“There are sixteen lights, I have just been counting them,” Matteo said.

“These are probably the fourteen galleys captured with us, and two galleys as guards, in case, on their way, they should fall in with any of our ships.

“Parucchi, will you at once muster the men, and see that all are armed and in readiness for fighting?

“Matteo, do you and some of your friends assist the lieutenant.”

In a few minutes, Parucchi reported that the men were all ready for action.

“Rinaldo, brail up the sails, so that we may drop into the rear of the squadron.  Watch the lights of the vessels behind, and steer so that they shall pass us as widely as possible.”

This was the order the men were expecting to receive, but they were surprised when, just as the last light was abreast of them, Francis gave the order for the brails to be loosed again.

“Signor Parucchi, do you tell off fifty men.  I am going to lay the ship alongside that vessel, and recapture her.  They will not see us until we are close on board, and will suppose it is an accident when we run alongside.  No doubt they, like the Pluto, have only a complement of fifty men, and we shall overpower them before they are prepared to offer any resistance.

“No doubt they have prisoners below.  Immediately we have recaptured her, I shall return on board with the rest, leaving you with your fifty men in charge of her.  As soon as you have secured the Genoese, free any prisoners there may be in the hold.  I shall keep close to you, and you can hear me, and tell me how many there are.”

The Pluto was now edged away, till she was close to the other ship.  The crew, exulting in having turned the tables on the Genoese, and at the prospect of recovering another of the lost galleys, clustered in the waist, grasping their arms.  The ship was not perceived until she was within her own length of the other.  Then there was a sudden hail: 

“Where are you coming to?  Keep away, or you will be into us.  Why don’t you show your light?”

Francis shouted back some indistinct answer.  Rinaldo pushed down the helm, and a minute later the Pluto ran alongside the other vessel.  Half a dozen hands, told off for the work, sprang into her rigging, and lashed the vessels together; while Francis, followed by the crew, climbed the bulwarks and sprang on to the deck of the enemy.

Scarce a blow was struck.  The Genoese, astonished at this sudden apparition of armed men on their deck, and being entirely unarmed and unprepared, either ran down below or shouted they surrendered, and in two minutes the Venetians were masters of the vessel.

“Back to the Pluto,” Francis shouted.  “The vessels will tear their sides out!”

Almost as suddenly as they had invaded the decks of the galley, the Venetians regained their own vessel, leaving the lieutenant with his fifty men on board the prize.  The lashings were cut, the Pluto’s helm put up, and she sheered away from her prize.  Her bulwarks were broken and splintered where she had ground against the other vessel in the sea, and Rinaldo soon reported that some of the seams had opened, and the water was coming in.