es gradually drew away, running straight before
the wind, and aiding the effects of the sails with oars. Seeing the
hopelessness of the chase, Piccolomini abandoned it, after rowing for
two miles, and returned to the island. The other two galleys were lying
beside each other, and Piccolomini had his craft steered alongside them.

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

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

"Ay. One of the paynims' cannonballs has carried off both my legs below
the knee. The leech has been searing the wounds with a hot iron, and
says that he thinks I shall get over it; but if so I fear that my
fighting days are past, unless, indeed, I fight seated on a chair.
However, I ought not to grumble. I have lost many brave comrades, and
others are wounded more sorely than I am."

Sir Louis Ricord now joined them. He embraced Piccolomini warmly.

"I never heard a more welcome shout, Piccolomini, than that which you
gave when you fell upon the Moslems, for in truth the issue of the
conflict was doubtful. I was delighted when this morning at daybreak
Santoval's galley rowed in. We had all kept watch during the night,
thinking the pirates might obtain boats and make an attack upon us; and,
with but twenty of us fit to wield a sword, our position would have been
a bad one, and at any rate they might have recaptured the prizes. We
agreed that Santoval and his knights should land at once. This they did.
Sir John Boswell had of course told me how his boat had been chased by
a fishing craft, manned by a large number of the pirates, and that he
feared the rest might similarly have escaped, and might have gone to
bring some more of Hassan Ali's ships upon us.

"As soon as Santoval landed, some of the natives came down and told him
that there was not a pirate remaining there, the rest having started
in another boat a few minutes after the one that had chased Boswell.
Santoval left two of his men with orders to ascend to the highest spot
on the island, and to keep watch, and then brought the rest off to
his galley. Our first step was, of course, to send all the women and
children ashore. Then we consulted as to what had best be done if the
pirates should come back in force. We hoped, at any rate, that this
would not ha