“Giuseppi,” Francis said, “do you act as guide to the party.  You will have plenty of time to get to the top and to return before the galleys come along.”

A quarter of an hour later the captain, with Matteo and Francis, landed on the ledge, and took the place of the sentries, and in twenty minutes a simultaneous exclamation burst from them, as a Genoese galley was seen rowing rapidly along.

“They have sent only one galley,” Francis said.  “Of course, they would know that it was sufficiently strong to overpower us without difficulty.  I suppose one has gone west, and the others have put out to sea in different directions.  That certainly was the best course they could have adopted, and it is very lucky that we did not attempt to escape seaward, for they would assuredly have had us.  I suppose, captain, you intend to sail tonight.”

“Certainly,” the captain replied.  “We will get everything in readiness for hoisting the masts as soon as the galley has passed us on its way back.  There is no fear of their coming along again later on, for the men will have had an eight hours’ row of it; the first part, at any rate, at full speed.  Besides, they will not know, until all the galleys return, that we have not been found, so I think it will be quite safe to get up the masts as soon as they have passed.  Then directly it is dark we will man our oars and row to the southwest.  We shall be far away before morning, even if they look further for us, which they are hardly likely to do.”

“How about the prisoners, captain?”

“We have no choice but to take them with us, Messer Francisco.  I am sure I do not want to be bothered with them, but we cannot land them before we leave, or they would carry the news to Girgenti in an hour, and we should be caught the first thing in the morning.”

It was late in the afternoon before the galley was seen returning, rowing slowly and heavily.

“I expect,” the captain said, “they kept up the racing pace at which they started for some four hours.  By that time they must have been completely worn out, and no doubt they anchored and waited for some hours for the men to feed and rest themselves, for from the hurry with which they started you may be sure that they did not wait to break their fast.

“I would give a month’s pay to be in that harbour this evening.  What tempers they must be in when they find, after all their toil, that we have slipped through their fingers, How they will talk the matter over, and discuss which way we went.  How the men in each ship will say that the others cannot have used their eyes or exerted themselves, else we must have been overtaken.  Messer Francisco, I am indebted to you, not only for having saved the ship, but for giving me a joke, which I shall laugh over whenever I think of it.  It will be a grand story to tell over the wine cups, how we cheated a whole Genoese fleet, and carried off the Lido from under their noses.  What a tale it will be to relate to a Genoese, when we meet in some port after the war is over; it will be enough to make him dance with rage.