his luckier days with the promise of enormous
treasures and detained ever since. This Italian's name was Caretto. It
was his science that had made Janina so strong. The clumsy valor of
the Turkish gunners fell to dust before the strategy of the Italian
engineer. Of late Caretto was much exercised by the thought that he
might be discharged without a farthing, but discharge was now out of
the question. If Caretto were outside the gates of Janina, then the
fate of Janina would be in his hands, for every bastion, every
subterranean mine, every corner of the fortress was known to him.

Now at home in Palermo was Caretto's betrothed, who, as the daughter
of a wealthy family, could only be his if he also had the command of
riches; and that was the chief reason why the youth had accepted the
offer of the tyrant of Epirus. And now tidings reached him from Sicily
that the parents of his bride were dead, and that she was awaiting him
with open arms; let him only come to her, poor fellow, even if he
brought nothing with him but the beggar's staff. And go he could not,
for Ali Pasha held him fast. He had to point the guns, and send forth
hissing bullets amongst the besiegers, and defend the fortress to the
last, while his beloved bride awaited him at home.

One day, as Caretto was directing the guns, a grenade fired from the
heights of Lithanizza burst over his head and struck out his left eye.
Caretto asked himself bitterly whether his bride would be able to love
him with a face so disfigured. Henceforth he went about constantly
with a black bandage about his wounded face, and the besiegers called
him "the one-eyed Giaour."

One fine morning in February Kurshid Pasha again directed a fierce
fire against the fortress. The siege guns had now arrived which the
army had used against Cassandra, and after a three hours' cannonade,
the destructive effect of the new battery was patent, for the tower of
the northern bastion lay in ruins. Ali Pasha galloped furiously up and
down the bastions, stimulating and threatening the gunners with a
drawn sword in his hand. Whoever quitted his place instantly fell a
victim beneath Ali's own hand. Caretto was standing nonchalantly
beside a gabion, whence he directed the fire of the most powerful of
all the batteries, each gun of which was a thirty-six pounder. The
guns of this battery discharged thirty balls each every hour.

All at once the battery stopped firing.

Transported with rage, Ali Pasha