Page 269 - A Knight of the White Cross

and despairing acceptance of their fate; the sailors, newly captured, had for
hours raved and cursed, but, worn out by their struggle with the elements,

and their rage and grief, they had now fallen asleep.

It was long before Gervaise dozed off. He was furious with himself for
having fallen into the trap; if he had, as he said to himself, lain off the
beach in the boat, and questioned the supposed shipwrecked sailors, their

inability to reply to him would have at once put him on his guard; as it was,
he had walked into the snare as carelessly and confidently as a child might

have done. Even more than his own captivity, he regretted the death of his
three comrades, which he attributed to his own want of care. The next
morning he was again allowed on deck. The vessel was under way, and her

head was pointing south. To his surprise some of the crew gave him a
friendly greeting; he was unable to understand a manner so at variance with

their hatred to the Christians, until one of them said to him in a mixture of
Greek and Italian, "We have heard from our countrymen who were in the
boat with you, that they received much kindness at your hands, and that of

all the Christians they had served under, you were the kindest master.
Therefore, it is but right now Allah has decreed that you in turn should be a

slave to the true believers, that you should receive the same mercy you
gave to Moslems when they were in your power."

The captain came up as the man was speaking. He talked for a time to the
sailor, who then turned again to Gervaise. "The captain says that he is told

you were the commander of that galley; he has questioned the eight men
separately, and they all tell the same story: and yet he cannot understand
how so young a man should command a galley manned by warriors famous

for their deeds of arms, even among us who are their foes."

"This galley was an exception," Gervaise replied; "the knights on board
were all young, as they could be better spared than those more experienced,
at a time when your sultan is known to be preparing for an attack on

Rhodes."

The captain was silent for a minute when this was interpreted to him; he
had at the time noticed and wondered at the youth of the four knights, and