e hundred Knights of St. John and thirteen hundred soldiers had
indeed fallen in the first, but its capture had closed the lives of
eight thousand Turks. "If the child has cost us so dear," said
Mustafa, "what will the parent cost?" The Turkish general sent a flag
of truce to La Valette, to propose terms of capitulation, but in vain.
Mutual animosity had been worked to a height of indignant passion by a
barbarous massacre of prisoners on both sides, each in view of the
other. The Grand Master's first impulse was to hang the messenger of
such foes: he thought better of it, and showed him the depth of the
ditch that encircled the twin forts: "Let your Janissaries come and
take that," he said, and contemptuously dismissed him.

A new siege now began. The forts on the east of La Marsa had been
sorely drained to fill up the gaps in the garrison at St. Elmo, and it
was fortunate that Don Juan de Cardona had been able to send a
reinforcement, though only of six hundred men, under Melchior de
Robles, to the Old Town, whence they contrived to reach Fort St.
Michael in safety.[45] Even six hundred men added materially to the
difficulties of the siege: for, be it remembered, six hundred men
behind skilfully constructed fortifications may be worth six thousand
in the open. It was very hard for the besiegers to find cover. The
ground was hard rock, and cutting trenches was extremely arduous work,
and the noise of the picks directed the fire of the forts by night
upon the sappers. Nevertheless by July 5th four batteries were playing
upon St. Michael from the heights of St. Margaret and Conradin, while
the guns of Fort St. Elmo opened from the other side; and soon a line
of cannon on Mount Salvador dominated the English Port. An attempt to
bring a flotilla of gun-boats into the Harbour of the Galleys failed,
after a vigorous conflict between a party of Turkish swimmers, who
strove with axes to cut the chain that barred the port, and some
Maltese who swam to oppose them, sword in teeth. The battle in the
water ended in the flight of the Turks.

[Illustration: SKETCH OF THE PORT OF MALTA IN 1565.]

Ten distinct general assaults were delivered with all the fury of
Janissaries against the stronghold. First, a grand assault by sea was
ordered on July 15th. Three columns simultaneously advanced by night
on Fort St. Michael: one landed in the Arenela and marched to attack
the eastern suburb La Bormula; the second came down from the heights