treacherous
orders might even reach the forts and be obeyed in all good faith, by
their Commanders before they could have any suspicion of the revolt of
the Council.

Of the wisdom and foresight of the Queen's Venetian Chamberlain the
Admiral had ample proof; since the Bernardini's message of alarm, sent
the night before the mutiny, had arrived only a few hours before it had
been followed by his second despatch, in swift and terrible
justification.

Because of these rumors Mutio di Costanzo, Admiral of Cyprus, had
ordered messages of warning sent to the chief citadels, as he had been
able, before he left Nikosia; and also because of them, he rode to-day
with a so scanty following not having dared to leave any points of
vantage without sufficient guard.

He turned and surveyed his little band of Knights with frowning
brows--his invincible Knights of the Golden Spurs--they seemed so few in
the face of the perplexities of his problem.

Not that any thought of personal danger for himself or for them, in the
few against the many, entered into his difficulties; but that the facts
made failure a possibility; and there must be no failure.

He raised his visor and each man saw his leader's face as the face of a
conqueror.

"_Coraggio_, Signori!" he cried; "our cause is just! God and San
Giovanni make strong our arms!"

Well might he be proud of this noble company pressing forward silently,
but with quickening pace, at sight of the urgency in their leader's
face.

No noble house of Cyprus could boast more ancient lineage, nor so many
knights entitled to wear the golden spurs, nor more honorable trophies
of the valor dear to knightly hearts. They rode all in full armor, some
bearing their famous shields of crimson with the quaint heraldic lion
rampant on his golden bar--the device which all men knew had been
granted them for extraordinary proof of prowess centuries before.

For this noble family the ancient city of Costanza had been named; and
the quaint church of Santa Maria di Costanza, rich in relics and in
decoration, had been the private chapel of their historic Castle.

To the assuring rhythm of their strenuous tramp the Admiral turned again
to his unsolved problems. For the galleys of Cyprus had hitherto been
kept armed by force, but recently their crews had been disbanded, in
obedience to a strange clause in the will of King Janus. Now, as Mutio
di Costanzo went on his way, wrapped in meditations that were not