etter weather. He had not lain there long when two great
Genoese carracks, coming from Constantinople, made their way with
great difficulty into the little harbour, to avoid that from which
himself had fled. The newcomers espied the little ship and hearing
that it pertained to Landolfo, whom they already knew by report to be
very rich, blocked against it the way by which it might depart and
addressed themselves, like men by nature rapacious and greedy of
gain,[92] to make prize of it. Accordingly, they landed part of their
men well harnessed and armed with crossbows and posted them on such
wise that none might come down from the bark, an he would not be shot;
whilst the rest, warping themselves in with small boats and aided by
the current, laid Landolfo's little ship aboard and took it out of
hand, crew and all, without missing a man. Landolfo they carried
aboard one of the carracks, leaving him but a sorry doublet; then,
taking everything out of the ship, they scuttled her.

[Footnote 92: The Genoese have the reputation in Italy of being
thieves by nature.]

On the morrow, the wind having shifted, the carracks made sail
westward and fared on their voyage prosperously all that day; but
towards evening there arose a tempestuous wind which made the waves
run mountains high and parted the two carracks one from the other.
Moreover, from stress of wind it befell that that wherein was the
wretched and unfortunate Landolfo smote with great violence upon a
shoal over against the island of Cephalonia and parting amidships,
broke all in sunder no otherwise than a glass dashed against a wall.
The sea was in a moment all full of bales of merchandise and chests
and planks, that floated on the surface, as is wont to happen in such
cases, and the poor wretches on board, swimming, those who knew how,
albeit it was a very dark night and the sea was exceeding great and
swollen, fell to laying hold of such things as came within their
reach. Among the rest the unfortunate Landolfo, albeit many a time
that day he had called for death, (choosing rather to die than return
home poor as he found himself,) seeing it near at hand, was fearful
thereof and like the others, laid hold of a plank that came to his
hand, so haply, an he put off drowning awhile, God might send him
some means of escape.

Bestriding this, he kept himself afloat as best he might, driven
hither and thither of the sea and the wind, till daylight, when he
looked about him