Free Archers and Crusaders: Historical fiction: Novel of Medieval Warfare by Marines, Navy sailors, and Templar knights in the Middle Ages during England's ... (The English Archers Saga Book 6) by Martin Archer

the other ports a lesson on Venice’s behalf.  
           We, of course, know nothing of any of this when we sail our heavily loaded galley out of Venice in pursuit of Pope’s legate - we’re following the Cardinal Capua to Zara not knowing that the Venetian galleys leaving the harbor at the same time we do have been ordered to destroy us so the Pope’s letter is never delivered.
     
                                Chapter Seven
           Venice is a large and important city and cargo ships and galleys have been coming and going from Venice’s harbor ever since we arrived in Venice and Cardinal Bertoli hurried off to the legate’s residence with an escort of guards from Jeffrey’s Marines.  The Cardinal’s rapid return less than an hour later results in Jeffrey recalling his disappointed men from the local taverns and whorehouses and speeding up our taking on of water and supplies.
           I’m not at all happy about having to leave to go someplace else and neither are the Marines – I was looking forward to a cup of wine one of the taverns I’d heard about and then going home.  I’ve already been away from George and the boys longer than I expected.  
           My personal distress at leaving so soon means nothing.  Less than four hours after we arrive we raise our sail to catch the available wind and row rapidly out of Venice’s crowded and filthy harbor bound for someplace called Pula. 
           We leave with great billowing white clouds overhead, pigeons and seagulls everywhere, a great deal of garbage in the water including dead animals and at least one body.  No one knows much about Pula except that it’s a little port further down the coast.  All we know is that Venice says Pula owes taxes that now belong to the crusaders.  As a city Pula is so inconsequential that even Jeffrey’s pilot has never visited it - and we leave so quickly to get there that several of Jeffrey’s men are left behind.       
           Venice is one of the world’s busy ports with cargo ships and war galleys constantly arriving and leaving.  We think nothing of it when a number of Venetian galleys leave the great city’s crowded and stinking harbor under the midmorning sun at almost the same time and head in the same general direction as we are traveling.
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         “There certainly are a large number of ships out here, Jeffrey. I’m not used to seeing so many galleys this far from shore.”
           “You’re right about that, Thomas, yes you are.  But it’s to be expected.  Venice is a major port and it’s got the biggest fleet of cargo ships in the world.  Even bigger than Genoa’s.  More war galleys than anyone else too, for that matter.  It’s got the most powerful navy in the world, doesn’t it?” 
           Jeffrey’s wrong about that but I’m not going to correct him; if the numbers I’ve heard about Venice’s galleys are accurate then we’ve got as many as Venice and ours are rowed by Marines instead of slaves.  On the other hand, our galleys are scattered all about earning coins and Venice’s seem to be concentrated here waiting for the crusaders to begin moving.
           “Aye, and here come some of them.  Coming up a little fast, aren’t they?  I wonder where they’re headed that’s so important they’d wear out their rowers to go so fast out here.”
           “Well, wherever it is I hope they have lookouts up on their masts to see us.”
           “Oh my God.  Look.”
           What I am exclaiming about with such a shocked sound in my voice is the turn that the leading Venetian galley is suddenly making – instead of going past us within easy hailing distance it is turning towards us with fighting men on its deck.  Its intentions are clearly hostile.  What is going on here.  This is impossible.
           “Ship oars.  Battle stations to repel boarders.  Ship oars