Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/505

Rh depth of despondency, and whilst his troops were clamorous for the abandonment of the siege, that he received the first information of the lauding and advance of the succouring army.

Intelligence had, indeed, long before reached him that this relieving force was assembling, but its lengthened delays and procrastination lured him into the hope that it would never really set sail. He had, moreover, decided, in his own mind, that, even if it did arrive, its efforts would be directed. towards forcing the entrance of the grand harbour, and against such a step he had taken ample precautions. Great was his dismay, therefore, when he learnt that an army had actually landed on the island, and was marching rapidly towards the Bourg. Rumour had, as usual, greatly magnified the numbers of the advancing force, and Mustapha began to fear lest he should be surprised in his intrenchments, and the whole of his troops cut to pieces. He, in consequence, gave the order for immediate embarkation. The artillery and stores were at once removed, as far as was practicable, from the batteries, and throughout the night of the 7th of September his soldiers laboured with far more zeal and diligence in carrying off their guns than they had originally shewn in landing them. The sounds of departure were not lost upon the inhabitants, and with glad hearts they listened to the constant rumbling of wheels, which for many hours marked the movement going on in the Turkish camp.

With the first dawn of the next day the actual embarkation began. St. Elmo was abandoned; all the trenches and batteries which it had taken so many months, and so fearful an expenditure of blood to construct, were relinquished. La Valette’s measures on this joyful morning were as prompt and decisive as those of Mustapha had been injudicious. The whole town poured forth into the trenches, and. in a few hours the labour of months had been destroyed. The banner of the Order was once more triumphantly raised over the ruins of St. Elmo, and Piali was driven to hurry the departure of his galleys from the Marsa Muscetto, which was no longer a safe shelter now that Mount Sceberras was again in possession of the enemy. The embarkation of the Turkish