A Valiant Courier
by Ray Agius
Original - Sold
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Not Specified
Dimensions
24.000 x 18.000 inches
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Title
A Valiant Courier
Artist
Ray Agius
Medium
Painting - Watercolour On Cold-pressed 300 Gsm Watercolour Paper
Description
A Valiant Courier
The defence of Fort St Elmo had depleted the Order of many men�nearly a fourth of the Knight�s total force. Reinforcements were desperately needed but the relief ships carrying thousands of men promised by Don Garcia, the Spanish viceroy in Sicily, were nowhere to be seen.
Then, on Monday, July 2, a Maltese runner named Toni Bajada, came from Mdina, the Christian stronghold at the centre of the island, with the news that a relief party of seven hundred men had landed on the northwest of the island, undetected by the Turks. The men had made their way to Mdina but now had to find a quick and safe way to reach the Christian forces in Birgu.
Together with a Turkish deserter, Bajada devised the route for the relief force to follow and de Valette sent him and other local guides to Mdina, in order to carry out the plan. It seems impossible that such a large body of men was not discovered, but they marched under cover of darkness and made it safely to Birgu before morning.
Bajada�s role as messenger and guide was indispensable during the Siege. He successfully crossed between Birgu and Mdina several times, carrying despatches from the Grand Master and the Governor of Mdina at great risk to himself. He had learned to speak Turkish while he was a slave and often disguised himself as a Turk. He was an excellent swimmer and his intimate knowledge of the countryside enabled him to bypass the Turkish lines.
Uploaded
April 30th, 2015
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