Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/489

Rh was therefore open to assault by water as well as by land. As it was impossible for Mustapha to bring his galleys to the attack of this work by the ordinary channel through the entrance of the grand harbour without subjecting them to a deadly fire from the batteries of St. Angelo, he determined on the adoption of a novel expedient. From the upper extremity of the Marsa Muscetto to the head of the other harbour across the isthmus of Mount Sceberras the distance is not great. Mustapha caused a number of galleys to be transported by land across this neck, and relaunched under the Coradin hill. This service, which was necessarily most laborious, was performed by the Christian slaves, of whom a large number were retained in the Turkish camp for duties of this nature. In a few days La Valette beheld no less than eighty vessels of various sizes floating in the upper portion of those waters whose entrance he had so sedulously guarded.

About this time a very welcome addition was made to the garrison in the form of a deserter of high position from the Turkish army. This man, whose name was Lascaris, was a Greek of good family, who in early youth had been captured by the Turks, and being brought up as a Mahometan, had attained high rank in their army. A sense of the shame which overshadows the career of even the most brilliant renegade had long haunted Lascaris, and now, when he beheld the votaries of that faith in which he himself had been born, so nobly fighting in its cause, he determined upon sacrificing all that he had gained, and joining their fortunes. One evening, therefore, he descended Mount Sceberras opposite St. Angelo, and made signals by waving his turban to show his desire to be taken into the fort. Before this could be done, he was discovered by the Turkish sentries, and a body of men sent to seize him. In this juncture Lascaris, though a very poor swimmer, plunged into the water, and contrived to keep himself afloat until he was picked up by the boat which the Grand-Master sent to his aid. On his arrival at St. Angelo he informed La Valette of the motives which had prompted him to desert his colours, and also gave information of the attack that was impending on the spur of St. Michael. There was much in the incident that must have reminded La Valette