his captain, he was in command of the ship which Messer
Polani placed at the service of the republic, and which was present at
the fight. The admiral intended, as I hear, to set out at once in
search of the fleet of Doria, and doubtless did not wish to weaken
himself by despatching a state galley with the news. But perhaps he may
explain the matter in his despatches."

Several other councillors had by this time arrived, and the despatches
were opened. The admiral's account of the engagement was brief, for he
was fonder of the sword than the pen. He stated that, having obtained
news that Fieschi's fleet was at anchor under the promontory of Antium,
he sailed thither with nine ships, these being all that were at the
moment fit to take to sea; that Fieschi had sailed out to meet him, and
that an engagement had taken place in the storm, which prevented the
ships from pursuing their usual tactics, and compelled them to fight
with missiles at a distance. The despatch then went on:

"We fought all day, and the upshot of it was, we captured four of their
galleys, the admiral himself, and eight hundred prisoners. Fortunately
it is unnecessary for me to give your seignory the details of the
fighting, as these can be furnished you by Messer Francisco Hammond,
who will hand you these despatches. He was a witness of the action on
the Bonito, which had that morning arrived at Antium with some of the
stores you despatched me. I have selected this young gentleman as the
bearer of these despatches, because it is to him I entirely owe it that
I am not at the present moment a prisoner in Genoa, and to him the
republic owes that we yesterday won a victory.

"I was attacked by Fieschi and by another galley, and, in spite of the
weather, they cast grapnels on to my ship and boarded me. I had already
lost half of my crew by their missiles, and things were going very
badly with us, when the Bonito came up to our assistance, and grappled
with one of the galleys. Her captain was killed, but Messer Hammond--of
whom Polani has so high an opinion that he had appointed him second in
command--led his men to my rescue. They boarded the galley and slew
those who remained on board, and then, crossing on to my ship, fell
upon the rear of the Genoese who were pressing us backwards. His
sailors, undefended as they were by armour, fought like demons with
their axes, and, led by Messer Hammond, cut their way through the enemy
and joined me.

"This reinfo