Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/294

266 deserter’s having abandoned the cause of the invader, and as being intended in consequence to sow discord between him and the inhabitants. Others, among whom was D’Aubusson, looked upon them as a deep-laid piece of cunning on the part of the pasha, that this apparent display of animosity might cause him to be looked on with greater favour. Whatever was his private opinion, D’Aubusson determined on the present occasion to avail himself, if possible, of the engineering skill of Maitre Georges. He was unsuccessful in eliciting anything. The German was very reticent and desponding, his suggestions were few, and those manifestly useless, he recommended, indeed, the construction of a battery on a site selected by himself, but this proved such an egregious failure that general irritation was aroused against him. his obvious reluctance to aid the defence strengthened the suspicions which were afloat, and rendered a fresh scrutiny into his conduct advisable. Summoned before the council, he prevaricated, hesitated, and eventually contradicted himself in so many important particulars that ho was subjected to torture. Under this pressure a confession was extorted from him that he had entered the town with the traitorous intent of rendering assistance to the pasha. Although a certain cloud of mystery does undoubtedly hang over the conduct of Maître Georges—a confession extracted by the application of torture not being a very convincing proof—still, there was that in his general history and previous conduct which renders it more than probable that he really was the guilty wretch he confessed himself to be. On the following day he was hung in the public square, in sight of an applauding multitude, and so, by an act of righteous retribution, he died in the very city the destruction of which he had plotted. Thus perished the last of the trio of renegades by whom Mahomet had been invited to carry out his sinister designs against the Order of St. John. The pasha had throughout trusted much to the crafty partisan he had introduced into the town. Great was his disappointment, therefore, when he learnt the fate of his friend, of which fact D’Aubusson took care that he should speedily be made acquainted..

The hanging of the traitor could be no protection against