and our galley. "

There was a murmur of assent among the knights. They were ready for anyencounter in which there was a chance, however faint, of success; butall saw that for a single galley to attack one of the largest corsairfleets that had ever set out, would be nothing short of insanity. Theirleader's words, however, seemed to show that he had some plan in hismind by which he hoped to strike a blow at the enemy, and all listenedeagerly for what was coming. 

"We have heard from our comrade Fosco that their ships lie moored in twolines, side by side in a narrow inlet. He has returned this morning withthe news that they are still there. He thinks that three or four morehave arrived during the last two days, and it is probable they arewaiting for the three we captured to join them. Tonight it is myintention to attack them, but not by rowing in and boarding them, forthat would be hopeless. Yesterday Sir Ralph Harcourt went, as you areaware, to fetch provisions. But this was a part only of the object ofhis trip. He has, as you see, brought back eleven craft with him; these, I may tell you, are laden with combustibles--pitch, oil, straw, andfaggots. 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 ofthem was certain. 

"He has also brought fishermen, " Gervaise went on, "two or three of whomwill go in each fire ship, having a boat towing behind, in which theywill escape as soon as the craft are alongside the galleys. The galleyand 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 weshall endeavour to fall upon any galleys that may extricate themselvesfrom the mass, and try to make their escape. Sir Ralph has brought backmaterials for making ninety mantles of the Order, for the Christians onboard the three prizes, and thirty fishermen to bring the crew of ourgalley up to its full strength. The light of the flames will sufficeto show the pirates that, as they will believe, four vessels, mannedby knights of the Order, are barring the entrance. Many will, we maycalculate, jump overboard and swim ashore rather than face us, and weshall 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 withnearly 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 hopeto entirely destroy their fleet. "

Again a joyous shout rose from the knights. This would indeed be anexploit that all might be proud to share in, and, breaking the ranks inwhich they had stood while Gervaise addressed them, they crowded roundhim with exclamations of enthusiasm and devotion. 

"Now, " he said, as soon as silence was a little restored, "the knightsof the langues on board the prizes will send at once to the coaster onthe left of the other two. Sir Ralph will go there now, and supply eachwith materials for making the mantles for the Christians; he has broughtthread, and fish bone needles. You will see that the stuff is cut upinto suitable lengths, and handed over to your crews, and that each manmakes up his mantle. There can be but little sewing required for thesesleeveless gowns, nor need it be carefully done. The great thing is thatthe white crosses shall be conspicuous. As soon as you have set themto work, you will examine the state of the arms, see how many more areneeded to complete the list, and then send off to Sir Ralph, who willfurnish as many as are required: the fishermen have brought theirown weapons. See that the slaves are all well fed today, and, beforeevening, inspect well their fetters, so that you may be free from allanxiety as to an attempt by them to escape during the conflict. 

"The rest of you will go on board these native craft, and see thatthe combustibles are fairly distributed among them, the wood and strawsoaked with pitch and oil, as also the sails and ropes, and that thedecks are well coated; this is a most important duty. Get some torchesmade also, so that there shall be two on board each craft; these are tobe lighted the last thing before we get to the point, and will be throwndown into the straw and faggots in the hold, by the fishermen when theyget close to the corsairs. All this can be prepared before our morningmeal, and when you assemble here I hope to receive your reports thateverything is in readiness. One of the other coasters has some bullockson 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 crewsmay have two good meals today of fresh meat. See that the galley slaveshave their share. "

No time was lost in carrying out the orders. Ralph, as soon as thecloth, arms, and meat were distributed, went round in a boat to see thatthe combustibles were properly laid for firing, and everything done toinsure that the flames should spread rapidly. The Sards shared inthe work, and rations and wine were distributed to them; and when theknights sat down to their meal on board the galley, they were able toreport that everything was in perfect readiness, and that the work ofsewing the mantles was making good progress. 

The day passed slowly to the young knights, all of whom were burningwith excitement at the thought of the coming fray. The releasedChristians were no less exultant at the prospect of taking vengeance forthe sufferings they had so long endured, and the scene on board all fourships was most animated. 

After talking it over with Ralph, Gervaise told off three more of theknights to each of the prizes, so that there should be ten on boardeach. This reduced the strength on board the galley to seventeen; but asthey would have the assistance of a strong band of Sards they consideredthis to be ample, under the circumstances. It was arranged that thegalley, with one of the prizes, should close with the first corsair thatcame out, and that the other two prizes should attack the second. Aftercapturing these, they were to assist each other as circumstances mightdictate. Gervaise strongly impressed upon the knights in command of eachprize that they were not, single handed, to attack a corsair unless oneof their consorts was near, and free to give assistance. 

"We must run no risk of a reverse, " he said. "We are certain ofdestroying many of their vessels and of breaking up their fleet, and itis far better that a few should escape than that we should run the riskof losing ten of our number, to say nothing of those we have rescuedfrom captivity. In the excitement of the fight this order must bestrictly borne in mind. Our victory must be marred by no misfortunebrought on by headstrong rashness. The corsairs are bound to be verystrongly manned, and ten knights, even aided by such assistance asthey may get from the Christians, might find themselves altogether overmatched against a crowd of desperate men. "

As soon as it was dusk the anchors were drawn up, and the fleet gotunder way. They proceeded but slowly, for the wind was light, and thefishing boats moved heavily through the water. There was, however, nooccasion for speed, for Gervaise did not wish to commence the attackuntil past midnight. The guns had all been loaded before starting, and apile of ammunition was placed near each. Presently the wind nearly diedout, and the galley and prizes then took the coasters and fishing craftin tow. It was nearly one o'clock when they got within half a mile ofthe inlet. The tow ropes were then thrown off, the fishermen got outsweeps, 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 toGervaise on board the galley, said that the point just ahead marked theentrance to the inlet. They then stopped rowing until the fire shipswere all close up. 

These were, as had previously been arranged, in two lines. Five fishingboats, each manned by four men and having its small boat in tow behindit, formed the first line; the three coasters, each with six men at theoars, and the three other fishing boats, formed the second. The torcheswere now lighted. Ralph took his place in the centre boat of the firstline; Gervaise went on board one of the coasters, and the order wasgiven to the men to row. What wind there was was favourable, blowingfrom the northwest, and therefore right into the inlet. Scarcely had thefirst boats reached the entrance when a shout was heard. 

"Row, men, your hardest now!" Ralph shouted; the Sards bent to theiroars, and the five boats advanced rapidly towards the corsairs. As theydid 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 yourtorches into the straw!" a flash of flame leapt up from each boat. Fivemore strokes, and they were alongside the two outside ships. As theycrashed heavily into them, the men leapt from their seats and sprangover 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 eitherside of the corsairs, and then ran in among them, throwing grapnels tofasten the fire ships alongside. Then, as the flames sprang up from theholds, the crews betook themselves to their boats, and rowed out of theinlet. 

By the time they reached the galley and prizes, the eleven fire shipswere a mass of flame, which was spreading to the corsairs. Lying packedtogether as these were, the confusion was terrible. Numbers of menendeavoured to push off the fire ships, but it was too late; otherstried to extricate their galleys from the mass, throwing off thehawsers, and striving with hand and oar to push their vessels out of theline. As soon as the boats were alongside the galley, the guns of thefour vessels opened fire with grape into the crowded ships, now lit upby the flames as clearly as at noontide, while the battle cry of theOrder sounded high above the din. 

"Nothing can save the ships near this end of the line, " Ralph said, "butsome of those behind may make their way out between the others and therocks. I can see that some of them there are lowering their yards andsails 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 hinderthe crews in their endeavours to arrest the progress of the flames; butthey were soon able to fire impartially into the mass. As the heat ofthe flames drove the pirates back, scores of men leapt overboard, andmade for the shore. Presently, two or three ships were seen making theirway along the narrow line of water on either side of the flaming groupin front. As the first advanced, the galley and one of the prizes roweda short distance forward to meet it. Its deck was crowded with men, among whom a discharge of the cannon from both ships created terribleslaughter. 

A moment afterwards they closed with it, one on either side, and theknights, the released captives, and the Sards, sprang down on to itsdeck. The fight lasted but a minute. Appalled by the disaster that hadbefallen them, by the terrible effect of the broadsides, poured in at afew yards' distance, and by the sight of so many of the dreaded warriorsof the Cross, some of the corsairs threw down their arms and flungthemselves on the deck or into the hold, crying for quarter; those whoresisted fell either under the swords of the knights, the vengeful axesof 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 ofships, and all of these were captured almost as easily as the first hadbeen. As soon as it seemed that all the remainder were involved inthe flames, boats were lowered and sent on board the prizes to takepossession. Save for the wounded on the decks, they were entirelydeserted by their crews, as those who had run below, as soon as theyfound 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 beenaimed at the poops and forecastles, where the corsairs were clusteredtogether, and consequently the number of galley slaves who had fallenwas comparatively small. 

In none of the galleys was the proportion of Christians anything like solarge as that in the three prizes first taken, the greater portion beingmen of inland tribes who had been captured in warfare, or malefactorswho, 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 hadbeen destroyed a large number of Christians must have perished in theflames, and Gervaise expressed bitter regret that he had not consideredthat his attack by fire ships must necessarily involve the loss of somany Christian lives. 

"It can't be helped, " Ralph said, as Gervaise poured out his feelings tohim. "To very many of them death must have been welcome, and if we hadnot attacked them as we did, and they had sailed for Italy, hundreds, if not thousands, of Christians would have been killed, and as many morecarried away into captivity; so, you see, the balance is all in favourof the course we adopted. "

Gervaise admitted this, but nevertheless his regret at the fate ofso many unfortunate captives quite overpowered for the time hissatisfaction at the complete success that had been achieved. The victoryhad been almost a bloodless one on the part of the assailants. A few ofthe knights had received wounds. Two among the Christian crews had beenkilled, and four Sards; while two score had received wounds more or lessserious, as, unlike the knights, they had no defensive armour. Whilewaiting for daylight to appear, all their wounds were dressed andbandaged by the knights. 

In the morning the captured galleys were towed out, and anchored a shortdistance away, and then Gervaise rowed up to the head of the inlet, followed by the other three ships. They found that eleven of thecorsairs had been burnt, and to their satisfaction, they discovered fouruninjured galleys lying there, deserted, save by the slaves. 

Seeing the fate of their comrades who had first issued out, thecommanders had, instead of trying to escape, rowed quietly to the headof the inlet, the movement being covered by the flame and smoke, and hadthere landed, having laden themselves with stores for their support onshore. This was a great satisfaction to the knights, for not only didit swell the list of prizes, but it reduced by over thirty the number ofChristian slaves who had perished in the flames. Taking the galleysin tow, they rowed out of the inlet, whose banks were strewn with halfcharred timbers, oars, and relics of the fight. 

As soon as they had anchored by the side of their first prizes, acouncil was held on board the Santa Barbara. It was clearly impossibleto take thirteen prizes to Rhodes, for there would be but three or fourknights 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 rescuedChristians for the management of the sails and oars in heavy weather. Atthe same time, all were most anxious that the prizes should be carriedto Rhodes. Never, save as the result of some great battle, had such afleet of captured galleys been brought in, and the knights were preparedto endure all dangers rather than part with one of them. Finally, aftermuch discussion, it was determined that they should make for Genoa. Fromthence the rescued captives would be able to find their way to theirhomes. The great majority were Italians and Spaniards; the former couldproceed by land or sea to their respective homes, while the Spaniardswould have no long time to wait before a vessel of their own nationalityentered the port, even if one were not lying there when they arrived. Moreover, in any case it would be necessary to despatch a vessel toGenoa, in order that it might be known that the danger was averted, andthat there was no longer any necessity for getting the galleys ready forsea. 

The chief ostensible reason, however, for going to Genoa was that therewould be no difficulty in engaging as many sailors as might be necessaryto take the prizes to Rhodes. Underlying all the arguments was anotherreason which Ralph laughingly stated. 

"It is all very well to bring forward one argument after another, butnot one of you has the courage to say what I am sure all of you haveat the bottom of your hearts. You know very well that you want to go toGenoa to enjoy a triumph. The Rhodians are all very well, but there arevery many more fair faces at Genoa. Fie, Sir Knights! Such a spirit islittle in accordance with the vows of the Order. Are we not bound tohumility? And here you are all longing for the plaudits of the noblesand 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 theardent desire of all true knights to do gallant deeds, and do they notvalue above all things the guerdon of applause from the fair eyes ofladies. Your comrades have performed the gallant deeds, and well deservethe reward. Now, Sir Gervaise, if not for this reason, at any rate forthe others that have been brought forward, I suppose we are all agreedthat we sail for Genoa. For our part we are heartily glad that suchis your decision. We, and the young knights of our langue, have manyfriends there, and in their name I am sure I can promise you a receptionas hearty and sincere as that which we shall ourselves receive. "

It was settled that the rescued captives should be divided equallyamong the thirteen prizes, and that three knights should go in each. TheMoorish captives were also divided equally among them, to aid with thesails, and to row a few oars, in case of a dead calm setting in. Thecommands were distributed according to seniority, the three rescuedItalian knights remaining on board the Santa Barbara with Gervaise. 

The Sards were anxious to return to their villages, in order to carrythe 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 greatnumber 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 coursewe shall send messengers to Tempe; but it will need a very large forceto combat these pirates, who will be able to come down and plunderand destroy, and then retire to the hills, whence it will be hard todislodge 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 usfishermen, and the woodmen and charcoal burners, we shall soon get astrong body together. Besides, we know the mountains, and they do not. "

"I should say that you had best avoid a pitched battle with them, butkeep on harassing them by night and day, cutting off all who separatethemselves from the main body, until at last they are completely wornout. "

"We shall deal with them, Sir Knight. We are all hunters, for there arewild boars and stags in the forest, and wolves too, and wild sheep onthe higher mountains. Every man among us can use his bow skillfully, andwield pike and hatchet. The hunt will not be unprofitable, either, forwe 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 theirvillages in the bay of Tempe. After landing them, she was to rejoin therest of the fleet at their former anchorage at Madalena. By nightfallall 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 aspossible the released captives all volunteered to take their formerplaces on the benches, and the vessels were kept going at a fair rateof speed. Two days' rowing took them to Bastia, where their approachcreated unbounded excitement until the banner of the Order was seenfloating from the stern of the Santa Barbara, while smaller flags, thathad been hastily manufactured, flew from the mastheads of the thirteenprizes. Even then the inhabitants feared to put out, believing thatthe flags were but a ruse, and numbers of them fled at once, with theirfamilies and valuables, to the mountains. It was not until a boat waslowered, and Ralph, accompanied by three or four other knights, rowedashore, that the panic was allayed. 

As soon as it was understood that the galley of the knights had not onlycaptured the thirteen corsairs, but had destroyed eleven others, and hadthus annihilated a fleet that was intended to prey upon the commerceof Italy, and ravage the western coast, the alarm was succeeded by thewildest enthusiasm. By the time Ralph had obtained the fresh meat andstores he came ashore to purchase, the greater part of the populationwere 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 ladiespresented their offerings of fruit, while the men cheered, and wavedtheir hats; many musicians came out in the boats, and these played onbagpipes and three-reeded flutes a succession of airs peculiar to theisland. 

Gervaise received his visitors on the poop. These were at firstaltogether incredulous when told that it was the lad before them whohad commanded the galley, had performed such a remarkable feat, and hadfreed them from a terrible danger. The youth of the knights of the Orderno less surprised them, and had not Gervaise assured them that it wasaltogether contrary to the rules of the Order for a knight to allowhimself to be embraced, many of the ladies would have taken this formof showing their enthusiasm and gratitude. The next morning the fleetstarted for Genoa. The wind was much stronger than it had been on theprevious day, and it was therefore unnecessary for the oars to be putout, except, indeed, on board the galley. There, at nightfall, theChristians relieved the slaves for some hours at their benches, and thenext morning the circle of hills round Genoa, with the city nestling attheir feet on the water's edge, and climbing for some distance up theirslopes, was in view. Caretto at once suggested that it would be well tosignal to the fleet to lie to. 

"If we do not do so, " he said, "they will assuredly think that it is thecorsair fleet advancing to attack and burn the vessels in port, and youmay be saluted as you approach by a shower of cannonballs. If you willpermit me, Sir Gervaise, I will go forward in one of the prizes andexplain matters, and will return here in a short time. "

"Thank you, Sir Fabricius. As such mischance as you mention might indeedvery well occur, we will lower sail and lie here until you return. "

While Caretto was away, the knights and crews breakfasted, and theformer put on their armour and gayest attire, in readiness for thelanding. Gervaise, although with much inward vexation, considered itnecessary to do the same. 

"I do wish, " he said to Ralph, who was smiling at his rueful face, "thatyou 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 thedisagreeables as well as the advantages of being commander, and mustsubmit to be honoured and feted here, as well as getting no end ofcredit at Rhodes. You will have the satisfaction of well deserving it, for I am sure the plan of attacking them with fire ships would neverhave occurred to any one else, and if it had not been for that, weshould have had the mortification of seeing them sail off without beingable to move a finger to interfere with them. "

"If one were fighting for fame and honour, all that would be trueenough; but members of an Order, whose sole object is to defendChristendom from the Moslems, should strive only to do their duty, andcare nothing for such things as honour and glory. "

"Human nature is human nature, and I don't see any reason why one shoulddespise 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 quitesure that among the fifty knights, there is not one who does not feelwell content that he has not only done his duty to the Order, but hasgained a share in the credit and honour that will certainly be given toall who have taken a part in so crushing a defeat of the corsairs. Asfor myself, I do not for a moment pretend that I am not sensible of thefact that, as second in command of the galley, my chances of obtainingpromotion 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 foundthe city in an uproar. The alarm bells of the churches were calling allcitizens to arms, and troops were being hurried down to the forts andbatteries. Rumour had of course exaggerated the strength of the fleet, and half the population believed that the safety of the city itself wasmenaced by the approach of a mighty squadron. As soon as my news wasbruited abroad, and they learned that the fleet consisted solely ofprizes captured from the Moors by a galley of the Order, alarm quicklychanged into delight, the sharp, angry clang of the bells was succeededby peals of gladness, and the joy of the citizens at being relieved fromthe 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 manyof the leading citizens already assembled, having been summoned in hothaste as soon as our approach was made out. At first they were almostincredulous when I told them that every ship of the pirate fleet hadbeen either destroyed or captured, and that the fleet in the offingconsisted entirely of your galley and the thirteen corsairs she hadcaptured. As soon as they really grasped the fact, they sent offmessengers to the churches to order the joy bells to be rung, and to thedockyard to arrest all work upon the galleys. Then I had to give them ashort account of the surprise and destruction of the corsair fleet, andfinally they begged me to ask you to delay your entry to the port fora couple of hours, in order that they might have time to prepare asuitable reception for you. "

"I suppose there is no help for it, " Gervaise said. "Is there anythingthat we ought to do?"

"I should decorate the galley with all the flags on board: should setevery one to work to make great flags with the cross of the Order tohoist to the masthead of the prizes, instead of the little things thatare 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 thatthere is aught else we can do. "

CHAPTER XVI FESTIVITIES

At last the fleet, headed by the galley, to which all the knights hadreturned, rowed towards the port. A gun flashed out from the fort atits entrance, and at once those from all the other batteries responded;bells pealed out again, and a confused roar of cheering broke from thecrowds occupying every spot from which a view of the harbour could beobtained. The ships in the port were all decked with flags, and thefront windows and balconies of every house were hung with tapestries andbright 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, andthe barge was soon alongside. The knights were already ranged alongthe poop, and, accompanied by Ralph and Caretto, Gervaise moved to thegangway to receive the visitors. At their head was Battista Fragoso, thedoge, in his robe of state, and following him were a body of the highestnobles of Genoa, all brilliant in gala costume. 

"This, my lord duke, " Caretto said, "is Sir Gervaise Tresham, a knightcommander of our Order, and the commander of this, their galley. He hasbefore, as you may well believe from his appointment to so honourable apost, highly distinguished himself, but what he has before accomplishedis far surpassed by the brilliant action that he has now achieved. Hehas won a victory that not only reflects the highest honour upon theOrder, but is an inestimable service to Italy, and has freed her from acorsair fleet that would have been a scourge to her, both at sea and tothe towns and villages along the coast. Not only has he, with the braveknights under his orders, annihilated the corsair fleet, burning elevenof their galleys, and capturing thirteen others, but he has restoredto freedom no less than two hundred Christian captives, among them thecavaliers Giacomo da Vinci, Pietro Forzi, and myself. "

"In the name of the Republic, Sir Gervaise Tresham, and I may say inthat of all Italy, I thank you most heartily for the splendid servicethat you have rendered us. It would have seemed to me well nighincredible that a single galley, even if commanded and manned by themost famous knights of your great Order, should have accomplished soextraordinary a feat. Still more strange is it that it should have beenperformed by so young a knight, with a crew composed, as Sir FabriciusCaretto has told us, of knights chosen from among the youngest of theOrder. "

"You give far more credit to us, your Highness, than we deserve, "Gervaise replied. "Three of the ships were indeed captured in fairfight, but we caught the rest asleep and massed together as to beincapable of successful resistance, and they fell easy victims to thefire ships we launched against them. Any credit that is due to me isshared equally by my subcommander here, Sir Ralph Harcourt, and indeedby every knight of my company. "

"This, doubtless, may be so, Sir Gervaise, " the doge said, with a slightsmile, "but it is to the head that plans, rather than to the hand thatstrikes, that such success as you have achieved is due; and the creditof 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 twogood knights his companions, that there was naught to do but to remainin port and watch this corsair fleet sail away to carry out its work ofdestruction. "

By this time they had reached the poop of the galley. Gervaise nowcalled 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 ofthe citizens of Genoa for the service they had rendered to the Republic. This ceremony being over, the knights broke up their ranks and conversedfor a few minutes with those who had come on board with the doge. Thelatter then took his place in the barge with his companions, invitingGervaise and Ralph to accompany him. As the barge left the side of thegalley, which followed closely behind her, the guns again thunderedout their welcome, and a roar of greeting rose from the inhabitants. Onlanding, the party waited until the knights had joined them, andthen proceeded up the street to the ducal palace, amidst enthusiasticcheering from the crowd that lined the road, occupied the windows andbalconies, and even scrambled on the housetops, the ladies waving theirhandkerchiefs and scarves. 

At the palace were assembled all the municipal authorities, and thecongratulations given on board were here repeated. After this there wasa great banquet, at which Gervaise was placed on the right hand of thedoge, who, at the conclusion of the feast, called upon the assembledguests to drink to the health of the knights of St. John, who had savedthe commerce and seacoast of Italy from the greatest danger that hadmenaced them since the days when the Northern rovers had desolated theshores of the Mediterranean. The toast was drunk with enthusiasm, andGervaise then replied with a few words of thanks for the honour done tohimself 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 citizensof Genoa were assembled. Most of the young knights, belonging asthey did to noble families, and accustomed from childhood to courtlyceremonies and festivities, were quite at home here. Caretto, his twocompanions, and their six Italian comrades, speedily introduced them, and each was soon surrounded by a group of ladies, anxious to hear fromhis 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, askedhim, 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 wereyoung, but we were filled with surprise when you entered the room, formany of them are but lads. "

"You may say that all of us are but lads, Countess. I am the oldest ofthe party, and am but little over twenty-two, but few of the others areover nineteen; they are all professed knights of the Order, who, as youdoubtless know, come out to Rhodes when only sixteen. Some, of course, do not join until later, but I think that all here entered at theearliest age permitted, and almost all had served in two or threevoyages in the galleys before they were appointed to the Santa Barbara. The reason why so young a crew was chosen was that our commander wasalso young. He had done such exceptional service to the Order that hewas appointed to the command of a galley, and he has, as all will allow, well justified the choice. It was because it was deemed inexpedientto place knights many years his senior under his command, and partly, perhaps, to encourage the younger knights, by giving them an exceptionalopportunity of distinguishing themselves, that the crew was chosenentirely from their ranks. I was selected as second in command becauseGervaise and I had been special friends when we came out from England inthe same ship, and had before fought side by side against the Moslems. "

"I see that you wear gilded spurs, Sir Ralph, " another lady said; "youmust therefore be a dubbed knight?"

"Yes; I had the good fortune to be knighted by D'Aubusson himself, atthe same time that Sir Gervaise was also so honoured. It was for anaffair with the Turkish pirates. It was Gervaise who really won thehonour, for I had no share in the affair, save that of doing my best inthe fight. "

"And who could do more?" the countess queried. 

"Gervaise could do more, Countess, as was shown in that attack on thecorsairs by means of fire ships. He has a head to plan, and, in the caseI speak of, a happy thought of his not only saved the lives of ourselvesand Sir John Boswell, but, indirectly, was the means of preventing twoof 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 outfrom the rest of us. "

The ladies looked round the hall. 

"There are only about twenty here; the rest are in the other rooms. Donot 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 thinkmost accords with your ideas of what a knight, brave in action and wiseand 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 themresemble our ideal hero? Most of them are pleasant and courtly lookingyouths, 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 ofcorsairs. "

"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 ladis the commander of the galley? Why, he looks the youngest of you all. "

"He is between seventeen and eighteen, and there are several others whoare no older. Yes, that is Sir Gervaise, Knight Commander of the Orderof 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 servicecounted 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 threeor four years older than himself. He speaks Turkish as well as our owntongue, and, as I told you, we received the accolade at the hands of thegrand master, a year and a half ago. He is now a knight commander, andwill 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 methinksit cannot be pleasant for you all to have one younger than yourselvesplaced 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 nextplace, even those who did not know him before, have felt, since westarted, that he is a born leader. Then, too, we regard with pride onewho 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 forits command. It is a difficult position for him to fill, but he hasmanaged so that, while all obey his orders as cheerfully and willinglyas if he were a veteran, when off duty we regard him as one ofourselves. "

"You are a staunch friend, Sir Ralph. "

"I am a staunch friend of Sir Gervaise, Countess, for the more I know ofhim the more I care for him. He well deserves the promotion and honourthat have fallen to his share. "

"Will you bring him across here to us, Sir Ralph? I want to talk tothis hero of yours, and I am sure that my daughter is longing to beintroduced to him. "

Ralph waited until Gervaise was disengaged, and then brought him across, and, after introducing him, moved away at once, leaving Gervaise to beinterrogated by the ladies. 

"You must be accustomed to festivities, Sir Gervaise, for we have justheard that you were one of the grand master's pages?"

"I am accustomed to them, signora; but that is not at all the same thingas 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 wouldrather be on board your galley than here?"

"It would not be polite, " Gervaise said, with a laugh, "if I were to saythat I would infinitely rather be on board; but indeed I have not, likemost of my comrades, been brought up in court or castle. Until the day Ijoined the Order, we led the lives of exiles. My father belonged to thedefeated party in England, and, save for a few months when the cause towhich he was attached was triumphant, we lived quietly on the estateshe 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 statereceptions and religious pageants, but a meeting such as this, is, ofcourse, impossible in a convent; and since I was eleven years old Ithink 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 allowancefor my ignorance of the language of courtesy, such as would naturally beexpected 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 inturning phrases are not often among those foremost in battle, or wisestin council, and I can tell you that we women value deeds far higher thanwords. Sir Fabricius Caretto is a cousin of mine, and has this afternoonbeen speaking so highly of you to me and my young daughter here, that Iam glad indeed to make your acquaintance. How long do you intend to stayin Genoa?"

"No longer than it will take me to engage men to carry the prizes toRhodes. I am afraid that sounds rude, " he broke off, as he noticed asmile on the faces of the ladies. 

"Not rude, " said the countess; "though most knights would have put itdifferently, and said that their duty compelled them to leave as soon asthe prizes could be manned. But it comes to the same thing. Ofcourse, you will remain the guest of the doge as long as you arehere; otherwise, it would have given us the greatest pleasure to haveentertained you. My cousin is, of course, staying with us, and you seewe all feel a very deep obligation to you. He has been so long a slaveamong the Moors, that we had almost come to hope death had freed himfrom his fetters; so you may imagine our pleasure when he arrived hereso suddenly ten days ago. We were expecting that he would remain with usfor some time, but he says that he must first go back to Rhodes, afterwhich he will ask for leave, and return here. We have a banquet tomorrowevening to celebrate his return, and earnestly hoped that you would bepresent, 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 ourfamily meal at twelve. "

"Thank you, countess, I should very greatly prefer it, and it will giveme real pleasure to come. "

"Your friend, Sir Ralph Harcourt, has been telling us how you havedestroyed the corsair fleet that has been so alarming us. He, too, is anEnglishman, though he speaks Italian well. "

"Yes, he speaks it a great deal better than I do, " Gervaise said. "He isa dear friend of mine, and it is, indeed, chiefly owing to his supportand influence that I have been able to manage so pleasantly and well inthe 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 inacquiring it, the bailiff of my langue being kind enough to relieveme of all other duties. I was fortunate enough to find in one of theservants of the auberge a well educated and widely informed Turk, whowas a very pleasant companion, as well as an excellent instructor, and Ilearnt much from him besides his language. The knowledge of Turkish hasalready proved to me most useful, and was indeed the means by whichI obtained both my commandery and my appointment as captain of thegalley. "

"Perhaps you will tell us the story tomorrow; that is, if it is too longto tell us now?"

"It is indeed much too long; but if it will interest you I shall be gladto recount it tomorrow. "

The next day Gervaise went to the palace of the Countess Da Forli. Shewas a widow with no children, except Claudia, the young daughter whohad accompanied her to the fete the evening before. Caretto, and fouror five relations of the family, were the only guests beside himself. Itwas a quiet and sociable meal, and served with less ceremony than usual, as the countess wished to place Gervaise as much as possible at hisease. During the meal but little was said about the affair with thepirates, Caretto telling them some of his experiences as a captive. 

"It is well, Claudia, " he said, laughing, "that you did not see me atthe time I was rescued, for I was such a scarecrow that you would neverhave been able to regard me with due and proper respect afterwards. Iwas 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 tofear 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 wascoming near to losing my voice. There was nothing for us to talk aboutin our misery, and often days passed without a word being exchangedbetween Da Vinci, Forzi, and myself. Do you know I felt almost morethankful for the bath and perfumes than I did for my liberty. I was ableat once to enjoy the comfort of the one, while it was some time beforeI could really assure myself that my slavery was over, and that I was afree man again. "

"And now, Sir Gervaise, " the countess said, when the meal was over, "itis your turn. Claudia is longing to hear your story, and to know how youcame to be in command of a galley. "

"And I am almost as anxious, " Caretto said. "I did not like to ask thequestion on board the galley, and have been looking forward to learningit when I got to Rhodes. I did, indeed, ask the two knights whoaccompanied me on my mission here, but they would only tell me thatevery one knew you had performed some very great service to the Order, and that it concerned some intended rising among the slaves, the detailsbeing known to only a few, who had been, they understood, told that itwas not to be repeated. "

"It was a very simple matter, " Gervaise said, "and although the grandmaster 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 thecorsairs. There is really no secret about it--at least, except inRhodes: there it was thought best not to speak of it, because the factthat the attempt among the slaves was almost successful, might, ifgenerally known, encourage others to try to escape, and perhaps withgreater success. I told you last night, Countess, that I had only oncebefore in the last six or seven years spoken to a woman, and it was onthat occasion that the adventure, so far as I was concerned, had itscommencement. "

He then, beginning at his visit with Ralph Harcourt to the Greekmerchant and his family on the roof of the house, recounted thesuspicions he had entertained, the manner in which they were confirmed, and the method by which he had discovered the plot for the rising. Hewas interrupted several times when he attempted to abbreviate the story, or to omit some of the details, and there were exclamations of surpriseat his proposal to personate a Turkish prisoner, and to share the lot ofthe 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 careyou showed to render the lot of the rowers as easy as possible. It wasa splendid scheme, and well carried out. Indeed, I no longer wonderthat you were appointed to the command of a galley, and received a richcommandery in England at the hands of the grand master himself. Whatthink you, Countess; did I speak too highly in his favour?"

"Not one jot, cousin. Why, Sir Gervaise, it seems to me that you havebeen born two centuries too late, and that you should have been a knighterrant, 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 yourOrder do so. "

"As I have said, Countess, I know no ladies who would bestow favoursupon me; in the second place, I am but eighteen, and it would beridiculous 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 inher mother's ear. The latter smiled. 

"It seems to me, Sir Gervaise, " she went on, "that after what you havedone for Italy there are many fair maidens who would feel it an honourthat their colours should be borne by one who has shown himself sovaliant a knight. You see, a gage of this kind does not necessarily meanthat there is any deep feeling between the knight who bears it and thelady who bestows it; it shows only that she, on her part, feels it anhonour that her gage should be worn by a distinguished knight, and, onhis part, that he considers it as somewhat more than a compliment, andwears it as a proof of regard on the part of one whose good opinion atleast he values. It is true that among secular knights it may mean evenmore than this, but it ought not to mean more among knights of an Orderlike yours, pledged to devote their lives to a lofty and holy aim. Mydaughter Claudia whispers to me that she would deem it an honour indeedif you would wear her token, accepting it in the spirit in which I havespoken. She is fourteen now, and, as you know, a maid of fourteen hereis 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 hadasked no questions, but had listened so intently that he had feltalmost embarrassed. Claudia's was a very bright face, and yet marked byfirmness and strength. He turned his eyes again to the countess. 

"I never thought of wearing a woman's favour, " he said; "but if yourdaughter will bestow one upon me, I shall be proud to wear it, and trustthat I may carry it unstained. I shall feel honoured indeed that one sofair, and, as I am sure by her face, so deserving of all the devotionthat a knight of our Order can give, has thought me worthy of being oneof those on whom she could bestow so high a favour, with the confidencethat it would be ever borne with credit and honour. "

"What shall I give him, mother?" Claudia asked the countess, without ashadow of the embarrassment with which Gervaise had spoken. 

"Not a kerchief, Claudia. In the rough work of the knights, it couldnot be kept without spot or stain. Moreover, if I judge Sir Gervaiserightly, methinks he would prefer some token that he could wear withoutexciting attention and remark from his comrades. Go, fetch him any ofyour jewels you may think fit. "

"Then I will give him this, " the girl said; and unfastening a thin goldchain she wore round her neck, she pulled up a heart shaped ornament, inpink 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 beyondanything I have; therefore, it is all the more fit to be my token. " Thenshe turned to Gervaise, and went on, without the slightest tremor in hervoice, or accession of colour in her cheeks. "Sir Gervaise Tresham, Ibestow upon you this my favour, and shall deem it an honour indeed toknow that it is borne by one so brave and worthy. You said that youwould be glad to be one of those who bore my favours. You will be morethan that, for I vow to you that while you live no other knight shallwear a favour of mine. "

"Claudia!" her mother said disapprovingly. 

"I know what I am saying, mother. I have often wondered why maidensshould so carelessly bestow their favours upon every knight who beggedfor them, and have said to myself that when my time came I would grantit but once, and only then to one whom I deemed worthy of it in allways--one in whose loyalty and honour I could trust implicitly, and whowould 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 Ifasten this round your neck. "

Gervaise took out the small brooch, that fastened the collar of hissilken doublet, and then knelt on one knee. The girl fastened the claspround his neck, and as he rose he hid the heart beneath the doublet, andfastened the collar. 

"Lady Claudia, " he said earnestly, "I accept your favour in the spiritin which you bestow it. So long as I live I shall prize and value itbeyond any honour I may gain, and as I feel it next to my heart, it willever recall to me that you gave it me as a pledge of your esteem andtrust, and I will strive to the utmost so to bear myself that I may beworthy 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 latterlooked grave, and somewhat vexed. However, she made an effort to dispelthe cloud on her face, and, when Gervaise ceased speaking, said, "Thishas 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; 'tiswell for a maiden on the threshold of womanhood that she should placebefore herself a lofty ideal, and that she should entertain a warmfeeling of friendship for one worthy of it. So also it is good for ayoung knight to know that he has the trust and confidence of a pure andinnocent maiden; such a knowledge will aid him to be in all ways true tothe vows he has taken, and to remember always that he is bound to be notonly 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 thereis a question of making you a noble of Genoa?"

"No, indeed, " Gervaise replied, in great surprise; "such an idea neverentered into my thoughts. "

"Nevertheless, I know that it was spoken of last night, and although ithas not yet been finally settled, and will not be until the council meetthis afternoon, I should not tell you if I did not think that it was asgood as agreed upon; and I am pleased to be the first to whisper toyou that it is intended to bestow upon you an honour that is jealouslyguarded and seldom granted, even to crowned heads, unless as a token ofgratitude for some signal service done to the Republic. "

"I should feel most honoured and most grateful, Countess, for soextraordinary a favour, did I feel that I had done any extraordinaryaction to merit it. There can be no doubt that the destruction of thecorsairs has saved Genoa and all the maritime towns from immense lossby damage to their trade, and by the raids that would have been made atvarious points on the coast. But I cannot see that the mere fact that wehave destroyed their fleet merits any marked honour. They were caught ina trap, and half of them burned, and this might have been done equallyas well by the Sardinian fishermen, unarmed, and without our aid. As tothe fighting, it was of small account. The first three craft we capturedoffered a much stouter resistance, and we lost two of our number; butin the other affair no knight was killed, or even seriously wounded, andbelieve me, Countess, I feel absolutely ashamed at the fuss that is madeover it. It seems to me that I am a sort of impostor, obtaining creditunder 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 himas a fool, or an empty braggart; and it must be taken that the generalopinion 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 haverendered as extraordinary, but it is the opinion of the councillors andauthorities of the Republic, and of those who, like myself, have borneour share in warfare, that not only is the service great, but that it isdue to the singular ability with which you, in command of only a singlegalley, have wholly destroyed or captured the fleet that threatenedour commerce. As our councillors, therefore, all competent judges, areunanimous in their opinion that you have deserved the highest honoursthat Genoa can bestow upon you, it is useless for you to set up yourown opinion to the contrary. Take the good things that fall to you, SirGervaise, and be thankful. It is seldom that men obtain more honoursthan they deserve, while it very often happens that they deserve farmore than they obtain. Fortune has doubtless some share in every man'scareer; but when it is not once, but several times, that a knight gainsspecial credit for deeds he has performed, we may be sure that fortunehas less to do with the matter than his personal merits. Three timeshave you earned special credit; upon the first occasion, the grandmaster--no mean judge of conduct and character--deemed you worthy ofsecular knighthood, an honour which has not, in my memory, been bestowedat Rhodes upon any young knight; on the second, you were promoted to thecommand of a galley, though never before has such a command been givento 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 doyou honour. It is good to be modest, Sir Gervaise, and it is better tounderestimate than to overrate one's own merits, but it is not well tocarry the feeling to an extreme. I am quite sure that in your case yourdisclaimer is wholly sincere and unaffected; but take my advice, acceptthe honours the world may pay you as not undeserved, determining only inyour mind that if you deem them excessive, you will at least do allin your power to show that they are not ill bestowed. You will not, Itrust, take my counsel amiss. "

"On the contrary, Sir Fabricius, " Gervaise said warmly. "I am reallybut a boy yet, though by good fortune pushed strangely forward, and Iam glad indeed to receive council from a knight of vastly greaterexperience than myself and, in future, however much I may be consciousin my own mind that anything I have done is greatly overrated, I will atleast abstain from protest. And now, Countess, I must pray you to excuseme. I know that Sir Ralph Harcourt is, before this, down at the dockyardwaiting my coming to engage sailors. "

"You will come tomorrow at the same time, I hope, Sir Gervaise. AsClaudia's sworn knight we have now a claim upon you, and for the shorttime that you remain here you must regard this as your home, althoughyou must necessarily remain the guest of the doge. "

"He is a fine young fellow, indeed, " Caretto said, after Gervaisehad left. "There is no affectation about his modesty, and he reallyconsiders that this success he has gained is solely a stroke of goodfortune. Of course, I have been asking many questions about him of theyoung knights of his own langue, Harcourt among them. They tell me thathe is always in earnest in everything he undertakes. He is without arival among the younger knights of the convent in his skill in arms, andfor strength and activity in all exercises; he seems to care nothingfor the ordinary amusements in which they join at Rhodes, and for ninemonths was scarcely ever seen by those in the auberge, save when theygathered for meals, so continuously did he work to acquire a perfectcommand of Turkish. How thoroughly he succeeded is evident from the factthat he was able to live among the galley slaves without exciting anysuspicions in their minds that he was other than he pretended to be, aSyrian captive. That he is brave goes without saying, though perhapsno braver than the majority of his companions. The extraordinary thingabout 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 thatwould do credit to the most experienced captain. He is already a creditto the Order, and, should he live, will assuredly rise to the highestoffices in it, and may even die its grand master. In the stormy timesthat are coming on, there will be ample opportunities for him stillfurther to distinguish himself, and to fulfil the singular promise ofhis youth. That he possesses great tact, as well as other qualities, is shown by the enthusiasm with which his companions regard him. In nocase, among those to whom I have spoken, have I discerned the smallestjealousy of him. The tact that is needed to stand thus among fifty youngknights, almost all his seniors in age, will assuredly enable him lateron to command the confidence and affection of older men. "

When the other guests had left, and Caretto only remained, the countessturned to Claudia. "You went too far, Claudia. I was willing enough, when you asked me, that you should bestow a favour upon him. Most youngknights wear such a favour, which may be a sign of devotion, but whichfar more frequently is a piece of gallantry. In the case of a knighthospitaller it can only be the latter; it is in his case merely a signthat he has so distinguished himself that some maiden feels a pride thather gift should be carried into battle by him, and, on his part, that hetoo 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. Butthe manner in which you gave it was far more serious than the occasionwarranted, and your promise to grant no similar favour to another aslong as he lived, surprised, and, I may almost say, shocked me. You are, according to our custom here, considered almost a woman, and had notSir Gervaise belonged to a religious Order, and were he of a presumingdisposition, he might well have gathered a meaning from your words farbeyond what you intended, and have even entertained a presumptuous hopethat you were not indifferent to his merits. In the present case, ofcourse, no harm is done; still, methinks that it would be far better hadthe words been unspoken. Your cousin here will, I am sure, agree withme. "

Caretto did not speak, but stood playing with his moustache, waiting forClaudia's reply. The girl had stood with downcast eyes while her motherwas speaking. 

"I only expressed what I felt, mother, " she said, after a pause, "and Ido 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 oneso worthy. No praises can be higher than those with which my cousin hasspoken of him. He has rescued him, whom we dearly love, from slavery;he has saved Genoa from great disaster, and many towns and villages fromplunder and ruin. I do indeed feel proud that such a knight should wearmy gage, and, were there no other reason, I should be unwilling that, solong as he carried it, another should possess a similar one from me. Iam sure that Sir Gervaise will have felt that this was the meaning of mywords; I wished him to see that it was not a favour lightly given by agirl 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 couldreply. "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 ofthose who will boast of a favour and display it all times, and, exceptperhaps to his friend Sir Ralph Harcourt, I will wager he never tells asoul 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 betterto agree with her, and not to make overmuch of the matter; she is justof an age to make some one a hero, and she could hardly have chosen abetter subject for her worship. In the first place, he is a knightof St. John; in the second, he is going away in a few days, perhapstomorrow, and may never cross her path again. The thought of him willprevent her fancy from straying for a time, and keep her heart wholeuntil you decide on a suitor for her hand. "

"Nevertheless, I would rather that it had not been so. Claudia is notgiven to change, and this may last long enough to cause trouble when Ibring 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 theOrder 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 heiressesin Italy, but for that very reason it needs not that her husband shouldhave wide possessions. In all other respects you could wish for nobetter. He will assuredly be a famous knight; he is the sort of man tomake her perfectly happy; and, lastly, you know I cannot forget that Iowe my liberation from slavery to him. At any rate, Agatha, as I saidbefore, he may never cross her path again, and you may, a year or twohence, find her perfectly amenable to your wishes. "

CHAPTER XVII CAPTURED

Upon the following day the doge requested Gervaise to accompany him toa meeting of the council. Upon entering the grand hall he found not onlythe members of the council assembled in their robes of office, but alarge gathering of the nobles and principal citizens of Genoa, togetherwith 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 himthat, by the unanimous decision of the council, he had been electeda noble of Genoa; an honour, he added, on only one or two previousoccasions in the history of the Republic bestowed upon any but ofprincely rank, but which he had nobly earned by the great service hehad rendered to the State. His name was then inscribed in the bookcontaining the names and titles of the nobles of Genoa. Next, BattistaFragoso presented him with a superb suit of Milanese armour, as his ownpersonal gift, and then with a casket of very valuable jewels, as thegift of the city of Genoa. Each presentation was accompanied by theplaudits of the assembly, and by the no less warm acclamations of theknights. Ralph was then called forward, and presented with a suit ofarmour but little inferior to that given to Gervaise, and each knightreceived a heavy gold chain of the finest workmanship of Genoa. 

Two days later the preparations for departure were complete, and asufficient number of men were engaged to man the prizes. This charge, also, Genoa took upon itself, and put on board much stronger crews thanGervaise deemed necessary for the navigation of the ships. The weatherwas fine and the wind favourable, and a quick passage was made toRhodes. When the harbour was in sight, the ships were ordered to proceedin single file, the galley leading the way with a huge banner of theOrder 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 thatthe flags fluttering at the mastheads of the prizes afforded to thoseon shore an intimation of the event that had taken place, and even thennone supposed that this fleet of prizes had been taken by the one galleythat headed them. 

As the Santa Barbara slowly rowed up the harbour, the State barge ofthe grand master put off to meet it, and D'Aubusson, with a party ofknights, soon stepped on board. 

"Welcome back, Sir Gervaise! although I little expected to see youreturn 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 thussailing in your wake is a mystery to us all. "

"They are Moors, your Excellency; they form part of an expedition fittedout by the corsairs of Algiers, Tripoli, Tunis, and other piraticalstrongholds, for the purpose of destroying the commerce and ravaging thecoasts of Western Italy. Fortunately, we fell in with a ship that hadbeen plundered by three of them on their way north, and learned from thedying 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 theexpedition. We pursued the three galleys, came up with them, had thegood fortune to capture them, and then had the delight of finding amongtheir rowers the noble knights, Fabricius Caretto, Giacomo Da Vinci, andPietro Forzi. "

The grand master, and the knights with him, uttered an exclamation ofjoy, and, as the three knights named stepped forward, embraced them withthe liveliest pleasure. 

"My dear Caretto, " the grand master exclaimed, "it is almost aresurrection, for we have all long mourned you as dead; and your returnto us at the present time is indeed fortunate; for upon whose judgmentand 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 exploitindeed, Sir Gervaise, and in due time honour shall be paid to you andyour brave companions, to whom and to you I now tender the thanks of theOrder. But tell me the rest briefly, for I would fain hear from thesenoble knights and old friends the story of what has befallen them. "

"My tale is a very brief one, your Highness. The Cavalier Caretto sailedat once in a swift craft from the south of Sardinia, to carry warningsto 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 meetthe corsair fleet. During his absence we discovered the little inlet inwhich the pirates lay hidden, waiting doubtless the arrival of the threeships we had captured, to commence operations. On the return of theknight with the news that it would be at least a fortnight before Genoacould fit out any galleys, and fearing that the pirates might at anymoment put to sea, we procured some small Sardinian craft, and fittedthem as fire ships; with the captives we had rescued, and some Sardfishermen, we manned the three prizes, distributing the knights betweenthem, and at night launched the fire ships against the corsairs, whoseships were crowded together. Eleven of them were burnt; six we capturedas they endeavoured to make their way out, and took possession of fourothers whose crews had run them ashore and deserted them. None escaped. "

Exclamations of astonishment and almost of incredulity broke from theknights. 

"And is it possible, Sir Gervaise, that these thirteen vessels thatfollow 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 goodfortune and to the position in which we found them, almost incapable ofdefence. "

"What think you, knights and comrades?" the grand master said to hiscompanions. "There were some of you who deemed it rash to entrust agalley 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 thatof thirteen prizes being brought in by a single galley, to say naughtof eleven others destroyed. Caretto, you and your comrades must have hadsome share in this marvellous victory. "

"By no means, " the Italian replied; "beyond having the honour of aidingto carry out the orders of Sir Gervaise Tresham, the commander of thegalley. The plan was wholly of his own devising, its execution solelydue to his arrangement of the details, and that without the slightestsuggestion on the part of myself or my comrades. I will presentlynarrate to you the whole story; it will come better from my lips thanfrom those of Sir Gervaise, whose disposition is to wholly underestimatethe merit of the action he has performed. But I must also beartestimony, not only to the bravery displayed by Sir Gervaise, Sir RalphHarcourt, his lieutenant, and every one of the knights his crew, butto the admirable discipline, order, and good fellowship on board thegalley, which would have done credit to the most experienced commanderand to the most veteran knights of the Order. "

The grand master paused a moment, and then said in a loud voice, "SirGervaise Tresham, Sir Ralph Harcourt, and knights of the seven languesof the Order--As yet I can hardly appreciate the full extent of theservice that you have rendered. I thanked you but now for the capture ofthree corsairs; but what can I say when I learn that you have destroyedor taken a whole fleet? I invite you all to a banquet that I shall holdtonight, where the Cavalier Caretto will relate to us all the details ofthis marvellous exploit. "

Within a few minutes after the return of the grand master and his partyashore, the flags of the Order were run up to the flagstaffs of everyfort and bastion: the bells of the churches chimed out a triumphantpeal, and a salute was fired from the guns of the three water forts, while along the wall facing the port, the townspeople waved numberlessgay flags as a welcome to the galley. Most of the knights went ashoreat once, but Gervaise, under the excuse that he wished to see thateverything was in order before landing, remained on board until it wastime to go to the banquet, being sure that by that time the knightswould have fully told the story at their respective auberges, and thatthere would be no more questions to answer. The banquet differed butlittle from that at Genoa, and Gervaise was heartily glad when it wasover. 

The next day the grand master sent for him. 

"If I judge rightly, Sir Gervaise, the thing that will best please youat present, is an order to put to sea again at once, to conclude theusual 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 ourpresent start. We have really had but a short period of service, for wewasted a week at Genoa, and ten days on our journey back here, so thatwe 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 twoknights who were killed, and of four others whose wounds are reportedto 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. Youwill cruise among the Western islands, whence complaints have reached usof a corsair who has been plundering and burning. Sometimes he is heardof as far north as Negropont, at others he is off the south of theMorea; then, again, we hear of him among the Cyclades. We have beenunwilling to despatch another galley, for there is ample employment forevery 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, tryfor a time if you cannot come across this pirate. You must let me knowhow much you paid for the vessels you used as fire ships, and to theSards; this is an expense chargeable to the general service. I may tellyou that to me it is due that no recognition of your exploits, such asthat which Genoa bestowed upon you, will be made. At the council thismorning it was urged that some signal mark of honour should be granted;but I interposed, saying that you had already received exceptionalpromotion, and that it would not be for your good, or that of theOrder, for so young a knight to be raised to an official position ofa character usually held by seniors, and that I was perfectly sureyou would prefer remaining in command of your galley to any promotionwhatever that would retain you on the Island. "

"Indeed I should, your Highness. I wish to gain experience and to doservice to the Order, and so far from pleasing me, promotion wouldtrouble and distress me, and, could it have been done, I would mostgladly have sent home the prizes, instead of going to Genoa, and wouldmyself 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 thatnever before has a galley returned with the slaves in such good healthand condition, and that unquestionably your plan of erecting an awningto shelter them from the midday heat and the night dews has had amost beneficial effect on their health; he has recommended its generaladoption. "

Three days later the Santa Barbara again left port, and was soon uponher station. For some weeks she cruised backwards and forwards along thecoast and among the islands. They often heard of the pirate ship, butall their efforts to find her were unavailing. 

One evening there were signs of a change of weather, and by morning itwas blowing a furious gale from the north; in spite of the efforts ofthe rowers, the galley narrowly escaped being driven ashore; but she atlast gained the shelter of an island, and anchored under its lee, theslaves being utterly worn out by continuous exertion. As soon as thegale 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 ofher, and a white flag was raised. 

"She must have been driven ashore during the gale, " Gervaise said. "Wewill row in to within a quarter of a mile of her and see what we can dofor 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 shoreagain. There must be people on the island; I wonder none of them havecome to the aid of those poor fellows. I suppose the villages are on theother 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 changeafforded to the monotony of their life on board, and at the prospect ofa scamper on shore. 

There were but five or six men to be seen on the deck of the wreck, andthese had, as the boat approached, come down to the rocks as if to meetthose who came to their aid; but as the knights leapt out, they threwthemselves suddenly upon them with knives and scimitars that hadhitherto been concealed beneath their garments, while at the same momenta crowd of men appeared on the deck of the ship, and, leaping down, ranforward with drawn swords. Two of the knights fell dead before they hadtime 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 himdown. 

Gervaise had received a slight wound before he realised what washappening. He snatched his dagger from its sheath, and struck down oneassailant; but ere he could raise it to strike again, another leapt onto his back, and clung there until the rest rushed up, when he shouted, "Take him alive! take him alive!" and, throwing down their weapons, halfa dozen of the pirates flung themselves upon Gervaise, and stroveto pull him to the ground, until at last, in spite of his desperateresistance, they succeeded in doing so. His armour was hastily strippedoff, his hands and feet bound, and then at the orders of the pirate whohad leapt on his back, and who was evidently the captain, half a dozenmen lifted him on to their shoulders. As they did so four guns from thegalley flashed out, and the balls flew overhead. The pirates, who hadalready begun to quarrel over the armour and arms of the fallen knights, at once took to their heels, followed by the galley slaves from theboat. 

"Make haste, " the captain said to the men carrying Gervaise. 

"They are lowering their boats; we must be under way before they comeup. "

In a minute or two Gervaise was set down on his feet, the cords roundhis legs were cut, and he was made to hurry along with his captors. Ina short time an inlet was reached, and here Gervaise saw, to hismortification, the pirate craft for which the Santa Barbara had in vainbeen searching. As soon as the party were all on board, the ropes bywhich she was moored to two trees were thrown off; the great sailshoisted, and she sailed boldly out. Although the gale had entirelyabated, there was still a brisk wind blowing, and it was evident to thecaptain of the corsair that under such circumstances he could outsailthe galley that had long been searching for him; when, therefore, the Santa Barbara came in sight, just as he and his crew had finishedstripping the wreck of its contents, the idea had occurred to him toattempt to entice some of the knights to land. 

As soon as the vessel was under way he abused his followers hotly fornot 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 tocapture Gervaise in that way, and that they could never have overcomethe four together, before the boats would have had time to come from theship. 

Gervaise had been told to sit down with his back to a mast and in thisposition he could, when the vessel heeled over to the breeze, obtain aview of the sea. It was with a feeling of bitter mortification and ragethat he saw the galley lying but half a mile away, as the corsair issuedfrom the inlet. A moment later he heard a gun fired, and saw the signalhoisted to recall the boats. 

"If the wind had been favourable, " the captain said to his mate, "wewould have borne down upon her, and could have reached and captured herbefore the boats got back, for you may be sure that they have landedalmost all their men. However, we can't get there against the wind, andwe will now say goodbye to them. "

Gervaise knew well that at the pace they were running through the waterthe galley would have no chance whatever of overtaking her, and that, ere the knights came on board again, she would be already two or threemiles away. A point of land soon concealed the galley from view, andwhen he caught sight of her, as she rounded the point, she was but aspeck in the distance. 

They passed several islands in the course of the day, changing theirdirection to a right angle to that which they had at first pursued, assoon as they were hidden from the sight of the galley by an interveningisland. As night came on they anchored in a little bay on the coast ofthe Morea. The sails being furled, the sailors made a division of thebooty they had captured on the island, and of the portable propertyfound on board the wreck. A gourd full of water was placed to Gervaise'slips by one of the men of a kinder disposition than the rest. He drankit thankfully, for he was parched with thirst excited by the pain causedby the tightness with which he had been bound. 

He slept where he sat. All night four men remained on guard, althoughfrom what he heard they had no fear whatever of being overtaken. Inthe morning his arms were unbound, and they stripped off his tunic andshirt. They had evidently respect for his strength, for before loosinghis arms they tightly fastened his ankles together. The removal of hisshirt exposed Claudia's gift to view. 

"Take that from him and give it to me, " the captain said. As the two menapproached, Gervaise seized one in each hand, dashed them againsteach other, and hurled them on the deck. But the exertion upset hisequilibrium, and after making a vain effort to recover it, he fellheavily across them. The captain stooped over him, and, before he couldrecover himself, snatched the chain from his neck. 

"You are a stout fellow, " he said, laughing, "and will make a fineslave. What have you got here that you are ready to risk your lifefor?" He looked at the little chain and its pendant with an air ofdisappointment. "'Tis worth but little, " he said, showing it to hismate. "I would not give five ducats for it in the market. It must be acharm, or a knight would never carry it about with him and prize it sohighly. 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 tryit;" and he put it round his neck just as Gervaise had worn it. Thelatter was now unbound, and permitted to move about the deck. Thestrength he had shown in the struggle on shore, and the manner in whichhe had hurled, bound as he was, two of their comrades to the deck, hadwon for him the respect of his captors, and he was therefore allowedprivileges not granted to the seamen of the vessel that had had the illfortune to be cast on shore so close to the spot where the corsairwas hiding. These had been seized, driven to the ship, and having beenstripped of the greater portion of their clothes, shut down in the hold. 

Although angry that but one out of the four who landed had beencaptured, the captain was in a good humour at having tricked hisredoubtable foes, and was disposed to treat Gervaise with moreconsideration than was generally given to captives. The latter had notspoken a word of Turkish from the time he was captured, and had shakenhis head when first addressed in that language. No suspicion wastherefore entertained that he had any knowledge of it, and the Turksconversed 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 shortquarter 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 Ibrahimtook two years ago. First there were months of delay, then, when theransom was settled, the pasha took four-fifths of it for himself, andIbrahim 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 theyonce meddle in an affair they take all the profit, and think they dowell by giving you a tithe of it. There are plenty of wealthy Moors whoare ready to pay well for a Christian slave, especially when he is agood looking young fellow such as this. He will fetch as much as allthose eight sailors below. They are only worth their labour, whilethis youngster will command a fancy price. I know a dozen rich Moors inTripoli or Tunis who would be glad to have him; and we agreed that wewould run down to the African coast for awhile, for that galley has beenaltogether too busy of late for our comfort, and will be all the moreactive after this little affair; besides, people in these islands havegot so scared that one can't get within ten miles of any of them nowwithout seeing their signal smokes rising on the hills, and finding, when they land, the villages deserted and stripped of everything worthcarrying away. "

This news was a disappointment to Gervaise. He had calculated that hewould be sold at one of the Levant ports, and had thought that with hisknowledge of Turkish he should have no great difficulty in escapingfrom any master into whose hands he might fall, and taking his chance ofeither seizing a fishing boat, or of making his way in a trading ship tosome district where the population was a mixed one, and where trade waswinked at between the merchants there, and those at some of the Greektowns. To escape from Tunis or Tripoli would be far more difficult;there, too, he would be beyond the reach of the good offices of SuleimanAli, who would, he was sure, have done all in his power to bring abouthis release. Of one thing he was determined: he would not return toRhodes without making every possible effort to recover Claudia's gage, as he considered it absolutely incumbent on him as a knight to guard, assomething sacred, a gift so bestowed. The fancy of the corsair toretain the jewel as a charm he regarded as a piece of the greatest goodfortune. Had it been thrown among the common spoil, he would never haveknown to which of the crew it had fallen at the division, still lesshave traced what became of it afterwards; whereas now, for some time, atany 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 firstopportunity, and such an opportunity could not fail to present itselfere long, for he had but to manage to possess himself of Moslem garmentsto be able to move about unquestioned in any Turkish town. When itbecame dark he was shut up in the hold, which was, he found, crowdedwith captives, as, in addition to the crew of the wreck, between fortyand fifty Greeks, for the most part boys and young girls, had beencarried off from the villages plundered. It was pitch dark below, although the scuttle had been left open in order to allow a certainamount of air to reach the captives; Gervaise, therefore, felt his wayabout cautiously, and lay down as soon as he found a clear space. Savean occasional moan or curse, and the panting of those suffering from theheat and closeness of the crowded hold, all was still. The majorityof the captives had been some time in their floating prison, andtheir first poignant grief had settled down into a dull and despairingacceptance of their fate; the sailors, newly captured, had for hoursraved and cursed, but, worn out by their struggle with the elements, andtheir rage and grief, they had now fallen asleep. 

It was long before Gervaise dozed off. He was furious with himself forhaving fallen into the trap; if he had, as he said to himself, lain offthe 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 asa child might have done. Even more than his own captivity, he regrettedthe death of his three comrades, which he attributed to his own wantof care. The next morning he was again allowed on deck. The vessel wasunder way, and her head was pointing south. To his surprise some of thecrew gave him a friendly greeting; he was unable to understand a mannerso at variance with their hatred to the Christians, until one of themsaid to him in a mixture of Greek and Italian, "We have heard fromour countrymen who were in the boat with you, that they received muchkindness at your hands, and that of all the Christians they had servedunder, you were the kindest master. Therefore, it is but right now Allahhas 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 theywere in your power. "

The captain came up as the man was speaking. He talked for a time to thesailor, who then turned again to Gervaise. "The captain says that he istold you were the commander of that galley; he has questioned the eightmen separately, and they all tell the same story: and yet he cannotunderstand how so young a man should command a galley manned by warriorsfamous for their deeds of arms, even among us who are their foes. "

"This galley was an exception, " Gervaise replied; "the knights onboard were all young, as they could be better spared than those moreexperienced, at a time when your sultan is known to be preparing for anattack on Rhodes. "

The captain was silent for a minute when this was interpreted to him; hehad 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, Iwould have fought and captured her yesterday; I have half a mind to goback and seek her now. "

He called up one of the ex slaves who was a native of Tripoli, and whohad now taken his place as a member of the crew, and asked him a numberof questions. Gervaise felt uncomfortable while the man was answering. Fortunately, his rowers had agreed to say nothing whatever of thedestruction of the corsair fleet, of which no word had as yet reachedthe pirates, deeming that, in their anger at the news, the pirates mightturn upon them for the part that they had, however involuntarily, bornein it. 

As soon as he perceived that the captain entertained the idea ofreturning to engage the galley, the man felt that if he were to avoida return into captivity he must deter him from taking such a step. Hetherefore, in answer to his questions as to the strength of the crew ofthe galley and the fighting powers of the knights, reported the captureof the three vessels. The captain listened almost incredulously to hisstatement, and, calling up another two of the men, questioned them alsoas to the occurrence. Having heard them, he turned away and paced thedeck, in evident anger; however, he gave no instructions for a change ofcourse, and, to the great satisfaction of the eight rescued slaves, thevessel continued her course southward. 

As they neared the African coast, Gervaise kept an eager lookout, inhopes that Visconti's galley might appear in sight. The captain's temperhad not recovered from the effect of the news of the capture of threeMoorish vessels by the galley commanded by Gervaise, and the latter, seeing the mood he was in, kept forward so as to avoid coming in contactwith him. He had early taken the opportunity of saying to one of thereleased galley slaves, "I pray you, if you have any feeling of kindnesstowards me for the efforts I made to alleviate your condition, sayno word of my knowledge of Turkish, and ask the others also to remainsilent 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 othercaptives. These were brought up every day from the hold, and kept ondeck until dark, as the price they would fetch in the slave market inTripoli would depend greatly upon their health and appearance; but whenthe captain came near them he several times struck them brutally, ifthey happened to be in his way. Gervaise had the greatest difficulty inrestraining his indignation, and, indeed, only did so because he feltthat his interference would but make things worse for them. When at lastthe ship cast anchor off Tripoli, the captain ordered the boats to belowered. As he walked towards the gangway, he happened to push againstone of the captives, a Greek girl of some ten years of age. With anangry exclamation he struck her to the deck. Gervaise sprang forward. 

"You brute!" he exclaimed in English. "I have a good mind to throw youoverboard, and will do so the next time you strike one of these childrenwithout cause. "

Infuriated by Gervaise's interference and threatening attitude, thecorsair drew his long knife; but before he could strike, Gervaise caughthis wrist; the knife fell from his hand, and Gervaise kicked it throughthe open gangway into the sea. The captain shouted to his men to seizethe Christian, but the young knight's blood was up now. The firstman who came at him he seized by the sash round his waist, and threwoverboard; the two next he stretched on the deck with blows from hisclenched fist. Some of the others now drew their weapons, but thecaptain shouted to them to sheath them. 

"Fools!" he yelled. "Is it not enough that your cowardice has alreadycost us the lives of three knights, whose capture would have brought usa big sum? Throw him down and bind him. What! are fifty of you afraid ofone unarmed man? No wonder these Christians capture our ships, if thisis the mettle of our crews!"

Goaded by his words, the men made a general rush upon Gervaise, and, inspite 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 rightbeing still powerless, showered blows upon him until Gervaise almostlost 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 theboat, and was rowed ashore. 

As soon as he had left, three or four of the ex galley slaves carriedGervaise into the shade of the sail. The sailors, several of whombore signs of the late struggle, looked on sullenly, but offered noopposition when the men took off the ropes and raised him into a sittingposture against the mast. He had not entirely lost consciousness, andwas 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, andshall be stiff for a day or two. You had best leave me now, or you willincur the enmity of these fellows. "

Gervaise was indeed bruised from his neck to his heels. Even inhis passion the pirate had avoided striking him on the head, as adisfiguring mark on the face would diminish his value. Sitting there, hecongratulated himself that he had been beaten with a stick and notwith a whip; a stick is a weapon, and he did not feel the same sense ofdishonour that he would have experienced had he been beaten with awhip. That such might be his lot in slavery he recognised. The backs ofCaretto and his two companions were seamed with the marks inflictedby the gang master's whip, and he could scarce hope to escape the sametreatment; but at present he hardly felt a slave. There was anotherreflection that to some extent mitigated the pain of his bruises;the pirate captain held his treasured gage, and it was his fixeddetermination to recover it. The man had at first in a rough way treatedhim fairly, and had allowed him more liberty than the other captives, and he would have felt reluctant to take extreme measure against him torecover 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 downthe deck, knowing that this was the best plan to prevent the limbsfrom stiffening. The corsair did not return until night set in; he wasaccompanied by an Arab, whose dress and appearance showed that he wasa person of importance. The other slaves had all been sent below, butGervaise still remained on deck, as the mate had not cared to riskanother conflict by giving him orders in the absence of the captain. Asthe pirate stepped on deck he ordered some torches to be brought. 

"This is the Christian I spoke of, " he said to the Arab, pointing toGervaise, who was leaning carelessly against the bulwark. 

"He is, as you see, capable of hard work of any kind; his strength isprodigious, 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 thatalthough so strong he was of a quiet disposition, and would make a goodhousehold slave. "

"I struck a slave girl who stood in my way, " the captain said, "and hecame at me so suddenly that I had to call upon the men to bind him. Hethrew one of them overboard, and with his naked hands knocked down twoothers; and, as I have told you, it took all the efforts of eight or tenmore before they could overcome him. "

The Arab took a torch from one of the sailors, walked across toGervaise, who was naked from the waist upwards, his upper garmentshaving 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 boardmy 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 forthe regulation that one slave from each cargo brought in belongs to thesultan, 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. Thisman is one of the accursed Order of Rhodes, and would fetch a ransommany times greater than the sum I ask for him, only I have not the timeto wait for months until the affair could be arranged. "

"And, moreover, Hassan, " the Arab said grimly, "it has doubtless notescaped you that as the Sultan of Turkey is fitting out an expeditionto destroy the community of Rhodes, the chance of their ransoming theircomrade is a very slight one. "

"Threatened men live long, " the captain said. "The sultan has beentalking of attacking them for years, and something has always happenedto 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 sumyou named; count it, and see that it is right. " As he stood apart whilethe pirate counted out the money, the eight released slaves came up in abody, 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 whenthis knight was taken prisoner. Our life has been a hard one. We haveborne toil, and hardship, and blows, the heat of the sun by day, and thedamp by night, but we would humbly represent to you that since we wereplaced in the galley commanded by this knight our lot has been madebearable by his humanity and kindness. He erected an awning to shade usfrom the sun's rays, and to shelter us from the night dews. He providedgood food for us. He saw that we were not worked beyond our strength, and he forbade us being struck, unless for good cause. Therefore, mylord, now that misfortune has fallen upon him, we venture to representto you the kindness with which he has treated us, in the hope that itmay please you to show him such mercy as he showed to us. "

"You have done well, " the Arab said, "and your words shall not beforgotten. When you land tomorrow, inquire for the house of IsaacBen Ibyn. You are doubtless penniless, and I may be able to obtainemployment for those of you who may stop at Tripoli, and to assist thosewho desire to take passage to their homes elsewhere. We are commanded tobe grateful to those who befriend us, and as you have shown yourselvesto be so, it is right that I, an humble servant of the Great One, shouldin 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. Willyou tell that villain"--and he pointed to the captain threateningly--"Iwarn him that some day I will kill him like a dog!" Then, turning, hestepped into the bow of the boat, and the two men who rowed it at oncepushed off. 

CHAPTER XVIII A KIND MASTER

When the boat reached the shore the Arab handed a long bernouse toGervaise, signed to him to pull the hood well over his head, and thenled 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 hishand, 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 somewhatpast middle age, and dressed in a style that indicated that he was atrusted servant. 

"Muley, " his master said, "I have bought this Christian who has beenbrought in by Hassan the corsair. He is one of the knights who are theterrors of our coasts, but is, from what I hear, of a kind and humanedisposition. 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, Ihave heard from others that it was so. My wife has long desired to havea Christian slave, and as Allah has blessed my efforts it was but rightthat I should gratify her, though in truth I do not know what work Ishall set him to do at present. Let him first have a bath, and see thathe is clad decently, then let him have a good meal. I doubt if he hashad 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'sbrutality to a child slave. If any of his wounds need ointment, see thathe has it. When all is ready, bring him to the door of my apartments, inorder 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 hishousehold. Gervaise resisted the impulse to thank his new master, andfollowed in silence. 

He was first taken to a bathroom, furnished with an abundance of hot andcold water. Muley uttered an exclamation as, on Gervaise throwing offhis bernouse, he saw that his flesh was a mass of bruises. After fillingthe bath with hot water, he motioned to Gervaise to get in, and liethere until he returned. It was some time before he came back, bringinga pot of ointment and some bandages. It was only on the body that thewounds needed dressing, for here the blows had fallen on the naked skin. When he had dressed them, Muley went out and returned with some Turkishgarments, consisting of a pair of baggy trousers of yellow cotton, awhite shirt of the same material, and a sleeveless jacket of blue clothembroidered with yellow trimming; a pair of yellow slippers completedthe costume. Muley now took him into another room, where he set beforehim a dish of rice with a meat gravy, a large piece of bread, and awooden spoon. 

Gervaise ate the food with a deep feeling of thankfulness for the fatethat had thrown him into such good hands. Then, after taking a longdraught of water, he rose to his feet and followed Muley into theentrance 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 wherea 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 aBerber, a people who do not keep their women in close confinement asdo the Moors, but allow them to go abroad freely without being entirelymuffled up. 

"Khadja, " the merchant said, "this is the Christian slave I purchasedtoday. You have for a long time desired one, but not until now have Ifound one who would, I thought, satisfy your expectations. What thinkyou of him?"

"He is a noble looking youth truly, Isaac, with his fair, wavy hair, hisgrey eyes, and white skin; truly, all my neighbours will envy me sucha possession. I have often seen Christian slaves before, but they havealways been broken down and dejected looking creatures; this one bearshimself like a warrior rather than a slave. "

"He is a warrior; he is one of those terrible knights of Rhodes whosevery name is a terror to the Turks, and whose galleys are feared evenby our boldest corsairs. He must be of approved valour, for he wascommander of one of these galleys. "

The girls looked with amazement at Gervaise. They had often heard talesof the capture of ships that had sailed from Tripoli, by the galleysof the Christian knights, and had pictured those fierce warriors as ofalmost supernatural strength and valour. That this youth, whose upperlip 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 lookspleasant and good tempered, as if he could injure no one. "

"And yet this morning, daughter, he braved, unarmed, the anger of Hassanthe corsair, on the deck of his own ship; and when the pirate calledupon his men to seize him he threw one overboard, struck two more on tothe 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 youmy knowledge of your tongue. I kept the secret from all on board thecorsair, and meant to have done the same here, deeming that if none knewthat I spoke the language it would greatly aid me should I ever seean opportunity of making my escape; but, Ben Ibyn, you have behaved sokindly to me that I feel it would not be honourable to keep it a secretfrom 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 onhis shoulder kindly. "We have heard much of the character of the Order, and that though valiant in battle, your knights are courteous andchivalrous, deeming a deceitful action to be unworthy of them, andbinding themselves by their vows to succour the distressed and to bepitiful to the weak. We have heard that our wounded are tended bythem in your hospitals with as much care as men of their own race andreligion, and that in many things the knights were to be admired even bythose who were their foes. I see now that these reports were true, andthat although, as you say, it might be of advantage to you that noneshould know you speak Arabic, yet it is from a spirit of honourablecourtesy you have now told us that you do so. 

"I did not tell you, wife, " he went on, turning to her, "that the reasonwhy he bearded Hassan today was because the corsair brutally struck alittle female captive; thus, you see, he, at the risk of his life, andwhen 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 anyrate, you must abandon the idea of exciting the envy of your friends byexhibiting your Christian captive to them. As you are aware, the sultanhas the choice of any one slave he may select from each batch broughtin, 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 beenlanded. For this reason Hassan sold him to me for a less sum thanhe would otherwise have demanded, and we must for some time keep hispresence here a secret. My idea is that he shall remain indoors untilwe move next week into our country house, where he will be comparativelyfree from observation. "

"Certainly, Isaac. I would not on any account that he should be handedover to the sultan, for he would either be put into the galleys or haveto labour in the streets. "

"I will tell Muley to order the other slaves to say nothing outsideof the fresh arrival, so for the present there is no fear of its beingtalked about in the town. Hassan will, for his own sake, keep silenton the matter. I have not yet asked your name, " he went on, turning toGervaise. 

"My name is Gervaise Tresham; but it will be easier for you to call meby my first name only. "

"Then, Gervaise, it were well that you retired to rest at once, for I amsure that you sorely need it. " He touched a bell on the table, and toldMuley, when he appeared, to conduct Gervaise to the place where he wasto sleep, which was, he had already ordered, apart from the quarters ofthe other slaves. 

"The young fellow is a mass of bruises, " Ben Ibyn said to his wife, whenthe door closed behind Gervaise. "Hassan beat him so savagely, afterthey 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 becured in a few days. And now, wife, that your wish is gratified, and Ihave purchased a Christian slave for you, may I ask what you are goingto do with him?"

"I am sure I do not know, " she said in a tone of perplexity. "I hadthought of having him to hand round coffee when my friends call, andperhaps to work in the garden, but I did not think that he would beanything like this. "

"That is no reason why he should not do so, " Ben Ibyn said. "TheseChristians, 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 betterthan carry out your plan. It is certain there is no sort of work thathe would prefer to it; therefore, let it be understood that he is to beyour own personal attendant, and that when you have no occasion for hisservices, he will work in the garden. Only do not for the present letany 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 goodlooking Christian slave, and the sultan's officer would be sending forme to ask how I obtained him. We must put a turban on him. Any one whocaught a glimpse of that hair of his, however far distant, would knowthat he was a Frank. "

"We might stain his face and hands with walnut juice, " Khadja said, "hewould pass as a Nubian. Some of them are tall and strong. "

"A very good thought, wife; it would be an excellent disguise. So shallit 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 toany of the servants touching the Christian?"

"No, my lord; you gave me no instructions about it, and I thought itbetter to wait until the morning, when I could ask you. "

"You did well. We have determined to stain his skin, and at present hewill 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 wellas we do, Muley. "

The man uttered an exclamation of surprise. 

"He had intended to conceal his knowledge, " Ben Ibyn went on, "whichwould 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, ashe thought it would be dishonourable to listen to our talk, leaving usunder the impression that he could not understand us. "

"Truly these Christians are strange men, " Muley said. "This youth, whohas not yet grown the hair on his face, is nevertheless commander of awar galley. He is ready to risk his life on behalf of a slave, and canstrike down men with his unarmed hand; he is as gentle in his manner asa woman; and now it seems he can talk Arabic, and although it was in hispower to keep this secret he tells it rather than overhear words thatare not meant for his ear. Truly they are strange people, the Franks. I will prepare some stain in the morning, my lord, and complete hisdisguise before any of the others see him. "

The next morning Muley told Gervaise that his master thought that itwould be safer and more convenient for him to pass as a dumb Nubianslave. Gervaise thought the plan an excellent one; and he was soontransformed, Muley shaving that part of the hair that would have shownbelow the turban, and then staining him a deep brownish black, from thewaist upwards, together with his feet and his legs up to his knee, anddarkening his eyebrows, eyelashes, and moustache. 

"Save that your lips lack the thickness, and your nose is straighterthan those of Nubians, no one would doubt but that you were one of thatrace; and this is of little consequence, as many of them are of mixedblood, and, though retaining their dark colour, have features that intheir outline resemble those of the Arabs. Now I will take you to BenIbyn, so that he may judge whether any further change is required beforethe servants and slaves see you. "

"That is excellent, " the merchant said, when he had carefully inspectedGervaise, "I should pass you myself without recognizing you. Now you cantake him into the servants' quarters, Muley, and tell them that he is anew slave whom I have purchased, and that henceforth it will be hisduty to wait upon my wife, to whom I have presented him as her specialattendant, and that he will accompany her and my daughters when they goabroad 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 separatefrom the rest. "

Gervaise at once took up his new duties, and an hour later, carrying abasket, followed them into the town. It was strange to him thus to bewalking among the fanatical Moors, who, had they known the damage thathe had inflicted upon their galleys, would have torn him in pieces. None gave him, however, more than a passing look. Nubian slaves wereno uncommon sight in the town, and in wealthy Moorish families werecommonly employed in places of trust, and especially as attendants inthe 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 therichest merchants in Tripoli, trading direct with Egypt, Syria, andConstantinople, besides carrying on a large trade with the Berbertribes in the interior. He returned to the house with his basket fullof provisions, and having handed these over to the cook, he went to theprivate apartments, as Khadja had requested him to do. Here she andher daughters asked him innumerable questions as to his country and itscustoms, and then about Rhodes and the Order to which he belonged. Their surprise was great when they heard that the knights were bound tocelibacy. 

"But why should they not marry if they like? Why should they not havewives, children, and homes like other people?" Khadja asked. 

"It is that they may devote their whole lives to their work. Their homeis the convent at Rhodes, or at one of the commanderies scattered overEurope, where they take charge of the estates of the Order. "

"But why should they not marry then, Gervaise? At Rhodes there might bedanger for women and children, but when they return to Europe to takecharge of the estates, surely they would do their duty no worse forhaving wives?"

Gervaise smiled. 

"I did not make the rules of the Order, lady, but I have thought myselfthat 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 otherknights and nobles, marry if it so pleases them. "

In the evening the merchant returned from his stores, which weresituated 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 thisport and others many vessels--not the ships of the State, but corsairs. In all, more than twenty ships started, with the intention of making agreat raid upon the coast of Italy. No word has since been received ofthem, and their friends here are becoming very uneasy, the more so as wehear that neither at Tunis nor Algiers has any news been received. Haveyou heard at Rhodes of a Moorish fleet having been ravaging the coast ofItaly?"

"Have you any friends on board the ships that sailed from here, or anyinterest in the venture, Ben Ibyn?"

The merchant shook his head. "We Berbers, " he said, "are not like theMoors, 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 puttingout. Were it not for them and their doings we might trade with the portsof France, of Spain, and Italy, and be on good terms with all. There isno reason why, because our faiths are different, we should be constantlyfighting. It is true that the Turks threaten Europe, and are even nowpreparing to capture Rhodes; but this is no question of religion. TheTurks are warlike and ambitious; they have conquered Syria, and war withEgypt and Persia; but the Moorish states are small, they have no thoughtof conquest, and might live peaceably with Europe were it not for thehatred excited against them by the corsairs. "

"In that case I can tell you the truth. Thirteen of those ships weretaken into Rhodes as prizes; the other eleven were burnt. Not one of thefleet escaped. "

Exclamations of surprise broke from Ben Ibyn, his wife, and daughters. 

"I am astonished, indeed, " the merchant said. "It was reported here thatthe Genoese galleys were all laid up, and it was thought that they wouldbe able to sweep the seas without opposition, and to bring home vastspoil and many captives, both from the ships they took and from many ofthe villages and small towns of the coast. How came such a misfortune tohappen to them? It will create consternation here when it is known, foralthough it was not a state enterprise, the sultan himself and almostall the rich Moors embarked money in the fitting out of the ships, andwere to have shares in the spoil taken. How happened it that so strong afleet was all taken or destroyed, without even one vessel being able toget away to carry home the news of the disaster?"

"Fortune was against them, " Gervaise said. "Three ships on their wayup were captured by a galley of our Order, and her commander havingobtained news of the whereabouts of the spot where the corsairs were torendezvous, found them all lying together in a small inlet, and launchedagainst them a number of fishing boats fitted out as fire ships. Thecorsairs, packed closely together, were unable to avoid them, and, asI told you, eleven of their ships were burnt, four were run ashore toavoid the flames, while six, trying to make their way out, were capturedby the galley, aided by the three prizes that were taken and which theknights 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 greatfleet. "

"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 marvellousfeat; and although there is good or bad fortune in every event, such adeed could not have been performed, and would not even have been thoughtof, save by a great commander. Who was the knight who thus with onegalley alone destroyed a strongly manned fleet, from which great thingshad been looked for?"

Gervaise hesitated. "It was a young knight, " he said, "of but littlestanding in the Order, and whose name is entirely unknown outside itsranks. "

"By this time it must be well known, " Ben Ibyn said; "and it will soonbe known throughout Christendom, and will be dreaded by every Moor. Whatwas it?"

Gervaise again hesitated. 

"I would not have told you the story at all, Ben Ibyn, had I supposedyou would have cared to inquire into the matter. Of course, I will tellyou the name if you insist upon it, but I would much rather you did notask. "

"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 broughtby traders who are in communication with Italy. I cannot understand whyyou should thus hesitate about telling me the name of this commander. When known it will doubtless be cursed by thousands of Moorish wives andmothers; but we Berbers are another race. None of our friends or kindredwere 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 intheir ports for a long time; and in the second, had the fleet succeededaccording to general expectation, so great a store of European goodswould have been brought home that the market would have been glutted, and the goods in our storehouses would have lost all their value. Whatreason, then, can you possibly have in refusing to tell me the name ofthe commander who has won for himself such credit and glory?"

Gervaise saw that Ben Ibyn was seriously annoyed at what he deemed hisunaccountable obstinacy. 

"I will tell you, Ben Ibyn, rather than excite your displeasure, thoughI would much have preferred not to do so, for you speak so much morehighly of the affair than it merits. I had myself the honour of being incommand of that galley. "

The ladies broke into exclamations of surprise, while the merchantregarded him with grave displeasure. 

"I had thought you truthful, " he said; "but this passes all belief. Dosttell me that a beardless youth could with one galley overcome a greatfleet, 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 hadno means of supporting my claim. That was not the only reason; the otherwas, that already a great deal too much has been said about an affairin which, as I have told you, I owed everything to good fortune, and amheartily sick of receiving what I consider altogether undue praise. Ah!"he exclaimed suddenly, "the thought has just occurred to me of a way bywhich you can obtain confirmation of my story; and, as I value your goodopinion and would not be regarded as a boaster and a liar, I entreat youto take it. I heard you tell the eight men who were rowers in my boatwhen I was captured, to call upon you today, that you might do somethingfor them. "

"They came this morning to my store, " the merchant said. "They toldme their wishes. I promised them that I would make inquiry about shipssailing East; and they are to come to me again tomorrow. "

"Then, sir, I beseech you to suffer me to go down with you to yourstores and meet them there. The galley of which I was in command at thetime I was captured is the same as that in which a few weeks before Ifought 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 thataffair, and I have no doubt that they have done so, for in the furythe 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 keepsilent, fearing to injure me. But if, before you begin to do so, I tellthem that they can speak the truth with reference to me, they will, I amsure, 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. Iwould rather find myself to be in fault than that the esteem with whichyou have inspired me should prove to be misplaced. We will speak nofurther on the subject now. I have not yet asked you how it is that youcome to speak our language so well. "

Gervaise related how he had studied with Suleiman Ali, and had escortedhim 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 mymaking my escape from slavery and finding myself unable to leave bysea. "

The next day Gervaise went with Ben Ibyn to his stores. The eightmen arrived shortly afterwards, and the merchant, in the presenceof Gervaise, questioned them as to whether they knew anything of amisfortune that was said to have befallen some ships that had sailedfor the coast of Italy. The men, surprised at the question, glanced atGervaise, who said, "Tell Ben Ibyn the truth; it will do neither you norme 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 havewronged 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 asto yourselves. For the four of you who desire to return to Syria I havetaken passage in a trader that sails tomorrow and will touch at Joppaand Acre. Here is money to provide yourselves with garments and to carryyou to your homes. For you, " he said to two who were natives of thetown, "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 ofyou who desire to go to Smyrna I will give passage there in a ship whichwill sail next week; in the meantime, here is money for your presentwants. "

Two days later the merchant's family moved to his house two milesoutside the town, and here Gervaise remained for six months. His lifewas not an unpleasant one; he was treated with great kindness by themerchant and his wife, his duties were but slight, and he had no morelabour to perform in the garden than he cared to do. Nevertheless, hefelt that he would rather have fallen into the hands of a less kindmaster, for it seemed to him that it would be an act almost of treacheryto escape from those who treated him as a friend; moreover, at thecountry 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 whenHassan made one of his occasional visits to the port. 

One evening the merchant returned from the town accompanied by one ofthe sultan's officers and four soldiers. Ben Ibyn was evidently muchdepressed and disturbed; he told Muley as he entered, to fetch Gervaise. When the latter, in obedience to the order, came in from the garden, theofficer said in Italian, "It having come to the ears of the sultan mymaster that the merchant Ben Ibyn has ventured, contrary to the law, to purchase a Christian slave brought secretly into the town, he hasdeclared the slave to be forfeited and I am commanded to take him atonce to the slaves' quarter. "

"I am at the sultan's orders, " Gervaise said, bowing his head. "Mymaster has been a kind one, and I am grateful to him for his treatmentof 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 befree to carry out any plan for escape that he might devise, and by hisbeing addressed in Italian it was evident to him that his knowledgeof Turkish was unsuspected. When among the other slaves he had alwaysmaintained his character of a mute; and it was only when alone in hismaster's family that he had spoken at all. He had no doubt that hisbetrayal was due to one of the gardeners, who had several times shownhim signs of ill will, being doubtless jealous of the immunity heenjoyed from hard labour, and who must, he thought, have crept up andoverheard some conversation; but in that case it was singular thatthe fact of his knowledge of Turkish had not been mentioned. Gervaiseafterwards learned that Ben Ibyn had been fined a heavy sum for hisbreach 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 hisarrival there he was taken to the slaves' quarter; here his clothes werestripped from him, and he was given in their place a ragged shirt andtrousers, and then turned into a room where some fifty slaves werelying. Of these about half were Europeans, the rest malefactors who hadbeen condemned to labour. 

The appearance of all was miserable in the extreme; they were clothed inrags, and the faces of the Europeans had a dull, hopeless look that toldalike of their misery and of their despair of any escape from it. Theylooked up listlessly as he entered, and then an Italian said, "Cospetto, comrade; but I know not whether your place is with us, or with theMoslems across there. As far as colour goes I should put you down as aNubian; but your hair is of a hue that consorts but badly with that ofyour flesh. "

"I am an Englishman, " Gervaise replied; "but I have been passing under adisguise which has unfortunately been detected, so you see here I am. "

The mystery explained, his questioner had no further interest in thematter, and Gervaise, picking out a vacant place on the stone floor, satdown and looked round him. The room, although large, was roughly built, and had doubtless been erected with a view to its present purpose. Therewere only a few windows; and these were small, strongly barred, andtwelve feet above the floor. 

"Not easy to get out of them, " Gervaise said to himself "at least, noteasy without aid; and with these Moslems here it is clear that nothingcan be done. "

They were roused at daybreak next morning, and were taken out to theirwork under the guard of six armed Moors, two overseers, provided withlong whips, accompanied them. The work consisted of cleaning the streetsand working on the roads, and at times of carrying stones for the use ofthe 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 notlong before the vigour with which Gervaise worked, and the strength hedisplayed in moving the heavy stones, attracted the attention of theoverseers and of the head of the masons. 

"That is a rare good fellow you have got there, that black with thecurious hair, " the latter said. "What is the man? I never saw one likehim. "

"He is a Christian, " one of the overseers said. "He was smuggled intothe 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 himtaken from the Berber, and brought here; I have no doubt the merchanthas been squeezed rarely. "

"Well, that is a good fellow to work, " the other said. "He has justmoved a stone, single handed, that it would have taken half a dozen ofthe others to lift. I wish you would put him regularly on this job; anyone will do to sweep the streets; but a fellow like that will be of realuse here, especially when the wall rises a bit higher. "

"It makes no difference to me, " the overseer said. "I will give orderswhen I go down that he shall be always sent up with whichever gang comeshere. "

The head mason, who was the chief official of the work, soon saw thatGervaise not only possessed strength, but knowledge of the manner inwhich the work should be done. 

Accustomed as he had been to direct the slaves at work on thefortifications at Rhodes, he had learned the best methods of movingmassive 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 spokeItalian to inquire of Gervaise whether he had ever been employed onsuch work before. Gervaise replied that he had been engaged in theconstruction of large buildings. 

"I thought so, " the officer said to the overseer; "the way he uses hislever shows that he knows what he is doing. Most of the slaves are worthnothing; 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. Thelabour, hard though it was, was an absolute pleasure to him. There was, moreover, nothing degrading in it, and while the overseers had pliedtheir whips freely on the backs of many of his companions, he had notonly escaped, but had, he felt, succeeded in pleasing his masters. Thenext morning when the gangs were drawn up in the yard before startingfor work, he was surprised at being ordered to leave the one to whichhe belonged and to fall in with another, and was greatly pleased when hefound that this took its way to the spot at which they were at work onthe previous day. 

At the end of the week, when the work of the day was finished, the headmason came down to the prison and spoke to the governor; a few minutesafterwards Gervaise was called out. The governor was standing in thecourtyard with an interpreter. 

"This officer tells me that you are skilled in masonry, " the governorsaid, "and has desired that you shall be appointed overseer of the gangwhose duty it is to move the stones, saying he is sure that with halfthe 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 domy best; but I would submit to you that it would be better if I couldhave the same slaves always with me, instead of their being changedevery day; I could then instruct them in their work. I would also submitthat it were well to pick men with some strength for this labour, formany are so weak that they are well nigh useless in the moving of heavyweights; and lastly, I would humbly submit to you that if men are todo good work they must be fed. This work is as heavy as that in thegalleys, and the men there employed receive extra rations to strengthenthem; and I could assuredly obtain far better results if the gangemployed upon this labour were to receive a somewhat larger supply offood. "

"The fellow speaks boldly, " the governor said to the head mason, whenthe reply was translated. 

"There is reason in what he says, my lord. Many of the slaves, thoughfit for the light labour of cleaning the streets, are of very little useto us, and even the whip of the drivers cannot get more than a momentaryeffort from them. If you can save twenty-five men's labour for otherwork, it will pay to give more food to the other twenty-five. I shouldlet 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 shouldhave men who can understand his orders. "

Gervaise accordingly was allowed to pick out his gang; and he chosethose whom he had observed to be the strongest and most handy at thework. 

"You will be responsible, " the governor said to him, "for the masonsbeing supplied with stone, and if you fail you will be punished and putto other labour. "

So far from there being any falling off in the work, the head masonfound that, even though the walls began to rise and the labour oftransporting the stones into their positions became greater, the masonswere 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 withgiving orders, but worked at the heaviest jobs, and, little by little, introduced many of the appliances used by the skilled masons of Rhodesin transporting and lifting heavy stones. Gradually his own positionimproved: he was treated as an overseer, and was permitted to sleepunder an arcade that ran along one side of the yard, instead of beingconfined in the close and stifling cell. His dye had long since wornoff. 

One day as he was going up with his gang under charge of the usualguards to the building, he saw Hassan, who grinned maliciously. 

"Ah, ah, Christian dog!" he said; "you threatened me, and I have notforgotten it. The last time I was here I made it known to an officer ofthe sultan that Ben Ibyn had a Christian slave who had been smuggledin; and here you are. I hope you like the change. Look, I have still gotyour amulet, and it has brought me better luck than it did you. I havebeen 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 guardspushed him roughly aside. 

Time passed on. One day on his return from work a well dressed Moor methim as the gang broke up in the courtyard. 

"I have permission to speak to you, " he said to Gervaise, and drew himaside. "Know, O Christian, that I have received a letter from SuleimanAli, 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 theprice that he will take for your ransom, expressing his willingness topay whatever may be demanded, and charging me to defray the sum and tomake arrangements by which you may return to Europe. This I am willingto do, knowing Suleiman Ali by report as a wealthy man and an honourableone. I saw the sultan yesterday. He told me that I should have an answerthis morning as to the ransom that he would take. When I went to himagain today, he said that he had learnt from the governor of the prisonand from the head mason that you were almost beyond price, that you hadbeen raised to the position of superintendent of the slaves employed inthe building of his palace, and that you were a man of such skill thathe 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 atwhich 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 payit, great as it is, for he speaks of you in terms of affection, and Iwould 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 bereceived from him before the building is finished. "

"Truly I am deeply thankful to my good friend, Suleiman Ali; but forreasons 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 repayto him; therefore, I pray you to write to him, saying that while I thankhim 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 anunpleasant one; secondly, the sum required for ransom is altogetherpreposterous; thirdly, I am not without hopes that I may some day findother means of freeing myself without so great a sacrifice; and lastly, that I have a reason which I cannot mention, why, at present, I wouldnot quit Tripoli, even were I free tomorrow. You can tell him that thisis the reason which, most of all, weighs with me. Do not, however, Ipray you, let the sultan know that I have refused to be ransomed, forhe might think I was meditating an escape, and would order extraprecautions to be taken to prevent my doing so. Will you also see BenIbyn, and thank him from me for having written to Suleiman Ali on mybehalf?"

CHAPTER XIX ESCAPE

Gradually a greater amount of liberty was given to Gervaise. Escapefrom Tripoli was deemed impossible, especially as he was supposed to beentirely ignorant of Arabic. He was, indeed, scarcely regarded now as aslave by the head mason, and instead of being clad in rags was dressedlike other overseers. He was no longer obliged to walk with the gang toand from the palace, and was at last granted permission to go into thetown for an hour or two after his work was over, instead of returningdirect to the prison. The first time this permission was given to himhe placed himself on the road by which Ben Ibyn would leave the town, choosing a quiet spot where the meeting would not be observed. Gervaisehad for some time taken to staining his face, hands, and legs withwalnut juice, beginning with a weak solution, and very graduallyincreasing the strength until he had reached a shade approximating tothat of the lighter coloured portion of the population. The head masonhad on one occasion noticed it, and said, "The sun is darkening yourskin, Gervaise, until you might verily pass as a Moor. "

Gervaise detected an expression of doubt in the tone the officer hadspoken to the interpreter, and replied at once, "It is not altogetherthe 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 frounmolested, and free from the insults that the boys and beggars hurl atChristians. "

The master mason nodded approvingly when the answer was translated tohim. 

"It is a wise step, " he said; "for truly the hatred of Christians isvery strong among the lower classes, especially since it became knownthat the galleys that sailed from here nearly two years ago were, withall the fleet from which so much was expected, utterly destroyed. It iswell, then, that you should pass unnoticed, for were there a tumult inthe street you might lose your life, and I should lose the best labouroverseer I have ever had. "

Thus, then, as Gervaise walked through the streets on the first occasionof obtaining his liberty, he attracted no attention whatever. When hesaw Ben Ibyn approaching he stepped out to meet him. The merchant lookedin his face, but for a moment failed to recognise him, then he exclaimedsuddenly, "It is Gervaise! Ah, my son, I am indeed rejoiced to seeyou. We have spoken of you so often at home, and sorely did my wife anddaughters grieve when you were torn from us. I did not dare to send anymessage to you, for the sultan pretended great anger against me, andused the opportunity to squeeze me hardly; but I have frequently madeinquiries about you, and was glad indeed to find that even in prison youreceived promotion; had it been otherwise--had I found that you werein misery--I would have endeavoured, whatever the risk, to aid you toescape. "

"I have indeed nothing to complain of, and was sorry to learn that youhad suffered on my account. Have you ever learned how it came about thatI 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 boastedthat it was he who had sent me there. He had told the news to someofficial, who had, of course, repeated it to the sultan; doubtless heconcealed his own share in the matter, otherwise he too would, next timehe returned here, have had to pay for his part in it. "

"I will make him pay more heavily than the sultan would, " Ben Ibyn saidsternly; "I will speak to my friends among the merchants, and henceforthno Berber will buy aught from him; and we have hitherto been his bestcustomers. But let us not waste our time in speaking of this wretch. Howcomes it that you are walking freely in the streets of Tripoli? I cansee 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 afterhis work was done. 

"I shall now, " he went on, "be able to carry out any plan of escape thatmay 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 ofthe men who were with me in the galley, and whom you took into youremployment, directly you hear that his ship is in harbour. Do not givehim either a note or a message: bid him simply place himself in theroad between the prison gate and the palace, and look fixedly at me as Ipass. 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. "Imight buy one unnoticed; but, in the first place, I have no money, andin the second, when it is known that I have escaped, the trader mightrecall the fact that one of the slave overseers had purchased a suit ofhim. "

"The dress of an Arab would be the best, " the merchant said. "That Iwill procure and hold in readiness for you. On the day when I sendyou word that Hassan is here, I will see that the gate of my garden isunbarred at night, and will place the garments down just behind it. Youmean, 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 thereforego along the coast for some distance and get a boat at one of thevillages, choosing my time when there is a brisk wind, and when I maybe able to get well beyond any risk of being overtaken. Now, Ben Ibyn, Iwill leave you; it were better that we should not meet again, lest somesuspicion might fall upon you of having aided in my escape. I cannotthank you too much for all your past kindness, and shall ever bear agrateful remembrance of yourself and your family. "

"Perhaps it were better so, " Ben Ibyn said; "for if the Moors can findany excuse for plundering us, they do so. Have you heard the news thatthe Sultan of Turkey's expedition for the capture of Rhodes is all butcomplete, and will assuredly sail before many weeks have passed?"

"I have not heard it, " Gervaise replied; "and trust that I may be intime to bear my share in the defence. However, the blow has been sooften 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 hasreturned, and you shall have the bundle with all that is needful, behindmy gate. "

Another two months passed. Gervaise looked in vain for Ben Ibyn'smessenger as he went to and from the palace, and chafed terribly at thedelay, when, for aught he knew, the Turkish fleet might already havebrought Mahomet's army to Rhodes. At last, as he came back from work, hesaw with intense satisfaction one of the men, whose face he recognised, leaning carelessly against the wall. The man gave no sign ofrecognition, but looked at him earnestly for a minute, and thensauntered 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 thatled 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 hestarted, for a voice close by said, "Master, it is I, the messenger whom you saw two hours since. Ben Ibynbade me say that he thought you might require some service, and, knowingthat I could be trusted, bade me wait for you here. He thought that youmight possibly need a messenger to Hassan. "

"The very thing, " Gervaise exclaimed. "I have been puzzling myself invain as to how I could get speech with him in some quiet place; butwith your assistance that will be easy; but first let me put on thisdisguise. "

This was easily effected, even in the dark. A loose flowing robe ofwhite cotton, girt in at the waist, a long bernouse with hood to coverthe head, a sash with a dagger, and a scimitar, completed the disguise. 

"Here is a pouch, " the man said, "with money for your journey, anda long sword, which he says you can hang at your back beneath yourbernouse. "

Gervaise gave an exclamation of pleasure. By its length and weight hewas sure that the weapon must have been the property of a Christianknight. 

"Shall I carry the message this evening?" the man asked. "It is earlystill, and it were best that you should not linger in the city, wherethere 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 BenIbyn. "

"Let us settle our plans, then, before we sally out from here; we couldnot find a safer place for talking. What message, think you, would bethe most likely to tempt Hassan to come ashore? You do not know whatspoil he has brought?"

"No; besides, if a merchant wanted to buy he would go on board toinspect Hassan's wares. We must have something to sell. It must besomething tempting, and something that must be disposed of secretly. Imight tell him that my employer--and I would mention some merchant whosename would carry weight with him--has received from the interior a largeconsignment of slaves, among whom are three or four girls, who wouldfetch high prices in Egypt, and as he believes they have been capturedfrom a tribe within the limits of the sultan's territory, he is anxiousto get rid of them, and will either dispose of them all cheaply in alot, or will hand them over to him to take to Egypt to sell, giving hima 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 Iwho 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 anddesires to pay him?"

"I do not think that would bring him ashore. Hassan doubtless trades forready money, and must be well aware that no one here can be greatly inhis debt. No, my lord; leave the matter in my hands. I will think ofsome story before I go on board that will fetch him ashore. But first wemust settle where I am to bring him; there are some deserted spots nearthe wall on the east side of the town. "

"I know where you mean, " Gervaise agreed; "let us go in that directionat once, for the sooner you are off the better. "

In half an hour a spot was fixed on, near some huts that had fallen intoruin. Here Gervaise seated himself on a sand heap, while the man hurriedaway. The moon had just risen, it being but three days since it was atits full. The night was quiet; sounds of music, laughter, and occasionalshouts came faintly from the town. Seated where he was, Gervaise couldsee the port and the ships lying there. Half an hour later he saw a boatrow off to one of them, which he had already singled out, from its sizeand general appearance, as being that of Hassan; ten minutes later hesaw it returning. At that distance separate figures could not be madeout, but it seemed to him that it loomed larger than before, and hethought that certainly one, if not more, persons, were returning withhis messenger. Presently he heard men approaching; then Hassan's voicecame distinctly to his ears. 

"How much farther are you going to take me? Remember, I warned you thatunless 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 ofthe 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 captivesyou want to sell me?"

"Will you please to follow me into this courtyard?" Gervaise said. He had, while waiting, reconnoitred the neighbourhood, and found anenclosure with the walls still perfect, and had determined to bringHassan there, in order to prevent him from taking to flight. Hassanentered it unsuspectingly, followed by his two men. Gervaise fell backa little, so as to place himself between them and the entrance. Then hethrew back the hood of his bernouse. 

"Do you recognise me, Hassan?" he said sternly. "I am the captive whomyou 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 inpeace, 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 comealone; but I suspected there was something hidden behind the story ofthat black, and so brought two of my crew with me. Upon him, men! Cuthim down!" So saying, he drew his scimitar, and sprang furiously uponGervaise. The latter stepped back into the centre of the gateway, so asto prevent the men, who had also drawn their swords, passing to attackhim from behind. He had undone the clasp of his bernouse, and allowed itto fall to the ground as he addressed Hassan, and his long sword flashedin the moonlight as the corsair sprang forward. 

Hassan was a good swordsman, and his ferocious bravery had rendered himone of the most dreaded of the Moorish rovers. Inferior in strength toGervaise, he was as active as a cat, and he leapt back with the springof a panther, avoiding the sweeping blow with which Gervaise had hopedto finish the conflict at once; the latter found himself thereforeengaged in a desperate fight with his three assailants. So furiously didthey attack him that, foot by foot, he was forced to give ground. As hestepped through the gateway one of the pirates sprang past him, but ashe did so, a figure leapt out from beyond the wall, and plunged a daggerinto 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 didso, he himself received a severe wound on the left shoulder from Hassan, who, before he could again raise his weapon, sprang upon him, and triedto hurl him to the ground. 

Gervaise's superior weight saved him from falling, though he staggeredback some paces; then his heel caught against a stone, and he fell, dragging Hassan to the ground with him. Tightly clasped in each other'sarms, they rolled over and over. Gervaise succeeded at last in gettingthe 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 theblow, but threw himself forward, his weight partly pinning the corsair sshoulders to the ground, and the blow passed behind him, inflicting buta slight wound in the back; then, with his right hand, which was nowfree, he grasped Hassan by the throat with a grip of iron. The piratestruggled convulsively for a moment, then his left hand released hisgrasp 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, feltfor the chain, pulled up Claudia's gage, and placed it round his ownneck; 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 frombehind. I had not bargained for three of them. "

"I could not help it, my lord. It was not until Hassan had stepped downinto the boat that I knew he was going to take any one with him; then hesuddenly 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 theforfeit. ' I knew not what to do, and indeed could do nothing; but, knowing my lord's valour, I thought that, even against these odds, youmight conquer with such poor aid as I could give you. "

"It was not poor aid at all, " Gervaise said heartily. "Greatly am Iindebted to you, and sorry indeed am I, that I am unable to reward younow for the great service that you have rendered me. "

"Do not trouble about that, my lord. I am greatly mistaken if I do notfind in the sashes of these three villains sufficient to repay me amplyfor my share in this evening's work. And now, my lord, I pray you tolinger not a moment. The gates of the town shut at ten o'clock, and itcannot be long from that hour now. But first, I pray you, let me bind upyour shoulder; your garment is soaked with blood. "

"Fortunately my bernouse will hide that; but it were certainly best tostaunch the blood before I start, for it would be hard for me to get atthe wound myself. "

The man took one of the sashes of the corsairs, tore it into strips, andbandaged the wound; then with another he made a sling for the arm. Ashe took off the sashes a leather bag dropped from each, and there was achink of metal. He placed them in his girdle, saying, "I shall have timeto count them when I get back. "

Gervaise sheathed his sword, and put on the bernouse, pulling the hoodwell over his head; then, with a few more words of thanks, started forthe gate, leaving the man to search Hassan's girdle. 

The gate was a quarter of a mile distant. Gervaise passed through withthe usual Arabic salutation to the sentry, and with difficulty represseda shout of exultation as he left Tripoli behind him. 

Following the coast road he walked till daylight; then he left it andlay down among the sand hills for five or six hours. He calculated thatno pursuit would be begun until midday. His absence was not likely to benoticed until the gangs began work in the morning, when an alarm wouldbe given. The sentries at the gates on the previous evening wouldbe questioned, and when it was found that no one answering to hisdescription had passed out before these were closed, there would bea rigid search throughout the city and port. The vessels would allbe examined, and the boatmen questioned as to whether any craft wasmissing. Not until the search proved absolutely fruitless would it beseriously suspected that he had, either by passing through the gates indisguise, or by scaling the walls, made for the interior. None knew thathe could speak Arabic, and it would be so hopeless an undertaking forany one unacquainted with the language to traverse the country withoutbeing detected, that the Moors would be slow to believe that he hadembarked upon such adventure. However, when all search for him in thetown and in the vessels in the port proved fruitless, doubtless mountedmen would be despatched in all directions; some would take the coastroads, while others would ride into the interior to warn the head men ofthe villages to be on the lookout for an escaped slave. 

After a sleep of five hours, Gervaise pursued his journey. He had walkedfor eight hours, and calculated that he must be fully thirty miles fromTripoli, and that not until evening would searchers overtake him. Afterwalking four miles he came to a large village. There he purchased a bagof dates, sat down on a stone bench by the roadside to eat them, andentered into conversation with two or three Moors who sauntered up. Tothese he represented that he belonged to a party of his tribe who hadencamped for the day at a short distance from the village in orderto rest their horses before riding into Tripoli, whither they wereproceeding to exchange skins of animals taken in the chase, and someyoung horses, for cotton clothes, knives, and other articles of barterwith the tribes beyond them. 

After quenching his thirst at a well in front of the mosque, he retracedhis steps until beyond the village, then struck out into the country, made a detour, came down into the road again, and continued his journeyeastward. He walked until nightfall, and then again lay down. 

He was now fully fifty miles from Tripoli, and hoped that he was beyondthe point to which horsemen from that town would think of pursuing theirsearch. It was likely that they would not have gone beyond the villageat which he had halted on the previous day; for when they learned fromthe inhabitants that no stranger, save an Arab, had entered it, theywould content themselves with warning the head man to be on the watchfor any stranger unable to speak their tongue, and would not consider itnecessary to push their steps farther. 

For four days Gervaise continued his journey. At each village throughwhich he passed he added to his stock of dates, until he had as manyas he could carry under his bernouse without attracting observation. Healso 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 heknew that until a change of weather occurred, it was useless for himto attempt to escape by boat. On the fifth day there were signs of achange. He saw a dark line far out at sea; it came across the waterrapidly, and presently a gentle breeze began to blow from the northwest;it gradually increased in strength, and when, in the afternoon, hestopped 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 threelarger craft were lying at anchor. He entered into conversation withsome of the fishermen, and his questions as to the boats led them tobelieve him altogether ignorant of the sea. The craft were, they toldhim, used sometimes for fishing, but they often made voyages to townsalong the coast with dates and other produce. Each boat carried a singleshort mast, to the top of which was attached a long tapering spar, onwhich the sail was furled. 

Gervaise knew that these small feluccas were generally fast sailors andfair sea boats, and resolved to seize one of them, trusting that whenonce the sail was shaken out he would be able to manage it singlehanded. Accustomed to boats, he picked out that which he thought wouldbe the fastest, and then walked away for half a mile, and lay down tosleep until the village was silent for the night. He had with him someoaten cakes he had bought there, a string of fish he had purchased fromthe boatmen, and with these and the dates he thought he could managefor four or five days at least. As to water, he could only hope that heshould find a supply on board the boat. When he judged it to be aboutten o'clock he went down to the shore again, took off his clothes andmade them into a bundle; then, wading out into the water to within fiftyyards of the felucca, swam off to it, towing the bundle behind him. 

He had no difficulty in climbing on board, and after dressing himself inthe clothes he had worn at Tripoli, and had kept on underneath the Arabattire, he pulled the head rope until the craft was nearly over theanchor. He then loosened the line that brailed up the sail, got thestone that served as an anchor on board, hauled the sheet aft, and tookhis 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 throughthe water. He steered out for a time, and then, when he thought himselfa good mile from the shore, headed east. By the appearance of the wateras it glanced past, he thought that he must be making from five to sixmiles an hour, and when the sun rose at five o'clock, believed that hewas nearly forty miles on his way. He now fastened the tiller with arope and proceeded to overhaul the craft. 

It was decked over forward only, and he crept into the cabin, which waslittle more than three feet high. The first thing his eye lit on was abulky object hanging against the side, and covered with a thick blackblanket of Arab manufacture. Lifting this, he saw, as he expected, thatthe object beneath it was a large waterskin well filled; the blanket hadevidently been placed over it to keep it cool when the sun streamed downon the deck above it. There was also a large bag of dates, and anotherof flat cakes, and he guessed that these had all been put on board theevening before, in readiness for a start in the morning. This relievedhim of his chief anxiety, for he had been unable to think of any planfor replenishing his supply, or to concoct a likely tale that, were heobliged to go on shore, would account for his being alone in a craft ofthat size. 

The wind increased again after sunrise, and being unable to reef thesail single handed he managed partially to brail it up. All day thecraft flew along with the wind on the quarter, making six or seven milesan hour; and he felt that by morning he would be well beyond pursuit. Onthe run he passed several craft engaged in fishing, but these gave himno uneasiness. He had in the morning, with some old sails he found, constructed three rough imitations of human figures, one with the Arabdress and another with the bernouse, and had placed them against thebulwarks, so that at a short distance it would appear that there werethree men on board. Feeling confident that the deception would not benoticed, he kept his course without swerving, and passed some of thefishing boats within hailing distance, waving his hand and shouting theusual Arab salutation to their crews. 

During the day he contented himself with eating some dates and anoatmeal cake or two; but at sunset he added to this two or three fishthat he had split open and hung up to dry in the sun and wind. There wascharcoal on board, and a flat stone served as a hearth in the bottom ofthe boat, but he had no means of lighting a fire, for this the fishermenwould have brought off when they came on board in the morning. After hehad finished his meal and taken his place again at the tiller healtered his course. Hitherto he had been steering to the south of east, following the line of coast, but he now saw before him the projectingpromontory of Cape Mezurata, which marks the western entrance of thegreat Gulf of Sydra; and he now directed his course two points northof east, so as to strike the opposite promontory, known as Grenna, morethan a hundred miles away. The wind fell much lighter, and he shook outthe sail to its full extent. All night he kept at his post, but findingthe wind perfectly steady he lashed the tiller so as to keep the boat'shead in the direction in which he was steering, and dozed for somehours, waking up occasionally to assure himself that she was keeping hercourse. 

At sunrise he indulged in a wash in sea water, and felt freshened andrevived. He now kept a sharp lookout for distant sails, for he was outof the ordinary course a coaster would take, and would have attractedthe attention of any corsair coming out from the land; the sea, however, remained clear of ships. All day the felucca made rapid progress, foralthough the wind freshened, Gervaise did not lessen sail as before, being now accustomed to the boat and confident of her powers. As soonas the wind died away again after sunset, he lay down for a good sleep, feeling this was an absolute necessity, and knowing that before morninghe should be obliged to keep a sharp lookout for land. He slept longerthan 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 adistance, as he thought, of some fifteen miles, and at once put the helmdown and bore more to the north. 

He judged, from what he had heard on the coast, that he must be nearlyoff Cape Tejones, behind which lies the town of Bengasi, and wasconfirmed in the belief on finding half an hour later that the coast, which had run nearly north and south, trended sharply away to thenortheast. All day long he kept about the same distance from the land, and at night, instead of keeping on his course, brailed up the sailentirely, and allowed the vessel to drift, as he knew that beforemorning he should lose the coast if he continued as he was going. Heslept without moving until daylight, and then saw, to his satisfaction, by means of landmarks he had noticed the evening before, that the boathad drifted but a few miles during the night. As the day went on, he sawthat the coastline was now east and west, and felt that he must be offthe most northerly point of the promontory; he accordingly laid hiscourse to the northeast, which would take him close to Cape Saloman, themost easterly point of Crete, and from two hundred and fifty to threehundred miles distant. 

For twenty-four hours he sailed quietly on, the wind dropping lighterand lighter; then it suddenly died out altogether; for some hours therewas not a breath to stir the surface of the water, and the heat wasstifling. Gervaise slept for some time; when he awoke the same stillnessreigned, but there was a change in the appearance of the sky; itsbrightness was dulled by a faint mist, while, although the sea was ofa glassy smoothness, there was an imperceptible swell that caused thefelucca to sway uneasily. Gervaise had sufficient experience of theLevant to know that these signs were ominous of a change, and he atonce set to work to prepare for it. Although he saw that it would bedifficult 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 itdown on to the deck as soon as he slackened the halliards; he unhookedit from the block, and then lashed the sail securely to it. When he haddone this he looked round. A bank of dark clouds lay across the horizonto the northwest, and in a short time he could see that this was risingrapidly. 

Before taking down the spar and sail, he had deliberated as to whetherit would be better to run before the coming gale or to lie to, and haddecided on the latter alternative, as, were it to continue to blow long, he might be driven on to the Egyptian coast. Moreover, the felucca'sbow was much higher out of water than the stern, and he thought that shewould ride over the waves with greater safety than she would did theysweep down upon her stern. 

He had heard that the Greeks, when caught in a sudden gale in smallboats, often lashed the oars together, threw them overboard with a ropeattached, and rode to them safely through a sea that would otherwisehave overwhelmed them. After much consideration as to what had best bedone, 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 ofthe rope to the bow of the felucca; then, using an oar as a lever, hewith great labour managed to launch the spar over the bow, with the sailstill 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 asblack as night. He had not been out in many of the gales that at timessweep the eastern waters of the Mediterranean with terrible violence, but had seen enough of them to know that it was no ordinary one that hewas about to encounter. He looked over the bow; the spar at present waslying in contact with the stem. With an oar he pushed it across so as tobe at right angles with the craft, and then, there being nothing else todo, sat down and waited for the storm to burst. In a short time heheard a dull moaning sound, a puff of wind struck the boat, but in a fewseconds died out; it was sufficient to give the light craft stern way, and she drifted backwards, the rope tightening, until the spar layacross her bows, and some twenty yards away. 

The dull moaning had grown louder; and now ahead of him he saw a whiteline. It approached with extraordinary rapidity. Knowing the fury withwhich it would burst upon him, he leapt down, and stood at the entranceto the cabin, with his head just above the deck. With a deafening roarthe wind struck the boat, which staggered as if she had on her fullcourse struck on a rock, while a shower of spray flew over her. Halfblinded and deafened, Gervaise crawled into the cabin, closed the door, and lay down there; whatever happened, there was nothing he could do. Hewas soon conscious that the spar and sail were doing their work, forthe boat still lay head to wind. The noise overhead and around wasdeafening; above the howl of the wind could be heard the creaking of thetimbers, 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 awave lifted its head it was cut off as if by a knife, and carriedaway in spray. The boat herself was moving rapidly through the water, dragging the spar behind her, and Gervaise almost trembled at thethought of the speed at which she would have flown along had it not beenfor the restraint of the floating anchor. Gradually the sea got up, butthe light craft rode easily over it, and Gervaise, after commendinghis safety to God, lay down, and was soon fast asleep. In spite of themotion of the vessel, he slept soundly for many hours. When he awoke heopened the cabin door and looked out. A tremendous sea was running, buthe thought the wind, although so strong that he could scarce lift hishead above the shelter of the bulwark, was less violent than it hadbeen when it first broke upon him. He saw to his satisfaction that thefelucca breasted the waves lightly, and that although enveloped in sprayshe took no green water over the bows. 

The spar and sail acted not only as a floating anchor, but as abreakwater, and the white crested waves, which came on as if theywould break upon the boat, seemed robbed of half their violence bythe obstruction to their course, and passed under the felucca withoutbreaking. For forty-eight hours the gale continued; at the end ofthat time it ceased almost as suddenly as it had begun. The sun shonebrightly out, the clouds cleared entirely away. It was some hours beforethe sea went down sufficiently for Gervaise to attempt to get the sparon 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 itsposition at the masthead; the sail was shaken out, and the felucca againput on her course. 

CHAPTER XX BELEAGUERED

One morning towards the end of May, 1480, Sir John Boswell was standingwith some other knights on St. Stephen's Hill, near the city, havinghurried up as soon as a column of smoke from a bonfire lighted by thelookout there, gave the news that the Turkish fleet was at last insight. A similar warning had been given a month previously, but thefleet had sailed past the island, being bound for Phineka, which was therendezvous where Mahomet's great armament was to assemble. There couldbe but little doubt that the long expected storm was this time about toburst. The fleet now seen approaching numbered a hundred and sixtylarge ships, besides a great number of small craft, conveying a forcevariously estimated at from seventy to a hundred thousand men. 

"'Tis a mighty fleet, " Sir John said; "and the worst of it is that weknow there are more to follow; still, I doubt not we shall send themback defeated. Our defences are all complete; our recent peace withEgypt has enabled us to fill up our magazines with provisions of allkinds; the inhabitants of the Island have had ample warning to moveinto the town, carrying with them everything of value; so the Turkswill obtain but little plunder, and will be able to gather no means ofsubsistence on the island, as every animal has been driven within thewalls, and even the unripe corn has been reaped and brought in. Howeverlong the siege lasts, we need be in no fear of being reduced to sorestraits 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 Turkishgalleys 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 whoare late in coming to join us. "

"It may well be so, Sir John, for they have been straggling in by twosand 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 thelittle craft off before she can gain the port. "

He hurried to D'Aubusson, who was standing a short distance apart fromthe others, gazing at the Turkish fleet. A minute later he was runningdown the hill to the town, accompanied by three or four other knights;they made direct for the outer port, where two galleys were lying inreadiness, leapt on board one of them, which already contained its quotaof knights, and at once rowed out of the port. Just as they did so theTurkish galley fired a gun. 

"I fear we shall be too late, " Sir John said; "the Turk is gaining faston the other craft, whatever she may be. There goes another gun. Rowyour hardest!" he shouted down to the slaves. 

The Turkish ship did not fire again; the wind was light, and they weregoing 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 wasclose to the boat that was trying to escape. Sir John and the knightschafed 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 hadrowed it would have made some difference, and we might have been nearlyup. "

"I can only see one man on board of her, Sir John, " one of the youngerknights said; and two or three others murmured that they were of thesame opinion. 

"The others must be lying down; she cannot have less than from fifteento 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 isheading for us again! Brave fellows! brave fellows!" Sir John exclaimed, while a cheer broke from those around him; "but they have donefor themselves. They must have seen us coming out, and if they hadsurrendered might have hoped to have been retaken. Their chance ofgetting quarter was truly not great, for expecting--as the Turksdo--to carry off both us and all the inhabitants of the Island, a dozenfishermen would have seemed to them scarcely worth keeping. However, byholding on they have thrown away any chance they may have had. The Turksare alongside; they are leaping down into the little craft. Ah! Two moregalleys have just left their fleet, and are heading here. "

"See, Sir John, " one of the knights exclaimed, "there is a single manstanding in the bow of that craft: he is facing the Moors alone. See howthey crowd there; you can see the weapons flashing in the sun. They haveto press past the mast to get at him, and as yet he seems to hold themall at bay. "

"He has chosen his post well, D'Urville. The number of his assailantsprevents the archers on the Turkish craft using their bows. Fire thosebow guns!" he shouted to the knights forward: "Take steady aim at thegalley. It will distract their attention. "

"Nobly done indeed!" one of the other knights shouted. "I have seen himstrike down four of the Turks. "

"Row, men, row! 'Tis useless!" Sir John muttered, as he clenched thehilt of his sword. "Useless! A Roland could not long maintain so unequala fight. "

A groan broke from those around him as suddenly the dark mass of theassailants 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 manwas seen to spring overboard. 

"They will riddle him with their spears when he comes up; we shall havenothing to do but to avenge him. To your stations, comrades! It is ourturn now, and we have no time to lose, for the other two Turks willbe up in twenty minutes, and I had orders not to fight if it could beavoided: but we must take this fellow. "

Five minutes later the galley ran alongside the Turk, to which those whohad captured the boat had already hastily returned. The ships dischargedtheir guns into each other, and then, as the galley ran alongside, theknights tried to leap on board of her. They were opposed by a dense massof Turks, for in addition to her usual crew the Moslem was crowded withtroops. For three or four minutes the knights tried, but in vain, to geta footing on board; then Sir John shouted to them to forbear, and gaveorders to the rowers at once to push off. A cloud of arrows swept acrossthe poop as they did so; but for the most part these fell harmless fromthe armour of the knights. For a time the cannon on both sides continuedto fire, but as the Christians increased their distance it graduallyceased. 

They had gone but a hundred yards from the Turk when a head appearedover the stern railing of the poop, and a figure swung itself on to thedeck. 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, "BySt. George, it is Tresham!" threw his arms round Gervaise's neck, whilethe knights thronged round with exclamations of satisfaction. 

"And it was you whom we saw keep the Turks at bay for three good minutessingle handed, " Sir John said, holding Gervaise at arm's length to gazeinto his face. "Truly it seemed well nigh impossible that any one whowas like to be on that craft could have performed so doughty a deed. Andhow did you escape?"

"It was simple enough, " Gervaise replied. "As soon as I dived I turnedand swam along under the boat and came up by the stern, and then held onby the rudder, sheltered from their sight. I saw that the galley wouldbe up in five minutes, and had no fear of their wasting time to look forme. Directly you came alongside her I dived again, and rose under yourstern. I did not think that you would be able to take her, for all theircraft are crowded with troops; so I contented myself with holding onuntil 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 atthe moment, and I know the others felt the same, at being obliged tosheer off without making a capture; but the grand master's orders werestrict. We noted your craft pursued by the Turks, and I asked leave totake out a galley to cut her off. He said, 'Take one, Sir John, but donot adventure an attack against the Turk unless she is likely to fallan easy prize to you. Her capture would be of little benefit to us, andwould 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 andcould not be captured without heavy loss, and that two of her consortsmight arrive before we accomplished it, it was plainly my duty toabandon the attempt, although, you may guess, it went sorely againstthe grain to give the order, especially as I knew that a host would belooking on from St. Stephen's Hill. However, your rescue more than makesup for our failure; and thankful indeed am I that I made the suggestionthat we should put out to save that little craft, though I thought itcontained but a few fishermen or some coasting sailors, who had, inignorance that the Turks were at hand, tried to enter Rhodes. One ofthose looking on with me did, indeed, suggest that she might have onboard a knight or two coming to join us, but I did not give the matter asecond 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 beenallowed to depart. As to other matters, they go not so well as one couldwish. The commanderies have not responded to our call for aid as theyshould have done. For this, however, they are not altogether to blame, for we have been so often threatened with attack, and have so frequentlyapplied for aid in money or men, that they must have begun to doubtwhether the danger was really imminent. In other respects we are wellprepared. We have obtained large stores of provisions from Egypt, andshall have no ground for uneasiness on that score. The defences havebeen greatly strengthened, and no one fears that we shall not be ableto beat off an attack. We have destroyed the principal buildings outsidethe walls, though it would have been better could we have gone muchfurther in this direction. And now let us have your adventures andescape. "

"'Tis a long story, Sir John, and I must pray you to let me defer it fora time. In the first place, I have two or three wounds that I shall beglad to have bandaged. "

"Why did you not say so at once?" Sir John exclaimed. "In those darkclothes, 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 gonethrough that fight--altogether unprotected with armour too--withoutbeing wounded. Come below, and we will attend to them. "

"Also order me some wine and food, Sir John; I have touched nothing savewater 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 tothe English auberge, where the knight insisted that he should at oncelie down. 

"I will report your return to D'Aubusson, and will tell him it is by myorders that you are resting. Your wounds are not very deep, but you musthave lost a good deal of blood, and were you to exert yourself now, and be pestered with questions, it would probably bring on an attackof fever. There is nothing to do at present, for it must be some daysbefore they can land and bring up their guns. "

Gervaise obeyed the orders not unwillingly, for he felt that he wasreally weak, and was greatly worn out by want of sleep. Sir JohnKendall, at Boswell's request, issued orders that he was on no accountwhatever to be disturbed, and that no one was to enter his room unlesshe sounded the bell placed by the bedside. Gervaise indeed, falling offto sleep a few minutes after he had lain down, did not awake until thefollowing morning. Having no idea that he had slept more than two orthree hours, he sounded the bell in order to inquire whether Ralph hadreturned to the auberge. He was surprised to find his friend had justrisen, 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 graspedthe 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 gooddeal. "

"I don't suppose you will think so at the end of a day or two, Ralph. Ilost a good deal of blood yesterday, and have been on short rations; butI shall very soon pick up again. "

"They will bring you some broth and wine directly, Gervaise. Early asit is, the grand master has already sent down to inquire as to yourhealth. "

"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 untilyou return, Gervaise?"

"I suppose so, Ralph. Of course it is a long story; but I must tell youat once that there is nothing very exciting in it, and that it differedlittle from that of others who have been prisoners among the Moors, savethat I was strangely fortunate, and suffered no hardships whatever. Andnow I want to ask you about clothes. Have my things been sold, or arethey still in the store?"

"No; the question was raised but a short time since. It was mooted, bythe way, by that old enemy of yours, Robert Rivers, who returnedhere some three months ago with a batch of knights from the Englishcommanderies. Sir John Boswell answered him roundly, I can tell you, andsaid that they should be kept, were it for another fifty years, forthat he would wager his life that you would sooner or later make yourescape. "

"I am sorry that fellow has returned, Ralph. Has he got a commanderyyet?"

"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 obtainhis appointment, and that he has been merely the assistant at one ofthe smaller manors. Sir John Boswell told me in confidence that heunderstood that Rivers did not at first volunteer to come out inresponse to the appeal of the grand master, but that the grand priorinformed him that unless he took this opportunity of retrieving hischaracter, 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 thesuit of armour that had been given to him by Genoa. Although he wasengaged with several members of the council at the time, the grandmaster ordered him to be at once admitted as soon as he heard that hewas in attendance. 

"Welcome back, Sir Gervaise Tresham, " he said warmly, as he entered. "Weall rejoice greatly at your return, and I consider it a happy omen forthe success of our defence that so brave and distinguished a knightshould at the last moment have arrived to take a share in it. "

The others present all shook Gervaise cordially by the hand, andcongratulated him on his return. 

"You must dine with me this evening, " D'Aubusson went on, "and tell usthe 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 notpressing and important. You will need a few days' rest before you arefit for active service, and by that time we will settle as to what postwill best suit you. "

Twice that day had Gervaise to recount his adventures, the first time toSir John Kendall and the knights of his auberge, the second to the grandmaster. Most of the leading members of the Order were assembled atthe palace, and, among others, he was introduced to the Viscount deMonteuil, the elder brother of D'Aubusson, one of the most famousleaders of the day. He had brought with him a considerable body ofretainers, and, although not a member of the Order, had offered hisservices in defence of the town. The council had gratefully accepted theoffer, and had unanimously named him Commander of the Forces. Many otherknights and soldiers had come from different parts of Europe, animatedalike by the desire to aid in the defence of Christendom against theadvance of the Moslems, and to gain credit and honour by taking part ina siege that was sure to be a desperate one. 

"My brother has already spoken of you to me, Sir Gervaise, " the viscountsaid, when the young knight was presented to him; "although indeed therewas no occasion for him to do so, since the name of the knight whotwo years ago saved the commerce of Italy from ruin, and with a singlegalley destroyed or captured a great fleet of over twenty Barbarypirates, and thus for a time put a stop to the depredations of theinfidels, is known throughout Europe. By the way, I am the bearer of amessage to you. I took ship at Genoa on my way hither, and stayed two orthree days there while she was being got ready for sea. Knowing that Iwas bound hither, a certain very beautiful young lady of noble family, to whom I had the honour of being introduced, prayed me that if youshould by any chance have escaped from captivity--and she said that shewas convinced that you would, when you heard that Rhodes was threatened, assuredly endeavour to escape and to come hither to take a share in thedefence--I was to tell you that she trusted you still bore her gage, andthat 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 timedeprived of it, I succeeded in regaining it when I made my escape, "Gervaise said quietly; and De Monteuil at once turned the conversationto another topic. 

Gervaise found that no attempt was to be made to take the offensiveagainst the Turks, and that they were to be permitted to advance againstthe city without interference. Many of the more fiery spirits among theknights chafed at this prohibition. The records of the past showed thatarmies as large as that of Mahomet had suffered defeat at the handsof bodies of knights no stronger than that gathered for the defence ofRhodes. D'Aubusson, however, knew that between the undisciplined hordesthat gathered in countless numbers to oppose the crusaders, and thetroops of Mahomet, well trained in warfare, who had borne his standardvictoriously in numerous battles, there was but little comparison. Theywere commanded, too, by Paleologus, a general of great capacity. Undersuch circumstances, although victory might be possible, the chances ofdefeat would be far greater, and while victory could be only won at agreat sacrifice of life, defeat would mean annihilation to the garrison, and the loss of the city upon whose fortifications such an enormousamount of money and labour had been expended. 

On the other hand, he felt perfectly confident that the city could besuccessfully defended, and that at a cost of life far less than wouldbe attained by a victory in the open field, while the blow that wouldbe inflicted upon the prestige and power of the enemy, by beingignominiously compelled to retire to their ships, after the failure ofall their attacks, would be as great as if their army had been defeatedin the field. Therefore the grand master, with the full assent of hisleaders, turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of the younger knights, that they might be allowed to make a sortie. He calmly waited behindthe formidable defences he had for the past ten years been occupied inperfecting, in anticipation of the assault of the Moslem host. 

Accordingly, after disembarking at their leisure, the Turkish army movedforward, and took their post upon St. Stephen's Hill. From this eminencethey commanded a full view of the town, the hills sloping gently downto the foot of the walls. In later times the first care of a generalcommanding the defence would have been to construct formidable worksupon this commanding position. But the cannon of that period were socumbrous and slowly worked, and so inaccurate in their aim, that theadvantage of occupying a position that would prevent an enemy fromfiring down into a town was considered to be more than counterbalancedby the weakening of the garrison by the abstraction of the forcerequired to man the detached work, and by the risk of their beingsurrounded and cut off without the garrison of the town being able toaid them. 

That the defence of St. Stephen's Hill was considered unnecessary forthe safety of Rhodes is shown by the fact that no attempt had been madeto fortify it when, forty years later, the Moslems again besieged thecity. 

There was no shadow of apprehension felt by the garrison of Rhodesas the great array of their foes was seen moving on to the hill, andpreparing to pitch its camp. On the summit was the great tent of thepasha; round this were the marquees of the other commanders, while theencampments of the troops stretched far away along the upper slopes ofthe hill. 

Previous to the despatch of the expedition, the sultan had madepreparations for aiding his arms by treachery. The agent he had sentto propose a temporary truce had, during his stay on the Island, madehimself thoroughly acquainted with the outline of the works. A veryaccurate plan of them had also been obtained from an inhabitant ofRhodes, who had abandoned Christianity and taken service with the Turks. 

In addition to this he had arranged with a renegade German, known asMaitre Georges, a man of very great ability as an artilleryman andengineer, to desert to the city, and there do all in his power to assistthe besiegers, both by affording them information and by giving badadvice to the besieged. On the day after Paleologus, who was himself arenegade Greek, had established his camp, he sent in a herald to summonthe city to surrender, at the same time making lavish promises that thelives and property of the native population should be respected, andthat they should be allowed to continue to reside there, to enjoy thefull 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 thetownspeople that would, when the crisis came, greatly hamper the effortsof the defenders. 

The Rhodians, however, were well satisfied with the rule of the Order. The knights, although belonging to the Catholic Church, had allowed thenatives of the Island, who were of the Greek faith, perfect freedom inthe exercise of their religion, and their rule, generally, had beenfair and just. The wealth and prosperity of the Island had increasedenormously since their establishment there, and the population had noinclination whatever to change their rule for that of the Turks. Thesummons to surrender being refused, the enemy made a reconnaissancetowards the walls. 

D'Aubusson had no longer any reason for checking the ardour of theknights, and a strong body of horsemen, under the command of DeMonteuil, sallied out and drove the Turks back to their camp. 

Maitre Georges, who was acting as the military adviser of the pasha, sawat once that the weakest point of the defence was Fort St. Nicholas, atthe extremity of the mole along the neck of land dividing the outer fromthe inner port. At a short distance away, on the opposite side of theport, stood the church of St. Anthony, and in the gardens of the churcha battery was at once erected. The garden was but three hundred yardsfrom St. Nicholas, and the danger that would arise from the constructionof the battery was at once perceived, and an incessant fire opened uponit from the guns on the wall round the grand master's palace. Numbers ofthe workmen were killed, but the erection of the battery was pushed onnight and day, and ere long three of the immense cannon that had beenbrought from Constantinople, --where sixteen of them had been cast underthe direction of Maitre Georges--were placed in position. These cannonwere eighteen feet in length, and carried stone balls of some twenty-sixinches in diameter. 

Before these were ready to open fire, Gervaise had entirely regained hishealth and strength. The grand master, being unwilling to appoint him toa separate command over the heads of knights many years his senior, hadattached him to his person in the capacity of what would now be calledan aide-de-camp. 

"I know, Gervaise, that I can rely upon your coolness and discretion. Icannot be everywhere myself, and I want you to act as my eyes in placeswhere I cannot be. I know that the knights, so far as bravery anddevotion are concerned, will each and every one do his best, and willdie at their posts before yielding a foot; but while fighting likepaladins they will think of naught else, and, however hardly pressed, will omit to send to me for reinforcements. Nay, even did they thinkof it, they probably would not send, deeming that to do so would bederogatory, and might be taken as an act of cowardice. Now, it isthis service that I shall specially look for from you. When a post isattacked, I shall, when my presence is required elsewhere, send you torepresent me. I do not, of course, wish you to interfere in any way inthe conduct of the defence, in which you will take such share as youcan; but you are specially to observe how matters go, and if you seethat the knights are pressed and in sore need of assistance to enablethem to hold the post, you will at once bring the news to me, and I willhurry 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 farremoved from the point selected by the Turks for their first attack, thesea front being defended half by the langue of Italy, and half by thatof Castile. Fort St. Nicholas was under the command of the CavalierCaretto, and as soon as the Turkish battery was completed, Gervaisewent down there with an order from the grand master that he was for thepresent to consider himself as forming part of the garrison. Thiswas pleasant for both Caretto and himself, for the Italian knight hadconceived a strong friendship for the young Englishman, and had rejoicedgreatly at his return from captivity, but had been so much occupied withhis 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 sincehis return to Rhodes. 

Gervaise, on his part, was no less pleased. Caretto had shown so muchtact after his release from the Moors, and had so willingly aided himin any capacity allotted to him, without in the slightest degreeinterposing his council unasked, that Gervaise had come to like himgreatly, even before their arrival at Genoa. Circumstances there hadbrought them closely together, and their friendship had been cementedduring their voyage to Rhodes. Caretto had gone back to Italy, wherehe had a commandery, a few days after Gervaise had sailed on his lastvoyage, and had only returned to Rhodes three months before Gervaiseescaped from captivity. 

"This is turning the tables, " Caretto said, with a laugh, when Gervaisepresented 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 appliedto come here, in order to have a fresh opportunity of distinguishingyourself. 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 ownsolicitation that I am here. I will tell you what my duties are. Thegrand master knows the commanders of posts have their hands so fullthat they will have no time for sending complete reports to him, and heconsiders, moreover, that they might, in some cases, however pressed, hesitate to ask for aid until too late for reinforcements to be broughtup. 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. Ishould, of course, always send for reinforcements, at the request of acommander; but it is only in the event of his being too busy in the heatof the fray to think of aught but resisting an attack, that I shouldexercise my own judgment in the matter. "

Caretto nodded. 

"It is a good thought of D'Aubusson's. When one is in the thick of afight in a breach, with the Moslems swarming round, it does not occur toone to draw out of the fray to send off messages. For myself, I shall beglad indeed to have that matter off my mind, though it is not every oneI should care to trust with such a responsibility. Some might send offfor aid when it was not needed, others might delay so long that helpmight come too late; but with one so cool headed as yourself I shouldnot fear any contingency. And now, as I am not busy at present, let ushave a comfortable talk as to what has happened since we met last. I wasat the banquet at the grand master's on the night when you related youradventures. You had certainly much to tell, but it seems to me for somereason 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 acceptthe offer of Suleiman Ali to ransom you. "

"I saw no chance of escape at the moment, but I did not doubt that Icould get away from the town whenever I chose, although it was notclear how I should proceed afterwards. It was for this opportunity Iwas waiting, and I felt sure that, with my knowledge of the language, itwould come sooner or later. In the next place, my captors had fixedan exorbitant sum for my ransom, and I did not wish to impose upon thegenerosity of Suleiman. There was another reason--a private one. "

"You don't mean to say that you had fallen in love with a Moorishdamsel, Sir Gervaise?" Caretto laughed. 

"For shame, Cavalier! As if a Christian knight would care for a Moslemmaiden, even were she as fair as the houris of their creed!"

"Christian knights have done so before now, " Caretto laughed, greatlyamused at the young knight's indignation, "and doubtless will do soagain. 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 theirgalleys, no matter of private business that I can conceive would havestood in my way for a single moment, had a chance of freedom presenteditself. "

"It was a matter of honour, " Gervaise said gravely, "and one of which Ishould speak to no one else; but as you were present at the time, therecan, I think, be no harm in doing so. At the time that I was captured, Iwas stripped of everything that I had upon me, and, of course, with therest, of the gage which the Lady Claudia had given me, and which hunground my neck where she had placed it. It was taken possession of by thecaptain 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 besuspected, I said nothing. I was very glad that he so regarded it, forhad 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 towhom he sold it. As it was, he put it round his neck, with the remarkthat it might bring him better luck than had befallen me. He told mejeeringly months afterwards that it had done so, and that he would neverpart with it. Given me as it was, I felt that my honour was concerned inits recovery, and that, should I ever meet Lady Claudia again, I shouldfeel 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 piratethrown it into the sea I should have held myself free from disgrace; butas it was still in existence, and I knew its possessor, I was bound inhonour to recover it. At the time Suleiman Ali's messenger arrived thecorsair 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 itnot been for that, I own that I should have done so, for I knew thatI could repay Suleiman from the revenues of my commandery, which wouldhave accumulated in my absence; but if I had had to wait ten yearslonger 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 portagain. The moment he did so I carried out the plans I had long beforedetermined upon. I obtained a disguise from Ben Ibyn, and by a rusesucceeded in inducing the pirate to meet me outside the town, believingthat I was an Arab chief who wished to dispose of some valuable slavegirls he had brought in. I had with me one of my old galley slaves, whohad been taken into Ben Ibyn's employment; and when the pirate came upwith two of his crew, and furiously attacked me as soon as I threw offmy disguise, it would have gone hard with me had he not stood by me, andkilled one of them who was about to attack me in the rear. I slew theother 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 hisstory, "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 thedonor, 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 haveblamed or held them in any way dishonoured by the loss. "

"I had a message by the Viscount De Monteuil from Lady Claudia the otherday, saying that she trusted I had kept her gage. I can assure you thatthe six months of slavery were cheaply purchased by the pleasure I feltthat I still possessed it; and I was glad, too, to learn that I had notbeen forgotten by her. "

"Of that you may well assure yourself, Tresham; my commandery is not farfrom Genoa, and I was frequently with her, but never without her drawingme aside and asking me if I had heard any news of you, and talking overwith me the chances there might be of your escape. I can tell you thatthere are not a few young nobles of Genoa who would give much to beallowed as you are to carry her gage, or wear her colours. You shouldsee her now; you would scarce know her again, so altered and improved isshe; there is no fairer face in all Italy. "

"I hope some day to meet her again, " Gervaise replied; "although I ownto knowing it were better that I should not do so. Until she gave me hergage I had scarcely noticed her. I have, as you know, no experience ofwomen, and had so much on my mind at the time, what with the fuss theywere making about us, and the question of getting the prizes here, thatin truth I paid but slight attention to the fair faces of the dames ofGenoa. But the gracious and earnest way in which, though scarce morethan a child, she gave me her gage, and vowed that no other knightshould possess one so long as I lived, struck me so greatly that I ownI gave the matter much more thought than was right or becoming in oneof our Order. The incident was much more gratifying to me than allthe honour paid me by the Republic, and during the long months ofmy captivity it has recurred to me so frequently that I have in vainendeavoured to chase it from my thoughts, as sinful thus to allow myselfconstantly to think of any woman. Do not mistake me, Sir Fabricius. Iam speaking to you as to a confessor, and just as I have kept her amulethidden from all, so is the thought of her a secret I would not part withfor 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 myfate, she has any sentiment in the matter: probably, indeed, she looksback upon the gift as a foolish act of girlish enthusiasm that led herinto 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 andcountry there must be some whom she would see with pleasure wearing hercolours. "

Caretto looked at him with some amusement. 

"Were you not bound by your vows as a knight of the Order, how would youfeel in the matter?"

"I should feel worse, " Gervaise said, without hesitation. "I haveoftentimes thought that over, and I see that it is good for me I am sobound. It does not decrease my chances, for, as I know, there are nochances; 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 commanderyand prospects in the Order, a penniless young knight, without home orestate, without even a place in my country, and that country not hers. Iknow that it is not only sinful, but mad, for me to think so frequentlyof her, but at least I am not mad enough to think that I can either winthe 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 ofHungarie, '" Caretto sang, with a laugh. "You are not of low degree, but of noble family, Gervaise. You are not a squire, but a knight, andalready a very distinguished one; nor is the young lady, though she be arich heiress, a king's daughter. "

"At any rate, the squire was not vowed to celibacy. No, no, SirFabricius, it is a dream, and a pleasant one; but I know perfectly wellthat it is but a dream, and one that will do me no harm so long as Iever bear in mind that it is so. Many a knight of the Order before mehas borne a lady's gage, and carried it valiantly in many a fight, andhas been no less true to his vows for doing so. "

"Upon the contrary, he has been all the better a knight, Gervaise; itis always good for a knight, whether he belongs to the Order or not, toprize one woman above all others, and to try to make himself worthy ofhis ideal. As to the vow of celibacy, you know that ere now knights havebeen absolved from their vows, and methinks that, after the serviceyou have rendered to Italy by ridding the sea of those corsairs, hisHoliness would make no difficulty in granting any request that you mightmake him in that or any other direction. I don't know whether you areaware that, after you sailed from here, letters came from Rome as wellas from Pisa, Florence, and Naples, expressive of the gratitude feltfor the services that you had rendered, and of their admiration for thesplendid exploit that you had performed. "

"No; the grand master has had his hands so full of other matters thatdoubtless an affair so old escaped his memory. Indeed, he may haveforgotten that I sailed before the letters arrived. "

"Do not forget to jog his memory on the subject, for I can tell you thatthe letters did not come alone, but were each accompanied by presentsworthy 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 myselfof them if I could, for, being bound by them, I can the more easily andpleasantly enjoy my dream. Besides, what should I do if I left the Orderwithout home, country, or means, and with naught to do but to sell mysword to some warlike monarch? Besides, Caretto, I love the Order, and deem it the highest privilege to fight against the Moslems, and touphold 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 amnot foolish enough to suppose that you would ask to be relieved fromthem, until you had assured yourself that Claudia was also desirous thatyou should be free. "

"It is absurd, " Gervaise said, almost impatiently. "Do not let us talkany more about it, Caretto, or it will end by turning my head and makingme presumptuous enough to imagine that the Lady Claudia, who only sawme for three or four days, and that while she was still but a girl, hasbeen thinking of me seriously since. "

"I do not know Claudia's thoughts, " Caretto remarked drily, "but Ido know that last year she refused to listen to at least a score ofexcellent offers for her hand, including one from a son of the dogehimself, and that without any reasonable cause assigned by her, to thegreat wonderment of all, seeing that she does not appear to have anyleaning whatever towards a life in a nunnery. At any rate, if at somefuture 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 knowingthat you are not the only one, by a long way, whose suit has beenrejected. And now as to our affairs here. Methinks that tomorrow thatbattery will open fire upon us. It seems completed. "

"Yes, I think they are nearly ready, " Gervaise said, turning his mindresolutely from the subject they had been discussing. "From the palacewall I saw, before I came down here, large numbers of men rolling hugestones down towards the church. Our guns were firing steadily; but couldthey load them ten times as fast as they do, they would hardly be ableto 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 sooncrumble under the blows of such enormous missiles. Never have I seen orheard in Europe of cannon of such size; but indeed, in this matter theTurks 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 stillto cross the water, and this under the fire of the guns on the palacewalls; when they once land, their great battery must cease firing, andwe shall be able to meet them on equal terms in the breach. Fightas hard as they may, I think we can hold our own, especially asreinforcements can come down to us more quickly than they can be broughtacross the water. "

The next morning, at daybreak, the deep boom of a gun announced to thecity that the great battering cannon had begun their work. In the fortthe sleeping knights sprang to their feet at the concussion that seemedto shake it to its centre. They would have rushed to the walls, butCaretto at once issued orders that no one should show himself on thebattlements unless under special orders. 

"There is nothing whatever to be done until the Turks have breached thewall, and are ready to advance to attack us. Every sword will be neededwhen that hour comes, and each man owes it to the Order to run nouseless risk, until the hour when he is required to do his share of thefighting. "

The time required to reload the great cannon was considerable, but atregular intervals they hurled their heavy missiles against the wall, the distance being so short that every ball struck it. After some twentyshots had been fired, Caretto, accompanied by Gervaise, went out by asmall gate on the eastern side of the tower, and made their way roundby the foot of the wall to see what effect the shots had produced on thesolid masonry. 

Caretto shook his head. 

"It is as I feared, " he said. "No stones ever quarried by man could longresist such tremendous blows. In some places, you see, the stones arestarred and cracked, in others the shock seems to have pulverised thespot where it struck; but, worse, still, the whole face of the wallis shaken. There are cracks between the stones, and some of these arepartly bulged out and partly driven in. It may take some time beforea breach is effected, but sooner or later the wall will surely bedemolished. "

"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 tosee how the wall is resisting. "

Gervaise, on reaching the palace, heard that D'Aubusson was at presentengaged in examining no less a person than Maitre Georges, the righthand of Paleologus, who had soon after daybreak presented himself beforethe wall on the other side of the town, declaring that he had left theTurkish service, and craving to be admitted. News had been sent at onceto D'Aubusson, who despatched two of the senior knights, with orders toadmit him and receive him with all honour. This had been done, andthe grand master, with some of his council, were now closeted withthe newcomer. Several of the knights were gathered in the courtyard, discussing the event. There was no question that if the renegade came ingood faith, his defection would be a serious blow to the assailants, and that his well known skill and experience would greatly benefit thedefenders. 

"For my part, " Sir John Boswell, who formed one of the detachment whichthe English langue, as well as all the others, contributed to form thegarrison of the palace said, "I would have hung the fellow up by theneck over the gateway, and he should never have set foot within thewalls. Think you that a man who has denied his faith and taken servicewith his enemies is to be trusted, whatever oaths he may take?"

"You must remember, Boswell, " another said, "that hitherto Georges hasnot fought against Christians, but has served Mahomet in his wars withother infidels. I am not saying a word in defence of his having become arenegade; yet even a renegade may have some sort of heart, and now thathe has been called upon to fight against Christians he may well haverepented of his faults, and determined to sacrifice his position andprospects rather than aid in the attack on the city. "

"We shall see. As for me, I regard a renegade as the most contemptibleof wretches, and have no belief that they have either a heart orconscience. "

When Maitre Georges came out from the palace, laughing and talking withthe two knights who had entered with him, it was evident that he waswell pleased with his reception by the grand master, who had assignedto 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 atruce, his object was to find out the weak points and to supply theTurks with information. Georges had, in his conversation with him, laidgreat stress on the strength of the Turkish army, the excellent qualityof the troops, and the enormous battering train that had been prepared. But every word he spoke but added to the grand master's suspicions; forif 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 ofGeorges' sincerity. Were he treated as a traitor, Paleologus mightfind another agent to do the work. It was, therefore, better to feigna belief in his story, to obtain all the information possible from him, and at the same time to prevent his gaining any knowledge of affairsthat would be of the slightest use to the Turks. Instructions weretherefore given to the two knights that, while Georges was to be treatedwith all courtesy, he was to be strictly watched, though in such amanner that he should be in ignorance of it, and that, whenever heturned his steps in the direction of those parts of the defences wherefresh works had been recently added and preparations made of which itwas 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, andhis steps diverted in another direction. 

Georges soon made himself popular among many of the knights, who had nosuspicions of his real character. He was a man of exceptional figure, tall, strong, splendidly proportioned, with a handsome face and gallantbearing. He was extremely well informed on all subjects, had travelledwidely, had seen many adventures, was full of anecdote, and amongthe younger knights, therefore, he was soon regarded as a charmingcompanion. His very popularity among them aided D'Aubusson's plans, asGeorges was generally the centre of a group of listeners, and so had butfew opportunities of getting away quietly to obtain the information hesought. 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. Heis a clever knave, and, I doubt not, has come as a spy. However, I havetaken measures that he shall learn nothing that can harm us. No liveshave 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 isnaught 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 ourfortifications the thought that such guns as these would be used againstthem never entered our minds. Against ordinary artillery the walls wouldstand a long battering; but it is clear that we shall have to dependmore upon our swords than upon our walls for our defence. Fortunately, although the Turks have indeed chosen the spot where our walls are mostopen to the assaults of their battery, they have to cross the water toattack the breach when it is made, and will have to fight under heavydisadvantage. "

"Tresham was last night saying to me, that it seemed to him it would notbe a difficult matter for one who spoke Turkish well, to issue at nighton 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 theartillery men, to drive a spike into one of the touch holes. He saidthat he would gladly volunteer for the task. "

D'Aubusson shook his head decidedly. "It would be too dangerous; andeven were a spike driven in, the Turks would have no great difficultyin extracting it, for the tubes are so big that a man might crawl in anddrive the spike up from the inside. Moreover, could one or more of theguns be disabled permanently, others would be brought down and set intheir 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 wayjustify the risking of the life of so distinguished a young knight. "

The bombardment of St. Nicholas continued for some days. A breach wasfast forming in the wall, and a slope composed of the fallen rubbishextended from the front of the breach to the water's edge. The grandmaster was frequently on the spot, and as this was at present the soleobject of attack, the garrison was strengthened by as many knights ascould be sheltered within its walls. At night the shattered masonrythat had fallen inside was carried out, and with it a new work thrownup across the mole, to strengthen the defence on that side, should theenemy land between the town and the fort. Small batteries were plantedwherever they could sweep the approaches to the breach, and planksstudded with nails were sunk in the shallow water of the harbour, toimpede the progress of those who might attempt to swim or wade across. For the time, therefore, the functions of Gervaise were in abeyance, andhe 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 themopened fire; but in a dense mass they advanced. Some made their way tothe rocks and landed the soldiers there; others got alongside the mole;but the majority grounded in the shallow water of the harbour, andthe troops, leaping out, waded to the foot of the breach. On its crestD'Aubusson himself had taken up his station. Beside him stood Caretto, and around them the most distinguished knights of the Order. With wildshouts the Turks rushed up the breach, and swarmed thickly up the ruinedmasonry until, at its summit, they encountered the steel clad line ofthe defenders. For hours the terrible struggle continued. As fast as thehead of the Turkish column broke and melted away against the obstaclethey tried in vain to penetrate, fresh reinforcements took the placeof those who had fallen, and in point of valour and devotion the Moslemshowed himself a worthy antagonist of the Christian. It was not onlyat the breach that the conflict raged. At other points the Turks, wellprovided with ladders, fixed them against the walls, and desperatelystrove to obtain a footing there. From the breach clouds of dust rosefrom under the feet of the combatants, mingling with the smoke ofthe cannon on the ramparts, the fort, and Turkish ships, and at timesentirely hid from the sight of the anxious spectators on the walls ofthe town and fortress, and of the still more numerous throng of Turkson St. Stephen's Hill, the terrible struggle that continued without amoment's intermission. 

The combatants now fought in comparative silence. The knights, exhaustedand worn out by their long efforts beneath the blazing sun, still showedan unbroken front; but it was only occasionally that the battle cry ofthe Order rose in the air, as a fresh body of assailants climbed up thecorpse strewn breach. The yell of the Moslems rose less frequently;they sacrificed their lives as freely and devotedly as those who led thefirst onset had done; but as the hours wore on, the assurance of victorydied out, and a doubt as to whether it was possible to break through theline of their terrible foes gained ground. D'Aubusson himself, although, in spite of the remonstrances of the knights, always in the thickestof the fray, was yet ever watchful, and quickly perceived where thedefenders were hotly pressed, and where support was most needed. Gervaise fought by his side, so that, when necessary, he could carry hisorders to a little body of knights, drawn up in reserve, and despatchthem to any point where aid was needed. The cannon still continued theirfire on both sides. A fragment of one of the stone balls from a basiliskstruck off D'Aubusson's helmet. He selected another from among thefallen knights, and resumed his place in the line. Still the contestshowed no signs of terminating. The Turkish galleys ever brought upreinforcements, 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, swimup the inner harbour, and in a very short time turn a few of the craftlying 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 createa 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, thegrand master sat down on a fragment of stone, and, drawing a tabletfrom a pouch in his girdle, he wrote on it, "In all things carry outthe instructions of Sir Gervaise Tresham: he is acting by my orders andauthority, and has full power in all respects. "

He handed the slip of parchment to Gervaise, who hurried to the watergate in the inner harbour, threw off his helmet and armour, issued outat the gate, and plunged into the sea. He swam out some distance, inorder to avoid the missiles of the Turks, who were trying to scale thewall from the mole, and then directed his course to St. Michael's, whichguarded the inner entrance to the fort. He had fastened the parchmentin his hair, and as some of the garrison of the tower, noticing hisapproach, came down to assist him, he handed it to them and was at oncetaken to the commander of St. Michael, answering as he went the anxiousquestions as to how matters stood at the breach. 

"Aid is sorely needed. The Turks have gained no foot of ground asyet, but many of the knights are killed and most of the others utterlyexhausted with heat and labour. Unless aid reaches them speedily, thetower, with all its defenders, will be lost. "

The instant the commander knew what was required, he bade six of theknights embark with Gervaise in a boat moored behind the tower, and rowup 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 theofficer on the walls, and while the six knights who were with him ranoff to tell the master of the galleys to prepare two of them to leavethe port instantly, Gervaise explained to the officer in charge of thewall at that point the plan that he was charged to carry out, and askedfor twenty knights to assist him. 

"It will leave us very weak along here, " the officer said. "Then let mehave ten, and send for another ten from other parts of the wall. Here isthe grand master's order, giving me full power and authority, and it isall important that no single moment shall be wasted. "

"You shall have twenty of mine, " the officer said, "and I will draw tenfrom the langue next to us to fill their places. "

In a few minutes the quay was a scene of bustle and activity. Gervaisepicked out ten of the smallest vessels; the knights went among the otherships, seized all goods and stores that would be useful as combustibles, and compelled the crews to carry them on board the craft chosen as fireships. Then barrels were broken open, old sails and faggots saturatedwith oil and pitch, and in little more than a quarter of an hour afterhis arrival, Gervaise had the satisfaction of seeing that the ten boatswere all filled with combustibles, and ready to be set on fire. He nowcalled for volunteers from the sailors, and a number of them at oncecame forward, including many of the captains. He placed one of these incommand of each fire ship, and gave him four of the sailors. 

"The galleys will tow you out, " he said, "and take you close to theenemy's ships. We shall range you five abreast, and when I give theword, 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 thetrain of powder in the hold, throw the torch among the straw, and seethat, if possible, the men fasten her to the Turk; but if this cannotbe done, it is not essential, for in the confusion the enemy will notbe able to get out of the way of the fire ship as it drives down againsther. 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, Gervaisetook command of one of the galleys, the senior knight going on boardthe other. The ten fire ships were now poled out until five were rangedabreast behind each craft; Gervaise requested the commander of the othergalley to lie off the point of St. Nicholas until he had got rid of hisfive 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 wereso intent upon the struggle at the breach, that Gervaise steered hisgalley into the midst of the Turkish vessels laden with troops readyto disembark, without attracting any notice; then, standing upon thetaffrail, he signalled to the two outside boats to throw off their ropesand make for the Turkish ship nearest to them. This they did, and it wasnot until a sheet of flame rose alongside, that the enemy awoke to thesense of danger. 

The other three fire ships were almost immediately cast off. Two of themwere equally successful, but the Turks managed to thrust off the third. She drifted, however, through the shipping, and presently broughtup alongside one of the vessels fast aground. With but ten knights, Gervaise could not attack one of the larger vessels, crowded withtroops; but there were many fishing boats that had been pressed into theservice, and against one of these Gervaise ordered the men to steer thegalley. A shout to the rowers made them redouble their efforts. A yellof dismay arose from the Turkish troops as they saw the galley bearingdown upon them, and frantic efforts were made to row out of her way. These were in vain, for her sharp prow struck them amidships, cuttingthe boat almost in two, and she sank like a stone, the galley, without apause, making for another boat. 

Looking back, Gervaise saw that his consort was already in the midst ofthe Turks, among whom the wildest confusion prevailed, each ship tryingto extricate herself from the mass, upon which the batteries of thefortress now concentrated their efforts. Two fresh columns of flamehad already shot up, and satisfied that all was going well, Gervaisecontinued his attack upon the smaller craft, six of whom were overtakenand sunk. Three or four of the larger vessels endeavoured to laythemselves alongside the galley, but her speed was so superior to theirsthat she easily evaded the attempts, and, sweeping round, rejoinedthe other galley which had just issued from among the Turks, who werealready in full retreat. The defenders of St. Nicholas, reanimated bythe sight of the discomfiture of the Turkish fleet, with a loud shoutrushed down from the spot which they had held for so many hours, drovetheir assailants before them, and flung themselves upon the crowdassembled 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 hadeach time been repulsed, with the loss of their bravest leaders. Seeingthemselves abandoned by the ships, a panic seized them, and as theknights rushed down upon them they relinquished all thoughts ofresistance, and dashed into the shallow water. Many were drowned in theattempt to swim across the deep channel in the middle, some succeeded, while others made their escape in the boats in which they had beenbrought ashore from the ships. 

The struggle was over. The two galleys made for the breach, and theknights leapt out as soon as the boats grounded, and, wading ashore, joined the group that had so long and gallantly sustained the unequalfight. Fatigue, exhaustion, and wounds, were forgotten in the triumphof the moment, and they crowded round the grand master and Caretto, towhose joint exertions the success of the defence was so largely due. 

"Do not thank me, comrades, " D'Aubusson said. "No man has today foughtbetter than the rest. Every knight has shown himself worthy of the fameof our Order. The meed of praise for our success is first due to SirGervaise Tresham. At the moment when I began to doubt whether we couldmuch longer withstand the swarms of fresh foes who continued to pouragainst us, while we were overcome by heat and labour, Sir Gervaise, whohad 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 towthem round into the midst of the Turkish vessels behind the two galleysthat were lying ready for service. I remembered how he had beforedestroyed the corsair fleet at Sardinia with fire ships, and theproposal seemed to me as an inspiration sent from Heaven, at this momentof our great peril. I wrote him an order, giving him full authority toact in my name, and in a time that seemed to me incredibly short I sawhim round the point with the fire ships in tow. You saw, as well asI did, how completely the plan was carried out. Ten or twelve of theTurkish ships are a mass of flames, and besides these I noted thatthe galley ran down and destroyed several smaller craft filled withsoldiers. The panic in the ships spread to the troops on shore, andrendered the last part of our task an easy one. I say it from my heartthat 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 gonedown on our dead bodies lying on the summit of the breach, and on theTurkish flag waving over the fort of St. Nicholas. "

Until now none of the defenders of the breach had known how what seemedto them an almost miraculous change in the fortune of the fight had comeabout, and they thronged round Gervaise, shaking his hand, and many ofthem warmly embracing him, according to the custom of the time. 

"It was but natural that the idea should occur to me, " he said, "havingbefore successfully encountered them with fire ships; and as all onshore, and especially these knights, aided me with all their power, ittook but a brief time to get the boats in readiness for burning. Muchcredit, too, is due to the merchant captains and sailors who volunteeredto take charge of the fire ships and to manoeuver them alongside theTurks. "

The grand master and the knights who had borne the brunt of the battlenow retired along the mole to the town, bearing with them their mostseriously wounded comrades, and assisting those whose wounds were lesssevere. The twenty knights who had manned the two galleys remained inthe fort. Caretto continued in command, as, although he had sufferedseveral wounds, he refused to relinquish his post. Gervaise, whohad, --thanks partly to his skill with his weapons, but still more tothe temper of the splendid suit of armour presented to him byGenoa, --escaped without a scratch, volunteered to remain with him untilnext morning, his principal motive for making the request being hisdesire to escape from further congratulations and praise for the successof his plan. After Caretto's wounds had been dressed by the knights, andhe and Gervaise had partaken of some food and wine, which they greatlyneeded, Caretto was persuaded to lie down for a time, the knightspromising to bring him word at once if they perceived any movementwhatever on the part of the enemy. Gervaise remained with him, feeling, now the excitement was over, that he sorely needed rest after hisexertions in the full heat of the summer sun. 

"It has been a great day, Gervaise, " Caretto said, "and I only hope thatwhen again I go into battle with the infidel, I shall have you at handto come forward at the critical moment with some master stroke to securevictory. Claudia will be pleased indeed when she hears how the knightwho bears her gage has again distinguished himself. She will look on thegay and idle young fops of Genoa with greater disdain than ever. Now youneed 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 ahundred knights in place of the previous garrison; these bore the newsthat the pasha had sent in a flag of truce to ask for an armistice untilsundown, to enable him to carry off for burial the bodies of those whohad fallen in the attack. The request had been willingly granted; butD'Aubusson had at the same time thought it well to send down a strongreinforcement to the garrison to prevent any attempt at treachery on thepart of the Turks. 

"I have seldom heard pleasanter news, " Caretto said; "for just as I fellasleep I was wondering how we were to rid ourselves of the corpses ofthe infidels. By tomorrow the place would have become unbearable; andthough, living, the Turks could not turn us out of the tower, they wouldwhen 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 goodfaith, and while directing the main body of knights to remain inconcealment near the breach, he placed two on sentry duty on the crestof the ruins, and, with four other knights and Gervaise, went down incomplete 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 Turkishofficer landed, Caretto saluted him, and said in Arabic, "I give you courteous greeting, Sir. When the cannon cease to sound andswords are sheathed, there is no longer animosity between brave men; andno braver than those whose bodies lie stretched there, breathed the airof 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 darenot stand bareheaded under the fierce rays of the sun. "

The Turk answered with equal courtesy, complimenting the knights ontheir defence. 

"Had I not seen it with my own eyes, " he said, "I should have deemed italtogether impossible that so small a number of men could thus for hourshave 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 prowessof 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 byTurkish mothers as a bugbear to frighten their children. But the storieshave always seemed to me incredible; now I perceive they were true, andthat the present members of the Order in no way fall short of the valourof their predecessors. "

The knights remained with the Turkish commander and some of his officerswhile 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 thebreach, for the axes and double handed swords of the knights had, inmost of the cases, cleft through turban and skull. 

"This represents but part of our loss, " the Turkish commander saidsadly, 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 theirendeavours to escape when all was lost, in the destruction of theirvessels by fire, by the shot from your batteries, or by being run downby your galleys. Ah, Sir Knight, if it had not been for the appearanceof 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 thefire ships arrived to our rescue. You have a fair right to claim thatthe victory would have remained in your hands, had not those craft goneout and snatched it from you. "

Then, with salutes on both sides, the Turks took their places in theboats, and the knights returned to the fort. As soon as darkness cameon, a large body of slaves were marched down from the town, and, underthe direction of the knights, laboured all night at the mound, removinggreat quantities of the fallen stones and rubbish in a line halfway upit, and piling them above so as to form a scarp across the mound thatwould need ladders to ascend. Another party worked at the top of themound, and there built up a wall eight feet high. The work was completedby daylight, and the knights felt that they were now in a position toresist another attack, should Paleologus again send his troops to theassault. 

The night had passed quietly. There was a sound of stir and movement inthe Turkish battery, but nothing that would excite the suspicion of alarge body of troops being in motion. When it became light it was seenthat the Turkish ships had sailed away to their previous anchorage onthe other side of the Island, and although at considerable intervalsthe great cannon hurled their missiles against the fort, it was evidentthat, for the time at least, the attack was not to be pressed at thatpoint. A fresh body of slaves, however, came down from the town torelieve those who had been all night at work, and the repair of thedefences was continued, and with greater neatness and method than hadbeen possible in the darkness. 

At eight o'clock the bells of St. John's Church gave notice that asolemn service of thanksgiving for the repulse of the enemy was aboutto be held. Notice had been sent down early to the tower; and all theknights who could be spared, without too greatly weakening the garrison, went up to attend it; the service was conducted with all the pomp andceremony possible, and after it was over a great procession was formedto proceed to the shrine, where a picture of the Virgin held in specialreverence by the Order was placed. 

As it wound through the streets in splendid array, the grand master andofficials in all their robes of state, the knights in full armour andthe mantles of the Order, while the inhabitants in gala costume linedthe streets, windows, and housetops, the ladies waving scarves andscattering flowers down on the knights, the roar of great cannon on thesouth side of the city showed that the Turks had commenced the attack inanother quarter. Without pausing, the procession continued its way, andit was not until the service in the chapel had been concluded that anysteps were taken to ascertain the direction of the attack. As soon as itwas over, the knights hastened to the walls. During the night theTurks had transported their great basilisks, with other large pieces ofartillery, from the camp to the rising ground on the south side of thecity, 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 andthe Italian tower on the other. 

From other commanding spots huge mortars were hurling great fragments ofrock and other missiles broadcast into the town. The portion of the wallselected for the attack showed that the Turks had been well informed bytheir spies of the weak points of the defence. The wall behind which theJews' quarter lay, was, to all appearance, of thick and solid masonry;but this was really of great age, having formed part of the originaldefences of the town, before the Order had established itself there. The masonry, therefore, was ill fitted to resist the huge balls hurledagainst it by the basilisks. The langue of Provence was in charge ofthis part of the wall, and, leaving them for the present to bear thebrunt of the storm, the grand master sent the knights who could bespared, to assist the inhabitants to erect shelters against the storm ofmissiles falling in the town. 

Sheds with sharply sloping roofs, constructed of solid timber, werebuilt against the inner side of the walls, and beneath these numbers ofthe inhabitants found refuge. The work was performed with great celerityby the inhabitants, aided by the gangs of slaves, and in two or threedays the townspeople were all in shelter, either in these sheds, in thevaults of the churches, or in other strongly constructed buildings. 

Among the missiles hurled into the town were balls filled with Greekfire, but the houses being entirely built of stone, no conflagrationsof importance were caused by them, as a band of knights was organisedspecially to watch for these bombs, and whenever one of them was seen tofall, they hurried from their lookout to the spot, with a gang of slavescarrying baskets of earth and buckets of water, and quenched the flamesbefore they had made any great headway. 

The roar of the bombardment was almost continuous, and was heard atislands distant from Rhodes, telling the inhabitants how the battlebetween the Christians and the Moslems was raging. 

It was not long before the wall in the front of the Jews' quarter beganto crumble, and it was soon evident that it must, ere many days, succumbto the storm of missiles hurled against it. D'Aubusson lost no time inmaking preparations to avert the danger. He ordered all the houses inrear 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 fromthe houses destroyed, was built, and backed with an earthen rampart ofgreat thickness and solidity. 

The work was carried on with extraordinary rapidity. The grand masterhimself set the example, and, throwing aside his robes and armour, laboured with pick and shovel like the commonest labourer. This excitedthe people to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, and all classes threwthemselves 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 successwas at hand, the pasha saw with astonishment and dismay that entry tothe city was still barred by a work as formidable as that which he haddestroyed at an enormous expenditure of ammunition. There was now ashort breathing time for the besieged; but the depression which thefailure of their efforts excited among the Turks, was shortly dispelledby the arrival of a ship, with a despatch from Constantinople, in whichthe pasha was informed that the sultan himself was about to proceed toRhodes with a reinforcement of a hundred thousand men, and a fresh parkof artillery. 

Paleologus had some doubts as to whether the report was true or wasmerely intended to stimulate him to new efforts for the speedy captureof the place. Knowing well that the grand master was the heart and soulof the defence, and that the failure of the assault was mainly dueto his energy and ability, he determined to resort to the weapon sofrequently in use in Eastern warfare--that of assassination. To thisend he employed two men, one a Dalmatian, the other an Albanian; thesepresented themselves before the walls as deserters, and as there was noreason for suspecting their tale, they were admitted within the gates, and welcomed as having escaped from enforced service. They soon spreadthe 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, andcaused the greatest dismay among the defenders. 

Some of the knights of the Italian and Spanish langues believed theprospect of a successful defence against so enormous a force wasabsolutely hopeless, and determined to put pressure upon D'Aubusson totreat for surrender before it became too late. They opened negotiationswith an Italian named Filelfo, one of D'Aubusson's secretaries, whoundertook to lay their opinion before the grand master. D'Aubusson atonce summoned the knights concerned in the matter before him. They foundhim with several members of the council. 

"Sir Knights, " he said, "I have heard from my secretary your opinionsin the matter of a surrender, and since you are in such terror of theMoslem sultan, you have my full permission to leave the town; and, morethan that, I will myself secure your safe departure, which might beimperilled if your comrades or even the inhabitants of the town came tolearn that you had advocated surrender; but, " he went on, changing histone from that of sarcasm to sternness, "if you remain with us, see thatthe word surrender never again passes your lips, and be assured that, should you continue your intrigues, in that direction, you shall meetwith the fate you so justly deserve. "

Overwhelmed by the grand master's accusation and sternness, the Italianand Spanish knights threw themselves on their knees and implored him togrant them an early opportunity of retrieving their fault by battle withthe infidel. Feeling that the lesson had been sufficiently severe, andthat henceforth there would be no renewal of intrigues for a surrender, D'Aubusson forgave them, and promised them a place in the van when nextthe Moslems attacked. The incident was not without its advantage, forthe two pretended deserters, believing that Filelfo, who had also fallenunder the displeasure of the grand master, would be ready to join in theconspiracy against his life, approached him. Filelfo, who was greatlyattached to D'Aubusson, saw by their manner that they wished to engagehim in some intrigue, and, feigning great resentment and anger athis disgrace, led them on until they divulged the entire plot forD'Aubusson's assassination, and made brilliant offers to him if he wouldafford them facilities for carrying it out, producing, in proof of theirpower to do so, a letter of the pasha, authorising them to make suchpromises in his name. 

Filelfo at once divulged the whole plot to D'Aubusson. The two men wereimmediately arrested, tried by the council, and sentenced to death. Theywere not, however, formally executed, for the populace, obtaining newsof their treachery, broke in upon their guards, and tore them topieces. Foiled in his attempt on the life of the grand master, the pashaprepared for a renewal of the attack, and it was not long before theknights on the lookout at the church of St. John perceived that the fortof St. Nicholas was again to be the scene of the attack. It was ere longdiscovered that a large number of men were busy some distance along theshore in building a long structure, that could only be intended for afloating bridge. Among the sailors who had aided in the attack with thefire ships were several men belonging to an English trader in the port. All who had done so had been handsomely rewarded for their conduct, andfive of the Englishmen had afterwards gone to the English auberge andhad asked to be enrolled for service against the Turks, as they wereweary 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 thesailors in the port, laboured at the construction of the inner wall. When that was completed, Sir John Boswell, under whose special chargethey had been placed, said to Gervaise, "I think that I cannot do betterthan send these men down to St. Nicholas. It is probable that now theTurks see that they can do nothing at the new breach, they may try againthere. Sailors are accustomed to night watches, and there are many ofour knights who are not used to such work, and can be better trusted todefend a breach than to keep a vigilant watch at night. Will you takethese men down to Caretto, and tell him that he can sleep soundly ifhe has a couple of them on watch? One of them, Roger Jervis, who is themate of their ship, can speak some Italian, and as he is in command ofthem, Caretto will find no trouble in making them understand him. "

St. Nicholas had now been put into a fair state of defence, as a partyhad been kept steadily at work there. Gervaise had not been to the towersince the morning after the assault, and saw with satisfaction howmuch had been done to render it secure. He found that Caretto was fastrecovering from his wounds. 

"As it seems probable, Sir Fabricius, " he said, after the firstgreetings to the knight, "that the Turks will favour you with anothervisit, I have brought you five watchdogs. They are countrymen of mine, and were among those who navigated the fire ships the other day. SirJohn Boswell has sent them down; they are, of course, accustomed tokeep watch at night. One of them is mate of their vessel, and will be incommand of them; he speaks a little Italian, and so will understand anyorders you may give him. I have been speaking to him as we came down; hewill divide his men into two watches, and will himself be on guard allnight. Will you assign them some quiet place where they can sleep in thedaytime? They can erect a shelter with a piece of sail cloth and a fewbits 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 quitemade up their minds that this fort will not be attacked again, and soare less inclined to be vigilant than they would be, did they think thatan attack was impending. "

Now that there was reason to believe that St. Nicholas might again beattacked, Gervaise was frequently there with orders or inquiries fromthe grand master. A number of vessels in the harbour were fitted up asfire ships, so as to be in readiness when the attack came. He was aboutto start early one morning when he saw Roger Jervis coming up with aheavy anchor on his shoulder. 

"Why, what are you bringing that up here for?" he asked. "Have you beendiving; for I see your clothes are dripping with water?"

"Ay, ay, sir, I have been in the water, and that Italian commandertold me to come straight up here to tell the grand master all about thestory; and right glad am I to have met you, for I should have made buta poor fist of it alone; I don't know more of their lingo than just totalk 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 postedupon the wall, and I thought I would take a turn down on the rocks, forit was a dark night, and you can see much farther when you are by theedge of the water than you can when you are at the masthead. I sat therefor an hour, and was thinking that it was about time to go up and turnout the other watch, when I saw something dark upon the water. It wasn'ta ship, that was certain, and if it was a boat there wasn't any one init; but it was too dark to make quite sure what it was. I watched it fora time, though I did not think much of the thing, taking it for a boatthat 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 sawit. 

"That puzzled me. There is no tide to speak of in these seas, and therewas 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. Itlooked a very strange craft, and as I saw by the way it was bearing thatit 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 fellowstood up from behind the stern. I was glad to see him, for I had begunto 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 therewas a man swimming behind and pushing it on. 

"He stooped over the boat, and took something heavy out; then he feltabout among the rocks under the water, and then laid the thing downthere, and seemed to me to be settling it firm. I had half a mind tojump up and let fly at him, but then I thought it would be better to lethim finish what he was doing, and go off with the idea that no one hadseen him. So I kept hid until he started again. He waded a short waybefore he had to swim, and I could see that as he went he was paying outa 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 couldbe to him, I could not say, but it was certain that he would not takeall that trouble, with the chance of being knocked on the head, fornothing; so I waited for a bit till he had got out of sight, and over tothe other side of the port. 

"Then I got up and felt about, and, chancing to get my foot under therope, went right over into the water. After that you may guess I was notlong in finding the anchor. I unknotted the rope from it and carried itashore; then it struck me that the Turks might take it into their headsto give a pull on it in the morning, and if they did; they would findout that their game, whatever it was, had been found out; so I got holdof a stone of about twenty pound weight, and fastened the rope's endround it. That was enough to prevent the rope getting slack and makethem think that it was still fast to the anchor; but, of course, if theypulled hard on it it would come home directly. I went and reported thematter the first thing this morning to the governor. He seemed to thinkthat it was important, and told me to bring the anchor up to the grandmaster, who would get one of the English knights to find out all aboutit; for he could not make out much of what I said. "

"It is very important, " Gervaise said, "and you behaved very wisely inthe matter, and have rendered a great service by your discovery. I willtake you in at once to the grand master. "

Still bearing the anchor, the sailor followed Gervaise into an apartmentwhere D'Aubusson was taking council with some of the senior knights. 

"Pardon my interrupting your Highness, " Gervaise said; "but the matteris so important that I knew you would listen to it, however occupied youwere. " And he then repeated the narrative of the sailor's discovery. 

"This is indeed of the highest importance, " D'Aubusson said, "and theknowledge that it gives us may enable us to defeat an attempt, thatmight otherwise have proved our ruin. You see, knights, it solves thequestion that we were just discussing. We agreed that this long floatingbridge that they have been constructing, was intended to enable them tocross the outer port and again attack St. Nicholas; and yet it seemed tous that even by night our batteries would be able to keep up such a fireon the boats, towing the head of the bridge across, as to render it wellnigh 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 fixedon our side, they mean to haul the bridge across, and that so silentlythat they hope to be upon us almost before we have time to don ourarmour. We shall now be fully prepared, and need have no fear of theresult. "

There could now be little doubt that the attack would be made withoutloss of time, especially as the Turks believed that they could gettheir bridge across unseen. The fire ships--which were altogether moreformidable than those Gervaise had improvised--were ordered to be madeready for action. This being arranged, the admiral left the councilat 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, andshowed great prudence by allowing the Turk to believe that he hadaccomplished his mission unsuspected. Had he thought he had beenobserved, some other plan would have been adopted. For so great aservice it is meet that a great reward should be given. "

He then took a bag from the hands of one of his secretaries, whom hehad sent to fetch it, while they were discussing the matter of the fireships. 

"Here are two hundred golden crowns, " he added, handing the bag to theseaman. "With these you can either settle on shore, or can build astout 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 foryour having saved that fort from the Turks. "

Astonished and delighted at the reward, which represented a very largesum in those days, the sailor stammered his thanks, and added, "I hopetonight that if I again have charge of a fire ship, I may be able to domore to prove to your Highness how grateful I am for the gift. "

Throughout the day preparations for the defence of St. Nicholas went onunceasingly. Gangs of men, as usual, worked in the breach; but, as itwas deemed advisable that there should be no outward show of activitythat would lead the Turks to suspect that their design had beendiscovered, neither reinforcements of men nor munitions were sent alongthe mole; everything being taken out by boats, which, rowing closelyalong under the wall, were hidden from the view of the Turks. Barrelsof Greek fire and pitch, cauldrons for heating the latter, a store offirewood, great balls of cotton steeped in oil and turpentine, sheavesof darts, spikes on short staves, that were, after darkness fell, to bethrust 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 wasstrengthened by the addition of a large number of knights. Storesof ammunition were collected in readiness at all the batteries thatcommanded the mouth of the outer port, and by sunset D'Aubusson feltthat everything that was possible had been done to meet the impendingstorm. 

At midnight the Turkish preparations were complete. The attack by thebridge 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 awaythe defenders' fire ships. Paleologus himself was down by the shoredirecting the preparations. Some of his best troops were placed upon thefloating bridge, and, when all was ready, the order was given to pullupon the rope. No sooner, however, did the strain come upon it thanthere was a jerk, the rope slackened, and it was at once evident thatthe anchor had been discovered and the well laid plan disconcerted. Paleologus was furious, but, believing that the attack he had arrangedwould still be irresistible, he ordered a number of boats to take thebridge in tow, while a still larger force was to make a direct attackupon the breach. The movement was to be conducted as silently aspossible until it was discovered, and then a dash forward was to bemade. 

It was two o'clock before the fresh arrangements were completed andthe boats put out. They had gone but a short distance when the anxiouswatchers in St. Nicholas learnt by the dull, confused sound that cameacross the water, that the attack was, in spite of the failure of theplan to take the bridge silently across, to be persevered in. A cannonwas at once fired to give notice to the other batteries to be inreadiness, and as soon as the dark mass of boats was made out the gunsof the fort opened a destructive fire upon them, and a moment later wereseconded by those from the fortress; these, however, were at presentbeing fired almost at random, as the Turkish boats could not be made outat that distance. Now that all need for concealment was at an end, theTurkish war cry rose shrilly in the air, and the boatmen bent to theiroars. The great cannon at St. Anthony's Church hurled their tremendousmissiles at the tower, seconded by the fire of a number of other piecesthat 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 Turksleaped out, and, undismayed by the storm of shot, climbed up to theassault. The short ladders that they had brought with them enabled themto surmount the escarpments so laboriously made, and with loud shoutsof "Allah!" they flung themselves upon the defenders on the crest ofthe breach. Here they were met by a line even more difficult to breakthrough than before. The knights were ranged three deep; those in thefront were armed with swords and battleaxes, while those in the othertwo lines thrust their spears out between the swordsmen, covering themwith a hedge of steel points. Others in the rear brought up buckets ofblazing pitch and Greek fire, and, advancing through gaps left for thepurpose, hurled the buckets down into the struggling mass on the slope. There the fire not only carried death among the assailants, but thelurid flames enabled the batteries to direct their shot with terribleeffect upon the breach, the crowded boats at its foot, and the bridgewhich was, with immense labour, presently got into position. 

It was not long before fresh light was thrown upon the scene, as thefire ships, issuing out from the inner harbour, burst into columns offlame, and, towed by boats, came into action. They were convoyed bythe two galleys, each with a full complement of knights, and these soonbecame engaged in a fierce fight with the Turkish vessels that bore downto arrest the course of the fire ships. The scene was indeed a terribleone, the roar of cannon, the shouts of the combatants, the screams ofthe poor wretches upon whom the terrible Greek fire fell, the clash ofarms and the shouts and cries of the Turks as they pressed across thebridge, united in a din that thrilled with horror the spectators, bothin the city and on St. Stephen's Hill. 

Several of the Turkish galleys, in their efforts to arrest the approachof the fire ships towards the bridge, became themselves involved in theflames; but they were so far successful that when daylight broke thebridge was still intact and the combat at the breach continued to ragewith determination and fury on both sides. The Turks there were led bya brave young prince named Ibrahim, a near relative of the sultan, withwhom he was a great favourite, and he was ever in the front line ofthe assailants, his splendid bravery animating the soldiers to continuetheir efforts. As the daylight broadened out, however, the light enabledthe Christian gunners to aim with far greater accuracy than had beforebeen possible, and, concentrating their fire upon the bridge, across which reinforcements continued to press to the support of theassailants, they succeeded in sinking so many of the boats that it wasno longer passable. 

Next they turned their fire upon the Turkish galleys, four of which theysank. Shortly afterwards, a ball struck the gallant young leader of theTurks, who, although previously several times wounded, had continued tofight in the front line. He fell dead, and his followers, disheartenedby his fall and by the destruction of the bridge, at once abandonedtheir efforts, and rushed down to the foot of the breach. The terriblescene enacted at the repulse of the previous attack was now repeated. The concentrated fire of the guns of the defenders carried destructioninto the crowded mass. Some gained the boats that still remaineduninjured, and rowed for the opposite shore; the greater number rushedinto the water and strove to recross it either by swimming or by the aidof the debris of the shattered boats. Their total loss was greater eventhan that suffered by them in the first attack, between two and threethousand being either killed or drowned, among them a number of theirbest officers. The amount of spoil, in the form of rich jewels andcostly gold ornaments, found on the bodies of the dead piled on thebreach, 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 toissue orders. At the end of that time he roused himself from his stuporof grief and disappointment, and, abandoning the idea of any furtherattack upon the point that had cost him so dearly, he ordered the troopsto 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 thegreat ditch facing the retrenchment behind the breach before effected. The knights of Italy and Spain determined to seize the opportunityof retrieving the disgrace that had fallen upon them. At night theydescended into the deep cutting, carrying across their ladders, and, silently mounting the opposite side, rushed with loud shouts into theunfinished battery. The Turks there, taken utterly by surprise, made buta slight resistance; a few were immediately cut down, and the rest fledpanic stricken. 

The knights at once set the woodwork of the battery on fire, hurled theguns down into the ditch, and then returned triumphantly into the town, the dashing feat completely reinstating them in the good opinion of thegrand 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, andpushed his approaches regularly forward until he again establisheda battery on the site of that from which his troops had been sounceremoniously ejected. While forming the approaches, the workmenhad been constantly harassed by the fire from the guns on the walls, suffering considerable loss of life; but their numerical superiority wasso 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 miningoperations, set to work in its rear to drive sloping passages downwards, opening into the face of the great cutting, and through these vastquantities of earth and stones were poured, so as to afford a passageacross it, the depth being largely diminished by the great pile ofrubbish that had already fallen from the breached wall. This novel modeof attack was altogether unexpected. The knights had regarded the fossethat had been cut at such an enormous expenditure of labour as formingan altogether impassable obstruction, and were dismayed at seeing theprogress made in filling it up. D'Aubusson himself, full of resources ashe was, saw that the defence was seriously threatened, unless some planof 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 itwas almost self evident that it could be of no utility whatever. Other circumstances combined to render the suspicions D'Aubusson hadentertained of the good faith of the renegade almost a certainty. Georges was seized, tried, and put to torture, and under this owned thathe had been sent into the town for the purpose of betraying it; and hewas, the same day, hung in the great square. His guilt must always beconsidered as uncertain. There was no proof against him, save hisown confession; and a confession extorted by torture is of no valuewhatever. There are certainly many good grounds for suspicion, but itis possible that Georges really repented his apostacy, and acted in goodfaith in deserting the standard of Paleologus. He was undoubtedly a manof altogether exceptional ability and acquirements, and even the knightswho have written accounts of the siege do justice to the fascination ofhis manner and the charm of his conversation. 

D'Aubusson now set to work in another direction to counteract theefforts of the Turks. He erected an immense wooden catapult, which threwhuge pieces of rock into the midst of the Turkish works, crushing downthe wooden screens erected to hide their approaches, breaking in thecovered ways, and causing great loss of life among the besiegers. Atthe same time galleries were driven below the breach, opening into theditch, where their exits were concealed by masses of rubbish. Throughthese strong working parties issued out at night, and carried away upthe passages the rocks and other materials that the Turks had, duringthe day, brought, with immense labour, from a distance to the shoot. Thematerials so carried away were piled up behind the retrenchment, greatlyadding to its thickness and strength. 

For some days the Turks observed, to their astonishment, that the roadthey were constructing across the ditch was diminishing instead ofincreasing in bulk, and at length it became so evident that the garrisonwere in some way removing the materials, that the pasha determined todeliver the assault before the heap was so far diminished as to becomeimpassable. His former defeats had, however, taught him that successcould not be always calculated upon, however good its prospect mightappear; and although he had no real hope that the defenders wouldyield, he sent a formal summons for them to do so. This was refused withdisdain, and preparations were at once made for the assault. 

The pasha promised to his soldiers the sack of the town and all thebooty captured, and so assured were they of success that sacks weremade to carry off the plunder. Stakes, on which the knights, when takenprisoners, were to be impaled, were prepared and sharpened, and eachsoldier carried a coil of rope with which to secure his captive. 

Before ordering the assault, the way was prepared for it by a terriblefire from every siege gun of the Turks. This was kept up for twenty-fourhours, and so tremendous was the effect that the knights were unableto remain on the ramparts. The Turkish troops moved into position forattack, their movements being covered by the roar of the guns, and soonafter sunrise on the 22nd of July the signal was given, and at a numberof different points the Turks rushed to the assault. All these attacks, save that on the breach, were merely feints, to distract the attentionof the garrison, and to add to the confusion caused by this sudden andunexpected onslaught. The pasha's plans were well designed and carriedout; the knights, unable to keep their places on the ramparts under thestorm of missiles, had retired to shelter behind the walls. There was nothought of an instant assault, as they considered that this would not bedelivered until the new wall behind the breach had been demolished. 

Consequently, the rush of the Turks found the defenders altogetherunprepared. Swarming across the mass of debris in the ditch, theyascended the breach without opposition, and their scaling ladders wereplaced against the new wall before the knights could hurry up to itsdefence. Even before the alarm was given in the town, the Turkishstandard was waving on the parapet, and the Moslems were crowding onto the wall in vast numbers. The suddenness of the attack, the completesurprise, the sound of battle at various points around the walls, causedfor a time confusion and dismay among the knights charged with thedefence of the wall facing the breach. Roused by the uproar, theinhabitants of the town rushed up to their roofs to ascertain whatwas happening, and their cries of wild terror and alarm at seeing theTurkish banner on the walls added to the confusion. D'Aubusson sprangup from the couch, on which he had thrown himself in full armour, at thefirst sound of the alarm, and, sending off messages to all the aubergesto summon every man to the defence, ran down into the town, followed bya small party of knights. 

Rushing through the streets, now filled with half dressed people wildwith terror, he reached the foot of the wall, whose summit was crowdedwith the enemy, and saw in an instant that all was lost unless theycould be driven thence without delay. The effect of his presence wasinstantaneous. The knights, hitherto confused and dismayed, rallied atonce, and prepared for the desperate undertaking. The bank on the insidewas almost perpendicular, and those charged with its defence had usedtwo or three ladders for ascending to the rampart. These were at onceseized and planted against the wall. 

The position of the contending parties was now reversed; the Christianswere the assailants, the Turks the defenders. D'Aubusson himself wasthe first to ascend. Covering his head with his shield, he mounted therampart; but ere he could gain a footing on the top he was severelywounded and hurled backwards. Again he made the attempt, but was againwounded and thrown down. Once more he mounted, and this time made goodhis footing. A moment later, Gervaise, who had accompanied him from thepalace, stood beside him. Animated with the same spirit as his leader, he threw himself recklessly against the Turks, using a short, heavymace, which in a melee was far more useful than the long sword. Scimitars clashed upon his helmet and armour; but at every blow hestruck a Turk fell, and for each foot he gained a knight sprang on tothe wall and joined him. Each moment their number increased, and the warcry of the Order rose louder and fiercer above the din. The very numberof the Turks told against them. Crowded together as they were they couldnot use their weapons effectually, and, pressing fiercely upon them, theknights drove them back along the wall on either hand, hurling them downinto the street or over the rampart. On so narrow a field of battle theadvantage was all on the side of the knights, whose superior height andstrength, and the protection afforded by their armour, rendered themalmost invincible, nerved as they were with fury at the surprise thathad overtaken them, and the knowledge that the fate of the city dependedupon their efforts. After a quarter of an hour's desperate conflict theTurks were driven down the partial breach effected in the wall by thelast bombardment, and the Christians were again the masters of theirramparts. Paleologus, however, hurried up reinforcements, headed bya band of janissaries, whose valour had decided many an obstinateconflict. Before ordering them to advance, he gave instructions toa company of men of approved valour to devote all their efforts toattacking D'Aubusson himself, whose mantle and rich armour rendered hima conspicuous object among the defenders of the breach. Advancing to theattack, the janissaries burst through the mass of Turks still continuingthe conflict, and rushed up the breach. Then the chosen band, separatingfrom the rest, flung themselves upon the grand master, the suddennessand fury of their attack isolating him and Gervaise from the knightsaround. 

Surrounded as he was by foes, already suffering from two severe woundsand shaken by his falls from the ladder, the grand master yet made avaliant defence in front, while Gervaise, hurling his mace into the faceof one of his assailants, and drawing his two handed sword, covered himfrom the attack from behind. D'Aubusson received two more severe wounds, but still fought on. Gervaise, while in the act of cutting down anassailant, heard a shout of triumph from behind, and, looking round, hesaw the grand master sinking to the ground from another wound. With acry of grief and fury Gervaise sprang to him, receiving as he did soseveral blows on his armour and shield intended for the fallen knight, and, standing across him, showered his blows with such strength andswiftness that the janissaries shrank back before the sweep of theflashing steel. More than one who tried to spring into close quartersfell cleft to the chin, and, ere his assailants could combine fora general rush, a body of knights, who had just beaten off theirassailants, fell upon the ranks of the janissaries with a force and furythere was no withstanding, and the chosen troops of the sultan for thefirst time broke and fled. 

Excited almost to madness by the sight of their beloved master stretchedbleeding on the ground, the knights dashed down the breach in eagerpursuit. This action was decisive of the fate of the struggle. The panicamong the janissaries at once spread, and the main body of troops, whohad hitherto valiantly striven to regain the advantage snatched fromthem, now lost heart and fled in confusion. But their escape was barredby the great body of reinforcements pressing forward across the heap ofrubbish that formed the breach over the deep ditch. Maddened by fear, the fugitives strove to cut a way through their friends. The whole ofthe defenders of the breach now fell upon the rear of the strugglingmass, hewing them down almost without resistance, while the cannon fromthe walls and towers kept up an unceasing fire until the last survivorsof what had become a massacre, succeeded in gaining their works beyondthe ditch, and fled to their camp. From every gateway and postern theknights now poured out, and, gathering together, advanced to the attackof St. Stephen's Hill. They met with but a faint resistance. The greaterportion of the disorganised troops had made no pause at their camp, buthad continued their headlong flight to the harbour, where their shipswere moored, Paleologus himself, heartbroken and despairing at hisfailure, sharing their flight. The camp, with all its rich booty andthe great banner of the pasha, fell into the hands of the victors, who, satisfied with their success, and exhausted by their efforts, made noattempt to follow the flying foe, or to hinder their embarkation; foreven now the Turks, enormously outnumbering them as they did, might bedriven by despair to a resistance so desperate as once again to turn thetide of victory. 

CHAPTER XXIII THE REWARD OF VALOUR

Gervaise knew nothing at the time of the final result of the battle, foras 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 tohimself, he was lying on a bed in the hospital of the Order. As soonas he moved, Ralph Harcourt, who was, with other knights, occupiedin tending the wounded, came to his bedside. "Thank God that you areconscious again, Gervaise! They told me that it was but faintness andloss 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 wakeagain. "

"How is the grand master?" Gervaise asked eagerly. Ralph shook his head. 

"He is wounded sorely, Gervaise, and the leech declares that one atleast of his wounds is mortal; still, I cannot bring myself to believethat so great a hero will be taken away in the moment of victory, afterhaving done such marvels for the cause not only of the Order, but of allChristendom. "

"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 ofspoil, and pursued them to their harbour. Then we halted, fearing thatthey might in their desperation turn upon us, and, terribly weakened aswe were by our losses, have again snatched the victory from our grasp. So we let them go on board their ships without interference, and thismorning there is not a Turkish sail in sight. The inhabitants are wellnigh mad with joy. But elated as we are at our success, our gladness issorely damped by the state of the grand master, and the loss of so manyof our comrades, though, indeed, our langue has suffered less than anyof the others, for the brunt of the attacks on St. Nicholas and thebreach did not fall upon us, still we lost heavily when at last wehurried up to win back the wall from them. "

"Who have fallen?" Gervaise asked. 

"Among the principal knights are Thomas Ben, Henry Haler, ThomasPloniton, John Vaquelin, Adam Tedbond, Henry Batasbi, and Henry Anlui. Marmaduke Lumley is dangerously wounded. Of the younger knights, somefifteen have been killed, and among them your old enemy Rivers. He dieda coward's death, the only one, thank God, of all our langue. Whenthe fray was thickest Sir John Boswell marked him crouching behind theparapet. He seized him by the gorget, and hauled him out, but his kneesshook so that he could scarcely walk, and would have slunk back whenreleased. Sir John raised his mace to slay him as a disgrace to theOrder and our langue, when a ball from one of the Turkish cannon cut himwell nigh in half, so that he fell by the hands of the Turks, and not bythe sword of one of the Order he had disgraced. Fortunately none, savehalf a dozen knights of our langue, saw the affair, and you may be surewe shall say nothing about it; and instead of Rivers' name going down toinfamy, it will appear in the list of those who died in the defence ofRhodes. "

"May God assoil his soul!" Gervaise said earnestly. "'Tis strange thatone of gentle blood should have proved a coward. Had he remained athome, and turned courtier, instead of entering the Order, he might havedied honoured, without any one ever coming to doubt his courage. "

"He would have turned out bad whatever he was, " Ralph saidcontemptuously; "for my part, I never saw a single good quality in him. "

Long before Gervaise was out of hospital, the glad tidings thatD'Aubusson would recover, in spite of the prognostications of the leech, spread joy through the city, and at about the same time that Gervaiseleft the hospital the grand master was able to sit up. Two or three daysafterwards 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 howyou stood above me and kept the swarming Moslems at bay. No knightthroughout 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 presentsthat came for you after you sailed away. They are in that cabinet;please bring them to me. There, " he said, as Gervaise brought a bulkyparcel which the grand master opened, "this letter is from the HolyFather himself. That, as you may see from the arms on the seal, is fromFlorence. The others are from Pisa, Leghorn, and Naples. Rarely, SirGervaise, has any potentate or knight earned the thanks of so many greatcities. 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 ownhand, and expressed his thanks as a temporal sovereign for the greatbenefit to the commerce of his subjects by the destruction of thecorsair fleet, and as the head of the Christian Church for the blowstruck at the Moslems. The other three letters were alike in character, expressing the gratitude of the cities for their deliverance from thedanger, and of their admiration for the action by which a fleet wasdestroyed with a single galley. Along with the letter from Pisa wasa casket containing a heavy gold chain set with gems. Florence sent acasket containing a document bestowing upon him the freedom of the city, and an order upon the treasury for five thousand ducats that had beenvoted to him by the grand council of the Republic; while Ferdinand, Kingof 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 carefullykept clean. I guessed what it was by the weight of the case when itcame, and thought it best to open it, as it might have got spoilt byrust. It is a timely gift, Sir Gervaise, for the siege has played havocwith 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 wouldkeep it in its present state as a memorial--and there could be noprouder one--of the part you bore in the siege. I have seen Carettothis morning. He sails for Genoa tomorrow, where he will, I hope, soonrecover his strength, for the wounds he received at St. Nicholas havehealed but slowly. He said"--and a momentary smile crossed the grandmaster's face--"that he thought a change might benefit you also, for hewas sure that the air here had scarce recovered from the taint ofblood. Therefore, here is a paper granting you three months' leave. Hiscommandery is a pleasant one, and well situated on the slopes of thehills; and the fresh air will, doubtless, speedily set you up. I shouldlike nothing better than a stay there myself, but there is much to do torepair the damages caused by the siege, and to place the city in a stateof defence should the Turks again lay siege to it; and methinks Mahometwill not sit down quietly under the heavy reverse his troops have metwith. "

"But I should be glad to stay here to assist in the work, yourHighness. "

"There are plenty of knights to see to that, " D'Aubusson replied, "andit will be long before you are fit for such work. No, I give my ordersfor you to proceed with Caretto to Genoa--unless, indeed, you wouldprefer to go to some other locality to recruit your strength. "

"I would much rather go with Sir Fabricius, your Highness, than to anyplace where I have no acquaintances. I have a great esteem and respectfor him. "

"He is worthy of it; there is no nobler knight in the Order, and, hadI fallen, none who could more confidently have been selected to fillmy place. He has an equally high opinion of you, and spoke long andearnestly 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 whethermy cousin is in the city or on her estate; if the former, I will staywith her for a day or two before going off to my commandery, and ofcourse you will also be her guest. I hope she will be here, for methinkswe shall both need to refit our wardrobes before we are fit to appear insociety. "

"Certainly I shall, " Gervaise agreed; "for, indeed, I find that my galacostume suffered a good deal during my long absence; and, moreover, although I have not increased in height, I have broadened out a gooddeal since I was here two years ago. "

"Yes; you were a youth then, Gervaise, and now you are a man, and oneof no ordinary strength and size. The sun of Tripoli, and your laboursduring the siege, have added some years to your appearance. You are, Ithink, little over twenty, but you look two or three years older. Thechange is even greater in your manner than in your appearance; you werethen new to command, doubtful as to your own powers, and diffident withthose older than yourself. Now for two years you have thought and actedfor yourself, and have shown yourself capable of making a mark evenamong men like the knights of St. John, both in valour and in fitness tocommand. 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, grantingyou three months' leave for the recovery of your wounds, he took theopportunity of recording, in the name of the council and himself, theiradmiration for the services rendered by you during the siege, and hisown gratitude for saving his life when he lay helpless and surrounded bythe Moslems--a testimony of which any knight of Christendom might wellfeel 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 thatI 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 Italyespecially sees clearly enough that, had Rhodes fallen, she would havebeen the next object of attack by Mahomet; therefore the ladies wouldnot hear of my leaving them until I had told them something at least ofthe events of the siege, and also how it came about that you were thereto 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 siestaat 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 presentin such high favour that I had a hard task to wend my way through thestreets to my cousin's house. "

On arriving at the palace of the Countess of Forli, Gervaise wassurprised at the change that had taken place in the Lady Claudia. Fromwhat Caretto had said, he was prepared to find that she had grown out ofher girlhood, and had altered much. She had, however, changed even morethan he had expected, and had become, he thought, the fairest woman thathe had ever seen. The countess greeted him with great cordiality; butClaudia came forward with a timidity that contrasted strangely withthe outspoken frankness he remembered in the girl. For a time they allchatted together of the events of the siege, and of his captivity. 

"The news that you had been captured threw quite a gloom over us, SirGervaise, " the countess said. "We at first consoled ourselves with thethought that you would speedily be ransomed; but when months passedby, and we heard that all the efforts of the grand master had failed todiscover where you had been taken, I should have lost all hope had itnot been that my cousin had returned after an even longer captivityamong the Moors. I am glad to hear that you did not suffer so manyhardships as he did. "

"I am in no way to be pitied, Countess, " Gervaise said lightly. "I had akind master for some months, and was treated as a friend rather than asa slave; afterwards, I had the good fortune to be made the head ofthe labourers at the buildings in the sultan's palace, and although Icertainly worked with them, the labour was not greater than one couldperform without distress, and I had naught to complain of as to mycondition. "

After talking for upwards of an hour, the countess told Caretto that shehad several matters on which she needed his counsel, and retired withhim to the next room of the suite opening from the apartment in whichthey had been sitting. For a minute or two the others sat silent, andthen Claudia said, "You have changed much since I saw you last, Sir Gervaise. Then itseemed to me scarcely possible that you could have performed the feat ofdestroying the corsair fleet; now it is not so difficult to understand. "

"I have widened out a bit, Lady Claudia. My moustache is really amoustache, and not a pretence at one; otherwise I don't feel that I havechanged. The alteration in yourself is infinitely greater. "

"I, too, have filled out, " she said, with a smile. "I was a thin girlthen--all corners and angles. No, I don' t want any compliments, ofwhich, to tell you the truth, I am heartily sick. And so, " she wenton in a softer tone, "you have actually brought my gage home! Oh, SirGervaise, "--and her eyes filled with tears--"my cousin has told me! Howcould 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 itwas not given in the spirit of a young girl, but in that of an earnestwoman. I had taken a vow never to part with it, as you had pledgedyourself to bestow no similar favour upon any other knight. I wasconfident that you would keep your vow; and although in any case, asa true knight, I was bound to preserve your gift, still more so was Ibound 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 blamingyou, " she said earnestly, "for losing it as you did. "

"I felt sure, Lady Claudia, that had it been absolutely beyond my powerto regain it you would not have blamed me; but it was not beyond mypower, 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 oftenscoffed at knights of an order like ours wearing ladies' favours. I hadalways thought it absurd that we, pledged as we are, should thus declareourselves admirers of one woman more than another. But this seemed to mea gage of another kind; it was too sacred to be shown or spoken of, andI only mentioned it to Caretto as he cross questioned me as to why Irefused the offer of ransom; and should not have done so then, had henot been present when it was bestowed. I regarded it not as a lightlygiven favour, the result of a passing fancy by one who gave favoursfreely, but as a pledge of friendship and as a guerdon for what I haddone, and therefore, more to be honoured than the gifts of a Republicfreed from a passing danger. Had you then been what you are now, I mighthave been foolish enough to think of it in another light, regardless ofthe fact that you are a rich heiress of one of the noblest families inItaly, and I a knight with no possessions save my sword. "

"Say not so, Sir Gervaise, " she said impetuously. "Are you not a knighton whom Genoa and Florence have bestowed their citizenship, whom theHoly Father himself has thanked, who has been honoured by Pisa, andwhom 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 thevaliant 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 aloneover the fallen grand master, surrounded by a crowd of foes. How can youspeak of yourself as a simple knight?"

Then she stopped, and sat silent for a minute, while a flush of colourmounted to her cheeks. 

"Give me my gage again, Sir Gervaise, " she said gently. In silenceGervaise removed it from his neck, wondering greatly what could be herintention. She turned it over and over in her hand. 

"Sir Knight, " she said, "this was of no great value in my eyes when Ibestowed it upon you; it was a gage, and not a gift. Now it is to me ofvalue beyond the richest gem on earth; it is a proof of the faith andloyalty of the knight I most esteem and honour, and so in giving it toyou again, I part with it with a pang, for I have far greater reason toprize it than you can have. I gave it you before as a girl, proud thata 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 younow 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 kissedit; then, still holding it, he said, "Do you know what you are doing, Claudia? You are raising hopes that I have never been presumptuousenough to cherish. "

"I cannot help that, " she said softly. "There is assuredly nopresumption in the hope. "

He paused a moment. 

"You would not esteem me, " he said, holding both her hands now, "wereI false to my vows. I will return to Rhodes tomorrow, and ask the grandmaster to forward to the Pope and endorse my petition, that I may bereleased from my vows to the Order. I cannot think that he or the HolyFather will refuse my request. Then, when I am free, I can tell you howI love and honour you, and how, as I have in the past devoted my life tothe 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 myheart that the vow I had given would bind me for life, and I should becontent to wait years longer if needs be. But I am bound by no vows, andcan acknowledge that you have long been the lord of my life, and thatso long as you wore the heart I had given you, so long would I listen tothe wooing of no other. "

"I fear that the Countess, your mother--" Gervaise began, but sheinterrupted him. 

"You need not fear, " she said. "My mother has long known, and knowingalso that I am not given to change, has ceased to importune me to listento other offers. Her sole objection was that you might never return fromcaptivity. Now that you have come back with added honours, she willnot only offer no objection, but will, I am sure, receive you gladly, especially as she knows that my cousin Sir Fabricius, for whom she hasthe greatest affection, holds you in such high esteem. "

Six months later Gervaise again landed at Genoa, after having stayedat Rome for a few days on his way back. D'Aubusson had expressed nosurprise at his return to Rhodes, or at the request he made. 

"Caretto prepared me for this, " he said, smiling, "when he asked me ifyou might accompany him to Genoa. The Order will be a loser, for youwould assuredly have risen to the grand priorage of your langue someday. 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 maycount on your hastening here to aid us?"

"That assuredly you may, sir. Should danger threaten, my sword will beas 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 uswhen they have performed their active service, for in civil life theysometimes have it in their power to render better service to theOrder than if passing their lives in the quiet duties of a provincialcommandery. It will be so in your case: the lady is a great heiress, and, as the possessor of wide lands, your influence in Northern Italymay be very valuable to us, and in case of need you will, like mybrother De Monteuil, be able to bring a gathering of men-at-arms to ouraid. Have no fear that the Pope will refuse to you a release from yourvows. My recommendation alone would be sufficient; but as, moreover, heis himself under an obligation to you, he will do so without hesitation. Since you have been away, your friend Harcourt has been appointed acommander of a galley, and Sir John Boswell, being incapacitated bythe grievous wounds he received during the siege, has accepted a richcommandery in England, and sailed but two days since to take up hischarge. By the way, did you reply to those letters expressing yourthanks 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 younow, and there is still a sum sent by your commandery owing to you bythe treasury. I will give you an order for it. However rich an heiress aknight may win, 'tis pleasant for him to have money of his own; not thatyou will need it greatly, for, among the presents you have received, thejewels are valuable enough for a wedding gift to a princess. "

Gervaise was well received at Rome, and the Pope, after reading thegrand master's letter, and learning from him his reason for wishingto leave the Order, without hesitation granted him absolution from hisvows. A few months later there was a grand wedding at the cathedral ofGenoa, the doge and all the nobles of the Republic being present. 

Ralph Harcourt and nine other young knights had accompanied Gervaisefrom Rhodes by the permission, and indeed at the suggestion, of thegrand master, who was anxious to show that Gervaise had his fullapproval and countenance in leaving the Order. Caretto, who had beenappointed grand prior of Italy, had brought the knights from all thecommanderies in the northern republics to do honour to the occasion, and the whole, in their rich armour and the mantles of the Order, made adistinguishing feature in the scene. 

The defeat of the Turks created such enthusiasm throughout Europe thatwhen the grand prior of England laid before the king letters he hadreceived from the grand master and Sir John Kendall, speaking in thehighest terms of the various great services Gervaise had rendered to theOrder, Edward granted his request that the act of attainder against SirThomas Tresham and his descendants should be reversed and the estatesrestored to Gervaise. The latter made, with his wife, occasionaljourneys to England, staying a few months on his estates in Kent; and assoon as his second son became old enough, he sent him to England tobe educated, and settled the estate upon him. He himself had but fewpleasant memories of England; he had spent indeed but a very short timethere before he entered the house of the Order in Clerkenwell, and thattime had been marked by constant anxiety, and concluded with the lossof his father. The great estates that were now his in Italy demanded hisfull attention, and, as one of the most powerful nobles of Genoa, he hadcome 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 ofRhodes, for the death of Mahomet just at the time when he was preparinga vast expedition against it, freed the Island for a long time fromfear of an invasion. From time to time they received visits from RalphHarcourt, who, after five years longer service at Rhodes, received acommandery in England. He held it a few years only, and then returned tothe Island, where he obtained a high official appointment. 

In 1489 Sir John Boswell became bailiff of the English langue, and SirFabricius Caretto was in 1513 elected grand master of the Order, andheld the office eight years, dying in 1521. 

When, in 1522, forty-two years after the first siege, Rhodes was againbeleaguered, Gervaise, who had, on the death of the countess, becomeCount of Forli, raised a large body of men-at-arms, and sent them, underthe command of his eldest son, to take part in the defence. His thirdson had, at the age of sixteen, entered the Order, and rose to high rankin it. 

The defence, though even more obstinate and desperate than the first, was attended with less success, for after inflicting enormous lossesupon the great army, commanded by the Sultan Solyman himself, the townwas forced to yield; for although the Grand Master L'Isle Adam, andmost of his knights, would have preferred to bury themselves beneaththe ruins rather than yield, they were deterred from doing so, by theknowledge that it would have entailed the massacre of the whole ofthe inhabitants, who had throughout the siege fought valiantly in thedefence of the town. Solyman had suffered such enormous losses that hewas glad to grant favourable conditions, and the knights sailed awayfrom the city they had held so long and with such honour, and afterwardsestablished themselves in Malta, where they erected another stronghold, which in the end proved an even more valuable bulwark to Christendomthan Rhodes had been. There were none who assisted more generously andlargely, by gifts of money, in the establishment of the Order at Maltathan Gervaise. His wife, while she lived, was as eager to aid in thecause as he was himself, holding that it was to the Order she owed herhusband. And of all their wide possessions there were none so valued bythem 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