Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/387

Rh displaying the least hesitation or prevarication in replying to their questioners, they would at once be hurled headlong from the dizzy height on which they stood. Under the pressure of this menace they disclosed all they knew.

The order in which the besiegers’ forces were posted thus became known to L’Isle Adam. Between the shore of Archandia bay and the bastion of St. John were the troops of the vizier Pir Mehmed pasha; to his left was Cassim pasha, who commanded the division of Anatolia; then that of Mustapha pasha, next to whom was Achmet pasha, whose division reached as far as the Amboise gate, the circuit being closed towards the north by the troops of the Beglier Bey of Roumeia, and the janissaries under their chief, Baly Aga. Solyman had established his head-quarters on St. Stephen’s hill. From the same source Martinigo learnt the strength of the battering train which had accompanied the Turkish army. This train included six brass guns with a calibre of 3½ palms, fifteen others of from to (3 palms, twelve large bombards of from 9 to 10 palms, and two others still larger of 11 palms. In addition to these there were twelve basilisks of 8 palms and fifteen double cannon for throwing iron shot. There were also twelve brass mortars for vertical fire, throwing shot and shell of from 7 to 8 palms. From these mortars the gunners of the Turkish army anticipated great results, and an incessant fire was kept up from them upon the town. Bourbon records that they discharged 1,713 stone shot and eight brass balls filled with artificial fire during the early part of the siege. These latter were probably the first shells of which history has recorded the use, and from the fact that so few were thrown, we may perhaps conclude that they were not found to answer as well as was expected.

The sultan had not long continued the direction of the siege when he discovered that, from the level of the ground in which his trenches were formed, he could gain no command over the works he was attacking. To obviate this difficulty he directed two large cavaliers to be raised, one in front of the bastion of Italy, the other between the posts of Spain and Germany, near the gate of St. George. As the sites selected for these works