friendly? That was the question. Was it Zeno, or were these more
galleons of the Genoese? Then, joy shone in the keen eyes of Pisani,
for the banner of St. Mark fluttered from the peak of the foremost
ship, and floated fair upon the morning breeze. Hurrah! It was Carlo
Zeno, the lion-hearted.

God speed brave Zeno! He had been twice wounded in fights along the
coast, en route, but nothing could diminish his energy, or dampen his
ardor. He had laid waste the Genoese coast; he had intercepted convoys
of grain; he had harassed the enemy's commerce in the East, and he had
captured a huge vessel of theirs with five hundred thousand pieces of
gold. Marvellous Zeno! Brave, courageous Venetian sea-dog, you are
just in the nick of time!

"Thanks be to Heaven that you have come," cried Pisani, tears welling
to his eyes. "Now we will go in and take Chioggia. It means the end of
the war for us. Again, I say, thanks be to Heaven."

With renewed hope and confidence the Venetians now pushed the siege.
Seeing that their fleet could never escape, the Genoese started to dig
a canal to the open sea, by which the boats could be brought off
during the night. The work was begun, but Carlo Zeno discovered it in
time. Volunteers were called for, a force was soon landed, and, under
the leadership of Zeno, marched to intercept the diggers of this, the
only means of escape.

"The Venetians are going towards 'Little Chioggia,'" cried many of the
Genoese. "We must hasten there to stop them."

[Illustration: From an old print.
ZENO'S FLEET.]

But Zeno had only made a feint in this direction. Throwing his main
force in the rear of the Genoese, he soon began to cut them up badly.
They were seized with a panic. They fled towards the bridge of
Chioggia, trampling upon each other as they ran, pursued and slashed
to ribbons by Zeno's men. The bridge broke beneath the weight of the
fugitives and hundreds were drowned in the canal, while thousands
perished near the head of this fateful causeway. It was a great and
signal victory for Zeno; the intrepid sea-dog and campaigner on land.

This was a death blow. That night some of the garrison hastened to
desert, and, as the siege progressed, the drinking water began to
fail, the food gave out, and starvation stared the holders of Chioggia
in the face. On the twenty-fourth of June the city surrendered; and
four thousand one hundred and seventy Genoese, with two hundred
Paduans--ghastly and emaciate