Then for a moment he looked round.  The prize was creeping up, and was a length or two away, coming up alongside.  Its approach was also noticed by the pirates, who, with wild shouts, flung themselves upon their opponents.  Gervaise sprang forward to take the place of a young Italian knight, who staggered back, with his helmet cleft by a heavy blow from the keen yataghan of the pirate captain.  The corsair, shouting his war cry of “Allah!” sprang with the bound of a wild cat upon Gervaise; his weapon descended on his uplifted guard, and shore right through the stout blade.  With a shout of triumph, the corsair raised his arm to repeat the blow; but Gervaise in turn sprang forward, and struck with all his force with the pommel of his sword on the forehead of his opponent.  The latter fell as if shot, his weapon dropping from his hand beside him.

Dismayed at the fall of their leader, his followers recoiled for a moment.  Another tall pirate sprang forward to take his place, and, shouting to them to follow, was about to throw himself upon Gervaise, when a gun crashed out close alongside.  A storm of iron swept away the front line of Moors, and the shout of “St. John!” “St. John!” rose above the din.  It was one of the bow guns of the prize, and as she swept along gun after gun poured its contents among the pirates.

“Do you clear the galley, Ralph.  We can manage here now,” Gervaise said, as Ralph leapt on board.  The latter, followed by his party of knights, rushed across the poop, and sprang on to the galley among the pirates, who had been striving in vain to break through the line of defenders.  Gervaise called to his party to follow him, and, taking the offensive, fell upon the remnant of the corsairs who still held the forward end of the poop.

The discharge of the cannon at such close quarters had wrought terrible havoc among them, and the pirates, with but slight resistance, turned, and either ran down the ladder or leapt into the water.  The knights followed them forward among the benches of the rowers, who cheered loudly in many tongues as they passed them.  At the forecastle the Moors made another stand, but the knights forced their way up, and in two minutes all was over.

“Now to the aid of our comrades!” Gervaise shouted, as the last of the corsairs was struck down.

Ralph’s party had indeed cleared the poop of the galley, but they in vain endeavoured to climb up on to that of the third pirate ship, whose superior height gave a great advantage to its defenders.  Gervaise leapt down on to the bow of the galley, followed by the knights, and then ran aft until he could climb into the waist of the pirate.  So intent were the corsairs upon defending the poop that they did not see what was going on elsewhere, and Gervaise had obtained a fair footing before he was noticed.  Then a number of men ran down and attacked his party.  But it was too late, for the whole of the knights had, by this time, leaped on board.  Their assailants were forced back, and, pressing close upon them, the knights gained the poop before the main body of the pirates were aware of their coming.