The Eleugina of the Pope had the credit of taking the guard-ship
of Rhodes; and the Toscana, also a papal galley, in making a prize of
the vessel of the Turkish paymaster recovered to the pontifical squadron
the flag-ship of the contingent of Pius IV in the unfortunate battle of
Gerbi. The crowning achievement of the central division was performed by
the Grand Commander, who attacked and captured after an obstinate and
bloody contest, a fine galley, in which were the sons of the deceased
Ali Pacha. These lads--Mahomet Bey, aged seventeen years, and Said Bey,
aged thirteen--had been brought to sea by their father for the first
time. Their capture was of importance, because the mother of one of them
was a sister of Sultan Selim.
Juan de Cardona, who sailed on the left of the right wing, finding no
enemy opposed to him, brought his vessel round to the rear of the
Turkish centre, and attacked Pertau Pacha, with whom Paolo Giordano
Orsini was engaged in a somewhat unequal conflict. After a stout
resistance the Christians entered the Turkish galley, out of which the
Pacha, though wounded, succeeded in escaping in a boat.
The right wing of the Christians and the Turkish left wing did not
engage each other until some time after the other divisions were in
deadly conflict. Doria and Aluch Ali were, each of them, bent on
outmanoeuvring the other.
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