Page 241 - A Knight of the White Cross

rendered us. It would have seemed to me well nigh incredible that a single
galley, even if commanded and manned by the most famous knights of your

great Order, should have accomplished so extraordinary a feat. Still more
strange is it that it should have been performed by so young a knight, with a

crew composed, as Sir Fabricius Caretto has told us, of knights chosen
from among the youngest of the Order."

"You give far more credit to us, your Highness, than we deserve," Gervaise
replied. "Three of the ships were indeed captured in fair fight, but we

caught the rest asleep and massed together as to be incapable of successful
resistance, and they fell easy victims to the fire ships we launched against
them. Any credit that is due to me is shared equally by my subcommander

here, Sir Ralph Harcourt, and indeed by every knight of my company."

"This, doubtless, may be so, Sir Gervaise," the doge said, with a slight
smile, "but it is to the head that plans, rather than to the hand that strikes,
that such success as you have achieved is due; and the credit of this night

attack is, as the cavalier Caretto tells me, wholly yours, for until you issued
your final orders it seemed to him, and to the two good knights his

companions, that there was naught to do but to remain in port and watch
this corsair fleet sail away to carry out its work of destruction."

By this time they had reached the poop of the galley. Gervaise now called
forward the knights one by one, and presented them to the doge, who

expressed to them all the gratitude felt by himself and the whole of the
citizens of Genoa for the service they had rendered to the Republic. This
ceremony being over, the knights broke up their ranks and conversed for a

few minutes with those who had come on board with the doge. The latter
then took his place in the barge with his companions, inviting Gervaise and

Ralph to accompany him. As the barge left the side of the galley, which
followed closely behind her, the guns again thundered out their welcome,
and a roar of greeting rose from the inhabitants. On landing, the party

waited until the knights had joined them, and then proceeded up the street
to the ducal palace, amidst enthusiastic cheering from the crowd that lined

the road, occupied the windows and balconies, and even scrambled on the
housetops, the ladies waving their handkerchiefs and scarves.