“Row, men, row!  ’Tis useless!” Sir John muttered, as he clenched the hilt of his sword.  “Useless!  A Roland could not long maintain so unequal a fight.”

A groan broke from those around him as suddenly the dark mass of the assailants made a forward move, and the single figure was lost to sight.  It was but for an instant; a moment later the crowd separated, and a man was seen to spring overboard.

“They will riddle him with their spears when he comes up; we shall have nothing to do but to avenge him.  To your stations, comrades!  It is our turn now, and we have no time to lose, for the other two Turks will be up in twenty minutes, and I had orders not to fight if it could be avoided:  but we must take this fellow.”

Five minutes later the galley ran alongside the Turk, to which those who had captured the boat had already hastily returned.  The ships discharged their guns into each other, and then, as the galley ran alongside, the knights tried to leap on board of her.  They were opposed by a dense mass of Turks, for in addition to her usual crew the Moslem was crowded with troops.  For three or four minutes the knights tried, but in vain, to get a footing on board; then Sir John shouted to them to forbear, and gave orders to the rowers at once to push off.  A cloud of arrows swept across the poop as they did so; but for the most part these fell harmless from the armour of the knights.  For a time the cannon on both sides continued to fire, but as the Christians increased their distance it gradually ceased.

They had gone but a hundred yards from the Turk when a head appeared over the stern railing of the poop, and a figure swung itself on to the deck.  The man was attired in Turkish garments, but his head was bare, and the exclamation, “A Christian!” broke from the knights.

The man strode up to Sir John Boswell.

“You used to say you would make matters even with me some day, Sir John, and you have more than kept your word.”

Sir John fell back a pace in astonishment, and then with a shout, “By St. George, it is Tresham!” threw his arms round Gervaise’s neck, while the knights thronged round with exclamations of satisfaction.

“And it was you whom we saw keep the Turks at bay for three good minutes single handed,” Sir John said, holding Gervaise at arm’s length to gaze into his face.  “Truly it seemed well nigh impossible that any one who was like to be on that craft could have performed so doughty a deed.  And how did you escape?”

“It was simple enough,” Gervaise replied.  “As soon as I dived I turned and swam along under the boat and came up by the stern, and then held on by the rudder, sheltered from their sight.  I saw that the galley would be up in five minutes, and had no fear of their wasting time to look for me.  Directly you came alongside her I dived again, and rose under your stern.  I did not think that you would be able to take her, for all their craft are crowded with troops; so I contented myself with holding on until you were out of reach of their arrows, and then I climbed up.”