Let him that loves Saint Mark follow me." The men received the address with a shout, and as soon as the commanders had regained their galleys, the fleet moved out to attack the enemy.

The fight was a furious one, each vessel singling out an opponent and engaging her hand to hand.
Carlo Bottini was killed early in the fight, and Francis succeeded to the command.

His galley had grappled with one of the largest of the Genoese vessels, and a desperate conflict went on.

Sometimes the Venetians gained a footing on the deck of the Genoese, sometimes they were driven back, and the Genoese in turn poured on board, but no decisive advantage was gained on either side after an hour's fighting.
The Genoese crew was numerically much stronger than that of the Pluto, and although Francis, with Matteo and his comrades, headed their men and cheered them on, they could make no impression on the ranks of the enemy.
Suddenly, the Genoese threw off the grapnels that attached the two ships, and hoisting their sails, sheered off.

Francis looked round to see the cause of this sudden manoeuvre, and perceived for the first time that the Genoese vessels were all in flight, with the Venetians pressing closely upon them.