ndship had been cemented
during their voyage to Rhodes. Caretto had gone back to Italy, where
he had a commandery, a few days after Gervaise had sailed on his last
voyage, and had only returned to Rhodes three months before Gervaise
escaped from captivity.

"This is turning the tables," Caretto said, with a laugh, when Gervaise
presented the grand master's order. "I was under your command last time,
and now it seems that you are to be under mine. I suppose you applied
to come here, in order to have a fresh opportunity of distinguishing
yourself. I heard that you had been placed on D'Aubusson's own staff."

"Yes, and am on it still; and it is by his orders and not by my own
solicitation that I am here. I will tell you what my duties are. The
grand master knows the commanders of posts have their hands so full
that they will have no time for sending complete reports to him, and he
considers, moreover, that they might, in some cases, however pressed,
hesitate to ask for aid until too late for reinforcements to be brought
up. My duty will be to let the grand master know how matters are going,
and to send to him at once if it seems to me that help is needed. I
should, of course, always send for reinforcements, at the request of a
commander; but it is only in the event of his being too busy in the heat
of the fray to think of aught but resisting an attack, that I should
exercise my own judgment in the matter."

Caretto nodded.

"It is a good thought of D'Aubusson's. When one is in the thick of a
fight in a breach, with the Moslems swarming round, it does not occur to
one to draw out of the fray to send off messages. For myself, I shall be
glad indeed to have that matter off my mind, though it is not every one
I should care to trust with such a responsibility. Some might send off
for aid when it was not needed, others might delay so long that help
might come too late; but with one so cool headed as yourself I should
not fear any contingency. And now, as I am not busy at present, let us
have a comfortable talk as to what has happened since we met last. I was
at the banquet at the grand master's on the night when you related your
adventures. You had certainly much to tell, but it seems to me for some
reason or other you cut short certain details, and I could not see why,
as there seemed no prospect of escape open to you, you did not accept
the offer of Suleiman Ali to ransom you."

"I saw no chance of escape at the moment, b