A Knight of the White Cross

Author:  G. A. Henty 
Category: Historical Fiction
Cover: Softcover
Pages: 487
Ages: 10 and up
Type: Fiction | Youth | Historical Fiction
Illustration: Illustrated
Rating: 1310L
 
In A Knight of the White Cross, Henty takes us back to the order of the Knights of St. John, which for centuries helped in the great struggle between Christendom and Islam. The events of this tale surround the drama of the first siege of Rhodes (A.D. 1480), when the Order formed the great bulwark of Christendom that withstood the terrible invasion of the Turks. Gervaise Tresham, just 12 years old when he entered into the Order of St. John, quickly rose in rank from page of the Grand Master to knighthood at age 17. Follow Gervaise's gripping exploits as he commands a galley and endures the scourges of the sea . . . captures a spy at Rhodes and heads off an insurrection . . . destroys an entire corsair fleet . . . conducts a secret mission disguised as a galley slave . . . is ruthlessly captured and sold into slavery . . . fights notorious Moslem pirates along the Mediterranean coast . . .
"The corsair, shouting his war cry of 'Allah!' sprang with the bound of a wildcat upon Gervaise; his weapon descended on his uplifted guard and shore right through the stout blade. With a shout of triumph, the corsair raised his arm to repeat the blow, but Gervaise in turn sprang forward and struck with all his force with the pummel of his sword on the forhead of his opponent. The latter fell as if shot, his weapon dropping from his hand beside him. Dismayed at the fall of their leader, his followers recoiled for a moment. Another tall pirate sprang forward to take his place and, shouting to them to follow, was about to throw himself upon Gervaise."
VALUABLE BONUS FOR HOMESCHOOLERS! Includes a Build-Your-Vocabulary Glossary of words with definitions. Each word is cross-referenced with its page number so children can easily go back and see how it is used in the story.
Includes a new map illustration.