36 THE HISTORY OE THE ORDER OF [book iv.

is rock, tlie ditches round its fortresses are exceed-ingly deep, but chiefly those of St. Elmo, extendingfor little less than a mile; nevertheless, the Turksovercame each difficulty, and impeded as they werein every way, contrived to use pickaxes, spades,and shovels, with cleverness and daring, equal totheir amazing toil, transporting to such a heightfascines and timber, from shrubs and trees cut downthroughout the island, except, alone, the Boschetto ,kept in reserve until towards close of the war; sothat already had they burrowed and formed subter-ranean passages to within a firelock’s reach of St.Elmo, not a Moslem being disheartened by its never-ceasing cannonades. The batteries of the Turkswere ornamented with a quantity of banners, andwhen they got closer we learned, to our own cost,what capital musketeers they w 7 ere. Often w'erethey seen to hit what foreheads soever peeped foran instant above the Christian parapets.

At length Bailiff Eguaras sent one of his bravestofficers, a Spanish nobleman, captain in the serviceof the King of Spain, to ask the grand master forsuccours and stores, his little citadel being closelypressed. And on the chief of chiefs asking him inpublic, for on the square of Borgo their meetingchanced,—“How is St. Elmo?” replied what heought only to have hazarded in secret, in the ma-