John, of Austria, 1547-1578; Spain -- History -- Philip II, 1556-1598
The first shot was fired by the galliass "Capitana," commanded by
Francisco Duodo, and it smashed the biggest of the five lanterns which
crowned the stern of Ali Pasha's galley; the second injured the castle
of a neighbouring galley, and the third sunk a small vessel which was
hurrying to transmit orders. Then there was a retrograde movement
throughout the Turkish fleet, which the bravery of Ali Pasha at once
checked. He rushed to the tiller and made the "Sultana" pass between the
galliasses with the rapidity of an arrow, without firing a shot; all the
fleet followed him, their line already broken, but prepared to form up
again when they had passed the obstacle, as the water of a river
reunites after it has passed the posts of a bridge which has impeded and
divided it. The left Christian wing and the Turkish right one were the
first to engage. Mahomet Scirocco attacked with such force in front, and
with such tumult of shouts and savage cries, according to the Turkish
custom when fighting, that all attention was drawn to one point;
meanwhile some of his light galleys slipped past on the land side and
attacked the stern of Barbarigo's flagship, who saw himself sorely
pressed as the crew of Mahomet Scirocco's galley had boarded his by the
prow, and the Turks were already up to the mizzen mast. The Christians
defended themselves like wild beasts, gathered in the stern, and
Barbarigo himself was directing them and cheering them on from the
castle. He had lifted the vizor of his helmet, and was using his shield
against the storm of arrows that flew through the air. To give an order,
he uncovered himself for a moment, and an arrow entered by the right eye
and pierced his brain. He died the next day.
Then there was grave risk of the Turks overcoming the Venetian flagship,
destroying the left wing, and then attacking the centre division on the
flank and from the rear, making victory easy. Barbarigo's nephew Marino
Contarini overcame the danger. He boarded his uncle's ship on the
larboard side with all his people, and fought on board perhaps the
fiercest combat of all on that memorable day. All was madness, fury,
carnage and terror, until Mahomet Scirocco was expelled from the
Venetian flagship and penned, in his turn, in his own ship, where he at
last succumbed to his wounds. Clinging to the side, they beheaded him
there and threw him into the water. Terror then spread among the Turks,
and the few galleys at liberty turned their prows towards the shore.
There they ran aground, the decimated crews saving themselves by
swimming.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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