departure, began to chop and swell strangely: the waves gleamed with
sinster{a} lights; monstrous apparitions were outlined menacingly around
the barque to the great terror of the gondolier; and hideous spirits of
evil and devils half man half fish seemed to be swimming from the Lido
towards Venice, making the waves emit thousands of sparks and exciting
the tempest with whistling and fiendish laughter in the storm; but the
appearance of the shining swords of the two knights and the extended
hand of the saintly personage made them recoil and vanish in sulphurous
explosions.

The battle lasted for a long time; new demons constantly succeeded the
others; however, the victory remained with the personages in the boat,
who had themselves taken back to the landing of the Piazzetta. The
gondolier scarcely knew what to think of their strange conduct; until,
as they were about to separate, the oldest of the group, suddenly
causing his nimbus to shine out again, said to the gondolier: "I am
Saint Mark, the patron of Venice. I learned to-night that the devils
assembled in convention at the Lido in the cemetery of the Jews, had
formed the resolution of exciting a frightful tempest and overthrowing
my beloved city, under the pretext that many excesses are committed
there which give the evil spirits power over her inhabitants; but as
Venice is a good Catholic and will confess her sins in the beautiful
cathedral which she has raised to me, I resolved to defend her from this
peril of which she was ignorant, by the aid of these two brave
companions, Saint George and Saint Theodore, and I have borrowed thy
boat; now, as all trouble merits reward, and as thou hast passed a
boisterous night, here is my ring; carry it to the Doge and tell him
what thou hast seen. He will fill thy cap with golden sequins."

So saying, the Saint resumed his position on the top of the porch of