Chapter 14: The End Of The Persecutor.
Signor Polani was so well known, that upon his arrival at thegovernor's house the domestics, upon being aroused, did not hesitate toawaken the governor at once. The latter, as soon as he heard that thepirates had landed and were devastating the other side of the island,and that their ship was lying close in to the coast under the charge ofa few sailors only, at once despatched a messenger to the commander ofthe galleys; ordering them to arouse the crews and make ready to putout to sea instantly. He added that he, himself, should follow hismessenger on board in a few minutes, and should accompany them. He thenissued orders that the bell should toll to summon the inhabitants toarms; and directed an officer to take the command, and to start withthem at once across the island, and to fall upon the pirates whileengaged in their work of pillage. They were to take a party with themwith litters to carry Polani's daughters to the town, and an apartmentwas to be assigned to them in his palace, until his return.
While he was issuing this order, refreshments had been placed upon thetable, and he pressed Polani and his companions to partake of thesebefore starting.
Francis needed no second invitation. He had been too excited, at thenews he had heard on board the ship, to think of eating; and he nowremembered that it was a good many hours since he had taken his lastmeal. He was but a few minutes, however, in satisfying his hunger. Bythe time he had finished, the governor had seen that his orders hadbeen carried out.
Two hundred armed citizens had already mustered in companies, and werenow on the point of setting out, burning with indignation at what theyhad heard of the depredations which the pirates had committed. Afterseeing his preparations complete the governor, accompanied by Polaniand Francis, made his way down to the port, and was rowed out to thegalleys.
Here he found all on the alert. The sails were ready for hoisting, andthe men were seated at the benches, ready to aid with oars the lightwind which was blowing. The governor now informed the commander of thevessels the reason of the sudden orders for sailing. The news waspassed to the captains of the other two vessels, and in a very fewminutes the anchors were weighed, and the vessels started on their way.
Francis was closely questioned as to the spot at which the piratevessel was lying, but could only reply that, beyond the fact that itwas some four miles from Polani's villa, he had no idea of thelocality.
"But can you not describe to us the nature of the coast?" the commandersaid.
"That I cannot," Francis replied; "for I was hidden away in the hold ofthe vessel, and did not come on deck until after it was dark, at whichtime the land abreast of us was only a dark mass."
"Signor Polani has informed me," the governor said, "that, althoughyour attire does not betoken it, you are a dear friend of his; but hehas not yet informed me how it comes that you were upon this pirateship."
"He has been telling me as we came along," Polani replied; "and astrange story it is. He was on his voyage hither in the Naxos, which,as you doubtless remember, was a little craft of mine, which shouldhave arrived here a month since. As we supposed, it was captured by thepirates, the leader of whom is Ruggiero Mocenigo, who, as of course youknow, made his escape from the custody of the officers of the state,they being overpowered by a party of Paduans. The sentence ofbanishment for life has been passed against him, and, until I heardfrom my friend here that he was captain of the pirate which has beenseen off this island, I knew not what had become of him.
"Those on board the Naxos were taken prisoners, and confined in thepirate's hold, which they found already filled with captives taken fromother ships. The pirate at once sailed for Africa, where all theprisoners were sold as slaves to the Moors, my friend here aloneexcepted, Mocenigo having an old feud with him, and a design to keephim in his hands. Learning that a raid was intended upon Corfu, withthe special design of carrying off my daughters, whom Mocenigo hadtwice previously tried to abduct, Francisco managed to get on board thevessel, and conceal himself in her hold, in order that he mightfrustrate the design. He managed, in the dark, to mingle with thelanding party; and then, separating from them, made his way on ahead,and fortunately was able to obtain a guide to my house, which hereached five minutes only before the arrival of the pirates there."
"Admirable, indeed! And we are all vastly indebted to him, for had itnot been for him, we should not have known of the doings of thesescoundrels until too late to cut off their retreat; and, once away intheir ship again, they might long have preyed upon our commerce, beforeone of our cruisers happened to fall in with them.
"As for Ruggiero Mocenigo, he is a disgrace to the name of a Venetian;and it is sad to think that one of our most noble families should haveto bear the brand of being connected with a man so base and villainous.However, I trust that his power of ill doing has come to an end.
"Is the vessel a fast one, signor?"
"I cannot say whether she sails fast," Francis replied; "but shecertainly rows fast."
"I trust that we shall catch her before she gets under way," thecommander of the galleys said. "Our vessels are not made for rowing,although we get out oars to help them along in calm weather."
"What course do you propose to take?" the merchant asked.
"When we approach the spot where she is likely to be lying, I shallorder the captains of the other two ships to lie off the coast, acouple of miles distant and as far from each other, so that they cancut her off as she makes out to sea. We will follow the coast line,keeping in as close as the water will permit, and in this way we shallmost likely come upon her. If we should miss her, I shall at the firstdawn of morning join the others in the offing, and keep watch till sheappears from under the shadow of the land."
It was now three o'clock in the morning, and an hour later the threevessels parted company, and the galley with the governor and commanderof the squadron rowed for the shore. When they came close to the land,the captain ordered the oars to be laid in.
"The breeze is very light," he said; "but it is favourable, and willenable us to creep along the shore. If we continue rowing, those incharge of the ship may hear us coming, and may cut their cables, get upsail, and make out from the land without our seeing them. On a stillnight, like this, the sound of the sweeps can be heard a very longdistance."
Quietly the vessel made her way along the shore. Over the land, the skywas red with the reflection of numerous fires, but this only made thedarkness more intense under its shadow, and the lead was kept going inorder to prevent them from sailing into shallow water. By the captain'sorders strict silence was observed on board the ship, and every eye wasstrained ahead on the lookout for the pirate vessel.
Presently, all became aware of a confused noise, apparently coming fromthe land, but at some distance ahead. As they got further on, distantshouts and cries were heard.
"I fancy," the governor said to the captain, "the band from the townhave met the pirates, and the latter are retreating to their ship."
"Then the ship can't be far off," the captain said. "Daylight isbeginning to break in the east, and we shall soon be able to make herout against the sky--that is, if she is still lying at anchor."
On getting round the next point, the vessel was distinctly visible. Theshouting on the shore was now plainly heard, and there could be nodoubt that a desperate fight was going on there. It seemed to be closeto the water's edge.
"There is a boat rowing off to the ship," one of the sailors said.
"Then get out your oars again. She is not more than half a mile away,and she can hardly get under way before we reach her. Besides, judgingfrom the sound of the fight, the pirates must have lost a good manymen, and will not be able to man all the oars even if they gain theirship."
The men sat down to their oars with alacrity. Every sailor on boardfelt it almost as a personal insult, that pirates should dare to enterthe Venetian waters and carry on their depredations there. The glare ofthe burning houses, too, had fired their indignation to the utmost, andall were eager for the fight.
/> Three boats were now seen rowing towards the ship.
"Stretch to your oars, men," the captain said. "We must be alongsidethem, if we can, before they can take to their sweeps."
The pirates had now seen them; and Francis, standing at the bow eagerlywatching the vessel, could hear orders shouted to the boats. Thesepulled rapidly alongside, and he could see the men clambering up in thegreatest haste. There was a din of voices. Some men tried to get up thesails, others got out oars, and the utmost confusion evidentlyprevailed. In obedience to the shouts of the officers, the sails werelowered again, and all betook themselves to the oars; but scarce astroke had been pulled before the Venetian galley ran up alongside.Grapnels were thrown, and the crew, seizing their weapons, sprang on tothe deck of the pirate.
The crew of the latter knew that they had no mercy to expect, andalthough weakened by the loss of nearly a third of their number in thefighting on shore, sprang from their benches, and rushed to opposetheir assailants, with the desperation of despair. They were led byRuggiero Mocenigo, who, furious at the failure of his schemes, andpreferring death to the shame of being carried to Venice as a pirateand a traitor, rushed upon the Venetians with a fury which, at first,carried all before it. Supported by his Moors and renegades he droveback the boarders, and almost succeeded in clearing the deck of hisvessel.
He himself engaged hand-to-hand with the commander of the Venetiangalley, and at the third thrust ran him through the throat; but theVenetians, although they had yielded to the first onslaught, againpoured over the bulwarks of the galley. Polani, burning to punish theman who had so repeatedly tried to injure him, accompanied them,Francis keeping close beside him.
"Ruggiero Mocenigo, traitor and villain, your time has come!"
Ruggiero started at hearing his name thus proclaimed, for on board hisown ship he was simply known as the captain; but in the dim light herecognized Polani, and at once crossed swords with him.
"Be not so sure, Polani. Perhaps it is your time that has come."
The two engaged with fury. Polani was still strong and vigorous. Hisopponent had the advantage of youth and activity. But Polani's weightand strength told, and he was forcing his opponent back, when his footslipped on the bloodstained deck. He fell forward; and in anothermoment Ruggiero would have run him through the body; had not the weaponbeen knocked up by Francis, who, watching every movement of the fight,sprang forward when he saw the merchant slip.
"This time, Ruggiero, my hands are free. How about your vengeance now?"
Ruggiero gave a cry of astonishment, at seeing the lad whom he believedto be lying in chains, five hundred miles away, facing him. For amoment he recoiled, and then with the cry, "I will take it now," sprangforward. But this time he had met an opponent as active and as capableas himself.
For a minute or two they fought on even terms, and then Ruggiero fellsuddenly backwards, a crossbow bolt, from one of the Venetians on thepoop of the vessel, having struck him full in the forehead.
Without their leader, the spirit of the pirates had fled. They stillfought, steadily and desperately, but it was only to sell their livesas dearly as possible; and in five minutes after the fall of Ruggierothe last man was cut down, for no quarter was given to pirates.
Just as the combat concluded, the sound of oars was heard, and theother two galleys came up to the assistance of their consort. Theyarrived too late to take part in the conflict, but cheered lustily whenthey heard that the pirate captain, and all his crew, had been killed.Upon learning that the commander of the galley was killed, the captainnext in seniority assumed the command.
In a few minutes, the bodies of the pirates were thrown overboard, thewounded were carried below to have their wounds attended to, while thebodies of those who had fallen--thirteen in number--were laid togetheron the deck, for burial on shore.
"Thanks to you, Francisco, that I am not lying there beside them," themerchant said. "I did not know that you were so close at hand, and as Islipped I felt that my end had come."
"You were getting the better of him up to that point," Francis said. "Iwas close at hand, in readiness to strike in should I see that my aidwas wanted, but up to the moment you slipped, I believed that you wouldhave avenged your wrongs yourself."
"It is well that he fell as he did. It would have been dreadful,indeed, had he been carried to Venice, to bring shame and disgrace upona noble family. Thank God, his power for mischief is at an end! I havehad no peace of mind since the day when you first thwarted his attemptto carry off the girls; nor should I have ever had, until I obtainedsure tidings that he was dead. The perseverance with which he hasfollowed his resolve, to make my daughter his wife, is almost beyondbelief. Had his mind been turned to other matters, he was capable ofattaining greatness, for no obstacle would have barred his way.
"It almost seems as if it were a duel between him and you to thedeath--his aim to injure me, and yours to defend us. And now it hasended. Maria will breathe more freely when she hears the news, for, gayand light hearted as she is, the dread of that man has weighed heavilyupon her."
The governor, who from the poop of the vessel had watched the conflict,now came up, and warmly congratulated Francis upon his bravery.
"I saw you rush forward, just as my friend Polani fell, and engage hisassailant. At first I thought you lost, for the villain was counted oneof the best swordsmen in Venice, and you are still but a lad; but I sawyou did not give way an inch, but held your own against him; and Ibelieve you would have slain him unaided, for you were fighting withgreater coolness than he was. Still, I was relieved when I saw himfall, for even then the combat was doubtful, and his men, to do themjustice, fought like demons. How comes it that one so young as youshould be so skilled with your weapon?"
"This is not the first time that my young friend has done good serviceto the state," Polani said; "for it was he who led a crew of one of myships to the aid of Pisani, when his galley was boarded by the Genoese,at the battle of Antium."
"Is this he?" the governor said, in surprise. "I heard, of course, bythe account of those who came from Venice a month since, how Pisani wasaided, when hard pressed, by the crew of one of your ships, headed by ayoung Englishman, upon whom the state had conferred the rights ofcitizenship as a recognition of his services; but I did not dream thatthe Englishman was but a lad.
"What is your age, young sir?"
"I am just eighteen," Francis replied. "Our people are all fond ofstrong exercise, and thus it was that I became more skilled, perhaps,than many of my age, in the use of arms."
At nine o'clock the squadron arrived in the port, bringing with themthe captured galley. As soon as they were seen approaching, the churchbells rang, flags were hung out from the houses, and the wholepopulation assembled at the quay to welcome the victors and to hear thenews.
"Do you go on at once, directly we land, Francisco, and set the girls'minds at ease. I must come on with the governor, and he is sure to bedetained, and will have much to say before he can make his way throughthe crowd."
Francis was, on his arrival at the governor's, recognized by thedomestics, and at once shown into the room where the girls wereawaiting him. The fact that the pirate galley had been captured wasalready known to them, the news having been brought some hours before,by a horseman, from the other side of the island.
"Where is our father?" Maria exclaimed, as Francis entered alone.
"He is well, and sent me on to relieve your minds."
"Saint Mark be praised!" Maria said. "We have been sorely anxious aboutyou both. A messenger, who brought the news, said that it could be seenfrom the shore that there was a desperate fight on board the pirateship, which was attacked by one galley only. We felt sure that it wouldbe the ship that the governor was in, and we knew you were with him;and our father was so enraged at what had happened, that we felt surehe would take part in the fight."
"He did so," Francis said, "and himself engaged hand-to-hand withMocenigo, and would probably have killed him, had not his foot slipp
edon the deck. I was, of course, by his side, and occupied the villainuntil a cross bolt pierced his brain. So there is an end to all yourtrouble with him."
"Is he really dead?" Maria said. "Oh, Francisco, how thankful I am! Heseemed so determined, that I began to think he was sure some day tosucceed in carrying me off. Not that I would ever have become his wife,for I had vowed to kill myself before that came about. I should havethought he might have known that he could never have forced me to behis wife."
"I told him the same thing," Francis said, "and he replied that he wasnot afraid of that, for that he should have your sister in his poweralso, and that he should warn you that, if you laid hands on yourself,he should make her his wife instead of you."
The girls both gave an exclamation of horror.
"I never thought of that," Maria said; "but he would indeed havedisarmed me with such a threat. It would have been horrible for me tohave been the wife of such a man; but I think I could have borne itrather than have consigned Giulia to such a fate.
"Oh, here is father!"
"I have got away sooner than I expected," Polani said as he entered."The governor was good enough to beg me to come on at once to you. Youhave heard all the news, I suppose, and know that our enemy willpersecute you no more."
"We have heard, papa, and also that you yourself fought with him, whichwas very wrong and very rash of you."
"And did he tell you that had it not been for him I should not be herealive now, girls?"
"No, father. He said that when you slipped he occupied Ruggiero'sattention until the cross bolt struck him."
"That is what he did, my dear; but had he not occupied his attention Ishould have been a dead man. The thrust was aimed at me as I fell, andwould have pierced me had he not sprung forward and turned it aside,and then engaged in single combat with Mocenigo, who, with all hisfaults, was brave and a skillful swordsman; and yet, as the governorhimself said, probably Francisco would have slain him, even had not thecombat ended as it did.
"And now we must have his story in full. I have not heard much about ityet, and you have heard nothing; and I want to know how he managed toget out of the hands of that man, when he had once fallen into them."
"That is what we want to know, too, father. We know what a sharp watchwas kept upon us, and I am sure they must have been much more severewith him."
"They were certainly more severe," Francis said smiling, "for my righthand was chained to my left ankle, and the left hand to to my rightankle--not tightly, you know, but the chain was so short that I couldnot stand upright. But, on the other hand, I do not think my guardswere as vigilant as yours. However, I will tell you the whole story."
The girls listened with rapt attention to the story of the capture, theescape, and of his hiding in the hold of the pirate in order to be ableto give them a warning in time.
"Your escape was fortunate, indeed," the merchant said when he hadfinished. "Fortunate both for you and for us, for I have no doubt thatMocenigo had intended to put you to a lingering death, on his return.As for the girls, nothing could have saved them from the fate hedesigned for them, save the method which you took of arriving herebefore him."
"What are we to do for him, father?" Maria exclaimed. "We are not tiredof thanking him, but he hates being thanked. If he would only get intosome terrible scrape, Giulia and I would set out to rescue him at once;but you see he gets out of his scrapes before we hear of them. It isquite disheartening not to be able to do anything."
Francis laughed merrily.
"It is terrible, is it not, signora? But if I manage to get into anyscrape, and have time to summon you to my assistance, be sure I will doso. But, you see, one cannot get into a scrape when one chooses, and Imust be content, while I am away, in knowing that I have the goodwishes of you and your sister."
"Do not trouble yourself, Maria," her father said. "Some day anopportunity may come for our paying our debts, and in the meantimeFrancis is content that we should be his debtors."
"And now, what are you going to do, papa?"
"I shall sail with you for Venice tomorrow. The governor will besending one of the galleys with the news of the capture of the pirate,and doubtless he will give us all a passage in her. I shall order stepsto be taken at once for rebuilding the villa, and will get it completedby the spring, before which time you will be off my hands, young lady;and I shall not be altogether sorry, for you have been a verytroublesome child lately."
"It has not been my fault," Maria pouted.
"Not at all, my dear. It has been your misfortune, and I am not blamingyou at all."
"But the trouble is now over, father!"
"So much the better for Rufino," the merchant said. "It will be goodnews to him that you are freed from the persecution of Ruggiero. Andnow, I must leave you, for I have arranged to ride over with thegovernor to the other side of the island. He has to investigate thedamage which took place last evening. I hear that upwards of a score ofvillas were sacked and destroyed, and that many persons were killed;and while he is doing that I shall see what has to be done at ourplace. I don't know whether the walls are standing, or whether it willhave to be entirely rebuilt, and I must arrange with some builder to togo over from here with me, and take my instructions as to what must bedone."
On the following day the party set sail for Venice, where they arrivedwithout adventure. Preparations were at once begun for the marriage ofMaria with Rufino Giustiniani, and six weeks later the wedding ceremonytook place. Francis did not go to sea until this was over, for when hespoke of a fresh voyage, a short time after their return, Mariadeclared that she would not be married unless he remained to bepresent.
"You have got me out of all my scrapes hitherto, Francisco, and youmust see me safely through this."
As Signor Polani also declared that it was not to be thought of, thatFrancis should leave until after the marriage, he was obliged to remainfor it. He was glad, however, when it was over, for he found the timeon shore more tedious than usual. The girls were taken up with thepreparations for the ceremony, and visitors were constantly coming andgoing, and the house was not like itself.
But even when the marriage was over, he was forced to remain some timelonger in Venice. The Genoese fleets were keeping the sea, and Pisanihad not, since the battle of Antium, succeeded in coming up with them.The consequence was that commerce was at a standstill, for the risk ofcapture was so great that the merchants ceased to send their ships tosea.
"The profit would not repay us for the risk, Francisco," the merchantsaid one day when they were talking over it. "If only one cargo in tenfell into their hands the profit off the other nine would be sweptaway; but as I see that you are longing to be afloat again, you can, ifyou like, join one of the state galleys which start next week toreinforce Pisani's fleet.
"The last time Pisani wrote to me he said how glad he should be to haveyou with him; and after your service at Antium, I have no doubtwhatever that I could procure for you a post as second in command inone of the ships. What do you say?"
"I should certainly like it, signor, greatly; but, as you said before,it would be a mere waste of time for me to take service with the state,when I am determined upon the vocation of a merchant."
"I did say that, Francis, and meant it at the time; but at presenttrade is, as you see, at a standstill, so you would not be losing time,and, in the next place, it is always an advantage, even to a trader, tostand well with the state. Here in Venice all the great merchants areof noble family, and trade is no bar to occupying the highest officesof the state. Many of our doges have been merchants; while merchantsare often soldiers, diplomatists, or governors, as the state requirestheir services.
"You have already, you see, obtained considerable benefit by the actionat Antium. I do not say that you would derive any direct benefit, evenwere you to distinguish yourself again as highly as on that occasion.Still, it is always well to gain the consideration of your fellows, andto be popular with the people. Therefore, if you would like to tak
eservice with the state until this affair is decided with Genoa, and theseas are again open to our ships, I think it will be advantageous toyou rather than not."
"Then, with your permission I will certainly do so, signor," Francissaid. "Of course I should prefer to go as an officer on board one ofthe ships; but if not, I will go as a volunteer."
"You need not fear about that, Francis. With my influence, and that ofthe Giustiniani, and the repute you have gained for yourself, you maybe sure of an appointment. Rufino would have commanded one of the shipshad it not been for his marriage."
Rufino Giustiniani had indeed been most warm in his expressions ofgratitude to Francis, to whom the whole family had shown the greatestattention, giving him many presents as a proof of their goodwill andgratitude.
"I am quite jealous of your English friend," Rufino had said one day toMaria. "I do believe, Maria, that you care for him more than you do forme. It is lucky for me that he is not two or three years older."
Maria laughed.
"I do care for him dearly; and if he had been, as you say, older andhad fallen in love with me, I can't say how it would have been. Youmust acknowledge, it would be very hard to say no to a man who keeps onsaving you from frightful peril; but then, you see, a girl can't fallin love with a man who does not fall in love with her.
"Francisco is so different from us Venetians. He always says just whathe thinks, and never pays anyone even the least bit of a compliment.How can you fall in love with a man like that? Of course you can lovehim like a brother--and I do love Francisco as if he were mybrother--but I don't think we should have got further than that, if hehad been ever so old."
"And does Francis never pay you compliments, Giulia?"
"Never!" Giulia said decidedly. "It would be hateful of him if he did."
"But Maria doesn't object to compliments, Giulia. She looks for them asif they were her daily bread--
"Don't you, Maria--
"You will have to learn to put up with them soon, Giulia, for you willbe out in society now, and the young men will crowd round your chair,just as they have done round that of this little flirt, your sister."
"I shall have to put up with it, I suppose," Giulia said quietly, "justas one puts up with other annoyances. But I should certainly never getto care for anyone who thinks so little of me, as to believe that Icould be pleased by being addressed in such terms."
"From which I gather," Giustiniani said, smiling, "that this Englishlad's bluntness of speech pleases you more than it does Maria?"
"It pleases Maria, too," Giulia said, "though she may choose to saythat it doesn't. And I don't think it quite right to discuss him atall, when we all owe him as much as we do."
Giustiniani glanced at Maria and gave a little significant nod.
"I do not think Giulia regards Francisco in quite the brotherly waythat you do, Maria," he whispered presently to her.
"Perhaps not," Maria answered. "You see, she had not fallen in lovewith you before she met him. But I do not know. Giulia seldom speaks ofhim when we are alone, and if she did, you don't suppose I should tellyou my sister's secrets, sir?"
The day after his conversation with Francis, Polani handed him hisnomination as second in command of the Pluto, which he had obtainedthat morning from the seignory.
"You will be glad to hear that it is in this ship that Matteo alsosails," for Matteo had come home for his brother's wedding.
"I am very glad of that," Francis said. "I wish that poor Giuseppi wasalso here to go with me. I shall miss him terribly. He was a mostfaithful and devoted follower."
"I have already sent orders, to my agent in Tunis, to spare no pains indiscovering to whom the crew of the Naxos were sold. It is unfortunatethat so many other captives were sold at the same time, as it will makeit so much more difficult to trace our men. Those purchasing are notlikely to know more than their first names, and may not even take thetrouble to find out those, but may give them the first appellation thatcomes to hand. Therefore he has to find out who are now the masters ofthe whole of the captives sold at the same time, and then to pursue hisinvestigations until he discovers the identity of the men he is lookingfor. Once he has found this, I will promise you there will be no delay.I have ordered him to make the best bargain in each case he can, butthat at any rate he is to buy every one of them, whatever it may cost.
"I have sent him the personal descriptions of each man of the boat'screw, as given to me by their friends and relatives here, as this willbe an assistance in his search. If, for instance, he hears of aChristian slave named Giuseppi living with a master some hundreds ofmiles in the interior, the fact that this man is middle aged will showat once that he was not the Giuseppi, age 20, of whom he is in search.I have particularly impressed upon him, in my letter, that we wereespecially anxious for the rescue of the captain, and the young manGiuseppi, so I hope that by the time you return from the voyage, I mayhave received some news of them."
Matteo was greatly pleased when he heard that he was going to sailunder Francis.
"I would rather that we had both been volunteers," Francis said. "Itseems absurd my being appointed second officer, while you as yet haveno official position."
"I am not in the least bit in the world jealous, Francisco. With theexception of taking part in the fight at Antium, I have had noexperience whatever, while you have been going through all sorts ofadventures for the last two years, and always have come out of themmarvellously well."
An hour after Matteo left him, a retainer of the family brought Francisa letter from Signor Giustiniani, inviting him to come to his housethat evening, as many of Matteo's comrades on board the Pluto would bepresent. On Francis going to the palace he found assembled, not onlythe young men who would be Matteo's comrades as volunteers, but alsothe captain and other officers of the ship; and to them SignorGiustiniani personally presented Francis, while Rufino and Matteo didall they could to ensure the heartiest welcome for him, by tellingeveryone how greatly they were indebted to him, and how gallantly hehad behaved on several occasions.
Many of the young men he already knew as Matteo's friends, and by themhe was received with the greatest cordiality; but his reception by thecaptain, and one or two of the other officers, was much more cool. Thecaptain, whose name was Carlo Bottini, was a distant connection of theMocenigo family, and was therefore already prejudiced against Francis.The coolness of the other officers was due to the fact that Francis, aforeigner and several years junior to themselves, had been placed incommand over their heads.