y robes and buckled on swords.

"I am glad to see that you are better," Gervaise said, as he went up to
greet them. "Twenty years seem to have dropped off your shoulders since
this morning."

"We are not the same men, Sir Gervaise. We were slaves, and are now
free. We were Christian dogs; now we are Christian knights. We were
subject to scoffs and blows; now, thank God, we have swords to strike
with, and though as yet our arms may not have regained their full
strength, we could at least bear a share in a fray. Our comrades have
been telling us somewhat of how this wonderful thing has come about,
and have been explaining what at first filled us with surprise, that a
galley should be manned solely by young knights, of whom their commander
is one of the youngest. We can testify, at least, that had the grand
master been himself in command, and his crew composed of veteran
knights, he could have done no better."

"We were fortunate in taking them so much by surprise that the first of
their ships fell into our hands before her consorts could come to her
assistance; and her guns did us good service in our struggle with the
others."

"The matter was well arranged, as well as gallantly fought," one of the
other knights said. "Had you first fallen foul of the chief's galley,
it would have gone hard with you, for his crew were so strong that you
could scarce have overcome them before the other two vessels came up to
his assistance."

"Now let us to our meal," Gervaise said.

The three knights were placed at the head of the table by him, and it
was pleasant to see how they enjoyed their food.

"I can scarce persuade myself that I am not dreaming," Caretto said.
"Sometimes, when lying at night, wet through with the damp air, I have
wondered to myself whether I could ever have lived thus, and whether
I should ever exchange my hard bread and water for what seemed to me
fabulous luxuries, though at the time one had taken them as a matter of
course. You cannot tell how strange it feels to me to come back to the
old life again."

"You will soon be accustomed to it," Gervaise said, with a smile, "and
then you will look upon your captivity as a dream, just as you then
regarded your past life."

"I suppose, Sir Gervaise," Pietro Forzi said, "that you will sail direct
for Rhodes with your prizes?"

"No indeed," Gervaise replied. "At the same time that we learned, from a
dying man left on board the ship the pirates captured yeste