rowing themselves on their knees, piteously begged for
mercy. "Such mercy," shouted the victors, "as you showed at St.
Elmo!"[1345] and buried their daggers in their bodies.

While this bloody work was going on below, the knights and soldiers,
gathered on the exposed points of the bastion above, presented an
obvious mark to the Turkish guns across the water, which had not been
worked during the assault, for fear of injuring the assailants. Now that
the Turks had vanished from the ramparts, some heavy shot were thrown
among the Christians, with fatal effect. Among others who were slain was
Frederic de Toledo, a son of the viceroy of Sicily. He was a young
knight of great promise, and was under the especial care of the
grand-master, who kept him constantly near his person. But when the
generous youth learned the extremity to which his brethren in La Sangle
were reduced, he secretly joined the reinforcement which was going to
their relief, and did his duty like a good knight in the combat which
followed. While on the rampart, he was struck down by a cannon-shot; and
a splinter from his cuirass mortally wounded a comrade to whom he was
speaking at the time.

While the fight was thus going on at the Spur, Hassem was storming the
breach of Fort St. Michael, on the opposite quarter. The storming-party,
consisting of both Moors and Turks, rushed to the assault with their
usual intrepidity. But they found a very different enemy from the
spectral forms which, wasted by toil and suffering, had opposed so
ineffectual a resistance in the last days of St. Elmo. In vain did the
rushing tide of assailants endeavor to force an opening through the
stern array of warriors, which, like a wall of iron, now filled up the
breach. Recoiling in confusion, the leading files fell back upon the
rear, and all was disorder. But Hassem soon re-formed his ranks, and
again led them to the charge. Again they were repulsed with loss; but as
fresh troops came to their aid, the little garrison must have been borne
down by numbers, had not their comrades, flushed with their recent
victory at the bastion, hurried to their support, and, sweeping like a
whirlwind through the breach, driven the enemy with dreadful carnage
along the slope, and compelled him to take refuge in his trenches.

Thus ended the first assault of the besiegers since the fall of St.
Elmo. The success of the Christians was complete. Between three and four
thousand Mussulmans, including t