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Title: American boys afloat
or, Cruising in the Orient
Author: Oliver Optic
Illustrator: L. J. Bridgman
Release date: January 19, 2025 [eBook #75149]
Language: English
Original publication: Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1893
Credits: Aaron Adrignola, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT ***
_All-Over-the-World Series_
AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT
OR
CRUISING IN THE ORIENT
By OLIVER OPTIC
AUTHOR OF "THE ARMY AND NAVY SERIES" "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD" FIRST
AND SECOND SERIES "THE BOAT-CLUB SERIES" "THE GREAT WESTERN SERIES"
"THE WOODVILLE STORIES" "THE ONWARD AND UPWARD SERIES" "THE LAKE
SHORE SERIES" "THE YACHT-CLUB SERIES" "THE RIVERDALE STORIES" "THE
BOAT-BUILDER SERIES" "THE BLUE AND THE GRAY SERIES" "A MISSING
MILLION" "A MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN" "A YOUNG KNIGHT-ERRANT"
"STRANGE SIGHTS ABROAD" ETC.
BOSTON
LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS
10 MILK STREET
COPYRIGHT, 1893, BY LEE AND SHEPARD
_All Rights Reserved_
AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT
TYPE-SETTING AND ELECTROTYPING BY
C. J. PETERS & SON, BOSTON, U.S.A.
S. J. PARKHILL & CO., PRINTERS, BOSTON, U.S.A.
TO
MY EXCELLENT FRIEND
DR. WILLIAM P. LEAVITT
ONE OF MY FELLOW-TRAVELLERS
IN FOREIGN LANDS
This Volume
IS CORDIALLY DEDICATED
PREFACE
"American Boys Afloat" is the fifth volume of the "All-Over-the-World"
series; and it is a continuation of the travels and adventures of Louis
Belgrave and his faithful and life-long friend and constant associate,
Felix McGavonty, who are still inseparably united wherever they are
and whatever they do. But they have been reinforced by two other
American boys, and "The Big Four," as they have been named by some of
the humorously inclined passengers in the Guardian-Mother, become the
heroes of the adventures recounted in the volume.
These additions to the force of the young millionaire are not wholly
strangers to the readers of this series, for Morris Woolridge filled
a prominent place as an actor in some of the events already related,
though he had not then become one of the party whose moving home
was on board of the steam-yacht. From the beginning the Belgraves
and the Woolridges have been intimate friends; and at the close of
the preceding volume the manner in which they became members of the
expedition around the world in the same steamer was narrated.
The wild and reckless Scott, reformed by the excellent discipline of
the commander of the steamer, and his association with such high-minded
young men as Louis, Felix, and Morris, becomes more of a character than
even his companions. The little steam-yacht, the Salihé, is discovered
at Gibraltar, and the events which caused her owner to dispose of her
to the combined millionaires of the Guardian-Mother are detailed. This
little steamer, with her Mohammedan name changed to one more Christian,
becomes the tender of the ship, and very naturally falls into the
possession of the big four. They organize a regular ship's company,
and the reformed member of the quartet, who is more of a sailor and
navigator than the others, becomes Captain Scott. Under his command,
the little craft, though not so small as to be uncomfortable, makes the
voyage from Gibraltar to Constantinople, keeping on the African side,
and thus "cruising in the Orient" all the way.
The steamer and her little consort visit Algiers and Constantinople,
where the party devote themselves to sight-seeing, and listen to
historical and descriptive lectures of the countries in whose waters
they float, for the commander insists upon the instructive element of
the cruise.
While the author was wondering how he could crowd the story of the
voyage of the Guardian-Mother, including the adventures of the big
four, into six volumes, his publishers very graciously permitted him
to extend the series to twice that number. The voyage will therefore
be continued on the same plan, the little steamer, with the young
navigators on board of her most of the time accompanying the ship.
WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
DORCHESTER, MASS., Aug. 15, 1893.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. THE SALIHÉ ALONGSIDE THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER
CHAPTER II. THE BIG FOUR ARRANGE AN EXCURSION
CHAPTER III. THE POSSIBLE DANGERS OF THE VOYAGE
CHAPTER IV. AN EXPLORATION OF GIBRALTAR BAY
CHAPTER V. AT THE MOUTH OF THE PALMONES RIVER
CHAPTER VI. THE BATTLE ON THE DECK OF THE SALIHÉ
CHAPTER VII. THE BIG FOUR AS PRISONERS IN THE CABIN
CHAPTER VIII. A MORAL CONSPIRACY ON BOARD THE SALIHÉ
CHAPTER IX. WORKING UP THE DETAILS OF THE SCHEME
CHAPTER X. LASSOING THE SCOTCHMAN
CHAPTER XI. THE RETURN OF THE VICTORIOUS KNIGHT-ERRANT
CHAPTER XII. THE SMUGGLERS MAKE A TRIP TO ALGECIRAS
CHAPTER XIII. WHAT IS WORTH KNOWING ABOUT GIBRALTAR
CHAPTER XIV. AMERICAN WITNESSES IN A SPANISH COURT
CHAPTER XV. EXPLORING THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR
CHAPTER XVI. AN ADDITION FOR THE FUN OF THE BIG FOUR
CHAPTER XVII. THE SHIP'S COMPANY OF THE STEAMER MAUD
CHAPTER XVIII. AN AFTERNOON EXCURSION TO TANGIER
CHAPTER XIX. ENTER ALI-NOURY PACHA AND THE FATIMÉ
CHAPTER XX. AN UNEXPECTED PERIL IN VIEW
CHAPTER XXI. EUCHRING THE GRAND MOGUL
CHAPTER XXII. CONSTERNATION ON BOARD THE SHIP
CHAPTER XXIII. A FUGITIVE FROM THE ENEMY
CHAPTER XXIV. A STORMY INTERVIEW WITH ALI-NOURY PACHA
CHAPTER XXV. THE STARBOARD AND PORT WATCHES OF THE MAUD
CHAPTER XXVI. THE PACHA FINDS HE HAS CAUGHT A TARTAR
CHAPTER XXVII. A FEW LESSONS IN NAVIGATION
CHAPTER XXVIII. MORRIS ON "THE RULE OF THE ROAD"
CHAPTER XXIX. THE PROSPECT OF A WATER-FAMINE
CHAPTER XXX. THE MAUD INCLINED TO TURN SOMERSETS
CHAPTER XXXI. CAPTAIN SCOTT SETS A REEFED FORESAIL
CHAPTER XXXII. THE MEETING OF THE TWO STEAMERS
CHAPTER XXXIII. THE PROFESSOR'S LECTURE ON ALGERIA
CHAPTER XXXIV. ORIENTAL VIEWS IN ALGIERS
CHAPTER XXXV. THE ARRIVAL AT CONSTANTINOPLE
CHAPTER XXXVI. THE CITY OF THE SULTAN
CHAPTER XXXVII. THE SULTAN AND THE DANCING DERVISHES
CHAPTER XXXVIII. HIS HIGHNESS IN THE ORIENTAL CITY
AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT
CHAPTER I
THE SALIHÉ ALONGSIDE THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER
"It seems to me that I have seen that little steam-yacht before," said
Louis Belgrave, as the four young Americans stood upon the promenade
deck of the Guardian-Mother, of which the speaker was the owner, though
the young man was only seventeen years of age.
"Be the modther of me, it's the Sally Hay!" exclaimed Felix McGavonty,
the Milesian of the party, though he could pronounce the President's
English as well as any of his companions when he chose to do so.
"She certainly looks just like the Salihé," added George Scott
Fencelowe, whom everybody on board addressed as Scott simply: and the
three who had spoken had made a voyage in the little steamer from
Funchal in Madeira to Gibraltar, where the Guardian-Mother was now
moored inside of the New Mole.
"You fellows who have made a long cruise in her ought to know her if
she is the Salihé," said Morris Woolridge. "I never even saw her but
once, and I can throw no light on the subject."
"She was painted white when we made our trip in her, and now she is the
color of a black cat," continued Scott, the oldest of the party and
the best sailor and boatman, for he was eighteen, while Morris, the
youngest, was only fourteen.
"It seems to me to be hardly possible that she can be the Salihé,
though she looks like her in everything except her color," replied
Louis. "If the Fatimé were here, I should have no doubt it was she."
"But the large steam-yacht of His Highness, Ali-Noury Pacha, is not
here, and we know that she passed through the strait and went to sea;
and that is what makes me think the craft is not the Salihé," added
Scott, who had been for a short time in the service of the Pacha, and
had made the voyage in the little steamer from Funchal.
"I suppose Ali-Noury could not very well take her with him on his trip
up the Mediterranean, and he left her here," suggested Louis.
"If that were true, the Pacha would not have had her painted black,"
reasoned Scott; and there seemed to be a good deal of force in the
argument.
"Where is Philopena?" demanded Felix. "Sure, he ought to know the
shtaymer if he's acquainted wid his own fadther, for he was ingineman
of the craft."
Felipe Garcias, a young Spaniard of eighteen, had been the engineer
of the Salihé in the service of the Pacha, and being ill-treated by
his Mohammedan employer, he had run away from Mogadore with the small
steam-yacht. The steam-launch which was the subject of the conversation
was coming out from the dockyard inside of the New Mole, and
approaching the Guardian-Mother. Felipe, who was now an oiler on board
of the steamer, was called by Morris, and his attention was directed to
the approaching steam-yacht. He looked her over very carefully; but the
change of color evidently perplexed him at first, though a little later
he came to his conclusion.
"Salihé!" he exclaimed.
When Felipe came on board of the Guardian-Mother, he could not speak
a word of English; but in the time that had since elapsed he had made
good progress in acquiring it, though he was not yet fluent in the use
of it.
"Are you sure of it, Phil?" asked Louis, who had translated his Spanish
name into English, and then abbreviated it.
"Ver sure," replied Felipe decidedly. "I see some things what I know."
"She was white when we brought her here," added Louis.
"She has become black now; but I know some marks," persisted Felipe;
and he proceeded to mention and point them out; but he spoke in Spanish
to Louis, who had become tolerably fluent in the language by this time.
"Why don't ye's shpake to the man forninst her poilot-house,"
suggested Felix. "Perhaps he knows somephwat about her."
"That's a bright idea of yours, Felix; he would be likely to know
something about her," laughed the owner of the Guardian-Mother.
The Salihé was making a course within twenty feet of the side of the
steamer, and it was not a difficult matter to hail her. The man in the
little box that was dignified with the name of pilot-house was the only
person that could be seen on board of the little steamer, though there
was doubtless another in the engine-room. The boat was moving along
very slowly, and the pilot seemed to be looking about him all the time
and in every direction.
"Salihé, ahoy!" shouted Louis.
"On board the steamer!" replied the man at the wheel, as he threw it
over so as to direct the boat towards the gangway.
The Guardian-Mother was the steam-yacht of Louis Belgrave, who had
become a millionaire at sixteen, less than a year before; and she was
also the college of the young gentleman, for the vessel was provided
with a study, or schoolroom, abaft the principal cabin, in which
Professor Giroud, a very learned Frenchman, instructed him and his
fellow-students in literature, science, history, and languages.
In what manner the steamer became the yacht and college of the young
millionaire has been fully related and repeated in the preceding
volumes of this series, and need hardly be repeated at length. She had
sailed from New York on the first of December before, and had made an
eventful voyage to the Bermudas, to Nassau, and around the island of
Cuba, visiting all the principal ports.
Louis Belgrave, on account of the peculiar family circumstances that
surrounded him, had fallen into many and various adventures, and passed
through and out of not a few perilous situations. None of them were of
his own choice, and he was not a seeker after Quixotic enterprises,
though his excellent friend and trustee had dubbed him a knight, and
called him "Sir Louis;" and his example had been followed by the
commander and others on board.
Captain Royal Ringgold, commanding the steamer, had always been a
friend of Louis, and especially of Mrs. Belgrave, his mother. The
young millionaire had requested him to visit and examine a schooner he
proposed to purchase for a yacht; and his mother and Felix had been
his companions. The stirring adventures to which this visit gave rise
strengthened the friendship before existing.
The captain had advised the purchase of the steamer to which Louis gave
the name of "Guardian-Mother" as a sort of recognition of her who had
given him being, and to whom he was devoted to a degree rarely observed
even in good and worthy sons. He originated the idea of making the
vessel the young gentleman's college, in which the study of books could
be combined with foreign travel.
Squire Moses Scarburn was an old-fashioned lawyer, usually called
Uncle Moses, and was one of the party. Dr. Philip Hawkes, an eminent
physician and surgeon of New York, and Professor Pierre Giroud had
become passengers in consequence of an accident. The doctor and the
lawyer each weighed two hundred and twenty-six pounds and a fraction,
and both of them were humorously inclined.
Mrs. Blossom had been the housekeeper of the squire, and a friend of
Mrs. Belgrave; and she was on board as the companion of the owner's
mother. The party in the state cabin of the steamer who had made the
voyage to the West Indies, across the Atlantic, visiting Teneriffe and
Madeira, voyaging from one port to another in European waters till they
had spent several months in England, Holland, France, and the western
part of Spain, consisted of the seven persons named.
Among the Bahama Islands they had picked up a bank defaulter, whose
adopted son, Scott Fencelowe, had brought him there in the Seahound,
his yacht. When Captain Ringgold realized that the bank officer was
a defaulter, and had secured his plunder, he sent him back to the
United States, forwarding the money he had stolen at the same time. The
adopted son was a wild and reckless fellow, and his foster-father had
practically bound him to the captain as a sort of apprentice.
The young scapegrace had run away three times, but had been reclaimed.
He had reformed his life and manners, and was now a worthy young man,
as he had been for about three or four months. From a common sailor,
berthing with the crew, the captain had promoted him to the rank of
quartermaster, messing with the officers, for he was a good steersman.
He was also a student in the study, where the professor had four pupils.
Mr. Lowell Woolridge was a Fifth Avenue millionaire of New York,
whose wife, son, and daughter, as well as himself, had increased the
number of the party in the cabin to eleven, making up a dozen with the
commander, who spent with them all the time he could spare from his
duties. Mr. Woolridge had become acquainted with the Belgrave family
through the agency of his yacht, the Blanche.
His daughter, a very beautiful and graceful young lady of sixteen,
having some slight symptoms of a pulmonary disease, had been sent to
Orotavo, in the island of Teneriffe, by the physicians, and her father
had been advised to take her there in his yacht. In a long and violent
gale the Blanche had nearly foundered; but the Guardian-Mother had
saved the vessel and the family. Dr. Hawkes declared that nothing ailed
the fair patient, and the Blanche accompanied the steamer on her voyage
as far as Southampton.
On the passage there the commander and the Belgraves decided to invite
the Woolridges to join the party on board of the steamer; and the
arrangements had been completed at Southampton, so that the expense
of the voyage around the world should be equally divided between
the two millionaires. While the two parties were travelling in the
United Kingdom, some needed alterations were made in the cabin of the
steamer, increasing the number of staterooms.
Six of the rooms on board were provided with bathrooms, with all the
appendages, and were as luxurious as the suites of a first-class hotel.
Mr. Melancthon Sage, the chief steward, was a caterer of established
reputation, and Monsieur Odervie, the chief cook, was an artist in
his profession of the highest rank. In fact, everything on board of
the Guardian-Mother was luxurious. The ship was good for eighteen
knots an hour when driven, and was officered by men of skill and long
experience. Besides the boatswain and three quartermasters, her crew of
sixteen seamen were all picked men, and it would have been difficult to
find their equals as a whole in any yacht that sailed the seas.
Felix McGavonty was born of an Irish father and mother, but within the
United States; and he claimed to be as much an American as his friends
and companions; and his claim was freely allowed by all of them. His
mother was dead, and his father had "disappeared." The four young
Americans on board of the Guardian-Mother were fast friends at the time
of their introduction, though Scott had been heartily received as such
at a recent date.
The little steam-yacht, though she was large enough to have a cabin,
engine-room, and pilot-house, came up to the gangway of the ship.
The boys, as the commander always called them when speaking of them
collectively, went over the rail and descended the steps to the
Salihé. Individually, Captain Ringgold, as well as all the officers
and seamen, called Louis "Mr. Belgrave." Though he never put on airs,
some little deference was extended to him by his companions on account
of his ownership; but among themselves the boys were equals in every
respect.
The man in the pilot-house stepped out, and when he had made fast
to the side of the steamer, he invited the party on board. He was
evidently an Englishman, for he slaughtered his h's without mercy,
and was over fifty years old. He was well dressed, and one might have
taken him for the mate of a merchantman. He was polite in his way, and
provided his guests with seats.
CHAPTER II
THE BIG FOUR ARRANGE AN EXCURSION
"What steam-yacht is this, sir?" asked Louis, as he seated himself on a
stool in front of the pilot-house.
"She's the Sali'é, sir," replied the man, pointing to the name above
his head.
"That's an odd name; is it English?" added the young millionaire.
"Not at all, sir; it is a 'eathen name. She was built on the Clyde for
the Grand Mogul of Mogadore; and a very fine craft she is, too, sir."
"But how came she here? This isn't a heathen place, and you don't have
a great many Grand Moguls in Gibraltar, I believe."
"Bless you, no, sir! This place is a part of the realm of the Queen of
Hengland, which she is likewise also the Hempress of Hindia, and is a
Christian sovereign. Is it 'ow comes she 'ere?"
"His it the Queen? His she 'ere?" demanded Felix, opening as though
he was immeasurably astonished; and Louis looked at him and shook his
head in deprecation of the Milesian's travesty of the language of the
present skipper of the Salihé. "If her gracious majesty's here, I'll
go ashore and give her the top of the mornin' as the shades of aiv'nin'
are gadtherin' forninst the big bit of a rock," continued he, taking
his friend's decided hint and promptly acting upon it.
"The Queen which she is not in Gibraltar," replied the skipper,
apparently not at all pleased with the style of the last speaker. "I
was speaking of the Sali'é, sir, and not of the Queen."
"I beg your pardon, sir; I assure you on the honor of an Oirishman I
mint no offince," added Felix, taking off his cap and bowing to the
Englishman, entirely appeased by the apology.
"Is it 'ow the steam-yacht comes to be 'ere in Gib, sir? Well, it's
a bit hodd 'ow she comes 'ere. The Grand Mogul as owned 'er 'ad a
Spanish hengineer which he run away with the Sali'é, and brought 'er
to Gib. But the Grand Mogul 'imself was 'ere in 'is big steam-yacht,
and the Spaniard which 'e got frightened, and made fast the Sali'é to
the Fatimé which it is the Grand Mogul's big yacht, and left for Spain
without stopping to wipe the grease off 'is fingers."
"Then the engineer went to Spain?" queried Louis.
"I s'pose 'e did; where helse would a Spaniard go?" replied the skipper
with a vacant stare.
"I give it up."
"You gives it hup! If any one gives hup the thief as stole the yacht,
the Grand Mogul would cut 'im hup hinto five quarters."
"Four would be enough," interjected Felix.
"Is the Grand Mogul here now?" asked Louis.
"Not in Gib now, and I reckon he went back to Mogadore. He spoke
Henglish like a rock scorpion."
"Like a what?" demanded Felix.
"Like a rock scorpion, Flix; and that is a pet name for a person born
in Gibraltar," interposed Louis. "Where were you educated?"
"Not among the scorpions, moi darlint."
"Then the Spaniard returned the Salihé to her owner, did he?" asked
Louis.
"'E left 'er alongside the Fatimé, and fled like a rat with a cat
after 'im. The Grand Mogul was madder'n a bull with a bunch of Chinese
fire-crackers tied to 'is tail. 'E couldn't do nothing with the yacht
'ere 'n Gib. 'E offered me ten pounds to sail 'er down to Mogadore; but
I wouldn't go to sea in a craft no bigger'n she is. Then 'e sold her
'nd I bought 'er."
"What did you give for her?" inquired Felix.
"A 'undred pounds, which she is worth five 'undred," replied the
skipper, whose name, later on, proved to be Giles Chickworth.
"And what do you do with her?" asked Louis.
"I makes 'er pay the interest on what she cost me, and good wages
besides. I takes out parties as comes to the Rock," replied Chickworth.
"What do you charge for her?"
"Five shillings an hour, sir; and that's only two pound ten a day,
which it is very cheap for a beauty like the Sali'é, sir. Per'aps you
young gentlemen would like to take a turn in 'er?" suggested Giles
Chickworth.
Louis liked the idea, and the boys had a hasty conference in regard to
the matter. The passengers on board had not yet been on shore; for the
Viking, whose commander and his wife were their friends, was moored
near the Guardian-Mother, and they were having very pleasant times in
visiting each other. Three of the young gentlemen had to dine that
day with the guests of Mrs. Belgrave; and they thought it would be
more agreeable to make the excursion in the evening, when it would be
cooler, and the full moon would lend her splendors to the occasion.
"We cannot go now; but we should like to engage the Salihé for this
evening at six o'clock," said Louis, at the close of the conference.
"Me and the hengineer is engaged this evening," replied the skipper.
"We 'ave to go to a meeting of our society, and I must be there, for
I'm the chairman;" and the latter clause seemed to be the idea he
particularly wished to convey to his auditors.
"Very well, Mr. Chairman; but will you let the Salihé without the
captain or engineer?" inquired Louis.
"Sergeant Files told me as 'ow the Guardian-Mother was owned by a young
gentleman in his teens as was sailing in 'er. With all due respect,
which is the gentleman as owns 'er?" inquired Chickworth, touching his
tarpaulin at random to the big four, as Captain Ringgold sometimes
facetiously called them, evidently borrowing the term from a western
railroad folder.
With one accord Felix, Morris, and Scott pointed at Louis, as though
they were rehearsing a Scriptural tableau of what Nathan said unto
David: "Thou art the man!"
"Which his name it is Mr. Belgrave," added Chickworth, taking off
his tarpaulin and bowing low to the young gentleman indicated by his
companions, for he had more respect for millions than for birth and
attainments.
"My name is Louis Belgrave, at your service, Mr. Commander of the
Salihé," replied the young millionaire, laughing heartily at the
pantomime of his friends and the obsequiousness of the skipper.
"I knowed it was you, sir, from the gentility which it is marked on
your honor's face, and shows itself in every motion you make," gushed
Mr. Chickworth. "My name which it is Giles Chickworth."
"Mr. Chairman, I move that you use no more blarney; and I should say
you had kissed the Blarney stone if you were an Irishman."
"The motion is not seconded, and I can't put it to the 'ouse," said the
skipper.
"Put it to yourself and not to the house, and I shall be satisfied.
Now, Mr. Giles Chickworth, let us talk business. Will you let the
steam-yacht without captain or engineer?"
"Which I will do with the greatest pleasure in the world to a gentleman
with millions in his trousers' pocket; for if you wreck or injure the
beauty of a craft, you will pay for 'er like the Christian you are."
"Certainly, I will; but we do not intend to wreck or injure her," added
Louis, as he proceeded to arrange the terms more definitely.
Everything was satisfactorily adjusted, and Chickworth promised
to have the Salihé at the gangway of the ship at six o'clock. The
Guardian-Mother had arrived at Gibraltar about noon on the day that the
boys discovered the little steam-yacht. The Viking had come a couple
of hours sooner. Captain W. Penn Sharp, her commander, had formerly
been the third officer of the steamer, and his wife had been intimately
connected with the affairs of the Belgrave family.
They came on board of the ship as soon as she was moored; and the
rest of the party, including Captain Ringgold, were in the cabin
while the big four were bargaining for the use of the Salihé. The two
commanders had some business, and the ladies had more to say than could
be disposed of in half a day. Fourteen persons sat down at luncheon
together, and just escaped the fatal number by one, so that no life was
sacrificed to the ominous thirteen.
The boys went on deck as soon as the meal was finished, for they were
anxious to see more of the famous Rock, while the rest of the party
remained in the cabin. The little steam-yacht cast off her cable, and
stood off towards the town, where her enterprising captain probably
expected to obtain a job for his boat.
"You have not said anything to Captain Ringgold about this excursion,
Louis," suggested Morris Woolridge, as they observed the departing
steamer.
"I did not consider it necessary to say anything to him," replied the
owner of the Guardian-Mother.
"He will charge you with getting up another adventure like that you
three had in the same little craft, or that we had in the felucca off
Teneriffe, Sir Louis."
"If there is any adventure in a moonlight excursion in Gibraltar Bay
in which you cannot get away more than five miles from the ship, I do
not see it," added the young knight-errant, as Uncle Moses and Captain
Ringgold insisted upon regarding him.
"I'm go'n' wid ye's, moi darlint, and Oi shall see that no harrum comes
to ye's," interposed Felix. "I'll take as good care of ye's as your
modther wud if she went wid ye's."
"Then I shall be perfectly safe, Squire Felix; but who will take care
of you, my broth of a boy?" laughed Louis.
"St. Patrick hisself, long loife to 'm! is allus on the lukout for me;
an' ye've nothin' to faer as long as Oi'm wid ye's."
"We have no pilot for these waters," suggested Scott.
"You can take a look at the big chart of this locality before we go,
and then we shall be all right," replied Louis. "The water here is a
hundred fathoms deep, and I believe there is only one island in all the
bay."
"But there may be shoal places in the northern part of the bay, and it
would not be pleasant to get aground and have to stay all night stuck
in the mud," argued Scott.
"The tide rises and falls about four feet here; and by the looks it
will not be at the flood before nine or ten this evening; and if we get
caught, we can work off any shoal without much trouble. You will be the
pilot, Scott, and you must study up the tide and the shoals before we
leave."
"In what conspiracy are the big four engaged just now?" asked the
commander, as he came out of the boudoir, in which was the grand
staircase to the state cabin; and those rather high-sounding names were
so marked on the plan of the interior of the ship, made by the original
owner before she was purchased for the young millionaire. "Do you
intend to set Gibraltar Bay on fire, blow up the Rock, or bridge over
the Strait?"
"We may set the bay on fire to-night if it will only burn. Do you see
that little steam-yacht, Captain, making for the town?" replied Louis,
as he pointed to the pretty craft.
"I see her; and she is quite a handsome steam-launch," answered the
commander.
"That is the Salihé, in which Flix and I, with the 'middy,' made the
voyage from Madeira to Tarifa," added Louis.
"That? It seems to be quite impossible."
"She has been at the gangway, and her captain and owner, Mr. Giles
Chickworth, told us all about her, and how he happened to buy her of
the Grand Mogul;" and Louis proceeded to relate the entire history of
the craft, and to inform the commander that the big four had engaged
her for a moonlight excursion on the bay.
Captain Ringgold made no serious objection to the enterprise.
CHAPTER III
THE POSSIBLE DANGERS OF THE VOYAGE
Scott Fencelowe, who had been on probation over three months,
proved very unexpectedly to the captain and others on board of the
Guardian-Mother to be thoroughly reformed. As soon as the commander
was satisfied on this point, he treated him with great kindness and
consideration. The young man had been a very diligent student, and,
having rather remarkable ability, he made rapid progress in his studies.
The stateroom formerly occupied by the third officer, leading off the
promenade deck, like those of the first and second officers, had been
assigned to him. He was nominally a quartermaster, though his services
were seldom required at the wheel. He was the commander's messenger,
and had come to be called the "middy." He had the charge of the flags
and signals, and was made useful in any capacity in which he could be
of service.
He messed with the officers, and as a sort of reward of merit he was
occasionally invited to dine with the cabin party, as were the other
principal officers of the ship. The other boys treated him as though he
had been in every respect their equal, as indeed he was, except that
he was a petty officer, as Felix was the captain's clerk. Scott was a
very skilful boatman, and in three months he had learned his duty as a
seaman.
"I suppose this moonlight excursion means an adventure of some sort,
Sir Louis," said Captain Ringgold, when the serious part of the
business was settled, and no objection had been made to the enterprise
of the big four.
"Of course I am bound to be a knight-errant wherever I go and whatever
I do, and I am as sure to get into an adventure as I am to get into my
berth when I turn in," replied Louis, laughing with the captain all the
time.
"It generally happens so. You were going to the top of the Peak of
Teneriffe; but instead of going there, you had a battle with banditti,
and whipped out your captors in a felucca."
"But the big four came back safe and sound, and brought the enemy with
them."
"You were all plucky, and I believe you never fail to get the better of
all enemies in whatever form they come."
"Now, beloved commander of the Guardian-Mother, can you tell me what
possible chance there is for an adventure in the excursion we have
arranged?" asked Louis, rather more seriously.
"If you should undertake to capture the Rock of Gibraltar, it will
be well for you to know that it is garrisoned by about five thousand
soldiers of all arms; and that number of full-grown men are too many
for even the big four," continued the commander, not disposed to be
serious.
"The big four don't mind five thousand soldiers; if there were ten
thousand of them, we might hesitate."
"Perhaps you will prefer to pick up the entire Rock and drop it into
the bay; but the water is not deep enough to cover up the highest
points of it, and somebody might find out what you had been about."
"Now, Captain, could you be reasonably serious for a moment, only long
enough to guess the conundrum I put to you just now?" asked Louis.
"I might try. What was the conundrum?" asked the commander, smoothing
off his face.
"If my mother knew I was going ashore, or off in a boat, she would
immediately conclude that I was to be shot, pitched over a precipice,
or sunk to the bottom of the bay with a fifty-six tied around my neck."
"Formerly she would; but Dr. Hawkes has wonderfully improved her
nervous system, so that she would not conclude that anything of the
sort would happen to you. You have got into so many scrapes and always
come out of them without the singeing of a hair of your head, that
she has acquired some confidence in your happy destiny," replied the
captain.
"Then can you indicate nearly or remotely what possible adventure I can
fall into in this excursion?"
"I give up the conundrum; I cannot guess as to how it is to come about;
but if I were a sporting man, I should be willing to wager that you
will have an adventure of some kind; but I should wish to wager at the
same time that you would come out of it unscathed, and with the head of
the enemy under your arm," answered the captain, resuming his mirthful
rallying.
"I cannot see for the life of me where the adventure is to come in.
John Scoble is hard at work in Sing Sing prison, and"--
"He may have been pardoned, or escaped from the stone walls that held
him," interposed the commander, very cheerfully, as though he did not
anticipate either of these events.
"Mr. Fobbington, _alias_ Wilson Frinks, is mending roads with his
ankles chained together in Santa Cruz, in the island of Teneriffe;
these two were the most virulent enemies I ever had, and I do not know
where to look for any others," replied Louis, as he saw his mother with
the rest of the party come out of the boudoir.
Captain Ringgold told her all about the proposed excursion of the big
four; but Mrs. Belgrave did not offer a single objection. She asked her
son some questions about it, and then joined Mrs. Sharp in a walk on
the deck.
"But which of the big four is to be the engineer of the Salihé?" asked
the commander.
"No one of them, Captain; and that reminds me that I wish to borrow
Felipe Garcias, the oiler, for that office," replied Louis.
The commander sent the middy to summon Felipe; and both of them soon
returned together. The young Spaniard was very willing to undertake
the duty, as he was anything that was for Louis, to whom he was fully
devoted. The dinner in the cabin, complimentary to Captain and Mrs.
Sharp, was served at five o'clock in Monsieur Odervie's best style. The
boys retired early, and were at the gangway when the steam-yacht came
alongside.
Giles Chickworth was in the pilot-house, and the same engineer as when
they had seen the craft before was at the door of the engine-room.
Felipe was in readiness to take the place of the latter, as Scott was
that of the former. But the young engineer did not appear to be in a
very cheerful mood, and looked furtively about the vicinity of the ship
as if in search of somebody or something.
"Ali-Noury Pacha here?" he said, looking earnestly at Louis, for he had
been generally confined to his duties below, and had not heard the news
that the Pacha's yacht had gone to the southward three weeks before.
"The Grand Mogul is not here now," replied Louis, laughing at the fears
of the young Spaniard. "His steam-yacht has probably gone back to
Mogadore."
"Sure?" persisted Felipe.
"I am sure the Fatimé is not here, though I am not sure where she has
gone. Besides, he has sold the Salihé to the man in the pilot-house,
and he has no claim to her," Louis explained.
"I don't know; the Grand Mogul is a bad man; I am afraid," added the
engineer, shaking his head doubtfully.
"He cannot harm you now."
"He send me back to Mogadore; he whip me on the feet; he put me in the
prison," continued Felipe.
"He cannot touch you here."
"I am not so sure of that," interposed Uncle Moses, the lawyer. "He
could be arrested for stealing the steam-yacht;" but the trustee spoke
in a low tone, so that the Spaniard could not hear him, and he could
not yet speak or understand English very readily.
"He could in Morocco, but not here, under the British flag," suggested
Louis.
"There may be an extradition treaty between the two countries," replied
Uncle Moses. "But I don't think Filopena is in any great danger of
being arrested. Don't be afraid, my boy," he added to the engineer.
"It is all right, Felipe; the Pacha can have no idea of what has become
of you," said Louis, as he led the way down the steps and on board of
the Salihé. "You are here on time, Mr. Chickworth."
"Which I am halways on time, sir," replied the owner of the craft.
"This man owns the Salihé now," added Louis, turning to Felipe, who
closely followed him.
"_Lo he comprado_" (I have bought her), said the skipper, seeing that
the engineer was a Spaniard. "She is mine now."
But he had no idea that the person he addressed was the one who had run
away from the home of the Pacha with the steamer; and Louis did not
deem it wise to enlighten him in this particular.
"_Esta aqui el Pacha?_" (Is the Pacha here?) asked Felipe of the
skipper.
"_No esta aqui_" (He is not here), replied Chickworth. "Now, Mr.
Belgrave, I suppose you are in no 'urry, and per'aps you would not
mind setting me and my hengineer on shore by the Ragged Staff," he
continued, turning to Louis.
"In no hurry at all, and we had as lief go to the Ragged Staff,
whatever that may be, as anywhere else. Run for the shore at any place
you please. By the way, Mr. Chairman, where shall we leave the Salihé
when we return?"
"Just make 'er fast by the gangway of your ship, and I will come on
board to-morrow morning," replied the skipper, as he rang the bell to
go ahead.
Scott stood at the door and asked some questions about the navigation
of the bay; but Chickworth seemed to have no doubt that the temporary
pilot would be able to keep the steamer on the top of the water. It was
a run of only half a mile to the stairs where the skipper wished to
land, and a few minutes later he was set ashore there. He stood at the
head of the steps observing the Salihé as she headed up the bay, and
seemed to be informing himself whether or not her new crew knew how to
manage her.
Of course Felipe was entirely at home in the engine-room, for he had
served there in the employ of the Pacha, as well as on the broad ocean
when all his present shipmates were with him. Scott was a skilful
wheelman, and had steered the craft on the voyage from Madeira.
No commander had been chosen for the present trip, but Louis fell
naturally into this position without any appointment, for his ability
invariably made him the leader in all enterprises in which the big
four engaged. In fact, he had a talent for commanding as well as for
obeying; and the latter sometimes requires more talent than the former.
But he was modest and did not make himself offensive by an overbearing
manner.
The Salihé was abreast of the town of Gibraltar after she left the
landing stairs, where there is a fixed light, showing green, which
Scott noted as his guide for the return run. Four miles from it to
the westward was a light on Verde Island, near the city of Algeciras,
visible nine miles; and between the two the helmsman was not likely to
get lost, unless a dense fog should shut them out from his view, of
which there was no immediate prospect.
"It is about time to give the pilot some instructions in regard to the
course," said Scott, addressing Louis, who stood on the forecastle with
Felix. "It won't take long to use up this bay, which don't pan out more
than five miles in any direction."
"Sailing for itself don't amount to much, for we are somewhat
accustomed to that sort of thing," replied Louis. "I think you had
better keep her within about a quarter of a mile of the shore, and make
the circuit of the entire bay as far as Carnero Point on the other
side. Then we can see the coast by daylight or moonlight. If anybody
objects, let him say so."
This course was followed, and the voyagers had a good view of the town
and of the Rock. Scott had studied the chart, and announced to his
companions the Old Mole, the Neutral Ground, and finally Point Mirador,
with St. Roque on the hills above it.
CHAPTER IV
AN EXPLORATION OF GIBRALTAR BAY
"I say, Flix," said Louis, as he seated himself on one of the stools
with which the forecastle was provided, as they were passing the
Old Mole, "did it ever occur to you that our voyage from the Bahama
Islands was over about the same track as that taken by Columbus when he
discovered the New World?"
"I never thought a word about it, my darling," replied Felix.
"I wonder you didn't, for I persuaded you to read Irving's 'Life of
Columbus'; and you know he took his final departure from the Canary
Islands."
"I know he did; but he did not come back that way, and he had some
mighty tough weather, just as we had in coming to the Canaries."
"He returned by the Azores. But I was going to ask you a question,
Flix."
"Is it a question?"
"Do you remember seeing the word 'cosmography' in the book?"
"I do remember that same; and I remember seeing the dictionary in
regard to it. It is a very big word for a mighty small matter."
"Not at all. What do you understand by the word?"
"I should say that, according to Columbus, it meant the science or the
art of drawing maps."
"More than that; for it includes geography and astronomy and something
more than that, for it is the science of the universe, comprehending
the laws and relations of all its parts."
"Then it is a big subject; but Captain Columbus did not mean by it much
more than the description of countries, seas, and oceans. He might as
well have called it geography. A cosmographer is one who studies the
world or the universe; and that is what Columbus was, for he had an
astrolabe, and took the sun like any other old salt."
"Very good, Flix; and I am glad you read so understandingly."
"Did you think I was a fool?" asked Felix with a little gentle
indignation in his tone and looks.
"I knew you were not; and, like Captain Columbus, you are a
cosmographer," replied Louis, rallying his companion with a laugh.
"Is it I? Not much!"
"But you are"--
"Neutral Ground!" called Scott from the pilot-house. "It's about a
half-mile wide, and then comes San Felipe."
"Named after our engineer," added Felix.
"Precisely so: and that place is in Spain. You are studying the coast
of that country, and therefore you are a cosmographer," continued
Louis.
"Well, I haven't got it bad," protested Felix.
"You have it as badly as any of us; for we are all studying the
cosmography of the countries we visit, and especially the shores we
approach. We are all cosmographers."
"The hill directly ahead of us is the Carbonera Mountain," shouted
Scott; and it is possible that he desired to display the knowledge he
had picked up during the afternoon to prepare himself as a pilot.
"Carbonera!" exclaimed Felix. "What a word! I wonder if it means
anything. What does it mean, Scott?"
"I'm no Spaniard, and I don't know; all I study is the navigation,"
replied the pilot.
"Navigation! Are you going to take us up to the top of that hill in the
Sally Hay?" chuckled Felix, believing he had made a point.
"Not at all; and I am not going to take you to the top of the
lighthouse on Verde Island when we return; but I shall use it all the
same as a guide to assist me in the navigation, as I do the mountain,
which is nine hundred and seventy-one feet high, and therefore in sight
even in the night."
"You have got him, Scott," laughed Louis. "Flix, you talk as though
you were an old lady who believed that lighthouses were put up to
illuminate the watery region where they are placed, instead of to give
the mariner his bearings."
"I am not quite so green as the Ragged Staff Light," replied Felix,
rather cut up by Scott's victory over him. "But I am as wise as the
pilot, for I don't know any more than he does what the name of that
mountain means."
"Well, Flix, you ought to have studied Spanish with me, as I asked you
to do before we left New York," added Louis.
"Oh, bother! What do I want of Spanish?"
"To inform you what the meaning is of the name of that hill."
"And do you know what it means, darling?"
"It means a place where they burn charcoal."
"I am not going into the charcoal business at present; and it is of no
great consequence to me," added Felix.
"Knowledge is not all for business purposes; and it is worth while to
have it, even if you cannot make any money out of it in detail."
"Point Mala," said Scott.
"And what does that mean, Louis?" asked Felix.
"_Malo_ means bad, wicked, or sickly. _Mala_ is the feminine of the
same word; and it also means the mail, or a mail-bag. I don't know the
history of this _punta_, or point, so that I cannot tell whether it is
a sickly place, a wicked locality, or is the place where they formerly
landed the mail on its way to San Roque."
"That is San Roque on the hill to the left of Carbonera Mountain," said
Scott, who could hear all that was said on the forecastle.
"Then learning Spanish don't teach you everything, Louis, my darling,"
chuckled Felix. "It ought to let you know whether Mala is a wicked
place or a mail-bag."
"Knowledge has its limits; and generally they are not very far off.
But you might as well refuse to believe you had any hair on your head
because you can not tell how many capillary shafts it consists of."
"I have none of those things on my pate," laughed Felix, shaking his
head vigorously. "If I have, I will scatter them. Are those shafts like
the one that whirls the propeller of the Guardian-Mamma, Louis?"
"I am afraid the limits of your knowledge of the ornamental appendage
of your fine head are not as near as they might be, for you do not seem
to know the nomenclature of the hairs of your head."
"Are you talking Spanish just now, my darling? If not, I ought to have
brought a dictionary with me," said Felix with a gasp to denote the
depth of his despair.
"Point Mirador," called the pilot.
"Punta Mirador," added Louis.
"You ought to have your head bound with iron hoops, like a beer-barrel,
to keep it from bursting with the fulness thereof, for some of the long
words are sticking out through the cracks now."
"If it collapses, Flix, I hope you will gather up some of the fruits of
the explosion; but at present I do not feel any extraordinary pressure,
and I think you will have to acquire your own knowledge in the ordinary
laborious manner."
"I don't see the p'nt of that point which you call a punta"--
"I don't call it a punta, but a poon-ta. Pronounce it correctly when
you speak Spanish, Flix," interposed Louis.
"Poonta Mirador, then. There is more Mira-Por-Vos in it," added Felix,
alluding to the group of islands among the Bahamas on one of which the
foster-father of Scott had been picked up.
"Unfortunately for you there is none of that in it, for mirador means
a person looking on, or a balcony. You pay your money and take your
choice."
"Do you pay it in English or Spanish money? There is something on
the hill that looks like a balcony; and I pay my money for that
interpretation."
"There is another point before we come to Algeciras called
Rinconcillo," added the pilot.
"Call it Rin-con-cil-yo, for double 1 in Spanish is treated like a
single letter, sounded like ly joined," Louis explained.
"Cilyo it is, Don Louis; and I shall be wilying to remember it when
I am spelying out a Spanish word and filying up my empty head with
such eroodition through the capilyary shafts. But I suppose that
four-sylyabler means something."
"You observe that the word is a diminutive."
"I observe," replied Felix, shrugging his shoulders, and extending his
two hands like a puzzled or a deprecating Frenchman. "I always thought
a diminutive meant something small, and this is a four-syllabler, with
eleven letters, counting in the y."
"Does infinitesimal cover the length of the word or its meaning, Flix?"
"Give it up! You always beat me in a literary discussion, my darling;
and Oi'm moighty proud of your lairnin'."
"Rinconcillo, without regard to the length of the word, means a small
corner," said Louis.
"And that's just where I am!" exclaimed Felix. "There is only one thing
in which I can beat you."
"What's that, Flix?" asked Morris, who had been too much amused to say
anything before.
"In using the swate brogue of Ould Ireland, which I lairned from me
modther, long life to her, though she died when I was a babby."
"Welcome to your superiority in that line, my boy; but I hoped you
would forget your brogue before this time, for you have talked all the
evening till now without a touch of it," added Louis.
"Forgit me brogue? Niver! I'd dhrown mesel' in half a point o' wather
afore I'd forgit me modther tongue!"
"There is an opening in the land on the starboard side, just ahead of
us," Scott announced. "I suppose it is the River Palmones, and there is
a village on the north side of it. I missed the Guadarranque River.
"Small loss; but are we going into this river, Scott?" asked Louis.
"I guess not; I don't know the navigation, and it is not sounded on the
chart of the bay. But there are some small vessels in there, for I can
see their masts not half a cable's length from the shore."
"We don't want anything of them."
"There is a boat coming out of the river," said Morris.
"All right: there is room enough in this bay for both of us," added
Louis, as he glanced in the direction of the outlet of the stream.
"I can see the lights in the houses on the shore of the river,"
continued Morris.
The moonlight did not produce a very brilliant illumination of
Gibraltar Bay, though it was light enough to enable the voyagers on
its waters to see all prominent objects on the shores, and to make out
the shape of the points projecting from them. There was not a sail in
sight in this part of the bay, though the masts of the small craft in
the creek could be plainly distinguished. Both of them were schooners,
and they were evidently larger than most of the feluccas seen on the
Mediterranean.
The boat that was approaching contained five men, two of whom were at
the oars. They were pulling out in a direction to intercept the Salihé.
Louis examined the boat and the men as well as he could, and though he
had been utterly unable to imagine any possible danger in connection
with the moonlight excursion, he made up his mind that he, for one,
did not care to encounter a group of five men in just this lonely and
silent locality.
Scott had strictly observed his instructions to keep within about a
quarter of a mile of the shore, and the steam-yacht was now at this
distance from the land. The rowers in the boat did not seem to be
hurrying themselves at the oars, and Louis concluded that it would be a
very easy matter for the Salihé to run away from the strangers when it
seemed necessary to do so.
The steamer continued on her course, and no one expressed any alarm.
Suddenly the Salihé stopped short, her keel grinding in the sand or
mud.
CHAPTER V
AT THE MOUTH OF THE PALMONES RIVER
Scott had certainly done exceedingly well in his study of the chart,
which Louis had obtained for him, and he remembered much more than
might have been expected of him; but he had failed to mention several
towers on the shore, which could hardly be seen at night. There was one
of them about a quarter of a mile inshore from the mouth of the river.
At two cables' length from the shore the water was ten fathoms deep;
but at the mouth of the Palmones there is a bar, and the bottom in the
vicinity was mud.
The pilot had obeyed his orders, and he was not to be blamed, though
the steamer was now aground. As soon as the grating of the keel was
heard, and the boat came to a full stop, Scott rang the bell to stop
her, and then to back her. But she had run on the bar when going at
full speed, and she did not come off so easily as desired.
"How does she head now, Musther Shcott?" asked Felix in a rallying tone.
"South south-west by north north-east," replied the pilot, who was
always good-natured except when he got mad.
"Faix, I think she's headed down for the place the volcanos vintilate."
"She isn't making any headway in that direction," added Scott.
"She will come off in a few minutes, for it will not be high tide for
some time yet," said Louis. "You may as well stop the screw and take it
easy, for she seems to be stuck hard. We are in no great hurry."
"What do you call this river, Scott?" asked Felix.
"The Palmones."
"And what might that mean, Dr. Belgrave?"
"If you mean me, I don't know," replied Louis.
"Is there anything you don't know, Professor?"
"There is at least one thing in particular that I don't know, and that
is why you call me doctor and professor, Flix. I am not a pedant, and
if you call me by such names, I shall give you the highest-sounding
title I can find," replied Louis, rather tartly.
"I won't do it then; I didn't mean to vex you."
"You didn't vex me; but you talk to me as though I set myself up for a
very learned or a very pretentious fellow. Barbers and bootblacks call
themselves professors in these days; and there is no honor in the title
unless a man is really a graduate of a college, and is what the name
implies. I don't know what Palmones means, and it may be the proper
name of some Spanish don."
"The boat is close aboard of us," said Scott, coming out of the
pilot-house.
"And we are in for an advinture," chuckled Felix.
"I don't see any adventure yet," added Louis.
"Steamer, ahoy!" shouted a man in the bow of the boat.
"Answer him, Scott," said Louis.
"_En el vapor!_" shouted one in the stern-sheets of the craft, as
though he thought the steamer's people might not understand English.
"In the boat!" replied the pilot.
The strangers did not wait for anything more to be said, but came
alongside the Salihé, the man in the stern grasping the rail to hold
the boat. As well as they could be made out in the dim light of
the moon, they were not English lords nor Spanish grandees. On the
contrary, they were rather a piratical-looking set of men. They were
talking among themselves, but in Spanish; and the man in the bow
appeared to be the only one who spoke English.
Louis was not at all pleased with the situation; and he thought it was
possible, after all, that there might be an adventure to wind up the
moonlight excursion in the bay. He found his knowledge of Spanish was
likely to be serviceable, for he could understand all that he could
hear of what was passing in the after part of the craft. The man in the
stern called to the one in the bow to leap on board of the steamer.
The former looked like a cut-throat villain. He wore a woollen cap in
sugar-loaf form with the point of it turned over on the side of his
head.
It looked as though the party intended to board the Salihé, and Louis
took Felix by the arm, and led him to the rail of the yacht, in order
to prevent anything of this kind if possible. At the same time he told
Scott to make another attempt to back the steamer off the bar. The
pilot returned to the wheel and rang two bells. The screw began to
revolve, and the boat began to shake, for Felipe had a full head of
steam, having just replenished the furnace with coal, in preparation
for the work he was now called upon to perform. For a minute or so the
yacht was shaking under the pressure applied.
Setting the wheel amidships, Scott came out of the pilot-house, and
placed himself at the side of Louis. In the adventure on the island of
Teneriffe, in which his present companions, with the exception of the
engineer, had been captured to obtain a ransom from the millionaires,
Scott had been on the wrong side, and was engaged against his present
friends. On the current occasion he seemed to be desirous of redeeming
his character, so far as it had not already been done, and to prove his
loyalty to the owner of the Guardian-Mother.
"Board her!" called the Spaniard in the stern in his own language,
evidently supposing from the answer in English, and from the appearance
of those on the forecastle of the steamer, that they could not
understand him. "Board her, Gray!"
"No, no," replied the man called Gray, in Spanish. "We don't want any
trouble about this business. This is Giles Chickworth's steamer; but he
is not on board of her, so far as I can see."
"There is not a particle of wind, and we cannot sail the Golondrina
down the bay," continued the Spaniard impatiently. "You waste time, and
we shall all be lost, and all the goods with us."
This remark fully enlightened Louis in regard to the character of the
villanous-looking fellows in the boat. They were _contrabandistas_, as
smugglers are called in Spanish. The town of San Roque on the hill has
the reputation of being largely the abode of this class of people, and
the surrounding country doubtless is inhabited by great numbers of them.
"Gibraltar is a free port, and a resort in consequence of Spanish
smugglers, who drive an amazing trade by introducing contraband goods
into Spain. The British government is not altogether free from a charge
of a breach of faith, in the toleration it has given to these dishonest
men; for it is bound by many engagements to use its best exertions
to prevent any fraud on the Spanish revenues, in consequence of its
possession of this peninsula." This is an extract from an English book,
published in London. The writer has not set up a windmill for the
purpose of giving the knight-errant on board of the Salihé a job to
knock it down.
It was plain enough to Louis, who had read the account of Gibraltar
from which we have quoted, that the occupants of the boat alongside had
a small vessel in the Palmones, loaded for a voyage to some port in
Spain. The wind had been tolerably fresh during the afternoon, but at
sunset it had entirely subsided, and at the present time the surface
of the bay was glassy in the moonlight. The custom-house officials from
Algeciras or elsewhere might pounce upon them before morning, or the
next day if the vessel was compelled to remain in the river for the
want of wind.
"Is Captain Chickworth on board of the steamer?" asked Gray, addressing
those on the forecastle of the steamer.
"He is not on board," replied Louis.
At this moment the engine, which had been doing its most vigorous work,
triumphed over the mud, and began to move, to the great satisfaction
of all the party on board, and perhaps to the discomfiture of those
in the boat. She went astern very slowly, as though she had not yet
fully conquered her enemy at the bottom of the bay. Gray, who was still
holding on at the rail of the steamer, looked about him, as if to
interpret the motion he could not help feeling. Then he said something
to the man nearest to him, who passed up to him the painter, though
those on board could not see what was done.
"All right now!" exclaimed Scott, as he ran into the pilot-house and
grasped the spokes of the wheel.
"Don't crow till you are out of the woods," added Louis.
"She has got started and she will go it now," said Felix, as he went to
the bow to see what progress the steamer was making.
The opportunity for which the boatmen had probably been watching
appeared to have come when Louis turned his attention to the movement
of the Milesian, for at that moment Gray sprang over the rail of the
yacht to the deck, with the painter in his hand. There was a movement
of his companions in the boat to follow him; but the English-speaking
member of the band interposed, and prevented them from doing so.
"We will try gentle measures first," said he, as Louis interpreted his
Spanish; and he spoke it very fluently, if not as correctly as Louis
had been taught by his learned professor.
"If Captain Chickworth is not on board of the steamer, who is in
command of her?" demanded Gray, as he made fast the painter of the boat
at the rail.
"I am in command of her," replied Louis; and the situation seemed
to call upon him to act without any election or appointment to the
leadership of his party.
"Do you happen to have any name?" inquired Gray.
"My name is Belgrave, at your service."
"Then I suppose you hail from Belgravia in London."
"No, sir; I hail from Von Blonk Park."
"Then you speak English very well for a Dutchman. I never heard of the
place you come from; but it is all the same," continued Gray, evidently
proceeding to use the gentle measures of which he had spoken. "The
Dutch are a very thrifty and money-making people."
"They are, like the Scotch, of whom you are one, I should judge,
though you have but little of the dialect in your speech, and you
speak English very well indeed, to return your compliment," replied
Louis, seeing that Felix and Morris were keeping a close watch over the
Spaniards in the boat.
If Gray wished to use gentle measures, the self-appointed commander of
the Salihé was willing to meet him half-way, and was not disposed to
resort to violence as long as it could be avoided, or even to harshness
of speech.
"I am a Scotchman, and I am proud of my country," added Gray. "You
are a Dutchman, though you speak English perfectly. I suppose you are
ready, as Scotchmen and Dutchmen always are, to make a little money."
"I cannot say that I am," replied Louis rather coldly.
"Then you are a very odd Dutchman."
"And you are a very odd Scotchman."
"I dare say I am; but I do not see in what particular I am odd at the
present moment."
"Why, you propose to give me a chance to make some money instead of
making it yourself, which is not at all like a Scotchman."
"_Quiere V. atropellar?_" (Will you hurry up?) shouted the Spaniard in
the stern of the boat angrily.
"My friend is impatient," added Gray.
"I see he is."
"Do you speak Spanish?" demanded the Scotchman, evidently startled at
the suggestion of Louis's reply.
"I do not just now; but if your friend is impatient, I will not detain
him or you a single moment more, and you can return to your boat at
once."
By this time the Salihé was under full headway, and the boat was
dragged at a rather uncomfortable speed for those on board of it. At
this stage of the proceedings the pilot rang one bell to stop the
steamer.
CHAPTER VI
THE BATTLE ON THE DECK OF THE SALIHÉ
Scott had heard all the conversation with Gray on the forecastle, and
fully acknowledged the authority of the self-appointed commander. He
had rung one bell without any order to that effect. As he explained it
afterwards, the fact that the steamer had been aground led him to fear
that she might stick the heel of her false keel, if she had one, into
another mud-bank, and perhaps cripple her rudder.
The acting captain did not object, for he knew that the pilot was more
of a sailor than he was himself, and he took the trouble to nod his
approval of what had been done. Fearing some interference on the part
of Gray, Louis did not care to make an issue by directing him to go
ahead. But Scott rang one bell again without any order, and the Salihé
began to go ahead. The boat was whirled about by this movement, and
came up alongside of the steamer as she gathered headway. Gray watched
the craft and the men in it; but the latter made no demonstration,
though Diego, as he called him, occasionally demanded that the
Scotchman should "hurry up."
"I have a bit of business with you, Captain Belgrave," said Gray, when
things had become quiet again on deck. "My friend Diego has a small
vessel loaded with merchandise."
"I suppose he bought it at some of the houses whose light we can see
half a mile up the Palmones," added Louis.
"That is neither here nor there. What odds does it make where the goods
came from?" asked the Scotchman, beginning to manifest some of Diego's
impatience.
"It does not make the least difference in the world to me; but it might
to the Spanish custom-house officers," replied Louis lightly.
"You know more than the law allows to a young fellow; and I hope you
are as prudent as you are wise," replied Gray, in a tone somewhat
severe. "Captain Chickworth is my friend; and if he had not been
obliged to go to a society meeting, he would have been here with the
Salihé to assist me."
"But Captain Chickworth does not happen to be here to assist you; and
my party have chartered his steamer, and they have the right to use her
as they please."
"But, my dear Captain Belgrave, I will give you two pounds in good gold
if you will assist me with your steamer; and we won't disturb your
party in the least degree," pleaded the Scotchman, in tones that were
now quite obsequious. "The money I give you will pay for the steamer."
"We are able to pay for her without any such assistance from you, and
I must respectfully decline your munificent offer," answered Louis.
"Make it three pounds, though Chickworth would have charged me only
two," persisted Gray.
"I must still decline."
"I am willing to say four pounds, though you are rather hard on me."
"Make it twenty pounds, and I shall decline it all the same. I am not
in want of a job just now," replied Louis very firmly.
"But we must have the steamer, and I hope you will be reasonable,
Captain Belgrave. If we proposed to turn you and your party out of the
steamer, and take full possession of her, it would be quite another
thing," argued Gray. "You can all remain on board of the steamer and
enjoy the sail just the same. If you wish to retire to the cabin, we
have some excellent wine on board of our vessel, and we will supply you
with half a dozen bottles of it, which will help you to pass away the
evening."
"Not one of our party drinks wine."
"We only ask you to tow the Golondrina down as far as Carnero Point,
and we shall get a breeze of wind by that time."
"It is no use to talk, Mr. Gray. I will not tow the Golondrina down
to Carnero Point on any terms you can name," said Louis, so decidedly
that the Scotchman was evidently satisfied he could not accomplish his
purpose.
"You are a very obstinate Dutchman!" exclaimed Gray, as he turned away
from the acting captain, and blew a whistle which it was evident he had
carried in his hand during the conversation.
When the boat swung around as the steamer went ahead, it was held by
the painter abreast of the engine-room. Felix heard that whistle,
and had been an attentive listener to the interview in front of the
pilot-house. He had stationed himself at the rail near the point where
the painter of the Spanish boat was made fast. He realized before the
close of the conference that Gray "meant business," as he expressed
himself. The instant he heard the whistle, he cast off the painter,
which he had partly unloosed before. The boat began to slide aft, and
Gray used some expletives which indicated that he was not in good
standing in the Scottish Kirk.
Diego was not asleep, for he instantly detected the fact that his craft
was adrift. He laid hold of the rail of the steamer with desperate
energy, for he knew that once lost the Salihé could not be overtaken
with oars, and the custom-house officers would settle their business in
due time. The Spaniard held on to the rail, and his men did the same.
Gray had hurried aft as soon as he had blown his whistle, which must
have been agreed upon as the signal to board, before he put his
foot aboard the planks of the steamer. On the way he seized upon a
heave-line, which was attached to a fast in the stern, and dropped it
into the boat. It was caught by one of the men, and passed around the
fore thwart. With this assistance the Spaniards were able to hold the
craft, though it fell astern of the steamer when they let go of the
rail.
Louis, Felix, and Morris now realized that the smugglers intended to
take forcible possession of the Salihé, and their blood was stirred
accordingly. All three of them had revolvers in their hip pockets for
reasons set forth in the preceding volumes; though Morris had purchased
his in London, for the adventure with the brigands in Teneriffe had
satisfied his father that it was needed. All three of them followed
Gray, and saw that the Spanish boat was again attached to the steamer.
Scott looked out for the wheel; but he had gone to the door of the
pilot-house, where he had seen all that occurred farther aft. He had
been the owner of two revolvers, but Captain Ringgold had ordered
them to be taken from him when he was a rebellious character, and
they had never been restored to him. He was not armed, therefore, as
his companions were; but if there was to be any fighting he earnestly
desired to do his share of it, for he was far from being a coward.
Under the binnacle in front of the wheel were several tools, including
a hammer, two hatchets, and a common hand-saw. From this arsenal of
available weapons he selected the smaller hatchet, because it was quite
sharp, and the saw. He had heard an old shipmaster who resided near his
foster-father give an account of a mutiny which he had suppressed, and
his only weapon was a saw such as that he found in the pilot-house.
Thrusting the handle of the hatchet through the back of his belt, and
with the saw in his hand, he secured the wheel amidships, and hastened
aft, following closely at the heels of his three companions on board.
Gray stood by the heave-line he had thrown to those in the boat, and
which he had made fast at a cleat under the rail. Scott took in the
situation at a glance, and noted the place where the line was made
fast. But he did not wish to interfere with any plan Louis had made.
"I have fastened the wheel amidships, Louis, and I can be with you for
a few minutes," said he to the leader.
"Gray has dropped a line into the boat, and the Spaniards have made it
fast," replied Louis. "All we have to do is to beat them off if we can.
I don't like the idea of shooting them;" and he had his hand on his hip
pocket.
"Here is the line: shall I cut it?" asked Scott.
"Yes, if you can."
Drawing the rope up to the rail, he chopped it off with a single blow
of the hatchet. It dropped on the deck, and was running out when the
Scotchman unfortunately discovered what had been done, and seized upon
it just before the end of it was going overboard. He could not have
done this if Diego and a couple of his companions had not still been
holding on at the rail.
Gray held fast at the line, passing it around the small iron davit, to
a pair of which a little tender was hoisted up, and made it fast. Then
he turned upon the four boys who were in the gangway abreast of the
cabin, and he was evidently no longer in favor of gentle measures, for
he swore at them in a manner to make a Christian weep.
"I gave you a chance to be decent and earn some money," said he
angrily. "You would not listen to me, and now you have lost your chance
to make three or four pounds, and I have taken possession of the
steamer, and I intend to keep her as long as I please."
"This is piracy!" exclaimed Louis.
"You may call it what you like," replied Gray savagely. "You have had
your chance, and now you have lost it. Go forward, every mother's son
of you!" And he rushed at them in a body as they stood, with his two
fists doubled up as though he intended to annihilate them, and so
furiously that those who had revolvers had no chance to use them.
He absolutely fell upon Louis and Felix who were ahead of Morris and
Scott, and except the last they all fell back involuntarily, and in
a moment more the revolvers were drawn and in readiness for use; but
Scott did not budge a foot. He had restored the hatchet to the belt
behind him, and had transferred the hand-saw to his right hand. He
stood his ground like a brave fellow, for he had a plan in his head
upon which he meant to act.
The Scotchman struck at him with his fist, directing the blow at his
head; but Scott had raised the saw in readiness for action, and he
brought it down upon his assailant's hand with a force which made him
howl with pain, and caused him to retreat a pace, while he poured
forth a volley of oaths which must have well-nigh exhausted his
piratical vocabulary.
[Illustration: "SCOTT RAISED THE SAW IN READINESS FOR ACTION."]
"Don't fire, fellows, if you can help it," said Louis to his followers,
for the worst the smugglers were likely to do was to use the Salihé
to tow their schooner down to Carnero Point, a distance of about five
miles, and he could not feel that his party would be justified in
killing the assailants.
He spoke in a low tone so that Gray could not hear him, for he was
still disposed to use the revolvers for their moral effect, and he
did not believe that even the Scotchman would be willing to stand up
in the face of a dozen and a half of bullets that might be shot into
his head. Louis was filled with admiration at the pluck which Scott
exhibited, for he had not expected it of him. Still levelling blows at
the Scotchman with the saw, the pilot drove him aft, hitting him once
in the face, for he was not as tender of the enemy as his leader was.
Gray defended himself as well as he could, avoiding most of the
blows by dodging them, or warding them off with his arm. Near the
standing-room he found a spare tiller, kept for use in case the wheel
should be disabled in the pilot-house. As he stooped to take it from
the brackets, he received the cut in his face, which maddened him
more than any other he had received. With this weapon he rushed upon
the pilot, and the efficiency of the saw was somewhat neutralized,
though Scott continued to wield it vigorously as he retreated upon his
companions.
In the first of the struggle Gray had called upon the Spaniards to
board the steamer, which they had done, and now the whole five of
the smugglers were on the deck of the Salihé. The situation looked
very discouraging to Louis when he saw that the enemy had obtained a
foothold, and he realized that he ought to have menaced those in the
boat with the revolvers of his party. But he could not have reached the
standing-room directly without passing the Scotchman, who would have
disputed his passage.
The Spaniards disappeared behind the cabin; but in a minute more they
fell upon the rear of the party, and made them prisoners.
CHAPTER VII
THE BIG FOUR AS PRISONERS IN THE CABIN
Louis Belgrave had taken it for granted that the Spaniards would move
forward to the support of the Scotchman, who was doing better with the
aid of the tiller in his encounter with Scott. He expected the attack
would be made in front, and while he was considering whether or not
his party should use their revolvers, the smugglers fell upon Felix
and himself in the rear, for he had sent Morris to the wheel, and they
were tightly hugged, with their arms pinned to their sides by the four
Spaniards.
While the struggle between Scott and Gray was going on, Louis
discovered that the steamer was headed towards the shore, and it was
evident to him that the pilot's fastenings at the wheel had given away.
The Salihé was therefore liable to stick in the mud at any moment; and
he had sent Morris to the pilot-house to steer the boat, for he was the
youngest of the big four, and the least serviceable in the defence of
the craft.
As soon as Louis and Felix were fast in the embrace of two of the
Spaniards, Diego rushed into the pilot-house, and overthrew Morris
at the wheel. The plucky little fellow had drawn his revolver; but
the leader had cautioned them not to fire, and he returned the weapon
to his pocket. He was no match for the stalwart smuggler, and he was
thrown on the floor. Diego called to the third of his men on the deck,
and directed him to tie the hands of all the prisoners behind them,
which he did as soon as he could find the cords for the purpose.
Diego was the leader of the Spaniards, and probably the captain of
the small vessel to be towed out of the bay. He kept his foot on the
prostrate form of poor Morris while he threw over the wheel, and headed
the steamer for the mouth of the Palmones. When Louis had been bound
with his hands behind him, he turned his attention to Scott, who was
still holding his own with the Scotchman. The blows with the tiller and
the saw were now few and far between, for both of them seemed to be
tired out by the fury of the struggle.
"No use, Scott," called Louis. "You had better give it up, and we will
make the best of the situation. All but you are prisoners; you cannot
beat off the whole of them alone, and you had better surrender."
"Then I will throw up the sponge if you say so, Captain Belgrave,
though it goes against my grain," replied Scott as he dropped the saw
into the cabin through one of the open windows.
"That's sensible, Captain," added Gray, with a sort of gasp, for he had
not yet recovered his breath after the violence of the struggle. "Here,
Francisco, tie up this fellow as you have the others," he added in
Spanish.
"Do you mean to tie my hands behind me?" demanded Scott, falling back
from his assailant.
"You can't help yourself, Scott, and you had better submit," interposed
Louis, for there was no "blood and thunder" in him; he was not disposed
to have any shooting done as long as their lives were not in peril, and
he deemed it advisable to make the best of the situation.
He suspected that Giles Chickworth was a friend of Gray, and assisted
him in his smuggling operations. Diego and the Scotchman were evidently
in partnership in such enterprises as the present, and doubtless the
owner of the steamer had his share of the profits. Gray would send the
Salihé back to Gibraltar, even if it was only to avert suspicion from
the steamer and her owner.
"Just as you say, Captain Belgrave, and I will submit to the
indignity," said Scott in reply to the advice of the leader.
"Captain Belgrave is a very sensible fellow," added Gray, as the
Spaniard proceeded to bring the hands of the pilot behind him. "You
have hacked me badly with that saw, which is a weapon I have never seen
used in a fight before."
"Then you have learned something this evening that may be of service
to you," replied Scott, who appeared to be very well satisfied with
himself after the battle he had fought.
"You are a plucky fellow; but if I could have got hold of you, your
pluck would have done no good."
"I did not mean to let you get hold of me," answered Scott.
"But you were playing a fool's game all the same. As soon as Francisco
had tied up the other fellows, they would have taken you in the rear,
and then I should have got hold of you. You were not as sensible as
Captain Belgrave; and I only wonder that he should have been so stupid
as not to accept my offer in the beginning."
"I suppose you know that this is piracy, Captain Gray," said Louis.
"Not quite so bad as that, Captain Belgrave, for within half a mile of
the shore, and in this bay, is not exactly on the high seas."
Diego had called Francisco to the wheel as soon as all the prisoners
were bound, and went out on deck himself. The steamer was again
approaching the mouth of the river; but the man at the helm evidently
knew where the deep water was, for he kept the boat close to the point
at the south of the entrance to the stream.
"We are all right now, Captain Gray," said Diego, as he passed the
three prisoners standing in the gangway.
"And I am all right at this end of the vessel, Captain Velazquez,"
replied Gray, using for the first time the surname of the principal
Spaniard. "Now, what shall we do with the prisoners?"
They both spoke in Spanish, but Louis understood them, and he was
interested in the answer to the question of the Scotchman.
"Shut them up in the cabin. There is a lock on the door, and they will
be safe there," replied the captain. "I looked at the door as I went
forward."
"But we must use them well, Diego, or it will go hard with us if
we should happen to get caught," suggested Gray, as he tied his
handkerchief around his left hand, where his worst saw wound was
located.
"We shall not be caught," protested the captain vigorously, and it was
plain that he did not like to contemplate such a mishap. "The steamer
will tow us safely out of the bay, and on the next tide I shall run my
schooner into Vega River, where no vessel that draws more than nine
feet of water can follow us. We shall be all right as soon as we get to
sea. Here we are in the river."
"Then we must lock up the prisoners," added Gray. "But how about the
engineer? He has not been on deck at all."
"He is a Spaniard; but I sent Pedro into the engine-room to keep watch
of him. He will not make any trouble," replied the captain of the
smuggler.
Before the unfortunate ship's company of the Salihé were committed to
their prison they obtained a view of the situation up the Palmones.
There appeared to be no persons on the shore. The houses were all on
the north side of the stream, and a couple of feluccas lay on the south
side, which had probably been employed in bringing the smuggled goods
to this locality. In the middle of the river a small schooner was at
anchor; and Louis concluded that this was the vessel to be towed out of
the bay.
There was not a breath of wind, and the smuggler was utterly helpless
without the assistance of the steamer. While they were surveying
the scene the gong in the engine-room struck, and it was plain that
Francisco knew how to manage the bells. The head of the Salihé was
directed toward the schooner, assuring the prisoners that she was the
craft to be taken in tow. Louis had thought they might appeal to some
person on the shore for assistance; but no one was to be seen.
"Come, gentlemen, your quarters are ready, and your prison is fit for a
king," said Gray, who had been making it ready while the prisoners were
looking up the stream; and he seemed to have had some trouble with the
lock, for it bothered him for some time.
"All right; I think we can be comfortable here," replied Louis, who led
the way.
"I should think you might. You can go to sleep if you like; and when
we have done with the steamer, I will call you, and ask you to return
her to Captain Chickworth with my compliments," continued the Scotchman
very pleasantly, for his wounds did not seem to make him ugly.
Louis concluded that he was to make a great deal of money out of his
share of the present venture, and that the thought of it was the
solution of his cheerfulness. According to the statement of Diego, the
want of a breeze was likely to ruin all their prospects, subject the
cargo of the schooner to confiscation, and her ship's company to proper
punishment. The capture of the Salihé could hardly fail to make them
happy.
Gray passed them all into the cabin, and locked the door upon them.
Then he ordered a Spaniard to bring them a couple of bottles of the
excellent wine of which he had spoken before; but Louis assured him
that none of them ever drank wine under any circumstances. Then he
reminded them that he was treating them as well as though Captain
Belgrave had accepted his liberal offer, speaking to them through the
blinds in the door. When he had thus delivered himself, he walked
forward, for the prisoners could hear his footsteps on the deck.
"Here we are!" exclaimed Louis, as he seated himself on the divan which
surrounded the apartment.
"Just where we ought not to be," added Felix. "I obeyed the order of
the captain; but I could hardly help putting a ball from my revolver
through the head of that gray blackguard of a Scotchman, bad luck to
him!"
"What better off should we have been, Flix, if you had killed or
wounded him?" asked Louis quietly.
"We should have had one less to fight, and we might have shot some more
of them," argued the Milesian.
"Diego had a wicked-looking knife in his belt, and I have no doubt the
rest of them were similarly armed," replied Louis.
"I might have shot Diego when he took the helm from me," added Morris.
"I am glad you did not, my boy. If you had failed to disable him with
the first barrel, he would have stabbed you before you could have fired
the second. If Flix had fired his revolver at Gray, the other four in
the boat would have leaped on board, and used their knives freely,"
continued Louis, who still believed he had adopted the wisest course.
"I guess you are right, Captain Belgrave," added Scott, who was the
hero of the occasion, for he had done all the fighting. "We are
comfortable enough here in this cabin, and not one of us has got hurt.
I had a rap on the arm from the spare tiller in the hands of Gray, and
it may be black and blue; but that is nothing, and I am glad no other
fellow is damaged, as some of you would have been if you had used your
revolvers. I did not have any, so I had to content myself with the saw."
"And you did good work with it, Scott," said Louis.
"I did not hit him as hard as I might, for I did not want to kill him,
and I was afraid I might overdo the business. As I said, this is a very
comfortable cabin, and some of us are no strangers here. It is quite
cool here, and"--
"It ought to be cool, for all the windows are open," suggested Felix.
"So they are," added Scott, rising and examining each one separately,
for the curtains were drawn over them.
"We might get out," said Felix.
"Except for these bonds," replied Scott. "Perhaps we can cast them off.
It would be a good scheme if we could get loose, recapture the steamer,
and then deliver her to the custom-house officers at Gib, if there are
any there."
"It does not look quite practicable," said Louis, shaking his head.
"But it is worth considering," persisted Scott.
And they proceeded to consider it.
CHAPTER VIII
A MORAL CONSPIRACY ON BOARD THE SALIHÉ
Louis Belgrave had a constitutional dislike for evil-doers, for he
inherited an utter condemnation of all wrong as a part of his being;
and he could no more help this feeling than he could help breathing.
Like his mother, he was disposed to "love the sinner while he hated the
sin." He had just passed through an exciting experience, and he was
grateful to Heaven that he and his friends had come out of the conflict
unharmed.
Still he was not at all satisfied with the situation. His party had
been beaten in the conflict with the smugglers, who were lawless
reprobates, with whom he could not have the remotest sympathy. He had
not the slightest fellow-feeling for those who believed it was quite
proper to cheat the government out of the duties levied on goods coming
into the country.
He was even so old-fashioned as to wonder how men and women who had
the reputation of being honest and upright members of society, and
sometimes in good standing in the church, could conceal dutiable goods
when they had come home from abroad, and give evasive if not lying
answers to the questions of custom-house officials.
Gray, Diego, Velazquez, and their associates, were violating the laws
of Spain. If the duties on the merchandise on board of the Golondrina,
as their schooner was called, amounted to a thousand pounds, Louis
regarded their operation as precisely the same thing as stealing this
amount of money from the Spanish government. He viewed the transaction
in exactly the same light as he would have looked upon the deed of a
bandit who robbed the passing traveller on the road of the sum named.
Louis expressed his views on this subject as a prelude to the
consideration of the question which Scott had brought up for
discussion. It seemed to him, though he had not reasoned himself into
this belief, that he and his companions were to some extent guilty if
they permitted these law-breakers, without an attempt to bring them to
justice, to go their way with their ill-gotten booty, or, as he put it,
to steal the money from the government of Spain.
It is hardly probable that all his friends took his high-toned moral
view of the subject; but without exception they were in favor of
recapturing the steamer, and making prisoners of the smugglers.
Undoubtedly such an attempt would involve an adventure; but there was
a flavor of doing one's duty connected with it which satisfied Louis
that "it was the right thing to do," if it was practicable, for even
Louis did not believe that his party were called upon to perish by the
stilettos of the ruffians for the benefit of the Spanish treasury.
"Hold on a minute," said Scott, as the gong in the engine-room sounded
to stop the boat. "They have come to the Golondrina. We had better find
out if we can how the pirates arrange their affairs on board when they
take the schooner in tow."
"That is a good idea," replied Louis, as he went to one of the cabin
windows, and raised the curtain a little so that he could see out on
the deck. "The steamer has come about, and her stern is under the
bowsprit of the schooner."
"Look out, Louis!" called Scott, as he heard voices on the deck. "They
will see that the window is open if you are not careful."
The cabin had been lighted by Chickworth when he brought the steamer
to the gangway of the Guardian-Mother. A lamp was suspended from a
deck-beam overhead; it had three brackets, and the little apartment was
illuminated like a ballroom. Louis dropped the curtain at this warning,
but he could still hear all that was said on the deck.
Captain Velazquez ordered Lucio on board of the schooner, directing him
to pass the tow-line to the steamer; and it had evidently been made
ready before the smugglers left the vessel to procure the services
of the Salihé. Louis interpreted the command of the captain to his
companions in a low tone so that he could not be heard by those on deck.
"That settles one thing," said Scott, who was proving himself to be one
of the most useful and determined of the party.
"What does it settle?" asked Louis, who had taken no particular notice
of the meaning of the order.
"It settles that no men were left in the schooner; for that reason
Lucio had to be sent on board of her to pass the tow-line on board,"
replied Scott.
"That is important," added Louis. "Possibly it proves another thing:
that the smugglers intended to take the steamer by force if necessary,
or they would have sent only two or three after her. They are hauling
the line on board."
Louis listened again, and Diego's orders indicated that the line was
made fast at the stern of the Salihé. The only names he heard used were
those of Gray, the captain, and Francisco, for Pedro appeared to be
still in charge of the engine, or rather of the engineer. Only four of
the ruffians remained on board of the steamer.
"_Todo esta pronto_" (All is ready), said Gray, who seemed to be more
impatient than his companions.
"_Todavia no_" (Not yet), added the captain.
"What are we waiting for now?" demanded Gray, vexed at any delay, and
still speaking Spanish of course.
"I have to place my men," replied Diego petulantly.
At this point of the conversation on the deck Louis was intensely
interested, for he was as desirous of knowing where each man was placed
as the captain himself. In the beginning of the discussion he had
simply hoped that something might be done to recover the steamer; but
now Scott's proposition began to look more practicable.
"I thought you had placed them," said Gray. "Francisco, who knows more
about a steamer than any of the rest of your crew, is to be at the
helm, and Pedro is to look out for the Spanish engineer, who is not
likely to give us any trouble."
"All right so far," replied the captain. "Lucio will remain on board of
the Golondrina with me."
"With you?" interrogated the Scotchman.
"Of course I shall stay on board of the _goleta_," returned Diego, as
though he had been asked a foolish question.
"I supposed you would remain on board of the steamer," added Gray.
"Have you lost your wits?" demanded Captain Velazquez, as nearly as
Louis could render his remark into English. "Our valuable cargo is on
board of the Golondrina, and do you expect me to leave it to take care
of itself?"
"But if you stay on board of the steamer you will not be far away from
it," suggested Gray, who was clearly dissatisfied with the arrangement.
"Suppose the tow-line should part and set the _goleta_ adrift: what
would become of her with no one but Lucio on board of her?"
"I have no idea that the tow-line will part."
"But it may. Suppose we are chased by a cutter from Algeciras; she
might run between the two vessels in order to break the line," argued
Diego.
"Then you would be taken by the officers, and I should be safe," added
Gray with a chuckle. "But I happen to know that they have nothing just
now but a sailing-vessel for a cutter, and there is not a breath of air
to-night."
"But there will be wind enough as soon as we get out from under the lee
of these mountains to the north of us," the captain insisted. "I never
leave my vessel when she is under way."
Louis thought the captain had the best of the argument; and whether
the Scotchman thought so or not, he made no further objection to the
plan; and a few minutes later the listener heard the voice of Diego
from a distance, which assured him that he had gone on board of the
Golondrina. This word means a swallow, not an unusual name for a fast
yacht in France and the United States; and Louis concluded that she
must be a rapid-sailing craft, built for the smuggling business.
The attentive listener next heard the footsteps of Gray, and it
must have been he, since the captain had left him alone in the
standing-room. Doubtless he was going to the pilot-house, where
Francisco had been sent before him, to get the steamer under way as
soon as Diego gave the command. Louis drew aside the curtain and looked
out; but no one was to be seen on the deck.
"There is no one near the cabin now," said he as he seated himself on
the divan, with his hands behind him, a position which circumstances
compelled all the party to assume.
"But what have you heard, Captain Belgrave?" demanded Scott. "None of
us but you know any Spanish, and we are as much in the dark as ever."
"Quite right; and I forgot to mention what I have heard;" and he
proceeded to report the conversation to which he had listened, omitting
the arguments used by Gray and the captain.
"That makes the situation look a little more jolly," said Scott. "There
goes the gong, and we are going ahead now. We had better hurry up our
cakes, or we shall be too late to do anything, for the steamer has only
five or six miles to make before the smugglers will discharge her, her
occupation gone, if they only get a breeze."
"Captain Velazquez is confident that the schooner will get a breeze as
soon as she gets out from under the lee of the hills."
"Then we had better lose no time," said Scott.
"Faix, I belayve ye's can't do much wid yo'r arrums toied behoind
ye's," interposed Felix, as he rose from his seat, and began to strain
on his bonds. "Where are ye's now, Morris, moi darlint? Sure it was you
that set us loose in the felucky out from Teneriffe."
"But my hands are tied behind me as well as yours this time," replied
Morris, as he made an attempt to draw his wrists through the line that
secured his arms behind him.
"Never mind your arms just yet," interposed Scott. "We shall have
the use of them when we have business for them. Let us look over the
situation a little before we try to do anything. I understand from
what Captain Belgrave has told us that Diego Valequizco, the captain,
and Lucio are on board of the schooner, which we are dragging very
slowly after us out of the river."
"Quite correct, Captain Scott," added Louis.
"Don't call me captain, Louis, for you are the commander in this
excursion," replied Scott, shaking his head.
"But you are five times the sailor that I am, Scott, and so is Morris;
and one of you ought to be captain if any one."
"No! no!" protested Felix. "Captain Belgrave is the proper laygind."
"But we cannot stay to haggle over such a question," added Louis
very decidedly. "You have placed two of the smugglers, Scott--Gray
is walking about the deck or in the pilot-house; Francisco is at the
wheel, and Pedro is looking after Felipe."
"Then we know where they all are, and we are ready for business,"
continued Scott. "What shall we do next, Captain Belgrave?"
"I have a sharp knife in my vest pocket, and we will use that next,"
replied Louis.
"Faix, we can't do that same very well wid our hahnds toied behoind
us," interposed Flix.
"Talk English or Spanish, Felix," said Louis rather sharply.
"I can talk English and walk Spanish. What shall I do now?"
"Back up in front of me," continued Louis, resuming his seat on the
divan. "Now put your hand into my vest pocket and take out my knife."
Felix obeyed the order, and with his fingers, for he could not move his
wrists, he extracted the knife from the pocket. Then the leader placed
himself back to back with the Milesian, and instructed him to cut his
fastenings, but not to cut him. He used great care, and the operation
required some time; but it was safely accomplished.
CHAPTER IX
WORKING UP THE DETAILS OF THE SCHEME
Louis was the first to be released from his bonds. His hands were
now free, and he took the knife from Felix. Without any of the
disadvantages under which the Milesian had performed the operation,
he severed the bonds of his crony, and then proceeded to repeat the
ceremony upon Scott and Morris.
"Put your hands behind you!" said Louis, as he heard footsteps on the
deck. "Take your seats on the divan!"
He spoke quite sharply for him; but fortunately his companions had
imbibed enough of the spirit of the sailor, whose duty it is to obey
without asking any questions, to heed the command on the instant.
"How are you getting on, boys?" asked Gray, as he drew aside the
curtain of one of the windows, all of which opened on the gangway.
"First rate," replied Louis. "We are all very comfortable just now.
Where do we happen to be at the present moment, Captain Gray?"
"We happen to be off the Almirante tower, headed for the light on Verde
Island; and everything is working well for us. We are beginning to
get a little breeze now," replied Gray, who appeared to be in a very
cheerful mood. "But Captain Velazquez is hailing me from the schooner."
The Scotchman went aft from the window, and Louis hastened to one that
opened into the standing-room. Gray replied to the hail of the captain
of the schooner.
"_A donde va V?_" (Where are you going?) yelled Diego; and his tones
indicated that he was a very angry man.
"We are headed for the light on Verde Island," replied the Scotchman.
"_Nécio!_" (Fool!) bellowed Captain Velazquez, putting all the vim he
could into the word. "Do you want to hand us over to the officers at
Algeciras? Make the course for the red light on the New Mole!"
"All right, Captain!" returned Gray, as he hastened forward to the
pilot-house.
"We are safe so far," continued Louis, as he retired from the window.
"Gray is the most dangerous man with whom we have to deal, for he is a
heavy fellow; he shares the profits of this smuggling enterprise; and I
think he will fight as long as there is anything left of him."
"Then we must take him where the hair is short," replied Scott.
"About where on his carcass is the hair short?" asked Louis, amused in
spite of himself at the manner of the pilot.
"About the neck, I should say," answered Scott.
"You speak in enigmas. Will you explain yourself?"
"With the greatest pleasure. I believe you have never been in South
America, Captain Belgrave?"
"I have never been there," replied Louis; and from Scott's
half-suppressed laugh, and his manner, he concluded that there must be
a humorous element in the plan he had suggested.
"But of course you have heard of such an operation as lassoing horses
and other animals. Certainly you know all about it. Well, Captain
Belgrave, I propose to lasso Mr. Gray, just as you would lasso a wild
bull if you were a ranchman in South America or Mexico."
"Lasso him!" exclaimed Louis; and his companions repeated the words.
"That will be a dangerous operation."
"It will--for Mr. Gray."
"And for us!"
"Not a bit of it! It will be as safe as falling on a haystack," argued
the pilot with no little enthusiasm. "Give the order to carry out my
plan, and I will proceed to business at once."
"Go ahead then, as you seem to have an idea," added Louis.
"I have a big idea. Now, Morris, you are the smallest fellow of the
party, and I am going to put you through one of the windows, and drop
you down on the deck," continued Scott in the briskest of tones.
"I can get out of the window without any help," replied Morris, who was
glad to have a part in the proceedings.
"Any way you like, little fellow. I think the heave-line the Scotchman
used to throw into the smugglers' boat is somewhere about the
standing-room. I want that rope; and if you can't find that one, look
up another, and pass it in through the window. Do you understand me?"
"Of course I do; you don't talk Spanish or Chinese," Morris responded
as he leaped on the divan.
"Hold on a minute! Go around to this door in the standing-room, and
if you find the key there, unlock it. I'll wager a rusty nail against
a cold potato that Gray left the key in the door so that we could not
pick the lock."
Morris sprang lightly into the open window, which was large enough to
admit the passage of his body without any pinching. He looked forward,
as the pilot warned him to do, and then lowered himself to the deck.
The heave-line was lying on the planks beside the bulwark, and he
passed the end of it to Scott, who was at the window watching his
movements. It was immediately hauled into the cabin. Two minutes later
Morris opened the door and walked in.
"You won your wager, Scott, and you can have the cold potato for your
breakfast to-morrow morning," said Morris as he entered.
"Now, little fellow, just poke your head into that window, like a
pretty picture in a frame, and keep a sharp lookout forward to see that
Gray don't come aft to disturb proceedings. Felix, just do the same at
the opposite window," said Scott, who was doubled up on the floor like
a Turk, at work on the line he had obtained.
The pilot was a sailor, and he knew how to make all the more common
knots, though he would not have passed for an able seaman. He worked
away very industriously till he had made a slip-noose, and assured
himself that it was in working order by repeated trials. There was no
interruption to his work, and in a short time the lasso was ready for
service. As an experiment, he tried it on Felix, and lassoed him at the
window.
Scott was not a ranchman or a _gaucho_, but he handled the lasso with
considerable skill. As a boatman he had had experience in heaving
lines, and he appeared to have made good use of his opportunities. The
two sentinels at the windows had nothing to report, for Gray did not
come aft again. The steamer was now headed for the New Mole light,
Morris ascertained.
"I should like to know a little more about your plan before we go any
farther, Scott," said Louis, for the pilot had developed it only as he
procured the line and adjusted it for use. "Do you mean to lasso the
Scotchman on the deck?"
"While he is on the deck, but not while I am there," replied Scott.
"I am going on the hurricane deck, where I shall lie down so that he
cannot see me. I shall have the line all ready, and when I get Gray in
the right position, I shall lasso him around the neck."
"But do you think he will let you do so? He is a powerful man, and when
he gets hold of the rope with his hands, I am afraid he will be more
than a match for you in a hard pull," suggested Louis.
"But I don't expect to do this thing all alone. When I get him in the
trap, it will be time for you three fellows to come in and take a hand
in the game. We must have some lines so that you can tie his hands
behind him, as he served us. I don't believe he carries any knife like
the Spaniards, and you can try the moral effect of your revolvers."
"But I would not shoot him, and no other fellow must do anything of the
sort," protested Louis. "I should rather let the affair go through to
the end as arranged by the smugglers than have a drop of blood on my
conscience."
"We are not exactly doing this thing to save our own life or limbs,
for I think we are safe enough," added Scott. "Just now we are at work
for the Spanish government, trying to capture those who are engaged
in robbing the country of its revenues. I spoke only of using the
revolvers for their moral effect, and I am not in favor of shooting
anybody."
"Very well, then that is understood; and Morris and Felix will govern
themselves accordingly," replied the leader.
"But we have to look ahead a little farther than making a prisoner of
Gray. Francisco at the wheel and Pedro in the engine-room are to be
served in the same way."
"Do you mean to lasso them?"
"They are hardly in a position to be captured in just that way; but
four of us can easily dispose of them, one at a time," answered Scott.
"Then there are Diego and Lucio on board of the schooner," suggested
Louis.
"But we shall have no trouble with them as long as we keep the steamer
moving at eight or nine knots an hour."
"They can pass the tow-line over the windlass, and shorten it up so as
to bring the vessel close aboard of us."
"If we can't prevent the two men on board of the Golondrina from
getting on the deck of the Salihé, we ought to put our heads in soak,
and retire from active business," said Scott confidently.
"Hush up!" called Felix in a loud whisper. "He's coming this way!"
The lasso was put under the divan, and the four boys all seated
themselves with their hands behind them.
"How are you getting on, boys?" asked Gray at the window from which
Felix had just retired.
"First rate," replied Scott. "We are going to sleep now, and we want
you to wake us when you have done with the steamer. Don't set her
adrift while we are snoozing in the cabin, for she might get aground
again off Carnero Point."
"Never fear; I will see that you are waked in season to look out
for the steamer," replied Gray, as he resumed his walk to the
standing-room.
"On board the steamer!" shouted Captain Velazquez, a moment later, when
he saw the Scotchman at the stern.
"Ay, ay, Diego!" replied Gray.
"We are half way over to Gib now. Don't go too near the town, but head
her south south-west," called the captain in Spanish, for he could not
speak English.
"_Muy bien!_" (Very well!) returned Gray, as he went forward to give
Francisco the new course.
"What time is it, Captain Belgrave?" asked Scott.
"Ten minutes past nine," replied Louis, after looking at his watch.
"I thought it must be ten or eleven," added Scott. "We have been out
only three hours; and it seems as though we had been a week on this
cruise."
"We have been well occupied all the time, and it seems longer than it
is. But it is late enough for us to make a beginning of our affair, or
we shall have no chance to do anything," said Louis. "As nearly as I
can make out the position of the steamer, we shall be off Carnero Point
in half or three-quarters of an hour, and if the smugglers get a breeze
there, they will part company with us."
"I'm all ready for business, and I am only waiting for your orders,
Captain Belgrave," replied Scott. "If you will station your men to
support me, I will proceed at once."
"But you are the principal in this lassoing business, Scott, and I want
you to put the fellows just where you want them," replied Louis. "We
will all obey your orders now."
"Just as you say, Captain. I will make my way to the hurricane deck,
and lie down directly over the cabin door. I will heave the lasso just
as soon as I find our man in the right position," said Scott, as he
coiled up the line, and thrust it under his belt. "You three will place
yourselves at the door, and have it open a crack so that you can see
out at it. As soon as the music begins, rush out and make the Scotchman
fast, if he holds still long enough for you to do it."
The pilot passed out at one of the windows, and his step was heard on
the hurricane deck.
CHAPTER X
LASSOING THE SCOTCHMAN
Louis opened the cabin door, and looked out; but he closed it
immediately, for the light in the apartment would enable Captain
Velazquez to see that it was open, and cause him to suspect that the
prisoners had made their escape. The lamp hanging from the deck beam
above was a bracket with three lanterns. Felix climbed upon the table
which stood beneath it, and took it down. It was then wrapped up in the
tablecloth, and placed under the divan, where it could shed none of its
light about the apartment.
The door was then opened again; but it looked as though Diego had seen
the light before, and he was hailing the Scotchman very vigorously.
Louis had only time to gather up a handful of lanyards and other lines
from a box under the seats in the standing-room before he heard the
footsteps of Gray in the port gangway. He retreated, closing the door
all but a crack.
"What's the matter on board of the steamer?" yelled Diego.
"Nothing is the matter," replied Gray, who had not stopped to look in
at the cabin windows as he came aft, for the master of the schooner
was yelling at him all the time.
"The cabin door is open, and"--
And Louis heard no more, for at that moment Scott heaved his lasso, and
the Scotchman began to dance about the standing-room, swearing like a
smuggler as he was. Louis threw the door of the cabin wide open, for
concealment was no longer necessary or practicable. He had hastily
supplied his companions with the lanyards and lines he had procured.
He rushed out followed by the others. The slip-noose of the lasso had
already been drawn tight about his neck, and Gray was roaring like a
bull, though his voice had become very husky.
[Illustration: "THE SLIP-NOOSE OF THE LASSO HAD ALREADY BEEN DRAWN
TIGHT."]
He was struggling furiously, with his hands free, trying to release his
neck from the pressure of the rope. Louis hesitated, for he realized
that a blow from the powerful man would fell any of them to the deck.
Scott was tugging at the lasso all the time, pulling and jerking it so
that his victim should not escape. Diego, who could not help seeing
what had transpired in the stern of the steamer, was still yelling
with all his might. Fortunately that was all he could do, and he was
permitted to do all he pleased of it.
"Don't go near him, Louis!" called Scott from the hurricane deck--"not
yet, for he can strike an awful hard blow."
The pilot was certainly a prudent young man, and he was not always
so; but Louis had anticipated him, and kept out of Gray's reach. The
struggle continued, and Scott was vigorously manipulating the lasso so
that Gray could not obtain an instant's respite from the strain upon
his neck. The pressure was rapidly doing its work upon him, for he was
beginning to writhe and struggle for breath. He had ceased to yell and
to swear, for he lacked the wind to do or say anything. He had soon
weakened so much that the time for more decided action had come; and
Scott initiated it.
The lassoer had drawn his victim towards him till he was directly
in front of the cabin door. Without announcing his intention to his
associates, the pilot threw down his lasso into the standing-room,
and then leaped down himself directly upon the head of Gray. In his
weakened and gasping condition he could not resist the force of this
onslaught, and he sank down upon the deck beneath his persecutor.
"Take one of his arms, and I will take the other, Flix!" called Louis,
as he sprang upon the fallen Scotchman, and seized his right arm, while
Felix did the same with his left. "Have the lanyards all ready, Morris!"
Scott had seized his victim by the throat, and held his head down
upon the deck. Just at this critical moment Francisco, who had heard
the yells of Gray, put in an appearance, and, seeing the desperate
situation of the smuggler, he was rushing forward to his assistance.
Morris threw the lines upon the deck, wheeled about, drew his revolver,
and faced the wheelman.
"Back to the pilot-house, or you are a dead man!" said Morris, as he
pointed his weapon at the head of the helmsman.
Francisco halted, and looked at the shining revolver, which was
a high-cost one his father had bought for him in London. Louis
wondered from Morris's words whether or not he had been reading
"blood-and-thunder" stories; but the boy was resolute enough for
the occasion, and cool enough to remember what Louis had said about
shooting in the present affair. The Spaniard could not understand a
word that he had spoken.
"_Va a la casa del piloto!_" (Go to the pilot-house!) shouted Louis
with vim enough to show that he was in earnest as well as Morris.
Francisco evidently did not like the situation at all. He had drawn a
long _cuchillo_, or knife, and he was certainly a dangerous man.
"Fire, Morris, if he moves on you!" called Louis, as he saw the blade
gleaming in the moonlight.
Probably Francisco realized that a ball from the revolver could
travel faster than his knife, and perhaps he had less sympathy for
the Scotchman than he would have had for one of his other associates,
for he backed away from the dangerous vicinity to the barrels of the
weapon, and returned to the pilot-house. The steamer had fallen off her
course, but she presently came back to it, indicating that the wheelman
had returned to his duty.
This affair was only a momentary interruption of the more serious
business in progress in the standing-room. Gray was out of breath,
and out of strength, and after a vain attempt to release himself from
the grip of Scott, he gave up the battle, for he had become absolutely
powerless. He was actually suffering, and his gasps and struggles for
breath were painful to witness.
"Loosen the line at his throat, Scott! The man is choking to death!"
called Louis in a very decided tone, as he and Felix rolled the victim
over on his back.
"Stay where you are, Morris!" shouted Scott, as he complied with the
humane request of Louis, who could see that the prisoner--as he was by
this time--had not the strength to make any further resistance. "Shoot
any one that shows a knife!"
Francisco had gone to the wheel, and there was no one to shoot. Louis
and Felix were each in full possession of one of the arms of Gray, and
he could do nothing more to help himself. His hands were securely bound
behind him, and then he was left to himself. He presently recovered a
portion of his strength, and tried to rise. He was assisted in doing
so, and then conducted to the cabin.
He was invited to recline on the divan, and, weak as he was still, he
was willing to comply with the request. But Louis, satisfied that he
would soon be as strong as ever, was not content to leave him until he
had been more effectually secured. Scott took off his belt, and after
winding it around the prisoner's wrists several times, he buckled it so
tight that it seemed to be impossible for him to get loose.
Not yet satisfied, they bound his legs together at the ankles, and then
tied him down to the supports of the divan. Gray said not a word, and
appeared to be too weak to do so, or to be inclined to do so.
"Francisco has a knife, and he may give us more trouble than the
Scotchman did," said Scott, when they had all retired from the cabin to
the standing-room. "If you will take my advice, all three of you will
stick your pistols in his face while he stands at the wheel. Louis will
tell him he shall not be harmed if he submits, and then we will tie his
arms behind him, and make him fast to something in the pilot-house."
"All right," replied Louis; "but remember that no fellow is to fire."
"I don't think you will find any occasion to fire," added Scott, as he
picked up the saw which he had used in his first encounter with the
Scotchman. "Francisco has already shown that he does not like the looks
of revolvers."
Scott led the way. The Spaniard was standing by the wheel, intently
observing the compass, when the pilot, varying his programme a little
to suit the situation, threw his arms around him, and brought him to
the floor. Louis and Felix seized his arms, without even threatening
him with the arsenal of weapons in their pockets. Francisco was made a
prisoner. He was thrown upon the settee abaft the wheel, and secured to
the back and legs of it.
His knife was taken from him; but Louis assured him he should not
be harmed if he made no resistance. The party then proceeded to the
engine-room. Not one of them had seen or heard a word from Felipe since
they started on the excursion. He attended to his duty, and heeded the
bells apparently without knowing or caring who rang them. Pedro, his
custodian, was fast asleep on the seat back of the machinery, and did
not appear to have heard the noise or the yells from the standing-room.
He was an easy victim, and when he had been secured he was conducted
to the pilot-house, where he was laid out on the floor in front of
Francisco. He was fastened to the settee.
Felipe wanted to know what had happened. He had tried to ascertain,
but Pedro showed him his knife, and would not allow him to leave
the engine-room. The situation was explained to him, and all he was
required to do was to run the engine. Scott had taken the wheel when
Francisco was deposed, and his companions joined him when they brought
in their last prisoner. Diego was still yelling; but they did as they
do in Spain when it rains--they let him yell.
"Do you know where you are, Scott?" asked Louis, as he looked out the
window in front of the wheel.
"Of course I do; we were about half-way between Gibraltar and Algeciras
when I took the wheel, and then I headed her for the red light on the
New Mole. You have not told me, Captain Belgrave, what you intend to do
with the prize and the prisoners we have taken."
"We will go alongside the Guardian-Mother, and Captain Ringgold may do
what he pleases with them," replied Louis.
"That was just my idea of what you would do with them," added the
pilot. "But there is no one of our number in the standing-room to watch
the movements of Captain Velazquez. He may get up some mischief that
will bother us. If you prefer, Captain Belgrave, to take the wheel, I
will stand guard at the stern."
"You are a better helmsman than I am, Scott; you had better keep the
wheel, and I will keep watch of Diego," replied Louis. "If anything
happens, send me word. Morris will be within hail of you to be your
messenger, though I don't think anything is likely to happen in this
part of the steamer. If I want you, I will send Morris to take your
place."
"That blackguard can chop off the tow-line when he takes a notion to do
so," suggested Felix, as they moved aft.
"That would only be jumping out of the frying-pan into the fire,"
replied Louis. "We are not more than two miles from the New Mole, and
we shall be there in twenty minutes."
"Then it is time for him to chop it off now."
"I don't know what he will do. If he cuts loose from the Salihé, he can
be easily overhauled by the custom-house officers, if there are any
here," answered Louis.
"Faix, I think it is Spanish officers, and not English, we want; and
why don't you run into the town on the other side of the bay?"
"I thought of that; but I am not inclined to bother with them. Captain
Ringgold will know how to settle the case better than we do."
Captain Velazquez had kept up his yelling as long as he could see any
one at the stern of the steamer; and as soon as Louis and Felix showed
themselves, he resumed his cries.
"The skipper of that hooker is in a tight place, and he knows it," said
Felix. "What's that he says?"
"He says he will cut the tow-line if we don't go down the bay," replied
Louis, translating his frantic cry.
Louis answered the yell by firing his revolver in the air, directing
Felix to do the same.
[Illustration: "LOUIS ANSWERED THE YELL BY FIRING HIS REVOLVER IN
THE AIR."]
CHAPTER XI
THE RETURN OF THE VICTORIOUS KNIGHT-ERRANT
Felix was in the habit of doing what Louis asked him to do, and he
discharged one barrel of his revolver in the air; but he thought that
doing so was a piece of nonsense on the part of his friend which he
could not understand.
"What in the world is that for?" he asked.
"Fire it again, and in due time you will see what it is for," replied
Louis, as he discharged the second barrel of his weapon.
"I'll do that same as long as I have a ball in a barrel, if you say so,
my darling; but it looks like a waste of powder and lead," added Felix.
"Do you see the captain of the Golondrina just now, Felix?" asked Louis.
"I don't see him; but he was there on the bow not five minutes ago,
yelling as though he had a live lobster in his throat. He isn't doing
any yelling now."
"He is not, for I saw him go aft about the time we began to fire."
"I suppose he got tired of yelling."
"Not precisely that, but he got tired of our firing. I suppose he
was afraid a stray bullet might hit him in a soft place, either by
accident or design. I was going to hail him, and invite him to go aft;
but he has saved me the trouble by going without any invitation," Louis
explained.
"Then the shooting was not a waste of powder," added Felix.
"It was not. I doubt if we could have hit the captain if we had fired
at him for two hours, for the distance is too great for revolvers of
the calibre of ours, and the noise was just as good as bullets. I don't
want him to cut the tow-line if we can help it, though I would rather
he would chop it off than be compelled to shoot him."
"It would not be pleasant to go back to the Guardian-Mother with a dead
man standing on the forecastle."
"Or even lying on the deck. It might make trouble for us, though I
don't know why it should. But we are getting close to the New Mole
light, and I must go forward," added Louis. "You may remain here, Flix,
and if you see the captain of the Golondrina coming forward again, fire
out the rest of your barrels, and then load up again."
"I'll do that same. I'll take the fore mast for a mark, and fire at a
target."
"I am afraid you will hit him if you do that," suggested Louis.
"Do you think all the money you spent on my education as a shootist was
wasted? I believe I could hit the Rock of Gibraltar every time if I
was near enough to it," laughed Felix.
"I would trust you to do that."
"And I might hit the fore mast above the captain's head once in a
while, and it would make the thing seem a bit more real if he could
hear the noise of the ball as it flew through the air, or struck the
wood."
"Perhaps it would; but be sure and not hit the man," added Louis as he
moved forward.
Before he reached the pilot-house he heard another shot from his
crony's pistol. He looked into the engine-room on his way, where Felipe
wished him to explain what had happened on board; but he had no time
then to inform him. Francisco and Pedro were quiet enough, for their
fastenings prevented them from being otherwise.
"How goes it, Scott?" he asked when he came to the pilot-house.
"It goes first rate forward; but what is the matter aft, for I heard
you firing your revolvers?" inquired the pilot.
"Nothing is the matter; but I thought it best to let Captain Velazquez
know that we had fire-arms on board, and he was sensible enough to move
aft as soon as he heard the report of our pistols. For some time he had
been threatening to cut the tow-line, and I thought I would move him to
some other place on the checker-board if I could. He has saved me the
trouble of doing anything," Louis replied as he looked the prisoners
over.
"We have about finished the job, for we shall be alongside the
Guardian-Mother in a few minutes more," continued the pilot. "I have
sent Morris forward to get a heave-line ready."
"I will get one ready astern," added Louis, as he went aft again.
The lasso which had played so important a part in the capture of Gray
was in the cabin, where the noose had been removed from the neck of the
prisoner. Louis soon made a heave-line again of it, and attached it to
a fast he found at the stern.
"How do you find yourself, Captain Gray?" he asked of the prisoner on
the divan.
"I don't find myself in a very cheerful mood to go into port," replied
the Scotchman. "You have knocked me out at my own game, and I feel like
a whipped school-boy."
"I suppose you Scotchmen read the Scriptures diligently, and you have
found out that 'The way of the transgressor is hard.'"
"Yes, very hard," replied the prisoner with a profane expletive.
"Does your throat trouble you?"
"Not much, though it is still sore, and I have a bad cut on the hand."
"You ought to have considered these things before you committed an act
of piracy," suggested Louis.
"I have told you before that there is no piracy in it," added Gray, who
evidently did not like the sound of the word, and he interpolated some
very unnecessary expletives in his speech. "What are you going to do
with the schooner and those you have made prisoners?"
"I don't know; I intend to leave that matter to the commander of the
Guardian-Mother; but you will learn all about it in due time."
"I have no doubt of that. But you are the smartest lot of young
Dutchmen that I ever happened to come across. Are you all Dutchmen?"
asked Gray.
"Not one of us is a Dutchman."
"But you told me you were."
"I did not."
"I will swear that you did!" protested the Scotchman.
"I did not. When I told you my name was Belgrave, you said I must have
come from Belgravia; and I added that I came from Von Blonk Park, which
is quite true now as it was then."
"But where can Von Blonk be except in Holland?"
"It can be, and is, in the State of New Jersey, quite near to the city
of New York, in the United States of America," replied Louis, stating
the details very slowly so that the prisoner could understand them.
"That accounts for it!" exclaimed Gray. "You are Yankees, and you would
climb a greased rainbow, or the North Pole with the ice a foot thick
on it. If I had known you were Yankees, I should have put you on shore
in the Palmones River, for I should have known you would play off some
trick on us," said Gray, disgusted to the last degree with his present
situation.
"You played off a scabby trick upon our party, and I can assure you
that I am very happy to get even with you at your own game," replied
Louis, as he heard the speed bell jingle, indicating that the Salihé
was very near the New Mole.
"I suppose the commander of the Guardian-Mother, as you call her, is
also a Yankee," continued Gray.
"He is; and also from Von Blonk Park."
"Then his teeth are sharp enough to bite off a tenpenny nail. What do
you suppose he will do with us?"
"I have not the remotest idea; but he is a law-and-order man in the
highest meaning of the phrase; and he is not inclined to let the guilty
escape unpunished. You committed a piratical act upon us, and you may
be sure he will not wink at it. I had the idea at first of taking you
into the port of Algeciras and of handing you over to the police or
custom-house officers; but it was too much bother, and I was afraid
they would keep us there all night."
"I am very glad you did not."
The sound of the gong terminated the conversation, and Louis hastened
to the standing-room to be in readiness to heave the line on board
of the ship. But he found that the Guardian-Mother was still at some
distance from the little steamer.
"You can heave this line, Flix, when we get alongside," said he. "I
have had a talk with Gray, and he don't feel good at all."
"He has no right to feel good, the blackguard! He is not a bit
better than a pirate," replied Felix. "I have kept watch of Captain
Velazquizzer, and whenever he showed his head, I put a ball into the
foremast. He hasn't cut the tow-line yet."
"I see he has not; but stand by to heave the line," said Louis as he
went forward.
He found Morris stationed in the gangway within easy hail of the
pilot-house, and Scott stated that he had placed him there to notify
him if the Golondrina came too near the steamer as he slowed down.
"I am trying to get the headway out of the tow so that she shall not
foul our stern," said the pilot when Louis showed himself at the door.
"But you had better stay in the standing-room, Captain Belgrave, for
the captain may try to leap on board of us. If he chooses to use his
_cuchillo_, he can make a lot of mischief in a very short time. If
necessary, I will go aft and lasso him; for I don't think he can stand
that sort of thing any better than Gray did."
"He has kept out of sight since we began to fire revolvers in the air,
and as he knows that we have fire-arms, I don't believe he will give us
any trouble," answered Louis.
"But keep watch of him, though he seems to be afraid of powder and
ball," added Scott; and the leader went aft.
Diego was not to be seen as the steamer approached the stern of the
Guardian-Mother; and Louis could see that the taffrail was covered with
heads, and all the party on board, as well as the officers and seamen,
were watching the approach of the Salihé, for her appearance with a
vessel in tow had doubtless given them all a fit of wonderment.
"We have made an adventure out of this excursion, Flix, after all, as
Captain Ringgold insisted that we should, though he could not possibly
indicate what it might be," said Louis. "If you can keep Captain
Velazquez at a respectful distance, I will go on the hurricane deck and
hail the ship."
"He will not run his nose into any of the barrels of my revolver, you
may be sure of that."
By this time Scott had neutralized the headway of the schooner so that
the tow-line was taut, and the Salihé was moving at a snail's pace.
Louis ascended to the upper deck, which was nothing more than the roof
of the cabin, and hailed the Guardian-Mother.
"On board the Salihé!" responded Captain Ringgold; and his tones
indicated that he could hardly speak on account of a tendency he had to
indulge in a hearty laugh. "Have you captured a Spanish man-of-war?"
"No, sir; but we have taken in a gang of smugglers with their schooner;
and I will thank you to send half a dozen men on board to help us take
care of them," returned Louis.
"All right; I will do so," answered the commander, as the gong rang to
stop the little steamer.
Scott ran her very skilfully alongside the gangway, and by the time
she touched the platform Morris threw the heave-line attached to the
forward fast to the deck of the ship, and it was hauled on board. At
about the same moment the first officer, followed by ten seamen, leaped
over the rail of the Salihé.
"Go aft, Mr. Boulong, and look out for the captain of the schooner, who
is still on board of her. Flix is there, and he will tell you all about
it," called Louis, as the party from the ship came on board.
"Ay, ay, Mr. Belgrave!" replied Mr. Boulong, as he rushed forward
followed by all the sailors.
Captain Ringgold followed the seamen, and when he heard the voice of
Louis on the upper deck, he hastened to join him.
"What under the canopy have you been about this time, Louis?" asked the
commander, as he seized both the hands of the young knight-errant, as
he still insisted upon calling him. "But I am glad to see you safely
back, and I hope no one has got hurt."
Louis assured him that all were uninjured.
CHAPTER XII
THE SMUGGLERS MAKE A TRIP TO ALGECIRAS
Captain Ringgold, when he realized that the owner of the
Guardian-Mother had been engaged in another adventure, was absolutely
delighted to see the young knight-errant return in safety, and he
continued to press his two hands for a considerable time. He was
certainly the young man's devoted friend, as much for his own sake as
for that of his mother, to whom also he was so devoted that others had
begun to talk a little in whispers.
"I was sure that you would tumble into an adventure of some sort, Sir
Louis," said the commander; "and you have made me a true prophet."
"We have certainly had an adventure, Captain; but I am no more a
knight-errant than my companions. We did not plunge into this affair as
Don Quixote did into the windmill and the wine sacks; but the affair
plunged into us, and we got entangled in it in spite of ourselves,"
protested Louis.
"But I will venture to say that you were the leading spirit in the
enterprise, whatever it was," persisted the captain.
"I must deny even that soft impeachment. Sir George Scott Fencelowe
did vastly more than I, or any other of the fellows, did to bring the
adventure to a happy conclusion, like the last chapter of the novel.
He is the hero of the occasion, though he always called me 'Captain
Belgrave'; and if any fellow is to be lathered with praise, Sir Scott
is the one."
"I shall be my own judge of the merits of the actors in the comedy, for
it does not yet appear to be a tragedy, after I have learned more about
it," added Captain Ringgold.
"I may add that Sir Felix McGavonty and Sir Morris Woolridge did
their full and fair share of the acting in the comedy, as you call
it, though I think the three smugglers who are prisoners in the cabin
and pilot-house will be disposed to regard it as more like a tragedy.
Probably the captain of the schooner in tow will be inclined to take
that view of the occasion."
"Three prisoners?" queried the commander.
"That is the number on board of the little steamer; and the captain of
the vessel astern may be included in the same category."
"Are they men or boys?"
"Men, of course, for small boys don't go out smuggling, as a rule."
"Are they English?"
"Four of them are Spaniards who don't speak a word of English, and
one who seems to be a partner with the captain in the enterprise is a
Scotchman by the name of Gray."
"Is there anything to be done immediately, Sir Louis?"
"I think Sir Felix has put Mr. Boulong in the way of securing the
captain of the schooner, who is on board of her, and Lucio, one of his
men. The others are all made fast to the steamer, with their hands
tied behind them. But, Captain Ringgold, I want you to settle up this
business by deciding what shall be done with the Golondrina and the
prisoners, for you know all about such things, and I know nothing,"
said Louis.
"You know nothing, Sir Louis!" exclaimed the commander. "Will you be so
kind as to tell me what you would have done if the Guardian-Mother and
her captain had not been here?"
"I thought of running into Algeciras, instead of coming over here,
where the gates are all locked after sunset, and giving up the vessel
and the prisoners to the police and the custom-house officers over
there," replied Louis.
"Very likely that is just what I shall do after I have learned more
about the affair. Where did you fall in with these smugglers?"
"They fell in with us at the mouth of the Palmones River."
"That is in Spanish territory, and the offence is doubtless against the
Spanish government. Probably the English authorities would take the
matter in hand, but I don't know where to find the officers at this
time of night, for it is after ten o'clock. Now we will go below and
see what is to be done."
There was a ladder forward, and they descended to the forecastle. The
commander looked in at the pilot-house, and saw that Francisco and
Pedro were not in condition to make any trouble, and the pilot still
kept watch of them.
"Sir Scott Fencelowe, I learn that you have been the hero of the
present adventure, and I commend you, though I know very little about
it," said Captain Ringgold, as he took the hand of the pilot.
"I obeyed the orders of Captain Belgrave; that's all, sir," replied
Scott, with more modesty than he had always been in the habit of
displaying, as he politely touched his cap to the commander.
"We will consider the matter another time," added the captain, as he
led the way aft; and they entered the cabin together.
Captain Ringgold glanced at Gray, tied down to the legs of the divan,
and he wondered that the "big four" had been able to overcome a man
of his weight and apparent strength. Gray immediately appealed to the
commander when Louis called him by name, declared that he was a British
subject, and was the victim of a Yankee trick.
"I can't attend to your case just now, my man," replied the captain.
But Gray persisted in being heard before anything was done, and three
seamen were called into the cabin. The Scotchman was released from the
divan, and the sailors were ordered to take him to the forecastle, and
be sure that he did not escape.
"Now I can give you a quiet hearing, Sir Louis, and you may tell me the
whole story of your cruise on the bay," said the commander, as he and
Louis seated themselves on the divan.
The young knight-errant proceeded to give the narrative in all its
details. While he was doing so, Mr. Boulong required his men to haul
the Golondrina alongside the steamer by the tow-line; and by this time
they had nearly succeeded in doing so. The officer was on the point of
going on board of her when Felix interposed.
"These men are all armed with knives, and they will stick you with no
more conscience than an alligator would bite your head off," said he.
"I will take my chances, Felix," replied Mr. Boulong.
"I'll go along wid ye's to protict ye's, for I have a bit of a
revolver," added the Milesian.
"Don't meddle with the matter, my lad, till I ask you do so, if you
please," said the first officer, laughing. "I don't want you to kill a
man, and then charge it to me. I have been among this sort of fellows,
and I am not particularly alarmed about his toothpick."
He was attended by a couple of seamen, who were sent aft to take charge
of Lucio. Felix kept near Mr. Boulong, but he found no occasion to
use his revolver. Mr. Gaskette, the second officer, who spoke Spanish
fluently, had been sent for, and he had been talking with the prisoners
in the pilot-house. Captain Velazquez, somewhat to the astonishment of
Felix, did not show fight as the first officer approached him. He was
not a fool, and he could see that in the face of a dozen men resistance
was useless.
The captain submitted to have his hands tied behind him, and then his
knife, which was a wicked-looking implement, was taken from him. Lucio
was served in the same manner, and both of them marched on board of
the Salihé, where the whole five of them were placed under a guard of
seamen on the forecastle.
Louis and the commander had a very quiet time in the cabin, and the
former detailed everything that had occurred since the little steamer
left the ship, occasionally answering the questions put to him.
"I suppose I am a knight-errant, but I cannot for the life of me see
in what manner I brought this adventure to pass, or that the rest of
the knights-errant did any more than I did," protested Louis, as he
finished his narrative.
"I am afraid you are making too much of the pleasantries of your
fellow-voyagers, my boy, for every one of them knows that you are not a
Don Quixote. Your adventures all come without seeking them."
"I am entirely satisfied with that statement, Captain Ringgold,"
replied Louis. "As long as you don't really believe that I am not all
the time studying up a chance to get into an adventure, I shall be
perfectly happy."
"We understand each other perfectly, Sir Louis; and, by the way, it
was Uncle Moses, and not I, who gave you that title. But it is getting
late; and if we are to take the schooner over to Algeciras to-night,
it is time we were about it," added the commander, as he looked at his
watch. "But the knights-errant had better go on board of the ship and
turn in, for, after the hard-fought battle of the evening, they must be
fatigued."
"The biggest job we had on our hands was to overcome the Scotchman,
for, as you have seen, he is a powerful man; and it was Sir Scott's
ingenuity as well as his skill in the use of the lasso which carried us
safely through it. He has behaved excellently well; he remembered the
names of most of the places on the bay; and I beg leave to report very
favorably of him. He is ten times the fellow I ever before supposed he
was," added Louis with a gape, indicating that he was in condition to
take the advice of the commander and retire for the night.
"Scott has behaved exceedingly well since he reformed his manners and
his life, and your report of him shall be duly considered, Captain
Belgrave," replied Captain Ringgold, as they left the cabin.
"Captain Belgrave!" exclaimed Louis. "'_Et tu, Brute_,'" as Cæsar said
when the other fellow asked him how many buckwheat cakes he had eaten
for breakfast.
"I only follow Sir Scott's lead. But you can all go on board, and I
will attend to the affairs of the smugglers," added the commander.
The big four all went on board of the Guardian-Mother. The second
engineer of the ship was sent to the engine-room of the steamer, and
Felipe was relieved from further duty. Mr. Gaskette with six seamen was
sent over to Algeciras in charge of the party, and the Salihé departed
with the Golondrina in tow. The occupants of the cabin of the ship had
all retired; and Louis did not find his mother waiting to receive him,
which proved that she had not been suffering from any anxiety.
In fact, she knew nothing at all about the affair, which had only come
to light when the little steamer arrived. At the breakfast table the
next morning the cabin party learned for the first time that the big
four had tumbled into an adventure, which was then related to them in
full. Louis's mother did not make any scene this time, as usual; for
Dr. Hawkes had practically cured her of her nervousness, at least in
his presence. But Louis had been on deck, and happened to be there when
Chickworth and his engineer came for the Salihé.
"Mr. Gaskette reports to me this morning that he found some policemen
on the shore at Algeciras when he arrived, and that they called the
chief of the customs from his bed," Captain Ringgold explained. "He
put his officers in charge of the Golondrina, and the police committed
the smugglers to the jail. The capture of the little steamer was a
felony, and they will be prosecuted for it. You are all wanted as
witnesses over there at three o'clock this afternoon. The officers of
the customs believe that the Salihé was implicated, and they wanted to
detain her; but Mr. Gaskette managed his case so well that he brought
her back with him. Here is the owner of the little steamer," added the
commander, as Chickworth stepped down from the gangway steps.
"Which I 'ave a little bill of two pun ten against you, sir, for the
steam-yacht," said Chickworth, touching his cap to Louis.
"I don't know about that," interposed the commander. "The Salihé is
mixed up with smugglers over on the other side of the bay, and the
customs officers may want her."
"Which it is with smugglers, sir!" exclaimed the owner of the Salihé.
"Precisely so; and your friend Gray, and your other friend Captain
Diego Velazquez, of the Schooner Golondrina, are in prison over there,
and their vessel will be forfeited for smuggling, with her valuable
cargo," added the captain; and he related what had happened to the big
four on their cruise. "But I don't believe your boat can be held. We
shall know more about it this afternoon."
He held the steamer till the matter was decided.
CHAPTER XIII
WHAT IS WORTH KNOWING ABOUT GIBRALTAR
Louis was willing to pay for the use of the Salihé; but the customs
officers on the other side of the bay had some suspicions in regard to
her, and the commander would not permit him to pay anything; besides,
the little steamer was wanted to convey the witnesses to Algeciras.
Chickworth received the report that Gray and his associates had
actually captured the boat with consternation. He was invited to go
over with the witnesses in the afternoon; but he declined to do so. The
captain thought it more than probable that he had been concerned in
contraband operation with Gray.
Chickworth departed with something worse than a flea in his ear, and
the commander and Louis went down to breakfast. The moonlight excursion
and the conflict with the outlaws were the subjects of conversation
at the table. Louis took a great deal of pains to set forth that
Sir Scott, as he called him in retaliation for the application of
the title to himself, was the hero of the occasion. The process of
lassoing the stout smuggler excited a great deal of interest, and was
unanimously regarded as a brilliant operation, both in its conception
and execution.
"I am confident that we should have been utterly defeated if Sir Scott
had not solved the difficult problem of how to overcome Gray," said
Louis with enthusiasm.
"His achievement with the hand-saw was not altogether lacking in
brilliancy," added Dr. Hawkes.
"That was not original, like the lasso," replied Louis.
"It was original in its application to this particular case, and he is
entitled to none the less credit," suggested Uncle Moses.
"I wish to do something for Sir Scott in response to the high
commendation of Captain Belgrave," said the commander.
Uncle Moses threw himself back in his chair, and shook his two hundred
and twenty-six and a half of avoirdupois with laughter when he heard
his ward dubbed as a captain. His mother laughed too, and so did most
of the party.
"Has my son become the commander of the Guardian-Mother?" asked Mrs.
Belgrave.
"He has not formally taken the command of her; but as the owner of the
steamer, he has an undoubted right to do so when he pleases," replied
Captain Ringgold. "I wish to do something for Sir Scott: what shall it
be, Louis?"
"Call him Captain Scott, and never again call me Captain Belgrave,"
replied Louis.
"You were in command of the Salihé, Sir Scott says, and I have no
command to give him, so it is hardly proper to call him captain. What
can I do for him?"
"He is now a diligent student, and behaves himself like a gentleman
on all occasions; and I think he can be promoted to the cabin very
properly, so that the big four may be all together here," suggested
Louis.
"I must put that to vote, for all may not approve of this addition to
the cabin party," replied Captain Ringgold, asking those in favor to
manifest it by raising the right hand.
All the hands came up very promptly, and Scott was formally admitted to
the family circle. Sparks was sent to procure his attendance; and when
he appeared, the commander made a speech at him, commending him for his
gallantry in the action of the previous evening, and informing him that
henceforth he was to occupy stateroom No. 14, and the corresponding
place opposite Morris Woolridge at the table.
Scott blushed, as he had recently learned to do, and made a little
speech in reply, expressive of his thanks for the "distinguished honor"
conferred upon him. It was discovered then that he could manage his
tongue as well as his hands with the lasso, and he was vigorously
applauded when he took his place at the table. After the party rose,
Sparks showed him to his stateroom, and he was delighted with the
elegant apartment.
Louis gave him a seat with the cabin party under the awning of the
promenade deck aft, where they assembled at the request of the
commander. Scott now felt that he was the equal of the other fellows,
and this had been the only thing which touched his pride, of which he
had his full share. He was relieved from duty as a quartermaster, for
he had had little or nothing to do in this capacity, unless Bangs or
Twist happened to be sick, which was a very rare thing.
Captain Ringgold soon joined the party with a paper in his hand; and
Dr. Hawkes initiated a round of applause as he seated himself, for the
paper indicated that he was about to give what the surgeon called a
lecture, but which the captain insisted was only a talk.
"I suppose you know all about Gibraltar, or Gib as many English people
abbreviate it, ladies and gentlemen," the commander began.
"I know next to nothing about it, Captain Ringgold," added Mrs.
Belgrave.
Half a dozen others said substantially the same thing.
"You can see this rocky promontory for yourselves," continued the
captain. "It is about three miles long by three-quarters of a mile wide
on the average; but it does not form the southern extremity of Spain,
as some of the books have it, for Tarifa holds that position. As you
noticed yesterday when we came into the bay, it looks like a detached
rock; but it is connected with the mainland by a low isthmus, the
portion of which nearest to the town is called 'The Neutral Ground,'
and is, as its name implies, common to both Spanish and English.
"The rock is honeycombed with tunnels and casemates, and the galleries
contain no end of guns of all calibre. You will see as many of these as
you desire, for a permit can be obtained for the purpose, and I shall
not attempt to describe it. The fortress has the reputation of being
the strongest in the world; but of late years no nation has meddled
with it, and its strength has not been tested with modern implements of
war. Not a few Englishmen doubt whether it is as important a possession
to their country as it is commonly represented to be.
"It can hardly be said to command the strait, which is about eight
miles wide in the narrowest place, and Farragut or Porter would have
made nothing of passing through. But the fortress may be reasonably
regarded as impregnable, though it costs about a million and a half of
dollars a year to pay its expenses.
"The highest point on the rock is fourteen hundred and thirty-nine feet
above the water. It is a little odd that this is the only place in
Europe where the monkey in his wild state exists. They may occasionally
be seen in the vicinity of the Signal Tower. Some people, who must be
rather credulous, believe that there is a tunnel under the strait, and
that the monkeys come over from Africa through it. These animals are
something of an institution here, and efforts have been made to protect
them from gunners who sometimes stroll about here. At one time they
were reduced to a very small number; but the last I ever heard about
them, they had increased to about thirty.
"The town of Gibraltar is said to contain about twenty thousand
inhabitants, besides about five thousand troops, which is the usual
garrison of the Rock. They are a mixed set of people, consisting of
English, Spanish, Jews, and Moors. It is not much of a city. The Club
House Hotel used to be the principal one, but I believe there is a more
modern one, called the Royal; but as we shall have no use for any of
them, we need not look into the matter.
"Waterport Street is the chief thoroughfare, and is nearest to the
water. There are only two other streets of any consequence, and all of
those in the place are narrow and crooked. It is a walled town, and the
regulations are very strict, and are carefully enforced. No foreigner
can reside here unless the consul of his country, or a householder in
the city, becomes his surety. A police-magistrate can issue a permit
for ten, fifteen, or twenty days' residence in the city; and a military
man can introduce a friend for thirty days. The gates are opened at
sunrise in the morning, and closed at sunset in the evening; and there
is no getting in or out after they are closed for the night. Two guns
are fired, the first of warning, so that it is not necessary to get
caught on the wrong side if one is reasonably careful.
"The ancients believed the Rock was the end of the world, as they did
in regard to a number of other places. The Pillars of Hercules marked
this western extremity of creation--the Rock was one of them and Apes
Hill, on the opposite side of the strait, was the other.
"The Rock appears in history at a very early date. The navigators from
Phœnicia called it Aluba, which the Greeks twisted into Calpa, which
the professor will tell you is the classic name for it. Hannibal and
other Carthaginian generals must have known about the Rock, for they
made expeditions into Spain. It does not appear that it was ever used
as a fortress until the year of our Lord 711, which is longer ago than
any of us can remember, when Tarik Ibn-zeyad (don't forget the name)
fortified it. He was a Saracenic general on his way to conquer some of
the nations of Europe, and this seemed to be a convenient place for a
base of operations, as it was easy of access from Africa.
"After this chief the Rock was named Gebel-Tarik, or the hill of Tarik,
and this compound word was corrupted into Gibraltar. They say that one
of the towers of the castle he built can still be seen; but I never saw
it, and I will not say anything more about it. For six hundred years it
remained in possession of the Moors, who had obtained a stronghold in
Spain; but it was captured in 1309 by Don Antonio de Guzman.
"Additional works and a dockyard were then constructed, and the Old
Mole, which may still be seen at the north end of the city, was built
at the same time. The Spaniards and Moors continued to hold and lose
it for the next hundred and fifty years. In 1462 the Spaniards captured
it through the treachery of a renegade Moor. Even in the seventeenth
century the holders of the fortress had so strengthened it that it was
regarded as impregnable.
"A united English and Dutch force, in 1704, proved that the fortress
was not as strong as the Spaniards claimed. The fleet first bombarded
it, then a heavy force was landed and an assault made upon the works,
and its capitulation followed; but it was manned by only one hundred
and fifty men, and the fact that this puny force 'knocked out' nearly
double their own number shows that the place was very strong, and that
it was bravely defended.
"From that time to the present Gibraltar has remained in possession of
the English, though Spain and France have made desperate efforts to
dislodge them. It has sustained not less than four sieges, the last of
which was the most tremendous, in 1779, while the American Revolution
was still in progress, and it was continued for four years. The
narrative of it is extremely interesting; but it may be read by those
so disposed in several books in our library, and I will not attempt to
relate it.
"I intended to invite the party to go on shore this afternoon; but
the Sir Knights of the Salihé have to go over to Algeciras to serve
as witnesses against the smugglers they captured last night, and I
desire to go with them. The party can go with us if they desire, for we
shall make use of the Salihé for the purpose, and, as the weather is
pleasant, it will be a nice sail."
Led off by Dr. Hawkes, as usual, the company applauded the commander,
and thanked him for the interesting lecture he had given them.
"I should like to go to Algeciras for one," said Mrs. Belgrave.
"So should I," added Mrs. Woolridge; in fact, all of them wished to go.
"I want to see the steamer in which all the wonderful things were done
last evening," said Mrs. Belgrave.
After lunch the party prepared for the excursion. Felipe was again
directed to take charge of the engine, and Scott was to be the pilot.
The latter studied the chart during all the time he could find before
the departure, and wrote down some points he had forgotten to mention
the evening before. There were no wharves or piers at the town to which
they were going, and the first cutter with her crew was sent over in
tow.
At the appointed hour the steamer started, and landed her passengers on
the other side of the bay. They were very pleasantly received by the
Spanish officials. All the party insisted upon going to the court, for
they desired to see the smugglers.
CHAPTER XIV
AMERICAN WITNESSES IN A SPANISH COURT
The party found the forms of justice in Spain, those who knew anything
about them, quite different from what they were in New York and New
Jersey. The court-room was an oddity to Uncle Moses, and he had the
idea that the _provincia_ must be building a new court-house, and that
the apartment was a temporary one, not adapted to the use for which it
was required.
The five smugglers were brought in, each of them with his wrists
handcuffed behind him by the officers. Gray's looks plainly indicated
that he was a foreigner; but he could speak the language as fluently
as any other person in the room, though perhaps not as correctly. He
glanced at the four Sir Knights who had overcome him in the conflict on
the deck of the Salihé, and especially at Scott, who had lassoed him.
Captain Velazquez appeared to be entirely subdued by his misfortunes,
as doubtless he regarded the loss of the Golondrina and his arrest.
He was not as savage as he had appeared to be the evening before. The
other three men had obeyed orders in the affairs on the steamer, and
had submitted quietly when they were overcome, and were of little
account.
It was not a very intricate case, for the capture of the schooner with
her contraband cargo made everything very plain sailing. The officers
of the customs and the police, to whom the vessel and the prisoners had
been delivered the night before by Captain Ringgold's agents, stated
what they knew about the affair, which was very little. Then Gray
was called upon to explain. He gave his evidence in Spanish; but Mr.
Gaskette, who had been brought over as an interpreter, and Louis could
understand him.
The Scotchman, who seemed to be more troubled about the capture of the
little steamer than about the smuggling, without committing himself in
regard to the latter, stated squarely that he had engaged the Salihé of
Captain Chickworth, and he thought he had the right to use her when he
found her in the bay, near the Palmones River. He concluded that she
had been sent there for him.
He found on board of her a party of young men, who appeared to be
Dutchmen, and who had been drinking too much wine. Mr. Gaskette and
Louis laughed when they heard this statement, and even the commander
understood enough of it to be amused. To the surprise of Gray the party
had refused to allow him the use of the little steamer. He had tried to
compromise the matter, and he had offered to pay them money, and not to
interfere with their excursion.
The Dutchmen were obstinate, and would not listen to him. He had
been compelled to take possession of the steamer, but had made her
passengers comfortable in the cabin. Then they had risen against
his party, only three of them being then on board the Salihé, and,
resorting to the most barbarous methods, using their revolvers, with
which all of them seemed to be supplied, had recovered possession of
the boat, making them prisoners, and treating them like criminals, when
everybody knew that they were honest and law-abiding men.
Those from the Guardian-Mother who understood the testimony could not
refrain from laughing heartily at the number of lies Gray had crowded
into his evidence. Captain Velazquez and the seamen backed up the
statement of Gray, and it was plain enough that the Scotchman had
dictated the story they were to tell. Louis asked an officer of the
court if the prisoners had been confined in the same cell, and learned
that such was the case. Of course they had talked over the situation,
and had agreed upon what they were to say.
The question was then asked if the Dutch witnesses spoke Spanish. Only
one of those who had been on board of the little steamer could do so,
and Louis was called upon to give his testimony. He had some doubts
in regard to the sufficiency of his linguistic ability for such an
occasion; but he promptly took his place in front of the judge. The
dignitary of the bench was an old man, who looked as though he might
have seen eighty Spanish winters, judging by the innumerable wrinkles
on his face and the paucity of the white hairs on his head.
"What is your name?" asked the venerable dispenser of justice.
[Illustration: "'WHAT'S YOUR NAME?' ASKED THE VENERABLE DISPENSER
OF JUSTICE."]
"Louis Belgrave, _su merced_" (your honor), replied the owner of the
Guardian-Mother.
"You are a Dutchman; from what part of Holland do you come?"
"From no part of Holland; I am an American, your honor," replied Louis,
who had entirely recovered the self-possession he had lost for the
moment.
He proceeded to explain that he resided in Von Blonk Park, which was a
town in the State of New Jersey, and quite near the city of New York.
The name of the town had led Señor Gray to suppose he was a Dutchman,
though he had fully explained to him that he was an American, and that
neither he nor any of his companions were Dutch.
"What is your business?"
"I have no business," replied the witness with a smile.
"Why do you come to Gibraltar?" asked the judge, evidently puzzled by
the answer and the manner of the young gentleman.
"I am going all over the world in my steam-yacht, the Guardian-Mother,
which lies at the New Mole in Gibraltar; and we put in there to see
the place," replied Louis, blushing in spite of himself, for he felt
compelled to speak the exact truth.
"_Muy ricos!_" (Very rich!) exclaimed the judge.
"_Si, su merced._"
"You are only a boy!"
"No, _su merced_. My mother is with me;" whereupon Captain Ringgold and
Mr. Gaskette laughed, and there was a smile on the face of the judge.
Louis did not like to "blow his own horn," even so far as to state the
facts in regard to himself as the owner of the steam-yacht, and he took
the liberty to explain that his mother was his guardian, and that the
trustee of his property was present, and would inform him fully as to
his affairs.
He was then called upon to give his evidence in respect of the capture
of the Salihé by the smugglers. He gave the details of the excursion as
well as he could in Spanish, and he talked with considerable fluency,
though doubtless he made some mistakes. He appeared to be perfectly
understood by all in the court-room, and only twice did the judge ask
him to repeat anything he had said. Everybody seemed to be deeply
interested in him and in his narrative, perhaps because he was "_muy
ricos_."
"You were intoxicated, were you not?" asked his honor.
"I was not intoxicated: I never drank a drop of liquor, wine, or beer
in my life," replied Louis very gently.
This reply made a decided sensation among the Spaniards in the
court-room, and probably none of them ever saw or heard of a rich young
man who had never tasted any intoxicating fluid, for in France and
Spain even the boys drink wine.
"Were your companions intoxicated?" inquired the judge.
"Not one of them had tasted a drop of anything for months, if ever in
their lives."
The judge glanced at Gray, who had asserted that the party on board of
the Salihé had been drinking too freely, and there was a frown on his
honor's wrinkled face, which indicated that he believed the present
rather than the former witness. Louis proceeded to give his narrative
of the proceedings on board of the little steam-yacht, including the
capture and the recapture of the craft. The lassoing of the Scotchman
greatly amused the Spanish portion of the audience, and all eyes were
fixed about half the time on the burly victim of the operation.
The judge requested him to call up the one who had handled the lasso,
and Louis asked Scott to stand where he was. The hero of the occasion
complied with the request. He saw that the audience were amused and
excited; but he could not understand a word that had been said, and
did not know what it was all about. He was regarded with astonishment,
for the listeners could not comprehend how a mere boy, though a rather
stout one, had been able to overcome a man of Gray's size and weight.
The Scotchman seemed to be very much surprised to hear Louis talk
Spanish, for the latter had concealed his knowledge of the language
from him; and doubtless he could understand now how the "Dutchman"
had made some of his points against him in the affair. But Louis was
permitted to "stand down," as he had told all he knew of the case. The
judge called for Scott next, and evidently felt some interest in him.
A sworn interpreter was called, and Scott told his story through him,
though Louis and Mr. Gaskette watched him very closely; but there was
no important variation in his translation of the witnesses' statements.
Two or three times the judge tripped him up, and it appeared that
his honor was quite proficient in his English. The narrative of the
"hero" agreed very closely with that of Louis. Morris and Felix fully
confirmed them, and then Captain Ringgold was called to the stand.
After he had given his name and residence, he was asked a question in
regard to his business in Gibraltar.
"I am a shipmaster, in command of the steamship Guardian-Mother, which
is the yacht of Mr. Louis Belgrave," he replied, putting his hand on
the head of his owner, who sat next to him.
"Does your owner drink too much wine?" asked his honor.
"He drinks none at all; never a drop under any circumstances."
While the interpreter was rendering this answer, the judge gazed at
Louis, and evidently regarded him as a very wonderful young man,
besides being "_muy ricos_." The temperance question seemed to be
mixed in with the issue, for Gray had evidently intended to convey the
impression that the party on board of the little steamer were "young
bloods," so tipsy that they hardly knew what they were about, and that
it was a kindness for him to take charge of them, even if he did use
the yacht to tow out the Golondrina and the "honest men" in charge of
her.
Captain Ringgold stated that the Salihé had come alongside his ship
with the schooner in tow, and he decided to deliver her to the Spanish
authorities, for it was plain to him that she was engaged in an illegal
voyage, intending to rob the government of Spain of its just revenues.
The judge bowed as though he approved this decision.
His honor then wished to hear from Mrs. Belgrave, who was quite
startled when the commander asked her to take the stand. Dr. Hawkes
conducted her to the box on which she was to stand. The judge looked
at her; and his ancient eyes seemed to twinkle as he observed that she
was still a very pretty woman, though the mother of a boy of seventeen,
"_muy ricos_" besides.
"I congratulate you, señora, on being the mother of such a young man as
Mr. Belgrave, and one so very rich," said the judge in good English.
"I thank your honor," replied Mrs. Belgrave, whose blushes made
her look all the more interesting; and Captain Ringgold shared the
admiration of his honor.
"Does Mr. Belgrave, your son, ever drink too much wine, or other
intoxicating fluids?" asked the judge in Spanish, which was duly
translated to the lady.
"Never! He never drank a drop of liquor, wine, or beer in his life!"
exclaimed the witness indignantly.
"_Bastante!_" (Enough!) added his honor; and la señora was permitted to
retire.
Uncle Moses gave some information in regard to the wealth of the
young gentleman and to his temperate habits. The judge was evidently
satisfied so far as the capture and recapture of the Salihé were
concerned, and then proceeded to consider the custom-house question.
The officers testified in regard to the merchandise found on board
of the Golondrina. No bill of lading, consular certificate, or other
document was found on board or in possession of the captain.
It was proved that the goods were smuggled into Spain from Gibraltar.
The principals were Gray and Captain Velazquez, and they were heavily
fined, and sentenced to imprisonment for one year for smuggling, and
one for the assault upon the party on board the little steamer. The
others received a much milder sentence. The court adjourned, and his
honor hastened to pay his respects to Mrs. Belgrave, and insisted upon
sending her and the other ladies to the landing in his carriage. Then
he had quite a talk about the Guardian-Mother with the captain, and was
invited to visit her with his family.
CHAPTER XV
EXPLORING THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR
Captain Ringgold had been formally presented to the judge by an officer
who seemed to be the chief of police, or something of that sort.
"_El Juez_ Salazar" was what he called him. If any reader wishes to
pronounce as he reads, he will say _el hwaith Sah-lah-thar_; and if he
utters it like that, the chief of police would understand him.
Judge Salazar smiled when the commander invited him and his family to
visit the Guardian-Mother, declaring that he had no wife or children,
being still a bachelor.
"But if I had met the Señora Belgrave when I was fifty years younger,
it might have been otherwise," added the judge. "That is to say, if she
had not frowned upon me."
"Just my case!" exclaimed the commander.
"But you are still a young man, while I am seventy-five. 'It might
have been,' as your poet Whittier said, in my case; and it may be, in
yours," added his honor very jocosely.
"I don't know," laughed the captain. "But I hope you will visit my
ship, Judge Salazar. Will you not dine with us at six to-day? I will
have a boat at the landing for you at five."
"The temptation is very great, and I cannot decline the invitation,"
replied the venerable dignitary.
The carriage of the judge returned, and then he insisted upon taking
the commander and Louis to the shore, where they parted with him for
the time. All the party were delighted with the old gentleman and his
courteous Spanish manners, and Mrs. Belgrave declared that he was a
"dear old man." The cutter conveyed the party to the steamer, and in
about half an hour they were on board of the ship.
"The judge is a bachelor, Mrs. Belgrave, and he fell in love with you."
"Indeed! But he is old enough to be my grandfather!" exclaimed the
lady, laughing heartily.
"In order to give him an opportunity to conduct his suit before your
court, I have invited him to dinner to-day, and he has accepted," added
the commander.
"I shall be very glad to meet him socially, in spite of all your
nonsense, Captain Ringgold," said the lady. "I think he is a fair and
just judge; and certainly he is a very agreeable gentleman, though he
is not as good-looking as you are."
The lady blushed when she had said this, for she really meant nothing
by it; and the commander felt himself lifted up with something like an
ecstasy.
"I need not flatter myself till I know the breadth of the comparison,"
replied he. "But we must do our best to make the judge happy when he
comes on board; and I have no doubt he will spend the evening with us.
Sparks, call Mr. Sage."
Mr. Melancthon Sage, the chief steward, presented himself very
promptly, and the commander directed him to get up the choicest dinner
possible for six o'clock, for a very distinguished guest.
When Captain Ringgold went on deck, he found the owner of the Salihé
waiting for him there, his engineer having gone on board of her
alongside. He had spoken to Louis, who refused to say anything to him
except in the presence of the commander.
"Which I am very glad to see you, Captain Ringgold," the owner of the
little steamer began.
"I dare say you are, for you want to know whether or not your boat is
implicated in the smuggling that was done last night," replied the
commander jocosely.
"Which hit is very true, your honor; I do wish to know."
"Well, your worship, your friend Gray swore point-blank before the
court that he had engaged your little steamer to tow the Golondrina to
sea," added the captain.
"Which he lies like a himp of darkness!" protested Chickworth
earnestly. "'E came to me yesterday to 'ire 'er, but I told 'im she
was hengaged to the young gentlemen on board this steamer, and 'e
couldn't 'ave 'er on no account. Which this is as true a thing as Giles
Chickworth hever spoke in 'is life. I would swear to hit before the
judge hover there."
"Perhaps you could do it here, for the judge will dine with us to-day,"
suggested the commander, watching the expression of the man.
"Which I am ready to do!" protested Chickworth, using his first
grammatical "which" apparently by mistake.
"I am afraid you have had some dealings with these smugglers, Captain
Chickworth; but I do not believe you will come to grief on account of
anything that happened last night, for Gray told such a stack of lies
that the judge did not believe a word he said, and the testimony of
the boys contradicted about everything to which he swore. I think you
are all right, my man; but I advise you to have nothing to do with
smugglers."
"Which I don't, your honor!" exclaimed the owner of the boat.
"But Gray seemed to know all about your steamer, and he must have had
the use of her at five shillings an hour."
"Which 'e 'as; but not to smuggle in 'er."
"That is enough about the smugglers. Take warning, my man, and keep out
of trouble, or you will lose the steamer," added the commander.
"I owe you thirty shillings, Captain Chickworth," said Louis, tendering
the money, for he had listened to all that had been said.
"I don't mind that; you 'ave saved my steamer; for I know what a liar
Gray is, and I was afeard that they would want to confisticate 'er."
"I insist on paying for her," added Louis, thrusting the gold into the
vest pocket of the owner.
"I will pay for her to-day, but I want to make a trade with you for
to-day and to-morrow," continued the captain; and he engaged her for
the two days for two pounds. "You will keep her alongside when we are
not using her."
"Which I will do and hall night too."
"We are going ashore this afternoon, and at five o'clock you will go
over for Judge Salazar."
Captain Ringgold had already attended to the formalities necessary
to obtain admission to the town and to visit the batteries and
fortifications, and the American consul had rendered all the assistance
required. After an early lunch the party embarked in the Salihé, now
in charge of Captain Chickworth and his engineer. The little steamer
proceeded directly to the Ragged Staff stairs, where the landing was
made.
Macias, one of the guides of the place, was waiting for them. The party
walked till they were tired, and then a wagonette was obtained, and
they rode through the streets for an hour, looking at the buildings,
especially the barracks, for everything was military about the town.
Ever since the possession of the Rock was obtained, about one hundred
and eighty years ago, the English have been at work improving the
defences of the place, and the territory is covered with batteries
in addition to the principal fortifications in the Rock itself. The
visitors gave only a glance at these, and observed with more interest
the soldiers and their officers, as seen about the streets, especially
a regiment of Highlanders, whose bare legs were more comfortable in
this climate than in England.
On the east side, facing the open Mediterranean, the ascent of the
hill is almost perpendicular, while on the other side it is much more
gradual. A number of non-commissioned officers were sent with the
strangers as guides, and they explained everything of interest that was
passed. After a rather hard walk, they reached the highest point of the
Rock, which is called El Hacho, or the Signal. From it a view of two
oceans was obtained, if we count the Mediterranean as one, and two of
the grand divisions of the earth, Europe and Africa. The mountains of
Spain and those of Africa were in sight.
Macias pointed out Apes Hill and other objects of interest, and it was
unanimously voted that the view was magnificent. The visitors continued
their wanderings amid pyramids of cannon-balls, and the region was
covered with receptacles for ammunition. They entered the galleries,
which extend for thousands of yards, and the first sight of them
conveys an idea of the vast amount of labor which has been performed in
constructing them, for they have been hewn out of the rock.
There are casemates and even halls, one of the latter of which is fifty
feet long by thirty-five wide, and is called St. George's Hall. About
every thirty feet in the eastern side are embrasures through which
project the muzzles of great cannons, which are hardly noticed from the
outside as one sails along the sea. A view of the Rock at the distance
of a couple of miles on the strait conveys no idea of the strength of
the fortifications.
In addition to the immense strength of the principal fortress, there
are forts and batteries in every available place along the shore, and
on the line which separates the place from The Neutral Ground, so
that an attack by sea or land could be promptly repelled. Everything
has been done to render the works invincible, and the supplies kept
in store preclude the possibility of starving out the garrison in
any reasonable period of time. But the fortress will never again be
besieged or attacked, for many believe "the game is not worth the
candle;" and Mr. Bright thought it ought to be ceded back to Spain, for
its possession by a foreign power has never ceased to be a thorn in the
flesh of the proud and haughty dons of the peninsula.
Aside from its military importance, Gibraltar is of the greatest value
to England as a stopping-place, where coal and other necessaries can be
obtained by her commercial marine. All the steamers which pass through
the Suez Canal on their way to India and Australia stop here. If
England were at war with any other nation, the place would be of vast
importance as a coaling station, where her ships could lie in safety in
spite of any force that might assail them.
"There are no springs of fresh water on the Rock," said Captain
Ringgold to his party. "You remember how the people of the Bermudas are
supplied with water; and the residents here, both civil and military,
have to depend upon the rainfall. All the water that falls upon the
roofs of the houses is economized and gathered up into reservoirs; and
that which flows down the sides of the rock is also carefully saved,
for a water famine would be as bad as a dearth of food. The navy tank,
from which ships are supplied, holds eleven thousand tons of water,
as the books put it; but to the common mind that is a very indefinite
method of measuring water, and how big that tank is I can form no idea,
only that it is a big one.
"I suppose you have noticed that plants grow in the apertures and
crevices of the Rock, though nothing of the sort can be seen from
the water. Asparagus, capers, aloes, and cacti thrive here, and even
grassy and wooded glens are found in places. Now we will go down to the
Almeda, which is the Spanish name for a park, as you learned when you
were in Cuba."
This beautiful garden is located near Europa Point, the southern
extremity of the peninsula of Gibraltar. It is on the very border of
the sea, and is very tastefully laid out in English style, with winding
walks, and with a great variety of plants and shrubs which thrive in
this climate, including cacti and some trees of considerable size. From
shady arbors fine views were obtained of the surroundings, including
the mountains in Africa.
The party had made the ascent of the rock and the return on mules and
donkeys, and the big four had lots of fun with the latter. That of
Scott was so small that he picked him up in his arms and carried him
some distance, to the great amusement of the lookers-on. When they
reached the Ragged Stairs, the company embarked in the little steamer,
and, as it was not yet four o'clock, they made an excursion in her
around the Rock. The American consul had been invited to dine on board,
and he was a member of the party.
As soon as her passengers had disembarked, Louis and Scott were sent
over in the Salihé to Algeciras for Judge Salazar, and returned with
him before dinner-time. He was received on board with the "most
distinguished consideration."
CHAPTER XVI
AN ADDITION FOR THE FUN OF THE BIG FOUR
The position of honor at the table on the right of the commander was
given to Judge Salazar, and Mrs. Belgrave was placed next to him. The
consul was on his left, with Mrs. Woolridge beside him. Louis was
assigned to the opposite end of the table, with the boys next to him.
Mr. Sage and Monsieur Odervie had done their best, and the dinner was
praised with great enthusiasm by all the guests.
The judge made himself exceedingly agreeable to Mrs. Belgrave, and gave
her a great deal of information in regard to Spain; but the principal
subject of conversation was her son, who was "_muy ricos_," and his
mother gave him an epitome of the life of the young millionaire,
including the recovery of the missing million which had made him so
rich.
The commander asked him if any suspicions were attached to the Salihé
as concerned in any smuggling ventures. He could only learn that the
officers of the customs kept a close watch upon her. Gray said he had
engaged her to tow out the Golondrina; but he proved that he was such
a liar he could not be believed, or the little steamer would have been
seized.
At eleven o'clock in the evening, after the ladies and others had given
the distinguished judicial dignitary a specimen of the songs they sang
in the churches and evening meetings in America, the judge was sent
home in the little steamer, attended by the consul and the commander.
He was profuse in his acknowledgments of the pleasure he had derived
from his visit, and especially from his dinner, declaring that no hotel
in Spain could elaborate such a banquet. The consul had been locked out
from his residence in the town at gun-fire, and the invitation to dine
had included the tender of a stateroom for his use.
The consul was sent in the Salihé to the Ragged Stairs after breakfast.
On her return Louis and Scott found the commander very busy measuring
the length and breadth of the little steamer. He was looking her over
with the utmost care, and it was evident to the boys that he had
some scheme in his head. When he had finished his examination and
measurements on board of the boat, he ascended to the deck of the ship,
and renewed his employment.
"The Salihé is forty feet long, Captain Ringgold," interposed Louis,
with a merry laugh, though he was wondering with all his might what the
commander's calculations indicated. "Her standing-room is cushioned
with crimson plush, and will seat eight persons comfortably, or twelve
with the addition of the tabourets in the cabin."
"Go on, Mr. Belgrave," said the captain, when he was closing the diary
from which he had read the description so far, and which he carried
in one of his pockets, having written it out while on the trip from
Madeira to Tarifa in the little steamer.
"Her cabin is twelve feet long, with four windows on a side, each
having a single pane of plate glass, with a table in the middle, and
several tabourets. The sides are occupied by broad divans, on which
beds may be made, with a full supply of bed-clothes in the lockers
under them. She has a miniature pilot-house and a cook-room forward of
the engine."
"Excellent, Sir Louis!" exclaimed the commander. "You have written out
a very complete description of the craft. Now have you inscribed in
your diary whether or not it is practicable to hoist the Salihé upon
the promenade deck of the Guardian-Mother?"
"I don't find any opinion expressed on the pages of my diary on that
subject, sir," replied Louis, as he put the book in his pocket. "But I
should say that it was quite practicable, Captain Ringgold, for I have
read that many American men-of-war carry steam-launches."
"But ships of six hundred tons don't carry steam-launches forty feet
long; or they did not when I was in the navy," added the commander.
Mr. Boulong and Mr. Shafter, the chief engineer, were sent for, and
they appeared at once. The question was put to them. They had their
doubts about carrying a steam-launch of the size of the one alongside
on the promenade deck; but they considered it possible. She might be
blocked up in the middle of the space abaft the smoke-stack, and well
secured. The steamer could carry her well enough, though she was a
rather large pattern.
While they were talking about the matter, Captain Chickworth came on
deck, but he did not join the party, and seated himself out of hearing
of what they said. The commander thanked his two officers, bowed
to them, and they retired, touching their caps to the captain, for
everything on board was done as politely as in a man-of-war, and more
so than is sometimes the case.
The commander seated himself in an arm-chair, of which a supply was
kept under the awning in pleasant weather, and invited Louis to do the
same. Scott walked over and entered into conversation with the owner.
It was evident that Captain Ringgold had had some conversation with
Chickworth in regard to the subject he appeared to be considering, as
indicated by what he had said.
"Sir Louis, you can always see through a millstone when there is a hole
through it, and sometimes you can see and read things which are not
visible to the naked eye," the commander began. "You can see what I
have in my mind."
"With the naked eye, I can," replied Louis. "And the idea is
an excellent one, as are all the ideas of the captain of the
Guardian-Mother."
"Blarney! But we will be serious now. I have been talking with
Chickworth; and I told him, what Judge Salazar informed me, that the
customs officers are keeping watch of his steamer. He was startled,
and unbosomed himself to me when he found I was not inclined to injure
him; but I roundly condemned his permitting smugglers to have the use
of the Salihé. He replied that he could not make a living with the boat
unless he did so."
"I should think there would be honest visitors enough at the Rock to
keep the craft well employed," suggested Louis.
"But Chickworth says that is not the case. A steamer runs regularly to
Algeciras, and another to Tangier, several times a week, and visitors
will not many of them pay him fifty shillings a day for the steamer.
Gray was his principal employer; he has gone to prison for the next two
years, and he has lost his best customer."
"He made his own nest."
"He has saved his steamer, for he would certainly have lost her if
he had kept on serving the smugglers. He was quite down-hearted this
morning, and wished he could sell the Salihé for what she cost him, and
he would return to his trade as a machinist."
"He bought her for less than half her value," added Louis.
"I am inclined to buy her out of my own pocket."
"If you can carry her, buy her, but not out of your own pocket."
"I am willing to do so. I have no use for my wages as master of the
ship, for I am not a poor man."
"I know you are not, for you have lived on your income for years."
"My whole business is to make this voyage pleasant to my employers and
passengers, and I don't care to make a dollar out of it."
"It would not be fair or just for you to buy her for our use."
"But Uncle Moses is a strict financier, and he might object to the
investment of five hundred dollars in this manner," said the captain.
"He will not object to anything that is just and fair, for he is far
from being a mean man," protested Louis; and he was thinking that the
possession of the elegant little steamer would at least double the
pleasure, or the "fun" as they called it, of their daily life on the
voyage. "Besides, Captain, you know that he did not object to the
expenses of the voyage the first six months, and then he had to pay out
double the present rate. Mr. Woolridge pays half the expense now of
everything, including repairs and alterations. I will speak to Uncle
Moses about the matter. There he is on the promenade with the rest of
the party;" and Louis rose from his seat.
"No, Sir Knight; we don't want any special pleading, and Mr. Woolridge
is as much interested in this matter as he is. Ask both of them to come
aft, and we will talk over the matter and settle it very quickly,"
added the commander.
The two gentlemen received the summons, and immediately presented
themselves before the captain, who rose and placed chairs for them.
What had been said before about the new project was repeated to the
trustee of Louis and the magnate of the Fifth Avenue.
"Mrs. Belgrave was saying to me yesterday, while we were sailing round
the Rock, that she wished we had a steam-yacht like the Salihé, only
one with a Christian name," said Uncle Moses, shaking his fat sides at
the coincidence.
"I am glad that somebody besides myself has seen the advantage of
having a steam-launch on board," added the commander. "I think they
will all see it when the matter is suggested to them."
"But what is the cost of her?" asked Uncle Moses, chuckling at
something he had in his mind till his fat form quivered like a barrel
of soft soap when shaken. "Since I have been relieved of half the cost
of this pleasure trip, I have had some of my old troubles come back to
me, for I don't see how Sir Louis will possibly be able to spend even
a reasonable portion of his income, and the subject begins to worry me
again. I had an easy time of it the first six months, for the expenses
made a considerable hole in the amount."
"Then I suppose you charge your present misery upon me for paying
half of the expenses, fair and just as that is," added Mr. Woolridge,
laughing a good deal more vigorously than he was in the habit of doing.
"By all means buy the little steamer, and relieve Uncle Moses of some
of his woe!"
"Well, how much will she cost?" demanded the lawyer. "If we can get rid
of five or ten thousand dollars in this manner, it will relieve me of a
part of the burden I have to bear."
"But I must pay half of the cost of the steamer," added the magnate.
"Then my load will be so much the heavier," puffed Uncle Moses.
"But five or ten thousand dollars, gentlemen!" exclaimed the commander.
"Why, I was proposing to buy her out of my own pocket, and not call
upon you at all."
"Not a red cent!" protested the trustee. "I believe you want to make my
burden more than I can bear, Captain."
"But the price of the boat is only one hundred pounds, or about five
hundred dollars; and that sum would not have ruined me," almost shouted
the commander.
"That will hardly take a feather's weight from my load," groaned Uncle
Moses.
"Say no more about it! I should be glad to buy the boat alone, and
present her to the ship in token of the high appreciation I have of the
boundless kindness with which my family and myself have been treated on
board of the Guardian-Mother," interposed the magnate.
"It is only a bagatelle, but it must be equitably divided," persisted
Uncle Moses; and the question was settled on this basis.
"The only doubt I had about the matter was the hoisting of her on deck
and carrying here there," added the commander.
"You needn't hoist her at all, Captain Ringgold," interposed Louis.
"The big four will organize a ship's company, and sail her from port to
port."
"O ho, Sir Knight!" exclaimed Uncle Moses, shaking his fat sides again.
"You want to be all ready for a fresh adventure night and day! If we
change the name of the craft, as Mrs. Belgrave will insist, we had
better call her the Don Quixote."
The question was definitely settled, though not till Mrs. Belgrave had
been consulted; but the name was referred to Louis. The Salihé was
purchased at once, and paid for on the spot. Chickworth went away a
happy man. Later in the day a meeting of the big four was called to
organize the ship's company.
CHAPTER XVII
THE SHIP'S COMPANY OF THE STEAMER MAUD
Louis Belgrave did not take kindly to the suggestion of Uncle Moses
to call the little steamer, which had now come into the possession of
the party, the Don Quixote. He had read Don Quichotte, as the book is
called in French, twice with Professor Seveignien, his instructor at
Von Blonk Park, in that language. He was therefore quite familiar with
the career of the knight of La Mancha, which Cervantes wrote as a sort
of burlesque on knight-errantry.
The young millionaire's alleged fondness for adventure had been the
reason why Uncle Moses had playfully given him the name of "Sir Louis;"
but of the four young Americans afloat on the present cruise, he was no
more inclined to erratic enterprises than the others. The average boy
delights in adventure, at least in the contemplation and narration; and
he was no exception to the rule, though he had always been devoted to
his studies.
But the average boy had not the ingenuity, pluck, and enterprise of
Louis; and perhaps he made his adventures more exciting than another
might have done. The nearest approach to him in the big four appeared
to be Scott, who had fully developed himself in the recapture of the
Salihé, though his intended cruise in the Seahound in the West Indies
stamped the metal of which he was made.
Louis did not like the name of Don Quixote, a crack-brained and absurd
adventurer, whose career Cervantes had written and made as ridiculous
as possible for the purpose of bringing knight-errantry into disrepute;
and he succeeded admirably. In dubbing his ward a knight, Uncle Moses
simply intended to ridicule adventures in general.
"I don't like the name of Don Quixote, which my trustee suggests, and
that is the only name that has been mentioned," said Louis, when the
big four had assembled to talk over the organization of the ship's
company, after he had informed them of the purchase of the little
steamer.
The young millionaire had explained to them the use to which it was
intended to apply her, with some enlargement of the idea to suit his
own fancy, and had reported some of the conversation between the
captain, Uncle Moses, and the magnate of the Fifth Avenue.
"Don Quixote isn't a bad name for a boat," added Scott. "I don't know
much about the fellow who bore it, and I am not competent to give an
opinion as to its fitness."
It then appeared that Louis was the only one of the four who had read
the book; and he gave some description of the Spanish knight-errant,
and related some of his adventures with windmills, wine sacks, and
galley slaves.
"The Don is not the fellow for our craft," added Scott. "But I suppose
you own the steam-yacht, Louis, as you do the Guardian-Mother, and you
ought to name her to suit yourself."
"Morris's father is as much an owner of her as I am, for he pays half
her cost. The name was referred to me; but I think Morris ought to have
as much to say about that as I have," replied Louis.
"I don't care what her name is," said Morris, laughing. "There will
be just as much fun in her under one name as any other. If you have
thought of anything, Louis, I will agree to it."
"What shall her name be, Louis?" demanded Scott.
"I thought of calling her the Maud," answered Louis.
"The only objiction in loife I have to that name is that it was what
they called the shtaymer of John Schoble," added Felix.
"But that was not her name, and it was only stuck on over 'Viking.'"
"Maud is a tip-top name!" exclaimed Scott.
"I like it; and it is your mother's name, Louis, which makes me like it
all the more," said Morris.
"Maud it is, then; and no fellow must say Salihé after this," added
Scott.
As a matter of form the question was put to vote, and Maud was
unanimously adopted as the name of the steamer.
"The next thing is to make out a list of officers and crew," suggested
Louis. "But we can't have a great many officers, for we have not
fellows enough to fill the places. First we want a captain, and we will
vote for him by ballot."
Morris was appointed to collect the votes, and three of them were for
Louis, and one for Scott.
"This is very complimentary, and I thank you," Louis proceeded, after
Scott had declared the result of the ballot. "But I must respectfully
and resolutely decline the honor. I do not think I am fitted for the
position, and therefore I must refuse to accept it. Please to bring in
your votes for captain."
Felix caught a sight of Louis's ballot, and the vote stood two for the
owner of the Guardian-Mother and two for Scott. The Milesian, knowing
very well what his crony desired, and how he had voted both times
before, did a little electioneering in a whisper with Morris, and the
next ballot gave the hero of the battle with the smugglers a majority
of the votes.
Scott returned his thanks; but he had voted every time for Louis, and
thought he ought to have the position.
"We don't want any compliments about this business, fellows," replied
Louis. "If I wanted to be simply complimentary, I should vote for
Morris, and he is better qualified for the position than I am; but I
believe Scott has had more experience than any other fellow in the
crowd, for he navigated the Seahound from New York to Florida, and
through the Bahama Islands. I think we have done the right thing, and
Captain Scott it is."
"So say we all of us," repeated Felix and Morris.
"The next place is that of pilot, who shall be at the same time the
mate," continued Louis. "Flix will collect the votes."
Three of them were for Morris; for Louis had unconsciously done a
little electioneering when he spoke of the successful candidate, who
had modestly voted for the usual leader of the party.
"Morris is elected first officer and pilot by your votes," said Louis.
"I don't see but what we have got to the end of the rope, for we can't
all be officers, and Flix and I will be seamen or deck-hands."
"That don't seem to be just right," protested Captain Scott. "The idea
of Louis being a deck-hand is simply absurd."
"But it is just the position I like best," the subject of the remark
insisted.
"Faix, Oi'm in good company as the oder deck-hand," added Felix, with
a merry laugh. "Sorra one bit of ambition have Oi to be an officer.
They're the fellers that will do the worruck while we gintlemanly
deck-hands will luk on and see 'em do it."
"What about the engineer?" asked Captain Scott.
"Of course Felipe Garcias will be the engineer," replied Louis.
"But he is wanted as an oiler on board the ship," suggested the captain.
"Captain Ringgold can easily ship another here."
"But I thought we were to use the Maud only when we were in port to run
about the harbors," said Morris.
"I think we shall do something more than that," replied Louis
significantly. "At any rate, we shall want our own engineer; and I will
see that he is better paid than as an oiler, a 'greaser' as they are
sometimes called. Felipe is a good fellow, and I take an interest in
him."
"Bekase he can shpake Shpanish!" mildly taunted Felix. "Faix I could
shpake it mesel' if me modther had only larned it me whin I was a
babby, loike Philip's modther did him. But, boy the powers of mud, I
belayve you fellers mane to make an indepindint cruise in the Orient,
and go Columbusing all over the ocean boy the way ye's talk!"
"I hinted to Captain Ringgold that there was no need of hoisting the
Maud on the deck of the ship, for we could go in her from one port to
another. I suppose Captain Scott understands navigation."
"I think I know something about it; for that is the one thing I have
studied more than anything else, not only in school, but ever since,"
replied the new captain. "Professor Giroud is instructing me in the
theory of it now, and I take the sun every day, and work up the
observation. I know how to handle a sextant, and I can work out a lunar
on a pinch."
"Perhaps we shall get cast away on a desolate island in the Indian
Ocean, and have a chance to do some Robinson Crusoeing," suggested
Morris.
"That is treason to Captain Scott," added Louis.
"I believe I can do my Bowditching well enough not to bring that upon
my ship's company," said the captain.
This meeting was held in the cabin of the Maud, as they had all
begun to call her. The next thing they did was to take down the sign
upon which the former name of the yacht appeared in front of the
pilot-house, and another to the same effect on the stern. While they
were thus engaged, Captain Chickworth, who had been collecting his
money and talking with the captain in his cabin, came on board.
"You don't like the name," said he when he discovered what they were
doing.
"We have changed it already," answered Louis.
"Which I was going to do myself," added the late owner. "The old one
was not a Christian name, and I was going to call 'er the 'Transit.' I
'ad the two signs halmost ready to put on. Which there is a carver near
the Ragged Stairs gate which 'e 'as the letters hall ready to put on
the board."
"Has he the four letters M-A-U-D on hand?"
Chickworth was sure he had. Louis was delighted, and immediately
offered to land the late owner at the Stairs, and have him go with
him to the carver's. Felipe was in the engine-room, for he had just
returned from landing the consul. Captain Ringgold was informed that
they were going to put Chickworth on shore, and the Maud departed to
obtain her new name.
The carver had the letters of the right size, all gilded and ready
to put on the signs. He was obliging enough to do the work while
Louis waited, and in a short time he returned to the steamer with
the signs under his arm. They were put in their places at once, and
the ship's company bestowed a great deal of admiration upon them.
The Maud got under way, and in a few minutes she was approaching the
Guardian-Mother. The regularly elected pilot was at the wheel, and the
others were on the forecastle.
Captain Scott called for three cheers when he discovered the cabin
party seated under the awning. This called the company to the side;
for they suspected that the big four were up to some mischief, the
commander having informed them of the purchase of the little steamer,
and that her future ship's company had been engaged in organizing to
handle her.
The gentlemen returned the cheers without knowing what they meant, and
the ladies waved their handkerchiefs very vigorously. As the steamer
came a little nearer, Uncle Moses was the first to notice the new name
which had been put up over the windows of the pilot-house. He spelled
out the word and pointed to the name.
"My name!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave. "Well, I am more delighted to see
it there than I was when I saw it on that steamer which lies near us."
"It is a capital name for the craft, and it means something now--that
your son is always thinking of you, madam."
"What is the next conspiracy of the big four?" asked the commander as
the crew of the Maud came on board.
"We want to go over to Tangier this afternoon," replied Louis, as soon
as the new name had been discussed and approved.
The application was duly considered, and, no objection being made,
permission for the excursion was granted.
CHAPTER XVIII
AN AFTERNOON EXCURSION TO TANGIER
Louis had applied for permission to make the excursion to Tangier on
his own account, though he knew it would be exceedingly agreeable
to the other members of the ship's company, for it would give them
practice in their duties. He had spoken to the commander about the
engineer; and he had promptly consented to ship another oiler, for it
was enough for Felipe to run the engine of the Maud and take proper
care of it, as it was a very nice piece of machinery. At the same time
he added fifty per cent to the wages of this officer.
He had ordered Mr. Sage to provide a suitable lunch for the steamer;
for it was thirty miles to Tangier, and it would require at least seven
hours for the Maud to go there and return, and the excursionists would
get hungry before they came back.
"But why can't we go with them, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
"It will certainly be a very pleasant trip, and there must be something
there to see."
"I thought of going to Tangier in the Guardian-Mother," replied the
commander; "but you have seen a specimen of Mohammedan places at
Mogadore, and I have reserved most of that species of sights for
Constantinople, where you will see them in their full glory and on a
large scale. Then the boys are going over there simply to experiment
with their new organization and see how it works, and I think they
would prefer to be alone. Besides, Tangier is in Morocco; and it is
remotely possible that Ali-Noury Pacha may be there, for it is over
three weeks since the Fatimé went out to sea through the Strait."
"I am quite satisfied to remain," replied the lady.
"Very likely the boys will not land at all at Tangier, for they have no
time to do so."
"I certainly don't want to go there if there is the least danger of
meeting the Pacha," added Mrs. Belgrave.
The rich, powerful, and distinguished Pacha had taken a fancy to
Blanche, the beautiful daughter of Mr. Woolridge, and had followed
the party to Gibraltar in the Fatimé, his large steam-yacht; but the
Guardian-Mother had avoided her, and had actually run away from her.
"I have a little business in the city this afternoon, and we will go
ashore in the barge if you wish to visit the place again."
"I don't think much of the place itself, but it is interesting to look
at the people of various nations that one meets in the street there;
and I want to do a little shopping," added the lady.
Lunch was served at noon that day. The bunkers of the Maud had been
filled with coal, and she was all ready to get under way. The big four
were very much excited, and they disposed of their mid-day meal very
hastily. They would not have thought to take their overcoats if the
anxious mothers of two of them had not insisted that they should do so.
Felipe had been at work on the engine, with which he was more familiar
than with any other, for he had served as engineer when she was in the
service of the Pacha.
"The Mah-ood," he began when Louis went on board, pronouncing the name
of the steamer as he read it on the sign.
"No, no!" exclaimed Louis, laughing heartily. "You have translated the
word into Spanish or Turkish;" and he proceeded to drill the engineer
in the pronunciation of the new name of the craft.
"The Maud," he repeated for the twentieth time.
"That will do very well, Felipe."
"The Maud used to make ten knots an hour when I worked for the Pacha,"
he continued. "I shall make her do so now."
"All right; but always be on the safe side."
"What you call the safe side?" asked Felipe, whose English was still
very much at fault, especially in its idioms, though he did very well
in simple conversation.
"Don't burst the boiler," laughed Louis.
He promised not to do so. Morris, the pilot, was in the pilot-house,
where he had been at work a considerable part of his time in putting
everything there in order and according to his own fancy, for he felt
that this was his domain. Captain Scott was on the promenade deck, and
he had prepared himself for his present duties.
Captain Ringgold had an abundance of charts, and among them one of four
sheets of the Mediterranean Sea. This one had thirty plans of harbors
and ports upon it, and among them one of the Strait of Gibraltar. The
latter was about a foot long and eight inches wide, which the commander
had cut out of the sheet and given to Captain Scott, who, for this
reason, felt entirely confident in regard to his navigation. The only
thing he needed was a parallel ruler, so that he could lay off the
course from the compass designs given on every chart.
"Make the course south south-west, Mr. Woolridge!" he called to the
pilot.
Morris was a little startled to hear himself "mistered;" but the fasts
had been cast off by the accomplished deck-hands, and he rang the gong
to go ahead. He had learned the bells as they were used on board of
the Guardian-Mother; and he felt quite at home at the wheel, and not
a little exhilarated to find himself steering such a beautiful little
steamer as his regular duty.
"Do you know where you are, Captain Scott?" asked Louis playfully.
"Just as well as though I had been here all my life," replied he.
"I suppose you know your way out of this bay."
"As well as I know my way into bed when I am tired."
"But the course you gave out was south south-west."
"Which is precisely the course I wish to make."
"But I should think that would take you over upon Carnero Point."
"There is about eighteen and a half degrees of variation in the compass
here, and the course I gave out will take us about south."
"I did not think of the variation," added Louis.
"If you look on the chart of these waters, you will find the diagram
of the compass with the magnetic north indicated, and the other points
adjusted to it," replied Captain Scott, as he produced the plan of the
Strait of Gibraltar. "Using this you could not forget the variation,
which is here given at 18° 50.′"
"I see that you are quite up on your navigation, Captain Scott."
"When I was sailing the Seahound I was sometimes out of sight of land,
and if I hadn't known what I was about I should not have been able to
get there."
"I think you are all right," added Louis, as he went aft.
He went into the engine-room, where he found Felipe as enthusiastic as
the captain of the steamer. He was delighted to have a more responsible
position than on board of the Guardian-Mother, and especially with
the increase of his wages. He was an exceedingly steady young man, and
Mr. Shafter and Mr. Sentrick had been very much pleased with him. They
declared that he understood a marine engine perfectly; in fact, he had
a genius for mechanics and machinery.
"Have you that thing to tell you how fast you go in the ship, Mr.
Belgrave?" asked the engineer.
"You mean the log," replied Louis.
"Yes; I mean the log; but I don't know what you call him. _La
barquilla_ in Spanish."
"I thought that was a little boat; but you can't learn everything from
the dictionary. But you must not call the _barquilla_ either 'him'
or 'her' in English, but 'it,' for we have only natural genders; and
things that don't have life are neuter," said Louis, who was still
assisting the young engineer to improve his English.
"No!" exclaimed Felipe. "What for you call the moon a 'she'? She don't
have no life. My book he say"--
"_It_ says," interposed the instructor.
"It says 'the ship she sails well.' The ship don't have no life."
"By a figure of speech called personification, or prosopopœia, we
attribute life and action to inanimate objects," replied Louis,
laughing, as he quoted from the grammar. "Now you understand it."
"No!" exclaimed Felipe; and his teacher did not suppose he could
take in such a sentence; but he proceeded to render it into simpler
language, with a long explanation; and possibly at the end of it the
pupil had some faint idea of the figure of speech.
"You have not the _barquilla_?" he asked, glad to drop the grammar and
rhetoric.
"We have no log-line on board," replied Louis.
"But I wish to know how fast the Maud is going."
"We can easily ascertain that from the chart."
"I don't understand," added Felipe, shaking his head.
"When we are off Tarifa I will tell you just how many miles we have
run," said Louis, as he consulted his watch. "We are two miles off
Europa Point, and it is just half-past one. Put that down on your
slate."
On board of the Guardian-Mother the engineer on duty made a record of
the working of the engine, just as the officer in charge of the ship
commits everything to the log-slate, to be copied into the log-book;
but the engineer of the Maud had not yet opened a record book. Louis
wandered about the deck with nothing to do, and almost wished he had
been made captain or pilot so that he might have some regular work.
But Captain Scott had already ordered that the deck-hands should
relieve the pilot, and he was to have two hours' work in every eight.
But he seated himself with Felix in the standing-room. There was enough
to see, for the shores of Europe and Africa were both in sight, and the
Strait was full of vessels passing in and out. The captain joined them
for a time; but his talk was mainly of tides and currents, showing
that he had studied the subject very carefully.
"I don't understand you, Captain Scott, much better than Felipe did me
when I talked to him about personification as a figure of speech," said
Louis.
"Sorra one word I can mahke uv ut," added Felix; and as has been
occasionally stated before, the Milesian varied his dialect to suit all
the four quarters of the Emerald Isle.
"I borrowed the North Atlantic Directory of Captain Ringgold when I saw
him looking it over. It treats mainly of prevailing winds, of tides and
currents," replied the captain. "I had read in some other book that a
current from the Atlantic always sets into the Mediterranean through
the Strait."
"Faix, Oi'd think the big say'd git full, loike an Oirishman at
Donnybrook Fair," interposed Felix.
"The Directory don't take that view, and says it has sometimes been
known to flow outward," added Scott. "But there are currents near the
shores which set out on the tide."
"Then we seem to be mixed up in a lot of currents," said Louis. "Felipe
is very anxious to know what speed the Maud is making; for he says her
usual rate used to be ten knots an hour, though she averaged only about
nine during our voyage from Madeira to Tarifa. He has been at work on
the engine, and he thinks he can make even more than that out of her."
"Begorra, she is makin' ut loively this afternoon," suggested Felix.
"It is easy enough to come at it," replied Captain Scott. "I gave out
west south-west for the course when we were just two miles off Europa
Point, from which we take our departure. When the lighthouse at Tarifa
bears north by the compass, we shall have run fifteen knots."
"That's it to a hair!" exclaimed Louis. "I knew it was to be done in
about that manner."
The steamer continued on her course for over an hour along the north
shore, and as the distance from the land increased the captain looked
out for the bearings of Tarifa lighthouse.
CHAPTER XIX
ENTER ALI-NOURY PACHA AND THE FATIMÉ
There were two compasses on board of the Maud, and Captain Scott had
one of them on the forecastle. Using his ingenuity, he had arranged a
couple of sights so that he could accurately obtain the bearing of the
Tarifa lighthouse.
"Now we have it!" exclaimed he at the right moment.
"Two: forty-five!" shouted Louis, as he looked at his watch.
"We took our departure at one: thirty, and we have made this distance
in one: fifteen, fifteen miles," added the captain.
"But that is incredible!" protested Louis; "for that gives her twelve
knots an hour, and, according to your statement, we have been going
against the current that always sets out of the Strait."
"The Directory does not admit that it always sets that way, though it
does so nearly always," said Scott. "Besides, the statement is that the
tide sets out near the shores on both sides. It is in the middle of the
Strait that the great current runs into the Mediterranean, and only
the last five miles of our course was anywhere near the middle. It is
plain enough to me that we have been helped by the outward current near
the land, and retarded the last fifteen or twenty minutes."
"Swing six and cast out noine, and ye's will come to ut," laughed
Felix, who did not take so much interest in the discussion as his
companions.
Captain Scott took a piece of paper from his pocket and began to figure
on it, though it was quite impossible to make the correct allowances
for the current inward in the middle of the Strait and the ebb-tide
near the shore of Spain.
"I think we can hit it pretty near," said he at last. "The tide helped
us about a knot an hour, and the middle current kept us back about half
a knot in twenty minutes. This is rather rough estimating, but I put it
down that the Maud has made the equivalent of ten and a half knots an
hour."
"Bully for the Maud!" shouted Felix.
"What you have done?" demanded Felipe, coming forward as far as the
pilot-house.
"You have made ten and a half knots an hour, Mr. Engineer," replied
Scott.
"_Diez y medio nudos la hora_," added Louis, saying the same thing in
Spanish.
"Very good! I do more than that now," replied Felipe, delighted with
the result.
"The eastern point of Tangier Bay is Point Malabata. Our course will
take the steamer close to it, allowing a little for the current; and
when it bears east half a mile distant, that will give us ten knots,"
said Captain Scott, looking at the chart all the time.
It was very evident to all on deck that the engineer was driving the
engine to its utmost, and Louis thought it best to make a call upon
him and caution him not to overdo the matter. Felipe pointed to the
gage, and assured him that he was on the safe side, and that the boiler
was very strong, for the Pacha had told him that he had required it
to be built of double the ordinary strength. The steam-gage certainly
indicated no danger; and, as Felipe would be the first one to be sent
up into the air in case of an explosion, Louis concluded that he would
not be willing to sacrifice himself as the first victim.
"What time is it now, Louis?" demanded the captain, when the steamer
was off Point Malabata and half a mile beyond it.
"Three: thirty-five," replied Louis, who had drawn his watch before.
Scott began to figure again, repeating aloud his calculation as he
proceeded.
"We have been through different currents since we began the last run,"
said he, with the plan in his hand. "Half the way we ran against the
middle current, and the last half with the ebb-tide."
"How fast does the middle current run?" asked Louis.
"From twelve to twenty miles in twenty-four hours, the Directory says.
I call it a knot an hour, and the ebb-tide the same," replied the
captain. "This is not accurate, I know, but it is near enough for our
present purpose."
"Well, what is the result when you have stirred the whole thing
together?" asked Louis.
"We made the ten miles on the plan in fifty minutes. That is two-tenths
of a knot a minute, which gives us just twelve knots an hour," answered
the captain. "I had an idea that we were doing something of that sort."
"It seems incredible, for when we made our long voyage in the Maud, we
timed her at nine knots an hour; and I went over the figures with the
chart before me, when I got back to the Guardian-Mother."
"Sure, we were saving the coal thin, for we hadn't the layst bit of an
oidea where we'd git any more," Felix interposed.
"_Doce nudos la hora!_" (Twelve knots an hour!) shouted Louis, when he
saw Felipe come out of the engine-room.
"I am very happy," replied the engineer. "I know she could steamer
that. She do it off Mogadore."
"She could steam that, not steamer," corrected Louis.
"I find something wrong which I don't see till to-day," added Felipe,
who did not care much about his grammar and dictionary in his present
delight.
"But where are we now, Captain Scott?" asked Louis, looking about him.
"You see Tangier ahead of you, don't you, Sir Knight?"
"I see it, Captain Sir Scott."
"You beat me on titles, Louis. There is Tangier; and it is only three
miles distant," replied the captain. "You can see the big castle on the
hill, the fort with three lofty arches lower down, and the minaret of
a mosque in the distance. I don't know anything about the place; but I
have heard the Pacha speak of it, and I think some of his property is
there, for he said he had to go there often."
"Are we going ashore there?" asked Felix in good English.
"I think we had better not," said Scott, who was more pleased to sail
the Maud than he was to see the sights on shore. "It is nothing but a
one-horse Mohammedan city."
"Are you afraid of meeting the Pacha there?" asked Felix.
"I don't believe he is there; but I don't think he has any claim upon
me now."
"You engaged in his service, and he provided you with a suit of Moorish
garments," suggested Louis.
"He can have the suit now, if he wants it," replied Scott.
"But wouldn't you like to go back into his service, Captain?"
"No, I would not, for I am not the same fellow I was then, I hope."
"You certainly are not, Captain Scott," added Louis very decidedly.
"There are some camels on the shore!" exclaimed Felix, pointing to the
animals.
"We saw enough of them in Mogadore," added Scott indifferently. "But
if we are not going ashore, we will take a turn along the front of the
city, and then head her for Gibraltar."
It was decided not to visit the city; and Morris was instructed to
take the steamer along the shore, for the water was deep enough within
a quarter of a mile of it. The Maud passed quite near to a great many
feluccas with lateen sails, but there were no large vessels in sight.
Felipe had reduced the speed of the Maud so that she appeared to be
making about ten knots an hour, which the captain said was fast enough
for ordinary purposes; but the boat, it was now known, could make
twelve, whenever occasion should require. The ship's company were soon
satisfied with the view they obtained of the castle, the arches, the
domed mosques, and the minarets, and the steamer stood out towards the
broad entrance to the Strait.
Though Morris declared that he did not wish to be relieved at the
wheel, the captain ordered Louis to take his place. The pilot insisted
that it was nothing but fun to steer the boat, and he enjoyed every
moment of the time he was so employed.
"But if it is fun, Morris, don't you think you ought to give the other
fellows their share of it?" asked Captain Scott, with a cheerful smile
on his face, as though he realized that he was addressing the pet son
of a millionaire.
"I did not take that view of it, Captain, and was looking upon it as
work, of which I was willing to do the lion's share," replied Morris.
"I will cheerfully resign my place to Louis, and give him his share of
the fun."
Louis took the wheel. The situation was not a novel one to him; for he
had done his full part of the steering when it was regarded as work,
especially from midnight till morning. But all the crew looked upon it
as play under present circumstances. The Maud was now off the three
tall arches, which seemed to be the support of a lofty battery at the
seaward corner of the continuous wall which surrounded the city. The
exterior view of the place had been obtained, and the captain was about
to lay his course for Gibraltar.
"Sail, ho!" shouted Felix, who had been stationed at the bow to do duty
as lookout; and the report came just at the moment when the change of
helmsman was made.
"Where away?" demanded the captain.
"Dead ahead, sir," replied the lookout. "It is a steamer, and she is
just coming around the point in front of us. Mind your eye, or she will
run into us!" he shouted with a good deal of energy.
"Port the helm!" said Captain Scott sharply, as he went forward to the
bow to obtain a better view of the approaching vessel.
The steamer was an elegant craft as she presented herself to the vision
of the big four who were on the forecastle and in the pilot-house.
She had just put her helm to starboard, and was rounding in so as to
obtain a position in front of the city. As she turned a view of her
ensign was obtained, and it was the red flag of Morocco, with what
looked like a pair of curious shears in the middle of it, something
like a pair of cimeters crossed.
"Just as sure as ye's live and braythe, it's the Fatty!" exclaimed
Felix, beginning to be quite excited.
"It certainly looks like her," added Louis from the pilot-house.
"I can go a point farther than either of you, for I know she is the
Fatimé," added Captain Scott. "Keep her off more, Louis!"
The Fatimé was the steam-yacht of Ali-Noury Pacha, a very wealthy and
distinguished Moor, who had visited the Guardian-Mother when she was
at Mogadore, and who had been so fascinated by the beauty and grace of
Blanche that he became very disagreeable to the whole party. The ship
had left that port at a very early hour in the morning to avoid meeting
him again; but he had followed her to Madeira, where she had again run
away from him.
The Pacha seemed to be desperately in earnest; for he pursued the party
to Gibraltar, though the Guardian-Mother dodged him, and made a long
trip in the waters of Europe. But the distinguished Moor had evidently
made his usual yacht trip in the Mediterranean, and Captain Ringgold
apprehended no further interference from him.
"There's the Pacha standing on the quarter-deck in full stage costume,"
continued Felix. "Bad luck to him!"
The Fatimé was now very near the Maud, and if the latter had not
changed her course she would have collided with her. She was now
abreast of her.
"Salihé, ahoy!" shouted the Pacha, who spoke good English.
"This is the Maud!" shouted Captain Scott, at the top of his lungs.
The Moorish steamer began to come about, and Felipe was ordered to put
on all the steam he could raise.
CHAPTER XX
AN UNEXPECTED PERIL IN VIEW
The Fatimé was not more than fifty feet distant from the Maud, and
the voice of the Pacha could be very distinctly heard when he hailed
the little steamer by her old name. The reply of Scott must have been
equally audible on board of the other steamer, but no attention was
given to it. The distinguished Moor could not have helped seeing the
name "Maud" on the pilot-house, for he had lived in England, and he
could speak and write the language.
Scott had been in his employ at least a week, and he knew something
about him. The one thing in particular he had learned about the Pacha
was that he was obstinately persevering in whatever he undertook. If he
took a fancy to obtain anything, or to accomplish anything, he stuck
to it till he succeeded. The engineer and the captain of the Fatimé
were Englishmen, though both of them spoke the language of Morocco well
enough to enable them to discharge their duties.
Scott had been on board of the Fatimé, and had met and talked with
these officers. They were paid much better wages than they could obtain
at home, and were satisfied with the positions they held. They told
him that, if he learned the language and did his duty, he would make
his fortune. The Pacha had a respect for Englishmen; and doubtless he
had learned that they would not "stand any nonsense," and that it was
not prudent to offend them.
It had been far otherwise with Felipe Garcias, who had been the
engineer of the Salihé in the Pacha's employ, for he was a Spaniard,
and only eighteen years old. He was very religious; and, like the
Mohammedans, he was very strict in the observance of his Catholic
duties, and had a high moral sense. The distinguished Moor conducted
some very questionable enterprises on board of the little steamer,
and when the young man objected to obeying some of his orders, he
was abused and maltreated. For this reason he had run away from his
Mohammedan employer. It was largely a religious matter with him, while
the Englishmen on board of the Fatimé did not trouble themselves or the
Pacha about such questions.
"That steamer belongs to me!" shouted the mighty Mohammedan.
[Illustration: "THAT STEAMER BELONGS TO ME."]
"We bought her and paid for her," returned the captain of the Maud; but
the remark of the owner of the Fatimé seemed to open a new question.
Louis was startled at the claim of ownership made by the Pacha. Captain
Chickworth had told a plausible story of the manner in which he had
come into possession of the little steamer, and not a doubt had been
raised or suggested in regard to his title in the craft. The young
millionaire had not seen Chickworth's bill of sale from the Pacha;
but he concluded that he had one, and probably Captain Ringgold had
required it to be produced when he paid for her.
"Does he own the craft we are sailing in?" asked Felix, taking in the
force of the Pacha's claim.
"Decidedly not," replied Louis. "I have not looked into Chickworth's
rights in the steamer, and I never thought of the matter before.
Captain Ringgold must have seen the Moor's bill of sale to him, and
perhaps has it among his papers now."
"I filed the Gibraltar bills and papers early this morning, and I saw
no such paper among them," added Felix, who was the captain's clerk.
"But the trade was not closed till the middle of the forenoon, and
you did not see the bill of sale Chickworth must have given to the
commander."
"That's so; I didn't think of that."
"I see you, Scott!" shouted the Pacha. "You ran away with Felipe, and
stole the steam-launch!"
"That is bringing it home to Felipe and me," said the captain, with an
attempt to laugh off the charge; but it was not altogether a success.
"That's a lie, which you know as well as I do, Louis."
"Assuredly it is not the truth, and I know that you did not run away
with Felipe, for we captured you at Funchal in your Moorish uniform."
"Though Felipe worked for the Pacha at the same time I did, I never
even saw him till we met on board of this boat on the voyage from
Madeira to Tarifa," protested Scott, who was evidently not a little
disturbed by the accusation of the distinguished Moor.
"So I have heard you say before."
"And so Felipe will say. At the same time it is an awkward charge to be
accused of stealing the steamer," protested the captain.
"That is true; and if you should be arrested and taken to Tangier,
the Pacha would have it all his own way, and you would certainly be
convicted. I doubt if they would even give you the form of a trial.
But there is an American consul here, and he could make a good deal of
trouble for the Moroccan."
"But I have no idea of being taken to Tangier or any other port in
Morocco," Scott affirmed in the most resolute manner, shaking his head
like a boy who is getting decidedly "mad."
"You are not going there voluntarily, you mean," suggested Louis.
"Neither voluntarily nor involuntarily!" protested the captain very
warmly.
"But if you couldn't help yourself, you wouldn't go there voluntarily,"
said Felix, who was an attentive listener and a close observer of all
that transpired.
"You had better translate that into ancient Greek so that we can't
understand it, Flix," replied Louis.
"Oi kin translate it into modern Kilkenny Greek; but Oi have forgotten
all the ancient Greek Oi iver knew, and that's sorra one bit," returned
Felix. "If ye's can't help yersel', ye's can't prayvint the anti-pork
ayters from taking ye's to Tangier. But Oi'll foight for ye's, Scotty
darlint, wid me fishts and me revolver."
"Thank you, Felix; but I don't believe this is to be a matter of
fighting so much as it will be of running away," replied Scott.
"Do you expect to run away from the Fatimé, Captain Scott?"
"That's the only way out of the scrape as I understand the situation,"
answered Scott, as he picked up the chart of the Strait, which lay
on the miniature capstan upon the forecastle, and began to study it
attentively.
"Do you expect to beat the Pacha's steamer on a straight run to
Gibraltar, Captain Scott?" asked Louis incredulously.
"I don't know how fast the Fatimé is; but she was slow enough on the
run from Mogadore to Funchal, though perhaps they did not hurry her. I
don't believe I shall make a straight course of it to Gib," answered
the captain, still studying the chart.
Louis had been directed to head the Maud for Point Malabata, and Scott
stood by the open window of the pilot-house during the conversation.
The little steamer had certainly gained upon the bigger one, which
was said to be of about four hundred tons, for she had passed out of
a convenient speaking distance of her. When first seen the Fatimé's
smoke-stack seemed to be a useless appendage, for nothing issued from
it; but as soon as she came about a volume of black smoke had begun to
pour out of it, which was continuously increasing.
"Do you see the black smoke the Fatimé is sending out of her funnel?"
asked Louis of the captain, who still retained his place at the window.
"I see it; and perhaps that explains why we have run away from her,"
replied Scott. "When we first discovered her she was just going into
port, and, as the engineer had ordered his men to let the fires down
in the furnaces, she was going very slowly. She had not steam enough
to enable her to keep up with us. But as soon as the Pacha told his
captain to chase the Maud, they began to shovel in the coal."
"That explains it all right," added Louis.
"I would give ten cents out of my own pocket to know how much water
that steamer draws," continued Captain Scott, who was still gazing
intently at the chart.
"I have not the least idea. She is two hundred tons less in burden than
the Guardian-Mother, if that will give you any idea," replied Louis.
"Perhaps Felipe knows something about it. Flix, stand by the engine and
ask the engineer to come to the pilot-house."
"I'll do that same. I'll stand by the engine while Felipe comes here,
and see that no one runs away with it while he is gone; but that is all
I can do," replied the Milesian, as he went aft.
The Spaniard was shovelling in more coal at the furnaces when Felix
went into the engine-room. He had been ordered to get up all the speed
he could on the boat, but he had not been informed in regard to the
occasion of this hurry. He promptly obeyed the summons of the captain.
When he came to the door of the pilot-house he turned to enter, and
then, for the first time, he discovered the Pacha's yacht astern of the
Maud.
"La Fatimé!" he exclaimed, aghast at the sight of her, as he retreated
in absolute terror.
"_Verdaderamente_" (Truly), added Louis. "But don't you be alarmed."
"The Pacha will put me in the prison!" gasped poor Felipe.
"Not a bit of it!" protested Captain Scott. "You belong to the
Guardian-Mother, and Captain Ringgold will protect you."
It required some minutes to overcome the tribulation of the Spanish
engineer. He had obtained an interior view of Mohammedan institutions,
and he had a mortal terror of being restored to the service of his
former master.
"We must run away from him, Felipe," said the captain.
"I don't know," added the engineer, shaking his head to intensify his
doubt.
"Do you know how much water the Fatimé draws, Felipe?" asked Scott,
as he looked through the back windows of the pilot-house over the
promenade deck at the Pacha's steamer.
"Draws?" queried Felipe, who did not comprehend the meaning of the
question, as he looked to his instructor for further light. "_Ella no
es caballo_" (She is not a horse).
"How deep in the water does she set?" Louis interpreted the expression,
and resorted to other paraphrases of the question till he made him
understand it.
"_Quince piés_" (Fifteen feet), he answered, directing his reply to his
teacher.
"Fifteen feet," repeated Louis to the captain.
"Good!" exclaimed Scott, to whom the answer appeared to be extremely
satisfactory, and to stimulate very strongly his hopefulness, though he
had not yet developed to his companions his plan for escaping from the
Fatimé, if her speed proved to be greater than that of the Maud, as it
would naturally be expected to be. "Go back to the engine, Felipe, and
run it for all it is worth."
"All it is worth?" repeated the Spaniard, interrogatively.
"Make the steamer go as fast as you can," added Louis, taking Felipe by
the arm and leading him back to the engine-room.
"All it is worth means very fast, _doce nudos la hora_", said Felipe,
as he entered his apartment.
"Not always," replied Louis, laughing; "but that will do for the
present."
"I think I have got the hang of the thing now," said Captain Scott,
as Louis and Felix returned to the forecastle. "If we don't wax that
fellow, I will quit guessing and go to New England to learn how."
"On board of the Guardian-Mother inferiors are not allowed to ask
questions in the line of duty. I don't know how you are going to
manage this business, Captain Scott, and I am unable to guess whether
you will wax him or not."
"I will tell you all about it in due time; but I am busy just now, and
you must excuse me," replied Scott, who had before taken the wheel
himself.
Louis was satisfied, and kept a sharp lookout for the steamer astern.
CHAPTER XXI
EUCHRING THE GRAND MOGUL
Felipe Garcia, as the engineer of the Maud, had now a tremendous
stimulant in the discharge of his duty, and Louis was only afraid
he would overdo it. When the boat seemed to be in danger of shaking
herself to pieces under the pressure applied to her, he went to the
engine-room to inspect the steam-gage.
"No danger," said Felipe confidently; and the visitor could find none
in the gage.
He cautioned the engineer to be very careful, assuring him that it
would be worse to be scalded to death with the steam than to be
captured by the Pacha. Felipe shook his head, and seemed to have some
doubts about the truth of the proposition. Louis went back to the
pilot-house. He informed the captain that the engineer was driving the
engine "for all it was worth."
"I have been running for that tower on Point Malabata," said the
captain, as Louis placed himself at the window.
"You are going very close to the shore, and you can see for yourself
that the tide is getting low," said Louis, after he had taken an
observation ahead.
"So much the better," added Scott. "I suppose the soundings on this
chart are given at mean low water, as on all the others I have used."
"Low water would be very mean if we should get aground here," suggested
Louis, who could not help being a little nervous about the boiler and
about the close proximity of the shore.
"We shall not get aground, for I have my eyes wide open, Louis, and I
know what I am about as well as I do when I take my grub on an empty
stomach. Don't you be alarmed, my boy, and that non-eater of pork will
go back to Tangier beaten out of his boots, or rather his Morocco
slippers, for he don't wear boots."
"I hope you will be a true prophet in this instance, Captain Scott."
"A truer one than Mohammed ever was in spite of his reputation in
Tangier and Mogadore as such."
"But you are really running her on the shore, Scott!" exclaimed Louis;
and it looked to him as though the Maud was actually going over the
point ahead.
"Not a bit of it, my hearty," replied the captain, who appeared to be
in most excellent spirits in spite of the peril that menaced the little
Maud.
He was in some such a mood as a gambler in an exciting game, or a
number at base-ball, who are working for victory. Scott was the
principal player in the present stirring game; and he was not only
playing for victory, but to save himself and the engineer from the
clutches of the Pacha.
"It looks as though we should be high and dry on the shore in five
minutes more," added Louis.
"You are looking at the point around a corner, Louis. The flag-pole on
the stem is your range. Just oblige me by stepping over to the other
window, and take an observation from that position," said the captain,
as confident as ever.
"That makes it look different," added Louis, after he had complied with
the captain's request. "But you are running exceedingly close to the
shore, any way."
"That is just what I mean to do," protested the captain warmly. "Now
will you just keep watch of the Fatimé, if you please, for we have come
to an exciting point in the game."
"A very exciting point, I should say; but with me the point is whether
or not you are going to run the Maud on shore," replied Louis, as he
changed his position for one at the rail, where he could obtain a full
view of the chaser. "I beg to remind you, Captain Scott, that if we get
aground, as I am afraid we shall, the Pacha can send off his boats with
an overwhelming force, and make prisoners of the whole of the Maud's
ship's company."
"I am well aware of it without any prompting," added the commander.
"You will excuse me, Captain Scott, for saying as much as I have, for
I know that it isn't regular or proper to criticise the commanding
officer; but I am really nervous about this business," Louis explained.
"Don't mention it, my dear fellow!" exclaimed Scott heartily. "We are
only playing ship's company and navigation, and we are not strained up
as they are on board a man-of-war. In fact, I have rather enjoyed your
uneasiness, and I am not the least bit hurt or offended at anything you
have said."
"I will try to do better."
"No need of it."
The young millionaire was watching the Pacha's steamer with all his
eyes, and though he had only two of them, he was working them very
hard. Felix and Morris had gone aft to the standing-room, where they
had seated themselves on the plush cushions, and were observing the
approach of the Fatimé, though she did not appear to have gained a
foot on the chase. They did not see Malabata Point ahead, and had not
worried over the matter which had exercised the patience and the nerves
of Louis.
"The steamer astern is changing her course!" almost shouted the lookout
on the forecastle.
"All right!" exclaimed Captain Scott. "That is just what I expected her
to do, and it means victory for the Maud. This is a part of my little
game."
"She is headed almost to the north now," added Louis.
"Precisely so," returned the captain at the wheel, who seemed to be as
cool now as a frozen cucumber. "Now come up to the window where I can
hear you think, and I will explain my plan from the beginning."
At this moment Morris and Felix rushed forward to announce the change
in the course of the Fatimé; but they were too late, and the captain
sent them back.
Captain Scott proceeded to explain his plan. Near the shore the water
was shallow on the coast of Africa, as it is on most others when not
more than a cable's length distant from the dry land. The Almirante
Rocks are off the point; and though there was depth enough for the
Maud, yet the pilot of the Fatimé would not risk his vessel on them.
Three miles beyond the rocks was the Cana Coja Reef, extending about
two miles, and reaching about the same distance out from the land.
"How deep is the water off here?" asked Louis.
"In some places it is only from three to twelve feet deep," replied
Scott, who had kept his eyes fixed on the chart half the time.
"Three feet!" exclaimed the deck-hand. "The Maud would certainly stick
her keel into that bottom."
"But I don't intend to put her through any such water as that,"
protested the captain. "Just where we are the depth is not more than a
fathom and a half a cable's length from the shore; but we shall keep
outside of that place."
"A cable's length seems to me to be a rather indefinite measure,"
suggested Louis.
"Not at all; it is as definite as a two-foot rule. It is just the tenth
of a mile, for it takes ten of them to make a mile."
"I did not know that it had a particular extent, but supposed it was
used in a sort of general way, like a great many other expressions of
sailors."
"Not at all; but I think it would be well for Morris to heave the lead
in this locality, though I am confident we shall go through all right,"
added Captain Scott. "You may pass the word for him to do so."
Louis delivered the order to the pilot in the standing-room, and he
went forward to attend to the duty assigned to him, and this time they
had a hand-lead for such occasions as the present. On his way back the
messenger stopped at the engine-room, and had some talk with Felipe,
who was still driving the machine at its best. Louis had a purpose in
doing so, for he desired to obtain some information from the engineer
in regard to the speed of the Fatimé.
"I don't know _precisamente_," replied the engineer, mixing his English
and Spanish. "I was at Mogadore when come the Fatimé from England. I
hear the Pacha; he say the _vapor_ was not quick enough; he must go
more than twelve miles in one hour. He say this to Señor Tomlin: he
was the engineer; he come from England. He say he was best for _once y
medio nudos la hora_."
"She was good for eleven and a half knots an hour," repeated Louis,
translating the substance of the reply.
"He made twelve _nudos_ some time," added Felipe.
"All right; that will do," said Louis, encouraged by this information,
as he hastened forward to communicate it to the captain.
"She is not making more than eleven knots now, if she is doing as much
as that," replied Scott when he had heard what the deck-hand had to
say. "But she has not got a full head of steam yet. We shall come out
off Point Al Boassa more than a mile ahead of her."
The Maud was making a nearly straight course of three miles while the
Fatimé was going a mile and a half outside of the rocks and reefs. The
former was making the best speed possible for her, and Scott was sure
it was not less than twelve knots; but she was forced to her utmost to
accomplish this result.
The run from one point to the other was three and a half miles; and it
has taken longer to tell about it than it did to do it. The Maud was
approaching the second headland, where the race must terminate, unless
the captain decided to follow the coast to the south-east, in order to
keep in shoal water where the chaser could not follow her.
"Mark under water two!" shouted Morris with energy, for he was still
heaving the lead on the starboard side.
"All right; that is just as it should be," said the captain, as he put
the helm a little to starboard. "That is the shoalest place within half
a mile of the shore."
"We are all right in two fathoms," replied Louis. "The report was 'mark
under water,' which gives more than that."
"I want some leeway under the keel, for whatever you may think of me,
I am a prudent fellow," laughed Scott. "Now we have to decide on our
future course. If I follow the shore and keep in shallow water, it
will take us a long way out of our course, for it trends to the south,
forming the arc of a considerable circle."
"We don't want to go out of our way if we can help it," added Louis.
"This is Point Al Boassa broad on the starboard bow, about a mile
distant," continued Scott, pointing to it.
"That sounds like a Moorish name."
"It is the name on the chart; and that is all I know or care about it.
Now, it is just ten miles across the Strait to Tarifa."
"Not more than that?"
"Exactly that; but it is fifteen miles more to the New Mole in
Gibraltar. The question to be decided within the next five minutes is
whether we shall follow the shore to the south-east, or stick it across
to Tarifa."
"How much the lead of the Fatimé have we?" asked Louis.
"We shall come out a mile and a half ahead of her; but she is going to
develop more speed very soon."
"I am decidedly in favor of making the course for Tarifa," replied
Louis. "I don't believe she can overhaul us before we get across, if
ever."
"Just my idea; across it is," responded Scott. "But we are not quite
up with the point yet. If the Pacha's steamer comes too close to us,
we can run into the shoal water on the other side. We shall euchre the
Grand Mogul yet."
Louis did not feel as nervous as before.
CHAPTER XXII
CONSTERNATION ON BOARD THE SHIP
The Maud had certainly developed a rather remarkable speed for a boat
of her size; but she had been built on the Clyde for the Pacha, and
twelve knots had been stipulated as the speed she was required to
make in the contract. Felipe had explained as well as he could that
something had been the matter with the machinery even before he left
the service of the distinguished Moor.
Neither he nor the engineer of the Fatimé could ascertain what it was;
but that morning, when he made a thorough overhauling of the machine,
after his appointment as her engineer, he had discovered a bolt which
had dropped into a place where it impeded the movement of the piston.
He had removed it, and the result had been seen during the afternoon.
But for this discovery the Grand Mogul, as all of them were in the
habit of calling him in a sort of mild derision, might have bagged his
game.
"Here we are, exactly off the point, Louis. What time is it now?"
"Thirty-seven minutes past four," answered the deck-hand. "We were off
Point Malabata at precisely four: twenty."
"And the distance is three and a half miles," added Scott. "You may
take the wheel now, Louis, and I will figure up the speed of the Maud."
"Give me the course, if you please, Captain," said Louis, as he took
the spokes.
"North-east and a quarter north," replied Scott, who had evidently
taken it from the chart before; and for the want of a parallel rule he
was compelled to resort to expedients in order to find it.
"North-east and a quarter north," repeated Louis; and he watched the
compass till he had the steamer on the course indicated.
Possibly some non-nautical readers would like to know how the skilful
commander of the Maud had taken from the chart the course he had given
out. A parallel rule is used in obtaining it. This is two rules, each
an inch or less in width, with a brass piece connecting them, with pins
at each end of it having play enough to permit the two wooden parts
to be spread out. When the parallel rules are together, the brass bar
joining them lies at a sharp angle with their length, so that one of
the parts may be moved out from the other till the brass bar is at
right angles with the length.
Captain Scott laid the outer edge of the right-hand rule on the course
he had marked on the chart with a pencil, from Point Al Boassa to
Tarifa. On the chart before him was a diagram of the compass. It was
divided into four quarters by two heavy black lines. The one within two
points of perpendicular had an arrow at the upper end, which pointed
to the magnetic north, though on some American charts the true north
is indicated. On this diagram the thirty-two points of the compass are
marked; the heavy black line across the figure showed the east and the
west.
Putting one or more fingers on the right-hand rule, the navigator of
the Maud held it fast in the position in which he had placed it. With
the left hand he moved the other rule out as far as he could, which
left an opening two and a half inches wide, more or less, between the
two parts of the implement. Holding the left-hand rule fast to the
paper, he moved the right up to it. Then the whole rule had been moved
over two inches. He repeated these movements till he had brought the
edge of the ruler on the centre of the compass diagram. If this edge
had rested on the north-east and south-west marks, the course would
be either one or the other of these two. The navigator knows that his
general course is to the northward, and he has accurately obtained the
direction in which he is to sail.
But Scott found that the edge of his rule came a little to the left of
the heavy mark for north-east, and the same to the right of south-west.
He had to estimate that it was a quarter of a point beyond the line.
The points on some compasses are divided into halves and quarters, so
that the helmsman has no difficulty in keeping the point he is to steer
on the notch.
Louis moved the wheel till he brought the line of north-east a quarter
north on the notch, which is made in the immovable part of the
compass. The pilot-house of the Maud was small, but it was large enough
to contain a sofa, or divan, across the back; and here the captain
seated himself to figure up the present speed of the steamer. Three and
one-half miles in seventeen minutes was an easy problem to solve.
"Twelve and two-tenths knots an hour!" he shouted in his delight at the
result, which he had obtained in three repetitions of the calculations;
and this time he was sure there was no mistake, for it was dead low
tide, and there were no allowances to be made.
"Then we are certainly all right, and we shall not fall into the
clutches of the Grand Mogul," replied Louis.
"I would not give two cents to the Bank of England to guarantee that he
will not overhaul us. But he may follow us to Gib," suggested Scott.
"If he does, Captain Ringgold will have the settling of the matter."
Both of them proceeded to wonder what the commander of the
Guardian-Mother would do; but while they were so engaged, Felipe was
driving the engine "for all it was worth." The captain kept a sort
of log on his paper, and he had noted the time of the departure from
the last point on the African coast, which was four: thirty-seven. It
was five: twenty-seven when the Maud was within hail of the Tarifa
lighthouse.
"Ten miles in fifty minutes!" exclaimed Captain Scott, still working
his mathematics. "That's twelve knots an hour, but the two-tenths are
missing, though the inward current ought to have been in our favor;
but two-tenths of a knot is only two cable lengths, and that is near
enough."
"I should say that it was," answered Louis. "She has been driven to
make that; and I suppose her ordinary speed when not forced is about
ten, which is good enough. But where is the Grand Mogul?"
"There she is, about a mile and a half astern of us," replied Scott, as
he went to the door. "She has not gained an inch on us, and I have come
to the deliberate conclusion that the Fatimé's speed is about twelve
knots an hour when she is doing her best. But neither the Pacha nor his
pilot has been smart."
"As smart as the speed of his craft will permit," added Louis.
"No, he is not; but if I had been in command of that hooker, I should
have been nearer the Maud than she is now."
"You evidently have a pretty good opinion of Captain Scott, and when
you tell the coon up the tree to come down, you expect him to do so,"
laughed Louis.
"Brag is a good dog, but that is not my name. Of course that Mohammedan
reprobate knows that we are bound to Gib; but he has followed us just
as though he expected us to fetch up at Tarifa. He has not even changed
his course yet."
"He will be smart enough to do it very soon. What would you have done,
Captain Scott, if you had been the commander of the Fatimé?" asked
Louis.
"Instead of doing as he has done, I should have headed her directly for
Europa Point, and gained all the distance we are ahead of her."
"But you would have done the same thing as soon as she changed her
course."
"That is true; but it is none of his bread and butter. We have no
occasion to run into shoaler water now, and you may make the course
east. Here, Flix, it is time for you to take your trick at the wheel,"
called Captain Scott.
"I'll be moighty glad to do ut!" exclaimed the Milesian. "But Oi'm
willin' to aise up on my share of the foon for the benefut of the
poilot and the odther dechk-hahnd."
"Take your turn, Flix, and head her east till you come to the Moro
Rock," added the captain.
"Is ut the Moro Rochk? Faix, I don't know ut be soight; Oi've niver
been introjuiced," said Felix, as he took the wheel.
"It is the first point you come to, about eight miles ahead."
Felix knew it when he came to it, and the course was then a point
more to the north. The Fatimé did not change her direction till she
was within a mile of the Tarifa lighthouse, and the ship's company of
the Maud had imbibed a certain contempt for her, handsome as she was.
Carnero Point was passed, and Felix was directed to run directly for
the light on the New Mole, which was illuminated though it was not yet
dark.
Louis had his watch in hand when the Maud ran alongside of the
Guardian-Mother, and it was quarter of seven.
"You have made good time!" called Captain Ringgold. "What steamer is
that coming over from Carnero Point?"
"Rush on board of the ship, and tell the captain all about it, Louis!"
cried Scott, as soon as the Maud was abreast of the gangway.
Louis leaped upon the steps, and hastened up to the deck, confronting
the commander on the rail.
"Is it possible that you have come back without an adventure?" demanded
Captain Ringgold, as he grasped the hand of his owner.
"No, sir; it is not possible," replied Louis, as they stepped down
upon the deck. "You asked what steamer that was coming in from Carnero
Point?"
"I did; do you know her?" And Louis could see that the commander wore
an anxious look on his face.
"I do know her, for she has been chasing us for the last three hours.
She is the Grand Mogul's steam-yacht, the Fatimé," replied Louis.
"Chasing you? Then how in the world did you get away from her?"
demanded the captain, with a heavy frown upon his brow.
"We ran into shoal water and gained a mile and a half on her; but
Captain Scott can tell you all about that better than I can. He managed
exceedingly well, sir."
"Did I understand you to say, Louis, that the steamer approaching was
the Fatimé?" asked Mr. Woolridge, putting his hand on the young man's
shoulder, for he had been seated near the gangway smoking his cigar,
and had overheard the report made to the captain.
Louis looked at the commander, but made no reply.
"I am sorry to say that it is the Fatimé," added Captain Ringgold. "But
you need not be concerned in the least about the Pacha, for he shall
not put his Morocco shoes on the deck of this ship, Mr. Woolridge;"
and he spoke in such a decided tone that the father of the beautiful
Blanche was immediately reassured.
In a few minutes, and before the Grand Mogul's steamer had reached her
anchorage, it was known that Ali-Noury Pacha had arrived; for some of
them recognized the vessel, and Mr. Woolridge and the captain could not
deny her identity when the question was put to them. Mrs. Woolridge was
much disturbed, and Dr. Hawkes took charge of her. With the commander's
assurance that the Pacha should not come on board of the ship, he
succeeded in quieting her.
"Come on board, all of you," called Captain Ringgold to those still on
board of the Maud; and they promptly obeyed, Scott declaring that there
was to be "music" very soon.
"Mr. Boulong," continued the commander a little later.
"On deck, Captain," reported that officer, touching his cap.
"That Mohammedan humbug will probably attempt to get on board of the
Guardian-Mother; and he is to be prevented from doing so even if you
have to fling him overboard," said Captain Ringgold in his firmest
and most severe tones, and with his two fists clinched. "The Maud is
abreast of the gangway, and he will doubtless board her first. Don't
let him or any of his people on board of her. Take eight men with you,
and station them along the port rail.
"He shall not board her, sir," replied the first officer, as decidedly
as his superior had spoken; and in five minutes more he and his men
were on the deck of the Maud.
Mr. Gaskette, the second officer, was directed to patrol the starboard
side of the ship, and permit no one to come on board from that side.
CHAPTER XXIII
A FUGITIVE FROM THE ENEMY
The Fatimé came to anchor just inside of the New Mole, not more than
three cable lengths distant from the Guardian-Mother. When Louis first
saw her off the castle at Tangier, he concluded that the Pacha had
business at that port. When seen three months before, he declared that
he held no official position under the government; but this might have
been, even while he was one of the most influential men of his country.
If His Highness had business on the Mediterranean, especially at
Tangier, which was a Moroccan port, it could not have been very
pressing, or he would not have been at liberty to follow the Maud. Now
he seemed to have a roving commission to go where and when he pleased.
As the voyagers had learned at Funchal, he was a lawless character; and
this information had been fully confirmed by Felipe, who had observed
his outgoings and his incomings as engineer of the little steamer.
After Mr. Boulong had taken possession of the Maud and his men had
been stationed on board of her, Felipe, who had been obliged to remain
in charge of the engine when the rest of the ship's company left,
was in a very disturbed state of mind. From the starboard door of his
apartment he had seen the Fatimé when she rounded the end of the New
Mole and came to anchor. He was absolutely terrified at the sight of
her, for he knew that the Pacha was on board. But he had not been told
that the distinguished Moor claimed to own the Maud, and had recognized
Scott on board of her, for Louis thought this information would
needlessly alarm him.
Captain Ringgold descended the gangway steps and went into the cabin
of the Maud, in order that he might be close at hand to direct any
movement that might become necessary. The commander had hardly seated
himself before Felipe, who had seen him when he came on board,
presented himself before him.
"He take me!" exclaimed the young Spaniard, pointing in the direction
of the anchorage of the Pacha's steamer; and his limbs actually shook
with terror.
"No, he will not take you, Felipe; he will not take anybody," replied
the captain in a mild tone.
"I run away with the Salihé, and he have the law," added the engineer.
"He may cause you to be arrested; but if he does, I will see that you
are properly defended," replied the commander, who realized that the
young man was technically guilty of stealing the little steamer, though
she had been returned to the owner.
"No matter if you did run away with the Salihé; the Pacha abused you,
and you were justified in leaving him in any way you could. My feet
would not keep still if my body was abused," said Captain Ringgold,
though he realized that the case presented some difficulties.
Felipe did not understand the speaker, for his language was above the
comprehension of the Spaniard. The first sentence he had uttered, that
the engineer should not be taken, was plain enough to him, and that
was really all he had been able to make out; but he was satisfied with
this, and thanked the captain.
"Have you drawn the fires, Felipe?" asked the commander.
"Not yet," replied the engineer, who was better posted on the
technicalities of the machinery than in ordinary matters. "I was to
draw the fires when I see you come down."
"Bank them, and keep the steam up."
This was also understood, and the engineer hastened back to the
machine, willing to leave his case with the commander, who, he thought,
was a bigger man than Ali-Noury Pacha.
"Shore boat alongside, sir, containing a half-drowned Turk," reported
Mr. Boulong at the cabin door.
"A Turk!" exclaimed the captain.
"Perhaps I should have said a Moor; but he looks more like a
turkey-buzzard just now," the first officer explained. "I rather think
he comes from the Pacha's steamer. He wants to come on board."
"I will go out and look at him," replied the captain, as he followed
Mr. Boulong out of the cabin and to the gangway of the Maud, which was
on the quarter. "We have no interpreter if the fellow is a Moor."
"None is needed, for the man speaks English as well as I do," replied
the officer. "He wears the uniform of a Moor; but I don't believe he is
one."
The man in the shore boat stood up in the stern-sheets. He wore the
Moorish costume; but his garments were soaked with water, and hung
to him like a Monday morning wash on the clothes-line. His clothes
certainly needed washing, for they were be-grimed with oil and coal
dust. He was not regarded as dangerous, and he was permitted to come on
deck.
"I run away from the Fatimé," said he without waiting to be questioned
and in good enough English.
"Are you a Moor?" inquired the captain.
"No, sir; I am an Englishman. I shipped as an oiler when that steamer
was there; but I was abused, kicked, and beaten by the engineer, who is
an Englishman like myself, because I criticised some of the proceedings
of the Pacha, who is the worst heathen I ever met."
"We know something about him," added Captain Ringgold encouragingly.
"Mr. Tomlin told me I did not mind my own business when he kicked me
and blacked one of my eyes with his fist," added the fugitive. "I will
drown myself before I will go back to the Fatimé. If I go on shore the
Pacha will have me arrested, for he spends a great deal of money here,
and the people will do anything he wants done."
The commander evidently pitied the poor fellow, whose "feet could not
keep still when his body was abused," and he had used them in swimming
away from the Pacha's steamer. The boatman said he had picked him up
some distance from the Fatimé, and he wanted his fee. The fugitive drew
a purse from his pocket, and gave the boatman half a sovereign on his
promise not to tell any one that he had picked him up.
"That is a big fee, when a shilling would have paid you well,"
interposed the captain.
"But I gave him ten shilling to hold his tongue," said the runaway
oiler.
"All right, if the boatman keeps his promise; and if he don't keep it,
I will have him keel-hauled," replied the commander.
The boatman protested that he would not whisper a sound to any one,
and he was permitted to depart. Captain Ringgold seemed to be somewhat
perplexed, for he bit his lip, and his forehead wrinkled as though he
was doing some heavy thinking. Doubtless he was considering whether or
not he was doing right in harboring the fugitive from the Mohammedan
craft; but the man had been abused, and had not been able to procure
his discharge from the vessel, or he would not have jumped overboard
and swam away from her.
The commander believed the man was honest, and his narrative was
consistent in itself. He was an expert in the reading of character.
He asked some further questions, and learned that his name was John
Donald. He had been fourth engineer of the Spanish steamer Guadiana,
which had been wrecked in the West Indies. He was tempted to take a
position as oiler in the Fatimé by the high wages offered him; but he
had been cheated out of half that was due him by the engineer, whom he
called a brute and a villain, though he was his own countryman.
"Pass the word for Mr. Belgrave; invite him to come on board of the
Maud, Mr. Boulong," said the commander when he had decided what to do.
One of the men was sent on board the ship for him, and while he was
absent the captain went to the engine-room. Louis presently came on
board and found the captain trying to understand what the engineer was
saying to him.
"I don't get ahead much in talking with Felipe," said he with a laugh.
"His English and my Spanish are about on a par. I want to know what
there is under the forecastle of the Maud, for I have never looked the
boat over very closely."
"I can tell you that, sir, without any help from Felipe," replied
Louis. "It has a forecastle below deck as well as above. It is a very
cunning little apartment, in which there are two berths."
"I live in there when I was in Mogadore," interposed the engineer.
"Take off the hatch-cover, Felipe;" and the captain and owner followed
him to the forecastle.
The scuttle was removed, and a sort of step-ladder appeared leading
down to the little room. It was dimly lighted by bulls' eyes of glass
in the deck; but with the scuttle taken off one could see to read
there.
"Send Donald, the turkey-buzzard, down here, Mr. Boulong," called the
captain; and in a few moments the fugitive descended the steps.
"Do you think you could manage to live in such a place as this,
Donald?" asked the captain.
"Very well indeed, sir; I ask for nothing better than this," replied
Donald.
"Then you may remain here for the present; but if anybody comes on
board from the Fatimé, I shall have the hatch put on, and you can hook
it down from below. I think the place is ventilated on either side
through the bulkhead."
"There is a door on the port side which leads aft to the fire-room,"
added Louis, who had fully explored the interior of the vessel.
The commander led the way to the deck, where he ordered a bucket of
water, soap, and towels to be sent to the fugitive. Donald was a young
man, not more than twenty-five years old, but about the size of Louis
and Scott, both of whom had "got their growth." When Captain Ringgold
spoke of clothes for the new man, Louis went on board the ship, and
brought back the suit he had worn when he was first taken on board the
Guardian-Mother from the sand-spit on the shore of New Jersey. It was
a comfortable every-day suit, and he presented it to Donald, with a
shirt, collar, and tie.
The oiler was deeply grateful to him for the gift, and he was left
alone to make his toilet. He had hardly returned to the deck before Mr.
Boulong announced that a boat was putting off from the Pacha's steamer.
The commander had retired to the cabin, and Louis joined him there.
"I suppose you want me out of the way, do you not, Captain Ringgold?"
asked he, as he presented himself.
"Not at all, Sir Louis," promptly replied the commander. "I may want
some orders from you; for, as you can see for yourself, the situation
has been wholly changed by the appearance of the steamer of that
Mohammedan humbug. I don't care a rap for his religion if he were only
a decent fellow; but his record at Funchal is very bad indeed, and I
will have nothing to do with him."
"Mrs. Woolridge is worrying herself half to death since the Fatimé let
go her anchor over there," replied Louis.
"She will be more disturbed than ever when she sees that boat
approaching," added the captain.
"The Pacha himself is in the boat," reported Mr. Boulong at the open
door.
"All right; only observe the orders I gave you. Tell his Serene
Highness that I decline to receive him," replied the commander. "You
may go on the promenade deck, where you can see all that passes and
hear what is said, Louis; but don't interfere. And see that the hatch
over the forecastle is put on."
Louis was glad enough to avail himself of this permission, and
hastened forward, taking a lantern from the engine-room as he did so.
He found the fore scuttle still open, and he carried the lantern down.
He lighted the lamp, and then told Donald to hook down the hatch, for
the Pacha's boat was coming. From the deck he proceeded up the ladder
near the pilot-house to the upper deck, and seated himself where he
could see the gangway.
CHAPTER XXIV
A STORMY INTERVIEW WITH ALI-NOURY PACHA
The boat of the Pacha was an elegant barge pulled by eight oarsmen,
all dressed in Oriental costume. His Highness sat in the stern-sheets
on velvet cushions. As the Maud lay alongside the Guardian-Mother's
gangway, the coxswain, whose place was abaft the back-board, steered
directly for the little steamer. Her gangway was nothing but half a
dozen steps, hooked upon the rail, and could be shifted to any part of
the vessel. The barge ran alongside, and the bowman fastened to it with
a boat-hook.
"No one allowed on board," said Mr. Boulong, who had stationed himself
at the gangway with four stout seamen near him.
"I wish to go on board of the steamer at your side, the
Guardian-Mother," said the Pacha.
"No one is allowed on board of her, sir," answered the first officer.
"But I wish to see her commander," persisted Ali-Noury.
"He declines to receive you, sir," added Mr. Boulong.
"Declines to receive me!" exclaimed the Pacha. "This is an insult!"
"I don't know what it is; but I obey my orders, sir," returned the
officer.
"But I must see him!" protested the owner of the Fatimé, as he laid his
hand upon the steps, as though he intended to ascend them to the deck.
"Knott and Williams," called Mr. Boulong; and the two men presented
themselves on the instant.
"Haul in the gangway!" said the officer sharply.
The Pacha held on at the steps; but the men, who were good seamen,
obeyed their orders to the letter, and in a moment more His Highness
was hanging to them over the deep water.
[Illustration: "THE PACHA HELD ON AT THE STEPS."]
"Shake him off!" said Mr. Boulong in a low tone.
The seamen continued to haul in the gangway, shaking it vigorously as
they did so. Knott had an idea of his own; and when they had drawn the
steps nearly up, he let them slide back with a jerk, Pacha and all,
till the Moor was wrenched from his hold, and thrown back into the
barge, all in a heap, in the stern-sheets.
"Very well done, Knott!" exclaimed the first officer.
The coxswain of the boat hastened to pick up his master, and place him
on the cushioned seat. Of course he was as wrathy as a respectable
Mohammedan could be, to say nothing of such a one as Noury was.
"What do you mean, you rascal?" demanded His Highness, glowering at the
first officer as though he would subject him to the bowstring if he
could get hold of him. "Do you intend to drown me?"
"I do not, sir; but if you attempt to come on board of this steamer,
you, and not I, will be responsible for the consequences," replied Mr.
Boulong.
"But I told you I wished to see the commander of the Guardian-Mother,"
stormed the Pacha.
"And I told you that he declined to receive you."
"May I ask why he declines to receive me?" demanded Noury.
"That is the commander's business, and not mine."
"But I must and will see him!" His Highness persisted.
"I can only say, sir, that if you succeed in getting on the deck of
this steamer, it will be my duty to have you thrown overboard, or into
your barge, as the case may be," answered Mr. Boulong.
Captain Ringgold had placed himself on his knees on the divan, with his
head at the after window of the cabin. He realized that Noury was in
earnest, and he considered it rather mean to require the first officer
to fight his battle for him. He came out of the cabin, and placed
himself at the side of Mr. Boulong.
"Good-evening, Captain Ringgold," said the Pacha as soon as he saw him.
"Good-evening, sir," replied the commander coldly. "If you have any
business with me, I will hear it from where you are."
"I desire to go on board of the Guardian-Mother;" and Noury seemed to
have an excellent memory, for he remembered all the names.
"I cannot permit you to do so. I decline to receive you on board of my
ship, or anywhere else," replied the captain firmly.
"That is an insult, sir!" protested the Moor.
"It is not intended as such, but is simply the plain statement of my
position in regard to you."
"What is your position?" demanded the Pacha furiously.
"Simply that I decline to associate with you, and the ladies and
gentlemen on board of the Guardian-Mother occupy the same position. In
other words, they refuse to associate with you, or to receive you."
"This is very extraordinary!" gasped the Moor.
"I do not so regard it."
"Does the young lady, Miss Blanche, refuse to see me?" asked the Pacha
in a more moderate tone.
"Most decidedly; and her mother declines to permit her to see you."
"It is very strange," said Noury with a savage frown on his handsome
face. "I thought the young lady was pleased with me."
"You were never more mistaken in your life."
"Will you inform me why you refuse to receive me, Captain Ringgold?"
"I do not wish to offend Your Highness; but I must speak the truth if I
speak at all."
"Speak out, by all means, Captain."
"As you insist, I will do so. Your reputation among the respectable
people of Funchal, where you go occasionally in your steamer, is so
bad, so black, that I should not be justified in introducing you to any
true lady," replied the commander boldly and resolutely, hoping this
plain statement would put an end to the attempts of the Moor to force
himself into the presence of his cabin party.
"This is an unmitigated insult, and I hold you responsible for it,
Captain Ringgold!" roared the Pacha, loud enough to be heard on board
of the Guardian-Mother. "A friend of mine will wait upon you to-morrow,
sir!"
"In advance I decline to receive either you or any friend of yours. I
think it is time to terminate this interview."
"You are a coward, sir!"
"I have nothing more to say."
"But I have. You have interfered with my affairs. You have on board of
your steamer a young fellow who ran away from my service," continued
Noury more calmly as he came down to business. "His name is Scott."
"Scott is my apprentice, bound to me by his father in writing: and when
he was seen in Funchal, he was taken and brought back."
"Very well; let that pass. This little steamer was stolen from me by
the engineer I employed."
"But she was restored to you, made fast to the Fatimé at this mole,"
replied the captain. "You took possession of her again, and then sold
her to a man by the name of Giles Chickworth."
"I claim the boat as my property," the Pacha insisted.
"You sold her to Chickworth, and I bought her of him."
"It was not a legal sale."
"I beg your pardon, it was; for I have the bill of sale you gave him,
signed by you, and with your flourish," argued the commander, taking
the paper from his pocket and unfolding it.
He held it up so that the Moor could see his signature. He seemed to
be confounded, and had certainly been beaten on every point he had
attempted to make. But he was evidently far from satisfied with the
result of the conference. He declared that he should cause the arrest
of Scott for stealing the suit of clothes he had loaned him; and if he
could find the young Spaniard who had stolen his steamer, he would have
him arrested also, and have them both sent to Mogadore for trial and
punishment.
"You have grossly insulted me, Captain Ringgold; and you have refused
to give me the satisfaction which one gentleman has the right to demand
of another," stormed the Pacha, apparently as a parting shot.
"I am not a duellist; and if I were, I do not regard you as a gentleman
any more than do the people of Funchal, and I should not feel obliged
to accept your challenge," replied the commander very quietly.
"Another insult! If I find you in the streets of Gibraltar, I will
castigate you as an infidel cur!" foamed the Moor.
"If you assault me, I am able to defend myself, and I shall do so,"
replied the captain as the barge shoved off.
"Do you suppose he will arrest Scott and Felipe, Captain?" asked Louis,
as he jumped down from the promenade deck, not a little disturbed at
the apparent peril of his friends.
"He can certainly cause their arrest, and make a great deal of trouble;
but it will amount to nothing in the end, unless the law is such that
he can extradite them, and send them into Morocco, as he threatens to
do. I don't intend to permit him to do anything of the sort," replied
the commander so quietly that Louis was satisfied he knew what he was
about.
By this time it was quite dark, and the Pacha's boat disappeared in the
gloom. Mr. Boulong was called, and directed to have the bunkers of the
Maud filled with coal as soon as possible. Two men were stationed on
the little steamer as an anchor watch, with orders to allow no person
to come on board of her. John Donald was called up from the forecastle,
and directed to the cabin, which Knott had been ordered to light.
Donald presented himself before the commander, and he looked like
another person. He was clean, and the clothes of Louis fitted him
perfectly. He had the appearance of an intelligent person, as the
captain had before regarded him.
"Do you speak Spanish, Donald?" asked the commander.
"I do, sir; for I have been the fourth engineer of a Spanish steamer
where I was obliged to use it; but I studied it at home with my father,
who talked in four languages besides his own," replied the oiler. "I
can speak Arabic, for I expected to get a position on an Egyptian
steamer."
"Very good. Are you satisfied with the quarters where you dressed
yourself?"
"Perfectly, sir."
"Are you ready to go to work at once?"
"Quite ready, sir."
The same wages that Felipe was to receive was offered to him, and he
was satisfied with the pay. Louis wondered what the commander was
driving at, and what he wanted of another oiler, for he had already
shipped one for the Guardian-Mother to take the place of the young
Spaniard.
"I am going on board of the ship now, Sir Louis; but I wish to see the
whole of your ship's company, as you please to call yourselves, in half
an hour, in this cabin," said Captain Ringgold, as he rose to leave.
"Introduce Donald to Felipe, for they will have occasion to know each
other before morning."
Louis took the new employee to the engine-room, and presented him to
the engineer in Spanish; and he left them talking the language with
all their might. He went on board of the ship, and summoned the other
three of the big four to the conference in the cabin of the Maud,
assuring them that "something was up," though he did not know what. The
captain went to the chief steward, and an hour or two later several
boxes, baskets, and kegs were put on board of the little steamer.
At the time appointed the commander found the big four in the cabin of
the Maud. Felipe and Donald were sent for, and all were seated around
the table. Captain Ringgold looked more serious than usual. Of course
they all knew that he had had an interview, and a stormy one, with the
Pacha, and Felipe had been trembling for his own safety all the evening.
"The Pacha threatens to have Scott and Felipe arrested to-morrow; but
I have decided that he shall find neither of them here," said the
commander. "I shall send you all to sea to-night at twelve in the Maud.
Do you think you can navigate her to Valetta, Malta, Captain Scott?"
"I know I can, sir," replied he, delighted with the thought.
"Compelled by circumstances to change my plans, we shall spend the rest
of the summer cruising in the Orient," added the captain.
CHAPTER XXV
THE STARBOARD AND PORT WATCHES OF THE MAUD
An independent cruise in the Maud was to the big four the most
delightful affair in the world, not that they considered themselves
restricted and restrained on board of the Guardian-Mother, for they had
all the liberty they desired. Louis was devoted to his studies, though
he desired to obtain all the practical information he could as he went
from port to port in foreign countries. The other three were very much
inclined to follow his lead, whether it was to work or play, to study
or recreate.
The pleasure of navigating the Maud on their own responsibility was
a novelty which they enjoyed in the highest degree, though it was
likely to lose some of its charm in time. They had had a taste of
this pleasure in the excursion to Tangier, and the exciting features
connected with it had given it an additional zest.
Captain Ringgold regarded himself as an educator, though a learned and
skilful professor was employed for the teaching in detail. As has been
suggested several times before, he had theories on this subject of
which he desired to make a practical application. He wanted to develop
the boys, and make good and useful men of them. In keeping them well
employed he kept the old maxim in mind that the gentleman in black,
with horns, hoofs, and a caudal appendage, "finds some work for idle
hands to do."
It was not hard labor, but occupation, upon which he depended to
improve the bodies and the minds of his charge. Though he insisted that
the boys should be modest and respectful, he did not accept the idea
which prevails in England, France, and some other countries of Europe,
that young people should practically be zeroes till they were of age.
He believed that they should be developed as rapidly as their nature
and temperament would permit. They could only obtain this freedom of
mind by learning to depend upon themselves.
The several adventures in which some or all of the young men had been
engaged, especially Louis Belgrave, who had really become a man all
at once, as it were, when his troubles with his rascally step-father
began, had contributed to the kind of development the commander had in
mind. The trip to Tangier had assured him that the boys were competent
to handle the Maud skilfully and with a fair measure of science.
Captain Ringgold was absolutely proud of his success in reforming the
life and manners of Scott Fencelowe, and he had talked with Uncle
Moses and Dr. Hawkes a great deal about the improvement which had been
made in his character. He had really lived much of his time on board
of a yacht, and had made an accomplished boatman of himself. When he
boasted of the races he had won with the Seahound and other boats, the
commander was incredulous; but he had no difficulty in believing all
the stories he had told at the present time.
On the cruise of the Maud to Tangier he had proved that he had pluck
and skill; for he had sailed the little steamer exceedingly well, and
shown that he possessed ingenuity of a high order, or the Pacha would
certainly have captured the party, and thrown the two alleged culprits
into a prison.
The Guardian-Mother was not ready to sail from Gibraltar. She had to
take in coal in the early morning, and attend to certain custom-house
formalities. Ali-Noury Pacha, judging from what he had casually dropped
in his stormy interview with the commander, had evidently expected to
be received as a "distinguished Moor" on board of the Guardian-Mother,
and even seemed to think he had made an impression upon the
susceptibilities of Mr. Woolridge's lovely daughter.
His eyes had certainly been opened by the plain speech of the captain,
and he could not conceal the disappointment he felt. He did not seem to
be aware that the Guardian-Mother had three times run away from him and
his steamer; or to be able to deduce the simple truth from the hurried
departure of the ship on these occasions. He was filled with wrath and
the desire for revenge. The commander had "spoken out" to him only
when it had become absolutely necessary to do so.
He was capable of making a great deal of trouble, and he appeared
to have influence enough to do almost anything he pleased. Captain
Ringgold believed it would save him and the people on board the ship
a great deal of annoyance if the two alleged culprits were out of the
way, and he promptly decided to put them in a safe place. He had spoken
to Uncle Moses and Mrs. Belgrave and with Mr. and Mrs. Woolridge about
the matter, and none of them raised any objection. All of them had so
much confidence in the wisdom and discretion of the commander that they
were ready to follow his advice in almost everything.
The bunkers had all been filled up with coal, water and an abundant
supply of provisions had been put on board of the Maud, and the captain
and the officers had thoroughly inspected the craft in her hull, as
Mr. Shafter and Mr. Sentrick had the machinery. She was said to be in
perfect order in every respect. She was built of the best quality of
steel. In the little pilot-house, at the request of Captain Scott, a
broad table had been put in which folded up over the divan.
He had been supplied with an extra compass, though there were two
on board, a sextant, a parallel ruler, dividers, and all the small
implements he required in working out the course after he had obtained
the latitude and longitude. He had studied navigation at the high
school where he lived, near the water, and had practised it in his
yacht with a borrowed sextant. He was now completely equipped, and the
pilot-house had become a sort of paradise to him.
Louis and Morris spent the evening with their parents in the cabin;
Scott and Felix were busy on board of the Maud. None of them thought of
sleeping, though some of them would be on duty all night after they got
under way. They were too much excited at the prospect before them to
sleep.
"We have got everything fixed all right now, Flix," said Scott, as
they seated themselves in the cabin. "It was a big thing for Captain
Ringgold to employ another engineer, for now we shall have no more
bother with the machinery."
"Faix, we have two Dons in the engine-room, and both of them talk
Spanish. I hope they will be able to make the Maud walk Spanish."
"Don John," as the captain of the little steamer had already called
Donald, "seems to be a very good fellow, for I have had quite a talk
with him in English. He speaks Arabic too."
"Then we shall have a little gum Arabic to put in the mixture, and that
will make us stick together all the more closely," added Felix.
"Very good; but we were pretty well glued together before he came.
Flix, let us overhaul"--
"I had an old pair of overalls I brought with me for dirty work; but I
haven't had a bit of it to do, and gave them to Don John," interposed
Felix.
"Let us overhaul matters a little, and see how we stand, for we shall
all be busy after we get under way," said Captain Scott, finishing his
sentence. "We have captains enough."
"Yes, for, like a bull in a china shop, one is quite enough. We have
the best captain out, and the commander of the Guardian-Mother couldn't
do the duty any better."
"Thank you, Flix. We have two engineers, and they will take care of
their department without any help from the rest of us. We have one
mate, who is also the pilot, though he will do no more steering than
the rest of us, outside of the engine-room. That gives us two watch
officers, for as we have no second mate, the captain will have to keep
his own watch."
"Why don't you make Louis the second mate? He has no office, if he is
the biggest fellow in the crowd," suggested Felix.
"Louis does not want any office, and would not take any; he told me so
himself."
"He's a very modest bit of a duck."
"Now we must divide ourselves into watches," continued the captain,
though he did not particularly enjoy the interruptions of Felix, who
was often struggling to bring forth a joke on such occasions as the
present. "You know there are two watches on board ship, Flix?"
"One on the starboard and the other on the port side," added Felix with
a gape.
"Nonsense! You know very well that the name has nothing to do with the
sides of the ship!" exclaimed Captain Scott impatiently. "Now talk
sense, and we will soon settle this business; then you can flop over
on the divan and go to sleep. Do you know which is the captain's watch,
Flix?"
"To be sure I do; it's the one he commands."
"More nonsense, though we are now engaged in serious business! Port or
starboard?" demanded Scott.
"Port, because the red light always belongs on the port side."
"Wrong! The mate always has the port watch. Now do you know which is
which?"
"Faix, you didn't tell me which was the captain's watch," replied Felix
with a blank look. "I'll figure it out, and I may be able to tell you
by the time we are ready to sail."
"You are not a fool, Flix!"
"Wait till I argue the matter with myself. The mate has the port watch,
and the captain has the other," replied Felix, scratching his head as
if to stimulate his ideas. "Begorra! it just shoots through my mind,
like an electric light in a dark street when it is touched off! The
captain's watch must be the starboard."
"Right; but I wonder your long head hasn't exploded in working out the
problem. When there is a second mate"--
"That's metaphysics, for we have no second mate," protested Felix.
"For that reason the captain has to keep his own watch, which the
second mate would keep for him if there were one," continued the
captain. "Just as soon as the ship gets into deep water the crew are
divided into watches."
"Do you think the water is deep enough in here to divide the crew into
watches?" asked Felix, still struggling to be funny.
"It is two hundred fathoms deep in the middle of the bay, and it will
do. Each officer chooses a man in turn."
"It won't take long in this case, as the crew consists of only two."
"The captain makes the first choice, and I choose you, Flix."
"You do me very great honor, Captain Scott, and I was not before aware
that I stood so high in your affections, and I thank you from the top
to the bottom of my heart," replied the Milesian, taking off his cap
and bowing low to his companion.
"No affections about it! I only want to make the best division of the
hands," answered Captain Scott. "Louis is older than Morris and will
be in his watch; and the mate may need his advice and assistance, for
he knows something about sailing a steamer. Now, according to custom,
the captain takes the ship out, and the mate brings her home. That
indicates that you and I have the first watch on deck; and Felipe will
have it in the engine-room. It is ten o'clock now, and you have time
for a two hours' snooze before we get under way."
Felix had tried to keep awake by struggling to be funny, and he was
ready to take the advice of the captain, who had no inclination to take
a nap. Scott went on deck, where two seamen from the ship were keeping
the anchor watch. Presently Captain Ringgold came down the gangway
followed by a young seaman from the crew of the ship.
"One thing had almost been forgotten, Captain Scott," said the
commander. "You must eat on board of the Maud, and you have no cook and
steward. You need good food, well prepared."
"I did not forget it, sir, for I was thinking of it this evening,"
replied Scott.
"I have detailed Pitts from the crew for this duty; he has served as
both cook and steward. Show him the galley."
The commander returned to the Guardian-Mother.
CHAPTER XXVI
THE PACHA FINDS HE HAS CAUGHT A TARTAR
About half-past eleven all the ship's company were on board of the
Maud, and Louis was engaged in showing the cabin party of the ship
over the little steamer. They found that Pitts had put everything in
order in the galley, which is the kitchen, though the same name is also
applied to the stove. He had made a fire, and washed all the dishes,
proving that he was inclined to be neat and nice. The provisions as
well as the water-casks had been stowed away in the run, from which a
scuttle opened in the floor of the standing-room.
The ladies approved the housekeeping of the cook, and were conducted to
the engine-room, where the new hand was presented to them, for they all
knew Felipe, and had done a great deal for him. Then they went to the
cabin, where Felix had slept an hour, and was no longer sleepy. He had
made up the four beds on the divans, all with sheets and pillows, for
Mrs. Belgrave and Mrs. Woolridge had insisted that their sons should go
to bed regularly and in due form, and not merely lie down on the sofa.
The ladies were satisfied with the accommodations, and the surgeon
approved the ventilation and sanitary arrangements. While the cabin
party of the ship were inspecting the Maud, Captain Ringgold went to
the pilot-house with Scott. The shelf the carpenter had made and put
up that evening had been dropped into position, and part of the chart
of the Mediterranean placed upon it. There were two of them to cover
this sea, and each of them was four feet and a half long by three and
a half wide; and by the advice of the captain Scott had cut each of
them in halves, and he had recommended him to cut out the small plans
of thirty ports and harbors so that they could be used conveniently, at
his leisure.
"Now, Captain Scott, show me how you are going to navigate your
steamer," said the commander, as he placed himself at the table; and
the room was well lighted for the occasion.
"I shall take my departure from Europa Point," replied Scott, putting
the point of his pencil upon it. "My first run will be to Alboran
Light, distance 130.22 nautical miles."
"Very well, indeed, Captain Scott," laughed the commander. "The coon
evidently came down when you made your figures."
"The course will be east by south, with 18° 40′ variation of the
compass to the westward. From Alboran Light to a point ten miles north
of Algiers the course will be east a quarter south, distance 344.16
miles. That is as far as I have worked it up, sir."
"That is far enough for the present; but if I do not overhaul you in
the Guardian-Mother before that time, you will work around Cape Bon,
and make for Valetta, Malta, going to the south of the island, taking a
pilot off Marsa if you find one. You must watch the weather, and if it
comes on to blow a heavy gale, you will make a port if necessary."
"I don't think it will be necessary, sir, for I am sure the Maud is
a good sea-boat, and she can stand anything we are likely to get
at this season of the year. She can take in no water except in the
standing-room, and that will not hold enough to do us any harm. I
should be willing to cross the Atlantic in her in the winter, so far
as her safety is concerned, though it would not be very comfortable on
board of her."
"Young men are usually over-confident. I counsel you to be very
prudent, Captain Scott."
"I am always so in a boat, sir," protested the young navigator.
"Louis has a level head, and I advise you to consult him in any
emergency that may arise."
"I shall certainly do so, Captain Ringgold, without any urging."
"Very well; but it is time now for you to get under way," added the
commander, as he glanced at his watch. "Good-by, and a pleasant voyage
to you, Captain Scott;" and the captain took his hand at parting.
Louis's mother embraced him, and Mrs. Woolridge pressed her boy to her
heart, and there was a general shaking of hands, though the captain
was confident, if he was not delayed in Gibraltar, that he should
overhaul the Maud some time the next day. No whistles were blown,
for it was desirable to get away as quietly as possible so as not to
attract the attention of those on board of the Fatimé.
Captain Scott had spoken to Louis and Morris about the division of the
crew into watches; and both of them were entirely satisfied with the
arrangement, as they were with everything else that had been done on
board. In a few minutes the Maud rounded Europa Point, and the captain
gave out the course, east by south. The starboard watch were now on
duty, and Felix was at the wheel. All the lights on board had been
extinguished, for it was not advisable to attract the attention of the
watch on board of the Pacha's steamer by them.
"We begin with the mid watch, from midnight till four in the morning,"
said the captain on the forecastle. "You are the mate, Morris; and you
have charge of the port watch, which consists of yourself and Louis.
I recommend you both to turn in at once, for sailors must take their
sleep when they can get it."
"That will suit me exactly, for I was beginning to get sleepy as we
came out from the Mole; but it was because I had nothing to do,"
replied Louis.
"I had Flix make up the beds in the cabin, and as you are the port
watch, you will take the two beds on that side," added the captain.
"By the way, Captain Scott, where will Pitts berth?" asked Louis.
"Stevens has put up a berth for him against the bulkhead in the
forecastle, and he has gone to bed as comfortably as though he had been
in his father's house."
Louis and Morris went aft and turned in, and they were soon asleep. In
one hour from his point of departure Captain Scott took the bearings
of Estapona Light, and found that the Maud had made just ten miles.
This was the rate he had instructed Felipe, who occupied the nominal
position of chief engineer, to make. All was going on very well.
While the Maud is pursuing her course towards the Orient it becomes
necessary to return to the Guardian-Mother. The cabin party had watched
the little steamer as she sailed away, and the commander was not alone
in wondering into what adventure the big four would fall this time.
The boys seemed to be unable to make an excursion of any kind without
having some mishap overtake them.
A few months before Mrs. Belgrave would not willingly have permitted
her son to leave her under such circumstances as those in which he had
just sailed away in the Maud; but Dr. Hawkes appeared to have cured her
of her nervousness, and on all questions she was as reasonable as could
be expected of any devoted mother.
The surgeon was very attentive to her and so was Captain Ringgold.
Probably the general improvement of her health, produced by the voyage
under such pleasant conditions, did something to account for the cure
of her nervous malady. She retired as soon as the little steamer could
no longer be seen; and it was not to toss about all the night in
wakeful tremors at the absence of Louis, but she went to sleep at once
and did not wake till the first bell rang in the morning.
After breakfast the commander had business in the city; and, as some of
the party wished to make a few purchases, he went to the Ragged Staff
stairs in the barge, the entire party accompanying him. He allowed the
visitors but two hours, for he intended to get the Guardian-Mother
under way as soon as possible.
In its course to the stairs the barge had to pass near the Fatimé.
The eight oarsmen, all dressed in the neat uniform of the steamer,
presented a rather showy appearance, and she was observed with
attention by all who saw her. The party separated as soon as they
landed, or divided up into smaller groups, each of which had its own
errands.
During the absence of the big four the afternoon before, the commander
had made his preparations for receiving the Maud on the upper deck
of the ship. Skids to support her had been placed where the deck was
strengthened by the bulkheads, or partitions under it, and heavy
eye-bolts had been screwed to the planks, each over a timber, for the
stays to keep the craft in position.
He had employed a ship-smith to do most of the work, though the
carpenter's gang did the wood-work. The captain's first business was to
pay this smith, and when he had done so he went to the principal street
to purchase some additional charts and nautical instruments. He had
selected these articles, and had them sent down to the barge. His next
business was at the custom-house.
On the way Uncle Moses joined him, for he had no taste for other
people's shopping. They had walked but a short distance before they
encountered the Pacha, elegantly dressed in his Oriental robes, and
followed by four of his people. Every one in the street stopped to gaze
at them; for His Highness was a sight even in Gibraltar, where nearly
every nation seemed to be represented on its thoroughfares.
After the event of the preceding evening Captain Ringgold was sorry
to see him, though it was not in his nature to run away from any man.
Uncle Moses always carried a cane when he walked, and he noticed that
his companion had one, though he had never seen him use one before. The
squire suggested that they should step into a store they were passing,
but the commander declined to do so.
"Sir!" exclaimed the Pacha, halting in front of the captain, who
attempted to proceed on his way without noticing him. "Coward! You
shall not escape me! You have insulted me, and you refuse to meet me
like a gentleman!" added Ali-Noury, as he seized the commander by the
throat.
But His Highness made a mistake, and in consequence thereof the next
instant he was rolling in the mud at the side of the driveway, to the
serious detriment of his magnificent costume. His attendants sprang to
his assistance, and lifted him from the mire into which he had fallen.
As they did so both the Americans discovered that he had a cowhide
in his hand, and it was plain that he had intended to castigate the
captain with this implement.
He spoke to his servants, as doubtless they were, in his own language.
The four men rushed upon the commander and attempted to lay hold of
him. For the moment he seemed to forget that he had a cane in his hand;
for when one of his assailants seized him by the collar of his coat,
he planted a tremendous blow between the two eyes of the fellow which
knocked him over into the gutter. Another attempted to do the same
thing and shared the fate of the first. The Pacha became furious at the
defeat of his satellites.
Ali-Noury spoke to the other two very fiercely, and they rushed
together upon the captain; but Uncle Moses had by this time overcome
his professional dignity, and dealt a smart blow with his cane over the
head of one of the assailants, which caused him to step aside, while
the commander upset the other with his fist.
The usual crowd had quickly gathered, and a couple of policemen
stepped to the front. It was not convenient for them to pick up seven
persons at once, and the guardians of the peace waited for further
developments. Ali-Noury had become more furious than ever when he
witnessed the overthrow of his forces; and, beside himself in his
wrath, he rushed forward upon Captain Ringgold.
The policemen were alert enough; and when the commander was about to
defend himself again as he had done before, they seized His Highness,
a hand of each on the throat of their victim; and they were not tender
about it. The affair brought out the fact that the reputation of the
Pacha was as unsavory as in Funchal. The officers marched him off in
spite of his struggles, and his troop followed him.
Before Captain Ringgold could reach the barge he and Uncle Moses were
invited to appear before a magistrate and give their evidence. Their
story was confirmed by half a dozen who had seen the beginning of the
affray, and His Highness was sentenced to pay a heavy fine.
CHAPTER XXVII
A FEW LESSONS IN NAVIGATION
Captain Ringgold was a powerful man, fully six feet high, and weighing
one hundred and eighty pounds, while his assailant, though nearly as
tall, was slender in form, and not a strong man. Doubtless he was
brave, for he held high rank in the army of Morocco, though he was
usually absent on furlough. It was very rash and injudicious for him to
attack the commander. He had "caught a Tartar," and he had found it out.
The magistrate did not seem to be impressed by the title or the elegant
costume of the Pacha, perhaps because the latter was dabbled with mud,
and his handsome face was liberally spattered with the same unsightly
element. The commander was lofty in his manner on such an occasion, and
full of dignity; and he did make a decided impression on the court and
the spectators. He said but little. He had been attacked without any
provocation whatever, and he had defended himself.
The Pacha had been educated at the military school of St. Cyr, and he
imbibed his duelling propensity in Paris. He pleaded that he had been
insulted the night before by the captain of the Guardian-Mother, who
had refused to give him satisfaction, and he had treated him as any
gentleman should a poltroon.
"But it does not appear that he was a poltroon when you attacked him,
for he overturned you and your four servants all in a heap," interposed
the Court with a smile.
The Pacha winced at this remark. The magistrate desired to know in
what manner the commander had insulted him, and the whole truth came
out. Captain Ringgold calmly stated his objections to the character of
the Moor, and there was an attempt at applause, in which some British
officers took part; but it was promptly checked. He stated on oath that
the reputation of the Pacha was so bad in Funchal--
"And in Gib," some persons interpolated.
"--that I could not permit the ladies in my charge to associate with
him," added the witness, who repeated all his remarks that had been
offensive to the Pacha.
The Moorish consul promptly paid the fine of his fellow-subject, and
they left the court-room together.
"The fellow is a dirty blackguard!" said a military officer to the
captain. "He has insulted ladies here; and I am very grateful to you,
for one, for chastising him as he deserved."
"I thank you, sir," replied the commander. "I did no more than my duty
to those under my charge."
He took the arm of Uncle Moses, and they walked down the street. They
had gone but a few steps before they discovered that they were followed
by half a dozen officers; but they reached the barge without any
further molestation, where they found the ladies already seated in the
stern-sheets.
"We have kept you in sight, Captain Ringgold; and if the dirty
brute had given you any further trouble, we were ready to throw him
overboard," said one of the officers.
"I thank you, gentlemen; I feel able to defend myself; but I appreciate
your kindness and sympathy as much as though you had manifested it in
the way you have suggested," answered the captain, as he took the hand
of the speaker.
While they were waiting for Dr. Hawkes and Professor Giroud, the party
were presented to the four ladies in the barge, each giving his name
and rank. They were all struck with the beauty of Miss Blanche; and as
they retired from the boat, the captain told them that for her sake he
had run away from the Fatimé three times. They declared that Gib would
soon become too hot for His Highness.
The missing members arrived, and the boat shoved off, the military
gentlemen raising their caps, and bowing very politely, while they
cried "_Bon Voyage!_"
It was noon when they reached the deck of the ship, for the affair
with the Pacha had delayed them a full hour. The steam was up and the
steamer immediately tripped her anchor, for it had been "hove short"
before, and she began her voyage. In a few minutes she had rounded
Europa Point, and the course east by south had been given to the
quartermaster at the wheel. The Viking had sailed for Malaga the day
before.
"Where do you suppose the Maud is just now, Captain Ringgold?" asked
Mrs. Belgrave, the party being seated on the officers' promenade.
"She is just fifteen miles north-west of Alboran Light," replied the
commander with a smile.
"I am just as wise now as I was before, and no more so!" added the
lady. "I have not the least idea where Alboran is."
"I did not suppose you had. It is a little island half a mile long and
a quarter of a mile wide, belonging to Spain, inhabited only by a few
fishermen, for there is not room for a great many of them. It is about
half-way between Europe and Africa, and one hundred and thirty nautical
miles from Europa Point, according to Captain Scott's figures."
"Why do you say _nautical_ miles, Captain?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, who
had given no attention whatever to navigation.
"Because I mean nautical miles," laughed the commander, who was always
delighted when he could get into a close conversation with this lady.
"Isn't it just the same as a mile in Von Blonk Park?"
"Not at all; the sailors call their miles knots."
"I have heard you talk about sixteen knots an hour"--
"I can't talk as fast as that, for sixteen knots an hour is about the
best speed of the Guardian-Mother," interposed the captain.
"You know what I mean!" pouted the lady. "But I supposed it meant
sixteen miles an hour, just as it is sixteen knots from the Park to New
York."
"Which it is not; it is only sixteen statute miles, or miles
established by statute, or law."
"Then will you please to tell me what a knot is?"
"It is a geographical mile. Of course you are aware that a great
circle, like the equator, a meridian, or any other that goes around the
biggest part of the earth, contains three hundred and sixty degrees."
"I learned all about it when I went to the academy, but I don't
remember a great deal of it."
"I have repeated all that it is necessary for you to know now," added
the commander, as he took an orange from his pocket, and proceeded to
show the difference between a great circle and any other. "You learned
that all circles, whether great or small, even if no bigger than a
nickel, contain three hundred and sixty degrees; and that every degree
is divided into sixty parts called miles--geographical miles. These
miles are the navigator's knots."
"Except the knots, the rest all comes back to me," said the lady. "But
I don't understand the difference between a knot and a statute mile, as
you call it."
"I can't say that I know much of anything about it," added Dr. Hawkes.
"A degree contains sixty-nine and a quarter miles, though the fraction
varies with different authorities. Now, if you will divide 69.25
statute miles by 60," continued the captain, performing the operation
on the back of an envelope, "the result will be 1.154 statute miles
to a knot. The sixteen knots of this ship would therefore be nearly
eighteen statute miles an hour."
"I think I understand it now, Captain Ringgold," said Mrs. Belgrave;
and the others said the same.
"If we go as fast as that, we shall soon overtake the Maud," suggested
Mrs. Woolridge.
"Not to-day, madam," replied the commander.
"When shall we catch up with her?"
"I told Captain Scott not to try to make more than ten knots an hour,
which is very good sailing for a steamer of her size. She left at
midnight, and is therefore twelve hours, or one hundred and twenty
miles ahead of us."
"Knots or statute miles?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
"Knots always at sea. We rarely make any use of statute miles. I have
directed Mr. Shafter to make his best speed, so that we sail six knots
faster than the Maud. Gaining six knots an hour, it will take us twenty
hours to overhaul the Maud," said the captain. "I shall expect to see
her about eight o'clock to-morrow morning, when we shall be off Magrowa
Point."
Captain Ringgold invited all the party to his cabin, where the chart
of the Mediterranean Sea was spread out on the table. He pointed out
Alboran Light to them, with a ring thirty miles in diameter drawn
around it. On the northern edge of this circle was a cross, which was
connected with Europa Point by a red line.
"What is the ring for?" asked Dr. Hawkes.
"It indicates the distance from all points at which the light can be
seen," replied the commander.
"I suppose that red line shows the course we are sailing," added Uncle
Moses. "But why is your course alone marked on the chart?"
"I marked that myself with a red pencil; it was not printed on the
paper, as you seem to suppose. Captain Scott made just such a line on
his chart," the captain explained.
"But it is not straight," the surgeon objected. "If you should keep on
this course you would hit the African coast at Columbi Island," as he
read the name from the chart.
"It was not intended to be straight," answered the commander. "I am
following the course laid down by Captain Scott for the Maud, so that I
shall be able to find him to-morrow morning. I should have gone farther
to the north of Alboran, and I should not have seen it in consequence;
but I thought he might need the light to assure him where he was."
"Here is another little red cross just north of Algiers, with a red
line drawn from it to the one north of Alboran," said Dr. Hawkes,
scrutinizing the chart very closely. "That, I conclude, is the course
between the two crosses."
"Quite right, Doctor; you would easily become a navigator."
"I shall not make the struggle. But why is the point north of Algiers
chosen rather than some other one?"
"I took Captain Scott's mark, which he selected, ten miles north of
Algiers, because the course to it would carry him clear of the coast of
Africa, and of all dangers of every kind from rocks or shoals. When we
get to Captain Scott's point off Algiers, we shall make the course a
quarter of a point more to the north, so as to pass Ras al Koran, where
the navigation becomes more difficult on account of rocks and shoals."
"But how in the world do you know which way to steer in order to reach
Captain Scott's red cross at the end of the red line?" inquired Mrs.
Belgrave, who had been studying the chart with all her might, though it
was about the same as trying to read the notice posted on a Chinaman's
laundry.
"And what are all these rings on the chart for?" asked Mrs. Blossom, as
she put her finger on one of the diagrams of the compass.
"You both ask about the same question," replied the commander, as he
picked up his parallel rule, and began to work the same problem before
described. "This is called a parallel rule," he added, working it back
and forth. "The brass connecting pieces keep the two parts of the
implement exactly parallel."
"What is the use of keeping the pieces parallel?"
"That is what I am going to show you."
He placed the rule so that one edge was on both of the red crosses. He
then worked the rule to the nearest diagram, and took off the course
east a quarter south. But the ladies would not be satisfied till they
had done it for themselves, and the captain made other crosses till
they could do it very well.
CHAPTER XXVIII
MORRIS ON "THE RULE OF THE ROAD"
On board of the Maud it had been issued as an order by Captain Scott
after the matter had been fully talked over, that the watches should be
four hours in length, except the dog-watches, which were to be half as
long, both in the sailing and the engineer department. The arrangement
was precisely the same as on board of the Guardian-Mother, or any other
ship at sea. The tricks at the wheel were to be two hours in length.
The commander of the little steamer had all the dignity appertaining
to the master of a vessel, but the smallness of the ship's company
rendered it necessary that he should perform his full share of the work
like an ordinary deck-hand. But he was accustomed to this sacrifice of
one of the immunities of his position; for on board of the Seahound,
in which he had made a voyage of over a thousand miles, he had been
captain, crew, cook, and steward.
Felix was at the wheel, where he was to remain until four bells, or two
o'clock in the morning. The half-hours were regularly struck on a bell
hung in front of the pilot-house, and a line from its tongue extended
into the apartment. Between the two windows in front was a clock, so
that the wheelman could keep the run of the time, and strike the bells.
Captain Scott was obliged to do duty as a deck-hand during the two
hours of Felix's watch. His principal occupation at this time was to
keep the lookout, a very important duty on board of a steamer.
Many vessels, a large proportion of them steamers, were constantly
passing in and out of the Mediterranean, and there was always danger of
a collision. At sea there are "rules of the road," as well as on the
land; and Captain Scott had learned them so that he knew just what to
do under any circumstances; and he was the only one on board who did
know them in full, though Morris had learned the most necessary ones.
On the road, in the United States, it is generally the rule to keep to
the right when two vehicles meet, going in opposite directions, and to
keep to the left in getting ahead of another, though it is the opposite
rule in England and Canada. At sea, when two steamers approach each
other "end on," or going directly towards each other, both also keep to
the right, and each leaves the other on the port hand. But the rules
of the road on the ocean are too complicated and dry to be given in a
story in full.
"Where are we now Captain Scott?" asked Felix, when he had about
finished his trick at the wheel.
"Twenty miles east of Europa Point," replied the captain, who was
beginning to be very sleepy, though he had walked the deck all the
time in order to keep himself awake, for he had worked hard and been
greatly excited from the early evening till two o'clock in the morning.
"I knew that myself," replied the wheelman cheerfully, for he had taken
a nap.
"Then why did you ask me, Flix?"
"I thought we might be near some place."
"We are out of sight of land, and there isn't a thing to be seen."
"But where is the light we are running for?"
"Alboran; that is ninety miles ahead of us, and we shall not see it
before eleven o'clock in the forenoon," replied the captain. "I will
take the wheel now, Flix, for I need something to keep me awake."
"Then I suppose I may go to sleep," added Felix.
"No, you may not!" protested Scott with energy. "It is still your
watch, and will be till eight bells. You will keep a sharp lookout, for
that is your duty for the next two hours, as it has been mine for the
last two;" and he struck four bells.
"All right, Captain Scott; and I am wide awake," replied Felix; and he
left the pilot-house, and began to plank the deck on the forecastle.
The duty of the lookout was not of a very exciting character; and
though the Milesian had not been dubbed a knight-errant, he would have
preferred something a little more stirring. It would have suited him
better to remain at the wheel; but the captain would not permit any one
to take the trick of another. Occasionally he halted at the windows of
the pilot-house and had a chat with the captain.
"I wonder if the Grand Mogul will try to arrest you and Felipe
to-morrow?" he asked at one of these halts.
"I think he has a bigger bone than that to pick with Captain Ringgold,"
replied Scott. "I should not wonder, from what the Pacha said, if they
had a row. He wanted to fight a duel with the commander, who would not
do anything of the sort, though he would defend himself if he were
assaulted."
"The captain is able to take care of himself, and he will do so," added
Felix.
Then the lookout walked again, and continued to do so till Scott called
him a couple of minutes before it was time to strike eight bells.
"Now you will turn out the port watch and call Don in the forecastle,"
said the captain.
"All right;" and Felix went to the cabin where he waked Louis and
Morris; then he descended to the forecastle, and aroused the second
engineer.
Everything was done with the greatest regularity, for all hands had
learned on board of the Guardian-Mother to have a very high respect
for all the forms in the routine of ship's duty. Morris relieved the
captain as officer of the deck, and directed Louis to take the helm.
Scott repeated the course to the latter as he resigned the wheel to
him. In his turn the first officer became the lookout, and everything
proceeded in as orderly a manner as before.
Just after Louis had rung one bell in the morning watch, Morris
reported a sail dead ahead, only there was no officer on deck of higher
rank than himself to whom he could discharge this duty.
"I see it; red and green light both to be seen," replied Louis.
"We are end on, and I suppose you know what to do, Louis," added
Morris. "If you don't, port the helm, and remember this couplet:--
'When both lights you see ahead,
Port your helm, and show your red.'"
"That is a good bit of mnemonics," said Louis, as he repeated the
lines. "I see the other steamer is doing the same."
"She is following the rule of the road. I suppose you know that there
are 'International Steering and Sailing Rules' so that all nations may
follow the same directions."
"I never heard of them before, for I do not claim to be much of a
sailor, though I have given some attention to sailing a steamer since
I have been on board of the Guardian-Mother," replied Louis. "I have
learned to steer, and I know something about handling the engine. I
never was placed in any responsible position on board a vessel, and
that is the way to learn all about it."
"Now she shows her red light, and we are doing the same thing to her,"
said Morris. "Here is a bit more mnemonics:
'Green to green, or red to red--
Perfect safety, go ahead!'
That is, you cannot see the red or green alone unless you are abreast
of the other vessel on one side or the other."
"I can remember the two couplets; but both of them assure you only when
you are all right. One would like to know what to do when things are
not all right," suggested Louis, who had already repeated to himself
both of the safety couplets several times.
"Of course you know all the lights a vessel is obliged by law to carry
at sea, Louis," continued Morris, as they passed the other steamer,
distant about a quarter of a mile.
"I know that every steamer is obliged to carry a white light on the
foremast, not less than twenty feet above the deck, a green light on
the starboard side, and a red one on the port side."
"That is enough to know, though very minute directions are given in the
international rules for placing these lights. I used to be bothered to
remember which was which. But a naval officer told me that red was on
the port side because that was the color of port wine; and any fellow
must be green who could not tell the color on the other side."
"Captain Ringgold told me the first part of your rule--port from the
color of port wine," added Louis.
"Now we have a case in point!" exclaimed Morris with sudden energy,
as he pointed to another light in the distance. "That is a red light,
and it is on the starboard side of us. This is the position of the
greatest danger, for that steamer is running towards us. Here is more
poetry:--
'If to your starboard red appear,
It is your duty to keep clear;
To act as judgment says its proper--
To port, or starboard, back, or stop her!'
That is just as yonder steamer appears in relation to the Maud--red
on our starboard, her helmsman has green on his port, and this verse
applies to him, as it would to us in his position:--
'But, when upon your port is seen
A steamer's starboard light of green,
There's not so much for you to do,
For green to port keeps clear of you.'"
"She is still a long distance from the Maud; but what am I to do when
we come nearer?" asked Louis.
"Red to starboard; we must keep out of her way," replied Morris. "She
will do nothing, for she has the right of way. Port the helm a little
and we shall go astern of her all right."
"Where do you find these international rules?" asked the wheelman, as
he obeyed the order.
"I found them in 'The Sailor's Handy Book,' which will tell you all
about a thousand nautical things," replied Morris. "I have a copy of it
in my valise, and I will lend it to you to-morrow."
"Thank you; and I will buy it as soon as I can find one; but I am not
likely to find one over here," added Louis.
An hour later the Maud passed astern of the approaching steamer, and
she had evidently not changed her course a point.
The day had already begun to dawn in the east, in the Orient towards
which the little vessel was sailing. She was still out of sight of
land. At four bells, or six o'clock, Pitts came out of the forecastle,
and Morris saluted him with a "good-morning," as if one had not been
the chief officer and the other the cook, and Louis did the same.
"What time am I to have breakfast ready on board of this steamer?"
asked Pitts.
"You must ask the captain; but you need not wake him for that purpose.
Half-past seven is the hour on board the ship, and you had better be
ready at that time," replied Morris; and Louis nodded assent when the
mate looked at him.
The cook went to his apartment, and made a fire in the galley. His
first need was hot water, and he went to the run to obtain a supply
with a couple of buckets. He took off the scuttle in the standing-room,
careful to make as little noise as he could in order not to wake the
starboard watch in the cabin, the doors of which were wide open.
He descended by the little ladder, but it was dark in the run, and as
he stepped from the lower round, he put his foot ankle deep in water.
He was startled, for it looked as though the steamer had sprung a
leak. He hastened to procure a lantern, and made an examination. Two
half-casks of water were secured on each side of him. He attempted to
move one of them in order to find a leak. It was empty! So were the
other three! It was an alarming discovery, and he made haste to report
it to the first officer. Morris could not explain it; neither could
Louis; but they knew they could not proceed on the voyage without
water.
CHAPTER XXIX
THE PROSPECT OF A WATER-FAMINE
Morris and Louis were quite as thoroughly startled as Pitts had been
when he made the discovery that the water-casks were all empty; for he
had sounded all of them, and afterwards shaken them, listening for the
noise of the needed fluid.
"What shall be done?" asked Morris, who had just relieved the wheel, as
he directed a blank gaze at Louis.
"It is not for me to say what is to be done," replied the deck-hand,
remembering that he was such, and not a leader of the big four, as he
had generally been.
"We can't get along without water," added Morris.
"We cannot; and I am as thirsty as a grounded polywog," answered Louis,
as he turned to the ice-pitcher with which the pilot-house was supplied.
Pitts passed it out of the window to him, and he drank a copious
draught.
"That is good," he added, "though it is a little warm."
"But there is plenty of ice on board, sir," interposed the cook and
steward, as he took the pitcher from the deck-hand. "I will put some
in it, for it is nearly full of water; and that may be all there is on
board."
There was an ice-chest built into the after part of the run, which had
been filled from the ship's supply, and the provisions were stored
around it.
"Pitts can't even make any coffee for us," continued Morris ruefully.
"It takes water to make coffee."
"That is as true as truth itself," replied Louis cheerfully; "but we
will not cry about it."
"I don't mean to cry about it; but it is a serious question, for the
Guardian-Mother cannot overhaul the Maud in less than twelve or fifteen
hours more, and we want something to eat and drink to-day."
"I think we can stand it one day," added Louis, laughing. "I went
longer than that on a New Jersey sand-spit without a drop of drink of
any kind."
"I can melt the ice and get water enough to cook with," interposed
Pitts.
"But suppose the Guardian-Mother should fail to find us, as she did
your party, Louis, when you made the run in this boat from Funchal to
Tarifa?" suggested Morris.
"That is possible, but not probable," added Louis.
"Why did the commander of the ship instruct Captain Scott to make a
port at Valetta in the island of Malta?" demanded the first officer.
"Because, as I said, it is possible that the ship may fail to find the
Maud. But this question is no more to me than to the rest of the party;
and I am willing to do what the majority think best, Morris," replied
Louis, when the mate began to be a little warm in the discussion.
"I think we had better call the captain, and have the matter decided at
once," added Morris.
Louis was sent aft to attend to this duty, as the mate decided. Scott
was sleeping very soundly, and he was entitled to another hour nearly
in his bed. He woke with a start when Louis put his hand on the arm of
the dreamer, as he appeared to be.
"Eight bells?" demanded Captain Scott, as he sat up in his bed.
"Not yet, Captain; it wants almost an hour of it; but the mate ordered
me to call you, for we have got into a sort of difficulty," replied
Louis.
"What kind of a difficulty? Is the Pacha chasing us?"
"Not that I am aware of; but the water has all leaked out of the casks
in the run," said the messenger, telling the whole truth all in a heap.
"How can that be?" asked the captain blankly.
"I am sure I don't know. Pitts found the casks empty when he went to
the run for water."
"What's the matter now?" asked Felix, springing up in his bed. "Has the
bottom dropped out of the little steamer?"
"No; but the bottom has dropped out of the water-casks, and we are
likely to be a thirsty set," replied Louis, as the captain proceeded to
dress himself in readiness to consider the difficult question.
Felix followed his example, and in a few minutes they were all on the
forecastle. Louis expressed his view of the question as he had before,
and Morris did the same. While they were talking about it, Pitts went
to the run again, and made another examination of the casks, and
then he carried the four to the standing-room, from which the velvet
cushions had been removed the night before. It was clear enough to
him now, as it had been before, that there was no water in the casks.
Taking off his shoes and stockings, he descended to the run again. He
stubbed his foot against something, which proved to be a plug in the
flooring, used to let the water off when the run was washed out, which
was frequently done to keep it clean as a receptacle for the provisions.
There was but a small quantity of ice in the chest, and that was needed
to preserve the meats in it. Then he went on deck and looked over the
casks. He could insert the small blade of his knife in some of the
seams in them. They had not been in use on board of the ship, and had
dried up in their place by the fire-room. They had been lowered into
the run in the night, and the hands had failed to observe that there
was any serious leak in them. Pitts reported what the situation was.
"I think we are in danger of being missed by the Guardian-Mother,"
said Captain Scott in the course of the discussion, as Pitts appeared
upon the forecastle. "She might pass us in the night or in a fog. We
don't know when she sailed from Gib, or what time she will sail; and
I hardly think Captain Ringgold, from what he said to me, expected to
overhaul the Maud before she arrived at Valetta."
"There is not a drop of water in any of the casks, Captain," reported
Pitts at this point of the discussion. "There is not ice enough to last
us more than to-day; and the meats will spoil without it, for it is hot
in the run."
"That does not look like a very pleasant prospect for water," added
Captain Scott.
"There is a water-jar in the cabin," suggested Louis. "How much is
there in that?"
"I filled it up last night, and there must be some in it," replied
Pitts.
The steward was sent to examine the jar, and reported that it contained
about two quarts.
"We can get along a while on that, and we will not change our course at
present," said the captain, settling the matter, at least for a time.
"Don't boil any potatoes, Pitts; fry them, and keep what water there is
for coffee."
"How far are we from the island of Alboran?" asked Louis.
"About fifty miles."
"We ought to be able to get some water there; for if the island is
inhabited, as they say it is, the people there cannot live without it.
The lightkeeper must have water."
"I don't know anything about it," replied Captain Scott. "There isn't
a mile of land on it, and I should not care to go a great way off the
course with the expectation of filling our casks there. Keep her going
east by south, Morris."
Captain Scott went back to the cabin, followed by Felix, and both
of them were soon fast asleep again. Pitts drew off the water from
the jar, and went to work in the galley; but it was eight o'clock
when breakfast was ready, for the cook had been delayed by the water
question. The table was set in the cabin at the last moment, so that
the sleepers might not be disturbed; and they were called only when the
meal was ready.
Morris had just relieved the helm, and he insisted that Louis should
go to breakfast first. The captain took his place at the head of the
table, with Morris on his right and Louis on his left. Pitts left them
to take care of themselves while he served the meal for the engineers;
for they had decided to breakfast together in the engine-room, where a
shelf served as a table.
"This is not bad for a beginning," said Captain Scott, as he seated
himself and looked over the dishes on the table. "Ham and eggs are to
my mind, though I served them half the time on board of the Seahound.
They look very nice, and Pitts appears to be a good cook."
"I don't believe we shall starve, or suffer from thirst, in spite of
the water famine," added Morris.
"The praties are moighty foine," said Felix. "Ye's couldn't get a
betther male in an Oirish castle."
"What's an Irish castle, Flix?" asked Morris.
"A noice bit of a house tin fate shquare, wid a thatched roof and a
mood flure."
"But they have water to boil their potatoes in an Irish castle," added
the captain.
"Faix, they have; the foinest wather in the wurruld."
"But we mustn't stay here too long to talk; for the owner of the
Guardian-Mother is at the wheel, and it is time for the starboard watch
to go on duty," said Captain Scott, as he broke open a hot biscuit.
Not much ceremony was used at the meal, and it was soon finished. As
the trio passed the engine-room on their way to the forecastle, a
flood of Spanish speech struck their ears, and it was evident that the
engineers were enjoying their morning meal. As soon as the steward
saw the captain he hastened aft to rearrange the table; and Louis was
served as elegantly as became the dignity of a ship-owner, though he
put on no airs. He ate his breakfast alone; but he had a good appetite,
for he had been up since the morning watch was called at four o'clock.
By nine o'clock Pitts had cleared the tables, and put everything in
good order in the galley. His head was still full of the water-casks,
and he went to the standing-room to examine them again. They were
simply dried up when the water was drawn into them from the tanks. In
six hours they had drained themselves empty, which was a leakage from
each of only about four gallons an hour; but he wondered that Mr.
Gaskette, who had superintended the work of putting them in the run,
had not discovered the condition of the casks.
While he was engaged in his examination Don joined him. The engineer
had slept most of the night, and he had no desire to turn in again.
He looked the casks over with the steward, and declared that he could
make them as tight as when they were new in fifteen minutes. He went to
the engine-room, and returned with a hammer and a piece of iron in his
hands. He calked the casks as though he had been a cooper all his life,
and then proceeded to drive the hoops.
In less than half an hour the job was completed, and Don was sure
the casks would not leak a drop. Morris and Louis went aft when they
heard the sound of the hammer, and the former reported to the captain
what was going on at the stern. Louis examined the casks when they
were finished, and tried to penetrate the seams with the blade of his
penknife; but they appeared to be perfectly tight.
"We have the casks, and all we want now is the water to fill them,"
said he. "Do you know anything about Alboran, Don?"
"I have seen it, but I never went ashore there," replied the second
engineer. "I think there must be water there."
The captain was at the wheel. Pitts had sounded the water-jar in the
cabin, and declared that there was hardly water enough left to enable
him to get dinner; and he reported accordingly at the pilot-house.
"Alboran is not more than a dozen miles off our course, and we will try
there," said Captain Scott, after he had looked the water-question over
again. "We have passed Malaga; and the next place on the Spanish coast
is Almunecar, but it is thirty-five miles off our course. Then we have
no papers; and I am afraid we should be sent into quarantine."
The captain changed the course to south-east.
CHAPTER XXX
THE MAUD INCLINED TO TURN SOMERSETS
Among other nautical furniture, Captain Ringgold had put an
old-fashioned log-line, chip, reel, and second glass on board of the
Maud. Captain Scott had been unable to use it during the mid watch for
the want of some one to assist him. After he had changed the course he
gave the wheel to Felix, and with the assistance of Morris, Louis, and
Don, had heaved the log. It gave him very nearly ten knots an hour; but
he was not confident that his work had been accurate.
Felipe kept account of the number of revolutions a minute; and he
insisted that the Maud was making her ten knots an hour, and the
current might make it a trifle more than that. The captain had timed
the steamer by distances on the chart, and he was satisfied that the
log was substantially correct.
"It is now half-past nine, and we have made ninety-five miles from
Gib," said he, after he had taken the wheel again. "It would have been
thirty-five miles to Alboran if we had kept on our former course; it is
less than that now, say about thirty-two. At about eleven o'clock it
will be time to be on the lookout for the lighthouse."
At ten Felix took his trick at the wheel, and the captain was the
lookout man. Morris and Louis lay down in the cabin and went to sleep.
There was nothing to occupy their attention. The weather was pleasant,
the sky exceedingly blue, and the sea was quite smooth. Scott had
seated himself on the forecastle, and everything on board was as quiet
as midnight in a church. He had a spy-glass within his reach, and he
occasionally looked through it in the direction in which the steamer
was headed.
"What time is it, Flix?" he called to the wheelman, after he had taken
an observation with the glass.
"Half-past eleven, Captain," replied Felix.
"Alboran in sight through the glass," added Scott.
"How far off is it? Are we in any danger of running over the island,
and knocking the lighthouse into flinders?" asked the Milesian.
"No danger yet, for it is at least twelve miles distant," replied the
captain. "It gives me great satisfaction to know that my calculations
were correct."
"Well it might; you do that sort of thing as well as the captain of the
Guardian-Mother," added Felix.
Scott watched the lighthouse till the helmsman struck eight bells,
which was noon. Then he went aft and called the port watch.
"Where are we now, Captain?" asked Louis, rubbing his eyes.
"Alboran light in sight, and about seven miles distant," replied Scott,
as he hastened forward again, for he had seen a felucca ahead, and he
wished to speak to her.
When he reached the forecastle, he shouted through the scuttle for
Don, who came on deck immediately. It was time to relieve Felipe at
the engine; but the captain ordered all hands, and the Spaniard was
requested to remain at his post. Pitts was busy in the galley getting
dinner. The felucca in sight was a large one, and evidently belonged
to the island. She was standing out from the lighthouse, and as soon
as the Maud was near enough to her, the captain ordered Morris to stop
her, for he had just relieved Felix.
"Now, Don, hail her," said Scott to the engineer.
"Felucca, ahoy!" said he in Spanish.
The hail was returned in the same language, and the craft came up into
the wind.
"Is there any water on that island?" asked Don at the dictation of the
captain.
"Plenty of it," returned the skipper of the felucca.
"We are short of water, and want a cask or two," continued the engineer.
"I can sell you two casks," returned the speaker from the felucca.
"He is on the make," added Scott, when Don had translated the sentence;
and he could not help laughing at the business turn of the Spaniard.
"Is it fresh?" asked the captain; and Don put the question to the
skipper.
"He says he filled the casks from the well this morning," said Don,
rendering the reply into English. "But he may be lying about it,"
suggested the engineer, smiling. "I have known some Spaniards to be
guilty of falsehood; and I think you had better try the water before
you buy it."
"Tell him we will go alongside his felucca," added the captain, as he
directed Morris to ring one bell.
The Maud went ahead slowly, and in a few minutes she was alongside the
felucca. Felipe came out of his room when he had stopped the engine,
and began a talk with one of the Spaniards.
"Ask the price of the water, Don," said the captain, when the skipper
presented himself abreast of the forecastle; and the engineer put the
question.
"_Veinte pesos le tonel_," (Twenty dollars a barrel).
"_Veinte pesos le tonel!_" exclaimed Louis.
"No!" shouted the skipper, with no little indignation in his tone and
manner. "_Veinte pesetas le tonel_ (Twenty _pesetas_ a barrel).
"Twenty _pesetas_! That is a horse of another color," added Louis.
"Didn't he say _pesos_, Don?"
"I understood him so, sir; but perhaps it was a slip of the tongue,"
replied the engineer. "I don't think he meant that, for twenty
_pesetas_ is a very high price for water."
"How much is a _peseta_?" asked Scott.
"Twenty cents," replied Louis.
"Four dollars a barrel! That is a steep price," added the captain.
"Let Don ascertain if the water is good," suggested Louis.
The engineer went on board the felucca, and the skipper filled a tin
dipper from one of four barrels lashed to the side of the craft. Then
he tried one on the other side. Returning to the deck of the Maud, he
reported the water to be fresh and pure.
"But the price?" said the captain, turning to Louis.
"Those are fifty-gallon barrels," interposed Don. "They contain enough
to fill your four casks, sir."
"Never mind the price, Captain Scott. It would cost us more than eight
dollars to make a landing on that island, fill the casks, and get them
on board again, for we could take only one at a time in our little
tender," argued Louis.
"You and Morris pay the bills, and I have not a word to say," replied
Captain Scott, laughing and shrugging his shoulders, as though he did
not regard himself as the victim of the swindle, though he saw the
force of Louis's reasoning.
But then another question came up when it was found that the skipper
did not include the price of the casks in that for the water, and
he wanted two dollars apiece for the barrels. Scott was in favor of
emptying them into the four half-barrels; but there was nothing like
a tunnel in either vessel, and the four dollars additional was paid
rather than use up any more time.
"Six dollars a barrel for water!" exclaimed Don. "Why, you could buy
wine at that price over on the main land."
"I prefer the water to the wine," replied Louis. "Besides, these poor
fellows on the island don't often have a chance to make a dollar; and
when they do have one, they use it to the best advantage."
The skipper then offered to sell some fresh fish, just out of the
water. Louis gave him four Spanish _pesetas_; and for it he put fish
enough on the deck of the Maud to feed the whole ship's company for
three days. He was evidently feeling very good after the unexpected
trade he had made, and perhaps had more money in his pocket than for
six months before; and he was profuse in his compliments and his thanks.
The Maud cast off her fasts, and Morris rang one bell, which was
speedily followed by the jingling of the speed bell. The captain
dropped his broad shelf in the pilot-house till it became a table on
which he spread out his chart. Applying his parallel rule, he took off
the course from Alboran light to his point ten miles off Algiers.
"East a half south, Morris," said he when he had obtained the course.
"East a half south, sir," repeated the helmsman, after the manner it
was done on board the Blanche and the Guardian-Mother. "While you were
dickering for water, Captain Scott, I noticed a change, a drop, in the
barometer. Did you observe it?"
"No; but I noticed that the wind was backing," replied Scott, rushing
to the barometer, which was suspended by the side of the starboard
door. "That felucca is going west, and she has the wind on her port
beam.
"What do you mean by backing, Captain?" asked Louis, who was standing
at the door of the pilot-house.
"When a west wind shifts against the sun, or works round towards the
east through the south-west and south, sailors call it backing,"
replied the captain, who was as fond as the average young fellow of
telling what he knew.
"I have heard old farmers talk about the wind backing round, and I knew
that it was towards the south when it did this thing; but I did not
know that the sun had anything to do with it," added Louis.
"The sun moves from east to west, as it must if it rises in the east.
From east to south would be _with_ the sun; but from west to south and
to east would be _against_ the sun," continued the captain.
"That's so," added Morris; "and there is a couplet about it:--
'When the wind shifts against the sun,
Trust it not, for back it will run.'"
"The barometer has dropped, and I see that the felucca has all the
breeze she can take care of," said Scott, as he looked at the Spanish
craft. "The wind is backing to the southward; and before night we shall
know what sort of a sea-boat the Maud is."
"Dinner is all ready, Captain Scott," Pitts announced at the port door.
"That means the captain and Flix," added Scott, "for they are off watch
just now. Here, Pitts, we must have the meal hours fixed a little
differently. It is half-past twelve now, and the watch ought to dine
before they come on duty."
"That would make the dinner hour come at half-past eleven, sir,"
replied the steward, "and the other meals at very odd times, sir."
"No matter for the oddity. Hereafter, breakfast at half-past seven,
dinner at half-past eleven, and supper at half-past five," said Captain
Scott. "Then either watch will have half an hour for a meal before it
goes on duty, and the one relieved can have all the time they want. If
we find that half an hour is too much time, we can put the time ahead
ten minutes."
"The hours you have named are those used in the navy and on board the
Guardian-Mother for the ship's company," added Louis.
Roast beef with a few vegetables and a pudding was the dinner, and it
was highly approved by both watches. The meal was hardly finished by
the port watch before all hands became thoroughly conscious of a change
in the mood of the Mediterranean Sea, for the little steamer had begun
to roll as though she intended to make a complete somerset. With her
course about east and the wind south, she spent more than half of her
time in the trough of the sea, which is a very uncomfortable place to
be in, especially in a small steamer like the Maud.
It would not be called a very heavy sea, and it was the direction of
the wind rather than the quantity of it which made it uncomfortable
on board. The water slopped in over the bulwarks, and Captain Scott,
like a prudent shipmaster, made a survey of the deck, taking with him
Felix and Don. The scuttles over the run and forecastle were secured in
their places, and everything put in order for a gale.
CHAPTER XXXI
CAPTAIN SCOTT SETS A REEFED FORESAIL
The Mediterranean had very suddenly lashed itself into a fury. Nothing
movable would stay in place, and everything had to be secured.
Rope-yarns were in great demand; and Captain Scott had done everything
possible for the safety of the property on board, in the pilot-house,
on deck, and in the cabin. At first everything in the galley was
pitched into heaps; but Pitts had brought order out of confusion there.
By the middle of the afternoon watch, with Morris and Louis on duty,
everything had been put in order; for after the captain and Felix
believed that all was safe, something would break loose and need
further attention. The water-casks had given them the most trouble.
Felipe and Pitts had assisted them in putting the half-casks back
into the run and securing them there; but the full ones, containing
fifty gallons each, were more troublesome. They were blocked up in the
standing-room, and made fast with strong ropes; but they still had an
inclination to break away.
Louis Belgrave had the wheel from four bells, or two o'clock; and he
found he had his hands full, and that it required no little of his
strength to manage it. He had seen several heavier gales than the
present, when the Guardian-Mother knocked about quite as much as the
Maud in the more tremendous seas of the Atlantic. Felipe had sailed in
the Maud more than any other person on board; but he appeared to be the
only one who was at all alarmed at the situation, though he had made
the voyage from Mogadore to Funchal and back, and at the time when he
took his final leave of the Pacha; but he had never been at sea in her
in a gale.
At about every roll of the little steamer the sea broke over the
bulwarks and swept over the bow and stern where there was no deck-house
to obstruct its passage. Every door, window, or other opening had been
closed and securely fastened, and thus far no water had found its way
into the inside of the boat. As long as the engine did not break down
Captain Scott had no fears for the safety of the Maud, uncomfortable as
she was to those on board in such a gale.
The little steamer had two masts, and she was rigged as a schooner;
but they appeared to be more for ornament than for use. A mainsail,
foresail, and jib were stowed away in the forecastle; but it was
doubtful if they had ever been bent on. The rigging and spars certainly
added to the nautical effect of the craft; and they afforded an
opportunity for the display of flags, for the gaffs on each mast were
secured in place aloft by the vangs. The American flag had been set at
the main peak during the voyage to Tangier; though, as anything but a
tender of the ship, she was not legally entitled to use it.
"Well, Louis, what do you think of this?" said Captain Scott, who had
watched his opportunity when the starboard side of the steamer was
under water to open the port door of the pilot-house wide enough to
enable him to enter.
"I think it is a tolerably fresh breeze," replied the young
millionaire, as he heaved the wheel over to meet a big billow. "It
makes a lively time in a steamer no larger than the Maud."
"It is a regular muzzler," added the captain. "But I have been out in
a gale as heavy as this one in the Seahound; and she was not as big as
the Maud."
"It is not comfortable; and I suppose that is about the worst that can
be said of it."
"She is all right as long as the engine holds its own; and both Felipe
and Don say there is no danger of its giving out," said the captain. "I
suppose it is all right; but I wish we had another string to our bow."
"What other string could we have to our bow?" asked Louis, giving his
companion an inquiring glance.
"The sails; and I wish I had thought to bend them on before we left
Gib, or this forenoon, when we had nothing under the canopy to do but
bite our finger-nails."
"I dare say it would be well to have them ready for use as a last
resort," suggested Louis.
"As something more than that, though it would be exceedingly convenient
to be able to set a reefed foresail in case the engine should break
down. I have been thinking of bending on the foresail since it came on
to blow heavily."
"You have no use for it yet; for Felipe says the Pacha had everything
about the craft built twice as strong as was necessary, and I have no
fear of the engine," replied Louis.
"If the sails were bent on, I should have set a reefed foresail, and
perhaps a reefed mainsail, before this time," continued the captain.
"It would steady her a great deal if nothing more, for I do not believe
we are making our ten knots an hour just now."
Captain Scott sat on the divan, and appeared to be considering the
expedient he had mentioned. A few minutes later he announced his
intention to bend on the foresail, and he made his exit with the same
precaution he had used in entering. He called Felix, Pitts, Morris, and
Don to assist in the work, after he had been into the forecastle by the
way of the engine and fire rooms. He overhauled the sails, and found
the one he wanted.
Pitts carried it on deck, and it was passed up to the promenade deck,
as they called the roofs of the deck-houses. The foremast was between
the galley and the pilot-house. The gaff was lowered; and Scott and
Pitts, who were both sailors, lashed the head of the sail to it. The
mast-hoops were all in place, and the inner-leach was readily secured
to them. Felix and Don, who were not sailors, had enough to do in
holding on at the sail to keep the wind from whipping it out of the
hands of the operators.
The promenade deck was swept by floods of spray all the time, and the
party had not been there five minutes before they were wet to the skin;
but no one minded this, for the weather was quite warm, the wind, fresh
as it was, coming from the burning sands of Africa.
The tack was secured, and the clew hauled out to the end of the boom.
The foot of the sail was then lashed down, and the work was finished,
though it had taken an hour and a half to do it. The two sailors then
overhauled the sheet and the halyards to see that they were in working
order. Pitts had brought up some "slush," or grease, which was applied
where it was needed.
A single reef was then put in the sail, and then a second upon the top
of it, so that the last could be turned out if the craft would bear
more sail. Captain Scott then stationed his force so that none of them
would be knocked overboard by the thrashing of the sail, which was then
hoisted with no little difficulty. The sheet was hauled in and made
fast to the lower block, which moved on a traveller.
[Illustration: "THE SAIL WAS THEN HOISTED WITH NO LITTLE
DIFFICULTY."]
The wind was square on the beam, and filled the reefed sail. The blast
laid the steamer down to the plankshear; but she rallied after the
first shock, and did not heel over as much as the captain supposed she
would. The effect was very satisfactory, and the Maud went along much
steadier than before.
"What do you think of it, Pitts?" asked the captain, and all the party
were holding on at the stays of the smoke-stack.
"She behaves like a dandy, sir," replied the steward. "She would carry
the foresail with only one reef in it."
"That is just what I was thinking," added Scott. "What is more, I am
going to turn out the second reef, and let her go it with one."
"It won't be an easy thing to do with the wind on the beam, sir,"
suggested Pitts. "If you spill the sail, sir, the boom will run out so
as to make a hard job of it, sir."
"I was thinking of that," replied the captain, as he went forward, and,
bending down over the front of the pilot-house, yelled to Louis at the
wheel to head the steamer up into the wind.
"Ay, ay, sir!" screamed the helmsman; and in a moment more the Maud was
pitching into the head sea, and the reefed foresail was flapping in the
gale.
The second reef was turned out in a minute or two, and the order was
sent down by Morris for Louis to come up to the course again. The sheet
remained as before, and the sail filled as the Maud came about. As it
was done gradually there was no shock as before, and the steamer soon
came to her bearings. She heeled over more than before, but not much,
and her motion was decidedly steadier.
At four o'clock Louis rang eight bells, and the watches were to be
changed. It was the turn of the starboard watch, and the captain's
trick at the wheel. He directed Felix, his watch-mate, to keep the
lookout on the promenade deck where he could see the sail and keep it
in trim, for he was sailor enough to do this, though he was not an able
seaman. The rest of the party descended to their places below.
"Well, Louis, what do you think of it now?" asked the captain, as he
went into the pilot-house on the lee side.
"I think you have greatly improved the situation, Captain Scott."
"I feel perfectly happy, my boy," replied Scott, who appeared to be
considerably exhilarated as he took the wheel from the hands of Louis.
"I seem to know where I am now better than I did before. The engine may
break down now if it is so disposed, and I can snap my finger in its
face, for we have sail enough to keep the Maud on the top of the water
if anything happens to the machinery."
"You were certainly born to be a sailor, Captain," replied Louis, as he
seated himself on the divan.
"I believe that with all my might, and this experience is worth a
hundred dollars a day to me," answered Scott.
"Call it fifty," laughed the other.
"It is very valuable to me, whatever you call it in figures. I have a
big ambition in this direction; and it is bigger now than it was before
I became a decent fellow. I think Captain Ringgold will make a man of
me."
"It looks as though he had already done so," added Louis.
"Perhaps he has not finished his work yet. We are going along very
nicely now, my hearty."
"We are indeed. The Maud rolls a good deal"--
"You don't expect her to go along on an even keel in such a sea as
this, do you?" interposed the captain.
"Certainly not; she is behaving very well."
"She is behaving like a lady in a ballroom!" exclaimed Scott with
enthusiasm. "She has a good deal of motion, like the belle of the
waltz; but her motion is poetry."
"She is waltzing along very well."
It was the first dog watch. Pitts could not get up a regular dinner,
for the pots and pans would not stay on the galley; but he gave the
ship's company enough to eat. The racks, or "fiddles," on the table
in the cabin kept the dishes in tolerable order. After the meal the
captain called all hands, and succeeded in heaving the log, which, to
his astonishment, gave thirteen knots. He concluded that there must be
some mistake, and he repeated the operation with the same result.
"I don't understand it, Don," said he. "Have you been driving the
engine?"
"The last time I looked at the revolutions, I thought she must be
making about eleven knots," replied the second engineer. "The furnace
has a big draught in this wind, and the sail helps her a couple of
knots."
The captain did not object to the speed. The steamer went along without
incident or accident, and by this time the ship's company had become
accustomed to the motion. Southerly storms are not usually of long
duration, and at midnight the gale broke, though the sea was still
disturbed. The watches were regularly kept, the lookout man attending
to the sail on the upper deck. In the morning the wind had shifted to
the south-west.
CHAPTER XXXII
THE MEETING OF THE TWO STEAMERS
"Where are we now, Captain Scott?" asked Louis, who had just finished
his breakfast, as he went into the pilot-house to relieve the starboard
watch.
Morris was with him, and he took the wheel according to the programme
which had been laid down in the beginning of the voyage. This was at
eight o'clock on the second morning of the trip. The captain had his
chart table in use when they entered, with Felix at the wheel.
"Where are we now is the question; and I can't guess the conundrum
exactly, for I don't know how fast we have been running during the
night," replied Scott. "Our standard speed is ten knots an hour; but
the log last evening showed that we were doing three knots better than
that."
Then he looked at a station-bill he had made out in pencil which was
tacked to the starboard door for the want of a better place. It showed
all the watches, who served on them, the number of hours from Europa
Point, from which the departure was made, and the number of miles run
at the end of each watch, figured at the standard speed.
"We are thirty-two hours out, and have run three hundred and twenty
miles, or ought to have run only that; but in the last twelve hours
we have probably made from twenty-four to thirty-six miles more than
that," continued the captain. "I will heave the log after breakfast,
and that will give us a better idea, for we are still carrying the
reefed foresail. Morris reported to me when he was relieved by the
morning watch that he had started the sheets about two bells. We have
the wind on the starboard quarter now, and it must help her somewhat. I
should say that we had made three hundred and forty-four miles."
"Land, ho!" shouted Felix, who had gone out on the deck.
"Where away?" demanded Scott.
"On the beam," replied Felix.
"That is just where it ought to be," added Scott, as he turned to his
chart. "We must be off Magrowa Point, where the mountains are close to
the shore. Three hundred and forty-four miles must be the figure."
The captain and Felix went to breakfast, after which the log was heaved
and it gave twelve knots. The Maud was now going along with comparative
steadiness. The gale had entirely subsided, though the sea was not yet
reduced to its former smooth condition. There was a gentle breeze, and
Scott ordered the reef in the foresail to be shaken out. Don declared
that they had burned too much coal while the wind was so fresh, and
that they had reduced the quantity.
At four bells, when Louis took the wheel, the log was tried again, and
it appeared that the old standard of ten knots had been restored in
spite of the sail. But Scott had bent on the mainsail and jib while he,
Felix, and Don were off watch, assisted by the steward. He had set all
sail, and then the log gave eleven knots. He had hardly completed the
job before the starboard watch were called to dine before they took
the deck at eight bells. Morris was the lookout on the promenade deck,
attending to the sails also.
"Sail, ho!" shouted he, standing over the pilot-house.
"Where away?" demanded Louis.
"Directly astern of us!" cried Morris.
Pitts carried this report to the cabin. Louis had no chance to observe
the sail, and he passed the glass up to his watch-mate. Morris examined
the distant sail with the instrument, and he could see only her masts
and sails; but a streak of black smoke in the air indicated that she
was a steamer. She was hull down, and he could not make out anything
about her. But it was soon evident to him that the sail was gaining
rapidly on the Maud.
Louis struck eight bells, which was noon this time, and the captain and
Felix appeared on time. He wrote "386 miles" on his station-bill as the
distance the Maud had made at the end of the forenoon watch. He took
the wheel, and then asked about the sail which had been reported. All
that was known was stated to him; but he could make nothing of it.
"I don't know when the Guardian-Mother left Gib, and of course I can't
tell when she will overhaul us," said he. "She must have got off some
time yesterday forenoon, and it is time that she was up with us. On the
upper deck, Flix, watch the sails, and keep a lookout for the steamer
astern."
After Felix and Morris had dined they hastened to the promenade deck;
they were interested in the sail astern, for it had been already
demonstrated that it was steering the same course as the Maud. In a
couple of hours more, her burgee, which had evidently been set for a
purpose, could be distinguished.
"It's the Guardian-Mother as sure as that my mother was born in
Ireland!" exclaimed Felix, who was the lookout man, and had the glass,
which he passed to Louis as soon as he had satisfied himself.
"The sail is the Guardian-Mother!" he shouted over the pilot-house.
"I don't believe those on board of her will know the Maud," suggested
Morris. "They never saw her carrying sail, and she will look like a
strange sight to them."
"Captain Ringgold will make her out in good time," added Louis.
In half an hour the steamer astern was within a quarter of a mile of
the Maud. At this time Pitts and Don came on the upper deck with the
order from the captain to take in sail, which the former delivered to
Morris as the first officer, and he had already hauled down the jib. It
was an easy matter to furl the sails compared with what it had been to
set them, and the stops were soon put on the after sails. There was no
longer any need of the party on the upper deck, and they descended to
the forecastle.
By this time the Guardian-Mother was abreast of the Maud, and hardly a
biscuit's throw from her. In this position she stopped her screw, and
Captain Scott rang one bell for the same purpose.
"Maud, ahoy!" shouted Captain Ringgold from the officer's promenade,
where all the cabin party were seated.
"On board the Guardian-Mother!" returned Captain Scott.
"How goes it?" asked the commander of the ship, putting a general
question which covered everything.
"All well, sir!" answered the captain of the Maud.
The sea was still too rough to permit the two vessels to come
alongside each other; but it was seen from the little steamer that
the Guardian-Mother was lowering the first cutter into the water,
and in a few minutes that her crew were pulling to the consort, with
the commander in the stern-sheets. The gangway was rigged out on the
starboard quarter, for it was not a fixture as on board of larger
steamers. No one was required at the helm or engine of the Maud, and
all hands gathered in the standing-room to give the commander an
appropriate welcome.
The only proper salute that came to the mind of Captain Scott was
three cheers, which he called for, and they were given with decided
enthusiasm. No one could blame the young commander of the little
steamer for feeling very much exhilarated as the time came for him
to make his first report of the cruise. He had brought his craft
safely through a smart gale in as good condition as when she had left
Gibraltar. If he was proud of the achievement, as he certainly was, he
had sufficient foundation for an honest pride.
The cutter came up to the gangway on the lee side, and Captain Ringgold
ascended to the deck, which was not a long journey, for the Maud sat
low in the water. The ship's company stood in a group, with Captain
Scott in front of them as the commander came over the rail. He went
directly to the captain, who was the first to be saluted in virtue of
his office, and took him by the hand.
"We did not recognize the Maud when we first made her out," said
Captain Ringgold. "We never saw her under sail before; but she looked
quite natural after you had furled everything."
Without waiting for any reply, the commander shook hands with Morris,
Louis, and Felix, and nodded to the two engineers.
"Well, Captain Scott, I did not find you exactly where I expected to
overhaul you, for you are about twenty-five miles farther along than I
supposed you would be," continued the captain of the Guardian-Mother.
"We were rolling very heavily in the gale, sir, and I bent on the
foresail, which made things easier on board; and as the wind was fair,
we made twelve and thirteen knots an hour for about ten hours."
"It was a smart gale; and when I did not find you where I expected, I
was a little anxious about you this forenoon. How does the Maud behave
in heavy weather, Captain Scott?"
"Like a lady, sir; of course she does a great deal of rolling on
account of her size, but she stood it very well, and kept up her speed
in spite of the knocking about she had."
"I suppose you have become a sailor by this time, Louis," added Captain
Ringgold, turning to the young millionaire.
"Not much of a sailor, sir," replied Louis.
"You must be full-fledged, Mr. Woolridge, after the experience of the
last thirty-six hours," he added.
"I tried to do my duty, sir," answered Morris, rather startled to hear
himself mistered,-- a distinction to which he was entitled as mate,
though the big four had been more familiar with him.
"Mrs. Belgrave and Mrs. Woolridge were somewhat worried about you
during the gale; but Mr. Boulong will take you to the ship, Louis and
Morris, while I am arranging things with the captain for the future,"
said the commander. "You will return in an hour."
The first officer of the Guardian-Mother took the hands of the young
gentlemen as he received them in the cutter, and listened with interest
to a brief account of their voyage. In return he told them the news
from the steamer, and told them what had passed between Captain
Ringgold and the Pacha. But the time was too short to say much, and in
a few minutes both of them were in the arms of their mothers, after
which there was a general shaking of hands with the other passengers.
"I don't see that we have any occasion to go to Malta," said the
commander to the captain of the Maud, after the departure of the
cutter. "We can take that in at another time. Have you had any trouble
of any kind on board?"
"None whatever, sir," replied Scott, hardly understanding the meaning
of the question.
"Boys will sometimes get up ill-feeling and even quarrels among
themselves when they are off on their own hook," added Captain Ringgold
with a smile.
"There has not been a particle of trouble of any kind, or anything
like ill-feeling," protested Scott very warmly. "Every one has obeyed
orders, and when I bent on the foresail in the gale all were ready
to work, whether they were on watch or not. It was a hard job on the
promenade deck, which would not hold still a moment, and where we were
wet to the skin with every spray that flopped over her. I have not
heard a growl or a grumble since we sailed from Gib. Pitts and Don have
done all kinds of work, and done it cheerfully."
"Your report is excellent, Captain Scott. I have been considering
whether or not I should hoist the Maud on the upper deck of the ship,"
replied the commander.
"Of course I haven't anything to say about that sir; but I believe I
could go around the world in the Maud. Our casks leaked all the water
out, and we had to get a fresh supply off Alboran;" and Scott detailed
the meeting with the felucca.
"You have done so well, and got along so pleasantly, that I will not
take the Maud on board of the ship, and you shall proceed on the
voyage."
Captain Ringgold marked the course for the Maud on the chart to
Constantinople. Louis and Morris returned to the little steamer at the
end of the hour, and both vessels proceeded on the voyage.
CHAPTER XXXIII
THE PROFESSOR'S LECTURE ON ALGERIA
It would require several volumes to detail all the particulars of the
daily life of the big four on board of the Maud during the long voyage
from the point where the two vessels had met to Constantinople, where
Captain Ringgold had decided to make his next stay of any length. The
routine of duty and the ordinary experience of the young Americans
afloat have been described so that the reader can understand how the
days were passed on board of the Maud.
Captain Ringgold had decided that the Guardian-Mother and her consort,
as the Maud had now come to be called, should keep together, the
former regulating her speed by that of the latter. At the same time
the commander had marked out the course on the chart of Captain Scott,
so that he could proceed on the voyage alone if by any accident they
should be separated.
This course was along the coast of Africa, passing Algiers and Tunis,
as far as Cape Bon; then stretching across to Cape Passaro, the
south-eastern point of the island of Sicily, leaving Malta on the
right. From this cape the course was east for about four hundred
miles to the southern capes of Greece, and passing through the channel
between the island of Cerigo and the mainland into the Archipelago,
where the course would generally be north-east to the Dardanelles.
After going through this strait and the Sea of Marmora, the little
squadron would arrive at its destination at the city of the Sultan.
Perhaps Captain Ringgold was a little facetious about it, but he called
this voyage running away from Ali-Noury Pacha; and it is certain that
Mr. and Mrs. Woolridge were very much relieved after the steamer left
Gibraltar, where the Fatimé was still at anchor. But the need of coal
and fresh provisions would require that some calls should be made at
the various ports on or near the course.
The commander had consulted his passengers frequently in regard to
where they should go and what they should do. They always protested
that they should be happy wherever the commander took them; but now
that the danger of encountering the Pacha appeared to be removed, they
expressed their minds more freely, though they often changed them.
"I suppose we are going over some of this ground, or rather this water
again, are we not?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
"I think not," replied Captain Ringgold.
"But we all want to see something of Algiers," added the lady.
"Algeria is French now; but I have never been there," added Professor
Giroud.
"It is only about eighty miles to Captain Scott's red cross off
Algiers, and we shall be up with it at midnight; but as you desire
to visit the place, we will go there," replied the commander; and he
ordered the course to be changed a point to the southward.
"Algiers" was spelled out with the signal flags for the Maud; and she
replied that the message was understood. At two o'clock in the morning
the Guardian-Mother stopped her screw off the red and green lights
placed at the ends of the two moles that enclose the inner harbor, and
the Maud followed her example. The city is built partly on a hill five
hundred feet high, and partly on the low ground in front of it. It is
on the west side of a bay between Capes Caxine and Matifou, on each of
which is a light.
In the early morning the ship led the way into the harbor, and stopped
at the approach of the quarantine boat. The Maud placed herself
alongside the Guardian-Mother, and the doctor boarded her first. He
addressed Captain Scott in French; but Louis, who could speak the
language nearly as well as he could English, hastened to his relief. He
stated that the little steamer was the tender of the big one, which was
a yacht on a pleasure voyage. The Frenchman laughed, was exceedingly
polite, and hastened on board of the principal vessel.
She had a clean bill of health, and being a yacht, the custom-house
officers, who soon appeared, had no duties to perform or exact. The
big four breakfasted on board of the ship, and it was a pleasant
reunion after the separation. After the meal the party gathered on
the promenade. Blanche Woolridge manifested a great deal of pleasure
at meeting Louis again, and he assisted her to mount the steps to the
upper deck, and provided her with a chair, taking a seat beside her;
and neither her father nor mother frowned at this act of courtesy.
Somewhat to the astonishment of the company, as soon as they were all
seated where they could see the upper and the lower city spread out
before them, Professor Giroud took a position in front of them. Without
saying anything to others, the commander had invited him to tell them
something about Algérie, as it is called in French.
"I obey the order of the commander of the Guardian-Mother in standing
up before you to say something about Algérie; and I hope I shall not
be so dry as to tire you out in half an hour," the scholar of the ship
began; and he was answered with a round of applause in which all the
ladies joined. "Algérie was formerly a part of the Turkish Empire; but
the French have conquered it and made it a colony of my country, and
extended its boundary about two hundred miles farther to the south. Its
area is said to be a hundred and sixty thousand square miles; but that
is only an estimate. As our good captain would add, it is nearest in
size to the State of California, and about four times as large as the
State of Virginia.
"The population is estimated at 2,600,000, considerably more than half
of them being Europeans, mostly French. About one-fifth of the country
is under cultivation; and some of it is very fertile, especially in the
river valleys. If you look at your maps you will see that the Barbary
States--Morocco, Algérie, and Tunis--are crossed by mountain ranges
quite near the coast, as on the west coast of South America, so that
there can be no large rivers in them.
"Algiers, Bona, and Oran are the principal cities. The provinces with
these names are extremely fertile, and were formerly the granaries of
Italy. The Southern parts are something like the desert of Sahara,
which they border, but contain oases, which are part of the date
country.
"The climate in some parts is very hot, but it is cool on the seashore
and cold in the high mountains. The thermometer averages sixty-three
in this city. The productions are the grains, resin, timber, olives,
and dates. Oxen, sheep, and camels are the animals. French is now the
language of the people, though Arabic and Turkish are still spoken. In
ancient days the eastern part was the country of the Numidians, and the
western of the Moors, or a portion of what was called Mauritania."
"My favorite name," added Mrs. Belgrave.
"A pretty name, but with little to recommend it, madame," added the
professor. "As Roman colonies these regions enjoyed their highest
prosperity; but the conquest of the Vandals sent them back into a state
of barbarism. The Mohammedans then got possession, and an improvement
followed, and at one time the Arabian savants held the burden of the
knowledge then in existence.
"When Ferdinand and Isabella completed the conquest of Granada, the
year that Columbus discovered America, they drove the Jews and Moors
over into Africa. In revenge for the treatment they had received,
they became pirates, and preyed upon their late oppressors. For this
Ferdinand attacked them, and captured this city in 1509, fortifying the
place. One of the Algerine princes called in Barbarossa, the famous
pirate chief, to his assistance. He was a renegade Greek, and had
become a Turk. This pirate turned his forces against the emir who had
called him over, treacherously murdered him, and made himself Sultan.
He was very successful in his wars; the Spaniards were alarmed, and
marched out from Oran upon him. Barbarossa was taken prisoner and
beheaded, and his brother was chosen his successor. He called in the
aid of the Turkish government, whose armies drove the Spaniard out of
the country. They established a system of despotism and piracy, which
lasted till 1830. For three hundred years the nations of Europe warred
against this piracy.
"In 1815 a United States fleet defeated the Algerines, and compelled
the dey to respect the American flag ever after. The pirates still
exacted tribute or presents from several of the nations of Europe.
Various outrages upon the commerce and officials of France brought on a
war, which continued with more or less activity for thirty years, and
was only ended by the capture of Abd-el-kader. The French have been
engaged in extending their conquest up to the present time.
"The city before you, or the beginning of it, was built in the year 935
by an Arab chief, whose name I don't remember. The fortress you see on
the hill, five hundred feet high, is the Casbah, and commands the whole
city, as the deys who occupied it found it necessary to overawe their
own subjects. You observe the lower town nearest to you, and with the
exception of a few mosques, it consists of government and commercial
buildings. The French occupy this part of the town, while the upper
city is still Moorish, as its people and its inhabitants will assure
you when you visit it; and this is the part of the city that will
interest you most. But I think I have said enough, and perhaps too
much."
"No!" shouted Dr. Hawkes, as the professor stepped back and took his
seat. "I have been very much interested, for I knew next to nothing
about Algeria."
"I heartily indorse the remark of my Brother Adipose Tissue," added
Uncle Moses, and the whole party gave a round of applause as an
expression of the general sentiment.
"I see that I did wisely and well to call on the professor for this
occasion instead of attempting the task he has done so well," said the
commander. "But we will use our time while we have it and the weather
is pleasant. We are not compelled to take to the barge or cutters for
the purpose of going on shore, for we are fortunately provided with a
tender under the name of the Maud; and I have directed the engineers
to have her in readiness for us. We shall now be under the command of
Captain Scott."
"I can find my way to the shore, but I am not a pilot in this harbor,"
added the captain of the Maud. "I see the custom-house, and I will
land you there. There is not less than eighteen feet of water anywhere
within the moles, and we can't get aground."
Pitts had put the water into the half-casks, and lowered them into
the run. They did not leak now. The velvet cushions were placed on
the seats, and the awning stretched out for the protection of the
passengers. The standing-room was just a pattern for them. Captain
Scott took the wheel, and in five minutes the little steamer was
alongside the wharf, for it was not more than three cables' length from
the ship. The party divided into groups according to their own fancies.
The two fat men were in sympathy, and went together. As usual, Captain
Ringgold was the escort of Mrs. Belgrave; the professor took charge of
Mrs. Blossom; Louis placed himself at the side of Miss Blanche, and the
other three of the big four went by themselves.
"This is nothing but a French town, Miss Blanche," said Louis to his
companion, after they had walked a short distance. "It looks like many
others I have seen."
"I suppose you could talk with these French people, Mr. Belgrave,"
added the young lady.
"I could; couldn't you?"
"I am sure I could not. I have studied French in Switzerland and in New
York, but I cannot speak it yet."
"I am afraid you don't practise it enough, Miss Blanche."
"I don't practise it at all out of school, for I have no one to talk
with. Morris can't speak French any more than I can, and mamma has
forgotten all she ever knew."
Louis spoke to her in French, and she replied to him in the same
language. With a little assistance over hard places she got along very
well, and declared that she was delighted with the exercise, which she
should be glad to repeat every day.
CHAPTER XXXIV
ORIENTAL VIEWS IN ALGIERS
The party from the Guardian-Mother continued their walk towards the
upper town till they came to a large square, which was laid out with
lime and orange trees, and surrounded by the best buildings in the
town, which were in European style. Captain Ringgold found a hotel
there of considerable size, which he entered, and presently returned
with a guide who spoke English and Arabic.
"This is the Place Royale," replied this man in answer to a question.
"You have all sorts of people here," said the commander. "Are there
many English here?"
"Very few English and Americans; only once in a while one who comes to
look at the city."
"Most of the nations seem to be represented here."
"Arabs, Moors, Jews, French, Spaniards, Germans, Italians, Maltese,
and Turks," added the guide. "That street is Bab-el Ouad, and a little
farther is Bab-azoun, two of the best streets in the city; and they are
very fine."
"They are built like the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, with colonnades on
each side; but they are very narrow, like the streets of most
Spanish and Oriental cities. Bab means street, I take it," said the
captain, as the party stopped to look down the first of the two
streets. "When the sun is hot that would be a very comfortable place to
walk."
After the party had spent an hour in the Place Royale, with a short
walk in the Bab-el Ouad, the guide conducted them up a narrow and
irregular street to the upper town, where the scene became vastly more
interesting because it was novel and strange.
"I should think we were back in Mogadore," said Mrs. Belgrave, the only
Oriental city she or any of the other passengers had ever seen, and
every person and object commanded their attention.
The people of this section were nearly all Mohammedans, and the few
women they saw were veiled. Most of them were fat and dumpy, for
obesity is a chief attraction in an Oriental belle. The Nubians were
jet black, but they were as closely veiled as those who were whiter.
Many mosques were in sight all the time, and the commander spoke to the
guide about them.
"There are one hundred mosques and marabouts in the city," said he.
"What are marabouts?" asked the captain, and all the others were
gathered around him to hear what was said; and the natives gazed at
them as much in wonder as the tourists at the strange sight before
them.
"A marabout is a tomb, or the sanctuary of a saint, and some of them
are very elegant edifices."
"What is this in front of us?"
"That is a _mesjid_, which means a second-class mosque, as you
Americans would say. The principal ones are called _djamas_, and some
of them are very elegant. The tomb of a dey or a very rich pacha is
often exceedingly fine."
"The houses here are very queer, Mr. Belgrave," said Miss Blanche; "but
they are like those we saw in Mogadore, and not at all like those in
the lower town."
"That is a French town, and I saw two or three buildings five and six
stories high. They have earthquakes here, and I should rather be in
one of these Moorish houses than on the sixth floor of one of those
lofty structures," replied Louis, who had read up a little as soon as
he returned to the ship. "These dwellings all have flat roofs, Miss
Blanche. Do you know why that is so?"
"So that the rain can get into them, I should suppose," replied the
beautiful maiden; and not only the French but the Moors had paused to
get a second look at her.
"Hardly for that; but as soon as the sun has gone down, in the cool
of the evening, the people pass their time on the roof. I read some
stories by a French writer who had spent some time in Algeria, and he
speaks of passing his evenings on the roof of the house he had hired, a
Moorish house in Bougie, on the seashore."
"These houses have no windows, as we understand the word," said
Blanche, who was taking in all the strange sight before her. "They are
nothing but peek-holes, with iron bars, which make them look like so
many prisons."
"These houses would not suit us any better than ours would the people
who live in them. These narrow streets keep out much of the glare of
the hot sun, and make the place cooler than it would otherwise be. You
noticed the same thing in Cadiz and Seville, and it is an Oriental
idea."
"It looked very odd to see omnibuses in the Place Royale, just as we
see them in Paris."
"The French have introduced a great many improvements here; in
fact, they have everything here as they do in France, even to the
horse-racing, of which the Arabs are very fond, as well as the
Frenchmen."
"Where did you learn so much about Algiers, Mr. Belgrave?" asked Miss
Blanche, bestowing a pleasant smile upon him.
"I have not had time to look up much about this town; but the ship's
library contains books treating of all the cities in the world,"
replied Louis, who felt just as though he was floundering about in a
sugar-bowl all the time.
"Before we come to another place I want to learn something about it,
and I wish you would put me in the way of finding what I shall want."
"I will do so with the greatest pleasure if I happen to be on board
of the ship; but I shall probably continue to be a deck-hand on the
Maud for the next week," replied Louis; and he thought of the only
disadvantage that came to his mind in being in another craft than the
Guardian-Mother.
"You must have fine times on board of the Maud, Mr. Belgrave."
"We all have to do duty there as the officers and seamen do on board of
the ship."
"I should like to sail some of the time in the little steamer, Mr.
Belgrave," said Miss Blanche, looking her chaperon full in the face as
if to ascertain the possibility of such a change.
"I don't believe you would be as comfortable there as you are on board
of the ship," replied Louis, not a little moved by the suggestion of
the young lady.
"I know I couldn't live on her; but I mean to ask Captain Ringgold to
let me spend a day on board of her," persisted Blanche.
The young millionaire thought it would be absolutely delightful for him
to take his trick at the wheel with Miss Blanche standing on the lee
side, with the privilege of looking at her occasionally,--for he never
permitted himself to stare at any lady,--and the idea invested the Maud
with a new charm.
The sun had become very hot in the middle of the day, and they found
the shade of the narrow streets very agreeable as they descended the
rough thoroughfare to the lower town. The party were all complaining of
the heat, and the commander sent the guide to procure an omnibus for
them.
[Illustration: "THEY FOUND THE SHADE OF THE NARROW STREETS VERY
AGREEABLE."]
"The professor said the thermometer was only 63° here; but I should
say it was 90° now, Mr. Belgrave," said Miss Blanche while they were
waiting for the vehicle.
"He spoke of the average temperature for the whole of Algeria, and
there are snow and ice on some of the mountains. The professor only
meant to say that it was not so hot as it might be," replied Louis, as
the omnibus came for them. "To-day the south-west wind brings the hot
air of the desert to Algiers."
It was but a short ride to the custom-house, and the party embarked
in the Maud. The tourists were glad enough to get on board the
Guardian-Mother again, for it was comparatively cool under the awning
on deck. The passengers all said they had seen enough of Algiers; for
none of them were artists, antiquarians, or archæologists, and it would
have been a bore for them to stay there a week, though the student of
art or history would have found enough to occupy his time for a much
longer period.
A lighter was alongside the ship, filling up her bunkers with coal,
and another supplied those of the Maud in the afternoon. At lunch the
commander consulted the party in regard to their wishes. Something was
said about putting in at Tunis by the professor; but the captain shook
his head.
"It is more than thirty miles off our course, and then at the head of a
shallow lake nine miles farther," said he.
"But it is within three miles of the ruins of ancient Carthage,"
interposed the professor.
"_Delenda est Carthago_," replied the commander, laughing. "I believe
that means that Carthage must be destroyed, or, in other words, a war
of extermination; and I fear we must make that of Carthage in this
instance, for the navigation is difficult. I went there when I was a
boy during the war in the Crimea, and I can assure you that Tunis is a
dirty hole, though it has some fine mosques, well-supplied bazaars, and
the palace of the Bey is magnificent; but it hardly pays to go there.
The professor is a fine classical scholar, and he would enjoy it more
than any of the others. But if you wish to go there, I will take the
ship to Tunis with the greatest pleasure imaginable."
"Don't go there on my account, Captain Ringgold," protested Professor
Giroud.
"I will put it to vote, and the majority shall decide," replied the
commander, and he proceeded to do so.
No one, not even the professor, voted in favor of the visit, and the
question was decided in the negative. In the middle of the afternoon
the captain went on shore in the first cutter to attend to the
formality of clearing. On his return the order was given to heave up
the anchor, and the ship's company of the Maud was sent on board of
her. The officers took leave of the party that were to proceed in the
ship.
"I want to sail some day in the Maud, Captain Ringgold," interposed
Miss Blanche.
"Not now, I hope, for it will soon be night, and there are no
accommodations on board of her for you," replied the captain.
"No; I mean some day when the sea is not too rough," added the maiden.
"There will be no difficulty at all about it, Miss Woolridge; and I
thought of sending all my passengers on board of the Maud when we get
to the Archipelago, for then we shall be in sight of land all the time
among the islands. I can easily put you on board of her some morning
when it is pleasant, and you say the word."
Louis was satisfied that Miss Blanche would soon be a passenger on
board of the Maud for a day, and he went to his duties on board of the
little steamer. He had talked with the professor about his studies, and
he took his books with him. The pilot was on board the Guardian-Mother,
and the Maud was to follow her out of the harbor. The two steamers went
to sea that night, and the weather was delightful. The rough sea had
subsided, and the commander anticipated a prosperous voyage.
He was not mistaken in his prognostication; for in four days and
sixteen hours the steamers were off Cape Matapan, the southern point of
Greece. The professor became enthusiastic when the name was announced;
Dr. Hawkes and Uncle Moses, both of whom were graduates of colleges and
interested in classic lore, were not unmoved.
Off Cape Bon, which is within seventy-five miles of the island of
Sicily, and with the exception of Spain at the Strait of Gibraltar, is
the shortest distance between Europe and "The Dark Continent." At this
Cape Miss Blanche was put on board of the Maud, and remained there till
evening, greatly to the beatification of the millionaire deck-hand.
Two days later the visit was repeated, this time in company with
Mrs. Belgrave; and they were on board of the Maud when she made Cape
Matapan.
CHAPTER XXXV
THE ARRIVAL AT CONSTANTINOPLE
Since the departure from Algiers the weather had been like a dream of
paradise. The African winds came over water enough to cool them, and
the thermometer on the deck of the Guardian-Mother stood at seventy,
hardly varying from that during the day. Across the Ionian Sea, between
Sicily and Greece, the sea was somewhat disturbed, but not enough to
make it uncomfortable, even on board of the Maud.
"I think this is perfectly delicious!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave, as the
little steamer was passing Cape Matapan about noon.
"Nothing could be finer," replied Captain Scott, who had just been
relieved by the port watch.
Morris was at the wheel, and Louis had seated Miss Blanche on the
forecastle, where he was keeping the lookout. Pitts was busily engaged
in getting up a dinner as elaborate as the resources of the little
steamer would permit for the guests on board.
"You seem to know all the land and all the water in this part of the
world as well as Captain Ringgold, Captain Scott," said Mrs. Belgrave,
after they had passed the Cape.
"Why should I not? I have never been here before, but my chart puts me
in possession of all it is necessary to know in connection with the
navigation," replied the captain, flattered by the remark and not less
by the smile of the lady. "We have to cross the entrance of the Gulf of
Kolokythia now; but it is not more than twenty miles wide, and then we
go into the Cervi Channel."
"Dinner all ready for the starboard watch, Captain Scott," said Pitts,
presenting himself in the standing-room.
"Where is Miss Blanche?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
"She is keeping the lookout with Louis," replied the captain with a
significant smile. "The steward will call her."
"I will call her myself," replied the lady as she went forward, where
she found Blanche looking through a spy-glass at the shores of Greece
under the direction of Louis, who held the end of the glass. "Come to
dinner with the starboard watch, Miss Blanche."
"I don't want any dinner yet, Mrs. Belgrave, for I wish to find the hut
of the hermit of whom Captain Ringgold told us this morning."
"You will not find it here, for the hermit lived on Cape Malea," said
the lady with a merry laugh. "Besides, they don't keep a restaurant on
board the Maud, and have 'meals at all hours.'"
"But the port watch must have meals at all hours; and I have already
accepted an invitation to dine with Mr. Woolridge, the distinguished
first officer of the Maud, and the equally distinguished deck-hand
without any handle to his name whom you call Louis, and I call Mr.
Belgrave."
The young lady had her own way, and dined with the port watch to the
great satisfaction of the young millionaire deck-hand. The dinner was
late on account of the extra preparations made for the guests, and did
not conform to the usual hours. The dinner was very creditable to the
skill of Pitts; and Miss Blanche enjoyed it quite as much as Louis,
though it was doubtless a very tame affair to Morris, who was not
elevated to the seventh heaven by the circumstances.
The Maud sped on her course, and was in the middle of the gulf with the
Greek name when the port watch finished the dinner, and Louis returned
to his post on the forecastle; but the young lady seemed to prefer this
part of the deck, and accompanied him. The captain and Felix returned
to the standing-room when they were relieved, for they had served out
of course on account of the lateness of the dinner hour.
"I suppose you begin to feel at home here, Flix," said the captain as
they seated themselves opposite Mrs. Belgrave. "I believe you have
always claimed to be a Greek, though you were born in America."
"Is it a Grake? Upon me worrud I am a Grake from Kilkenny," replied
Felix; Mrs. Belgrave, who had known him from his childhood, always
laughed when he spoke the Milesian dialect, and he used half a dozen
different ones.
"Can you give us the Greek name of this island on the starboard hand to
which we are coming?"
"Av coorse Oi kin; sure it's Sayraygo."
"I was not aware that you knew any Greek, Felix," added Mrs. Belgrave.
"Nayther do I know the Grake these haythins shpake out here. It's only
the pure Grake, as it comes from Kilkenny, that Oi know."
"But what is the name of the island we are coming to, Captain Scott?"
asked the lady.
"Flix told you correctly, only he pronounced it in Greek. It is Cerigo."
"That's jist what Oi say, Sayraygo!" exclaimed Felix. "Sorra one uv 'em
out here knows how to shpake Grake."
Louis had to take the wheel at four bells, and Miss Blanche resumed
her place on the lee side of him, precisely as he had imagined the
scene beforehand. She remained there till eight bells, when the port
watch was relieved. At three whistles, about three bells, the steamer
stopped, and the second cutter came for the two lady passengers. The
young lady declared that she had had a delightful time all day when she
met her mother at the gangway.
The next day, while the little fleet were sailing through the
Archipelago, the entire party went on board of the Maud, and passed the
day with the big four. They chatted, laughed, and sang all day long,
making just such a pleasure excursion of it as most of them had often
enjoyed at home. They were so delighted that they repeated the visit
the next day, and left the little steamer only at the entrance to the
Dardanelles, for they could see the shores better from the deck of the
big steamer. The night was passed on the Sea of Marmora; and they were
all sorry when the darkness prevented them from seeing the strange
sights that still surrounded them. The steamers had been obliged to
slow down so as not to arrive in the night; but early in the morning
they went into the Golden Horn.
Captain Ringgold, fully appreciating the anxiety and trouble into which
the reappearance of Ali-Noury Pacha had thrown the parents of Miss
Blanche, had suddenly reversed his principal plan, which was to follow
the southern coast of Europe to its most eastern point which it was
desirable to visit. Instead of doing so, he had followed the coast of
Africa as far as Cape Bon, and then continued to the eastward till he
reached the Archipelago. In this manner the Guardian-Mother and her
puny consort had sailed over two thousand miles.
A great deal had been said by the boys and also by the passengers about
the Orient; and they had certainly been cruising in the Orient the
greater portion of the distance. The Barbary States were Mohammedan
countries, and they had been near their shores half the time. The
commander was sorry they had not been able to pass through the Sea of
Marmora in the daytime; but he had slowed down so that they entered the
Bosporus at six o'clock in the morning, and the passengers had seen the
sun rise, which most of them were not in the habit of seeing.
The entire party were gathered together in their usual place when
they desired to see to the best advantage the surroundings--on the
promenade, which was about seven feet higher than the upper deck. A
pilot had been taken at the entrance to the Dardanelles, and another on
the sea a few miles from the Oriental city.
"The Bosporus here is just about one mile wide," said Captain Ringgold,
who had now nothing to do but attend to his passengers.
"What does Bosporus mean?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
"It means 'Cow-ford,'" replied Professor Giroud, whom the Captain asked
to make the explanation. "Perhaps 'Heifer-ford' would be the better
name, for it comes from mythology. Io was the daughter of Inachus, king
of Argos, Peloponnesus (now called the Morea), which we saw day before
yesterday, Cape Matapan being its most southern point. She was a very
pretty young lady, and Jupiter, as he was very apt to do in such cases,
fell in love with her."
"We haven't much time for long yarns just now, Professor," laughed the
commander.
"I will finish in a moment. Juno, who was the wife of Jupiter, properly
enough under such circumstances, was jealous of Io, and turned her into
a white heifer. She then caused a gad-fly to torment Io, and sent her
wandering all over the earth. In the course of her travels she swam
over this Strait. 'Bos' is the Latin for ox or cow. It is also said
that the name was given because the Strait was so narrow that a cow
could swim across it. That is all, Captain."
"Thank you, Professor, for the explanation. I did not wish to hurry
you, but I desire to point out some of the localities here. The land on
our left is occupied by the site of the ancient city of Byzantium. We
are now off the Seraglio, where you see the palaces. It is an enclosure
three miles in circumference; but we shall visit it in due time."
"Is that Constantinople also on our right?" asked Uncle Moses.
"That is Scutari," replied the commander.
"There is a lighthouse near the shore," added Miss Blanche.
"It is not a lighthouse, Miss Woolridge. It is sometimes called
Leander's Tower, and the Turks call it Kiz Kullehsi, which means
Maiden's Tower. I suppose you have heard of a young gentleman by the
name of Leander," added the captain, turning to Miss Blanche.
"He swam the Hellespont to see Hero. Then this is the Hellespont of
ancient times," replied the young lady.
"It is not; and there is no reason to call that tower after Leander.
The Dardanelles was the Hellespont over which he swam; and it was no
great thing, for Lord Byron did it for the fun of it. Now we are off
Seraglio Point, and entering the waters of the Golden Horn, which is
simply an arm of the Bosporus, of which there are several others,
extending about five miles inland. The water in it is very deep, and
there is room enough for more than a thousand large ships to lie at
anchor in its quiet waters.
"Now you will leave the Bosporus on your right," continued the
commander, as the steamer turned into the Golden Horn, closely followed
by the Maud. "In front of you is the modern city, and the part nearest
to us is Galata, the commercial section. On the hill is Pera, where
the hotels are situated, and where all the foreign ministers reside.
Farther up the Strait is Tophana, where the Sultan lives at the present
time in a magnificent palace."
In the earlier morning the party had taken its first view of
Constantinople, and some of them had made the usual remark that it
looked like the most beautiful city in the world. The mosques, towers,
and minarets glittered in the rays of the rising sun, and gave it a
glory which a walk through its streets, narrow and dirty, fails to
realize. The pilot rang to stop the screw when the ship was near the
shore; and she came to anchor quite near the landing, for the water was
very deep.
Both of the steamers were immediately surrounded by a multitude of
boats, containing runners for the hotels, and men who wanted the job of
taking the passengers to the shore. A big fat Turk, who proved to be a
custom-house officer, came on board of the Guardian-Mother. He could
not speak English, but addressed the captain in Italian, which is the
language used on board of the Austrian Lloyd's steamers, which ply on
the Black and Mediterranean Seas in great numbers.
"Hotel d'Angleterre," called a man dressed like a Greek, as a boat came
alongside the Maud.
"We don't want any boat," replied Captain Scott.
"Come alongside, Maud!" shouted Captain Ringgold.
Scott rang the bell, and the Maud went ahead to the discomfiture of the
boats, and the little steamer was made fast to the big one. Louis and
Morris went on board, and were warmly received by their mothers. The
passengers had descended from the promenade, and were seated under the
awning, where the professor was to speak to them about Turkey.
CHAPTER XXXVI
THE CITY OF THE SULTAN
Pitts and the engineers remained on board of the Maud, but the rest of
her ship's company repaired to the deck of the Guardian-Mother, where
the captain and the professor were to tell them something about Turkey.
They had been studying geography all the time, and they had obtained
a better knowledge of the countries visited than it would be possible
to get from books and maps. History was to be mingled with it so far
as practicable. The regular class in the library, consisting of Miss
Blanche and the big four, were present, for their instruction was one
of the principal purposes of the voyage round the world.
"I suppose you all know where you are," said Captain Ringgold, rising
from his chair.
"In a horn," replied Felix.
"That is the standard joke of this locality, and I heard it thirty-four
years ago when lying at anchor where we are now," replied the commander.
"I thought it would be as fresh and new as though it just came out of
Kilkenny," added the Milesian.
"No; it is a chestnut. But why is it called the Golden Horn?"
"Because that's the best sort of a horn to be in," answered Felix.
"Hardly. This gulf, as it properly is, extends back about five miles,
and several streams flow into it from the Valley of the Sweet Waters.
It gets its name from its shape, and it is called golden on account of
the riches brought to its shores from other lands. It is a safe harbor,
though great storms sometimes pass through the Bosporus. You can see
that it is crossed by two bridges of boats."
"With two humps in each of them," said Scott.
"Those are to enable boats to pass under them; and some of the pontoons
are drawn aside to permit the passage of large crafts. Do any of you
happen to know the name of this country?"
"Turkey; and it was named after the Thanksgiving bird," replied Felix.
"The bird of which you speak is a native of Mexico, and was first taken
to Europe by the Spaniards."
"Thanks to the Spaniards, for we have eaten the bird in Europe."
"The people here wouldn't know what you meant if you called their
country by the name of the bird. Their name is Osmanli Vilaieti; but we
do not expect you to speak Turkish, and the proper name in English is
The Turkish or Ottoman Empire. It consists of three divisions, Turkey
in Europe, in Asia, and in Africa. The first has thirty thousand less
square miles than New York and Pennsylvania together. We used to
say it had a population of fifteen millions; but it has lost Servia,
Roumania, and Bulgaria, and a census makes it less than five. The whole
empire is estimated at twenty-seven and a half millions.
"The principal industry is agriculture, which is carried on in a very
slipshod manner. Grain, rice, cotton, and tobacco are raised. Olives,
grapes, figs, dates, oranges, citron, and otto of roses are largely
exported. The ladies will find the last at the Bazaar. This is about
the season here for the nicest grapes in the world, and you will see
them for sale about the streets. If you wish to buy them, the money
here is in _piastres_, worth five cents apiece, and _paras_, of which
it takes forty to make five cents, or one-eighth of a cent apiece.
At the hotels and foreign stores French money, which is the same as
Italian, is used, a franc or lira passing for eighty-eight _piastres_.
"The present Sultan is Abdul-Hamid II., born in 1842. In Turkey the
eldest son does not succeed to the throne of his father, as in most
Christian countries. The founder of the empire was Othman, who reigned
in the thirteenth century, and his oldest male descendant succeeds to
the crown up to the present day. When I was here the second time in
1870, Abdul-Aziz was the Sultan. I took my hat off and bowed to him on
his way to the mosque; but he took no notice of me. His son, Yussuf
Izzeddin Effendi, a boy of thirteen, returned my salute, and was more
polite than his father.
"When the Sultan Aziz became the Sultan that was, to repeat an old
joke, the boy I had seen had to step aside for his Uncle Murad, who was
older, and therefore nearer in his descent from the original Othman.
Murad reigned but three months, and was then deposed as an idiot; but
he had a brother, who is the present Sultan, Abdul-Hamid II."
"I thought these sultans were not married like other princes," said
Mrs. Woolridge.
"They are not; for the Imperial Harem, as it is called, is a state
institution, and all the children born there are equal and legitimate.
The ladies there are usually brought in from other countries,
principally Circassia, and they are practically slaves. The Sultan does
not contract a regular marriage as we understand the matter; but from
the inmates of the Harem he usually selects seven, who are supposed to
be more especially his wives. An aged lady is the superintendent of
this institution, through whom alone any communication can be obtained
with the outer world; and then it must be done with the guard of
_eunuchs_, whose chief is the equal of the Grand Vizier, the principal
officer of state, and is his superior on some occasions."
The commander retired, introducing the professor.
"The government of Turkey is called an absolute monarchy; but it is
limited by the Koran and the Multeka, which is a collection of sayings
of Mohammed and his immediate successors. The Grand Vizier represents
the sultan, and is the head of the government as the premier is in
England and France. Next to him is the Sheik-ul-Islam, who is the
head of the church. There are a dozen or more ministers in the several
departments.
"The history of the Ottoman Empire is simply a record of conquests over
other divisions in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Turks originally came
out of Tartary. It would require too much time to relate the events of
these wars, and you may read an epitome of them in several books in the
library. This country has long been regarded as the 'sick man,' and no
doubt it would have been dismembered before this time if the nations
of Europe had not been jealous of any increase of territory and power,
each of any other. Russia would like to have Constantinople, which
could be made the finest seaport in the world. England and France have
been the allies of Turkey to prevent Russia from becoming too powerful
by its acquisition. But I think you are all in a hurry to go on shore,
and I will not detain you longer."
After lunch the party went on shore in the Maud, to the great
disgust of the boatmen. There were no carriages to be had, and they
were obliged to walk. A steamer had just come in, and they had an
opportunity to see how a passenger with a trunk and other baggage
would get to his hotel in the Rue de Pera, at the summit of the hill.
A porter with a kind of saddle on his back, having a shelf for his
burden, rendered this service. The trunk was placed on this shelf, the
valise and packages on the top of it, till they were piled up higher
than his head.
"That man is called a _hammal_, Miss Blanche," said Louis, who had
placed himself at her side.
"He has to carry an awful load," she replied as they followed him up
the street, which was not more than eight feet wide, and was very wet
and muddy. "There is a lady coming down the hill; at least, I take her
for one."
She was stout, and not very clean. She wore about the same trousers as
the men, with a sort of long jacket and red slippers. She was closely
veiled, and her _yashmak_ was quite thick.
"She needs a veil, for she is as homely as a hedge fence," said Louis,
laughing. "There is one who is better-looking, and her veil is not so
thick."
"What a lot of dogs!" exclaimed the young lady, as her companion shoved
one out of her path. "I should think every person in the city kept one."
"On the contrary, no one keeps a dog. They do not belong to any person,
but every one of them has to look out for himself."
A little farther along a mule was approaching with panniers on his
back, filled with cord wood. The street at this point was not more
than six feet wide, and they had to step into a doorway to avoid being
knocked down. They reached the Rue de Pera, which was wider, and looked
a little more like a street in a European city. They walked through
a portion of it, looking in at the shop windows, till they came to
Misserie's, as it is oftener called than Hotel d'Angleterre, its proper
name.
At this hotel Captain Ringgold procured the services of two guides who
were to serve the tourists for the next week, and longer if needed; and
they were to be on board of the steamer the next morning. Dimitri was
the principal one, and was a Greek; the other was a Turk, whose name
was Munif. Both of them spoke English, French, and Italian, as well as
Greek and Turkish.
"To-morrow will be Friday, and that is the Mohammedan Sunday, and
you can see the Sultan when he goes in procession to the church,"
said Dimitri. "You will need a _firman_ to visit the mosques and holy
places."
"We must certainly see the Sultan, and the procession will be a fine
sight," added Mrs. Belgrave. "But what is a _firman_?"
"It is a permit to visit the sacred places of the city, given by the
Sultan, or in his name; and it costs five hundred _piastres_, or
twenty-five dollars," replied the commander.
"Then it is very expensive to see the sights here."
"The _commissionaires_, or guides, usually make up a party of a dozen,
so that it does not cost but about two dollars apiece. Be sure and have
the _firman_ ready for to-morrow, Dimitri," said the captain as the
party left the hotel, though they halted in the street.
"But how are we to get about this city if there are no carriages?"
asked Mrs. Woolridge. "The walk I had up that narrow street, through
the mud and garbage, was quite enough for me."
"We have carriages, though it is impossible for them to go through
most of the streets; but there is a fine road at Tophana, where we see
procession," interposed Dimitri.
"Engage enough of them to seat the party," added Captain Ringgold.
"There are sedans for ladies, and saddle horses for gentleman when we
go to the Seraglio," added the guide, who hastened away to procure the
_firman_.
"There is a pedler selling grapes," said Miss Blanche, as she
discovered a Turk with a big basket at a corner.
He was dressed in full Turkish costume, and Felix insisted that he
had escaped from some circus company. The basket looked as though it
contained about two bushels of the fruit; but it was a fraud with a
partition near the top, upon which the grapes were heaped up so as to
make the greatest possible display.
"We must have some of them," added Louis; but he had no Turkish money.
Munif, the second guide, had attached himself to the party, and he soon
procured a supply of it with an English shilling, and about half a peck
of the luscious fruit was purchased. All the tourists tasted them, and
declared they were fully equal to the recommendation the captain had
given them. After a basket had been obtained it was filled, and the
guide insisted upon carrying it, apparently as an excuse for going with
the party.
But most of the travellers were tired by this time, and the older
members strolled down the hill to the landing. With the assistance of
Munif, Louis treated Miss Blanche to a variety of Turkish confects
and drinks. The sherbet of which they read in the Arabian Nights
was nothing but raspberry shrub, as it is called in New England, or
something very like it. The little cakes or rolls were strong of rancid
grease, and the young lady could not eat the candy. They concluded that
there was some delusion about things Oriental.
Miss Blanche was tired, and Louis obtained a sedan to convey her to the
little steamer, walking by its side down the narrow, filthy, and steep
street.
CHAPTER XXXVII
THE SULTAN AND THE DANCING DERVISHES
Dimitri appeared on the shore the next morning with four carriages,
"hooded phaetons" as they called them there, each of which seated three
persons. The commander, Mrs. Belgrave, and Scott went in the first
one; Mr. and Mrs. Woolridge and Morris in the second; Louis, Miss
Blanche, and Mrs. Blossom in the next, and Uncle Moses, Dr. Hawkes, and
Professor Giroud in the last. Then it was found that Felix was left
out, and he was put in with Morris in the second.
By keeping near the water room enough was found for the phaetons, for
it would have been impossible for them to ascend the hill on which
Pera is situated. They reached the broad, well-made road on which the
Sultan's palace is located. It was quite level, and different from
anything else in Constantinople. A multitude of people had collected
there, and all the nations of the earth seemed to be represented in the
throng.
The Imperial Guard of the Oriental potentate, or a portion of it, was
drawn up at the side of the street. Dr. Hawkes declared they were the
finest body of men he had seen gathered together. Of course they were
picked soldiers, rather large in stature, and of lusty _physique_.
They were clothed in complete Turkish costume, wearing the great
bagging trousers and a sort of jacket, with the fez on their heads.
The latter is worn by all the people, though there are Arabs about the
streets who are crowned with a kind of turban.
Every one of the Americans had all he could do to take in the sights to
be seen on this brilliant occasion. Promenading the avenue were quite
a number of carriages of various patterns; most of them were English,
though a few of them might have been Turkish for aught the observers
knew, the body setting on its springs, with the driver on the nigh
horse. All of them were open, and all of them contained only ladies,
closely veiled.
"But what are these ladies, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, who
was more interested than at any other time during her ten months of
travel.
"I suppose they are all the wives or the property of various pachas,"
replied the commander with a smile. "I know nothing more about them.
This building we are passing, with no windows anywhere near the ground,
is the harem of the Sultan; but none of his ladies are to be seen in
the streets."
"Do they stay in-doors all the time?" inquired the lady.
"They have grounds inside the walls. They go to the summer palace, but
in close carriages, so that no one can see them. Two of the four ladies
in that carriage are young and good-looking, but the others are old
and homely enough to bring the average down very low," said the captain.
"The younger ones are the wives of a rich pacha, and the old ones are
their duennas," said Dimitri, who was seated with the driver and could
hear all that was said.
"One of them is a beauty," added Mrs. Belgrave.
"She is indeed," said Scott. "I can see all her face almost as well as
though she did not wear the hackmatack."
"The _yashmak_," laughed the captain. "In her case the veil is the
thinnest gauze."
"The old ladies did not have gauze over their faces," replied Scott.
"The older and uglier the women are the thicker is their _yashmak_,"
added Dimitri.
Presently the survey of the promenaders was interrupted by the strains
of a band of music, which were of a wild, barbaric character, quite
different from anything they had ever heard before. A string of cavalry
then lined the avenue on both sides, leaving the middle entirely open.
No man must go in front of the Sultan, which is the rule of the road in
Turkey; and the potentate appeared riding on horseback in the middle of
the street.
Abdul-Hamid II. was about fifty years old. He wore a frock coat and
trousers in European style, but with a fez on his head. His breast was
covered with decorations and orders of honor. The trappings of his
magnificent horse were of the richest material, and were ornamented
with gold. As he approached, the Imperial Guard gave a wild and weird
yell as a salute, to which the potentate made no response even with a
nod.
The gentlemen of the party removed their caps and hats, and some of
them bowed; but his imperial majesty made no response of any kind,
though he glanced at the Americans. It was something more than a glance
which he bestowed upon the inmates of the third carriage, in which Miss
Blanche sat in her radiant beauty. The guides pointed out the four sons
of the Sultan, the oldest of whom was about twenty and the youngest
seven. He has also three daughters who do not appear in processions.
The rest of the parade consisted of pachas dressed in the most
magnificent costumes, and mounted on the finest horses. Dimitri called
many of them by name, but no one was the wiser for it. The Albanians
surpassed all the others in the elegance of their dress, and all the
ladies would have voted for them.
The Sultan and his retainers passed on to the church, and the American
party hastened to the Rue de Pera, where the monastery of the Dancing
Dervishes is located. Passing through a courtyard, they entered the
vestibule of the building. Dimitri obtained several pairs of large
slippers, which the gentlemen put on over their boots. Some smaller
ones were procured for the ladies and young gentlemen.
"What is all this for?" asked Mrs. Belgrave in a whisper.
"'Put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou
standest is holy ground,'" replied Captain Ringgold. "No one must touch
the floor of a mosque or holy place with the shoes that have been in
the dirt. Formerly no one was allowed to enter one of these places
without actually taking off the shoes; but the rule has been modified
so that overshoes may be taken off, or put on, when going into one of
them."
The apartment to which they were then conducted by the guide was in
the form of an octagon, and of considerable dimensions. The roof was
supported by columns, which also sustained a small front gallery and
a larger one on the side, latticed for women so that they could see
and hear without being seen by the audience or the celebrants. Around
the enclosure which contained the dancing-floor was a rail to keep the
spectators at a proper distance. The visitors had to squat on the floor
next to this rail on sheepskins, a very uncomfortable position for the
ladies.
The front gallery was occupied by a reader and the music. A prayer
carpet was spread on the floor opposite the door, for the sheik, or
chief, of the monastery. About twenty of the dervishes entered, one by
one or in groups, and squatted on the floor like so many tailors. They
were dressed in loose, brown robes, and looked very grave, as though it
was a religious exercise, as it really was, upon which they were about
to enter.
The sheik was a venerable old man, with a long white beard, and bowed
with age. He entered and squatted on the prayer carpet. Like all the
others, he wore a lightish brown hat, in the shape of a flower-pot
placed upside down on his head. There were boys, and men of eighty or
more, though the average age appeared to be about forty. They all had
an expression of religious enthusiasm.
The sheik repeated some passages from the Koran, and then one in
the front gallery intoned something from a book, which none of our
party could understand. After some more sentences from the sheik, the
dervishes followed a leader several times around the room, pausing at
the prayer carpet, bowing low to the sheik. Two of them crossed their
arms on their breasts, and, facing each other, bowed low. Turning on
their heels they faced two others, and went through the same ceremony;
and it was repeated till all had passed the carpet.
When the bowing was finished, the head of the line slipped off into the
centre of the room and began to whirl or waltz. He was followed by all
the others, till the whole of them were gyrating in two circles around
the circus. The music sounded like the thrumming of a banjo, with
another instrument. When the men engaged in the service had warmed up
they threw off their brown robes, and appeared in a suit of white, worn
under the other. It consisted of a jacket, and a skirt reaching nearly
to the floor.
With no cessation the whirling was kept up for half an hour. Not one of
them knocked against another, and their skirts were spread out as far
as they could be extended. They were all barefoot, and took a regular
step, and their movements were very graceful. The arms were elevated
in set positions, which were uniform with all. When the whirling was
finished, the dervishes all passed before the sheik again, the reader
intoned more sentences, and the service was finished.
"What in the world does it all mean?" asked Mrs. Belgrave when they
were in the street.
"I only know that it is a religious service, though some one told me,
when I was here last, that it was in imitation of the revolutions
of the heavenly bodies; but I cannot say that this is a correct
explanation," replied the captain.
Miss Blanche asked the same question of Louis, but he was not even as
wise as the commander.
"I could hardly keep from laughing," she added.
"Captain Ringgold cautioned us not to laugh; for it was a religious
ceremony, and should be treated with respect," replied Louis.
By this time the tourists were tired enough to return to the ship; but
the big four obtained permission to walk about the streets for a while,
Munif to go with them.
"If I were going to live here, the first thing I should do would be to
kill off a lot of these dogs," said Scott, as they walked up the Rue de
Pera.
"The Turks would kill you if you did that," added Munif.
"These dogs are the only scavengers that go about the streets," said
Louis. "They don't have any swill-tubs here, but throw everything into
the street. The dogs live on this garbage."
"They starve on it then," replied Scott. "I have not seen a
decent-looking dog among them; they are all curs."
"There's a row among them," added Morris, as a tremendous howling and
yelping was heard in the next street. "I did not suppose they had grit
enough to fight; and they are all small dogs, lank and mangy."
"There are lots of battles among them every night, more than in the
daytime. All the dogs have quarters; and when one lot invades the home
of another, looking for something to eat, the residents of the section
attack them, and a hard fight sometimes follows, as I read the other
day in Yusuf," explained Louis.
"Mind your eye, Louis!" exclaimed Felix, in a low tone, grasping his
friend on the shoulder. "Do you see that gentleman standing in front of
Misserie's Hotel?"
"I see him; but what of him?" asked Louis as all the four stopped in
the street.
"He has changed his rig; but you ought to know him," whispered Felix.
The gentleman was dressed in European costume, and appeared to be less
than thirty years old. He certainly had a very handsome face, and an
elegant jet black beard. He was looking carelessly about him, and did
not appear to notice the boys. A moment later he went into the hotel.
"I never saw him before," Louis insisted.
"Yes, you have!" exclaimed Felix. "That gentleman is Ali-Noury Pacha!"
"Nonsense, Flix!" replied Louis. "If the Fatimé had come here, we
should have seen her."
"I did not say that he came here in his steamer," added Felix.
"He has gone into the hotel. Come with me, Flix, and we will soon find
out if it is he;" and Louis led the way into the house.
They made their way to the reading-room, where the gentleman had seated
himself in an arm-chair and picked up a newspaper. Keeping out of sight
themselves, they were soon satisfied that the person was the Pacha.
CHAPTER XXXVIII
HIS HIGHNESS IN THE ORIENTAL CITY
When Louis and Felix returned to the street they found Scott and Morris
bargaining for a horse with one of the Arabs who keep them to let.
These men are found in the principal parts of the city; and when the
horse is taken, they accompany him on foot wherever he goes. With the
assistance of Munif they had made the trade, and Morris had mounted the
horse. Scott and the guide attended him.
"I think we had better go to the landing, Flix," said Louis as soon as
they came out of the hotel; and they started down the steep and filthy
street.
"Do you believe now that the gentleman is the Pacha, my darling?" asked
the Milesian.
"I have no doubt of it," replied the young millionaire. "He is dressed
like a Christian now; but there is no mistaking his face. He is the
handsomest man I ever saw in my life, not only in his figure-head, but
in his form."
"I was just going to say the same thing; and he could make his fortune
in a dime museum, with his circus clothes on, though his present dress
shows him off to the best advantage," added Felix.
"According to all accounts, he is about as bad a man as ever lived,
in spite of his masculine beauty, and he is as rich as Crœsus; a
Mohammedan millionaire. The Portuguese gentlemen at Funchal said that
he travelled all over Europe, Asia, and Africa on shore or in his
yacht, and spent his money as freely as water," continued Louis. "He is
a man of the world in the worst sense of the term."
"But how did the blackguard get here so soon?"
"We have not seen the steam-yacht in which he sails since we left
Gibraltar; but she may be in the Bosporus or Golden Horn for all that.
We stopped a day at Algiers, and the ship slowed down to the ordinary
speed of the Maud. But he could have come here by land in much less
time," Louis explained.
"Well, he is here, and it don't make much difference how he got here,"
said Felix. "But Captain Ringgold took him down so thoroughly in Gib
that I should suppose he had had enough of him."
"That may be the very reason why he is here. Whether he is dressed as
a Moor or a Christian, he has the Oriental love of vengeance in his
bones, and his millions will enable him to gratify it at any expense,"
replied Louis.
"He is a more dangerous enemy than John Scoble, _alias_ Wade
Farrongate, ever was. Do you suppose he means to follow us all over the
world to get his revenge for the upsetting the captain gave him?" asked
Felix. "He can make it lively for us, if that is his idea."
"I don't know what he means to do, and I don't much care. I only
hope the captain will not run away any more from this Mohammedan
millionaire."
When they reached the landing they found that the Maud had gone off to
the steamer; but she returned immediately, and they went on board of
her to wait for the coming of Scott and Morris. Presently the horse
appeared, leading the procession, with Scott in the saddle. They
declared that there was no fun in riding horseback at a walk, and they
had had enough of it. Munif went off to the Guardian-Mother with them,
as Dimitri had done before.
Felix and Louis had kept their own counsel in regard to the Pacha, and
the equestrian party had not heard a word about him. As soon as they
went on board of the ship they hastened to the captain's cabin, where
they found him looking over some letters he had just received. Louis
told his story; and the commander listened to it with a frown on his
face, as though it was not pleasant news.
"Of course Scott and Morris know all about this matter?" asked the
captain.
"We kept it to ourselves," replied Louis.
"That was wise; and you will oblige me by saying nothing about it to
any one. We will continue to attend to our affairs without regard to
the Pacha. To-morrow we are to make an excursion in the Maud through
the Bosporus and Golden Horn, and we shall ascertain whether or not the
Fatimé is here."
Nothing more was said about the matter on board, and the next morning
the entire party started on the excursion, the two guides attending
them. The little steamer passed through the bridge of boats, and then
coasted along the eastern shore, passing the navy-yard and several
government buildings, the commander, Louis, and Felix keeping a sharp
lookout for the Fatimé, but nothing was seen of her. After a run of
about three miles they landed at the mouth of a stream and visited the
mosque at Eyub.
"This is Eyub; the word means Job, who was an Arabian general buried
here twelve hundred years ago," said Dimitri, as the party landed. "The
_firman_ will admit us to the mosque."
On their return the Maud followed the other shore, and made another
landing at a place to which Dimitri gave a name which no one could
remember ten minutes, from which they proceeded to a Turkish cemetery,
which was full of interest to them. The sad-looking cypress grew in
great numbers on the grounds, as in the miles of burial-places in and
about the city. The most of the sail back was alongside the part of the
city called Stambool.
The excursion was continued through the Bosporus to the Black Sea; and
on the way the guides, Dimitri in the standing-room and Munif on the
forecastle, pointed out all the castles and other objects of interest.
They talked all the time, and the commander related some of his own
experience in this part of the world. The Bosporus is about seventeen
miles long. The Maud stood out a short distance into the Black Sea,
which seemed to justify its name, for the little steamer began to jump
on the billows so that the ladies soon saw enough of it.
The excursionists took a late lunch, and then proceeded to Stambool
in the Maud, landing at a point quite near the Seraglio. They visited
the Mosque of St. Sophia, or Ayia Sofia as the Turks call it. A wall,
in which are three gates, extends across the peninsula from the Sea of
Marmora to the Golden Horn. The principal one is the imperial gate,
called the Sublime Porte, which has given its name to the Turkish
government.
The party visited the Mosque of Solomon the Magnificent and of
Achmet the next day. Another day was given to the walls and the
Mosque of Sultan Bajazet. In the courtyard of the latter are immense
flocks of doves, or pigeons, or they are there as soon as the grain
is distributed. Birds and beasts fare better at the hands of the
Mohammedans than men and women who become their enemies on account of
religion or politics.
A piece of money was given to an old Turk who sat near a chest, and
he scattered a quantity of grain, precisely as the same thing is done
in the square of St. Mark at Venice. Thousands of pigeons alighted on
the pavement, and the food was soon all gone. More money was given by
various members of the party; and the birds settled two or three deep
all over the court, crowding, scrambling, and fighting for the grain.
They had their fill that day. They were very tame, and some of them
ate out of the hands of the excursionists.
On the Sundays the ship was at Constantinople the Maud visited the
shore to convey the party to church at the English embassy. Services
were always held for the whole ship's company and the passengers in the
cabin or on deck, consisting of singing, Scripture reading, prayer, and
a sermon selected and read by the commander. On the second Mohammedan
Sunday the party witnessed the services of the Howling Dervishes, which
they regarded as a very disagreeable exhibition, though it was not
prepared for them.
The Bazaar was extremely interesting to the ladies and not much less
to the others. Many purchases were made of silks, rugs, and attar of
roses, besides curious trinkets and useful articles, for all of them
had money enough. A ride in carriages was taken to the Palace of the
Sweet Waters,--the one in Europe, for there is another in Asia; but the
ideas of Oriental splendor were not realized in the buildings or the
waters. Scott declared that there were more and finer palaces on the
Hudson than on the Bosporus. There were plenty of buildings at home
that could "discount" anything they had seen in the Orient.
The party were kept very busy during the two weeks spent in
Constantinople, though the sights they saw are not fully described
in this volume.[1] By this time they began to feel that they had
seen quite enough of this phase of the Orient; and they were looking
forward with the most pleasurable anticipations to a change of scene,
especially to the islands of the Archipelago and to Greece, which were
the next regions to be visited. The Maud was regarded as an excellent
investment by Captain Ringgold and Mr. Woolridge, for she had proved
to be exceedingly convenient in visiting the sights of the city of the
Sultan.
[Footnote 1: In "Cross and Crescent," one of the author's "Young
America Abroad" series, may be found a much fuller account of the
objects of interest to be seen in Constantinople, and he is not
inclined to repeat himself to the extent required to do justice to the
subject.]
Nothing had been seen or heard of Ali-Noury Pacha till the day
before the Guardian-Mother sailed from the Golden Horn. The company
then landed for a visit to the Rue de Pera to purchase a supply of
photographs. The guides had been dismissed the day before; and they
preferred to do their shopping without any assistance, as the latter
generally implies a commission to be collected afterwards by the guide,
and is included in the price paid.
While those who were interested in obtaining souvenirs of their visit
were in the stores, Captain Ringgold and Louis wandered through the
street as far as Misserie's Hotel. They were talking about the Pacha,
as they were alone, and wondering why they had not seen him before,
since he was in the city. The commander had begun to doubt that he
was there; but Louis suggested that he had probably had enough of his
companion in Gibraltar. They were about to enter the hotel, when the
elegant gentleman presented himself before them.
He was now dressed in full Oriental costume. Probably he had come by
Vienna and the Danube, and had worn the European garments to escape
too much attention from observers. Louis expected that he would "pitch
into" the commander, and he braced himself to render him an efficient
support. He even thought he could handle the Pacha alone; for the Moor,
though five feet eight in height, was not heavier than the American
boy. But His Highness did nothing of the kind. On the contrary, he
bowed very politely, and stepped back to allow the captain to pass.
"Good-morning, Captain Ringgold," said he, extending his hand to him.
"Good-morning, sir," replied the commander; but he did not take the
offered hand.
"Good-morning, Mr. Belgrave," he continued, quite as politely.
Louis was as civil as his companion had been.
"I desire to apologize to you, Captain, for my rudeness at Gibraltar,"
continued the Pacha.
"The apology is accepted, and I have no desire that you should
humiliate yourself any further," replied the captain promptly. "But
I wish to say that my sentiments in regard to you remain the same as
before."
"Then you are not inclined to make friends with me?" added the Moor,
biting his lips with chagrin and disappointment.
"I shall treat you like a gentleman while you behave like one."
"I was extremely interested with the very agreeable party I met in
the cabin of your steamer at Mogadore, and I should be most happy to
continue the acquaintance. If you suppose that I have any sinister
motives, you are greatly mistaken."
"I have no ill-will against you, though you and your servants assaulted
me in the street."
"If you will consider that you insulted me, you will take a different
view of the subject," pleaded the Pacha.
"I simply expressed my views in plain language as they were then and as
they are to-day," added the commander very mildly.
"You compel me to regard you as an enemy instead of a friend," said
Ali-Noury, beginning to look very savage.
"That is my misfortune, but I cannot help it."
"Then you prefer my enmity?"
"I do not; but I do not tremble at even that."
"I came here on a mission in the service of my august master, the
Sultan of Morocco. I have unlimited wealth at my command, and I can be
of great assistance to you in your tour around the world," continued
the Moor, still biting his lip, and evidently controlling his anger by
a great effort.
"I shall be obliged to deprive myself and my friends of any aid you
might render," replied the captain with dignity. "If you will excuse me
now, I will attend to my own affairs."
"Then I will follow you to the ends of the earth till I obtain my
revenge!" exclaimed the Pacha, as he retreated to the interior of the
hotel; and he was plainly too wise to attack the doughty shipmaster
again.
"What can he do, Captain?" asked Louis when they resumed their walk.
"He may annoy us, and we must keep our eyes open. It looks a little
like another edition of Scoble; but I believe we shall be able to take
care of ourselves."
The party returned to the Guardian-Mother, and nothing more was seen
of the Moor; but at sunset they saw the Fatimé steaming up the Golden
Horn. Captain Ringgold had made all his preparations for leaving.
Mr. Sage had filled the ice-house with provisions, and the bunkers
of both steamers were full of coal. At daylight in the morning the
Guardian-Mother, followed by the Maud, was steaming out into the Sea of
Marmora.
The cabin party happened to be at dinner when the Pacha's yacht came
in; and she was seen only by Mr. Boulong, who was on deck while the
rest of the officers and the crew were at supper. He was requested by
the captain to keep his knowledge to himself. In the course of the
following week the Pacha began to make himself felt, though his yacht
did not appear on the scene at the time.
Into what adventures the big four tumbled while they were on board
of the Maud, and all the party saw as the voyage continued, must be
related in "The Young Navigators; or, The Foreign Cruise of the Maud."
* * * * *
ALL-OVER-THE-WORLD LIBRARY
By OLIVER OPTIC
_Illustrated, Price per Volume $1.25_
FIRST SERIES
A MISSING MILLION
OR THE ADVENTURES OF LOUIS BELGRAVE
A MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN
OR THE CRUISE OF THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER
A YOUNG KNIGHT-ERRANT
OR CRUISING IN THE WEST INDIES
STRANGE SIGHTS ABROAD
OR A VOYAGE IN EUROPEAN WATERS
SECOND SERIES
AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT
OR CRUISING IN THE ORIENT
THE YOUNG NAVIGATORS
OR THE FOREIGN CRUISE OF THE MAUD
UP AND DOWN THE NILE
OR YOUNG ADVENTURERS IN AFRICA
ASIATIC BREEZES
OR STUDENTS ON THE WING
THIRD SERIES
ACROSS INDIA
OR LIVE BOYS IN THE FAR EAST
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