is his whole career bore witness.
He had delayed the issue from the soundest of strategical reasons, which
those under his command were too stupid and too prejudiced to understand:
what cared they for reason in their blind valour?--they wished only to do
or die heedless of the fact that their lives might be spent in vain. Truly
it was no thanks to the subordinates of Kheyr-ed-Din that this campaign did
not end in disaster to the arms of the Ottoman Porte. Such backing as the
admiral had came from among his own men, the corsairs whose lives had been
spent at sea, but their opinions were but dust in the balance once the
all-powerful Monuc ranged himself on the side of the malcontents.

"Let us then fight," said the admiral to Saleh-Reis, "or this fine talker
who is neither man nor woman will accuse us before the Grand Turk and we
shall all probably be hanged."

The Christian fleet during the night of September 26-7th had made some
thirty miles to the southward; just before daybreak the wind freshened and
drew right ahead; Doria approached the island of Santa Maura and anchored
under the small islet of Sessola.

Barbarossa had now decided to leave his anchorage, but the veteran seaman
did not disguise from himself the risks which he ran: a greater sea captain
than he once said "only numbers can annihilate," and it was at annihilation
that both the Moslem and the Christian aimed: in this case, however, he
knew that he could but hope for a hard-won victory, and only that if Allah
and his Prophet were unusually favourable to his cause. He assembled his
captains, many of whom had served with him during long periods of his
career, and directed them to form line: he said, "I have but one order to
give, follow my movements attentively and regulate your own accordingly."

With fustas, brigantines, galleots, and galleys, the Ottoman fleet amounted
in all to one hundred and forty sail. With shouts of joy the soldiers
hailed the command to weigh the anchors, and in a very short time all were
slowly moving seaward.

The die was cast: Doria from his anchorage at Sessola saw the sea white
with the sails of the enemy, the blue water churning to foam beneath the
strokes of his oars; the Ottoman fleet was issuing from the Gulf of Arta
manoeuvring with precision and deploying into a single line abreast; which
line being slightly concave, either from accident or design, resembled the
form of a crescent. In advance came six great fustas co