Page 174 - A Knight of the White Cross

crew of the new galley, and the bailiffs had some trouble in choosing
among the aspirants. Very few were selected outside the rank of professed

knights, and as great pains were taken to comply with the grand master's
wishes that only young knights of good conduct and disposition, and

distinguished by their proficiency in warlike exercises, should be chosen,
the crew was in every way a picked one. Most of them had made one or
two of the three months' voyages in the galleys, though comparatively few

had had the good fortune to be absolutely engaged with the Moslem pirates.

To the great satisfaction of himself and Gervaise, Ralph Harcourt was
nominated lieutenant of the galley. The fact that so many had volunteered
impressed all those who were chosen with the sense that it was at once an

honour and a piece of good fortune to be selected, and all were determined
that the boy galley, as the elder knights laughingly termed it, should do

honour to the Order.

It was a fortnight before she was launched. Gervaise had heard, with great

satisfaction, that it had been decided by the council that no punishment
should be inflicted upon the slaves for their share in the intended rising at

St. Pelagius. All were guilty, and there was no means of saying who had
taken prominent parts in the plot. The council felt that it was but natural
that they should grasp at the prospect of freedom, for they themselves

would have done the same had they been captives of the infidels. Even the
warders and guards were allowed to go unpunished, although their offence

was a much more serious one. Those who could have named the men who
had accepted bribes were dead, and the lesson had been so severe a one that
there was no probability of any again turning traitors. The author of the

rising had been publicly executed. Seeing the hopelessness of denial, he
had boldly avowed his share in the matter, and had acknowledged that he

was acting as agent for the sultan, and had been supplied with ample funds
before leaving Constantinople.

He declared that he was absolutely unable to give any names whatever of
those concerned in the plot, save those of the two overseers, as these had

undertaken the work of suborning the warders and guards, though he
admitted that he had on several occasions spoken to slaves as the gangs