e masts as soon as they have passed. Then directly it is
dark we will man our oars and row to the southwest. We shall be far
away before morning, even if they look further for us, which they are
hardly likely to do."

"How about the prisoners, captain?"

"We have no choice but to take them with us, Messer Francisco. I am
sure I do not want to be bothered with them, but we cannot land them
before we leave, or they would carry the news to Girgenti in an hour,
and we should be caught the first thing in the morning."

It was late in the afternoon before the galley was seen returning,
rowing slowly and heavily.

"I expect," the captain said, "they kept up the racing pace at which
they started for some four hours. By that time they must have been
completely worn out, and no doubt they anchored and waited for some
hours for the men to feed and rest themselves, for from the hurry with
which they started you may be sure that they did not wait to break
their fast.

"I would give a month's pay to be in that harbour this evening. What
tempers they must be in when they find, after all their toil, that we
have slipped through their fingers, How they will talk the matter over,
and discuss which way we went. How the men in each ship will say that
the others cannot have used their eyes or exerted themselves, else we
must have been overtaken. Messer Francisco, I am indebted to you, not
only for having saved the ship, but for giving me a joke, which I shall
laugh over whenever I think of it. It will be a grand story to tell
over the wine cups, how we cheated a whole Genoese fleet, and carried
off the Lido from under their noses. What a tale it will be to relate
to a Genoese, when we meet in some port after the war is over; it will
be enough to make him dance with rage.

"Now, lads," he went on, turning to the men, "stand to your tackle. The
moment that galley gets out of sight round the point, up with the
mast."

Ten minutes later the masts were up, stout ropes were lashed round them
and the stumps, and wedges driven in to tighten the cords to the
utmost. The rigging was of the simplest description, and before dark
everything was in readiness for hoisting the sails.

"I don't think they can make us out now," the captain said.

"I don't think they could," Francis agreed; "but we had better wait
another quarter of an hour. It would be absurd to run any risk after
everything has turned out so well; but the men can get into the boa