Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/725

Rh committed on their first seizure of the island, no one can deny them a tribute of admiration for the constancy and. cheerfulness with which they underwent the hardships and privations of the blockade. Not a murmur of discontent was heard in the ranks; on the contrary, they aided their superiors in every possible way, and to the very last moment the cry of no surrender was the popular watchword. Equal, if not still higher praise is due to the gallant Maltese, who underwent privations nearly as great as those of the French, and who, without the training or discipline of soldiers, bore the heat and burden of the struggle for two long years without flinching, or ever once yielding to the blandishments and tempting promises of the garrison. They had from the first determined to expel the hated French, and from this resolve nothing could turn them. Even when, after a year’s blockade, the English fleet abandoned the enterprise, and left the island for a fortnight, not a symptom of weakness showed itself. Let it, therefore, never be forgotten that the Maltese owe their deliverance from the yoke of France to their own dogged resolution and invincible determination.

Month after month of the year 1800 passed away, and at length it became evident to all that the time for surrender had arrived. Before taking this step General Vaubois made one last effort to save the ships which had fled for refuge to Malta, and which were now the sole relics of the French fleet present at the battle of the Nile. Great precautions had been taken throughout the siege to protect them from the fire of the Maltese batteries, and although they had been repeatedly struck, they still remained in serviceable condition. The Guillaume Tell made a futile attempt at escape early in the year. She had been fitted out most completely, and took her departure on the 28th March, the night being extremely dark, and the wind favourable. There were, however, keen eyes watching on all the neighbouring heights; the vessel was soon discovered, the signal given, and the British fleet placed on the alert. After a sharp pursuit, and a most heroic and desperate defence, she was captured off Cape Passaro, and brought back to Malta. In this action she lost 207 men killed, and a large number wounded, amongst whom were Admiral Decrès and Captain Saunier. After this defeat a last experiment was made to save the two frigates, the Diane