“Yes; they lie but a few miles from here.  There were fifteen or sixteen of them two days ago, and two others joined them that night.  You have lost no time indeed.  We had scarce begun to expect you, Sir Fabricius,” he added, as the knight and his two comrades stepped on board.

“I have done my best,” the knight said angrily.  “But I am in a rage with my ill success.  All I have accomplished is that no merchant vessels will put to sea at present.  At Ostia they would only send off a message to Rome, to ask for orders.  At Pisa the authorities at first treated my story as a fiction, and, I believe, took me for an impostor; but on the news spreading, some knights came forward and recognised me.  Then we had a meeting of the council.  All talked, wrangled, and protested.  They said that it was absurd to suppose that they could, at a moment’s notice, fit out ships to cope with a fleet of corsairs; and their sole idea was to man the forts, and to repel an attack.  However, mounted messengers were sent off at once, up and down the coast, to give warning to the inhabitants of the towns to put themselves into a posture of defence, and to the villagers to fly with their wives and families into the interior as soon as they saw galleys of doubtful appearance approaching.  I was there but four hours, and then started for Genoa.”

“There was almost a panic there too, as the members of the council were mostly merchants, and were filled with dismay for the safety of their ships and goods at sea.  Of course, there was no thought that the corsairs, however strong, would venture an attack upon Genoa itself.  I told them that you had captured three of the corsairs with a single galley, and that if they could send you ten others you would probably be able to make head against the pirates; but, as I have told you, Genoa is at peace with all the world; her war galleys are laid up, and most of them would need repair and recaulking before they would be fit to send to sea.  Although they maintained that no more than a week should elapse before they would be ready to sail I am right sure that it will be double that time before they are fitted out.

“Of course, in Genoa I was well known, though my family estates lie near Mantua, and my acquaintances flocked round me and urged me to stay until the galleys were ready for sea.  This I would not hear of, and, six hours after my arrival, started again.  We made the voyage to Corsica at a good speed, but since then we have had the oars constantly out to help the sails.  The men have well earned their pay, I can assure you.  It is enough to make one mad with rage to think that these pirates will be able to harry the coast of Italy at their pleasure; for there can be little chance that they will abide quiet much longer at this rendezvous.”

“It is annoying, indeed,” Gervaise agreed; and a murmur of disappointment ran round the assembled knights.  “However, we have the consolation that we have done all we could, and I am sure that we shall do so in the future.”