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HISTORY OF MALTA.

treating before so feeble an enemy, he called a council of war, whena majority of only two voted for a new disembarkation. The ba-shaw, incensed against himself for having so suddenly raised thesiege, courageously vowed either to conquer or die; choosing ratherto lose his life at the head of his few remaining troops, than, by re-turning unsuccessfully into his country, to risk perishing by thehand of an executioner. He therefore immediately landed; buthis troops, fatigued and harassed by so long and bloody a siege,were very unwilling to follow his example; and it became necessaryto tear them (if I may so express myself) by force from their ves-sels. The Turks marched towards the City Notable, where theyhoped to fall in with the Christians; whilst the viceroy of Algiersremained on the sea-shore, with fifteen hundred men, in order to fa-cilitate their retreat and re-embarkation in case of failure. La Va-lette acquainted the newly-arrived Christian troops with the motionsof the enemy ; and it was taken into consideration, whether theyshould advance towards the infidels, or wait their arrival in the ad-vantageous situation in which they had intrenched themselves. Thegeneral advised the latter plan ; but the majority voted for the at-tack. The Maltese battalion therefore immediately began theirmarch towards the enemy; whom LaSande, an officer of distinguishedreputation, at the head of the knights, suddenly and briskly charged;whilst Ascagne de la Come, commander of the newly-arrived troops,whose opinion had been given in favour of the defensive plan, suffi-ciently proved that those who are sometimes accused of too muchcircumspection in council, are not the least valiant in the field : for