her was Sir Ralph Harcourt, one of his
companions on the journey from England.

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

"How many knights will there be on board?"

"Forty. Aragon, like us, furnishes five, Germany ten, Portugal five,
Auvergne ten, and Provence five. We shall be commanded by Sir Louis
Ricord, a knight of Auvergne, and we could wish no better, for he has
proved himself a good seaman and a brave captain. Two other galleys are
to start with us. We are to cruise separately unless one gets news of a
force so superior that he will need aid to attack it, when he will meet
the others at a rendezvous agreed upon, and we shall work together."

"Who are the other three Englishmen?"

"John Boswell, Marmaduke Lumley, and Adam Tedbond--all, as you know,
brave knights and good companions."

That evening Gervaise received a message from D'Aubusson, requesting him
to call at his auberge.

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

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

"They are far better off than the Christians who fall into the hands
of the Turks," the bailiff said; "and, moreover, it is because their
countrymen are preparing to attack us that we are forced to use their
labour in strengthening our fortifications. They have naught to complain
of in the way of food. Still, I would myself gladly see their lot
alleviated; but we could not afford to keep so great a number of
captives in idleness; they must work for their living. Had it not been
for their labour we could never have built and fortified the city. After
all, they are