Immanuel did not want to poison the wells. But, he was under orders from Vallette. The local farmers filled hundreds of old crockery jars with water and hid these in their small houses and even underground in the few caves they could find. Some farmers put dried food stock in the ancient ruined temples, as the Turks thought these were the haunts of demons. The farmers knew better. They knew the island belonged to Mary, the Mother of God, and felt completely protected under her mantle.
Immanuel worked with the local farmers and helped them dry fruits and vegetables, store what grain was ripe, and burn the unripe grain. The farmers also got pigs from Sicily, knowing the Turks would not touch pork and made rashers, hams and other variations of dried ham.
These were kept in secret places, but in the end, many Maltese died of hunger and thirst, but that come later in this story.
In the meantime, the ships of the Turks came into the Harbour and began to shot the large cannons at St. Elmos and at the smaller fortifications on the promontory. Tomas, down in Marsaxlokk, trained unskilled men and worked with those of his Order who were eager for battle, but wondering why they had been stuck so far away from the action.
Tomas only had to wait a few weeks before it was clear why the Grand Master had sent him and his troops
up the coast. Too soon, ships were landing in the north and in the south, in a three-fold attacke. And, the few men there would have to fight the greater number pouring off these sailing fortresses.
But, something odd was happening, and Tomas felt uneasy. If he were either occultic, or religious, he superstitiously or discerningly would look for a spiritual answer. The siroccos started late and were going on
longer and harder than usual.
To be continued...
