noon before
To each of these the knights of one of the langues were told off , the seniors being appointed to the command . There were in all some ninety Christian captives on board the three ships . Thus each vessel had a complement of seven knights and thirty Christians , and to these were added ten of the thirty Moslems found at the oars , and fifteen of the pirates to whom quarter had been given . It was past noon before all these arrangements had been made , and during the time so occupied , the ships lay idly side by side , drifting slowly before the wind , the sails having been lowered as soon as the struggle was over . Up to this time , the knights had been too busily engaged to think of food , but they were right glad when they were summoned to a meal on board the galley . Gervaise found the three knights in the cabin , dressed in the usual attire of the Order . They presented a very different appearance , indeed , to that which they wore when he had first seen them .