The Pirate of the Mediterranean Part 14

"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, la.s.situde, 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 gla.s.s 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 c.o.c.ked hats.

The pa.s.sengers 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 cutla.s.ses 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 a.s.sured--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 p.o.o.p, with Mitch.e.l.l 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 cutla.s.ses 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 princ.i.p.al of the two, taking off his c.o.c.ked-hat, and bowing profoundly, with a glance towards the p.o.o.p, where Ada sat.

"_Moi_--I do," answered the colonel, with not the best p.r.o.nunciation 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 pa.s.sed."

"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 p.o.o.p. 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 pa.s.sion.

"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 a.s.sured 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.