In a few minutes, the bodies of the pirates were thrown overboard, the
wounded were carried below to have their wounds attended to, while the
bodies of those who had fallen--thirteen in number--were laid together
on the deck, for burial on shore.

"Thanks to you, Francisco, that I am not lying there beside them," the
merchant said. "I did not know that you were so close at hand, and as I
slipped I felt that my end had come."

"You were getting the better of him up to that point," Francis said. "I
was close at hand, in readiness to strike in should I see that my aid
was wanted, but up to the moment you slipped, I believed that you would
have avenged your wrongs yourself."

"It is well that he fell as he did. It would have been dreadful,
indeed, had he been carried to Venice, to bring shame and disgrace upon
a noble family. Thank God, his power for mischief is at an end! I have
had no peace of mind since the day when you first thwarted his attempt
to carry off the girls; nor should I have ever had, until I obtained
sure tidings that he was dead. The perseverance with which he has
followed his resolve, to make my daughter his wife, is almost beyond
belief. Had his mind been turned to other matters, he was capable of
attaining greatness, for no obstacle would have barred his way.

"It almost seems as if it were a duel between him and you to the
death--his aim to injure me, and yours to defend us. And now it has
ended. Maria will breathe more freely when she hears the news, for, gay
and light hearted as she is, the dread of that man has weighed heavily
upon her."