Chapter 17: An Ungrateful Republic.
"It is glorious, Francis," Matteo said, "to think that we should haverecaptured four of our ships!"
"It is very good, as far as it goes," Francis replied, "but it mighthave been a great deal better. If it hadn't been for the storm, wemight have picked them all up one by one. Each vessel we took, thestronger we became, and I had calculated upon our capturing the greaternumber. But in such a sea, I don't think we could possibly capture morethan we did."
"I should think not," Matteo said. "I had never dreamt of doing morethan recovering the Pluto, and when you first talked about that, itseemed almost like madness. I don't think one of us had the slightestbelief in the possibility of the thing, when you first proposed it."
"I thought it was to be managed somehow," Francis said. "It would havebeen a shame, indeed, if a hundred and fifty men were to be keptprisoners for a fortnight, or three weeks, by a third of their number."
"Well, certainly no one would have thought of making the attempt, ifyou had not proposed it, Francis. I believe, even if you were topropose our sailing north, and capturing Genoa, there is not a man onboard but would follow you willingly, with the firm conviction that youwould succeed."
"In that case, Matteo," Francis said, laughing, "it is very lucky foryou that I am not at all out of my mind. Signal now to Parucchi tolower his boats, and come on board with our men. We may fall in yetwith another Genoese squadron, and may as well have our full complementon board, especially as Parucchi has found two hundred men already onboard the vessel we captured."
Parucchi and his men soon transferred themselves to the Pluto, and thefour vessels hoisted their sails, and made for the south. They hadlearned, from their captives, that the squadron had already passedthrough the Straits of Messina, and that it was at Messina they hadstopped and taken in provision two days before. Indeed, when, late inthe afternoon, the sky cleared and the sun shone out, they saw themountains of Calabria on their left.
Learning, from the captives, that no Genoese vessels had been seen inthe straits as they passed through, Francis did not hesitate to orderthe course to be shaped for the straits, instead of sailing roundSicily, as he would have done had there been any chance of falling inwith a hostile squadron, in passing between the islands and themainland.
"I should like to have seen the face of the commander of the Genoesesquadron this morning," Matteo said, "when he discovered that four ofhis vessels were missing. He can hardly have supposed that they werelost, for although the wind was strong, it blew nearly dead aft, andthere was nothing of a gale to endanger well-handled ships. I almostwonder that he did not send back the two fully manned galleys he hadwith him, to search for us."
"Perhaps he did," Francis said; "but he would have been a hundred milesfurther north by daybreak, and it would have taken him a couple of daysto get back to where we were lying."
No hostile sail was seen during the voyage back to Venice. Francisremained in command of the little squadron, for the captains, and manyof the superior officers, had been transferred to the galley of theofficer in command of the squadron, and Francis happened to be the onlysecond officer on board any of the four ships.
Great care was observed when they approached Venice, as, for aught theyknew, Doria's squadron might be blockading the port. The Genoese fleet,however, was still cruising on the coast of Dalmatia, capturing portafter port of the Venetian possessions there.
The four vessels passed through the channel of the Lido with theircolours flying. When first observed from the watchtower of Venice, theywere supposed to form part of the squadron of Zeno, but as soon as theycast anchor, and the news spread that they were four of Pisani'sgalleys, which had been recaptured from the Genoese, the delight of thepopulation was immense.
The ships were speedily surrounded by a fleet of boats, containingrelatives and friends of those taken prisoners at the battle of Polo,and the decks were crowded with persons inquiring after their friends,or embracing with delight those whom they had, an hour before, believedto be either dead or immured in the dungeons of Genoa.
One of the first to appear was Polani, who had early received the newsby a swift boat from one of his ships in the port, that the Pluto wasone of the vessels entering the harbour.
"What miracle is this, Francis?" he asked, as he warmly embraced hisyoung friend.
"Not a miracle at all, Messer Polani. The Genoese fancied that a guardof fifty men was amply sufficient to keep a hundred and fifty Venetianscaptives, and we taught them their mistake."
"It wasn't we," Matteo put in, as he shook hands with his kinsman. "Wehad no more idea of escaping than we had of flying. The whole thing wasentirely the work of Francisco here."
"I might have been sure the Genoese would not keep you long,Francisco," Polani said; "and the girls and I might have sparedourselves the pain of fretting for you. But how did it all come about?"
"If you will take me to the Piazza in your gondola, I will tell you allabout on the way," Francis replied. "For, absurd as it seems, I am thesenior officer of the squadron, and must, I suppose, report to thecouncil what has happened."
"Take me, too, kinsman," Matteo said. "I know Francisco so well that Iam quite sure that, of himself, he will never tell the facts of thisaffair, and will simply say that we broke out, avoiding all mention ofhis share in it, and how it was that under his orders we recaptured theother ships."
"I think that a very good plan, Matteo; so do you come with us, and youshall tell me all about it, instead of my hearing it from Francis, andI will take care the council know the truth of the matter."
"The admiral got safely back, I hope?" Francis asked. "We saw that hisgalley, with five others, broke through the Genoese fleet and gotsafely away, but of course, we knew not whether the brave admiral washimself hurt."
"He arrived here safely," Polani replied; "but knowing the Venetians asyou do, you will be scarcely surprised to hear that he has beensentenced to six months' imprisonment, for losing the battle."
"But that is shameful," Francis exclaimed indignantly. "I heard fromour captain, who was present at the council, that Pisani was opposed tofighting, and that he was only overruled by the proveditors. It isshameful. I will go on shore and make my report, and then I will comeback to you, for I swear that not another blow will I strike on behalfof the republic, as long as Pisani is in prison."
"It is a bad business, my lad," Polani said; "but you know that Pisani,popular as he is with the people, has few friends among the nobles.They are jealous of his fame and popularity, and, to say the truth, hehas often irritated them, by his bluntness and his disregard for theiropinion and rank. Consequently, they seized upon his defeat as anoccasion for accusing him, and it was even a question in the council oftaking his life, and he may be considered fortunate in getting off withthe sentence of six months' imprisonment.
"I do not think he will have to remain very long in confinement. We mayexpect the Genoese fleet here in a few days, for the Paduan army isalready moving, as we heard last night. No doubt it is going tocooperate with the fleet. Once the danger presses, the populace willdemand Pisani's release. There have already been demonstrations, andshouts of 'Viva Pisani!' have been raised in the Piazza.
"At any rate, Francis, let me advise you, most strongly, not to sufferany expression of your feelings concerning him to escape you before thecouncil. I need scarcely say it would do no good to the admiral, andwould set the whole of his enemies against you. It is no affair ofyours, if the governors of Venice behave ungratefully to one whodeserves well at their hands, and you have made more than enoughenemies by mingling in my affairs, without drawing upon yourself morefoes, by your championship of Pisani."
"I will, of course, follow your counsel," Francis said; "but I willcertainly serve the state no more, until Pisani is freed."
Several of the councillors were already assembled, on hearing thestrange news that four of the ships, which had been captured by theGenoese, had entered port. Francis, on announcing
his errand, was atonce shown in to them. Polani accompanied him, explaining his presenceto the council by saying:
"I have ventured, signors, to accompany my young friend here, in orderthat I may give you a much further detail of the affair in which he hasbeen engaged, than you are likely to hear from his own lips. I havejust come on shore from his ship, the Pluto, and have heard the storyfrom my kinsman, Matteo Giustiniani."
"We have surely seen this young gentleman before, Messer Polani," oneof the council said.
"You have, signor," Polani replied. "You may remember that he greatlydistinguished himself at the fight of Antium, was sent home by theadmiral with his despatches, and had the honour of receiving, from you,the thanks of the republic and the gift of citizenship."
"I remember now," the councillor said; and a murmur of assent from theothers showed that they also recalled the circumstance. "Is he againthe bearer of despatches, from the officer in command of the littlesquadron which, as it seems, has just, by some miracle, entered theport? And how is it that the officer did not present himself in personbefore us?"
"The officer has presented himself," Polani said. "Messer Hammond is incommand of the four ships which have just arrived. Not only is he incommand by virtue of senior rank, but it is to him that their recapturefrom the Genoese is entirely due."
There was a murmur of incredulity from the circle of councillors, butPolani went on quietly.
"It may seem well nigh impossible to you, signors, but what I say isstrictly true. If Messer Hammond will first relate to you the broadfacts of the recapture of the ships, I will furnish you with suchdetails as he may omit."
Francis then briefly related the events which had led to the capture ofthe four galleys. He explained that by the death of the captain he, assecond officer, succeeded to the command of the Pluto, and thatafterwards being captured by the Genoese, Signor Parucchi, the soleother surviving officer, and ten gentlemen belonging to noble familiesand serving as volunteers on board the Pluto, were confined in one holdof that ship on her voyage as a prize to Genoa, the crew being shut upin the other; that by working at night they had effected a junctionwith the crew, and choosing a stormy night, when any noise that mightbe made would not be heard on board the ship, they made their way up tothe deck above, through a hole they had cut in the planks, andoverpowered the Genoese almost without resistance; that they had then,in the darkness, ran alongside another of the ships and captured herwith equal ease; and Parucchi, with a portion of the crew of the Pluto,and the Venetian prisoners on board that ship, had retaken a third;while the Pluto had captured a fourth.
"It may seem to you, signors," Francis concluded, "that we might, inthe same way, have recaptured the rest of our ships, and it was abitter disappointment to me that we failed to do so; but the storm wasso high, and the sea so rough, that it was only with the greatestdanger and difficulty that ships could lie alongside each other. Thebulwarks of all four vessels were greatly damaged, and the Pluto losther foremast while alongside the last ship we captured, and as thestorm was increasing, rather than abating, we were, to our greatchagrin, obliged to let the rest escape, since in striving for more wemight have lost, not only our lives, but the vessels we had taken."
"This is indeed a most notable achievement, Messer Hammond, and therestoration of four ships and their crews, at the present moment, is ofgreat importance to the republic, threatened as she is with invasion byland and sea.
"Now, Messer Polani, if you will give us the full details of which youspoke, we shall be glad."
Polani then related to the council the full story of the means by whichthe crew of the Pluto had gained their liberty, showing how therecapture was entirely due to the initiative of Francis, and to theingenuity with which he overcame all difficulties. He ended by saying:
"My kinsman, Matteo, said that should you doubt whether this account isnot tinged by his friendship and partiality for Messer Hammond, SignorParucchi, and all the gentlemen who were confined with them in thehold, can substantiate the account that he has given. He said thatParucchi's evidence would be all the more valuable, since he and theother officers were in the first place much prejudiced against MesserHammond, deeming it an indignity that one so young, and a foreigner bybirth, should be appointed to the command over the heads of others,Venetian born, of good family, and his seniors in age. Thecircumstances which I have related to you have, however, completelyaltered his opinion, and he is as enthusiastic, with respect to MesserHammond's conduct, as are my kinsman and all on board the ship."
"I remember now," one of the council said, "that we had a letter fromthe admiral in the spring, and that, when describing how terribly thecrews had been diminished and weakened by the severity of the winter,he said that the sole exception was the Pluto, whose crew was kept upto their full strength, and in excellent health, owing entirely to thecare and attention that Messer Hammond, the officer second in command,had bestowed upon them."
"Thanks, Messer Polani," the president of the council said, "for thelight you have thrown on this matter.
"Messer Hammond, it is difficult to overestimate the services that youhave rendered to the state. We shall, at an early day, decide in whatmanner most fitly to reward them, and in the meantime you will remainin command of the squadron you have brought in."
Francis returned thanks for the promise of the president, but expressedhis desire to resign the command of the squadron at once.
"I am in business," he said, "with Messer Polani, and although, for ashort time, I abandoned commerce in order to sail under Admiral Pisani,I now, from various reasons, desire, as soon as my successor isappointed, to return to my work with Signor Polani.
"I desire to recommend warmly to your excellencies Signor Parucchi, whois, except myself, the sole remaining officer of the Pluto. He secondedme most admirably in our enterprise, and himself commanded at therecapture of one of the ships. The gentlemen volunteers also workedwith the greatest energy and spirit. Matteo Giustiniani has been actingas third officer, and to him also the thanks of the republic are due."
On leaving the ship, Messer Polani had despatched a boat, to carry tohis house the news that Francis had returned; and when they came backfrom the palace they found Giulia anxiously expecting them, and a fewminutes later Matteo arrived with his brother Rufino, and Maria. Thelatter was far more effusive in her greeting of Francis than Giulia hadbeen.
"Matteo has been telling us all about it, Francis, and that he, andeveryone else, owed their escape from the dungeons of Genoa entirely toyour cleverness."
"Not so much to his cleverness, Maria," Matteo corrected, "although heis wonderful in inventing things, but to his energy, determination, andsteadfastness. There was not one of us but regarded a visit to thedungeons of Genoa as a foregone conclusion, and when Francis spoke ofour recapturing the Pluto, as if it were the easiest and most naturalthing in the world, it was as much as we could do not to laugh in hisface. However, he set about it as quietly and calmly as if he werecarrying on the regular work of a ship. We gradually caught some of hisspirit, and when we began to see that there was a method in hismadness, did our best to carry out his orders."
"It is wonderful," Maria said; "and do you know, Francisco, that whenwe first knew you, after you had rescued us from the attack on thecanal, I absolutely thought that, though you were brave andstraightforward and honourable, yet that by the side of our own peopleof your age, you were rather stupid, and ever since then I have beenlearning how mistaken I was."
Francis laughed.
"I think your estimate of me was correct enough," he said. "You seepeople are often stupid one way, and sharp another. Matteo will tellyou I was far behind most of those in the seminary in learning lessons,and certainly when it came to talking, and bandying jokes, I had nochance at all. I suppose that every lady I have ever spoken to, when Ihave been with you at entertainments, has thought me exceptionallystupid; and I am sure I am, in most things, only I suppose I have got afair share of common sense, and a habit of thinking for
myself. Therewas no cleverness at all in anything that Matteo is telling you of.
"It was just the same here as it was when I was in that cell nearTunis. I wanted to get out. I supposed there must be some way out, if Icould but discover it, and so I sat down to think how it was to bedone; and of course, after trying in my mind every possible scheme, Ihit upon the right one. There certainly was nothing clever in that."
"But I have heard nothing about it yet," Giulia said; "and everyoneelse seems to know how it was done."
"Matteo, do you tell Giulia," Maria ordered. "I have lots of questionsto ask Francis."
"By the way, Francis," Messer Polani said, "you will be glad to hearthat I have succeeded in getting home your man Giuseppi. He returnedtwo days ago, and I have no doubt is somewhere below waiting to seeyou."
"I will go and see him at once," Francis said, hurrying away. "I amindeed glad to know that you have rescued him."
Maria laughed, as the door closed behind Francis.
"There, Rufino," she said, turning to him, "you pretend sometimes to bejealous of Francisco Hammond; and there, you see, just when I have saidI have lots of questions to ask him, and five minutes after my arrivalhere to greet him, he races away without a word, directly he hears thathis man Giuseppi has returned."
"And he is quite right, Maria," Matteo said indignantly. "Giuseppiwould give his life for Francisco, and the two have been together everyday for the last six or seven years. I don't doubt the faithful fellowis crying with joy now. Francisco is quite right, not to keep himwaiting for a minute."
"Perhaps I cried for joy, too, Master Matteo," Maria said.
"I believe I did see tears in your eyes, Maria; but I put them down tomy own account. You would naturally be delighted to know that yourbrother-in-law was safe and sound, to say nothing of the fact that thefamily would be spared the expense of sending a thousand ducats or soto ransom him."
"A thousand ducats, Matteo! A thousand soldi would more nearlyrepresent your value, if the Genoese did but know it. But why don't youtell Giulia your adventures, as I ordered you?"
"Because Giulia would very much rather hear them from Francisco's lips,and I have no doubt he will be equally glad to tell her himself, thoughcertainly he is a bad hand at recounting his own doings. However, heshall have the pleasure of telling her of it, and I can fill up thedetails for her, afterwards."
Two days later, a decree was published by the council stating that, inconsideration of the very great service rendered to the state byFrancisco Hammond, a citizen of Venice, in recapturing four galleysfrom the Genoese, the council decreed the settlement upon him, forlife, of a pension of three hundred ducats a year.
"You will not want it, Francisco," Messer Polani said, as he brought inthe news, "for I intend, at the end of these troubles, to take you as apartner in my business. I told your father that I should do so; and youhave not only proved yourself earnest in business, quick at learning,and full of resources, but you have vastly added to the debt ofgratitude which first caused me to make the proposition, by againsaving my daughters from falling into the hands of their enemy. I toldyour father that I should regard you in the light of a son, and I do soregard you, and as a son of whom I have every reason to be proud.
"I need no thanks, my lad. I am still, and shall always remain, yourdebtor. You have very much more than fulfilled my expectations, and Ishall be glad to place some of the burden of my business upon yourshoulders.
"There is another matter, which I have long had in my mind, but ofwhich I will not speak just at present.
"Thus, then, the three hundred ducats, which you will receive each yearfrom the state, may not be needed by you. Still, you are to becongratulated upon the grant, because being the recipient of a pension,for distinguished services, will add to your weight and influence inthe city. And so long as you do not need it--and no man can say whatmay occur, in the course of years, to hinder the trade of Venice--youcan bestow the sum annually upon the poor of the city, and thusincrease your popularity."
"I shall be happy to do that, signor," Francis said, "although it seemsto me that popularity is of little value in Venice. It has not savedthe man whom, a short time since, the people hailed as their father,from unmerited disgrace and imprisonment."
"It has not, Francisco, but it has saved his life. You may take my wordfor it, that the proposal, absolutely made in the council, for theexecution of Pisani, would have been voted had it not been for fear ofthe people; and it may be that you will yet see, that the voice of thepeople will bring Pisani from his prison, long before the expiration ofhis term of imprisonment. Popularity is not to be despised, for it is agreat power. That power may be abused, as when one, having gained theear of the people, leads them astray for his own base ends, and usesthe popularity he has gained to attack, and hurl from power, men lesseloquent and less gifted in the arts of cajoling the people, but moreworthy than himself. But, used rightly, the power of swaying andinfluencing the people is a great one, and especially valuable in acity like Venice, where private enmities and private feuds are carriedto so great an extent. Already your name is in every mouth. Your rescueof Pisani, when sorely beset by the enemy, has been the theme of talkin every house; and this feat, which retrieves, to some extent, themisfortune of Pola, will make your name a household word in Venice."
Immediately after the battle of Pola, the Venetians had entered intonegotiations with Hungary, to endeavour to detach that power from theleague against them. But the demands of King Louis were too extravagantto be accepted. He demanded the cession of Trieste, the recognition ofthe suzerainty of his crown on the part of the present doge, and allhis successors, an annual tribute of one hundred thousand ducats, andhalf a million of ready money. This demand was so excessive that, evenin their distress, the Venetians refused to accept it, and hastened ontheir preparations for a struggle for life or death.
Fortunately, the Genoese continued for three months, after theirsuccess at Pola, to capture the outlying possessions of Venice, insteadof striking at the capital. Towards the end of July, seventeen Genoesevessels appeared off Pelestrina, burned a merchant ship lying there,and spent the day in reconnoitring positions, and in taking soundingsof the shallows and canals off Brondolo. They then sailed away forDalmatia. In less than a week six galleys again hove in sight; andAdmiral Giustiniani, who was in supreme command of the forces, issuedout from the Lido, with an equal number of ships, to give them battle.
On his way, however, a black object was seen in the water. As theyneared it, this was seen to be the head of a swimmer. He was soonpicked up, and was found to be a Venetian citizen, named Savadia, whohad been captured by the enemy, but had managed to escape, and wasswimming towards land to warn his countrymen that the whole Genoesefleet, of forty-seven sail, under Pietro Doria, was close at hand; andthat the six ships in the offing were simply a decoy, to tempt theVenetians to come out and give battle.
Giustiniani at once returned to port, and scarcely had he done so, thanthe whole Genoese fleet made its appearance. They approached thepassage of the Lido; but the respite that had been afforded them hadenabled the Venetians to make their preparations, and the Genoesefound, to their disappointment, that the channels of the Lido andMalamocco were completely closed up with sunken vessels, palisades, andchains; and they sailed away to seek another entry through which theycould strike at Venice.
Had the same precautions, that had proved so effective at the Lido andMalamocco passages, been taken at all the other channels; Venice couldhave defied all the efforts of Doria's fleet.
The city is situated on a group of small islands, rising in the midstof a shallow basin twenty-five miles long and five wide, and separatedfrom the sea by a long sandbank, formed by the sediment brought down bythe rivers Piave and Adige. Through this sandbank the sea had piercedseveral channels. Treporti, the northern of these channels, containedwater only for the smallest craft. The next opening was known as theport of Lido, and separated the island of San Nicolo from Malamocco.Five miles farther
on is the passage of Malamocco, between that islandand Pelestrina. Southwest of Pelestrina lay Brondolo, behind whichstood Chioggia, twenty miles distant from Venice. The southern point ofBrondolo was only separated by a small channel--called the Canal ofLombardy--from the mainland.
Unfortunately, at Brondolo the channel had not been closed. Allpreparations had been made for doing so, but the work had beenpostponed until the last moment, in order that trading vessels mightenter and leave the harbour, the Chioggians believing that there wassure to be sufficient warning, of the approach of an enemy, to enablethem to close the entrance in time. The sudden appearance of Doria'sfleet before Brondolo upset all these calculations, and the Genoeseeasily carried the position. Little Chioggia, the portion of the townseparated from the rest by the Canal of Santa Caterina, was capturedwithout difficulty; but the bridge across the canal was stronglydefended by bastions and redoubts, and here Pietro Emo made a bravestand, with his garrison of three thousand five hundred men.
The enemy at once erected his batteries, and, on the 12th of August,the Genoese opened fire. The Venetians replied stoutly, and for threedays a heavy cannonade was kept up on both sides. Reinforcements hadreached the garrison from Venice, and, hour by hour, swift boatsbrought the news to the city of the progress of the fight.
So far, all seemed going on well. The Genoese had suffered heavily, andmade no impression upon the batteries at the head of the bridge. Thedays passed in Venice in a state of restless disquietude. It was hopedand believed that Chioggia could successfully defend itself; but if itfell, the consequence would be terrible.
Already the Hungarians had overrun the Venetian possessions on themainland, the Lord of Padua was in the field with his army, andcommunication was cut with Ferrara, their sole ally. Should Chioggiafall, the Genoese fleet would enter the lagoons, and would sail, by thegreat channel through the flats, from Chioggia to Venice; and theirlight galleys could overrun the whole of the lagoons, and cut off allcommunication with the mainland, and starvation would rapidly stare thecity in the face.
Polani made all preparations for the worst. Many of his valuables werehidden away, in recesses beneath the floors. Others were taken on boardone of his ships in the port, and this was held in readiness to conveyGiulia and Maria, whose husband had willingly accepted Polani's offer,to endeavour to carry her off by sea with Giulia, in case the Genoeseshould enter the city.
The merchant made an excursion to Chioggia, with Francis, to see forhimself how things were going, and returned somewhat reassured. Francisspent much of his time at the port visiting Polani's ships, talking tothe sailors, and expressing to them his opinion, that the Genoese andPaduans would never have dared to lay siege to Chioggia, had they notknown that Pisani was no longer in command of the Venetian forces.
"I regard the present state of affairs," he said, over and over again,"as a judgment upon the city, for its base ingratitude to the braveadmiral, and I am convinced that things will never come right, until wehave him again in command of our fleet.
"Giustiniani is no doubt an able man; but what has he ever done incomparison to what Pisani has accomplished? Why should we place ouronly hope of safety in the hands of an untried man? I warrant, ifPisani was out and about, you would see Venice as active as a swarm ofbees, pouring out against our aggressors. What is being done now?Preparations are being made; but of what kind? Ships are sunk in thechannel; but what will be the use of this if Chioggia falls? The canalsto that place will be blocked, but that will not prevent the Genoesefrom passing, in their light boats, from island to island, until theyenter Venice itself.
"Do you think all these ships would be lying idly here, if Pisani werein command? Talk to your comrades, talk to the sailors in the port,talk to those on shore when you land, and urge, everywhere, that thecry should be raised for Pisani's release, and restoration to command."