Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/243

Rh on the walls one in Latin from the 127th Psalm—”Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” As soon as the fortress was sufficiently advanced towards completion to be tenable de Naillac garrisoned it with a strong body of the Order. Every precaution was taken to insure its security from attack by the hostile neighbours. Recent events had rendered this a matter of comparative facility for a time. The power of Bajazet had been shattered by the battle of Angora, whilst Timour was dead and his army disbanded. No ruler had for the moment arisen in their place strong enough to impede the operations of the knights of Rhodes, and meanwhile the new stronghold was month by -month developing in extent. It ally became a point of refuge for all who sought to escape from Mussulman tyranny, and the unfortunate Christian flying from slavery was sure to find within its hospitable walls a ready welcome and ample protection. As aids in the defence, a race of dogs was kept within the castle. These were so trained, and their natural instinct so developed, that they were rendered capable of performing, with great tact and sagacity, the part of outlying sentinels. By their aid and watchfulness the guard was ever sure of receiving early intimation of the approach of an enemy.

In the year 1403 de Naillac was enabled to render good service in a mediatorial capacity between the king of Cyprus and the Genoese, a dissension having arisen which if not quelled would have had the most calamitous results for Christianity in