Project Gutenberg's The Pirate of the Mediterranean, by W.H.G. Kingston
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Title: The Pirate of the Mediterranean
A Tale of the Sea
Author: W.H.G. Kingston
Illustrator: F.C. Tilney
Release Date: May 9, 2007 [EBook #21403]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PIRATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN ***
Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
The Pirate of the Mediterranean, a Tale of the Sea, by W.H.G. Kingston.
________________________________________________________________________
A long book--nineteen hours--full of adventure and tense situations. I
was a bit disappointed to find that the Pirate was a Greek who preyed
mostly upon Italian, Greek and Turkish vessels in the Eastern
Mediterranean, because I had hoped that Kingston would address himself
to the problem in the previous century, where Barbary and Algerine
pirates were harrying European craft, taking their passengers prisoner
as slaves, whom they used to carry out the building works of their
cities.
Nevertheless, it is another admirable book from the pen of a great
author, and I recommend it to you.
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THE PIRATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, A TALE OF THE SEA, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON.
CHAPTER ONE.
Malta, which I have selected as the opening scene of the following
story, is, from its historical recollections, its fine climate, and
brilliant skies, a very interesting spot; although, for such beauty as
its scenery possesses, it must be acknowledged that it is indebted very
much more to art than to nature. Notwithstanding, however, the noise it
has made in the world, and will, I suspect, should we ever be driven
into a war with our vivacious continental neighbour, again make, it is
but a rock some twenty miles long, and twelve broad, in the middle of
the Mediterranean, with a smaller rock, Gozo, to the north of it, and
was, probably, at one time of this planet's existence, merely a
continuation of Sicily or Italy's toe, or a lump, as it were, kicked off
into the middle of the sea. If, also, report speaks true, the very soil
which gives verdure to its valleys, and nourishes its sweet-scented
orange-groves, was imported from richer lands; yet, notwithstanding
this, a larger number of inhabitants of every religion, colour, and
costume, continue to exist on its surface, than on any similar-sized
portion of the globe. But in its capital, Valetta, with its magnificent
fortifications, and superb harbour, are centred its chief attractions,
and which have gained for it a name imperishable on the page of history
as the bulwark of Christendom, against the pagan hosts of the Saracens.
But as my tale is with the present rather than with the past, I will not
stop to describe how, when it was called Mileta, Saint Paul landed on
the island,--how the Vandals and Goths took possession of it, and were
driven out by Belisarius,--how in 1530, the Knights of Saint John of
Jerusalem, driven away from Rhodes, here settled,--how they built a
fortress which withstood the mighty army of the Turks, and how those
gallant gentlemen hurled back the infidels defeated and disgraced,--how
they at length degenerated, and its inhabitants, deceived by treachery
from within and without their gates, yielded their liberty to the great
enemy of Europe, Buonaparte, and were unmercifully ill-treated, and
pillaged,--and how, in the year 1800, with the the aid of an English
fleet and a small English army, they drove out their conquerors, and put
themselves under the protection of Great Britain.
How Mr Cameron was first Civil Commissioner, and was succeeded by Sir
Alexander Ball, a man justly endeared to the inhabitants as the sharer
of their toils and victory,--how he was followed by Sir Hildebrand
Oakes, after whom reigned, as their first Governor, for eleven years,
commencing in 1813, Sir Thomas Maitland, called by irreverent lips, King
Tom; a gallant soldier, and the terror of ill-doers, on whose decease
the Marquis of Hastings and General Ponsonby successively became chiefs.
It was during the time that one of the three last-mentioned governors
ruled the land, that the events I am about to narrate took place, and as
it is in the capital, Valetta, and its magnificent harbour, that our
scene more particularly lies, it is somewhat important that the reader
should have them described to him.
Valetta is situated on that side of the island which faces the
north-east, though towards the southern end of it. The harbour is of a
very peculiar shape, and if the reader should not happen to possess a
chart of it, he may form one by placing his left hand on the table, with
the fingers separated as widely as possible from the middle finger: then
let him bend up the third finger of his right hand, and place, widely
apart, the tips of the others over the forefinger of his left hand. The
middle finger of his left hand is Valetta, with Saint Elmo Castle on the
nail, and its palaces and ramparts running along up to the knuckles.
The space on the right is the Great Port, and on the left, Port Marsa
Musceit, or the Quarantine Harbour. The tip of the little finger of the
right hand is Port Ricasoli. On the bent-up third finger is the Bighi
Palace, now a naval hospital, built by Napoleon as a residence for
himself. The middle finger is the Burgh, with Port Saint Angelo at the
end. The fore-finger is called Isola, with the Cotonera fortifications
at the knuckle, and the thumb is denominated Carodino, where the
Palatario is situated, while the spaces between each of the fingers are
smaller harbours of great depth and security; and from Port Saint
Angelo, numerous tiers of frowning batteries completely enfilade the
entrance of the harbour--the approach to which is further defended by
Forts Saint Elmo and Ricasoli. On the opposite side of Port Marsa
Musceit, are two forts--Port Tigne at the entrance, and Fort Manuel; and
there are several indentations, but of less depth and importance than
those to the south. Besides the forts I have mentioned, the city is
protected by the Floriana lines, and several other works. Indeed, it is
said that there are sixty miles length of walls, which, in these
economical times, are allowed slowly to crumble away. If our merchants
value their trade with the East--if our rulers value our possession of
India--if our philanthropists value the civilisation of the world, and
the continuance of peace, let not Malta be neglected. To open the door
is not the way to keep out a thief.
Valetta is a place of life, bustle, and animation. The Maltese are a
busy people, given to gesticulation; and it is full of naval and
military officers, and soldiers, and sailors, who are not addicted to
quietude, especially the latter; and there are Greeks, and Moors, and
Spaniards, and Italians, and Jews innumerable, congregated there, and
priests and friars of all orders, who delight in the ringing of bells,
so that silence is little known in this city of ramparts, steps, big
guns, and churches. The streets are wide and handsome; those running
along the middle finger, as I have described, are on a level, while
those which lead up from the water are at right angles to them, and are
occasionally steep, so that, in most instances, they consist of a broad
flight of steps, the best known of which are the Nix Mangiare stairs,
leading from the chief landing-place at the Great Port to the upper part
of the town. The houses are balconied, lofty, and spacious, with
terraces on the roofs, whence, in clear weather, Etna is visible; and
where, in the cool of the evening, the inhabitants may enjoy the
refreshing breeze from the sea, and behold it, in its intense blueness,
dotted with white sails gliding in all directions over its surface. It
is full of fine churches, the towers of which rise above the flat roofs
of the palace-like houses, the whole surrounded by a broad walk, and a
fringe of ramparts bristling with cannon.
It is to that part of the fortifications facing the mouth of the Great
Port that I particularly wish to conduct the reader.
It was some four hours or so past noon when the boat of a British
man-of-war ran in alongside the landing-place at the fort of Nix
Mangiare stairs, and out of her stepped two persons, whose blue jackets,
adorned with crown-and-anchor buttons, and the patches of white cloth on
their cohars proclaimed them to belong to the exalted rank of midshipmen
in the Royal Navy. But many might envy the free joyous laugh in which
they indulged, seemingly on finding themselves on shore, and the light
elastic tread with which they sprang up the long flight of steps before
them, distancing, in a moment, several civilians and soldiers of various
ranks, who, puffing and blowing, with handkerchiefs at their foreheads,
were toiling upwards, while they arrived at the summit without even
giving way to a gasp, and as cool, apparently, as when they landed.
Their ears, as they went up, were saluted by--
"_Yah hassare, carita_--Nix mangiar these ten days, sar--Mi moder him
die plague, sar! mi fader him die too," and other pathetic cries and
similar equally veracious assertions, from numerous cripples, deformed
creatures, and children of all ages, in rags and tatters, who
endeavoured to excite their compassion by exhibiting their wounds and
scars. The two youths had time to put their hands in their pockets, and
to distribute a few pence to the wretched-looking beings on their way;
both pocket and heart, if that were possible, being made lighter
thereby. On reaching the top of the flight of stairs, without stopping
to contemplate the height they had ascended, they turned to the right,
and took the way along the ramparts towards Fort Saint Elmo. There
seemed not to have been the slightest necessity for their hurry, as they
appeared to have come on shore simply to take a walk, for they now
slackened their pace, and proceeded on side by side.
"Well, I'm so glad, Duff, that you have joined us," exclaimed the one
who appeared to be somewhat the eldest. "Who'd have thought it, when we
parted four years ago at old Railton's that we were next to meet out
here. I didn't think you would have got leave to enter the service."
"Neither did I expect to get afloat, and still less to become your
messmate, when you, lucky dog that I thought you, left school. I moped
on there for nearly another year, and then wrote to my governor and told
him that if he didn't let me go to sea I should never be fit for
anything. At last he believed that I was in earnest, and with a light
heart I turned my back upon Brook-green, and shipped on board the old
_Rodney_. But, I say, old fellow, what sort of a chap is our skipper?
He looks like a taut hand."
"There is not a better fellow afloat," was the answer. "He's none of
your milk-and-water chaps who'll let butter melt in their mouths, of
that you may be assured; but he knows what ought to be done, and what
man can do; and he makes them do it too. There's no shirking work or
being slack in stays when he carries on the duty, and there's not a
smarter ship in the service, nor a happier one either, though he won't
allow an idler on board. The fact is, my boy, both officers and men
know that no one can shirk their work, so it comes easy to all, and we
have more leave and less punishment than nearly any other vessel on the
station.
"But, I say, Jack Raby, is it true, that he makes the midshipmen do the
duty of topmen?" asked the youngest of the two.
"I believe you, my boy," answered Jack Raby. "He makes all the
youngsters lie out in the topsail-yards, and hand the canvas in fine
style, ay, and black down the rigging at times too. By Jove, he's the
fellow to make your kid-glove-wearing gentlemen dip their hands in the
tar-bucket, and keep them there, if he sees they are in any way
squeamish about it."
"By jingo, he seems to be somewhat of a Tartar," exclaimed the
midshipman called Duff, with a half-doubtful expression of countenance,
as if his new shipmate was practising on his credulity.
"Not a bit of it," was the rejoinder. "Let me tell you, that you'll
soon find that your slack captains are the worst to sail with. They let
every one do as they like till all hands begin to take liberties, and
the hard work falls on the most willing, and they then suddenly haul up,
and there is six times more flogging and desertion than in a strict
ship, and she soon becomes a regular hell afloat. I hate your
honey-mouthed, easy-going skippers, who simper out, `Please, my good
men, have the goodness to brace round the foreyard when the ship's taken
aback.' No, no--give me a man who knows how to command men. Depend on
it. Duff, you'll like Captain Fleetwood before you've sailed with him a
week, if you are worth your salt, mind you, though."
By this time they had reached an angle of the ramparts, where, jumping
up on the banquette, they could enjoy a good view up the harbour.
"There," exclaimed Raby, pointing to a fine man-of-war brig, which lay
at the mouth of the dockyard creek just off Fort Saint Angelo. "Isn't
the _Ione_ a beauty now?"
"Yes, she is, indeed; and a fine craft, I dare say, in every respect,"
answered Duff.
"Oh, there's nothing can come up to her!" exclaimed Jack Raby, warming
with his subject. "She'll sail round almost any ship in the fleet; and
I only wish, with Charlie Fleetwood to command her, and her present
crew, we could fall in with an enemy twice her size. We should thrash
him, I'd stake my existence on it, and bring him in as a prize before
long."
"Glorious!" exclaimed the other youth, catching the enthusiasm of his
companion. "It's a pity the war is over. I'm afraid there's no chance
of any fun of that sort."
"Oh, you don't know--something may come out of this row between the
Greeks and the Turks; and we, at all events, shall have some amusement
in looking after them, and cruising up the Archipelago--where I hear we
are to be sent, as soon as we are ready for sea."
Jack Raby was the speaker.
"How soon will that be?" asked his companion. "We might sail to-morrow,
I should have thought."
"Why, you see, there are more reasons than one for our not being ready,"
observed Jack. "And I suspect the skipper himself is in no hurry to get
away; for, don't you go and talk about it now, but the fact is, he has
been and fallen desperately in love with a sweetly pretty girl, who,
from what I can observe, likes him not a little in return, so he'll be
very sorry to get out of sight of her smiles; at least, I know that I
should be loath to be beyond hailing distance if I were in his place.
Let me give you a piece of advice, Duff; don't go and fall in love. It
is a very inconvenient condition for a midshipman to be in, let me tell
you."
"Not if I can help it," said Duff. "At least, till I am a lieutenant.
However, I felt rather queer about the region of the brisket the other
night, when I was dancing with that pretty little Maltese girl, with the
black eyes, and cherry lips, though we neither of us could understand a
word the other said, and I didn't know what was to come of it.
Fortunately, next morning, the sensation had gone off again, and I got
out of the scrape. But the fact is, since I grew up (the rogue was
scarcely fifteen), I have been so little on shore, that I have had no
time to lose my heart."
Jack Raby, who was a year older, and therefore considered himself a man
at all events, burst into a loud fit of laughter, in which his companion
joined him, at the absurdity of their conversation; of which, although
they had spoken in earnest, they were both somewhat conscious. "But I
say, old fellow, without any more humbug about love and such like bosh,
just look at the dear old craft! how beautifully she sits on the water--
what a graceful sheer she has--and how well her sixteen guns look run
out, like dogs from their kennels, all ready to bite. You should see
her under weigh though, and how beautiful she looks with her canvas
spread! You'd know her for a man-of-war twenty miles off by the cut of
her royals. See, what square yards she's got! and how well her masts
stand. How light she looks aloft--and yet everything that is required--
not a block too large--and yet everything works as easy as possible. On
deck, too, you'll find there's no jim-crack nonsense about her--
everything is for service, and intended to last; and yet, where there is
any brass or varnished wood, it's kept as bright and clean as can be.
There isn't a ship on the station can come up to us in reefing or
furling; and, let them say what they like in other ships, there isn't a
happier berth, or a better set of fellows to be found, on board any of
them--take my word for it, Duff."
"Well, from all you say, I haven't a doubt but that I shall like the
little _Ione_ very much," observed the other. "And, at all events, I
wouldn't mind a worse ship, for the sake of being with you. But, I say,
who is the young lady your skipper--I may now, though, call him our
skipper--has fallen in love with?"
"A Miss Garden. She is very young, and very fair, and very bright and
lively. I'm not surprised at any one's admiring her! it's much more
wonderful that everybody doesn't fall in love with her over head and
ears: for my part, though I've only seen her two or three times, I'm
ready to fight and die for her, too, if it were necessary."
"Oh, of course! that we should all be ready to do, as in duty bound, for
our skipper's wife, and much more for the lady of his love," observed
Duff; "but I want to know who she is?"
"I was going to tell you. She has no father nor mother; and her only
living relation, that I know of, is an old colonel Gauntlett, on whose
protection she is entirely thrown. He is rather a grumpy old chap, they
say--but she has no help for it; and he takes her about wherever he
goes. He has got some money--but he hates the navy, and swears she
shall never marry a sailor, or if she does he'll cut her off with a
farthing. He came out here some months ago, and has never let any one
with a blue jacket come inside his door; but, somehow or other, Captain
Fleetwood got introduced to her, and as he was in mufti, the old chap
didn't know he was in the navy, and told him he should be happy to make
his acquaintance. He did not find out his mistake for some time; and
when he did--my eyes, what a rage he was in! He did not mind it so
much, though, afterwards, as he is going away in a few days, and thought
the captain and his niece were not likely to meet again; but the
skipper, you see, is not the man to let the grass grow under his feet in
making love, more than in anything else, and in the mean time he had
managed to come it pretty strong with Miss Garden. How it will end I
can't say--I only know that our captain is the last man in the world to
yield up a lady if he loves her, and believes she loves him--he'd as
soon think of striking his flag to an enemy while he had got a shot in
the locker; so, I suppose, he'll either win over the old cove, or run
off with her, and snap his fingers at him--he doesn't care for his
money;--and, to my idea, that would be the best way to settle it."
"So I think," observed the other youngster. "I've made up my mind, when
I want to marry, if I cannot get the old one's consent, to take French
leave, and settle the matter in an offhand way. But where do you say
the grumpy colonel and his pretty niece are going to; for the captain
must look sharp after her, or he'll be carrying her away somewhere
inland, out of sight of salt water, where he can't get at her."
"No fear of that; the old dragon has too great an opinion of his own
soldiership not to fancy that he can keep guard over his ward," observed
Raby. "But we'll see if a sailor can't weather on him. Nothing I
should like so much as to help the skipper, and I only hope he may ask
me. He hasn't much time to lose, either; for we heard that the colonel
and his niece were bound shortly for Cephalonia, or one of the Ionian
Islands, where he has got an appointment. If we were ordered there
also, we might find an opportunity; but, you see, the captain won't have
the chances of meeting her without being observed, which he has here,
and a hundred to one the uncle claps half a dozen lobsters as sentries
over her, if he sees the _Ione_ come off the place."
"Then I should be for carrying her off at once, if I were the captain,
and letting the old lion growl away without her," exclaimed Duff; and
the two midshipmen walked on fully persuading themselves into the hope,
that they should be called upon to assist their captain in running away
with Miss Garden.
There were few people abroad to interrupt their conversation; for the
heat of the sun kept most of the Maltese within doors. As the Italians,
or Spaniards, I forget which, observe, none but dogs and Englishmen walk
the streets when the sun shines in summer. There were, however,
sentries on duty, and a few seamen belonging to men of war; or
merchantmen of various nations would pass by; and here and there a
cowled priest, a woman in the dark faldetta, a ragged beggar boy--or an
old gentleman in three-cornered hat, a bag-wig, riding on a donkey, with
a big red cotton umbrella over his head, would appear from one of the
neighbouring streets, as necessity called him forth.
On the two happy youths went, careless of the heat, till they reached
that part of the ramparts called the lower Barraca. It is a broad open
space directly above the water, where stands a conspicuous object from
the sea, in the form of a Grecian temple, a monument to the memory of
that excellent man, and brave officer, Sir Alexander Ball, one of Lord
Nelson's most steemed captains. As they reached the spot, they
encountered a person, who was apparently about to descend the way they
had come; he was a man of about forty years old, with a countenance
slightly weather-beaten, and hands which showed that they were no
strangers to ropes and tar, and there was an undeniable roll in his
gait, which betrayed the seaman, though his costume was that of a
denizen of the shore; he wore a long, swallow-tailed, black coat, a
round beaver hat, and a coloured waistcoat; but the wide duck trousers,
and low shoes were those of a thorough salt. Jack Raby looked at him
earnestly, and then held out his hand, which was shaken warmly by the
other.
"What, Bowse, as I live," he exclaimed; "what has brought you to Malta,
old fellow? I thought you were snugly housed at home with Mrs Bowse,
and had given up the sea altogether."
"Well, sir, so did I think too, and for a time I was comfortable enough;
but at last I began to wish to have a look at the blue water again; and
I grew sick, and then sicker, till I felt that nothing but a sniff of
the salt air would do me good. You know, sir, when I was bo'sun of the
jolly little _Dart_, your first ship, I took to learning navigation, and
was no bad hand at it. Ah! I loved that craft, and nothing but having
that windfall of a fortune would have made me leave her. Well, as I was
saying, when I wished to go to sea again, I turned in my mind that I
could not do better with my money than take a share of a merchantman,
and go master of her. No sooner said than done. Up I went to London,
where I knew a respectable shipowner. He was glad enough to favour my
wishes, for he knew he could trust me; and I soon became part owner and
master of the _Zodiac_, a fine brig, of a hundred and sixty tons. I
have made two voyages in her, and am now bound to the eastward to
Cephalonia and Zante. I sail to-morrow or next day, according to
circumstances. If you'll step up here, sir, I think you'll see her, for
we've hauled out ready for a start, as soon as my passengers come on
board."
As the master of the merchantman spoke, he advanced to a part of the
ramparts over which they could look down upon the great harbour, where,
some way below the custom-house, was seen a merchant brig, laden and
ready for sea.
"She's as fine a sea boat as ever floated, I can assure you, sir. It's
a pleasure to be her master," he continued, as he pointed with pride to
her. Every good seaman is fond of his vessel, and overlooks her faults,
whatever they may be, as a good husband does those of his wife.
"I am heartily glad of your success, Bowse, I can assure you," said the
midshipman warmly; "I owe you much; for you gave me my first lessons in
seamanship, and I shall never forget them. You must come and dine with
us to-morrow, and I shall introduce you as my friend, Captain Bowse."
"No, sir--no, pray don't do so," answered the mariner; "I've served on
board a man-of-war, and I know my place and rank better. Captains of
king's ships, if you please, sir,--but masters of merchantmen. I know
the difference between a collier and a seventy-four, I think. But I'll
dine with your mess, sir, with much pleasure, if I don't go to sea
to-morrow."
"We shall expect you, then, if we see the _Zodiac_ still in the
harbour," said Raby. "I see you've got a spy-glass there, let me take a
squint at her. You carry six guns, I observe; and I must say I like the
look of your craft."
"Very necessary, too, in the places to which we trade," answered the
master. "Those Greek chaps among the islands don't scruple to plunder
any vessels they may find unarmed, particularly in these times; but the
truth is, two of those are quakers--their look is much worse than their
bite. However, between this and Cephalonia there's no danger."
"Why, you know, if any pirates attacked you, and were caught, you'd have
the satisfaction of having them strung up by King Tom, like those chaps
yonder," said Raby. "By the bye, Duff, did you ever observe King Tom's
Rubber of Whist?"
"No," answered Duff. "What do you mean?"
"Take that glass, and look at the outer bastion of Port Ricasoli. What
do you see there?"
"Four figures, which are hanging by their necks from gibbets," answered
Duff. "What are they?"
"Those are four Englishmen,--at least, one, by the way, was a Yankee,
their master,--who turned pirates, and tried to scuttle another English
brig, and to drown the people. It's too long a story to tell you now.
But old King Tom got hold of them, and treated them as you see."
"That fellow, Delano, the Yankee master, was a terrible villain,"
observed Captain Bowse, shuddering. "It was not the first black deed of
the sort he had done, either. One doesn't know what punishment is bad
enough for such scoundrels. It's a hundredfold worse when such-like
acts are done by our countrymen, than when Greeks or Moors do them,
because one does not expect anything better from their hands. But I
see, sir, you are casting an eye at one of those strange-looking native
crafts standing in for the land with the sea breeze."
Raby had the telescope at his eye, and he was pointing it towards a sail
which was rapidly approaching the shore. So broad and lofty was the
canvass, that the hull looked like the small car of a balloon, in
comparison to it, as if just gliding over the surface of the blue and
unruffled sea.
The view both up and down the harbour, and in every direction, was very
interesting. Directly facing them was Port Ricasoli, with its tiers of
guns threatening any invader, and the black, wave-washed rocks at its
base. A little to the right, in a sort of bay between it and Port Saint
Angelo, appeared the white and elegant buildings of the Naval Hospital;
and further on, towering upwards from the water, the last-mentioned
fort, with its numerous rows of heavy guns, having behind it the
Dockyard creek, or Galley harbour, where, in the days of yore, the
far-famed galleys of the knights were drawn up, and secure from attack.
On either side were white stone walls and buttresses, glittering in the
sunshine; overhead a sky of intense blueness; and below, a mirror-like
expanse of waters, reflecting the same cerulean hue, on which floated
innumerable crafts, of all shapes, sizes, and rigs, from the proud
line-of-battle ship which had triumphantly borne the flag of England
through the battle and the breeze, to the little caique with its great
big eyes in its bow and strange-shaped stem and high outlandish stern,
filled with its swarthy, skirmish crew of vociferating natives. Among
the merchantmen, the ensigns of all nations might be seen--the stars and
stripes of Uncle Sam's freedom-loving people alongside the black
lowering eagle of Russia; the cross of the Christian Greek, and the
crescent of the infidel Turk; there was the banner of the Pope, and of
Sardinia, and of various other Italian States; but outnumbering them
all, by far, was the red flag of Britain. Far out to the eastward,
where the sky and sea formed the horizon, there was a slight,
gauze-like, whitish haze, through which could be seen the lofty canvas
of several vessels, rising, as it were, like spirits from the watery
deep, and just catching the rays of the sun declining in the opposite
direction, which gave an unusual brilliancy to their wide-spread sails.
But the craft which most attracted the attention of our friends was the
one Raby had been looking at.
He pointed her out to his brother midshipman, and handed him the
telescope.
"What do you think of her?" he asked. "She is a rum one to look at,
isn't she?"
Duff burst into a fit of laughter.
"Why, if the fellows haven't set their jib right between the long poking
yards of their foresail and mainsail," he exclaimed, "I never did see
such an odd rig as that before. What in the world is she?"
"That's what they call a speronara in these parts, sir," answered Bowse;
"but you'll see rummer rigs than that before long, when you go up the
Archipelago. You see that wide spread of canvass is made by crossing
her two latine sails, and setting their jib as a topsail between them.
They can lower that down, and haul their wind in an instant. These
sails, to my mind, are very good where light airs and smooth seas
prevail, though they would not answer in our northern latitudes; and
they require a good many more people to handle them than we could spare
for the work. They reef their canvas, not like fore-and-aft sails in
general, by the foot, but by the leach along to the yard. There's no
doubt, however, though they have an outlandish look, that they sail well
on a wind, and not badly before it, too, as we see by the craft below us
there."
Onward gracefully glided the speronara--such is the name given to the
craft which ply between Malta and Sicily with goods and passengers, and
from some port in the latter island she seemed to have come, from the
direction in which she appeared. On she came very rapidly, considering
the light breeze; she was evidently a very fast craft of her class. She
came abreast of Fort Saint Elmo, and soon after took in her outlandish
topsail, as Duff called, just before she passed close under the spot
where our friends were posted, so that they could look directly down on
her deck. She seemed to be full of men habited in the long blue caps
and striped shirt of Mediterranean mariners, with light-blue trowsers,
and a red sash round the waist. She was of considerable size, and, what
is unusual with craft of her description, she was decked fore-and-aft,
though her between-decks must have been inconveniently low. There was a
place sunk aft where stood the helmsman holding his long tiller, and on
either side were arranged, ready for use, several long sweeps; but the
wind was at present sufficient to impel the vessel along without their
aid. Thus much was seen as she ran up the harbour. She passed close to
the _Zodiac_, the mate of which, by his gestures, seemed to be speaking
to the crew, and scolding them for the risk they ran of getting foul of
her, and they then appeared to be uncertain where to bring up. At last
she crossed over to the _Ione_, and finally rounding to, took in her
foresail, and dropped her anchor off the custom-house.
The midshipmen and their companion soon got tired of looking down upon
the harbour. Captain Bowse was obliged to part from them, as he had
business to transact; and they finally agreed, as they had still a
couple of hours of daylight, to hire a couple of horses of old
Salvatore, in the Palace-square, and to take a gallop into the country,
as a preparation for a grand ball which was to take place that evening
at the Auberge de Provence, and where Raby promised Jemmy Duff he would
point him out Miss Garden. Away hurried the two happy youngsters,
without casting another thought on the speronara. I, however,
particularly wish my readers not to forget her, and also to remember the
man-of-war brig, and the merchantman, as both are destined to play a
conspicuous part in the following narrative.
CHAPTER TWO.
The speronara would, on a near inspection by a nautical eye, appear
somewhat different to the general run of vessels of her rig and build.
There was evidently the greatest attention paid to her ropes, spars, and
oars. They were of the best hemp and toughest wood; not a stranded or
even worn sheet or halyard was to be seen; every spar was sound, and her
canvas was new and strong. Her crew, or those who sent her out of port,
seemed to consider that much might depend on her speed and capability of
keeping the sea.
If, however, she was employed in carrying passengers between Sicily and
Malta, it was very natural that her owners should make her appear as
seaworthy as possible, to induce people to trust their lives and
property in her. We will suppose her still outside the port, soon after
Jack Raby and his companions first saw her. Evidently the most
important person on board was a young man of very pleasing exterior. He
was rather tall than otherwise, and though slight, possessed a breadth
of chest which gave promise of great strength and activity. His
complexion was sunburnt, if not dark by nature, and his lip, which
betokened scorn and firmness, and gave an unattractive expression to his
countenance, was shaded by a thick curling moustache. His features were
decidedly regular and handsome; and had they been otherwise, his large,
flashing, dark eye would have challenged observation. His age was
probably about two or three-and-thirty--he might have been younger--and
he was certainly a very remarkable person. Those who saw him even but
for a moment, went away fancying that they had been long acquainted with
his features. His costume at once betrayed his nation; for he wore the
red fez, the embroidered jacket and full white kilt, and richly-worked
leggings and slippers of the Greek, and the cast of his countenance made
one also conclude that he belonged to that nation. The only other
person on board dressed in the Greek costume, was evidently some years
younger, and was neither so tall nor so strongly built as his companion.
His countenance was decidedly handsome, and what would be called
aristocratic. It was very grave, and, indeed, melancholy in the
extreme; and an accurate observer of character might have divined, from
the form of his mouth and expression of his eyes, that he was sadly in
want of firmness and decision in his actions, which idea, probably,
would not have been very far from the truth. His dress, though the
materials were good, was as plain as the costume he wore would allow;
but it could not be otherwise than elegant and handsome, and it sat well
upon his graceful figure.
Those two persons were earnestly engaged in conversation with another,
who appeared to be the master of the vessel, and they were standing
leaning over the side, away from the rest of the people on board.
"Remember, now," observed the principal Greek to the master, "you are to
be ready to weigh and make sail at a moment's notice; it may be
to-night, even--it may be tomorrow or on the following day--I cannot
say, but you must be prepared."
"_Signor, si_," answered the master in a tone of deep respect. "I will
take care to obey your commands to the letter; but I am afraid there may
be some difficulty with the authorities at the custom-house. They once
suspected me of smuggling, though I was as innocent as the babe unborn,
and they may detain me."
"You know the consequences," returned the Greek, with a fierce look; "I
will listen to no excuse if anything miscarries, so look to it!"
"It is a dangerous expedition you go on, signore," observed the Sicilian
master.
"Dangerous!" exclaimed the Greek, in a tone of contempt. "Danger is the
food we live on, the air we breathe; without it life would lose half its
zest. I'll tell you what, my friend, he is but a base-born slave who
knows not how to live, and fears to die. Give me a life of activity and
excitement, and when that ceases death will be welcome."
"You, signore, are the best judge of your own taste," answered the
Sicilian; "for my part, I am content to make an honest livelihood by
trading between my native city of Syracuse and yonder good port of
Valetta, where, please the holy saints, we shall drop our anchor in the
course of ten minutes."
"And anything else by which you may turn a colonna," muttered the Greek.
The speronara continued in her course, and as she came off Fort
Ricasoli, the other person habited as a Greek, who had not hitherto
spoken, observed the four figures suspended on the southern bastion.
"Holy Virgin, what are those?" he exclaimed in Italian.
"Those, signore," answered the padrone, as the master of the speronara
was called, with particular emphasis, "are pirates."
"Pirates!" ejaculated the young man, while a shudder ran through his
frame.
"_Si, signore, pirates_," answered the padrone, with a significant look.
"They had a short life of it after they had committed the acts for
which they were condemned. They had reached Smyrna with their booty,
when they were captured by the British and brought back here."
"An awful lesson to others to be more careful how they manage affairs,"
observed the principal Greek, laughing. "Now, I dare say, if the truth
was known, those fellows blundered terribly. It's always the case when
people get into the clutches of the law."
The other Greek shuddered and turned his head aside. "It is not a
pleasant sight," he observed.
"Oh! those English are terrible fellows for punishing those engaged in
any little transaction of that sort," said the padrone. "They are good
people, though."
"They are remarkably conceited," said the Greek, twirling his
moustache--"they believe that they can make the whole world obey them;
but it is time that we should look about us. Ah! steer near that
merchant-brig there, in the mouth of the harbour, I should like to have
a look at her that I might know her again."
The man at the helm put it so much to port, that the end of one of the
long tapering yards of the speronara nearly got foul of the _Zodiac's_
fore-yard.
"What the deuce are you lubbers about, that you cannot keep yourself
clear of your neighbours?" sung out Bowse's mate, from the main rigging.
"I'll teach you better manners if I catch you at sea, that's all."
"The Englishman seems angry," said the Greek, laughing. "That brig,
though, looks as if she had a valuable cargo on board. I must learn
more about her."
Conversation was now put a stop to, in consequence of the caution
necessary for steering into a thickly-crowded harbour, and the hurry of
bringing up.
She dropped her anchor among a number of similarly-rigged craft, close
inshore, where she lay exciting little or no observation, except that a
few boatmen saw her, and were calculating their prospects of having to
transport her passengers or merchandise to the landing-place.
As soon as her sails were stowed, which was speedily done, the
health-boat came alongside, and as it appeared she had come from Sicily,
pratique was immediately given her. She was next visited by the
custom-house boat. The officer, for some reason or other, seemed to
consider that there was something suspicious about her, for he examined
her papers very minutely, and read them over more than once, but was at
last obliged to pass them as correct. The vessel next underwent a
strict search, but nothing contraband was found on board her, and at
last he took his departure, even then casting back a look of doubt at
her, as if he was not thoroughly convinced that all was right.
During these proceedings the Greek sat in the after part of the vessel,
maintaining a perfect silence, while he played with the handle of a
short poniard which he wore in his sash.
"You appear to be suspected, my friend," he observed to the master, as
soon as the officers had gone.
"So it seems, signore," he answered. "The fact is, once upon a time, I
had a few bales of goods on board, which I contrived to land without
paying the duties, and I have ever since been watched as if I were a
smuggler."
"It was clumsy in you to be discovered," observed the Greek. "In the
present instance I might find it inconvenient."
A man in a small boat, who had been paddling quietly at a little
distance from the speronara, as soon as the government officials had
left her, darted alongside.
"Ah! Signor Sandro, welcome back to Malta," he exclaimed, addressing
the master of the little vessel. "I have not seen you here for a long
time."
"Not the less welcome I hope, Manuel," said the master.
"Few are who remember their friends and pay well," said the boatman.
"How can I best serve you, signore?"
"By landing my passengers, and giving them all the information they may
require," said the master. "Hark you, Manuel--put your head nearer--my
boy's life is answerable for their safety--so, as you love me, take care
that they get into no trouble. They seek a passage to some part of
their own country on board a merchantman, and have come here to look for
one to suit them."
"I understand clearly, signor," said the boatman, significantly. "But
who are they? What is their calling, or occupation?"
"Oh! mother of Heaven, don't ask me!" answered the padrone, with a
terrified look. "They may overhear you. It is not my business to put
questions to them. It is enough that they pay well, and do not wish to
be known. Besides, they would not scruple to cut my throat if they were
offended--and most assuredly their friends would string up my poor boy,
if anything went wrong with them. Even now, look at the captain--I mean
the best dressed of the two. How he is playing with the hilt of his
dagger there. He is meditating sticking it into my ribs because I am
talking so long to you. I tell you, you must watch over their safety;
and, in the name of the saints, aid them to get away as fast as
possible--for, till they are out of the place, I shall not feel my head
secure on my shoulders."
"Oh! I understand. They are political offenders disguised as Greeks,
who do not wish their movements to be known;" said the sharp-witted
boatman, jumping at a conclusion. "I'll undertake to serve you and
them--not forgetting myself--and, I trust, that they will make it worth
my while."
"No fear of that," the padrone was saying, when the Greek's voice
summoned him aft.
"What were you saying to the boatman?" he asked in an angry tone.
"I was making arrangements with him to take you on shore, signor, and do
your bidding," was the answer.
"Well, he may land me at once," said the Greek. "Paolo, do you remain
on board till I send for you, and let not a man quit the vessel on any
excuse," he whispered. "Such provisions as they require, the boatman
can bring off for them, and I will manage to make him faithful."
The Greek, without further remarks, swung himself over the side of the
vessel and took his seat in Manuel's boat.
"Hist, Manuel," he said, in the _lingua Franca_, well understood by the
Maltese boatmen; "you are debating in your mind whether you will inform
the authorities that a suspicious character has landed on the island,
and get a reward from them, or whether you will take the chance of
pocketing what my generosity may induce me to bestow. Now, mark me, my
honest friend. In the first place, I could get you hung for a little
transaction, of which you know."
The boatman started, and looked round with a suspicious glance.
"_Que diavolo_, who can this be?" he muttered.
"In the second, remember the English do not detain a man on bare
suspicions, and but shabbily reward an informer. On the other hand,
twenty colonati are yours, if you do my bidding. I do not want an
answer--you are not a fool. Now row on shore as fast as you can."
The Greek was a judge of character; and he seemed not to be altogether
unacquainted with Manuel, the boatman. The boat ran into the public
landing-place, and he stepped on shore with an independent and fearless
air, where he mingled among the busy and motley throng who crowded the
quay. The boatman, Manuel, sat in his boat a little distance from the
shore, watching him, and ready, apparently, to obey his orders when he
should be required.
The Greek proceeded onward through the lower parts of the town, eyeing
those he passed with a quick keen glance, which seemed to read their
very thoughts. People were too much accustomed to see the varied
costumes of the East to regard him with unusual curiosity, or to
incommode him in his progress by stopping to stare at him; at the same
time that many remarked him as he slowly sauntered on and wondered
whence he had come. He seemed to have nothing more to do than to amuse
himself by viewing the city, though he had certainly not selected the
most interesting or cleanest quarter. He apparently was a stranger to
the place, by the way in which he hesitated at each crossing, which
turning he should take, till he had carefully deciphered the name on the
wall. Now he stopped to look into a shop, then to gaze up at the
windows of a house as if he expected to see some one there, and then to
throw a copper to some importunate beggar. He walked with an air of so
much independence and nonchalance, indeed, at times, almost of
haughtiness, that it was difficult to suppose he had the slightest
apprehension of danger. Not a person, however, who, passed him, escaped
his scrutiny; and even when he appeared to stop carelessly, or for the
sake of considering the way he was to take, he cast a hurried glance
behind him to satisfy himself that no one was acting the spy on his
movements. He had evidently seen enough to convince him that the
vessel, in which he had come, was in bad odour, and he naturally
concluded that her passengers would be narrowly watched. Of the crowds
who passed, not a human being seemed to know him, and if he was in
reality particularly observed, it was done so cleverly and so
cautiously, that with all his ingenuity, he failed to discover whether
such was the case or not. He had already traversed a number of
streets--ascending several flights of steps and descending others--when,
at the corner of a narrow lane, his eye fell on a squalid-looking beggar
who was lustily calling on the passers-by, in the name of all the
saints, to preserve him from starvation. A broad-brimmed hat with a
crown similar to those worn by Italian bandits, but sadly battered and
brown with age and dirt, was worn slouchingly on his head, so as almost
to hide his features, which were further concealed by a handkerchief
tied under his chin, and a black patch over one of his eyes. A tattered
cloak, the cast-off finery of a dandy of the palmy days of the old
Knights of Malta, covered his shoulders, as did, in part, his legs, a
pair of blue cloth trousers, through which his knees obtruded, and which
were fringed with torn stripes at the feet. Such of his features as
were visible were as ill-favoured as well could be. His voice, too, had
a peculiarly disagreeable tone, as in the _lingua Franca_ of the Maltese
mendicants he begged for alms.
This interesting personage was supporting himself carelessly on a pair
of crutches, while he rested on one foot, and stretched forth the palm
of his right hand to grasp whatever might be put into it. The Greek
stopped and put his hand into his pocket to draw out a piece of money,
while he did so narrowly eyeing the beggar. The man's voice changed
instantly that he saw the stranger looking at him; from a half whining
yet impudent tone, it began to sink and tremble with alarm, and finally
he became perfectly mute and forgetful of his calling.
"I thought you would know me," said the Greek. "And you must remember I
never forget those I have once seen either as friends or foes."
"No, signor, I perceive you do not," replied the beggar, trembling with
alarm. "Have mercy on me."
"That depends upon yourself," said the stranger. "At present, you
deserve no mercy at my hands; but I will now give you an opportunity of
serving me; and if you do so faithfully, I will overlook the past."
"You are very generous, signor--you always were," exclaimed the beggar,
trying to fall down and embrace his knees, which the Greek prevented.
"I will go to any part of the world. I will go through fire and water
to serve you."
"You have not to go far to perform my directions; but I want
faithfulness in the discharge of the duty I shall impose on you," said
the Greek, sternly. "And, mark me, Giacomo--if you play me false, as
you have done others, I will find you out, and finish your worthless
life with as little compunction as I would that of a rabid dog."
"_Si, signor capitan_, I very well know that you are not a man to be
trifled with," answered the beggar, bowing his head.
"Tell me what you want, and by the Holy Virgin and all the saints in
heaven I will perform the work faithfully."
"Your oath is superfluous, as you would break it for a copper-piece, so
don't insult me with it," replied the Greek, scornfully. "But, listen:
there is a certain Jew--Aaron Bannech by name--his office--his den--the
place where he cheats, and robs, and lies, is beneath the Albergo--in
the Strada. Do you hear?"
"_Si, signor, si_,--I know the place--I know the man," said the beggar,
hastily.
"You know him; it is well that you should--you are an admirable pair.
He would sell his soul for a dollar, and would then try to cheat the
devil out of it. You are a meaner knave. Half that sum would buy you.
You both are useful to me, though. Hasten to him, and tell him that I
am here. Say that he must clear out his den of visitors, clerks, or
other prying knaves, and that I will be with him in half an hour. When
you have done this, go down to the port, and learn what vessels are
about to sail, shortly, for the eastward, with all particulars about
them--their cargoes--armed force--and number of men--also what ships are
expected to arrive shortly from the same quarter. Having gleaned this
information, which you well know how to do, come up with it to the
residence of the Jew. Listen, also, if anything is said about the
_Speronara Volante_, from Syracuse, by which I arrived. Alessandro is
her master--or, if any remarks are made respecting me. I am, probably,
unnoticed; but it is as well to be cautious."
"I will strictly obey your directions, signor," said the beggar. "Have
you further orders?"
"No--you may go. I have been talking to you too long already, and may
have been observed."
"Rest assured of my fidelity," said the beggar, hobbling off up the
street on his crutches, at a far more rapid rate than he was generally
wont to move.
No sooner, however, had he got out of sight of the Greek, than he
slackened his pace.
"Now, I wonder what I should get by denouncing him to the authorities,"
he muttered to himself. "They are stingy in rewarding informers though,
and he, probably, will pay better; besides, as he says, he may get me
hung by a word; and if I get him into trouble, some of his friends are
certain to avenge him. After all, too, he would probably make his story
good, and I should not be believed. You can never catch those Greeks
asleep; their wit is so keen, and they twist, and turn, and double in
such a manner, that if they get into a scrape, they are certain of
working their way out of it. No, it won't do. I must keep to my word,
and be honest with him. Curse him! Here am I a beggar on crutches, and
a far greater rogue lords it over me as if he were a prince."
So the beggar hobbled on towards the house of the Jew to fulfil his
mission. I am afraid that there are too many people in the world like
Giacomo, the Maltese beggar, who are honest as long only as it suits
their purpose.
CHAPTER THREE.
The Greek, little dreaming of the danger to which he was exposed, or, at
all events, little fearing it, turned on his heel, and retraced his
steps for some part of the distance he had come. His air was more
buoyant and independent than before.
"So much for business," he muttered. "And now for amusement. We'll try
what this brave city can afford. Let me see, I passed a _tratoria_ or a
_caffe_ but just now; I'll look in there, and learn what is going
forward!"
He soon reached the place he spoke of; and throwing open the
folding-doors at the entrance, entered with his usual careless air, and
took his seat at a marble table, which chanced to be unoccupied. There
was a billiard-table in the room beyond, and upstairs were more secret
apartments, where games of chance were, at times, played.
The place was full of persons of all descriptions. English and Maltese,
and others of various nations. Those belonging to the army and navy,
were either of inferior rank, or were harum-scarum fellows, who cared
not at all with whom they associated. There were, also, masters and
mates of merchantmen, Frenchmen and Italians; and there was a
representative, indeed, to be found of almost all the people dwelling on
the shores of the Mediterranean, as also, of more distant nations. Some
were smoking, and others drinking; but the greater number were idling
about, laughing and talking, as if they had come there to kill time; and
when, by chance, any pause occurred, the noise of the billiard balls was
heard, and the cry of the marker from the next room. The Greek seemed
to excite less observation even here than in the street, except from two
or three of his countrymen, who were in the room, and who eyed him
narrowly. He rose and sauntered into the billiard-room, perhaps to
avoid their scrutiny, perhaps simply to amuse himself by looking on at
the game. He soon, however, returned, and ordering some coffee, he took
up a Maltese newspaper, which appeared to afford him considerable
interest.
"Ah! here we have a complete list of all the vessels about to sail from
this port," he muttered to himself. "It will serve to compare with old
Bannech's and Giacomo's account," and taking out a pocket-book he
quickly copied the list. "And let me see," he continued. "What have we
here? A ball to-night at the Auberge de Provence. By Saint Genario; it
will be a good amusement to go there. I shall pick up not a little
useful information of what is going forward in the great world, what way
the wheel is next to turn, and how those English are going to act with
regard to Greece,--whether we are to have a loan or an army to assist
us. Heaven defend us from the latter, and afford us good pickings from
the first. But, with regard to this ball. A stranger, I suppose, would
not be admitted without an introduction. They are, I know, of old, very
suspicious in this place. Well, I must make old Bannech settle that
matter also for me. He must forge some good introductions, if he cannot
procure them for me in any other way. He is well able to do so, for he
keeps his hand in at the work, and knows everybody here and elsewhere."
While he sat meditating and sipping his coffee, the three Greeks, at
another table, continued eyeing him narrowly, and, at the same time,
whispering among themselves. If he was conscious that their glances
were fixed on him, he stood the scrutiny admirably, without the
slightest change of colour, nor did his eye quail in the least. Looking
suddenly up, however, he appeared first to discover that their eyes were
turned towards him. Immediately rising, with a bland smile, he walked
up to them.
"You seem to know me, gentlemen," he observed, with a courteous tone, in
pure Romaic. "Unfortunately, I do not enjoy the same happiness. Will
you inform me where it was we met?"
"Pardon, sir, for our rudeness," answered one of the three, rather
abashed. "We mistook you for another person--we were trying to
recollect where we had seen you."
"It is not impossible that you may have met me before, if you have been
in Italy, in which country I have resided for some years; or lately in
Sicily," answered the Greek. "In the fair city of Valetta you could not
have seen me, as I only landed an hour ago from the last-mentioned
island, and in our native Greece, I have not been since the days of my
early boyhood, though I am on the very point of returning thither."
"Then, clearly, we are mistaken," replied another of the three. "We,
ourselves, arrived here only yesterday from Greece, after encountering
numerous hardships and dangers. Among others, when off the southern end
of Cerigo, our vessel was boarded by a rascally pirate, manned, too, by
our own countrymen, who robbed us of everything we possessed, which they
could carry off, and we fully believe they would have sunk the ship, and
murdered us, had not a British man-of-war hove in sight, and made them
sheer off before they had completed their work."
"I dare say they would," replied the Greek, quietly. "Such gentry, I
have heard, generally consider that the only safe plan of avoiding
detection, and the troublesome affair of a trial, and perhaps a very
disagreeable result, is to stop the mouths of those they plunder beneath
the waves, lest they should afterwards tell inconvenient tales of them.
If they thought you had escaped, they would take very good care another
time not to commit such a blunder."
"Why, it was certainly from no leniency on the part of the villains that
we were not drowned, for they had bored holes in our ship's bottom, and
thought we should have sunk at once; but, fortunately, a fresh breeze
brought up the man-of-war alongside of us before we went down, and her
people stopped the leak, and saw us safely into port."
"I regret to hear this account you give me," said the stranger, in a
sympathising tone; "though I congratulate you on your narrow escape,--I
may call it miraculous. You are far more fortunate than the generality
of people who fall into the hands of those gentry, I should think. I
was in hopes that our countrymen, since the commencement of the glorious
struggle to throw off the foul Turkish yoke, had abandoned all their
malpractices, and had joined heart and hand in the great cause against
the common enemy. I, too, am personally interested; as I am about to
embark on board some merchant vessel for the East and may fare as badly
as you have done, if not worse. Do you know any particulars of the
pirate who attacked you? I should like to learn all about him, that we
may, if possible, avoid the vessel if we see her at a distance."
"It was dark when she boarded us, so that we had not an opportunity of
scrutinising her near," answered the person addressed, who was
evidently, by his costume and appearance, a Greek merchant, and, as it
afterwards appeared, the two younger men with him were his sons. "Our
misfortune happened in this way. We sailed, you must know, on board a
Neapolitan brigantine from Athens, bound to Syracuse. The first part of
our voyage was performed in safety; but when some ten miles or so to the
south of Cerigo, we lay becalmed the whole day. Our captain and the
mariners set to work to pray to those accursed little images they call
their saints, for a breeze; and, at last, it came; but to prove what
sort of characters their saints are, at the same time appeared in the
north east, a large polacca brig, of a very rakish look, stealing round
the east end of the island. The stranger brought the wind up with her,
and, as she neared us, the captain, who had been eyeing her earnestly,
grew into a state of great trepidation, and began to pray harder than
ever; but this time his saints would not listen to him. He wrung his
hands, and beat his breast, and said that the stranger had a very
suspicious look, and that he did not like it at all. After stamping on
the deck, and weeping, and tearing his hair for some time, in which he
was imitated by most of his crew, he bethought himself of getting more
sail on his craft, and of trying to escape from the enemy, if enemy she
were. A wild boar might as well try to outstrip the fleet hunter. The
stranger came up with us hand over hand; our only hope of getting away
from him was in the coming darkness. At last the seamen managed to set
all the sail the vessel could carry, and, with the wind right aft, we
began to glide through the water. On, however, came the stranger after
us; if we wished to get away, he did not intend that we should do so,
and all of a sudden he yawed to port, and let fly a bow chaser right at
us; the shot did not hit us, but it frightened our captain excessively--
for it flew directly over our heads. I verily believe, if we had not
stopped him, he would have let fly everything, and waited patiently to
be robbed and murdered. We caught hold of him, and urged him to be
calm, and that we might yet have a chance of escaping. The breeze
freshened, and we held on, and, though the stranger still continued to
overhaul us, he did not come up so fast as at first. Every instant,
too, it was growing dark; and as there was no moon shining, we hoped, by
hauling our wind, to slip away from him, if we could contrive to run on
without being hit till darkness had completely set in. He, however,
seemed in a hurry, and again yawing, let fly another shot at us; though
his gunnery was not particularly good--for he again missed us--it had
the effect of setting the Neapolitan master and his crew dancing like
madmen; they leaped and jumped, and twisted and turned, and tore their
hair, and prayed and swore, all in the same breath. They prayed for
themselves, and swore at their enemies, and at their own hard fate
should they be taken; for they all had a venture on board, I believe.
Though two shots had missed, it was not to be expected that all should
have such ill-luck, and accordingly, when the brig yawed a third time
and fired, down came our fore-topsail by the run. If the crew had been
in a fright before, when they were not hit, it must be supposed that
they were now in a complete paroxysm of terror; their first impulse was
to let fly all the tacks and sheets, and to jam down the helm, so as to
let the vessel fly up into the wind; their next was to rush below to put
on their best clothes, and the very little money they had in their
pockets, and then to fall to again at praying and beating their breasts.
Cowardly fools that they were; had they held on like men, as matters
turned out, we should have escaped being plundered at all. In ten
minutes after the last shot had created such confusion on board, a boat
pulled alongside, and a dozen fellows in Greek dresses jumped over the
bulwarks down upon our decks. We three, my sons and I, sat aft as
dignified as Turks, and as all the crew were below, there was not the
slightest show of resistance. Our countrymen--for such I am sorry to
say they were--seemed inclined to be civil to us, but vowed they would
punish the Neapolitans for making them expend the three shots, and they
forthwith began plundering the vessel; and hauling out the master from
his berth, into which he had crept, they made him point out whatever was
most valuable on board--brightening his wits up every now and then with
a rope's end. How the poor fellow did howl! but he deserved it; for he
was an arrant coward. The leader of the pirates who boarded us was a
very polite young man: he told us, that he should be sorry to be under
the necessity of cutting our throats, or of otherwise sending us out of
the world; but that he was afraid he should be compelled to do so,
except we would consent to come on board his vessel, where he would make
us take the vow of secrecy, and re-land us in Greece. He told us that
he was in earnest, and would give us till the last moment to consider on
the subject before he quitted the vessel. By this we concluded that he
intended to murder all hands in cold blood, or to sink the brigantine.
It is very extraordinary, and I hope that you will pardon me the remark,
but he bore a very striking resemblance to you, except that he looked
younger, and it was this circumstance that first attracted our attention
to you."
The Greek stranger who had been standing against the wall, with his arms
folded and his legs crossed in an easy attitude during this narrative,
at different parts indulging in a slight smile, now laughed outright.
"An extraordinary coincidence as you say, my friend, though I confess
that I would rather not bear so striking a resemblance to the cut-throat
gentleman you describe. The consequences at times might be unpleasant;
and I trust that no relative of mine--no younger brother nor cousin, has
turned his hand to so disreputable an occupation. Men of the first
families, it is true, have become pirates, especially in these
disordered times; but they usually make war only against their natural
enemies, the Turks or Moors. I cannot solve the mystery; however, I am
very interested in your tale--pray go on with it."
"Before I say another word, I must entreat your pardon for the remark I
just made," said the Greek merchant; "I was compelled to do so to
account for our apparent rudeness."
"Oh, certainly, my friend," said the stranger, "I pardon you with all my
heart. Nothing was more natural--only I must beg that you will not
repeat the observation to any one else. The consequences you know might
be unpleasant, as it might create disagreeable suspicions in men's minds
as to the rectitude of my character; but pray continue your tale."
It must be remembered that although there were numbers of people within
earshot, as this conversation was carried on in the Romaic, none of them
understood it, which was, perhaps, fortunate for our stranger friend, as
it would certainly have drawn their attention towards him; and if a man
happens to be unknown in a place, the slightest shade of suspicion
thrown on him, is sufficient to blacken his character to the darkest
tint.
The Greek rubbed his red cap off and on his head two or three times to
brighten his recollection, and then continued--
"While the pirates were ransacking below, their vessel ran alongside,
and our decks were soon crowded with a cut-throat set of fellows, who
speedily joined their comrades in the work of plunder, and in
transporting everything they considered of value to their own ship. It
is extraordinary with what rapidity bales and packages were handed out
of one vessel into the other. The rascals must have been well
accustomed to the work. Everything was done with the greatest
regularity; their young leader directing all their movements. It did
not take them a quarter of the time to unload that it had taken to load
the vessel. Such discrimination, too, as the villains showed in
selecting the most valuable merchandise.
"In the midst of the work, however, a cry was raised that a strange sail
was in sight, right to windward, bearing down on us. With all their
avidity for booty, the fellows had kept their eyes about them in the
dark. Their leader sprang on board his own vessel to have a clearer
view. He was convinced that the strange vessel was an enemy to him at
all events, though a friend to us; and calm and collected as if he was
enjoying a game of play, he issued his orders. The first was to tell
his people to quit the brigantine, and to make sail on the brig. The
second, part of which I heard, made my heart sink within me, and my
blood run cold. He did not seem to think it had reached our ears,--
indeed, I believe he had forgotten all about us; the words were--
"`Sink her--drown the people. No help for it--patience; we should
otherwise be suspected.'
"Directly afterwards, several men with carpenters' instruments for
boring holes, went below, and quickly returning, knocked our boat to
pieces, and jumped on board their own vessel. As soon as all the
pirates had quitted us, the brig sheered off. Just as she did so, I
heard some one exclaim--
"`Our countrymen, our dear compatriots, where are they? We have
forgotten them.' However, I don't think their regret for us could have
been very great, for the next moment they fired a broadside slap into
our hull, between wind and water, to try to make us sink the faster;
and, making all sail, stood away from us as fast as a rattling breeze
would carry them. Two of the crew had been knocked on the head by the
pirates, and their broadside killed two more. The master and the
survivors were utterly incapacitated from helping themselves; so we
three Greeks, with the black cook, feeling some wish to preserve our
lives, rigged the pumps which had escaped destruction, and set to work
to keep the water from gaining enough on her to send us to the bottom.
This we found we could easily do; and the cook, going below, was able to
plug several of the holes, which had been very imperfectly bored. Some
of the crew, also, at last recovered their senses and assisted us in our
labours; so that we continued to keep the craft afloat till the vessel,
which had frightened away the pirates, came up to us. She proved to be
the British brig-of-war, the _Cockroach_, and a boat immediately came on
board to learn what all the firing was about. Our condition proved the
truth of our story; and we entreated the officer who boarded us not to
desert us, as the sacrifice of our lives would have been the inevitable
consequence; whereas, the improbabilities of his catching the pirate
were very great. The British are a very humane people, I will say that
for them; and the captain of the brig accordingly sent two boats' crews
on board us, with the carpenter and his crew, and they plugged the
holes, and thrummed a sail, and got it under our bottom. Some manned
the pumps, to which they quickly drove the Neapolitans with a rope's
end; and next morning we made sail for Zante, which we reached in
safety, escorted by our preservers, who immediately afterwards started
again in search of the pirate."
"Did they fall in with him, do you know?" asked the Greek, carelessly.
"Can you catch a sunbeam?" said the first speaker. "She must be a fast
craft to come up with him. They say nothing can catch him."
"What, then, you learnt who your friend was?" said the stranger.
"Oh, yes! we heard a good deal about him in Zante. He is the very
terror of all honest, quiet-going traders in those parts."
"And who is this formidable, light-heeled gentleman, may I ask?" said
the stranger.
"No other than that daring devil, Zappa," said the merchant. "You have
heard of him, doubtless?"
"I think I have somewhere heard his name mentioned," said the stranger.
"But has he already established so terrific a name for himself? You
described him as very young."
"Ay, but old in crime. A man who murders all his captives, and sinks
every ship he plunders, soon gets his name up in the world. It is one
of the various methods to gain notoriety. Each man to his taste."
"You are right, my friend," said the stranger, stretching out his arms
and yawning; "there are many methods by which a man may gain an elevated
position; and your friend, Signor Zappa, as you call him, seems to have
chosen a very certain one, at least, if he falls into the hands of the
governor of this island; who, judging from the specimens I saw hanging
up at the entrance of the port, treats such gentry with no slight
distinction, by placing them in the most conspicuous posts within his
jurisdiction."
"You joke merrily on the subject; but it is no laughing matter to those
who have been robbed and nearly murdered," said the Greek merchant. "I
only wish I could get the villains in my power, I would hang them all
without mercy, as high as Haman."
"I dare say you do," said the stranger, smiling. "Such is but a natural
impulse. Yet, as I have not suffered, I cannot enter quite so warmly
into your feelings. However, I am grateful to you for your account; and
I shall take very good care to keep out of the way of your friend Zappa.
May I ask, by the way, the appearance and name of the vessel commanded
by this renowned cut-throat?"
"Certainly," said the merchant, "though, as I said, it was nearly dark
when he boarded us; but I should describe her as a rakish polacca brig,
of about two hundred and fifty tons burden; and from what we learnt
afterwards, we discovered that she must be the celebrated _Sea Hawk_.
It is said that she is so fleet that nothing could ever catch her, and
that she comes up with everything she chases; so that, my friend, you
may not avoid her quite so easily as you may wish."
"It is something to know what she is like; and, if we cannot run from
her, we must fight her," returned the stranger. "However, before we
part, let me assure you that I shall be most happy to be of any service
to you in my power. When do you again sail from hence?"
"In a few days our mission here will be concluded. We then return to
our beloved Greece," replied the merchant.
"What! and run the risk of being chased by the _Sea Hawk_, and of
falling into the hands of that rogue, Zappa!" exclaimed the stranger.
"However, as, by the law of chances, you could scarcely encounter him
twice, I should much like to accompany you, for I should then consider
myself safe from him. By what vessel do you go?"
"A Venetian merchant schooner, the _Floriana_. She sails hence in four
days; and, as she has a rich cargo, she is well-armed and has plenty of
men--so we need not fear Zappa or any other pirate."
"Just as I should wish. I will look out for her, depend on it,"
exclaimed the stranger, quickly. "But I must, for the present, wish you
farewell, gentlemen. I have an appointment, and I have already
overstayed my time."
Saying this, the stranger bowed to his new acquaintance; and throwing
down his reckoning with a haughty air, quitted the coffee-house.
"He seems an honestly fair spoken gentleman," said one of the young
Greeks to his father. "He will be a great addition to our society on
board."
"I am not quite so certain of that," replied the more sagacious
merchant. "Fair spoken he is without doubt; but for honesty, why you
know the safe rule is to look upon all men as knaves till you find them
otherwise. Therefore, my sons, never consider a stranger honest, or you
may discover, when too late, that he is a rogue. Now, though it is
doubtless fancy, I cannot help thinking that our friend there bears a
very striking resemblance to the pirate Zappa."
CHAPTER FOUR.
There is an old saying, that, "Give a dog a bad name, it is sure to
stick by him." On this account I suppose it is that Jews are always
considered rogues. I am very far from saying that they really are so
invariably, or even generally. On the contrary, I believe that there
are a great number of very honest, generous, kind-hearted, hard-working
people among them in all countries where they enjoy the privileges of
free men.
That, in those times and countries where they have been treated as worse
than slaves, despised, insulted, and robbed on every occasion, they
should have become, what they are often described as being, is not only
not surprising, but is according to the laws which govern mankind.
Tyranny and wrong, invariably make the people, who submit to them, grow
mean, treacherous, and false. Cut off from all honourable pursuits,
they have recourse to such as are within their power; and thus the Jews,
who were unable to hold even land in their possession, became the
money-makers; and, consequently, moneylenders of the world--and, as they
were frequently pillaged and deprived by extortion of their wealth, they
naturally endeavoured to regain, by every means left to them, that of
which they had been robbed.
Now, though there are many Jews whose upright conduct is sufficient to
retrieve the characters of their whole people, such cannot be said for
the old Maltese Jew, Aaron Bannech. He was a rogue ingrain. To lie,
cheat, and rob, where he could do so without risk of detection, was his
occupation and delight. Lying, cheating, and robbery, were in him a
second nature. He considered them not only lawful, but praiseworthy
employments. He could not help lying and cheating if he tried. By so
doing, he had heaped up hoards of wealth--he had raised himself from
abject penury, and how could he be expected to persuade his conscience,
or what stood him in place of one, that he had not been acting rightly.
True his gold was of no real use to him--he had no one to enjoy it with
him--he had no relative to whom he could leave it. Some might say that
it would serve to repurchase Judea for his people; but he cared no more
for Judea than he did for Home. He would not have parted with a
sixpence to rebuild Jerusalem, unless he could have got a very large
interest for his money--indeed he would probably have required very
sufficient security, before he would have consented to part with it.
His appearance was far from peculiar or striking as he sat in a dingy
underground den, which he appeared to have burrowed out for himself
beneath the groaning walls of one of the old mansions of Valetta. He
had sharp, ferrety eyes, a hooked nose, and a long, dirty, grey beard;
indeed, no difference could be discerned between him and his countrymen
employed in selling old clothes in London. He wore a brown cap on his
head, anila, long serge overcoat, the colour of which it was impossible
to determine; and a pair of slippers, which had once been yellow, but
were now stained with many a varied tinge. The chamber in which he sat
was fitted up with a desk, and a table covered with packages of papers
and account-books, two high stools, and three or four rickety chairs.
He was by himself, waiting in expectation of the arrival of the Greek.
The time appointed had already passed, and he was beginning to think
that some accident must have occurred to his acquaintance. Ten minutes
more elapsed--his suspicions increased.
"Can the myrmidons of the law have got hold of him?" he muttered. "That
rascal Giacomo--he may have informed, and will receive the reward which
ought to be mine. If I dared, I would secure the prize at once--but
then, I suspect, before long, the amount will be increased. Yes, it
must be. The fruit is not yet ripe for plucking."
He stopped, either to chuckle at his own wit, or to calculate the sum he
might expect for betraying the man who trusted him. His virtuous
meditations were interrupted by the entrance of the Greek. His manner
was as free and joyous as ever. He addressed the Jew in Italian, with a
remarkably pure accent.
"Ah! my dear correspondent--my noble friend--my prince of money-lenders,
how fares it with you? Still at the old trade of coining gold, eh?
Well, we must all live either by fraud or force; cunning or strength are
the weapons put by nature into our hands. To some she gives one; to
others the latter: nature is most impartial. To the lion she gives
claws and teeth; to the horse his hoofs and fleetness. To a woman,
beauty and softness; to a man, strength and courage. She intends all
these attributes to be employed. So, friend Bannech, you live by fraud,
and I by force. Is it not so?"
"I cannot dispute the correctness of your assertion: for, to say the
truth, you have spoken so rapidly, that my poor comprehension could not
follow you, noble signor," said the Jew, bending low, and placing a
chair for his visitor. "But may I inquire what thus unexpectedly brings
you to Malta?"
"Pleasure, Bannech--pleasure, and, perhaps, the hopes of a little
profit," said the Greek, laughing. "Now, though I may not just yet tell
you what brings me to Malta, I will tell you a little more of my history
than you are at present acquainted with. Know, then, most worthy Jew,
that I am, by name, Argiri Caramitzo, a patriot Greek chief, or prince,
call me, of Graditza. That I have been educated in Italy--that years
have passed since I set foot in my native land--and that I am now
hastening thither to join in the noble struggle to emancipate Greece
from the thraldom of the infidel Turk. I have travelled from that city
of learning and piety, Pisa, to Naples, thence to Syracuse; and from
that ancient city, I have crossed the sea hither. All this you must
remember, Bannech, should you be questioned."
"I will not forget it, most noble prince," said the Jew, bending his
head. "I like the story much. It has a probability about it which
cannot fail to make it be believed--an essential point too frequently
overlooked by bunglers in lying."
"I am glad you like it," observed the Greek, or prince--as we may now
call him. He took no notice of the last, not very flattering,
observation of the Jew. "But now, Bannech, I wish to know what vessels
are sailing hence for Greece, as I desire, you must remember, to secure
a passage by one of them."
The Jew looked at him for a moment, doubting whether he was in earnest.
"Oh, I understand," he said at length. "Why, there are several sailing
in the course of a few days, but the one which will best suit your
purpose quits the harbour to-morrow. She carries passengers--one of
whom an English colonel is said to be rich, so he will doubtless have a
store of gold on board. He has a daughter or niece with him, who is
reported handsome. If she was, by chance, to fall into the hands of
such gentry, as we wot of, she would gain them a large amount for her
ransom. The vessel I speak of is the _Zodiac_, John Bowse, master."
"I passed her as we entered the harbour," remarked the Greek. "I will
go on board this very evening. But I wish to know more about her
passengers. Could not they be induced to carry a large amount of gold
with them? It would be very convenient. Tell me, how can I become
acquainted with them?"
The Jew shook his head.
"I do not know how it can be managed. These English people, with their
proud manners, do not like making the acquaintance of foreigners of
whose history they are ignorant."
"Do not tell me that it cannot be done," exclaimed the Greek
impatiently. "I tell you, signor, that you must find means of doing it.
Surely a Greek prince would not be refused admittance into the best
society of an insignificant island dependency like this."
"There are a great many arrant rogues bearing that title," said the Jew,
his eyes twinkling as he spoke. "And among the English here the rank
alone does not bear much weight. You should have letters of
introduction, and how they are to be procured, I cannot say."
"How they are to be procured! Why, forge them to be sure, my friend,"
exclaimed the Greek. "Nothing is so easy. Come, come, you are well
accustomed to the work, I know."
"Oh, father Abraham, suppose I was to be discovered!" ejaculated the
Jew. "My credit would be gone, and I should be completely ruined and
undone."
"Oh, no fear of that, while your wits are as keen as at present," said
the Greek. "Come, has not the colonel some acquaintance or other in
Italy, who would be likely to introduce a distinguished foreigner, his
friend, visiting the island, or do you know of some other person to whom
a letter of introduction might be addressed?"
The Jew meditated for some time, and if with any other sensation than
that of grasping avarice, and all its accompanying hopes and fears, it
was with that of admiration for the Greek's daring and versatility of
talent. He was thinking of the value of which they might be to himself.
"I have it," he exclaimed. "There is a client of mine, a young
spendthrift, who has lived much in Italy, and many of whose acquaintance
I know. Stay, I have a letter by me from his friend the Count
Montebello of Florence. He shall be your introducer. Do you know him?"
"I know nothing of him," said the Greek, "make me a friend of his
friend. It will be safer and will be sufficient."
"Excellent, excellent," exclaimed the Jew, chuckling at the thoughts of
the fraud. "You should have been bred a lawyer instead of a sailor,
prince. Now, remember, this client of mine is acquainted with Colonel
Gauntlett, and is, indeed, a suitor of his niece's, for the sake of the
money he expects she will receive from her uncle. You will know how to
talk to him."
"Admirable! My plan must prosper. There is a ball, too, I understand
to-night, at which I suppose all the principal people in the place will
be present, and among them, the colonel, his niece, and my new friend.
I must be prepared for the occasion; so, friend Bannech, send for the
best tailor in the place forthwith; for it will never do to appear in
this barbarian costume."
The Greek having thus fully concocted his plan, overruled all the
objections thrown out by the Jew, and, as he was a man of action, he
insisted on a tailor being instantly sent for. In ten minutes
afterwards the well-known artist Paolo Muhajiar made his appearance,
and, though he was somewhat astounded at the shortness of the time
allowed him to rig the Greek stranger in a suit of mufti, a show of some
broad gold pieces overcame all difficulties, and he promised to set
every hand at his establishment on to the work.
Little did the honest Paolo dream, as with a profound bow, he gathered
up his measures and patterns, and took his departure, who was the
distinguished foreigner for whom he was about to labour. The Greek
desiring the Jew to detain the beggar Giacomo till his return, with a
triumphant look soon after set out to inspect the good brig the
_Zodiac_.
Argiri Caramitzo was a man who hated inactivity; he was never happy
except he was in motion, and never contented unless he had a prospect of
change before him. Born in England, he would have been a universal
philanthropist or a radical reformer, or an inventor of patent machines,
or, in late days, a railroad projector; he would have employed his time
in haranguing popular assemblies on the rights of man, and the freedom
of religion, and he would have been a loud advocate of the cause of the
Poles, and Greeks, and Hungarians; but, as he happened to have been born
in Greece, he cared not a jot for the Greeks, and employed his talents,
sharpened by use, in making a fortune in the way most clearly open to
him, and most suited to his taste.
He now hurried down to the quay, off which he saw Manuel at his post,
waiting for his return. He beckoned him to approach, and, taking his
seat, ordered him to pull alongside the English brig the _Zodiac_; he
soon stood on her deck, to the no small astonishment of Captain Bowse,
who had just before got on board. It may be supposed that they would
have had no little difficulty in understanding each other; but there is
a _lingua Franca_ used in the Mediterranean, which all mariners, who
traverse that sea, very quickly pick up; and, what with that and the aid
of signs, they made themselves tolerably intelligible to each other; at
all events the Greek learned all he wished to know; even before he had
spoken, his quick glance had made him acquainted with the armament of
the vessel, and her probable seaworthy qualities. His foot, too, as he
walked aft, happened to strike one of the carronades, the look of which
he considered suspicious, and he smiled as he found that it was of wood.
He soon made known his object in visiting the ship; he was looking out
for a passage to Greece by some vessel shortly to sail thither, and, as
the appearance of the _Zodiac_ pleased him, he should like to engage a
cabin on board her.
"Cannot, though, receive you on board, sir; sorry for it: but all my
accommodation is taken up by an English colonel and his family, and he
would not allow anybody else on board, even if it was the Pope himself,"
answered Captain Bowse.
"But I am not at all particular as to the sort of accommodation you can
find for me," urged the Greek. "I have been at sea before, and can
rough it as well as any of you mariners."
"No matter, Mr Prince; the colonel would not allow any stranger on
board, so, with all the will in the world to serve you, I cannot do it."
"But suppose the colonel should not object, would you then receive me?"
asked the stranger.
"That would alter the case, sir, and we would rig you up the best berth
we could manage," answered Captain Bowse.
"So far, so good," said the Greek. "About the passage-money we shall
not disagree; but tell me of what does your cargo consist? I have the
greatest horror of sleeping over gunpowder, or anything likely to
explode."
"Oh, we have no gunpowder except a few charges for our guns there; but
we have some cases of muskets consigned to a merchant at Cephalonia, and
which will, I suspect, soon find their way over to your friends on the
main; and we have besides an assortment of hard goods, and of silks and
clothes, and cottons, and such things, indeed, as would only be shipped
in a sound ship--high up in Lloyd's list, let me tell you, sir. There
isn't a finer craft out of London than the _Zodiac_, and none but a good
ship would have weathered the gale we fell in with t'other day, though,
as it was, we met with a little damage, which made us put in here to
repair."
"I have no doubt of the _Zodiac's_ good qualities, and I hope that I may
yet have the satisfaction of proving them," said the Greek, as he
stepped over the side. "Adieu, captain; a prosperous voyage whether I
sail with you or not."
CHAPTER FIVE.
A grand ball was taking place at the Auberge de Provence, in the Strada
Reale, at Valetta. All the rank and fashion of the city were assembled.
They consisted of the naval, military, and civil officers of the crown
stationed there, their wives and daughters; a few English visitors
attracted to the island to recruit their health, or to indulge their
curiosity; and some foreigners, illustrious and otherwise, who had come
there chiefly on the latter account; though a small portion might have
been travelling diplomatists or scientific _savants_. Few ball-rooms
could display a larger number of glittering uniforms, both naval,
military, and consular; and there was a very fair proportion of beauty
among the younger ladies, and diamonds among the dowagers. The soldiers
certainly took the lead. They consider that possession is nine parts of
the law; and thus as they live in the island, while their naval brethren
are merely visitors, they could not help feeling their superiority.
Captains of line-of-battle ships and frigates are, of course, however,
held in high consideration by the fair sex; but midshipmen were sadly at
a discount; and even lieutenants, unless they happened to have handles
to their names, or uncles in the ministry, were very little thought of.
Such was the case at the time of which I write. I suspect very little
alteration has, since then, taken place.
So our two young friends, Jack Raby and Jemmy Duff, seemed to feel as
they sauntered into the ball-room, and cast their eyes round in a
somewhat unusually bashful manner, in search of any young lady who would
deign to bestow a bow on them, and accept them as partners. At last,
Jemmy Duff exchanged a nod and a smile with the little Maltese girl who
had before attracted him, and he was soon, according to his own fashion,
engaged in making desperate love to her, evidently as much to her
amusement as to his satisfaction. Poor Raby stood looking on, and could
scarcely help feeling jealous at his friend's good fortune; for not a
single lady did he know in the room, when a hand was placed on his
shoulder. He looked up, and a bright smile irradiated his countenance
as he saw who it was.
"What, Raby, don't you intend to show some of these fair ladies how well
the _Ione_ lads can kick their heels?"
The speaker was a young, intelligent-looking man, with a complexion
which would have been fair, had it not been sunburnt, with thick, light,
curling hair. He was strongly but gracefully made, of the ordinary
height, and would have been by every one considered good looking; his
forehead and mouth were decidedly handsome, the latter expressing great
firmness, at the same time a great amiability of disposition. His dress
was that of a commander in the navy.
"I can't get a partner, sir," answered the midshipman; "I don't know a
lady in the room."
"Oh! we will soon find you one. I must not have my boys thought to be
misanthropic."
"Captain Fleetwood," said a lady near, "can you introduce a partner to
my niece?"
"Oh, certainly," answered the officer, seizing Jack Raby by the arm,
"allow me to introduce Mr Raby, of her Majesty's brig _Ione_, who will
be happy to dance the next quadrille with you."
The young lady to whom he spoke, smiled, and said she should be very
happy; but the aunt made a wry face, and observed that she intended to
have asked him to introduce his friend, Major White of the --.
"I hope my young friend, Raby, will do as well. He is a nephew of Lord
--," observed Captain Fleetwood, in a slightly satirical tone. "I will
bring up White, in tow, to your ladyship, as soon as I can sight him."
Captain Fleetwood was always more thoroughly nautical in his mode of
expression at Malta than in any other place.
"Oh, certainly, I am most happy to know any of your officers, especially
a nephew of Lord --, whose brother is a great friend of my husband's
cousin."
Captain Fleetwood might have made a rejoinder; but at that moment his
eye glanced towards the door, at which was entering a stout, oldish
gentleman, in plain clothes, and hanging on his arm, a fair, young, and
very pretty and interesting girl. He instantly hurried forward, and
claimed her hand for the next dance, which, with one of the sweetest
possible smiles, she promised to give him, while the old gentleman,
though he nodded to him, evidently regarded him with far from amiable
feelings.
The young officer, however, who appeared accustomed to the old man's
surly looks, and indifferent to them, remained by her side, and engaged
her in an animated conversation. At last her companion lost all
patience, and tugging at her arm, he exclaimed--
"Come along, Ada, we must look for a seat somewhere till the dancing
begins, for I cannot undertake to stand on my legs all night. Captain
Fleetwood, you will find Miss Garden at the farther end of the room,
probably, when you wish to claim her hand for the next quadrille; but as
she is soon to commence a long sea voyage, I cannot allow her to fatigue
herself by dancing much this evening."
Colonel Gauntlett, for the speaker was the uncle of Ada Garden, said
this in a grave, cold tone, sufficient to freeze the heart of any
ordinary lover; and, pressing his niece's arm as if to prevent her from
escaping, he dragged her through the crowd towards a seat which he found
vacant.
"Ada," said the colonel, as he walked on, "I will not have you intimate
with any of those sea officers. I cannot bear them, from the highest to
the lowest. One of them had the impertinence to interfere between me
and a lady to whom I was paying my addresses. By Jove, miss, he carried
her off before my eyes. I have hated them ever since, with their
easy-going, devil-me-care ways."
"But surely, uncle, you would not make all suffer for the fault of one;
and I suppose your rival loved the lady," urged Ada.
"Love her, I suppose he did love her; but he had no business to do so, I
tell you. I already looked upon her as my wife!" exclaimed the colonel,
stamping down his stick vehemently on the floor, and speaking so loud
that several people must have heard him.
"But did the lady confess her affection for you, uncle?" asked his
niece.
"Confess her love!--why, ay, no--that is, I never asked her; or, rather,
she took it into her head to refuse me altogether."
Fleetwood was about to follow, but he suddenly stopped.
"It will only enrage the old man, and excite suspicions in his mind.
Perhaps he will insult me to get rid of me altogether,--I had better
not."
Ada found herself seated next to Lady Marmion, with whose niece Jack
Raby was dancing. Her attention was easily riveted by the praises which
her ladyship lavished on Captain Fleetwood, and the secret of her
affection, if secret it could be called, was easily penetrated by the
astute dame.
"Now, my dear, you know I like him, though I do not like the navy in
general. Their coats smell of tar and cockroaches, and their
conversation is all about their ships and their adventures at sea and on
shore; and then you know they are generally so poor, that it is
dangerous to let a girl talk to them. Captain Fleetwood is not very
rich, I believe; but then he has prospects, and they should be taken
into consideration."
"I really do not know," said Ada. "It never occurred to me to calculate
the fortunes of the gentlemen with whom I am acquainted."
"Oh, you will grow more prudent, my dear, some day," observed her
ladyship. "But who can that particularly handsome man be walking this
way, with Captain Dunnup? By the way, my dear, I should recommend you
to keep that Captain Dunnup at a distance. I gave Jane the same advice,
for you know he has entirely run through his property; and they say,
besides, that he is completely in the hands of the Jews. Dear me, here
he comes with the stranger."
As she spoke, two gentlemen were advancing towards the spot where she
and Ada Garden were sitting. The one she alluded to was a
dissipated-looking young man, though with a well-bred air, and rather
handsome. The other was decidedly so--indeed, he might well have been
considered the handsomest man in the room. There was a noble and
independent air, and a free-born grace about him--so all the ladies
declared--which would have made him anywhere distinguished. His
features were dark, and of the purest classical model; his eyes were
large and sparkling, and a long silky black moustache shaded his lip.
His costume was simple and correct, from his well-fitting black coat to
his trousers, which showed off the shape of his handsome leg, and his
silk stockings, and low, well-polished shoes. The most severe critic
could not have found the slightest fault with him, except perhaps that
his coat shone too much, as if it was just out of the tailor's hands.
"Permit me to introduce to your ladyship, my friend, Prince Argiri
Caramitzo," said Captain Dunnup, advancing and presenting the stranger,
who bowed gracefully.
"And may I, Miss Garden, be allowed to introduce him to you?" he
continued. "Although a Greek, he speaks Italian like a native, in which
language I know that you, also, are a proficient."
Both ladies bowed their heads, and signified their pleasure in knowing
the Prince Caramitzo. He, in his turn, in very pure Italian, expressed
his still greater gratification at the honour he enjoyed.
While he was speaking, Dunnup caught Colonel Gauntlett's eye fixed on
him, and it occurred to him that he should introduce his friend. He
accordingly took him up, and introduced him in form.
"The prince is going eastward, colonel, and as you will probably meet
again in the classic land of Greece, if you do not rather journey
together, I feel that you should become acquainted."
As Colonel Gauntlett rather liked the look of the stranger, he
condescended to be civil to him; but as he did not speak a word of
Romaic, and as his Italian was very indifferent, and his French worse,
Argiri Caramitzo could scarcely understand what he said. He, however,
made a polite speech full of complimentary phrases in return, and then,
bowing, went back to talk to the ladies.
The handsome stranger judged that he should more speedily gain all the
information he required from the niece, and might afterwards, through
her, if he found it requisite, persuade the colonel to do what he
desired. He found on his return that Miss Garden had been led out to
dance by Captain Fleetwood, so he sat himself down to play the agreeable
to Lady Marmion, and to glean from her much which he wished to know
about the politics of Valetta, and which she was too happy to impart.
We, however, must follow Captain Fleetwood and Miss Garden. There was
no doubt of their being lovers, by the confiding way in which she rested
on his arm, and glanced up into his face as he spoke; and the look of
proud happiness with which he regarded her, and seemed to defy the world
to venture on the experiment of tearing her from him. Everybody
observed it but Colonel Gauntlett, and he remained obstinately blind to
what had taken place.
"My beloved Ada, this is the last time that I may have an opportunity of
speaking to you," said Fleetwood, as, the dance being over, he led her
to an open balcony which looked out on the moonlit harbour. "You know
how ardently I love you, and that willingly would I sacrifice all the
prospect of your uncle's property, if he would give his consent to our
union; but I would not urge you to act in opposition to his wishes--yet
there is a time when obedience ceases to be a duty, and that time must
come when he obstinately refuses to give you to me."
"He will not, he cannot do so, when he knows how dearly, how deeply you
love me." She spoke according to the dictates of her own heart; nor was
she, however, wrong.
"Then this very night, or to-morrow morning, before you sail, I will ask
you from him, and as soon as I pay off the _Ione_, which I shall
probably do in the course of two months, I will come back and claim you.
Shall I do so, dearest?"
"Oh, yes! do, Charles. It is the only way, and, believe me, whatever is
the result, I will be faithful to you. While you claim me, I will never
marry another."
"I cannot ask more, and yet I could not demand less without
contemplating an event which would wring my heart with anguish,"
exclaimed Fleetwood, pressing her hand to his lips. "I think, however,
we may before that time again meet--I expect to be sent to Greece, and
shall contrive to visit Cephalonia."
For some time longer the lovers talked on without taking note of its
flight, when they were disagreeably interrupted by the voice of the
colonel inquiring for Ada.
"Come here, miss," he exclaimed. "Here has been Prince Caramitzo
waiting for the last quarter of an hour to lead you out to dance, and
you were nowhere to be found--I will not have it." And he looked a
black thundercloud at Fleetwood. "Come, _Signior Principe_, there is
your partner ready for you."
The prince, comprehending his meaning more by his action than his words,
stepped forward, and, with a profound bow, offered his arm, which Ada,
giving a glance of regret at Fleetwood, was obliged to accept. The
prince was not a man, it appeared, to allow a lady to feel annoyed in
his society. He first paid her a slight and delicate compliment on her
beauty, which he introduced in a description of his own countrywomen and
the Italians. He told her how much he admired all he had heard of
England, and seen of Malta; he drew out her opinion on several subjects,
and a little account of her life, and then excited her curiosity about
himself.
"But how is it that, being a Greek, you speak Italian so well?" she
asked.
This was just what he expected; he wished to tell her his history, but
could not volunteer to do so.
"Ah, signora, it is a long story, and would fatigue you; but thus much I
may tell you:--You know the misery, the abject slavery to which my
beautiful, my noble country was so long subjected beneath the iron
despotism of the infidel Turks. Our fathers contrived to live under it,
or the present race would not have been born to avenge them. We were
rapidly becoming extinct as a nation; our religion languished--our
education was totally neglected. My father, however, the late Prince of
Graditza, also Argiri Caramitzo, was a man superior to those around him,
and determining that I, his eldest son, should have the advantage of a
good education, he sent me to the famous university of Pisa, in Tuscany.
I there acquired the language of Italy in its purest form; but,
unhappily, I almost learned to forget my own country--I formed
friendships with those among whom I lived. I not only learned to talk,
but to think as an Italian, and I was even ignorant of the gallant
struggle which had commenced in Greece. This was owing to the affection
of my parents, who, knowing that my disposition would have prompted me
instantly to throw myself wherever danger was the greatest, did not
inform me of what was taking place, and when they suspected that I must
have heard something on the subject, assured me that my presence would
be useless, and urged me to remain where I was. Alas! I listened to
their well-meant deceit, till news was brought me that my noble father
had been slain in combat with the enemies of our country, and that my
mother had died of grief at his loss. Then, indeed, the truth was made
known to me, and, rousing myself for action, I hastened to fly to the
country, where I felt that the presence of even the meanest of her brave
sons was required. Alas! I found that the means of quitting Italy were
wanting--I was in debt, and no funds had been transmitted to me. I
contrived to exist; for my friends were kind, but innumerable delays
occurred before the money I sent for arrived, and I am only now on my
way to Greece--my native land, the mother of the arts and sciences, the
country of Socrates and Plato, of Alexander and Aristides, the
battle-fields of Thermopylae and Marathon. Ah, signora, Greece once
contained all that is noble and great, and brave--what she once was,
such she will be again--when we, her brave sons, have regenerated her,
when we have driven forth the accursed Turk, never more to set his foot
upon our sacred shore, except as a slave, and a bondman. Ah, this is
the patriot's wish--his dream by night, his hope by day. This is the
bond of union which now unites the hearts of our countrymen in one great
feeling--a deadly hatred of the Turk--time is coming, and will shortly
arrive when Greece, brightly and freshly burnished, will come forth a
model of a perfect republic to all the nations of the earth. You are
happy, signora, in going to the neighbourhood, that you may watch the
progress of the glorious work."
Ada listened, and her cheek glowed with animation, for she was an
enthusiast in the cause of the Greeks. She looked at the prince, and
thought him a noble patriot.
The Greek intended that she should do so. He was struck by her beauty,
and every instant he felt his admiration for her increasing.
A second time she accepted the prince's hand, in preference, however,
only to that of Captain Dunnup, and she became the envy of the room, for
numberless fair ladies were dying to dance with the handsome prince.
The Greek stranger was accompanied to the ball-room by a young man of
very striking appearance, though of a slighter figure, and not as tall
as himself. He spoke of him as his particular friend, the Count
Montifalcone, who was on his way with him to join those struggling for
Grecian independence. His manners were elegant: but he appeared to be
very bashful, or diffident; and, at all events, appeared very much
disinclined to enter into conversation. The Greek, however, introduced
his Italian friend to Miss Garden; and though, at first, he was very
much reserved, as he gazed at her animated and lovely countenance, he
appeared to gain courage, and warmly entered into conversation on the
beauty of his native Italy, and her superiority in works of arts over
all other countries. It seemed curious to her that although he was
going out to join the Greeks, he should show so little interest, as he
appeared to do, on the subject of Greece, her wrongs and prospects. He
danced, however, but once with Miss Garden nor did he, during the course
of the evening, attempt to gain an introduction to any one else; but
continued to watch her, at a distance, wherever she moved, and was
evidently much struck with her beauty.
Many remarked the grave and silent young Italian as he stood, with his
arms folded on his breast, endeavouring to conceal himself among the
crowd, or leaned, apparently lost in reflection, against the door-post
at the entrance to the room, in which she happened to be. His Greek
friend seemed so much engaged, that he scarcely noticed him, and though
Captain Dunnup exchanged a few words with him occasionally, he spoke to
no one else, nor did he seem anxious to do so.
With a glowing cheek and sparkling eye she listened as he advocated, in
ardent language, the cause of his native land, and her heart beat with
enthusiasm.
"Oh! if I were a man, nothing should prevent me from hurrying to join
the sacred ranks of your liberators!" she exclaimed.
"With such an advocate we must succeed," returned the Greek, bowing.
"Some of your noble countrymen, it is said, have already joined the
patriot force; and, lady, when in the thick of the combat, fighting for
Grecian liberty, I shall remember your words, and feel that your prayers
are aiding us."
Ada listened to the softly-flowing expressions of the voluble prince,
and believed him to be a perfect patriot. Had she known a little more
of the world, she might have thought otherwise, and yet, who can say,
that while the prince was speaking to her, he did not feel all he
expressed. New hopes, feelings, and aspirations rushed into his mind,
elevating and purifying it--a glorious future might yet be in store for
his country and himself--and while he remained by her side, the force of
those sensations continued. It was with unwillingness, and even pain,
that he was obliged to yield her up again to Captain Fleetwood, who was
naturally on the watch to monopolise her whenever he could. How the
prince hated the English Captain--for he soon saw that, though Miss
Garden listened to his own honeyed words with pleasure, her heart was in
the safe keeping of one whom he, all of a sudden, chose to consider as
his rival.
"No matter," he muttered. "I must teach her to forget him."
He sauntered about the room for a short time by himself, paying little
attention to the fair ladies who surrounded him, and it must be owned,
was sadly indifferent to the charms of most of them. He then sought
Colonel Gauntlett, whom he endeavoured to engage in conversation. It
was certainly of a peculiar nature, and the meaning was not always clear
to either party; but he gleaned much useful information, and suggested
many things to the colonel in return. Among other pieces of advice, he
recommended him to carry as much gold as he could with him, telling him
that he would find it more convenient than bills. He strongly advised
him also to keep it in his trunks, as they, in case of shipwreck, would
more probably be saved than other things. It is extraordinary how very
attentive and full of forethought he was.
The ball was at length over. Jack Raby and Jemmy Duff vowed that they
had never enjoyed themselves more in their lives, thanks to their
captain's management; and they had made an agreement to introduce one
another to each other's partners, and, at the same time, to puff off
each other's wealth and connections, which plan they found answer very
satisfactorily.
The Prince Caramitzo, as he threw a sea-cloak over his shoulder in front
of the hotel, took the arm of Captain Dunnup, and warmly pressed his
hand.
"I have much reason to thank you for your politeness, sir, and shall be
glad to welcome you to Greece."
The captain expressed his satisfaction at having been useful to him, and
signified the very great probability there was of his shortly having to
pay a visit to that country, at all events, of having to leave Malta.
They then parted with mutual expressions of esteem.
The Greek then took the arm of his Italian friend, and together they
sauntered down the street, every now and then stopping to ascertain
whether any person from the ball was watching where they went.
Captain Fleetwood walked to his lodgings in an unusually melancholy
humour. He had forebodings of disaster, which even his strong mind
could not at once overcome, though he knew they arose from being
fatigued and worried.
To-morrow he must take his farewell of his beloved Ada for an indefinite
period; for, though he intended to hurry back from England as soon as
possible, he knew that numberless events might occur to delay him. He
had also ventured to speak to Colonel Gauntlett, for the first time, of
his love for his niece; and the reception he had met with from the old
gentleman was, as might be expected, most unsatisfactory.
The colonel and Ada were driving home together: she had not spoken, for
she could not trust her voice.
"Niece," said the colonel, stamping with his stick at the bottom of the
carriage, as if to arouse her, "you were talking and dancing a great
deal too much with that young naval man--that Captain Fleetwood--and
after what I said to you at the commencement of the evening, I consider
such conduct highly reprehensible."
"I confess I spoke to him a great deal this evening," answered the poor
girl, in a tremulous voice. "I hoped that you would not blame me, as he
said that he would speak to you and explain everything."
"Well, young lady, he did speak to me, and a damned impertinent thing he
said, too. He had the folly--the outrageous, unconscionable folly--to
ask me to allow you to marry him!" exclaimed the colonel in a husky
voice, again almost driving his stick through the bottom of the
carriage. "He had the folly; but I was not fool enough to accede to
it--I refused him, young woman. And now, never let me hear his name
mentioned again."
With a sad heart Ada placed her head on her pillow, and, with a sadder
still, she rose on the following morning to prepare for her voyage.
CHAPTER SIX.
The crew of the Sicilian speronara were busily engaged the whole fore
part of the day in discharging the small quantity of cargo, consisting
chiefly of corn and other provisions, with which their vessel was laden.
When this was done she immediately cleared out at the custom-house, and
without any of her crew having even visited the shore, she got up her
anchor, and commenced making sail. The long tapering yard of her
foresail was first hoisted, and its folds of white canvas let fall, and
when her head paid round, her mainsail was next got on her, and sheeted
home. Instead, however, of running out of the harbour, as it at first
appeared she was about to do, after she had gone a little distance, just
between Fort Saint Angelo and Fort Ricasoli, she hauled her foresail to
windward, and hove to. The probable cause of this was soon explained,
for a small boat was seen to dart out from beneath the fortifications of
Valetta, and to take its way across the harbour towards her, carrying a
person in the stern-sheets, wrapped up in a cloak, with a broad-brimmed
hat shading his features. The hat may not have been worn for the
purpose of disguise, for the rays of the sun, striking down full upon
the water, were very ardent, and there was good reason for its being
worn to protect him from their fury; but there was not quite so much for
the use of the cloak, unless, following the Italian fashion, he carried
that also over his shoulders for the same reason. The boat ran
alongside the speronara, when the person, whoever he was, stepped out,
and the foresail being let draw, the beautiful little craft stood out of
the harbour. The boat on its return was found to belong to the boatman
Manuel, who, being questioned as to the person he had conveyed on board
the speronara, declared that he had not the slightest notion who he
was--that he had never before seen his face, and that he could not tell
whether he was an Englishman, an Italian, or a Frenchman, but that he
thought the former. He said, all he knew was, that he had come down to
the shore and engaged his boat, and as he had paid him well for the job,
it was not his business to make further inquiries. The general opinion
was, that he was some person making his escape from his creditors; but
by the time the proper authorities were informed of the supposed fact,
and the necessary measures taken to ascertain its truth, the delinquent
was far beyond their reach.
The wind was about north-west--there was a nice fresh breeze, and
supposing that the speronara was bound for Syracuse, she could, hauling
as close to the wind as she was able to do, easily lay her course for
that port. Either, however, she was carelessly steered, or she was
bound to some port in Italy, for, after hauling round Saint Elmo, she
fell off considerably from the wind, and finally, when she might have
been supposed to have got beyond the range of observation of those on
shore, who were not likely to take much notice of so insignificant a
little craft, and of so ordinary a rig, she eased off both her sheets,
and, with the wind on her larboard quarter, indeed, almost astern, ran
out into the offing. By this course she crossed in a short time the
mouth of the harbour; and though at a considerable distance, she was
enabled to watch any vessel coming out.
Her movements, however, were not totally unobserved, for Captain
Fleetwood, who had called at the house of Colonel Gauntlett, early in
the morning, in the vain hope of seeing Ada, was returning in a
disconsolate mood along the ramparts, and meditating in what way his
duty should direct him to proceed, when his eye fell on the speronara,
hove-to directly below him, Manuel's boat just touching her side.
As he had, like most naval officers, a remarkably good glass in his
pocket, he directed it towards the little vessel, and among the people
on her deck he fancied that he distinguished the figure of the stranger
who had paid so much attention to Ada on the previous evening. Now, as
he understood that that gentleman was about to sail immediately for
Greece, he was naturally surprised, indeed so unlikely did it appear,
that he thought he must be mistaken. Although he was very far from
being of a suspicious disposition, yet combining the manner in which the
stranger had gone on board, and the doubtful character of the craft
herself, he determined to watch her movements.
Another cause also combined to create very extraordinary suspicions in
his mind respecting the character of the stranger, who had made his
appearance so suddenly in Malta. On his way to Colonel Gauntlett's
residence, that morning, he had passed the office of the chief of the
harbour police, and on looking in to speak a word with Captain S--, he
found him engaged in examining three Greek merchants, who stated that
the vessel in which they were making a passage from Athens to Sicily,
had been plundered by a well-known pirate of the name of Zappa, and that
he had appeared on board their vessel; that they had spoken to him, and
that they felt almost confident that they had seen the same person,
without any disguise, in a coffee-house in Valetta on the previous
evening. They acknowledged, that though at first they had no doubt of
his identity, yet that when he came up to them, and entered into
conversation, they were staggered in their belief; but that after he had
disappeared it again occurred to them with greater force than ever, that
he must be the man they at first thought. When convinced of this they
immediately set out in the hopes of falling in with him, and with the
intention of handing him over to the police; but they were unsuccessful
in their search, and when, after many inquiries, they learned before
whom they should make their depositions, it was too late in the day to
see any one. After sleeping on the subject, they were as strong in
their opinion as on the previous night, and the first thing in the
morning they had come, they said, to make their statement. Captain S--
listened attentively. He told them that he thought they must be
mistaken as to the identity of the person, as he could not believe that
a pirate would have the audacity to venture into Valetta; particularly
just after he had committed a daring act of piracy. The Greeks shrugged
their shoulders, but asserted that from what they had heard of Zappa,
they believed him capable of any act of hardihood.
"At all events," observed Captain S--, "I will take your description of
the gentleman. Figure tall, features regular, eyes large and animated,
hair black, and slight curling moustache--not a bad-looking fellow for a
cut-throat, at all events. I will order the police instantly to go in
search of him, and if he can be found, of which I have no doubt, we will
examine him, and confront him with you; and if he turns out to be Signor
Zappa, he will, probably, before many days are over, be hanging up
alongside Captain Delano and his shipmates."
The Greeks were satisfied that they were right, and on their retiring,
officers were instantly despatched in search of the supposed pirate.
The result of their inquiries Captain Fleetwood had not yet learned; but
the description given by the Greeks answered so exactly to that of the
Prince Argiri Caramitzo, whom he had met at the ball the previous night,
that he could not help being struck by it.
"I did not altogether like the style of the fellow," he muttered to
himself. "He is good-looking enough, certainly; but there was an
impudent, sinister expression about his countenance which one does not
observe in that of an honest man. I wonder, too, what right he has to
the title of prince. There are some few chiefs in Greece, who call
themselves princes, but they are very rare. Who they are can easily be
ascertained, and I must learn if such a title exists. Let me see, he
was introduced, too, by that fellow Dunnup. He is a _mauvais sujet_ I
suspect, and I should fight very shy of his friends at all events. What
could have taken the gentleman on board that craft then! That puzzles
me! I must see to it."
Accordingly when the speronara let draw her foresail, and stood out of
the harbour, he retraced his steps along the ramparts towards port Saint
Elmo, to a position whence he could command a clear view to seaward.
"She is a pretty lively craft that," he observed to himself, as he saw,
with the pleased eye of a seaman, the rapid way in which the vessel
glided over the crisp curling waves. "The fellows know how to handle
her too; but what is she about now, I wonder? I thought, by the way she
first steered, she was bound for Sicily, but there she goes running off
to the south-east. I cannot be mistaken." And he took a scrutinising
glance at her with his telescope. "Yes, that is her, there can be no
doubt about the matter."
Now love makes most men sharp-witted in everything regarding the object
of their affection, and Captain Fleetwood was certainly not a man to be
less so than any other person.
The sudden change in the course of the speronara had given rise in his
mind to sundry suspicions. They were not very serious, and probably,
under other circumstances, he would not have entertained them; but he
was out of spirits and fatigued, and he could not help connecting the
movements of the speronara with the sailing of the _Zodiac_, on board
which vessel Ada and her uncle were that evening to commence their
voyage. He did not, however, suppose that a craft of her character
would venture to attack an armed brig of the size of the _Zodiac_,
unless she could take her by surprise, nor could she have any chance of
success against so brave and good a seaman as Captain. Bowse, and so
fine a crew as his; but at the same time he thought it would be more
prudent to let him know what he had seen, and urge him to be on his
guard against the speronara.
"I never heard of one of those fellows committing piracy--probably he is
up to some smuggling trick--perhaps he expects to fall in with some
vessel, and will take her goods out of her during the night, to run them
on the Sicilian or Italian coast; perhaps to put that good-looking
fellow of a Greek prince, if that is him, on board some craft or other
bound eastward. However, I must speak to Bowse about it. I wish to
heaven I might sail and convoy the brig; but the admiral would not give
me leave if I was to ask him--he would only think it was an excuse to be
near Miss Garden."
These thoughts passed through his mind as he hurried down to the quay,
where his boat was waiting for him, and jumping into her, he started for
the _Zodiac_. He had made the acquaintance of the honest master, on
finding that the colonel and his niece were going by his vessel, and he
had been every day on board to assist in arranging Ada's cabin, and to
suggest many little alterations which might conduce to her comfort and
convenience.
Captain Bowse was on board with every preparation made for sailing, and
only awaited the arrival of his passengers. The master of the _Zodiac_
heard the account given by the naval officer without any alarm, though
at the same time he owned that there was some cause for suspicion; and
he promised to keep a sharp look-out, and to take all the precaution in
his power to prevent being surprised. When he heard that the Greek
stranger had gone on board the speronara, he remembered the visit of a
personage answering his description, on the previous evening, to his
vessel, and he felt glad that he had not been induced to take him.
"The chances are, if the fellow be a rogue, that he saw that there would
be no use trying to do anything with the _Zodiac_ and he has gone to lay
his plots against some other craft," he observed. "That's my view of
the case, sir, and I don't think that you need at all alarm yourself
about the safety of your friends. But although we are safe ourselves,
that is no reason that we should not think of others; and if I was you,
sir, I would make inquiries about the strange gentleman, and give notice
to the authorities of what you have observed. You can tell, sir, of his
wanting to take a passage to Greece, on board here, and then shipping
off suddenly in a Sicilian craft. There may be nothing in it; but there
may be something; and to my mind it's as well never to trust to a rope
with a strand gone."
Wishing a prosperous voyage to the master, and again cautioning him to
be careful, Captain Fleetwood stepped into his gig, and had got some
little distance, when he saw a large boat approaching, which he divined
contained her he loved best on earth, with her uncle and his attendants.
How could he resist the temptation of seeing and speaking to her once
more? so, giving his boat a sweep, he pulled round to the other side of
the _Zodiac_, from that on which the gangway ladder was shipped, and lay
on his oars, trusting to the chance of seeing Ada on deck, while her
uncle was below.
There were fewer packages than most families travel with, for the
colonel was a martinet, and would allow none of his womankind, as he
called them, to have more traps than was absolutely necessary; and thus
no time was lost in getting the party and their goods on board. Besides
the colonel and his niece, there was a little Maltese girl, as an
attendant, and the colonel's own man, Mitchell, who, like his master,
was a character not unworthy of note. Bowse, who understood pretty well
the state of affairs, soon contrived to get the colonel below, while he
detained Ada on deck, and then pointing out Captain Fleetwood's boat to
her, beckoned him on board. He was much too judicious to show in any
other way that he was aware of the feelings of the parties; but leaving
them together, he rejoined the colonel in the cabin, determined to keep
him there as long as he could, showing him the arrangements made for his
convenience. Little did the old gentleman think, that when praising
many of them, he was indebted for them to the man for whom he had
conceived so hearty an aversion. What the lovers said need not be told.
Those few moments were sweet but sad, and both felt that they would on
no account have missed them. Ada again assured him that nothing should
induce her to give him up, and he repeated his promise to hasten and
claim her in spite of all opposition. The appearance of Bowse's honest
face up the companion-ladder was the signal for him to tear himself away
from her, and he had just time to get over the side, when the colonel
appeared on deck.
"What are you gazing at there, missie?" he asked, as he saw her, soon
after, looking up the harbour. "Oh, ay, thinking of your partners at
the ball, I suppose." She did not answer; but as she turned her face
with a reproachful look at her uncle, her eyes were full of tears.
As soon as Bowse came on deck, he gave the signal to weigh. The cable
was already hove short, the topsails were loose. The men went about the
work with alacrity, and in a style very different to that of merchant
seamen in general. They were all prime hands, mostly old men-of-war's
men turned adrift, as ships were paid off, and had all before served
with Bowse.
He carried on the duty, therefore, as far as circumstances would allow,
in the fashion to which they had been accustomed, and to which they
willingly submitted. The brig was consequently looked upon as as fine a
vessel as any sailing out of the port of London. To the cheery sound of
the pipe, they manned the capstan bars, and singing in chorus to a merry
strain, away they ran swiftly round. A hand was sent to the helm, and
the mate was on the forecastle.
"Heave and away," he sung out, as the cable appearing up and down showed
that the anchor was under the forefoot. As the wind blew out of the
harbour, the jib and fore-topmast-staysail were now hoisted to cast her.
With renewed exertions the crew hove round, and the shout they uttered
gave the signal that they had dragged the anchor from the bottom. The
bow of the vessel feeling the power of her head sails, now paid slowly
off.
"Heave and in sight," the mate next sung out, as the anchor appeared
above water. Another turn ran it up to the bows. The foretopsail was
next sheeted home and hoisted, and the head yards braced forward to help
her round more quickly. In the meantime the anchor was catted and
fished ready for sea, and as the wind came abaft the beam, the head
yards were squared, and the fore-clew-garnets being let run, the
ponderous folds of the foresail were allowed to fall towards the deck,
just as the wind was brought right aft. Both sheets were then hauled
aft, and the increasing breeze no longer finding escape beneath it, blew
it out in a graceful swell which made it appear as if it were about to
lift the vessel bodily out of the water to carry her gliding over the
waves. The fore-topmast-staysail, no longer being of use, was hauled
down, and her fore-topgallantsail and royal, with the after sail, were
next set, followed by studden-sails on either side, till the brig
presented the appearance of a tall tower of white canvas shining
brightly in the rays of the sun, which was setting directly astern, and
which threw on them, in confused lines of tracery-work, the shadows of
the masts, their respective shrouds and running rigging.
Ada, who would not be persuaded by her uncle to go below, as he said, to
get her out of harm's way, looked on with deep interest at these
proceedings, and with admiration at the method by which, in so short a
time, so beautiful a fabric could be raised. Ada delighted in
everything connected with the sea. She was a sailor's daughter, and she
loved a sailor; but even before she had known Captain Fleetwood she felt
an affection for things nautical, and certainly he had done much to
increase her regard. She enjoyed too the physical pleasures of the sea,
the fresh free breeze, and the light dancing wave, which to her was a
source of no inconvenience. While others suffered, she was on deck
enjoying existence to the full. It is true that she had as yet only
seen the ocean in its summer dress, and except from the experience of a
short gale, which she looked upon rather as giving a zest to the
pleasure of a voyage, she knew little of its wintry tempests, its
dangers and horrors. Bowse observed the interest she took in all that
was going forward, and, like a true sailor, felt as much gratified as if
she was his own daughter, and under his especial protection. Jack, the
cabin-boy, was coiling away a rope near him, and beckoning to him, he
sent him down for a comfortable chair, which, on its appearance, he
placed before her.
"There, miss," he observed, "I think you will be able, more at your
ease, to sit and look at the little island we are leaving behind us.
It's always a pleasure to take the last look at the place we are going
from."
Ada thanked him with a sweet smile for the chair which he had
judiciously placed on the starboard side of the poop, and looking partly
aft, so that she could command a full view of the harbour, where the
_Ione_ lay, and of the fortifications of Valetta. The _Zodiac_ was now
running out between forts Saint Elmo and Ricasoli; and as she cleared
the former, she felt the wind drawing rather more to the northward. Her
yards were, therefore, braced forward, and her mainsail hauled out; and
now with the wind on her quarter, a point in which every sail a
square-rigged vessel can carry draws best, with a fine rattling breeze
she rapidly left the shores of Malta astern.
CHAPTER SEVEN.
Never did a vessel leave port under more propitious circumstances than
did the _Zodiac_, with a fair, steady breeze, a smooth sea, and at a
time of the year when there was every prospect of the continuance of
fine weather.
As Bowse walked the deck with a spy-glass under his arm in man-of-war
fashion, a smile of contentment lit up his honest countenance, and
glistened in his eye; and as he felt the freshening breeze fanning his
cheek, and lifting his vessel, as it were, he began to laugh at his
momentary suspicions about the character of the speronara and her crew.
Every now and then he would stop in his walk, and would look over the
side to judge how fast the vessel was going through the water, or he
would examine the compasses to assure himself that they were true, or he
would cast his eye aloft to see how his sails drew, or his clear, full
voice would be heard issuing some necessary order for the government of
the ship.
Even Colonel Gauntlett could not help expressing his satisfaction at the
propitious commencement of their voyage, as he stopped in his short and
otherwise silent walk on the poop to address a few words to the master.
Ada sat silently in her chair, gazing on the fast-receding shore; and it
is not surprising that her thoughts were fixed on him who was, she felt
sure, even then watching, from its most extreme point, the bark which
bore her away. Her little Maltese maid, Marianna, stood by her side
with tears in her bright eyes, and gazing her last for an indefinite
time on the land of her birth, and where all her affections were
centred, except those which had lately arisen for her young mistress.
The colonel's man, not knowing exactly where he ought to be, being too
dignified, at first, to mix with the men forward, and astonished and
confused at manoeuvres which he could not comprehend, as is generally
the case with his class, always managed to get exactly where he was most
in the way.
"Port a little, you may, my son," said the master to the man at the
helm; "steady, so, keep her. East-and-by-north is the course,"
pronouncing the north with a strong emphasis on the O, and without the
R--as if it were spelt Nothe. "Just get a gentle pull on our
weather-braces, Mr Timmins," to the mate. "The wind's drawing a little
more aft again. We're making her walk along, sir," to the colonel.
"She's not going less than six knots an hour, I'll warrant, which, with
this light wind, is not bad for a craft of her build--she's no clipper,
I own, sir. Heave the log here. I dare say you'll like to be certain,
miss," turning to Ada, as he thought the operation would amuse her.
The second mate and two hands came aft with the log-line and reel.
Bowse took a half-minute glass from the binnacle, and watching till all
the sand had run into one end, held it up before him. The seamen,
meantime, held the reel up before him, so as to allow it to turn easily
in his hands, and the mate, taking the little triangular bit of wood,
called the log-ship, adjusted the peg, and drew off, with a peculiar
jerk of his left hand, several coils of the stray-line, which he held
for a moment over the quarter of the vessel, till he saw that his chief
was ready with the glass, and he then hove it over into the water. The
first part of the line is called the stray-line, and its object is to
allow the log-ship to settle properly in the water, as well as to take
it clear of the eddy. As soon as this part had run out, a cloth mark
ran through the mate's fingers. "Turn," he exclaimed. "Turn," repeated
the master, and turned the glass. The marks rapidly passed through the
mate's hand, as he jerked the line of the reel, always keeping it at a
stretch.
"Stop," sung out Bowse, as the sand had run out of the upper end of the
glass.
"Done," said the mate, and stopped the line.
He had not to count the knots run off, for his experienced eye was able
to tell the number by the mark on the line. It must be understood that
this line is divided into a certain number of equal parts, each of which
bears the same proportion to a mile, which thirty seconds do to an hour,
and therefore, as the log-ship remains stationary in the water,
according to the number of these proportions dragged through, while the
sand is running, so is shown how many miles or knots the vessel is going
through the water.
"Six and a quarter," exclaimed the mate. "That's what I call good going
for a ship with a full cargo, in a breeze like this."
"That's what we call heaving the log, Miss Garden," said the master, who
had been explaining the use of the log, though in not quite so succinct
a way as I have attempted to do. "You'll be able to turn the glass
another time, I'm sure."
The glass runs, in reality, only for twenty-eight seconds, as two are
considered to be employed in turning it.
Ada, who enjoyed an advantage over the reader, by having the operation
performed before her eyes, answered that she clearly understood it, and
would always, in future, hold the glass.
"By this calculation, you see, miss, as it is just two hours since we
passed Fort Saint Elmo, we have run exactly twelve knots and a half off
the reel; though we didn't go through the water so fast at first, as we
are now doing. However, by the look of the land, I calculate we are not
much less than that off it. You see we call miles--knots, miss, on
account of the knots which are marked on the line. When we can just see
the last of some conspicuous point, we shall take its bearing by compass
and its distance, and then I shall commence pricking the ship's course
off on the chart, and that is what we call taking our departure. Now
you see there's many people on shore would fancy that when we left the
port we took our departure; but the ties which bind a seaman to the
shore, and to those we leave behind, are not so quickly parted as they
may think, you see, miss." And the honest master, chuckling at one of
the first attempts at wit and gallantry of which he had ever been
guilty, thought the next instant he blushed at his own audacity.
"It's surprising, miss, what funny mistakes them who never leave the
land make about seafaring concerns; but then, what can you expect of
them? they know no better," he added, in a tone showing the deep
commiseration he felt for the ignorance of landsmen. "To say that they
don't know the stem from the stern, isn't to say anything. They know
nothing about a ship, how she's built, how she sails, or what she's
like. The last voyage I made I had a passenger on board who was a
cleverish sort of gentleman, too, and for talking politics he'd go on
for an hour; yet he wanted to know why I couldn't bring the ship to an
anchor right out in the Bay of Biscay; and one night, when it was
blowing a stiffish gale, with a heavy sea running, he roused me out of
my sleep to ask me to send a better hand to the helm; one who knew how
to keep the craft steady, or else to run into some harbour till the
morning. He never could get it out of his head that he was not in the
Thames. Now, miss, I see that you are not one of those sort of people,
and that you will soon know all about a ship, though you may not just
yet be able to act the captain. To-morrow I'll show you how to shoot
the sun, as we tell greenhorns we are doing, when we take an observation
with the quadrant. It's a very pretty instrument, and you will be
pleased to know how to use it."
"I shall like very much to learn all you can teach me, Captain Bowse,"
answered Ada, making a great effort to rouse herself from the feeling of
sadness which oppressed her. "I wonder how mariners managed to
traverse, as they did, the most distant seas, before these instruments
were invented."
"They used to trust more to the sun and stars, and to their lead
reckoning, than they do now, I suppose, miss," answered the master.
"Even now, there's many a man in charge of a vessel who never takes more
than a meridional observation, if even that; and having found his
latitude, runs down the longitude by dead reckoning. Some even go about
to many distant parts entirely by rule of guess, and it is extraordinary
how often they hit their point. Now and then, to be sure, they find
themselves two or three hundred miles out of their course, and sometimes
they get the ship cast away. I have, too, met vessels out in the
Atlantic which had entirely lost their reckoning, and had not the
slightest notion where they were. Once, I remember, when I belonged to
the _Harkaway_ frigate, coming home from the Brazils, we sighted a
Spanish man-of-war corvette. When we got up to her we hove to, and an
officer came on board who could speak a little English; and you would
scarcely believe it, but the first thing he did was to ask us for the
latitude and longitude; and he confessed that the only instruments they
had on board were out of repair, and, for what I know, the only man who
knew how to use them was ill. Our captain then sent an officer on board
the corvette, and a pretty condition she was in for a man-of-war. They
had a governor of some place as a passenger, and his wife and family,
and two or three other ladies and their families; and there they were
all lying about the decks in a state of despair, thinking they were
never to see land again. They had been a whole month tossing about in
every direction, and not knowing how to find the way home. The decks
were as dirty as if they had not been holystoned or swept all that time;
not a sail was properly set, not a rope flemished down. If I hadn't
seen it with my own eyes, I could not have believed such a thing
possible. Our appearance raised their spirits a little, and they began
putting themselves to rights as soon as they had made sail on their
course. They kept company with us till we got into the latitude of
Cadiz, for their craft sailed very well, for all that they did not know
how to handle her, and I believe that they managed to get into port in
safety at last."
"I am surprised at what you tell me," observed Miss Garden, "I should
have thought the Spaniards could not have so totally forgotten their
ancient naval renown as to allow such dreadful ignorance to exist."
"The men are active, intelligent fellows enough, and the officers in the
merchant service are, from what I have seen, very good seamen; but since
the war, their navy has been much neglected, and men were made officers
who did not know the stem from the stern of the ship, just because they
happened to be some poor dependent of one of their nobles, or the son of
a valet out of place. Things are mending a little now with them, I
hear."
"I wonder any but such beggarly fellows as you speak of can be induced
to go into the navy at all," said the colonel, who had been listening to
the master's story, and was far from pleased at the interest Ada took in
what he said. "For my part, I would as soon be a shoe-black; but you
seem determined to give my niece a dose of the sea."
"Oh, yes, sir!" answered Bowse, perfectly indifferent to the colonel's
ill-temper; "I hope we shall make the young lady a first-rate sailor
before long."
"I hope you will do no such thing, Mr Bowse; she thinks a great deal
too much about it already," returned the colonel, taking another turn
aft.
"Indeed I do not, uncle," replied Ada, as he came back, in a
half-playful tone, calculated to disarm his anger. "You must
acknowledge that the scene before us is very beautiful and enjoyable.
Look at that blue and joyous sea, how the waves leap and curl as if in
sport, their crests just fringed with sparkling bubbles of snow-white
foam, which, in the freshness of their new-born existence, seem inclined
to take wing into the air--then, what can be more bright and clear than
the expanse of sky above us, or more pure than the breeze which wafts us
along. Look, too, at the blue, misty hills of our dear Malta, just
rising from the water. What mere mole-hills those wild rocks now seem.
And then that glorious mass of glowing fire which spreads far and wide
round the sun as he sinks into that clear outline of sea; and distant
though it seems, sends its reflection across the waves even up to the
very ship itself. Ah! if one could but secure that orange tinge, one
might gaze at it unwearied all day long. See, also, the dark,
fantastically-shaped spots on the ocean as the sails of the distant
vessels appear between us and the sun, like evil spirits gliding about
the ocean to cause shipwrecks and disaster; while again, on the opposite
quarter, the canvas appears of snowy whiteness, just catching the last
rays of the light-giving orb of day, and we would fain believe them
benign beings hovering over the ocean, to protect us poor mortals from
the malign influences of their antagonists; while our proud ship glides
majestically along in solitary grandeur, casting indignantly aside the
waves which it seems to rule, like some mighty monarch galloping over
the broad domains which own him as their lord. Come, uncle, can you
deny the correctness of my description? And I am sure Captain Bowse
will agree with me."
She laughed playfully at her attempts at a description of the scene
surrounding them, and which she had purposely made as long as she could
find words to go on with, well-knowing the effect which her own sweet
voice exercised in calming the habitual irritation of her uncle.
"A pretty bit of jargon you have managed to string together," said the
colonel, looking more amiable than he had before done, "and that is what
I suppose you call a poetical description, missie. Well, as it does not
convey a bad idea of what we have before our eyes, it must pass for
something of the sort, I suppose. What do you say, Mister Bowse?"
Now, although Bowse had not entirely comprehended all that Ada had said,
he felt that he was called on to give an answer, and accordingly looked
round the horizon, as if to satisfy himself that her description was
correct. He had taken a survey of the whole expanse of the sea to the
westward, and his eye had gradually swept round to the east, when,
instead of turning round to answer, he kept it fixed on a distant spot
just seen over the weather or larboard bow. Shifting his position a
little, he placed his telescope to his eye, and took a steady gaze.
"That's her, I can't help thinking," he muttered. "But what she wants
out there, I can't say."
To the surprise of Ada, he walked forward, and called his mate to his
side.
"Here, Mr Timmins, just tell me what you think of that chap out there,
over the weather cat-head," he said, giving his officer the glass.
The mate took the instrument, and looked as he was directed.
"She's a lateen-rigged craft standing on a wind athwart our course,
sir," answered the mate instantly, as if there was no difficulty in
ascertaining thus much.
"That one may see with half an eye, Mr Timmins; but do you see nothing
unusual about her?"
"I can't say that I see any difference between her and the craft, which
one is always meeting with in these seas," answered the mate. "Her
canvas stands well, and looks very white as we see her beam almost on to
us. She seems one of those vessels with a name I never could manage to
speak, which trade along the coast of Sicily and Italy, and come over to
Malta."
"By the way she is standing, she will pass at no great distance to
leeward of us, and if she was to haul up a little, she would just about
reach us," observed the master in a tone of interrogation.
"Just about it, sir," replied the mate.
"Well, then, Mr Timmins, keep your eye on her, and when we get near
her, if there is still light enough left to make her out, tell me if you
have ever seen her before."
The mate, somewhat surprised at the directions his chief had given him,
prepared, however, to obey them, and while he superintended the people
on deck, he constantly kept his telescope fixed on the stranger. A
quarter of an hour or twenty minutes might have passed, when, after
taking a longer scrutiny than before, he suddenly turned round, and
walked to where his commander was standing.
"I know her, sir," he exclaimed. "She is no other than the craft which
nearly ran foul of us yesterday, and which went out of harbour this
morning. She had two outlandish-looking chaps as passengers; and one of
them came on board in the evening to talk about taking a passage to
Greece. I remember him well, sir, though I did not say anything to
you."
"You are right, Mr Timmins, it's her, there's no doubt," said Bowse.
"We'll give her a wide berth, for there seems to be something suspicious
about her," and he mentioned what Captain Fleetwood had said to him. "I
don't think the chap would dare to attack us; but, with females on
board, it's as well to be cautious. We'll haul up a little by degrees,
not to make it remarkable, so as to pass to windward of him, and have
the guns loaded and run out, just as a matter of course, in the
Mediterranean, tell the people. I don't want to have any talking about
it, you know; for it will all be moonshine, I suspect. Look you, too,
have the small arms and cutlasses up on deck, just to overhaul them, as
it were. The studden-sails must come in, at all events; it won't do to
be carrying on at night as if we had fifty hands in a watch instead of
five. Now let the people knock off work."
"Ay, ay, sir," answered the mate, and, without the slightest appearance
of hurry, he set to work to obey his commander's orders.
The crew, who had been employed beyond the usual hour in getting the
ship to right, finished stowing away everything that was loose, and got
the hatches on over the cargo. One after another the studden-sails,
which had been extended beyond the yard-arms came flying down like huge
white birds from their lofty perches, the moment the halyards and sheets
were let go, and, as they bulged out, they looked as if they were about
to sail off before the wind ahead of the vessel. As all hands were
wanted for the work, Bowse clapped on himself, petting a rope into even
Mitchell's hands, and in a short time the _Zodiac_, stripped of her
wings, was brought under more easy-working canvas. The lee-braces were
then flattened in a little, and the helm being put a few strokes to
starboard, she headed up towards the north. While the mate was
following the other directions he had given, Bowse again brought his
glass to bear on the speronara, and, while so doing, his eye was
attracted to a sail which appeared in the horizon, and which he at once
knew to be a square-rigged vessel. From its height, too, above the
water, and its faint outline, he judged her to be a ship or a brig of
some size. He had, indeed, remarked her some time before, and it now
occurred to him that she had not altered her position since first seen.
It would therefore appear that she was standing the same course as the
_Zodiac_; but as they neared her rapidly, such could scarcely be the
case, and he, now seeing that her head was turned towards them, could
only come to the conclusion that she was hove to. He calculated, also,
that the speronara, supposing that she had, for some time, steered the
same course she was now on, must have passed close to her.
The idea came into the master's head more as a matter of speculation
than because any further suspicions occurred to him, for the probability
of those he still entertained being correct, he thought so very slight,
that he was almost vexed with himself for acting on them; and had it not
been for his promise to Captain Fleetwood, he most likely would have
done so. That the speronara, now to leeward of him, was the self-same
craft he had seen in Malta harbour, he could, however, no longer
entertain a doubt. He had noted her long, low hull, with overhanging
stern and high bow, the great length of her tapering yards, and the way
her immense lateen sails stood; there was also a peculiar dark mark on
the cloth next to the outer leech of her foresail, near the head of the
yard, which was unmistakable, and when he could clearly see that her
identity would be proved. As he now brought his glass again to bear on
the speronara, he saw that as the _Zodiac_ was brought on a wind, she
was immediately hauled close on it, so that, notwithstanding the change
he had made in his course, she might still pass, if she liked, even to
windward of him, unless she also chose to hug the wind as he had done.
On seeing this, the spirit of the British sailor was roused within him.
"Oh, hang it," he muttered. "I'm not going to be altering my course for
fear of a rascally Italian piccaroon, if such that fellow should be. If
he chooses to come near us, he must take the consequences. We'll show
him that we've got some bulldogs on board who can bark pretty well if
they like. But I forgot the young lady, and the little Smaitch girl
with her. It won't do to let them run any risk of being hurt, should
the villains begin by firing into us before they speak, as is the
fashion of the cowards. I must manage to get them down below without
frightening them."
Having arrived at the conclusion of these cogitations, Bowse approached
to where the colonel and his niece were sitting; the young lady employed
in gazing on the sea, while he was looking with somewhat an inquiring
eye at the preparations carrying on under the mate's superintendence on
deck.
"Don't you think the young lady had better go below, out of the way of
the damp, sir," began Bowse, puzzled what excuse to make.
"Damp! surely there's none to hurt me," said Ada, looking up somewhat
surprised. "It is so refreshing."
"No, miss, the cold--the night air may do you harm," rejoined Bowse.
"I have no fear of either," answered Ada. "It's quite warm, and I do
not even require a cloak."
The master was sadly perplexed, and the colonel would not come to his
aid; at last he bethought him of a better reason, which must succeed.
"Yes, miss; but you see it's coming on night, and it's a rule that all
ladies should go below at night," he said, in a grave tone.
This made Ada fairly laugh outright.
"Oh! but I intend to break through the rule, I can assure you. The
evening, when the moon is playing on the water, is the most delightful
time of the twenty-four hours; and you will not persuade me to forego
its pleasures."
The colonel at length came to his rescue.
"What is it makes you so anxious for my niece to go below, Mr Bowse?"
he asked. "If you have any particular reason, pray mention it, and I am
sure she will be most ready to obey your wishes."
"Why, sir," said Bowse, drawing the colonel, who had risen, a little
forward, and whispering so as not, he thought, to be heard by Ada; "you
see, sir, I don't quite like the look of that craft we are nearing--some
murderous work has been done lately in these seas; and I was told, just
before we sailed, to be cautious of her--that's all."
"It was for that reason you were loading your guns, and getting up your
arms?" exclaimed the colonel, in a less cautious voice than that in
which the kind master had spoken. "Very right and proper. I'm glad to
see precautions taken. We'll fight the rascals with pleasure."
Ada overheard the words, and coming up, placed her arm on her uncle's.
"What is the matter?--Is there any danger?" she exclaimed, in a pleading
tone. "If there is--oh! let me share it with you. Do not send me down
into the cabin." She trembled, but it was more with excitement than
fear.
"Oh! nonsense, girl--suppose there was any danger, what object could
there be in your staying on deck?" answered the colonel. "You couldn't
save me from being hurt, missie, and I don't think you would manage to
hurt any of the enemy, if there should prove to be one in the case,
after all, which is in no way certain yet."
While the colonel was speaking, Bowse again looked at the speronara. He
now, to a certainty, ascertained that she had the dark mark in her
foresail, and that she was full of men. This at once decided him in
urging Miss Garden to go below, and on her still resisting, the colonel
gave indubitable signs of anger.
"Come, come, missie, no more nonsense. Go below you must, without
further delay, and take your little nigger with you."
Ada pleaded for a few minutes more to see what was likely to happen, but
in vain, and was reluctantly compelled, in company with her maid, to go
into her cabin, there to await the result of the meeting between the two
vessels. Ada did as every right-minded girl, under the circumstances,
would do--she knelt in prayer--not through abject fear for her own
safety, did she pray, for of herself she thought not; but she prayed
that her uncle, and the brave men with him on deck, might be shielded
from danger--a danger which it was very natural that from what she had
heard she should considerably exaggerate.
CHAPTER EIGHT.
If, as is asserted, the pleasures of life consist rather in the
anticipation than in the fruition, or perhaps we may say, in the means
taken to enjoy them, rather than in the objects when obtained; so, most
assuredly, is the anticipation of evil worse than the evil itself; and
misfortunes, which appear great and terrible when looked at timidly from
a distance, diminish, if they do not altogether disappear, when grappled
with manfully.
In fact, as somebody or other observed, once upon a time, that whenever
he wrote a philosophical, a beautiful, or a noble sentiment, that
fellow, Shakspeare, was sure to have been before him; I might more
briefly express what I wanted to say, by quoting our great poet--
"Cowards die many times before their death."
Now, as neither Bowse, nor his officers or men, were characters of that
description, but, on the contrary, as brave fellows as ever looked
danger in the face without flinching, they, on their own accounts, cared
very little whether the craft in sight was a pirate or an honest trader.
But it was now very evident that the speronara had an object in
steering, as she was clearly doing, for the brig, and as that object
could scarcely be otherwise than hostile, there was a possibility of
their being attacked; and with one of those unpremeditated cheers which
British seamen cannot refrain from giving at the thoughts of a skirmish,
every man hastened to buckle a cutlass to his side. Powder and shot
were got up, and the small arms and boarding-pikes were placed by the
sides of the guns, ready at hand, to be seized in a moment. The spirit
of the veteran soldier was instantly aroused in the bosom of Colonel
Gauntlett. As he sniffed the air of battle, the querulous, ill-tempered
old gentleman was changed into the cool and gallant officer. As soon as
Mitchell understood what was likely to happen, he was seen to dive into
the cabin, from whence he soon returned, when going up to his master, he
stood before him anticipating his orders.
"Mitchell, my sword and pistols, and bring me some ammunition, too, mark
me."
The servant's hand rose to his cap, and turning round, he again
descended to the cabin, reappearing in less than half a minute with the
weapons. The colonel buckled on his sword with far greater satisfaction
than a dandy tries on a new coat, and after carefully loading and
priming his pistols, which were of exquisite workmanship, he placed
them, with a look of satisfaction, in his belt. Not a word, however,
did he say while thus employed. The first observation was to his
servant.
"Mitchell," he said, "if that rascally felucca attempts to board us, you
are to act as my reserve, remember. We shall have to charge on to her
deck, or her people will charge on to ours, and you are to keep close
behind me, and support me if I require you."
"Yes, your honour," answered Mitchell, in imitation of his master
fastening a cutlass round his waist. "Is it them chaps in the
night-caps on board the little boat out there we've to fight?"
"It is, Mitchell, the people in that felucca now approaching us," said
the colonel.
"Och, then, by the powers, we'll blow them to blazes with these little
darlins alone;" and thereon he pulled forth from his coat-tail pockets a
pair of huge horse-pistols, of antique date and prodigious bore, which
would almost require a rest from which to fire them.
The sun had set, and the short twilight of that southern latitude was
fast disappearing, yet sufficient remained to show the outline of the
speronara as the two vessels drew near to each other, though more
distant objects had long since been shrouded from sight. Her tapering
lateen sails now, as seen in one, appeared like the summit of a lofty
pyramid of dark hue, surrounded by the waves. Then, as they approached
still nearer, and she was almost abeam, the crew were seen standing up,
and watching them with eagerness. Instead, however, of attempting to
pass ahead of the brig, as she came near, she kept away so as pass close
under her quarter. Now came the anxious time. If she was about to
board, she would be alongside in another instant. Bowse, however, felt
that whatever might be his suspicions of her honesty, without some more
presumptive evidence of evil intentions, it would not do for him to
commence hostilities; he therefore, taking his speaking-trumpet in his
hand, went aft, and leaned ever the quarter-rail.
The speronara came rapidly on, and was close to.
"I have one message for you," exclaimed a voice from the deck of the
stranger, in Italian accents--"send boat here."
"I'll see you damned first," exclaimed Bowse. "I've no boat to send--
send yours," he shouted through his speaking-trumpet.
"Heave to, there--I send boat," was shouted in return from the
speronara; and she was immediately seen to hug the wind, her helm was
put down, and about she came on the other tack, the same on which the
_Zodiac_ was sailing, placing herself thus on their weather quarter.
"Keep her away," shouted Bowse to the man at the helm, thinking that the
speronara was about to board him; but immediately he saw he was
mistaken, for instead of her fore-sheet being eased off, it was kept to
windward, and, as she lay hove-to, he observed preparations to launch a
boat into the water. "I suppose, sir, we may let these fellows come on
board?" he said, addressing the colonel, who was by his side; "they can
do us no harm, and they may possibly have a message."
"As you think fit, Captain Bowse," returned the colonel, who was so
pleased with the master's coolness and bearing, that he no longer
refused to give him the usual title,--"I've no objection. They can't
eat us; and if they meditate running alongside, they will see we are
prepared for them."
"Put the helm down, my lad, round in the weather after-braces, and lay
the main-yard square--brace up the head yards--rouse in the main sheet--
ease off the head sheets."
These orders being executed, and the brig brought to the wind, she was
hove to, with her head in the same direction as that of the speronara.
That vessel could just be seen to windward, looking dark against the
western sky, and far larger than she really was, slowly forging ahead,
while a small boat could just be discerned traversing the intervening
space.
"Well, as we are to have no fighting, I suppose, I will just go and
relieve the anxiety of my little girl," said the colonel, whose good
humour was now in the ascendant.
No sooner did his niece see him than she flew into his arms, and kissed
his cheek affectionately--an example Marianna, in the exuberance of her
joy at finding there was to be no fighting, was nearly imitating.
"Oh, dear uncle, I am so glad that there is no danger to be encountered.
You cannot tell how anxious I have been."
"Well, missie, since you don't like the cabin you shall come on deck and
see what next takes place; we are going to have some visitors, it
appears." Saying this, he gallantly placed a shawl on her shoulders,
and gave his hand to lead her on deck.
While the boat of the speronara was approaching, three or four of the
_Zodiac's_ crew were collected by the foremost gun, watching her
progress with no little interest. Two of them were regular salts of the
old school, who still delighted in ear-rings and pigtails, though, in
compliment to the degenerate taste of the times, they wore the latter
ornaments much smaller than they had done in their younger days. They
were prime seamen, and fellows who were ready to go down with their
colours flying rather than strike to an enemy.
"You have heard tell on the _Flying Dutchman_, of course, Bill," said
Jem Marline, casting a look to windward at the speronara, and hitching
up his trousers, while he squirted a stream of tobacco-juice through the
port.
"On course," answered Bill Rullock, "I haven't been to sea near thirty
years without, messmate."
"Did you ever cast eyes on the chap, though?" asked Jem.
"Can't say as how I have," answered Bill. "But there's many they say
who has, and few who ever lived to tell of it. But what was you
thinking on, Jem?"
"Why you see, Bill," replied his chum, "I don't altogether like the
circumbendibus ways of that ere chap to windward. You see, first in
Malta harbour, we falls in with him or one like him, for I don't say,
mind you, that that ere craft is the same which nearly ran foul on us
yesterday; then out he goes right ahead of us, and then just as it's got
dark, down he comes again, and wants to send a boat aboard us. Now you
see as how that's the thing I don't in no manner of ways approve on. If
I was our skipper, I would send a round shot right into the boat, sooner
than any of his people should step on this deck. That's just the trick
the cursed Dutchman's up to."
"No manner o' doubt about it," said Bill gravely; "but you know, Jem,
they say the Dutchman's cruising ground is off the Cape, in a
full-rigged ship, and I never heard on his coming into these parts."
"True as gospel, old shipmate, but how should we know that he hasn't got
tired of the Cape, and taken a trip up here?" argued Jem. "And as to
the matter of the rig, he may shift his craft according to the sea he's
in. Besides, you know as how if there's one _Flying Dutchman_, there
may be two, and this fellow may have come to trouble us here, up the
straits. Depend on't, Bill, the less company one keeps with them sort
of gentry the better."
"Very true, Jem, but suppose a chap out of that boat then does come on
board, what's to happen think ye?" asked Bill, in a tone which showed
that he in no way doubted his messmate's account.
"Why I can't say exactly, because as how I never seed what he does; but
from what I've heard, I believe he tries to slip a letter like into the
skipper's or some 'un's hand who's green enough to take it; and then the
chap, who's no better nor Davy Jones himself, gives a loud laugh, and
down goes the ship to the bottom, or else a hurricane is sure to get up
and drive her ashore. But here comes that cursed felucca's boat. I
wish we might just let fly at her; it would save mischief, I'll be
sworn."
"Bear a hand there with a rope for the boat coming alongside," sung out
the captain in a loud voice, which sounded as ominous of evil to the
ears of the superstitious crew. "Bring a lantern here to the gangway,"
he added. Bowse, with his first mate and Colonel Gauntlett, stood near
the gangway, which was lighted up with a lantern to receive the
strangers, as a small boat containing in all only four persons, came
round under the brig's stern. They pulled only two oars, and two people
were seated in the stern sheet. "Keep an eye to windward there,
Larkins, on that felucca," said the first mate to the second, as he went
to his captain's summons. "I don't altogether think her cut honest."
"A mighty fuss about a very small affair, I suspect," muttered the
colonel, as a figure was seen to ascend from the boat up the side of the
brig.
The stranger was dressed in the Phrygian cap, and simple garb of a
Sicilian mariner. His appearance, as far as it could be judged of by
the dim light of the lantern, was anything but prepossessing. A
profusion of long, straggling, grizzly locks, once probably of raven
hue, which evidently had not felt the barber's scissors for many a year,
concealed the greater part of his face which was still further hidden by
a patch over one eye, and a handkerchief bound round his head, while his
mouth was surrounded by an enormous pair of moustachios, and a beard of
similar character, so that little more than the tip of a red nose, and a
rolling fierce eye was visible. As he reached the deck, this handsome
personage bowed to the group before him, without speaking, while he
glanced his eye round at the crew, who still wore their cutlasses, and
at the other weapons which were placed ready for use.
Behind the group I have described, stood several of the crew, among whom
were Jem Marline, and his chum Bill Bullock, and if the stranger had
been able to read the expression of their countenances, he would
certainly have been a bold man, had he not felt some apprehension; for
they spoke almost as plainly as words could do, that had they the power,
they would, without ceremony, heave him into the sea. There were fear,
suspicion, and dislike, strangely blended with the usual bold
recklessness which had given a character to their features a sudden
emotion could not obliterate. Fortunately, however, the light of the
lantern fell in such a way as to throw them, where they stood, into
shade.
"What is it you want with us, signor?" said Bowse, in his usual blunt
tone, seeing that the other did not speak.
"To carry us all to Davy Jones, if we don't look sharp," muttered Jem
Marline to his messmate. "The beggar will be handing a letter directly,
and then stand by for squall."
The stranger shook his head, as if not comprehending what was said.
"That's it," whispered Jem, in a tone of terror. "He don't speak. He
never does."
Bowse repeated the question, in the _lingua Franca_ of those seas.
The stranger shook his head.
"He does not understand our lingo," observed Bowse. "Here, Timmins, you
speak a little Italian--just ask this gentleman what he wants aboard
here."
"Ay, ay, sir," said the mate coming forward, and asking the question in
execrable Italian.
Again the stranger shook his head, as if not comprehending the question,
and finding that not much progress was likely to be made at this rate,
he turned round, and leaning through the gangway, beckoned his companion
to come on deck. As he drew back, another person appeared, dressed
precisely in the same manner; but evidently very much younger. A long
moustache shaded his mouth, and wild elf-locks concealed the greater
portion of his face, and from a patch down one side of his cheek, he
looked as if, like his elder companion, he had been engaged in some
severe fighting. The light of the lantern, as he reached the deck,
seemed particularly to annoy him, and he stood with his eyes cast on the
deck, shading them with one of his hands, nor could he meet the glance
of any of those surrounding him.
"What do you wish to explain?" said the second stranger in Italian,
bowing with a not ungraceful bend, and a touch of his hand to his cap.
"Oh! you can speak, can you? Well, that's all right," said Timmins.
"And now, if you please, tell us why it is the felucca there was so
anxious to speak to us?"
"_Si, signor_," answered the younger stranger, very slowly; and in an
Italian which was mostly understood, he then explained that the
speronara, of which his father was master, had, that afternoon, fallen
in with an Austrian man-of-war brig, which had brought her to, and sent
a boat on board her. The officers, he said, informed them that the
noted Greek pirate Zappa, in his famous brig the _Sea Hawk_, had lately
been heard of not far from the mouth of the Adriatic, and that he had
plundered and destroyed several vessels. The Austrian, he said, had
given him despatches for the governor of Malta, relative to the subject,
as also to the Neapolitan Government, with a reward for carrying them,
and had charged them to inform all vessels they should fall in with of
what had occurred.
"Then he did not tell you to speak us in particular," said Timmins.
"_Si, signor_, he expressly--oh! no--not you in particular--oh, no,"
replied the young man.
"Have you nothing further to tell us?" said Timmins. "Because you see,
though we are much obliged to you for your information, we are in a
hurry to be on our course again, and if you should happen to fall in
with the Signor Zappa and his brig the _Sea Hawk_, just tell him that
the _Zodiac_ will give him a warm reception if he attempts to play off
any of his tricks upon her."
"You don't know the pirate," exclaimed the young man vehemently, "he--"
"Do you know him?" said Timmins, fixing his eye upon him. The man's
glance quailed before that of the stout sailor.
"Oh no, signor, I don't know him--I have heard of him though."
"Oh! is that it?" said the mate, interpreting what he heard to the
captain.
"Well, just ask him and his father if they will come down below, and
take a glass of something before they shove off," said Bowse.
A few words were exchanged between the two strangers in a low tone, and
there appeared to be some hesitation on the part of the elder; but, at
last, they consented, and followed the master into an outer cabin, which
he had retained as his own, and where he and his mate messed. A door
from it opened into the cabins engaged by the colonel, who, when he saw
the strangers, retired also with his niece into their cabin.
As the door between the two stood open, all that took place in one could
be heard in the other.
"Let the Italians come in here, Mr Bowse," said the colonel, from the
inner cabin. "I will give them a glass of sherry which they will like
better than rum and water, and it will do them more good than their own
thin wash."
When the strangers, who, directed by the signs made by the master, found
themselves in the presence of a lady, they stood somewhat abashed, it
seemed, and bowed respectfully as they quaffed off the wine offered to
them. The bright light which was shed from a lamp hanging from the deck
seemed also much to annoy their eyes, long accustomed to darkness, and
they kept their faces shaded by their hands during the short time they
were in the cabin, so that little or nothing of their feature? could be
seen.
For an instant, however, the eyes of the youngest fell on Ada, and, at
that moment, there gleamed in them a peculiar expression, which she
could not help remarking; but what it meant to say, she was at a loss to
comprehend. It was certainly a look of intelligence, as if he expected
to be understood; but there was also blended with it an expression of
admiration, pity, and regret, which further puzzled her. At all events,
she was convinced that, by that look, he intended to convey some
meaning, which he dared not otherwise explain.
The strangers remained scarcely a minute below, and respectfully wishing
the occupants of the cabin a good evening, they took their leave. The
elder went first, and as the second followed, he appeared to stumble at
the door. As he did so, he let a folded paper fall from his hand, and,
at the same instant, he gave a hurried glance at Ada over his shoulder.
Before she had time to tell him of his loss, he had sprung up the
companion-ladder. The strangers were quickly in their boat, which, with
rapid strokes, pulled back towards the speronara.
"Up with the helm, my lad," exclaimed the captain, in a hurried tone, to
the man at the wheel, as soon as the boat left the side, "haul aft the
head sheets--ease off the main sheet; Mr Timmins, we'll keep her on her
right course."
"Ay, ay, sir," answered the mate--shouting as the brig's head fell off,
"square away the head yards, my men; come, be sharp about it."
"And what do you think, Timmins, of those fellows' account of the
Austrian brig and the pirate? It seems somewhat strange, doesn't it?"
said Bowse, as he walked the deck with his first officer as soon as they
had put the ship on her former course. The speronara still lay hove to
right astern, her outline every instant becoming more indistinct as the
brig ran from her.
"Why, sir," replied the mate, in return to his commander's question. "I
don't think any good of it, and that's a fact; but if you ask if I
believe it, I don't do that neither. These Italians are much given to
lying at best, as far as my experience goes; and I believe we have just
heard a pretty round lie, though I don't say there was no truth
altogether in it. To my mind, if there is such a chap as that Zap--what
do they call him, the pirate--it is much more likely that he is on board
that felucca, or perhaps he was one of the fellows who came on board us,
than that an Austrian man-of-war brig should have sent her cruising
about to give notice of him to English merchantmen."
"Well, Timmins, that's my view of the case," replied Bowse; "I think the
Austrian brig would have stood on to Malta herself, seeing she must have
been almost in sight of it, instead of sending a craft of that sort with
a message. Besides, what business had the speronara there at all?"
"There's something very suspicious about it, at all events," returned
the mate. "Now, though I don't often listen to what the men say,
Captain Bowse, and they generally get hold of the wrong end of a thing,
yet they have often an inkling of what's right and wrong. Well, sir,
they've already got all sorts of stories aboard here, about the _Flying
Dutchman_ and such-like stuff, and they don't at all like the look of
things. When you were below with the strangers, they talked of throwing
them crop and heels overboard and letting them swim to their boats, and
I believe if you hadn't come up with them on deck yourself, they would
not have let me prevent them."
"I believe the people are right, Timmins, in thinking that the two
fellows who stood on our deck lately are knaves, but it wouldn't have
done to heave them overboard," said the master. "However, they are not
likely to do us any harm if we keep a bright look-out, and should any
rascally pirate attack us, I'm sure all on board here will stand to
their guns like men."
CHAPTER NINE.
One of the most valuable qualities which a person can possess, is
presence of mind. Our safety and our life, and the safety and the lives
of others, frequently depend on it. Some people are endued with it
naturally--they never act without thought, and they in a moment perceive
what is best to be said or done. Others act from impulse, without
consideration, and though they may now and then do what is right by
chance, they are more likely to do what is wrong; like the Irish seaman,
who, when ordered to cut a rope to which he was hanging, cut above his
head instead of below his feet, and came down by the run. I believe
that it is very possible to attain a presence of mind which one does not
naturally possess, by constant practice and attention, though I suspect
the task would be found very difficult.
When Ada saw the paper drop from the hand of the young Italian mariner,
her first impulse was to call out to him in order to restore it, but the
look he gave as he left the cabin, convinced her that he had done so
purposely, and feeling that if so, it was certainly of importance, as
she did possess the quality of which I was speaking, she sprang forward
to secure it. The paper she saw, as she returned to her seat, was the
blank leaf of a book, torn hastily out, and folded up in the form of a
note; but on opening it there appeared to be nothing written on it.
"Why, what is that you have got there, Ada?" said Colonel Gauntlett.
"Oh, I fancied that I had discovered an important document, and, lo and
behold, it turns out to be merely a blank paper," returned the young
lady laughing. "One cannot help conjuring up some romantic incident in
these lovely seas, and forgetting that in these matter-of-fact days
nothing of the sort is likely to occur; but I believe after all there
are some pencil marks on the paper." She held it up closer to the
light, and as she did so, her countenance grew graver. There were a few
lines written in pencil, but so faint that it was not surprising she
should, at first, not have remarked them. They were in Italian, and in
the peculiar handwriting of the people of that nation.
"Trust not to appearances," they said. "Avoid the polacca brig. The
story told you is false." At the bottom were the words, "An unwilling
actor," as if intended for a signature. There was nothing more to show
by whom they were written, though there could be but little doubt that
they were so by the young mariner, or by somebody who had employed him.
Ada translated them to her uncle, who was at a loss to comprehend their
meaning, further than that they contradicted the story they had just
heard from the lips of the very man who dropped the paper. He thought
over them for some time, and then summoned Mitchell, whom he directed to
request the captain's presence.
Ada was again called to translate them, when the captain appeared.
"And what do you think of them?" the colonel asked him.
"Why, sir, that they serve to confirm my suspicions, and those of my
mate, that the felucca is not honest, and that there is a good deal of
mystification going on somewhere or other."
"Then you don't believe the story of the Austrian brig having sent the
felucca to us?" asked the colonel.
"Not a bit of it, sir; and my firm opinion is, that if the rascals had
found us unprepared, she would have been alongside us before now. She
had more people on board her than when she left Malta harbour this
morning, though where they came from I can't say; and I'm positive as to
the craft, though the young man denied having been there for many a day.
I can't make it out."
"But what does this paper mean about the polacca brig, think you?" asked
the colonel.
Bowse thought for some time.
"I have it, sir!" he at length exclaimed, clapping his hand to his head.
"That's the brig those fellows wanted to make us suppose an Austrian
man-of-war. If they had taken less trouble we might have been taken
in."
"And what do you intend to do, Captain Bowse? Remember I am under your
orders, in the way of fighting on board here. If you ever come on shore
when there's anything doing, I will show you how we manage things
there."
The colonel spoke in a good-natured lively tone, as he always did the
moment there appeared a prospect of fighting.
"Keep our guns loaded, and trust to Providence, sir," replied the
captain.
"Please, sir, Mr Timmins begs you will just step on deck for a moment,"
said the steward, putting his head in at the door, and looking at the
master.
Bowse jumped up and hurried on deck, for he knew the mate would not have
sent for him except on a matter of importance.
"Here, Sims, what's the matter now?" said the colonel, calling the
steward from the pantry; "any more visitors?"
"O Lord, no, sir, I hope not," answered Sims, coming forward and showing
by the pallor of his countenance, and his trembling hand, that whatever
the matter was it had alarmed him.
"What is the matter, then?" exclaimed the colonel. "Out with it."
"Why, sir, they say on deck, that the _Flying Dutchman_ is following us,
and that we shall be sure to drive ashore or go to the bottom," answered
the steward, almost crying with alarm.
"Fiddle-de-dee, with the _Flying Dutchman_. What arrant fools the men
must be to think of such nonsense," exclaimed the colonel, in a
contemptuous tone. "Come, Ada, let us go on deck before you return to
your cabin, and we will have a look at the phantom."
Bowse found his mate standing on the poop, looking intently over the
weather quarter. He was so absorbed in what he saw, that he was not
aware of his commander's presence till the latter touched his arm.
"I thought it was better to send for you, Captain Bowse, for as I'm a
living man there is that cursed felucca, instead of going to Malta,
following at our heels, and coming up with us hand over hand."
As the mate spoke, he pointed in the direction towards which he had been
looking. Bowse, having just left the bright light of the cabin, could
not at first discern anything; but gradually he perceived the dark
shadowy outline of the speronara's sails brought into one, and like a
phantom gliding over the waves. There could be no manner of doubt that
it was she, but the question in his mind was how to treat her. Though
he might be almost certain that her intentions were evil, he could not
fire into her, till there was no doubt of the matter, and she might be
alongside, when the advantage he possessed in having heavy guns, would
be much diminished, if not altogether lost. He might, possibly, by
making more sail, get away from the speronara; but that he doubted, and
the brig was already under as much canvas, as on ordinary occasions, it
was considered prudent to carry at night. He remembered that he was not
on board a man-of-war, when sail could be shortened, without calling the
watch below. Yet sail must be made, as it would never do to have that
little speronara buzzing about them all night without being allowed to
punish her, or trying to get away from her.
"We must see if we can't walk away from that fellow, Mr Timmins. Turn
the hands up," he at length exclaimed, after taking a turn on the poop.
"Set the royals. Get the fore topmast, and lower studding-sails on
her."
"Ay, ay, sir," replied the mate, going somewhat slowly to obey the
order. "Little good I'm afraid it will do us, though."
The crew, though expecting to be roused up, for the watch on deck had
let those below know of the reappearance of the suspicious stranger,
went about their duty without their usual alacrity.
"One might just as well try to run clear of a hurricane as to beat that
chap out there either on wind or off it," muttered Jem Marlin, as he
went aloft to rig out the studding-sail booms. "All the canvas in store
in Portsmouth Dockyard wouldn't carry us away from him, if he wanted to
catch us."
The additional sail, however, was set, and as the wind had fallen light,
it was only what was required to urge her at her previous speed through
the water. While sail was being made the master was joined on the poop
by his passengers.
"Well," said the colonel, laughing. "I hear we have the honour of the
company of the _Flying Dutchman_ again."
"Dutchman or not, sir," replied the master, "that little speronara has
taken it into her head to dodge us; and, shame on the brig, which ought
to do better, she seems likely to come up with us."
"Well let her--we are a match for her, I should think; and my little
girl here seems rather anxious for a brush. She puts to shame that
steward of yours, who came skulking into the cabin just now as white as
a sheet, declaring we were going to be boarded by ghosts or hobgoblins
of some sort."
"You must humour seamen, or you can never manage them, sir," replied the
master. "They as firmly believe in the _Flying Dutchman_ as they do in
the Gospel; and you can't persuade them that he is not to be met with.
It would never do for me to go and tell them that they are cowards and
credulous fools; and I well know that the same men would face three
times their number with cutlasses in their hands."
"And I am sure, uncle, any one might be excused for mistaking that dark
object astern of us for a phantom wandering over the face of the deep,"
said Ada. "Even now, as I look at it, I can scarcely persuade myself
that it is the light, graceful speronara we saw during daylight; and am
far more inclined to believe it a being from another world--the ghost of
one of the old sea-kings one reads of--or, perhaps, a malign spirit
stalking over the deep in search of prey.
"Well, miss, the same sort of idea occurs to the mind of the uneducated
seaman as he keeps his silent watch at night on the mast-head or
forecastle; and when he sees through the darkness tall ships slowly
gliding noiselessly over the waters, and when no sign or signal is
exchanged, there is nothing to show him to the contrary. I don't mean
to say that there are many seamen that would mistake a ship for a ghost,
because they would not be worth their salt if they did; but a few may
have done so, and have told stories about them which have found plenty
of people to believe them, and tell them again."
"That's the way all the wonderful nonsense one hears spoken of has got
circulated," said the colonel. "But as I do not see much to interest us
in looking at that vessel astern--and there is nothing else visible--I
shall go to bed; and you, Miss Ada, must go to your cabin, so take
Marianna off with you."
Ada begged to remain a little longer; and, for a short time more, she
was allowed to enjoy the fresh air on deck. The night was very fine.
The sky was perfectly clear, and the stars shone brightly forth--but
there was no moon; and, consequently, her range of vision was much
circumscribed. The sea was covered with light waves, which, as they
rose and fell, scarcely had any effect in giving motion to the vessel.
The hue of the ocean was, in some places, almost of an inky blackness;
in others it was lighted up with phosphorescent flashes, which, seen
amid the surrounding darkness, seemed as brilliant as if composed of
real fire--their reflection being caught by the light foam which curled
on the summits of the dancing waves--while, on either side of the
vessel, a mass of scintillating sparks flew off as if her stern were
ploughing up a vast field with a sub-layer of gold-dust; and astern
appeared a line of yet brighter lights composed of thousands of whirling
eddies, which grew smaller and smaller, and less distinct, till lost in
the distance. After watching the sea for some time, as Ada looked up at
the rigging, and at the masts and wide-spread sails above her head, they
no longer looked as in the day-time, like white wings extended to urge
on the vessel in her course; but, increased to many times their former
size, they seemed like a black pyramid to tower upwards to the sky till
lost in the distance.
Ada was not long permitted to enjoy this, to her, unusual scene, before
her uncle again summoned her below; and this time she was obliged to
obey. He, however, had given strict orders to be called should anything
occur.
The wind, as the night drew on, grew considerably lighter, and this gave
a decided advantage to the speronara, which rapidly came up abeam.
Neither Bowse nor his mates had turned in, and even the crew remained on
deck, watching the stranger with jealous eyes. It appeared, as they
watched her, that she was steering a course a point more to windward
than they were, for, as she came up, her distance from them was far
greater than they had expected, and it was soon evident that she had no
intention of boarding them. Bowse breathed more freely, and looked at
the studding-sails. He knew that all hands were weary as he was
himself.
"Take in the studding-sails, Timmins, and furl top-gallant sails. The
_Zodiac_ can walk along fast enough without them, and we must not have
the people roused out again, if we can help it."
The order was obeyed with alacrity, and the brig was soon brought under
the snug canvas she usually carried at night.
"I told ye, Bill, there was no manner nor use setting them studsails nor
to'gallant sails neither," said Jem Marlin, as, his watch on deck being
over, he turned into his hammock at midnight. "Lord bless ye, nothing
could have made us run away from her if we'd tried ever so much. But to
my mind, it's having that young lady aboard kept him off. Depend on't
there's nothing like having a beautiful, virtuous young woman on your
side, to keep Davy Jones and all his devils at long range. The fact is,
they're afraid of her, she's so different to theirselves. While we,
Bill, you knows, is sarcumstantially too much--"
What Jem might have said further, I know not, for his head touched the
end of his hammock, and he was fast asleep.
The grey light of the early dawn was just stealing across the sea, and a
few faint streaks of reddish tinge showed the eastern part of the sky,
when the master of the _Zodiac_ came on deck. His ship was still
proudly holding her course unharmed, amid the waste of waters, and with
that fresh reviving hour when all the events of the new-born day are yet
to occur, the indistinct causes of the alarm of the previous night
appeared to have vanished, and even the superstitious seamen could
venture to smile at their previous terrors. The wind had fallen
considerably, and there was no longer sufficient to crest the tops of
the sluggish leaden-like waves which had not yet lost the hue thrown
over them by the mantle of night. Gradually, however, the eastern sky
assumed a warmer, and yet a warmer tinge, increasing till an orange glow
was cast across their surface, the sombre colour gave place to a
brighter purple, and as the sun bursting from his ocean confines, took
his rapid course upwards, they caught the intense blue of the sky above
them, on their changeful bosoms.
The first thing which a sailor does on coming on deck, is to cast his
eye aloft, to see what sails are set, and how they stand, and then to
sweep it round the horizon; his next is to go aft to the binnacle, and
to take a look at the compass.
Bowse quickly satisfied himself that the sails were properly trimmed,
and that the ship was steering on her right course; but the survey he
took of the horizon did not so well please him. There was in the first
place, some odd-shaped clouds floating along to the south and
south-east, just above the sea, which he did not like, and rather to the
northward of east, just on the horizon, were two sails, the appearance
of which he liked still less. He looked at them attentively, then he
rubbed his eyes, and looked at them again; but neither operation
satisfied him. He then went to the companion, and taking his spyglass,
surveyed the two objects for some time. A landsman would not have
remarked them; indeed, he would scarcely have perceived the faint,
irregularly shaped dots they appeared, just suspended, as it were, above
the horizon; but the well-practised eye of the old sailor could not only
discover what were their peculiar rigs, but even which way they were
steering. He soon determined, to the satisfaction of his own mind, that
the northern-most of the two, and the nearest, was a lateen-rigged
craft, standing, close hauled, to the northward, across his course, and
that the other was a square-rigged vessel, probably a brig, under easy
sail, standing in the same direction that he was. Now, although under
ordinary circumstances, he would not have given the two vessels a second
thought; yet coupling the events of the previous day, and the mysterious
warning they had received, he could not help thinking that one was the
speronara; the other the brig with which she was in communication, and
which she wished to persuade them was an Austrian man-of-war. Bowse
took two or three turns on deck, every now and then casting a glance
eastward, expressive of no very amiable feelings.
"Oh! confound the rascals," he muttered, stamping his foot on the deck.
"If it wasn't for that sweet young lady below, who should not have her
eyes shocked with scenes of blood and fighting, I wish they would both
of them come on at once, and have it out, if they want to rob us,
instead of sneaking round, and bothering us in this way. If I do get
alongside them, I will give it them; but we shall have something else to
do before that, I suspect."
He took another turn or so, and then stopped, looking to the northward.
He had, at first, intended again setting all the sail the ship would
carry before the wind; but on more critically examining the clouds in
that quarter, he determined, for the present, to make no change. The
clouds, he observed, were increasing in number, and banking up thickly
together, and the first freshness of the morning had given way to an
oppressive and heavy air, which seemed to weigh down their spirits. The
wind, which had hitherto been so steady, though varying in strength, now
dropped considerably, and began to veer about, so as to require the
hands constantly at the braces. Bowse fully felt the responsibility of
the command intrusted to him, and that the safety and lives of his crew
and passengers would depend very much on his forethought, judgment, and
coolness. He was glad to be alone, to think over what was best to be
done under the circumstances; that a gale was brewing, he felt pretty
sure, and that it would come from the southward and east; but whether it
would be of long duration, or whether one of those sudden gusts, those
short-lived tempests, which occur frequently during summer in the
Mediterranean, he could not determine, though he was inclined to think
it would be the latter; then, that some vessel, with no good motive, was
looking out for the brig, he felt almost certain; though his pride would
not allow him to suppose that any one, knowing the armament of the
_Zodiac_, would attempt to attack her openly. At the same time this was
an additional object of anxiety, and would require caution.
The watch, with bare feet, and trousers tucked up to their knees, with
buckets in their hands, were employed in washing decks, and as they
splashed the water along the planks, and up the inner sides of the
bulwarks, they laughed and jested in very buoyancy of spirits; and
played off on each other various little practical jokes, which the
presence of the second mate, who superintended and aided in the
operation, alone prevented from being of a more boisterous character.
The poop deck, where the captain was walking, had already been washed,
and the people were now in the waist, and were giving a few more
vehement splashes before moving further forward, when Colonel Gauntlett,
in his forage cap, a richly flowered dressing-gown, and Turkish
slippers, made his appearance at the companion hatch, very nearly
receiving a copious shower-bath from the contents of a bucket dashed
across the deck at that moment.
"Hillo, my men," he exclaimed, in no very amiable tone. "I thought the
ship was wrecked, with all that splashing and scrubbing. One would
suppose that the vessel was as dirty as those Augean stables that fellow
Hercules had to clean, by all the water you use."
"It's cheaper than pipe-clay, and cleaner, for it's to be had for the
taking, and don't leave any dust," muttered Jem Marlin, who was the
offender.
"It may be cheap, but it makes a confounded noise, and we have enough of
it outside, as it is," answered the colonel, not hearing the reference
to pipe-clay. "So I beg in future you won't let quite so much of it
play round my head in a morning."
This was said, as he was standing with his body half-way down the
companion ladder.
He then observed the master on the poop.
"Well, Mr Bowse, anything more of our friend, the _Flying Dutchman_?"
he asked in a jocose tone.
"If you will step up here, I will tell you more about her, sir,"
answered the master; and, thus summoned, the colonel picked his way over
the wet deck to where he was standing. "I think it right, Colonel
Gauntlett, to tell you, that you may be prepared, that we are going to
have a blow of it, shortly; and I want you to look at that brig out
there. What do you make of her?"
"Bless me, nothing--I can't even see her," said the colonel. "Do you
mean to tell me that you can distinguish what that little black mark is
out there?"
"Yes, Colonel Gauntlett, I am certain that yonder object is either a
brig or a ship, under her tops'ils, standing to the eastward, and that
the other, you see, to the north of her, is a felucca or speronara.
Now, sir, if there is any credit to be placed in the letter we got last
night, and in the account the two Sicilians who came on board gave us,
and in the warnings we got at Malta, we are likely to fall in with a
brig which is no better than she should be, and which is in connection,
some way or other, with that same speronara. Now, there is a brig on
the same course that we are; yet, for some reason or other, in no hurry
to make a passage: perhaps, she is waiting for us to come up with her.
Then there floats just such another craft as the speronara, supposing it
is not she herself: so, if we are to fall in with a pirate, I cannot
help thinking that brig ahead is the vessel. That is one thing I have
to mention to you, sir; and please to look to the south'ard and
east'ard. The black bank gathering there shows that we shall have a
very different time of it to what we had yesterday."
"Well, Mr Bowse, what would you have us do?" exclaimed the colonel,
with rather a puzzled look. "Do you wish us to put back?"
"No, Colonel Gauntlett, I have been brought up in a school where it is
not the custom to run from any danger men can meet with, when there is a
chance of overcoming it," replied the master, with not a little dignity
in his tone. "But I thought it my duty to inform you, sir, of what, in
my opinion, is likely to occur; and, please Providence, we'll do our
best to meet and overcome any dangers which may appear."
"I like your spirit, Bowse, and cordially agree with you," exclaimed the
colonel, taking his hand. "Those black clouds may, after all, only
indicate a squall; and, as for the pirate, if one falls foul of us I
think we snail have no difficulty in handling him."
"I won't deceive you, sir; if you had been as much at sea as I have you
would know that those clouds foretell a gale; but such a gale as I hope
the _Zodiac_ will weather without straining a timber; and, for the
pirate, we must keep our weather eye open, that he does not take us
unawares. Perhaps, Providence tends the storm to keep us clear of the
pirate. My advice to you, sir, is to warn the young lady and her maid
of what is going to happen, and to get everything stowed in your cabin.
I'm just going to turn the hands up to shorten sail."
"I wish I could be of as much use there as I hope to be alongside an
enemy; but as I cannot, I will go where I can do some good." Saying
which, the colonel returned to the cabin.
"All hands on deck to shorten sail," sang out the master; and ere a
minute had passed, the senior mate and the watch below were on deck.
The fore-clue-garnets were manned, and the foresail was quickly clewed
up, and the men flying aloft, it was securely furled. The topsails were
next lowered on the caps, whence they bulged out like big balloons,
about to fly away with the masts.
"Man the fore and main tops'il clew-lines and bunt-lines," sung out
Bowse, laying his hand on the main. "Away with it, my lads."
The topsails were clewed up, the reef tackles hauled out, and the hands
aloft lying in, in as short a time almost as it has taken to describe.
Both sails were close reefed, and again sheeted home. The fore and aft
mainsail was then close reefed, the jib hauled down, and fore-topmast
staysail hoisted; the royal yards were also sent down, and the brig
then, under her smallest working canvas, was prepared to meet the
tempest, in whatever way, or from whatever quarter it might come.
CHAPTER TEN.
There is a strong similarity between the aspects of physical nature and
those exhibited by man, as an individual, and in the aggregate.
Before any outbreak or great commotion, from the disorganised condition
of the moral body, there are observed signs of discontent, murmurings,
and complaints, fierce looks and threats--these, at length, disappear,
and people seem to be seized with a sudden apathy and indifference,
which is as quickly cast aside, and all is rage, havoc, and confusion.
So, likewise, before the coming of a storm, clouds are seen gathering in
the horizon, murmurs and growls are heard, then the wind dies away, and
a perfect calm, for a short time, succeeds the fury of the tempest, and,
in both instances, the more perfect the calm, the more is the subsequent
outbreak to be feared.
The wind had gradually died away, till the sea became smooth as glass,
and rose and fell in gentle undulations, which made the vessel roll from
side to side, and caused every timber and bulkhead to groan and creak.
It appeared not to have been absolutely necessary to shorten sail so
soon; but as there was a dead calm, this was of no consequence, and the
most prudent seamanship; as it is, at times, difficult to judge the
period a squall my take to travel up to a ship.
The brig still lay with her head a little to the northward of east, and
her yards were now braced up on the starboard tack to meet the wind
which gave signs of coming from the southward and east. Every
preparation was made, and all hands were at their stations, ready to
execute any of their commander's orders which the emergency might
require, when Ada, wearied of remaining in the hot cabin, came on deck,
followed by her little maid; and before Bowse, who was looking to the
southward, perceived them, they had gained the poop.
"This is no place for you, miss, I am sure," he exclaimed, on seeing
her. "You do not know what risk you run. Oh, go below again--go
below."
"Why, what is the matter, Captain Bowse?" she replied, laughing, and
looking at the calm sea. "My uncle told me that we were to have a
tremendous storm, and I do not feel a breath of wind."
"And so we shall, miss," he exclaimed. "You have no time to go below
now without assistance. Hold on by these cleats, and tell your maid to
do so too. Here it comes!"
As he spoke, the mass of clouds which had been collecting to the
eastward, and gradually approaching, now came driving up bodily across
the sky at a rapid rate--the dark waters below it, hitherto so smooth
and calm, presented a sheet of snow-white foam, hissing and bubbling as
if it were turned up and impelled onward by some gigantic besom. Ada,
as she gazed with feelings of mingled terror and admiration, saw it in
one long line near the brig--it reached her side--the white foam flew
upwards, curling over them, and the wind, at the same instant, striking
her canvas, her tall masts seemed to bend to its fury, and then pressed
downwards, the hull heeled over till the lee bulwarks were nearly
submerged.
Two strong hands were at the helm, ready to turn it a-weather, should it
be necessary to scud; but, in an instant, the gallant ship rose again--
and then, like a courser starting for the race, she shot forward through
the boiling cauldron, heeling over till her guns were in the water, but
still bravely carrying her canvas. Not a rope nor a lanyard had
started--not a seam in her topsails had given, and away she flew on her
proper course. The veteran master stood on the poop watching for any
change or increase of wind. The safety of the ship depended on his
promptitude. The sea was rapidly rising; and this was soon perceptible
by her uneasy motion, as she rose and fell to each receding wave, the
last always appearing of greater height than its predecessors. Any
moment it might be necessary either to keep her away, and, furling
everything, to let her drive before the gale under bare poles, or to put
her helm down and heave her to, thus to let her lie forging slowly
a-head, till the gale had abated. A few minutes only had passed since
the brig first felt the force of the gale, and the whole sky was now a
mass of dark clouds, and the sea a sheet of white driving foam--out of
which lofty waves seemed to lift their angry heads, and to urge each
other into increased violence. The wind howled and whistled through the
rigging; the spars creaked and bent; and the whole hull groaned with the
exertion as she tore onwards. Ada, who had, when the ship heeled over,
held firmly on to the weather bulwarks, gazed at the scene, to her, so
novel and grand, with intense pleasure, from which fear was soon
banished; and little Marianna, having followed the example of her
mistress in securing herself, imitated her also in her courage. Indeed,
as yet, except that they were rather wetted by the foam which came on
board, when the squall first struck the brig, there was no object of
terror to alarm them. The moment Bowse could withdraw his attention
from the care of the ship, he hurried to assist Ada and her attendant,
and to place them on the seat which surrounded the cabin skylight, where
she might enjoy the magnificent spectacle of the tumultuous ocean,
without the fatigue of standing, and having to hold on by the bulwarks.
A cloak was thrown round her feet, and as she reclined back in the seat,
she declared she felt like an ocean queen in her barge of state,
reviewing her watery realms. The colonel's appearance on deck,
supported by his man Mitchell, whose usual cadaverous countenance looked
still more ghastly, drove away the romance in which she was beginning to
indulge. He scolded her roundly for venturing on deck without his
escort, and insisted on her promising never to do so again, on pain of
being compelled instantly to go below.
The mate had returned to his post. The brig behaved beautifully; though
she heeled over to the force of the wind, she rose buoyantly to each
mountain wave, which reared its crest before her, and though the light
spray which the short seas so quickly aroused would fly high above her
bows, and come in showers down on her forecastle, little of it found its
way aft, and not a sea which struck her came over her bulwarks. Bowse
looked delighted and proud at the behaviour of his brig, as he pointed
out her good qualities to his passengers.
"There's many a craft, which is looked upon as a clipper, won't behave
as she does, that I'll answer for," he observed.
He was going on with his panegyrics when his voice became silent, and
his eye riveted ahead. The atmosphere, which, when the gale first came
on, had been somewhat thick, had now partially cleared, and revealed to
him, at the distance of little more than a mile, a large polacca brig
hove to on the starboard tack. He instantly summoned his first officer
to his side, and pointed out the stranger to him.
"What think you of that fellow, Timmins?" he asked.
The mate took a look at the stranger through his glass.
"A fine polacca brig, sir, as one can see with half an eye," he answered
deliberately; "but more of her I cannot say, as she shows no colours.
We must keep away a little though, sir, or we shall be right down upon
her."
"We should--starboard the helm a point my lads," exclaimed the master.
"Steady, that will take us clear, and we shall be near enough to have a
look at him. Ah! there goes some buntin' aloft. What colours are they,
Timmins?"
"The Austrian ensign, sir," replied the mate. "A black eagle on a white
ground, and there flies a pennant at his mast head."
"That's extraordinary indeed," exclaimed the master. "Hoist the ensign
there," he shouted. "Austrian or devil, we'll show him that we are not
ashamed of our flag, and will not strike it either in a hurry. Come
here, Timmins, we mustn't frighten the young lady by what we say. You
know the paper dropped on board here last night; now it's my opinion
that that's the very brig it speaks about, and the one the felucca's two
men tried to persuade us was an Austrian man-of-war. To my eye, she
looks fifty times more like a Greek than an Austrian, for all that her
colours say. Well, what's your opinion that we ought to do?"
"With respect to her being a Greek, I think she is," answered the mate.
"And if she's a pirate, we ought to do our best to stand clear of her,
seeing that we were commissioned to carry merchandise, and not to look
after such gentry; but if she comes after us, and we can't get clear of
her, that alters the case, sir, and we must stand to our guns and fight
her."
"I am glad to hear you say so, Timmins," answered the master, laying his
hand on the mate's arm.
"Turn the hands up, my good fellow, and let them go to quarters." (The
people were at their breakfast.) "We will not fire the first shot; but
if she attacks us, we will give it them as well as we can. One
satisfaction is, that they cannot board us while the gale lasts." While
the mate flew forward to execute the orders, Bowse approached his
passengers, and, pointing out the stranger to them, to which they were
now rapidly drawing near, told them his suspicions as to her character,
and advised them to go below.
"But do you think he will fire into us?" inquired the colonel.
"He would gain little by so doing, while the gale lasts," replied Bowse,
"and he might get injured in return, as he probably knows that we have
guns on board."
"There you see, Ada, there is little chance of any of us being hurt, but
there is a possibility--so you must go below again."
This the colonel said in a positive tone, and his niece was obliged to
comply.
"Oh, how I wish Captain Fleetwood was here in the _Ione_," she thought,
as she quitted the deck. "No pirate would dare to molest us."
The stranger was hove to, under her fore-topsail, and appeared to be
making what seamen call very fine weather of it. The _Zodiac_ came down
scarcely a cable's length from her quarter, but the stranger gave no
sign of any intention of accompanying her. Very few seamen appeared on
her deck, and two or three officers only, whose uniform, seen through
the glass, was evidently that of Austria. One of them, who, from his
wearing an epaulette on either shoulder, Bowse thought must be the
captain, leaped up on the taffrail, and waved his hat to them, while
another, in the _lingua franca_, sung out through a speaking trumpet--
"Heave to, and we will keep your company."
"I'll see you damned first, my fine fellow," answered the master, who
had been attentively surveying them through his glass. "I wish I was as
certain of heaven as I am that the fellow who waved to us is the same
who came on board when in Malta harbour. I know his face, spite of his
changed dress."
"I don't think he's unlike, except that he didn't look so tall quite as
the Greek you mean," observed the mate. "However, as they did not fire
at us, and don't seem inclined to keep company with us either, I suppose
they are after other and surer game."
The _Zodiac_ had by this time left the stranger far astern, and
numberless were the surmises of the crew as to what she was and what she
was about. All agreed in pronouncing her a Greek-built craft. She was
a large vessel, too, and well armed, if all the ports which showed on a
side had guns to them; and she was, probably, as are most of the Greek
vessels of that class, very fast. It is odd that they did not, however,
regard her with half the suspicion that they did the little speronara,
which could scarcely have harmed them, by mortal means, if she had
tried.
The _Zodiac_ had left the polacca brig about eight or ten miles astern,
and her topsails could just be seen rising and falling above the boiling
cauldron of waters which intervened, as she remounted the seas or sunk
into the trough between them.
The ship had also by this time assumed her usual peaceful appearance;
the shot and powder had been returned below, the guns were run in and
secured, the small arms had been replaced in their racks, and the
colonel had withdrawn the charges of his pistols, and sent Mitchell with
them to his cabin.
"Well, I suppose as soon as this tornado blows over, we shall have a
tranquil time of it, and hear no more of your Flying Dutchman and bloody
pirates," he observed to the master, as he held on the weather bulwarks.
"I did not bargain for all this sort of work, I can tell you, when I
refused a passage in a king's ship in order that I might avoid the
society of those young jackanapes of naval officers, and save my little
girl from being exposed to their interested assiduities."
"Can't say what may happen to us," returned Bowse, who was a great
stickler for the honour of the navy, and did not at all relish the
colonel's observations. "I've done my best to please you, and I'm sure
the officers of any of his Majesty's ships would have done the same.
I've belonged myself to the service, and have held the king's warrant,
and I have had as good opportunities of judging of the character of a
very large number of officers as any in the same station, and I must
say, sir, in justice to them, though with all respect to you, Colonel
Gauntlett, that a less interested and less money-loving set of men than
they are, are not to be found in any profession."
"Well, well, Mr Bowse," answered the colonel, seeing by the frown on
the master's good-natured countenance that he was in earnest, "I did not
want to hear a defence of the navy, but I should like to have your
opinion as to when there is a probability of our enjoying a little quiet
again, and whether we are likely to be molested by these reputed pirates
after all."
"I do not think, by the looks of it, that the gale will last as long as
I at first supposed," said the master, at once appeased. "As for the
matter of the pirates, no man can answer; I'm sure I can't."
"Well, but what do you think, Mr Timmins?" said the colonel, turning to
the mate.
Now, although the officer would not have ventured to give an opinion in
opposition to his superior, yet, as Bowse had not expressed one, he felt
himself at liberty to pronounce his judgment.
"Why, sir--looking at the state of the case on both sides--the long and
short of it is, in my opinion, that there has been a bit of free-trading
going on with some of the Liverpool merchantmen, which isn't at all
unusual; and that those chaps who came about us mistook us for one of
their friends; and then, when they found their mistake, wanted to bung
up our eyes with a cock and a bull story about pirates. That's what I
think about it. You see that brig, whether Austrian or not, was looking
out for some one else."
"Was she, though?" exclaimed the master, with sudden animation. "I
think not; for, by Heavens, here she comes."
All those who heard the exclamation turned their eyes over the taffrail.
Just astern was the polacca brig--her head had paid off, and, with a
reef shaken out of each of her topsails, she was seen heeling over to
the gale, and tearing away through the foaming waves in chase of them.
The master, whose suspicions as to the honesty of her character had
never been removed, now no longer hesitated to declare that he believed
her to be the very pirate of whom he had been warned. He felt that he
was now called on to decide what course it would be wisest to pursue.
To avoid her by outsailing her, he knew to be hopeless--except that, by
carrying on sail to the very last, he might induce her to do the same,
till, perhaps, she might carry away her masts or spars, and the victory
might remain with the stoutest and best-found ship. His next resource
was the hope of crippling her with his guns, as she drew near, and thus
preventing her from pursuing, while he escaped; and if both means
failed, he trusted that Providence would give the victory to British
courage and seamanship, should she attempt to engage him alongside. He
explained his intentions to his officers and Colonel Gauntlett, who
fully agreed with him, and, acting on the first plan he proposed trying,
he immediately ordered a reef to be shaken out of the topsails. The men
flew aloft obedient to the order--the reefs were quickly shaken out, and
the yards again hoisted up.
Bowse watched with anxiety to see how the brig bore the additional
canvas. A few minutes' trial convinced him that she might even carry
more without much risk. If any difference was perceptible, it was that
the crests of the seas she met broke in thicker showers of spray over
her bows; but she did not seem to heel over to it more than before.
The crew, called on deck to make sail, at once divined, by seeing the
stranger in their wake, the reason of it, and flew with alacrity to
their duty. They were all ready to fight, if necessary; they would
rather have been chasing a vessel which they might hope to make their
prize; but they were in no way indifferent to the excitement of
endeavouring to outsail another craft, even though they might have been
accused of being employed in the inglorious business of running away.
"Bless the little beauty, she goes along nicely through it, don't she,
old ship," said Jem Marlin to his chum. "Them outlandish mounseers
astern there will be clever if they comes up to us."
All hands remained on the deck, for they had not been piped below again.
Bowse, every now and then, gave a scrutinising glance astern at the
stranger; but it was impossible to determine whether there was any
difference in their relative distance.
The two brigs were now under the same canvas, for the stranger had not
shaken out a second reef in the topsails, when the _Zodiac_ shook out
the first.
The crew stood at their station ready to obey the next order.
"She'll bear the fore-sail on her, Mr Timmins, if we close reef it,"
said Bowse; "send some hands up and loose it, and hook on reef-burtons
ready for reefing."
As soon as the sail was let fall it flew out in thundering claps, as if
it would fly away from the yard, and there was some danger of carrying
it away or springing it, but steady hands were there, and the clew
garnets being eased down, the reef-burtons hauled out, the ear-rings
were soon secured, and the points tied; the lee clew garnet was then
eased off, and the sheet steadied aft. The tack was roused down,
another pull had of the sheet, and the bowline hauled taut, the
weather-lift and brace being hauled taut, the sail stood like a board.
With this sail she carried too much lee helm, and it was difficult work
for the helmsman to lift her, so as to let her rise over the seas, which
now came one after the other in quick succession, rushing up her bows,
and threatening to curl bodily over her bulwarks.
"Now, my lads, aft here, and shake a reef out of the fore-and-aft
mainsail."
Led by the mate, the men sprung aft, the points were soon cast off, and
the reef-pendant eased off. The throat and peak halyards were manned,
the main-sheet was slightly eased off, and the sail, thus enlarged, was
hoisted to the mast. The instant effect was to make her carry a
weather-helm, and great care was now required to prevent her flying up
into the wind, and being taken aback; a most perilous position to be
placed in under the present circumstances.
To prevent this, the fore-stay-sail was hoisted. As the master watched
the effect of all the canvas he had packed on the brig, he saw clearly
that she would not bear another stitch; indeed, she had already very
much more set than under any but the most extraordinary circumstances he
would have ventured to carry. He, however, felt that he could do more
with her than could any stranger. He knew that every timber and plank
in her was sound, every spar had been well proved, and the canvas was
all new, and every inch of rigging about her he or his mate had seen
fitted and turned in. He knew, indeed, that all was good, and it was
this feeling, with a right confidence in his own knowledge and judgment,
which gave him courage on this trying occasion.
Onward the brig tore through the foaming waves, her lee-scuppers
completely under water. Now a dark sea would appear right a-head,
seemingly about to overwhelm her, but buoyantly her bow would rise to
it, the foam on its summit alone sweeping over her; then another would
come of less height, and, as if disdaining to surmount it, she would
cleave her way through it, while her decks were deluged as a punishment
for her audacity. Nearly everything on deck had been properly secured,
and such trifling articles as were not, were soon washed into the
lee-scuppers or overboard. The crew, driven from forward, were huddled
together close to the break of the poop, under shelter of the
weather-bulwark, while Bowse and the first mate stood at their old post.
"It's as much as she'll carry," said Timmins.
He thought it was a great deal too much, but did not like to say so.
Bowse looked at the stranger before answering.
"I only hope she will try to carry a great deal more," he replied.
"See, they are beginning to follow our example."
The polacca brig had now not only set her foresail and mainsail, but had
also shaken another reef out of her topsails. She thus already had more
sail on her than the _Zodiac_.
"Now, then," said Bowse, "if we do but hold our own, she will begin to
think we shall escape her, and they will be shaking another of those
reefs out."
"If they do, they will just get the drop in the pitcher too much," said
the mate.
"That's just what I wish they may do," replied the master. "But, ah!
hold on for your lives, my lads."
A dark, circling wave appeared directly ahead of the vessel, as if it
had risen suddenly out of the water. She rose at it like a bold hunter,
without hesitation, attempting to take a high fence beyond his powers.
Its force was too great for her, she stopped, and trembled in every
timber, then again she tried, and dashing headlong into it, the watery
hill came thundering down on her decks, tearing away her long boat and
spare spars, hencoops, caboose, and water casks, and, making a breach
through the lee-bulwarks, washed them overboard. Had not the hatches
been well secured the _Zodiac_, with all in her, might never have risen
again. Cries of terror were heard, and many a bold seaman turned pale;
but none of the crew were injured, and the ship again flew buoyantly
onward.
"That's what we may call our drop too much," said the mate. "Don't you
think we ought to take some of the canvas off her, sir?"
"Timmins, we've long known each other, and you know I'm no coward; but I
tell you that my conviction is, that there will be no child's play with
that fellow astern if he comes alongside us. Heaven only knows who'll
come off the best if it comes to blows. He has twice as many guns as we
have, if not more, and longer pieces, depend on it, and, probably, five
times as many hands. These are fearful odds, and I don't think any man
can say it's cowardly to shrink from them. I know, too, the sort of
fellows those are on board yonder craft, and sooner than fall into their
power, I would run the brig, and all in her, under water. Till she made
sail in chase, I had my doubts about her; I now have none. You see I
don't risk the loss of our masts without good cause, and now see to
getting life-lines along the lee-bulwarks, and secure them as you best
can."
The mate made no answer, except a hurried acquiescence in his chief's
reasons; and then calling three seamen to him, he worked his way forward
to the forecastle, to search for the requisite cordage for passing fore
and aft along the sides of the vessel.
Colonel Gauntlett had gone below to explain the state of affairs to poor
Ada, and to endeavour to tranquillise her alarms. Nothing daunted the
old veteran himself; a soldier of the great duke's school, he was
accustomed to hardships and vicissitudes of all sorts. Brave as his
sword, and delighting in the excitement of danger, his spirits rose in
proportion to its imminence, and all the sour testiness of his temper
vanished; a temper which had grown on him since the return of peace
caused him to sheath his sword, and tempted him to commit the folly, as
an old bachelor, of leading an idle life. Married, and with a family,
he would have had them to interest him; but, as it was, he had only to
think of his own aches and ills, and, perhaps, past follies; and to
brood over what he called the neglects he had experienced from his
ungrateful country. No man on board, perhaps, was so anxious as he was
to have a skirmish with the rover, but he was not aware of the dreadful
odds which would be opposed to him, and of the too probable fate which
would await all hands, should victory side with the enemy. His
arguments had some effect in calming his niece's fears; but not those of
poor little Marianna, who, pale and weeping, sat at the feet of her
mistress, imploring her to urge the captain and her uncle to return to
Malta.
Ada, in her turn, had to act the part of comforter, and she promised her
uncle that she would constantly remain below till they had escaped from
the pirate, and the storm was over. Her uncle had not attempted to
deceive her, nor did she shut her eyes to the greatness of the
threatening danger--yet hope rose triumphant in her bosom. Though the
storm had, at first, appeared very terrific, she got accustomed by
degrees to the noise and commotion, and she could not persuade herself
that a British vessel, manned by so many brave men, would not prove the
victor against a pirate, of whatever nation she might be. By the faint
light which found its way into her cabin, she was able to read; and that
book was in her hand from which the truest source of comfort can be
drawn, and which she, in her turn, imparted to her ignorant and
trembling companion. Thus, between reading herself and explaining the
subject to Marianna, and, at times, approaching the footstool of her
Maker in prayer, Ada passed many hours, which would otherwise have
become insupportable through anxiety and fear, and thus employed, we
must leave her, to return on deck.
CHAPTER ELEVEN.
The longer a sensible man lives (for a fool may live and not learn), the
more convinced he will become of the importance of laying a firm
foundation for every undertaking, whether it be a constitution to live
under, or a house to live in, an education for his children, a coat for
his back, shoes for his feet, or a ship to convey himself or his
merchandise from one part of the globe to the other. He learns that it
is wisest and cheapest to have all the materials of the best, to employ
the best workmen, and to pay them the best wages. It is the fashion,
nowadays, to get everything at a price, to which is given the name of
cheap--no matter at what cost or ruin to the consumer as well as the
producer, for both are equally losers--the one from being badly said,
the other from getting a bad article. On every side, one ears the cries
of cheap government, cheap houses, cheap education, and cheap clothing;
and the people are always found ready to offer to supply them. Wiser
than this generation are seamen. They know, from experience, that cheap
clothes and cheap ships do not answer; that both are apt to fail at the
very moment their services are most required; and a good officer,
therefore, spares no expense or trouble in seeing that everything is
good and sound on board his ship, from keelson to truck, below and
aloft. Such a man was our friend Captain Bowse.
The spars and rigging of the _Zodiac_ did full justice to those who
selected the first, and fitted the latter. Not a spar was sprung--not a
strand parted with the tremendous strain put on them. It was almost too
much for the ship, Bowse himself owned. It was taking the wear of years
out of her in a day--as a wild debauch, or any violent exertion, will
injure the human frame, more than years of ordinary toil. Though the
masts stood, the ship, it was very evident, must be strained, from the
way in which she was driven through the water, and made to buffet with
the waves. On rushed the brig.
"That is what I call tearing the marrow out of a body's bones," said
Bill Bullock. "Well, bless the old barkie; there's few could stand it
as she does. I never seed any one carry on so as our skipper does, this
blessed day--no, neither now, nor since the time I first went afloat."
"Nor I neither, old ship," answered Jem. "But for that matter, as the
parson says, there's a time to stay at anchor, and a time to make sail,
and go along as if the devil was a driver--only I do wish that that ere
beggar astern was right ahead now, and that we was a chasin' her, and
every now and then a slappin' at her with our bow-chasers."
"Right, Jem--my sentiments is the same; but if you comes for to go to
look into the rights of the case, like a man should do, why you sees as
how, if she has got twenty guns, which can sink us from where our shot
can't reach 'em, and we has only got four guns, for the Quakers only has
to do when you comes to frighten people at a distance, then you see as
how it's wiser for we to run away, while we has got legs to run with,
than to try to run when we are on our way to the bottom."
"Jobson!" cried the master, addressing the carpenter, who had just
spoken, "sound the well, and see if she's made any water."
Jobson performed his duty, and reported two feet of water in the hold.
"She's made that, sir, though, since we began to carry on. She was as
dry as a cork yesterday," he observed.
"I did not expect less, though," returned the master. "She must be
strong not to let it in faster. We'll sound again in another half
hour."
For the first two or three hours of the chase, it was difficult to
determine whether the stranger gained on them or not: but, by the time
five had passed away, she had clearly come up very much. Bowse looked
at his topmasts and topsail-yards, and then at the lee-scuppers, and
shook his head. He was meditating the possibility of shaking out
another reef. He wished that he could divine some method to induce the
stranger to set more sail; but this hope had failed, for as he was
gaining on them without it, he was not likely to do so. The master
watched him anxiously through his glass. He seemed to stand up well to
his canvas, and there was but little chance of his carrying anything
away. On coming to this conclusion, Bowse began to consider whether it
would not be more prudent to shorten sail himself, so as to be in better
condition to meet the enemy when he should come up--a result which he
feared must, sooner or later, occur. Even should the weather moderate,
the polacca brig would probably have a still greater advantage; but then
again, his principle was to struggle to the last--never to yield to
death or misfortune, while the faintest gasp remains--never to let hope
expire--so he determined still to drive the ship through it. Again the
well was sounded. The water had increased another half foot. The mate
shook his head. Two more anxious hours passed away.
"How much has she gained on us now, Timmins?" answered Bowse, who had
returned from snatching a hasty meal below.
"The best part of half a league at least, sir," answered the mate. "If
she comes up at this rate, she'll be within hail before the first watch
is over to-night. Now, sir, as the carpenter reports the water
increasing fast, and to have to keep the men at the pumps, where they
must go for a spell, will make them unfit to meet the enemy, I venture
to advise that we take the strain off the ship at once. It's clearly
nothing else that makes her leak as she does, and we shall then meet
that fellow by daylight, which I tell you honestly, Captain Bowse, I for
one would rather do."
Bowse listened to his mate's opinion with respect, but he doubted much
whether to act upon it.
"What you say has much reason in it," he answered; "but send the hands
to the pumps first, and we'll judge how they can keep the water under.
If, after they've cleared the ship, it gains upon half the watch, we'll
shorten sail; but if we can easily keep the leaks under, we'll carry on
to the last."
The clank of the pumps was heard amid the roaring of the gale, and the
loud dash of the water over the ship, as the crew performed that most
detested portion of a seaman's duty. The result was watched for with
anxiety by the captain, for he saw that on it depended how soon they
might be brought into action with the pirate. If he could still manage
to keep ahead of him he might induce him to give up the chase; or he
might fall in with a man-of-war, or some armed merchantman, in company
with whom no pirate would dare to attack them. It did occur to him,
that to ease the ship, he might keep her before the wind, and run for
some port on the Italian coast; but there was a wide extent of sea to be
crossed before he could reach it, and the pirate being probably just as
fast off the wind as on it, would still overtake him; and though he
might, as he trusted to do, beat him off, he would be so much further
away from his port.
"Well, what does the carpenter report?" he asked, as the mate appeared,
after the well had been sounded.
"We've gained a foot upon the leaks, sir; but it's hard work to keep
them under, and if I might advise--"
"Please Heaven, we'll carry on, then, on the ship!" exclaimed the
master, interrupting him. "Let half a watch at a time work the pumps.
Before long the weather may moderate."
The day wore on, and the pursuer and the pursued held their course with
little variation. The _Zodiac_ tore her way through the water, and sea
succeeding sea met her persevering bows, and either yielded her a
passage or flew in deluges over her decks. Night came on, and the
stranger was upward of two leagues astern. The mate had before
miscalculated her distance; his anxiety to shorten sail had probably
somewhat blinded him. If the scene on board the _Zodiac_ appeared
terrific during daylight, much more so was it when darkness added its
own peculiar horrors. Still not a sheet nor a tack would the brave
master start, and he resolved, if the gale did not further increase, to
run through the night without shortening sail. He himself set an
example of hardihood and resolution to his crew, for scarcely a moment
did he quit his post during the day, or the dreary hours of the first
watch. As the short twilight disappeared, the stranger grew less and
less distinct, till her shadowy outline could alone be traced, and even
that by degrees vanished from the view of all but the most keen-sighted,
till at last she could nowhere be discerned. An anxious look out was
kept for her; for though shrouded by the obscurity from their sight,
every one on deck felt that she was where she had last been seen, if not
nearer; and some even fancied they could see her looming, surrounded by
a halo of unnatural light, through the darkness.
It was in the first hour of the morning-watch, and neither Bowse nor his
mate, though they swept the sea to the westward with their
night-glasses, could anywhere distinguish her.
"We have done better than we could have hoped for," observed the master.
"It will soon be day, and we then need not fear her."
"It will be more than three good hours yet before we have anything like
daylight," returned the mate; "and that cursed craft may be alongside us
before then."
"Well, we are prepared for her," returned the master.
"I hope so," exclaimed the mate; "for, by Heaven, Captain Bowse, there
she is, well on our weather quarter."
The mate spoke truly. There evidently was a brig, though dimly visible,
hovering, as it were, like a dark spirit, in the quarter he indicated.
The crew soon discovered her also, and if any of them had before felt
inclined to seek rest below, they did so no longer.
Another hour passed away; but the stranger had not altered her position.
There she hung, like a dark shadow, indistinctly visible, yet causing
no doubt of something ominous of evil being there, as some bird of prey
hovering about, ready to pounce down any moment, and destroy them.
The morning light brought the stranger clearly in view, at about the
same distance; and at the same period of time the ship, righting
suddenly from the downward pressure, to which she had been so long
exposed, showed that there was a lull of the wind. It was but
momentarily, for again she heeled over as before. Again, however, she
righted, and this time, her lee scuppers remained for longer free of the
water.
Bowse looked to windward: he was about to order a couple of reefs more
to be shaken out of the topsails, when another violent blast almost laid
her on her beam ends.
The hardy crew, wearied with the unremitting exertions of the night,
looked at each other in despair, as the sea literally washed up the
decks to leeward. A loud crash was heard, and the fore-topmast went
over the side, carrying away the jibboom. It was the last expiring
effort of the gale.
The stranger now shook out all the reefs in her topsails and courses;
but it was soon evident that there was no occasion for her so doing, as
she continued to maintain the exact position she had held when first
seen in the morning.
The forenoon watch had just been set, when Colonel Gauntlett came on
deck.
"A nice night we've had of it, captain," he observed in a tone which
showed but little anxiety on his part. "It was only towards the morning
the infernal hubbub would allow me a moment's sleep. But, hillo! what
have you been doing with your foremast? Why, it's shorn of half its
just proportions. And a pretty work seems to have been going forward on
your deck. Why, I should have thought you had been in action already."
"With the winds and waves we have, sir," answered Bowse. "I wish we
were in a better condition to meet an enemy."
"Well, I wish we were, if there is a prospect of our seeing one again,"
said the colonel. "However, I suppose you've managed to give the go-by
to our friend, the _Flying Dutchman_."
Bowse, whose spirits weariness and anxiety had much lowered, shook his
head, and pointed to the stranger.
"I wish I could say so, Colonel Gauntlett. There she is, as big as
life; and, what is more, may be alongside of us any moment those on
board her may desire."
"Ods life, then we shall have to fight her after all," exclaimed the
colonel, with animation. "It's a pity we didn't have it out yesterday,
and have enjoyed a quiet night's rest after it."
"I wish we had, sir," said the master, his spirits a little cheered by
the colonel's coolness. "We should have had an advantage we shall not
enjoy to-day. She has the weather gauge, and may select her own time to
engage us, and is, I suspect, but waiting till the sea goes down, when
she may run us alongside, and take advantage of the great superiority of
men she has, depend on it, on board her."
"We must see, however, what we can do," replied the colonel. "But,
after all, the fellow may be an Austrian. He has hoisted those
colours."
"Merely to blind us, sir, depend on it," answered the master. "He is
even now edging down upon us."
As he spoke, the stranger at length set his topgallant-sails and royals;
but if his intention was to run alongside, it was frustrated.
The varying wind, which had been gradually lulling, now on a sudden died
away completely, even before the sea created by the gale had had time to
go down, and the two vessels lay rolling from side to side like logs on
the water, without power to progress, just beyond the range of each
other's guns.
Those who have cruised in the Mediterranean Sea must have lively
recollections of the calms which have stopped their onward progress--the
slow rolling of the vessel without any apparent cause, the loud flapping
of the canvas against the masts seemingly feeling anger at its inaction,
the hot sun striking down on the decks and boiling up the pitch in the
seams between the planks, the dazzling glare too bright for the eyes to
endure from the mirror-like surface of the water, and, above all, the
consequent feelings of discontent, lassitude, and weariness.
Notwithstanding the heat and the motion, and the excessive weariness
they felt from their incessant toil, Bowse and his bold crew set
manfully to work to repair the damage the _Zodiac_ had received during
the storm. All hands laboured cheerfully, for they saw that everything
might depend on the speed with which they could get the ship to rights
again. Although the damage on deck was considerable, yet their first
care was to get up a new topmast, and another jib-boom out, for both
which purposes they fortunately had spare ones on board. Bowse had gone
for a minute below, where Timmins speedily followed him.
"A boat shoving off from the polacca brig, sir," said the mate.
He was on deck in a minute; by his glass he saw a six-oared gig rapidly
approaching; she had in the stern-sheets four persons, three of whom
were dressed as officers, and wore cocked hats.
The passengers were on deck, as well as the two mates, watching the
boat.
"I suspect after all we shall find that we were unnecessarily alarmed,
and they will prove very honest gentlemen," observed the colonel.
"I trust they may be," said Ada. "It would be very dreadful to have to
fight."
"I'm afraid there's little honesty either on board the craft or the
boat; for I trust little to the Austrian bunting flying at her peak,"
answered Bowse. "You must not be frightened, young lady, when you see
the men armed. It is safe to be prepared--Mr Timmins, get the
cutlasses and small arms on deck, and send the people to their
quarters--Colonel Gauntlett, I will speak with you, if you please;" and
the master led the colonel aside. "I have to propose a bold plan, and a
dangerous one, should it not succeed; but if it does, I think our safety
is secured. The pirate--for pirate the commander of that brig is, I am
assured--will, I suspect, through audacity or fool-hardiness, venture on
our deck; now, what I propose, if he does, is to entice the rest of the
people on board, and to seize them and their boat, and to hold them as
hostages."
"But suppose they should prove to be really Austrians," urged the
colonel. "It would be an odd way of treating officers who come to pay a
friendly visit; and, seeing there are ten men in the boat, it will not
be quite so easy either."
"No fear of that, sir," answered Bowse; "they venture here because they
don't know what Englishmen are made of. They have been accustomed to
deal with Turks and degenerate Greeks and Italians, and fancy they can
manage us as easy; they come to see the condition we are in. Now, as I
feel certain that boat comes here with the intention and hope of taking
this brig without any resistance, I want to make them fall into their
own trap."
The colonel thought a little time. "Well," he answered, "I do not
dislike your plan on the whole, provided we are sure the fellows intend
us treachery. What part am I to play in it?"
"Why, sir, I want you to hold the chief man of them in conversation,
while I talk to another; for I intend to let only two at a time come on
deck--and then, if we can get them below, we can secure them, and,
before the rest find it out, we will invite two more below, and secure
them. I want you to offer a reason for our carrying so much sail
yesterday and last night, to throw them off their guard, and to make
them suppose we still believe them Austrians."
"But what am I to say about the way we carried sail?" asked the colonel.
"Why, sir, you see, we did not go out of our course, so you can say that
you are in a very great hurry, and insisted on my making more sail,
while, as the ship is bran new, I was not afraid of pleasing you,
particularly as you promised a good round sum more if I got you in
before a certain time."
"The story is plausible, but I am afraid it will not bear looking into,"
observed the colonel; "however, I will play my part as I best can."
"We will not give them time to look into that or anything else," replied
Bowse. "They will observe the loss of caboose and boats, and also of
our bulwarks, it is true; but we must settle them before they have time
to consult about it; or we may point it out to them at once, and tell
them that it happened at the end of the gale, and that it would have
made us shorten sail if the wind had not dropped."
The plan of the master being agreed to, preparations were made to
receive their very doubtful visitors. Ada and her attendant were on the
poop, with Mitchell to guard them. The colonel and master, with the
first mate stood at the gangway, on either side of which were stationed
two of the strongest men in the ship, their cutlasses being concealed.
The second mate, with six other hands, well armed, had orders to rush
aft the moment they were summoned, and to look after the boats and those
who might remain in her, and on no account to let them escape.
By the time all the arrangements were made, the boat was close to.
Bowse examined her carefully. The crew were dressed as European seamen,
and pulled in their fashion, though rather irregularly, and the uniform
of the officers was perfectly correct, as far as he knew.
The boat dashed alongside without hesitation, and two of the officers
sprung up on deck; the rest would have followed, but the two men at the
gangway stopped them, in spite of gesticulations and strenuous
endeavours.
"Messieurs, some one on board, I presume, speaks French?" said the
principal of the two, taking off his cocked-hat, and bowing profoundly,
with a glance towards the poop, where Ada sat.
"_Moi_--I do," answered the colonel, with not the best pronunciation in
the world. "_Que voulez-vous, Messieurs_?"
"I am delighted to find a gentleman with whom I can converse in a common
language. My native German I judged would be hopeless," observed the
officer.
He was a remarkably fine-looking man, with a dark, curling moustache,
and a free, bold manner. Now the colonel had studied German in the
course of his military education, and spoke it well; he therefore
immediately answered in that language.
The officer looked puzzled, and then laughingly said, "Oh! I must
compliment you; but we will speak in French--it is the proper language
for the intercourse of strangers--a mutual ground on which they meet. I
have come to offer the services of my ship's company in putting your
vessel to rights; for I see that she has suffered severely in the gale,
which has just passed."
"Many thanks to you, monsieur," returned the colonel; "but I believe the
crew of the brig are fully competent to perform all the work which is
required; and you see they have already accomplished much of it."
"I see they have been at work; but it will still occupy them much time
to put you to rights," observed the stranger. "You carried on yesterday
and during the night more than I ever saw a vessel do before; and may I
ask why you endeavoured to outsail me as you did yesterday."
"Certainly," returned the colonel; and gave the explanation arranged
with Bowse.
"Ah, it was a pity though, it made me suspicious of you," exclaimed the
officer. "And did you not receive a message by a Sicilian speronara,
which I sent to invite any merchantmen to put themselves under my
protection?"
"Oh! we received it; and though doubts might have occurred, we were
grateful," returned the colonel; then, in a low whisper to Bowse, he
said. "Seize the rascals as soon as you like--we will ask them below."
He then turned back to the officers.
"Will you not come below to take some refreshment? We shall be happy to
offer it also to those in the boat."
The stranger hesitated: at that instant Ada, who had risen to witness
the conference, came to the break of the poop. She had been examining
the countenances of the officers.
"The Prince Caramitzo, I am sure!" she exclaimed.
"Prince! Count Zappa, the pirate, you mean!" cried the colonel,
stamping in a passion.
"It's all discovered then. Seize them my lads!" cried the master,
rushing forward to aid in executing his own order.
"Ah! is it treachery you mean me?" exclaimed the seeming Austrian
officer, dealing the poor master a violent blow. "It is Zappa you see,
and whom you will soon learn to know."
And before any one had time to rush forward and seize him, he, with his
companion, leaped into the boat which, at the same instant, shoved off;
and, with rapid strokes, began to pull away.
"Give them a dose of the carronades!" exclaimed the master; but, before
the guns could be brought to bear, and could be fired, the stranger was
a long way from the ship, and not a shot told. There was thus no longer
any disguise--nor could they, should they be conquered, expect any mercy
at the hands of the pirate.
CHAPTER TWELVE.
We must now go back to the day on which our story commences, or rather,
at an early hour on the following morning, when the young Greek, Argiri
Caramitzo, and his Italian companion, Paolo Montifalcone, left the
ball-room of the Auberge de Provence.
Highly satisfied with the adventures of the evening, Caramitzo took his
way to the abode of the Jew, Aaron Bannech, not deeming it prudent to
sleep under any other roof; perhaps he would not have trusted himself
under that of the Israelite, had he not felt assured that the
preservation of his life and liberty was of very considerable importance
to his host. As he reached the door of the house, he encountered the
beggar Giacomo, who had concealed himself, till his approach, beneath a
neighbouring archway.
"Hist, signor," said the beggar, hobbling up. "I'm glad you are at
length come. I have long waited for you, to give you some important
information regarding your safety. But who is the person with you? May
I speak before him?"
"He is a friend--say on," replied the Greek.
"Well, signor, what I have to say is, that before long you will find
this city too hot for you," answered Giacomo. "As you directed me, I
watched the three Greeks you left at the _caffe_. For a long time they
remained inside, and at last when they came out I followed them for some
distance, and heard them making inquiries for the office of the police.
They went to the wrong one first, and then I followed them to the other.
Fortunately the office was closed, and they were told that they could
not make their complaint till to-morrow. I could understand but little
that they said, yet I am certain that they spoke of having seen you
here."
"You have done well," returned the Greek. "You saw where they lodge?"
"_Si, signor_, certainly."
"Then follow them to-morrow, and let me know the result of their
information."
Saying this, the Greek summoned the Jew to admit him and his companion
to the house.
"I shall have to quit you to-morrow," he observed, as their host, after
examining numerous bolts and bars, followed them to the only
sitting-room the Jew possessed; his dining-room, library, and sanctum,
where all his most private and important business was transacted.
"What! will you not take a passage by the good brig, the _Zodiac_,"
asked the Jew. "I had arranged everything for you, and should not have
had to appear in the affair."
"I had done my part also at the ball to-night, and I flatter myself the
English colonel and his niece would have been pleased to have my
company. All would have gone well, had it not been for the appearance
of those Greeks, who fancy they know me, and will swear that I am no
other than the pirate Zappa, which, by the bye, exhibits the folly of
being merciful. Now, though with your assistance, my friend, I might
easily prove who I am, still, as you know I might find the detention
inconvenient, I shall therefore sail early in the speronara. Your
letters may be addressed to me as before, but bear in mind that your
information is generally too stale. Now I will get a little rest, if
you will show me where I am to sleep."
"Wonderful man," muttered the Jew, as he quitted his guest, who had
thrown himself on a couch, and was already asleep. "He has no fear of
treachery."
The Greek knew that the Jew was a wise man, and would not kill his
golden goose. The Jew had procured some ordinary morning dresses for
the Greek and his companion, and habited in them, with Italian cloaks
thrown round them, they next morning fearlessly took their way to the
quays.
Manuel was in attendance, and Paolo immediately embarked, and went on
board the speronara, while the Greek returned once more into the city.
Had any one watched the movements of the two strangers, they would have
observed that the Greek never for an instant allowed the Italian to
leave his side while they were on shore, and that the latter regarded
him with a look much more of fear than of affection, somewhat as an
ill-used dog does his master, though he still follows his footsteps.
As the Greek walked along, he made observations on several vessels which
had been mentioned to him by the beggar, and afterwards looked into the
police-office, where his accusers had not arrived. Again, therefore,
returning to the quay, he summoned the boatman, Manuel, who had returned
for him, and directed him to pull on board the speronara, to which he
had previously sent an order by Paolo to get under weigh, and heave to
till he should come on board.
"Let draw," he exclaimed, as soon as he stepped on board, "we will try
the quality of your craft, Master Alessandro, steer as if we were bound
for Syracuse, and afterwards we will run off shore. In case any vessel
should be sent in chase, I wish to mislead them as to the course we have
taken."
"_Capisco_--I understand, signor," said the Sicilian. "We have a good
breeze, and shall reach the _Sea Hawk_, if she is at her post, long
before dark."
"Did you ever know her miss her rendezvous?" said the Greek. "And now,
my good Paolo, let me ask how it has fared with you since yesterday?"
"As it may with a man weary of the world," returned the youth, sighing
deeply.
"You will yet do bravely, Paolo," said Caramitzo. "How like you now the
life of a sailor? We have variety and excitement enough to please you?"
"Too much--I should prefer less change, and a more tranquil existence,"
returned the youth. "But I am willing to undergo all to please you."
"The very words your sister would have spoken. Come, come, Paolo, you
must rouse yourself, and learn to enjoy the pleasures of life, instead
of moping and weeping as she does."
As the Greek spoke, the youth's eyes flashed angrily; but as if with an
effort, he controlled himself, and his countenance directly assumed its
usual dejected look.
The speronara, as has been described, kept first to the northward; and
after standing in that direction for six or seven miles, she eased off
her sheets, and ran off to the eastward. After three hours a large
polacca brig was seen from her deck a couple of points on her larboard
bow. On this a small flag was run up to the end of her main-yard, which
was immediately answered by the brig. The speronara then hauled her
wind on the starboard tack which brought her head looking almost into
Valetta harbour, while the brig hove to on the same tack.
The Greek had for some time been looking through a spy-glass towards
Malta, which lay like a line of blue hillocks rising from the sea.
"Here Paolo," he said, at length. "Do you take the glass, and tell me,
what vessels you see, which appear to have come out of the port we left
this morning."
For some time Paolo made no answer. He was examining the intervening
space between them and the shore.
The Greek, meantime, reclined on a seat to rest, for he was weary with
his exertions.
Paolo at last addressed him.
"I make out a square-rigged vessel of some sort, steering this way. She
looms large."
The Greek sprang to his feet, and took the glass.
"She is the one we are in search of," he exclaimed. "Up with the helm
and let draw the head sheets."
The orders were obeyed, and the speronara ran off again before the wind
towards the brig, with which she had communicated, and the head of whose
topsails were just seen above the horizon. It took a couple of hours
before the speronara hove to close to her, by which time the day was
almost over.
The brig was a remarkably fine looking vessel, with a long low hull,
painted black, with sharp bows, a clean run and a raking counter. She
was what is denominated polacca-rigged; a name given to designate those
vessels which have their lower masts and topmast in one piece; thus
evading the necessity of tops and caps, and much top-weight. Her yards
were very square; her masts, which were polished, raked somewhat; her
rigging was well set up, and very neat; and her canvas looked white and
new. She was in truth a very rakish-looking and beautiful craft. As
the speronara drew near, a boat was lowered from the brig and manned,
and now came alongside.
As soon as the boat, which was full of armed men in the picturesque
costume of Greek sailors, came alongside, Caramitzo turned to the
padrone of the speronara:--
"Alessandro," he said, "your personal services to me are over, for the
present; but I have occasion for the use of your vessel for a few hours
longer. Do you and your people go quietly on board the brig, and remain
till my return. Some few of my followers will man the speronara in the
mean time."
The padrone of the speronara would have expostulated, but the Greek cut
him short, and intimated that, as just then his will was law, if he did
not consent with a good grace, he would be compelled to do so--pointing
at the same time to the boatload of desperadoes alongside. Seeing
therefore that resistance was useless, the padrone and his crew were
transferred to the brig, and thirty Greek seamen took their place. The
exchange was made very rapidly, as their chief, for such he was whom we
have known as Argiri Caramitzo, appeared in a hurry.
An officer, who seemed to have charge of the brig, came off in a smaller
boat at the summons of the captain.
"Understand," he said, "you are, if possible, to keep the English brig,
you see to the westward, just in sight; at, indeed, about the same
distance we are now from her. Steer east-northeast, which is her
course, and look out for the speronara. I am about to visit the brig,
and may perhaps be able to render you a good account of her."
The officer bowed.
"I understand your orders clearly," he said. "We would rather, however,
see you returning in the brig, than in the speronara."
"I will not forget your wishes," the chief answered laughing, as the
boat shoved off.
"Now my men let draw the foresheet--now she has way on her--haul it well
aft, and see if she will lay up for the brig yonder. Ah, she does it
bravely--call me when we near her."
And wrapping himself in his cloak he lay down to sleep, or, it might
have been, to meditate on the daring plans and projects working in his
active brain. The speronara flew over the waves like a sea-bird on the
wing. She soon neared the brig which Paolo at once recognised as the
English merchantman they had passed in Valetta harbour. He had heard
from the chief who were the passengers on board, and the _ruse_ to be
practised had also been confided to him. He had been endeavouring to
beguile, to him, the weary hours of the voyage with reading, while the
chief slept, for sleep refused to visit his eyelids. A thought seemed
to strike him. He wrote hastily in the book, and tearing out the leaf,
placed it in his bosom. He then roused his companion from his slumber.
The Greek started up and eyed the approaching brig.
"It is she," he exclaimed. "That vessel, my men, is to be your prize;
but much caution will be required to take her. She is armed, that is to
say, she has four real guns and two wooden ones; but from what I saw of
her captain and crew, I think they are likely to fight. They are very
different sort of characters, are those English, to the Italians we are
accustomed to deal with, who call on their saints to help them, and from
the Turks, who make up their minds it is their fate to be taken and
thrown overboard. The difficulty, on the contrary, with these English,
is ever to persuade them that they are beaten; and, as they don't care
for the Saints, and don't fear the devil--heretics that they are--they
trust to their own right arm, their cutlasses, and big guns; and by
Achilles, if you do manage to throw them overboard, they will swim about
in the hopes of getting a cut at you. Now, where we cannot succeed by
force, we must employ stratagem; and I intend to go on board and to
inform them that the _Sea Hawk_ is an Austrian ship-of-war, anxious to
protect merchantmen from the attacks of the corsair Zappa, and to
revenge herself on him for his capture of one of their brigs of war, of
which they will have heard. If I find them unprepared and unsuspicious
of us, we will at once run alongside and take possession; and, as I am
anxious not to be under the necessity of throwing the crew overboard, we
will stow them all away in the hold of the vessel, and make the padrone
carry them with him to Sicily. If he murder them on the voyage that
will be no fault of ours; and if he lands them, they can be no evidence
against us at any time, for they have not seen our brig, and Signor
Sandro will not dare to give any correct information, though, of course,
he will tell a number of lies to exonerate himself; but for that we are
not to blame. Now we will heave to, to windward of our friend, and see
the boat clear for launching, to carry me and Paolo on board her."
Having concluded his observations, the chief and Paolo went below, and
soon returned so completely disguised in the costume of Sicilian
boatmen, as I have described, that the Greeks at first scarcely knew
them.
As they passed the brig, they hailed her, and then hove to. The pirate,
for there is little use concealing the character of the pretended
prince, with his young companion, whom he had instructed how to act,
stepped into the boat, manned by two stout hands, and pulled alongside
the brig. He was somewhat startled and disappointed on discovering the
preparations which were made to receive him, should he appear as an
enemy; and, seeing Colonel Gauntlett at the gangway, with whom he had
held so much conversation on the previous day, it occurred to him at
once that it might be dangerous to trust his own voice, and he therefore
resolved to make Paolo the spokesman. His greatest trial, however, was
to come, when, in the presence of Ada Garden, his countenance was
exposed to the bright light of the cabin lamp. The admiration he had
felt for her at the ball was increased when he beheld her again; but it
was not so great as to make him forget that now was not the time to show
it, and it was with some feeling of relief that he found himself once
more in his boat, fully convinced that, even with his thirty men, it
would be a work of considerable danger to attempt the capture of the
_Zodiac_ by means of the speronara. He accordingly determined to return
on board the brig, dismiss the speronara, and keep a bright look out
after the merchantman, till he should find a favourable opportunity to
take her unawares. As the speronara sailed almost two feet to one of
the _Zodiac_, he was soon able to pass her and to reach the polacca brig
before she was discernible through the darkness. As the Greek stepped
on the deck of the brig, the crew received him with a shout of welcome.
"Long life to our captain," they exclaimed. "Long life to Zappa."
The Prince Caramitzo or the pirate Zappa, for under either of those
names that worthy person may in future be recognised, assured his
followers of the satisfaction their affection afforded him, and then
ordered them to tumble the Sicilians into their speronara, and to make
all sail without delay.
The _Sea Hawk_ was kept before the wind, and next morning, at daybreak,
they found themselves still a long way ahead of the English brig. The
pirates, who had on board a number of Austrian uniforms, and seamen's
dresses, and flags, indeed every means of disguising the ship to appear
like a man-of-war of that nation, now, by their chief's orders, set to
work on the necessary preparations to make her assume that character,
while Zappa himself appeared in the uniform of an Austrian captain.
His purpose was to dodge on, under easy sail, till the _Zodiac_ came up
with him; and then, under pretext of friendly converse, to run her
alongside, and to pour his men on her decks before her crew should have
time to make any resistance. The gale of wind, which so suddenly sprang
up, prevented the execution of this plan, and preserved the _Zodiac_.
When Zappa observed her bearing down on him, he was in hopes that his
ruse had succeeded, and that his vessel was taken for what he wished her
to appear; but when he saw, on his following her, that the English brig
made more sail in the very height of the gale, and at last carried on in
a way that seemed even greatly to hazard her safety, he began to fear
that he was suspected. He, however, was determined not to lose sight of
her again, and accordingly made sail in chase, with the hopes of finding
a favourable opportunity to execute his purpose at the termination of
the gale. At length it fell calm, and his vessel lay about four miles
from her.
We have seen that he was a man of extraordinary nerve, and he bethought
him that he would try once more to blind the master and crew of the
_Zodiac_, and, ordering a boat to be manned, he pulled boldly on board
her. Had not Bowse been forewarned, there can be little doubt but that
he would have triumphantly succeeded, and there can be no reflection on
his want of talent either in planning or executing that he did not do
so. Had he known as much as does the reader, he would probably have had
nothing to do with the speronara, which was suspected, but would at once
have run alongside the _Zodiac_ in his own vessel which was unknown.
When he found himself, on his second visit to the _Zodiac_, so nearly
caught in his own net, he pulled back to the _Sea Hawk_, vowing that he
would not again be foiled.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
The master of the _Zodiac_, as he laboured without ceasing at the
important work of getting his ship once more in sailing trim, every now
and then glanced at the pretended Austrian with feelings in which the
undaunted courage of the British seaman were fearfully mingled in his
bosom with dark forebodings as to the result of an engagement with an
enemy in every respect so much his superior. His eye would also, ever
and anon, range round the horizon in anticipation of those rising signs
of the coming breeze, which he prayed Heaven might yet be long delayed
till the work was completed, and then that it might come from the
eastward, as it would thus give him the weather gage, and enable him to
manoeuvre to better advantage in the coming fight; for he had already
seen most convincing proof of the superior sailing qualities of the _Sea
Hawk_; that he had no expectations of being able to avoid it, even
should he be able to make sail before the arrival of the breeze. With
voice and example, he cheered on his crew to the work; the topmast had
been got up, and the rigging fitted over its head; but the topsail-yard
was not yet across, and much remained to be done to make their previous
labours of any avail. Bowse himself had taken his meals on deck, as had
his mates; and the men had snatched but a minute to satisfy their
hunger. He had just before sent them below to their dinners, when, as
he was taking a look at the enemy, to see what she was about, he
observed beyond her a dark blue line on the horizon.
"Ah," he muttered; "there's no doubt what is coming now, and long before
the canvas is spread, we shall have the breeze blowing strong, and the
brig coming down on us. Well, we've done our best, and men can do no
more. I'll let the poor fellows have this meal in quiet; it will be the
last many of them will eat, I fear. Ah! Heaven only knows if any on
board here will ever taste another, if those cursed villains get hold of
us--and nothing but a miracle can save us, that I see--yet, we'll make
them pay dear for victory, at all events."
He took two or three turns on the deck, watching his antagonist, and the
coming wind; and from his cool and calm exterior, no one would have
supposed how fully he felt the dangerous position in which his ship was
placed. Broader and broader grew the line, till, at last, the wind
filled the loftier canvas of the corsair, which was spread to catch it.
The time, he saw, was, come to prepare for the final struggle. He
summoned the mate from below.
"Turn the hands up," he cried out, in a firm, sharp tone, to be heard
throughout the ship. "We shall have work before long to warm them up a
bit."
The men sprang on deck with alacrity, casting an eye at the stranger as
they went to the work in hand.
The topsail-yard was ready fitted, and all hands now joined in swaying
away on it. Meantime, the wind, though still light, had filled the
pirate's sails, and she was stealing through the water towards them,
before they even felt the wind. At last a few catspaws, the
_avant-couriers_ of the stronger breeze, began to play round them. The
foresail and the fore-staysail were the only sails they could yet get to
pay the brig's head off before the wind. These were now set; but the so
doing delayed the work of bending the topsail, and the _Sea Hawk_ was
now coming fast up with them. As soon as the _Zodiac_ was got dead
before the wind, the main-topsail and topgallant-sails were hoisted; the
studdensail-booms were run out, and studdensails set, which much made
amends for the loss of the headsails, as long as they desired only to
keep before the wind. Notwithstanding, however, all the canvas the
_Zodiac_ could set, the corsair still came up with her hand over hand.
Bowse watched till he thought she had come within range of his guns, and
he then ordered one to be brought up, and pointed at her over the
taffrail.
As soon as Colonel Gauntlett, who was on deck, heard the order given, he
exclaimed that he and Mitchell would assist in working the guns, while
the crew continued bending the sails.
The gun was accordingly trained aft, but part of the taffrail had to be
cut away to work it.
"Try to knock away some of his spars, sir," cried Bowse, as the colonel
prepared to fire. "Everything depends on that."
The colonel fired, but the shot fell short. The gun was instantly again
loaded, but before they had time to fire, the pirate yawed and let fly a
bow chaser, the shot from which flew through the main-topsail, though
without doing further damage. The colonel again fired, but again the
shot fell short, to his no slight rage.
"I see how it is, sir," observed Bowse, "that fellow has a long nine in
his bows, while our gun is only a carronade. He will be doing us
mischief, I am afraid."
"Let him get a little nearer though, and we will give him two to one,"
returned the colonel.
Scarcely had he spoken, when another shot came, which cut away the
topmast starboard shrouds. Hands were immediately sent aloft to secure
the rigging, but this again delayed the progress of the work on the
foremast. Notwithstanding the occasional yaw the pirate was obliged to
make in order to fire, he still gained on the _Zodiac_. At last he got
within range of her carronades, to the great satisfaction of Colonel
Gauntlett, who forthwith commenced firing his gun as fast as Mitchell
could sponge and load it. The shot, however, told with little or no
effect; a few holes were made through his head-sails, but no ropes of
importance were cut away on board the _Sea Hawk_. The countenances of
the pirates could now clearly be seen. They had exchanged the Austrian
uniforms for their proper Greek dresses, which added considerably to the
ferocity of their appearance.
Finding that the carronade frequently sent its shot on board, they
hauled up a point, so as to bring their vessel on the starboard quarter
of the _Zodiac_, and at the same time to keep beyond the range of her
guns, while they could still send the shot from their long bow chaser on
board her.
The brave master groaned when he saw the manoeuvre, for he felt how
completely he was at the mercy of the enemy. The colonel,
notwithstanding, still continued working his gun, till with rage he saw
that his shot again fell short of the enemy. The _Zodiac_, it must be
understood, bearing chiefly after sail, could not venture to haul up so
much as to bring the enemy again astern, or he would have tried to do
so. His gun was worked quickly, and with great precision; shot after
shot told with fearful effect on the spars and rigging. The men had
perseveringly laboured the whole time in spite of the shot flying about
them, but just as they had bent the fore-topsail, and were swaying away
on the yard, a shot struck the fore-yard, and cut it completely in two.
The men saw that their efforts were all in vain, and letting go the
halyards, rushed of their own accord to the guns.
"It's no use running, sir," they exclaimed, with one voice. "Let's
fight it out while we can."
The pirate's shot continued their work of destruction. The main topmast
next received a wound, and in a minute afterwards, the breeze
freshening, down it came on board, hampering up the deck.
"Clear away the wreck of the topmast, my lads," exclaimed the master.
"And then I hope those scoundrels will give us a a chance of punishing
them."
The order was obeyed, and the gun, which had been trained aft, was
replaced, and the other two guns were got over to the starboard side.
The brave crew then gave forth a cheer of defiance at the enemy,
expecting that they were about to run them on board; the pirates were
waiting, though, till their guns had produced more effect; a shot at
last came, and carried away the peak halyards, and deprived her of all
power of manoeuvring. The _Zodiac_ was now at their mercy; and they
bore down upon her; but instead of running her aboard on the starboard
side, they luffed up when just under her stern, and poured in the whole
of their starboard guns; then, keeping away again, they hauled up on the
other tack joining their larboard battery, and then once more, as if
content with their work, they kept away, and ran her on board on the
starboard side.
Three of the _Zodiac's_ crew had been disabled, and Bowse himself was
badly wounded; but the remainder fought their guns to the last. The
pirates, as the sides of the two vessels ground together, threw their
grapnels on board, and crowded the rigging to leap on the deck of the
_Zodiac_.
The master, and Colonel Gauntlett, led on the English crew to oppose the
enemy--never did men fight better, but numbers bore them down--the
struggle was in vain, the colonel was first struck down, and the master
directly after, and though the two mates continued fighting some time
afterwards, one being killed and the other wounded, the survivors gave
way, and were either driven down below or overboard.
The tall figure of the pirate leader was the most conspicuous in the
fight.
"The brig is ours!" he exclaimed, as he took up his post at the top of
the companion steps. "But she is too slow a sailer to be of any use to
us; we will therefore take the most valuable part of her cargo on board,
and desert her. We have no time to lose; for all this firing may have
been heard by some British cruiser, who will be down upon us before
long--Now, Paolo, follow me."
The pirate crew instantly got the hatches off, and set to work to select
what they considered most valuable, and to transfer it to their own
vessel.
Ada Garden had often read of tempests at sea, of shipwrecks, and
battles; but it had never occurred to her that she might some day
witness their horrors, or suffer from their dreadful effects. Now the
reality of the scenes she had before pictured to herself, as events
passed by, and unlikely again to happen, was palpably displayed before
her. She had scarcely recovered from the terrors of the the storm when
her uncle came below, and, with unusual tenderness in his manner urged
her not to be alarmed at the noise of the guns which were about to be
fired; at the same time speaking with confidence of their ultimate
success. Though she trembled with anxiety at what she heard, she
promised not to give way to fear, and entreated to be allowed to come on
deck. To this he of course would on no consideration consent, and after
much argument, and by showing her the useless danger she would run, he
made her promise that nothing should induce her to leave the cabin till
he himself came down to summon her. She again had recourse to her
Bible, and, with Marianna sitting at her feet, she endeavoured to calm
her mind, and to banish her terror as she had done during the gale.
Except from the occasional discharge of the guns there was now, perhaps,
much less to cause her alarm, if she could have helped thinking of the
possible result; but this, notwithstanding her uncle's assurances, she
could not do; for she understood too well the great superiority of the
pirate vessel; and though she knew that her countrymen would struggle to
the last, yet she felt that they might be overcome; and she scarcely
dared to contemplate what her fate might be. The alarm of her young
attendant was almost beyond control.
"Oh, Holy Mary!" she shrieked out, as the first shot was fired; "the
dreadful battle has begun, and we shall be killed. Oh, why did we leave
our dear Valetta, to come on the stormy sea, when one moment we are
about to be drowned and the next murdered--ah me, ah me!" and the poor
girl burst into tears. Another shot was heard, and she started and
trembled afresh.
Ada tried to console her. "Listen now, Marianna," she said, "those
shots are fired from this vessel, and, therefore, they cannot hurt us,
though they may our enemies. It is only those which are sent from the
other ship can injure us; as yet, none seem to have been discharged."
"May the saints prevent the wretches from sending any!" exclaimed
Marianna through her tears. "Perhaps they will not fire on a British
ship."
"Heaven grant it may be so," said Ada, "but I fear not. That sounds as
if our ship had been struck."
It was the sharp sound of a spar being wounded, which, like an electric
shock, reverberated through the vessel. Another and another followed.
"Oh, the enemy must be close to us! My dear, dear mistress, what is
going to happen?" shrieked the poor Maltese girl.
"Put your trust in Heaven, Marianna; and, though we are unable to
discern it, the means may at the last moment be found for our
preservation," said Ada solemnly. "I would that I were allowed to
venture on deck, to learn that my uncle has not suffered in this
dreadful fire."
"Oh, do not leave me, my mistress," exclaimed Marianna, clinging to her
dress. "You will be killed, to a certainty, if you go up among all the
fighting. No, you shall not go!"
Ada did not attempt to disengage herself, for she remembered her promise
to Colonel Gauntlett, and she felt how worse than useless she would
there be. Still louder and more frequent became the roar of the enemy's
guns, and the crashes, as the spars and rigging came falling down on
deck. Then came other frightful noises in quick succession, as the
pirate poured in her two broadsides, and lastly the loud, grating sound,
as she finally ran alongside, and the two vessels ground together as
they lay locked in their deadly embrace. At the same instant arose the
shouts of defiance raised by the British seamen, mingled with the
shrieks of their wounded, and answered by the fierce cries of the
pirates, as they threw themselves on the _Zodiac's_ deck--next was heard
above their heads the loud trampling of the feet of those engaged in
mortal struggle. Sometimes Ada fancied that her friends were
victorious, and that the pirates were driven back; then again, by the
more frequent sound of the stamping of feet, and the cries and
exclamations in a strange language, she felt too sure that the enemy had
poured still greater numbers on board. For a few moments the noise of
feet increased; there were next some heavy, dull sounds, as of persons
falling, and then arose the loud triumphant shout of victory; but the
sounds were strange--it was that of the enemy; all, then, for a time was
silent--what had become of her uncle and the brave crew? With her heart
palpitating, and her mind in a chaos of confusion, she could not resolve
what to do. She could just discern the footsteps of persons descending
the companion-ladder--they entered the main cabin. The door of the one
in which she with Marianna sat was violently opened, and she beheld the
countenance of the pirate Zappa. Too truly all then was lost. The
excess of her horror and alarm overcame her and she fainted.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
When the first glimmerings of consciousness revisited the mind of Ada
Garden, she felt that some dreadful calamity had befallen her, without
being able to comprehend its nature or extent. An undefined terror, an
insupportable oppression at the heart made her feel that death must soon
release her from her sufferings. She had neither the power nor the will
to stir a limb, or to open her eyes to discover her real state. The
noise of the engagement and the thunder of the guns, the shrieks and
cries of the combatants, still rung with fearful clearness in her ears,
yet without enabling her to remember the causes which had produced them.
She felt that she had been deprived of her only guardian--that she was
alone in the world without friends to protect or counsel her; but how
her uncle had died she could not comprehend. Then she thought she saw
him sinking down into the deep blue sea, and his countenance was turned
towards her with the smile it wore when he was pleased, and down, down
he sunk till he reached the yellow sand at the bottom, where, through
the clear water, she could see him resting, and beckoning her to raise
him up; and then there seemed to pass a vessel full of strange, fierce
forms, shrieking and mocking her; and whenever she stooped down to aid
the old man, it would come between them and conceal him from her.
At last a deep-drawn sigh gave notice that she was returning to a
consciousness of the dreadful reality. She opened her eyes with
difficulty, and for an instant gazed round her, and then again closed
them. That glance had revealed to her that she was no longer in her own
cabin, though she still felt that she was at sea. For some time after
this she remained with her eyes closed, trying to collect her scattered
thoughts, till at last she remembered the fight with the _Sea Hawk_, and
the appearance of Zappa at the door of her cabin.
The thoughts of what had occurred were almost sufficient to drive back
her mind to a state of insensibility, if not to madness itself; but she
felt that all the courage and energy she could muster were requisite for
her guidance, and by a strenuous exertion of the intellect, she
conquered the feeling which was so nearly overpowering her. Once more
she opened her eyes, and tried to raise herself, that she might discover
where she was.
The movement she made attracted the attention of some one who appeared
to be occupied at a little distance from her, and who instantly flew to
her side.
"Oh, my dear mistress, the saints have heard my prayers, and you have
come to life again!" exclaimed the voice of Marianna, who immediately
presented herself before her, with a countenance in which pleasure
overcame every other feeling.
"Oh, tell me, where am I? What has happened?" exclaimed Ada, eagerly;
but the exertion or excitement caused her again almost to faint.
"Hush, hush, my dear mistress," whispered Marianna. "Do not be alarmed.
You are not in a condition to ask questions, nor to listen to my
answers, so I shall say nothing. You have been very ill with a fever,
and you are to take this medicine, which will do you much good."
As she spoke, she presented a glass, filled with a cooling beverage,
which, as Ada felt very thirsty, and her mouth dreadfully parched, she
gratefully drank off and lay back on her pillows.
She saw that she was in a large cabin, furnished and ornamented with
much taste; and through the open stern-ports, from which a light pure
breeze blew in and cooled her fevered brow, she saw the calm blue sea
glittering in the sunshine, and in the far distance the land rising in
picturesque hillocks from out of the water. While she was gazing at
this calm and soothing scene, and meditating on the meaning of
Marianna's words, she fell into a quiet slumber.
The Maltese girl watched her mistress till she saw that she slept, and
then busied herself in putting the cabin in order, and in dusting the
furniture, as if she were in a room on shore.
The cabin was, as has been described, in the after part of the vessel,
and occupied its entire width. It was fitted up with bird's-eye maple,
and the mouldings were gilt.
There were two large sofas, or standing bed-places, on either side, with
brass bars overhead, by which a curtain could be drawn round them.
The space between the two ports was occupied by a rack, on which were
arranged with much taste, a number of richly-embossed arms, pistols,
swords, and daggers--and against the bulkhead was another stand, filled
with muskets and cutlasses, brightly polished.
On the couch farthest from the door, on the starboard side, lay Ada;
with her feet towards the stern, and her head supported by pillows; so
that the full force of such air as could find its way through the ports
should blow on her face. As she slept, a fresh bloom slowly crept over
her cheek, which had hitherto been of a deathlike paleness, and as her
faithful attendant watched its appearance, she hailed it as a sign of
returning health.
In the centre of the cabin was a table on which now stood a large vase,
filled with sweet-scented flowers, which spoke of the shore and
civilisation. There was, indeed, in the arrangement of the cabin
generally, a mixture of elegant luxury and warlike preparation, which
gave it the appearance of the cabin of a yacht fitted for a voyage among
savage or treacherous people. Whatever she was, Marianna seemed
perfectly at home. Her work-basket was on the table, and various things
belonging to it were scattered about; as were several articles of female
apparel, which showed also that she considered the cabin sacred to her
mistress and herself. When she had arranged everything to her
satisfaction, she again sat down composedly to her work, and amused
herself, as she plied her needle, by singing a song of her native
island, in a tone, however, too low to run any risk of disturbing her
mistress. After some time she got tired of singing, and then as some
people are apt to do, who are fond of keeping their tongues going when
they have nobody else to speak to, she began to talk to herself. She
did not raise her voice, it is true, above a whisper, but still it was
sufficient to give exercise to that little fidgety occupant of the
mouth.
"Well, this is all very nice, and very pleasant, and very agreeable; and
the gentlemen are very civil, and very respectful, and very kind; but I
wonder when we shall ever reach the shore," she said; and then she went
on singing again, and then once more began to talk as follows:--"I
suppose, as they say, we shall at last reach the shore, and everything
will be as it should be, and my mistress will be happy and contented
after all her troubles--poor dear, sweet, young lady--I'm sure she ought
to be. Well, it does puzzle me, exceedingly--that it does--I cannot
make it out, no more, I am sure, would wiser heads than mine. But there
is one thing I am very sure of, that Signor Paolo is one of the wisest
and most amiable young gentlemen I ever saw. So melancholy, too, he
seems--something very dreadful weighs on his spirits, I am sure. I
don't think he is in love--I thought so at first; but when I hinted that
he was, he gave the nearest approach to a smile of which he is capable,
which I'm sure he would not have done, if he was a victim of the tender
passion. One thing is certain, however--he saved the life of my sweet
young mistress. If it had not been for his knowing how to doctor, I'm
sure she would have died--dear, dear, how sad it would have been--what
would have become of me, too! Well, when she recovers, and I tell her
all that has happened, I am sure she'll think the same of him that I do.
When she does begin, she will be asking me so many questions--I wish
that I could answer one half of them--first, she'll want to know what
has become of the poor old gentleman, her uncle. Well, he certainly was
a passionate, grumpy, sour old man as ever lived. Yet he had his good
points--he had a kind heart, which made him do many a kind thing in his
own rough way. He was generous, too, when he thought people deserving,
and then he dotingly loved my young mistress, and intended to leave her
all his money. What shall I tell her has become of him? I can tell her
nothing; for I know no more than she does; or what has become of the
brave Captain Bowse, or his polite mates, or even of that stupid
long-legged fellow, Mitchell. I'm afraid, after the dreadful noise I
heard, they must all long ago have gone to the other world. But to
believe so would make my young lady sad, and would agitate her, and
Signor Paolo says she must be kept quiet, so I will tell her I know
nothing. Ah! that will be the safest plan."
While she was running on in this way, a gentle knock was heard at the
door--she sprang up, and went to it cautiously.
"Who is there?" she asked.
"It is I, Paolo--may I enter?" answered a voice from without.
"Oh yes, indeed you may, Signor Paolo," she whispered through the
keyhole, and at the same time withdrew the bolts from the door. As she
did so she fancied she heard a bolt drawn slowly back outside. When the
door opened, a young man entered, habited in the Greek costume, though
his features were more like those of one born in Italy, as was the
language he spoke.
"Has the lady yet awoke, and have you given her the potion I left for
her?" he asked in a cautious tone.
"_Si, signor_, she not only awoke, and drank up the draught, but she
began to talk, and has now gone to sleep again," replied Marianna. "See
how sweetly she sleeps."
The young man stepped across the cabin so that he might be able to see
Ada's countenance.
He observed the slight roseate tinge which had visited her cheek, and
her calm, quiet breathing.
"The lady does well," he whispered. "I will send you another draught to
give her when she awakes, which she will not however do until towards
the evening; and then, when she speaks, try to tranquillise her mind,
and induce her again to sleep. The slightest agitation might be fatal
to her."
"Oh, then, signor, I will tell her anything you advise," answered
Marianna. "But I am much puzzled what to say; and I want you to tell
me, among many other things, where we are going; because I know that
will be one of the first questions she will ask me, and I'm sure I can't
answer it."
The young man hesitated before he spoke.
"Tell her," he said, at last, "that we are going to a place where she
will be kindly and honourably treated; but that you know not the name of
it. I am not the commander of this vessel, nor can I direct her course;
and I am not allowed to say more than I have."
"Oh, but you have great influence with him who is commander; and you can
make him do what you like, I am sure," urged the Maltese girl.
"Indeed, I cannot," answered the young man, mournfully. "My influence
extends but a short way, and can be but rarely exerted in the cause of
right. Were I to attempt too much, I should become altogether
powerless."
He stopped, as if he had said too much, and seemed about to leave the
cabin. He again, however, went up to Marianna, and whispered--"It may
be better for your mistress and yourself that she remain as if overcome
with illness till the conclusion of the voyage. Urge her not to rise,
or to attempt to go on deck; and tell her that the leech who has
attended her, has prescribed perfect silence and calmness. You
understand me?"
"I do, signor--though I cannot comprehend your reasons," returned
Marianna. "But, at all events, you can tell me when the voyage is to be
brought to a conclusion. It has lasted already a long time. I did not
think the Mediterranean sea was so large."
"Even there I cannot satisfy you," returned he who was called by
Marianna Signor Paolo. "Certainly not for many days; it may be even for
some weeks. You observe, that we do not always continue sailing. We
visit the shore occasionally, and, sometimes, remain hours together at
anchor."
"I cannot say exactly that I discovered that," answered the girl. "I
thought sometimes the ship appeared to sail very slowly, and that we
were very near the shore; but I knew not that we were altogether at
rest. Yet I cannot understand why you should not tell me where we are
going to."
"Perhaps I myself do not know," returned Paolo evasively. "The
commander of this ship does not always say where he will next steer."
"There again--who is your commander?" asked the girl. "It is strange
you should not have told me his name."
"You are much too curious, Marianna," answered Signor Paolo. "I must
again warn you to prevent your mistress from asking questions, which you
cannot answer; and now I must leave you, for the present; for I dare not
remain long at a time here."
Saying this, to the great disappointment of Marianna, who had made up
her mind to enjoy a long chat, he took his departure; and she bolted and
locked the door behind him--saying, as she did so, "I will do as he
tells me, at all events; and, as I may not go out, no one else shall
come in without my leave."
The bright rays of the sun were streaming through the stern-ports, and
glittering on the arms and the gilt mouldings of the bulkheads, when Ada
Garden again awoke. Her eyes were dazzled by the bright refulgence
which they encountered, and almost blinded, she closed them, till
Marianna bethought of drawing the curtain across the foot of her couch.
In so doing she saw that her mistress was awake.
Now, although the glare of the sunlight had disturbed Ada's slumbers, it
had had the beneficial effect of imparting somewhat of its brightness to
her spirits; and instead of the gloomy oppression which she had before
experienced, she now felt a glow of hope circling round her heart; and
she was fully prepared to credit the favourable account of the state of
affairs which Marianna was about to give her as soon as she was
questioned.
"Where am I--what has happened?" she asked, endeavouring to sit up.
"You must take another draught before I am at liberty to tell you
anything, my dear signora," answered Marianna, bringing her the goblet
which Paolo had sent. She drank the cooling mixture, and it served
still further to revive her. "Now let me arrange your pillows, and I
will tell you all you want to know," said the faithful girl, arranging
her couch. "There, now you are comfortable! Well, first, we are with
very kind, considerate people, who do everything I wish; and we are as
safe as we can be on board ship--though I wish ships had never been
invented; then we are going to a very beautiful place--though, when we
are to get there depends on the wind and other circumstances, which I am
not clever enough to explain."
She was running on in this style, when Ada cut her short by abruptly
asking--
"Where is my uncle? Is he on board? Why does he not come to me?"
"Ah! there are some little mysteries which I cannot explain just now,
and that is one of them," promptly returned Marianna. "The signor
colonel is not on board the ship, nor is the good Captain Bowse--they
all went away in the other one; and we--that we might be much safer--we
came on board this one. Here we are, and here we must remain, till you,
my dear signora, can get well enough to go on shore; but there is no
hurry, for we could not be better off than we are now. So, as you have
asked a great many questions, which your doctor said that if you did I
was not to answer, yet I have done so, you must try and go fast asleep
again, and forget all about it."
Ada was still too weak, she discovered, to talk; and her mind had not
either sufficiently recovered its clearness to perceive the glaring
evasiveness of her servant's replies; so, satisfied that her
apprehensions of danger were groundless, she amused herself by examining
the fittings of the cabin, and by watching through the open ports the
magnificent effect of the setting sun, which now just dipping in the
water, seemed to convert the whole ocean into a sheet of liquid gold.
She thus discovered that the ship was steering an easterly course, from
which she concluded that she was still on her voyage to Cephalonia.
Two more days passed away, and served to restore to Ada Garden her
strength both of mind and body, though the uncertainty of the past and
present, and painful anticipations for the future, much retarded her
complete recovery.
In vain she questioned Marianna. Her lively attendant knew but little--
and even that, she had been taught, it would be beneficial to her
mistress to conceal. The young Italian had once entered the cabin while
she was awake, and had felt her pulse, in order to be better able to
prescribe for her, but had remained not a moment longer than was
absolutely necessary in her presence. She resolved, however, the next
time he came to detain and question him; for the description given of
him by Marianna, already made her place confidence in him. She had not
long to wait for an opportunity; for that evening, just before sunset,
his knock was heard at the cabin doors, and with the usual caution he
entered.
"How is your mistress?" he asked of Marianna. "Does she feel stronger?"
"She is awake to answer for herself," returned the Maltese girl, "and
will gladly speak to you."
The young man started--he had so generally found her unconscious, that
he seemed not to have expected to find her able to question him. He,
however, crossed the cabin and stood with his arms folded, leaning
against the bulkhead, where she could not observe his countenance. Ada
was the first to speak.
"I am glad you have come, signor," she said, in a low tone; "for I am
anxious to express my gratitude to you for the attention with which, as
my maid tells me, you have treated me during my illness, and to which I
feel sensible I am much indebted for my recovery."
"Lady, I have but performed the duty in obedience to the order of
another," he replied, in a tone so calm that it sounded almost cold to
her ear. "I found you suffering, and I have employed what knowledge I
possess of the healing art to restore you to health. I rejoice to find
that my efforts have not been totally unavailing."
"To you, at all events, my gratitude is due," returned Ada. "And I
would lay myself under a still further obligation, by asking you to tell
me what ship I am on board, how I came here, and to where I am being
conveyed?"
The Italian hesitated, as if he was framing an answer, which Ada
remarked to herself. At last he replied,--"Lady, your first question I
may answer. You are on board a man-of-war belonging to the patriot
Greeks, who are struggling for their liberty against the infidel Turks;
and you are in possession of the commander's cabin. How you came here I
am less able to inform you, and thus much only, further, I know, that we
are sailing for one of the islands of the Grecian Archipelago, where you
will be landed, and placed with those who will tend you carefully.
Lady, I regret that I cannot tell you more."
The suspicions of Ada were much increased on hearing these words.
"I believe that you, signor, would not willingly deceive me," she
observed. "The very tone of your voice forbids the supposition. But
tell me, as the Greek patriots are on friendly terms with the English,
should I desire to be placed on board a British ship-of-war, of which I
believe there are several in these seas, would not your commander comply
with my wishes?"
"The commander of this ship is anxious to do all he can to gratify you,
lady; but to do as you wish may not be in his power."
"Signor," said Ada, glancing at his features. "I have heard that voice
before. You speak Italian well; but so do many Greeks. Tell me, are
you the commander of this ship?"
"Lady, I am not," returned the young man emphatically. "I am but acting
as the surgeon of the ship, to soothe the anguish of those who are
wounded. I have no authority on board."
"Then why does not the commander visit me?" said Ada, "I would see him
and urge my request to be placed under the protection of the British
flag. Surely he would not refuse to do so."
"Oh, lady, do not ask to see him," exclaimed the Italian, forgetting his
cold reserve and previous caution. "You know not what misfortune you
may bring on yourself by so doing. He believes that you are now sick,
almost to death, and that your only chance of restoration to health is
rest and quiet on shore."
"You speak in enigmas," said Ada, quickly taking alarm. "Surely the
commander of a man-of-war would not detain an English lady against her
will; and my having recovered would make him still more anxious to
enable me to return to my friends."
The Italian stood for some minutes lost in thought.
"You know not lady how you came to be on board this vessel," he said.
"You now compel me to tell you. Your attendant informs me that the ship
in which you sailed from Malta was attacked by a corsair, and captured;
but that you and she were the only persons conveyed on board the pirate
vessel; and that you, having fainted during the engagement, were
unconscious of all that took place. It appears that for a short time
only you remained on board the pirate, still in a happy state of
unconsciousness of the misfortune which had befallen you, when we caught
sight of the ship, chased, and captured her. You and your attendant
were found on board, respectfully treated, and in possession of the
chief cabin. This was a suspicious circumstance, for who could tell
that you were not willingly on board."
"Ah!" exclaimed Ada, almost smiling at the atrocious supposition.
"Surely no one could believe that I was acting in consort with pirates?"
"Lady, I do not; but all may not so readily believe the truth," returned
the Italian.
"But am I and my innocent attendant then to be punished as pirates,"
asked Ada, with a hysterical laugh.
"Scarcely so, lady; but you may be required to give evidence against
them," returned the Italian.
"I can give no evidence against them," said Ada; "for, as you have been
informed, I have been deprived of consciousness since I was found on
board the English brig."
"The observation you make, lady, is much in your favour," remarked the
Italian in a low tone.
"Then I am to understand," continued Ada, not noticing it, "that I am,
with an attendant, a prisoner in this cabin."
"So I am compelled to confess, with much regret, is the case," replied
the surgeon.
"Then I understand it all," she ejaculated, compressing her lips, and
fixing her eyes upon the young man, who had advanced a few paces to the
after part of the cabin. "From man I can expect no aid,--Heaven will
not desert me."
"Lady, God never deserts those who trust in him," he replied, about to
quit the cabin.
"Stay," exclaimed Ada. "Those features, too, I have beheld before.
Tell me where it was I saw you?"
"Lady, fancy often strangely deceives us," returned the surgeon, in his
former cold tone, and before she had time to ask another question, he
had quitted the cabin.
She, as Marianna had before observed, heard a bolt drawn across it.
On board what vessel they were there might be a doubt; but there was
none that they were prisoners.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
Malta lay basking on the calm blue ocean, in the full radiance of a
mid-day sun, hot, white, and dazzling, when Her Majesty's brig _Ione_
made her number in the offing, approaching the port from the northward.
It was observed at the signal station at the top of Government House,
and from thence telegraphed to the guard-ship. At the same time another
sail appeared from the eastward. She soon was made out to be a
merchantman. Both had a fair wind. The brig of war stood in for the
harbour on a bowline, her yards braced up on the larboard tack; and a
very beautiful object she appeared, with all her canvas to her royals
set to a nicety, as she rounded Fort Saint Elmo, and then kept away a
little and run to her former anchorage, when, at a wave of her
commander's hand, as if by magic, the whole crowd of canvas was in an
instant clewed up and furled, and she brought up off Fort Saint Angelo.
The merchant brig, which had the yellow flag flying, ran towards Port
Marsa Musceit, and deliberately furling one sail after another, she
dropped her anchor at the quarantine station, for she had come from the
land of the plague, and many a day must pass before she could get
_pratique_. Captain Fleetwood ordered his gig and hastened on shore, in
order to report himself and to deliver his despatches to the governor.
He had just returned from a trip to Naples, where he had been sent to
convey despatches and also to bring back a few casks of light wines for
the governor's table. He was cordially received by the old veteran,
with whom he was a favourite. He was just taking his departure when he
was called back.
"It may be for your satisfaction to learn, Captain Fleetwood, as I know
that you are in a hurry to reach England, that you are to be sent home
immediately with despatches and the mails," said the governor kindly.
"I dare say we shall see you out here again before long, from what I
hear, eh?" Charles Fleetwood actually blushed.
"I shall certainly come back to the Mediterranean, with or without a
ship, as soon as I can," he answered; "and I hope I shall find you well,
sir."
"I shall be glad to see you, my lad, and I wish ye every success," said
the old governor kindly, as Fleetwood took his final leave. On his way
back to the ship he called at the post-office, for he was anxious to
ascertain, without delay, if there were any letters for him. He hoped
to receive one from Cephalonia. He felt sure Ada would have contrived
to write to him; and as he made the inquiry his heart beat much faster
than usual. He had a packet of letters delivered to him; he ran his eye
hurriedly over the addresses. Her handwriting was not to be seen. They
were all from England. He then made every inquiry in his power from the
shipping agents and others about the _Zodiac_; but nothing had been
heard of her. It was supposed she must long ago have arrived at her
destination. None of Colonel Gauntlett's friends had heard of him.
Disappointed and out of spirits, he at last returned on board. He was
afraid that he should be obliged to leave Malta without hearing of her
safe arrival; and then how many months might pass away before he might
receive a line from her. He did not, however, forget that others would
be glad to hear that they were to revisit their homes, and as he passed
Mr Saltwell, the first lieutenant, who was superintending the business
of sending the governor's casks of wine on shore, he told him to prepare
for sailing to England in a day or two. Before the captain had thrown
himself on the sofa in his cabin, which he did as soon as he reached it,
the joyous news had flown through the ship. Jemmy Duff was the first to
carry the news into the midshipmen's berth.
"Huzza, my lads!" he exclaimed, whisking round his cap, and letting it
come down over the eyes of Togle, another youngster of his own standing,
who was reeling after the fatigue of furling sails, and eating his
dinner,--"Old England for ever! Who'll bet that we shan't be kissing
our sweethearts at home this day six weeks?"
"Why, what do you mean?" cried several, looking up.
"Who'll take my bet?" replied Duff.
"Why, I will," answered Togle, who did not like being disturbed,
clearing his head at the same time from the cap. "I will, because I
don't think such an ugly-looking chap as you are can have a sweetheart
to kiss."
Whereon he got the cap pressed down harder than before, with his nose in
a slop of rum-and-water on the table.
"But what makes you sing out in that way?" asked Tompion, the second
mate. "You don't mean to say that we are homeward-bound, youngster?"
"I do, though; and the skipper has just come on board to say so,"
replied Duff; and thereon there was a general shout of congratulation,
for though all hands were very happy together, the thought of change was
exciting, and that of home was dear to most of them.
"Well, the hope of the Duffs will be once more pressed to the maternal
bosom. I congratulate you, Jemmy," said Togle, who was trying to get
his own nose in order, after its flattening in more senses than one, by
putting that of his antagonist out of joint a little.
"Well, now we've had our cheer, and have all been flattering ourselves
with the thoughts of home, I'm ready to take any bet Duff likes to make
that we shall not be in England this day six weeks, or two months, if he
likes, for I believe, after all, it's a hum of his; and I propose we cob
him as a punishment for deceiving his Majesty's liege subjects and
gallant officers as he has done."
"I can prove, though, that I speak the truth," exclaimed Jemmy, who saw
the day turning against him. "Any one of you go and ask Mr Saltwell.
He heard it from the captain, I tell you."
"No, no," put in Togle. "Punishment first and proof afterwards. That's
the way the Turks manage, and they are sensible people. You can take
the cobbing first, and then go and ask Mr Saltwell, or the skipper
himself, if you like."
"You go and be damned, Togle," retorted Duff. "You know well enough
that I'm speaking the truth; and mind, old chap, I shall keep you to
your bet,--two months, you said."
"I made no bet," answered Togle. "You offered to bet yourself, but you
didn't propose what it should be,--a dinner at the Star, or--"
Just then a personage appeared at the door of the berth, who was
immediately appealed to.
"Oh! come in here, Muhajiar; you'll know all about it," cried Jack Raby.
"Take a glass. We haven't seen you for some time. Have you heard
whether we are going home?"
"So the purser's steward told me, gentlemen, and it is generally
believed throughout the ship," returned the individual addressed, who
entered with such a bow as he could contrive to find room to make, and
took his seat at the table, where with much gusto he drank off the
porter offered to him. He was a stout, tallish man, with a good
expression of countenance, and most of those who remember Malta in those
and even later days, will recollect him as one of the most respectable
tailors in the place. He had been, I believe, in the marines; but
getting his discharge, set up for himself as a builder of garments, and
soon managed to establish a very thriving business. He was always on
the watch, and the moment a ship dropped her anchor he would come on
board to take orders. He knew everybody and everything that was going
forward, and was, consequently, a great authority.
"Huzza! it is true, for Paolo Muhajiar has heard it," exclaimed Togle,
looking hard at Duff. "Well, Jemmy, I'll let you off your bet--but you
will see that I am right."
Signor Paolo Muhajiar took his leave, for he was not likely to get any
orders, at all events, to be paid, if he executed them; and the berth
was soon cleared of its rightful occupants--some to go on shore, others
to their duties, and the rest to see what was going forward in the
harbour.
The scene there was amusing. There were boats of all sorts and
descriptions alongside; but there is one peculiarity of which Valetta
may boast, to the disadvantage of nearly all other ports. The boats
intended for the conveyance of passengers are kept in good order, and
beautifully clean; and the boatmen belonging to them are also very
careful to dress neatly--their linen always looking as white as snow.
Some of the boats alongside had goats on board, and the aquatic
goat-herds were offering to milk them to supply milk for the officers'
tea. It is not a bad way to secure pure milk.
The three mids of the _Ione_--Jack Raby, Duff, and Togle--were on the
poop leaning over the quarter-rail, and amusing themselves by discussing
affairs in general, and watching the panorama round them, when a boat
with two thin, slight lads pulled out of the dockyard creek.
"He for dive, signor," sung out one of them, looking up at our mids.
"He says he'll bet you he'll dive to the bottom and be back again sooner
than you will, Togle. So overboard with you, and show him he's wrong,"
said Duff, trying to heave over his messmate.
"He says he'll bring up a shilling if you heave it overboard," answered
Togle, retaliating by seizing the first coin he could lay hands on out
of Master Jemmy's waistcoat pocket--it was fortunately only
half-a-crown. "There, Smaitch, it's too much for one of you though, so
both of you be after it."
And holding it up to show, before Duff could snatch at it, it was
glancing through the clear water of the harbour. Over went both the
lads after it, eager to appropriate so rich a prize, and it is to be
feared, had they had knives, they would have fought for it under the
waves, and have neither of them returned. Luckily Duff, as he could not
save his own coin, had managed to seize a shilling from Togle, which
served to attract the attention of the one who was furthest from the
great prize, and both of them came up to the surface an instant
afterwards, with the pieces of money in their hands.
"Me for dive, signor--me for dive," they both again sung out, hoping to
get another coin from Raby.
"No, no more me for dive, you blackguards," he answered, shaking his
head. "You've had quite enough from these two Master Greens already."
And the lads, after singing out a few more times, pulled on ahead, still
crying, "Me for dive, signor; me for dive;" though little, beyond a few
pence, did they get from the crew of an old Mediterranean cruiser like
the _Ione_.
"Now suppose there were sharks here as they have in the West Indies, it
would not be quite so easy to go overboard as it is," observed Duff, who
quickly recovered his temper, which he had lost with his half-crown.
"Oh, these fellows would laugh at a shark," answered Raby. "Why even
the blackies don't fear them, and will attack and kill the largest. By
the by, did you ever hear of the big fellow they keep in Port Royal
harbour to do the duty of guard-boat? Not a man dares swim on shore
when big Tom is on duty, and he never takes a snooze they say."
"You don't mean to say so," said Togle, "but how do they manage to keep
him there?"
"Oh, the Government promised him a superannuated pension when he's no
longer fit for work; but, as he finds he must go on shore to receive it,
he is obliged to keep afloat; though he's been so many years at it that
no one remembers when he first came on the station."
"He must be a rum old joker," observed Duff. "Hillo, here comes old
Monsieur Collet with his cargo of ginger-beer. Let's go and get some;
for I'm very thirsty."
And away they all three scrambled to the gangway, to which a boat had
come with a little wizened old man in her, and laden with bottles of
ginger-beer, and other refreshing drinks.
"Hand us up ginger-beer there," sung out Jemmy Duff. "But, I say,
Monsieur Collet, remember, no pop--no pay."
"Oh, no, signor. All my ginger-beer pop very much."
And, to prove the truth of his assertion, off went half a dozen of his
bottles fizzing away together; some, however, remained, and the old
Frenchman insisted on himself cutting the lashings of the corks to give
full effect of the pop. He would then put a far from clean thumb over
the mouth to prevent the liquid from escaping; but still the froth would
fiz and fume round it.
"Thank ye, Monsieur Collet, none of your digitalis for me," remarked the
assistant surgeon, who observed the operation, which, however, few
others seemed to care for.
The attention of the idlers was soon drawn off from old Collet, and his
refreshing draughts, towards a boat which pulled alongside, filled with
musicians, who if they produced sounds not especially harmonious, took
care that they should be loud enough to be heard far and wide.
"Huzza for the Banjee," sung out some of the men forward. "Come,
Smaitch, tip us a tune there--Go ahead, Banjee!" and on this requisition
the performers in the Banjee boat began to exert their talents to the
great delight of their hearers, who rewarded them with showers of pence.
Not, however, of this character are the principal Banjee boats; which
really contain very good musicians, who enliven the harbour with their
sweet harmony, and are often some of the best performers from the Opera
House. Valetta harbour is in truth as lively and animated, as
interesting and picturesque a sheet of water as is to be found in any
part of the world. On the north side of where the ship lay were the
dazzling white walls of the city towering towards the blue sky, with the
Marina below them, and numerous vessels moored along the quays; on the
other side the frowning batteries of Fort Saint Angelo, and the Venetian
looking canal, called Dockyard Creek; many of the houses having doors
cut through the rock opening down to the water, the whole wearing an
aspect more Oriental than European. Then the boats, darting about in
every direction, mostly painted bright green and yellow, with upright
sterns rising high above the gunnel, and great big eyes painted on the
bows--very often having the name of some ship or other on them in
addition.
And the boatmen, with their long red or blue caps, the tassel reaching
to their waists, their gay waistcoats, their shirt-sleeves rolled up
above their elbows exhibiting their brawny arms, their red sashes, their
blue overall trousers, and their nankeen ones below, are not unworthy of
remembrance. But the most picturesque objects are the lateen sails with
their long tapering yards either wing and wing when skimming along
before the wind, or heeling over when close-hauled upon it.
Such in part was the scene viewed from the deck of the _Ione_.
Captain Fleetwood sat meditating in his cabin. He had read all his
letters from home. They contained nothing that was not satisfactory,
and yet his thoughts were far from cheerful. He was out of spirits at
not hearing from Ada; from being unable to gain any information about
her. He, however, had received no positive orders for sailing, and he
trusted that tomorrow or the following day some vessel from Cephalonia
might arrive, and bring a letter for him; still his heart would sink
with forebodings of ill, when he recollected the suspicions he had
entertained, and the warnings he had given to Bowse respecting the
speronara and her crew. A man who is in love, when he is absent from
the object of his affections, is certainly very much to be pitied, if he
has the slightest particle of imagination; for he is sure to employ it
in conceiving that all sorts of misfortunes and miseries, and disasters,
are befalling her.
He was aroused from his meditations by a message from the governor,
requesting to see him immediately, on urgent business. He sprang up,
put on his cocked hat, buckled to his sword-belt, and ordering his gig
to be manned, pulled on shore as fast as he could, and toiled upwards,
by steps innumerable, to the governor's palace.
"Ye will be surprised, doubtless, Captain Fleetwood, at my sending for
ye again to-day," said the governor, in a kind tone, as he entered.
"But sit down, mon, sit down and rest yourself, for I have a very
extraordinary communication to make to ye, which I cannot fail to think
will agitate ye; and I therefore considered it advisable to speak to ye
on the subject myself."
"For Heaven's sake tell me what it is, sir," exclaimed Fleetwood, who,
on first entering, had seen that something was wrong; and his fears
having already pointed all round the compass, he had settled that it was
in some way connected with Ada Garden.
"Ye must be calm and tranquil, mon, in a case like this; for ye will
require all your judgment and discretion to discover the means of
accomplishing your object;" continued the governor, not noticing the
interruption. "And as I considered ye a mon in every way calculated for
the purpose I have in view, and, moreover, particularly suited, from
other reasons, which ye yourself will allow, I instantly made
application to employ you on it." Fleetwood almost groaned. He could
not again venture to interrupt the governor, though he was bursting with
impatience to have his fears relieved or confirmed. "Well, I see ye
wish to be informed on the subject, which is very natural, Captain
Fleetwood; and, therefore, I must premise that I have this day received
notice of the arrival of a brig, a merchantman from Smyrna, and that she
is now performing quarantine in Port Marsa Musceit. Her master has
written a statement which has been forwarded to me; and which, if
correct, and I see no reason to doubt it, proves that further efforts
are required to put down piracy and robbery and murder in these seas;
and by God they shall not be wanting as long as I'm ruler here."
"Well, sir; well, sir," ejaculated Fleetwood.
"But ay, the statement. It is to the effect that the brig _Mary Jane_,
William Jones master, on her voyage from Smyrna to Malta, did in
latitude ... degrees north, longitude ... degrees east, sight the hull
of a vessel dismasted. That not lying much out of her course, she
hauled up for her; and on a nearer approach she appeared to be
water-logged, by her lowness in the water, and the heavy way in which
she rolled; that on getting close to her, the _Mary Jane_ was hove to,
and a boat lowered into the water, into which the first mate and a
boat's crew got, and pulled on board her. It appears that the mate,
when he first got alongside, thought that she had been brought into her
present condition by a storm, from the appearance her shattered bulwarks
presented; but that, climbing up her side, she found a number of
shot-holes, and round-shot sticking in them, and her spars and rigging
lying about the decks, evidently destroyed by shot. He therefore came
to the conclusion that she had been hotly engaged with an enemy of very
superior force, as she herself only carried four guns; and it would
require a large number, or else very rapid firing, for a long time, to
send so many into her as he observed. He soon discovered that there was
no human being alive on board her; but on more minute examination, he
was of opinion, from the state of the decks, that there had been some
severe fighting, and a number of people killed on them. All the bodies,
however, had been thrown overboard. The hold of the ship had been
ransacked, was almost empty, as were the cabins, which had evidently
been fitted up for passengers, and there were a few articles of female
gear scattered about, which made him suppose that there had been ladies
on board."
"Great Heaven!" ejaculated Captain Fleetwood, starting up. "The name,
sir--the name?"
"The name is just what the mate had considerable difficulty himself in
discovering; for, you see, the master had a fancy to have it painted so
low under the counter, that it could not be seen, sunk deep in the water
as the ship now was. At last, however, one of the men who accompanied
him, found a book with the name of Bowse in it, which he concluded to be
that of the master."
"The same," groaned poor Fleetwood. "It was the _Zodiac_. She is
lost--lost to me for ever. Oh, Ada, Ada!"
And again he groaned, as if death could alone relieve his heart from his
load of misery.
"Hoot, mon, hoot! ne'er say die while there's life!" exclaimed the bluff
old governor. "Ye have no positive proof that any one ye care for is
dead or lost to ye. I tell ye, the mate of the _Mary Jane_ found no one
dead on board the vessel; and, as she had no boats remaining, it is just
a plausible supposition that the survivors of the crew and the
passengers may have escaped from the ship they thought was sinking in
one of them; and we may hear of your friends turning up somewhere or
other; for I do not pretend to deny that, when I first received notice
of the outrage, I felt convinced that my friend, Colonel Gauntlett and
his bonnie niece were among the sufferers."
"Too true, they were, sir," replied Fleetwood, by a great effort,
endeavouring to collect his thoughts for active service.
"It was that supposition, and not ignorant also of your attachment to
the young leddie, which made me resolve to apply, instanter, that the
_Ione_ might be sent in the first place to search for the crew and
passengers of the late brig the _Zodiac_; for I ought to say, she sank
while the _Mary Jane_ was yet close to her; and then, it will be
gratifying and soothing to your feelings, under the circumstances, to
chastise the miscreants who have perpetrated this atrocity--and I do not
suppose, Captain Fleetwood, that ye will be disposed to spare them more
than I should."
And the grim old soldier gave a look which indicated no inclination to
be lenient.
"We will hang every mother's son of them; and teach other villains that
these seas can no longer be made the field for the exercise of their
marauding disposition. Ye understand, Captain Fleetwood--ye may take
them alive if ye can; but ye may sink, burn, and destroy them all,
sooner than let one escape."
"I comprehend, sir, clearly," answered Fleetwood. "When can I sail?"
"I am expecting your orders every instant," replied the governor. "It
is a considerate change of destination, to be sure; but I knew the duty
would be gratifying to you; and, fortunately, your brig is the only
vessel on the station fit to be sent on it, while the despatches can go
home by the _Racehorse_ as well. Sit quiet a few minutes till the
orders arrive; and I will in the mean time glance my eye over a paper I
have to read."
Captain Fleetwood threw himself back in his seat, and covered his eyes
with his hands. The old governor, who had purposely been more
circumvolute even than usual, in order not too suddenly to shock his
feelings, looked up at him with a kind expression, which showed that he
truly entered into his wretchedness.
"I have been considering, sir," said Fleetwood, suddenly looking up,
"what clue can be found of the pirates' places of retreat; for, if they
did not destroy those on board the _Zodiac_, I feel sure that they will
have carried them off."
"Ah! that is the proper spirit with which to meet a misfortune,"
exclaimed the governor, rising and placing his hand on Fleetwood's
shoulder. "Look it in the face, and think how you can best overcome it.
You deserve to succeed--and you will succeed, mon, I am sure. Well, as
to the clue, that is an important consideration, which must be thought
of."
Captain Fleetwood remained some time longer in consultation with the
governor. His orders, which had been sent up to the palace, were handed
to him, and with them in his pocket he hurried on board.
"Mr Saltwell," he said, as he ascended the side, "hoist the blue-peter,
and take every means of getting all hands on board. We sail to-night
for the Levant. I shall be happy to see you as soon as convenient in
the cabin."
"Ay, ay, sir," mechanically answered the first lieutenant, who, as he
looked at his commander, at first thought that he had gone out of his
mind; but he soon saw that something extraordinary had happened to cause
this sudden change in their destination, and without stopping further to
consider what it was, he took the necessary steps to obey the orders he
had received. The announcement, as might have been expected, created,
at first, no little dissatisfaction and disappointment throughout the
ship, but that was before any one was aware of the reasons of the
change. Mr Togle was the first of the midshipmen to hear the news, and
down he rushed into the berth, where most of his messmates were
collected.
"You've lost your bet, Jemmy," he exclaimed, giving Duff a slap on the
shoulder. "Instead of going to England we're bound for the Levant, old
fellow; so fork out. You betted a dinner at the Star, didn't you?"
"Well, suppose I believed your humbug," answered Duff, "I'm ready to
give you a dinner at the Star; but if we don't go to England, I'm sure I
don't know how you are to eat it; so I've done you, old fellow!"
Thereon the discussion grew warm, as to how a bet under such
circumstances should be settled, no one believing Mr Togle's assertion
of their change of destiny. It was interrupted by the shrill pipe of
the boatswain's whistle, and the hoarse cry of--
"All hands, unmoor ship," which echoed along the decks.
"There's something in the wind, any how," exclaimed Jack Raby, as they
all jumped up to hurry to their stations.
"I told you so," said Togle. "We shall have plenty of adventures before
we again see old England, depend on it."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
There is in the northern portion of the Grecian Archipelago--and, from
being out of the usual track of vessels, little known even to the modern
voyager, and in the days of which I write still less so--a small island
called by the mariners of those regions the Island of Lissa, though I am
not aware under what name it appears in the English charts. In extent
it is five or six miles long, and from two to three broad; its lofty
sides rise in most places as rocky precipices from out of the blue
ocean, and only on the southern side can anchorage-ground be found. It
appears, on sailing round it at a short distance off, to be a barren,
inaccessible rock--a fit abode only for the wild sea-fowl which may be
seen hovering round it. Its aspect, on approaching nearer, alters, and
here and there a pathway, cut in zig-zag down the rock, may be
discerned; and at one spot on the north, which appears at first to be a
mere crevice in the rock, to the seaman who steers boldly towards it, an
opening is revealed between the lofty cliffs, so narrow that the yards
of a ship might touch either side, yet with the water so deep that one
of large tonnage may enter, and find herself in a beautiful basin
surrounded with a fringe of yellow sand--lofty rocks, of many hues,
rising on every side, with a deep ravine running up into the interior,
its sides also equally rugged and precipitous. Neither tree nor shrub
can be seen in this wild but picturesque spot: rock, water, sand, and
sky, are the only component parts of the landscape. At the time I speak
of a few small light boats were drawn up on the beach, and two crafts of
considerably larger size lay moored in the basin or cove. They were
long, low vessels, entirely decked over, and fitted to pull some twenty
oars; they had thick stumpy masts, and long tapering yards, for lateen
sails, now stowed fore and aft in the boats. The sails were bent, the
oars being placed along the thwarts, and they wore an air which showed
they would be ready for sea at a moment's notice.
There was somewhat a wicked look about them, at the same time they might
belong to peaceable fishermen; for there were several nets hung up on
poles along the shore, and at times a few old men might be seen mending
them or cleaning the boats. The chief communication between the cove or
basin I have described and the interior of the island was by a narrow
pathway, which ran along near the bottom of the ravine for some
distance, and then, turning to the right with many a zig-zag, led along
the edge of deep precipices till it reached the summit of the cliffs.
At the very bottom of the ravine leaped and sparkled a bright, clear
rivulet, the only stream in the island. It might be seen far up,
indeed, at what might be called the head of the ravine, rushing forth
from between two cliffs, and bounding down a fall of two or three
hundred feet in a mass of glittering foam.
One of the wildest and most inaccessible spots in the island was in that
portion to the right, or east of the cove--the point of land, indeed,
formed by it and the sea, and bounded on the north by the ravine. The
only access to it from the rest of the island was from the north-east by
a narrow neck of land, with the sea-cliffs on one side and those of the
ravine on the other.
This wild and rugged spot had been selected centuries ago, when the then
powerful republic of Venice held sway over considerable territories in
those seas, for the erection of a stronghold; and certainly no place
could have been better adapted, by its position and nature, for defying
the attacks of an enemy from without, or for guarding any rich argosies
taking shelter in the bay below. It was of course for the purpose of
protecting their commerce that this rock had been seized on and
fortified. It had probably also at some other period been increased and
strengthened on the land side, and occupied for less laudable objects
than the mere protection of commerce. Whatever might have been the
original intention of its erection and its subsequent use, the massive
towers and turreted walls had long since been disused, and had fallen
into the decay of years, unheeded and unknown, except by a few families
of fishermen who had from generation to generation followed the same
occupation. I call them fishermen, because such was the designation
they would have given themselves, had they been questioned on the
subject, and very properly so, for that was the occupation they and
their fathers had followed from time immemorial--when they happened to
have no other more lucrative or interesting employment. Another change
had, however, of late years come over the ancient ruins, and though it
could not be said that they had assumed much of their pristine
appearance, some of the least dilapidated portions, at all events, gave
signs of being the habitations of human beings. One tower especially
had been roofed in, as had a building attached to it, and smoke had been
seen to ascend from its hearth; and faces, hitherto strangers to the
island, had appeared at its windows. The village in which most of the
old inhabitants of the island resided was on the opposite side of the
ravine, in a spot almost as inaccessible as that on which the castle
stood, but somewhat more convenient for a congregation of persons; and
as it was in a manner fortified by art, in addition to what nature had
done, they never found the Turks anxious to attempt the no easy task of
dispossessing them. Although the exterior of the island was so rugged
and unprepossessing, and so destitute of verdure and cultivation, there
were spots in the interior where the orange, the citron, the pear, the
apple, and the vine flourished in rich luxuriance; the sides of the
hills were clothed with olive-trees, and the more even portions with
fields of waving corn, amply sufficient for the simple wants of the
population; and though cattle might be rare, thriving herds of goats
found herbage among the rocks, and on the narrow ledges of the rugged
cliffs. In fact, everything which the mere unsophisticated wants of man
could require, the island itself supplied, except clothing and weapons;
and for the purpose of collecting these the misticoes in the cove were
found extremely useful,--no spot, indeed, could be more calculated for
the abode of peace, innocence, and rural simplicity--a complete island
Arcadia; and so it would possibly have become, had the inhabitants been
less addicted to maritime adventure; but then they would have had to go
about in the state in which were our first parents, before the fall, or
to have dressed in goats' skins; and at all events they would have had
no arms to defend themselves against the Turks; so that their frequent
naval expeditions might have been prompted by the excess of their
patriotism, and would, therefore, to say no more about them, have been
most laudable.
But the part of the island with which we are most interested is that to
the east of the bay, where the ruined castle was situated. The tower
which I have described as having been rendered somewhat habitable, stood
in a position by which it commanded an extensive view to the southward
and eastward, as also of the bay or cove below. Yet, although placed
apparently in so exposed a situation, so completely surrounded was it by
rocks of the same hue as the stone of which it was constructed, that at
a short distance off only, on the sea, it could in no way be
distinguished from them.
I must introduce the reader to an apartment in the upper part of the
said tower, which possessed two windows, one looking to the south, the
other into the cove.
The room presented an appearance which could not at all have been
expected from the condition of the outside. It was furnished, not only
completely, but most richly and luxuriously, yet in a way which showed
that the hand of a professional artist had not been employed. The floor
was covered with a Turkey carpet of the most valuable description, and
round the room, in Oriental style, were arranged couches, with the
softest cushions, and carved with thick silks of varied patterns. The
walls were lined with damask hangings, of a light blue, and the ceiling
was arranged in the form of a tent, composed of cottons, which had
probably been fabricated in the looms of England. There were tables in
the room, and seats scattered about around them.
Besides the hangings on the walls, they were ornamented with pictures of
much value, and racks of arms, richly chased, and arranged so as to form
many fanciful devices.
The whole appearance of the apartment showed that it had been hurriedly
fitted up, with lavish disregard of expense, and with materials which
might have been most conveniently at hand, but were not originally
intended for the purpose to which they were devoted. The arrangements,
also, were such as a seaman might be supposed to have made, more,
probably, than any other person. The room had an occupant--a young and
very beautiful girl. Her beauty was of the pensive cast. She had large
black, gazelle eyes, a clear olive complexion--clear as purity itself,--
and a figure slight and graceful, with a cast of feature of the most
classic mould. As she sat at the window, gazing out on the blue sea,
ever and anon a slight roseate tinge would appear in her soft cheek, and
vanish rapidly as the thoughts which made it rise. Her costume was
rather fanciful, than either Grecian or of any other people, and though
elegant and becoming, she appeared to have formed it from a profuse
supply of costly materials placed at her disposal. It partook, however,
of the character of the dress of the East, though European taste might
have been detected in it.
She seemed very sad; for, though she held a book in her hand, with which
she was apparently endeavouring to divert her attention from melancholy
thoughts, her eyes would constantly wander over the wide blue sea, the
only object visible from the window, and a pearly drop from her dark eye
would steal down her cheek, and fall unheeded on the page before her,
while an unconscious sigh would burst from her heaving bosom.
There was evidently a weight on her young heart, a grief which was
wearing out the elasticity of her spirits, withering her glorious
beauty, and making her aged before her time. Perchance she mourned the
absence of one she loved, and was wearied with anxiety for his return;
perhaps the canker-worm of remorse was at work within her, for a fault
committed and irretrievable; perhaps she was the victim of lawless
outrage, a captive against her will; perhaps she had been severed from
all she loved on earth, and the bright hopes of life had been blasted
for ever. At last she closed her book with a smile; but it was one of
pain and bitterness at the hopelessness of her attempt to divert her
mind from the contemplation of the present. A guitar, such as is
generally used in Italy, lay on the divan near her; she took it up, and
ran her fingers over the strings. For a few minutes she struck a
plaintive air, in consonance with her feelings, and then, almost
unconsciously, she added her voice to the strain in a rich flow of
melody. Her words, too, were sad, and the language was that of Italy.
Nina's Song.
The earth is all as lovely here,
The sky as bright and fair,
And flowers of every hue and shade
Perfume the southern air.
The sparkling sea lies at my feet,
So clear, it seems a lake,
And tiny waves, with snowy crest,
Alone the silence break;
And yet I weep from day to day
For that loved home, now far away!
I almost wish 'twere not so like
My loved Italian land,
Its southern flowers, its gorgeous skies,
Blue sea, and golden sand.
For while I gaze, a whispering voice
Steals sadly through my brain,
And tells me, I must never hope
To see that spot again.
And I must weep, from day to day
For that loved home, now far away!
I close my eyes, and fancy paints
So vividly and clear,
Each lovely spot, each well-known sound.
To mem'ry ever dear;
I hear again the vesper-bell,
Chiming to evening prayer;
While the cheerful song of the Gondolier,
Floats through the balmy air.
And thus I dream till dawn of day,
Of that fair home, now far away!
And yet the chain which binds me hero
Is dearer far to me,
Than the beauties of my palace land,
Girt by the glorious sea.
For his dear love, I left them all,
And while that love is mine,
If dreary wastes were now my home,
Think not I would repine.
Yet still one thought, from day to day,
Tells of my home, now far away!
But if his love should ever fade,
Like twilight o'er this shore,
And whisper'd words of tenderness,
Now mine, be heard no more!
Then no reproach shall meet his ear,
No weeping meet his eye;
I'd leave him ere he form'd the wish,
And leave him but to die;
For I would seek, ere close of day,
Death, in that home now far away.
As she ceased, a tap was heard at the door; and she, bidding whoever was
without to enter, a young girl appeared, and closing the door,
approached her. She wore the red embroidered Greek cap, with her hair
hanging in two long plaits behind, full trousers, and a silk waistcoat,
reaching to the knees. Her age might have been about fourteen, and she
was very pretty, with black, flashing eyes, and a figure rather full
than slight, and somewhat below the common height, and a countenance to
which health and spirits gave an animated expression, which would have
made features far inferior to hers appear to advantage.
She seated herself on a cushion at the feet of the young lady with an
affectionate familiarity, and looking up in her face, said, in the soft
tongue of modern Greece--
"Oh, do continue those sweet strains, lady. Though they made me sad, I
came up on purpose to listen to them, and to make my heart lighten the
grief of yours by sharing it with you."
"Thanks, my good Mila. You are ever kind," answered the lady; and
though she spoke Romaic, she had difficulty in expressing herself. "I
value your love the more that I possess that of no other."
"Your sweet temper and your sweet voice have won you more friends than
you suppose, lady," answered the Greek girl. "My young brother would
die for you, I know, and my old grandfather, Vlacco, has his heart
softened towards you, I am sure."
"Does Vlacco feel pity for me? Then would he, do you think, allow us to
wander forth to explore this rocky island? I am weary of remaining shut
up in so small a compass for so long a time."
"I will try and persuade him, lady; and if it is not contrary to his
orders I think he will allow us to go together," returned the girl.
"But you know, lady, since the futile attempt of Signor Paolo, your
brother, to carry you off, you have constantly been watched."
"I know it, and therein is my misery. He knows I would not quit him if
I could; and how can a weak girl escape from this rock-bound prison
except--" she paused and looked at the deep blue sea which lay at their
feet--"except it were to seek that rest which can be found, by one like
me, only beneath the calm bosom of yonder ocean."
"Oh, lady, let not such dreadful thoughts enter into your mind!"
exclaimed the young Greek, looking up at her with a face in which pity
blended with alarm. "Come, we will wander forth, as you wish it, far
into the country; the change of scene, the fresh air, and exercise will
cheer your spirits, and I am sure my grandfather will not deny our
request to be allowed a little freedom."
A silk scarf and such boots as the Turkish women wear when they venture
abroad, completed the Italian lady's walking costume, and following the
young Greek, they descended from her lofty tower. The flight of the
steps which led to the ground was steep and narrow, and were the same
which had been used in former days, repaired in places where the stones
had given way, bywood work slightly run up. This, a few strokes of an
axe would serve to destroy, and the summit of the tower would be
immediately rendered inaccessible. The story immediately beneath the
one inhabited by the lady was fitted up as a residence, though with much
less attention to comfort and elegance. There were several couches for
sleeping, and a few seats and tables; but in the corners of the room
furthest from the windows were piled up in one, chests and bales of
goods, silks, cottons, and woollen cloths; in another, a collection of
arms, muskets, and cutlasses, and boarding-pikes. There were a few
small brass guns, some mounted on carriages and others on swivels, such
as are carried on the gunnels of ships, or on the bows of boats; and
there were shot and cases which looked as if they contained powder.
Indeed, there was altogether a large collection of valuable goods, and
arms and ammunition sufficient to protect, it if the men were found to
use them. In the recesses for the windows, which were very narrow, were
fitted platforms, which were evidently intended to place the
gun-carriages on, as there were ring-bolts to which to make breechings
fast, in order to prevent their running too far back at the recoil. The
windows, as in the story above, looked down on the harbour, and seaward,
but there was another on the land side which commanded a view of the
narrow neck of land which led to the platform on which the castle stood.
The lower part of the tower was much in the same state in which it had
been left centuries before. The first story, as it were, had
disappeared, so that there was an empty space for what may be called the
height of two stories; and, as there were no windows of any description,
it appeared dark and dreary in the extreme. A steep path led round it
several times till it reached the gateway, which looked towards the sea
and the most inaccessible part of the cliff. Any person, on entering
this lower division, would not have supposed, from what he could
observe, that the upper part would have afforded so great a contrast by
the richness and luxury displayed there. On a more minute examination,
however, of the basement floor, it would have been discovered that a
stage had been raised from the earth, on which were placed a number of
large jars of wine, casks of olives, cases of figs, and sacks of corn
and other grain, indeed, provision sufficient to support a body of men
for a considerable time. There were also some heavier guns than those
seen above, and spars, and cordage, and other munitions for fitting out
a ship.
The bottom of the flight of steps by which the two young girls had
descended led to the side of this chamber farthest from the door, and
they had some little difficulty, after leaving the bright light reigning
through the upper regions, in finding their way across it. The Greek
then, with her little hand, struck the door as hard as she was able, to
call the attention of some one without to open it; but the noise she
made was insufficient for the purpose. At last she was obliged to try
the effect of her voice.
"It is I, your grandchild, Mila. Open the door, I say; open the door,
Vlacco!" she exclaimed; but no one answered to her call. "So he thought
I was going to remain some time with you, lady, and I verily believe he
has gone off his post. Now, if we could but have managed to get the
doors open, we might have gone out without his leave, and when he comes
back, he would find the birds flown."
"It is useless wishing that," said the Italian. "The door is too
strongly fastened, and it shows me that I am a prisoner, and no longer
trusted; let us return up-stairs."
The Greek girl thought a little, as if unwilling to give up their
object.
"We will do as you propose, lady," she said at last; "but we will not
let him know that we came down, and are aware that he leaves his post;
so, another day he may not fasten the gate, and we may get out, and
wander where we like, without asking his leave."
They were about returning, when little Mila exclaimed--
"Stay, I think I hear him coming, and we won't tell him we have been
waiting; but, after he has been here a little, I will ask to be let
out."
They waited accordingly for some time, during which some person was
heard moving slowly about outside, when little Mila again exclaimed, as
loud as she could call, "Vlacco, Vlacco! let me out, I say, grandfather;
you have bolted the door, as if a storm was blowing to burst it open."
At last the bolt was withdrawn, and the door opening, an old Greek, with
white locks escaping from under his red cap, and a thick, grey
moustache, stood before them. He had a rough, weatherbeaten
countenance, and dark eyes, deeply sunk in his head, with a very stern
expression. His appearance was altogether forbidding, and his
countenance was one which it would make any person very uncomfortable to
look at, who knew that his life depended on the amount of mercy and pity
to be found in his bosom. He must have been a powerful, active man in
his youth; but a weight of years had sadly pulled down his strength, and
palsied his once unfaltering hand.
"What a noise you make, little one. You seem to be in a great hurry to
get out of the gilded cage," he exclaimed, not seeing the Italian who
stood in the shade. When, however, she stepped forward, he altered his
tone, which became as courteous as his gruff nature would allow.
"Pardon, lady," he said, "I was not aware of your presence. What is it
you wish?"
"Why, we wish to wander forth, and explore the island, grandfather,"
answered the young girl, speaking for the Italian, who had difficulty
both in comprehending old Vlacco's way of speaking, and in answering him
in Romaic. "Now, I will not hear any excuses; I am going with the lady,
who is ill, and will pine to death if she is kept shut up in this way;
and, if you do not think we are able to take care of ourselves, you can
come too. It is a pity we have not got wings, and then you might clip
them as they do those of the wild sea-fowl, to prevent their flying
away."
The old Greek offered a number of objections to the project; among
others, that if anything happened to the lady, his life would pay the
forfeit; but they were all overruled by his grandchild, who laughed at
his fears, and at length she and the Italian set out on their
expedition. They took the way along the neck of land of which I have
spoken, among rocks which towered up in many fantastic shapes, without a
sign of vegetation on their weatherworn summits, and overlooking
precipices which descended many hundred feet of perpendicular height
into the sea below. At last they emerged from this wilder tract, and
descending a gentle slope covered with many a sweet-scented shrub, on
which the bees delight to rest, they looked down into the centre of the
island. Here a scene of a nature totally different to what they had
left met their view. Every spot of ground was cultivated to the utmost
extent. Below their feet was an orange grove, the trees of which were
laden with the ripening fruit; the side of a neighbouring hill was
covered with vines wide spreading along trellises gracefully arranged.
Several orchards of apple and pear trees were seen in the distance.
Beyond were fields of Indian corn waving in the breeze, and on the
higher ground millet and barley were seen growing.
"We may boast, lady, that our island is not altogether the barren rock
those might suppose who have looked forth only from the windows of the
castle," said Mila. "And from yonder hill to the north let us enjoy the
view over the whole of it, if you will venture so far."
The Italian expressed her readiness to go there; for though, as she
said, she had before visited it, a long time since then had passed away.
As the two young girls passed through the fields, several husbandmen,
employed in them, gazed at them with a somewhat furious look; but they
all knew the granddaughter of old Vlacco, and quickly concluded who her
companion was. The view from the summit of the hill, which was the
highest part of the island, extended, as Mila had said, not only over
the whole of the island, but embraced a wide circle of the surrounding
sea, and of many a neighbouring isle and islet, which appeared in every
direction, rising from the bosom of the deep, some with their outlines
clear and defined, others of various shades of blue, the most distant
seeming like faint clouds floating in the horizon. They had enjoyed for
some time, from this rocky post, the breeze which in that elevated
position came cool and refreshing, when the quick eye of little Mila
discerned a white sail, a mere speck, upon the blue sea. It skimmed
rapidly along, and approached the island. They watched the vessel with
breathless attention.
"She has two masts; she is a brig of some size," cried the island girl,
who was well accustomed to distinguish the different rigs of vessels.
"It is, it must be his bark," exclaimed the Italian. "Oh! let us hurry
to meet him, or he may come and find me absent."
"The brig cannot arrive till long after we shall reach the tower,"
answered the Greek girl, following, however, the wishes of her
companion.
On reaching the tower they saw the shores of the bay below crowded with
people, all bustle and animation, in expectation of the approaching
sail; but neither of the girls could determine, from the great distance
at which she still was, whether she were indeed the looked-for brig or a
stranger.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
A bright moon was floating in the pure ether of that lovely clime, as
the _Ione_, under all sail, glided out from the calm waters of the
harbour of Valetta on to the open sea. No sooner had she got beyond the
shelter of Saint Elmo than she heeled over to the force of a brisk
north-westerly breeze, which sent her through the water at the rate of
some seven or eight knots an hour, to the no small satisfaction of all
on board. No time had been lost in getting ready for sea. The purser
had got off his stores with unusual despatch; the first lieutenant had
received what he required from the dockyard; the officers, who were on
shore, had been sent for and collected; sea stock had been laid in by
the caterers of the gun-room and midshipmen's mess, and Signor Michael,
from Nix Mangiare Stairs, had not neglected to send the groceries which
were ordered; little was forgotten, and no one was left behind. The
commander had been the most busy, and those who saw the calm and
composed way in which he went about the business in which he was
occupied, could scarcely have supposed the anguish which had so lately
rent his mind. After he had spoken to his first lieutenant, he had
again gone on shore, and tried to find out the three Greeks who had
deposed to having been robbed by pirates; but as they had quitted Malta,
he looked over the copies of their depositions, and he there found it
stated that the vessel which had attacked theirs was a large polacca
brig, supposed to be the _Sea Hawk_, and there was further a full
description of her and her commander. The boatman, Manuel, was
examined, but little could be gleaned from him but a description of the
person he had put on board the speronara, which answered to that given
by the Greeks; and the conclusion arrived at was the correct one, that
he was no other than Zappa himself, and that he had employed the
speronara merely to bring him to Malta and to carry him on board his own
vessel, which must have remained all the time in the offing. It might
be supposed that Captain Fleetwood would first have gone in search of
the speronara, but he considered that by so doing he should lose much
valuable time without a prospect of gaining any adequate information;
and he therefore resolved at once to sail to the eastward, touching at
Cephalonia, on the chance of learning something to guide his future
course.
The moment the object of the voyage was known, there was not a man or
boy on board who did not zealously enter into it; and many became almost
as eager to fall in with the _Sea Hawk_, and to recover the prisoners,
if any were still alive, as could have been the commander himself. It
was the universal subject of conversation, morning, noon, and night, in
the gun-room, the midshipmen's berth, and at the messes of the petty
officers and men. Many a midnight watch was made to pass rapidly away
by discussions as to the probabilities of their success, and with yarns
of length interminable, about pirates and robberies on the high seas.
Far too sacred were held the feelings of the commander to allow any one
to allude even to the subject to him; and though he doubtlessly thought
more than any one else about it, he endeavoured to maintain his usual
tranquil exterior. It was sad, however, to perceive that anxiety was
rapidly thinning his cheek and dimming the lustre of his eye, though it
could not quench the fire which would urge him to continue the search as
long as life endured. He remained much in his cabin, poring over charts
of the Greek Archipelago, and studying all the books he possessed,
describing the islands. When he came on deck, it was to glean
information from those who had visited that part of the Mediterranean,
or to discuss with Saltwell the plan of operations he had commenced
arranging, but in the details of which he purposed to be guided by the
accounts he should receive wherever they touched.
Every sail they sighted was overhauled, provided she did not lead them
much out of their course, in the hopes of gaining tidings either of the
survivors of the _Zodiac's_ crew or of the pirate brig, and also to urge
those bound in the same direction to aid in the search.
Every one on board the _Ione_ prayed for a fair wind, and plenty of it,
to carry them along rapidly to the scene of their operations. The
officers, who could but sympathise with their captain from having known
Ada Garden, were, of course, the most eager, and never, perhaps, were a
set of men collected better able to aid in accomplishing the same
object.
Mr Saltwell, the first lieutenant, was a first-rate officer. He had
been constantly before at sea as a first lieutenant; for though his good
qualities were known in the service, he had very little interest.
Whatever was the work in hand, he contrived to get it done in the best
possible way without noise or trouble, so that he was always liked by
the men, and the ships in which he served were kept in excellent order.
In appearance he was slight and dark, for his countenance was well
bronzed by tropical suns, and he was too active to grow fat. His
manners were gentlemanly, though he had a remarkably small amount of
soft-sawder about him; and all sincerity himself, he could not believe
that people were speaking falsely to him, and was at times rather apt to
come out roundly with the truth, to the astonishment of those who heard
him; so that he was clearly not fitted to be a courtier. Captain
Fleetwood had a great respect and regard for him, as he knew him well,
for they had before served together.
The second lieutenant, Henry Linton, was a young man of good family and
considerable interest, he had been made a lieutenant as soon as he had
served his time, and he expected shortly to receive his commander's
commission. He was a very gentlemanly, amiable fellow; and as he had
good sense and much observation, and had always attended to his duty, he
was a very fair seaman and a good officer. In his heart of hearts he
rather pitied, not to say despised, Saltwell, for his want of the polish
he possessed and his indifference to the elegancies of life, though he
was not unable to appreciate his messmate's frankness of manner and
truthfulness of character. His foible was his admiration for the poets,
and his belief that he could write poetry and was a first-rate critic.
The purser, Mr Jones, was an honest, painstaking man, with a large
family, and he came to sea for their benefit, after having nearly given
up the service.
Than the master, no one in the service was a better navigator. He was a
self-taught genius, for he had gone to sea originally before the mast,
and even in that capacity had found time to gain instructions in
navigation, geography, history, and many other sciences. He was for
some time rated as a schoolmaster of a frigate, and afterwards entered
as a master's assistant, and was soon promoted to the rank of master.
Mr Norton was, notwithstanding his early associates, a man of pleasing,
gentlemanly manners, and a real favourite with all hands, and his vast
fund of information and anecdote made him a great acquisition to a mess.
The surgeon, Mr Viall, was, for a wonder, an Englishman. He was
supposed to be able to amputate limbs with great accuracy, and was a
very respectable man. Though he had been some years at sea, he had
never contrived to learn anything about nautical affairs; and one day,
in Malta harbour, he went on board a large merchantman, which happened
to be brought up at no great distance from his ship, and was going below
before he discovered that he had got into the wrong box.
The assistant-surgeon, O'Farrall, was an Irishman, and much more of a
character. He had, shortly before the time of which I speak, come to
sea for the first time. A day or two after he had joined the _Ione_,
one of the marines insulted him by quizzing his Irish brogue, so he
forthwith lodged his complaint with Mr Saltwell. The first lieutenant
desired him to point out the man.
"Faith, I don't remember exactly the cut of his mug," said he; "but I
made sure of knowing the spalpeen again by that same, that his name is
Tower."
"How do you know that his name is Tower? I think he must have deceived
you. We havn't a man of that name on board."
"Oh! by--, he couldn't decave me, lieutenant, darlin', then; for though
he didn't recollect it, I'll be sworn, or he'd a kept a more dacent
tongue in his mouth, I saw his name of Tower graven on his musket."
Most of the other members of the midshipmen's berth I have already
described.
There was a mate of the name of Grummit, who had been for some years
waiting for his promotion, but was of so hopeful a disposition, that he
always expected his commission out by the following packet; and there
was a master's assistant, called Samuel Spike, who considered himself
capable of commanding the allied fleets of Europe; and a clerk, named
Smith, who intended, when he had made his fortune and retired from the
Service, to become First Lord of the Treasury; but as these delusions
did not prevent them from attending to their duties, and they certainly
appeared to contribute very much to the happiness of the young men who
entertained them, nobody interfered with them. I ought not to forget to
mention among the officers, the boatswain, gunner, and carpenter. The
most remarkable circumstance connected with them was, that their names
were respectively Brown, Black, and White. They were all good seamen,
and properly impressed with the importance of their offices. If Brown
had, like his superiors, a weakness, it was in the belief that not a
boatswain in the service could pipe better, or had a louder voice than
himself, as also that he deserved a much higher rating than he
possessed.
"A sail on the larboard bow," hailed the look-out from the mast-head.
"What does she look like?" inquired Mr Saltwell, who was on deck.
"A large brig, sir, close hauled on the larboard tack," was the answer.
The wind at the time was about north-west.
The first lieutenant, with his glass slung across his shoulder,
instantly went aloft. He could see about half way down her topsails,
and there was something in the look of them which made him think it was
worth while overhauling her. He came down, and went into the cabin to
report her to Captain Fleetwood.
On his return the yards were braced up a little, and the course altered
three points more to the northward. Captain Fleetwood soon came on
deck, and went aloft to examine the chase. As the _Ione_ was already
carrying as much canvas as could possibly be set, little more could be
done to make her sail faster.
Of course, bound as they were on what might prove a long and arduous
cruise, it would not have done to start the water, or lighten the ship
in any way; and, in a smooth sea, the common expedient of slinging the
hammocks, and making the watch below turn in with round shot in their
arms, would have been of no avail. The breeze, however, favoured them;
for while the _Ione_ was heeling over with it almost to her bearings,
the chase lay nearly becalmed. She had no royals set, and her foresail
was hauled up, so that they neared her rapidly.
"I suspect our friend there keeps a bad look-out; for I don't think he
has seen us yet," observed Mr Saltwell to the master.
"If that is the case, he is not the fellow we are in search of,"
answered Mr Norton. "A pirate would have his eyes about him."
"Perhaps, as he is becalmed and cannot get away, he hopes, by apparent
indifference to our approach, to deceive us as to his character,"
suggested Linton; "or he may have mistaken us for a merchantman, and
expects to make a prize of us."
"He'll find he's caught a Tartar," said Saltwell; "but he must be blind
not to see by the cut of our canvas what we are, even at this distance."
"Perhaps, he trusts to a fleet pair of heels, and we shall have him
showing them to us before long," said Linton. "I do not think there is
anything yet to prove that he is not the pirate we are looking for.
That fellow Zappa is a bold and crafty scoundrel, as his late visit to
Malta and his successful attack on the Austrian brig sufficiently
proves. He may have a mind to engage us, perhaps."
"You don't know the Greeks, if you think so," said Saltwell. "Why, you
must have pictured him to yourself like one of the heroes in the
romances you are so fond of, who fight alone for love and glory, and
whose greatest delight is to lay their ships alongside an enemy of
greater force, in order to prove how superior knaves are to honest men.
Depend upon it, Signor Zappa will keep clear of us, if he can."
"Well, but what do you say to his attacking an Austrian man-of-war, and
capturing her?" urged Linton. "That looks something like the chivalry
of piracy."
"As to that, in the first place, he discovered, by some means or other,
that she had specie on board; and she was also of much less force than
his vessel. He carries, it is said, sixteen guns, and she had but
eight," answered Saltwell. "So he followed her for some time, till he
surprised her one dark night, and captured her before her crew had time
to go to quarters. It did not say much for Austrian naval discipline,
though it was not an enterprise Zappa had any great reason to boast of,
either."
"If the account I heard is true, he acted, however, the part of a
magnanimous conqueror; for, after he had rifled the brig, and taken
everything he wanted out of her, he allowed her and her officers and
crew to go free, without murdering a soul of them, which, at all events,
speaks in his favour," said Linton.
"Well, if that is his vessel, we shall soon know more about him and
her," observed Saltwell. "We are nearing her fast. I shall go aloft,
and try if I can make out what her hull is like."
They drew nearer and nearer the stranger, who still continued her course
to the northward under the same easy sail.
At last, her hull was visible from the deck.
Mr Saltwell had his glass fixed on her, as had Captain Fleetwood.
"What do you make her out to be, Mr Saltwell?" said the captain.
"She is polacca rigged, with raking masts, and has a long, low, dark
hull," answered the first lieutenant.
"The very description of the _Sea Hawk_," exclaimed Linton. "I hope to
goodness it may be her."
"I trust it may," said Captain Fleetwood, drawing in his breath, and
compressing his lips, to conceal his agitation.
The excitement on board now increased, as there appeared a greater
probability of the stranger proving to be the pirate.
Anxiously beat the heart of Captain Fleetwood. What might be the
consequence, supposing the prisoners were on board, and his Ada among
them? Would the pirate hold them as hostages? Zappa, he was aware,
well knew, from what he had learned at the ball at Malta, how dear Ada
Garden was to him, and what, in consequence, might be the pirate's
conduct?
His orders were to burn, sink, or destroy the rover, wherever he should
find him; and he resolved to do his duty.
As he walked the deck in silence, he glanced his eye aloft more
frequently than usual to see how the sails stood. They were never
better set. Every brace and bowline was taut to a nicety. Then he
would look over the bulwarks to judge of the rate at which they were
slipping through the water, by the appearance of the sparkling bubbles,
as they darted off from the side, and circled in eddies under the
counter, and many an earnest gaze did he cast at the chase to assure
himself that he was still coming up with her. It is a saying, that when
a hare runs, the dogs will follow--it is equally true at sea, even when
the order is reversed, if a vessel makes sail in chase, the chase will
generally run away. Hitherto the officers of the _Ione_ had found the
vessel in sight offering an exception to the rule.
"Let her see our colours, Mr Saltwell. It may induce her to show hers
in return."
The British ensign flew out to the breeze at the peak of the _Ione_;
but, for some time, no attention was paid to it by the stranger--
perhaps, it might not have been observed--at all events, no answer was
made.
"Ah, the rascal is ashamed of his nation, or is puzzled to know what
bunting to show us," said the master. "No, by Jove; there flies the new
flag of independence, and a pennant to boot. He wishes to make us
suppose he is a Greek man-of-war."
"He may try to do so, but he will not deceive us," said Linton.
"There's a most piratical cut about the fellow, which is enough to
condemn him anywhere."
"We shall soon get her within range of our long guns, and we shall then
see what she is made of," observed Saltwell, eyeing her. "Shall we get
the gun ready, sir?" he asked of Captain Fleetwood.
"You may, Mr Saltwell; but as long as she does not show any intention
of avoiding us, on no account fire," was the answer.
"He seems in no hurry to move, at all events," observed the first
lieutenant. He had scarcely spoken, however, before the breeze which
the _Ione_ had brought up with her reached the stranger, and, as if to
make amends for her former inactivity, the heavy folds of the foresail
were let fall, the royals were sent aloft, her head fell off from the
wind, studdensail after studdensail was set, and away she flew, before
the freshening breeze, like a sea-fowl darting from its slumber on the
wave, at a rate which those on board the British ship felt it would take
their utmost speed to compete with.
"Up with the helm--square away the yards, Mr Saltwell," exclaimed
Captain Fleetwood, as soon as he saw what she was about to do.
"Ay, ay, sir. All hands make sail," cried Saltwell.
"All hands make sail," was echoed along the decks.
The men sprang on deck. The order to set the studden-sails was given.
The hands flew aloft, and before the Greek had got all his canvas up,
the _Ione_ had every stitch she could carry packed on her. This gave
her an advantage, but the stranger was still far beyond the range of her
long guns.
A stern chase is so proverbially a long chase, especially when the
leading vessel happens to be the fastest, as there soon appeared reason
to believe was the case in the present instance, that I will not weary
the reader by describing it, but, for the present, will leave His
Majesty's ship _Ione_ running under all sail, in chase of a suspicious
craft, towards the island-studded shores of Greece.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
Never did the _Ione_ go along at greater speed under the same canvas
than she was doing in chase of the Greek brig; but fast as she went, she
gained little, if anything, on the vessel she pursued. No two crafts
could have been better matched. The chances were all, therefore, in
favour of the escape of the latter. She was four miles ahead, and she
kept that distance. She might carry away a mast or spar, and thus the
_Ione_ might come up with her; or it might fall calm, and she might be
overhauled by the boats, but the pursuer was just as likely to receive
some damage, and thus she had most to fear a calm. If she could manage
to hold her own till night came on, she would be able to haul her wind
on either tack with very little danger of being discovered. The
officers walked the deck with impatient steps. It was provoking to have
a vessel just ahead of them, and which they all felt almost sure was the
one they were in search of, and yet be unable to come up with her.
"If we could but get her within range of our guns, there would be some
satisfaction in peppering at her," said Jemmy Duff, who, with several of
his messmates had gone on the forecastle to have a better view of the
chase. "I'd give a month's pay to have only one slap at her."
"That's not any overwhelming sum, Jemmy, though," observed Togle,
laughing. "I'd give the whole of my half-pay for a year, and all the
fortune you're ever likely to leave me, to have her within range of our
guns for ten minutes."
"Mighty generous you are, indeed," said Jack Raby. "By that way of
reckoning, whoever got the half-pay would be sadly out of pocket, as a
midshipman's half-pay is nothing, and find himself; if he accepted the
one, he would have to pay for your grub, and whoever gets Jemmy's
fortune won't have much duty to pay, I'll bet."
"No; I must consider my rank in the service my fortune, whenever I have
to propose to a young lady," answered Duff, putting his hand on his
heart, with a sentimental look. "But, I say, can't we do something to
get hold of that fellow ahead of us?"
"Why, I suppose he'll fetch the land one of these days, and then, if he
can't sail over it, like the Yankee flat-bottomed crafts, which draw so
little water that they can go across the country, when the dew is on the
grass in the morning, we shall come up with him," replied Togle, with
great gravity.
"I wonder you can joke about it, Togle," said Duff. "For my part, I
hate the sort of work, it makes one feel all nohow, and sadly injures
the appetite; I could scarcely eat my dinner to-day."
"One wouldn't have supposed so by the manner you stowed away the grub,"
answered Togle. "For my part, I don't feel so anxious, because I've
made up my mind that we shall catch her some time or other. Let's see,
it has just gone seven bells, so we've more than three hours of
day-light, and much may happen in that time."
The men were, meantime, discussing the subject of the chase in their own
fashion; nor did the three warrant officers, Brown, Black, and White,
fail to express their opinions on the matter.
"My opinion is," said Mr Brown, "that them Grecian chaps know how to
build crafts suited for going along in their own waters, as all must
allow is the case in most parts; but just let us catch any one of them--
that fellow ahead, for example--outside the straits, wouldn't we just
come alongside him in a quarter less time."
"As it is, he'll lead us a pretty chase, I fear," observed Mr Black.
"It will be like one I heard of in the war time, when a Jersey privateer
chased a French schooner from off the Start right round the Cape, and
never caught her till she ran into the Hoorly."
"Ah! but there was a longer chase than that which I have heard talk of,
when the _Mary Dunn_, of Dover, during the Dutch war, followed a
Dutchman right round the world, and never caught her at all," said Mr
White, who piqued himself on being facetious. "Now, I'm thinking this
present affair will be, somehow, like that, unless as how we manage to
go faster than we now goes along, which ain't very likely, or she goes
slower, which she don't seem to have a mind to do."
During the day, Captain Fleetwood scarcely quitted the deck. Up and
down he paced, with his glass under his arm, now and then stopping and
taking an anxious look at the chase, again to continue his walk, or else
he would stand loaning against the bulwarks for a length of time
together, without moving, unconscious of its lapse; his thoughts
evidently fixed on the vessel ahead, and penetrating, in fancy, her
interior. Indeed, none of the officers remained below longer than was
necessary to take their meals, and every glass was in requisition to
watch the chase.
Towards the evening, the wind, although keeping steady in the same
quarter, gave indications of falling light, and there seemed every
probability of what most on board had prognosticated would not take
place--a calm.
"The wind has dropped very much, sir," said Mr Saltwell to the captain.
"It has," replied Captain Fleetwood. "I know what you would say--Get
the boats ready for hoisting out. We'll overhaul her in them, if it
falls calm, as I trust it will. As yet, she goes faster ahead than we
should pull. I will go with them, and you, Saltwell, must take charge
of the ship."
The first lieutenant signified his comprehension of his commander's
orders, and immediately set about carrying them into execution.
The prospect of a calm was seen by all on board, and the news that the
chase was to be attacked with the boats, should such happen, gave the
greatest satisfaction, every one being anxious to go in them.
Notwithstanding the dangers and hardships of boat service, it is one
Jack likes excessively, on account of its excitement and variety. The
commander intended to lead in the first gig. Linton was to command the
cutter, and Tompion, one of the mates, the second gig, which were the
only boats to be employed.
The arrangements had scarcely been concluded, when a loud flap of the
canvas against the masts gave indication of the cessation of the breeze.
Still, however, the brig had considerable way through the water.
Linton was looking through his glass at the vessel ahead.
"She still seems to have the breeze," he observed to Saltwell. "I hope
the fellow is not going to carry it off with him."
"I suspect he'll soon find it leave him," replied Saltwell. "But I wish
it would be quick about it, for otherwise it will be getting dark before
we get alongside."
"As long as we can make out the enemy, that will not much signify,"
replied Linton. "There will be less chance of our being hit."
"Yes; but remember, in boarding in the dark, you are fighting on the
enemy's ground," observed Saltwell. "He knows his position and
resources, and has you at a disadvantage. Give me daylight, and let me
see my enemy's face."
"Ah! there seems a prospect of our having it, for the sails begin to
flap heavily, and, by Jove, the chase is no better off," exclaimed
Linton. "See, he has got the wind already up and down his mast."
"Huzza!" cried Jemmy Duff, who was midshipman of the cutter. "There's
farewell to the wind for Mr Grego."
"Lower the boats, Mr Saltwell," was heard in the deep tones of the
captain's voice.
The first lieutenant repeated the order. Mr Brown's whistle was next
heard piping the boats away, and getting out the cutter, and in another
minute the crews and the respective officers were in them, waiting for
the commander to shove off. He had gone below for an instant for his
sword, and when he stepped into his boat, though he looked pale, there
was resolution in his eye to dare the worst, and if needs be to suffer
the worst. With a hearty cheer from their shipmates, the boats shoved
off, and pulled with lusty strokes towards the stranger. They had no
positive right as yet to consider her an enemy, except from the fact of
her having led them a somewhat longish chase; but as it was not much out
of their course, they had no reason to complain. The _Ione_ still kept
under sail, slowly drawing ahead.
The stranger appeared to be no way disconcerted at their approach, but
as she was almost entirely becalmed, she hauled up her foresail to get
it out of the way, and seemed quietly to be waiting for them.
"Can you make out what those fellows are about, sir?" asked Jemmy Duff
of his superior. "They don't seem to be afraid of us."
"Just stand up in the bows, and try what you can do to arouse their
fears, Duff," said Linton, laughing. "We must have sharp eyes to know
how they look at this distance, and perhaps as they know that they
cannot get away from us, they think it better to put a bold face on the
matter."
The sun was just about to sink in the waves as the boats came within
range of the stranger's guns, but she allowed them to pull on without
molestation, and as they got still nearer, they saw that she had no
boarding nettings triced up, though, through the open ports, the crew
were seen at their quarters, and the guns were run out ready for action.
She appeared to be crowded with men in the Greek costume. They had but
little time for observing anything before they were close to her.
"What do those boats want here?" hailed the voice of some one standing
on her poop.
"These are the boats of His Britannic Majesty's brig, _Ione_," answered
Captain Fleetwood, standing up in the stern sheets of his gig. "What
brig is that?"
Linton every instant expected a shower of grape as the answer of the
stranger.
There was a pause.
"The Independent Greek Government's brig, _Ypsilante_," was at length
the answer. "What is your object in visiting us?"
"I am in search of a pirate who has attacked an English ship," replied
Captain Fleetwood; "I wish to gain some information about her."
"I shall be glad to see you on board, then," said the same person.
And he was heard to issue several orders in his own language.
"Keep under her stern in case of treachery," said the captain to Linton
and Tompion. "I will go on board--I still have my doubts about her
character."
In another minute the gallant Fleetwood was ascending the side of the
Greek brig, alone. Side ropes were handed to him, and the side was
manned in man-of-war fashion, and he found a group of officers assembled
at the gangway to receive him. The captain, a fine-looking man, was
distinguishable by the richness of his dress and his dignified bearing.
He received his visitor very courteously.
"I have led you a long chase, I am afraid," he observed, speaking
English, "but the reason I did so you will allow was a good one, for I
was myself chasing another vessel all the time, and of course could not
heave to, that I might inform you, nor had I the means of signalising
you to that effect."
"What do you believe to be the vessel you were chasing?" inquired
Fleetwood, anxiously.
"A Greek, I am sorry to say, and a sister vessel of this brig. She has
lately plundered a vessel laden with arms, and as they are much required
by the patriots, I was dispatched to try and fall in with her."
"What is her name, or rather who commands her?" asked Fleetwood.
"Her name is the _Sea Hawk_, and she is commanded by the noted pirate,
Zappa," replied the Greek captain.
"The very vessel I am in search of," said Fleetwood. "But is it not
more likely that he should have gone somewhere to dispose of his booty
than that he should remain cruising about here?"
"He has had time to deposit his booty, and to return to look for more,"
replied the Greek. "If we could get hold of him, we should make him
disgorge all he possesses as a ransom for himself and followers."
"What, and let him loose again on the world to commit further piracies?"
exclaimed Fleetwood.
The Greek captain laughed, as he replied:--"Why, it would not do to hang
men limply for being guilty of a little piracy. Some of our leading
chiefs might object to the precedent. But I will gladly aid you in
looking for Signor Zappa; and if you catch him, of course you will be at
liberty to treat him as you think fit. To be frank with you, I do not
think you will find him unprepared in his strong-hold, and he will not
yield up his vessel without many hard blows."
"What! are you acquainted with the situation of his stronghold?"
exclaimed Fleetwood, eagerly.
"Well!" answered the Greek captain. "And if you will step into my
cabin, I will point it out to you on the chart."
By this time the sun had gone down, and the gloom of the evening
prevented the countenances of those surrounding him from being
distinguishable, adding somewhat to the wildness of their appearance and
the fierceness of their moustachioed countenances. As he stood on the
poop he looked over the taffrail, where he could see the two boats
keeping off just within hail, and in the distance the lights hoisted at
the mast-head of his own ship to guide him on his return.
It must not be supposed that Fleetwood had not all this time his
misgivings as to the character of the vessel he was on board. She might
be the famed _Sea Hawk_, Zappa's own brig, and the man he was speaking
to, one of the pirate's lieutenants; for he suspected that Zappa would
not venture to present himself in person for fear of being recognised.
Notwithstanding this, with an unfaltering step he followed the officer
into the cabin.
The cabin was small, and fitted up in a way suitable to that of a vessel
engaged in an arduous and dangerous service--a couple of sofas, a table,
and chairs, were the chief articles of furniture, with some shelves, a
buffet, and a stand for arms.
"I can but offer you rough entertainment," said the Greek, courteously
placing a seat for his guest. "We are so engaged in hunting down those
scoundrel Turks that we have little time to think of luxuries--such as I
have, I shall place before you." As he spoke, he clapped his hands in
oriental fashion, and a servant appeared. "Bring wine and bread, and
such food as you have," he said, and the man vanished.
Fleetwood would have declined the proffered hospitality, on the plea of
being anxious to return to his ship; but his host insisted on having the
refreshment brought in, observing,--"It is the custom in the East,
remember, to eat salt together as a sign of amity, so you cannot refuse
me."
As he spoke, the servant returned, bringing in the very frugal fare he
had ordered--a jar of wine, some olives, and bread of rather brownish
hue, with some goats' milk cheese, were placed on the table.
"It is not the sort of fare you would give me on board your ship; but,
such as it is, I offer it to you," said the Greek captain.
"It is more than I expected," answered Fleetwood, bowing. "But may I
ask, have you been on board any British ship of war?"
"I have served on board on the _L--_ as a midshipman, and have since, on
several occasions, acted as pilot and interpreter. You see in me,
Captain Fleetwood, one who is solicitous to be of use to you; and, as
you appear to be anxious to meet this Signor Zappa, I will now show you
where you are most likely to fall in with him."
The evident frankness and cordiality of these expressions at once
dissipated all Fleetwood's previous misgivings, and in a few words,
while he was partaking of the refreshment placed before him, he detailed
what had occurred, and his belief that the pirate had made prisoner of
an English lady, even if he had not murdered the rest of those on board.
While he was speaking, the Greek brought down a chart of the
Archipelago, and pointed out the island of Lissa, a minute description
of which he gave.
"But, Captain Fleetwood," he observed, "with your brig, or indeed with
the whole British navy at command, you can scarcely capture that island,
especially while the pirate holds hostages so dear to you in his hands.
Take my advice, attempt nothing by force; your only chance of success is
by stratagem. By following a plan I will venture to suggest to you, if
you will undergo the danger, which I will not deny is very great, I
think there is a prospect of your being able to rescue your friends.
Once, however, arouse the suspicions of the pirate and his followers,
they will put the place in so strong a state of defence, and will keep
so vigilant a watch over their prisoners, that an attack on the island
will be useless. Remember, when I tell you this, I am well acquainted
with the place and the people, and I feel assured of the soundness of my
advice."
Captain Fleetwood thanked him very much, and assured him that he was
eager to hear the plan he would advise him to follow.
On this, Captain Teodoro Vassilato, for such was the name of his new
Greek friend, explained it to him, and promised him his assistance in
carrying it out. What it was it is not necessary here to detail, as it
will be fully developed in a future part of this story.
Linton sat in the boat keeping way with the Greek brig, which still
glided slowly ahead, till he began to lose his patience, and at last he
grew alarmed at the non-arrival of his commander. Could any treachery
have been practised? he thought, and had Fleetwood's generous boldness
led to his destruction? He longed to penetrate the intention of that
dark mass ahead of him, which lay rolling uneasily, as the glassy swell
at long intervals heaved noiselessly under her keel, as it glided
onwards. He remembered, too, all the suspicions which had been
entertained of the craft, and he longed to pull alongside, and to demand
what had become of his captain. But he had been directed to remain
where he was till his return, and he was too good a disciplinarian not
to obey orders. The gig, he believed, was still alongside, with the
people in her, but it was so dark, it was difficult to make that out.
He had almost resolved to send Tompion in the second gig to ascertain
this, when he heard the splash of oars in the water, and his doubts were
soon after relieved by the return of Captain Fleetwood.
"I have kept you some time, gentlemen," said the captain. "But I have
gained some important information to guide our proceedings. Now give
way and follow me."
The boats were soon on board, and hoisted in, and during the night a
breeze from the northward springing up, the _Ione_ continued her voyage
to Cephalonia, which it was expected she would make during the course of
the day. The forenoon watch had just been set, and the officers were
going to breakfast, when the look-out at the mast-head, who had just
gone aloft, hailed the deck to say that there was an object on the lee
bow, floating deep in the water, but he could not distinguish what it
was.
"What does it look like, though?" asked the first lieutenant.
"It's more like a boat bottom up, or a thick piece of timber, than
anything else," was the answer; "but I think it's a boat, sir."
"It's not worth while going out of our course to ascertain," observed
Linton.
"I am not so certain of that," exclaimed Saltwell. "It may be part of
the wreck of the _Zodiac_. At all events, I shall inform the captain."
He accordingly went into the cabin, and on his return the ship was kept
away, and Captain Fleetwood came on deck.
"Aloft there, can you see it now?" hailed Mr Saltwell.
"Yes, sir, we're steering right for it, and I make no doubt it's a
boat."
The brig was making good way through the water, and soon approached the
object, which proved to be a boat with her keel up. She was then
hove-to, a boat was lowered to tow the swamped boat alongside. When
this was done, a rope was passed under her stern, she was lifted till
the tackle fall could be hooked on to the ring-bolt in it, when she was
easily turned over, and as she was hoisted up the water was baled out.
Every one was eager to learn what boat she was.
It was soon perceived that she had been much shattered and damaged, for
the gunnel on one side had been almost knocked away, and the bows had
been stove in; but the injury had been repaired by one or more coats of
tarred canvas, nailed over her bow and bottom, in a very rough way. The
captain at once pronounced her to be an English-built boat, but she had
no name by which it could be discovered to what vessel she belonged.
"Some poor fellows have been cast away on the rocks, and tried to make
their escape in her," remarked Linton. "They must have encountered
another squall in that ricketty craft, and she must have capsized and
drowned them all."
"It looks too like it," said Saltwell. "But if they had got on any
rocks they would have taken a longer time to put her to rights. What
think you of her being launched from the deck of a sinking vessel?"
"The same idea struck me," observed Mr Norton, the master. "I suspect,
if we had the means of ascertaining, that she will be found to be one of
the boats of the lost _Zodiac_."
"I fear it; and if so, all must have perished," said Saltwell. "It
would be cruel to suggest it to the captain."
"He already has thought of that," observed the master.
"What shall we do with the boat, sir?" inquired the first lieutenant of
the captain. "Shall we cast her adrift?"
"No--get her in on deck, and overhaul her more thoroughly," was the
answer.
This was done; and while the carpenter was examining her, and making
remarks on the curious way she had been patched up, he found, in the
stern sheets, a silk handkerchief, which had been thrust into a hole,
over which, evidently, there had not been time to nail any canvas. It
had thus been fixed in so tightly, that the water had not been able to
wash it out.
The carpenter drew it forth, and opened it.
"Ah, here is a name in a corner, which will go far to prove to whom the
boat belonged," he exclaimed. "If I know how to read, these letters on
it spell--`J. Bowse.' What do you say, Brown?"
"There's no doubt about it," answered the boatswain, shaking his head.
"And by the same token, it belonged to the master of the _Zodiac_, for
he used to be very proud of having his handkerchief marked in that way,
as it was Mistress Bowse's own handy work; and, t'other day, when he was
aboard of us, he, poor fellow, showed me that very handkerchief, and
said his missis had worked him another set just afore he came away."
The discovery was reported to the captain; but he made no remark on it.
He, apparently, had before come to the conclusion, that the boat had
belonged to the unfortunate _Zodiac_.
"Land ahead," was cried out from aloft, and resounded through the ship;
and before the middle of the afternoon-watch, the lofty mountains of
Cephalonia rose in view, with the lower lands of Zante to the southward.
The wind freshened, and backing round more to the westward, the _Ione_
stood boldly in for the entrance of the magnificent harbour of
Argostoli, and, before nightfall, anchored within a mile of the town.
Captain Fleetwood immediately hurried on shore. With a heart beating
with anxiety, he made inquiries about the _Zodiac_; but nothing had been
heard of her, or her passengers and crew. He did not yet despair, and
taking an interpreter with him, who was strongly recommended, he
returned on board, the anchor was got up, and the _Ione_ stood out of
the harbour of Argostoli.
There was little chance of the grass growing under her keel.
CHAPTER NINETEEN.
On reaching the ruins, the Lady Nina and her companion saw old Vlacco
seated on a rock, at a short distance, whence he could command an
extensive view of the sea. He had a spyglass in his hand, which he
every now and then lifted to his eye, to observe the approaching sail,
and then he would let it fall again into his lap, as if he were
considering what she was.
"Let us go and ask my grandfather what he thinks is the vessel in
sight," said Mila, and, with some difficulty, they worked their way over
the rocks and ruins towards him.
He turned round rather gruffly at hearing the voice of his grandchild,
as she asked him what he thought was the sail nearing the island; for,
as he himself had not yet made up his mind on the subject, he was unable
to give her a positive answer; and was very unwilling to confess his
ignorance, especially in the presence of the Lady Nina.
"She is a brig, child; and I should have thought your own sharp eyes
would have told you that," he answered.
"So they have, grandfather," she replied. "I have seen that she is a
brig long ago; but I want to know whether she is the _Sea Hawk_, or a
stranger."
"A stranger would scarcely be running directly for the port, as that
vessel is; and it is about the time we may expect our chief's return,"
answered old Vlacco; "so, if one was unable to distinguish that brig
below there from any other, we might conclude that she was the _Sea
Hawk_."
The young Italian stood by, anxiously listening to these observations,
for her heart beat eagerly for the return of him who commanded the
vessel of which they spoke, and dark were the forebodings of disaster
which oppressed her at his long absence.
"Then you think she is the _Sea Hawk_?" exclaimed Mila. "I pray she may
be, for the sweet lady's sake."
"If she is not, they have cleverly imitated her to deceive an old
seaman's eyes," returned the old Greek. "You may tell the lady, that,
to the best of my belief, yonder vessel is our chief's; but it is
necessary to be cautious, when our strength is so much diminished by the
absence of many of our best men, and when the cursed Turks are sweeping
off the inhabitants from many of the neighbouring islands; and even the
British have taken upon themselves to interfere with some of the
domestic concerns of our friends."
Nina clasped her hands with an expression of thankfulness, as Mila
explained to her what her grandfather had said, her eyes all the time
watching the vessel.
"Ah!" she exclaimed. "Surely there is a flag flying from the mast-head.
That must be a signal to us."
The old Greek again examined the vessel with his telescope.
"It is, lady--it is the rover's flag, under which I have fought in many
a hard-contested battle," he exclaimed with animation. "No one else
would venture to carry that banner, and we will assemble his followers
to receive him with honour. Lady, do you retire to the chamber in the
tower, where he will, doubtless, hurry on his arrival, and it might
anger him were you not there to welcome him."
Mila repeated what had been said.
"Tell your grandfather I would go down to the beach to receive his chief
the instant he sets foot on shore," said Nina, with greater resolution
in her tone than she had hitherto expressed when speaking.
The old pirate understood what she said, and turned round on her with an
angry frown, which showed that he was a person whom, in his less amiable
mood, it would be dangerous to contradict.
"Lady, my orders were, not to allow you out of my sight, except when you
were locked up in the tower. I have already disobeyed them more than
once, for I knew you would not run away; and I was willing to gratify
you and my little girl there--I am not going to neglect them just as he
is returning, so you must go back to the tower. It is also a far more
fitting place for you to receive him, than exposed to the public gaze on
the beach."
A crimson blush overspread the cheek of the lovely Italian, as she heard
what Vlacco said, and she knew it was hopeless to attempt making him
alter his resolution.
"Then I am a prisoner within those walls," she said, slowly bending her
steps towards the tower, accompanied by Mila.
"Very like it, lady," muttered the old pirate. "By my patron saint, I
would not have ventured to speak in that way a year ago, when her power
was omnipotent in the island. But her rule would not last for ever with
our chief, that I guessed from the first, and I prophesy it will before
long come to an end altogether. Well, the _Sea Hawk_ will very soon be
in the harbour, so I must collect the people to receive him."
Saying this, he climbed to the top of one of the ruined walls of the
castle, and taking a horn, which hung by the girdle at his side, he blew
a blast, which sounded far and wide throughout the island. It was
answered by several sounds in various directions.
In a short time, in twos and threes, armed men were seen approaching;
some up the steep path on the side of the ravine, others across the
causeway; and as they assembled, they were marshalled in order by Vlacco
in front of the tower.
Nina and her companion had placed themselves at the window, to watch the
vessel, and the proceedings below.
The gathering of the pirate's followers--for so Vlacco had pronounced
the commander of the approaching brig to be,--continued for some time,
till Nina observed upwards of fifty persons collected--some of them were
very old men, and others were boys, but there were few in the prime of
life--all such, it appeared, having been called away on some expedition
with their thief. They were all armed to the teeth, but with a great
variety of weapons: some had English muskets, others long Turkish
matchlocks, some rifles and fowling-pieces; every one had a dagger and
one or more pistols in their belts, generally of the rich workmanship of
the East. Their costume, also, was very much varied in character; and
though the red skull-cap was generally worn, some had adorned their
heads with turbans, even of the green colour, which, as if in mockery of
the Turks, should cover the scalps of none but the true descendants of
the Prophet. Some wore the white kilt of the mountaineers, others the
long trousers and loose waistcoat of the main; indeed, their costume was
as varied as their arms, and showed that here were collected persons
driven from various parts of Greece by the tyranny of their Ottoman
oppressors.
As soon as a sufficient number of the band had assembled, they dragged
out, under Vlacco's directions, one of the large guns from the basement
story of the tower to the edge of the cliff, where, between the rocks,
there was a sort of natural embrasure, partly aided by art, while a
platform had been formed for the purpose of mounting a gun there. It
was an admirable position, as it so completely overlooked the entrance
to the cave, that a shot sent from it could not fail of hitting a vessel
attempting to enter.
As Nina watched these proceedings, she could scarcely tell, from the
appearance of the armed band and the manner in which Vlacco was placing
the gun in the battery, whether he was preparing to receive the
approaching vessel in a hostile manner. The idea of treachery came
across her mind.
"Can the old pirate," she thought, "meditate the destruction of his
chief, for the sake of taking possession of all the riches in the
tower?" But she soon discarded her fears as improbable, recollecting
that those who were on board with him were all nearly related to those
remaining behind.
The purpose Vlacco had in placing the gun there was soon made obvious.
It was loaded and fired--the report reverberating in thunder among the
rocks. Scarcely had the noise ceased, when puffs of smoke were seen to
issue from the vessel's side, a faint echo was heard from seaward.
"That is the usual signal and answer made when our chief returns," said
Mila. "There can be no longer any doubt that it is his vessel. See,
she seems to be coming on more rapidly than before."
Such was the case, for the sea breeze had lately somewhat freshened, and
every sail was spread to woo it.
Majestically the brig glided over the blue sea, like a swan skimming
over a tranquil lake. As seen at that distance, she appeared a mass of
white canvas; nor did she cause a ripple on the calm, mirror-like
surface. On she came, till her deck seemed almost beneath the rock, and
the young Italian fancied, in her eagerness, that she could see the
countenances of those who walked it, and could distinguish the chief
himself from all the rest. Surely none but those well acquainted with
the spot would venture thus to run on directly against that rocky shore.
The inhabitants of the opposite village had long recognised the _Sea
Hawk_, and had returned on shore, giving up their anticipations of
finding her a stranger, on whom they might pounce unawares, and make her
their prize. Some of the larger boats remained just at the mouth of the
harbour, to assist the vessel in entering, should the wind fail her at
that very juncture, which it was not unlikely to do.
Vlacco had marshalled his men, and leaving a guard of five at the tower,
led them down to the beach by the winding path through the ravine. When
within four or five hundred fathoms of the rock, the brig's
studden-sails came down altogether, every other sail was clewed up, and
she shot like an arrow through the narrow opening, her yard-arms almost
brushing the rocks on either side; her anchor was let go, and she swung
round just clear of the other craft in the centre of the basin.
Her arrival was greeted by loud shouts from the people on shore, which
were answered by the crew, and then succeeded inquiries from those in
the boats for some who did not appear.
"Alas! they have fallen in the fight," was the answer.
A sigh or an expression of sorrow was their only requiem.
"But what success--what booty have you brought?" was the question most
eagerly asked.
"Thanks to our captain's skill and bravery, we have never had more
success, or so rich a booty, with so little cost. A few of our brave
comrades have paid the debt all must pay; but we have ever come off
victorious. Huzza for our brave captain! Huzza for Zappa!"
"Huzza for Zappa--huzza for the gallant _Sea Hawk_!" was echoed by the
people on the beach, taken up by his followers, and repeated by those on
the cliffs above, till Nina heard the cry as she sat in her watch-tower.
She trembled and turned pale, for her heart longed to see him; yet she
almost feared his coming. Poor girl! she little knew what was in store
for her.
The captain of the _Sea Hawk_ was the first person to land, accompanied
by the young Italian, Paolo. As he stepped on shore, his own particular
adherents welcomed him with loud shouts, and he returned this greeting
courteously.
"Ah! Vlacco, old friend, I rejoice to see you strong and well," he
said, cordially holding out his hand; and in like manner he spoke to
others of the band. Whatever he was in other places, and whatever
opinion the reader may have formed of him, he was, among his own people,
and on board his own ship, in every respect, the chieftain. There was a
boldness and independence, even a dignity in his manner, which awed
inferior spirits, and made them willingly obey him, though he might have
been at the time thoroughly destitute of every quality which constitutes
true greatness of character. Zappa had always been successful. It was
the cause of his rise--the only secret of his power. He had been
fortunate in his first speculation--an attack on an unarmed merchantman,
most of whose crew were on shore. He carried off a rich booty, and had
the opportunity of boasting of his deeds among those who would willingly
have shared in them. His fame spread. He collected followers, and
became a chieftain.
The eyes of the old pirate brightened, and a smile even lighted up his
grim visage, as he received this mark of his leader's regard.
"Yes, I am proud to repeat, that all has gone well during the time you
have been away," he replied.
"And the Lady Nina," said Zappa, taking the old man aside, "has she
appeared to grieve for my absence, and for that of her brother?"
"Grieve--indeed, she has--so says my grandchild Mila. She has done
nothing but sigh and sob, and look out on the sea all day long; but
whether it was for you or her brother she mourned I cannot say," was old
Vlacco's answer.
"Well, I will--I must try and dry her tears now, so I'll to the tower,"
said the pirate, taking the path up the ravine. "Come, Paolo, we'll go
and see how fares your sweet sister."
But Paolo had disappeared. The moment he had touched the shore, while
the chief was addressing his followers, he had slipped off, and with
quick steps had hurried up the ravine. He was already out of sight,
winding his way up the steep ascent which led to the tower. Zappa was
excessively angry at this; for he wished to be the first to salute Nina,
and he was afraid her brother would inform her of things of which he
wished her, at present, to be kept in ignorance. He therefore hurried
after him, followed at a distance by Vlacco and his band, who could in
no way keep pace with his vigorous and active steps. He hoped to
overtake the young Italian; but Paolo was also active, and he was eager
to embrace his sister--the only being in the world whom he felt could
love him--the only one he had loved.
The door of the tower stood open, and with haste he ascended the steep
steps, which led to her chamber. He threw open the door, and stood at
the entrance; her arms were round her brother's neck, and she was
weeping. For an instant she did not perceive that any one else was
present--she looked up, and beheld the pirate. With a cry, she tore
herself from her brother's embrace, and, rushing towards Zappa, threw
herself into his arms.
"You see, Paolo," he said, in a taunting tone, "your sister will prefer
remaining with me, with all my faults on my head, rather than follow
your sage advice to return to Italy with you. Is it not so, my Nina--
you love me still?"
She hid her face in his bosom, as she murmured,--"It were death, indeed,
to quit you."
"You hear her, Paolo. Now listen to me," said Zappa. "For her sake I
forgive you for disobeying my orders, and quitting me just now, while I
had directions to give you; return on board the ship--you have duties to
attend to there, which you must not neglect--there, embrace your sister
once more if you wish, and go."
The young Italian stood for a minute with his eyes fixed, glaring on the
pirate, as if he were about to speak, and give vent to his indignant
anger in words; but he said nothing; and, with a groan, which burst from
his bosom, without giving another look at his sister, he rushed out of
the door, and down the steps, nor stopped till he reached the beach.
"You look thinner than usual, my Nina; and the brightness of your eye
has lost somewhat of its lustre since I left you," said Zappa, as they
sat at the window of the tower, looking out on the moonlit sea; while
within the chamber the light of a silver lamp, suspended from the roof,
cast a brilliant radiance on every side, and on a table, spread with
crystal goblets, and dishes glittering with silver and jewels, on which
a luxurious repast had been served.
"My health will soon be restored now you have returned," answered Nina,
returning the fond pressure of his hand. "But I have been almost a
prisoner in this tower; and old Vlacco, whom you left as governor in
your absence, would have made me one completely, had I not insisted on
enjoying a little freedom at times with his grandchild, Mila. Your
absence, too, was so much longer than usual that I feared for your
safety, and for that of my poor brother."
"Old Vlacco was a strict jailor, was he?" said Zappa. "Why, you know,
my pretty bird, I warned him to beware lest you should take flight, as
once you tried to do, urged by the persuasions of your brother; and, I
suppose he thought he was to obey his orders to the letter; but now we
have returned, your cause of anxiety will have ceased, and I believe you
love me too well ever again to wish to leave me. I believe, also, your
brother has been taught the folly of his conduct too well to attempt it
again. But a truce with subjects which are disagreeable. Here's to
your health, sweet one; I pledge you in this sparkling goblet of Samian
wine, and I will try to drive away your melancholy by recounting some of
the adventures of my voyage." As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to
the table, and seizing a large glass of wine, he drank it off at a
draught. "Ah! this cheers the heart after the hardships of the ocean.
Wine is a glorious thing, Nina; it banishes the gloomy thoughts which
will ever and anon intrude into the hearts even of the bravest. But I
promised you my adventures, sweet one. Soon after we sailed from hence,
we had a few skirmishes with Turkish vessels; we captured and destroyed
two, but they had little on board them of value, and the men began to
grow discontented with our want of success, and at last I resolved to
fly at nobler game. By the by, I happened to fall in with a Neapolitan
vessel; the crew were your countrymen, Nina, and I would not injure
them, though, I believe, some of my people, unknown to me, bored holes
in her to try add sink her. While we were engaged in taking out
whatever was of value, a ship of war hove in sight, and we were obliged
to leave her. I then stood towards the coast of Italy--"
"Oh! do not tell me of such dreadful things. I cannot, I do not believe
you. I thought you were only engaged in fighting the enemies of your
country, and of the Christian race, and you confess to committing deeds
which would make you a pirate--a foe to all nations. Say that you were
joking."
Zappa laughed heartily as he answered,--"A prejudice, my pretty Nina; it
is one you must conquer, too, with all speed. What! despise my free and
independent profession. You, my wife, think ill of piracy, and the
brave rovers who commit it. Ha! ha! ha! that must no longer be, let me
assure you. To my story--you interrupt me--where was I--oh, yes!
sailing towards the coast of Italy. We ran on till we sighted a lofty
mountain of Sicily, and just then fell in with a speronara, owned by a
man with whom I have had transactions, and whom I knew I could trust. I
engaged him to take me to Malta; and, with your brother as my companion,
I visited that place, and learned what vessels were about to sail.
"One bore a rich freight; we followed, and took her. Now, Nina, I am
going to make you jealous. An English lady was on board; she was young,
beautiful, and the heiress, I understand, of much wealth. She is now my
prisoner, and I intend to bring her here to place her in your charge,
Nina. But remember, no jealousy--for though you are lovely, you will
have to acknowledge that she is so also--yet I say not equal to you,
sweet one."
As Zappa was speaking, Nina rose, and as she stood in the recess of the
window, with the beams of the pale moon lighting up her countenance,
which would otherwise have been cast in shadow, her figure appeared to
grow more pure and ethereal, even to the eyes of the fierce and lawless
pirate. Her fair and slender hands were clasped on her bosom, while she
turned on him a look in which pain and reproach were mingled, as she
answered--
"I would gladly do your will in all things; I would willingly afford aid
to one in distress, to one who undeservedly suffers, who is torn from
her kindred and friends; but speak not to me of jealousy, Zappa, I have
trusted you too much, I love you too devotedly, as you well know, to be
influenced by such a feeling. Let the lady arrive when she may she is
welcome."
Poor girl! even as she spoke, the first pangs of the deadly poison had
shot through her heart, though she knew not what was the cause of the
feeling which oppressed her. She thought it was the indifference of his
tone, the light carelessness of his words which gave her pain, yet he
was always accustomed to speak in that way, for to things serious or
sacred he paid little regard.
"I will not, then, suppose you jealous, Nina, since you like it not to
be suspected that you are even capable of the feeling," answered the
pirate, throwing himself back on the divan, and laughing; "I shall not,
however, yet put you to the test, but when the lady arrives you will
treat her as one to whom all courtesy is due."
"I have promised to do so," replied the Italian girl, still standing in
the position she had assumed at a distance from him.
"Then do not look so cold, and glance your eye repulsively on me,"
exclaimed Zappa; "one might suppose that I were a monster unfit for one
so fair and pure as you to gaze on."
Nina burst into tears.
"You are unkind and I am weak," she exclaimed passionately. "You
confess to me that you are a pirate and a robber, that your hand is
stained with the blood of your fellow-men--of men not slain because they
are the enemies of your country, but because they attempted to guard the
treasure committed to their charge, and I ought to loathe and detest
you, and yet I cannot--I love, I love you still."
And she sank down on her knees at his feet, and hiding her face in the
cushions of the divan, gave way to a flood of tears, while her bosom
heaved as if she were struggling for existence.
Zappa gazed at her for some minutes without speaking, till the paroxysm
of the fit had passed away, when compunction, or it might have been a
less amiable feeling, seized him, and stooping down, he raised her in
his arms.
"I was but trying you, lovely one," he said, in a soft tone. "I am not
the blood-stained monster I painted myself. My hand has never slain a
fellow-man except in self-defence; and is not so unworthy as you would
believe to be clasped in yours. Besides, Nina, you are, as far as your
church makes you so, my wedded wife--for good or for evil, for wealth or
for poverty, and must not, sweet one, play the tyrant over me. But a
truce with this folly--I am weary of it," he cried, starting up; "I have
many directions to give about my brave barque, which I must not forget--
even for your sake,--and I must see old Vlacco, and consult with him
about improving the fortifications of our island--for, with enemies on
all sides, these are not times when we can trust to our remote position
as before, and to such old defences as nature has provided. Farewell;
and when I return, let me see the accustomed smile resting on those
sweet lips."
He kissed her as he spoke; and, without waiting for an answer, he
quitted the chamber, and she heard him descending the steps of the
tower. She hid her face in her hands, and there seemed but little
prospect of her having the power to obey his commands.
CHAPTER TWENTY.
We left Ada Garden virtually a prisoner on board a vessel which she
believed a Greek man-of-war. Day after day the voyage continued without
the anchor being dropped. Sometimes the vessel was steered in one
direction, sometimes in another; but, as she judged by the appearance of
the sun, as it was seen from the cabin windows at sunset, they were
verging towards the east and north. Fortunately the weather continued
fine, and they were able to have the ports open the whole of the day,
which in a slight degree made her amends for being deprived of the free
air of the deck. Generally, also, the wind was fair, when it came in
cool and refreshing through the ports; but some days it blew more ahead,
and then Ada could feel the vessel heel over as the canvas felt its
force; and, at times, she judged that they were beating along some
coast, or through a narrow passage, as the continuation of the same land
was seen on every alternate tack.
Signor Paolo had visited the cabin every day; but he was silent and
reserved as at first, and she failed to obtain any information from
him--though, latterly, she thought he appeared as if he would have
spoken more; but, each time he was about to do so, fear seemed to make
him hesitate, and he said nothing.
Her health, under his judicious treatment, had gradually improved till
she had recovered as much of her accustomed strength as she could expect
to do, without the benefit of more air and exercise than she could enjoy
in the cabin. But her spirits remained much depressed at the
uncertainty of her own future fate, of that of her uncle, and with the
thoughts of the anguish she knew Fleetwood would endure at her loss.
"Could I but let him know," she thought, "that I am alive, and am
suffering no great inconvenience, oh, how it would relieve my heart!"
She little thought that at that very time her lover was scouring the
seas on board his ship in search of her.
At last the vessel was once more before the wind, slowly gliding through
the water. There seemed to her more bustle and animation than usual on
deck. The faint sound of a gun came off from the shore--it was answered
by a loud report from on board, accompanied by a wild cheer from those
on deck; and, a short time afterwards she felt that the anchor was let
go; strange voices were heard alongside--and looking out of the
stern-ports, high cliffs arose before her eyes. She and Marianna
continued gazing out of their prison at the strange scent before them,
and at the number of boats filled with uncouth, savage-looking beings
pulling in boats round the ship. Among others, one appeared to leave
the vessel and take a direct course towards the shore.
"Oh! signora, look there--look there!" cried Marianna. "There is Signor
Paolo going to leave us."
Ada did look, but her eye scarcely rested on Paolo, for it caught sight
of one who sat next to him in the boat. She grasped her attendant's arm
as she whispered, "My worst fears are realised. There goes the pirate
Zappa, and we are his prisoners."
"Oh! don't say such a thing, signora," cried Marianna, trembling; "I
shall die of fright. Yet, surely he could not have had any command on
board such a quiet, well-ordered vessel as this has been?"
"I fear that I am not mistaken in his identity--and his appearance
explains everything," said Ada. "What can he intend now by leaving the
vessel? Try the doors and see if we are still prisoners in the cabin."
Marianna found the door closed as before, and she and her mistress sat
down more alarmed than they had been hitherto; Ada feeling that her last
hope of escape had vanished.
They remained thus for some time, till they were startled by the abrupt
entrance of Paolo into the cabin. He apologised, on seeing Ada's look
of surprise.
"Pardon me, signora; I have been sent by the captain of the ship to
express his regret that your apartments on shore are not arranged, and
to regret that you will have to remain some time longer on board."
"Excuses are superfluous, when no choice is allowed me but to obey,"
returned Ada, with more haughtiness in her manner than usual; for,
having seen Paolo in company with the pirate, she could no longer regard
him in the same light she had before done.
The young man seemed at once to observe and feel the change.
"I deeply regret, signora, that you should have cause to complain," he
exclaimed, in a voice in which sorrow mingled with passion; "but, oh!
believe me, that I am not more free than you, and act under the orders
of one who has the power to compel were I to prove disobedient."
"I believe you," said Ada; "and now tell me, who is this person who
ventures to hold me a prisoner?"
"You will know too soon, lady, but my lips must not inform you,"
returned Paolo. "However, if it can afford you any satisfaction to know
it, be assured that I will watch carefully over you, and that my
directions are, not to quit the vessel except to accompany you on
shore."
"It must be a satisfaction to those in distress to know that they have a
friend who interests himself in their welfare," replied Ada, in a
softened tone, as Paolo, with an inclination of his head, withdrew.
For two whole days did Ada Garden and her attendant remain inmates of
the vessel. On the third Paolo made his appearance to announce that
accommodation was prepared for them on shore, and that a boat was
waiting alongside the vessel to convey them there. For the first time
Ada stepped on the deck of the vessel, and, after having been shut up so
long below, the full, bright glare of the sun almost dazzled her eyes,
and prevented her seeing objects clearly. As she recovered her sight,
she observed that the vessel, on board which she had spent so long a
time, was a brig, that she was in beautiful order, and had eight guns
run out on either side. A few seamen in Greek costume were employed in
the fore part of the vessel in repairing the rigging, but none of them
took the slightest notice of her, as Paolo handed her to the gangway,
followed by Marianna. At his summons two men came aft, and brought up
her boxes from below, which were lowered into the boat alongside, into
which he then assisted her and her attendant. He then gave the signal
to shove off, and a few strokes of the oars carried the boat to the
shore. Ada looked round her with surprise at the wild beauty and
perfect tranquillity of the scene. In the centre of the bay lay the
brig at anchor, her hull and tall masts, and the tracery of her spars
and rigging reflected in the calm clear water. Her sails were closely
furled, and no one appeared above the bulwarks to show that she was
tenanted by human beings. The two misticoes lay inside of her, without
sign of any one being on board them, and the boats belonging to the cove
were drawn up on the beach, but the fishermen had deserted their nets,
and not a person appeared in any direction. She gazed up at the lofty
cliffs, and at the picturesque ravine towards which Paolo pointed, as
they landed, to indicate their path, at the same time expressing his
regret that there were no means of conveying her up it except by a
litter borne by men.
The perfect calmness of the whole scene, its unusual beauty, and the
freshness of the air served to reassure her, and she began to experience
an elasticity of spirits she had not for a long time felt. Paolo led
her up the path I have before described, to the platform on the summit
of the cliffs on which the ruined castle stood.
"This is a wild spot, lady, but not wanting in beauty; and the tower you
see before you is to be your abode while you remain on the island," said
Paolo, pointing to a tower which was nearer the causeway, and had not so
extensive a view as the one I have described, but yet it overlooked the
sea, and more of the interior of the island. Paolo knocked at a door at
the base, and it was opened by the young Greek girl Mila, who saluted
the strangers with a smile of welcome, and then led them away up a
flight of steps to an upper story, where, throwing open another door,
she ushered them into a chamber, at the appearance of which Ada could
not help uttering an exclamation of surprise; and Marianna, who had
completely lost all her fears in company with Signor Paolo, clapped her
hands with delight. The time had, indeed, been well employed, which
had, since their arrival, converted that ruined tower into so
magnificent an abode.
The pirate must have ransacked all his stores of silks and satins to fit
up the room.
"The roof has probably been formed some time, but all else has been
accomplished during the last three days," said Paolo, as they entered.
"That was the reason, lady, of your not landing before."
The style was very similar to that of the other tower; but the hangings
were, perhaps, richer, and the carpets more valuable; attention had been
paid to what might be supposed English taste. There were a greater
number of tables and chairs, and there was even a book-case fastened
against the wall, though the books it contained were few, and not of a
very select description.
There were two guitars and a music-book on one of the tables, and the
walls were adorned with pictures, and a magnificent silver lamp hung
from the centre; and, indeed, everything had been done to give the room
a cheerful and habitable appearance. On either side were curtains
across a corner of the room; and, on drawing them, Ada perceived that
there were couches arranged, and furnished with the finest linen,
showing that the chamber was intended for their exclusive residence,
perhaps also, their prison. Mila busied herself in showing the
arrangements of the room, and Paolo explained that she was anxious to
serve the stranger in the best way she could. Ada intimated that she
could not but be satisfied with the care taken for her comfort, and
Paolo, suspecting that she would prefer being left alone, called Mila,
and took his departure.
Paolo had been gone some time, when a knock at the door was heard, and
Marianna ran to open it. As she did so, she started back with a cry of
surprise, for there stood before her the pirate Zappa.
Ada rose as she saw him, for she felt that, from the first, it would be
necessary to assume a dignity and fearlessness of manner, in order to
gain any influence over him.
"The Prince Argiri Caramitzo, I believe I have the honour of seeing,"
she said, bowing.
"The same, signora, who has the happiness of welcoming you to Greece,
and has had that of rescuing you from a great danger," replied Zappa, in
his most courteous tone, advancing a step only into the chamber. "He
now comes to express a hope that you are satisfied with the arrangements
made for you, and will be contented to remain an inhabitant of this
island till communications can be opened with your friends, in order to
restore you to them."
"I need not tell you, prince, that I am most anxious to communicate with
my friends, and must beg you to tell me by what means I can do so," said
Ada.
"The opportunity will, doubtless, soon occur," replied the pirate.
"But, in the mean time, I have to assure you that I have taken measures
to let your friends know of your safety--though, for reasons which I may
hereafter explain to you, not the place of your abode."
"I understand you, signor; and I beg now to thank you for the courtesy
and delicacy with which you have treated me," said Ada. "And I will ask
you as a farther favour, to tell me what has become of the relative who
left Malta with me. Is he still living?"
As she spoke her voice trembled, and a tear started in her eye.
"Indeed, lady, I would gladly answer your question if I could. I know
nothing of your relative," replied Zappa. "But I am wearying you with
my presence. I came but to ascertain that you were satisfied with such
humble accommodation as I could afford you, and will no longer intrude
myself on your presence. Lady, farewell; and should any suspicions
enter your mind about me, I entreat you to banish them; and to believe
that, however much appearances are against me, I am not guilty."
It would be difficult to describe the tone with which those words were
uttered, or the polished bow Zappa gave as he quitted the room, fully
believing that he had made a great stride in winning over the feelings
of his prisoner, to look on him with regard.
A whole day passed away without the appearance of Paolo, or any person
except little Mila. The young Greek girl was her only attendant,
besides Marianna; but as she could not make herself understood, she
seldom remained long together in the room. Had she even not felt
herself a prisoner, the day would have passed wearily away with so few
means of amusing herself at her disposal. She examined the books which
had been placed on the shelves: they were mostly Italian, though she
recognised a few as having been on board the _Zodiac_. In vain,
however, she tried to give her attention to them, for whenever she did
so her thoughts wandered away till they were lost in the painful
reflection which her position naturally suggested. Among her luggage
were the means of employing herself in such fancy-work as was the
fashion in those days, but she soon threw it down in despair, as rather
increasing than relieving her anxiety.
Such was not the case with Marianna, who quickly recovered her spirits,
and plied her needle with her usual diligence, and laughed and sang, as
if nothing out of the way had occurred. One of her great sources of
pleasure was, in the intervals of her work, to look through a telescope
which Paolo had placed in the room; it was on a brass stand, and had
been, probably, among the cargo of some vessel plundered by Zappa or his
associates. The view, as I have said, from the window, extended over a
wide range of sea, along the greater part of the east side of the island
and into the interior; and a glimpse could just be caught of the mouth
of the harbour, though the vessels lying there were not visible. It was
in the afternoon of the second day after their arrival that Marianna was
amusing herself with looking through the glass, when she uttered an
exclamation of delight.
"Oh, signora, signora--do come, and look!" she cried. "There is a
vessel coming to the island; for I see her white sails just rising out
of the water. She is coming to take us home--I know she is."
Ada flew to the telescope--her heart beating with agitation at the very
mention of release, though her hopes were not so sanguine as those of
her damsel. She looked earnestly for some time at the sail which
Marianna had observed; but, as she withdrew her eye from the tube, she
shook her head with a look of disappointment.
"The sail looks very small," she said. "So I fear, Marianna, it cannot
be a ship of war, and no other can afford us assistance."
"Oh, but it is yet a long way off, signora," urged the Maltese girl.
"When it comes nearer it will appear much bigger, as I have often
observed from the windows of your uncle's house in Valetta a little sail
no bigger than a pocket-handkerchief, which has grown larger, and
larger, and larger, till it has become a mighty ship with a hundred
great guns looking out of her sides. Who knows but what this may turn
out a big ship sent out by the King of England, with Signor Fleetwood as
captain, to look after you? My heart tells me that she is a friend."
Ada smiled mournfully at her young attendant's over sanguine
prognostications, in which she could so little participate.
"I fear you are wrong in this case, my good Marianna," she answered.
"You observe that the vessel we see is small, but we can already
distinguish three distinct sails, and soon the hull itself will rise out
of the water, and then we shall be better able to judge of its proper
dimensions. I can already see her without the glass. Tell me if the
bulwarks are not in sight."
"Yes, signora, I can distinguish the dark mark of the body of the
vessel, and she seems to come on quickly towards us," answered the
Maltese girl, who was bending down upon a table drawn towards the
window, with her eye to the glass.
The vessel they were looking at was rather to the west of the island,
towards which she was standing close-hauled beating up against an
easterly wind, bound probably up the Dardanelles. The sea was calm, and
glittering in the sunbeams, which gave it the appearance of a plain of
molten silver sprinkled with diamonds--for to nothing else can I compare
its dazzling lustre. The breeze had been uncertain all the morning, now
so light as not to disturb the mirror-like surface of the sea, now
freshening up again so as to send the vessel along rapidly through the
water. It had, however, lately, in shore, given signs of dying away
altogether. The stranger stood on till she fetched up, almost looking
into the mouth of the concealed cove, either totally unconscious of the
danger of her proceeding, or indifferent to the consequences.
The latter could scarcely be the case; for, as Ada again looked at her
through the telescope, she observed that she was a vessel apparently of
little more than a hundred-and-twenty or thirty tons burden. Her rig
was that of a brigantine--the foremast having the top and spars of a
brig, the mainmast carrying fore-and-aft sails like a schooner. When
she had stood in within a quarter of a mile of the shore she tacked,
either fearing to get becalmed should she approach nearer, or being,
uncertain of the depth of water. If it was to avoid the former
inconvenience, it was too late, for, scarcely had she gone about than
her sails flapped idly against the masts, and she lay unable to make any
way at all.
Ada was now convinced that she was a stranger--a merchantman, probably,
as she judged by the cut of the sails, the short yards, and the few men
who appeared on her decks. She had two guns, it is true, but they were
of little weight of metal, and could have been of slight use in
repelling a really determined attack.
Ada trembled for her fate, when she recollected her suspicions of the
lawless character of the inhabitants of the island. As she was watching
the persons on the deck of the vessel, she saw that there was suddenly
some confusion among them; several persons hurried from below, and some
appeared to be surveying the mouth of the harbour with their telescopes.
The cause was soon apparent, for as she looked in that direction, a
long low dark object was seen to steal out from behind the rocks, like a
snake from the grass, and dart towards them.
It was one of the misticoes, with her yards and sails stowed along the
deck, and impelled by twenty long oars, pulled by twice that number of
men, while as many more stood in the after part, and at the bows, with
their matchlocks in their hands ready for use. In the bow, also, was a
long brass gun on a swivel, pointed towards the doomed vessel.
The stranger was, however, manned by no cowardly hearts. As soon as
they saw the nature of their enemy, they cast loose their two guns,
loaded them, and ran them both out on the port side, which was the one
then bearing on the shore. They knew that escape was impossible, and
that they had little hope of mercy, so they lost no time in firing, on
the chance of striking the enemy between wind and water, and compelling
him to return. Unhappily, neither shot told with much useful effect.
One struck the water just ahead of her, the other hit her gunnel and
killed two of the people, which only exasperated the others, and made
them pull the harder to get on board before receiving any other similar
visitors.
"Oh! Jesu Maria," exclaimed Marianna, hiding her eyes in her hands.
"What can be the reason that the vessel there should fire at the boat?"
"I am afraid we shall be witnesses of a dreadful scene," said Ada; "and
yet I cannot withdraw my eyes from it. Oh! what will become of the poor
people on board the vessel if those wretches in the mistico get near
her? See! they are my countrymen, too, for there flies the red ensign
of England."
The ensign had been hoisted as the brigantine fired; but while watching
the Greek vessel she had not observed it. The English, undaunted, set
up a loud cheer, as they again run out their guns; but the pirates,
taught by experience, pulled round under her stern, where her guns could
not reach them, and let fly their own long pieces at them. As they were
much lower than she was, the shot injured no one on deck; but flew
through the fore-topsail. They did not again attempt to fire; but
trusting to their vast superiority of numbers, they dashed boldly
alongside, with the object of carrying her by boarding. The English had
time to get one of their guns over to the starboard side, on which the
mistico boarded them, and to fire directly down into her, before the
pirates were able to leap up their side.
It was too late, however, to save them. The Greeks swarmed over the
bows and quarters, and up the side, their swords in their teeth, and
though the English seamen fought in a manner worthy of their name, Ada
saw, with anguish, that they were quickly cut down or overpowered,
pressed upon by overwhelming numbers, and in three minutes the islanders
had full possession of the vessel. It made her heart sick as she beheld
the catastrophe, which she had hoped against probability, might have
been averted. Intensely interested as she was to learn the fate of her
countrymen, her agitation prevented her from seeing more, and obliged
her to withdraw her eyes from the painful sight. Marianna, however,
took her place at the telescope.
"Oh, signora!" she exclaimed, "the saints protect us! But those cruel
wretches are throwing the bodies of the poor English they have murdered
overboard, before even their hearts can have ceased to throb. Wicked
villains! I hope they won't treat the living in the same way."
"I'm afraid none remained alive," said Ada, shuddering. "But what are
they doing now?"
"They seem engaged in making their own vessel fast to the other, to
prevent her from sinking, I suppose. I wish they may both go down to
the bottom together. It would serve the wretches right."
"God will punish them in His own good time, or the power of civilised
nations will be exerted to perform His will," replied Ada. "Our
religion teaches us, remember, not to wish evil even to our worst
enemies. But, ah, there comes out the other mistico to the assistance
of their friends."
In a short time the last-named vessel had reached the brigantine, and as
soon as she was lashed alongside, all hands were busily engaged in
transferring the cargo to their own craft, for they had managed to stop
the shot-hole in the side of the one which had been engaged. The
brigantine's anchor had been dropped, and her sails clewed up; and as
soon as the two misticoes were laden, they returned to the harbour. In
another hour or so, they were again alongside the prize, and engaged in
their work of plunder. They laboured hard till they had transferred
everything of value from her hold, and they then commenced stripping her
masts of the sails and rigging; and in collecting other things from her
deck and cabin which might be useful--not forgetting her guns, and her
small store of powder and shot. By the time they had completed their
work the sun had set, and loaded with plunder they returned to port. As
they left the side of the unfortunate vessel, a shout of exultation
escaped them; and soon after, Ada perceived through the gloom a thick
smoke ascending from the hatchways, followed quickly by forked flames,
which leaped upwards, and rapidly enveloped the masts and lower,
rigging. The whole hull was rapidly in a blaze, which lighted up with a
lurid glare the two misticoes; the grim visages of their fierce crew,
their red caps, and varied-coloured costume being clearly visible at
that distance through the telescope. The fiery tinge falling also on
the rocky cliffs, and the towers and walls of the castle, and converting
the tranquil surface of the ocean into, seemingly, a sea of blood.
The brigantine burned fiercely--there must have been some inflammable
substance which had formed part of her cargo remaining in her hold.
From the two small stern-ports, which had been left open, the flames
burst forth in jets of fire, as also from every hatchway, fore and aft,
till the decks fell in, and the masts, like two pillars of fire, came
rushing down, and hissing into the water. At length the empty hull sunk
beneath the surface, and all was again dark.
"I fear, signora, we are in a complete nest of pirates," said Marianna,
breaking the silence which she had maintained after the catastrophe.
"I fear so, too," replied Ada; "but that burning vessel may prove a
beacon to light our friends to our rescue."
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
Ada Garden sat in the chamber of the tower which had been awarded to her
as her prison. Her Maltese attendant had accompanied young Mila to a
short distance from the castle--but she was not alone. A figure knelt
at her feet in the attitude of the deepest devotion; his head was bowed
down to the ground, and sobs burst from his bosom:--it was the young
Italian, whom we have known under the name of Paolo.
"Oh, hear me, lady!" he exclaimed passionately,--"oh, hear me, before
you dismiss me for ever from your presence. I cannot unsay what I have
said--I have dared to tell you that I love you with the fondest, the
deepest devotion--I have done so from the first moment I saw you; but
hear my excuses. I felt myself alone and desolate in the world; I
beheld you, bright, innocent, and beautiful, exposed, I knew, to the
most dreadful danger, and I determined to save you at all risks. I knew
not then that it was love--I thought it was compassion for one so fair.
I saw you brought on board the pirate vessel, the accursed _Sea Hawk_,
unconscious of your state. My medical knowledge would, I knew, be of
service: I suggested that your life hung on a thread, that the slightest
agitation might destroy you, and I so worked on the fears of the
miscreant chief, that I persuaded him to confide you entirely into my
charge. I ventured even to administer a narcotic, to render you
insensible when Zappa wished to see you, and to frighten him still more
into the belief that you were on the point of death. Day after day I
saw you, I felt that your safety depended on me, that I might even yet
be the means of rescuing you from the thraldom under which you are
placed, and day after day my love increased--I have fed upon it till it
has become a part of my very existence, and can end but with my life.
Then tell me, lady--tell me, how could you expect me to do otherwise
than confess the love which is consuming me? I do not ask yet for a
return of my devotion--I do not expect it till I have accomplished far
more than I yet have done to deserve it; but yet, I do say, when my task
is fulfilled--when I have placed you in safety, and can surround you
with the luxuries to which you are accustomed--when I can restore you to
your proper station in life, that must be my reward, or I will place a
dagger in your hand, and bid you strike home to my heart; for that would
be the only other boon I would ask of you--the only other happiness I
could enjoy."
Ada looked at the unhappy young man with compassion, and her bosom
heaved with emotion; for she saw the sincerity of his passion, and it
grieved her heart to wound his feelings; but yet, she could not deceive
him.
"Signor, I cannot blame you. I do not complain of your addressing me in
words of love, however much I am grieved to hear them. I am grateful
for all you have done for me--I would endeavour to prove to you, had I
the power, how grateful I am, and for all you purpose doing for me. I
feel that to you I owe my preservation from dangers too dreadful to
contemplate. I venture to entreat you still to exert your generous
efforts to aid me, and to enable me to return to my friends; and yet I
tell you that I cannot give you more than my deep, my everlasting
gratitude. My love, signor, were it a worthy recompense for your
exertions, I have not to give--my heart as well as my troth belongs to
another."
The fierce passions which rest in the bosoms of the inhabitants of those
southern climes, have far more powerful effects than any similar
emotions on the less sensitively constituted frames of the northern
nations. Scarcely had Ada uttered these words, than, casting a glance
at her features, as if to ascertain that he heard aright, and was not in
some frightful dream, the young Italian fell prostrate on his face
before her. Horrified and trembling, she gazed at him without moving,
for she thought he was dead; but at length as she stepped over him, his
heavy breathing assured her that he still lived, and she exerted all her
strength to raise him, as she was afraid, for his sake, to call any one
to her assistance. A jar of water was in the room, and she dashed some
of its contents over his face, and placed him so that the air from the
window might come in and revive him. It was now her turn to act the
part of guardian angel; and Captain Fleetwood would have pardoned her,
as she bent over him, had she felt as a sister for the pale and unhappy
youth before her. At last her efforts were crowned with success. He
opened his eyes and gazed at her with a look to which intelligence soon
returned. As he did so, he endeavoured to rise; but the agitation of
his feelings had been too violent to allow him so quickly to recover,
and he again sank down on the ground, where he remained for some
minutes, endeavouring to regain his scattered thoughts.
"Where am I? What dreadful event has occurred?" he at length muttered.
"Methought some demon came with lightning in his hand to blast the
lovely prospect which an angel had opened to my view."
He was silent--the sound of his own voice had the effect of restoring
him to his senses. He rose, though with difficulty, and stood before
her, supporting himself by a chair.
"Pardon me, lady," he said, his voice still faltering as he spoke; "I
have been weak, and have acted wrongly, madly, I own it. The words I
have uttered I should not have spoken till you were free, and had no
longer more to expect from me; but oh, forget them--learn to look upon
me as before I committed that fatal error. I ask no recompense for what
I have done, I ask none for what I may do. All I entreat you is, to
allow me to serve you faithfully--to obey your behests, whatever they
may be, even though to do so break my very heart-strings. Lady, for
your sake I would preserve my rival, even though the next instant I were
to see you clasped in his arms."
Ada was moved, and she held out her hand to the young man; for though to
English ears his language might appear overstrained, and his sentiments
exaggerated and unnatural, for an Italian she knew it was composed and
rational, and it gave her confidence in the sincerity of his
professions.
"I trust you, signor," she answered, struggling to keep down her own
emotion. "Believe me, you have my sincerest regard, and I were, indeed,
base not to feel the deepest gratitude. Remember, then, that I rely on
you to serve me whenever I may ask you, and place my safety and hope of
ultimate escape in your hands."
"And it shall not be misplaced," answered Paolo. "But, lady, I have
longed to banish from your mind the prejudice you must naturally
entertain against me, at seeing me in this island, with such company;
but believe me that it is sorely against my will. I am here by
compulsion, a prisoner like yourself, though with more apparent liberty.
To comprehend it I must tell you my unhappy history, which I would long
ago have done, had I had the opportunity; but I feared to do so in
presence of your attendant, on whose discretion I knew not if I could
rely; and I have also, lately, been so closely watched by my oppressor,
Zappa, that I have been unable to visit you when I thought you might be
alone. If you will now, lady, listen to me, it will serve to calm my
spirits, and will contribute towards placing me in the position I would
enjoy in your estimation."
Ada assured him that even when her suspicions as to the character of the
_Sea Hawk_ had been excited, she could not suppose that he was as guilty
as those with whom she found him associated, although she had not
believed him altogether as blameless as she should be rejoiced to find
that he in reality was.
"Thanks, lady, thanks, you already relieve my heart of a great weight,
by saying so," he exclaimed, checking the passionate expression which
was stealing into his tone and manner. "To convince you further that
you did me but justice, I will give you a brief outline of my history:--
"You see before you the last remnant of an old, and noble, and once
powerful family. My fathers were lords of a broad domain in the
neighbourhood of Brindisi, among the wild and rugged mountains which
form the eastern spur of the Appenines, and abut on the shores of the
Adriatic. They first rose and flourished in the days when the sword of
the strong hand could win lands and power, and when, whatever was lost
by the extravagance or folly of one, was easily replaced by the bravery
and daring of his successor. But in later years, although the former
means of repairing their damaged property no longer existed, yet, still
with rather frequent succession, a Lord of Montifalcone would assume the
family honours, who failed not to squander away property which he had no
means of replacing. Estate after estate was sold for several
generations, till, at last, my father found himself the heir to a
half-ruined castle on the borders of the ocean, and a few thousand acres
of unproductive land in the same neighbourhood. My mother, who is now a
saint in heaven, was as much so as a mortal can be when on earth; and
although my noble father inherited much of the true pride of ancient
ancestry, he was free from the folly and vice of his predecessors, and
he resolved to exert all his energies in repairing his broken fortunes,
and to hand down a fair estate to his progeny.
"By prudence and economy, he in a great manner, succeeded in doing so;
and as he considered that idleness had been the cause of the ruin his
ancestors had wrought on the family, he determined to give all his own
children professions, which should afford them employment, and the means
of support, despising the spirit which considered any employment besides
that of arms beneath the dignity of a noble.
"My eldest brother was, accordingly, educated to the profession of the
law, while I studied that of medicine. I had three sisters, all equally
lovely, and endued, apparently, with the same amiable qualities. The
eldest married young, and went to live in the neighbourhood of Naples;
the second died; and the history of the third is closely interwoven with
mine. By husbanding his resources, and carefully attending to the
nature of the soil, my father had so improved the farms on his estate,
that their produce was increased threefold; and as he spent the greater
part of the income arising from it in still further improving it,
devoting only what was absolutely necessary for the education of his
sons, the produce went on increasing, to the surprise of all his
neighbours.
"The castle had been put in sufficient repair, to make a suitable
residence for the family, and thither, during the time my brother and I
could escape from our professional studies, we eagerly hastened to spend
it in the society of those to whom we were ardently attached. Our
greatest favourite, if we loved one more than the other, was our sister
Nina, for she was the youngest. She was the most fascinating and
lovely, though we confessed that if she had a fault, her disposition was
too yielding and confiding--guileless herself, she could not credit that
guile existed in others. Hers was one of those characters which, from
its very innocence, would be held more sacred in the eyes of an upright,
honourable man, though it exposes its possessor to be made the dupe of
the designing villain. One might have supposed that our remote and
quiet home would have been free from the accursed presence of such a
one. Never was a family more united or more happy. Our father was in
the enjoyment of vigorous health, and proud of his family, and the
success of his laudable projects. Our sainted mother rejoiced when he
did, and their children had a contented present, and could look forward
with confidence to the future. I have not described the castle in which
we lived. It was one of great antiquity, though, as it had been added
to, in subsequent years, the walls were mostly sound, and in good
repair. It stood on the summit of a rocky cliff, overlooking the sea,
though of no great height, so that the waves, during a wintry storm,
could dash up to the very base, and send showers of the sparkling spray
over the walls. There was a deep moat surrounding it, with a drawbridge
over it; and, besides the main part, which was of great extent, there
were walls with passages through them, and strong towers at each angle
with which they communicated. So numerous and intricate were the
passages, and so dark and dangerous, from their ruined condition, that
even I, a son of the house, had never entirely explored them.
"Inland of the castle was an extensive and now highly-cultivated plain,
the property of my father, who could thus from the summit of his tower
survey the greater portion of his estates. Beyond the plain rose range
above range of lofty and almost inaccessible mountains which gave a
character of peculiar wildness to the scenery. Indeed, during the
winter, I have never seen a spot partaking more of savage grandeur than
my paternal castle; with the stormy ocean roaring on one side, and the
cloud-capped Appenines towering to the skies on the other.
"It was my delight as a boy, with my gun in my hand, to hunt the wild
chamois among the remote recesses and rugged precipices of the one, or
to bound in my light boat over the dancing waves of the other.
"Among such scenes was I born, and I believe they gave a tone to my
mind, which subsequent intercourse with the world did not altogether
wear out; and such as may be supposed had a still more powerful effect
on the mind of my sisters, who enjoyed less means of having their effect
counteracted.
"One night during the middle of winter, when all the members of the
family were assembled in the great hall, sitting round the large dish of
burning embers, to keep ourselves warm, chilled as we should otherwise
have been from the effects of a furious gale, which blew across the
Adriatic from the snowy mountains of Albania, a report was brought in by
one of the farm servants, that a vessel was driving towards a dangerous
reef of rocks, which ran out to sea, at a short distance from the
southward of the castle. My brother and I seized our hats and cloaks,
and bidding the rest of the family not to be alarmed for our safety, we
rushed out to see what assistance we might render to the hapless crew of
the vessel, should any of them escape alive. She was still at some
little distance, and apparently not aware of the imminence of her
danger, for she was firing guns of distress to call those on the shore
to her assistance, as if, in the situation she was placed, any human aid
could be afforded her. The sea was running to a prodigious height, and
dashing with the wildest fury on the rocky shore, and not a boat we had
ever seen could have lived in it an instant. The wind too blew in awful
gusts, so that we frequently could scarcely stand, and it sent the foam
flying over us in showers, till we were drenched with it to the skin, as
we passed along to the edge of the cliff; on our way to the spot near
which we judged the hapless vessel would strike the rocks. We had
collected as many of our people as we could find, and were supplied with
ropes and spars to enable us to save the lives of any, should they be
washed on shore from the wreck.
"Now, mark me, lady, we believed that we were performing a truly
Christian and virtuous act, and yet it was the cause of all the
subsequent misery! and those I loved far better than myself endured. We
were hastening to preserve from destruction the accursed viper who was
to sting us to death. Thus, Heaven ordained it should be, and its ways
are dark and intricate, beyond my comprehension, for surely it is
against all the rules one can conceive of justice that a virtuous action
should be thus rewarded. Perhaps you will say that His ways are
inscrutable, and, that as we have neither the power, nor have we the
right to attempt to read them, so we should not venture to cavil at His
ordinances, but humbly believe that the ultimate result will be for our
benefit. I believe it is so, lady; or it may be for a punishment; but
it is bitter, very bitter, oftentimes to bear. But I am wandering from
my story. We could watch the progress of the fated vessel by the
occasional flashes of her guns, and the still more vivid ones of the
lightning which darted from the dark clouds, and we could see that she
still had some sail set, with which she was endeavouring to haul off the
shore. On she flew, plunging madly into the foaming waves, when, just
as we reached the beach, she was lifted on the summit of a sea, and
crashed downward on the reef. We fancied that we could hear the
despairing shriek of the hapless mariners above the loud roar of the
waters as the wild waves dashed over them, and their barque parted
beneath their feet. A second flash revealed to us the masts falling by
the board, and every timber and plank upheaving amid the foam--another
came, and not a vestige of the vessel remained. We were about to leave
the spot, from feeling how hopeless was the prospect of saving the lives
of any of those who had the misfortune to be on board, for we believed
that not one could have survived an instant after the vessel had struck,
when the men who were with us asserted that they saw some of the wreck
drifting towards us; and directly afterwards a chest and some planks
were cast within their reach, and hauled on shore.
"This encouraged us to remain; and some other chests and boxes, bales of
silk, and parts of the wreck, quickly followed. My brother and I had
been endeavouring to pierce the darkness with our eyes, to discover if
any of our fellow-creatures were floating among the remnants of their
late home, when we perceived a spar driving along the shore, to which it
gradually drew near; and as a more vivid flash of lightning than usual
darted through the air, we were convinced that we saw the figure of a
man clinging to it. Calling the men to our assistance, we hurried on to
the spot where we judged he would come on shore. The spar, with its
occupant, approached us, again to be carried off. We saw that the man
was unable to help himself. My brother and I, fastening ropes round our
waists, rushed into the water, and striking out against the waves,
almost overpowered with their force, we seized the now nearly insensible
body, just as his grasp had loosened from the spar, and dragged him
ashore. So completely exhausted was he that, at first, we believed our
exertions had been in vain, and that he was dead; but, on feeling his
heart, we found that he still breathed; and, after looking in vain for
the appearance of any of his late shipmates--though we left some men to
watch, should any come on shore--we bore him to the castle. My brother
and I were almost chilled to death with the cold wind, which blew
through our wet clothes--for we had wrapped up the stranger in our
cloaks--yet, on our reaching home, before we would attend to ourselves,
we saw him stripped of his wet garments, and placed him between blankets
in my bed.
"We then hurried off to change our own dripping clothes, leaving him in
charge of our mother, who was engaged in pouring some warm liquid down
his throat. When we returned we found that he had much revived, and was
able to speak a little,--though with pain--for he confessed that he had
received some severe blows from the pieces of the wreck, and was much
bruised, and otherwise injured.
"I ought to have stated that, on entering the castle, we found that he
was habited in the Greek costume; and that his dress was rich and
costly, as were the ornaments on a dagger and brace of pistols which
still were fixed in his sash. We were not, therefore, a little
astonished to hear him speak Italian with a pure accent, the reason of
which he soon explained, by stating that he had been educated in our
country, which he had, indeed, only lately left. At first it had struck
me that he seemed restless and uneasy when he heard that our men were
still out for the purpose of assisting those who might come on shore.
"He made minute and constant inquiries whether any of his shipmates had
been saved; and when he was informed that the men had returned, and
reported their belief that he was the only survivor of the whole ship's
company, though he at first gave way to expressions of great grief, he
very soon recovered his composure, nor did he show further that he felt
any regret at their loss.
"As he was very much hurt, I was afraid of fever setting in, which might
have proved fatal; and I therefore forbade him to engage in
conversation, and gave him such remedies as I thought would prove
effectual in allaying it. It did not, however, do so entirely; and for
some days he suffered severely.
"I sat by his side, and watched over him with the greatest care--in
which work I was aided by my sisters--who were in constant attendance on
him when I was called away. When he had slightly recovered, he told us,
without our questioning him on the subject, that the vessel which had
been lost belonged to the Greek patriot navy, which was just then
forming, from those ports which had succeeded in throwing off the
Turkish yoke, and that he was simply a junior officer on board, as he
had not, indeed, had any great length of experience on the sea--though
that, with regard to rank and family, he was equal to any in his native
land.
"He then told us that he had been educated at the university of Pisa;
and when he mentioned the name of Argiri Caramitzo, my elder brother,
who had been there, recollected fully hearing much of him, though it
struck him that he bore the character of a wild and thoughtless youth.
His ultimate recovery was slow, for the injuries he had received were
very severe. As, in our economical system of housekeeping, we had few
personal attendants, my mother and sisters were more constantly at the
side of the sick stranger's couch than would otherwise, probably, have
been the case; at the same time that it would have been contrary to our
notions of hospitality to leave him much to the care of menials.
Indeed, his conversation was so sparkling and lively--so full of
anecdote of his varied intercourse with the world--and his manners were
so courteous--and his expressions were so full of gratitude, that they
felt themselves amply recompensed for their attendance by the
gratification they experienced in his society--especially my younger
sister, to whom the great world he painted was new, and strange, and
wonderful.
"My brother and I were not so much captivated by the attractions of the
handsome stranger as were the rest of the family; at the same time I
confess that, by his cordiality and evident anxiety to win me over, and
to show his sense of the obligation he was under to me for the
preservation of his life, he managed to gain my regard, if not my
affection--indeed, I could not place that perfect confidence in him
which I should have desired; as I frequently, in his less guarded
moments, heard him express sentiments which were totally at variance
with those he led my family to suppose he possessed. I had, however, no
doubt of the account he gave of himself--as it was corroborated in one
point by the numbers of bodies washed on shore habited in the Greek
costume. To return to the night of the wreck, or rather the morning
succeeding it. When he heard that none of his shipmates had escaped, he
entreated us to exert ourselves in preserving from plunder such chests
and boxes as came on shore, as he said he trusted that, as Providence
had saved him, it had preserved his property also, and that he should
hope to find his own chest among the rest; and he promised, after having
examined them, to give the remainder up to those who had found them.
This wish, of course, seemed very natural, and several boxes which were
discovered were conveyed to the castle. It was more difficult to
account for a number of bales, and pieces of silk and cloth, which drove
on shore entangled with the seaweed; but when he heard of it, he stated
that they had fallen in just before with a foundering merchantman, and
that this was probably some of her cargo.
"His first care on recovering was to examine the chests, which he took
an opportunity of doing without any witnesses. One he claimed as his
own, and he showed us that it contained several rich Greek dresses,
which he begged might be cleaned and dried. The remainder of the boxes
had been thoroughly ransacked for the purpose, as I since have reason to
know, of destroying any papers which might betray the character of his
ship; and also to remove some bags of treasure which he knew they
contained. He thus became possessed of considerable wealth, and the
surest means of accomplishing any object he might have in view. As he
partially recovered his strength, he would wander out with my mother or
sisters to the sheltered garden within the walls of the castle, and
afterwards to one which was situated on the outer side of the moat, and
which contained orange and apple, and other productive trees. The time
was approaching when my brother would be compelled to return to his
practice, and I to my studies at the university. Before, however, we
went, our guest was able to accompany me on a short excursion into the
mountains. He seemed to enjoy it, though he was much too fatigued, he
said, again to attempt so long an expedition. This observation led me
to suppose that he had no present intention of quitting the castle. He
expressed his regret at my intended departure, and assured me that he
hoped to return again at some future period to thank me more than he had
hitherto done for the service I had rendered him. A day or two
afterwards, thinking the change would benefit him, I invited him to
accompany me on the water; the sea was calm, the sun shone bright, and
the air was almost as balmy as in summer. I mention the circumstance
for the purpose of introducing the conversation which ensued, as we sat
at the stern of the boat rowed by two sturdy fishermen.
"`So, Signor Paolo,' he said, `I understand that you are studying the
science of medicine--a very important one, though but little understood
in my country.'
"My answers are immaterial, so I will not repeat them.
"`A somewhat dull life, though, you are destined to lead, if you are to
be shut up in one of the smaller cities of Italy, and employed in
tending old dowagers and sick babies. I should have thought that such
an occupation were somewhat derogatory to one with the noble blood which
flows through your veins. Each man to his fancy, Signor Paolo. Now,
were I to recommend, I should advise you to claim your patrimony from
your father, and to wander forth and see the world. Instead of
returning to your college, accompany me to Greece, where I must soon go;
and I will show you some of the glorious sport of war, and introduce you
to the land where the arts and sciences flourished when Italy was but a
desert. When you grow weary you can return to your studies; but I
promise you that you will find by far too much excitement and interest
in the life you will lead to make you wish to go back to the dull
routine from which I shall have emancipated you.'
"Such was the tenor of his conversation; and though I declined accepting
his offer, it made an impression which I should not at the time have
supposed possible.
"I had for some time past observed that he seemed to pay more attention
to my youngest sister, Nina, than to the other members of the family,
and she used to listen to his words, and to watch his looks with an
eagerness which ought to have warned those about her of the too probable
result.
"I, at length, the day before I left home, informed my mother of my
fears that the stranger was becoming attached to my sister, and
entreated her to be on her guard. She assured me that my alarm was
groundless; that she had not remarked anything particular in Signor
Caramitzo's manner; and that at all events Nina was far too well brought
up to give her affections to one of whom she knew so little. We left
our beloved and happy home--my brother, alas! never to return. We were
the only two of the family the stranger feared; for he saw that we did
not thoroughly trust him.
"Our parents treated him with all the courtesy due to an honoured guest;
and it was against all their notions of hospitality to hint to him that
as his strength was re-established, he should take his departure. He
now began his accursed employment of winning and enslaving the pure
affections of my young sister, in order to allure her from her father's
home. He found the task of making her love him, not very difficult, for
she knew nothing of the perfidy of man; but when he first proposed her
flying with him, she was startled and horrified, and would have betrayed
him, had he not assured her that he had mentioned the subject merely to
try her, and that it was far from his intention to make her do anything
of which she might repent.
"He still continued urging his suit in secret, and winding himself
deeper and deeper into her affections, till she no longer lived or
breathed, except for his sake. He at last really and truly loved her as
much as his nature was capable of; and I believe that if any compunction
ever visited his mind, it was at what had been his intention with regard
to that sweet girl.
"Two weeks after I left the castle a letter reached me, with the
information that the stranger had taken his departure on board a vessel
which put into the neighbouring port, and what seriously alarmed me was,
that my sister Nina had been seized with a dangerous illness. I would
have flown home, but my father forbade me; and the next account spoke of
her recovery--though she remained in a low and melancholy state most
unusual for her. It was at this time my eldest sister married a
nobleman of high character, greatly to our parents' satisfaction; and
soon afterwards the first misfortune which had yet happened to our
hitherto prosperous family occurred. Our second sister was seized with
a mortal malady, which terminated her existence.
"The shock was so great to our mother, worn out as she already was with
watching over Nina, that she could not rally; and she herself fell a
victim to the same fatal disease.
"I returned home to find my father prostrate by the double blow. For
months I anxiously watched over him, and at length, to my great joy, he
partially recovered his health and strength. Nina's spirits appeared to
me to have been much restored, her eye brightened, and often her lips
wore the same smile as of yore. I never ventured to mention the name of
Argiri Caramitzo to her, nor did she herself ever allude to the
circumstance of his shipwreck and stay at our castle; and I trusted that
she had banished him from her mind. Such happiness as the world can
give was about, I hoped, to revisit the remnant of our family. Alas!
how fallacious were my expectations."
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
"One summer's evening, my sister and I were seated with our father at an
open window of our apartment in the castle, whence we could enjoy a view
of the calm waters of the Adriatic. He was more cheerful than he had
been for a long time; and Nina took her guitar, and sang to him some of
the songs in which he used formerly to delight.
"While we sat there I observed a white sail in the far distance; and it
seemed to me to approach nearer and nearer the land. I pointed it out
to Nina; and it struck me afterwards that she grew pale as I spoke, and
placed her hand on her heart, as if to stop its throbbing. Yet at the
time I thought nothing of it. For a few minutes she was silent, and
lost in meditation, but at length recovered herself, and continued
singing. I remarked this, and I remember rallying her on the subject,
saying that her songs were all those she knew of a sad and plaintive
character.
"The time for sleep arrived, and we retired to our chambers. Nina
kissed our father's cheek, and was going, but went back and kissed him
again, and he blessed her at parting. I had slept some hours, I know
not how long, when I awoke, feeling hot and feverish. I tried again to
sleep, but could not; and at length I arose for the purpose of taking a
walk round the battlements, thinking that the cool night air, which came
off the sea, would calm and refresh me.
"On my way to the small turret gate, which led from a tower to the top
of the castle wall, I had to pass Nina's chamber. The door was open. I
looked in--the chamber was vacant. Surprised, though not much alarmed,
for I thought she had, unknown to me, gone to occupy the one which had
been our sister's, I continued my progress.
"As I opened the gate, the night air, which blew in and circled round
the bower, struck my feelings as peculiarly cold and damp, and a low,
moaning sound came across the waters. There was no moon, and the stars
were obscured by a veil of clouds which had gathered in the sky, so
that, to my eyes, accustomed to the light of the lamp I had carried thus
far, the darkness seemed almost palpable. I, however, could have gone
round the walls blindfold, so that this was to me a matter of
indifference, and I stepped out on the battlements. I had proceeded
some way, when I was startled by seeing the bright rays of a light
flashing across the courtyard before me. I stopped, and watched, with
astonishment, for I could not surmise who could be in that part of the
castle at that hour of the morning. I must state that on the side of
the castle nearest the sea, within the outer walls, was a small chapel,
dedicated to our Lady of the Rock, and here, on saints' days and
Sundays, and on certain other occasions, the priests from a neighbouring
convent used to come and perform the services of the Church; for my
father did not keep a regular chaplain, as is generally the custom. He
was not a man to support the drones they usually are. The light, I was
convinced, whose beams I saw, was in the chapel, through the windows of
which it must come. By going on a little further along the battlements,
I had a more extensive view of the chapel; and I now beheld a bright
light streaming from all the windows. My astonishment was still further
increased by hearing the voices of persons within: they were silent, and
I then distinguished the voice, I thought, of a priest, engaged in the
performance of a service. From a turret, some way on, a stone stair led
down into the chapel; and as the key of the door was attached to the one
I held in my hand, I determined at once to solve the mystery. Hastening
on, I opened the door in the turret, and descended noiselessly. I
reached the bottom of the steps, and a few paces more brought me to the
door which opened into the chapel.
"I confess that, at that moment, all the stories I had ever heard of the
power of the spirits of evil to assume the human form, or of the
departed to return on earth, or of horrors mysterious and undefined,
rushed into my mind, and, for a time, I stood irresolute and trembling.
"At length, I mustered courage and burst open the door. The scene which
met my sight made me recoil with a feeling very different to what I
expected.
"A priest was at the altar--a stranger, whom I knew not; and before him
stood my young sister Nina, her hand clasped in that of the man whose
life I had saved--of whom I had now so many dark suspicions, Argiri
Caramitzo. I rushed forward with a cry of rage, and would have borne
Nina off from him. He put me aside with a contemptuous smile, for I was
unarmed, and far weaker than he. I snatched a dagger from a man
standing near, and would have plunged it in his heart, when the voice of
the priest arrested my hand, uttering the word--
"`Forbear!'
"Nina had looked confused and alarmed; she shrieked out--
"`Oh! injure him not, Paolo, he is my husband--my life; till me, if I
have done wrong; but he would have it so.'
"`She speaks truly,' said the priest. `She is the wedded wife of Signor
Argiri Caramitzo, or by whatever name this signor is known.'
"`I can bear much from you, Paolo,' said Caramitzo, speaking to me for
the first time; `but you must not interfere in a case of this sort.
Your sweet sister has bestowed on me her hand, as she has long given me
her heart; and this very night I bear her hence to my home upon the
waves.'
"As he said this, he pressed Nina to his bosom, and seemed about to bear
her away, while he stretched out his other hand, as if to prevent my
approach. `Whether wife or not, she leaves not this castle without her
father's consent--with one, too, whose name and profession are
doubtful,' I again exclaimed, springing forward, and attempting to seize
her.
"`If you will have it so, you must take the consequences,' he replied,
in the same cool tone. `Seize that young signor, and bring him along; I
will not be interfered with.' He turned, and spoke to a number of men
who stood round, armed to the teeth, and whom I had not before remarked.
They immediately seized me, and I saw at once that resistance would be
useless.
"`It is folly, Nina, to be alarmed,' I heard the Greek say, in answer to
my sister's tears and remonstrances. `No injury shall be done him, and
we will shortly return and claim your father's pardon, and explain the
reasons of my present proceedings.'
"Nina was not convinced, for she had not expected to be thus suddenly
carried off; and she made every resistance in her power to what was
being done, entreating also that I might be set at liberty.
"The Greek, however, was deaf to all her entreaties, and soon succeeded
in pacifying her fears. Had I indeed been able to arouse the other
inmates of the castle, it would have been of no avail, for it was now
completely in the power of Caramitzo, as I have hitherto called him--for
under that name I then knew him; though I need scarcely tell you that he
was no other than the pirate Zappa. He had, it appeared, during his
former stay at our castle, secured the key of a small postern-gate,
through which he and his followers had gained admittance. For a long
time his arrival had been looked forward to by my deluded sister, as he
had arranged the means of communicating with her before his departure;
and he had persuaded her of the necessity of a private marriage, all the
arrangements of which he promised to make, provided she would undertake
to follow his directions. The priest he had brought with him from a
distant part of the coast, having induced him, by high bribes, to
accompany him, and, I believe, keeping him in ignorance as to the place
to which they had come, or who was the lady he had married. A book,
however, was left on the altar in the chapel, with the signatures of the
married couple, the priest, and witnesses; either intended as a
consolation or an insulting mockery to the unhappy father who had been
deprived of his child. My eyes were instantly blindfolded, and I felt
myself lifted up and carried along for some distance, till I was placed
in a boat, from which, after rowing for some distance I was hoisted on
board a vessel, and placed by myself in a cabin, the door of which was
fastened on me. After a vain attempt to get out, I threw myself down on
a couch in the cabin, and considered how I should proceed to liberate my
poor sister and myself. The rippling noise of the water against the
sides of the vessel showed me that she was under weigh, and I felt how
hopeless was our fate. The morning must have been far advanced when the
door of the cabin was opened by two powerful men, with arms in their
belts. A third person appeared behind them, who spoke a little broken
Italian.
"`We have come,' he said, `Signor Paolo, to request you to take the
oath; without signing which no person is allowed to remain alive on
board this vessel beyond twelve hours. When you have been longer with
us you will see the necessity of our rule. You will not refuse to take
it.'
"`I shall certainly refuse to take any oath which may restrain my
liberty,' I answered; `I desire that my sister and myself be at once
restored to our home.'
"`Whatever we may ultimately do, it is necessary for you to take the
oath before you can quit the cabin. It is the rule of the ship, and the
captain himself, as well as any of his friends must abide by it.'
"`What is the character of the ship I am on board, then?' I asked--the
dreadful truth for the first time flashing across my mind.
"`That you will be told when you have taken the oath,' replied the
interpreter. `The captain has brought you on board, and will not have
you injured; but we claim our privilege, which he cannot refuse us. The
oath to betray neither vessel nor crew, by sign, by word, or deed; to
obey our chief in all things, and to abide by the laws of the ship,
or,'--and the two men drew out their glittering daggers from their
sashes--`death. You preserved our captain's life, he says; but he
cannot save yours, unless you accept our terms, and then, on that
account, we will gladly receive you as a brother.'
"I considered, as well as I was able, under the circumstances, how I
should act. I was young--life seemed full of charms. They were in
earnest, and I saw nothing unreasonable in the oath they imposed on me.
I had no longer any doubt that I was on board a piratical vessel. I
could not expect her crew to act otherwise than they were doing towards
me; and the true character of Caramitzo now appearing more evident, I
felt that there was greater reason to rescue my betrayed sister from his
power; and I thought that the only way of so doing would be to affect no
hesitation even in joining them.
"`I consent to take the oath,' I replied, with as firm a voice as I
could command. Had I known the abject slavery to which those words
would reduce me, I would have died sooner than utter them.
"`Come,' said the men, `we are prepared to administer it without delay,'
and, blindfolding me, they led me into another cabin, where I was
ordered to kneel down on a cushion, and a book was placed in my hands,
which I was told was the Bible. The oath was then administered, and it
made me call down the most dreadful maledictions on my head, and on the
heads of all those dear to me, should I ever break it. The bandage was
then removed from my eyes, and I found myself in a large cabin,
surrounded by men with drawn swords in their hands, and at the head of
them appeared the pirate Zappa.
"A cross was then formed by the swords of the two men standing nearest
to me, which I was compelled to kiss, and then to sign my name in a book
with my own blood. The ceremony completed, I was told to rise, a sword
was placed in my hands, and I was hailed as a comrade. I shuddered at
the name. Zappa then advanced towards me, and, with the same smile
which had once fascinated me, he exclaimed. `Welcome, my dear Paolo,
now doubly my brother. I have been compelled to use a little gentle
force to win you to me as I have long been anxious to do. You are yet
unable to appreciate the advantages I can offer you, so I will not
complain of your angry looks. Now come on deck, and I will introduce
you to your brother officers--for I consider you one of this ship, and I
will try and make a seaman of you.'
"I was meditating, while he spoke, whether I should fly at him, and
endeavour to wreak the bitter vengeance I felt at the moment; but the
oath I had just uttered came to my mind, and for my sister's sake, by a
violent effort, I restrained my passion.
"`I cannot pretend, Signor Caramitzo, not to complain of the violence to
which you have subjected me, and of the deceit you have practised on my
sister,' I replied; `yet, I am in your power, and I trust to your honour
to make the best amends you can--to treat her with tenderness, since she
has given herself to you--and to allow me the opportunity of
communicating with our unhappy father, and of endeavouring to mitigate
the grief he will feel at the loss of his children.'
"`I do not forget that you saved my life, Paolo, and that alone would
make me obey your wishes,' he answered, in a mild, conciliating tone.
`Your sister is dearer far than that life, and, therefore, you need not
fear for her. I will not pretend to disguise from you, Paolo, what I
am; but that she need not know. The world calls me and my companions
pirates.--Let them--the lion is a nobler animal than the beast on which
it preys. Ours is a glorious life; you will learn to think so, too.
There is danger, it is true. But there is excitement far higher than
that the gambler, who stakes his fortune on a cast, can enjoy, and who
generally, when he loses, seeks the worst that can befall us--a speedy
death. But I will not now stay to sing the praises of the life I have
destined you to lead, till, grown weary, we some day retire from the
busy scene, and become honoured chiefs and nobles in our own country,
with lands and wealth, and surrounded by our family and dependents. Eh,
Paolo, I draw the picture well! But we will on deck, and see how our
barque speeds over the waters.'
"I repeat his words, to show the character of the man in whose power my
unhappy sister was placed. For myself I feared not, nor grieved--I
could easily break my bonds; but she, alas! hers were indissoluble.
Fortunately for her, she did not guess who he was, nor the character of
his ship. She believed, and I trust, to this day believes, that he
commanded a Greek man-of-war, and is all he represented himself to her.
"We sailed on, meeting with various adventures, till we reached this
island, where, in a neighbouring tower, he at once established my
sister. I felt also that it would be cruelty to undeceive her, and
would answer no good object. My sister, I believe, he really loves, or
did love, as far as his nature would allow; but lately I have fancied
his affection was decaying, and he has always treated me without
severity, and generally with kindness, though my spirit has rebelled
against the shackles which galled me, but which I had no power to shake
off.
"My story is drawing to an end; but I have still more to say. I urged
Zappa, day after day, to allow me to return to my paternal home, and
endeavour to comfort my father, if consolation was still to be found for
him on earth, and to explain to him the cause of my sister's absence,
with the wish of palliating the folly of her conduct in his eyes, vowing
solemnly at the end of four months again to return to the island. To my
surprise, he at last consented to comply with my wish, undertaking to
land me on the coast of Italy, and to call again for me at a spot and a
period he would afterwards fix on. His object in so doing was, not to
allow me to know the position of this island. He fulfilled his promise,
and I at length returned to the castle. Alas! though my father still
lived, I saw at once by the pallor on his cheek, and trembling voice,
that his days were numbered. I appeared to him like one returning from
the dead; for he had believed that I was slain in endeavouring to
prevent my sister from being carried off. He blamed her not--he
pardoned her weakness and folly, and his longing desire was to see her
once more before he died.
"I had yet another blow to receive. My eldest brother, whom I loved
dearly, had been slain by the dagger of an assassin at Naples, and I
became the heir to the family property, which I neither wished for nor
could enjoy. My whole anxiety was now to return to the island, and to
endeavour to persuade the pirate to allow my sister to accompany me back
to see our father ere he died.
"At last I received a letter desiring me to repair to a certain port,
where I was to be met by a person who would convey me on board a
felucca, whence I was to be transferred to the pirate vessel. I thought
not of the dangers and difficulties of the undertaking, but, embracing
my father, with a bleeding heart I tore myself from him, and hastened to
the appointment. Zappa received me cordially, and I was in hopes, would
consent to my request; but when I at length made it, he at once
positively refused to grant it.
"He said that Nina was now happy and contented; and that she knew not of
her father's illness; and that if she was allowed to leave him she would
hear things to his prejudice, and might refuse to return; and that, as
she was only going to see her father die, it could not possibly benefit
her. The more I urged my request, the more he appeared determined to
refuse it, till at length I saw that all attempts to gain him to consent
would be worse than futile, so I ceased from importuning him. I did not
the less meditate how I could best accomplish my object.
"As soon as I reached the island, I told Nina, the first time I was
alone with her, of our father's wish to see her, at the same time
binding her not to mention the subject to her husband, as I assured her
he would not consent to part from her. As soon as I explained our
father's state to her, and told her he was heartbroken at her loss, she
wept bitterly, and promised to enter into any plan I might arrange to
enable her to visit him, fully intending again to return here. My
purpose was, to separate her from the pirate for ever, by informing her,
though at the risk, I knew, of blasting her happiness, of his true
character; but yet, signora, I knew that the evil day must come, and
that, when he deserted her, I might not be by to protect her.
"I had brought a considerable sum of money with me, which I had
concealed about my person for any emergency, and with it I bribed two
men of the village on the opposite side of the bay, to prepare a boat,
in which, with their aid, I hoped to reach either the main land, or one
of the larger islands, or to get on board some vessel which would convey
us to some civilised place, whence I might find the means of reaching
Italy. I waited for an occasion when Zappa should have gone on one of
the piratical expeditions he was in the habit of taking, and when,
according to custom, he would have compelled me to accompany him. To
avoid this I had planned to feign illness, and, as soon as I saw the
preparations making for embarking, I pretended to be seized with a
dangerous sickness. He expressed great regret, and so convinced me that
he regarded me with affection, that I felt some qualms of conscience at
deceiving him, stained, though I knew him to be, with a thousand crimes.
He even delayed his departure, and I saw it would be necessary to
pretend to recover to get him off.
"The night at last came, in which the enterprise was to be attempted. I
left my room, to which I was supposed to be confined by illness, and,
going down to the bay, I found the boat and the men in readiness. I
then returned to my sister's tower, whence I bore her trembling with
alarm, and overwhelmed with grief at the thoughts of quitting the man
whom she so fatally loved, we safely reached the boat. We were not
observed, for no one suspected us, and we launched forth into the deep.
I had arranged for an ample supply of provisions, and I had previously
carried down the means of sheltering my sister from the weather; so we
were prepared for a long voyage. For three days we steered to the west
and south, with the sea calm, and the wind favourable and moderate,
passing only small islands, where the men assured me we should have no
chance of assistance. By this calculation, it would take us two days
more before we could reach the main land; when, on the fourth day, as
the morning broke, I discerned a vessel standing towards us. As she
drew nearer, my horror, as well as that of the islanders, may be
supposed, when they pronounced her to be Zappa's own brig, the _Sea
Hawk_. It was hopeless to expect to escape her by outstripping her in
sailing; so, we lowered the sail on the chance of our remaining
unobserved, while Nina and I crouched down in the bottom of the boat, in
order that, if the pirate vessel should pass at some little distance, we
might be mistaken for one of the fishing-boats of the neighbouring
islands. All our care was futile. On so smooth a sea, and in so bright
an atmosphere, an object as large as we presented might be seen at a
great distance, and we had not escaped the vigilant eyes of the pirates.
On came the vessel. Nina was bathed in tears; the Greeks trembled, for
they knew their lives were at stake. I nerved myself for the worst, for
I knew not what the rage of Zappa might prompt him to do, though I
feared for my sister more than for myself.
"The boat was not only seen but recognised, and the _Sea Hawk_ ran up
close to us. The men were ordered to pull alongside, and we all soon
stood on the deck of the brig.
"`Such, then, is the love you bear me, that the first moment of my
absence you would desert me,' said the pirate, looking reproachfully at
Nina, without taking any notice of me and my companions. `I believed, I
felt sure, that you loved me, but now I know that I was bitterly
mocked.'
"`Oh, no, no!' exclaimed Nina, who had stood trembling and abashed
before him, `I loved you better than life itself. I love you now, and
no human power should have prevented me from returning to you. Do with
me as you will, but do not wring my heart with greater anguish than now
it suffers by believing that I do not love you. My duty to a dying
parent would alone have prompted me to take the step I have done.'
"`I believe you, Nina,' said Zappa, taking her in his arms. `I will not
part with you. As to you, Paolo, you have deceived me, and have
instigated your sister to leave me. I shall take means to prevent your
behaving thus in future.'
"Saying this, he carried my sister below, and placed her in his cabin;
he then returned on deck, and walked up to where the two Greeks were
standing, awaiting their sentence. I had never before seen his fiercer
passions aroused.
"`You know what you have to expect,' he exclaimed, in a voice of
thunder. `You have broken the laws of our community. You would have
deprived me of the two persons I most regard in the world, and
purposed--nay, deny it not--for I know your vile natures, to have
murdered them for the sake of the gold still in their possession. Take,
therefore, the consequences.'
"As he uttered these words he drew two pistols from his belt, one in
each hand, and, levelling them at the heads of the men, they uttered a
shriek for mercy, as their eyes caught the direction of his hands; but
it was too late. Ere they could spring back, he fired, and they fell
dead at his feet.
"`Cast the bodies overboard, and let their boat go adrift. We will keep
no memorial of the wretches,' he exclaimed; then, turning to me, he
observed, `You see, Paolo, how we treat traitors; and let me tell you,
you have had a narrow escape; and your sweet sister--I tremble to think
what her fate would have been. Had I not fortunately found you, you
would not have been allowed to live another day, and let this be a
lesson to you for the future.'
"Two days afterwards we reached the island, and Zappa quieted my
sister's anxiety, by promising to gain information respecting our
father's health. He did so, and the reply was, that he was dead. I
remained still subservient to the pirate. I would not desert my unhappy
sister, and I could not break through the fetters the pirate had thrown
around me. He confides in me, and insists on my accompanying him on his
expeditions, when I can render great assistance to his men from my
knowledge of surgery; and I am at times able to mitigate the fate of
those who fall into his power. Had I the will also, my oath would
prevent my betraying him, and thus, signora, you will be able to account
for my appearance on board the speronara, and afterwards in the _Sea
Hawk_. Such, lady, is the outline of my unhappy history--"
"And one on which it would have been wiser for you to have held
silence!" exclaimed a voice behind him; and, looking up, he and Ada
beheld the tall form of Zappa standing in the doorway. He advanced into
the room, making a low reverence towards her, at the same time that he
stretched out his hand in the direction Paolo was standing. "Go,
foolish youth!" he exclaimed, in a tone in which contempt blended with
anger. "You will some day try my patience more than I can bear."
The young Italian stood for an instant irresolute--his bosom heaving
with emotions of pride and indignation, and his lips parted, as if he
would have defied his tyrant; he felt, too, that he was in the presence
of the woman for whom he had declared his love, and all the more manly
qualities of his nature rose up to his aid; but he had been too long
accustomed to yield to the influence which the pirate had gained over
him--he quailed before the stern, unrelenting eye fixed on him, and his
soft, unresisting character, too similar to that of his unfortunate
sister, made him falter in his half-formed purpose. With an expression
of agony, of shame, and humiliation on his countenance, he turned and
fled down the steps.
Ada at once felt the importance of maintaining her own dignity. She
rose, and as calmly as she could command her voice, she asked,--"May I
know, signor, to what cause I am indebted for this visit?"
"Beautiful lady!" said the pirate, still standing at a distance, which
would have showed respect had his words been different, "can you suppose
it possible that I should always resist the influence of your
attractions. Am I to be the only one in this island who is to be
debarred the happiness of basking in your smiles? Is yon weak youth
ever to be preferred to me?"
"In pity's name, cease this insulting mockery, signor," said Ada, her
heart at the same time sinking with a fear she had hitherto happily not
yet experienced. "Does not every manly quality of your heart rebel at
the thought of thus addressing one so totally unprotected, so helpless
as I am. With regard to the unhappy gentleman who has just quitted the
room, I am innocent of any other feeling than profound pity for his
misfortunes; and with regard to yourself, how can you expect me to feel
other than indignation at the outrage to which you have subjected me.
Every day that I am kept here a prisoner can but serve to increase that
feeling; and my only request is, that I may not be insulted by the
presence of one who has been the cause of the misery I endure."
There is a majesty and dignity, a commanding power in the eye and
expression of a pure, high-minded, resolute woman, which will abash even
the boldest and most unscrupulous men. That is their shield and
buckler, their defence against the attacks of the profligate. It is
like the steadfast gaze of a dauntless man, which is said to have the
power of awing even the fiercest of the beasts of the forest; but let
her beware how for an instant she withdraws it, how she allows the
softer feelings of her woman's nature to shake her firmness; her
opponent is ever watchful, and should she allow the faintest gleam of
hope to enter his bosom, the potent charm is broken. Thus, in the
bright dignity of her nature, stood Ada Garden.
The blood-stained, reckless pirate advanced not a step nearer; he stood
abashed and confused, nor gave utterance to a word of remonstrance at
her resolution. He seemed to feel that it was she, indeed, whose right
it was to command--his duty to obey. He hesitated as he spoke.
"Pardon me, signora, I came not to offend you, but to endeavour to win
your regard and esteem. Time may reconcile you to your lot--may soften
your feelings--may create a tenderer sentiment in your heart than you
are now disposed to entertain. I am not one who is in the habit of
yielding a point on which I have once determined; I must be content,
however, to look forward to the future, while I submit to your dictates
for the present. Farewell, signora, I acknowledge myself conquered; but
another time, be not too confident that you will gain the victory."
Ada endeavoured to maintain her composure, but the tone assumed by Zappa
alarmed her more than he was probably aware of. Silence she felt was
now her best safeguard. She placed her hands before her eyes to shut
out his hateful sight, while she endeavoured to nerve herself for what
might next occur.
The Greek, however, it appeared, had no wish to proceed to extremities.
Perhaps he really felt affection for her; perhaps he calculated on
receiving a handsome ransom for her. Whatever was his motive, he
determined to persecute her no more for the present, and he took the
opportunity to quit the chamber.
When she removed her hands from her eyes she was alone. She heard the
pirate descending the steps of the tower, and when she had ascertained
that he had to a certainty left it, she knelt down, and her deep sobs
told of her outraged feelings, and the anguish of her heart. She was
aroused by the return of Marianna, who promised never again to be
tempted to leave her.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
Zappa had hitherto contrived to prevent the meeting of Ada and Nina, by
compelling both of them to remain shut up in their respective parts of
the castle. The cause of this conduct it is scarcely necessary to
explain. His object was to keep Nina ignorant of the presence of her
rival, and he also hoped to bend Ada's haughty spirit by the confinement
to which she was subject. It could not, however, be supposed that Nina
should not hear rumours of the presence of a stranger in the island,
although Paolo had been careful not to hurt his sister's feelings
needlessly, by speaking of her. Little Mila, the only personal
attendant with whom she could converse, had been warned not to mention
the arrival of Ada and her attendant; and for some time she kept the
secret which was burning on her tongue; but as she suffered somewhat
from that infirmity which is said, I suspect unjustly, to be peculiar to
her sex, she at last began to think that she had kept it long enough.
She did not, however, at once announce the information she had to
communicate, but reserved to herself the pleasure of giving it out by
driblets.
"We shall have the whole castle built up as it used to be, one of these
days, I suspect, signora," she observed, as she was assisting Nina to
dress. "It would be difficult, though, to arrange a more handsome room
than this."
"No, Mila, scarcely could anything be more beautiful than this. But why
should you say so?" asked Nina, whose suspicions had already been
aroused by her attendant's previous remarks.
"Why, signora, I was comparing it with a room I have seen elsewhere,
which is also very magnificent," returned Mila.
"You have seen! Why, you have never been off this island," exclaimed
Nina.
"That is true, signora," said the Greek girl; "but the room I speak of
is on the island, and I confess it is at no great distance from this
tower."
"I was not aware that any other part of the castle was inhabited, except
the tower and the house close to it," observed Nina.
"There you are mistaken, signora. The other old tower to the east of
this, has had a room lately fitted up, very much like this, and there
lives there a good-natured, lively girl, who tells me--for we manage to
talk very well together--that she was born in an island like this, only
larger. I like her very much, though she is not at all pretty; but she
has a mistress, a young lady, who also lives in the tower, who is a
complete angel--so fair, and kind, and beautiful, though she does not
speak much, as she does not understand a word of Romaic; but I loved her
the moment I saw her, and I am sure you would do so also, signora, were
you to see her."
"A lady! young, and fair, and beautiful," repeated the Italian girl, a
feeling gushing into her bosom which was very far from being allied to
love. "Who is she? how long has she been here? what is she like?"
"As to who she is, signora, all I know is, that they say she belongs to
a people who have big ships, and have never been slaves to the Turks;
then she has been here ever since our chief came back; for he brought
her in his vessel with Signor Paolo, your brother, who knows more about
her than I do; and I suspect, loves her also not a little. And with
regard to what she is like--she is not so tall as you are, signora; but
her skin is as clear as yours, and fair as the foam blown across the
ocean in a winter's storm, with some of the hue stolen from the rose on
her cheeks; and her eyes--so soft they are, and of the same tint as the
brightest spot in the cloudless sky above our heads."
How long little Mila, having now ventured once to let her tongue run
loose on the forbidden subject, would have continued recapitulating the
praises of the stranger lady--little dreaming of the wounds she was
inflicting on the feelings of her older friend and mistress--it is
impossible to say, had not Nina interrupted her.
"I must go and see this stranger lady!" she exclaimed, in a tone which
startled the little girl, and taught her that it would have been wiser
to have obeyed orders, and not mentioned her. "Come, Mila, we will go
at once, and you shall run up into her room, and announce me."
"Oh, dear! signora, that will never do," answered the Greek girl. "You
forget that the directions of our chief forbid you to quit your tower;
and what would he say, were he to hear that you had visited that of the
stranger lady. He is certain to come back, and find you there."
Nina had, however, so determined to satisfy her jealous suspicions, that
she overruled all Mila's scruples.
"If I find them fatally true, a speedy death will be my only resource,
or, ah! that of my rival;" so ran the current of her thoughts. "I could
not let her live in the triumphant enjoyment of what I had lost--his
love. I could not bear to think that other ears but mine own hear the
tender accents of his voice, which speaks so eloquently to me of love.
'Twould be madness to know that I were flung aside for one more young
and beautiful, perchance, but one who could not feel for him one tenth
part of the intense love I bear him. I must go and see her. If she
is--oh! God, what?" And her hand touched, unconsciously, the hilt of a
small dagger she wore in her girdle.
Ada Garden was sitting in her chamber when little Mila hurried into her
presence, and intimated, as well as she could, that a lady desired to
see her, flying out at the same speed with which she entered.
As it happened, Ada did not, in the least, understand what she meant,
and supposing it was a matter of no importance, continued the perusal of
a work she held in her hand. She was startled by hearing a deep sigh,
and looking up, she saw a graceful female figure standing at the other
end of the room, with her eyes fixed intently on her. For the first
moment, the idea glanced across her mind, that her senses must have
deceived her, so statue-like was the form--so rigid was the gaze; but a
few seconds served to assure her that a human being was in her presence.
Her own look, as she lifted up her eyes, betokened surprise, though not
alarm, and there was that sweet and tranquil expression, that purity,
the consciousness of innocence, in her countenance, which the beautiful
Italian--for she was the intruder--interpreted aright. Nina did not
utter a word for some moments; but with the passionate impulse which
had, unhappily, too often guided her, she advanced towards her supposed
rival, and knelt down before her, bending her head to the ground. She
soon looked up, and gazed in her countenance with an expression of
earnest inquiry, as if she would read her thoughts.
"Lady," she at length exclaimed, "I have wronged you--I feel--I know--
you cannot be the base, the cruel being I have believed you. You would
not seek to estrange the affections of a husband from one who lives for
him alone. Say you do not love Argiri Caramitzo, the chief of this
island--you do not wish to win his love."
Astonishment prevented Ada from answering this extraordinary address,
and she hesitated, while she considered in what terms she should speak,
so that she might quickly tranquillise the agitated feelings of her
visitor, and, at the same time, avoid wounding them.
Nina seemed to mistake her silence for an acknowledgment of guilt, for
she sprang to her feet, and her dagger-blade flashed in her hand. In
another moment, it would have been stained with blood, had not Ada
exclaimed--
"Indeed you do me wrong, signora. I would not rob you of your husband's
love, for all the world can give. I am not mistaken in supposing you to
be the sister of Signor Paolo Montifalcone; and if so, I already know
your history, and, far from seeking to injure you, would do all in my
power to preserve you from harm."
"You can but injure me in one way, and that you might do unknowingly and
unwillingly," exclaimed the Italian, still regarding her with a glance
of distrust; while she clutched the weapon in her right hand, which hung
down by her side, the other being stretched out before her, as if to
prevent her supposed rival from approaching her.
Ada felt an unusual courage come to her aid. She neither trembled nor
turned pale, nor did she show any attempt to defend herself from Nina's
mistaken vengeance; but she lifted her mild blue eyes, full of
commiseration, towards the now flashing orbs of the Italian, and, in a
sweet, calm voice, she said--
"There is a Power above, which, if we seek, will arm us both--you
against such vain fears, me against the guilt, unknowing though it may
be, of winning affections which should be your alone."
A fresh impulse seized the unhappy Nina; flinging away her weapon, she
rushed forward, and throwing herself on her knees, clasped Ada's hand
and covered it with kisses.
"I have not the heart to injure you, though you should prove my
destruction," she exclaimed. "But you will not allow him to pour the
words of tender endearment into those ears; nay, if he does but think or
utter one word of love, remember, the time has come to act for your own
safety. Here, take this weapon, and promise me to employ it, should the
necessity arrive, for should you fail to do so, neither your beauty, nor
his shielding arm could save you from the maddened impulse of my hand--
the last dying effort of my strength."
As she spoke, she rose, and lifting her dagger from the ground, she
returned with it towards Ada.
"Nay, fear not, lady," she said, as she saw Ada start. "It is harmless
now. Take the dagger, and keep it as remembrance of the unhappy Nina
Montifalcone."
Nina presented the weapon, as she said this, with the hilt towards Ada,
who considered it would be more politic to accept the gift, though,
indeed, she shuddered as she did so; but she felt that she might herself
unhappily be driven to the dire necessity of employing it. She took it,
therefore, and placed it on the table by her. She then raised the
excited and unhappy girl, who had again sunk on her knees, and placed
her on a seat by her side, when, after some time, she succeeded, by slow
degrees, in completely tranquillising and re-assuring her mind.
"You are no stranger to me, Nina," said Ada Garden, affectionately
holding her hand. "Your brother has told me the whole of your history,
and his own unhappy fate. His devotion to you seems unparalleled. Do
you feel that you give it a just return?"
"Alas! no," answered Nina. "He has, I fear, sacrificed himself to me
from that dreadful night when I left my native home, confused,
bewildered, and little dreaming that it was to be for ever. But I do
not detain him; if he wishes to return he may do so."
"He came with you, and without you he will not go back," observed Ada.
"While my father lived, I would have returned to see him, at the risk of
my life--at the risk of the displeasure of one dearer than life; but now
that he is no more, no earthly power should make me quit my husband."
"But your brother has doubts of the truth of the report of your father's
death, and would still induce you to accompany him," said Ada.
"What! and allow you to remain?" whispered Nina, her fears, in a moment,
rushing back to the baneful course from which they had been diverted.
"No, lady, that were folly too great even for me to commit."
Ada saw that she was touching on dangerous ground.
"Indeed, again you wrong me, Nina," she said, tenderly pressing her
hand. "I did not believe my intentions could be so misconstrued; but I
will not mention a subject which is so painful to you."
"There are few which are not, lady," returned Nina, again appeased; "for
the very language we speak reminds me of the home I have lost, the
misery I have caused--it reminds me that I may be stigmatised as a
murderess; that the death of the best, the kindest of fathers, may be
laid to my charge; and often would such thoughts drive me to madness,
and to seek a speedy end to all my misery from the summit of yonder
cliff; but for what I have lost, I have gained a prize which recompenses
me for all--the love of one without which death would have been welcome;
a love I value more than all the earth's brightest treasure. They say
the maidens in your country are calm and cold as the snow on the
Appenines, and it were in vain, therefore, for you, lady, to attempt to
conceive what that love is. He might abandon me--he might forget me--he
might spurn me, but still I should love him, though I slew him for his
perfidy; and should die happily on the tomb to which I had consigned
him. Then do not speak to me again of quitting him;--he is my world,
and all else I have abandoned for him."
Ada, after this, did not again attempt to renew the subject--indeed,
pirate though he was, Zappa, she remembered, was, there existed every
reason to believe, the young Italian's husband; and though utterly
unworthy of her devoted affection, as she had herself too strong a proof
to doubt, Nina still owed to him the duty of a wife. She had severed
other sacred ties, in a way they can never be severed without ultimately
bringing grief and remorse to the heart of the guilty one; but she now
must abide by the consequences of her fault, and had no power to quit
him to whom she had bound herself, even to visit the deathbed of a
father. It was painful, however, to Ada, to reflect what must be the
ultimate fate of her lovely and interesting companion, when the pirate's
already waning love was burnt out--when the cast on which she had staked
her all on earth was lost for ever; or, should the lawless adventurer
meet the fate his daring expeditions seemed to court, and when death
should claim his own, she should learn that he whom she had so truly
loved was a murderer, and a robber, and had died the death of a
malefactor, what anguish, what shame, was in store for her--what a
dreary future.
The two girls, both equally beautiful in their separate styles, sat
together, without speaking, for some time, lost in their own
reflections. Both were sad--for one was a prisoner, without a prospect
of release: to the mind of the other, a picture of the home of her
youth, and her deserted, dying father, had been conjured up with the
vividness with which they had never before presented themselves, and
some pangs of remorse were agitating her mind. They were startled by a
loud peal of thunder, which reverberated through the sky, and looking
out through the casement they beheld the whole air of heaven covered
with dark rolling clouds, and the sea a mass of white foam, which a
blast, like a whirlwind, blew furiously over the surface; while the
sullen roar of the lately aroused waves was heard as they lashed the
rocks beneath the cliffs. One of those sudden tempests had arisen,
which at times visit the shores of the Mediterranean with peculiar fury;
their anger, like the rage of a human being, though short, yet causing
havoc and destruction wherever it falls. The wind, as it increased,
howled and whistled through the ruined building; the lightning darted,
with vivid flashes, from the lowering sky; and the waves, worked into
fury, rose every instant higher and higher, till they appeared like the
water of a boiling cauldron, as their white-headed crests leaped up
towards the tower, which they seemed to shake to the very base.
Marianna, followed by little Mila, rushed into the room, shrieking with
alarm; crying out that the building was going to fall about their heads;
at the same time, the rain descended so furiously, that they were afraid
to venture into the open air.
"Oh! signora, we are all going to be washed into the sea, and we shall
never more be heard of; oh! Santa Maria, have mercy on us," cried the
Maltese, rushing up to Ada, and crouching down by her side.
The Greek girl was not so much alarmed, as she had witnessed similar
tempests before, and knew how speedily they terminated; so also had
Nina, who gazed at it devoid of all fear; and whose agitated state of
mind it seemed rather to allay than increase.
"Do not be alarmed, lady," she said, smiling, as she turned to Ada.
"You may also quiet the fears of your attendant, for the masonry with
which we are surrounded has already stood firm for several hundred years
through many a fiercer storm than this; and the shocks we now feel are
not likely to shatter these old towers. They are caused by the waves
dashing under the caverned rocks beneath our feet. How furiously the
waters rage and foam at the opposition this little island makes against
them. It was during a storm like this that Argiri Caramitzo was first
brought to my father's castle. Heaven grant that he may not have been
tempted out on the sea this morning. Mila, do you know if your chief
left the harbour since I came here?"
The latter sentence she spoke in her broken Romaic, and in a tone which
showed her agitation.
"Yes, lady," answered the Greek girl, "He went on board one of the
misticos as soon as he reached the harbour, and immediately set sail."
"Great heaven, and is even now on yon troubled waters," exclaimed the
poor girl almost fainting with agitation. "And I am here, nor even till
this instant thought of him. Cannot we send out the other mistico to
assist him. Surely some of his brave followers will be found ready to
search for him. I myself will accompany them."
"Alas, signora, it would be in vain now to attempt to put to to sea,"
replied Mila, who knew more about nautical affairs than did Nina. "Yet
we need not fear for the safety of our chief--he is even now probably
taking shelter under some of the neighbouring islands. He and those who
are with him are too well accustomed to the signs of the weather not to
have perceived this storm in time to have escaped from its fury."
"Ah, I think I see a white sail flying before the wind, like a
sea-bird's wing on the summit of the waves," exclaimed Marianna, who had
been looking through the telescope at the object of which she spoke.
"Oh, it must be the mistico, then," cried Nina joyfully, hastening to
the telescope, through which she saw the white canvas, closely reefed,
of a small vessel standing for the island.
"Oh, it is the mistico," she exclaimed eagerly. "I know her by the
shape of her sails. It must be her, and they are returning in safety."
As soon as Nina had withdrawn her eye from the glass, which she did not
do for a long time, till she had fully persuaded herself that the vessel
in sight was the one she hoped, with her husband on board, Ada's
curiosity and interest were excited to watch the progress of the
mistico. On she came, careering across the foaming sea, now lifted on
the summit of a curling wave, now sunk into the deep trough between the
watery mountains, where she would remain, her sail alone visible,
apparently about to be overwhelmed by the wave which lifted its crested
head close astern of her; but again she would rise once more on the
summit of another, and as it were seated on it would fly onwards for a
long distance, again to plunge down to the dangerous depths from which
she had just emerged. To Ada the little vessel appeared in the most
imminent danger, and she expected every instant to see it disappear
beneath the waves, and wondered how she could have so long continued to
buffet them successfully. As she watched, she observed that the
mistico, instead of steering towards the west end of the island, so as
to fetch the mouth of the bay, was gradually verging towards the east;
and it struck her also that she was smaller than the mistico she had
been accustomed to see from the stern windows of the brig, while she was
living on board. But of that, of course, she was not able to form any
correct judgment, as from so great a height and distance the eye even of
the most experienced is easily deceived. She feared therefore that the
sail in sight was a stranger, and would, to a certainty, be wrecked on
the coast, without the chance of receiving any aid from the inhabitants,
who were much more likely to murder any of the unfortunate crew who
might escape the perils of shipwreck, for the sake of their clothes, and
any money they might have about them, than to assist in preserving their
lives.
Nina also had been watching, with still more intense interest, the
progress of the sail, now seen without the aid of the glass; but so
persuaded was she that it was her husband's mistico, that she did not
remark the difference of size, nor that she was not steering directly
for the harbour.
"Ah, he will be here soon, and in spite of the storm I must return to my
tower, to receive him when he comes on shore," she exclaimed in a
cheerful voice. "Lady I must bid you farewell, and as I cannot now tell
you all the love and gratitude I feel for you, I must entreat you to
allow me to visit you again. You will forget my passion and folly, and
remember only any redeeming traits you may have discovered in me. Say
you will do this, my sweet friend, before I leave you."
"Indeed I will," answered Ada, pressing both the hands which were held
out to her. "I shall think of you always with the affection of a
sister; but I must not let you go even now; for I fear greatly you will
be disappointed in your expectations. See, yonder bark; mark how her
head is turned; and tell me if she is steering for the harbour."
"Alas! that is not our chief's mistico, after all," exclaimed little
Mila, corroborating the opinion Ada had formed. "She will be wrecked,
too, and all in her will, to a certainty, perish."
"I cannot think that it is not his," said Nina. "He has some reason for
approaching the further end of the island, if, indeed, he is not about
to enter the harbour--perhaps he may purpose going round it to anchor on
the northern side."
"That vessel, as she now steers, would not get round the island, lady,"
observed the Greek girl. "I wish my grandfather were here--and he would
understand clearly all about it. Ah, there he is; and now the rain is
over I may venture out and call him up here. He will explain matters
clearly to us."
Saying this, without a thought of the consequences either to herself or
to her, should the morose old pirate think fit to inform his chief of
Nina's visit to the stranger lady, out ran the lively girl into the open
air.
She was almost blown away down the ravine by a furious gust of wind,
which caught her just as she got outside the door; but, undaunted, she
managed to work on her way, shouting loudly all the time to her
grandfather to come to her assistance; but as he was to windward, and
rather deaf, he did not hear her.
At last she reached him, and seized him by the arm to support herself,
after her fatiguing run, while she insisted on his accompanying her back
to the apartment of the stranger lady.
He looked very angry at first at being asked to go; but little Mila's
eloquence conquered, and she led him in triumph back, holding on by his
arm; but this time it was to prevent herself from being fairly lifted
off her feet, and blown along over the ground.
He made a somewhat unwilling salute to the two ladies, as he entered the
room, while Mila dragged him up to the window.
"Now tell these ladies what you think about that mistico there, which is
driving towards the shore--let me see, where is she? Alas! she has come
frightfully near."
"That mistico, why she must be a stranger to these parts, or she would
not venture near our shore; and she has a crew on board who know very
little about their calling, for they are going to wreck themselves as
clearly as possible, somewhere at the east end of the island. They
could not do it better if they were to try; and as there are only two
places on the whole coast where they have a chance of escaping, probably
in a few minutes they will have gone to the other world."
"Then you think that she is not my husband's mistico," said Nina.
"Think! why no, of course not; she is not unlike her either, lady,"
answered the old pirate. "They are strangers, who, as they are not
invited to come here, will probably have their throats cut for their
intrusion, if, by chance, they happen to get in shore alive."
"But your chief--what think you of your chief?" exclaimed Nina eagerly.
"He is safe enough under shelter of one of the islands, and will be back
here right enough to-morrow morning," answered the old man.
"Grant heaven it may be so," ejaculated Nina. "And now, Vlacco, you
must obey me in this. Collect all the men you can, and hasten along the
shore, to where that vessel will be wrecked. Remember, the life of your
chief was preserved in a similar manner, and it were impious to allow
any to perish whom we can save. Bring such as escape safe to my tower;
and beware that no one robs or injures them."
The old man, who had found that he had been very much too severe to Nina
during the last absence of Zappa, was glad of an opportunity of
regaining her favour, and accordingly promised to obey her directions.
In spite of the violence of the storm, he immediately set out to collect
some more youthful and active men to attend him; and he was soon again
seen crossing the causeway in the direction of the place towards which
the vessel was driving.
As it was scarcely possible for Nina to reach her own tower, she
continued, with Ada Garden, watching the awful progress of the mistico.
On came the little vessel, scarcely visible, amid the foam and spray
which surrounded her.
She had now got completely to the east side of the tower, whereas, when
first seen at the greatest distance, she was in the south-west. Her
course must, therefore, have been about northeast, as nearly as
possible, directly before the wind; and whatever old Vlacco might have
said to the contrary, she must have been steered by no timid or ignorant
hands.
"She may even now get round the east end of the island!" exclaimed Nina,
whose eye had seldom been off her. "If she can once do that, the
unhappy men on board her may yet escape with their lives."
"But suppose she does not, will not the old Greek and his followers be
able to rescue them?" asked Ada; who, though less apparently excited,
felt an equal, if not a greater interest in the fate of the stranger.
"Ah! she appears even now to be full a mile short of the point. And see
yonder wave which lifts her up--in another instant, it will dash her on
those frowning rocks, and all on board must perish. Oh! Heaven, have
mercy on them. There--there--they are lost."
As she spoke, a huge wave came rolling on, lifting the little vessel on
its curling summit, and, with a loud roar, bore her, with the wildest
impetuosity, towards the frowning cliffs. Downward it came with a
terrific crash, its crest flying upwards in showers of foam, and hurling
the bark, she was lost to sight among the rocks. All the females, as
they beheld the sad spectacle, uttered a cry of horror, and they fancied
that they could hear, amid the howling of the storm, the despairing
shrieks of the drowning mariners, and could distinguish, among the foam,
their dying forms, with their arms stretched out, in their agony, for
assistance, where none could come.
"They are all lost!" cried Nina, hiding her face in her hands to shut
out the dreadful sight her imagination had conjured up. "May the saints
intercede for their souls!"
Her example was followed by Marianna and Mila, while Ada, though pale
and trembling, had pointed the telescope towards the spot, for the
purpose of discovering whether any human beings had succeeded in gaining
the shore. Not a vestige of the wreck could she see; but on the summit
of the cliff, above where she supposed the vessel must have struck, she
beheld a person, whom she concluded was old Vlacco, waving, as if to
some one below. He and his followers then disappeared down the cliffs.
"There is hope yet, Nina--there is hope yet!" she exclaimed joyfully.
"Thank Heaven! some may have escaped."
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
The morning preceding the storm I have described was very lovely, and
the pirate chief had gone out at an early hour; and was standing on the
edge of the cliff overlooking the harbour and the sea, while he
meditated on the plan of some future predatory expedition he had
proposed to himself to undertake on board the _Sea Hawk_. He was
interrupted in a short time by the appearance of one of his followers,
who had come up the ravine from the bay below.
"Pardon, chief, for my thus coming on you without warning; but I have
tidings of importance to communicate," said the man, making a
reverential obeisance.
"What is it, Baldo?" asked Zappa. "Haste, I am always impatient of
news."
"It is this, chief. A boat arrived this morning, soon after break of
day, from the island of Naeiri, and a man, who has come in her,
Gerassimo Listi, one of the scouts, states that a British ship of war
has been anchored some days at the farther end of it, and that he
suspects--"
"Where is the man, this Gerassimo Listi?" exclaimed Zappa, interrupting
him suddenly. "I want not to hear his suspicions--I will examine him--
where is he, I say?"
"Under the walls of the tower, chief, waiting your return," replied the
man.
"Send him hither instantly," said Zappa. "Then go in search of Vlacco,
and tell him I would speak with him--I may have need of his counsel."
The man hurried off to obey the orders he had received, while Zappa
stood, with his arms folded on his bosom, waiting the coming of the
messenger.
"A ship of war, and British," he muttered. "There must be some cause
for her coming here. She may possibly be in search of me; but yet, how
can it be known where I am to be found? and that English merchant
vessel, I took good care that neither she nor any on board should tell
tales. Well, friend, what news do you bring me?" he asked, turning to a
man in the costume of a Greek fisherman, who now approached. "Haste,
tell it me."
"Why, chief, for the last six days, in a sheltered bay, to the west end
of our island, a brig of war, carrying eighteen guns, has been at
anchor. When she first came in, I thought she had come to remain one or
two nights only, to supply herself with water, for there is a fine
spring there, and perhaps with fuel; but she hoisted no flag, and seemed
to have no intention of communicating with the shore; and, instead of
going away, there she remained, day after day, till my suspicions of her
intentions were excited. I watched her narrowly for some time, and even
pulled close round her two days ago; and I am convinced, from her
appearance, and the language I heard spoken, that she is British. Now,
it struck me, knowing what sort of character were the people of that
nation, that she had come there for the purpose of looking out after the
_Sea Hawk_, or the mistico; and as soon as I arrived at this conclusion,
I hurried off to bring you the information."
"I believe your suspicions are turned in the right direction; and it
will be necessary to be on our guard," replied the pirate, who had
listened somewhat impatiently to the man's account.
"But here comes Vlacco--we will hear what is his opinion on the
subject."
The consultation between the pirate and his lieutenant-governor--for so
we may designate old Vlacco--was earnest and brief.
The result was that Zappa instantly descended the cliffs, down to the
bay, where the loud blast of a horn speedily collected a large number of
his followers, always ready to undertake any exploits in which he led
them.
He selected as many as he required for his purpose, and ordered them to
prepare for embarking in the mistico, called the _Zoe_, in the space of
a quarter of an hour. Meantime, he despatched a messenger to the tower
to bring his arms and some dress, which might serve him as a disguise
should it be necessary.
The island spoken of lay about thirty miles to the westward of the
harbour; and, towards it, the mistico, as she emerged from between the
cliffs, shaped her course under all sail, with the wind on the larboard
beam. The little vessel flew across the water at a rapid rate; for,
though the sea was smooth, there was a fresh breeze to fill the sails.
All the crew were in high spirits--they invariably were when Zappa led
them, as they believed he would always show them where plunder was to be
obtained; and they were not a little disappointed when he thought fit to
inform them that he now required them to perform a service not only of
no profit, but with considerable danger attending it; and yet one which
was absolutely necessary, as the safety of the island demanded it.
"You must understand, my friends, that, if the brig we have heard of,
is, as I have every reason to believe, a British man-of-war, her purpose
is either to watch for our _Sea Hawk_, and to attack her the next time
she goes out of harbour, or to destroy our strongholds on shore. How,
though, in the latter point, I do not think she would have any chance of
success, we should find her a remarkably disagreeable antagonist to the
brig; in fact, to confess the truth, it would be wiser to run away than
to fight her. Those English are determined fellows; they will tight as
long as their own ship is afloat; and, on your decks afterwards, if they
can manage to get there. Now, if I find that my suspicions are
correct--and I shall venture on board even to ascertain their purpose--
my proposal is, that we treat the enemy as we treated the Turks; we will
watch our opportunity; and, during some dark night, we will let a
fire-ship float down across their bows when they are not dreaming of any
such thing--and we will blow them all up together. We must be near to
knock on the head any stragglers, who are not killed at once by the
explosion; and then, as no one will survive to say how the accident
happened, it will be supposed her magazine caught fire; and we shall
escape all suspicion."
This speech which was made in choice Romaic--and which, doubtless,
sounded much more heroic and elegant in that idiom than in simple
English, was highly applauded by his followers--indeed, had they ever
heard of Homer, they would have considered it equal in substance and
talent to anything ever uttered by the most valiant of the heroes he
speaks of. It was scarcely concluded, however--and they were still
discussing the subject, when the man at the helm, who had kept his eye
to windward, exclaimed that he saw a black cloud to the south-east,
which he was certain betokened a sudden storm, and would advise the
postponement of all discussions till they got safely into port. He was
an old Levant mariner, who, unlike his race in general, was rather
fonder of action than words; and, though he had no objection to cut a
throat, or plunder a ship, he did not approve of talking about it.
Though he was a sulky old rascal, Zappa had great confidence in his
sagacity, and accordingly turned his eye in the direction to which he
pointed. He there saw, too certainly, a mass of black clouds which had,
by this time collected, and which, every moment adding others to their
number, came sweeping towards them.
"We must look out for ourselves, my men," he exclaimed. "Lower the
sails while we have smooth water, and close reef them. We will try to
get under the lee of the land, till the fury of the tempest has passed."
The order was no sooner given than obeyed; and the sails were closely
reefed and hoisted again before the first blast of the tempest struck
the vessel. She had by this time performed rather more than two-thirds
of her voyage, so that she had some eight miles more to go over before
she could get under shelter of the land. If she could succeed in doing
this before the height of the storm came on, she would be in comparative
safety; and if not, she might be driven far up the gulf, before she
could get under the lee of any other shore. The safest plan would be at
once to run back for their own port, which there was every probability
of their reaching, though not quite a certainty, as a shift of the wind
might possibly drive them to the northward of it. As, however, Zappa
was anxious to ascertain all about the English ship, he determined to
persevere. I have already described one or two storms, and may probably
have to introduce two or three more, so I will not weary my readers by
telling them how the waves leaped and tumbled, and foamed; and the wind
roared and the vessel struggled madly through them. It is enough to say
that it blew a very hard gale, and that the oldest mariners on board
never wished to be out in a harder. Even Zappa himself, who was
accustomed to take things very philosophically, began to think, when it
was too late, that it would have been wiser to have gone quietly home
again.
They had, fortunately, kept well to windward of their course, and were
thus able to keep well away to fetch the north of the island; thus
bringing the wind and the sea abaft the beam. Two or three seas came
rolling up after them, just before they got well in with the land, and
very nearly swamped the _Zoe_, and drowned Zappa and all his crew; which
event would, doubtless, have been a very great benefit to society in
general, although, fortunately for the interest of my history, which it
would have materially injured, it did not occur; but the pirate and his
followers got safely into a little bay, where they dropped their anchor,
and offered up their thanksgivings to their patron saints, for having
preserved them from the great danger they had just encountered.
After having thus piously performed their religious duties, they set to
work to prepare the materials for a fire-ship, with which they purposed
to blow the English brig and all her crew to the devil. The storm had
soon spent its fury, and in the evening they again got under weigh, and
beat round to the south side of the island to the bay, where they had at
first intended anchoring, it being, by far the safest, as the wind was
very likely to shift round, and blow with almost equal violence down the
gulf. Among the islands of the Archipelago, the gales generally come
from the northward, and it is consequently considered always more
prudent to anchor under a southern shore. The pirates now recollected,
as they were congratulating themselves on their own escape, that the
English brig had been seen anchored in a bay to the south-west of the
island; and they began piously to hope that she might have been driven
on shore, and lost with all her hands, which would have saved them the
expense and trouble of fitting up their fire-ship, and the risk of
attempting to use it. Before, however, they took any steps in that
direction, Zappa determined to pull up into the bay, where she was
reported to have been, and to ascertain what she was, and her purpose in
coming there. By daylight next morning, for he was an early man when
work was to be done, he was prepared to set out on his expedition.
The bay where the _Zoe_ had anchored, was about five miles from where he
believed the British vessel was to be found, so he had a long pull
before him. His boat pulled eight oars, and he selected as many of the
strongest of his hands to man them. She was a clumsy-looking craft, and
did not appear as if any amount of force could drive her through the
water; indeed, she seemed to be a mere fishing-boat, such as are used in
those waters. He had the precaution also to pile up a couple of nets in
her bow and stern, and also to take on board a large supply of fish,
which he got from some fisherman of the place, so that nothing was
wanting to complete the deception; for he had taken care that all his
men should be habited in the ordinary fisherman's dress as he was
himself.
As the boat left the side of the mistico, she had, in every respect, the
appearance of one belonging to a harmless fisherman just returned from
his day's avocation. Although Zappa had with justice full confidence in
his own masquerading talents, he wisely did not wish to run any
unnecessary risk, and he, therefore, ordered the mistico to get under
weigh, and to sweep close in shore after him, that he might, in case of
necessity, have some support at hand; she was, however, not to come
nearer than a mile from the harbour, where he expected to find the brig,
for fear of causing his character to be suspected. Every arrangement
being made, the boat shoved off--away she pulled, while he quietly sat
on the top of the nets, smoking his pipe with perfect unconcern, as if
he had nothing else to think of besides where he should find the best
market for his fish.
For about four miles the men pulled on at a rapid pace, laughing and
joking as they toiled at their oars. A headland, from which a reef of
rock projected some way out into the sea, then presented itself, and, as
they pulled round it, the mouth of a harbour gradually opened on them.
It was a secure and landlocked place, and some way up it Zappa discerned
the tall masts of the brig he was looking for. His practised eye at
once recognised her as a brig-of-war, and, as he drew nearer, he had
little doubt from her build that she was British. He had, however, made
up his mind to run every risk, so he pulled boldly up the harbour
towards her.
"Now, my men," he said, addressing his crew, "remember, everything
depends on your coolness and courage. We are going to put our heads
into the lion's mouth, and, by all the gods of our ancestors, if we give
him cause he will bite them off without the slightest ceremony. Do not
stir from your seats, and pretend not to understand a word which is said
to you, which it is not very likely you will do; but should any on board
speak Romaic, make any excuse which occurs to you for not leaving your
boat while I am on board."
By the time he had finished this address, they were within a cable's
length of the brig.
"What boat is that?" hailed the sentry on the poop.
On which Zappa, concluding that the hail was intended for him, held up a
large fish in his hand.
"A fishing-boat coming up astern, sir," said the sentry to the officer
of the watch.
"Let her come alongside, then--we want some fish," said the officer in
return.
"Ah! I think I know that brig!" exclaimed Zappa--"I am certain of it--
she is no other than the one which lay in Valetta harbour when I was
last there; and her captain, too, was, I learnt, the very officer I met
at the ball, who was dancing so frequently with my fair prisoner. Now,
by some wonderful chance or other, he has discovered that she was not
lost in the _Zodiac_, and has come here to look for her--I see it all at
once, and if I am right--good luck befriend me; for, should he discover
me, I have not a chance of escape. It would be wiser not to venture on
board, but to pull quietly back to the mistico, and to wait till night,
when we may try the effect of our fire-ship; but, then again, it is not
likely that any one but he should know me at all, and my dress is so
different to what it was when he saw me, and my beard is so grown, that
even, should I be brought into his presence, he will not probably
recognise me. I may gain something of what they are about, and the
venture is, at at events, worth making."
Zappa arrived at this conclusion as his boat ran alongside the _Ione_,
when it was rather too late to think of turning back; indeed, he felt
that his attempting to do so would at once bring suspicion on him. It
now occurred to him, that to gain any information, it would be necessary
to employ some means of exchanging ideas, and for that purpose, he must
speak a little of the _lingua Franca_ so generally made use of. With a
dauntless air, therefore, he sprang up the side, and, as he stood at the
gangway, he ordered his men to hand him up some of the finest of the
fish. While they were doing so, his eye ranged over the decks, fore and
aft, and he was glad to see that Captain Fleetwood was not among the
officers who were collected on the poop, watching him and his boat. The
gun-room steward was the first to become the purchaser of a fine dish of
fish for his master, at a very low price, too, which much astonished
him. He smelt at them, and examined their gills, and turned them over
most critically; for he could not help fancying that there must be some
defect.
The fact was, Zappa had entirely forgotten to learn what price to ask;
for, as he had seldom before acted the part of a fishmonger, he had not
the slightest conception of what was their value, and was very nearly
betraying himself thereby. He saw, however, with his usual acuteness,
that he had made a mistake, and took care to correct it with the next
purchaser, who was the midshipmen's steward, and who came accompanied by
their caterer; but though they had to pay more, the price was still so
low as to induce them to lay in a stock for future consumption. The
warrant-officers and ship's company next commenced purchasing, and all
suffered as Zappa gained experience in his new calling.
"But does not the captain eat fish?" he asked of a Maltese seaman, who
had been acting the part of interpreter. "Has his servant come to
purchase?"
"The captain does not want any fish, he is not on board to eat it,"
answered the Maltese carelessly. "I wish he were; for he must have been
out in that storm yesterday, in one of your little feluccas, and Heaven
knows what may have become of him."
"Where has he gone, then?" asked the pirate. "It would have been wiser
to have trusted himself in your fine brig here, than in one of our
native boats, which our seamen only know how to handle."
"Oh! don't ask me, my friend; we seamen have no business to talk of our
captain's doings," replied the Maltese, laughing. "But let me know
where you have learned to speak the _lingua Franca_ so well. It is not
often that I can understand ten words uttered by the fishermen of these
parts."
"I will reply to your question, friend, though you do not answer mine,"
returned Zappa. "I sailed as a boy to all parts of the coast of the
Mediterranean, till my father died, and I came home and married. I have
now a mother and sisters, besides a wife and family to support; so I can
go roving no longer. And so your captain has gone on an expedition, has
he? Have many people accompanied him, for I suppose he did not go
alone?"
"As many went as he chose to take with him," replied the Maltese. "If
he had ordered them, the whole ship's company would have gone."
"A clear answer, friend. Does anybody else wish to buy more of my fish.
Just ask them; for I must be off again to catch a fresh supply for the
support of my young family," said the pirate carelessly. "And can you
not tell me then where your captain has gone to?"
"I shall begin to think you have some reason for your curiosity, if you
ask so many questions," observed the shrewd Maltese. "I was joking
about our captain, and, if you want to see him, I can take you to him."
"Is it so?" answered Zappa, who easily divined the reason of the man's
answer, and was far too keen to be deceived by it, or to want a reply.
"I care nothing about your captain, further than that I thought I might
sell him some fish if I met him. But you can do me a service, by
telling me if I am likely to fall in with any other ships of war, or
merchantmen, with whom I may drive my trade?"
"Ah, padrone, I cannot assist you there either; for we seamen know
little of what happens outside the ship's planks," returned the Maltese.
"It is not often, though, one goes long in these seas without meeting
with a cruiser of our own country, and as for merchantmen they are thick
enough; but neither one nor the other are likely to come to such
out-of-the-way islands as these are."
"When will that man have finished selling his fish there?" sang out the
officer of the watch. "Manuel, there--Tell him, as soon as he's done,
to shove off. We ought not to hold any communication with the natives,"
he muttered to himself, as he continued his quarter-deck walk. "These
fellows are as sharp as knives, and, if we let them near us, they'll be
ferreting out something they ought not to know to a certainty."
"Ay, ay, sir," replied Manuel. "Come, Mister Fisherman, the officer
says you must not be standing talking here all day, so I'll wish you
farewell, and a good haul the next time you let down your nets."
"Thanks, friend, I am generally tolerably successful in that way,"
answered the pretended fisherman. "Farewell, I shall come alongside
again to-morrow, and I hope to find plenty of buyers. I live a little
way down the coast, and shall sure to be back, so do not buy of any one
else. Caralambro Boboti is my name. Don't forget it. Farewell,
again--"
Just as he was uttering these words, and making the usual salaam to the
poop, or rather to the officers walking on it, his eye lighted on the
countenance of a man ascending the companion-ladder which made even him
for an instant turn pale. At first the idea glanced across his mind
that he saw an apparition, but the shoulders and the body and legs came
next, and he was soon convinced that the person before him was real
flesh and blood. No less a person, indeed, than Colonel Gauntlett
ascended from below closely followed by his man Mitchell, and stood on
the deck of the _Ione_, glaring at him with a look which convinced him
that he was recognised through his disguise. There was not a moment to
be lost. If he remained where he stood, the probability was that he
would be seized; if he exhibited any fear or hurry, it would be
equivalent to condemning himself, and he and his companions would be
shot without mercy, as they attempted to escape. He felt at once that
his only chance depended on his own coolness so as to make the old
officer fancy that he was mistaken in his identity. With the most
perfect self-possession, therefore, he repeated his farewell to the
Maltese, and was about deliberately to lower himself into his boat, when
the colonel threw the whole ship into commotion, by exclaiming in a
voice of thunder--
"That's him!--The scoundrel--the pirate--stop him--fire at him. I'm
right, Mitchell, am I not? That's the villain who attacked the
_Zodiac_, and carried off my poor niece?"
"Not a doubt of it your honour. It's the thief of the world who
murdered us all, and by the holy poker I'll have him."
As he uttered these words he sprang towards the gangway, nearly
capsizing his master, and almost grasped Zappa by the croup of the neck
before anybody else understood what the commotion was all about. He
missed him, however, and the pirate, with a spring, which the imminence
of his danger would alone have enabled him to take, leaped into his
boat, and as he did so, he exclaimed to his crew, who saw that something
was wrong--
"Shove off, or we are dead men!"
The pirates waited no further words to excite them to exertion, and a
few strokes sent the boat clear off the brig's side.
So great, mean time, was the impetus Mitchell had gained, that when he
missed catching Zappa, he could not again bring himself up, and souse
overboard in the water he went, his head fortunately escaping the gunnel
of the pirate's boat by a few inches. In revenge, an old pirate
attempted to give him his _coup de grace_ with the blade of his oar, but
missed him.
"Arrah, ye cowardly thief to hit a man like that in the water, but I'll
mark ye--remember--bad luck to ye," exclaimed Mitchell, as after his
first immersion he rose to the surface, where his spluttering and cries
drew the attention of the sentry off from the pirates.
"A man overboard," was the first intelligible cry which was heard, and
scarcely was it uttered, when three or four men, headed by a midshipman,
were overboard to attempt to pick him up. Mitchell's own eagerness to
stop the pirates, very nearly prevented them from saving him, for though
he had little enough notion of swimming, he struck out manfully after
the boat, which the confusion had enabled to gain a good distance from
the vessel before any means had been taken to stop her progress. At
this juncture the first lieutenant, hearing a noise, came on deck, and
soon brought matters into order.
"Silence there, fore and aft," he exclaimed. "Let the proper crews
stand by the falls of their boats. Lower the starboard quarter boat,
and pick up the man in the water. What is it all about?"
"The pirate, sir--the villain, Zappa was in that boat. Shoot him--stop
him, Mr Saltwell, I say!" exclaimed the colonel, scarcely able to speak
from his agitation and rage.
"Sentries, fire at the men in that boat," said Mr Saltwell, in a calm
tone, which sobered down all who heard him to the proper pitch for
comprehending orders. "Hand up a dozen muskets from below, and some
ammunition. Lower the larboard quarter boat, and give chase after that
fellow."
Each order was obeyed with the rapidity with which it was given; but in
lowering the starboard gig, the after falls got jammed, and her head
came right into the water, and almost filled her. This delay prevented
the other gig from going in chase, till she had picked up the people in
the water, and taken them on board; but all caused delay, and both boats
set off in chase nearly together.
Meantime Zappa heard the noise on deck, and guessed that the colonel was
explaining who he was, and that he should soon have the boats sent after
him.
"Pull till your sinews crack, my friends," he shouted to his men. "We
have no child's play now; but keep a good heart, and we shall get
clear."
Just as he spoke, he looked back at the brig, he saw the barrel of a
musket glancing in the sun, and a shot came flying over his head.
Another followed, and buried itself in the pile of nets against which he
leaned.
"If they have no better shot among them we need not fear," he shouted.
"Keep a good heart, my men. The _Zoe_ will be close outside, and, when
we reach her, we may set the boat at defiance."
He was, by this time, nearly an eighth of a mile from the _Ione_, and
pulling directly out towards the mouth of the harbour. Several other
musket-shots had been fired at him, and hit a man in the side, and
severely hurt him, but he still declared himself able to keep at his
oar.
A long brass gun had, however, been got up on the poop, which, loaded
with musket-balls, was let fly at them. The shower fell thick around
them, and had it not been for the shelter of the nets, more than one
shot might have proved fatal to Zappa.
Another pirate was wounded, but, fortunately, not enough to disable him,
or their prospect of escape would have been much diminishes. The man
turned pale as he tried to bind a handkerchief round his arm to stop the
bleeding; but he still continued tugging at his oar.
"Never fear, my chief, we will all be pierced through and through before
we give in," he exclaimed. "Row on bravely, my comrades, row on."
The two gigs were now in full chase, rather more than a quarter of a
mile astern, and the brig had ceased firing, leaving all the work to be
performed by them. Linton had command of the first gig, Tompion of the
second, and both had some loaded muskets in their stern sheets, and all
the men had their cutlasses and pistols; all these necessary
arrangements having considerably delayed the boats, but Saltwell judged
rightly, that it would be worse than folly to send unarmed men against
such desperate characters as the pirates. There was a strong breeze
blowing nearly across the harbour, from the north-west, and, as soon as
Zappa had got from under the lee of the land, and felt the full force of
it, he considered that he should be able to make more way under sail
than by pulling. Two of the people were obliged to lay on their oars
for the purpose of hoisting it, and, as soon as the English saw this,
they set up a loud shout, thinking the chase was going to give in. They
soon saw their mistake, and, as the large lateen sail rose above the
little stump of a mast, the boat felt the force with which she was
pressed onward, and away she darted over the water. The English bent to
their oars till the good ash sticks almost cracked, each boat vying with
the other to get ahead. Do all they could, however, they could not
overtake the Greek. Linton saw that, if they were to catch the pirate,
they must kill each man who came to the helm, so as to keep the boat
luffed up in the wind. He accordingly raised a musket and fired. It
was a good shot, and, though Zappa escaped, the man next him received
the ball in his bosom. He fell back with a deep groan, a convulsive
shudder passed through his frame, and he was dead.
"If that is to be the game," exclaimed the pirate, grinding his teeth
with passion till now not expressed. "I must try which of us is the
best shot."
And forthwith he drew from under the nets two rifles which had been
concealed there.
"Steady the helm here, Baldo, while I try to punish our pursuers."
He fired. His first shot seemed to take no effect. He raised the
second; a wild shriek came across the waters, uttered by the poor fellow
who pulled the stroke oar of Linton's boat, on whom his too sure aim had
taken effect. Both boats now, in revenge, began firing as fast as the
muskets could be loaded, and the Greeks were compelled to crouch down in
the bottom of their boat to avoid the shot. Zappa kept his seat boldly
at the helm. A reef, as I said, ran off the mouth of the harbour on the
eastern side, and, to double it, so as to regain the mistico, it would
be necessary to make one if not more tacks, and here the light gigs
would have an immense advantage over him. The distance to the point
round which he must go was about three-quarters of a mile, but he
already had a good start, and, if no other accident happened, he might
hope to beat round it before the gigs could come up with him. He must
now, however, depend entirely on his sail, for neither of the two
wounded men were fit to pull an oar, and, with a diminished crew, the
chances would be against him, should the wind fail. It was an animating
struggle, and equally exciting to pursuers and pursued. Zappa
encouraged his followers, and urged them to persevere to the last,
hinting at the certainty of a rope and running noose, as the
alternative, if they were caught. Linton, on his part, cheered on his
men, and told them the safety of their beloved captain, as well as that
of a young countrywoman, depended on their overtaking the pirate.
The body of poor Knox, who had been killed, was laid down at the bottom
of the boat, and Togle, who was midshipman of the gig, took his place,
so that they very soon recovered the ground which had been lost. As
they cleared the western shore of the harbour, the wind was found to
draw more up its coast, and fresh off the water, and a slight sea came
rolling in, sparkling brightly in the sunshine, adding a life and beauty
to the scene, with which the work of death going on was sadly
disconsonant. The British seamen cheered, and bent to their oars with
renewed vigour, making the spray fly in showers, full of rainbow hues,
over the bows, as Linton spoke to them, though they wanted no fresh
stimulus to urge them to exertion.
"They will have to tack presently, and we shall soon be alongside them,"
he exclaimed. "We will pay them off, my men, and, if we do not catch
them the first tack, we will the second."
Meantime Zappa held on his course, firing occasionally at the boats, but
with less success than at first. When also he round that the wind
headed him, he began to calculate that the enemy would, to a certainty,
be alongside him before he could weather the point, and that if they
once got there, his chance of escaping was small indeed. He felt, in
truth, that he had put his head into the lion's mouth, and that the lion
was wagging his tail.
"Curses on the wind, to fail me just as I wanted it the most," he
exclaimed, measuring with his eye the distance between him and his
pursuers. "If it was not for the reef, we should have done well, and
there comes the _Zoe_, beating up to our assistance. They have heard
the firing, and guessed that something has gone wrong. Does any one
know if there is a passage through the reef? It struck me, as we came
in, that there was a spot free from sea-weed, where the water looked
deep, which should be just now on our larboard bow. Per Bacco, I see
it, and will try it. If we strike, we shall fight there to better
advantage than under weigh, and the mistico will be, soon up to our
assistance."
None of the pirates had been through the passage, if passage there were,
but all expressed the wish to try it, instead of having to beat round
the point. The helm was accordingly kept up, and, to the surprise of
the pursuers, away the Greek boat darted directly towards the rocks.
There was, as I have said, some little sea, sufficient, as it met the
impediments of the reef, to make a long line of breakers. There was one
small spot where it could not be said that there was no foam, but where
the water was rather less agitated than elsewhere. It was here that the
pirates expected to find an opening, but, as they drew near it, they
almost doubted the wisdom of making the attempt, so little prospect was
there of their being able to cross it. The English, meantime, were
rather divided in their opinions. Some thought that, driven to
desperation, they had resolved to destroy themselves and their boats;
while others were as far wrong on the opposite side, and fancied that
they were well acquainted with some passage through which they intended
to pass. Another minute would decide the question.
On the Greek boat flew with redoubled speed, as she was kept more away.
She was already among the broken water. Zappa, his nerves unshaken,
stood up to steer, while a man, leaning over the bow, tried to make out
the channel. As soon as the pirate showed himself, both the English
boats opened their fire on him; but, though several shot whistled round
his head he remained unharmed. Sea after sea, huge masses of glittering
foam came rolling in on them, threatening to fill the boat, should she
for one instant meet with any impediment.
Every man held his breath, and looked with an anxious glance ahead. On
either side, the water came dancing up and lapping over the gunnel, and
beyond, the heads of the black rocks appeared amidst the frothy cauldron
through which they sailed. Now the side of the boat almost grazed a
rock, which, had she struck, would have sent her into a thousand
splinters. A short distance more and they would be safe. The _Zoe_ had
observed them, and was standing towards them to render them assistance.
Even their enemies forbore to fire, so perilous was their situation, and
so certain appeared their destruction. On they rushed.
"I can see no passage," exclaimed the man in the bows. "We are all
lost! Ah, no! Starboard the helm--starboard! Haul off the sheet a
little! Up with the helm again! Ease off the sheet. Huzza! huzza! We
are safe!"
The last great danger was past; a bend in the channel had been
discovered, through which the boat glided; and now she floated in clear
water, and held her rapid course towards the mistico. No sooner was the
chief on board the _Zoe_, than the helm was put up, and off she ran
under all sail, with her head to the island of Lissa.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.
Doubtless, the reader will be anxious to hear by what wonderful event
Colonel Gauntlett and his man, Mitchell, had escaped from the death they
were supposed to have suffered, and whether poor Bowse, and any of the
survivors of his crew, had been equally fortunate; but, as I have matter
of still more importance to communicate in this chapter, I must entreat
him to have patience till I can return to that part of my history. We
left the old pirate, Vlacco, on his way, by Nina's directions, to give
his assistance to any who might have survived the wreck of the Greek
mistico. He had no particular wish to turn philanthropist in his old
age, so he went rather in a sulky humour, as he would very much rather
have knocked them on the head than have had, not only to save their
lives, but to refrain from touching any of their property. The orders
of his chief's lady were, however, not to be disobeyed; so he and his
companions hurried on as fast as they could go with the rope and spars
they had with them.
"Ah! there she drives," he muttered. "She might just as well have come
on shore here, and saved me the trouble of going so far. The boat is
well handled though, and her crew don't seem inclined to give it up to
the last. They don't know what they are coming to, or they would be
throwing up their arms in despair. Well, it's some people's fate to be
hung, and some to be drowned, so they must have made up their minds to
go out of the world in the last way."
He walked on for some distance further, by which time the little mistico
was close in with the rocks.
"I don't know though," he continued. "She has got past Point Ausa, and
I'm not quite so certain that she won't run right up into Ziyra Bay.
So, by the saints, she has; and if she had tried to get there, she could
not have done it better. Now, on my sons, or the sea will be too quick
for us, and will have carried those strangers away before we get there."
A few minutes more brought him and his party to the edge of a lofty
cliff, from whence they looked down into a small sandy bay, where,
already almost high and dry, lay the mistico they had seen approaching
the shore. The entrance to the bay was through a very narrow passage
between two rocks, which could only just have allowed her to scrape
through; but once inside, the force of the sea was so much broken by
them that she had received little or no damage. The waves were,
however, sufficiently high to break over her, and almost to fill her, so
that the crew were compelled to land as fast as they could. This they
accomplished by dropping down from the little stump of a bowsprit as the
water receded, and running up on to the dry sand before it returned.
"You are lucky fellows to get on shore so easily," muttered old Vlacco.
"But now you are there, you are very like mice in a trap, you cannot get
out without my assistance."
From the appearance of the bay, there seemed to be much truth in his
observation, for so perpendicular were the cliffs, that no one could by
any possibility, have scaled them.
He counted the people as they landed, and saw that there were four men
and a boy; and he was now watching to learn what they would do. There
was, as he was well aware, a narrow pathway cut up the side of the
cliff; but the lower part was concealed, by leading into a small cavern,
so that no strangers were likely to find it. It had been formed,
probably, in the days when the island was a regular fortress, and had
been thus arranged, that no enemy should land there, and take them
unawares.
The crew of the mistico immediately set to work to try and find their
way to the summit of the cliff; and it was while they were so doing that
Vlacco showed himself. He went to the lowest part of the cliff, and
beckoned to them to come under it, and then driving two of the spars
into the ground, he made a rope fast to them, and lowered it over the
cliff. It was immediately seized by the boy, who, with the agility of a
monkey, commenced hauling himself up by it, towards the summit. It was
nervous work to see him now swinging in the air, now placing his feet on
the narrow ledges of the rock, and thus making play for a few yards to
rest his arms. At last, he stood safely at the top, and taking off his
cap, cheered to his companions to follow his example.
"Many thanks, signor," he said, addressing Vlacco in a language which
sounded something like Maltese, to which nation he apparently belonged,
by his dress and the excessively dark hue of his skin.
One after the other followed, till the whole crew were safely landed.
They were all dressed as Maltese; but one of them addressed Vlacco in
Romaic, and said--
"He and his shipmates had to thank him for the assistance he had
afforded them. If our master was here, he would thank you, too; but,
poor fellow, he and the mate were washed overboard, and we now know not
where we have got to, or where to go. We must get you and your friends
on shore here to aid us in getting our vessel afloat, and we must then
try to find our way back to Malta."
"You'll not find that so easy," muttered the old pirate. "But how came
you to hit the bay in the clever way you did? No one could have done it
better who knows the island well."
"Our good luck served us, and our prayers to the saints wore
efficacious," returned the Maltese. "We did not expect to succeed so
well, I can assure you."
"Some people are not born to be drowned," muttered, in a gruff voice,
the old pirate, who, since he had given up robbing on his own account,
had no further fears on the score of the alternative generally
mentioned. "You're in luck, I say; and since you happen not to be food
for fishes, as I expected you would be by this time, I must tell you,
that I have orders to bring you into the presence of the chief lady of
this island, by whose directions I came all this way to try and save
your lives, for I should not have taken so much trouble of my own
accord, I can tell you."
"The chief lady of the island," repeated the Maltese, who saw that it
would be folly to take notice of the rude tone a the old man's
observations. "Who is she, friend?"
"Who is she? Why, the wife, or mistress, or lady love, or whatever you
like to call her, of our chief, Zappa," answered Vlacco.
"Ah?" ejaculated the Maltese, and he turned to one of his companions,
and interpreted what he had heard in a language Vlacco did not
understand.
It seemed much to affect the man, who was a young, dark-skinned Maltese,
though with features more of the European cast than theirs generally
are. He spoke a few words to the interpreter, who then said--
"But, tell me, my friend, is the lady you speak of a Greek of these
islands, or a stranger? We are anxious to know who our intended
benefactress is."
"I don't see how it matters to you, who or what she is, provided she is
of service to you," returned the pirate. "But as you want to know, I'll
tell you, she's a foreigner, and our chief seems very fond of her; and
she is of him, I should think, by the way she looks at him. Will that
answer serve you?"
The interpreter repeated what he had heard to his companion, who was
evidently greatly agitated, though he tried to master his feelings, so
as not to allow them to attract the attention of the islanders. He was
able to say a few words to the interpreter, who immediately asked--
"Has the lady been long in the island, or has she lately arrived,
friend?"
"I am not going to answer any more of your questions," replied old
Vlacco, who had gradually been losing the little amiability he ever
possessed. "I don't know why I said anything at all to you. My orders
were to see you safely into the lady's tower, where I must lock you up;
and, as soon as our chief comes back, if he takes my advice, he'll heave
you all off the top of the cliff together."
"What, is your chief absent then?" said the Maltese, with a gleam of
satisfaction in his countenance.
"He is," replied Vlacco.
"Where has he gone, friend?" asked the persevering interpreter.
"Hough," was all the old pirate would answer.
"When do you expect him back, friend?" inquired the interpreter.
To this Vlacco would not deign a "Hough;" but looked as if he was very
much inclined to shove his interlocutor over the cliff.
This put an effectual stop to further conversation with any of the
islanders; but the strangers continued every now and then, making
observations to each other in a low tone, as they proceeded on their way
to the tower.
Old Vlacco hurried them on to the causeway, and past the eastern tower,
which was the one where Ada Garden resided, till they reached the
habitation of poor Nina. He then opened the door, rudely shoved them
all in, and told them to amuse themselves as they best could in the
dark, while he went to inform the lady of their arrival.
The fury of the summer tempest had subsided, and the dark masses of
clouds had passed away, leaving only a few loitering stragglers to
follow, in order to restore the sky to all its usual brightness. The
untiring waves still continued lashing the base of the rocks; but their
roar had lessened, and the white foam no longer flew in showers of spray
up the steep cliffs.
Ada Garden and the young Italian sat at the window watching for the
appearance of the shipwrecked mariners. As Ada saw them at a distance,
she at once recognised them from their dress as Maltese, and she longed
to question them, to learn if they had come lately from their native
island, and could give her any information respecting the vessels of war
which were there; and whether the _Ione_ had yet sailed for England.
At all events, she thought, if they could effect their escape, they
might convey intelligence of her situation to Malta; and she doubted
not, trusting to the chivalry of her countrymen, that even should
Captain Fleetwood have sailed for England, every effort would be made
for her release. She whispered her hopes to Nina, who understood and
promised to forward her wishes.
"I should much like to speak with these poor men myself," she observed.
"But my so doing might excite suspicions which might effectually
counteract it, and bring destruction on their heads."
"Fear not, lady; I will speak to them, and urge them to convey tidings
of you," said Nina. "For though I think not my husband would allow
innocent men to be injured, yet of late he has done acts and said things
which make me very wretched, though I do not comprehend them. Even
Paolo has of late come to see me but seldom, and is more silent and
reserved than I ever before remember him. I know not where it will all
end, but now and then dark shadows pass before my sight, and congregate
in the distance, till the whole future seems full of them. But I rave,
lady. Ah! here come the strangers."
Ada had scarcely listened to what her companion was saying, so intently
had she been watching the Maltese seamen. Her heart beat so quick with
agitation, that she felt it would overcome her strength; hope and fear
rose alternately in her bosom, yet she was sure she was not mistaken.
Notwithstanding the disguise, the dark-stained skin, she was as certain
nearly as of her own existence, that she beheld Charles Fleetwood. Love
cannot be mistaken. And yet his air and walk were not as usual; the
independent, buoyant step was not there, the free, bold carriage of the
gallant sailor was gone, and he seemed to drag on his steps as if weary
of life, instead of being engaged in an expedition, which she well knew
must be to rescue her. She had loved him before, but as she now saw him
risking his liberty and his life for her, all the tenderest feelings of
a woman's nature gushed forth, and she longed to rush into his arms to
tell him of her gratitude, and deep, undying devotion. She longed to
call him to make him look up, to soothe his heart by letting him know of
her safety; but prudence restrained her; she felt that the slightest
sign of recognition might prove his destruction, and she endeavoured to
conceal her feelings even from him. But the quick glance of the young
Italian soon discovered that she was suffering from some powerful
emotion, and the direction of her eyes betrayed the cause. She at once
saw that there was some one she knew, but as Ada said nothing, she
thought it kinder not to utter her suspicions.
"I shall soon discover when I see them together," she said, mentally.
"And I will not agitate her by asking her questions."
In her heart of hearts, Nina hoped that the strangers would be able to
assist Ada in her flight, for though she felt herself attracted to the
beautiful stranger, she was not the less anxious to get her safe out of
the island.
Nina accordingly rose to take her departure, observing that the storm
was over, and that she must hasten to make arrangements about the
shipwrecked strangers, and to send for her brother to aid her, as they
were not likely to receive much assistance or commiseration from Vlacco.
She looked attentively at Ada as she said this, and the expression of
thankfulness which she saw on her countenance convinced her still more
that she was right in her conjectures.
As soon as the shipwrecked seamen found themselves alone, the one who
had hitherto appeared of the least importance, and had been seen to put
on so dejected an air, on hearing that they were to be conducted into
the presence of the chief's wife, was now evidently considered by the
rest as their leader. By a strenuous effort he aroused himself,
observing, in a language which was much more like pure English than
Maltese, "We must, while we can, examine the condition of the fortress
in which we are confined; we may find it necessary to try and let
ourselves out. Except the door, there seems, however, to be no outlet;
but there is a gleam of light coming down from the further corner, and
there must be an aperture to let it through."
"I will go in, and see all about it," exclaimed the Maltese lad, also
speaking remarkably good English, and in a few minutes, his voice was
heard calling on his companions to find their way to the foot of the
steps, and to follow him into the chamber above.
In a few minutes, the whole party were assembled in the apartment I have
described as the pirate's chief store-room.
"The enemies have chosen to put us in possession of the fortress, and
have given us every means of keeping it," exclaimed the Maltese lad,
examining the arms and ammunition. "All we have to do, is to barricade
the door below, and we might hold out a long siege."
"And very little use that would be, when our object is to get away as
fast as we can," returned another. "However, we know where to find a
good supply of arms if we want them."
Meantime, their leader, and the one who had acted as interpreter, had
gone together into the story above.
"It is too true, then," exclaimed the first, after they had examined the
apartment, looking as if he could scarcely restrain his grief. "This is
evidently a lady's chamber, and furnished, too, with all the luxury and
treasure the pirate would lavish on his wife. Yet it cannot be hers. I
know her too well--gentle and affectionate as she is, she would die
rather than submit to such degradation. But what is this?" he took up a
book, which lay on the table.
It was one he had often seen in the hands of Ada Garden, and her name
was on the title-page. Charles Fleetwood, for he it was who had come to
rescue her he loved, as he discovered this fatal confirmation of his
worst fears, covered his face with his hands, and groaned. But he
quickly recovered himself.
"No, no--I will not believe it. The thought is too horrible--too
dreadful. I wrong her to entertain it for an instant. Yet, who can be
this lady the old pirate spoke of? He said she would soon be here.
Would to heaven she were come?"
The whole party had just collected together in the lower story, when
they heard the gate open, and, a female figure appeared at the entrance.
Captain Fleetwood's heart beat audibly, for, during the first moment, he
could not tell whether it might not be Ada Garden; but the next, a gleam
of light, and to him it was one of sunshine, exhibited a graceful and
beautiful person; but a stranger. In his satisfaction, he was very
nearly forgetting himself, and rushing forward to inquire for Ada. She
stopped to address the old pirate, who had opened the gate.
"You have treated these poor men with scant hospitality, thrusting them
down here, wet and hungry," she observed to him, in an angry tone.
"Conduct them up to my room, and I will inquire whence they come, and
how they happened to be cast on the shore. Send, also, for Signor
Paolo, for some of them seem hurt, and may require his aid; and, good
Vlacco, see that food be supplied to them, of the best the island
affords, and let a chamber be prepared for them in the house, near to
the room where my brother sleeps. We will, at least, endeavour to be
hospitable to the few strangers who are ever likely to visit our
shores."
Nina ascended to her chamber, into which Vlacco directly afterwards
ushered the Maltese seamen. She inclined her head in acknowledgment to
the reverence they made her, and then ordered Vlacco to retire, and to
fulfil her directions.
"Do any of you speak Italian?" she asked in that language.
"_Si, signora_, I do," said Fleetwood, stepping forward. "I am also
eager, in the name of my comrades, to thank you for your interference in
our favour; nor are we at all assured, that without it, our lives would
have been safe, had we fallen into the hands of some of those
islanders."
"As to that," returned Nina, "I cannot say. They are rude men, and are
little accustomed to encounter strangers. But I am glad to be of
service to you, and will be of more, if you can point out the way."
"The greatest you can render us, signora, will be to order some twenty
or thirty men to aid us in launching our mistico. She is, fortunately,
uninjured, and we may thus be enabled to continue our voyage."
"They shall do so to-morrow morning, by which time the sea will be
calm," said Nina. "I have ordered lodging and food to be prepared for
you. And tell me, can I, in any other way, serve you?"
Fleetwood felt a strong inclination to confide in her completely.
Before, he had dreaded seeing Ada as the mistress of the tower; and now,
he almost wished that she had been, for the dreadful thought occurred to
him that she might be dead. He was considering how he should frame some
question to learn the truth, when his eye fell on the book, which he
knew contained her name. He took it up, and, as if by chance, his eye
had now, for the first time, seen it, he pointed it out to Nina.
"Lady," he said, "do you know the person to whom this book belongs?"
"No," returned Nina; "I know no lady of that name--but stay. Is the
lady young, and fair, and beautiful, for, if so, I have just parted with
her?"
"She is, she is!" exclaimed Fleetwood, in a voice of agitation, the
colour rushing to his face, and showing through the darkly-stained skin.
"Where is she, lady? Oh, tell me!"
Nina smiled.
"You have betrayed yourself, signor," she answered. "But you may
confide in me--I will not injure you. I thought from the first, that
you were not a common seaman, in spite of your costume. Such speak not
with the accent you do. You take a great interest in this fair girl.
Confess it."
"I do, signora; and, moreover, I would risk everything to rescue her."
"I thought as much," returned Nina. "I may find means to serve you--and
will do so. But remember, signor, that I may also some day call upon
you to assist one who, although you may look upon him as an enemy, may
demand your aid. Promise me that, should I ever require it, you will
exert all your energies--you will strive to the utmost--you will even
risk your life and safety, if I demand it of you, to serve him I will
not now name. Say you will do this, and you enable me to do all you
require. Otherwise, I cannot; for in aiding your wishes, I am
disobeying his orders, and I cannot justify my conduct to myself."
"You must remember, signora, that a naval officer, and, I confess to
you, that I am one, owes his first duty to his country; next that,
gladly will I obey your wishes," returned Fleetwood. "If any one, in
whom you take interest, is in difficulty, and I have the means to save
him, I promise, faithfully, to do so. More, I cannot say. Will that
satisfy you?"
"It does. Say, whence did you come--and whither were you bound, when
you were driven on this coast. It may be necessary to show that I have
not forgotten the most important part of the examination."
"We come from Malta and were bound for Smyrna, but were driven out of
our course by a gale of wind, in which we lost our master and mate. Our
vessel was wrecked, and becoming the purchasers of the mistico, we
endeavoured to find our way home in her. None of us, however,
understanding navigation, we were afraid to continue our voyage till we
found some one to supply their place. This, lady, is the story we have
to tell, to account for our appearance on the island; but, in one point,
believe me, I do not deceive you, when I assure you, that we come not
here to injure, in any way, the chief of this island."
"Enough, signor; I trust to you," replied Nina. "I will now have you
and your companions conducted to the apartments prepared for you. There
is but small habitable space in the castle, extensive as it once was,
and it would lead to suspicions were you to be better lodged."
She clapped her hands, and little Mila appeared, to conduct the
strangers to the abode Nina had selected for them.
Left alone, she stood, for an instant, a picture of misery.
"Alas, alas!" she repeated to herself, "everything I hear and see
convinces me that his course is one full of danger, if not, also, of
crime. But I am acting for the best, and am gaining a power which may
serve him at his utmost need. I am doing what is right."
Poor Nina, the idol she had set up was gradually changing his god-like
radiance for a sombre hue, his heavenly countenance for one of dark
malignity. So must all false idols change. The brighter and more
beautiful they appear at first, the blacker and more hideous will they
become.
The adventurers had retired to rest. Their couches were composed of
heather, scattered along the sides of the room; but it was covered with
thick cloths and rugs, and formed no contemptible resting-place; their
drenched clothes had been well dried, and they had enjoyed a plentiful
meal. Even Fleetwood had done justice to it; and the Maltese lad, who
was no other than our friend Jack Raby, astonished little Mila by the
prodigious extent of his midshipman's appetite.
Another seeming Maltese was a person the reader is probably not prepared
to meet. He was our friend Bowse, late master of the _Zodiac_, who,
having been rescued from the fate which hung over him, had entreated
Captain Fleetwood to be permitted to accompany him, and to share his
dangers in recovering Miss Garden.
The Greek captain, Teodoro Vassilato, was the person who had acted as
interpreter. He had once been taken prisoner by the pirates, and having
a little private revenge of his own to satisfy, he had offered his
services, which were too valuable to be refused.
The last person was really a Maltese seaman, long a faithful attendant
on Fleetwood. He was to be put forward as the most prominent person,
should any doubt arise as to their being really Maltese.
As the reader may have suspected, the shipwreck was the result of design
rather than chance or mismanagement; and though they had long been
waiting for a gale of wind, better to account for it, and as the most
certain means of getting a footing on the island, they had scarcely
bargained for one of such violence.
As, however, Captain Vassilato was confident of the spot, they resolved
to stand on. They well knew the danger they were running--for they felt
that it would be almost certain death, should the pirates discover them;
but they had strung up their nerves for the work, and all were anxious
to serve Captain Fleetwood, and to rescue Ada Garden from captivity.
Fleetwood had thrown himself on his couch, thinking of Ada, and
pondering how he might beat obtain an interview with her, when the door
slowly opened, and a dark figure entered, holding a light in his hand.
He attentively scrutinised the countenances of the sleepers, and then
stopping before Fleetwood, he threw the light full on his face, so as to
awaken him thoroughly, had he slept, and beckoned to him.
Fleetwood sprang to his feet.
"Follow me, signor," whispered the stranger, in Italian. "I have come
to conduct you into the presence of one you have long wished to meet."
"To the English lady?" he asked, his voice trembling with agitation.
The stranger laid his finger on his lips as a signal of silence, and
beckoned him to follow.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
After the _Ione_ had left Cephalonia, she commenced her intricate
passage among the innumerable isles and islets of the Grecian
Archipelago, towards Lissa, in the neighbourhood of which his new friend
Teodoro Vassilato, the captain of the _Ypsilante_, had appointed a
rendezvous with Captain Fleetwood.
On first starting, they were favoured with a fair breeze; but no sooner
did they get among the labyrinthine mazes of the islands, than a foul
wind set in, and delayed them in a manner which sorely tried Fleetwood's
impatient spirit. Any one who has cruised among those islands will know
the difficulty of the navigation, and the necessity for constant
watchfulness. Besides the thousand islands and islets, there are, in
every direction, rocks of all sizes, some just below the water, others
rising above it to various heights; and although there are no regular
tides, there are powerful and very variable currents, and many a ship
has been cast away in consequence of them--the master, by his
calculations, fancying himself often well free of the danger, on which
he has been in reality running headlong.
The _Ione_ had stood to the southward, and had tacked again to the
northward, with the island of Milo blue and distant on her weather beam,
when, just as the sun, in his full radiance of glory, was rising over
the land, the look-out ahead hailed that there were breakers on the
starboard bow.
"How far do you make them?" asked Linton, who was the officer of the
watch, as he went forward to examine them himself with his telescope.
"By Jove! there is a mass of black rocks there; and I believe there is
somebody waving to us on them," he exclaimed. "Here, Raby, take my
glass, and see what you can make out."
"I can make it out clearly, sir," replied the midshipman. "There are a
number of people on them, and they have a sheet or blanket, or something
of that sort, made fast to a boathook or small spar, and they are waving
it to attract our attention."
"They have been cast away, then, depend on it, and we must go and see
what we can do for them," said Linton. "Run down and tell the captain;
and, as you come back, rouse out the master, and ask him how close we
may go to the rocks."
The captain and master, as well as all the officers, were soon on deck,
and the brig was looking well up towards the rocks, within a few cables'
length of which, to leeward, the pilot said they might venture.
There was a good deal of sea running, for it had been blowing very hard
the previous day; but the wind had gone down considerably, and Captain
Fleetwood expressed his opinion that there would not be much difficulty
in getting the people off the rocks, provided they could find an
approach to them on the lee side; but on getting nearer, the rock
appeared to be of so small an extent, that the waves curled round it,
and made it almost as dangerous to near it on one side as on the other.
"I think that I can make out a part of the wreck jammed in between two
rocks, just flush with the water," observed Saltwell, who had been
examining the place with his glass. "An awkward place to get on."
"Faith, indeed, it is," said the master. "If we hadn't come up, and
another gale of wind had come on, every one of those poor fellows would
have been washed away."
"It is an ill wind that blows nobody good," remarked the purser, who was
a bit of a moralist in a small way. "Now we have been complaining of a
foul wind--and if we had had a fair one, we should have run past those
rocks without ever seeing the people on them."
"No higher," exclaimed the gruff voice of the quarter-master, who was
conning the ship. "Mind your helm, or you'll have her all aback."
"The wind is heading us," muttered the man at the wheel; "she's fallen
off two points."
"Hands about ship," cried Captain Fleetwood. "We'll show the poor
fellows we do not intend to give them the go-by. Helm's a-lee! Tacks
and sheets! Main-topsail haul. Of all, haul."
And round came the brig, with her head to the eastward, or towards the
island of Milo. She was at this time about two miles to the southward
of the rock, and that the people on it might not suppose that she was
about to pass them, Captain Fleetwood ordered a gun to be fired, to
attract their attention, and to show them that they were seen. This
appeared to have a great effect; for the officers observed them through
their telescopes waving their signal-staffs round and round, as if to
exhibit their delight.
"They seem as if they were all drunk on the rock there," said Linton.
"I never saw people make such strange antics."
"I fear it is more probable that they are mad," observed the captain.
"I have known many instances in which men have been thus afflicted, who
having nothing to satisfy their hunger or thirst, have been tempted to
drink salt water."
"It proves that they must have been a long time there. We must not keep
on long on this tack, master, I suspect."
The _Ione_ was soon about again on the starboard tack, and away she
flew, every instant nearing the rock. It soon became evident that
Captain Fleetwood was right in his suspicions; for, as they drew closer,
they could see that some of the unfortunate wretches had thrown off all
their clothing, and were dancing, and leaping, and gesticulating
furiously--now joining hands, and whirling round and round, as fast as
the inequalities of the ground would allow them, then they would rush
into the water, and then roll down and turn over and over, shrieking at
the top of their voices. Some, again, were sitting crouching by
themselves, moving and gibbering, and pointing with idiot glance at
their companions, and then at the vessel. Two or three figures were
seen stretched out by the side of the rock, apparently dead or dying.
In the centre and highest part of the rock, a tent was erected, and
before it were several persons in a far calmer condition. Some were
waving to the brig, others were on their knees, as if returning thanks
to Heaven for their approaching deliverance, and two were stretched out
on rude couches formed of sails, in front of the tent, too weak to stand
up. At last the _Ione_ got under the lee of the rock, and hove to.
"We must take great care how we allow those poor fellows to get into the
boats," said Captain Fleetwood. "I need not tell you how much I value
every moment; at the same time, in pity for those poor wretches, we must
endeavour to rescue them--I propose, therefore, to anchor the cutter at
two cables' length from the rock, and to veer in the dinghy till she
drops alongside them; we must then allow only two at a time to get into
her, and then again haul her off. How many are there--do you count, Mr
Linton."
"About forty, sir, including those who appear dead or dying," returned
the second lieutenant.
"Twenty trips will take about two hours, as the cutter must return once
to the ship with her first cargo. It will be time well spent, at all
events," said Fleetwood, calculating in his mind the delay which would
be thus occasioned in discovering where Ada had been conveyed, and
attempting her rescue. "Mr Saltwell, I will entrust the command of the
expedition to you," continued the captain. "Mr Viall," to the surgeon,
"we, I fear, shall want your services on board; but, Mr Farral," to the
assistant-surgeon, "you will proceed in the cutter, and render what aid
you consider immediately necessary. Take, at all events, a couple of
breakers of water, and a bottle or two of brandy. You will find some
stimulant necessary to revive the most exhausted--I should advise you,
Mr Viall, to have some soft food, such as arrow-root, or something of
that nature, boiled for them by the time they come off. They have
probably been suffering from hunger as well as thirst, and anything of a
coarse nature may prove injurious."
The cutter was hoisted out, and every preparation quickly made. Numbers
of volunteers presented themselves, but Linton's was the only offer
which was accepted, as he undertook to go on to the rock in the first
trip the dinghy made, and to render what aid he could to those who
appeared to be on the brink of dissolution, when even a few minutes
might make the difference, whether they died or recovered. Mr Saltwell
gave the order to shove off, and away the cutter pulled up towards the
rock, with the dinghy in tow, on her work of humanity.
The captain and those who remained on board watched the progress of the
boats, as well as the movements on the rock, with intense interest. It
is scarcely possible to describe the excitement on the rock, caused by
the departure of the boat. If the actions had before been extravagant,
they were now doubly so; they shrieked, they danced, they embraced each
other with the most frantic gestures; and, indeed, appeared entirely to
have lost all control over themselves.
The cutter dropped her anchor at the distance it was considered
advisable from the rock; but her so doing seemed to make the unhappy
maniacs fancy that she was not coming to their assistance, and their joy
was at once turned into rage and defiance. One of them leaped into the
water and endeavoured to swim towards the boat. Linton, who had taken
the precaution before leaving the ship to arm himself, as had Raby, who
was his companion, instantly leaped into the dinghy, with the two men
destined to pull her; and they urged her on as fast as they could to
succour the unhappy wretch, slacking away at the same time a rope made
fast to the cutter. They had got near enough to see his eye-balls
starting from his head, as he struck out towards them, his hair
streaming back, his mouth wide open, and every muscle of his face
working with the exertion of which he himself was scarcely conscious,
when, as he was almost within their grasp, he uttered a loud shriek, and
throwing up his arms, sank at once before them. A few red marks rose
where he had been, but they were quickly dispersed by the waves.
"The poor fellow must have broken a blood-vessel, sir," said Raby.
"No, indeed," replied Linton, "every artery must have been opened to
cause those dark spots. A ground shark has got hold of him, depend on
it. Heaven grant we do not get capsized, or our chance of escape will
be small. But, hark! what language are those fellows speaking? It is
French, is it not?"
"French, sure enough, sir," replied Jack Raby. "I thought so, before we
left the cutter."
"_Sacre betes Anglais_! How dare you venture here? This is our island,
far better than your miserable Malta. We have taken possession of it,
and will hold it against all the world. Begone with you, or we will
sink you, and your ship to the bottom; off, off."
As they were uttering these words, they continued making the most
violent gestures of defiance and contempt, but this did not prevent
Linton from approaching the rock. It was larger than it had appeared to
be at a distance; and at the spot to which he was making there was a
little indentation where the water was comparatively smooth. I have
said that there was a group of men in front of a tent, at the higher
part of the rock, and these they now observed, were armed, and had
thrown up a sort of fortification, with planks and chests, and spars,
and other things cast on shore from the wreck, aided by the natural
inequality of that part of the rock.
"Good Heavens!" thought Linton. "And on so small a spot of ground,
could not these men rest at peace with each other?"
Just as the dinghy was within two boat-hooks' length of the rock, a
voice from among the group, hailed in English,--"Take care, sir, or
those fellows will murder you all. They have been threatening to do it.
But if we could but get up a few drops of water here, we should soon be
able to quiet them."
"I have the water for you, and I will try what I can do to pacify them,"
shouted Linton, at the top of his voice. "_A present, mes amis_" he
said in French; "we have come here as friends to aid you; we do not want
to take your island, to which you are welcome; and to convince you that
we do not come as enemies, any two of you can go off to the large boat
there, where they may have as much food and water as they require."
Two of them rather more sane than the rest, on hearing this, shouted
out,--"Food and water, that is what we want--you are friends, we see--we
will go."
"No, no--if any go, all shall go!" exclaimed the rest, rushing down to
the water; but, so blind was the eagerness of the mass that these were
precipitated headlong into the sea, and would have become food for the
ground sharks had not Linton and his companions hauled them into the
dinghy. He was now afraid that he should be obliged to return at some
risk with the boat thus heavily laden, but before doing so he determined
to make one more attempt to join the people on the top. His first care,
before letting the boat again drop in, was to pour a few drops of
brandy-and-water down the throats of the two Frenchmen they had rescued.
This so revived them, and with their immersion in the water, so
restored their senses, that they rose up in the boat and shouted out to
their companions:--"These men are friends--receive them as brethren
among you, and we will be answerable for their honesty."
"Now, messieurs, is your time," said one. "Hasten, if you desire to get
on shore, or their mood will change."
"Pull in," cried Linton, and in another moment he and Raby, who carried
a breaker of water on his shoulder, sprang on shore while the boat was
hauled back to the cutter.
There they stood for an instant confronting the most ferocious looking
beings it is possible to conceive in human shape. Their beards were
long, and their hair wet and tangled, and hanging down over their
shoulders, their eye-balls were starting from their heads, and their
limbs were emaciated in the extreme, lacerated, and clotted with blood
and dirt--scarcely any of them having a rag of clothing to cover them.
"Now, my friends, allow us to proceed to a place where we may sit down
and discuss our plans for the future," said Linton, hoping thus to keep
them quiet till he could get nearer the summit of the rock.
"_Waistcoat bien, c'est bien_," they answered. "Monsieur is a man of
sense," said one, with a maniac leer at his companion. "We will allow
him to make merry at our next feast, eh, comrades?"
And they laughed, and shouted at the wit of the poor wretch.
"We will proceed, then," said Linton, who found them pressing on him.
"Push on, Raby, and try and gain the top before these madmen break out
again. Let us advance, messieurs."
"What, and join our enemies in the castle up there?" sneered the maniac,
who had proposed them joining their feast, of the nature of which they
could have little doubt. "No, no. We see that you are no friends of
the French, so over you go to feed the fishes."
As he uttered these words, he made a rush at Linton, who with difficulty
leaped out of his way, when the miserable wretch, unable to stop
himself, ran on till he fell over into the water, where his companions
derided his dying struggles. This attracted the attention of some; but
the others made a rush at Linton, who had just time to draw his cutlass,
and to keep them off from himself and Raby, who, hampered with the
water-cask, could do little to defend himself.
So rapidly had the events I have mentioned taken place, that there was
not time even for the dinghy's return to bring them assistance. Had
Linton chosen to kill his assailants, he might easily have preserved his
own safety; but unwilling to hurt them, unconscious as they were of what
they were about, he was very nearly falling a victim to his own
humanity. As he and Jack Raby sprang up the rock they got round them,
and on a sudden they found themselves attacked from behind. On turning
his head for a moment, a powerful wretch seized his sword by the blade,
and though it was cutting his hands through and through he would not let
it go. At the same instant others threw their arms round his neck, and
were dragging him to the ground, where in all probability they would
instantly have destroyed him, when two persons sprang down from the top
of the rock with heavy spars in their hands, and striking right and left
on the heads of the maniacs, compelled them to let go their hold, and
allow Linton and Raby to spring to their feet.
"Now, sir, now is your time!" exclaimed one of their deliverers. "Up to
the fortress before they rally. They have had such a lesson that they
will not think of coming there again."
Neither of the officers required a second call, and in an instant they
were in front of the tent.
"You have brought us water, sir. Thank Heaven, the breaker has not been
injured!" exclaimed the man, who had aided them so effectually, taking
it from Raby's shoulder, who poured out some into a cup which he had
brought for the purpose. As he did so Raby examined his countenance,
which, though haggard and emaciated, he recognised as belonging to an
old friend.
"What, Bowse!" he cried. "Is it you?--I am, indeed, glad to find that
you have escaped from the pirates, though we find you in a sorry
condition enough."
"Ah, Mr Raby, I knew the _Ione_ at once, and glad I am to see you,"
answered Bowse, filling the cup with water. He was about to carry it to
his own mouth, but by a powerful effort he restrained himself,
muttering, "There are others want it more than I do."
And he handed it to Linton, pointing to one of the sufferers on the
ground. Linton took the cup, and pouring a few drops of brandy into it,
gave it to the person indicated.
"What!" he exclaimed, as he did so. "Do I, indeed, see Colonel
Gauntlett? Tell me, sir, is Miss Garden here? I need not say how much
it will relieve the mind of Captain Fleetwood to know that she is safe."
The colonel groaned as he gave back the cup, saying--
"Indeed, I know nothing of my poor niece."
In a few minutes a cup of water had been given to each of the persons
round the tent, the reviving effect of which was wonderful on even the
most exhausted. Meantime the unhappy wretches on the lower part of the
rock were shrieking and gesticulating as before, but instead of looking
at the boats they now turned their eyes towards those who were quenching
their raging thirst with the supply of water brought by Linton and Raby.
At this juncture the dinghy returned, and the men in her succeeded by a
_coup de main_ in getting two men off, when by a less forcible manner
they would probably have failed. The moment they reached the rock they
leaped on it, holding the boat by the painter, and before the Frenchmen
were aware they had seized two of them who had jackets to catch hold of,
and had hauled them into the boat. A second time the manoeuvre had
equal success, and thus six were got off without much trouble. Linton
now bethought him of trying to soothe some of them by giving them water,
and at last he succeeded in attracting one of them up the rock by
holding up a cup of water. The man took it and quaffed it eagerly.
"_C'est mieux que le sang_," he exclaimed in a hollow voice, followed by
a fierce laugh. "_More, more, more_."
The lieutenant considered that he might give him a little more, and
others seeing that their comrade was obtaining that for which they had
been longing, came up and held out their hands for the cup, their manner
and the unmeaning look of their eyes showing that they were more
influenced by the instinct of animals than the sense of men.
By degrees the whole of them came up and obtained a cup of water, and
Linton had the satisfaction of seeing that they had become much calmer
and more manageable. He, in consequence, thought he might venture down
to examine the condition of the still more unfortunate beings who sat by
themselves, altogether unconscious of their condition, as well as of
those he had seen stretched out at their length near the edge of the
rock. Bowse, however, recommended him not to attempt to do so till a
greater number of the maniacs had been got off. "If Mr Raby and I, and
Mitchell, there," (meaning the colonel's servant, who was the second man
who had come to their rescue), "were to accompany you, and it would not
be safe for you to go alone, those poor wretches might attack our
fortress and murder all in it; and to say the truth, I am afraid you can
do very little good to any of them."
Bowse's arguments prevailed, and Linton and Raby set to work to get the
people into the dinghy. He found the best way was to give them a little
water at a time, and then to promise them more directly they should
reach the cutter. In this way several more were got off, the seamen
seizing them neck and heels the moment they got near the dinghy, and
tumbling them in. At last Linton, leaving Bowse in charge of what he
called the fortress, proceeded with Raby and Mitchell, carrying the
remainder of the water to aid those who either could not or would not
move. The first man they came to lay moaning and pointing to his mouth.
No sooner did his parched lips feel the cooling liquid than he sat
upright, seizing the cup in both his hands, and drained off the
contents. Scarcely had he finished the draught than, uttering a deep
sigh, he fell back, and, stretching out his arms, expired. On the next
the water had a more happy effect: the eye, which at first was glazed
and fixed, slowly acquired a look of consciousness, the muscles of the
face relaxed, and a smile, expressive of gratitude, seemed to flit
across the countenance of the sufferer. The next, who was sitting by
himself, almost naked, with his feet close to the sea, received the cup
with a vacant stare, and dashed the precious liquid on the ground, while
the cup itself would have rolled into the sea, had not Raby fortunately
saved it. They, however, again tried him with more, and no sooner did
the water actually touch his lips than he seemed as eager to obtain it
as he was before indifferent to it. When the dinghy returned, these two
were lifted into her, and conveyed on board the cutter. The cutter had,
by this time, a full cargo on board, which she transferred to the
_Ione_, and then returned, anchoring closer in with the rock than
before. While Linton and his companions were attending, as I have
described, to the most helpless of the French seamen, they were followed
closely by the remainder, who watched their proceedings with idiot
wonder.
The threatening gestures of the gang, who were behind, made him glad to
find a way by which he could retreat to the summit of the rock, where he
found assembled, besides the persons I have already mentioned, the
second mate and three British seamen of the _Zodiac_, as also the
captain of a French brig-of-war, which it appeared had been wrecked
there, four of his officers and five of his men, who were the only ones
who had retained their strength and their senses; and many of them were
so weak that they had not sufficient strength to walk down to the boats.
Linton accordingly sent for further assistance, and two more hands came
off from the cutter, both for the purpose of carrying down the
sufferers, and of defending them in the mean time from any attack the
maniacs might make on them. Colonel Gauntlett, although at first unable
to walk, quickly recovered, and insisted on having no other assistance
than such as Mitchell could afford in getting to the boat. The French
captain had suffered the most, both from bodily fatigue and mental
excitement.
All this party having been embarked, Linton advised that the cutter
should return to the ship, and begged that four more hands should be
sent him, with a good supply of rope-yarns. While the boats were
absent, he tried to calm and conciliate the unhappy beings on the rock;
but, although they no longer attempted to injure him, it was evident
that they abstained from doing so more from fear than good will.
They were in all, remaining alive, twelve persons; and, when the dinghy
returned, he found his party to amount to eight men, with whom he
considered he should easily be able to master the others. The
unfortunate Frenchmen had not sense to perceive what he was about, and
he had captured and bound three before they attempted to escape from
him. Then commenced the most extraordinary chase round and round the
rock. In a short time three more were bound, and these Linton sent off
before he made any further attempt to take the rest. There were still
six at large, fierce, powerful men, who evaded every means he could
devise to get hold of them without using actual force. He was still
unwilling to pull away, and leave them to their fate; at length he
ordered his men to make a simultaneous rush at them, and to endeavour to
trip them up, or to knock them over with the flats of their cutlasses.
Pour of them were secured, though they had their knives in their hands,
and made a desperate resistance; the others, they were two, who appeared
to be the maddest of the party, darted from them, and, before they could
be stopped, leaped off, on the weather side, when they were quickly
swallowed up among the breakers. Linton and his companions shuddered as
they left the fatal spot.
The _Ione_, with her new passengers on board, kept on her course, and
the wind still continuing foul, Captain Fleetwood steered for Athens,
off which place, the French commander said he was certain to find a ship
of his own country to receive him and his crew.
A French frigate was fallen in with, as was expected, and the French
captain and his surviving officers and crew were transferred to her.
They were all full of the deepest expressions of gratitude for the
service which had been rendered them, and all united in complimenting
Bowse for his behaviour during the trying time of the shipwreck, which
had been the chief means of preserving their lives.
I will not describe Fleetwood's feelings on seeing Colonel Gauntlett,
and on hearing that Ada had, to a certainty, been carried off by Zappa.
He had been prepared for the account; for he believed, from the first,
that it was for that purpose he had attacked the _Zodiac_.
Such, however, was a conjecture a lover would naturally form, as he
considered her the most valuable thing on board; but, perhaps, the more
worldly reader may consider that the rich cargo had greater attractions,
as well as the prospect of a large sum for her ransom. He was not aware
that, at that very time, Zappa had sent to Aaron Bannech, the old Jew of
Malta, to negotiate with her friends for that very purpose. The
colonel, of course, remained on board to assist in the search for his
niece, while Bowse begged that he might be allowed to remain also for
the same object, and his men entered on board the _Ione_, which was some
hands short.
A few words must explain the appearance of Captain Bowse and his crew
and passengers on the rock. When Zappa had left the _Zodiac_ he had
bored holes in her, for the purpose of sending her to the bottom; she,
however, did not sink as soon as expected; and Bowse, with some of his
people who were unhurt, were able to put a boat to rights, and to launch
her. The boat carried them all, and they were making for the nearest
coast when they were picked up by a French man-of-war. The French ship
was soon after wrecked on a barren rock, on which they existed without
food for many days, and where many of the Frenchmen went mad. Here they
remained till the _Ione_ took them off.
Fleetwood had been very unhappy at having been compelled to go so much
out of his way to get rid of the Frenchmen; but he was well rewarded for
the delay, by falling in, when just off the mouth of the Gulf of Egina,
with the very brig he had chased before touching at Cephalonia, the
_Ypsilante_. Captain Teodoro Vassilato came on board, and expressed his
delight at meeting him again, insisting on being allowed to accompany
him on his search.
"I was once taken prisoner by the rascals myself, and narrowly escaped
with my life, and I may have some little expectation of satisfaction in
punishing them," he observed. "Indeed, without my assistance, I do not
think you have much chance of success."
This last argument prevailed, and Fleetwood, warmly pressing his new
friend's hand, assured him of his gratitude for his promised assistance.
The two brigs, therefore, sailed in company to search for the pirate's
island.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
Captain Fleetwood followed his unknown guide into the open air without a
word having been exchanged between them. He felt no fear, and scarcely
any doubt as to the object of the summons he had received; for he had,
from the first, persuaded himself that it was in some way or other
connected with Ada Garden, and that he was either to hear of her, or to
be conducted into her presence. The guide stopped at the door of the
building to conceal the light, and looked cautiously around to
ascertain, apparently, that no unwelcome eyes were near to watch their
proceedings. Having convinced himself that he was unobserved, he again
beckoned the English officer to advance, leading him round close to the
line of ruins, which at one time formed the outer walls of the castle,
and the shadow of which now served to aid in concealing them from any
person who might; by chance, be crossing the more open ground.
As Fleetwood was passing beneath Nina's tower he looked up at her
casement under the vague impression that he should there find her whom
he was so eager to meet; but no light was visible, either there or in
any part of the building; and he had little time for observation, for
his guide led him on with a step so light and rapid that he had to do
his best to keep up with him. The night was one of the most perfect
with which that eastern clime is blessed. The air though warm was pure
and fresh after the storm--the golden stars were shining forth with a
brilliant lustre, from the intense blue of the sky, on the dark tranquil
sea, which lay in calm majesty at their feet, the gentle hush of its
slumbering waves being the only sound to break the tranquil silence of
the hour.
It was a night formed for the holy meeting of those whose hearts, though
bound together, had long been parted, a night for pure happiness and
love. Fleetwood felt its benign influence, and had he before been
inclined to despair, it would have reassured him. A moon reduced to a
thin crescent was sinking towards the horizon, and casting a bright
shining line across the ocean, its light being just sufficient to throw
the tall shadows of the towers and ruins along the open ground, and to
tinge their summits with a silvery hue.
The guide every now and then stopped and listened, as if apprehensive
that some one might be abroad, and interrupt their proceedings; and then
hearing nothing, on he went again as rapidly as before; Fleetwood each
time imitating his example, and stopping also. He had scarcely before
remarked his conductor's appearance; but he now observed, while thus
stopping, that his figure was small and light, and that he wore a dark
_capote_, with the hood drawn over his head, so as completely to conceal
his features and to envelope his form. They went on till they got close
to the tower in which Ada resided, when the guide once more came to a
stop, and beckoned Fleetwood to approach.
"_Zitto_, hush!" said the guide, in the softest Italian. "I have risked
much to serve you, and her you love--my life--and even more than my
life--yours also, perhaps--and, therefore be cautious. I can allow you
only a short time to say all you long to utter; but remember what might
happen were you discovered. I will remain below to watch and warn you
of danger, and afterwards to conduct you back to your lodging, as I must
lock you in there. No one yet suspects you; but when our chief returns
I know not how that may be--therefore be advised by me; what you have to
do, do quickly. Now go--a short half-hour is all the time I can allow
you."
Fleetwood, as he listened, was certain that he knew the accents of the
voice, and that the speaker could be no other than the Signora Nina; but
he did not stay to utter empty thanks. He thought he could do that as
well on his return, but sprang towards the door, which she opened for
him, as she spoke; and again taking the lantern from beneath her cloak
showed him some steps by which he might ascend the tower.
"Be cautious," she whispered, seeing that he was about to leap up them
at the rate his impatience would have urged him to proceed. "Tread
lightly, and speak not loud, lest any one passing may hear you. Now,
go."
She held the light to show him the turnings in the stairs. He stepped
up two or three at a time, with the light tread of a seaman; and on the
summit a door stood open, a bright gleam of light streaming through it.
A female figure stood in the centre of the apartment. He would have
known her among a thousand. She sprang forward to meet him, and in
another instant Ada Garden was clasped in her lover's arms. For some
minutes the hearts of both were too full to allow them to speak, and joy
such as is experienced but seldom in the life of any, and by many never,
was their predominant feeling. How much of the precious time allowed
them to be together they had thus spent, I do not know, when Marianna,
who had been standing retired in a corner of the room, thought it
incumbent on her to make her appearance, and embracing Fleetwood's knees
in her delight, she poured out a torrent of thanks to him for his having
come to rescue them. However much they might have wished the good
little girl anywhere but where she was, her presence was very useful to
them, as it sobered Fleetwood down to the things of this world; and
reminded him that he had all his plans and arrangements to explain to
his mistress, and numerous directions to give her for her guidance. Ada
also was recalled to her present position, and as the first ecstasies of
her joy subsided, fears for her lover's safety took possession of her
mind.
"Oh! Fleetwood," she exclaimed; "you have risked your liberty and your
life for my sake; and I fear the treacherous and fierce man who brought
me here will wreak his vengeance on your head, when he finds himself
disappointed in obtaining a large ransom for me--his object, I expect,
in carrying me off."
"But, my sweet Ada, I do not intend to give him the power of so doing,"
returned Fleetwood. "We have stanch friends to assist us, and our
arrangements are excellent, so that provided we are not suspected we
have every chance of success."
"I will not then, Fleetwood, damp your generous energy with my own,
perhaps too weak, fears," answered Ada. "But I am ready to do whatever
you think best."
"That is my own brave girl," said Fleetwood, pressing her to his heart.
"We must succeed; and now, Ada, listen to what I have to tell you."
"I will--but first tell me, for I have been undutiful in not asking
before, have any tidings been received of my poor uncle, and the brave
crew of the _Zodiac_?"
"Your uncle is safe on board the _Ione_, and our good friend Bowse is
one of the companions of my adventure," replied Fleetwood. "The gallant
fellow insisted that, as you had been in a manner under his charge, when
you were carried off, it was his duty to come in search of you; and I
was too glad to have his assistance."
"Thank Heaven for my uncle's safety! And I trust, Fleetwood, that he
has conquered the prejudices he entertained against you since he has
been on board your ship," said Ada, smiling. "Indeed, his nature is
generous, and I know that he must."
"I trust that he has, dearest," returned Fleetwood. "I have treated him
as I believe I should any other person in a similar position; and I may,
recollecting that he was your uncle, have shown him more respect and
tenderness than I might otherwise have done; but, at all events, he
appears well disposed towards me. However, in two days, I hope you will
have the means of judging for yourself."
"So soon!" exclaimed Ada. "Is your ship so near?"
"But a few hours' sail from hence; and I would, this very night, have
put our plan in execution to carry you away, had we been at liberty; but
first, the kindness of the pirate's young wife prevented our examining
the harbour and the boats in it; and we afterwards found ourselves
locked up in the room allotted us to sleep in. I do not, in
consequence, think we are suspected; for it is very natural that the
gruff old pirate, who seems to act as lieutenant-governor, or
major-domo, of the castle--I scarcely know what to call him--should not
think fit to leave a party of strangers at liberty to wander about and
examine into the state of his defences. I have now to thank the Signora
Nina for the happiness I enjoy of seeing you. But, tell me, Ada, do you
think she is to be thoroughly trusted?"
"Poor girl, I believe so," said Ada. "Intentionally, I feel sure she
would not betray us, but will do her very utmost to aid us."
Ada did not give the reasons for her confidence. Her maiden modesty
made her unwilling to tell her lover that she believed that Nina,
besides her wish to do what was right, was also influenced by her
anxiety to get her out of her husband's way.
"She has already given proof of her willingness to serve us; but, in her
brother I have not the same confidence, and you must be cautious not to
let him discover who you are. I may wrong the unhappy youth, for he
appears to have many generous and good qualities--and his devotion to
his sister, the original cause of his misfortunes, is extraordinary.
However, he, at times, appears to wander in his mind; and, except in a
case of urgent necessity, do not trust him; and, if you have occasion to
do so, appeal to his generosity and honour, and he is more likely to
serve you."
"I will do as you advise, Ada; and I confess that I would rather trust
to that beautiful Italian girl, than to the sort of person you describe
her brother to be;" said Fleetwood. "But our time is short; and I have
not told you one word of our plan. You must know that I was fortunate
enough to fall in with a Greek captain, who knows the island, and
entertains a laudable hatred for Signor Zappa; and he undertook to pilot
us here, either in the _Ione_, or in any way I proposed; but strongly
urged me to employ stratagem to recover you. I accordingly resolved to
pretend to be a Maltese seaman, as the character I could best personate,
and to be unfortunately wrecked on the island. Once here, I felt sure I
should find means to communicate with you; and I then proposed to cut
out a boat from the harbour, and to carry you off in her. I directed
our pinnace and jollyboat to wait every night just out of sight of land,
to the windward of the harbour, with the men well armed, all the time I
am here, to assist us should we be followed when escaping. I, at first,
intended to have come alone; but my Greek friend first insisted on
coming, then so did Bowse, in a manner I could not refuse; and I was
glad when a real Maltese volunteered, as he could act as spokesman if
necessary. Young Jack Raby also begged very hard to be allowed to
accompany me; and, as he can speak Maltese and looks his character, I
felt that he would be of great use; as, if it were necessary, while he
remained hid away in the bottom of the boat, you might make your escape
in his dress. The party I have mentioned left the ship yesterday
morning in a mistico I bought for the purpose; and we agreed to pretend
to have lost our own ship, and to be endeavouring to find our way back
to Malta. Though we wished for a strong breeze to give a plausibility
to our being wrecked, we did not bargain for quite so much wind as we
had, and we were fortunate in having so good a pilot as the Greek. I
have not much hope of getting the mistico off--and scarcely intend to
use her if we do--but she will be very useful in turning suspicion
aside; and if the pirates think fit to watch us, they will keep their
eyes in that direction while we are taking our departure in another. By
the by, as I felt sure Marianna would be with you, from the account
Bowse gave of having seen you both carried off together, it was arranged
that young Raby should pretend to be her brother, that we might the more
easily make the necessary arrangements: so the moment he sees her, if
they meet by chance, she is to rush into his arms and cover him with
kisses. What do you say to the arrangement, Marianna?"
"Me no mind it," answered the little Maltese, laughing. "But, signor,
say which the brother is, that me no kiss the wrong person. No do well
to have brother who won't say me is his sister."
"He is a little dark fellow, with a face as brown as mine, for we
painted from the same pot," said Fleetwood. "But if I know Master Jack
Raby well, he will not leave you long in doubt. He has seen you with
Miss Garden, and you will very soon have proof of his fraternal
affection, so pray remember to acknowledge him."
"Me take great care to kiss very much," said Marianna, simpering.
"I shall trust to you; but be careful not to recognise any of the rest
of us; and now, my sweet Ada, I must bid you farewell. Be prepared
to-morrow night for our exploit. Somewhere about midnight I hope to be
with you. Put on some dark, close-fitting dress, which is less likely
to be seen in the dusk than a light-coloured one; and if you could
procure capotes from Signora Nina, such as she now wears, it will be
still better. Should we be met by any of the islanders we may be
mistaken for their friends. Our present purpose is to escape from the
harbour, and to leave the mistico in lieu of the boat we take. Young
Raby and I will come up for you and Marianna, while the rest prepare the
boat. Once outside, I have little fear of what may happen, for we shall
soon be under shelter of the _Ione's_ boats, and they will be a match
for all the craft of this place, with the exception of the brig, which
they will scarcely think of taking out after us. I must keep the
Signora Nina no longer waiting. Again, dearest, farewell!"
They parted as lovers under such circumstances would part; and when he
reached the foot of the tower he found that nearly an hour had elapsed
since he left the Italian lady.
She had remained outside the tower, under the deep shadow in the angle
formed by it and the ruined wall, which ran off towards the other tower.
"I fortunately calculated on your want of punctuality," she whispered.
"But delay might be dangerous, so you must hasten back to your
dormitory, and breathe not, even to your companions, that you have
quitted it this night. They sleep soundly, and will not awake."
"I forgot to watch how time passed, and I thought not it had flown so
rapidly by," said Fleetwood. "I should deeply grieve were I to cause
you greater risk than you have already run for Ada Garden's sake."
"No harm is yet done," replied Nina. "I took care, thanks to my
brother's knowledge of drugs, that all who were likely to interfere
should sleep soundly to-night. I tried it as an experiment, that, on
another occasion, I might be able to assist you in the same way. Now
let us hasten back."
"Stay, lady, for one moment," exclaimed Fleetwood, who had the natural
horror of all right-minded Englishmen to the employment of any but open
and fair means to obtain even the most important object, and an especial
disgust at the thoughts of having drugs used to send his enemies to
sleep; though, whether, in that respect he was over particular, we will
not stop to discuss; at all events, being very certain that if there was
a doubt, he kept on the right side of the question. "Stay," he said;
"you risk too much for our sake. Give us but our liberty. Take care
that we are not locked up again, as to-night, and we will manage every
other arrangement. The means you hint at employing are dangerous; and,
I believe, we have no right to use them. I again repeat my promise,
that I will not use force nor injure any one for whom you have regard,
unless driven to it by the most dire necessity."
"You act, signor, nobly, according to the dictates of your conscience,"
answered Nina. "Perhaps you are right, and I will follow your wishes,
unless absolutely obliged to encounter force and injustice by stratagem
and fraud, the only resource of the weak. It is agreed then. To-morrow
I will manage that you and your companions shall be allowed to range at
will over the island. I need not counsel you to make use of your time.
And now we must delay no longer, or the morning light will be breaking
in the sky before I have returned to my tower."
Saying this she hurried back, followed closely by Fleetwood, towards the
other part of the ruins. She observed the same precautions as before on
approaching the building.
On a sudden she stopped, and drew back close to him, beneath the shade
of the wall. A footfall was heard; and he saw that she trembled in
every limb. Presently a figure emerged from behind the tower, and
stood, for some minutes, gazing up in the sky, as if contemplating the
glorious galaxy of stars, which shone down from it. At length it
advanced towards the spot where they were standing, and Fleetwood felt
that they were about to be discovered, and prepared for the emergency.
"I must save this poor girl at every cost," he thought. "Whatever be
her motive, she has placed herself in peril on my account."
Just as the person came close to them, he turned round, evidently not
observing them, and walked forward in the very direction from whence
they had come.
As soon as he was out of sight, Fleetwood heard the Italian lady
whisper,--"It is poor Paolo. He would rather aid than betray us; but,
for his sake, while I have other means, I would not willingly employ
him. He has suffered much for me, and I would not bring further
vengeance on his head. Now go in and sleep till the morning."
The door was carefully closed, and Fleetwood heard it locked after he
entered the room, where his companions slept soundly.
Nina, mean time, hurried back to her tower, where she found little Mila
sleeping on her couch. She awoke her with a kiss.
"Your task is nearly over for to-night," she whispered, putting, at the
same time, two keys into her hand. "Go, now, and lock me in, and return
those keys whence you took them. I am grateful for your zeal, and you
shall have your reward. Keep your own counsel as before; and no one
will suspect you."
Mila nodded, took up the keys, and slipped noiselessly back to the house
tenanted by her grandfather.
Fleetwood tried to follow the example of his friends, but it was not
till daylight broke that he closed his eyes in a deep slumber.
"Humph," muttered old Vlacco, as he came into the room in the morning
rubbing his eyes. "There was little use locking up these lazy Maltese,
unless they are addicted to walking in their sleep. At all events they
are honest, or they would not snore so loudly."
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
The greater part of the population of the island residing near the
harbour were assembled on the shores of the bay to enjoy, under the
shade of the high cliffs, the deliriously cool air of the evening, and
to welcome the return of their chief, whose mistico was seen approaching
from the westward.
There were old men and women, the elders and parents, as well as the
young men and maidens, who had come with happy hearts, to amuse
themselves with various light sports, but chiefly to dance their
favourite Romaika, which has been handed down to them from the earliest
days of their heroic ancestors, when it was known under the more classic
name of the Cretan or Doedalian dance.
Century after century has seen it danced by the youths and maidens of
successive generations, on the self-same spots--always the most
beautiful in the neighbourhood--both on the islands and on the main,
since the time when Greece was young and strong--the fit cradle of the
arts and sciences; when that literature was produced which will last as
long as the world exists; when those temples arose, and those statues
came forth from their native rock, which subsequent ages have never been
able to equal; when all that the human mind could conceive most elegant
had its birth; when her ships traversed all known seas, and her colonies
went forth to civilise the earth; when her sages gave laws to the world,
and a handful of her sons were sufficient to drive back thousands upon
thousands of the vaunted armies of the East; from those glorious epochs
to the time when, sunk in effeminacy and vice, despising the wisdom of
her ancestors, she fell under the sway of the most savage of the tribes
she had once despised--yet still, in abject slavery, while all that man
cared for was destroyed, the sports of their youth were not forgotten;
and what was learned in youth, the parents taught their children to
revive, as their only consolation in their misery and degradation.
Thus, Homer's description of the dance in his days would answer
perfectly, even to the very costume, for that danced in a remote island
of the Archipelago:--
"A figure dance succeeds:
A comely band
Of youths and maidens, bounding hand-in-hand;
The maids in soft cymars of linen drest;
The youths all graceful in the glossy waistcoat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Now all at once they rise--at once descend,
With well-taught feet, now shaped in oblique ways,
Confusedly regular, the moving maze:
Now forth, at once, too swift for sight they spring,
And undistinguish'd blend the flying ring.
So whirls a wheel in giddy circle tost,
And rapid as it runs the single spokes are lost."
Among the spectators was Nina, and after much persuasion she had induced
Ada Garden to accompany her, with Marianna. Ada had done so after due
consideration, from believing that it would be better to appear as much
as possible at her ease; and by meeting the strangers, without appearing
in any way to recognise them, or to take interest in them, to disarm any
suspicions she thought it probable old Vlacco might entertain.
The veteran pirate had at first grumbled at allowing her to leave her
tower; but Nina silenced him by asserting that, during her lord's
absence, she had the chief command; and that if he would not obey, she
would complain of his cruelty and tyranny, and declare that he was no
better than a Turk.
Marianna was delighted at once more finding herself looking at a crowd,
and sadly wanted to go and join the dancers, though her mistress would
not allow her to do so; and even Ada herself felt her spirits rise under
the genial influence of others' happiness. She forgot that the
handsome, spirited youths she saw before her were beings brought up to
become robbers and murderers; and that the lovely maidens she gazed on
were taught to consider such deeds as justifiable and praiseworthy. She
saw in them, for the moment, only the descendants of the ancient Greeks;
and in form and feature, and even in dress, how slight the change.
Alas! that their own indolence and effeminacy should have reduced them
so low that they should become the slaves of despots, and thus have all
the vices inherent in a state of slavery. Nina and Ada did not venture
down into the bay among the crowd, but stood apart on a ledge, raised
some thirty or forty feet above the sands, at the entrance of the
ravine, where they could overlook the whole scene. The old fishermen
and their wives were seated in groups, either on the rocks under the
cliffs, or on seats formed of the spars and planks of the boats ranged
along the sands. The youths wore their gayest sashes, and their red
fezzes set jauntily on one side; and the maids their best cymars, with
their beautiful hair adorned with garlands of wild flowers, in rich
profusion, streaming down their backs.
Many of the girls were very lovely, with tall, graceful figures, and
their hair of auburn hue, which is as much prized now as of yore. The
music was primitive, consisting of pipes, such as Pan might have played
on, and stringed instruments like the guitar or violin. The musicians
were in appearance like the bards of old, ancient men, with white locks
and flowing beards; but they appeared, nevertheless, to reap as much
pleasure from the scene as the rest.
They had just begun to play as Nina and Ada reached the spot, and the
dancers had formed in line to commence their amusement. A pretty and
graceful girl, with a chaplet composed of flowers and shells, the spoils
of the sea and land, and a garland of the same nature hung like a scarf
across her shoulders, led off the dance; a handsome youth, with one hand
holding hers, and the other another girl's, came next, and so a chain
was formed of alternately a young man and a maiden. At first the leader
advanced with a slow and seemingly sedate pace, all following, in a
measured time, to the musician's solemn strain. By degrees, as the
music became more lively and animated, so did the movement of the
dancers increase in rapidity. First, the foremost girl led her chain of
dancers along the smooth sand at a rapid rate; then she suddenly turned,
and setting to her partner, flew off, and darted under the upraised arms
of those at the furthest extremity, dragging the rest after her; then
she twisted among the rocks, on the shore, and when weary of that
movement, joined her hand to that of the youth at the other end, and
commenced circling round and round at as rapid a rate as the feet of the
dancers could more. When all were panting and dizzy, suddenly she broke
the circle, and led off again in a line towards the sea, till she
reached the very brink, where the sparkling wavelets washed the shining
pebbles and many-tinted shells; and watching till the water receded, she
darted after it, and flew back before it caught her; though many who
were in honour bound to follow her, in vain hurried their steps before
the returning wave overtook them, amid the shouts of laughter of their
more fortunate companions. Nothing would, however, induce them to break
the indissoluble chain. Then she led them smiling and shaking their
heads as they went in review before their older friends, who were seated
as spectators, and the rest expected they were thus to visit all the
groups; off again she darted to chase the retreating wave, and then once
more to join hands in the lively wheel, and at last, overcome with their
exertion, they sank on the sands exhausted, though they quickly again
sprang up to renew their sport. Several other similar sets were formed
at the same time; one of which, composed of the younger people, was led
by little Mila; nor was it the least lively or joyous of them all.
Ada Garden looked anxiously around to discover whether Fleetwood and his
companions were there, and she soon perceived him and several other
persons in the costume of Maltese seamen, mixed among a number of the
islanders, who considered themselves too old to dance and too young to
sit quiet as spectators. Fleetwood descried her; he was afraid almost
to look towards her, lest any one might suspect him. Jack Raby was near
him, and he whispered to him to be prepared, should the people they were
with move in that direction, to recognise Marianna, and to rush up to
where she was standing. Ada watched them as they moved from place to
place, now talking with some of the old people, now with others, till at
last they reached a group below her. The moment was not lost. Master
Jack uttered an admirable imitation of a cry of joy, and commenced
scrambling directly up the cliff, in a way only a midshipman or a monkey
can scramble, towards Marianna. She also played her part exceedingly
well. She shrieked with joy, and bent over the cliffs, exclaiming in
Maltese,--
"My dear brother, my dear brother, where have you come from? Oh, I am
so delighted to see you!"
Jack answered in return with his choicest gibberish, which did perfectly
well to express all the sentiments of fraternal affection he was at that
moment experiencing; indeed, no one could have understood him had he
spoken Maltese, and few were listening even to what was said, they were
all too much occupied either with watching the dance, or the approach of
their chief's mistico, which was now seen just at the opening of the
mouth of the bay, and adding not a little to the picturesque beauty of
the scene. Raby had no little difficulty in getting up the cliff--he
had chosen so steep a place--and he was very nearly slipping all the way
down again, just as he had reached the edge of the ledge, but all served
to show the ardour of his affection. By a desperate effort he sprang up
and rushed into Marianna's arms, and she had no reason to complain of
his neglecting the promise his captain had made for him; and to do
Marianna full justice, she played the part of an affectionate sister to
admiration. No one would have suspected that they were not delighted to
meet after a long separation, and yet they had never, to their
knowledge, seen each other till that moment.
"Oh, my sister, I am so delighted to see you," exclaimed Raby. "And
now, Miss Garden, pray listen to me," and he gave Marianna another kiss
and a hug. "The captain has fixed on a boat to run off with, and we
shall easily be able to launch her, and will have her ready near those
rocks to the left there exactly at midnight, when he and I will be
waiting for you under your tower. He wants to know if that old rascal
of a pirate locks you up every night as he did us. Pretend to be
speaking to my sister here."
Marianna got another kiss. Perhaps, in that respect, Master Raby rather
overdid his part; but he was a young actor, and as his captain had
ordered him to do so, he was not to blame.
"I fear so," answered Ada. "Lady Nina will give him the key."
"If not, we must go the whole hog, as the Yankees say, and pick the
lock, or we shall have to lower you out of the window. We are not going
to be stopped by anything. You must prepare a line of some sort to haul
up a rope by, which we will bring in case of necessity. No one will
suspect us; for we have been working away at the mistico all day, and
she isn't off yet; in fact, we took care she shouldn't be, for there is
every prospect of a calm, and a pulling-boat will answer our purpose
much better. The pirates, if they trouble their heads about us, think
we are going to try and get away in the mistico; though my belief is,
they don't intend to let us; and I should not be at all surprised but
what they'll go this evening and rip off a few planks, or bore holes in
her bottom, to prevent our escaping, lest we should betray the position
of this island. However, Miss Garden, be of good cheer, whatever our
skipper--I beg pardon, Captain Fleetwood--undertakes is sure to be right
in the end."
"Tell your captain, Mr Raby, that I will be prepared," whispered Ada,
looking away from where he was standing. "Tell him, that I have no fear
for myself; but do try and caution him to be careful of himself; and
allow me also to thank you for your generous zeal in my service, and to
entreat you to be cautious."
"Oh, as for me, Miss Garden, I like the fun of the business," replied
the midshipman bluntly. "I would do anything, too, to serve the
captain; and as for him, he's never rash, and you must not think that
he, or any of us, wouldn't gladly risk ten times the danger we now run
to serve you. So now I must be off again, to tell my companions that I
have found my sister. There, Miss Marianna, I think I've kissed you as
much as the most affectionate of brothers would be expected to do--I'll
give you a few more when I come back."
And away sprang the light-hearted youth down the hill, and, getting back
to his companions, he appeared to be pointing out to them his
newly-found sister, and to be expressing, with animated gestures, his
delight at the discovery.
"It's all right, sir," he whispered to his captain; "Miss Garden isn't a
bit afraid, and will have a line ready to haul up a rope to her window,
if she cannot get out any other way. What shall I do now, sir?"
"Go back to your sister and try and learn where the chief pirate has
been, and gain any other information which may be useful," replied
Fleetwood. "Perhaps you will be allowed to remain altogether with her,
and if you can, do so; for you will be of the greatest service in
assisting Miss Garden to escape from the tower."
"With all my heart, sir. Would it be proper to give Miss Smaitch any
more kisses? It seems to please her," said the midshipman, with
apparent innocence, just as he was running off.
"Perfectly unnecessary, I should think," replied Fleetwood, almost
laughing at the mid's pretended simplicity, which, having held the same
irresponsible rank himself, he could fully appreciate. "You may overact
your part."
"No fear, sir--I'll be decorous in the extreme, and if you don't see me
again, suppose all goes right; I'll get shut up in Miss Garden's tower,
if I possibly can."
He did not wait for further directions, but scrambled up the cliff again
to where Marianna was standing, who, supposing that she was to receive
him as before, threw her arms round his neck and paid him off in his own
coin.
Nina, whether she believed in the relationship or not, took good care to
explain to the bystanders that the Maltese attendant had found a brother
among the shipwrecked crew of the mistico, and it all seemed so natural,
that no one doubted the statement. Even old Vlacco, who was generally
so wide awake that, in his own opinion, no one could take him in, was
completely deceived, and threw no difficulties in the way of Jack Raby's
accompanying Ada to the tower, when Nina requested that the brother and
sister might not be parted.
As Jack was very small for his age, he looked much younger than he
really was, and the old pirate, considering him a mere child, thought he
could do no harm, at all events; and should it be necessary to cut the
throats of the rest of the party, to ensure their not escaping, it might
be as well to save him, to make him a servant to the English lady. This
circumstance was of great advantage to Ada, as the lively conversation
of the young midshipman, whose buoyancy of spirit nothing could damp,
served to divert her mind from dwelling on the dangers of the attempt
about to be made to rescue her; and she was also able to learn from him
many of the events with which the reader is acquainted but of which she
had hitherto, of course, remained in ignorance.
While what we have been describing took place, the _Zoe_ was drawing
rapidly in with the land. The breeze was fair to carry her close to the
harbour's mouth, and then, having sufficient way on her, down came her
two tapering lateen sails, and she glided up to her well-known
anchorage. She was instantly surrounded with boats full of people,
anxious to know what adventures she had met with during her brief
cruise, and how she had weathered the storm the previous day. They soon
came back, and it was speedily noised abroad that some event of
importance had occurred, and much bustle and discussion took place in
consequence. Two wounded men were conveyed on shore to their own
cottages, or rather huts, and messengers were forthwith despatched in
search of Signor Paolo, to bring him to attend on them, for he was
nowhere to be found among the crowd on the shores of the bay.
Zappa himself was next seen to step into his boat, when the musicians
began to play their most lively airs, the dancers to dance their best,
and those who had firearms, to discharge them in his honour; the sharp
report, for they were all loaded with ball, echoing from cliff to cliff
around the bay. He stepped on shore with a brow less calm and a smile
less sweet than usual, and returned the salutations of his followers in
a manner less courteous than his wont, as he hurried on towards the
entrance of the ravine leading up to his abode. He stopped short on his
way, for his eye fell on Nina and Ada standing close together, and
talking like two friends long acquainted. He was much puzzled. He had
only been absent two days, and he was not aware that either of them knew
of the other's existence; though as it was no longer important,
according to his present policy, to keep them apart, the meeting did not
matter; and he little knew how soon similarity of misfortune makes
brothers and sisters of us all. He looked up, and made a bow to them as
he passed; but he paid them no further attention, and taking Vlacco's
arm, he led him up the ravine.
Poor Nina's heart sank within her. It was the first time he had treated
her with cold neglect and indifference. Ada Garden saw also that
something was wrong: she had observed the two wounded men landed from
the mistico, and she remarked the angry brow of the pirate; so she came
to the conclusion that he had been defeated in some skirmish or other,
and that, very probably, he was expecting the island to be attacked by
the Turks, as had been the case with others, when most of the population
had been put to the sword. She mentioned her fears to Jack Raby.
"I don't think it's anything very bad, for the young pirates and
piratesses are still dancing away as merrily as before," he answered.
"But I'll soon know all about it."
And once more he rejoined his friends, and exchanging a few words with
them, ran back to Marianna.
"It's a warmer matter than I thought; but still there is nothing to be
alarmed about, Miss Garden," he said, as soon as he had recovered his
breath. "The Greek officer, who is with us, hears from the people that
their chief had the impudence to go on board an English brig-of-war--
that he was pursued by her boats, and very nearly captured. I wish to
goodness he had been--but nothing more is known on the subject. There
is no doubt he has visited the _Ione_, and I only hope he has got no
inkling of what she is there for, and what we are about. If he has, you
see, why that is only a still greater reason for not letting the grass
grow under our feet."
The news brought by the midshipman of course alarmed Ada very much, as
she saw all the dreadful consequences which would too probably ensue,
should Zappa discover who he had in his power. He had the reputation of
being treacherous, vindictive, and cruel; and he was not likely to grow
merciful towards men who had ventured into his island in disguise, for
the purpose, he would naturally suspect, not only of rescuing her, but
of observing his means of defence, in order afterwards to attack him.
The evening was drawing to a close--the dancers had grown weary, and the
elders had begun to retire to their homes; so Ada gladly acceded to
Nina's wish to turn their steps up the ravine.
They parted at the foot of Nina's tower; and, as Ada bade her new friend
farewell--as she believed, for the last time--her heart bled for her
unhappy position and too probable fate. Ada hurried to her tower,
followed by Jack Raby and Marianna, fearful of meeting with the pirate,
lest he should stop to question the young midshipman; but, luckily, he
did not appear; and as soon as they reached her chamber, they set
themselves to work to prepare for their flight.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
Captain Fleetwood and his companions had carefully kept out of the way
of Zappa when they saw him land, lest, by any unfortunate chance, he
should recognise them; and, when they heard of the expedition on which
he had been engaged, they had reason to rejoice that they had taken this
precaution. As soon as the islanders had returned to their homes to
feast and make merry, and to indulge in the juice of the grape--which,
on such occasions, is the great resource of the men, as it was in the
days of their ancestors--they set themselves down on the rocks to
consult as to their future proceedings, taking care that no eavesdropper
was within hearing to discover that they were not talking Maltese. They
were well aware that the risk they ran was much increased by the
pirate's knowledge that the _Ione_ was in the vicinity--for it was
natural he should suspect that she was there with some design against
him, even though he might not have gained any information respecting
their expedition. They hesitated, therefore, about returning to the
castle; and the Greek, Captain Vassilato, gave it as his opinion, that
it would be more prudent to seek for food in the village, and to pretend
to be anxious to procure lodgings for the night; that instead, however,
of entering any house, they should, as soon as the inhabitants were
retiring to rest, slip out and return to the bay; and that, while they
were engaged in getting the boat ready, Captain Fleetwood should go up
to the tower and bring down Miss Garden.
"We could not have selected a better night for our attempt," he
observed; "for, fortunately for us, the greater portion, if not the
whole, of the male population will be drunk, and are not likely to
interfere with us. Had it not been for this, we might have found much
difficulty in getting away unperceived out of the bay."
"What is your opinion, Mr Bowse?" said Fleetwood.
"I am inclined to agree with Captain Vassilato," answered Bowse, "who
seems to know the habits of the people, unless you have any reason to
offer against it."
"I should prefer facing the lion in his den; or, hearing that there are
strangers in the island, he may suspect, and send for us, if we avoid
him. Besides, I fear we may have difficulty in enabling Miss Garden to
escape from the tower; and I should wish to visit the mistico to procure
a rope and block to lower her, if necessary, from the window. The bay
is not more than two miles from the tower, and it will excite less
suspicion if we are seen going there, as if with the intention of
sleeping on board the mistico; and the old pirate knows, perfectly well,
that we cannot get her off without his assistance. I propose that we
remain on board the mistico till an hour before midnight, and while you
go on to prepare the boat, I will remain to assist Miss Garden in
escaping from the tower, and we will then follow directly after you."
"Well, sir, I think your plan is the safest and best, because we shall
then be independent of everybody," said Bowse. "It will be somewhat
more fatiguing, perhaps, for it will give us a long walk over very rough
ground; but that is not a matter to be thought of with the object we
have in view. But, by Heavens, sir! here comes that rascally old
pirate, and I should not be surprised if his object is to tell us that
we must all go and be locked up again, as we were yesterday night, and
then we are regularly done for, I fear."
As Bowse spoke, old Vlacco was seen at the mouth of the ravine, at
least, as well as they could distinguish in the dark, whence he began
descending the rocks to the sands.
"I trust that, even if we are locked up, everything is not lost," said
Fleetwood. "At all events, he is coming towards us, and it is our best
policy to exhibit no unwillingness to accompany him if he desires it."
The others agreed that such was certainly their only resource; and
directly afterwards old Vlacco came up to them.
"I have been directed by our chief to desire the presence of you
Maltese, forthwith, at the castle. He wishes to examine you as to
certain things, about which you can give him information, and if you
satisfy him, he will probably allow you to depart hence to-morrow. Tell
this to your comrades," he said, looking at Captain Vassilato, who
forthwith translated it into English, carefully making the words sound
as much like Maltese as possible.
"We will gladly give him any information in our power," returned the
Greek captain. "We were contemplating paying our respects to him; and
if you lead on, we will follow you."
"Humph," muttered Vlacco, as he began to climb the ravine, "the fellow
gives a ready answer, and I suspect we have got the wrong sow by the
ear." Or at least he made use of an equally elegant expression
answering to the above in the Romaic.
"We must adhere firmly to our story," said Captain Vassilato, as they
followed the pirate. "But I wonder whether, among his other
accomplishments, our friend Zappa understands Maltese; if so, you,
Pietro, must act as spokesman, and remember, the more dull and stupid
you appear, the better. If, however, we find he does not, I must
continue to play the interpreter. It will be dangerous, however, to
speak English in his presence, for depend upon it he knows the sound of
the language too well to be deceived."
"Your caution is very important," observed Fleetwood. "Mr Bowse and I
will keep in the back ground, and be silent; and do you, Pietro, put
yourself forward, and answer all questions put to us, if he speaks your
native tongue; but if he talks Greek, Captain Vassilato will do so."
It would be absurd to say that the whole party did not feel the full
danger of their position; but they were brave men, and had strung up
their nerves to encounter whatever might happen; the expected interview
they saw would prove as critical as any part of their adventure, and
they were accordingly proportionately anxious for the result. It was,
fortunately, perfectly dark by the time they reached the summit of the
cliff, and old Vlacco led them to the building they had inhabited on the
previous night.
"There, go in, and I will inform our chief that you are come," he said,
pointing to their room. "In the mean time, some supper, I suppose,
won't come amiss; and if he should not wish to see you this evening, the
eating it will do to pass the time till you go to sleep."
They were agreeably surprised to see little Mila and an old woman, who
had before attended on them, enter with a supply of provisions, to which
they did as much justice as they were able, and while they were
discussing them, Vlacco returned.
"Well, I told our chief that I believed you were as honest as most men,
and I don't think he'll trouble himself about you till to-morrow," he
observed, as he sat down at the table, and helped himself to a cup of
wine. "Let me tell you, if you were the rogues he first thought you
might be, he would have sent every one of you flying over the cliffs,
without the slightest ceremony."
The old pirate seemed in a facetious mood, and laughed, and drank, and
talked, in a way very different to what appeared to be his usual habit;
but it struck his guests that it was assumed to throw them off their
guard, and that he was eyeing them all the time, much in the way that a
hungry cat does a trapful of mice, which she knows will shortly be
thrown to her to torment. After some time, he took his departure, and
they heard him lock and bolt the doors behind him. There they were,
then, once more prisoners, at the very moment it was all important to
them to be free.
Fleetwood at first was in hopes that the Signora Nina might come to
liberate them; but he then recollected that, her lord being returned,
she would scarcely be able to escape from the tower without being
observed; and felt that they must depend on their own exertions to free
themselves. To open the door was out of the question, so they commenced
operations by examining the window. A small lamp had been left there,
which they had not on the previous night, and Pietro observed that Mila
had placed it on the table, at the moment her grandfather's back had
been turned to quit the room, and he suspected that she had done so by
the direction of the Italian lady.
The window was a mere aperture in the highest part of the building; but
it was secured with strong iron bars, so firmly fixed in the wall, that
they soon found it would be impossible to remove them without files or
tools to work with. They next tried the roof. On examination, they saw
that it was very rudely put together, and that a great part of it was
formed simply of the rough planks torn from the sides of a vessel--
probably some unfortunate craft cast on their shore, or brought there as
a prize. This they judged would be easily removed, if they could raise
a scaffolding to work from.
"Before we do anything, let us put a screen before the window, lest any
one from without should observe our proceedings," said Fleetwood, who
was the chief suggester of what should be done, though his companions
were not behind-hand in conceiving as well as executing the details of
their plan.
They waited for upwards of an hour, till they hoped old Vlacco would be
fast asleep; occupying themselves meantime in cutting up a small wooden
bench into wedges and levers, to rip open the boards. They then hung a
cloak across the window, and placed the table against the wall which
they calculated formed the outer side of the building. On it, they
piled two empty casks, which were ordinarily used as seats, and thus,
with the remaining bench, they were able, without difficulty, to reach
the ceiling. This platform was only sufficiently large to allow two to
work at a time; so while Captain Fleetwood and Bowse mounted on it, the
other two held it firm, and handed up the wedges and cross bars they had
manufactured. As they were, of course, afraid to make any noise by
hammering in the wedges, they first worked away with their knives, till
they had formed grooves to insert the edge of several; they then placed
the ends of the handspikes against them, and pressing those with all
their force, they had the satisfaction of seeing that the planking began
to separate. They persevered in their efforts, and the planks being
fortunately old and rotten, and exceedingly dry, from the heat of
summer, the nails easily drew out, and they were soon able to insert
their cross bars. They had begun making the hole in the roof, some
little way from the wall, and it was fortunate they had done so. In a
quarter of an hour they had removed enough of the planking to enable
Fleetwood to draw himself through, when he found that heavy stones were
placed on the outer edges to keep them down on the wall, and that they
had had a narrow escape of their coming tumbling through upon their
heads; or of having sent them crashing over, with a loud noise, on the
ground on the outside. As it was, a quantity of rubbish had fallen
through, and they found that the whole roof was covered with it, and
that they had by chances selected the spot where it lay the thinnest.
Bowse followed Captain Fleetwood to the roof, and they then assisted
their Greek friend and Pietro to ascend, after the latter had
extinguished the light, replaced the table bench and casks as before,
and swept the rubbish under the straw. As he was a light, active man,
by stretching down their hands as he stood on one of the casks, they
were able to drag him through on the roof. They then carefully closed
down the planking, and swept some rubbish over it, so that it would
require a little examination, to discover by what means they had made
their escape.
So far, they were once more in the open air and at liberty to proceed,
if they could reach the ground. The night was like the previous one,
with a clear sky and the stars shining brightly, while the moon had
become much too small to give more light than just sufficient to enable
them to find their way.
The hazard now was to descend without making a noise, for the night was
so serene that the slightest sound would, they feared, be heard; though
the distance did not appear more than an active man could leap without
danger. But the walls were broken and crumbling, and it was difficult
to find a spot on which they could depend, to take their last hold of
before dropping off. After proceeding a few paces to the right,
however, the wall appeared more even.
"Now, my friends," whispered Fleetwood, "I will lead the way, and try
the depth--the ground below seems free from stone--and, by grasping the
ends of your handkerchiefs, I may fall without the fear of breaking my
legs."
On this, the other three, as proposed, formed a rope with their
handkerchiefs; and all of them leaning over the wall.
Fleetwood threw himself off; and, grasping the handkerchiefs, lowered
himself till he reached the end, and then dropped. The fall was
considerably greater than he expected--for the ground sloped away on
that side of the ruin, in a manner on which they had not calculated; and
he had great reason to congratulate himself on the precaution he had
taken. The other two adventurers insisted on Bowse, who was the
heaviest man of the party, following next. He could now better judge of
the depth; and Fleetwood, having rolled away all the loose stones, he
fell without injury. The Greek came next, and was caught in the arms of
his companions; and Pietro, in like manner, dropped down, the rest
saving him as he fell. This feat accomplished, they all breathed more
freely; and crouching down on the ground to avoid being seen, they
listened attentively to ascertain if any one was moving, before they
again put themselves in motion. Not a sound disturbed the silence of
the night; and, satisfied that they were not discovered, they crept
cautiously on towards the eastward, under the shadow of the wall, in the
manner Nina had led Fleetwood on the previous night. It still wanted an
hour and a half to the time he had desired Ada to be prepared; and he
resolved to employ the interval in ascertaining whether the door of her
tower was locked; and, if he found it so, to proceed to the mistico, and
procure the cordage which might be required. Leaving his companions,
therefore, seated on the ground, in a sheltered rock, he walked to the
tower alone.
He first looked carefully on every side; and, having ascertained that no
one was near, he approached the door. It was locked--as he feared it
might be--and, after the most minute examination, he could discover no
means by which he could open it. He then went under the window, and, in
vain, tried to attract the attention of the inmates. They were,
apparently, too busily employed within. At last, he threw up some small
stones, and after numerous efforts, one entered the casement.
"Who's there?" said a voice, which he recognised as Raby's.
"_Ione_" replied the captain, in a loud whisper.
"Is it you, sir?" exclaimed the midshipman, to whom the answer was
familiar. "I'll be down at the door directly."
And Fleetwood heard him hurriedly descending the steps.
"You are much sooner than we expected, sir," said the lad through the
chinks of the door. "Can you open the door from the outside?"
"No; can you open it from within?" asked Fleetwood on return.
"No, sir," said the midshipman; "I tried for a whole hour to pick the
lock, but could not do it; so I have fitted a chair, strengthened with
some ropes which came with Miss Garden's baggage, and there will be no
more difficulty in getting down from the tower than from the deck of a
frigate."
"You have done admirably," replied Fleetwood. "I will not stop to thank
you,--but tell Miss Garden everything is going on well--and I will
return in an hour."
The adventurers had some difficulty in picking their way among the rocks
to the little bay where the mistico lay on the sand; but they succeeded
in reaching it without encountering any one; and, as they had discovered
the means of descending to it in the morning by the secret path I
mentioned, leading through the cavern, they easily got down. They found
that the vessel had not been disturbed--indeed, old Vlacco, having
claimed her for their chief, no one would have ventured to take anything
from her. They were thus not only able to procure the rope and blocks,
but to provide themselves with some arms they had stowed away where they
had not been discovered; and some provisions which, should they miss the
_Ione's_ boats, might be very important. Although, from the peculiar
rig of the mistico, her halyards were too short to be of any service,
and her sheets too thick, a coil of small rope was found of sufficient
length for the purpose; and, loaded with their treasures, they bade
farewell to the little craft which had served them in such good stead.
"I should like to burn her, to prevent the rascals benefiting by her,"
said Captain Vassilato, as they walked along the sand to the entrance of
the cave. "But, as the so doing would probably betray us to them, we
must leave her to them as a gift; and may she drown some of them before
they have done with her."
"I would rather we could catch her again with a few of them in her,"
observed Bowse. "I never like to wish an enemy worse luck than a good
thrashing, if I can meet him in fair fight; but, to be sure, from what
we hear of these fellows, they don't deserve much mercy from civilised
men, though we have no reason to complain of the way they have treated
us."
"Stay till they discover what we are about, and they would cut our
throats without ceremony," replied Captain Vassilato. "We shall do
wisely not to trust them."
Fleetwood walked on ahead without speaking. His mind was too much
occupied with the importance of the undertaking, and the risk to her he
loved, to allow him to enter into conversation; and, indeed, he wished
his friends would be silent, for, though it was not probable any of the
islanders were within hearing, it was possible that some one might be
out, and they might betray themselves. The same thing struck them at
last, and they followed in silence. The most difficult part of the
journey was where they had to mount the rude steps cut in the cliff, and
where the slightest slip might have proved fatal. They, however,
reached the open door in safety, and then proceeded more briskly on
their way. Wherever they could, they kept as much as possible under
shelter; but they had several open spaces to pass, where they could not
avoid exposing themselves to view; though, as there were no habitations
in the neighbourhood, they did not fear any danger from this
circumstance.
Any one who has been engaged in an undertaking, on which not only their
own life and safety depends, but also that of others, and among them of
one dearer than life itself, will understand the feelings which animated
Fleetwood's bosom, as the most difficult and dangerous part of the work
was about to be accomplished. The happiness, the pride, the joy
unspeakable which would be his, should he succeed in placing her in
safety, urged him dauntlessly on; at the same time the thought of what
would be the result of failure made him grave and serious; his own
speedy death, but that he set at naught; her misery and continued
captivity, and, perhaps, even a fate too horrible for him to
contemplate; and he did not forget that he had companions also, who had
generously risked their lives to assist him, and that they also would be
involved in his destruction. Fortunately the difficulties of the road,
the necessity of looking out for the best path among the rocks, and of
watching for the approach of any person who might interrupt them,
prevented him from dwelling so deeply on the subject as to unfit him for
the work.
His heart beat quick as he approached the tower; and, wringing his
friends' hands as they hurried on to prepare the boat they had fixed on,
he remained under Ada's window with the coil of rope, promising to
follow, as soon as possible, with Miss Garden and her companions. Jack
Raby was on the watch, and appeared at the window as he got under it.
So well had the midshipman arranged everything, that not a word was
spoken. He let a line down, which he had made by unstranding a piece of
rope, and twisting up some bits of the carpet; and, though composed of
so many materials, it was sufficiently strong for the purpose; and with
it he hauled up the end of the rope and the block through which it was
to run. The block he at once, with a sailor's quickness, securely
fastened on to the iron bar; and, reeving the rope through it, he
fastened one end to the chair he had arranged, and then, putting the
chair out of the window, he jumped into it, holding on by the other part
of the rope, and lowered himself down to Fleetwood's feet.
"All right, sir," he whispered. "I thought it better to try the length
of the rope and the strength of my chair, before we trusted Miss Garden
in it. She is in capital heart, sir, and so is my new sister. Now,
sir, if you will stand by the end, I'll go up again to help her into the
chair, and bear it off the wall. I can't ask you to haul me up, sir."
"No, no, jump in, my lad, and be careful, in Heaven's name, that you
secure Miss Garden properly," said Fleetwood, pressing his hand; and he
quickly hauled him up again to the window, and the chair once more
appeared, with Ada seated in it, a shawl thrown round her, in true
man-of-war fashion. Raby had taken care to have everything properly
prepared.
"Now, sir, lower away gently, if you please," he whispered, as he leaned
out of the window; and Ada Garden safely descended into Fleetwood's
arms. A silent embrace was all he would allow himself, before he hauled
up the chair to lower down Marianna, who accomplished the transit with
the same speed as her mistress. Jack Raby did not immediately descend,
but, hauling up the rope, he cast off the block, and then passed the
rope over the bar, and descended by it.
"I won't delay you a moment, Captain Fleetwood," he said. "But I am
determined the pirates shall not find out how we escaped, and, as there
is a cliff close here, which overhangs the sea, I will, with your leave,
heave the chair, and rope, and block, over it, and they will never
discover them there; or if they do, they will think that we got over the
cliffs."
As Fleetwood considered the delay would not be of consequence, and that
no harm could arise from allowing the midshipman to have his way, he
gave him leave to do as he proposed, and in two minutes he returned,
having accomplished his object.
"There, sir," he said, laughing quietly. "If the pirates miss one of
the chairs, they may look for it long enough before they find it or the
rope, and in the mean time they will fancy English young ladies can jump
forty feet to the ground without hurting themselves. When they try to
open the door, too, they'll think we are inside, for I barricadoed it
with everything I could find, and there'll be a pretty smash when they
shove it open."
"You have done admirably, and now take Marianna's arm, and follow me,"
said Fleetwood, leading the way with Ada.
When Ada Garden found herself once more by Fleetwood's side, she
returned her grateful thanks to Heaven for having thus restored her to
liberty; for so strong was her confidence in her lover's courage and
judgment, that she felt as if all difficulty and danger were over, and
that success must await them.
Fleetwood also uttered a silent thanksgiving to Heaven, and a prayer for
protection during the still greater danger he knew they must encounter
in their endeavour to get out of the harbour; but, of course, he did not
tell her this. Neither spoke; they both were confident of the
sentiments of each other's heart, and Ada felt it would be useless at
that moment to express her gratitude, when she hoped to prove it during
the remainder of her life; and he in like manner knew that there would
be no necessity to tell her of his love and joy at finding her, when his
acts were giving her such convincing evidence of it. They walked on
under the shadow of the wall, as noiselessly and rapidly as they could
move, towards the commencement of the steep path leading down the
ravine. In doing so they had to pass close to Nina's tower. Fleetwood
looked up; no light was seen streaming from the casement, nor was any
one heard stirring within.
On they went, and, Fleetwood tenderly supporting Ada, they commenced
descending the path. They had got about a quarter of the way down, when
Fleetwood fancied he heard the sound of a distant footfall. Could it be
the echo of their own feet? he thought, then made a sign to Raby to stop
while they listened. There could be no mistake about it. Footsteps
were rapidly approaching, and, on looking back, they saw, to their
dismay, a dark figure on the cliff above them. Fleetwood drew back
under the shadow of an overhanging rock, and he could feel Ada, who had
also seen the figure, as she clung closer to his arm, tremble with
alarm, which she in vain endeavoured to overcome. Marianna uttered a
faint shriek, and was going to repeat it, when Jack Raby gave her a
pinch, which effectually recalled her to her senses, and, in a whisper,
he threatened to give her another if she made the slightest noise. A
minute or two of the most intense anxiety passed away, which, under the
circumstances, appeared nearly an hour, and no one appeared.
"If we emerge from where we are, we cannot escape being seen, should the
person remain where he was," replied Fleetwood. "It will be better to
confront him boldly, and learn his intention in following us, than to
allow him to go back and to give information of our attempt. I will
leave you, Ada, in charge of Mr Raby, and will return instantly."
"Oh, do not quit me!" exclaimed Ada. "I will go with you--indeed, I am
not alarmed for myself; but I know not what may happen to you. They may
kill you, Fleetwood--oh, do not go."
"It is absolutely necessary that something should be done, dearest, and
there is no greater danger to be feared in going than remaining,"
answered Fleetwood. "Ada, I must force myself from you--it must be
done."
"You are right, Charles, I was weak. Go, and I will remain as you
wish," she whispered, relinquishing his arm, and he sprang up the path.
Jack did his best to comfort Ada, by assuring her that his captain could
easily manage to thrash a dozen Greeks, and that he was not likely to
suffer any harm from a single pirate, at all events. Every moment Ada
expected to hear the noise of a struggle, a pistol-shot, or the clash of
swords. She listened with breathless eagerness, trembling in every
limb, and she would have followed her lover, had she not known that her
so doing would be against his wish, and could be of no advantage to him,
but might cause great harm. It appeared to her an age since he left
her, and her anxiety became almost too great to be borne.
"Oh, Mr Raby, cannot you go up and see what has become of Captain
Fleetwood? Some accident has happened to him, I am certain," she
whispered to the midshipman.
"I must obey orders, Miss Garden, and wait for the captain's return,"
was the answer, in the same low tone. "You need not be alarmed, I can
assure you--he has not been gone two minutes."
He had scarcely spoken when Ada's quick ear caught the sound of
footsteps, and she could scarcely restrain her cry of joy, as she sprang
forward to meet him. He placed his arm tenderly round her to support
her, as he led her on.
"It is very extraordinary," he said; "I could find no one, though I
searched the very spot where I had seen him standing. But, come on,
dearest, we have time to reach the boat, and to get outside the harbour
before the spy, if such he was, can send people to pursue us."
"I am able to walk much faster," said Ada, hastening her steps, "I dread
any delay in this dreadful place."
They had not, however, proceeded many paces, when, on turning one of the
many angles of the winding path, a person, the same, they fancied, whom
they had before seen, appeared suddenly before them, and laid a hand on
Fleetwood's arm.
"Stay, signor," he said in a low, deep voice, speaking in the Italian
language. "You are already suspected by one who knows not mercy, and if
he were to discover your wild attempt to carry off that lady, your death
would be the consequence. Return and abandon it; for ere you can get
beyond the sound of the waves, as they dash on the cliffs below, you
will be pursued and overtaken."
"I know not who you are, signor," said Fleetwood; "but, as I believe
your warning is given in kindness, I thank you. To follow your advice
is impossible, and I must beg you, as a favour, not to detain us--I need
not ask you, I trust, not to betray us."
"I feel sure that Signor Montifalcone will not do so," exclaimed Ada,
recognising at once the voice of the young Italian. "He will rather
exert himself to assist us--I am not mistaken in his generosity."
Paolo was silent a minute, when, releasing his grasp of Fleetwood's arm,
he sighed as if his heart would break, and took Ada's hand. "Lady," he
said, in a tone of deep melancholy, "you sign my death-warrant; but it
shall not prevent me from obeying your wishes. I will accompany you to
your boat, if you have one prepared, and, when you have gone, I will
endeavour to deceive those who attempt to follow you. Further, I know
not how to aid you."
"We are grateful to you for your promised aid," said Fleetwood; "and
now, lead on, we can ill afford further delay."
"It is for the lady's sake I act," muttered Paolo, beginning to move
onward down the path.
Ada overheard him. "It is because you are generous, and would preserve
the lives of others, even though you risk your own," she said, in a low
tone, touching his arm. "But if there is danger in remaining here, come
with us. You can be conveyed in safety to your native country, and can
ascertain if your father yet lives."
"What! and leave my unhappy sister to her fate?" said the young man,
turning round his countenance towards her, which, even with the faint
light afforded by the moon, she observed wore an expression of the
deepest grief. "I have but one object to live for,--for her sake alone
I consent to endure existence. Do not ask me to quit her."
"Oh that she would have come too," said Ada. "She might yet be saved."
"She would not accompany you, lady," answered Paolo. "Pirate though he
is, Zappa is still her husband, and no power would now make her quit
him. But I delay you, and increase the risk of discovery, already
sufficiently great, by speaking. I will say no more, but that I pray,
when in safety in your native land, you will not forget the unhappy
exile whom once you knew, and who would gladly have died to serve you."
He spoke as they walked on, and a few minutes more brought them to the
mouth of the ravine, whence a full view of the moonlit bay lay before
them.
The _Sea Hawk_ and two misticos were at their anchors. No light
appeared on board either of them, nor was there any one moving, that
Fleetwood could discover, on their decks; nor was the slightest noise
heard, except the low, gentle ripple of the untiring water on the sands;
yet so smooth and glass-like was the sea, that every star in the heavens
seemed reflected on its surface. He could distinguish, also, the dark
boats drawn up on the beach; but he looked in vain for the one his
friends were to secure, in which to make their escape.
"They have, with due caution, carefully concealed her," he said to
himself. "When we get more to the left, we shall doubtlessly see her."
On descending to the sands, they turned, therefore, sharp round to the
left under the cliffs, which, it must be remembered, was the direction
of the spot agreed on where the boat was to be in readiness. At length
they reached the black rock, alongside of which Fleetwood expected to
find her, and, to his great satisfaction, he saw that she was there; and
his friends directly after rose from her bottom, where they had
concealed themselves while waiting for his coming.
"We were alarmed for your safety, Captain Fleetwood," said Bowse,
leaping out to meet them. "We waited so long for you; but everything is
in readiness. If you will assist Miss Garden on board, I will take care
of Marianna. But who is this stranger with you?"
"One to whom I owe much," said Ada, stretching out her hand. "Farewell,
Signor Montifalcone, may Heaven reward you for what you have done for
me."
"Farewell, lady, and may you never know the grief I am doomed to bear,"
returned the Italian; and before Fleetwood, who would have thanked him,
could speak, he had retired to a distance; and as they quickly embarked,
and urged the boat from the shore, they could see him standing watching
them, still as a marble statue.
CHAPTER THIRTY.
"Thank Heaven, you are so far safe, dearest," said Fleetwood, as he
placed Ada in the stern sheets of the boat, by the side of Jack Raby,
who, it was arranged, should steer, while he took the stroke oar, his
companions pulling the others.
With heartfelt gratitude did Ada thank Heaven, for having thus far
conducted them in safety through the perils which surrounded them, and
implored protection for herself, and for the gallant men, her
deliverers, through those they had still to encounter.
They had well employed the time spent in waiting, by carefully muffling
the oars, so that they should make no noise as they worked in the
rullocks, and it was now only necessary to take care to let the blades
fall into the water, and to draw them out again with as little splash as
possible.
Marianna sat opposite to her mistress; and if not the most delighted of
the party at the success which had hitherto attended them, she, at all
events, gave more vehement expression to her feelings; and Raby had to
apply his former remedy to keep her quiet.
At a sign from Fleetwood, the boat was sent gliding off from the rock;
but instead of at once steering out into the bay, she was kept close in
shore, under the shadow of the cliffs: the blades of the oars just
clearing the sand as they went along.
The boat was a very rough specimen of naval architecture, and wore they
to have depended on her speed, the chance of escape would have been
small indeed. She was built to pull six oars, with a high bow and
stern, and though well suited to serve as a fishing-boat, or to live in
the short seas of the Archipelago, was not intended to be used when
rapid progress was important. The adventurers had, indeed, selected
her, not on account of the qualities she possessed adapted for their
purpose, but because she happened to be moored close into the shore,
near the east side of the bay, and, what was very important, had her
oars left on board her. Pietro, who was a good swimmer, had, it
appeared, gone off with his knife in his mouth, and cutting her cable,
towed her close enough in for the other two to step into her. They had
then brought her round, with the same cautious silence, to where
Fleetwood had found her.
The hearts of all beat quick with hope, not unmixed, however, with
apprehension, as the boat glided along the shore close to the cliffs.
Fleetwood's glance was roving watchfully round, to notice the first sign
of their being discovered, and of any preparations made for their
pursuit. The figure of the unhappy Paolo Montifalcone was the only one
discernible, as he stood at the end of the rock, to catch a last glimpse
of the faint outline of her on whom he had so devotedly set the
affection of his ardent nature, without a prospect of return, and his
figure soon faded away in the obscurity.
From the shore, the adventurers had now, they thought, less cause to
fear; but they looked with suspicious eyes towards the brig, and the two
misticos, on the decks of which, at least, one person ought to have been
on the watch; but neither of them gave any signs of having life on
board.
"If we had suspected the sort of watch there rascals keep, we should
have had little difficulty in taking them by surprise," thought
Fleetwood. "We may profit by our knowledge on another occasion, but I
am afraid they will not _forget_ the lesson I hope we shall give them,
to be more vigilant in future."
Of course, it is difficult to describe the sensations which alternately
filled Ada's bosom, as the boat progressed round the harbour; hope, joy,
gratitude, love, and fear, all were there; and those who would
understand what they were, must either have been placed in a similar
position, or must endeavour to fancy themselves so placed. At length
the eastern point of the harbour was passed, and with the towering
cliffs of the entrance rising above them on either side, the clear
boundless sea appeared ahead. Jack Raby, with the natural impulse of
his age, forgetting his own lessons to Marianna, was very nearly giving
way to a shout of joy as he found the boat floating freely on the ocean
he had learned to love and to confide in; but he recollected himself in
time, and merely uttered a whispered "hurra," which could not have been
heard above the splash of the water on the rocks close above them.
"Port your helm, Raby, and let us shut out the bay as fast as we can,"
whispered his captain. "We shall still keep under the shadow of the
cliffs for a short distance, to avoid the risk of being seen from the
eastern towers. That will do, steady.
"Keep up your courage, my sweet Ada, for a few minutes more," he said,
turning his eyes to her countenance, from which, indeed, his glance had
never been absent longer than was necessary to watch for their safety.
"We may now congratulate ourselves on having every chance of escape. In
less than half an hour we shall fall in with the _Ione's_ boats, and
then we may defy the whole nest of pirates to stop us."
"I shall have no further fear when we have lost sight of that dreadful
vessel, which looks even now like some slumbering monster about to awake
and rush after us," she answered, pointing to the _Sea Hawk_, which lay
still open inside the harbour's mouth.
She had scarcely uttered these words when a loud shout was heard, which
seemed to proceed from some one on board her, and a musket was
discharged at them. The shouting was repeated, and words were clearly
distinguished.
"We are discovered," exclaimed the Greek captain. "Pull, pull, as hard
as we can, the watch on deck is calling on us to come into the harbour.
He has evidently just woke up, and is yet uncertain what we are, though
he suspects us. He threatens to fire the guns at us if we do not obey
him, and that will have the effect, though we escape the shot, of waking
up the rascals in all quarters, and we shall have a whole fleet of boats
after us: stay, I will hail in return, and pretend we are fishermen."
On this he stood boldly up in the boat, and cried out in Romaic, at the
top of his voice--
"What fool is that on board the _Sea Hawk_, who has been sleeping on his
watch these four hours past, and now makes so much noise, because others
more industrious get up early in the morning to follow their avocations?
We should have little fish to eat if we were to trust to you for the
supply."
"Who is it?" exclaimed the same voice. "Is it you, Balbo?"
"Yes, yes," answered Captain Vassilato; "I should have thought you would
have known my voice."
"Who is it?" hailed another person, apparently on shore.
"Gerasimo Listi," answered the watch on the _Sea Hawk's_ deck.
"No, no, the old fellow lies drunk at home!" exclaimed the second
speaker. "Treachery, treachery. They are the spies endeavouring to
escape."
"It is hopeless to deceive them," said Captain Vassilato, when he heard
these words, which he translated to his companions as he resumed his
seat and oar. "We must pull for our lives; we have a good start, and it
may be some time before any boats' crews can be collected to pursue us."
It is needless to say with what energy all hands bent to their oars--
concealment was of no further use, and they were able to put their whole
strength into their strokes. There was no time to be lost. The brig
was swinging with her broadside across the mouth of the harbour, and as
soon as those on her deck could procure matches, they rushed to the
guns, and discharged them in quick succession; and Ada could scarcely
restrain a shriek of terror as she saw their bright flashes lighting up
the mouth of the harbour--the sides and rigging of the vessel now
crowded with people--and heard their loud report echoing among the
cliffs, as also the rushing noise of the shot as they came flying by--
some over their heads, some close astern, and others ahead of them; for
though the pirates' aim was very uncertain, yet, as from the narrow
entrance of the bay, the only shot which could reach them must come
between the cliffs, they could not go far distant from them. One or
two, apparently, from the peculiar noise they made, hit the cliffs, and
rebounded back into the bay. Marianna, whose fears had completely
overcome her, crouched down at the bottom of the boat, where she thought
she should be more secure; and Fleetwood entreated Ada in that respect
to follow her example, desiring Jack Raby to place her as low down as
possible, where a shot was less likely to strike the boat. Though she
was unwilling to be more sheltered from danger than he was, yet she saw
that her so doing would relieve him from some of his fear for her
safety, and she complied with his wishes; reclining on some jackets and
cloaks which Jack Raby spread out for her, she saw no more of what took
place, though the noise of the firing soon ceasing told her that they
had shut in the brig by the western cliffs.
"Remain where you are, dearest," said Fleetwood, as she was about to
rise. "We may still have some shot sent after us, when the boats, which
will probably pursue us, get outside; and though, with the start we
have, they are not likely to take good aim, a fatal one may come on
board; and think, Ada, of how little use would be the risk we have run,
if you were to be the victim. But do not be alarmed; no enemy has yet
approached."
I do not know if I have explained clearly the position of the boat: she
was at this time about an eighth of a mile from the lofty cliffs which
formed the western side of the bay, with her head to the west, going at
the rate of between four and five knots an hour, which was the utmost
speed with which, with all their exertions, they could urge her through
the water. The cleft in the rock, as now the entrance of the harbour
appeared to be, was seen over their starboard quarter, and in that
direction their eyes were anxiously turned for the appearance of the
boats they fully expected would follow them. A new danger also appeared
from a quarter they had not expected, for along the summit of the
cliffs, as seen against the bright blue sky, they could discern some
figures running at full speed, and they were not left long in doubt as
to their intentions. The persons halted, and the bright barrels of
their guns gleamed in the moonlight, as they brought them to their
shoulders and fired. Several balls flew by them, and one struck the
gunnel of the boat, though, fortunately, no other damage was done. The
pirates kept shouting out their threats of vengeance, and firing away,
apparently to intimidate the fugitives, little understanding the
character of the people with whom they had to deal.
Here, of course, Ada was exposed to as much danger as the rest; and
though Fleetwood would have joyfully interposed his own person to
preserve her, it was impossible for him to do so, and all he could do
was to entreat her to remain down as much as possible under the seat,
and to redouble his efforts at the oar.
"We shall soon be beyond the range of those fellows' guns!" he
exclaimed. "But ah, there's a boat's bow creeping out from between the
rocks. We've a good start of her, however. Give way, gentlemen. We'll
lead her a long chase, and find her a warm reception at the end of it, I
hope."
"She's not alone, though!" exclaimed Bowse, whose eyesight was
remarkably keen. "There's another close astern of her, and, by heaven,
there's another just rounding the point. We shall have enough of them
to look after us, at all events."
"It matters little how many, provided we keep ahead of the leading one,"
said Captain Fleetwood, in a cheerful tone, not as much for the object
of encouraging his rude companions, as for the sake of keeping up Ada's
spirits. "I don't think any of them are likely to pull much faster than
we do."
These remarks were made slowly and at intervals, and perhaps even fewer
words were really used, as any one who has pulled a heavy oar, for life
and death, will know the utter impossibility of carrying on an unbroken
conversation, as I have written it down.
They had by this time nearly doubled the distance they were from the
shore when the first boat was seen, and had thus gained the best part of
half a mile from the harbour's mouth. The nearest of the pirate's boats
was rather more than a quarter of a mile off, which in a stern chase,
with slow-pulling boats, was a considerable distance.
The other boats they would not have seen at that distance, had not, as
they pulled out, a gleam of moonshine fallen on their bows, and tinged
their foaming wake with a line of gold, as they rounded the point before
they could stand to the westward in pursuit. The night remained as calm
and beautiful as at first, and the moon, though still young, afforded
sufficient light to enable the pursuers and pursued to distinguish each
other, as they urged their boats through the water.
Fleetwood's arrangements had been as follows: Provided the weather was
sufficiently moderate, in Mr Saltwell's opinion, with whom all
authority rested, to permit him to venture to sea, with safety, in an
open boat, he was to get under-weigh, in the _Ione_ every evening; to
stand in till within sight of the island, and to send the boats on with
all hands, well armed, to within about two miles of the island, due west
of the harbour, or much nearer if the night should prove dark; but they
were especially to avoid any risk of being seen from the island. As
morning dawned they were to retire gradually, keeping a bright look-out
for him, and they were then to return on board, and the _Ione_ was to
stand back to her anchorage.
As the night was decidedly bright, Fleetwood did not expect to find the
boats nearer than within the distance he had fixed on, and they had then
a mile and a half at least to sail before they could come up with them;
but he hoped that the firing would have attracted their attention, and
that, suspecting its true cause, they would have pulled closer in. Raby
stood up as he steered, to peer into the darkness, but no sign could be
seen of the wished-for boats.
"May I hail, sir?" he asked. "The pirates will only think that we are
laughing at them, and perhaps some of those with Mr Linton may know my
voice."
"Yes, hail if you like; but we are still too far off for them to hear
you," said Fleetwood.
On this, Jack Raby, putting his hand to his mouth, gave a long shrill
cry, which might have been heard a mile off; and it must have made the
pirates think that one of them was wounded; but no answering hail was
given.
The pirates' boats, though so suddenly manned, were pulled well, and
were decidedly overhauling the fugitives. Fleetwood remarked it, but he
said nothing. He still hoped that as the distance was short between
them, and when they might not only obtain assistance, but retaliate on
the enemy, they might gain it before they were overtaken.
"It's surprising that the pirates in the boats don't fire on us,"
observed Bowse. "They must see us clearly enough to take good aim at
this distance. I suspect they have no fire-arms with them."
"Depend on it, they are not without them," replied Captain Vassilato.
"His rifle was the first thing every man snatched up, as he left his hut
and sprang on deck to jump into his boat. No, no, they make sure of
coming up to us, and anticipate too much satisfaction in cutting our
throats, to throw away a shot on us."
"They would be less chary of their powder if they knew how short a
distance our friends are from us," said Fleetwood.
It occurred to him, also, that probably Zappa himself was on board one
of the boats, and that he would not fire for fear of injuring Ada; for,
judging from his own feelings, he had from the first, thought, and
justly too, that the pirate was influenced to carry her off, more by his
admiration of her than for the sake of her ransom, and this caused him
still more anguish, when he saw the probability of her again falling
into his power.
"I think there is a slight air springing up from the eastward, sir,"
said Jack Raby, as he sat down again to steer. "I wish we had a sail to
drive her on faster."
"I fear, indeed, that there is a breeze getting up," said Fleetwood, in
a tone which ill concealed the apprehensions he felt. "The other boats,
however, may not have sails. They must all have come off in a great
hurry."
"I see something which has a sail, though," exclaimed Bowse. "The
rascals have towed out one of their cursed misticos, and we shall have
her after us presently. I see her white canvas, even now, gleaming in
the moon-light. She does not feel the breeze yet, for there is a little
northerly in it, and the cliffs becalm her."
"I fear you are right, Bowse," said Fleetwood. "I have just now, also,
caught a glimpse of her; but the breeze is still very light, and will
not send her faster through the water than the boats can pull, so we
need not fear her, I hope. It convinces me, also, that the boats have
no sails; but that they believe we have, and might, if the wind
increases, get away from them. Courage, my friends, we must not
despair."
"We may give them a tough job to take us, sir, even if they come up with
us," exclaimed the young midshipman, glancing over the boats, which were
clearly overhauling them. "There are five of us,"--he reckoned himself
a man in strength, as he was in courage--"and, with arms in our hands,
we may thrash a few dozen rascally pirates, any day. But it may be as
well to sing out again, and let our friends know our whereabouts."
He jumped up as he said this, and shouted at the top of his voice; but
no hail was heard in return; and it now became too probable that, owing
to the calm which had prevailed all day, the _Ione_ had been delayed,
and that her boats had not reached their station; for, otherwise, as
Fleetwood suggested, they would most certainly have pulled towards them
directly they heard the guns of the _Sea Hawk_. Again and again Jack
Raby hailed, with the same result; and it now became very certain that
they must not depend on the speedy assistance of their friends. To say
that Fleetwood's heart sank within him, as this circumstance became
evident, would be wrong; at the same time that he saw clearly the very
great danger to which he and those with him were exposed.
"That they have refrained from firing shows that they will not injure
Ada; and when she tells the pirate that a large ransom is ready to be
paid for her, he will send her, unharmed, on board the _Ione_; and, for
ourselves, we must sell our lives dearly, as brave men should do."
He thought this, as he saw the leading Greek boat rapidly gaining on
them, and now little more than two-thirds the distance she had been
before; while they had pulled rather more than a mile from the shore,
which now rose dim and frowning astern of them. At the same rate they
might thus pull two additional miles before they were overtaken; but
then it was utterly impossible that their strength would enable them to
continue urging the boat through the water at the same speed they had
hitherto been doing. Could they indeed do so, it would be, they soon
saw, to little purpose, for every instant the breeze increased, and the
mistico was already up to the sternmost boats. They now saw that she
had her sweeps out, as well as her canvas set--which, of course, still
further lessened their chances of escape.
"I fear the knaves will have the best of it, sir," exclaimed Bowse,
incautiously, forgetting the effect his observation might have upon Ada.
"But, never fear, sir, we'll fight it out as long as we've hands to
move. I'm sure Captain Vassilato and Mr Raby will, and I'll answer for
Pietro and myself."
"Thanks--thanks--my friends; I fear it must come to that," said
Fleetwood. "Raby, have you got the muskets ready? We will give them a
few shot, to show that we do not intend to yield, and at the same time
the report may be heard by our friends."
"Yes, sir; there are three muskets here," replied the midshipman. "I
suppose they are loaded."
"Oh, never fear; Captain Vassilato and I examined them after we got down
to the boat, and we loaded them on board the mistico," said Bowse.
"Take a steady aim when you fire, sir. If you can but hit one or two of
the men at the oars, it will throw them into great confusion."
"Shall I fire, sir?" asked Jack of his captain.
"No, wait till they get nearer; we must not throw a shot away," was the
answer.
Ada had heard, with the most intense anxiety, all the observations which
had been made, and she could resist speaking no longer, which she did,
in a voice weak and trembling with agitation and alarm.
"Oh, Fleetwood, I implore you, do not, for my sake, resist," she said.
"The pirates must inevitably overpower us, from what I hear; and you can
do no good by fighting, but will certainly sacrifice your own life and
that of your friends. Yield, without striking a blow, and they will not
injure you; and you will surely find another opportunity to escape,
while I must bear my lot as I best can. For myself I have no fears."
"Ada, it is not death I fear; but the thought of losing you almost
unmans me," exclaimed Fleetwood. "And even if I felt, which I do not,
that my life would be safe, were I again in the pirate's power, I could
not yield without fighting, nor would those with me, I am sure. I know
all you feel, my beloved Ada; but were we this moment to cease pulling,
and to allow the pirates to come alongside, it would but hasten our
fate."
Ada saw that further remonstrance would be useless, and relying, as she
justly did, on Captain Fleetwood's discretion and judgment, and feeling
he was acting for the best, she said nothing, but waited in silence and
dread the coming contest. Poor little Marianna, though her fate was
less cruel than that of her mistress, as a short captivity was all she
had to fear, was not the less alarmed, and lay at the bottom of the
boat, giving way to her fears in floods of tears without attempting to
rise.
The first boat approached within three cables' length of that of the
fugitives.
"Now, Raby, fire, and aim steadily," exclaimed Fleetwood.
The midshipman, leaving the helm for an instant, took one of the
muskets: and resting it on the stern of the boat, fired. A loud cry
succeeded the report, and the boat's progress was evidently stopped.
"You have hit one of them," said Fleetwood. "Now, load your piece and
fire again. If you can hit another, it will throw them into further
confusion."
Jack Raby eagerly did as he was desired, and taking his aim in the most
deliberate manner, another pirate was either killed or wounded. The
effect was to make her drop so much astern that the second boat took the
lead of her.
Jack again loaded his piece. He looked up at the star of which he had
been steering, just touching the tiller with his arm, to bring the boat,
which had gone off half a point, back to her proper course; and then
turning round, and half kneeling on the seat, he fired with the same
deliberate coolness as before. The bullet struck the boat, but no one
appeared to be wounded, for on she came faster than ever. He loaded and
fired again, with the same want of effect; a third shot, however, told
on the body of one of the pirates, in the after part of the boat, but
his place was instantly taken by another; though the delay allowed the
boat which had so long led to come almost abreast of her; and they now,
to Fleetwood's grief, came up together, one pulling for each quarter.
"Load once more, Raby, and pass two of the muskets forward," he
exclaimed. "As they hook on, we will all fire together, two on each
side; then, with our pistols, shoot those who are attempting to grapple
the boat, and trust to our cutlasses for the rest. The moment we can
free ourselves we will again take to our oars; and I hope we may give
them such a taste of our quality, that the rest may not wish to molest
us."
"We'll do our best," was the unanimous cry, for all saw that Fleetwood's
proposal, however desperate, was the only one to afford them the chance
of escape. It would have been as great folly to have trusted to the
mercy of pirates, such as they were, as it is to confide in the honour
or fair dealing of grasping, money-loving rogues on shore, more
especially of those who fancy that they have the protection of the laws
to shelter them, while they carry out their nefarious projects. The two
leading boats were close to them, while the others were some way astern,
with the mistico, which was bringing up the breeze, nearly abreast of
the latter.
"Now," exclaimed Fleetwood, throwing in his oar, and seizing a musket,
as the bows of the two boats came up with their counter, "fire."
The order was obeyed, and a man in each boat was seen to fall, but it
did not check them, and they dashed alongside. The gallant adventurers
drew their pistols, and fired them with equally good aim, for two more
of their opponents fell wounded; and then grasping their cutlasses used
them with such effect, that for some minutes their assailants were kept
at bay, without either of themselves receiving a wound. Suddenly, in
the midst of the clashing of swords and the cries of the combatants,
Jack Raby jumped up on the seat at the risk of being cut down by the
enemy; and, while he was still using his sword with one liana, he put
the other to his mouth, and shouted out at the top of His voice--
"_Ione_--ahoy--ahoy! I thought so, I thought so," he exclaimed, as a
faint hail came across the waters. "I thought I heard their hail before
we fired."
On hearing this, Fleetwood and the rest simultaneously joined in the cry
of--
"_Ione_--ahoy--ahoy!"
If, however, it had the effect of letting their friends know where they
were, it also made the pirates see the necessity of finishing the affair
without delay, if they would secure their prize. A tall figure had been
seen standing in the after part of one of the boats. He now sprang
forward, and crossed his blade with Fleetwood, who at once recognised
him as Zappa. Both were good swordsmen, but the pirate had greater size
and strength, and his arm was, besides, untired, while Fleetwood could
scarcely wield his weapon. Zappa shouted to his men.
"Beware!" cried the Greek captain, who knew what was said.
The pirates from both boats made a simultaneous rush; a third came up at
the same time. A blow, he could not parry, struck Fleetwood down,
senseless, into the bottom of the boat; and at the same moment his
companions fell desperately wounded, except Jack Raby, who found his
sword whirled into the sea, and himself lifted, by main force, into one
of the boats, with Pietro in his company. As Fleetwood tottered on
receiving his wound, Ada Garden uttered a shriek of terror, but before
her fears overpowered her she mustered her energies for the occasion,
and endeavoured, as she knelt at the bottom of the boat, to prevent him
from receiving any further injury as he fell. Regardless of the noise
and confusion around, she raised his head on the cloaks, on which she
had been reclining; she endeavoured to stanch the blood flowing from a
deep wound in his head; she called on his name, in accents of anguish,
to revive and speak to her, but in vain--no answer could he give. She
observed not what was taking place, scarcely that his companions were
taken away; that other men filled their places, and that the boat was
being urged rapidly back towards the shore, by six fresh and powerful
oarsmen. Meantime the mistico had come up, and now hauled her wind with
her head to the northward, so that her guns might cover the retreat of
the pirate boats; but as soon as they got in order, and began to move
towards the harbour, she let draw her head sails, went about, and stood
in the same direction, none of the pirates having the slightest
intention of coming in contact with the British, if they could avoid it;
for they also, it afterwards appeared, had heard the hail of the
_Tone's_ boats, and rightly guessed from whence it came. The crews of
the British boats gave way with a will; for, finding that all the firing
had ceased, and that their hail was no longer answered, they began to
suspect the truth, and that their friends had been overtaken and
captured. Linton, it must be remembered, could not tell to a certainty
what had taken place, and he therefore acted to the best of his
judgment. He ordered the boats to accompany him, pulling as fast as
they could, in the direction in which they had seen the firing; but they
had come clearly in sight of the lofty cliffs of the island before they
perceived the mistico standing in for the land, and a fleet of boats
near her, just distinguishable through the gloom. The tables were now
reversed, and it was this time the smaller force chasing the larger one;
but even had there been twice the number of boats, Linton would not have
hesitated to chase them. The British crews, as they found that they
were in sight of the enemy, gave forth three of those hearty cheers
which they can seldom resist uttering in moments of excitement, and,
with redoubled energy, dashed after the retreating boats.
That cheer was heard by those of the captives who still retained their
consciousness, and though it showed them that they were not deserted by
their friends, it made the pirates still more eager to return to their
strong-hold, to avoid encountering an enemy so evidently in good spirits
and courage.
The mistico sailed well; but, as the wind stood, it was evident that she
would be obliged to make one tack, if not more, before she could fetch
the harbour, and this gave the British a hope that they should at all
events be able to cut her off; and Linton doubted whether it would not
be better first to get hold of as many of the boats as they could, and
then to wait for her off the mouth of the harbour.
"I think the boats have got the captain, and the rest of them, on board,
by the way they pull," shouted Linton, to Tompion, who commanded the
cutter. "Tackle them first, and we may pay the other rascals off
afterwards. Huzza, my men--give way, or they will be into their den
before we can get alongside them."
"The mistico has tacked," shouted Tompion, in return. "Shall I fire
into her?"
"No--no; no firing--we may be hitting our friends," cried Linton. "Let
her go--we can get her afterwards."
As the boats drew near her, the mistico opened a fire of small arms and
swivels on them over the larboard side; for she was now standing
directly across their course, bringing them, as she got more to the
northward, under her stern; so that when she again tacked, she would be
able to bring her starboard broadside to bear on them. The pirate boats
also commenced a slight and uncertain fire, showing that very few of
them had arms; but, as they drew near the shore, the cliffs appeared
fringed with a blaze of fire, which opened down upon them.
Still undaunted, Linton pushed on: the boats were occasionally hit, but
no one was wounded. The mistico again tacked; but she found the wind
more scant than she had probably expected, and she consequently fell
off, and instead of having the English boats on her starboard side, she
passed astern of them, unable to fire, so close were both parties
together, without an equal chance of injuring her own friends. The same
cause also prevented the people on the cliffs from keeping up the hot
fire they might otherwise have done; for in the darkness of night it was
difficult to distinguish the position of the English boats, in
consequence of their carefully abstaining from firing. Linton and his
followers were almost up with the sternmost of the pirate boats when the
lofty cliffs opened, as it seemed, by magic--the enemy disappeared in
the narrow opening, and, as they were boldly pushing after them, they
found a thick chain drawn across the passage, and at the same time a
blaze of fire opened from the broadside of the brig, moored across it.
"Back your larboard oars, pull up your starboard oars, my men," shouted
Linton. "We are in a trap--must give it up, or be knocked to pieces,
I'm afraid. Let all the boats pull to the south-west as fast as they
can till we are out of the range of their guns."
It was, indeed, time for the British to retire; for besides the big guns
and swivels of the brig, every accessible point of the cliffs above
their head appeared covered with musketry, and several heavy pieces sent
forth their messengers of destruction from beneath the walls of the
castle. Never were boats perhaps exposed to a hotter fire--to penetrate
into the harbour was utterly impossible, and the probability of their
escaping was small indeed.
"Pull on--pull for your lives, my men," shouted the young lieutenant, as
the boats' heads came round, and their crews endeavoured to escape from
the showers of round shot and bullets, which dashed the water up on
every side of them, wounding several, and sending more than one brave
heart to its last account.
"We shall do yet, my men. We'll pay the villains off for this!" he
shouted. "Oh, Heaven! They've done for me. Take the helm, Duff, and
tell Mr Tompion--"
He spoke in a low tone, and before he finished the sentence he sunk down
at the bottom of the boat.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
"And so, signora, you would show your gratitude for the attention and
respect with which I have treated you, by endeavouring to escape from my
care, and by bringing your countrymen to attempt my destruction."
These words, uttered in a deep, stern voice, were the first Ada heard
with sufficient distinctness to comprehend their meaning, since the
termination of the conflict, in which she had seen her lover, over whom
she still hung, cast down wounded by her side. The tone and accent told
her, too clearly, who was the speaker ere she raised her head, and,
looking round, beheld the pirate Zappa, steering the boat. Whether or
not it was fancy, she could scarcely tell; but, as she gazed at him
through the gloom, his dress appeared disordered, and stained with
blood, and his countenance seemed to her to wear an expression even of
unusual ferocity. Dread, lest in his savage mood he should wreak his
vengeance on Fleetwood, kept her silent.
"Speak, signora," he repeated. "Why have you done this?"
"I have done nothing to injure you, nothing of which you have a right to
complain," said Ada, lifting up her head, though still remaining on her
knees by Fleetwood's side. "You unjustly deprived me of my liberty, and
that I have attempted to regain. Of no other crime towards you can you
accuse me."
She said this with as firm a voice as she could command, remembering the
effect her courage had had on the pirate, on a former occasion; and she
now felt that it was, if possible, of still greater importance to her to
retain her presence of mind; not only her own life, but that of
Fleetwood; might depend on her behaviour.
"But you are mistaken, signora. I accuse you of instigating some
strangers, to whom hospitality had been shown, to run off with the
property of my people, and of inducing that unhappy youth, Paolo
Montifalcone, treacherously, to assist in your flight," returned the
pirate firmly. "I will not, however, barter words with you. If I and
my people escape from the attack your countrymen appear about to make on
us, I may overlook your crime; but if any of them suffer through your
means, you shall not escape my vengeance."
"I am defenceless and in your power," replied Ada. "I repeat that I
have not instigated my countrymen to attack you, and if you suffer, it
is through no fault of mine. But if you add a cold-blooded murder to
your other crimes, you will bring down the vengeance of all civilised
nations on your head, as instruments of the God whom you have offended."
"My resolution is fixed, signora. What I do depends on the result of
this night's business," said the pirate, in the same stern voice; and,
without paying her any further apparent attention, he urged on his
people to renewed exertions at their oars.
This conversation took place exactly as the British boats were first
discovered through the darkness, coming up astern; and as they happened
to be just there in line, and looming large in the gloom, Zappa could
not tell what force was now being brought against him; and it was the
belief that he was about to be attacked by overwhelming numbers, before,
perhaps, he could get within shelter of the harbour, and make
arrangements for his defence, which had stirred up all the devil within
him. One of his remarks gave Ada some gleam of comfort, for it made her
fancy that the pirate did not suspect that the wounded man at his feet
was Captain Fleetwood, the enemy from whom he had most to dread, and she
hoped that he still believed him to be simply the Maltese sailor he
appeared. Hope, however slight, will, as the light branch keeps a
drowning man above the surface of the treacherous waters, support a
person amid present distress and difficulty, who would otherwise sink
overwhelmed beneath them; and this idea, which had happily occurred to
Ada, prevented her giving way to the wretchedness she felt at the
failure of her lover's gallant attempt to rescue her, and the too
probable destruction he had brought on himself and those associated with
him. The pirate every now and then turned his head to watch the
advancing boats, expecting them each instant to fire on him; but seeing
that they did not do so, he grew calmer as he approached the harbour,
knowing that he should soon be in safety within it.
Though trembling lest her care should evince her interest in Fleetwood,
Ada, as soon as Zappa's attention had been withdrawn from her, again
employed herself in endeavouring to staunch the blood which flowed from
his wound. As she bent over him she found he breathed; and as she held
his hand in hers, she felt that his pulse was still beating, though slow
and faint. It had at last occurred to her, that it would be wiser to
call Marianna to her assistance, though, with the natural jealousy of
love, she was unwilling that any one but herself should tend, while she
was able, the object of her affection, but the poor girl was little in a
condition to render her any aid; as, overcome with her fears, and the
continued excitement in which she had been kept, she had gone off in a
fainting fit, from which she was only just recovering. She heard the
voice of her mistress, and it served to revive her, and raising her
head, she dragged herself towards her.
"Oh, holy Mary, and is the brave captain killed!" she exclaimed, as she
saw Fleetwood's rigid, death-like appearance, though the dark colour
with which his skin was tinged concealed the ghastly pallor of his
countenance. "Oh, holy mother, is he dead?"
Ada grasped Marianna's arm, to make her keep silent, as she
whispered--"He is your countryman, a seaman of Malta. You must attend
to him." And she trusted that Zappa had not overheard her maid's
indiscreet exclamation. Whether he had or not, his attention was again
attracted towards them.
"You appear to take great interest in that wounded man, signora," he
observed, in a less angry tone than before.
"I do, signor," she replied, in a firm voice, without waiting for his
saying any thing further. "I perform but a woman's part towards a
wounded man, in endeavouring to alleviate his suffering. I do as I
would towards any one in a like situation; and as I would towards you,
were a shot, from the guns of my countrymen, this instant to lay you
low, and were I again carried into captivity by your orders. We are
taught by our religion, signor, not to distinguish our enemies from our
friends, when they are in affliction." Ada made this last observation
as the genuine feeling of her heart, without any hypocrisy, however
excusable some might think it, under the circumstances, and,
doubtlessly, would have staunched the wounds of her greatest enemy, to
the best of her power, had she been called on to do so; though the
anxiety and tenderness which animated her, as she watched over
Fleetwood, would have, of necessity, been wanting.
"Well, well, signora," returned Zappa. "You and your attendant are
welcome to do your best to prevent the man from dying, though he
deserves nothing at my hands; but whatever men may say of me, they shall
not justly accuse me of being a murderer in cold blood. Your countrymen
do not appear to be in a fighting mood. Perhaps they are afraid of
firing, lest they should hurt you. Is it not so, lady? I know more of
their plans than you suspect. The expedition is led by the captain of
the _Ione_, in person, and he was on the look out for you, when we so
inopportunely came up, and spoilt your arrangements."
"Can it be so?" thought Ada. "Is he really ignorant that Fleetwood is
close to him? Alas, he may be deceiving me, and if I pretend to agree
to his assertions, he will but use it as a weapon against me. The right
and best plan is to refuse to give an opinion on the subject."
"I am your prisoner, signor," she said, aloud; "and as such I claim
every right to endeavour to escape as I best can. It would therefore be
folly in me to acknowledge by what means I have communicated with my
countrymen, even if I had done as you suppose, lest you should prevent
my doing so another time."
"_Per bacco_, you are a brave girl!" exclaimed the pirate, in a tone in
which Ada felt that admiration was too much mingled with a familiarity
she had endeavoured to avoid. "I would rather be your friend than your
enemy, if you would let me. Faith, you deserve your liberty, or
anything else that you desire; but it would tax my generosity too much
to give it to you."
What he said further, Ada did not hear; for the noise of the firing,
which then commenced from the cliffs above, as well as from the boats,
drowned his words. She trembled for the fate of the _Tone's_ crew, who
were coming to her assistance; for she was sufficiently acquainted with
the nature of military defences, to know the impracticable character of
the harbour into which the pirates, she was afraid, would try to draw
them.
The firing increased; and she judged, by the gestures of the Greeks, who
were rowing, that her countrymen were close upon them. Again the hope
revived that, even then, Fleetwood might be rescued. The shouts of the
British seamen rang in her ears. She could scarcely refrain from rising
and waving to them to urge them on to the succour of their captain; but,
just as she fancied they would be alongside, she saw the cliffs, at the
entrance of the harbour, towering above her, and the boat shooting in;
directly after, the _Sea Hawk_ opened her fire, and her ears were
deafened with the reverberating reports of the guns, and the shouts and
shrieks of the pirates. The moment the boat touched the shore, Zappa
and his companions sprang out, he shouting,--"To the castle--to the
castle! We will give them the guns as they retreat."
And Ada found herself left alone with Pietro and Marianna. In vain she
endeavoured to arouse her lover to a state of consciousness--the same
frightful torpor continued which the wound had caused; and her heart
almost broke with anguish, as she began to fear he might die before he
could receive any proper assistance.
"The pirate talks of his generosity. Would he allow him to be sent on
board the _Ione_ with a flag of truce?" she thought. "No, no; it were
vain to hope it; and the very entreating him to do so would betray
Charles to him."
She then remembered the medical knowledge possessed by Paolo
Montifalcone, and the great assistance he had been to her; but she had
no means of testing his surgical skill, though she understood that Zappa
had, at first, detained him, that he might be useful to any of his
followers who were wounded--but then the idea occurred to her--though,
perhaps, she did not express it in so many words,--"Can I trust him? He
has confessed his unhappy attachment to me. I told him that, if no
other circumstance prevented my marrying him, my heart was another's,
and can I dare to place that favoured rival in his power? He is,
apparently, generous, and possesses many excellent qualities; but he is
an Italian; and if the tales I have heard of Italians are true, they are
less scrupulous than other persons of ridding themselves of those they
hate. Perhaps he would not contemplate such a deed--he might now
shudder at the thought of it; but if the temptation were thrown in his
way, could he withstand it? I might, were I to trust him, be guilty of
my Charles's death, and of causing that unhappy youth to commit a
murder. Oh! God help me! What shall I do?"
Just then, some rapid steps were heard of a person running along the
sands. They attracted the attention of Marianna, who had begun to
recover from her fright; and looking over the side of the boat, she
screamed out,--"Is it you, Mr Raby? Oh, come here--come here! We want
you very much."
She was right in her supposition; and the next instant the midshipman
had sprung into the boat.
"What, Miss Garden! Are you left here alone? And, good heavens! is
that the captain?" he exclaimed, in a tone of voice which showed how
deeply he felt, joyous and careless as he was on ordinary occasions.
"Oh, Miss Garden, he is not dead!"
"I trust in Heaven he is not, Mr Raby," replied Ada. "He has been
stunned and severely wounded, and, had no one been with him, would have
bled to death; even now, I know not what may happen if he does not
speedily receive assistance. Had we the strength to do so, we might
convey him up to the tower, where I suppose I shall be again shut up,
and his wounds might thus be properly dressed."
"I am afraid that you, and Marianna, and I, should never be able to
carry him all that way without hurting him," returned Jack Raby. "If I
could find our companions, we could easily do it; but I don't know what
became of them. I was dragged into a boat by myself, and knocked down,
and told to be quiet; out, as soon as we got in here, the rascals went
off to man their guns, and quite forgot me, I suppose; so, directly I
found that they were gone, I felt to see if my head was hurt, and
feeling it all right, I jumped out and set off, determined to try and
find out what had become of you and the rest. If I could not succeed, I
thought about going up to the Italian lady, and getting her to make
interest for us all. I was in a great hurry, because I did not know
when the pirates might come back; and they will, probably, shut me up
somewhere, so that I cannot get to speak to her."
"Your suggestion, Mr Raby, affords much hope that we may obtain
assistance for Captain Fleetwood," said Ada. "Oh! hurry up to the
tower, and I am certain that the Signora Nina will exert herself to the
utmost in our favour. Tell her all that happened--tell her that the
life of one very dear to me depends on her sending us aid; and she will
find some one who will come and assist to carry your captain to a place
of safety. I need scarcely advise you to take every precaution to avoid
being stopped on your way."
"Never fear me, Miss Garden," answered the midshipman, as he leaped on
shore. "If I hear any one coming near me, I'll stow myself away under
the rocks, or climb right up the cliffs over their heads. It's
fortunately so dark, that there's very little chance of my being seen,
and I'll be back again as fast as I can."
Nina Montifalcone was sitting, solitary and sad, at the window of her
tower, gazing out on the sea, and watching the scene enacting below her.
She had risen from her couch on hearing the firing and noise, and had
gone to where she now was, to learn the cause of it. The rapid
discharge of the guns from the brig and fort told her that fighting was
going on, and the British boats in full retreat explained what else had
happened. So interested was she on what was going on without, that she
did not hear the sound of the footsteps of a person who entered the
room.
"Signora, signora," said a voice near her; she started on hearing
herself addressed, and saw Jack Raby standing at her elbow. "I have
come in a great hurry, and have not a moment to spare, to tell you that
Signora Garden, your friend, is on the shore of the bay in a boat, and
that there is a person very badly wounded in it, who will die if you
cannot send him assistance; and also that, if you do not intercede for
us with the pira--I mean with the chief of this island,--I and my
companions shall, very likely, to-morrow morning, be hung, or shot, or
have our throats cut, or be thrown over the cliffs, or, at all events,
sent out of the world."
"The Signora Garden, and one in whom she is interested, wounded,"
repeated Nina. "Ah! I see how it is. Tell me, frankly, boy. Is it
the captain of the English brig who is wounded?"
"_Signora, si_, I will not deny it," said the midshipman. "There is,
therefore, you will see, still greater necessity for you to interfere in
his favour."
"I tell you, boy, if it were known who he was, and for what purpose he
came here, I could not preserve his life for one instant," replied Nina.
"He must not be brought up here on any account, for he would be
certainly recognised in the morning. Have you met my brother, Signor
Paolo. He alone can assist us."
"What, the Italian gentleman? No, signora. I took too much care in
coming up here to fall in with anybody," said Jack.
"Then I must go in search of him. We shall probably find him among the
spectators of the fight. I will send him down to the boat. Tell the
signora that there is a cottage close to the shore on the other side of
the bay, to the inhabitants of which my brother has been of great
service, by preserving the lives of their children in a dire sickness,
and thither the wounded man shall be conveyed. If they have any
gratitude in their nature, they will perform any service Paolo may
require; and the English captain will be safe with them, even should
they discover who he is. Now, hasten back to the bay with the message,
and entreat Signora Garden to return to her tower, and to appear to take
no further interest in him. It will betray him, to a certainty, if she
does, and it can do him no good. I will, however, endeavour to arrange
that you shall remain with him to attend on him. Tell her that, as soon
as I have dispatched Paolo, I will go myself to meet her."
While Nina was speaking, she took out of a chest the _capote_ she had
worn on the previous occasion, and, throwing it over her shoulders, led
the way down the steps. While Jack Raby hurried off down the ravine,
she took her way towards the edge of the cliffs, where she saw a number
of people, some of them still firing in the direction where the boats
were supposed to be, though they must by that time have been beyond the
range of the guns; it served, however, to occupy their attention, so
that no one perceived her. She wandered among them for some time in
vain, looking for her brother, till, at last, she found him, leaning
against a part of the ruins on a high spot, from where he could overlook
the whole scene. Twice she called him, but so absorbed was he in his
own thoughts that he did not answer her, till she climbed up over the
broken fragments at his feet, and touched his arm.
"Paolo, my brother," she said, "I come to ask you to perform a generous
and a noble work, from which you must not shrink. You love the English
lady who has been held captive here. I knew it from the first, and I
know that she cannot return your love, for her heart is another's. Now
listen: the man to whom her heart is given, your rival if you will, lies
now in the island, wounded almost to death, and on your skill depends,
probably, whether he lives or dies. Promise me, then, as you hope for
salvation in another world, for peace of mind in this, to exert that
skill to the utmost to preserve his life, to conceal his real character
from my husband, and to aid him to escape from the island. Say you will
do this, my brother, and I believe, from what I have seen of that fair
girl, you are far more likely to win her regard by such conduct, and
ultimately, perhaps, even her love, than were her lover to die without
an attempt on your part to save him."
Paolo listened without interrupting her, and did not immediately answer.
"Her love! Do you think it possible that I should gain her love?" he at
length exclaimed, as if he had not heard anything else she had said. "I
would sacrifice life itself for that bright jewel."
"It would be wrong were I to hold hope out to you to induce you to act
as I could wish, Paolo," said Nina. "Think not of any other reward than
such as your own heart will afford you. Her love I do not believe that
you will attain, even were her lover to die. One of her nature places
her heart on one object, and when that is torn from her, it never again
finds a resting-place. All you may expect, and that, be assured, she
will give you, is her gratitude and esteem. With that you must be
content."
"It is bitter to think so, and yet I have long ceased to hope," murmured
Paolo. "Tell me though, Nina, what would you have me do?"
His sister told him of the arrangement she had already made with Jack
Raby.
"Come, my brother, decide what part you will take--there is no time to
be lost; oh! let it be that one worthy of your generous nature."
"Nina, I will do as you wish," Paolo gasped forth, after a long silence.
"I will endeavour to save the life of this man, even though my heart
break when I see him united to her he loves."
"Swear it, then, Paolo--swear it by the Holy Apostles--swear it, as you
hope for Heaven's mercy hereafter," exclaimed Nina. "Not only for your
own sake do I impose this oath, but for the sake of the sweet girl
herself, that she may know that, though her lover is in his rival's
power, he is as safe as in the hands of his dearest friend."
Paolo took the oath his sister prescribed, and leaping off the ruins,
hurried, at headlong speed, down to the bay.
Nina followed at a slower pace.
The flight of the fugitives had been discovered by old Vlacco, even
before they had quitted the bay. He had awoke in the night, he stated,
and had taken it into his head, that he would go to see if they were
safe in their prison. He was so astonished and confused on finding they
were not there, that, at first, he could not decide what course to take.
He then bethought him that his duty required him to inform his chief,
and as soon as Zappa was made aware of the fact, the whole island was in
commotion, and the pursuit was commenced.
It was with very great satisfaction that Nina heard of Ada's flight, and
most earnestly did she pray that she might not be overtaken. For the
fair girl's sake, she wished this, and for her own, even still more so.
She admired her beauty, she was inclined to love her as a sister--and
yet she could not conceal from herself that she greatly feared her as a
rival in her husband's affections. She had lately learned, too surely
to doubt it, that his love was waning, and that he himself was far
different from the character she had supposed him.
By his own acknowledgment, he was a blood-stained pirate; and she had
already too many proofs of the fact, even had he not, now that he was
indifferent to her love, boasted to her of his deeds. Sometimes, alas,
the dreadful thought would occur to her, that even her life would not be
safe, if it stood between him and his wishes; and yet, woman-like, she
still loved on. She tried to shut her eyes to his faults, to forget his
unkindness, and to discover only the noble qualities she at first
believed he possessed. Though she feared Ada, she could not hate her;
and would not have harmed her, now that she felt sure she would never
consent to become the pirate's bride should she die, much less his
mistress; but she was not the less anxious for her departure, and
proportionably grieved when she heard that she was once more a prisoner
in the island. With natural jealousy, when Zappa spoke of obtaining a
ransom for Ada, she had endeavoured to ascertain what steps he had
taken, for the purpose of arranging it; and by no means could she learn
that he had even made any attempts to open negotiations on the subject
with any persons at Malta, or elsewhere; and this confirmed her in her
fears that this was simply a pretext to weary out his prisoner, and to
reconcile her to her fate. She was certain, also, that Captain
Fleetwood could have heard nothing on the subject; as he would, she
thought, have preferred so safe a way of recovering her, instead of the
dangerous one he had attempted. Such were the subjects which occupied
her mind, as she walked down the ravine to meet her rival. In the
meantime, Ada had watched, with an anxiety scarcely describable, for the
return of Raby; every instant expecting to have the pirates come back;
and to have her lover dragged roughly from her; and to have to run the
risk either of betraying him, or of allowing him to perish without
assistance.
At last Jack arrived, followed at an interval by Paolo.
"Signora," he said, "I have come to take charge of a man I hear is
sorely wounded. Do not doubt me; I repeat the oath I have given my
sister, that I will, to the best of my abilities, endeavour to restore
him to health, and if an occasion occurs, to aid in his escape from
hence. I ask--I look for no reward."
"I trust you, signor," replied Ada, giving him her hand. "You could not
commit so black an act as to deceive me, and now, oh! hasten to put your
good intentions into execution."
On this Paolo told her of the fisherman's hut, to which he purposed to
convey Captain Fleetwood, and hurried off to summon the old man. He
soon returned, stating that he was from home, and as no time was to be
lost, he proposed that he and Raby should carry the wounded officer
there at once, with the aid of Ada and Marianna. This they accomplished
without much difficulty, by means of a cloak found at the bottom of the
boat, and then, urged by Paolo and Raby, Ada tore herself away from him,
and with Marianna, endeavoured to find her way up the ravine, while Jack
remained to keep watch over his commander.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
Lieutenant Saltwell, on whom, in his captain's absence, had devolved the
command of the _Ione_, walked her quarterdeck on the night on which the
events we have been describing took place, with a mind very ill at ease.
He had been during the whole afternoon endeavouring, by every possible
means in his power, to get the brig up to the spot agreed on, off the
island of Lissa, so that he might dispatch the boats at dark to wait
still closer in for the coming of Fleetwood and his companions. The
breeze with which they had started had failed them soon afterwards, so
the sweeps had been got out, and the boats had towed ahead, till he was
fearful of knocking up their crews and unfitting them for the work they
had still to perform; and yet, do all they could, he was obliged to
dispatch them, under the orders of the several lieutenants, with a pull
of some eighteen or twenty miles before them.
"For heaven's sake, make the best speed you can," said Saltwell, as he
bade his brother officers good bye. "Our captain will make the attempt
to-night, depend on it, and it will be sad work if he cannot find the
boats."
"Never fear, we shall not miss him, I hope," exclaimed Linton, as he
leaped into his boat. "Shove off and give way, my merry men."
The boat's crew did their best; but the event was another convincing
proof of the misfortunes which may arise from being a little too late.
Had they been ten minutes sooner, they would, perhaps, have been in time
to prevent their captain and his companions from falling again into the
hands of the pirates. Linton felt this when he found that they were
recaptured, and, stung with regret, although he was in no manner to
blame, he agreed on the pursuit with a zeal which very nearly led to the
destruction of himself and his followers.
We left him severely, if not mortally, wounded, off the mouth of the
pirate's harbour. The command, therefore, devolved on Tompion, who
immediately ordered the boats to separate as much as possible, keeping
within sight of each other, to cause the shots of the enemy to become
less effective, by being scattered over a wider range.
"Pull away, my lads," exclaimed the mate; "we shall soon be out of this,
and we shall have an opportunity before long of paying them off."
The men needed no inducement to pull hard, for it was excessively hot
work, and they had no fancy to be exposed to the showers of bullets
which came whizzing round them, especially when they were compelled to
run away from the enemy.
The frowning and lofty cliffs, fringed with tiny glances of vivid light,
and the bright flashes of the _Sea Hawk's_ guns, which were reflected on
the calm water, formed, doubtlessly, an exceedingly picturesque
spectacle, which those who were pulling at the oars had full opportunity
to contemplate, but not the less disagreeable to them on that account,
especially as it would have been a very useless amusement to fire
against the cliffs in return. Fortunately, no further casualties
occurred, and every instant, as their distance from the shore increased,
there was less chance of a shot hitting them. At length, Tompion,
seeing that they were free from danger, hailed the other boats, to order
the crews to rest on their oars to recover breath, before they shaped
their course to return to their ship. The hail was answered by another
from the westernmost boat, commanded by Jemmy Duff; he sung out--
"Did you see the mistico get into the harbour, with the rest of the
rascals?"
"No," said Tompion. "Did any one on board see her?" he asked of the
crew.
"No, sir," was the general answer.
"No one saw her go in," he answered.
"Then, by Jove, there she is, on our starboard beam," sung out Duff in
return. "She is pretty nearly becalmed, it seems. She has got out
there, I suspect, to watch us, and to try to cut us off. What shall we
do?"
"I and the gig will close you, and we'll see what is to be done," said
Tompion, ordering the other boat to follow him, and all the boats were
soon alongside each other.
There, sure enough, Tompion perceived the mistico, about a quarter of a
mile off, with her head to the southward, evidently watching their
movements. It might seem surprising that she had not attacked them when
under the cliffs; but, in the first place, she could not then get up to
them, and had she been able to do so, it would have prevented the
pirates on shore from firing on them.
The wind had at this juncture almost failed her, but she had her sweeps
to depend on, and with a strong crew they could send her along at a
great rate. She was commanded on the present occasion by the second
lieutenant of the _Sea Hawk_--at least by the officer who performed the
duties of one--who had hurried on board with as many men as he could
find, and swept out to sea the moment the alarm of the prisoners' escape
was given; and now, somewhat mistaking the character of British seamen,
he had begun to edge up towards the boats, purposely to take them by
surprise, and hoping to make them an easy prey.
Of most of this Tompion was soon aware, and it now became a question as
to the advisability of attacking her instead.
"What does Mr Linton say?" asked Duff. "We should not take long about
it, I think, and she would be something to show for our night's work."
"Tell Mr Linton how things stand, Jennings, and ask him what he wishes
us to do," said Tompion to the coxswain of the gig.
"Poor Mr Linton can say nothing, sir," returned Jennings, in a
sorrowful tone. "I'm afraid he'll never speak again."
An exclamation of grief escaped from all who heard the words.
"What! is he dead?" inquired Tompion, in a voice which showed that he
participated in the feeling of the crews, although he might very
probably benefit by the vacancy thus created; yet, I will venture to
say, the thought of this did not enter his head.
"No, sir, not dead, I hope," said the coxswain. "I have bound up his
wound as well as I can, and stopped the bleeding; but he's in a dead
faint, and I don't know if he'll come to again."
"Well, Duff, I should like to act as Mr Linton would have done, and I'm
sure he would have attacked the mistico without giving two thoughts
about it," observed Tompion; "but then, again, for his sake, we ought to
get back to the ship as fast as we can, to obtain surgical assistance
for him."
"I know how you feel, Tompion," exclaimed Jemmy Duff--"but I have it:
our two boats can easily tackle the rascally mistico, and let the gig
pull back to the brig as fast as she can, with Mr Linton and Timmins
here, who is badly hurt, and let them tell Saltwell of our whereabouts,
and we shall fall in with her before the morning with a prize in tow, I
hope."
"Capital!" exclaimed Tompion, who was, for a wonder, not above taking
advice from a junior, when it happened to be good, and coincided with
his own opinion. "What say you, my lads--do you think you've got
strength enough in your arms to punish some of those rascals for Mr
Linton's too like death, and the trick they played us?"
"All right, sir, never fear. We can give it them yet," exclaimed both
crews, with one voice; and seldom will British seamen be found to make
any other answer.
"Well, then, Jennings, do you steer due west,--right for that tar, that
is your course. When you get about five miles from this, fire a musket,
and continue firing every ten minutes. They will show a blue light as
soon as they hear you, and you can scarcely miss the ship. Take poor
Timmins on board with you--there's no one else hurt, I hope."
"No, sir, no," was the answer.
"I need not tell you to make the best of your way, and I'm sorry, for
your sakes, we can't have you, my men, with us, in the affair on hand."
Having given these orders, most reluctantly they were obeyed by the crew
of the gig, which immediately pulled away in the direction pointed out,
and was soon lost to sight in the gloom. Tompion made the necessary
preparations for the attack on the mistico.
He was not above despising an enemy whom he intended to attack, and as
the fight, in which he was about to engage, would be the first in which
he had held the command, he was doubly anxious that it should be
successful. He ordered his men to see that their pistols, and the
muskets in the boat, were properly loaded and primed, and a small brass
swivel, mounted in the bows, he had loaded with musket balls, almost up
to the muzzle, to fire as they ran past the enemy's quarter.
"Duff," he exclaimed, "you board on the starboard side, I will grapple
her on the larboard, as I want to be a few seconds before you, to give
her a taste of my gun, and if she stands in as she now does, I shall get
there quickest. Now, my men, give way, and let the scoundrels have a
taste of your cutlasses when you get at them. Huzza for old England!"
As he uttered these words, the men repeated the cheer till the night air
rung again, and bending to their oars, made the water fly from under the
bows of the boats, while their heads turned in the direction of the
piratical mistico.
The loud cheer and the suddenness of the movement completely took the
pirates by surprise, it appeared; and instead of tacking and standing
boldly towards the English to meet them, as they expected, her helm was
put up, the sheets eased off, her long sweeps run out, and away she went
dead before the wind, at a rate which Tompion saw would give his men a
tough pull to come up with her. Another reason for her so doing was
soon apparent, by her opening a fire of two swivel guns over her
counter, which her crew probably calculated would check the advance of
the boats. It is extraordinary at what speed the Greek misticos can be
urged through the water; and on this occasion the _Zoe_ did full justice
to her character, for her crew were strong, fresh, and in high spirits,
while, on the other hand, the British seamen had been rowing all night,
and the greater part of the day, and were dispirited by the loss of
their officer and the ill success of the expedition; not, however, that
this prevented them from exerting themselves to the very utmost of their
strength. The wind also, which had been very uncertain and changeable,
now almost a calm, now a fresh breeze, now blowing from the eastward,
now some points to the north of it, then a like number to the south,
seemed suddenly to fix itself in the latter point with a considerable
increase of strength, which sent the mistico flying through the water at
a greater speed than ever.
"Give way, my men, oh, give way!" shouted Tompion, scarcely able to
articulate in his eagerness to overtake the enemy, for with the increase
of the breeze he saw their chance of doing so gradually fading away, and
the proud hopes he had begun to form, of revenging the loss they had
sustained, and of being able to carry with him his first prize as a
proof of what they had done, with a vista of honour and promotion in the
distance, cruelly dissipated. Again the British seamen cheered, and
stretched their arms till their oars bent and cracked, but the sound was
answered by shouts of derisive laughter from the Greeks, and a discharge
from their swivel guns with several rounds from their musketry, though
happily without doing much damage. Both boats were struck over and over
again, and one man was wounded, but not sufficiently to disable him.
The cutter returned it with a bow-chaser, and to some purpose, it
seemed, by the cries and shrieks which followed.
"Give it them again!" shouted Tompion. "If they do get away, they shall
have cause to remember us. Fire, my men, fire!"
Again the shot told with fearful effect among the crowded crew of the
_Zoe_; and from the cries and confusion on board they had reason to hope
that some of those working her sweeps were disabled; and as the firing
ceased, that those who had worked the guns had taken their places.
Tompion had been narrowly watching her movements; he had from the first
suspected some ruse to be played off on him.
"Ah! she has put her helm to port, and is running in for the land
again!" he exclaimed. "Keep a little more to the eastward, Duff, and
try to out her off; we may have her yet, before she gets into port."
The mistico had had quite enough to say, it seemed, to the British
boats; and was now endeavouring to get safe into the harbour, and very
probably to try and tempt them to follow her, if they had not already
had sufficient warning of what they might expect if they did so.
On they all three went in the same direction, the mistico by her change
of course being thrown somewhat nearer to her pursuers than she before
was, but they otherwise gained little, if anything, on her. The cutter
perseveringly kept up her fire as fast as the gun could be cleaned and
loaded, and the mistico more slowly returned it, the small sheets of
flame which ever and anon issued from the mouths of the pieces showing
their position to those on shore, as they drew near.
Still Tompion did not like to abandon the pursuit--they had already
expended so much exertion and time, that he felt as if it would be
throwing it all uselessly away if they were, after all, to fail; and yet
he began to see that they had already gone far enough, and that, if he
persisted in the chase, he might incur a greater disaster than had yet
happened to them. He looked up at the cliffs, and tried to persuade
himself that they were still at some distance off. They certainly
looked very dark and lofty; but as there was no firing from them, he
thought that they must be still too far off for any shot to reach them.
The crew of the mistico, now that they felt pretty certain of not being
captured, cheered and laughed, and called out to them, using every
device to enrage them, and induce them to follow.
"We must soon be about ship, Duff!" Tompion sang out from his boat;
"and I am afraid, after all, we have done little good."
"If you will go on a little longer, perhaps the wind may shift, and we
shall have her becalmed under the cliffs," replied the midshipman. "It
would be a great thing to carry her off in sight of the enemy."
Tompion was too ready to follow his messmate's advice, so they
persevered in the chase with great gallantry, but certainly with a want
of discretion, though it must be borne in mind that they had now less
danger to apprehend either from the brig or the cliffs, as the pirates
could not possibly fire without risking the killing of friends as well
as foes. Now, although Tompion fancied that all their exertions would
be thrown away, he was not aware, as the reader possibly is, that they
were of the very greatest service to their friends on shore. It was
their gallant pursuit of the mistico which had so completely engaged the
attention of the pirates that they entirely forgot their prisoners, and
allowed them to make the arrangements I have described. Had it not been
for them, their captain would very soon have been discovered by Zappa,
and his life would probably have been sacrificed, Raby would not have
had time to reach Nina's tower, nor would Nina have found Paolo, and
sent him to assist the sufferers. Thus it is, by persevering in doing
what is right, and brave, and honest, in all the affairs in life, good
will ultimately arise from our acts, even though we ourselves may not
immediately discover it, and though; perhaps, we may to the end of our
lives remain in ignorance of the effect we have produced. There is a
time when all things must be known, and then we shall reap our reward.
Let this be a consolation to us in all our troubles and disappointments
when we have been strenuously endeavouring to do some important good,
and find all our plans and projects defeated by the selfishness, the
ignorance, the obstinacy of others, perhaps of the persons we would
benefit, till at last we are inclined to exclaim: "What is the use of
attempting to do good in this world? Do all I can, I cannot succeed."
We do succeed--we can succeed; often, very often, when the result is not
seen. We may, it is true, strive very much, and yet do very little
good; but is not that little good something? is it not pure gold--
treasure which will endure? So also (I am moralising while the British
boats are still in pursuit of the mistico) man cannot see the ultimate
result of the evil he may commit--there the order is reversed. A little
evil in appearance may cause a vast amount of crime, wretchedness, and
suffering. Even a word idly spoken may give rise to thoughts which may
grow up and flourish, till they become like a upas tree to destroy all
within their influence. To commit a small evil may be like the
withdrawing the keystone from the arch, to cause the ruin of the whole
edifice; or it may be like an ear of corn, which may soon serve to sow
the whole field, and in the end millions and millions of acres. If men
could but remember this, they would hesitate ere, by a seemingly trivial
act, they incurred the awful responsibility of the immeasurable amount
of crime and suffering they may cause.
How much further Tompion and Duff would have ventured I do not know,
when their progress was arrested by a sight which silenced even the
jeering laughter of the pirates. A loud, crashing noise was heard,
which seemed to rend and tear in sunder the very cliffs, from the summit
of which bright flames burst forth suddenly, and exposing the pinnacled
rocks, the shattered ruins, and the groups of figures standing on them,
in front of the fire, to the view of those below. The glare for the
first moment almost blinded the eyes of the English, so long accustomed
to darkness; but they soon saw that the fire proceeded from a tall tower
near the edge of the cliff, and that the flames were bursting forth from
the door, the windows, and the very roof itself, quickly towering up
towards the sky. That some dreadful catastrophe had occurred, there
appeared to be no doubt by the commotion created among the people. They
began to run in all directions; some, it seemed, to procure water to
throw on the flames, others to find ladders to scale the walls, and some
were seen to attempt to gain the interior, but were again speedily
driven forth by the fury of the flames. Their efforts, it was very soon
seen, were of little avail, the flames seemed to gain fresh strength by
some new stimulant, they darted up higher than before in a pyramid of
fire, the tower was seen to rock to and fro, and down it came with a
tremendous crash, burying, it seemed too probable, beneath its burning
ruins many who could not have had time to escape to a distance. The
mistico, while this event was taking place, had, favoured by the wind,
got considerably ahead of the boats, and was by this time close in with
the harbour's mouth.
"Duff, ahoy," cried Tompion. "That looks like a warning to us, and I
think we ought to take it, and be off before the villains recover from
their confusion. Pull up your starboard oars. We must give it up."
"I am afraid so," said Duff, imitating his senior's example, and
defeated in their object, the two boats once more steered in the
direction where it was expected the _Ione_ would be found. They were
allowed to escape without further molestation, for the greater number of
the pirates were engaged in watching the progress of the flames, or in
endeavouring to quench them; for not only was the tower destroyed, but
the fire had communicated to the building attached to it, and that also
was rapidly being consumed.
Saltwell had too much anxiety on his mind to allow him to turn in to
take any rest, and for the greater part of the night he had walked the
deck while he beat the brig up towards the island. He became still more
anxious, as the morning approached, at the non-appearance of the boats,
and was continually hailing the look-outs to keep their eyes and ears
open to catch any sign of their coming. Colonel Gauntlett, who, of
course, was not less anxious on his niece's account, was also constantly
by his side; but the hours of night wore on, and no boats appeared. The
brig stood on towards the island, for Saltwell considered that if the
expedition was successful, there was no further reason for concealment,
and that the nearer he got the better, and that, at all events, with the
breeze which had sprung up, he could stand out of sight of land again,
before daylight. The faint outline of the island, invisible to any but
a seaman's eye, at last appeared through the darkness. Several of the
officers were collected together on the poop, looking towards it, as the
brig now lay up on the starboard tack.
"Ah, what is that?" exclaimed Saltwell, as a bright light was seen
reflected on the sky.
"Why, they have either set fire to one of their vessels, or have blown
up some fort or other. That may account for the boats' not returning."
"I don't think that is likely," observed Colonel Gauntlett. "Captain
Fleetwood would scarcely delay to attack the pirates with a lady in one
of the boats. Would you, Mr Saltwell?"
"No, sir, I would not," returned Saltwell. "You are right, and I do not
think the captain would; but still I cannot account for the fire, and it
is a large one, or we should not see it at this distance."
"I see no reason to conclude that Captain Fleetwood has anything to do
with the conflagration," observed the colonel. "I wish we could see
something of him and my little girl though. It is hazardous work he has
been on, and I do not half like it. Couldn't you fire a few guns, to
give them notice of our whereabouts? I don't see how they are to find
the ship otherwise."
"A sailor's eye is sharper than you may suppose, colonel," said
Saltwell; "and depend on it, they will keep a sharp lookout for us.
However, I will do as you propose, for the wind is off the shore, and
the pirates are not likely to hear the guns. Mr Brown, fire the
foremost gun on the starboard side, and the next to it in four minutes'
time."
Directly after the order was issued, the gun sent forth its sheet of
flame, and its dull sound was heard booming along the waters. Several
others followed without any answering signal. The _Ione_ had now, in
Mr Saltwell's opinion, stood long enough to the northward, or rather to
the north-east, so he tacked ship, and they headed up rather more
towards the island, though she soon again fell off nearly south. The
larboard guns were now fired, and at last a tiny spirt of fire was seen
to the eastward, and the sharp report of a musket struck on the ears.
"About ship then," cried Saltwell, and when she was round, after
standing on a little way he hove her to, and ordered Mr Black to burn a
blue light to show their position. On this a faint cheer came down on
the wind to prove that the signal was perceived. The next few minutes
were passed, by those more immediately interested in the success of the
expedition, in considerable anxiety. The splash of oars was heard, and
but a single boat glided out of the darkness.
"In Heaven's name, where are the rest?" was the question asked by many
voices at once.
"Mr Tompion sent me back, sir, with Mr Linton, who is badly hurt,
while he and Mr Duff stopped to chase a pirate craft which had been
dodging us," replied Jennings, to Saltwell's questions, giving
afterwards a brief account of the failure of their expedition.
"Poor Linton wounded, and by such villains," muttered Saltwell, as his
brother-officer was lifted carefully on deck. "How does he seem,
Viall?" he inquired of the surgeon, who hurried forward when he heard
what had occurred.
"We shall see better when we get him below," returned the surgeon. "He
is alive, and that is all I can say."
The wounded officer was carried to his berth, where the surgeon and his
assistants assembled to examine his hurts.
"This is a bad business, indeed, for the captain," said Saltwell to
Colonel Gauntlett, as they resumed their walk on the poop, while the
ship remained hove to, waiting for the arrival of the other boats; "I
fear the pirate will murder him, and those with him, when he finds out
who he is."
"What, think you he will venture to murder a British officer, when he
knows that his strong-hold is discovered, and that his death would
certainly be avenged?" exclaimed the colonel. "Poor fellow! and my
little niece--if the poor girl ever escapes from that infernal den--I'm
afraid she will never recover it."
"I own, I fear for the worst," said Saltwell, who was weary, and out of
spirits. "Zappa knows well enough that he has deserved a rope, and,
from what I hear, he is the sort of character to win it thoroughly; but
we must do our best to punish him. As soon as the boats come back, I
intend to give Tompion a fresh crew, and to leave him in the cutter,
well armed and provisioned, to watch the island, while we go in search
of the _Ypsilante_; and, as Captain Vassilato left her under my orders,
I shall send her off with a requisition to any of our cruisers she can
fall in with, to assemble at an island to the southward of this; and I
have not the slightest doubt, that any captain, who happens to be senior
officer, when he hears of what has occurred, will take the
responsibility of ordering a grand attack on the island. If not, we
will, by Heaven, try what our own brave fellows and the crew of the
_Ypsilante_ can do to rescue their captain, or avenge their deaths."
"Bravo, Mr Saltwell, I am rejoiced to hear you say this," exclaimed the
colonel, warmly grasping the lieutenant's hand. "And I and Mitchell
will act as volunteers with the marines. I wish we had done this at
first. A strong hand and a firm heart, are the best things to trust to.
I never liked the plan poor Fleetwood has pursued, from the first.
Your plots and your disguises seldom succeed; and they are not fit for
Englishmen to engage in--they are contrary to the genius of our country,
thank Heaven; but that Greek friend of his over-persuaded him, and, I am
afraid, has led him to his destruction."
"I wish that I could say, sir, that I thought all had gone well,"
returned Saltwell. "However, we must now do our best to mend matters.
Well, doctor, what report can you make of poor Linton?" he asked of the
surgeon, who just then appeared on deck.
"I have extracted the ball, and he has recovered his senses," answered
the surgeon. "He is in very great danger; but I can give no decided
opinion as yet. He has expressed a wish to see you, and has begged me
to call you."
"Poor, poor fellow, I'll go below instantly," cried Saltwell, hurrying
down, and auguring the worst from the doctor's tone.
He found Linton stretched out in his narrow berth, lighted by the sickly
glare of a small lamp fastened against the bulkhead.
The clothes had been thrown over the lower part of his body; but his
shoulder was bare, the pallid hue of his skin contrasting with the dark,
red stains on the linen of the shirt, which had been cut off, and still
lay beneath it. The arm, on the side where the ball had entered the
neck, lay immovable by his side, looking shrunk and withered, except a
slight twitching of the fingers, which showed the agony he was enduring.
O'Farrell, the assistant surgeon, sat at the head of the bed, applying a
cooling lotion round the part which had been bound up, to prevent
inflammation, if possible, from setting in, administering now and then
some restorative to revive him from the exhaustion consequent to his
great loss of blood.
As soon as Saltwell entered, his eyes turned towards him, and his lips
moved; but his brother-officer heard no sound, till he put his ear close
to his mouth.
"Saltwell," he whispered, "don't let them blame me wrongfully for being
beaten off by those rascally pirates; I did my best, as you know I
would. Our poor captain--I grieve for him more. Don't let a stain
remain on our names. And, Saltwell, if I die, as I think I shall, when
you get home, see my poor Julia--bear her my deepest love, and tell her
I thought of her to the last."
"I'll do all you wish, my dear fellow," answered Saltwell, deeply
affected. "But we must not let you slip through the doctor's fingers;
cheer up, for the sake of all your friends. And now try and get some
rest--it will do you more good than any thing I can say, or the doctor
can give you."
"I fear not, Saltwell, I fear not," said Linton. "But I won't keep you,
for you'll be wanted on deck, as the boats will soon be coming back, and
I trust to you to remember to fulfil my wishes."
Saltwell saw that his presence did more harm than good to his wounded
friend, as it induced him to talk; so, bidding him try to sleep, he left
the cabin. As he reached the deck, he saw that the first faint
indications of the coming dawn had appeared in the eastern horizon--not
streaks of light exactly, but a less dense gloom, which could best be
distinguished by contrasting it with the darkness of the opposite
horizon, and, at that instant, the flash of a gun was seen in the same
quarter, and the sound came booming over the water towards them.
"Ah! there comes the cutter," he exclaimed; "Tompion is firing his brass
gun to draw our attention. Don't fire again, Mr Black, it is not
necessary, and will disturb Mr Linton, but burn a blue light--it will
prevent their going out of their course, for it will be some time before
they will otherwise be able to distinguish us."
The gunner had the blue light already, expecting to be called on to use
it, and the next instant a lurid glare illumined the whole ship; the
sails, the spars, and the countenances of the people, all assumed a
sepulchral hue, which gave her the appearance of some phantom bark, such
as has appeared to the excited imagination of many a seaman in his
wandering through those distant and torrid climes, whose pestilential
vapours, rising from the overteeming earth, fever his blood and cut
short his span of life.
It had scarcely done burning before another gun was fired; but whether
as a signal, or for any other reason, it was, at first, impossible to
say, till several others followed in rapid succession.
"It must be a summons to us," observed the first lieutenant to the
master. "Fill the fore-topsail, and let fall the fore-sail--we will, at
all events, stand on as close as we can to them."
The breeze, which sent the _Ione_ along, was very light, so that some
time elapsed before she neared the spot whence the firing had been
supposed to proceed. Saltwell was on the point of ordering another blue
light to be burned, when a loud hail was heard, and, directly
afterwards, the boats were seen approaching as fast as the weary crews
could send them through the water.
"Has Mr Linton got back alive?" were the first words heard spoken by
Tompion.
"Yes--yes, all right," was the answer.
"Thank Heaven for that!" he exclaimed; and, as soon as the cutter ran
alongside, he jumped on deck and went aft to report himself as come on
board.
"I hope you do not think that I have done wrong, sir," he said, when he
had finished his account of what had occurred. "I fully thought we
should capture the mistico, and I could not tell but what some of our
friends had been taken on board her."
"No, Mr Tompion, I have no reason to find fault with your behaviour.
As far as I can judge, you showed judgment and gallantry, which, in an
officer, it is all important should always be combined. And, at all
events, you have got clear out of the scrape, though you certainly ran a
great risk of being captured."
"Well, sir, I am very glad you approve of what I have done," answered
Tompion. "And now, sir, if you will allow me to make a suggestion, I
would keep off the island till daylight; for, not long ago, as we were
pulling here, both Duff and I fancied we heard some firing off the mouth
of the harbour, but we could not tell for certain, we've had such a din
of popping in our ears all night; however, I cannot help thinking some
of the party have made another attempt to escape."
"I am afraid that there is very little chance of that," said Saltwell.
"If that villain, Zappa, does not murder them, it is more than I expect.
However, we'll stand on towards the island till daybreak, as you
suggest; and now, Mr Tompion, I should think you require both rest and
food, so go down below and take them. Tell Mason to give you and Mr
Duff whatever he has got in the gun-room--you'll get it quicker there
than in your own berth."
Midshipmen are proverbially hungry, and I need not say that our two
young friends did ample justice to a cold round of beef, which the
gun-room steward placed before them.
Saltwell had scarcely turned in when he was again roused up by Togle,
the midshipman of the watch, who came to tell him that a suspicious sail
was seen to the eastward. He immediately came on deck; and just in the
centre of the red glow on the sky, which precedes the rising of the
bright luminary of day, there appeared the tapering sails of a
lateen-rigged craft, looking like the dark fin of a huge shark, just
floating on the lead-coloured waters.
"She's standing this way too, by Jove!" he exclaimed. "And give me a
glass. I thought so; she's in chase of a small boat under sail, just
a-head of her Mr Togle, go aloft with a glass, and see what you can
make out. I can distinguish little more than the upper leech of the
sail; and were it not so calm, even that could not be seen."
Togle hailed from aloft, to say that there was certainly a boat a-head
of the stranger.
"I think that I can even make out that she has people in her, as she is
much nearer us than the mistico, which keeps firing at her every now and
then."
"You are right," said the lieutenant, as the midshipman came on deck.
"She is little more than half way between us. All hands make sail! We
must do our best to overhaul her first; for, though I have slight hopes
on the subject, she may have some of our friends in her, trying to
escape."
Every stitch of canvas the brig could carry on a wind was now set; but
the mistico stood boldly on, and it became a matter of great doubt
whether or not she would have time to get hold of her prey, and escape
back to port before the _Ione_ could come up with her.
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.
The triumph of Zappa at recovering Miss Garden was great, in proportion
to his anger against those whom he suspected to have assisted at her
escape; but once having got her again in his power, and safe inside his
well-fortified harbour, he felt as a cat does towards the unfortunate
mouse it has caught and killed--that he might leave and return to her
when he pleased, without a chance of her again running away: he
therefore hurried off to the fort, at the summit of the cliffs, to
superintend the destruction of the English flotilla, which he believed
had been sent against him; for he could not have supposed that so small
a force as was really there would have thus boldly followed him to the
very mouth of his den.
On his arrival at the fort, he found old Vlacco busily engaged in
pointing the guns to bear down on the British boats; and on his sounding
his well-known bugle, a large number of his followers collected with
their fire-arms, to assist in the defence of the post. While they all
were occupied in firing at the enemy, Vlacco sent into the tower to
bring a supply of powder for the guns, from some casks, which, with the
usual carelessness of the Greeks, had been left there without the
slightest precaution against accident. A cask was broached, and much of
the powder scattered about. After the boats had disappeared, the
pirates were retiring from the fort, when Tompion's gallant attack on
the mistico called them back, and it was at this time that a spark from
the lantern of a man, sent for a further supply of powder, fell among
the scattered grains, and produced the conflagration I have before
spoken of. As the flames burst forth, and burnt with terrific energy,
Zappa flew towards the building, in vain endeavouring to find means of
entrance. Wherever he attempted it at the door or window, the fire
drove him back. In vain he called on the name of Nina. She neither
answered nor did she appear at either of the casements. His usual calm
demeanour had completely deserted him, and he seemed like a madman as he
rushed round the building, urging his followers to bring ladders to
enable him to mount to the story, where he expected to find her. Two
were at last found, but they were far too short to be of use, and he was
soon warned to retire to a distance by the explosion of another cask of
powder, which shook the old walls to their foundation, and he had
scarcely got to a secure position, when the remainder igniting, the
whole edifice came tumbling down at once, and lay a heap of smoking
ruins on the ground. Some of the burning embers had fallen on the roof
of the adjoining building, and that now blazed up, and being very dry
and rotten, burnt with equal fury, so that in a very short time it was
reduced to a heap of ashes: the old walls of the castle, against which
it was built, alone standing. It was thus that all traces of the means
by which the prisoners had made their escape were obliterated. The
islanders could do nothing to stop the progress of the flames, for the
only water procurable was from a deep well, whence only a small quantity
could be drawn up at a time, and there were no means at hand to get it
from the sea, over the cliffs.
The conflagration had the effect of attracting the population, far and
near, to the spot--the fishermen and other inhabitants of the
neighbouring village, the seamen from the vessels, and indeed everybody
in the bay, came rushing up the ravine to see what was taking place.
Zappa stood at a distance, contemplating the scene of havoc. He thought
of Nina in all her youth and beauty, of her fond affection, her deep
devotion, of all the sacrifices she had made for him--and callous and
bad as was his heart, a transient pang of bitter regret visited it, for
the cruel return he had made her.
"This, then, Nina Montifalcone, is the fate I have reserved for you. An
agonising death the only reward I can give you for that love which still
endured after I had torn aside the bright veil with which your fervid
imagination had clothed me, and showed myself to you in my real
colours--that love which I verily believed would have endured after you
knew that my heart had been captivated by one still younger, still more
beautiful, than yourself."
As he gave vent aloud to these feelings, so strange to his bosom, which
now agitated him, he suddenly stood like one transfixed, his breath came
thick, his eye dilated, for there before him, with the full glare of the
fire falling on her, stood the figure of Nina. Her countenance was pale
as death, and she neither spoke nor approached him.
"Who are you?" he exclaimed at length, in a voice trembling with
emotion; "speak, if you would not drive me to distraction. Tell me
whence you come, and why you now come to seek me."
"I am Nina Montifalcone,--some time your wife, whom you oft have told
you loved," she replied, in a tone of deep dejection. "What I soon
shall be, the greedy worm may best tell."
Her voice recalled him to his senses, though her words seemed strange.
"Nina," he exclaimed, "you overheard my vain ravings when I thought you
had fallen a victim to yon devouring flames; but think no more of them,
and tell me by what miracle you escaped from the tower, before the
flames burst forth--for afterwards, no power could have saved you."
"I had gone to comfort and succour the unfortunate, those whom your
injustice has made prisoners in this island, and I sought you even now
to plead for them," she answered boldly; the tone of meek sorrow with
which she had before spoken being no longer discernible.
"You take me unawares, and would work on me at a weak moment, Nina," he
replied. "But know you, girl, that the persons of whom you speak are
spies, come here in disguise to work my destruction? Ah! you look
surprised, incredulous! Yes, these men--these pretended Maltese--are no
other than Englishmen, belonging to a ship of war lying at no great
distance from this island, for the express purpose of capturing my
vessel, my gallant _Sea Hawk_, if they can fall in with her; and I have
not told you all--their leader is the captain himself, the very man to
whom that fair English girl, of whom you are so foolishly jealous, is
betrothed. I knew this, I say, from the first; but I pretended
ignorance, for I wished to discover who were their accomplices among
those I trusted. He even now lies dead or dying in the bay below, and I
left the fair girl with him, that she might know I did not kill him; but
I tell you, Nina, if he were to recover, he should not live to escape,
and to bring destruction on me. If he dies now, it is through his own
folly, and no one can accuse me of having slain him; so, except you
would wish to make his blood rest on my head, do not pray for his
recovery."
"Oh! you would not do so black a deed--you would not slay an innocent
man because he came to regain the bride of whom you had deprived him!
for I feel assured that for no other object did he visit this island;
and that should he recover, were you to give her to him, and allow him
and those who came with him to depart, he would promise never to molest
you, or to take advantage in any way of the knowledge he has obtained by
his visit to this island."
Nina spoke with firmness and energy, as she said this, for she fancied
that her arguments were so good, she could not fail to gain her object.
"Ah! have you been consulting with the English signora and her lover,
that you plead their cause so well?" he exclaimed, with the bitter tone
in which he often spoke. "Well, I will see to it, and now come to the
fair lady's palace, she will afford us lodging there, since ours is
burnt down; which, Nina, it appears, troubles you but little. Know you
not, girl, that I have there lost property to the value of many thousand
piastres? That is alone enough to sour a man's temper, till he can
replace them, which, were I to follow your wishes, it would be long
enough before I could do."
"My mind was too much occupied with the object I have spoken to you
about, to think of the loss, even though everything I possessed was
destroyed," she replied, quietly. "But I still felt thankful that I was
preserved from the dreadful fate which would have been mine had I
remained in the building; and if you also feel gratitude to Heaven for
this, show it by granting life and liberty to the English captain and
his friends. You accuse me of being influenced by them to plead their
cause; but it is not they who influence me,--it is honour, justice,
right, and oh! my husband, remember that their fate may soon be yours,
and that if you show not mercy to them, you can expect none in return."
"I know that, Nina, I expect none," he answered, fiercely. "Were I to
fall into the power of my enemies, they would tear me limb from limb,
and mock my dying agonies with their laughter, ere they showed me mercy
or gave me liberty. I do, Nina, as I expect to be done by; I hope for
nothing else. But why do I stand prating here? My house is burnt to
the ground, and my property destroyed, so we must go and crave shelter
of the Signora Ada, for you and I have many things to do before I again
close my eyes in sleep."
When they arrived at the Stranger's Tower, as the Greeks had called the
building inhabited by Ada, they found that she and Marianna had already
arrived there, and returned to their former quarters, according to
Nina's advice, as if nothing had happened to disturb them. She had,
indeed, seen them safe lodged there before she sought her husband; and
she now returned to them by his directions, to take some rest, which she
much required, while he occupied the lower and still unfurnished chamber
as a sort of council-hall, where he summoned Vlacco and some of his
chief officers to consult what, under the present circumstances, it
would be necessary for them to do.
As soon as old Vlacco and one or two others had arrived, he sent to have
all the prisoners brought before him, that he might examine them
respecting their object in venturing on his island, and their motive for
leaving it. His visit to the _Ione_ must be remembered, and that he
there only learned that her captain had gone on a secret expedition, and
he naturally concluded that he was accompanied by his own crew. His
surprise was, therefore, very great, when Captain Vassilato, Bowse, and
the Maltese, Pietro, were dragged rudely into his presence.
"What!" he muttered, as he saw the honest skipper. "Have my people
again done their work so clumsily, that another vessel has floated to
bear evidence against me? It must be he, and yet he looks so
unconscious of having seen me before, that I must be deceived. There
were five prisoners," he remarked, aloud. "Where are the other two?"
"We cannot find them, chief," was the answer. "We have looked in every
direction, we have inquired of all, but no one has seen them or heard of
them."
"How is this?" exclaimed Zappa. "I left one of them, whom I knew to be
no other than the captain of an English ship of war, sent here to watch
the _Sea Hawk_, wounded and dying in old Listi's boat, with the stranger
lady and her attendant watching him, and as they, I hear, have already
returned here, I suppose they would not have deserted him. Let them and
the Lady Nina be summoned."
In two minutes the two ladies and Marianna stood before him; but he
neither rose nor showed them any courtesy.
"Can you inform me, signora, where Captain Fleetwood is to be found?" he
exclaimed, with vehemence, addressing Miss Garden, in Italian. "Ah, you
thought I was so blind as not to recognise him; you thought I did not
observe the fond affection with which you bent over him as he lay
wounded in the boat; indeed, you fancied that we keep so careless a
watch in this island, that any strangers may come without our
discovering them; but let that hope desert you for the future, and now
answer me truly, madam."
This was the first intimation that Ada had received that the disguise of
Fleetwood had been seen through, and horror at what the consequences
might be almost made her sink fainting on the ground; but by a strenuous
effort, she recovered sufficiently to answer with apparent calmness--
"The person, whom you state to be Captain Fleetwood, was removed from
the boat to the hut of a fisherman on the beach, as he was in no
condition to be carried up here."
"By whom--by whom was he removed?" asked the pirate, impatiently. "You
could not have carried him."
"By a man habited as a Maltese, and by your own surgeon, whom I had
summoned to attend on him," replied Ada, firmly.
"Why, that must be Salamonsi's cottage," remarked Zappa, turning to
Vlacco. "Send down forthwith, and let the boy and Signor Paolo be
brought up here; and mark you, if the English captain has recovered the
use of his tongue, let him be conveyed here also--he shall answer for
himself." He said this in Romaic, so Ada did not understand the cruel
order; but Nina did, and, with an imploring look, she stepped to his
side, and besought him to revoke the command; but he roughly repulsed
her, and, turning to the other three prisoners, he asked, in the _lingua
Franca_, often used by him,--"By what right have you, who were
hospitably entertained in this island, attempted to run off with persons
whom you knew were my prisoners?"
On this the Maltese seaman, Pietro, stepped forward, and, with the
volubility for which the islanders are celebrated, made the long
statement which had been previously agreed on, finishing by stating that
he and his two companions had been engaged by the lady to convey her on
board an English ship, and that they had no reason to suppose they were
injuring any one by so doing. As this was all said in Maltese, scarcely
a word of which language Zappa understood, he was not a little puzzled,
and was insisting on having it repeated in some more intelligible
tongue, when Marianna, who was highly delighted with it, not the less so
that she knew it contained scarcely a word of truth, volunteered to
translate it into Italian, and immediately began with such little
additions and touches of her own as she thought would increase the force
and probability of the story.
"That will do," said Zappa, who was not very easily imposed upon, as she
was continuing her own commentaries on what had occurred; then turning
to Captain Vassilato, "What defence have you to make?"
"As you do not understand my language, and I speak but little _lingua
Franca_, I can say no more than my shipmate," he replied between his
teeth, in the language he mentioned.
"And you," said Zappa, in the same patois, turning to Bowse. "What have
you to say for yourself."
Poor Bowse, who knew but little of any language except his
mother-tongue, his accent undeniably betraying him whenever he did
attempt to express himself, thought silence would be his best course, so
shaking his head he pointed to his tongue and gave forth some
inarticulate sounds, unlike any known dialect.
"You have spoken loud enough before, accursed spy," exclaimed the
pirate, in Italian, starting up, and menacing him with his dagger. "So
you thought I did not know you either; you thought I should not remember
the man with whom I once have crossed blades, even though I fancied he
was food for the fish of the sea. Fools that you were to venture into
the lion's den; or, venturing in, to attempt to carry off his prey. But
enough of this, your guilt is clear; you came as spies, and you shall
meet their reward. Over the cliffs with the three; we will quickly send
their companions after them."
He said this in Italian, and then repeated it in Romaic.
Old Vlacco, who was now in his element, and delighted at the decision of
his chief--indeed, he longed to propose that Ada and Marianna should be
made to bear them company--seized the unfortunate men, and was dragging
them off with the aid of others of the pirates, when Nina flew to the
door to bar their exit.
"No, this must not, this shall not be!" she exclaimed, in a voice hoarse
and trembling with agitation, so unlike her own usual sweet tone.
"Wretch, pirate, robber, murderer! You have crimes enough already on
your head, without adding others of yet blacker dye, to drag me and all
who witness them down to destruction with yourself. If you murder them,
you murder me, for I will not live to be the wife of a wretch so
accursed; and, think you that yon fair girl would yield to your wishes--
would, forsooth, become your bride, even were I gone, and her brave
lover also dead, and no one even on earth to protect her? I tell you,
monster, no! You have seen, that meek and delicate as she appears, how
much she can endure without complaining; you have yet to learn that she
has an unconquerable spirit, and a reliance on the God of Heaven, which
would enable her to defend herself from you. Now, do your worst!
Murder me if you will. It will but be a fair return for what I have
lost for you. Murder those men. Insist on your followers executing
your vile commands, and, from that moment, you lose my love, valueless
it may be, and you lose all hopes of gaining that of any other human
creature whose love is worth the winning, and who knows of your
misdeeds; and you bring down the sure and rapid vengeance of an outraged
Heaven on your defenceless head."
The pirate at first heard her thus boldly speak with astonishment, and
then with rage, which increased till it passed his control. His hand
had been clutching his dagger; and, as she uttered these last words,
almost, it is to be hoped, before he himself was aware of what he was
about, he hurled it with terrific violence at her, uttering a howl like
that of a tiger. The weapon flew from his hand; it wounded her delicate
neck, and stuck quivering in the rough planking of the door. She
neither screamed nor sank to the ground, but stood, as before, unmoved
as a marble statue, though her cheek blanched to a yet more pallid hue
than before, while the red stream issued from the wound, and ran down
her bosom. Ada sprang forward to support her, but she waved her off.
"Stay," she said, "I must yet speak again. That unmanly blow has done
more than pierce the frail body, it has cut asunder ties which I thought
would have endured till life became extinct; it has unriveted links
which I believed would have survived, in strength and beauty, the decay
even of the cold grave; but I have been taught this night to abhor the
false idol I once worshipped so devotedly; and now I shall welcome
death, come when it may, as my only release from misery. Ah! that wound
would have been less unkind had it ended at once the bitter mockery of
life!"
Even the callous pirate, as he saw the blood flowing from the pure neck
which had been so often bent in fondness over him, felt a pang of
regret, and a dread of the consequences, not unmixed with admiration of
a spirit so determined as she exhibited.
"Pardon me, Nina!" he exclaimed, springing towards her. "I knew not
what I was about. I would not injure you, girl, for worlds! Say you
forgive me--say you are not hurt, and I will do all you desire with
regard to these men."
"The wound is but a scratch, as you may see," she answered, calmly,
keeping him off with her hands, and still standing before the door.
"That will quickly heal. My forgiveness can be but of little value to
you, but you have it, and my petition is, that you do not injure these
men."
"You have preserved their lives for this night, at all events; but I
cannot let them go free to betray me and my followers to our enemies,"
he answered. "Vlacco, there are, I think, some chambers beneath this
tower, and formerly used as dungeons, which may again serve the purpose
when cleared out of rubbish. They will not be able easily to escape
from thence; and, meantime, place a strong guard upon them in the
basement story, and see that they hold communication with no one."
The old pirate, with an angry look, showed the disappointment he felt at
not being allowed to dispense summary justice to the prisoners,
signified to his chief that his orders should be strictly obeyed; and,
just as matters had been brought into this state, the messenger, who had
been sent to bring up the prisoners and Signor Paolo, returned with the
announcement that none of them were to be found. The old fisherman
accompanied them, with great dismay in his looks, asserting that he had
nothing at all to do with the matter. He had but one instant returned
to his cottage, after having assisted in the endeavours to extinguish
the fire; he found the door open, and some one had apparently been
placed on the mats, which served as his bed, for there was some blood on
them, and some pieces of linen and lint lying about, and that was all he
knew. He had not spoken to, nor seen Signor Paolo that night. Zappa's
anger was very great at hearing this, and he was very nearly revoking
the reprieve he had granted to the other prisoners. He believed that
treachery had been practised, though, except Paolo and Nina, he knew not
whom to suspect; and, while she denied all knowledge of the event, her
brother was nowhere to be found; so, weary as he was, he set off with
Vlacco and his officers to investigate the matter at the bay.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
Left at liberty, Nina and Ada returned to the upper chamber of the
tower, where the latter entreated the unhappy Italian girl to allow her
to dress the wound in her shoulder, which was far deeper and more
serious than she had acknowledged to Zappa; but she refused all
assistance.
"No," she said; "no hand but mine shall tend the wound which he has
given; and it matters but little, for I feel that the clouds of my
destiny are gathering over me, and that very soon the storm will burst
to overwhelm me."
But her will was more powerful than her frame, and as she spoke she sank
down on the divan, and would have fallen to the ground, had not Ada and
Marianna ran to support her. Overcome with agitation and loss of blood,
she had fainted, and taking advantage of the opportunity, they placed
her on a couch, and while they applied restoratives, they bathed the
wound, and tried to staunch the blood. She gave signs at length of
life; but hers was no ordinary faint, and for hours did she continue in
that state, wavering on the verge of death. As Ada herself, fevered and
weary, sat by the side of her friend, she felt almost equally overcome
with alarm and anxiety for the fate of her lover. What could have
become of him? Had Paolo proved treacherous, and, afraid of his
recovery, spirited him away, and cast him over the cliffs? or was she
wronging the young Italian, and had he not, mistrusting the mercy of the
pirate chief, concealed him in some secret place till his anger had worn
off? This she owned to herself was the most probable cause; but love,
even on ordinary occasions, is full of doubt and fears, much more so
then had she reason for dread under the circumstances in which he was
placed. While she believed Zappa was ignorant of who he was, she
trusted he was in no other danger than that resulting from his wound;
but now that he was discovered, after the dreadful exhibition she had
witnessed of the pirate's temper, she trembled at what might be his
fate. Why had she quitted him? she thought. Why had she not boldly
avowed who he was, and her love for him, and dared the pirate to injure
him? She had seen the successful effects Nina had produced by such
behaviour on the daring outlaw--why had she not acted in the same
manner? She bitterly accused herself of having deserted him, of having
trusted him to strangers, and, more than all, of being the cause of his
death. This thought gave her the most poignant grief, and she prayed
that if Heaven had ordained that he must thus die, she might be spared
the misery of knowing it. Daylight surprised her still sitting by the
couch whereon lay the yet more unhappy Nina.
"And yet, compared to that poor girl's fate, mine is blessed indeed,"
she thought, as she, watched those pallid features, on which an
expression of acute pain still rested. "She staked all for love, and
has found the idol she madly worshipped turned into a demon, who she
feels will destroy her. She, too, has an accusing conscience to keep
happiness at a distance. She remembers that she burst asunder the bonds
of duty, that she caused the death of a fond parent; while I, through
Heaven's mercy, have never been subject to the temptation to create for
myself a retrospect so dreadful."
It would be well, indeed, if all in a position likely to read these
pages would remember, as did Ada Garden, when they are subjected to
misfortune or suffering, that there are thousands around them in a far,
far worse condition, deprived of all that can make life of value,
without hope in this world or the next, and men they would never dare to
arraign the dispensation of Providence, by which they receive the
infliction from which they suffer, and would feel that even thus they
are blessed above their fellows. Poor Ada saw that Marianna still
slept, and, fearful lest Nina should require assistance, she was herself
afraid of retiring to rest, though weariness made her head fall
frequently on her bosom. At length she was aroused by a gentle knock at
the door, and little Mila entered the room. She was evidently full of
something which she wished to communicate, and told a long story, not a
word of which Ada could understand. So eager had she been, that she did
not perceive the condition to which Nina was reduced, believing that she
was still asleep from simple fatigue, but her eye falling on her, she
burst into loud lamentations of grief, which very nearly awoke her from
the lethargy into which she had fallen. It was the means, however, of
awaking Marianna, by whose aid she was able to make the little girl
comprehend the importance of seeking out Paolo, and bringing him to
attend on his sister. She was absent nearly two hours, but at length
returned, accompanied by the Italian. Eager as Ada was to gain tidings
of Fleetwood, she forbore to ask him any questions till he had recovered
from the state of agitation into which he was thrown by seeing the
condition of his unhappy sister.
"You need not tell me who has done this deed," he muttered, in a hoarse
voice, as he bent over her. "I knew it would come to this--I knew, when
weary of her, he would cast her aside as a child its broken toy, or
would thus destroy her in his mad passion. Yet it would have been
kinder had he struck deeper, and thus ended her misery with a blow. I
have remained near her--I have watched over her, ill-treated and
despised as I have been,--that, when this should be her fate, though I
could not shield her from it, I might yet avenge her death. Yes, my
sweet Nina, indifferent as you may deem me, I love you deeply."
"But, Signor Paolo," said Ada, not knowing how long he might continue in
this strain, "your sister is still alive, and I trust that by the aid of
your skill, her wound may neither be mortal nor of much consequence."
"Not mortal, lady," he said, bitterly; "and yet, I tell you, it would
have killed her had it but scratched the skin. It is the spirit with
which that dagger was cast will destroy her far quicker than the wound."
Ada now entreated him to examine into his sister's condition; and at
length, grown more calm, he set skilfully about his office, and he
confessed that, if fever did not set in, the wound was of slight
importance.
When he was at liberty, Ada at last asked him to give her tidings of
Fleetwood; but he denied all knowledge of him, saying, that he had left
him, with Raby watching him, at the fisherman's hut, and that on his
return, both were gone, and that he could nowhere discover them.
Mila, now having an interpreter, came forward with her version of the
story. She said she had heard that their chief had, on quitting the
tower, come down to the bay in a state of passion, in which he had never
before been seen, at the non-appearance of the two other prisoners, whom
he vowed he would execute the moment they were discovered; that he had
caused diligent search to be made for them in every direction, with the
same want of success, till, at last a small boat belonging to the _Zoe_
was found to be missing, in which it was, consequently, supposed they
had escaped.
"Thank Heaven!" ejaculated Ada, with a gleam of joy on her countenance,
which showed how much her heart was relieved. "Oh, Signor Paolo, you
know not how grateful I am to you for your generous assistance in the
matter."
"Do not thank me, lady, nor believe that I knew of, or had any hand in
the escape of your countrymen, if indeed they have escaped, of which I
would entreat you not to be too sanguine," he replied; but, seeing the
reaction his words were producing, he added, "and yet, remember, I have
no reason to suppose that they are not in a place of safety. More I
cannot say--and I beseech you not to ask me."
"But I have not told you all," interrupted little Mila, who guessed that
he was no longer translating what she had said. "The moment the chief
found that the boat was gone, he ordered as many men as she can carry to
go on board the _Zoe_, and he himself accompanied them. She immediately
set sail in pursuit, and they say that there is no doubt of the little
boat being overtaken; and that even were he to meet the larger boats
which made the attack on the island, the mistico will, without doubt,
sink them all, and destroy everybody in them."
Paolo translated to Ada what Mila said, and the account again renewed
her fears for Fleetwood's safety, though still she did not allow hope to
abandon her.
It may seem that the Italian would have acted a more judicious part, had
he not given the latter information; but he was unhappily himself
influenced by two motives; the one right, and good, and generous--the
spontaneous result of his better nature; the other arising from his
yielding to temptation, which was selfish, mad, and wicked. The first
prompted him to run every personal risk to save his rival from the
pirate's anger; the other made him wish for his death, and eager to
deprive him of the love of the fair English girl, whom, he still fancied
he might save from Zappa's power, and win her for himself.
For the present, Paolo had a holy and absorbing employment for his mind,
in tending his unhappy sister, who, under his judicious care, recovered,
sooner than Ada had expected, from the effect of her wound, though she
saw, too truly, that her words were verified, and that the weapon had
struck deeper than the eye could reach.
Ada was now confined completely to the upper room of the tower, both
because she would not quit her friend, and that she might avoid any risk
of encountering Zappa, who had taken up his abode in the lower part of
it. Paolo was her only means of knowing what was going forward in the
world without, and she felt an unwillingness to hold more communication
with him than was absolutely necessary; indeed, nothing he said could
dispel her fears.
The _Zoe_, it appeared, had been out all day; but an ominous silence had
been kept as to the result of her expedition. Some said she had
overtaken the boat, and brought back the prisoners; others, that the
pirate had, in his rage, ordered the guns to be pointed down on her, and
sunk her, with them on board; while, again, some asserted that the
prisoners had not escaped from the island at all, and that they were
concealed somewhere in it.
This conflicting evidence was little calculated to alleviate her
anxiety; but her heart was fresh and young--her health and spirits were
unbroken, and the air which was wafted through her casement was bright
and pure, and she still hoped on for the best. Meantime the pirates
were not idle; and she observed from her window, that they were engaged
all day long in strengthening and improving the fortification of the
castle, as well as those on the other side of the harbour. They threw
up embankments, also, across the neck of land which joined the rock on
which the castle stood, to the right of the island, and planted guns to
defend the approach to it, as also a whole line along the cliff, which
overlooked the entrance to the harbour.
Provisions of all sorts were got in from every part of the island, and
huts were erected, in which to store them; for the men, themselves
accustomed from their youth to the roughest life, cared not for shelter,
so that there was little chance of their being compelled, by famine, to
yield.
Nothing, indeed, was neglected, which might enable them to defend their
stronghold against any force sent against it.
The _Sea Hawk_ was also carefully refitted, and the two misticoes made
ready for defence or flight.
The _Zoe_ was again sent out to reconnoitre. She had been absent for
two days, and the pirate began to be alarmed for her safety, and to
argue that the enemy were probably approaching, and that she had fallen
into her hands. All was, consequently, activity and excitement. The
crew of the _Sea Hawk_ went on board to man her, and those of the
islanders destined to garrison the castle hurried up there with their
arms ready for action. At length, a sail was discerned approaching the
island, and she was soon pronounced to be the _Zoe_. Nearer and nearer
she drew to the land, till there was no doubt of her identity, and as
she entered the harbour, she was warmly greeted by those on shore, who
hurried down to learn the news she brought. Her crew reported that they
had visited the island when the English brig-of-war had last been seen,
but she was not there, nor could they gain any tidings of her; but that
they had, on the following day, when standing to the southward, made out
three sails, which, from the squareness of their yards, they conjectured
to be men-of-war, and that they were standing on a bowline to the
eastward, with the wind at north, but that they deemed it imprudent to
approach nearer to ascertain further particulars.
This information prevented Zappa from taking a cruise in the _Sea Hawk_,
as he had been intending, both to gain further intelligence of the
enemy, and to pick up a few prizes to satisfy the impatience of his
people, who began to murmur at the length of time which had passed since
they had been engaged in what they considered useful activity, as well
as to replace the property he had lost by the burning of his tower.
Ada had not neglected to inquire for the prisoners who had so severely
suffered in her cause, and, though not allowed to communicate with them,
she learned from Paolo that they were not treated with any unusual
severity, farther than being confined in a chamber under ground, where
very little light or air could penetrate, and that he believed their
lives were in no danger.
Nina never spoke of the dreadful night when she had first felt the
fierceness of her husband's anger; but her sunken eye, her hollow voice,
and faded cheek, showed what the effect had been, though, when she met
him, she tried to smile as of yore, and to attempt to win him to his
better mood.
His followers, however, remarked that an ominous change had come over
him, and that his mind at times seemed wavering on its throne.
The unhappy Paolo still nourished in silence his love for Ada, and day
by day he allowed it to increase, till he could scarcely conceal his
feelings in her presence.
It was night, and he stood where he had spent many an hour, on the cliff
beneath her window. No moon was in the sky, and the stars were
concealed by a canopy of clouds which hung over the sea, and the wind
moaned amid the rocks and ruined buildings with a melancholy tone well
consonant to his feelings.
Suddenly the perfect silence which had existed was broken by loud,
terrific cries; the roar of cannon--the rattle of musketry--the cheers,
and shrieks, and fierce imprecations of men striving in deadly combat;
where had lately reigned silence and darkness, all was now the wildest
confusion and uproar, and lighted up with the blaze of the death-dealing
musketry.
The pirate rushed by, and entered Ada's tower, giving orders to his
followers, the meaning of which no sooner did Paolo understand, than
exclaiming, "Now is the time, or she is lost to me for ever," he hurried
after him.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.
We left the _Ione_, at the dawn of a fine morning, beating up towards a
small boat, which had been observed running to the westward, while a
mistico was seen off the island, directly before the wind, apparently in
chase of her. The boat, it was judged, was about half way between the
two vessels; but then the _Ione_ was nearly dead to leeward, while the
mistico was directly to windward, though it was a question how far she
would venture to chase the boat, or whether she would attempt to carry
her off within range of the brig's guns.
As long as the mistico could keep well to windward, and out of gun-shot,
from the closeness with which she could lay to the wind, and her fast
sailing, she might carry off her prey, if such was her object, even
before the eyes of those on board the English ship, without their being
able to employ any means to prevent her so doing.
"Ah, the rascals know what they are about," said the master, as he
watched the Greek vessel through his glass. "She is one of those
piratical craft belonging to the nest of scoundrels on the island there,
depend upon it; and they were trying to get hold of the boat, or to run
her down, which they are just as likely to do as not, and then they'll
be off again in the wind's eye, like a shot, before we can get up to
them, and snug inside their rocks."
"I suspect you are right, master," said Saltwell. "And I cannot help
thinking, also, that the boat has some of our friends on board. Would
to Heaven the breeze would veer a few more points to the southward, and
enable us to lay up to her before the mistico reaches her."
"I don't see what more we can do to go along faster," said the master.
"Our canvas never stood better, nor did the brig ever make more way
through the water with the same wind."
"The mistico draws very fast on the boat, and, by Jove, the villains are
firing at her," exclaimed Saltwell, who had been again eagerly watching
the chase through his glass. "Still she bravely holds her own. Oh,
there's no doubt of her having our friends on board. See that the guns
are ready, and cover her as soon as we get near enough; but we must take
care not to hit the boat instead of the mistico."
The boat was now about two miles off, and the mistico threes. The
former had only a sort of lug set; and, as well as could be seen at that
distance, there was but the one person on board, who steered. If there
were any others, they had wisely stowed themselves away at the bottom of
the boat, to be more out of the reach of the enemy's shot. The breeze,
though fresh, was not too strong to permit of her carrying her whole
sail, and she flew rapidly before it; but the mistico went still faster,
and, as Bill Hawkins, the captain of the fore-top, observed--
"The little one looks for all the world like a small bird trying to
escape from a hawk just ready to pounce down on it, and I hope we shall
just come in to play the big eagle, and save her out of its claws."
"She's the very same craft as we chased into harbour this blessed night,
I shouldn't wonder," remarked Tom Derrick, who had been one of the
cutter's crew. "It would be a real pleasure to get hold of her, to
string up every one of the villains at the yard-arm, for wounding poor
Mr Linton; I should be sorry, indeed, if he was to lose the number of
his mess."
"So should I, old ship, and if ever we get an opportunity, won't we just
pay off the murdering rascals for what they have done," said Hawkins.
"My eyes, look there, how the big one is peppering the little chap; one
would think she hadn't a whole plank left in her, and yet she stands on
as bravely as if there warn't such a thing as a round-shot within a
hundred miles of her."
Such was truly the case; the shot from the long guns of the mistico must
have flown close over her, and on either side; and, probably, several
had gone through her sail, but seemingly none had touched her hull. The
_Ione_ had now opened the mistico free of the boat to the northward.
"Stand by with the foremost starboard gun," cried Mr Saltwell, as they
did so. This was a long nine of brass, while the other guns were
carronades. "Fire!"
The gunner, who considered himself a first-rate marksman, pointed the
gun, and the shot going well clear of the boat, struck the mistico on
the quarter, and those who were watching her with their glasses declared
that they could see the splinters flying from her. Still, so eager was
she in the pursuit, that she would not haul her wind, seemingly
determined not to do so till she had sunk the chase. This there
appeared every chance that she would do, for she had now got awfully
near her, and it was surprising that her small-arm men had not contrived
to pick off the helmsman, when the boat would, of course, have broached
to, and have been her own. Mr Saltwell again gave the order to fire as
fast as the gun could be loaded and run out, but the skill of Mr Black
did not shine so brilliantly as at the first attempt he made, though
they went near enough to show the pirates what they were to expect if
they persisted in their attempt.
"Have the larboard gun ready there. Hands about ship," cried the first
lieutenant.
Bound came the brig, and the gun was let fly. The shot struck the
mistico amidships, tearing away her gunnel, and creating the greatest
confusion on board, if not destruction of life. She found that, in her
eagerness, she had gone rather too far, and putting down her helm, she
gave a last revengeful broadside at her tiny chase, as she hauled her
wind, and away she stood on a bowline towards the island.
No sooner had she done so, than up sprung a figure in the stern sheets
of the boat; and waving a cap round in his hand, seemed to be giving a
cheer of derision. The incautious action was returned by the pirates
with a discharge of their swivel guns, and a shower of musketry, and he
dropped into the bottom of the boat.
"Poor fellow! the villains have killed him," exclaimed Mr Saltwell.
"Yes, sir; and I'm sorry to say I think from the figure it is Jack Raby.
It is just the thing he would do, too," said Tompion, whose glass had
been fixed on the boat at the time. "No--hurrah! the boat is standing
on steadily with some one at the helm."
"Thank Heaven! so she is," exclaimed Saltwell. "Be ready there to heave
the ship to, to let the boat come alongside."
In five minutes more the brig was close up to the boat, and, to the
surprise of all, the person in the stern sheets, who had been so long
visible, was found to be a stuffed figure, covered with a _capote_, and
a Greek cap on the top of it, while the head of Jack Raby was seen
cautiously peering above the gunnel. He very soon brought the boat
alongside, when a couple of hands jumped in to assist him.
"What, Raby, my good fellow, who have you there?" exclaimed the master,
who was standing at the gangway with several of the midshipmen, eager to
welcome their messmate.
"I am sorry to say it is the captain, who is very badly hurt; but I was
glad to get him off at any rate, for we've had a narrow escape of our
lives," replied Raby, from the boat.
This announcement was received with an expression of grief from all on
board. Saltwell, on hearing it, sprang to the gangway, to superintend
the transfer of the captain to the deck, which was managed by lowering
his own cot into the boat, and hoisting him up in it. He was somewhat
revived, though he was scarcely sensible of what was occurring; and when
he was carried below, all waited anxiously to hear the surgeon's report.
In this anxiety about getting the captain on board, the mistico was for
the time entirely forgotten; and when at last Saltwell thought of her,
and ordered the foretop-sail to be again filled in chase, she had got so
far to windward as to be again almost out of gun-shot. A few guns were
fired after her, but the shot did not succeed in cutting away any of her
spars or rigging, and she drew so fast ahead, that it was seen to be
useless following her further.
The brig's helm was accordingly put up, and she stood away to the
southward, towing after her Raby's boat, which was kept in case she
should be required for a future occasion.
Everybody now crowded round Jack Raby, to learn from him all the events
which had taken place; but Mr Saltwell summoned him, and made him go
circumstantially over them to him, and he afterwards had to repeat them
to all his messmates, and to the surgeon and purser, who had not heard
them.
As the reader is already well acquainted with most of them, I need only
commence when he began his account of his successful escape from the
bay, in which it appeared that he was assisted by no other person than
Paolo Montifalcone.
"You must know," he said, "that while the young Italian doctor was
dressing the wounds, a fire broke out on the hill, above the bay, and
the whole population rushed off to see the fire. No sooner was the
coast clear, than Paolo, as they called him, said to me--
"`Now would be your time to escape, if you had anybody with you to
manage a boat.'
"Of course, I told him that I could do that perfectly well by myself.
"`Well then,' he replied, `Hasten down to the beach, you will there find
a small boat which we passed on our way here. She has a sail in her,
and oars, and if you are quick about it, you may get out of the harbour
and join your friends before you are missed; and if you remain, you will
be knocked on the head and thrown over the cliff, to a certainty.'
"`You don't mean to say that you expect me to run away and leave my
captain to die hereby himself,' I exclaimed, ready to knock him down,
for I saw that he was in earnest in his proposal, though the idea had
only just occurred to him. `A pretty blackguard I shall be, indeed.'
"`But I tell you he cannot live, and you will be sacrificed if you
remain,' he argued.
"`I tell you what it is, Signor Paolo,' I replied; `a midshipman's life
is not reckoned of much value at the best, and I am not going to do a
dirty action to save mine, I can tell you. I'm much obliged to you for
what you have done, and for your good intentions; but if the captain is
to die, why it will be a consolation to him to die under the British
flag, on board his own ship, and if you will lend me a hand to carry him
down to the boat, why I can just as easy escape with him on board as by
myself. I'll trouble you also for some of your physic, and some lint
and bandages, to doctor him with, and I hope he may yet do well.'
"The Italian was silent for a few moments, when a sudden thought seemed
to strike him, and he replied that he would do as I wished, though he
warned me of the risk to which I was exposing the captain's life by so
doing; but as he had just told me he would die on shore, I did not
listen to him--in fact, I had no great confidence in the honesty of
Signor Paolo. There was something in his eye, as he looked at the
captain, which I did not like, and besides, I should like to know how
any respectable man came to be herding with such a set of cut-throat
rascals. I accordingly went outside the hut, to see how the coast lay,
and I found that all was silent round us, for every man, woman, and
child had gone up to the fire; and had it not been for the glare of the
conflagration, the night would have been pitchy dark; so, lifting the
captain up in a cloak on which he had been laid, Paolo taking the head
and I the feet, we bore him, as well as we were able, down to the boat,
though I was afraid every moment of letting him fall, and hurting him;
indeed, nothing but the anxiety I felt would have enabled me to succeed.
At length we reached the boat, and placing the captain at the bottom, I
again thanked the Italian for the service he had rendered us; indeed,
after all, I was afraid I was wronging him by my suspicions. Then, with
a lighter heart than I had felt for some hours, I got him to assist me
in shoving the boat off the beach, and with the impetus he had given her
I let her drift out into the harbour. I then, as silently as I could,
paddled round by the west shore, keeping clear of the brig and the two
misticoes, for the one which chased us had just come in; but I had not
much fear of any of them, for I knew that the few hands left on board
them would be looking up at the fire, and would not observe me: though,
had any one turned, they might have done so, for the bright glare from
the flames fell on the boat, and would have showed her distinctly, even
right across the bay. Anxious as I was to get out of the harbour, I was
afraid of pulling hard, lest any one should hear the splash of the oars;
and so near was I to the vessels, that every instant I expected that the
alarm would be given, and that a shot would be sent right into the boat.
Fortunately, no one saw me, and it was indeed a pleasant moment to me,
when finding the chain lowered, I rounded the west side of the harbour,
and pulled fairly out to sea. I had not hitherto been perceived; but
still it was necessary to be very cautious, for, of course, I thought
the pirates would be keeping a lookout, lest any of our boats might
again attempt to approach the harbour, so I pulled on as hard as I
could, for I no longer feared making a noise, till my arms ached so much
that I could pull no longer. I then laid in my oars, and though I
fancied I could still hear the voice of the people on shore, I was so
far to westward that I did not think the light would be reflected on the
sail, even were I to set it. I therefore stepped the mast, not without
some difficulty--fortunately, the sea was smooth, or I could not have
done it at all--and got the sail ready for hoisting. Before doing so, I
stooped down to examine how the captain was going on, and tried to place
him in a somewhat more comfortable position. His heart seemed to beat
regularly, and though he was still unconscious, from the wound in his
head, he did not seem to have any fever about him. This raised my
spirits, and I began to hope for the best. I did not much like to give
him any of Signor Paolo's doctor stuff, for at the best I have not much
faith in it, and I have heard that those Italian chaps are much given to
poisonous practices, so I hove it overboard, to be out of the way, and
then hoisted my sail, and went aft to the helm. The breeze was still
from the eastward, and I thought by keeping dead before it, I should
make the island, where I expected to find you brought up. I considered
that the boat was going about three knots an hour through the water; and
when I had been out, as I calculated, about that time, I heard three
guns fired, somewhere from the island, or near it. This did not give me
any concern, and I steered steadily on, wishing for daylight, that I
might see the island or you, in case you were off here, till at last,
just as it came, and I was looking astern to see it, the first streaks
had appeared in the sky, I beheld, to my dismay, a sail, which I was
certain must be one of the pirate misticoes, running right down for me.
Well, thought I to myself, it's all up with the captain and me; but
never say die, while there's a shot in the locker, so I held on my
course. It was not long, however, before my eyes fell on your topsails,
rising out of the sea, and glad enough I was, you may be sure, when you
made sail and stood towards me, for then I knew that I was seen. The
rascally mistico was overhauling me fast, though, and as I feared she
would get me within range of her guns before you could reach me, I
thought I would give them something to shoot at instead of my head, so I
rigged up a figure with a _capote_ and cap, which I found in the boat,
and stuck it up in the stern, and there fitting some lines on to the
tiller, I made a berth for myself at the bottom of the boat to stow
myself away in, as soon as they began to fire. It's lucky I did so, for
if I had had nine lives, like a cat, I should have lost them all; and
what would have been worse, the captain would have been retaken. My
eyes, how the blackguards peppered at me; but you know all about that,
and now, to my mind, the sooner we set to work to pay them off, and to
get Miss Garden out of their hands, the better."
This account was given by Jack Raby in his berth to his messmates, that
narrated to the first lieutenant was more concise, without his own
remarks on the subjects; for instance, he left out how often he had
kissed Marianna--and how often he had tried to learn Romaic of little
Mila, and made love on the strength of it--though, to his messmates, he
enlarged much on these points, and hinted that he had completely won the
heart of the old pirate's granddaughter, whom he described as a perfect
angel in a red cap.
It was with almost a cheer of joy, and many a sincere thanksgiving to
Heaven, and a glistening of many a manly eye, that, some days
afterwards, the news flew along the decks that the surgeon had
positively declared that the captain was out of danger, and would soon
again be fit for duty.
Mr Linton had, notwithstanding his own prognostications, very much
improved; and, though still confined to his berth, there was every
probability of his soon recovering.
The _Ypsilante_ had in the mean time been dispatched to summon any
British ships she could meet, to the assistance of Captain Fleetwood;
who, to strengthen his claim for their cooperation--for, as a junior
officer, of course he could not order them to come to him--sent by her
an account of the atrocities committed by the _Sea Hawk_; and a
statement that an English lady and her attendant were held in durance
vile by the pirates, which he justly calculated would excite all the
chivalric feelings of his brother-captains, for which the British navy
are so justly celebrated.
He, meantime, cruised in the neighbourhood of the island, in the hope,
should she attempt to make her escape, of falling in with and capturing
the _Sea Hawk_.
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.
Captain Fleetwood once more trod the deck of the _Ione_; and though his
cheek was pale, and his step had not regained its usual firmness, nor
his voice its strength, his health was almost re-established, and grief,
more than any other cause, prevented him from entirely recovering.
Linton had also returned to his duty, and had produced several poetical
effusions on the subject of the fate he had anticipated for himself,
productions which he threatened to inflict on his brother-officers; but,
as they earnestly entreated him to keep them fresh for those who could
better appreciate them, he locked the papers up again in his desk--the
purser, however, who did not intend to pay him a compliment at the
expense of the rest, assuring him that it would be like casting pearls
before swine.
The officers had just come up on deck from breakfast, and the captain
was pacing the poop with his first-lieutenant by his side, the sea was
smooth, with a light air from the westward, and the brig, under her
topsails, was standing to the northward--in which direction lay the
pirates' island, appearing in the distant horizon like a blue hillock
rising out of the water.
"Sail, ho!" was the welcome sound which reached the deck from the
mast-head.
The usual question of "Where away?" was put by Mr Saltwell, in return.
"On the larboard quarter, sir," was the answer.
"What does she look like?"
"A ship right before the wind, sir."
"I trust she is a friend come to our assistance," said Captain
Fleetwood. "We'll stand down to meet her. Put the ship about, Mr
Saltwell."
The brig having tacked, now stood under the same easy sail as before, to
the southward, so as to cut off the stranger; a bright look-out being
still kept astern, lest the _Sea Hawk_, or either of her tenders, should
appear on the northern board.
It may easily be supposed how anxiously Captain Fleetwood had been
expecting the arrival of some other cruiser to assist him in making the
attack he contemplated on the island. Had he consulted his own
inclinations, he would, as soon as he was able to grasp his sword, have
attempted the exploit with his own ship's company, whom he well knew
would be ready to follow him; but he was unwilling to risk the lives of
his gallant fellows on so very hazardous an expedition--especially after
the sad lesson he had lately experienced--and the suffering, if not the
destruction, to which he had subjected his brave companions.
Were he to make the attack and fail, he also thought the result would be
too dreadful to contemplate; so he curbed his impatience as he was best
able, till he could collect a sufficient force to enable him to
undertake it with a certainty of success. He tried also to console
himself with the hopes that the Signora Nina and her brother would
protect Ada to the utmost of their power. Raby, wisely, had not told
him his suspicions of Paolo--and, of course, he was ignorant of the
events which had occurred in the island after he had been carried off,
or he would certainly have been even less at his ease than he
endeavoured to make himself.
"What do you make her out to be?" he inquired of Mr Saltwell, who had
just descended from aloft, with his spy-glass over his shoulder.
"English, I think, sir. I could see to the head of her courses, and, I
should not be surprised, from the look of her canvas, that she is the
_Vesta_ frigate, which was to be cruising somewhere off the Gulf of
Egina."
"I trust she may be. Captain Grantham is an old friend of mine, and I
know that if he received my letter he would come, if he possibly could;
and welcome he will be; for, though the _Vesta_ is but an
eight-and-twenty, we may do without further aid."
Sail after sail of the stranger rose out of the blue water, till a
towering mass of snow-white canvas floated above it, shining brilliantly
in the rays of the forenoon sun, which fell directly on it. At last,
the dark hull and bow ports, and even the thin line of glowing copper
below the bends, could be perceived, and little doubt remained of the
identity of the ship in sight; though, from her position, her signals
could not be perceived. Had it been war time, the _Ione_ would not have
allowed a ship, so far her superior in size, to approach, without
greater caution in ascertaining her nation; but, as it was, there was no
danger of her proving an enemy, and, at the worst, she could be but a
neutral.
While the matter was still in doubt, another sail was seen astern of
her, standing in the same direction; and, in a little time afterwards,
the frigate took in her studden sails, clewed up her courses, and
bracing up her yards, rounded to, when the _Vesta's_ number blew out
clearly to view.
The brig, now close to her, also backed her main topsail, when the
captain's gig was piped away, and Fleetwood, with a heart less depressed
than he had long felt, went on board the frigate.
He was warmly received by Captain Grantham, who exclaimed, "I am
delighted to see you, Fleetwood. From the accounts we received we
thought it was all up with you; and I came more with the hope of
avenging you, than of seeing you alive; but now you shall have that
satisfaction yourself. By Jove! we must blow up the hornet's nest
without delay. When did you propose to make the attempt?"
"The very moment a sufficient force was collected," replied Fleetwood,
highly gratified at his friend's zeal.
"Well, what do you say to this very night?" asked Grantham. "There is
the _Venus_ coming up after me, and your Greek friend cannot be far off.
I am afraid she is not likely to meet any other ship of the squadron;
but we are enough, as it is, to drive every one of the rascals into the
sea."
"To-night, by all means," exclaimed Fleetwood. "I could not have hoped
for anything better. We shall have a sufficient force to ensure
success; and as there is no moon till a late hour, we shall have less
risk of discovery before we are upon them."
"Then to-night let it be; and I suppose there's no use insisting on your
remaining on board, on account of your illness, and letting Rawson, of
the _Venus_, lead the attack," said Captain Grantham. "He is a gallant
fellow, and will do it well."
"I trust, Grantham, that you will give the command of the expedition to
me. I shall, indeed esteem it a most especial favour if you will do
so," pleaded Fleetwood. "I would, on no account, if I can help it, lose
that post."
"Well, I suppose, under the circumstances of the case, we must persuade
Rawson to keep the ship, though, indeed, Fleetwood, I do not think you
are yet strong enough for the exertion you must go through."
"I have a Hercules of a coxswain, and I must make him carry me, if my
legs fail me," said Fleetwood, smiling sadly. "But you know, Grantham,
I have motives enough to carry me through anything."
"Yes, indeed, I know, and feel for you. I suppose the fellows will show
fight."
"Not a doubt of it, from the specimen we have had of them. They know
that they have no mercy to expect at our hands, and that they fight with
ropes round their necks."
"We must give them enough of it, then; but I suppose, with the force we
have collected, we shall have no great difficulty in forcing our way
into the harbour I understand they have got there, though it seems to be
well fortified."
"We should be blown to atoms if we attempted it in the boats," said
Fleetwood. "You have no idea how strong the place is."
"How, in the name of goodness, are we to get at them, then?" exclaimed
Captain Grantham, who was more celebrated for his dash at an enemy, when
once he saw him, than for originating any plan where stratagem was
required. "But let me hear what you propose to do."
"I have, as you may suppose, thought much on the subject, so I may claim
for it more attention than I might otherwise venture to do," said
Fleetwood. "I would on no account attempt to enter the harbour; but
there is at the east end of the island a small cove, with an entrance so
narrow that one boat can alone pass at a time."
He spoke of the one into which the Greek captain had steered the
mistico, all the circumstances of which he explained.
"Now, I propose," he continued, "that the three English ships should
stand towards the place, as soon as it is dark, and there is no chance
of our being seen from the shore, while the _Ypsilante_ I will employ in
another way. We will bring up close in shore, and have all the boats
ready to drop into the water, at the same moment. I will lead in the
_Tone's_ cutter, and, with my men, will mount by the concealed passage,
and secure the approach to the summit of the cliff. When this important
point is gained, the other boats can enter; and Raby, who knows the
passage, will lead the main body through it. We will then proceed, as
silently as we can, to the causeway, across which we must make a dash,
and, I hope, may take the pirates by surprise. I would send the
_Ypsilante_, meantime, to approach the harbour; and when we reach the
causeway, we will throw up a rocket, and she must commence a feigned
attack on the mouth of the harbour, blazing away as hard as she can.
This will distract the attention of the pirates, and make them fancy
that they have most to fear from their enemies on that side. As soon as
she opens her fire, we will rush on; and as the Greeks will have hurried
to the defences of the fort towards the harbour, I hope that we may have
an easy victory."
"I like your plan very much, and it has my hearty concurrence, as I have
no doubt it will have Rawson's," said Captain Grantham. "We shall soon
have him up with us, and when he comes on board you can explain your
proposal. The _Venus_ should be near us by this time." He rang his
bell, and the steward appeared. "Mason, learn from the officer of the
watch how soon the _Venus_ will be up with us, and beg him to signalise
her captain to come on board."
"She's close to us now, sir," said Mason, as he went to fulfil the rest
of the order.
In about a quarter of an hour, Captain Rawson was ushered into the
cabin. He was a short, fat man, with a large, round, red, good-natured
countenance, and if he was a fire-eater, as he had the character of
being, he certainly did not look like one, except it might be supposed
that the ruddy hue on his cheeks could have arisen from that cause. He
shook the hands of his brother-captains, as if he would have wrung them
off, and then threw himself into a chair to recover from his exertions;
but, when he began to speak, instead of the rough voice one might have
expected, a soft, mellifluous tone was heard, which might better win a
woman's ear than vie with the howling of the tempest. He at once waived
all the right he might claim to lead the attack on the island, and
cordially agreed to the plan proposed by Captain Fleetwood.
"In fact," he said, laughing, "there is no great credit due to me,
Fleetwood; for I would much rather fight a ship twice the size of my own
with the deck under my feet, than have to scramble up such a place as
you describe, on a pitch-dark night, to thrash a few scoundrels of
pirates."
"If I don't mistake, you tried the first, and with no little success,"
observed Grantham.
"Oh, yes! that was when I was first lieutenant of the _Pan_,
eighteen-gun sloop, and the captain being ill below, we fell in with the
French thirty-gun frigate, _Liberte_, and instead of her taking us, as
she expected, we not only beat her off, but gave her such a drubbing,
that if we had carried as long guns as she did, we should have made her
our prize. But I'm afraid, Grantham, neither you nor I will see any
more of that fun. Well, we've had a good deal of it in our day, and
have no right to complain."
The friends, in talking over the adventures of the past, would very
likely have forgotten what Fleetwood considered the much more important
present, when they were interrupted by the entrance of a midshipman, who
brought the agreeable intelligence that a sail, supposed to be the
_Ypsilante_, was in sight to windward.
"Huzza, then!" exclaimed Rawson. "We shall have all your plan complete,
Fleetwood,--and you think those fellows will fight? Well, on my word, I
should much like to bear you company if it was not for the hill--mind,
only as a volunteer though--I will keep alongside your friend, Colonel
Gauntlett."
Seldom had an expedition been undertaken under better auspices than that
to rescue Ada Garden and her companions, and to punish the pirate. The
night was very dark, and the breeze was just sufficient to enable the
ships of war to get up to their anchorage at the proper time, while
being from the west, or rather from the northward of it, the sea was
perfectly smooth, which would enable the boats to enter the little bay
without danger.
As the dusk came on the little squadron hauled up for the island, the
Greek brig standing for the port, the others keeping more to the
eastward; the former had, however, sent two of her boats to accompany
the _Ione_, and to assist in landing the men, thus rendering herself
rather short handed; but, as she had only to make a feint of attacking,
this was not considered of any importance, nor was it supposed for a
moment that the _Sea Hawk_ would, or even could, make an attempt to quit
the harbour in face of so superior a force.
It was so dark that it was scarcely possible to distinguish the shore;
but Fleetwood, who led in the _Ione_, as she was the smallest vessel,
kept the lead going, and, as he knew the coast, he had no fears. As he
thought of the certain result of the expedition, and the unspeakable joy
of releasing Ada, and bearing her off in triumph from the pirates'
island, the depression of spirits, from which he had so long suffered,
wore off entirely, and every moment which intervened seemed an age in
his sight.
"I am delighted to see you looking so well, my dear sir," said Colonel
Gauntlett, as, before getting close in with the land, they sat at table
with some refreshment before them, of which, by the by, the captain took
but little, though his guest did ample justice to it. "I must claim a
post next to you, with Mitchell as my body-guard, and we must make it
our business to find out my poor niece as soon as we get into the port.
You will have to attend to the business of thrashing the pirates, and
taking possession of the place, you must remember, so it is fortunate
you have some one to assist you in rescuing the prisoners."
"I shall be glad, indeed, to have some one with whom to place Miss
Garden, as soon as she is released; but I expect that I shall be called
on to perform that grateful duty at the head of my men, for round her
tower, probably, the greatest resistance will be made by the pirates."
"Well, then, my boy, we'll keep together--we'll keep together, and
you'll find, I hope, that an old soldier is no bad ally!" exclaimed the
colonel with animation. "And now, Mitchell," (he was standing behind
his master's chair, his head pressed against the deck above, and the tip
of his nose just appearing from under a beam, which entirely concealed
his eyes), "let me have another look at my arms. There's nothing like
having one's weapons in order on an expedition of this kind, depend upon
it, Captain Fleetwood. A good general always takes care that his army
is well supplied with munitions of war."
While he was speaking, Mitchell brought forth from his cabin his sword
and two brace of pistols, which he placed on the table. The old soldier
drew his sword from its scabbard, and regarded it with a look of the
greatest affection. He turned it round to the light, to see that no
rust had rested on it, and then pressed its point on the deck, and let
it spring up again, to assure himself that it had not lost its pliancy.
"Ah!" he said, "this and my pistols were the only things I saved from
the wreck of the _Zodiac_ and the Frenchman; for I hold that no soldier
should part with his sword till the last extremity. An old friend, too,
and served with me right through the campaigns in the Peninsula, till
the crowning fight of Waterloo. I have reason to be proud of it,
Captain Fleetwood."
"Indeed you have, sir; and I have no doubt that it will do good service
to-night," said the captain.
"I hope so; and, Mitchell, recollect the same orders as I have often
before given you--never let this sword be left behind, should my arm
lose the power of using it."
"Yes, your honour," said Mitchell, with all the gravity of a mute,
putting his hand to the beam, as he could not reach his forehead. "I'll
not forget."
The captain, followed by his guest, went on deck, and, in about half an
hour, the brig he considered was near enough in to anchor. A light
shown over the taffrail was the signal of what he was about to do, and
as he clewed up his sails, his consorts followed his example, and all
three dropped their anchors within a short distance of each other--the
frigate being on the outside. Not a light was allowed to be shown, lest
it might be observed by any sleepless eye on shore--and as little noise
as possible was made, lest any ear might hear it.
The moment the anchors were let go, the boats were got out and manned,
and rapidly collected round the _Ione_.
Fleetwood then summoned the officers, commanding them, into his cabin,
where, on the table, was spread out a rough sketch of the part of the
island across which they would have to proceed, and of the port and
harbour; and he then repeated briefly the plan of the attack, and
assigned to each his particular duties.
The frigate and corvette had each sent two lieutenants; and Linton
insisted on being as well able to undergo the fatigue as his captain;
the rest of the boats were commanded by the mates and midshipmen.
Tompion had the jolly boat, and Jack Raby the gig, while the frigate
sent also her lieutenant of marines to command those of the other
messes.
"Now, gentlemen, you clearly understand my wishes. I will go in first,
and climb to the top of the cliffs, and five minutes afterwards, Mr
Raby, who knows the place well, will lead in the _Tone's_ gig, and show
you the way to follow me, unless I should be attacked; and even then, do
not come to my assistance till I call you. I need scarcely caution you
to preserve the strictest silence among your men to the last moment--
indeed, till we are actually upon the enemy; and could we surround, and
take possession of the tower you see marked there, it would be of the
most vital importance, though I fear the pirates will keep too brisk a
watch to allow us to get thus far without discovery; and now, the
quicker we set about the work the better."
Everybody expressed their full comprehension of Captain Fleetwood's
directions, and he led the way on deck, followed by Colonel Gauntlett
and Mitchell, and descended to his boat. There his big coxswain, Tommy
Small, was waiting for him. Small had charge of the signal rocket,
which the captain had, however, determined not to let off, unless they
were first discovered by the pirates.
One by one the other officers stepped silently into their boats as they
dropped alongside, and, with muffled oars, shoved off after the gig; and
no one, two cables' length off the ships, would have supposed that
nearly two hundred armed men were about to land on the coast.
Fleetwood's heart beat quick as he approached the shore, he felt sure
that he could not have mistaken the spot; but still very great caution
was necessary; and the entrance between the rocks was so narrow, that,
even in the day time, it was difficult to find. Twice he pulled up to
the black towering rocks, and was obliged to back off again disappointed
in finding the passage. High above their heads they rose, looking like
some impenetrable wall, the confines to a world.
"Give way again, my lads," he whispered. "Port the helm a little,
Small. That will do; I see it on the starboard bow. Now, give way
gently, my men. In with your oars."
And the boat was seen to disappear, as it were, into the very rocks.
She glided, however, between them, and slid with a slight grating noise
on to the soft sand, close to where still lay the mistico, which it
seemed the pirates had not got off. All hands jumped out, with the
exception of the boat-keepers, and Captain Fleetwood lost not a moment
in leading the way to the cavern, which he feared to find blocked up.
With cautious steps he groped his way to it, and to his great
satisfaction discovered that it was open, and feeling for the steps he
ascended them.
"Pass the word along for all hands to keep their left shoulders against
the cliff, and there is no fear," he whispered to Small, who followed
him closely with his drawn cutlass, ready to guard him from any who
might attack him.
This was, perhaps, the most hazardous part of the undertaking, for two
or three resolute men stationed at the top might have kept the whole
party at bay, or, indeed, have tumbled them all headlong down the
cliffs. He well knew the cunning of the Greeks, and should they have
discovered the ship by any chance, this was the point they would defend,
in the hopes of destroying all those engaged in the expedition together.
Darkness was around them, the rugged cliff on one side, a precipice on
the other, and beneath their feet a steep path or rough steps, and yet
no one hesitated to follow where he led. The most perfect silence
reigned over the scene, except the sound of their tread, which could
just be heard above the dash of the water on the rocks below, and the
scream of some wild sea-bird as it winged its flight at a distance
through the calm night-air. On he went--a few more steps would place
him on the summit of the cliff, in comparative safety. His hand touched
the grass at the very edge of the upper step--he sprang upwards and
gained a footing on the top--he breathed more freely, and his followers,
one by one, ascended and took their place by him. He then advanced a
little distance to defend the position and to allow the rest of the
party space to assemble as they came up. The five minutes passed away,
and Raby led on, followed in a line by the other boats, for there was no
room for two to pass abreast, and as they entered they all ran up side
by side on the beach. Raby led them with the same good success as his
captain, though the marines with their muskets had some difficulty in
getting up, and ran no little risk of falling over again; but no
casualty occurred. It was, however, a long business, thus getting up in
a single file at so slow a pace, but at last the whole body were drawn
up together. Captain Fleetwood, for greater convenience, separated them
into two divisions, he leading the first, and Jack Raby, who was
delighted with his own importance, acting at; guide to the second. It
wanted just half an hour to midnight when they were put in motion. He
found the greatest difficulty in passing over the rough ground, and
keeping the direct path near the cliff, without the risk of some of his
followers slipping from the precipice to their left. He had, it must be
remembered, gone over the same path several times in the day, and once
on the night of his attempted escape, when he and his friends went to
get the rope, and the arms, and provisions, or it would have been almost
impossible for him to find the way. On the party went, silent as the
dead, and though the sound of the marines' heavy and regular tread might
have been heard at a distance, had any one been on the watch for them,
the footsteps of the blue-jackets, as they sprang from rock to rock,
were light almost as those of Indian warriors on any similar exploit.
The weather, which had hitherto been serene, with a gentle and balmy
breeze blowing from the west, now gave symptoms of being about to
undergo a change. A low moaning sound was heard as the night wind blew
among the pointed rocks, and it struck with the chilly feel of the north
on the right cheeks of the adventurers. It served, however, rather to
raise their spirits and strengthen their muscles; they knew that their
ships were in safety, if the anchorage was tolerable on the lee side of
the island, so they thought or cared little about the matter.
Two miles had thus to be travelled, every instant expecting discovery;
for it was scarcely to be supposed that the pirates, after their late
deeds, would not be on their guard against an attack. Now Fleetwood
halted and listened, now he had literally to feel his way with the point
of his sword, lest he should have inadvertently gone too close to the
edge of the cliff, and in this manner upwards of an hour had passed
away, slowly, indeed, to those eager to know the result. At length,
with a beating heart, he stood on the causeway, while a tower, the one
in which he believed Ada was to be found, was faintly perceptible,
rising, like some tall spectre, in the gloom before him. A light for an
instant glimmered through a casement of the story in which she resided--
it was to him the beacon of his hopes, and served to confirm him in the
belief that he had reached the approach to the castle, of which,
otherwise, he was somewhat uncertain.
"Shall I let off the rocket, sir?" whispered Tommy Small, who had kept
close to him all the time, ready to support him had he stumbled. They
were the first words which had been spoken since the heights had been
gained.
"Not till the enemy discovers us," answered his captain--"then fire."
He had been careful not to halt his men; for he had often observed, that
while the actual tread, from breaking gradually on the ear, might not be
noticed, the stop and the fresh start were nearly always heard. On a
sudden, however, he met with an impediment he had not expected--a high
embankment ran directly across the causeway, with a ditch before it. To
slip down the side of the ditch, and to climb the opposite bank, was, to
seamen, the work of a moment, and, without being discovered, the first
few stood on the summit. Some noise, however, scarcely to be heard, was
made, and as Captain Fleetwood, with Small on one side, closely followed
by the gallant old colonel, was on the point of leaping down into the
ramparts, they found themselves confronted by a number of the islanders,
who started up from between the guns, where they had been sleeping.
To fire the pistols was the first impulse of the pirates, and the flash
aroused their comrades, as well as showed them to their assailants, who
dashed down among them before they had time to unsheath their swords,
and cut them down without mercy.
"Now, Small, off with the rocket," exclaimed Captain Fleetwood, as their
first opponents were disposed of.
At the word, the coxswain, who had been expecting the order, let the
beautiful firework fly into the air. Up it soared, making a curve
towards the sea, into which it sent down a shower of glittering sparks,
which had scarcely been extinguished before the _Ypsilante_, in gallant
style, opened her fire on the harbour, making as much blaze and noise as
she could. The British seamen, believing that all necessity for further
silence was at an end, gave three hearty, soul-stirring cheers, which
rung among the rocks, even above the roar of the artillery, and they
then rushed on into the fosse after their companions. The sound, though
it struck a panic into the hearts of the more timid of the pirates, at
the same time showed them where the most imminent danger lay. The chain
was across the harbour, and they knew no vessel could enter, and that
their guns on that side would sink her when she attempted it, so many of
the bravest hurried to the causeway, to defend the approach to the fort,
while others manned the guns above the harbour, and began to return with
interest the fire of the Greek brig.
All was now uproar, confusion, fire, smoke, shrieks, shouts, and
curses--the roar of the brig's guns, and the sharp reports of fire-arms.
The latter, however, were but little used by the English, who trusted
more to their cutlasses and the points of their bayonets.
The defenders of the causeway fought with the greatest bravery, the
voice of their chief encouraging them to persevere, and none gave way
till they were cut down or slain. The British poured on in overwhelming
force, but still the pirates struggled obstinately, strengthened by the
arrival of their comrades from other parts.
Fleetwood and Colonel Gauntlett both knew the voice of Zappa.
"On, on," they exclaimed, trying to cut their way up to the spot, where
at intervals, as pistols were flashing near him, they could see him
flying from spot to spot, and encouraging his men, "Seize that man,
their chief--take him alive!"
The seamen did their best to come at him, but his followers, with a
devotion worthy of a better object, rallying round him, kept them at
bay. At last the voice which had been heard so loud was silent, and
though fire-arms flashed on each side, his figure was not to be seen.
Yet the pirates did not give way, they even seemed to fight with more
desperation than before, as if to make amends for his absence, or to
revenge his loss. Nothing, however, could withstand the determined
courage of the English; though, had not the pirates incautiously lost
the post which Zappa had so judiciously formed, they might, perhaps,
have been kept at bay till daylight, and, at all events, must have
suffered a severe loss.
Fleetwood and the other officers encouraged their men to fresh
exertions, and led the way. The pirates could no longer withstand the
onset, and, within five minutes after they had leaped the ramparts, the
British had gained the open space under the fort, and the enemy were
flying in all directions before them, some to conceal themselves among
the ruins, others throwing themselves over the cliffs, to avoid, as they
supposed, another death; and the greater number, still facing round,
retreating by the path down the ravine. A small, but more desperate,
band, under old Vlacco, not active enough to run, and too brave to
yield, had entrenched themselves among the ruins, on the point directly
above the harbour; and while some of them were firing away on the
_Ypsilante_, and thus defending to the last the entrance to their port,
the rest had slewed round some of the smaller guns towards the interior
of the fort, prepared to fire the moment they could distinguish their
enemies from their friends.
Meantime, Charles Fleetwood, eager in pursuit of the great object which
had at first brought him to the island, the rescue of Ada Garden, led on
his men to the tower. He heard the scream of a female,--the gate was
open--he rushed up the steps, followed by the colonel and several
others--he reached the chamber she had inhabited, a light burnt on the
table--it showed the confusion around; a slight form was on one of the
couches--Fleetwood flew to it. Could it be his Ada?
There he beheld a sight to sicken his heart--it was the body of poor
little Mila: a ball had entered her forehead, and, as in too many cases,
the innocent life had been taken. What might be the fate of her he
loved best? His eye fell on Marianna, who was kneeling on the ground in
an agony of terror. She lifted her head with alarm, expecting that some
of the pirates had entered to wreak their vengeance on her; but when she
saw who it was, she gave a shriek of delight, exclaiming--
"Oh! save my mistress, signor captain,--save my poor mistress. They
have carried her away--the traitor, the false man, Signor Paolo--he and
the chief. You will never see her more."
"Where, where! which way, girl, speak?" cried Fleetwood, with feelings
which no words can in any degree express.
"Oh! I don't know, signor," answered the Maltese girl, weeping with
fright and agitation, increased by the tone of his voice. "Down through
the door, signor, she and Signora Nina."
"But, my girl, did they neither speak nor say where they were going?"
asked Fleetwood.
"Oh! yes, yes. They said the _Sea Hawk_,--the _Sea Hawk_. They will
escape. Oh, Mother of Heaven! have mercy on us," replied Marianna,
through her tears.
"Enough. Down the ravine, my men. Follow me," shouted Fleetwood, as he
rushed down the steps. "Colonel, do you remain at this tower, and
prevent the pirates entering, if any rally."
At the bottom he fortunately met Dawson, the first lieutenant of the
_Vesta_, and second in command.
"Dawson," he exclaimed, "take charge of the high ground with half our
men, and clear the point there of those fellows firing down on the
harbour. The first division follow me: on, my men!"
Uttering these words, he led the way to the path winding down the
ravine, followed eagerly by seventy or eighty of the blue jackets. As
may be supposed, he flew rather than ran, and even Tommy Small could
scarcely keep up with him. He had too good a cause to know the path,
every turning of which he had noted with the greatest care, so he had no
fear of missing his way. As he went on, he found the wind blowing
strongly down the ravine; and this circumstance showed him, to his
sorrow, that the _Sea Hawk_ would have no difficulty in running out of
the harbour, if the _Ypsilante_ did not prevent her. Still the pirate
could only have had a short start of him. All he could do was to shout,
"On, on," and to wish, though in vain, that he could move faster.
He might yet reach the shore, even before the boats could shove off, and
Ada might be rescued. This thought supported him. The wind rapidly
increased, and its howl was heard even above the shouts of his
followers. At length he reached the shores of the bay; he rushed to the
edge; he could distinguish some boats floating on the surface of the
water, and further on, there was a sound as if men were engaged in
shoving others into it; yet he dared not allow any one to fire, for he
could not tell what boat might contain his Ada. He led on his party in
that direction. The pirates had seen him, and defended themselves
bravely. Some sacrificed themselves while their comrades were escaping,
and, by the time they were overpowered, only three boats remained on the
shore. Into these, Fleetwood did not for a moment hesitate to throw
himself as soon as they were launched, with as many of his men as they
could contain, but the oars of two only could be found, and in vain were
those of the other hunted for. With a hearty cheer the gallant fellows
gave way after the enemy. The retreating pirates fired on them as they
advanced out into the bay. He could just distinguish, by the flashes of
the guns, the brig, and the two misticoes in the centre of it. As he
looked, their sails were loosened and swelled to the gale; the pirates
waited not to secure their boats, as they leaped on board. The cables
were cut, and the two misticos darted out through the narrow passage
into the open sea. Old Vlacco must have known what they were about, for
the fire from the fort towards the _Ypsilante_ seemed to be redoubled in
warmth, preventing her from aiming at them as well as she might have
done.
The _Sea Hawk_ had still several boats round her, and towards her
Fleetwood now steered. His men urged on the boat to their utmost
strength; he felt a hope that he might reach her, when her fore-topsail
was let fall, and sheeted home. A spring was on her cable, her head
turned rapidly round, her yards were squared away, the cable cut, and
she darted out from among a crowd of boats, among which she left the
English entangled, just as they were on the point of running alongside
her, and following her tenders out to sea, discharging her broadside
full at the _Ypsilante_, as she passed her. The Greek behaved
gallantly, and instantly put up her helm, and bore away in chase.
Fleetwood, his heart almost broker with agony at his disappointment, saw
that it would be in vain for him to pursue, and he also remembered that
the _Ypsilante_, with her reduced crew, and severely handled as she had
been by the fort, was in no way a match for the _Sea Hawk_, though her
shot might injure her, who was, he feared, on board.
There was, however, a doubt, on board which of the vessels Ada had been
carried, if she really had again been torn, almost as it were, from his
arms, and he dared not entertain a hope to the contrary.
Quick in action as in thought, these ideas passed through his mind as he
returned to the shore, with the purpose of hastening back to the ships,
and getting them to start in chase of the pirates.
At least, he thought, the _Ypsilante_ will know what direction the _Sea
Hawk_ has taken, and be able to direct us in the pursuit. Before,
however, he could return to his ship, he had numerous important duties
to perform as leader of the expedition, and, indeed, from the firing
which still continued on the heights, he saw that even the fort was not
yet entirely their own.
For him the great object of the enterprise had failed, totally,
miserably failed. Not only was Ada Garden again lost, but she would
certainly be placed in a position infinitely worse than that in which
she had hitherto been. He scarcely dared to think what act the pirate
might commit, now that he was driven to desperation; she had no longer
her attendant with her, and the Signora Nina might have lost the little
influence over him she had before possessed. He bitterly cursed the
mistake he had made in not dispatching one at least of the British ships
round to assist the _Ypsilante_ in blockading the entrance; but he
checked himself, as it occurred to him that, had he done so, Ada might
have been placed in still greater peril, as Zappa might still have
attempted to carry her off, and, on finding himself completely
entrapped, without a hope of escape, might have blown up the _Sea Hawk_,
with all on board her, and he remembered the principle which had often
sustained him through adversity and sorrow, though he could not accuse
himself of having, through his own conduct, brought on the misfortune,
or the cause of grief, that Heaven ordains everything for the best, and
that it is impious to repine at its decrees. With a far different
feeling did he climb up the path than that with which he had rushed down
it, and though his spirits, disappointed and agitated as he was, did not
fail him, his bodily strength almost did, and, had it not been for
Small, he would scarcely have accomplished the undertaking against the
fierce gale which was blowing down the ravine.
As they climbed up, the occasional roar of the big guns, and the rattle
of musketry, was still heard, and on the summit a sight met his view
which he had scarcely expected, and which grieved him sorely. Some of
the huts I mentioned as having been built to contain the pirates'
provisions and other stores, had caught fire, and lighted up the whole
scene. Hedged up on the outer promontory were the band of islanders,
under old Vlacco, who, without the remotest prospect of victory or
escape, yet refused to yield or ask for quarter. The old pirate had
saved his chief; he had enabled him to escape by the gallant way he had
held the post. He was now fighting on his own account for revenge, and
to sell his life as dearly as he could. He was determined the victory
the British had obtained should not be bought cheaply; he and his men
worked the guns with the greatest courage; while one party were engaged
in loading them, the others would rush forward and defend them, and then
retire at the moment they were fired, and be at their posts again before
the British could reach them.
Their numbers were being gradually thinned; but, in the meantime, they
were committing great havoc; and the ground in front of their
entrenchment was strewed with the dead and dying marines and seamen, who
had, with equal gallantry and true courage, ventured to attack them.
The numbers of the British seemed, to Fleetwood, to be awfully
decreased; the marines and a few seamen only appearing to keep the
pirates in check, when a loud shout proclaimed the cause of it; and he
saw Colonel Gauntlett at the head of a large party, dragging forward one
of the guns from another part of the fort. They halted, and, opening on
either side, the gun was fired directly at the centre of the gang of
pirates.
"Now, on, my friends!" shouted the colonel.
"On, on!" cried the lieutenant; and, at the same moment, Fleetwood led
on his party towards the devoted desperadoes. Not one cried for
quarter; but they could not, for an instant, withstand such an attack;
every one was cut down or driven towards the edge of the cliff, where,
still inspired by their desire of revenge, they seized their opponents,
and endeavoured to drag them over with themselves. Almost the last
survivor was old Vlacco; and exerting all the remaining strength which
age had left him, for he was still unwounded, he fixed his death grasp
on the arm of one of the foremost of his assailants; slowly he stepped
back, as he was forced to retreat, enticing his antagonist on, till,
feeling his left foot over the edge, he sprang forward to grasp him.
"In Heaven's name, hold me back!" shouted a voice, which Captain
Fleetwood thought he recognised as Bowse's. The old pirate threw
himself back with all his might, in the hopes of overbalancing the man
whose arm he held, and dragging him with him. For himself he had no
hope, no expectation but instant death, and the gratification of his
revenge against one of those who had caused the destruction of himself
and many of his comrades. Bowse was a powerful man; but he had been
weakened by long confinement, and the pirate was large and heavy. Once
he drew himself back, lifting the old man with him; but again Vlacco
forced him forward, pressed as he was by others behind, who did not see
their nearness to the dreadful precipice, and he felt that the
despairing pirate was dragging him, with himself, to instant
destruction; his feet lost their hold of the ground, and he was falling
forward, when he, at length, sung out for help--though scarcely
expecting it; but at that instant he felt himself dragged back by a
powerful hand, and a sword descending, severed, with a blow, the arm of
the old pirate, who, with a cry of rage, disappeared into the dark
obscurity of the abyss below; and Bowse, turning round to thank his
preserver, found that he was his old shipmate, Tommy Small.
This was the last resistance the British had to encounter; and,
unfortunately, it had cost them very dear. The second lieutenant of the
_Vesta_, a mate of the _Venus_, and six seamen and marines, had been
killed, and ten men wounded, as well as four officers. About fifteen
pirates only were found dead, but a larger number had been seen to throw
themselves over the cliffs; and the wounded had probably destroyed
themselves in the same manner, for five only, who were unable to move,
were discovered alive. About twenty, who had either wanted resolution
to destroy themselves, or thought they were less guilty, and, therefore,
likely to escape punishment, were dragged out from the holes among the
ruins, where they had concealed themselves--these were the only remnant
of the force who had made so stout a resistance; the rest had either
escaped in the vessels, or their mangled corpses were to be found at the
bottom of the cliffs. Although Captain Fleetwood was most anxious to be
off, he considered that it would not do to evacuate the place till it
had undergone a strict examination, he determined, therefore, to leave
the _Vesta's_ lieutenant of marines, with thirty marines and twenty
seamen, in charge, while he led the rest back to embark on board their
ships, where he knew, should the gale increase, their services would be
required.
Among the wounded was Colonel Gauntlett. His grief on hearing that his
niece had been carried off by the pirate was very great.
"It is a sad thing for that poor child; and though I have had much
sorrow in my time, never has anything pained me more," he said, as the
captain told him what had occurred. "And for you, Fleetwood, I feel
most deeply. You loved the girl, and you deserve her for the exertions
you have made to recover her. In Heaven's name, get back to your ship
and pursue the scoundrel round the world, if he goes so far. For
myself, I will remain here, and have my old carcass doctored; and if, as
you think there is a possibility of her being concealed somewhere in the
island, I will discover her, and shall be here to take charge of her,
while you, at all events, will have the satisfaction of punishing the
pirate."
Thus it was arranged; indeed, the colonel was unfit to be moved, and was
likely to fare much better in the tower, under the care of Mitchell, and
a surgeon, who was left to look after the wounded, than on board the
brig in a gale of wind.
Marianna, however, entreated that she might not be left behind on the
island. She urged that her mistress must have been carried away in the
_Sea Hawk_, and that as the _Ione_ was going in search of that vessel,
her services would certainly be required when she was recovered, which
she felt positive she would be, as she would serve as a chaperone to
Ada, should he be blessed by finding her. Fleetwood was glad to take
her with him. The first person he inquired for, after the pirates had
been overcome, was his friend Captain Vassilato.
Bowse said that he had been released with him and the Maltese, Pietro,
from the dungeon under the tower, by Colonel Gauntlett's party, and that
he had seen him charging the last band of pirates who had resisted. It
was for some time feared that he was one of those who had gone over the
cliffs, either dragged over by the pirates, or in the eagerness of
pursuit; but at length he was discovered under a wall, where he had
managed to crawl to be out of the way of the scuffle, after receiving a
severe wound on the leg from the wind of a round shot.
His delight at seeing Fleetwood, whom he thought had been killed, he
declared, restored him to health; and he insisted on being carried on
board the _Ione_, to get sooner on board his own vessel, that he might
go in chase of the pirate. Bowse also begged to be allowed to accompany
the captain.
All their arrangements being made, Fleetwood set off at the head of his
men to return to the little bay, where the boats were left. The march
back was less difficult and more rapid than the advance, as they were
now able to light their lanterns, which had been brought, and to use
some torches which had been discovered in the fort. They reached the
boats in safety; but although the bay was to leeward, as the gale was
blowing strong, there was a good deal of swell setting into the little
cove, and they experienced considerable difficulty in embarking, and no
little danger in getting out to sea. The ships, however, showed plenty
of lights to guide them on board; but the way the lights moved showed
that there was a heavy swell, and the loud roar of the surf warned them
that they would have breakers to pass through before they could get on
board.
"It must be done, Small," said the captain, as her crew were getting the
cutter afloat. "We have gone through many a worse surf, but never
through so narrow a passage in so dark a night."
"I've always managed to see the way out of any place I've got into,
sir," replied Small. "Please Heaven, sir, we'll get out of this too."
"Very well," said the captain. "Gentlemen, I will lead, and let the
boats follow at a sufficient distance from each other not to run the
risk of fouling."
Captain Vassilato was lifted into the cutter, she was shoved off through
the surf, and the impetus almost sent her up to the entrance. A high
black mound appeared to rise before her, obscuring the view even of the
lights on board the ships, and seeming to block up all exit. Small's
eyes were keen, he exactly hit the passage, and the boat, rising on the
surge, her oars almost touching the rocks on either side, darted out
into the open sea. For an instant only, Fleetwood went alongside the
_Ione_ to put his Greek friend on board, and to order Saltwell to get
everything ready for weighing the instant he returned, and he then
pulled off to the frigate to make a report of what had occurred, and to
advise the instant pursuit of the pirate.
Captain Grantham was very much grieved to hear of the loss of so many
men, and that the young lady had been again spirited away, and promised,
as soon as it was daylight, to go in chase of her; but in the dark, he
considered it worse than useless to move from his comparatively snug
berth. He was glad a nest of such determined pirates had been routed
out; but, independent of more humane motives, he regretted to have to
send up to the Admiralty so long a list of casualties. It showed,
however, that it was no trifling affair, and he might truly state, that
it was impossible to count the number of the enemy killed.
"You, Fleetwood, do as you think best," said Captain Grantham. "If you
wish to get under weigh, do so; but, tell me, what plan do you propose
to pursue?"
"I think, while the present gale lasts, of standing across to examine
the island to the westward of this; and when it moderates, or if the
wind shifts, I shall stand to the northward, towards the Gulf of
Salonica, where there are numerous hordes of pirates, with whom Zappa is
certain to find friends."
"I am not quite so sure of that--remember, two of a trade can never
agree. However, it is as well to try in that direction. I will stand
to the southward and westward, and will send Rawson to the eastward, and
we will then rendezvous off this island, unless we happen to catch sight
of our friend in the meantime, in a week or ten days--Heaven grant that
we may have success!"
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.
When Zappa saw, by the overwhelming number of his enemies who poured
into the fort, that he must perish or make good his retreat from the
island, he ordered those of the _Sea Hawk's_ crew who were on shore to
accompany him; and retreating from the fight, he left them below while
he rushed up into Ada's tower, and gained the chamber where the
terrified females were assembled.
"Fond girl, I will not leave you to perish or to be branded as the
pirate's mistress," he exclaimed, clasping Nina in his arms. "I will
not quit you till I can place you in safety--come with me."
"We will live or die together," murmured Nina, forgetting, in that
moment of defeat and disaster, all the cruelty of which he had been
guilty towards her.
"Lady, your friends have gained the day," he continued, turning to Ada.
"You have brought rain on my head, and you have your revenge--farewell."
Miss Garden's heart beat quick with hope. The moment of her
emancipation had at last arrived, and he whom she loved had come to her
rescue. At the instant the pirate disappeared, a person rushed forward,
and seizing her in his arms, exclaimed,--"Haste, signora, from hence, or
destruction awaits us."
She knew Paolo Montifalcone's voice; and believing that the pirate had
intended to blow up the tower, she fancied that he had come to save her,
nor attempted to struggle in his grasp. She shrieked out to Marianna to
follow her, but the poor girl was so petrified with horror at the death
of little Mila, which had just taken place, that she could not move, and
in vain Ada implored the Italian to stop for her attendant. His only
reply was--"It will be too late, and we shall be destroyed--on, on."
He seemed to be endowed with strength almost superhuman; he gained the
bottom of the steps, and rushing on, was soon among the body of the
retreating crew of the _Sea Hawk_, who were following their captain.
They all recognised Paolo, who was a favourite among them, and aided him
in supporting his burden.
"Oh where are you taking me to?" exclaimed Ada, when, too late, she
heard the sounds of the strange voices round her, and found that she was
descending the ravine.
"To happiness and freedom," he answered passionately, and pressed her
closer in his arms.
Ada, with horror, saw that she was cruelly betrayed. She shrieked
aloud, and struggled to get free; but he who bore her had pictured the
only joy he could hope for in possessing her, and intense misery without
her, and he could not bring himself to relinquish what he valued more
than life itself.
"Hear me, sweet Ada," he exclaimed, as he still bore her on. "He whom
you loved is dead, and a heart devoted as mine, is alone worthy to
occupy the place he held."
Still Ada entreated him to have mercy on her, to take her back to her
friends, who must even now be in the tower she had just quitted; but he
was deaf to all her prayers.
The gentle, timid Paolo had been sadly changed by the scenes he had
witnessed, and the burning love to which, he had madly resigned his
soul. She saw at length that all appeals to his generosity or better
feelings were vain, and overcome with horror, she fainted.
When they reached the beach, Zappa and Nina had already embarked; he
placed Ada in another boat, with the rear-guard of the pirates. They
were quickly alongside, and she was lifted on deck, still insensible,
and, without the chief seeing her, Paolo carried her in his arms below.
Instantly the brig was under weigh, and darting out of the harbour, was
hotly engaged with the _Ypsilante_.
Once on the open sea, the pirates breathed more freely, and sail after
sail, notwithstanding the strength of the breeze, was let fall from the
yards. The shot of the fort had already damaged their enemy, and now
bringing their broadside to bear on her just before she kept away in
chase, they raked her fore-and-aft, killing many of the people, and
cutting away much of her rigging.
The _Sea Hawk_ was celebrated for her speed, and the rigging of the
_Ypsilante_ was much cut up, but her commanding officer was a gallant
fellow, and crippled as he was, determined, if he could, not to lose
sight of the enemy; and was soon after her, firing his bow-chasers with
little or no effect, as the _Sea Hawk_ was rapidly running from them,
firing her stern guns in return.
Meantime the _Sea Hawk_ winged her rapid flight over the foaming waters.
She had received but slight damage from the cannonade, opened on her by
the _Ypsilante_, during the storming of the fort, and none after she got
outside the harbour, so that the pirates were able to laugh at the
efforts of her pursuer.
Zappa having run the _Ypsilante_ out of sight, shaped as northerly a
course as the wind would allow him, towards that part of the Archipelago
where the islands cluster the thickest, that, among their many intricate
and dangerous channels, well known to him and his crew, he might have a
greater chance of avoiding his enemies; and would be certain to find
friends ready to assist him. The two misticos, not being able to look
up so well to the gale, had to run before it till it moderated, and they
then hauled up in the same direction. From their rig and appearance
being that of the ordinary craft of the Mediterranean, they ran less
risk of recognition than the brig, or of detection, from being able to
conceal themselves in any nook or bay, or behind any reef which might
offer itself, so that an enemy might pass close to them, without their
being seen.
The gale continued blowing with undiminished fury till daylight, when it
gave signs of abating. It had been the means of saving Zappa and his
comrades, and he wished it to continue rather longer to carry him
entirely clear of his pursuers. Men with sharp eyes were sent aloft to
look out on every side, to discover if any vessels were in sight. They
reported one hull down in the northern board, the heads of her topsails
only seen, which was, doubtless, the _Ypsilante_, and two on the
larboard quarter, which seemed like the two misticos. As the sun rose,
his beams seemed to calm the rage of the tempest, the wind fell, the
clouds dispersed, and the sea went down, and Zappa no longer felt the
anxiety he had at first experienced for the fate of his vessel. He now
mustered his crew, and found that some of his bravest and best men had
fallen when attempting to defend the fort against the first attack of
the English; the remainder promised to stand by him as long as the _Sea
Hawk_ floated on the waves. Every arrangement which circumstances would
admit of being made for the future, he dismissed all but the necessary
watch on deck, to take the rest they so much needed.
Among those who appeared was Paolo. He hitherto had had no time to
speak to him--he now summoned him to his side.
"What," he exclaimed, "are you not yet weary of a rover's life, that you
return again to the _Sea Hawk_--or did you fear a pirate's fate, if you
had remained on shore?"
The Italian looked conscience-stricken and miserable. He could not meet
the glance of the pirate's eye; he dared not confess what he had done;
and yet he knew it must be instantly discovered.
"Could I leave my sister?" he asked. "Could I leave one whom I love
dearer than life itself to perish amid the raging fight, when my arm
might save her? Do you suppose that my eye is so dull, my heart so
callous, that I could behold the rare beauty which almost won your
affections from her who had sacrificed all to you, and yet feel no
impression? Know, that he whom you have treated as a tyrant does his
slave, whom you have scorned and deceived, has a heart capable of
burning with a passion far more intense, far brighter, far purer, and
more enduring than the flickering flame which yours can alone nourish."
"What is this rhapsody about?" exclaimed Zappa, thinking that Paolo had
gone mad.
"When you go below, you will discover," answered the Italian, and walked
to the other side of the deck.
When Ada Garden came to her senses, she found herself in the cabin of
the _Sea Hawk_, and Nina bending over her, and applying such
restoratives as she had at command. She was soon sufficiently recovered
to explain to her astonished friend the means by which she had come
there.
"And Paolo could have done this. He who professed to be ready to die
for you, to tear you from the very arms of your friends, when they were
on the point of recovering you. Alas! my unhappy brother--his mind must
have forsaken him."
"Whatever the cause, I have sorely suffered, and I have no one to trust
to now but you, Nina. Through you alone can I now hope to be restored
to my friends."
As Ada was speaking, the pirate chief entered the cabin. He started
back, on seeing her, and an angry frown came over his brow. "What! and
my suspicions are true," he exclaimed, in a voice of passion. "And that
mad youth has ventured to bring you on board. You, lady, who have been
the cause of the disaster we have suffered, who have already so nearly
proved my destruction."
He ground his teeth as he spoke, and the two defenceless girls saw that
he was working himself up to the same awful pitch of fury to which he
had given way when he so barbarously wounded Nina.
"But where is this wretched youth?" he continued. "Here, Momolo--
Balbo," calling to some of his officers, "seize Signor Paolo, and drag
him here. Take care that he does not leap overboard to avoid you. He
has performed an act, by which he has well merited death, and he knows
his guilt is discovered."
While those he spoke to were absent obeying his orders, he stood at the
door of the cabin, grasping his sword, as if he meditated a dire and
speedy vengeance. Nina sprung towards him and clasped his arm.
"Oh! you will not injure him--you will not--you cannot kill my brother!
He has committed a great fault--but his death will not remedy it. Say,
for my sake--say, for her sake--for she wishes not his destruction--you
will forgive him?"
While Nina was thus pleading for her brother, he was brought in by four
of the crew, who, supposing that he had been found guilty of treachery--
the only crime in a pirate's eye--stood over him with their drawn
daggers in their hands, to execute, at the moment, the chief's commands.
Zappa shook her off without answering her.
"So, signor, you have dared to drag hither the glittering bait which has
already allured a host of enemies to attack us; and while I would have
left her as their prize, and escaped in safety from what you have done,
they will still continue their pursuit, nor desist till they have
destroyed us all. From the number of men engaged in the attack, there
must, doubtless, be many ships in chase of us, whereas, had you not
committed this mad act, we might have gone our way unmolested. Such is
your crime and its consequences; and if I deliver you up to the crew,
and explain what you have done, they will save me the trouble of being
your executioner. Take him on deck," he said, in Romaic, to the men who
held Paolo. "I will follow shortly; and you may, meantime, make
preparations to deal with a traitor."
The pirates were dragging the miserable man away, when Ada, who though
she knew not the words which were used, comprehended their meaning,
sprang from her seat and grasped Paolo's arm, to prevent his being
carried off.
"Stay," she cried, appealing to Zappa. "Do not condemn this unhappy man
to death. Towards me he has acted the most cruel part--but I forgive
him. For your own sake, I implore you to do so likewise, for the sake
of that sweet girl. Oh! do not commit so black a crime. It will be a
murder, for he had no intention of injuring you or your followers.
Blinded by an unhappy passion for me, he has done this, fancying that
the man to whom I was to be united is no more; and has been led on in
the vain hope of one day possessing me, and winning the worthless love I
should have to give. Let me now swear that nothing shall ever induce me
to become his--and let it be part of his punishment that he knows what
he has done is in vain; and if, by any means, I can remedy the evil he
has committed, I will do so, if you will allow him to live."
"A lady who pleads so energetically should have her prayers granted,"
said the pirate, with a tone of irony. "But let him beware how he
behaves--unhand him," he said to the men, in their own tongue. "These
ladies have pleaded for the prisoner, and are answerable for his
conduct. And tow, signora," he said, in a blander tone, addressing
himself to Ada, "by what means do you propose to remedy the fault of
that madman?"
Ada was silent for some minutes, during which the pirate stood regarding
her attentively.
"It is fitter for you to point out the means by which I can serve you,
than for me to propose them," she at length replied. "Indeed, I can do
nothing till I am restored to my friends; I am sure that any ransom you
may propose, which they have the power to pay, they will gladly give for
my liberty."
"It is a pity that was not thought of before; but, are you aware, lady,
that it is usual to secure the ransom before the prisoner is restored?"
observed Zappa.
"Touch then at one of the Ionian Islands, where there are English
authorities, and let me write letters in different directions, and
before long, I doubt not, the money will be raised, and will be
deposited wherever you desire. If you will allow me to go on shore, I
will promise to do my very utmost to place the money in your hands, and
will send word to the British cruiser, now in search of this ship, that
I am in safety; and will at the same time exert all the influence I may
possess with my friends to obtain your pardon, should you be captured.
This I promise to do most faithfully."
"Oh, listen to her!" exclaimed Nina, springing towards the pirate, and
seizing his hands. "Land her in safety and honour among her own people,
and she will pay you the money if you demand it, and I--I will be
responsible that she does so with my life--but why demand it? you have
already more wealth than you require on board this vessel, and no rest
nor safety can you expect, or hope to find, while you follow your
present pursuits; your hand against every man, and the hand of every man
against you,"--(Nina knew not that she was quoting the words of the
sacred book to describe her husband)--"but oh, my husband, remember that
there is a land across the narrow Adriatic, where your deeds are
unknown, and where we may henceforth live unsuspected in tranquillity,
and with such happiness as we can enjoy--that land, the land of my
birth--there, in the home which I deserted for your sake, you will be
secure; there I will watch over you, will tend you, will strive to make
you forget the past in the contentment of the present; and should you be
discovered, should any one attempt to tear you from me, I will give my
life with joy for yours. Oh say that you will do this--say you will
abandon the evil course you are leading, and you will make my heart beat
lighter than it has done for many a day, and bless the words you utter."
The pirate was somewhat softened.
"Nina," he said, looking at her with a glance of more affection than she
had for a long time seen, "you know not what you ask me to do. You know
not the difficulty, the almost impossibility of accomplishing what you
wish. Even were I seized with the humour to turn virtuous, I cannot
abandon my vessel and my crew; they are bound to me and I to them; and
were I to quit them, they would be captured, to a certainty, and in just
revenge for my desertion, they would inform all they met of my retreat.
If I proposed to leave them they would not let me, and from that instant
I should lose all my authority. And then think, should I even succeed
in commencing the existence you propose, how is it likely to suit one,
accustomed from his earliest days to the dissipation of cities, or the
wild excitement of a rover's life--how should I, who have so long
commanded a band of men, regardless of all laws but those I have framed,
and yet obedient to me as children, submit to the dull, plodding
business of a country farmer engaged in superintending bumpkins in their
daily toil? No, Nina, you must not expect it; I feel it cannot be."
He was silent, and seemed lost in thought. His lips moved, but his
words were almost inaudible.
"The vision was too bright and beautiful ever to be realised," he
murmured. "Alas, alas, I have for ever cut myself off from such
happiness--and that fond girl too--oh, it is a cruel fate for her to be
linked for ever to one so lost. Yet it might be done. I might again
seek out the speronara of the Sicilian Alessandro, and he should land us
on some part of the coast I would select, nor should he know whither we
went. Ah--but is he to be trusted? Would he not, if he saw our wealth,
be tempted to destroy us for the sake of possessing himself of it?--
would he not, even if we concealed it ever so carefully, or even had it
not, suspect that we had it, and equally attempt our destruction? Who
is to be trusted? In whom can I, especially, of all men, dare to
confide? Alas! on no one. Every one of my fellow men, except the
ruffians who surround me, and a few like them, would glory in betraying
me. I might, it is true, find some stranger bound for the Italian
coast, and with a well-invented tale about the vessel I had quitted,
persuade them to carry me whither I may determine to go."
"Nina, I will think about it," he said, aloud. "I would please you if I
could; but though my power to do evil has been great, alas! the means I
possess of doing good are small indeed."
"Oh, do more than think of it," exclaimed Nina, looking up imploringly
in his face. "Resolve with your determined will to execute what you
think of--resolve to overcome all difficulties--to be daunted by no
dangers, and she and I will bless you to our dying day, and our prayers
will ascend to heaven to implore forgiveness for the crimes which now
weigh down your soul and prevent you from perceiving clearly where true
peace and happiness can alone be found."
"Enough, Nina, enough, or you will make me act the woman," exclaimed
Zappa, releasing his hands from her grasp, and rushing on deck, where
his voice was heard, immediately after, issuing some orders in his usual
firm and loud tones.
"You will conquer, my sweet Nina; you will persuade him to abandon a
pirate's life, and happiness may yet be in store for you," said Ada,
kissing the cheek of her friend, who sat pale and trembling on the couch
by her side.
Nina shook her head sorrowfully.
"Alas!" she replied, "you know not the wayward spirit which possesses
him, or you would not speak to me of hope."
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.
Several days had passed, and the _Sea Hawk_ was still among the
clustering islands of the Archipelago. Twice she had attempted to
escape from them on her voyage to Cephalonia; but each time she had been
driven back by the appearance of suspicious sails to the westward, which
her captain believed to be British men-of-war, cruising in search of
him.
Men were stationed all day and night on the yard-arms, and topmast-heads
to look out for the first faint outline of a ship; yet, not as before,
in the hopes of falling in with a richly-laden merchantman, but for the
purpose of avoiding her, lest she should prove to be one of the many
enemies on the watch to destroy them. The wind also no longer favoured
them, but shifting to the westward, had aided to baffle them in their
efforts to escape. Zappa prayed again for the gale, which had so
opportunely arisen to enable him to force his way out of the harbour of
Lissa; but now when he equally needed it, and had no evil purpose in
view, when better intentions had been formed and better feelings had
arisen, it refused to blow. Either contrary winds or calms had always
been met with, and till he had a prospect of a quick run, it would be
folly to venture out from amid the islets, which now sheltered him. He
was afraid of anchoring, or of remaining off any place for an hour
together, lest an enemy should suddenly appear and give him no time to
make sail to escape. He seldom went below, but wrapped in his cloak he
threw himself on the deck, when weary nature required rest, to be ready
at a moment's call. His days and nights were full of toil, care, and
watchfulness, and thus the time wore on. It was a lovely day; the sky
was of the most intense blue, without a cloud or speck to dim its
brilliancy; the sea calm as a mirror, and reflecting the hue of the
bright canopy above, was of so crystal a clearness that the eye seemed
capable of piercing to its very lowest depths; the sun shone forth with
glowing splendour, and the wind of the gentle zephyr, which came from
the west, blew with a balmy softness, incapable of ruffling the water,
or of forcing through it the pirate brig. Her sails, spread to catch
the first breath of a stronger breeze, now hung almost idle from the
yards, or ever and anon gave a loud flap of impatience against the
masts.
Blue islands rose out of the water on every side of the ship; some
extending a considerable distance along the horizon, others, mere
hillocks, appearing above it; and besides the more distant islands,
several islets were seen, mostly barren rocks, some of a mile in length,
and others of a few hundred yards; the largest only being of a height
sufficient to conceal a vessel behind them. Some were broken into
picturesque forms, and their sides sprinkled with moss and lichens, or
coarse grass, and a few low shrubs looked green and inviting at a little
distance--a deception which a nearer approach quickly dissipated. Here
and there also black lines and spots might be seen on the surface, being
the summit of coral reefs, which, with any sea, were entirely concealed
by the wild foaming surf breaking over them; and though the greater
number of these were almost flush with the water, or below it, a few
rose as much as five or ten feet above it. As may be supposed, no
vessel would venture into this locality, unless those on board were well
acquainted with its numerous hidden dangers.
To increase them still further, strong currents set among the islands,
running towards various quarters, accordingly as they encountered the
opposition of the rocks, either above or below the surface, so that it
was impossible, from the appearance of the land, to say in which
direction the vessel, exposed to their influence, would next be carried.
Into one of these currents, the _Sea Hawk_ had now got, and though she
appeared to be stationary in the water, she was being driven on at a
rapid rate past the land to the westward. Her captain, however,
apprehended no danger--he had every rock and shoal mapped out in his
mind far more correctly than on any chart in existence, and he felt
confident of being able to avoid them; and thus, though the airs came
from the westward, the brig was carried bodily to windward, and steerage
way was just kept on her.
The heat of the cabin was so great, that Ada and Nina had been forced on
deck, over the after part of which an awning had been spread to shelter
them from the sun--and there they sat, silent and sad, for the long
delay which had occurred had depressed their spirits, and filled their
imaginations with forebodings of coming evil.
Paolo stood by himself, leaning over the quarter-rail, and gazing, with
a vacant listlessness, at the sea; no one speaking to him, and he
noticing no one.
Zappa slowly paced the deck, every now and then stopping to watch the
progress of the vessel, and to issue his orders to the helmsman or sail
trimmers, who were at their stations ready for any emergency; but though
every sail, to her royals, were set, with that light wind, a few hands
only were required to box about the yards, as it became necessary to
keep the vessel away, or haul her more up, to avoid the rocks and shoals
as they presented themselves.
Looking at that beautiful fabric, as she floated proudly on the waters,
and observing the skill with which she was handled, it was difficult to
suppose that danger of any kind, beyond what I have mentioned, could
menace her.
Zappa himself felt secure, for he knew that none of his enemies could
here approach him unawares; or, if they daringly ventured into that
labyrinth of dangers, he could easily elude them, or entice them to
their destruction. However, a strict look out for the appearance of any
sail was, as usual, kept; but all his attention was occupied in conning
the vessel through the intricate passage he had selected, in order thus
to make some progress on his voyage.
"If this dreadful state of uncertainty endure much longer, I feel that
it will kill me," said Nina, taking Ada's hand, and looking into her
face, as if to read the effect her words produced. Her dim, sunken eye,
and the hectic spot on her faded cheek, gave sad token that her words
were too likely to be fulfilled. "For your sake, dear friend, I will
try to live, and for his sake also. I would not quit him, even for
another and a better world, till I was assured that he had forsaken the
sinful and dangerous path he has, alas, so long followed. It is an
awful thing to think that he whom one loves, better far than one's-self,
may be speedily hurried to his eternal doom, without a prayer for
forgiveness--a hope in the future. I would not be separated from him,
and yet I dare not wish to bear him company; though I feel that, black
as are his crimes, my guilt is even greater. I deserted a fond father--
I broke his heart, Ada, and can such a one as I hope for Heaven? Will
the suffering, the agony of heart, I have endured, be any atonement in
the sight of God? Oh, promise me, Ada, that should death claim me as
his own, you will strive, by every means in your power, to lead him back
to virtue--to preserve him from the ignominy, the punishment which, even
I acknowledge, he has deserved at the hands of his fellow-men."
Ada Garden roused herself from her own despondency, to soothe the
feelings of her friend. She endeavoured to persuade her that her
prognostications regarding her own death were probably groundless; and
though she did not seek to lessen her horror of the crime she had
committed, she pointed out to her the merciful promises held forth in
the sacred writings, that her repentance was of more value than her
sufferings; that the latter was sent by a kind Heaven to produce the
former feeling, and that, trusting in Him who died for all, she might
hope confidently for pardon, and remission of her sins. She assured her
of her own belief, that Heaven is not deaf to those who pray that those
they love may be made to repent; and she entreated her, if on that
account alone, to live for her husband's sake.
"And, Nina," she continued, "what a weak girl--what one situated as I am
can do, I will do for your husband; and more, I will entreat Captain
Fleetwood, not only to save him from punishment, but to use every means
in order to persuade him to repent of the past, and to follow a noble
and virtuous course of life."
In this manner the two lovely girls had conversed for some time in tones
not above a whisper, lest it should be heard by him whom it most
concerned, when an exclamation of terror escaped the lips of Nina, and,
seizing Ada's arm with a convulsive grasp, she pointed over the larboard
side of the vessel, where a sight met their view, which was, indeed,
sufficient to make the stoutest heart quail.
Meantime the captain stood near the weather gangway, directing, as I
said, the course of the vessel, with his first mate by his side, whom he
had called to him to point out the danger yet to be passed; while, as a
precautionary, and, indeed, usual measure on such occasions, hands were
stationed at the jib-boom end, and at the weather foreyard-arm, to give
timely notice of any rocks which might lie in their course beneath the
water, from the beautiful clearness of which they were discernable, even
though many feet from the surface, at a considerable distance. The
brig's head was to the southward, and all eyes were thus turned to
windward, or in the direction towards which she was drifting with the
current, and no one thought of looking on the lee side, from which no
possible danger was apprehended.
"We have done well to come here, Baldo," observed Zappa to his mate.
"We are here far more secure than in any harbour in the world; for no
one but a mariner of our own islands would venture his ship among these
reefs. See yonder black ledge, which shows its threatening summit a few
feet only above the water--there is a passage between it and another
reef further to the southward, through which we shall easily pass,
provided the wind does not fail us altogether; and if so, we must rouse
the hands up and take to our sweeps."
"It is a dangerous place, though, captain, and one I would rather not
venture into, unless I was very sure of my weather," replied the mate.
"Even now, if it was to come on to blow, it would be no easy matter to
get clear."
"No fear of that, my friend; I who brought the craft into this place
will take her safely out again, let the wind blow with its greatest
fury. A gale is what we have day and night been praying for; and let
one come, the gallant _Sea Hawk_ will brave it, and laugh at her
enemies. But tell me, Baldo, how do the people like this hide-and-seek
life? It is not what they have been accustomed to under my command."
"They wonder what your intentions are," answered the mate. "They say
that, by sailing westward, as you propose, we are more likely to meet
with our enemies, than if we kept among the islands to the northward,
where we have friends."
"The very reason I would avoid the locality," said Zappa. "We shall
certainly be sought for there; whereas, no one will expect to find us in
the broad seas to the west; and remind them besides, that where we are
going, we shall, without doubt, fall in with some richly-laden
merchantmen, which will amply repay all hands for their losses."
"There is reason in that, captain; I dare say it will content the men,"
said the mate. "But while I am on the subject, there is another
complaint which they have to make."
"What is it?" asked the pirate, angrily, for he did not like his mate's
tone. "I love not to hear complaints."
"The stranger lady," replied the mate.
"Well, what of her?" inquired the captain.
"She has brought us all into this scrape," continued Baldo.
"So it is said, is it?" remarked the captain, with a dark frown.
"No one knows why she was brought on board," continued the mate,
speaking fast, to say what he wished, before any further interruption
occurred. "Some say that Signor Paolo brought her here; but it is
supposed that he did so according to your orders."
"They do, do they?" said Zappa, compressing his lips. "And now, tell we
what would they have done?"
"They would have you get rid of her," answered the mate, boldly.
"It is what I am about to do," returned the captain. "I purpose landing
her at Cephalonia."
"What, without a ransom!" exclaimed Baldo.
"With or without a ransom, as the case may be," said Zappa, coldly.
"If without a ransom, there would be a more speedy way of getting rid of
her, and would better satisfy them," observed the mate, with a dogged
look, in which a certain amount of fear was mingled, with audacity. "We
want no women on board--all has gone ill when we have had them," he
muttered, in a lower tone, which the captain, however, did not fail to
hear.
"Speak out--what mean you?" he asked fiercely.
"That the deep sea will be the safest place for her, where she will not
trouble us more," exclaimed the mate, half trembling as he uttered the
words, for there was something in Zappa's look which warned him he had
better not say them.
Somewhat to his surprise, however, his captain suppressed whatever
feelings inspired him.
"And such is the wish of the crew, that I should destroy an innocent
girl, who has trusted to me, and, perhaps, they would desire me to cast
my wife also into the sea, to gratify their anger, because we have met
with a reverse to which all are subject. Well, tell them I will think
about the matter."
"They insist on having your instant decision, captain. Some of them
have friends in an island not far off, and they declare that they will
land, and leave you and the craft to take care of each other, if you
refuse to grant their request. Some even venture to whisper words about
deposing you, and sending you to look after your mistresses."
"And you, the loudest whisperer of them all," exclaimed the pirate, in a
fierce tone, so loud, that, had not those to whom it related been
absorbed in their own conversations, they must have been startled by it.
"That I slay you not this instant, you have to thank the critical
position in which the ship is placed. Go, tell them that I, Zappa,
their chief, intend to remain their captain as long as the _Sea Hawk_
floats proudly on the ocean, or till I absolve them from their
allegiance. Go, tell them this, and think well before you again venture
to be the bearer of such a message from the crew. First, get a pull on
the braces; we must luff all we can, to get through yonder passage."
Baldo, without venturing to answer, hurried to execute the order; and,
as soon as the yards were braced sharp up, after giving a glance at his
chief, who he had so lately been accustomed, to fear, that he felt
surprised at his own audacity, he went below to consult with his
coadjutors what was to be done. He cunningly had taken advantage of his
chief's late want of success, to ingratiate himself with the people, and
had employed all the ordinary arts of a demagogue to weaken the
authority of the man he wished to supplant; and he now gave the answer
to their message, with such exaggerations and alterations as he judged
would best suit his purpose, and inflame the minds of his hearers to the
proper pitch for executing his mutinous designs. He had, somewhat to
the surprise of Zappa, who, however, soon fathomed his reasons,
pretended to be ignorant of the navigation of the passage, through which
they were winding their way, that he might thus throw him more
completely off his guard. The largest portion of the crew had been won
over, and they were now summoned below to hear the decision of the rest,
and to put their plan into immediate execution. This may be guessed at;
it involved the instant destruction of their chief, as well as of the
unprotected girl, whom he refused to sacrifice to their fears.
Baldo had marked the ill-starred Nina as his own; and Paolo, who had
always been a favourite, and had never made an enemy, they intended to
preserve as useful to them in his former capacity of surgeon. Thus it
is, that the lawless can never depend for an instant on each other.
Zappa still stood at his post, issuing the necessary orders; and,
although gloomy forebodings were on his mind, he resolutely determined
to dare the worst, rather than yield. He marked the mutineers gradually
gliding off below, each man eyeing him as he went, still fearful of
being perceived, till, at last, the stations of many of them were
deserted; and he saw that, should any duty suddenly be required of them,
there were not hands to perform it.
"This must not be," he muttered. "They have already carried things too
far. I must recover my authority now, or I lose it, and am destroyed."
He gave a look to windward to see that the vessel was in no danger for
some minutes to come, and was advancing to the main hatchway, with his
sword in his hand, intending to spring down boldly among the mutineers,
and bring the matter to a crisis, by daring them to attack him, when his
eye glanced, for an instant, to leeward. That instant was sufficient to
create far greater alarm in his mind than had his mutinous crew.
"All hands on deck. Up men, for your lives, up! Clew up, haul down!
Brace round the after-yards! Up with the helm!"
To the eastward, hitherto unobserved, a small, white cloud had appeared,
no bigger than a man's hand. With almost the velocity of a thunderbolt
it darted across the sky, expanding as rapidly, till, as it approached,
it seemed like a vast bank of white mist, to which the rays of the sun,
now past the meridian, gave a bright and shining appearance, the sea
below, as if swept up by its base, curling in huge, foaming waves, and
overtopping, with an angry roar, the reefs it encountered, as it bubbled
and hissed in its onward course, while it sent before it, flying high
into the air, a sheet of spray, which, almost as soon as seen, enveloped
the doomed vessel. It was the _Sea Hawk's_ pall. The intending
mutineers, startled by the fierce ringing tones of their commander's
voice, attempted, in a mass, to rush up the main hatchway; at first,
with the purpose of executing their foul project; but, in an instant, as
the roar of the tempest struck their ears, and they felt the motion of
the vessel, with wild energy, in the hopes of preserving their worthless
lives, one man impeded the other; the bond of union was no longer
thought of--the fear of their own death, not the wish to destroy
another, now urged them on. Those who had first seized the coaming
strove to spring on deck, while those below grasped them fast; and few
only succeeded in freeing themselves in the struggle, which seemed for
existence.
The moment that their services might have availed was lost, if any power
could have saved the vessel; those more faithful to their trust, who had
remained on deck, flew to the halyards and braces; but, before they
could let go the first, or haul away on the others, the white squall was
upon them. The sails were taken flat aback, and the yards pressed
against the mast would not start. Down, down she went over on her
starboard side, like a tall reed bent by the wind. Her bowsprit and the
canvas stretched on it flew to leeward. Her head turned a few points to
the eastward--she made a stern-board--the water rushed in torrents up
her decks and into her hold--the foam flew wildly over her side, and
shrieks, and cries, and oaths, extorted by the agony of despair, escaped
from her maddened crew, as they beheld their inevitable doom.
As Zappa saw the fury of the squall, he felt that all his skill and all
his courage would avail him as nought to save the _Sea Hawk_. In this,
his last dire extremity, no craven fear filled his heart, and though for
his own life he cared not, he remembered that there were others whose
lives depended on him. To fly towards the stern before the vessel's
deck had become completely perpendicular, was the work of one moment,
while in the next he dragged Ada and Nina, who, almost unconsciously,
were holding on, by what were now the weather bulwarks, to the outside
of the vessel. In this task he was aided by Paolo, when the loud cries
of "The ship is sinking, the ship is sinking," uttered by the seamen,
and the roar of the tempest had aroused from his apathy, and who had
sprung to the side of the two beings most dear to him on earth, with the
thought rather of dying with them than of having even the power of being
of any assistance to them. The dreadful position in which they were
placed was sufficient to paralyse the heart of the bravest, and the
terror of the two girls was further increased by the shrieks of the
drowning wretches which reached their ears. They now clung with
convulsive energy to the quarter-rail, their feet partly supported by
the sill of the after-port, and though expecting instant death, they
still, with the impulse which the weakest as well as the strongest feel,
endeavoured to preserve their lives. Nina was almost unconscious, but
Ada Garden still retained her faculties unimpaired, and though she thus
more acutely perceived the dangers which surrounded her, she was better
able to exert herself for her preservation; yet, in that wild vortex of
water, and with a sinking ship alone to rest on, what hope was there?
Poor girl--in that moment how many thoughts passed rapidly through her
mind. Death to her could have few terrors, but life had many joys, pure
and bright, and even these, presented to her mind in all their glowing
colours, yet she tried to banish earthly things, to contemplate the life
eternal, towards which she was hastening, to offer up a prayer to Heaven
for herself, and for those who were being hurried to their doom with
her--she prayed as earnestly for herself as for them, for it did not
occur to her that she had less need of prayer than they, and who will
venture to pronounce that she had?--her advantages had been many, theirs
few. Yet, do all she could, that image of one so truly loved would
present itself to her eyes, and it added many an additional pang to her
heart, to feel the bitter grief her loss would inflict on him. Months,
years would pass away, her fate unknown, he still would be vainly
searching for her throughout those seas, till, perchance, some spars, or
part of the hull, might be washed on some distant shore, and recognised,
and a rumour might reach his ears of the destruction of the pirate's
bark, and the suspicions of her doom might at length be confirmed. This
thought was, perhaps, the most cruel she had to bear. These and many
more passed through her mind more rapidly than I have taken to write
them.
"She sinks, she sinks!" was the only intelligible cry which reached her
ears.
"She does not sink," was heard in answer, in Zappa's deep-toned voice.
"She floats still--come aft here, and aid me in lowering this
quarter-boat into the water."
The men he spoke to who were in the fore-rigging, could scarcely hear
his words, but they comprehended his signs and intentions. Eight of
them came aft to assist him in lowering the boat, a light gig lashed to
the main rigging. Paolo remained with his sister and her friend, to aid
them in holding on in their perilous position, in which they were
further assisted by some ropes which Zappa had fastened to the rail, and
placed in their hands. The operation required great caution, as the
only chance of her swimming was to launch her on the lee-side, or, as it
were, in board. The attempt was made. All looked on with anxiety, for
they saw that on its success their lives depended--the boat gone, they
had no other hope of being preserved. The lashings were cut adrift, the
boat was lifted up to stand on her keel, on the rigging, and her stern
was slewed round for launching, when a wave, larger than any which had
yet struck the vessel, came roaring towards them.
"Hold on for your lives, hold on," cried Zappa.
Some heard him, others, paralysed with fear, let go their hold of the
rigging, and the boat, torn from their grasp, was carried over the side,
and being stove to pieces, was washed far away from them, while several
unfortunate wretches found at the same time a watery grave.
"Lost--all lost!" was the general cry, and this time the captain did not
contradict them. The coolest and the bravest abandoned all hope. The
foaming waves dashed wildly over the vessel, the wind roared, the thick
mist enveloped them with its funereal pall; down, down she went, when a
loud crash was heard, the stout timbers and planks were rent and torn
asunder; he lifted on the summit of a wave, the bow was seen to twist
and writhe, and separating from the after part, to sink in the foaming
whirlpool, while the stern was cast with terrific violence on the
rocks--another wave lifted it yet higher, and there it remained securely
and immovably fixed, though with difficulty the few survivors could
maintain their hold. Still their prospect of salvation was small
indeed. Another wave might come and wash them off, or dash their last
place of refuge into a thousand fragments.
Every instant they expected the coming of the fatal wave; but sea after
sea whirled foaming by them, making their eyes giddy, and sickening
their hearts with apprehension; yet instead of increasing, each seemed
diminished in size.
The last effort of the white squall had been made--its fury was appeased
with the sacrifice offered to it. Onward it passed, clothed in its
mantle of glittering mist, to other realms: the blue sky appeared, the
troubled sea subsided into calmness; and the trembling beings who clung
to the shattered wreck beheld, close to them, a reef of black rocks
rising some four or five feet above the surface of the water.
"Courage, my Nina--courage, lady!" exclaimed Zappa. They were the first
words he had uttered for some time. "A seaman, with abundance of planks
and a few feet of firm rock on which to plant his foot, should never
despair. Stay where you are for a few minutes, while I try to find a
_more_ secure resting-place for you."
As he said this, he stood up on the side of the vessel, to examine their
position. They had struck on the very centre of the reef, forming one
side of the channel, through which the _Sea Hawk_ had been endeavouring
to pass, and at the only part which was any height above the water;
perhaps, indeed, not another spot could have been found which could have
so securely wedged in the stern, as to have prevented its following the
rest of the vessel to the bottom.
The nearest land where assistance might be obtained was some ten miles
off to the southward and westward, and in that direction the current I
have spoken of was setting. To the north were interminable reefs and
shoals, from which direction no vessel could approach them; nor was it
probable, indeed, that a craft of any description would pass near them,
as few even of the Greek vessels ever came that way, and the utmost they
could hope for was to be seen by some fishing-boat belonging to the
neighbouring island.
This occurred to the pirate as he stood up to look around him.
Steadying himself, he walked to the end of the taffrail, which he found
hung directly over a lodge of rock communicating with the main reef.
Securing the end of a rope to the quarter-rail, he lowered himself down
to the rock, and found that there was tolerably firm footing on it, and
that it would be easy to carry to it a rope-ladder, from where Ada and
Nina were clinging, by which they might descend with tolerable security,
and from thence gain the main rock, which embraced an area of some
hundred square yards or so. Having made this discovery, he again
climbed up to the wreck--of the whole crew of the _Sea Hawk_, but six,
besides himself and Paolo, now remained alive. The others had either
been drowned in the hold of the vessel as she first capsized, or had
subsequently been washed off, or carried away with the bow when it
parted.
The corpses of some of the latter were still seen floating about in the
eddy round the rocks, and a few more wretched survivors were perceived
clinging to portions of the wreck, and carried by the current far away
from their companions, who had no power of rendering them any
assistance. Ada Garden shuddered as she witnessed their dreadful fate;
and yet she felt that her own and that of those with her might not be
preferable, but at the same time she and they had been as yet almost
miraculously preserved, contrary to all expectation; and she could not
help still indulging in the belief that, by some means or other, their
deliverance might be achieved.
On Zappa's return to the wreck, he roused up his men, who still clung to
it, stupified with terror, and ordered them to exert themselves for
their own preservation, as well as for the rest of the survivors.
They had been so long accustomed to obey his voice, that they quickly
returned to their senses. The mainmast had gone, as had the main
chains, but part of the main rigging, the backstays and shrouds still
hung on to the wreck, and these he ordered them to haul up, and by
securing the shrouds to the stern, and carrying the other end to the
rocks, he formed an easy means of communication, by which Ada and Nina
could gain the main rock. They accomplished the passage without fear;
and as they found their feet resting once more on firm ground, although
it was a barren rock, they followed the natural impulse of their hearts,
and bent down on their knees to return thanks to the Great Being who had
preserved them.
The hardened pirates, unused as they were to prayer, felt the genial
influence, and at the spot where each happened at the moment to be, they
stopped in the work in which they were engaged, and knelt likewise in an
endeavour to imitate them in act, if not in feeling.
"To work, my friends," exclaimed Zappa. "We have no prospect of release
from hence, unless we can construct a raft by which we may escape, while
the calm which has now returned continues. I tell you, one hour's
moderate gale would render the spot on which we stand untenable, and we
must all perish; but do not despair, we may, if we employ our time to
advantage, form out of the wreck a raft, which will, with perfect
security, convey us to yonder island, where we may find shelter and
protection among friends who will gladly receive us."
The men, on hearing their chief's address, expressed their willingness
to obey him. His first care was to collect such articles as were
floating about in the water near them, and others which had been thrown
on different parts of the rock. Among them were chests, and casks, and
spars, some of the running rigging, and two or three of the lighter
sails, which had floated attached to the spars. The most welcome and
the most important prize was a cask of water--the second was a cask of
biscuit which had been taken out of an English vessel, and there were
two or three of olives; some boxes of figs, rather the worse for their
immersion in salt water, but still very acceptable, and two trunks of
wearing apparel, which had come on board with the biscuits--altogether,
on surveying the provisions, there appeared sufficient to last them with
care for several days. Tools, with which to cut up the wreck to form
the raft, were the next great desideratum, and the carpenter's chest
could not be found. They hunted in all directions without success, till
at last, in despair, they began to tear up the bulwarks with their
hands, as making a commencement of collecting materials. On doing so,
great was their satisfaction on finding three boarding axes secured with
beckets to the side. They had now tools to enable them to progress
faster with the work. They ripped off all the planking from the
bulwarks, and cut up as much of the deck as was above water, and by this
means got into one of the larboard cabins just before the bulkhead of
the state cabin. It had been occupied by the chief mate, and in it were
found another axe, some nails, and several carpenters' tools, as well as
a coil of small line, which was very useful for lashing the various
parts of the raft together. As the materials were collected they were
carried to the rock, and in a short time the captain considered that
they had sufficient to commence operations, as with the few people it
would have to carry, a small raft only was necessary. They first lashed
some of the spars they had saved, together, forming an oblong square,
while others where placed diagonally to strengthen the framework, and
the stoutest was secured beneath to form a keel. As their strength
would afterwards have been unequal to the task, they were obliged to
launch it before they commenced planking it over, and they then secured
it on the west side of the reef, as it was in that direction they
proposed going, and the water was there much smoother than on the other,
where it was still agitated by the effects of the squall.
The spar used for the keel was the upper part of the mainmast, or rather
the topmast--for, it must be remembered, she was a polacca-rigged
craft--and which had been broken completely off when the lower shrouds
went over it; and as this was considerably longer than the raft, planks
were fastened to each corner of the square to both the ends, so as to
form a pointed bow and stern.
Several casks were picked up which had lost their contents, and these
were now bunged up afresh, and secured on either side of the framework,
and this being done, the business of planking over the whole now
commenced. Nails were little used or required, and it was found more
secure and expeditious to lash the ends of each plank down to the
framework, securing it also in the middle; and on the top of these,
others were placed at right angles, and either lashed or nailed down to
them, till the whole was exhausted, thus forming a solid and somewhat
strong mass of planking, sufficient, it was to be hoped, to bear them to
the island they wished to reach.
On the top of this the chests were placed on either side to serve as
bulwarks, one being secured in the centre on a platform of planks, for
Ada and Nina to sit on, and round it were arranged the casks of water
and provisions which had been hauled out of the water. Some of the
smaller spars had been reserved for other purposes. Out of one was
formed a mast, out of another a yard, on which the main
top-gallant-sail, somewhat reduced, was spread to form a sail. From
three oars, a rudder and two oars were manufactured, and a fourth was
kept to pole off from any rocks towards which they might be driven.
Altogether, a very complete raft was constructed, much superior to many
which have borne wave-tossed mariners for days or weeks together on the
broad waters of the Atlantic. Not till every arrangement was made did
Zappa and his followers desist from their labour.
Meantime Ada and Nina had not been neglected, and the pirate seemed to
be endeavouring to make such amends as were in his power for his past
conduct. On the further end of the rock a tent was erected with some of
the sails, which had been saved, and a case of female wearing apparel
was placed within it to enable them to clothe themselves, while their
own dresses were drying in the sun, which, when spread out on the hot
rock, a very few minutes sufficed to do. Paolo had also collected small
pieces of wood, which dried quickly, and he then piled them together to
be in readiness to light a fire should it be required.
The formation of the raft afforded them ample matter of interest, and as
they sat there, secure and without discomfort, on that solitary rock,
with the ocean smiling calmly around them, the awful event, which so
short a time before had cast them there, seemed almost like a dream,
which is, with difficulty, recalled to the recollection.
Such food as could be prepared, they were supplied with; but, as may be
supposed, they were little inclined to partake of it, nor would they,
perhaps, have done so, had they not felt the importance of sustaining
their strength to enable them to undergo the dangers and exposure to
which they saw they would most probably be subjected.
Thus the day passed rapidly away, and the sun was already verging
towards the horizon, by the time the raft was completed. It was now too
late, Zappa asserted, to embark, and by waiting for the early dawn, they
might have the whole of a day to perform the voyage without the risk of
being exposed at night on the raft, and might hope, with certainty, to
reach the island before sunset.
The men willingly agreed to their chief's proposal, while the remainder
of the party had no choice, but to submit had they objected to it; but
it seemed so reasonable, that, anxious as they were to reach a more
secure position, they uttered no complaint at his decision.
The tent was, therefore, secured and strengthened, and a flooring formed
inside it, on which were placed the portions of sail which had been
collected and dried, and the clothing from the chests, so as to make a
couch, which, although very rude, afforded a resting-place, for which
the two poor girls were most grateful.
Paolo stationed himself outside the tent, at a short distance only from
them, and Zappa arranged a resting-place among the casks of water, and
the provisions, and chests, which he had taken care should not be
embarked. The men, after a supply of food had been served out to them,
huddled together, wrapped up in their _capotes_, on the bare rock, near
where they had been working, and held a whispered conversation together,
which lasted for some time after darkness covered the face of the deep.
Paolo's mind, troubled and unhinged with the thoughts of the past, and
the darkening prospect of the future, for long refused to allow sleep to
visit his eyelids. He listened to ascertain whether his sister and Miss
Garden were still awake; but from the perfect silence in their tent, he
trusted that they had been more blessed. He then stood up to look round
the rock. The irate chief was sitting on a chest, with his arms folded
across is breast, and apparently, from his upright position, still full
of care, and on the watch on all around. The people had thrown
themselves down where they had been sitting, and seemed to be fast
asleep. The sea was calm, as it had been in the morning before the
squall; and, though no moon was up, the myriads of stars, which
glittered in the sky, threw a light over it even to a far distance, and
enabled him to discern many of the reefs and rocky islets which
surrounded them, while close at hand was seen, like a skeleton of some
huge monster of the deep, the last remnant of the once gallant _Sea
Hawk_.
Wearied with standing, Paolo again sunk down on the rock. He was awoke
by a voice which he knew to be that of Zappa.
"Rouse up, Paolo!" he said. "You have taken your share of sleep, and I
would fain snatch some moments of rest to prepare me for the toils of
to-morrow; and yet I dare not sleep without leaving some one in whom I
can confide on the watch."
"Why, what mean you?" asked Paolo, starting up. "I will gladly watch--
but what have you to fear? Surely, no enemies are near us."
"Ah! you know not what was nearly occurring this morning, or you would
not ask the question," said Zappa, in a tone of bitterness. "See you
yonder six men. Are they, think you, friends or enemies? I tell you I
do not trust them. Not long ago, I would have trusted them, as I would
have trusted their comrades who have gone to their account; and yet they
were about to destroy those two defenceless girls and you, and me, their
chief. Ah! you start! You doubtless think the shipwreck we have
suffered is a misfortune; and yet, I tell you, Paolo, that I believe by
it our lives have been preserved. I can trust to you, Paolo; and while
I sleep you must watch. To add to our security, light a small fire with
the wood you collected, and keep yourself awake by feeding it. Should
any of them move, they will clearly be seen; and perceiving that you are
awake, it will make them hesitate what to do. They know also that I
have arms--and that my pistols are never unloaded--and that you can call
me in a moment, to use them. Two hours' sleep will be sufficient for
me--you can, I hope, watch for that time."
Paolo assured Zappa that he would keep a faithful watch, for all their
sakes; and then, aided by him, he lighted a fire between themselves and
the men, while he kept a store of wood on their side to feed it as it
began to decay. The pirate, wrapping himself in a cloak, immediately
threw himself down among the stores, and was instantly fast asleep. As
Paolo stood by the fire he thought that he beheld the tall masts and
white sails of a ship gliding by, but she took no notice of the fire and
disappeared in the darkness. Thus the night passed on. He no longer
felt any sleepiness; and, as the pirate chief slept soundly, he could
not bring himself to awaken him. The first faint streaks of dawn had
just appeared in the sky when Zappa started up.
"What has occurred? Why did not you summon me. Paolo?" he exclaimed.
"Ah! you were unwilling to awaken the angry lion. I thank you, though,
for your consideration. You have kept our watch-fire in well, I
perceive. Throw more wood on it, and we will presently kindle such a
blaze as will light us on our way before the sun arises. Go, call your
sister and the English girl, your voice will alarm them less than mine.
I will rouse up my traitorous followers--for we must be away from hence
without delay. We know not what weather the morning's sun may bring."
It was still almost as dark as at midnight, when Paolo summoned the two
ladies. They soon made their appearance, prepared for their perilous
voyage, and refreshed by their night's slumber, notwithstanding their
extraordinary position and the rudeness of their couch.
Zappa's first care was to arrange the provisions in the centre of the
raft; over them he erected the tent, which, though much reduced in size,
afforded sufficient shelter for the ladies. He then summoned them to
take the seats he had arranged; but it was not without some fear and
hesitation that they left the firm rock for so frail an ark, and it was
not till Ada recollected the danger of remaining, that she could
persuade herself to go on board, followed by Nina.
Leaving them under charge of Paolo, Zappa summoned his men, and each of
them was seen to take a bundle of the burning embers in their hands, and
to proceed with them to the ship. Once again they came back for more
embers, and the remainder of the wood, and almost before they could
return to the ship, a bright volume of flame was seen to burst forth
from every part of the wreck. The pirate hurried on board, followed by
his men. Two went on either side to work the oars; the others tended
the halyards and sheet, while he stood at the helm. The ropes which
secured the raft to the rock were cast off, the crew gave way with the
oars, the sail was hoisted to catch a light northerly air, and a strong
shove sent it gliding through the water at a rapid rate.
"Farewell, farewell," exclaimed Zappa, turning round to gaze at the
burning wreck. "No enemy can now boast that they have made a prize of
the bark which has for so long been the terror of the seas, nor even of
her shattered timbers. Long, long will it be before your like is met
with again."
The raft glided onward, guided by the flames. The light was seen far
off by many eyes; but little wist they at the time that there was
consuming the last remnant of the long much dreaded _Sea Hawk_.
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.
The bright sun at length arose, and as his warming rays fell on the
raft, they served to cheer the hearts of the adventurers. The raft had
made but little way, for the wind had failed them completely, and the
sail had been lowered as totally useless, so that they had to depend
entirely on their oars, to make progress towards the south, while the
current still carried them along at a faster rate to the westward. The
pirates were, as may be supposed, excessively anxious to get on shore as
soon as possible, it mattered little to them where, because, while they
remained afloat, they might, at any moment, be fallen in with by one of
the vessels in pursuit of them; and even should they be met by any
merchantman, they were perfectly unable to defend themselves, and should
they be recognised, they would equally be delivered up to justice. So
fast, however, did the current run, that it appeared very probable, not
only that they would be carried far to the westward, but that they might
pass the island altogether, and be obliged to attempt to gain another.
Zappa spoke but little; his mind was troubled with many thoughts, though
the present earnestly claimed his attention; he saw that if they could
not fetch the island, their voyage would be much prolonged, and they
would be exposed to many additional risks; and pointing this out to his
men, he entreated them to exert themselves to the utmost. From the
muttered words and growls he heard, he perceived that he must still be
on his guard against them, for they had conceived the idea, he had no
doubt, that if they could once free themselves of the ladies, whom they
believed to be the origin of their disasters, they should no longer be
pursued; but it did not occur to them, that unless the English lady was
restored, in safety, to her friends, their case would in no way be
bettered. Luckily, their intended victims did not understand them, and
Zappa would not alarm them by warning them of what he had heard. He
told Paolo to be on his guard, and kept his own weapons ready to be used
at a moment's notice. On went the raft, a thin pillar of smoke marking
the spot whence it had been launched.
Zappa had been silent for some time.
"Nina," he said at last, "you have endeavoured lately to induce me to
quit the life I have hitherto led. Your persuasions have influenced me
greatly, and I would now gladly follow your wishes; but, alas! all the
wealth I possess in the world went down in the hold of the Sea Hawk, and
I am now again a penniless adventurer. I could never consent to depend
on you, even had you wealth to support me, and I shall therefore once
more be driven to follow my old calling on the ocean. Not my own will,
but fate, drives me to it."
"Oh, no, no; neither fate nor necessity drives you to it!" exclaimed
Nina. "Had the wealth, for which you mourn, not been lost, I would not
have consented to use it. My brother and I have sufficient in our own
country for all our wants; what is mine, surely is yours also."
"And I have in my own power a sum which some would consider an ample
fortune," said Ada; "it is more, probably, than would have been demanded
as my ransom, and yet I will gladly make it over to you, provided you
quit for ever your lawless calling, and place your wife in safety in her
native country."
"Refuse the generous offer," said Nina, rising from her seat, and
placing her hand on his arm. "Do not be tempted to rob the fatherless
orphan. We shall have enough, without depriving her of her property."
"Peace, girl," said the pirate. "I will not now further speak on the
subject. It is folly to speak of the future when the present demands
all our care."
He spoke truly. His attention, while the conversation I have described
was going forward, had been less occupied than was requisite during the
last few minutes, in guiding the raft, and observing the direction in
which she was drifting; when, looking up, he saw on the starboard side,
at no great distance from them, a ledge of black rocks, whose heads were
just flush with the water, which broke over them in a line of hissing
foam, threatening to wreck the raft should it once be driven against
them. The pirate urged his men to exertion, for every instant the raft
drifted nearer and nearer the danger. All hands went to the oars, for
they saw that by their own exertions alone could they hope to escape.
The end of the reef, which it was necessary to clear before they could
be again in comparative safety, was still a considerable way off; and
yet it seemed scarcely possible, at the rate at which the raft could be
urged on, to avoid striking it. Never did Zappa more anxiously wish for
a breeze to carry them clear; for though, to the inexperienced eye, the
danger appeared but slight, he knew that, if the raft, for an instant,
struck the ledge, it would be forced on to it by the current, then the
slightest increase of wind would form waves which would quickly sweep
them all off to destruction. So slight, however, was the surf, that, at
a little distance, it had not been perceived; and even now, as Ada and
Nina watched it, the expression of the countenances and the eager
gestures of the men alone assured them of the risk to which they were
exposed.
Several times Zappa had looked astern, in the hopes of seeing the signs
of a breeze coming up in that direction.
"Ah, our good genius has not deserted us," he exclaimed, at last. "Row
on, my men--row on. The wind will come in time; but we must not slacken
in our exertions till it reaches us."
These encouraging words had their due effect; the crew, already
beginning to weary, aroused themselves afresh, the raft glided on, her
head turned off from the rocks; yet still she neared them, and the side
almost touched the outer ones, when the voice of the chief was again
heard.
"Hoist the sail, my men," he exclaimed. "Be quick about it, and we are
safe."
The sail was hoisted, and bulging out with the first breath of the wind
aided to keep the raft from the threatened danger. Again the wind fell,
and they once more glided towards the rock; but a stronger puff came,
and they rapidly increased their distance, till Zappa was able to steer
on a parallel line with the reef, and they shortly had the satisfaction
of seeing the dangerous point far astern. In this manner the greater
part of the voyage was accomplished, and the day drew on; but still they
were at some distance from the land.
The breeze, however, continued, and there was now little or no prospect
of their passing the island, and drifting out to sea. They were about
four miles off the nearest island, and were going at the rate of perhaps
two knots an hour through the water, when, as Nina was watching the
ever-changing countenance of the pirate, as troubled thoughts passed
through his mind, she saw him start, and shading his eyes with his hand,
cast an anxious glance towards the west. Long he looked, and as he, at
length, turned his face once more towards her, she observed a fierceness
in his eye and a stern frown on his brow, which at once aroused all her
fears.
"I see that something is again amiss," she said, looking timidly up at
him. "Oh, tell me what it is has agitated you?"
"Look there," he said. "A cause sufficient to make many a bold man,
circumstanced as I am, tremble," he replied, in a slow, determined tone,
pointing, as he spoke, towards the north-west. "Do you see yonder
stranger, which has just hove in sight?"
"I see the sails of a ship above the horizon. But what harm can she do
to us?" said Nina. "If she sees us, and takes us on board, she will
carry us to some land, whence we may proceed to Italy."
"You forget that, to the hunted pirate, all men are enemies," answered
Zappa, bitterly. "I could not venture on board a merchant-vessel,
without the risk of being recognised, and, if my eyes deceive me not,
yonder craft is no peaceful trader, but rather a British ship of war."
"Heaven forbid it," exclaimed Nina. "But should she be, still the raft
is so low in the water, that, at the distance we are off from her, we
surely shall scarcely be recognised."
"I wish that I could think so," said Zappa; "but on board that craft
there are numerous sharp eyes on the look out, and our sail may long
since have been seen from her mast-heads. She is also, I well know, one
of the very ships sent in chase of the _Sea Hawk_, and will not allow us
to pass unquestioned."
"Even should she be an enemy, are we not so near the shore that you may
easily escape thither?" asked Nina, who was unwilling to acknowledge,
even to herself, the danger to which Zappa was exposed.
"She is standing this way, and, by the manner in which her sails rise
from the water, she is making rapid progress towards us," murmured the
pirate, speaking to himself rather than answering Nina's question. "Ah!
I know her now; and long ere we can reach the shore she will be upon
us. Well, we will strive to the last. Fate may, for this once, favour
us. The wind may fail, or, by chance, we may not be seen; and if, when
I have done all that I can to escape, rather than be captured, to hang
alongside those wretches I saw not long ago on the fortifications of
Malta, I have but the brave man's last resource to fly to, and the wave
on which I have so long loved to float shall be my grave."
Ada Garden had heard the previous part of the conversation with feelings
between hope and fear. She trusted that the ship in sight was a friend;
and yet she could not tell what effect it might have on the pirates when
they discovered that such was the case. She deeply regretted, also, the
fate which she feared might await Zappa, were he captured,
notwithstanding the efforts she purposed to make to preserve his life,
more certainly for Nina's sake than for his own; yet she was grateful to
him for the forbearance he had shown towards her.
It was an anxious time for her--indeed, the joy and satisfaction she
would otherwise have felt at the thoughts of her own deliverance was
much alloyed by grief for poor Nina, who, at the moment of realising her
fondest hopes of reclaiming her husband, found them rudely torn from
her.
The crew had not yet observed the stranger, as they were occupied at the
oars, or tending the sail, and Zappa was unwilling to alarm them before
it was necessary; for he knew their caitiff nature, and though ferocious
enough when they were sure of victory, he could not now depend on their
courage, and he thought that they were very likely, when they saw that
all chance of escape was gone, to quit their oars, and refuse to exert
themselves further.
On came the stranger till her hull rose out of the water, and the report
of one of her guns was the first intimation the crew had of her
vicinity. They all looked round with astonishment, not unmixed with
terror; but the calm bearing of their chief reassured them.
"Bow on, my comrades," he said. "That ship will not fire at us, and in
another short hour we may be among our friends on shore."
The stranger was, as she drew near, seen to be a brig of war, and the
ensign which blew out from her peak showed her to be British.
"I know her," he muttered in Romaic. "She is no other than the accursed
_Ione_, which has already wrought me so much injury. To escape from her
is hopeless, and naught remains for me but to execute my last resolve.
Paolo, come here." He now spoke in Italian. "You know well how to
steer, so take the helm and keep the raft for yonder headland."
Paolo came aft and took the pirate's place at the helm, who, putting his
hand on his arm, continued in a whisper, "Now show your manhood, for to
you I commit the charge of those men. Save their lives, if you can; and
you yourself, with the testimony your sister and yon fair girl can give,
will run no hazard. Say that Zappa refused to fall alive into the hands
of his enemies, and bravely met the fate he had awarded to so many.
Farewell."
Whether the act of giving up the helm to Paolo, or the expression of the
pirate's countenance, made Nina suspect his intentions, she herself
could scarcely tell, but her eye was upon him, while her limbs shook
with dread, and, just as he was about to take the fatal leap from the
raft, she sprung up, and grasped him convulsively by the arm, while her
brother seized him on the other side, so that, without running the risk
of upsetting the raft, or dragging them both into the water, he could
not execute his dreadful purpose.
"You shall not--you shall not!" exclaimed Nina, trembling in an agony of
fear, and scarcely able to utter the words she wished to speak. "Commit
not so dire a crime, or fill the cup to the brim, and drag me with you.
In destroying yourself, you slay me likewise."
As the unhappy girl said this she clung to him, endeavouring to draw him
to the centre of the raft.
Ada had been afraid of leaving her seat, for she saw the risk to which
all were exposed by the struggle, and that the weight of another person
thrown on the spot might complete the catastrophe, though her agitation
was scarcely inferior to that exhibited by Nina.
"Stay, stay, signor," she exclaimed--"before you commit the impious deed
you threaten, listen to me. You would seek a certain death, and certain
punishment in another world, to avoid the risk you run of meeting it at
the hands of my countrymen in this--now listen to me. I have already
promised Nina to intercede in your behalf, and I now solemnly vow to you
to employ every means in my power to preserve your life, and I feel
almost certain of success. A petition made by me under the
circumstances of the case will, I am confident, be attended to, and you
may yet enjoy many years of happiness with one who is so well able to
afford it you."
"Lady," said Zappa, "again you have conquered me. Unworthy as I am to
live, I accept life at your hands, and confide in your promise, though
something tells me it will avail me but little. Nina, you need not thus
so fearfully clasp my arm. I will not attempt to escape you, girl."
As he said this, he allowed himself to be led forward by Nina, and sat
himself down on a chest, where he remained for some minutes with his
face buried in his hands, and bent down on his knees. Paolo steered as
he had been directed, and as the raft had for some time passed all the
rocks and shoals to be feared, the task was not difficult. Ada,
meantime, watched anxiously, the approach of the English brig; but the
wind, she thought, was lighter than it had been, for the distance
between them did not appear to decrease so rapidly as at first, and as
she looked alternately from the brig to the shore, she thought that
there was more than a probability of their reaching it before they were
overtaken. The pirate seemed indifferent to his fate, but he was once
more aroused to exertion by a shout from his men, and guided by what
they said, he turned his eyes towards the shore, whence, from behind the
headland towards which they were steering, the long low hull of a
mistico was seen stealing forth, with her pointed lateen sails hauled
close on a wind.
"The _Zoe_, the _Zoe_," shouted the pirates. "Our comrades come to our
assistance."
There could be little doubt that the mistico in sight was the _Zoe_.
"But is she manned by our friends?" thought Zappa, whose suspicions were
keenly alive to treachery. "If she were, would she thus venture out in
the very face of an enemy?" The men, however, seemed convinced that she
came as a friend, and welcomed her with every extravagant sign of joy.
Though so near them, she had to make several tacks before she could
reach them, whereas the brig of war, being before the wind, came down
steadily towards them, and was rapidly approaching within range of her
guns. Zappa watched them both. The mistico was manned by Greeks, for
their picturesque costume was easily distinguishable, but he was not
certain that they were friends; and far rather would he have fallen into
the hands of the English, than into the power of his own countrymen.
Should he continue his course, and should they prove enemies, the moment
he was recognised would probably be his last, and those with him would
be sacrificed; but, on the other hand, if he lowered the sail and
attempted to pull up to the brig, he might lose the chance of saving
himself and his followers. He saw the risk of having to trust to the
clemency of the British authorities, whom he had so often, by his
misdeeds, offended. He was decided on continuing his course by seeing
the mistico get out her sweeps, and from the point where she then was,
she could lay almost up for them. In a short time all doubt was at an
end, well-known faces were recognised on board, and greetings, loud and
frequent, were exchanged between them. A universal cry of sorrow was
uttered as the loss of their favourite _Sea Hawk_ was announced, though
their chief was warmly welcomed, as they saw that he was among those
saved, and no mutinous feeling was perceptible among them. The sail was
lowered, and he raft was soon alongside the mistico. The crew jumped on
board, and pointing to the approaching brig, urged their friends to
instant flight, but Zappa still remained with the rest.
"Lady," he said, addressing Ada, "I leave you here, whence you will
speedily be rescued by your own countrymen, and to your charge also I
leave this poor girl; you will, I feel assured, see her safely restored
to her country and her home; and Nina, listen to me; should I succeed in
escaping my enemies, I will join you there, and in peace and safety
forget the dangers we have passed."
"Listen, Nina," said Ada. "You cannot serve him by accompanying him,
while with me you will speedily, I trust, be in safety."
"What, leave him now in danger and in difficulty!" she exclaimed. "No,
no, I am not so light of feeling as to do that. Farewell, sweet lady.
You have loaded me with a debt of gratitude I cannot hope to repay."
She stooped as she spoke, and kissed Ada's brow, then sprang back
towards Zappa, who was stepping on board the mistico, for the pirates
loudly summoned him, and with good cause, for at that moment another
square-rigged vessel was seen coming round the east end of the island.
Nina was in time to clasp the pirate's arm.
"Oh, take me with you!" she cried. "Your lot I will share, your fate
shall be mine."
He clasped her round the waist, and seizing the stay of the mast, leaped
with her on board. Paolo stood irresolute a moment. He looked at Ada,
she turned her face from him. He saw his sister among the pirates. He
recollected his devoted love for her, and the sacrifice she had already
made, besides which he felt the hopelessness of his passion, and just as
the raft was being cast off, he followed her on board the mistico.
The next moment Ada Garden found herself the only occupant of the raft,
drifting on the face of the water.
CHAPTER FORTY.
The _Ione_ had in vain chased the _Sea Hawk_. She had examined every
island in her course, and searched in every bay and nook, and behind
every rock and headland, but the pirate still evaded her, till captain,
officers, and men were almost worn out with their labours. Fleetwood,
it may be supposed, did not save himself, and it could scarcely be
expected that he should allow his officers to do so; in truth, however,
every man and boy on board was almost as eager in the pursuit as he was,
and fatiguing as it was, never was any duty performed more willingly,
though, as they could relieve each other, they were not so much
exhausted with fatigue. Night and day he was on deck, and it was with
difficulty he could be persuaded to take any food or rest, expecting, as
he did, that the next few hours would place the _Sea Hawk_ in his power.
Thus day after day passed away. Sometimes a sail hove in sight, and
they stood after her in chase, but only to come up with her to find that
she was some English trader to the Bosphorus, or Greek man-of-war, of
perhaps little less doubtful character than the _Sea Hawk_ herself. The
inhabitants of the islands either knew nothing about her, or would give
no information, nor could any clue be obtained from any craft they fell
in with; so at last Captain Fleetwood resolved to return south again,
keeping close along by the Greek coast, to examine the dense group of
islands and islets of which I have spoken.
The wind had been light all night, and the _Ione_ had made little
progress; but as the morning broke a breeze sprang up from the
northward, and she hauled in a little to fetch the easternmost of the
islands, among which she was about to cruise. A Greek pilot had been
taken on board on the _Zone's_ first entering the Archipelago. He was a
clever old fellow, and he undertook to carry the ship in safety through
all the dangers with which she would be surrounded. Zappa had once
plundered a ship of which he had charge, and he was doubly anxious to
get hold of him. All the officers were on deck with telescopes in hand,
sweeping the horizon, while the captain, as was his custom every hour,
had just gone aloft with his glass to take a wider sweep, and to assure
himself, with his own eyes, whether any sail was or was not in sight.
"Poor fellow," said Linton, "I am afraid the captain will never live
through it. He is worn almost to a skeleton, and he looks as if a fever
were consuming him. Should anything dreadful have occurred, I am afraid
it will kill him when he hears of it."
"I fear so too, and it would be the last way I should wish to gain my
commission," said Saltwell, with much feeling. "I wish to Heaven we
could fall in with this phantom rover."
"It takes a great deal of worry to kill a man," observed the doctor, who
had no great faith in the effect of any but physical causes on the body,
the consequences of a limited medical education, though he was a very
fair surgeon. "If he persists in going without food and sleep, of
course he will grow thin."
"That's very well for you to say, doctor; but when a man's heart is sick
he can't eat," answered Linton. "It is the uncertainty of the thing is
killing him. Let him once find the young lady, and he will pluck up
fast enough; or, let him know the worst, and, as he is a man and a
Christian, he will bear his affliction like one, I'll answer for him."
"Deck, ahoy!" hailed the captain, from aloft. "Keep her away one point
more to the southward."
"Ay, ay, sir," answered Saltwell, and every telescope was pointed in the
direction the ship was now steering.
Nothing, however, was to be seen from the deck; but the captain still
kept at the mast-head with his glass, intently watching some object
still below the horizon. At last he descended, and summoned the pilot,
with the first lieutenant and master, into his cabin, where a chart was
spread out on the table.
"And we may stand safely on towards that island on our present course
without fear of rocks or shoals, pilot?" he asked.
The answer was in the affirmative.
"There is a strong current setting from the eastward, you say, and you
have known many vessels wrecked attempting the passage? Then, Mr
Saltwell, pack all sail on the brig. There is a large boat, or a raft,
with a square sail, to the south-east of us, which we will overhaul
without delay."
Royals and studding-sails, alow and aloft, were now set, and away the
_Ione_ flew before the breeze. Now the wind fell, and now it freshened;
but the brig gained rapidly on the chase, which, by the little way it
made, was soon suspected of being a raft. Then came all the horrible
doubts and fears, naturally suggested to Fleetwood's mind--but we will
not dwell on them.
"Sail, ho!" sung out the hand at the foremast-head.
"A felucca-looking craft right under the land ahead of us," was the
answer to the usual questions.
Saltwell himself went aloft to ascertain more clearly her character, and
soon returned with the report that she was a mistico beating up for the
raft.
"She will be up to it, too, sir, I am afraid, long before we can reach
it," he observed. "Shall we get a gun ready to fire, sir?"
"In mercy's name, no!" exclaimed Fleetwood. "We do not know what
innocent people might be injured."
"I meant to fire at the mistico, sir," said the lieutenant. "She is, I
am certain, a piratical craft, and if those on the raft are of the same
kidney, she will assist them to escape; or if not, her people will rob
and murder them under our very eyes."
"You forget, Mr Saltwell, that we cannot be certain of that craft being
a pirate, and till we are, we have no right to fire," said the captain.
"Besides, our shot might strike the raft, or the pirates, if such they
are, might fire on it in revenge."
The cry of "a sail on the larboard bow" interrupted the conversation,
and, as the glasses were turned in the direction indicated, the sails of
a lofty ship were seen appearing above a headland, which ran out from
the east end of the small island which lay before them. The mistico
could not yet see the stranger, so she stood on fearlessly towards the
raft. The people on the raft were then seen to quit it, and to go on
board the mistico, which directly kept away, and ran to the westward,
evidently to avoid the stranger which she must have just then seen for
the first time.
The ship made the number of the _Venus_, and after standing on some
little time, tacked and stood towards the _Ione_. The mistico, it must
be understood, was now about a mile from the shore, and little more than
the same distance from the west end of the island, while the _Ione_ was
another mile to windward of her, so that if she sailed well, she might
easily get round the point, and then by keeping away among the cluster
of islands and rocks further to the south, very likely escape
altogether.
To avoid this, Fleetwood made the signal to the _Venus_ to bear up and
run round to the south end of the island, to intercept the chase,
trusting to his senior officer following his wishes. Old Rawson was not
a man to stand on etiquette, and if a midshipman had signalised him he
would have obeyed the order, and he instantly put up his helm, and ran
back again out of sight, though the mistico was already too far to the
westward to profit by the change by dodging round in the same direction.
"We must leave the raft to take its chance, sir, while we chase the
mistico, I suppose," asked Saltwell.
"Yes, by all means--haul up a couple of points on the starboard tack."
"Port the helm. Larboard fore braces. Starboard after braces," cried
Saltwell.
"Avast," exclaimed Captain Fleetwood, who had been looking at the raft
through his glass. "Starboard the helm again. Keep her as she was.
The _Venus_ will look after the mistico. There is some one on the raft.
It is the figure of a female, and by heavens she is waving to us. It
is, it must be--"
His agitation was so great, that he was obliged to support himself on
Saltwell's arm, who sprang to his side to catch him, thinking that he
was about to fall to the deck.
The brig ran on till she neared the raft, a boat was lowered--her
captain threw himself into it. He was speedily alongside the raft; in
another moment Ada Garden lay fainting in his arms, overcome with excess
of joy and gratitude to Heaven, and love for him, who had rescued her.
Thus he bore her up the side of his ship, and was about to carry her
below when the report of a gun was heard booming along the water. It
seemed to have the effect of arousing Ada; for at that instant she
opened her eyes, and gazing into her lover's face as she pressed the
hand which clasped hers, she whispered--
"Oh, do not let them kill him, Charles. For his sake, for he treated me
well; for the sake of that poor girl--spare him--I promised him. Oh,
hasten to save him!"
Her earnestness might have made a less sensible man jealous; but
Fleetwood knew her too well, and loved her too well, to have any other
idea than the true one, that she was anxious to fulfil a promise to the
letter, and in the spirit with which it was received.
"I will do my utmost, dearest," he answered; "I will do all you can
wish, but I know not whence that gun can have come; for the _Venus_ has
gone round the other side of the island. Keep her after the mistico,
Mr Saltwell, and hoist a white flag at the fore, to show her we mean
her no harm. Fire a gun also away from her to draw her attention, and
she will perhaps stand back towards us."
These orders were given as he stood at the top of the companion-ladder
before he conveyed Ada into his cabin, where little Marianna, almost out
of her senses with delight, was arranging a sofa on which to place her.
She again went off into a fainting fit, during which, while Marianna was
searching for restoratives, and the surgeon was making his appearance,
Fleetwood, as he knelt by her side, and called on her name, could not
resist the temptation of bestowing many a kiss on her fair brow and
lips, while he pressed her cold hands within his. The remedy was
efficacious--perhaps Marianna thought it would be so, by the long time
she was in procuring any other, as probably did the surgeon; for Ada had
opened her eyes, and was able to sit up before he entered the cabin with
the implements of his calling under his arm, which he had brought, not
that he expected there would be any use for them, but as a plausible
excuse for his dilatoriness.
At length, however, Captain Fleetwood tore himself away from Ada's side,
and left her to the exclusive care of the surgeon and her maid, while he
hurried on deck to endeavour to overtake the mistico before she got
under the guns of his consort, who, of course, was not likely to treat
her with the leniency he had undertaken to do. A generous man, when he
gets an enemy, especially a personal enemy, possessed of courage or any
other noble quality, into his power, has a pride and satisfaction in
pardoning him, and shielding him from punishment, and such was very much
the feeling which animated Fleetwood, when he endeavoured to induce
Zappa to return under the guns of the _Ione_. The pirate had certainly
been, to him, a very great enemy, but he had been an open and bold one;
he had caused him much misery and suffering, both bodily and mental, yet
he had behaved with forbearance towards those in his power, and now that
his beloved Ada was once more in safety, Fleetwood felt not only
willing, but anxious, to preserve him. When he reached the deck he soon
ascertained from whence the firing had proceeded, for another vessel had
appeared on the scene. She was a brig, which had evidently come round
the south side of the island, and was now rather more than three miles
to leeward, standing up towards the unfortunate mistico, which she had
just got under her guns. The mistico was by this time nearly two miles
from the _Ione_, and with her sheets eased off, was standing along close
in shore, with the hopes of getting round the west end of the island,
and thus again away to the eastward, inside of her new enemy, not
knowing that the _Venus_ had already gone round there to intercept her.
"What brig is that, Mr Saltwell?" asked the captain, as he came on
deck, his countenance expressing very different emotions from any which
had appeared there for many a long day.
"She carries the Greek colours, sir, and we make her out to be our old
friend the _Ypsilante_. I think she can be no other," was the answer.
"It is her, there can be no doubt," said Fleetwood; "but I wish my
friend Captain Vassilato would understand our signal. I am afraid that
he will destroy the mistico and kill those on board before we can get up
to her."
"There can be little to regret in that, sir," said Saltwell. "It will
save the hangman some work, if he sends them all to the bottom
together."
"You would not say so, Mr Saltwell, I am sure, did you know that there
is an unfortunate girl on board, the wife of the pirate, who has
rendered great service to Miss Garden, as well as her brother, a young
Italian, whom I am most anxious to save, as I am also the pirate
himself," answered Fleetwood.
"Then I am sure, sir, every one on board will be most anxious to second
your wishes," said the first lieutenant. "And allow me, in the name of
the officers and the ship's company, to congratulate you, Captain
Fleetwood, on the fortunate issue of our adventures in the recovery of
Miss Garden. We all feel as we ought to feel--the most sincere joy and
satisfaction at your happiness, and, perhaps, you'll understand what we
want to express without my making a longer speech about it, but the fact
is, we haven't had time to cut and dry one, and I didn't like to put off
saying this longer than we could help."
"And I, on my part, must not lose a moment in thanking you, Mr
Saltwell, and the officers and ship's company, for the zeal and
perseverance you have exhibited on this very trying occasion," returned
Captain Fleetwood, putting out his hand and pressing that of his first
lieutenant, warmly. "You have all done me the greatest service any men
could render another, and I am most sincerely grateful to you all. Pray
say this to all hands, for I cannot now more publicly express my
feelings. We must settle some way to mark the day as a bright one on
board, but we shall have time to think about that by-and-by, and we must
now see how the mistico gets on."
It promised to fare badly enough with the unfortunate mistico. Either
Zappa did not see, or did not comprehend, the _Ione's_ signal, for
instead of attending to it, he continued running down the west shore of
the island, directly into the jaws of the Greek; but he reckoned
probably that he should be able to hug the shore so close that she could
not come near him, and he then hoped, it seemed, to get away among the
rocks and reefs to the southward, where she could not venture to follow.
This the Greek was equally resolved to prevent her doing, and no sooner
had she got her within range of the guns, than she opened the fire of
her whole broadside on her.
Though she had not seen the people getting on board from the raft, she
had no doubt of her character, and seemed determined to award her the
pirate's fate. The _Ypsilante_, it must be understood, was on the
starboard tack, with her head about north-west, while the mistico was
running about south, and about to haul up as soon as she could round the
island on the larboard tack, so that the attempt to escape was not
altogether so hopeless as might at first have appeared, had not the
_Venus_ gone round to intercept her. Zappa, of course, recognised the
_Ypsilante_, and, knowing that her gunnery was not first-rate, he
probably hoped that, as she could not venture into the shoal water,
where the mistico was, she would not knock away any of his spars, and
that he might manage to escape clear of her. The wind, however, as the
two vessels approached each other, came more from the eastward, and at
the same time fell considerably, thus exposing the mistico much longer
to the fire of the brig, which now opened upon her at the same time with
musketry. Several of the shot had told with dire effect, and those on
board the _Ione_ could perceive that many of the pirates had been killed
or wounded. At last a round shot struck the mainmast, and down came the
mainsail on deck. The pirates, seeing that all hopes of escaping in the
vessel were gone, were observed to leap overboard in an endeavour to
gain the shore by swimming, in which many of them succeeded, though some
in the attempt were swept out by the current, which still set to the
westward, and sunk to rise no more.
The mistico, deprived of the guiding power of the helm, and without any
after sail, ran off the shore before the wind, in the direction the
current was likewise drifting her. She thus passed at no great distance
from the _Ione_, which had reached her too late to prevent the
catastrophe. Captain Fleetwood, and all on board, were anxiously
watching her as she drew near them. On her deck two forms only were
seen. Near the shattered mainmast lay the pirate Zappa; the hue of
death was on his countenance, and his side, torn and mangled by a
round-shot, told that he was beyond all human help. He was not deserted
in his utmost need. The unhappy Nina, faithful even to death, knelt
over him. His hand was locked in hers. Her eyes watched the last faint
gleam of animation which passed over those much-loved features. She
recked not of her own agony, for a purple stream issuing from her neck,
told where a bullet had done its fatal work on her.
In vain she tried to conceal it from her husband. It was the last sight
he beheld, and it added to his dying pangs to know that she also had
suffered for his crimes. Once more he opened his eyes, now growing dim
with the shades of death. He beheld the look of unutterable love fixed
on him, and in that, his last moment, he understood what he had before
so little prized. He attempted to press her hand, but his strength
failed him in the effort, his fingers relaxed their hold, and Nina,
wildly calling on his name, received no answering look in return. Again
and again she called, then with an agonised scream, which was heard even
on board the ships of war, and which made the hearts of the rough seamen
sink within them, so fearful did it sound, she fell prostrate across the
lifeless body of the pirate.
The _Ione_ soon ran close to the mistico, and a boat being lowered,
Fleetwood leaped into it, and went on board her, accompanied by the
surgeon, who had discovered that Miss Garden had very little occasion
for the exercise of his skill. They lifted up poor Nina, but they had
come too late to save, for death had kindly released her from the misery
which would too probably have been her future lot. Fleetwood, believing
that it would gratify Ada, had the bodies carried on board the _Ione_,
to be interred on shore; and as no other had been found on her decks,
the pirates had probably thrown their slain comrades overboard. He
searched in vain for Paolo Montifalcone; he could scarcely believe that
he would have deserted his sister at such a moment, and he was fain to
conclude that he had been among those killed by the first broadside of
the Greek brig. She had hove too close in shore, and had sent her boats
in chase of the fugitive pirates, but none of them were overtaken.
The two brigs then ran round to meet the _Venus_, when Captain Rawson
ordered the _Zoe_ to be burnt in sight of the island, as a warning to
its piratical inhabitants.
It was proposed by Captain Vassilato to make an expedition inland, to
hunt them up; but Captain Rawson considered that it would not be worth
the loss of time, as their chief was killed, observing that, after all,
they were, probably, not much worse than a large proportion of their
fellow-islanders, and as their vessel was destroyed, they could do no
more harm, for the present.
The three vessels then made sail for the island of Lissa, where the
_Vesta_ had just before arrived.
The seamen and marines, who had formed the garrison, were then ordered
to embark on board their respective ships, first having dismantled the
rude fortifications, and tumbled all the guns over the cliffs.
The bodies of Nina and the pirate chief were conveyed on shore, in two
coffins, and buried, side by side, in a green spot, under the shade of
the only remaining tower, which, to this day stands as a monument to
their memory.
The island, where so many of the stirring events I have described took
place, is once more silent and deserted, except by a few harmless
fishermen, among whom, however, the name and deeds of the famous pirate,
Zappa, and his stranger bride, are not forgotten; and, as they point to
their graves, they say her spirit may be seen in bodily form, on calm
moonlight nights, standing on the summit of the cliff, watching for the
bark to convey her to her distant home.
Colonel Gauntlett's delight on getting on board the _Ione_, and finding
his niece in safety, and with the hue of health once more returning to
her cheek, showed the affection he felt for her. He wrung Fleetwood's
hand warmly.
"I have done you and your profession a wrong," he exclaimed, as he did
so; "and I am not ashamed to own it. From what I have seen of you and
your brother-officers since this work has been going forward, I am
convinced that there are as fine fellows in the British navy as there
are in the army; and while both remain firm and loyal to their sovereign
and their country, as I am sure they ever will, we may defy the world in
arms against us. But to the point--as you, Miss Ada, happen to prefer a
blue jacket to a scarlet one, however much I might, when I was a
youngster, have pitied your taste, egad, you have chosen so fine a
fellow inside it, that I promise, when I slip my cable (as he would
say), to leave you and him every rap I possess; for from what I have
seen of him, I am very certain that he loves you for yourself (which, by
the bye, shows his good taste), and does not care one pinch of snuff for
the gold he knows that I am reputed to possess."
Ada, on this, threw her arms round her uncle's neck, and thanked him
over and over again for his kindness; while Fleetwood assured him, with
a frank honesty which could not be mistaken, that he only spoke the
truth, and that he intended to have done his best to marry her with or
without his consent, though he expected to forfeit every chance of
getting a penny with her.
The _Ione_ touched at Cephalonia on her voyage to Malta, where the
colonel found that, as he was supposed to be lost, another officer had
been appointed to his post. This, however, was much to his
satisfaction, as he was anxious to return to England to make
arrangements for the marriage of his niece.
On reaching Malta, the _Ione_ was ordered home; and as Ada was not yet
his wife, Fleetwood was able to carry her and her uncle to England,
where, without the usual vexatious delays, his happiness was soon after
completed.
Of our characters, all I can say is, that most of our naval friends got
on in their profession, and that the greater number are now post
captains.
After the conclusion of the Greek war, in which he greatly distinguished
himself, Captain Teodoro Vassilato paid a visit to England to see his
old friends, Captain and Mrs Fleetwood, and he is now an influential
person in his native country.
Our honest friend, Captain Bowse, must not be forgotten. He returned to
England in the _Ione_, and soon supplied the loss of the _Zodiac_ with
an equally fine brig, in which he made numerous voyages to all parts of
the world, and was able to lay by, for his old age, a comfortable
independence, which, I am happy to say, he still enjoys.
At the end of nearly every voyage, he used to run down to pay a visit to
Captain and Mrs Fleetwood, at their place in Hampshire; and, on one
occasion, he persuaded the lady to allow him to take her eldest boy, who
was a little sickly, a short summer cruise.
Young Charles was so delighted with his trip, that nothing would satisfy
him till he was allowed to enter his father's noble profession, to which
he promises to be an ornament, and is now a lieutenant of two years'
standing. Among other accomplishments, he is a first-rate hand at
spinning a yarn, and often amuses his shipmates with an account of his
father's adventures in chase of the _Sea Hawk_.
THE END.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Pirate of the Mediterranean, by W.H.G. Kingston
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