sued, in which science was of no avail, and victory
waited on the strongest. In the end the janizaries were forced to
retreat in their turn. Every inch of ground was contested; until the
Turks, pressed hard by their adversaries, fell back into the ravelin,
where, with the aid of their comrades, they made a resolute stand
against the Christians. Two cannon of the fortress were now brought to
bear on the outwork. But, though their volleys told with murderous
effect, the Turks threw themselves into the midst of the fire, and
fearlessly toiled, until, by means of gabions, sand-bags, and other
materials, they had built up a parapet which secured them from
annoyance. All further contest was rendered useless; and the knights,
abandoning this important outwork to the assailants, sullenly withdrew
into the fortress.[1311]

While this was going on, a fresh body of Turks, bursting into the ditch,
through a breach in the counterscarp, endeavored to carry the fortress
by escalade. Fortunately, their ladders were too short; and the
garrison, plying them with volleys of musketry, poured down, at the same
time, such a torrent of missiles on their heads as soon strewed the
ditch with mangled limbs and carcasses. At this moment a party, sallying
from the fort, fell on the enemy with great slaughter, and drove
them--such as were in condition to fly--back into their trenches.

The engagement, brought on, as we have seen, by accident, lasted several
hours. The loss of the Turks greatly exceeded that of the garrison,
which amounted to less than a hundred men, twenty of whom were members
of the order. But the greatest loss of the besieged was that of the
counterscarp and ravelin. Thus shorn of its outworks, the castle of St.
Elmo stood like some bare and solitary trunk exposed to all the fury of
the tempest.[1312]

The loss of the ravelin gave the deepest concern to La Valette, which
was not mitigated by the consideration that it was to be charged, in
part at least, on the negligence of its defenders. It made him the more
solicitous to provide for the security of the castle; and he sent his
boats over to remove the wounded, and replace them by an equal number of
able-bodied knights and soldiers. It was his intention that the garrison
should not be encumbered with any who were unable to assist in the
defence. Among the new recruits was the Chevalier de Miranda,--one of
the most illustrious members of the order, who had lately arrived from
S