Page 270 - A Knight of the White Cross

the explanation seemed to him a reasonable one.

"I wish I had known it," he said after a pause; "for had I done so, I would
have fought and captured her yesterday; I have half a mind to go back and

seek her now."

He called up one of the ex slaves who was a native of Tripoli, and who had

now taken his place as a member of the crew, and asked him a number of
questions. Gervaise felt uncomfortable while the man was answering.

Fortunately, his rowers had agreed to say nothing whatever of the
destruction of the corsair fleet, of which no word had as yet reached the
pirates, deeming that, in their anger at the news, the pirates might turn upon

them for the part that they had, however involuntarily, borne in it.

As soon as he perceived that the captain entertained the idea of returning to
engage the galley, the man felt that if he were to avoid a return into
captivity he must deter him from taking such a step. He therefore, in answer

to his questions as to the strength of the crew of the galley and the fighting
powers of the knights, reported the capture of the three vessels. The captain

listened almost incredulously to his statement, and, calling up another two
of the men, questioned them also as to the occurrence. Having heard them,
he turned away and paced the deck, in evident anger; however, he gave no

instructions for a change of course, and, to the great satisfaction of the eight
rescued slaves, the vessel continued her course southward.

As they neared the African coast, Gervaise kept an eager lookout, in hopes
that Visconti's galley might appear in sight. The captain's temper had not

recovered from the effect of the news of the capture of three Moorish
vessels by the galley commanded by Gervaise, and the latter, seeing the

mood he was in, kept forward so as to avoid coming in contact with him.
He had early taken the opportunity of saying to one of the released galley
slaves, "I pray you, if you have any feeling of kindness towards me for the

efforts I made to alleviate your condition, say no word of my knowledge of
Turkish, and ask the others also to remain silent on this point."

The man had nodded, and the request was observed by them all.