had before
destroyed the corsair fleet at Sardinia with fire ships, and the
proposal seemed to me as an inspiration sent from Heaven, at this moment
of our great peril. I wrote him an order, giving him full authority to
act in my name, and in a time that seemed to me incredibly short I saw
him round the point with the fire ships in tow. You saw, as well as
I did, how completely the plan was carried out. Ten or twelve of the
Turkish ships are a mass of flames, and besides these I noted that
the galley ran down and destroyed several smaller craft filled with
soldiers. The panic in the ships spread to the troops on shore, and
rendered the last part of our task an easy one. I say it from my heart
that I consider it is to Sir Gervaise Tresham that we owe our success,
and that, had it not been for his happy thought, the sun would have gone
down on our dead bodies lying on the summit of the breach, and on the
Turkish flag waving over the fort of St. Nicholas."

Until now none of the defenders of the breach had known how what seemed
to them an almost miraculous change in the fortune of the fight had come
about, and they thronged round Gervaise, shaking his hand, and many of
them warmly embracing him, according to the custom of the time.

"It was but natural that the idea should occur to me," he said, "having
before successfully encountered them with fire ships; and as all on
shore, and especially these knights, aided me with all their power, it
took but a brief time to get the boats in readiness for burning. Much
credit, too, is due to the merchant captains and sailors who volunteered
to take charge of the fire ships and to manoeuver them alongside the
Turks."

The grand master and the knights who had borne the brunt of the battle
now retired along the mole to the town, bearing with them their most
seriously wounded comrades, and assisting those whose wounds were less
severe. The twenty knights who had manned the two galleys remained in
the fort. Caretto continued in command, as, although he had suffered
several wounds, he refused to relinquish his post. Gervaise, who
had,--thanks partly to his skill with his weapons, but still more to
the temper of the splendid suit of armour presented to him by
Genoa,--escaped without a scratch, volunteered to remain with him until
next morning, his principal motive for making the request being his
desire to escape from further congratulations and praise for the success
of his plan. After