off again, for if
some more of these villains have escaped and carried the news to Hassan
Ali, our swords may be sorely needed by Ricord and Santoval tomorrow."

CHAPTER VI KNIGHTED

At three in the morning all on board the galley were astir. A ration
of bread and meat was served out to the slaves, and the boat was soon
afterwards under way. The rowers of the English knight's boat had been
warmly commended by the commander and placed in charge of the overseer,
with instructions that they were to be treated as free men. As soon as
the galley slaves set to work, however, they seated themselves on
the benches and double banked some of the oars, anxious to please the
knights. With the exception of those whose turn it was to be on watch,
most of the knights slept until daybreak.

"At the rate we are rowing, Gervaise," Harcourt said, as they went up
on to the poop together, "it will not take us very long to join our
friends. We are going through the water at fully six miles an hour; and
as we have already been two hours under way, in another three we shall
be there."

An hour and a half later they passed the island where they had landed.
The two young knights pointed out to the others the valley into which
they had descended, and the point round which they had swum. In a few
minutes they caught sight of the landing place.

"Look, Gervaise, there is something black showing just above the water."

"I see it. I think it is a line of timbers. There were certainly no
rocks there when we ran ashore."

"Then Santoval must have found the craft still there and burnt her," one
of the knights standing by remarked, "and the pirates are caged up. It
will take them some time to make a raft that will carry them to the next
island, and before they can do that we shall be back again. I shall be
sorry if they escape, for they are as ruthless a set of villains as sail
the seas."

The galley had traversed half the remaining distance when the sound of
a gun was faintly heard. For a moment there was an absolute hush on the
poop; then three or four shots in rapid succession were heard.

"Some more pirate ships must have come up," the commander exclaimed.
Then he shouted down to the slaves, "Row, men--row for your lives!
Overseer, do not spare your lash if any hang back from their work."

The galley had been travelling fast before, but her speed greatly
increased as the slaves rowed their hardest. Fast as she was travelling,
the im