The Pirate of the Mediterranean Part 31

"Alas, signora, it would be in vain now to attempt to put to to sea,"

replied Mila, who knew more about nautical affairs than did Nina. "Yet we need not fear for the safety of our chief--he is even now probably taking shelter under some of the neighbouring islands. He and those who are with him are too well accustomed to the signs of the weather not to have perceived this storm in time to have escaped from its fury."

"Ah, I think I see a white sail flying before the wind, like a sea-bird's wing on the summit of the waves," exclaimed Marianna, who had been looking through the telescope at the object of which she spoke.

"Oh, it must be the mistico, then," cried Nina joyfully, hastening to the telescope, through which she saw the white canvas, closely reefed, of a small vessel standing for the island.

"Oh, it is the mistico," she exclaimed eagerly. "I know her by the shape of her sails. It must be her, and they are returning in safety."

As soon as Nina had withdrawn her eye from the gla.s.s, which she did not do for a long time, till she had fully persuaded herself that the vessel in sight was the one she hoped, with her husband on board, Ada's curiosity and interest were excited to watch the progress of the mistico. On she came, careering across the foaming sea, now lifted on the summit of a curling wave, now sunk into the deep trough between the watery mountains, where she would remain, her sail alone visible, apparently about to be overwhelmed by the wave which lifted its crested head close astern of her; but again she would rise once more on the summit of another, and as it were seated on it would fly onwards for a long distance, again to plunge down to the dangerous depths from which she had just emerged. To Ada the little vessel appeared in the most imminent danger, and she expected every instant to see it disappear beneath the waves, and wondered how she could have so long continued to buffet them successfully. As she watched, she observed that the mistico, instead of steering towards the west end of the island, so as to fetch the mouth of the bay, was gradually verging towards the east; and it struck her also that she was smaller than the mistico she had been accustomed to see from the stern windows of the brig, while she was living on board. But of that, of course, she was not able to form any correct judgment, as from so great a height and distance the eye even of the most experienced is easily deceived. She feared therefore that the sail in sight was a stranger, and would, to a certainty, be wrecked on the coast, without the chance of receiving any aid from the inhabitants, who were much more likely to murder any of the unfortunate crew who might escape the perils of shipwreck, for the sake of their clothes, and any money they might have about them, than to a.s.sist in preserving their lives.

Nina also had been watching, with still more intense interest, the progress of the sail, now seen without the aid of the gla.s.s; but so persuaded was she that it was her husband's mistico, that she did not remark the difference of size, nor that she was not steering directly for the harbour.

"Ah, he will be here soon, and in spite of the storm I must return to my tower, to receive him when he comes on sh.o.r.e," she exclaimed in a cheerful voice. "Lady I must bid you farewell, and as I cannot now tell you all the love and grat.i.tude I feel for you, I must entreat you to allow me to visit you again. You will forget my pa.s.sion and folly, and remember only any redeeming traits you may have discovered in me. Say you will do this, my sweet friend, before I leave you."

"Indeed I will," answered Ada, pressing both the hands which were held out to her. "I shall think of you always with the affection of a sister; but I must not let you go even now; for I fear greatly you will be disappointed in your expectations. See, yonder bark; mark how her head is turned; and tell me if she is steering for the harbour."

"Alas! that is not our chief's mistico, after all," exclaimed little Mila, corroborating the opinion Ada had formed. "She will be wrecked, too, and all in her will, to a certainty, perish."

"I cannot think that it is not his," said Nina. "He has some reason for approaching the further end of the island, if, indeed, he is not about to enter the harbour--perhaps he may purpose going round it to anchor on the northern side."

"That vessel, as she now steers, would not get round the island, lady,"

observed the Greek girl. "I wish my grandfather were here--and he would understand clearly all about it. Ah, there he is; and now the rain is over I may venture out and call him up here. He will explain matters clearly to us."

Saying this, without a thought of the consequences either to herself or to her, should the morose old pirate think fit to inform his chief of Nina's visit to the stranger lady, out ran the lively girl into the open air.

She was almost blown away down the ravine by a furious gust of wind, which caught her just as she got outside the door; but, undaunted, she managed to work on her way, shouting loudly all the time to her grandfather to come to her a.s.sistance; but as he was to windward, and rather deaf, he did not hear her.

At last she reached him, and seized him by the arm to support herself, after her fatiguing run, while she insisted on his accompanying her back to the apartment of the stranger lady.

He looked very angry at first at being asked to go; but little Mila's eloquence conquered, and she led him in triumph back, holding on by his arm; but this time it was to prevent herself from being fairly lifted off her feet, and blown along over the ground.

He made a somewhat unwilling salute to the two ladies, as he entered the room, while Mila dragged him up to the window.

"Now tell these ladies what you think about that mistico there, which is driving towards the sh.o.r.e--let me see, where is she? Alas! she has come frightfully near."

"That mistico, why she must be a stranger to these parts, or she would not venture near our sh.o.r.e; and she has a crew on board who know very little about their calling, for they are going to wreck themselves as clearly as possible, somewhere at the east end of the island. They could not do it better if they were to try; and as there are only two places on the whole coast where they have a chance of escaping, probably in a few minutes they will have gone to the other world."

"Then you think that she is not my husband's mistico," said Nina.

"Think! why no, of course not; she is not unlike her either, lady,"

answered the old pirate. "They are strangers, who, as they are not invited to come here, will probably have their throats cut for their intrusion, if, by chance, they happen to get in sh.o.r.e alive."

"But your chief--what think you of your chief?" exclaimed Nina eagerly.

"He is safe enough under shelter of one of the islands, and will be back here right enough to-morrow morning," answered the old man.

"Grant heaven it may be so," e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Nina. "And now, Vlacco, you must obey me in this. Collect all the men you can, and hasten along the sh.o.r.e, to where that vessel will be wrecked. Remember, the life of your chief was preserved in a similar manner, and it were impious to allow any to perish whom we can save. Bring such as escape safe to my tower; and beware that no one robs or injures them."

The old man, who had found that he had been very much too severe to Nina during the last absence of Zappa, was glad of an opportunity of regaining her favour, and accordingly promised to obey her directions.

In spite of the violence of the storm, he immediately set out to collect some more youthful and active men to attend him; and he was soon again seen crossing the causeway in the direction of the place towards which the vessel was driving.

As it was scarcely possible for Nina to reach her own tower, she continued, with Ada Garden, watching the awful progress of the mistico.

On came the little vessel, scarcely visible, amid the foam and spray which surrounded her.

She had now got completely to the east side of the tower, whereas, when first seen at the greatest distance, she was in the south-west. Her course must, therefore, have been about northeast, as nearly as possible, directly before the wind; and whatever old Vlacco might have said to the contrary, she must have been steered by no timid or ignorant hands.

"She may even now get round the east end of the island!" exclaimed Nina, whose eye had seldom been off her. "If she can once do that, the unhappy men on board her may yet escape with their lives."

"But suppose she does not, will not the old Greek and his followers be able to rescue them?" asked Ada; who, though less apparently excited, felt an equal, if not a greater interest in the fate of the stranger.

"Ah! she appears even now to be full a mile short of the point. And see yonder wave which lifts her up--in another instant, it will dash her on those frowning rocks, and all on board must perish. Oh! Heaven, have mercy on them. There--there--they are lost."

As she spoke, a huge wave came rolling on, lifting the little vessel on its curling summit, and, with a loud roar, bore her, with the wildest impetuosity, towards the frowning cliffs. Downward it came with a terrific crash, its crest flying upwards in showers of foam, and hurling the bark, she was lost to sight among the rocks. All the females, as they beheld the sad spectacle, uttered a cry of horror, and they fancied that they could hear, amid the howling of the storm, the despairing shrieks of the drowning mariners, and could distinguish, among the foam, their dying forms, with their arms stretched out, in their agony, for a.s.sistance, where none could come.

"They are all lost!" cried Nina, hiding her face in her hands to shut out the dreadful sight her imagination had conjured up. "May the saints intercede for their souls!"

Her example was followed by Marianna and Mila, while Ada, though pale and trembling, had pointed the telescope towards the spot, for the purpose of discovering whether any human beings had succeeded in gaining the sh.o.r.e. Not a vestige of the wreck could she see; but on the summit of the cliff, above where she supposed the vessel must have struck, she beheld a person, whom she concluded was old Vlacco, waving, as if to some one below. He and his followers then disappeared down the cliffs.

"There is hope yet, Nina--there is hope yet!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"Thank Heaven! some may have escaped."

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

The morning preceding the storm I have described was very lovely, and the pirate chief had gone out at an early hour; and was standing on the edge of the cliff overlooking the harbour and the sea, while he meditated on the plan of some future predatory expedition he had proposed to himself to undertake on board the _Sea Hawk_. He was interrupted in a short time by the appearance of one of his followers, who had come up the ravine from the bay below.

"Pardon, chief, for my thus coming on you without warning; but I have tidings of importance to communicate," said the man, making a reverential obeisance.

"What is it, Baldo?" asked Zappa. "Haste, I am always impatient of news."

"It is this, chief. A boat arrived this morning, soon after break of day, from the island of Naeiri, and a man, who has come in her, Gera.s.simo Listi, one of the scouts, states that a British ship of war has been anch.o.r.ed some days at the farther end of it, and that he suspects--"

"Where is the man, this Gera.s.simo Listi?" exclaimed Zappa, interrupting him suddenly. "I want not to hear his suspicions--I will examine him-- where is he, I say?"

"Under the walls of the tower, chief, waiting your return," replied the man.

"Send him hither instantly," said Zappa. "Then go in search of Vlacco, and tell him I would speak with him--I may have need of his counsel."

The man hurried off to obey the orders he had received, while Zappa stood, with his arms folded on his bosom, waiting the coming of the messenger.

"A ship of war, and British," he muttered. "There must be some cause for her coming here. She may possibly be in search of me; but yet, how can it be known where I am to be found? and that English merchant vessel, I took good care that neither she nor any on board should tell tales. Well, friend, what news do you bring me?" he asked, turning to a man in the costume of a Greek fisherman, who now approached. "Haste, tell it me."

"Why, chief, for the last six days, in a sheltered bay, to the west end of our island, a brig of war, carrying eighteen guns, has been at anchor. When she first came in, I thought she had come to remain one or two nights only, to supply herself with water, for there is a fine spring there, and perhaps with fuel; but she hoisted no flag, and seemed to have no intention of communicating with the sh.o.r.e; and, instead of going away, there she remained, day after day, till my suspicions of her intentions were excited. I watched her narrowly for some time, and even pulled close round her two days ago; and I am convinced, from her appearance, and the language I heard spoken, that she is British. Now, it struck me, knowing what sort of character were the people of that nation, that she had come there for the purpose of looking out after the _Sea Hawk_, or the mistico; and as soon as I arrived at this conclusion, I hurried off to bring you the information."

"I believe your suspicions are turned in the right direction; and it will be necessary to be on our guard," replied the pirate, who had listened somewhat impatiently to the man's account.