ing you at
the house of my patron, Signor Polani, and you were good enough to
offer to take me with you to sea."

"Oh, I remember now!" Pisani said. "But how came you here?"

"I came in the Bonito, one of Polani's ships. She is lying outside the
farther of the Venetian galleys. We bring from Venice some of the
stores for which you sent. We were lying off, watching the battle,
until we saw that you were sore beset and in need of help, and could
then no longer remain inactive. Our captain was killed by an arrow as
we ranged up alongside of the galley, and I am now in command. This is
my friend, Matteo Giustiniani, a volunteer on board the Bonito."

"I remember you, Master Matteo," Pisani said, as he shook him by the
hand. "I have seen you often at your father's house. I shall have to
give him a good account of you, for I saw you fighting bravely.

"But we will talk more of this afterwards. We must set to work to
separate the galleys, or we shall have them grinding each other to
pieces. Then we must hasten to the assistance of our friends."

The Genoese prisoners were all fastened below, and the Venetians then
set to work to cut the lashings and free the rigging of the ships.
Francis kept only twenty men on board the Bonito. The remainder were
distributed between the two captured Genoese galleys, and the admiral
turned his attention to the battle.

But it was already almost over. The sight of the Venetian flag, at the
mastheads of the admiral's ship and the other galley, struck dismay
into the Genoese. Five of their ships immediately hoisted all canvas
and made off, while the other two, surrounded by the Venetian galleys,
hauled down their flags.

The battle had been a sanguinary one, and but eight hundred men were
found alive on board the four galleys captured. The fight is known in
history as the battle of Porto d'Anzo. The struggle had lasted nearly
the whole day, and it was growing dark when the Venetian fleet, with
their prizes, anchored under shelter of the land.

All night long the work of attending upon the wounded went on, and it
was daybreak before the wearied crews lay down for repose. In the
afternoon, Pisani hoisted a signal for the captains of the galleys to
come on board; and in their presence he formally thanked Francis, in
the name of the republic, for the aid he had afforded him at the most
critical moment. Had it not been for that aid, he acknowledged that he
and his crew must have succumbed, an