Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/496

462 division of command created great rivalry and emulation. Each felt that if he were the fortunate man to gain a first footing within the enemy’s defences, the whole glory of the expedition, and consequently its reward, would fall to him. Piali, therefore, determined to push forward his attack on the Bourg with the utmost vigour. A battery had already been constructed on Mount Salvator, which played upon the post of Castile and on part of that of Auvergne. To this Piali added another, still larger, on the bluff of Bighi, containing both guns and mortars. He thus encloed the post of Castile between two fires, and soon reduced its ramparts to a state of ruin. At the same time he pushed forward his trenches so that he was quite close to the bastion by the time matters were ripe for a storm.

Mustapha, meanwhile, had employed the time in increasing the number of his guns in battery, and in harassing the defenders of Senglea by a constant and galling cannonade. On the 2nd of August, being anxious, if possible, to forestall the operations of Piali, he delivered an assault at the point where Hassan had previously failed. For six hours the struggle was maintained with equal obstinacy on both sides. Five times were the Turks driven from the breach, and as often were they rallied by their indomitable general. At length, owing to the sheer exhaustion of his men, he was compelled to abandon the attempt, and the wearied garrison was once more permitted to enjoy a brief repose. Piali was on his side ready to assume the offensive within a few days of Mustapha’s failure, and on the 7th of August a fresh attack was made on both points simultaneously.

Piali exerted himself to the utmost to penetrate through the gaping breaches established by his batteries in the ramparts of Castile, but in vain. Retrenchments had been formed in rear of the exposed points, and so galling a fire was maintained upon the assailants that they were unable to face its intensity. Whilst thus thrown into confusion, the disorder being, rendered still more complete by the various obstacles strewn upon the breach, the knights suddenly assumed the offensive, and dashing from their cover drove the Turks headlong backward. No efforts on the part of Piali could succeed in rallying his men, and he was compelled eventually to relinquish the attempt. Mus-