patience of the knights was extreme. They walked up and down the
deck, making vows of candles that should be burnt at the shrine of St.
John if they arrived in time to take a share in the fight, stopping at
times to listen to the sound of artillery, which was now so frequent as
to show that a severe engagement was being fought. Many of the younger
knights ran down to the waist and double banked the oars, and in a
shorter time than it seemed possible the galley arrived at the mouth of
the bay.

A desperate fight was going on. Ricord's ship lay, idle and deserted,
at anchor. Five pirate crafts surrounded Santoval's galley. Two of them
were alongside of her; the others were raking her fore and aft with
their shot. The young knights left the oars, sprang up to the poop and
joined in the shout of encouragement raised by the others, and then,
resuming their helmets and armour, stood ready to leap on board an enemy
as soon as they reached her. Piccolomini directed the helmsman to lay
him alongside one of the ships grappling with Santoval. As they came up,
their galley's cannon poured their fire into her, and a moment later the
knights sprang on board.

In the din of battle their shout had been unheard. The pirates thronging
the other side of their ship were intent only on overcoming the
resistance of the knights, and even the discharge of cannon had not
called their attention to their foe, until the latter, shouting the war
cry of the Order, fell suddenly upon them. A panic at once seized them.
Some were cut down almost unresistingly, but the great majority, running
to the bow or stern, threw themselves overboard and swam to the other
ships. The pirate ship on the other side of Santoval's galley instantly
threw off the grapnels and thrust off from her side, and, immediately
hauling in the sheets of the big sail, began at once to draw away, while
her three consorts made for the mouth of the bay.

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

The knights at once crossed on to their own craft, the oars were got
out, and the chase began. A minute or two later Don Santoval followed
them, but soon gave up, as so large a number of the oars had been broken
when the two pirate ships ran alongside him, that it would have been
hopeless to pursue. The wind was blowing freshly, and was rapidly
increasing in strength, so that, in spite of the efforts of the galley
slaves, the pirat