the port, they will be most likely merely losing time and ammunition
in cannonading us. You know that it is principally in this that these
accursed dogs do trust, whereas we, O men of Islam, will place our
confidence in God, in Mahomet his Prophet, in the strength of our right
arms, in the keenness of our scimitars; we will carry them by boarding,
therefore we must keep our crews on board,"

But Barbarossa had not that absolute domination of the forces under his
command which should be the prescriptive right of any leader. Sinan-Reis,
the implacable be-turbaned old Osmanli, held him in bitter scorn. "Your
advice may be good," he retorted, "but we think our plan the better."

The admiral suggested a reconnaissance of the site, which was merely a ruse
to gain time. This was carried out under his own supervision, and confirmed
him in the idea that disembarkation was folly; but Sinan-Reis and the
Janissaries held obstinately to their opinion, while the "Joldaks," or
Turkish soldiers in the galleys, grumbled among themselves that
Kheyr-ed-Din must indeed be full of vanity to reject the counsels of one
like Sinan-Reis.

Both commanders-in-chief, Christian and Moslem, seem on this occasion to
have taken an absolutely correct view of the problem as it was presented;
but whereas Andrea Doria was a real commander-in-chief, Barbarossa was
forced to consider and to defer to the opinions of men whom he knew to be
in the wrong.

It was against his better judgment that Kheyr-ed-Din at last yielded; the
men were backing up their officers, a spirit of disaffection was abroad in
the armada: such a thing as this a wise chief must gauge at its true value,
and stop before it goes too far. The Osmanli were murmuring against "the
corsair"; it was time to let them see whether they or their war-worn leader
possessed the greater wisdom.

According to Moslem chroniclers the valour of Kheyr-ed-Din was only
equalled by his piety; consequently he murmured a prayer into that famous
beard of his, which was now so much nearer to white than red, and gave
orders that the cannon shall be immediately disembarked. "Let the will of
God and of His Prophet be accomplished; that which is written is that which
will take place," exclaimed this pious man as he watched the preparations
being carried out under the supervision of Mourad-Reis.

That which "took place" was precisely and exactly what the Commander-in-
Chief had predicted from the first: no sooner h