Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/671

Rh fierce altercation they proceeded from words to blows, and, at length, one of them drew a dagger and endeavoured to stab the other. The latter succeeded in making his escape unhurt, but vowing vengeance. In the blindness of his rage he proceeded instantly to the commandant of the guard, and revealed the plot. That officer lost not a moment in communicating with the Grand-Master, and took with him the faithless conspirator. Meanwhile the Jew, who was also one of the traitors, having heard the vows of vengeance which had been uttered, became alarmed, and fearing that the discontented man might reveal everything, determined to forestall him, insure his own safety, and probably receive a reward by himself betraying the whole affair to the Grand-Master. When, therefore, the commandant of the guard, and his conspirator, sought an audience of Pinto, they found him engaged in listening to the tale of the Jew. The matter being thus corroborated, energetic steps were at once taken to crush the affair; the leaders of the plot arrested and subjected to torture, and by degrees all the particulars were elicited.

A similar plan had been formed on board the galleys which were cruising near the island, and this was to have been carried into execution on the same day as the rising on shore; but a swift boat was at once sent after them, and the warning arrived in time to prevent any attempt being made. The criminality of the pasha was clearly proved. As, however, he had. been placed under the protection of the French ambassador, the council did not deem it prudent to proceed to extremities, but confined him in Fort St. Elmo, until a French frigate arrived from Toulon, which conveyed him to Constantinople. It was with extreme difficulty that he was saved from the just indignation of the Maltese, and had he not been very securely guarded, they would certainly have torn him in pieces. Nearly sixty of the conspirators suffered the extreme penalty of the law, and in order to prevent the recurrence of such a design, it was decreed that for the future all slaves employed in a domestic capacity in the houses of knights or citizens, should be compelled to retire to the bagnio every evening at sunset, and remain in confinement there till the following morning. The Jew, by whose treachery the discovery was made, received a