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

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** 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.

________________________________________________________________________

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."