As all our works were so levelled the Grand Master anticipated that the enemy might attack the Post of Castile and St Michael’s simultaneously so as to prevent us from sending aid to St Michael as usual having need of men to defend the Post of Castile, the key fortress… He immediately ordered that Captain Claramonte should hand over the Post of the Spur at St Michael’s to the crew of the Galley “Capitana” and to take the crew of the galley “Saint Gabriel” to the Post of Castile where he assigned him as his post all the grounds lying between Buonaninsegna and Maldonado… He also withdrew knights and soldiers from all the Posts which were least menaced and sent them to the Post of Castile and others to Saint Michael’s.

The Grand Master also gave orders that, on the sounding of the alarm, Commander de Guiral with his men, and the Pilliers of England and Germany with theirs, should collect in the square appointed for the assembly of reliefs. Moreover the Grand Master gave instructions that fires should always be kept burning at all the Posts in order to boil the cauldrons of pitch and also to set fire to the loops which I have mentioned earlier; that the most threatened Posts should be well supplied with bags of powder, sulphur, fire-bowls and other incendiary missiles, which were to be carefully looked after and under a strong guard. They were also to be well provided with boards full of nails, which were to be placed where the enemy were most likely to jump into our works…

He also ordered that at the morning Angelus the fires should be lighted at once, the pitch-hoops prepared, the cauldrons of pitch made to boil, and all should be ready for action because an early and severe assault could not fail to be made. We carried out all these orders with solicitude and our alarm was often sounded although the enemy was silent

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