THE morning that succeeded the events that we have last recorded, found the Venetian general again in his apartment at Palestrina, as vigilant and as self-composed as if he had, during the hurried repose of the few preceding hours, slept away all recollection of the exciting scene of the past midnight. But, in truth, it was not so. The deep responsibility which he had taken upon himself in contradicting the wishes of so many of those whose power in the state was too formidable to be thought lightly of, weighed heavily upon his mind-but the effect of that weight upon a mind such as Zeno's was not to crush but to concentrate its energies. It is, indeed, the nature of bold, brave spirits to be resalient under pressure; and so his mind rose up to the emergency-calm, self-reliant, and circumspect. That he had other dangers to cope with besides those of the Venetian council, recent events admonished him. That a traitorous intercommunication was carried on between the Genoese and Recanati he had ascertained, and though he had proofs of the enemy having more than once obtained early intelligence of his own movements, he had not by the utmost vigilance been as yet able to discover the means by which that intelligence had been transmitted. At length the circumstance of the Italian condottiere having more than once volunteered to keep the night-watch out of his turn, aroused the suspicion of Zeno, and knowing that upon the night just past he had made the same arrangement, the general took the measures we have already seen in withdrawing Recanati from the redoubt and sending Checco in his place.

And now Zeno sat in his apartment, tranquilly awaiting the arrival of the English knight, whom he had ordered to attend in person and report to him what had taken place during the night-watch. Punctual to the appointed time, the sound of the knight's steps was heard outside, and in another moment the Englishman stood before the general.

"Ben venuto, capitano," said Zeno, in return for the knight's salute, "how passed your watch last night? Hast aught to report?"

"So please your excellency, not much-at least, not much that I set any count on."

"Didst see nothing?"

"Nothing, in good faith, for, as your excellency knows, there was no moon, and the stars gave only light enough to show themselves by."

"Well, what didst hear? for I know well thou didst not close thine ears, good sir knight."

That did I not, and yet, I might as well have done so, for aught they served me; save the whirr of a bird's wing that swept by in the dark, there was not a sound to waken a young fawn. And so, when the morning broke, our watch ended, and we were relieved. As I marched away my men, I found at my feet this quarrel. How it came there, or when, I know not. It might have been there before our watch began, as it was then too dark to notice any object. Be that as it may, I have brought it to your excellency. If I have any skill in the fashion of bolts, this one was shot from a Genoese crossbow."

Zeno took the bolt from the Englishman and examined it carefully from its square iron head down to the end of the shaft, and then said,

"It is as thou sayest, Sir William. A Genoese quarrel, truly, aye, and of no common kind. He had a cunning hand who wrought it. Yet am I much deceived in thee, sir knight, if thou understandest for what sort of warfare it was formed." The English captain looked somewhat astonished, but made no reply. Zeno continued,

"Come, I said I would not trust thee by halves. What ho! Alexis!"

VOL. II.-No. XII.

At the call of Zeno the Greek lad entered. "Look at this quarrel, good youth, and say hast thou seen such an one lately, and where ?"

The lad took the bolt, looked at it for a moment keenly, and then turned an inquiring glance from his master to the knight.

"Nay, fear not to speak thy thoughts freely," said Zeno, understanding the youth's hesitation; "here is none that is not true."

"Such another as this saw I last night in the hands of Sir Roberto di Recanati; I know it by the thickness of the shaft. Have I your leave, noble signore, to see how it is put together?" ""Twas for that I called thee; proceed."

Alexis examined the weapon carefully throughout, and at length discovered that the shaft was divided longitudinally into two equal portions; but so skilfully and close did the edges fit together, that the line of junction seemed exactly like other lines drawn down the shaft. For a time the Greek was unsuccessful in his endeavours to divide the parts; at length, in examining where the wood was inserted into the iron head, he smiled, and then turning the head round with a firm grasp, he screwed it off the shaft and separated the parts of the latter, which revolved round a hidden pivot at the bottom. The secret was now apparent-the shaft had been hollowed out, and within it lay rolled up a scroll. This Alexis took out and handed to his master. The latter opened it, and perceived that it was covered with writing. 'So," said he, after a moment's pause,

66 so then we have at last discovered Recanati's courier. Look you, Sir Checco, this is the bird whose wing whirred by you last night."

"By the faith of a true knight, I begin to think it is so, noble signore. Fool that I was, to take it for an owl."

Aye, 'twas a great mistake; thou seest now it is a messenger dove. Well, let us see what tidings it bears."

The general now applied himself to decyphering the writing. "Ha!" said he, "this requires to be well considered upon." And he sat down, and in a moment was absorbed in the perusal of the missive.

"With your permission, excellenza," said the Englishman, "I think it would be well that I should retire for the present." "Thou art right, my good Checco; it may be as well that I have a moment in solitude to look to this matter."

The knight moved towards the door, but Zeno arrested him for a moment.

"This document," said he, "gives me the plainest proof of Recanati's treason: and to a true knight like thee, a traitor is odious."

"As hell," said Checco, with unwonted energy.

"Then may I count on thy help to foil the traitor and the treason?"

"That may you, general, I swear to you, by the faith of a knight and an English gentleman."

66

Farewell, then, for the present; I may want thee again ere long."

And so Sir William Cheke withdrew, and left the general of the Venetians to his meditation.

It was later than was his wont, when Zeno appeared amongst the troops; for he passed much of the morning in consideration of what the secret billet disclosed to him. The cause of the disorders in the Venetian camp was now clearly understood; the proffers of the Genoese to Recanati, the exorbitant demands of the condottiere, which the besieged at Chioggia were not yet prepared to comply with, nor in a condition wholly to reject;-all this he learned, and, knowing it, he was now prepared to baffle and to counterplot. But he learned still more: he learned that the Genoese were daily becoming more and more straitened in their provisions, and 2 c

dispirited as to the issue of the siege; that the Genoese admiral sought by every means to induce Zeno to hazard an assault, and for that purpose entreated Recanati to excite throughout the troops a feeling of discontent and impatience at their present life of inaction. All this satisfied Zeno that the course which he had adopted was the most judicious, and he was now more than ever determined to persevere in it.

Time passed on, week succeeded week, and still the forces of Venice blocked up the Genoese at Chioggia by land and sea. In vain did the latter endeavour, by sallying beyond the walls, to draw the besiegers from their position. In vain did the sentinels from the walls, and the mariners from the galleys, endeavour, by taunting shouts and accusations of sloth and cowardice, to goad or shame the Venetians to offensive operations. Chafe they did indeed and burn at the ribald challenges, and fain would they have accepted them; but the strong will and unyielding determination of Zeno controlled them as with a chain of iron, and none dared infringe the rigid rules of discipline which he had established. And so time passed on, and began to work its terrible effects upon the Genoese. Their privations increased, for no supplies of food could reach them, so skilfully had Zeno and Pisani taken their measures. In vain did Francesco Carrara attempt to succour the besieged by conveying provisions to them down the Brenta; for the passages of the river had been blocked up by the Venetians, and the fleet of the Genoese admiral Muraffo could not break through the barriers at Brondolo. Terms of capitulation were offered by the besieged, by which they sought for nothing more than that their troops and flotilla should be suffered to pass unmolested from Chioggia. But the terms were haughtily rejected by Venice, who now felt that the question was no longer whether Chioggia should be retaken from the enemy, but whether that enemy should fall utterly and unconditionally into the hands of their ancient foes. And thus were the Genoese reduced well nigh to the extremity of despair. No alternative remained save to perish of hunger within the walls, or to make a final effort to escape even through the midst of their enemies. The latter course was determined upon; for it had, at least, one advantage over the former, that it presented the possibility of escape.

It was now somewhere about the middle of the month of July. The shadows of night were just beginning to melt away before the gray light of the early dawn, and the outstretched waters of the Adriatic were just becoming visible to the eyes of those who then looked with strained vision to the seaward from the ramparts of the fortifications at Palestrina. These were three persons, who were seated upon the summit of a solitary and distant tower, which flanked the south-western angle of the fort; and whilst they were themselves hidden from observation, they could command a view both outwards along the sea and westward towards the besieged city. One alone there was, within whose ken those lonely watchers must have come, and yet, if he detected their presence, he did not appear to take any notice of them; for he marched to and fro on his watch along the rampart-that stalwart bowman-and though he never looked towards the tower, his sharp eye scanned keenly every other object through the gloaming, and as he came to the end of his short march he invariably stopped, and assumed for a moment the attitude of one attent and listening, and then he would turn back on his way, and in a very low, pleasant chant, sing some ditty of his far-away home.

"Art thou well assured, Alexis," said one of the three persons on the tower, " that thou didst replace the quarrel unseen by any?"

“I will certify that no eye could see me from beyond the redoubt, for I stole along under its cover."

Checco, and thou shalt learn what work our open enemies and our treacherous allies are carving out for us to-day. Thou must know, then, that we have discovered from the last missive from the enemy-which Alexis intercepted and has just replaced where Recanati will find it ere sunrise-we have discovered, I say, that the Genoese have for some days past been preparing a number of rafts, for which purpose they have demolished many of the houses in the town-with this fleet they propose to leave the city, and, if possible, to effect a junction with the fleet of Muraffo that lies, as you see, yonder,” and he pointed out eastward where the hulls of the Genoese galleys were now dimly visible.

"It seems to me, so please you," said Checco, "but a wild scheme and a hopeless."

"I know not that," replied Zeno.

"They can scarcely leave the city before they will be perceived," rejoined Checco, "and once discovered their fate is inevitable."

"And yet they have taken their measures well, and might very possibly have succeeded, were I not informed of their design. In the first place, the rafts will scarcely rise above the water, and so might for a time be unnoticed; but besides that, they have taken good care that we shall have abundance of other matters to divert our attention from Chioggia. The Admiral Muraffo's fleet is to bear down upon Palestrina; that will engage the Venetian armament and Pisani; and then, lest I should look about me too pryingly from sheer idleness, my worthy ally Recanati has undertaken to excite a tumult amongst the mercenaries, so as to give me something to doWhat think you of that, good Sir William? Is it not a knightly and a right skilful plot withal ?"

"By the holy rood," said the Englishman, in a low and solemn tone, "he is no true knight, but a foul disgrace to the order; the fellow should have his spurs hacked off his heels by the provost-marshai. Thank heaven, he comes not from merry England!"

Zeno smiled, and after a moment resumed-" Well, then, I would now show thee wherein thou shalt aid me to-day. I mean, as usual, to take my rounds of the camp, but I wish not to excite any suspicion by having an unwonted number of attendants. Nevertheless, as I have reason to fear some sudden outbreak, it behoves me to have assistance nigh at hand. I would, therefore, that some score or two of thy trusty bowmen should hold themselves in readiness. Thou shalt thyself remain with them apart while I take with me some one of thy fellows whom thou canst trust, who at a secret signal from me can summon you to my aid. Hast such a one amongst your archers?"

"That have I i'faith, and more than one--but here is Hodge o' the Hill, as his comrades call him, as true as steel and as tough as yew tree. Your excellency may put your life in his hands."

"Good: let him be with me when I leave the fort. And now to your quarters, good sir knight, as secretly as you may. Alexis, thou must to the flotilla without delay. See the admiral privately; inform him of the designs of the besieged; and bid him watch for the signal between them and Muraffo, and hold himself in readiness for action."

The three men then separated, and each went his own way. The gray twilight grew red as the sun drew nearer to the horizon, and Hodge o' the Hill, ere his watch terminated, stood still for a minute and took a sharp leisurely survey all around him. All was still as through the night, save that, as his eye turned westward, he perceived the figure of a man strolling carelessly towards the western redoubt. Had Hodge been blessed with an extraordinary power of vision, or known as much as his worthy captain, he would have had no difficulty in pronouncing who the man was that, as he reached the redoubt, stooped down and took up something from the ground; but Hodge's eyes were just those of a good archer, that can hit the white in the target nine times out of ten, and so he did not recognise Recanati: but he resumed his march and his carol till he was relieved from his watch.