"If all is done in order," he said, "they cannot interfere with our retreat to Venice. They do not know how weak we are, and will not venture to attack so large a fleet. Therefore, when the signal is made that they are Genoese, we will fall back in good order to our boats, and take to our ships, and then either return to Venice, or sail out and give battle, as it may be decided."
The boats, before starting, had been told to hoist white flags should the galleys be Venetian, but to show no signal if they were Genoese. The boats were watched, from the mastheads, until they became specks in the distance. An hour afterwards, the lookout signalled to those on shore that they were returning.
"Go off again, Francisco. I must remain here to keep up the men's hearts, if the news be bad. Take your stand on the poop of my ship, and the moment the lookouts can say, with certainty, whether the boats carry a white flag or not, hoist the Lion of Saint Mark to the masthead, if it be Zeno. If not, run up a blue flag!"
[Chapter 20]: The Triumph Of Venice.
Francis rowed off to the ship, got the flags in readiness for hoisting, and stood with the lines in his hand.
"Can you make them out, yet?" he hailed the men at the mastheads.
"They are mere specks yet, signor," the man at the foremast said.
The other did not reply at once, but presently he shouted down:
"Far as they are away, signor, I am almost sure that one or two of them, at least, have something white flying."
There was a murmur of joy from the men on the deck, for Jacopo Zippo was famous for his keenness of sight.