42

THE HISTORY OE THE ORDER OF [book iv.

troops of confidence to keep the galley slaves down,and he had not the force; that he was now in Bor-go without more than two hundred soldiers; allthe rest being in Citta Vecchia, St. Elmo and theother forts; that if he sent away the two hundredfrom Borgo, its citizens would undoubtedly leavethe town, with infinite disorder for consequence;that therefore, to receive the galleys and galleyslaves, Toledo must send another corps withoutlosing a moment, besides the one thousand men,with Avhose aid even it would be very hard for himto hold out until he came with the army to liberatehim entirely; that already the Turkish guns haddestroyed the cavalier of St. Elmo and taken itscounterscarp; that he entreated him to be quick andcome himself soon, and not to fail sending the onethousand men instantly.

On the 1st of June, a cannon ball having cut thestaff of the standard of the cross and it fallingdown, there rose a loud shout from the Moslems; forit being Friday, they reputed it an omen ofvictorj^.

The fierce contests are beyond recounting. Dra-gut objected to the fewness of the pieces, and thatnot fourteen but one hundred he would have had;and fifty at a time playing, while the other fifty re-posed, thus keeping up a continuous discharge