hat they are quite tired
out."

Then said the Good Knight: "I warrant that those are their foot-soldiers we
fought against to-day, who would not walk any further. If you feel disposed
we will go and take them. The moon is bright to-night, let us feed our
horses and at about three or four o'clock we will go and wake them."

This suggestion was quite approved of; they all did their best with the
horses, and after having set the watch, they all went to rest. But Bayard
was too full of his enterprise to take any sleep; so towards three hours
after midnight he quietly roused his men and set forth with them on
horseback, riding in perfect silence to the village where the Venetian
foot-soldiers were staying. He found them, as he had expected, fast asleep
"like fat pigs," without any watch as far as he could see. The new-comers
began to shout, "Empire! Empire! France! France!" and to this joyous cry
the bumpkins awoke, coming one by one out of their shelter to be slain like
beasts. Their captain, accompanied by two or three hundred men, threw
himself into the market-place and tried to make a stand there; but no time
was given him, for he was charged from so many directions that he and all
his men were attacked and defeated, so that only three remained alive.
These were the captain and two other gentlemen, who were brothers, and
afterwards were exchanged for French gentlemen who were in prisons at
Venice.

Having accomplished their work, the Good Knight and his company made their
way back to Verona, where they were received with great honour. On the
other hand, when the Venetians heard of the loss of their men they were
furious, and the Doge Andrea Gritti sharply blamed Manfroni for leaving
them behind.

We may mention here that this Giovanni Paolo Manfroni was a splendid
soldier and one of the finest captains of men-at-arms in Italy at this
period.

Manfroni had a certain spy, who often went backwards and forwards between
Venona and San Bonifacio, and who served both him and the Good Knight; but
those treacherous spies always serve one better than the other, and this
one hoped for the most gain from the Venetian.

So one day Manfroni said to him: "You must go to Verona and let Captain
Bayard know that the Council of Venice wish me to be sent in command of
Lignano, a fortified town on the Adige, as the present governor is ordered
to the Levant with a number of galleys. Tell Bayard that you know for
certain that I start to