, and come along at once," Polani said. "I
deeply regret the death of the captain and sailors. You shall tell me
all about it as we come along. We must not delay a moment in carrying
this great news ashore. Have you got the despatches?"

"Yes, signor. I put them into my doublet when I saw you approaching,
thinking that you would probably wish me to take them on shore at
once."

"And now tell me all about the battle," the merchant said as soon as
they had taken their seats in the gondola. "You say there were nine
ships on either side. Pisani sailed away with fourteen. Has he lost the
remainder?"

"They came up next day," Francis replied. "The fleet was in a port
north of Antium when the news came that Fieschi's fleet was there. Five
of the galleys had been dismantled, and were under repair, and Pisani
would not wait for them to be got into fighting order, as he was afraid
lest Fieschi might weigh anchor and escape if he delayed an hour. He
learned that the Genoese had nine ships with him, and as he had himself
this number ready for sea, he sailed at once.

"The weather was stormy, and the sea very high, when he appeared within
sight of Antium. Fieschi sailed boldly out to meet him. The battle
lasted all day, for it was next to impossible to board; but in the end,
as I say, four Genoese galleys surrendered and the rest fled. It was a
terrible sight; for it seemed at every moment as if the waves would
hurl the vessels against each other, and so break them into fragments;
but in no case did such an accident happen."

"Why, you speak as if you saw it, Francisco! Had you joined the admiral
before the battle took place?"

"No, signor. We arrived near Antium on the evening before the fight,
and heard of Fieschi's presence there. Therefore we anchored south of
the promontory. In the morning we put out, intending to sail well out
to sea and so pass the Genoese, who were not likely, in such weather,
to put out to question a sail passing in the distance; but as we made
off from land we saw Pisani's fleet approaching. Then, as Fieschi put
to sea and we saw that the battle was imminent, there was nothing for
us to do but to lie to, and wait for the battle to be over, before we
delivered our stores, having little doubt that Pisani would be
victorious."

"Then had the battle gone the other way," the merchant said, "the
Bonito at the present moment would probably be lying a prize in the
harbour of Genoa!"

"We did not lose si