ppen until you arrived. We expected that you would be here
before noon; but we decided that, should they get here before you, we
from our galley would embark on Santoval's, as it was better to fight in
one strongly manned boat than to divide our forces.

"It was scarce half an hour after Santoval came down before the men left
on the lookout appeared on the beach. On fetching them off, they told us
that as soon as they reached the top of the hill they saw five vessels
approaching with sails and oars, and that they would be here in half an
hour at the outside. We at once abandoned my galley, brought the rowers
and the wounded here, and prepared for the fight. As you saw, they ran
their two biggest ships alongside us, and for two hours the fight went
on. They were crowded with men, who in vain strove to get a footing on
our decks. Had we only had these two to deal with, we should have had
nothing to fear, heavily manned though they were; but the other three
kept sailing backwards and forwards, discharging their guns into us as
they passed, firing not only shot, but bags of bullets.

"Their gunners were skilful, and, as you see, they have completely
riddled our poop. Twenty knights have been killed, and eleven others are
sorely wounded. Scarce one has escaped unscathed. You may guess, then,
how welcome was your aid, which we had not expected for another three
hours. We were on the point of abandoning the waist and gathering on the
poop, which we could still have defended for a considerable time, when,
as if dropped from the skies, you fell upon the pirates, and turned the
tables. How is it that you were here so early?"

"We started at three o'clock, instead of waiting for daybreak. It
seemed, from the story of the two young knights, that it was possible
you might be attacked early, and, crippled as your command was, and with
four prizes on your hands, I deemed it best to come on as soon as the
rowers had had a few hours' rest."

"It is well that you did so; it would have been a grievous affair had
two of our galleys been captured by the pirates. It would have been a
blow to the prestige of the Order, and would have brought such strength
to Hassan Ali and other pirate leaders that nothing short of sending out
a fleet would have recovered our ascendancy; and as every ducat we
can spare has to be spent on the fortifications, it would have been a
misfortune indeed had we been obliged to fit out such an expedition at
present.