In time of battle the gallerians were of course equally exposed to death
and wounds from the projectiles of the enemy as were the orthodox fighting
men; but to them came no rejoicing at the sound of victory; rather they
prayed for the defeat of their masters, as it frequently happened that
those against whom they were arrayed were their own countrymen and friends
by whom they hoped for release. Thus at Lepanto, the Christian slaves,
seeing the right wing of the Turkish fleet thrown into disorder by the
galleys of the Allies, broke out into furious mutiny, succeeded in
shattering their fetters and chains, attacked their masters the Turks in
the rear with incredible energy with any weapons upon which they could lay
their hands, and thus contributed in no small measure to the ultimate
triumph of the Christian arms.
The Captain Pantero Pantera and Barras de la Peine have written
exhaustively on the galley, her crew, her armament, her manner of
provisioning, her masts, sails, rigging, etc., and Admiral Jurien de la
Graviere has given a most painstaking exposition concerning the
technicalities of these craft. But to enter into too much detail would be
to weary the reader unnecessarily, who, it is apprehended, merely desires
that a general idea should be given of the way in which these vessels were
handled and fought.
It would appear that during the whole time that oar-propelled vessels were
used as warships their form did not differ to any material extent, as
certain limitations of size were obviously imposed on them by the mere fact
that they had to be moved by so finite and feeble a force as human muscles,
hearts, and lungs.
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