Page 271 - A Knight of the White Cross

The captain's irritation showed itself in his treatment of the other captives.
These were brought up every day from the hold, and kept on deck until

dark, as the price they would fetch in the slave market in Tripoli would
depend greatly upon their health and appearance; but when the captain

came near them he several times struck them brutally, if they happened to
be in his way. Gervaise had the greatest difficulty in restraining his
indignation, and, indeed, only did so because he felt that his interference

would but make things worse for them. When at last the ship cast anchor
off Tripoli, the captain ordered the boats to be lowered. As he walked

towards the gangway, he happened to push against one of the captives, a
Greek girl of some ten years of age. With an angry exclamation he struck
her to the deck. Gervaise sprang forward.

"You brute!" he exclaimed in English. "I have a good mind to throw you

overboard, and will do so the next time you strike one of these children
without cause."

Infuriated by Gervaise's interference and threatening attitude, the corsair
drew his long knife; but before he could strike, Gervaise caught his wrist;

the knife fell from his hand, and Gervaise kicked it through the open
gangway into the sea. The captain shouted to his men to seize the Christian,
but the young knight's blood was up now. The first man who came at him

he seized by the sash round his waist, and threw overboard; the two next he
stretched on the deck with blows from his clenched fist. Some of the others

now drew their weapons, but the captain shouted to them to sheath them.

"Fools!" he yelled. "Is it not enough that your cowardice has already cost us

the lives of three knights, whose capture would have brought us a big sum?
Throw him down and bind him. What! are fifty of you afraid of one

unarmed man? No wonder these Christians capture our ships, if this is the
mettle of our crews!"

Goaded by his words, the men made a general rush upon Gervaise, and, in
spite of his desperate efforts, threw him on to the deck and bound him; then

the captain, seizing a heavy stick in his left hand, his right being still
powerless, showered blows upon him until Gervaise almost lost