ad Mourad-Reis landed upon
the exposed beach, and attempted to open a trench, than he was met by a
furious and concentrated fire from the galleys and nefs of the Christian
fleet. To entrench themselves was impossible in the circumstances, as they
had been told by the Admiral before they started on this harebrained
adventure. There could be only one result, which was that, after a cruel
and perfectly useless slaughter, the soldiers of Mourad-Reis had to retreat
before the hail of shot poured upon them, and to return ignominiously to
their vessels.

It is not on record what Kheyr-ed-Din said to Sinan, Mourad, and those
other tacticians who had recommended the landing; which perhaps is a pity.

Doria then made a tentative movement against the strait by a detachment of
galleys; Barbarossa told off an equal number to oppose them, and they
mutually cannonaded and skirmished during the day. There was much noise and
excitement, but practically no advantage was gained by either side, as
Doria's men could not risk passing the guns of the fort, nor could those of
Barbarossa the chance of being cannonaded by the heavy vessels lying in
wait-for them outside. And so the day closed down with no success on either
side, but with a decisive demonstration to the Moslems that, if they
desired victory, to their admiral had better be left the organisation by
which it was to be obtained.

Whether Doria really desired a pitched battle can never be known; that
which is certain is that, during the whole time the fleets were in touch,
all his dispositions make it appear there was nothing of which he was so
much afraid. And yet it was the opportunity of his life; he had superiority
in numbers, he had valiant and experienced leaders, and sixty thousand men
thirsting for battle, under his command. Also he had his opportunity,
which, had he seized upon, must have ended in victory, did those who were
under his orders only fight as he had every reason to believe that they
would. As it was, he threw away the gift of fortune, and left to the
Osmanli the practical dominance of the Mediterranean Sea until that great
day in 1571 when Don John of Austria, the natural son of Charles V., proved
to the world at Lepanto that the Turk was not invincible upon the waters.

It is true that Doria was awkwardly situated; Kheyr-ed-Din held the
interior position, and that leader was a great believer in the adage that
"if Brag is a good dog, Holdfast is a better." He w