Chapter 7: On Board A Trader.
"Have you heard the news, Francisco? My cousins are rescued! I havebeen out this morning and have only just heard it, and I was on thepoint of starting to tell you."
"Your news is old, Matteo. I knew it hours ago."
"And I hear," Matteo went on, "that Polani found them in a hut on SanNicolo. My father cannot think how he came to hear of their hidingplace. He says Polani would not say how he learned the news. My fathersupposes he heard it from some member of Ruggiero's household."
Francis hesitated for a moment. He had at first been on the point oftelling Matteo of the share he had had in the recovery of the girls;but he thought that although his friend could be trusted not to repeatthe news wilfully, he might accidentally say something which would leadto the fact being known, and that as Polani had strongly enjoined thenecessity of keeping the secret, and had himself declined to mention,even to the council, the source from which he obtained his information,he would look upon him as a babbler, and unworthy of trust, did he findthat Matteo had been let into the secret.
"It does not much matter who it is Polani learned the news from. Thegreat point is, he has found his daughters safe from all injury, and Ihear has brought back with him the woman who betrayed them. It isfortunate indeed that he took such prompt measures with Ruggiero, andthus prevented his escaping from the mainland, and making off with thegirls, as of course he intended to do."
"My father tells me," Matteo said, "that a state gondola has alreadybeen dispatched to bring Ruggiero a prisoner here, and that even hispowerful connections will not save him from severe punishment, forpublic indignation is so great at the attempt, that his friends willnot venture to plead on his behalf."
"And now I have my bit of news to tell you, Matteo. Signor Polani hasmost generously offered me a position in his house, and I am to sailtomorrow in one of his ships for the East."
"I congratulate you, Francisco, for I know, from what you have oftensaid, that you would like this much better than going back to England.But it seems very sudden. You did not know anything about it yesterday,and now you are going to start at once. Why, when can it have beensettled? Polani has been absent since daybreak, engaged in this matterof the girls, and has been occupied ever since with the council."
"I have seen him since he returned," Francis replied; "and though itwas only absolutely settled this morning, he has had several interviewswith my father on the subject. I believe he and my father thought thatit was better to get me away as soon as possible, as Ruggiero's friendsmay put down the disgrace which has befallen him to my interference inhis first attempt to carry off the girls."
"Well, I think you are a lucky fellow anyhow, Francisco, and I hopethat I may be soon doing something also. I shall speak to my fatherabout it, and ask him to get Polani to let me take some voyages in hisvessels, so that I may be fit to become an officer in one of the stategalleys, as soon as I am of age. Where are you going now?"
"I am going round to the School of Arms, to say goodbye to ourcomrades. After that I am going to Signor Polani's to pay my respectsto the signoras. Then I shall be at home with my father till it is timeto go on board. He will have left here before I return from my voyage,as he is going to wind up his affairs at once and return to England."
"Well, I will accompany you to the school and to my cousin's," Matteosaid. "I shall miss you terribly here, and shall certainly do all I canto follow your example, and get afloat. You may have all sorts ofadventures, for we shall certainly be at war with Genoa before manyweeks are over, and you will have to keep a sharp lookout for their wargalleys. Polani's ships are prizes worth taking, and you may have thechance of seeing the inside of a Genoese prison before you return."
After a visit to the School of Arms, the two friends were rowed toSignor Polani's. The merchant himself was out, but they were at onceshown up to the room where the girls were sitting.
"My dear cousins," Matteo said as he entered, "I am delighted to seeyou back safe and well. All Venice is talking of your return. You arethe heroines of the day. You do not know what an excitement there hasbeen over your adventure."
"The sooner people get to talk about something else the better,Matteo," Maria said, "for we shall have to be prisoners all day tillsomething else occupies their attention. We have not the least desireto be pointed at, whenever we go out, as the maidens who were carriedaway. If the Venetians were so interested in us, they had much betterhave set about discovering where we were hidden away before."
"But everyone did try, I can assure you, Maria. Every place has beenransacked, high and low. Every gondolier has been questioned and crossquestioned as to his doings on that day. Every fishing village has beenvisited. Never was such a search, I do believe. But who could havethought of your being hidden away all the time at San Nicolo! As forme, I have spent most of my time in a gondola, going out and staring upat every house I passed, in hopes of seeing a handkerchief waved from acasement. And so has Francisco; he has been just as busy in the searchas anyone, I can assure you."
"Francisco is different," Maria said, not observing the signs Franciswas making for her to be silent. "Francisco has got eyes in his head,and a brain in his skull, which is more, it seems, than any of theVenetians have; and had he not brought father to our hiding place,there we should have remained until Ruggiero Mocenigo came and carriedus away."
"Francisco brought your father the news!" Matteo exclaimed inastonishment. "Why, was it he who found you out, after all?"
"Did you not know that, Matteo? Of course it was Francisco! As I toldyou, he has got brains; and if it had not been for him, we shouldcertainly never have been rescued. Giulia and I owe himeverything--don't we, Giulia?"
"Forgive me for not telling you, Matteo," Francis said to hisastonished friend; "but Signor Polani, and my father, both impressedupon me so strongly that I should keep silent as to my share in thebusiness, that I thought it better not even to mention it to you atpresent. It was purely the result of an accident."
"It was nothing of the sort," Maria said. "It was the result of yourkeeping your eyes open and knowing how to put two and two together. Idid not know, Francisco, that it was a secret. We have not seen ourfather since we have returned, and I suppose he thought we should seenobody until he saw us again, and so did not tell us that we were notto mention your name in the affair; but we will be careful in future."
"But how was it, Francisco?" Matteo asked. "Now I know so much as this,I suppose I can be told the rest. I can understand well enough why itwas to be kept a secret, and why my cousin is anxious to get you out ofVenice at once."
Francis related the manner in which he first became acquainted with theexistence of the hut on the island, and the fact of its beingfrequented by Ruggiero Mocenigo; and how, on catching sight of thegouvernante in a gondola, and seeing her make out across the lagoons,the idea struck him that the girls were confined in the hut.
"It is all very simple, you see, Matteo," he concluded.
"I will never say anything against learning to row a gondola infuture," Matteo said, "for it seems to lead to all sorts of adventures;and unless you could have rowed well, you would never have got back totell the story. But it is certain that it is a good thing you areleaving Venice for a time, for Ruggiero's friends may find out theshare you had in it from some of my cousin's servants. You may be surethat they will do their best to discover how he came to be informed ofthe hiding place, and he is quite right to send you off at once."
"What! are you going away, Francisco?" the two girls exclaimedtogether.
"I am sailing tomorrow in one of your father's ships, signoras."
"And you are not coming back again?" Maria exclaimed.
"I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you again before very long,signora. I am entering your father's service for good, and shall bebackwards and forwards to Venice as the ship comes and goes. My fatheris returning to England, and Signor Polani has most kindly requested meto make my home with him whenever I am in port.
"
"That is better," Maria said. "We should have a pretty quarrel withpapa if he had let you go away altogether, after what you have done forus--
"Shouldn't we, Giulia?"
But Giulia had walked away to the window, and did not seem to hear thequestion.
"That will be very pleasant," Maria went on; "for you will be backevery two or three months, and I shall take good care that papa doesnot send the ship off in a hurry again. It will be almost as good ashaving a brother; and I look upon you almost as a brother now,Francisco--and a very good brother, too. I don't think that man willmolest us any more. If I thought there was any chance of it, I shouldask papa to keep you for a time, because I should feel confident thatyou would manage to protect us somehow."
"I do not think there is the slightest chance of more trouble fromhim," Francis said. "He is sure of a long term of imprisonment forcarrying you off."
"That is the least they can do to him, I should think," Maria saidindignantly. "I certainly shall not feel comfortable while he is atlarge."
After half an hour's talk Francis and his friend took their leave.
"You certainly were born with a silver spoon in your mouth," Matteosaid as they took their seats in the gondola, "and my cousin does wellto get you out of Venice at once, for I can tell you there are scoresof young fellows who would feel jealous at your position with mycousins."
"Nonsense!" Francis said, colouring. "How can you talk so absurdly,Matteo? I am only a boy, and it will be years before I could think ofmarriage. Besides, your cousins are said to be the richest heiresses inVenice; and it is not because I have been able to be of some slightservice to them, that I should venture to think of either of them inthat way."
"We shall see," Matteo laughed. "Maria is a little too old for you, Igrant, but Giulia will do very well; and as you have already come, asMaria says, to be looked upon by them as a brother and protector, thereis no saying as to how she may regard you in another two or threeyears."
"The thing is absurd, Matteo," Francis said impatiently. "Do not talksuch nonsense any more."
Matteo lay back in his seat and whistled.
"I will say no more about it at present, Francisco," he said, after apause; "but I must own that I should be well content to stand as highin the good graces of my pretty cousins as you do."
The next morning Francis spent some time with his father talking overfuture arrangements.
"I have no doubt that I shall see you sometimes, Francis; for Polaniwill be sure to give you an opportunity of making a trip to England,from time to time, in one of his ships trading thither. Unless anythingunexpected happens, your future appears assured. Polani tells me heshall always regard you in the light of a son; and I have no fear ofyour doing anything to cause him to forfeit his good opinion of you. Donot be over adventurous, for even in a merchant ship there are manyperils to be met with. Pirates swarm in the Mediterranean, in spite ofthe efforts of Venice to suppress them; and when war is going on, bothVenice and Genoa send out numbers of ships whose doings savour stronglyof piracy. Remember that the first duty of the captain of a merchantship is to save his vessel and cargo, and that he should not think offighting unless he sees no other method of escape open to him.
"It is possible that, after a time, I may send one of your brothers outhere, but that will depend upon what I find of their disposition when Iget home; for it will be worse than useless to send a lad of aheadstrong disposition out to the care of one but a few years olderthan himself. But this we can talk about when you come over to England,and we see what position you are occupying here.
"I fear that Venice is about to enter upon a period of great difficultyand danger. There can be little doubt that Genoa, Padua, and Hungaryare leagued against her; and powerful as she is, and great as are herresources, they will be taxed to the utmost to carry her through thedangers that threaten her. However, I have faith in her future, andbelieve that she will weather the storm, as she has done many that havepreceded it.
"Venice has the rare virtue of endurance--the greatest dangers, themost disastrous defeats, fail to shake her courage, and only arouse herto greater efforts. In this respect she is in the greatest contrast toher rival, Genoa, who always loses heart the moment the tide turnsagainst her. No doubt this is due, in no slight extent, to heroligarchic form of government. The people see the nobles, who rulethem, calm and self possessed, however great the danger, and remainconfident and tranquil; while in Genoa each misfortune is the signalfor a struggle between contending factions. The occasion is seized tothrow blame and contumely upon those in power, and the people give wayto alternate outbursts of rage and depression.
"I do not say there are no faults in the government of Venice, buttaking her altogether there is no government in Europe to compare withit. During the last three hundred years, the history of every othercity in Italy, I may say of every other nation in Europe, is one longrecord of intestine struggle and bloodshed, while in Venice there hasnot been a single popular tumult worthy of the name. It is to thestrength, the firmness, and the moderation of her government thatVenice owes her advancement, the respect in which she is held amongnations, as much as to the commercial industry of her people.
"She alone among nations could for years have withstood the interdictof the pope, or the misfortunes that have sometimes befallen her. Shealone has never felt the foot of the invader, or bent her neck beneatha foreign yoke to preserve her existence. Here, save only in matters ofgovernment, all opinions are free, strangers of all nationalities arewelcome. It is a grand city and a grand people, Francis, and though Ishall be glad to return to England I cannot but feel regret at leavingit.
"And now, my boy, it is time to be going off to your ship. Polani saidshe would sail at ten o'clock. It is now nine, and it will take youhalf an hour to get there. I am glad to hear that Giuseppi is goingwith you. The lad is faithful and attached to you, and may be ofservice. Your trunk has already been sent on board, so let us begoing."
On arriving at the ship, which was lying in the port of Malamocco, theyfound that she was just ready for sailing. The last bales of goods werebeing hoisted on board, and the sailors were preparing to loosen thesails.
The Bonito was a large vessel, built for stowage rather than speed. Shecarried two masts with large square sails, and before the wind wouldprobably proceed at a fair rate; but the art of sailing close hauledwas then unknown, and in the event of the wind being unfavourable shewould be forced either to anchor or to depend upon her oars, of whichshe rowed fifteen on either side. As they mounted on to the deck theywere greeted by Polani himself.
"I have come off to see the last of your son, Messer Hammond, and tomake sure that my orders for his comfort have been carried out.
"Captain Corpadio, this is the young gentleman of whom I have spoken toyou, and who is to be treated in all respects as if he were my son. Youwill instruct him in all matters connected with the navigation of theship, as well as in the mercantile portion of the business, the bestmethods of buying and selling, the prices of goods, and the methods ofpayment.
"This is your cabin, Francisco."
He opened the door of a roomy cabin in the poop of the ship. It wasfitted up with every luxury.
"Thank you very much indeed, Signor Polani," Francis said. "The onlyfault is that it is too comfortable. I would as lief have roughed it asother aspirants have to do."
"There was no occasion, Francisco. When there is rough work to be done,you will, I have no doubt, do it; but as you are going to be a trader,and not a sailor, there is no occasion that you should do so more thanis necessary. You will learn to command a ship just as well as if youbegan by dipping your hands in tar. And it is well that you shouldlearn to do this, for unless a man can sail a vessel himself, he is notwell qualified to judge of the merits of men he appoints to becaptains; but you must remember that you are going as a representativeof my house, and must, therefore, travel in accordance with thatcondition.
"You will be sorry to hear that bad news ha
s just been received fromthe mainland. The state galley sent to fetch Ruggiero Mocenigo hasarrived with the news that, on the previous night, a strong party ofmen who are believed to have come from Padua, fell upon the guard andcarried off Ruggiero. My sailors came up and fought stoutly, but theywere overpowered, and several of them were killed; so Ruggiero is againat large.
"This is a great disappointment to me. Though the villain is not likelyto show his face in the Venetian territory again, I shall be anxiousuntil Maria is safely married, and shall lose no time in choosing ahusband for her. Unless I am mistaken, her liking is turned in thedirection of Rufino, brother of your friend Matteo Giustiniani, and asI like none better among the suitors for her hand, methinks that by thetime you return you will find that they are betrothed.
"And now I hear the sailors are heaving the anchor, and therefore,Messer Hammond, it is time we took to our boats."
There was a parting embrace between Francis and his father. Then themerchants descended into their gondolas, and lay waiting alongsideuntil the anchor was up, the great sails shaken out, and the Bonitobegan to move slowly through the water towards the entrance of theport. Then, with a final wave of the hand, the gondolas rowed off andFrancis turned to look at his surroundings. The first object that methis eye was Giuseppi, who was standing near him waving his cap to hisfather.
"Well, Giuseppi, what do you think of this?"
"I don't know what to think yet, Messer Francisco. It all seems so bigand solid one does not feel as if one was on the water. It's more likeliving in a house. It does not seem as if anything could move her."
"You will find the waves can move her about when we get fairly to sea,Giuseppi, and the time will come when you will think our fast gondolawas a steady craft in comparison. How long have you been on board?"
"I came off three hours ago, signor, with the boat that brought thefurniture for your cabin. I have been putting that to rights since. Asupply of the best wine has been sent off, and extra stores of allsorts, so you need not be afraid of being starved on the voyage."
"I wish he hadn't sent so much," Francis said. "It makes one feel likea milksop. Whose cabin is it I have got?"
"I believe that it is the cabin usually used by the supercargo, who isin charge of the goods and does the trading, but the men say thecaptain of this ship has been a great many years in Polani'semployment, and often sails without a supercargo, being able to managethe trading perfectly well by himself. But the usual cabin is only halfthe size of yours, and two have been thrown into one to make it lightand airy."
"And where do you sleep, Giuseppi?"
"I am going to sleep in the passage outside your door, MesserFrancisco."
"Oh, but I sha'n't like that!" Francis said. "You ought to have abetter place than that."
Giuseppi laughed.
"Why, Messer Francisco, considering that half my time I slept in thegondola, and the other half on some straw in our kitchen, I shall docapitally. Of course I could sleep in the fo'castle with the crew if Iliked, but I should find it hot and stifling there. I chose the placemyself, and asked the captain if I could sleep there, and he has givenme leave."
In an hour the Bonito had passed through the Malamocco Channel, and wasout on the broad sea. The wind was very light, and but just sufficientto keep the great sails bellied out. The sailors were all at work,coiling down ropes, washing the decks, and making everything clean andtidy.
"This is a good start, Messer Hammond," the captain said, coming up tohim. "If this wind holds, we shall be able to make our course round thesouthern point of Greece, and then on to Candia, which is our firstport. I always like a light breeze when I first go out of port, itgives time for everyone to get at home and have things shipshape beforewe begin to get lively."
"She does not look as if she would ever get lively," Francis said,looking at the heavy vessel.
"She is lively enough in a storm, I can tell you," the captain said,laughing. "When she once begins to roll she does it in earnest, but sheis a fine sea boat, and I have no fear of gales. I wish I could say asmuch of pirates. However, she has always been fortunate, and as wecarry a stout crew she could give a good account of herself against anyof the small piratical vessels that swarm among the islands, although,of course, if she fell in with two or three of them together it wouldbe awkward."
"How many men do you carry altogether, captain?"
"Just seventy. You see she rows thirty oars, and in case of need we puttwo men to each oar, and though she doesn't look fast she can get alongat a fine rate when the oars are double banked. We have shown them ourheels many a time. Our orders are strict. We are never to fight if wecan get away by running."
"But I suppose you have to fight sometimes?" Francis asked.
"Yes, I have been in some tough fights several times, though not in theBonito, which was only built last year. Once in the Lion we wereattacked by three pirates. We were at anchor in a bay, and the wind wasblowing on the shore, when they suddenly came round the headland, sothere was no chance of running, and we had to fight it out. We foughtfor five hours before they sheered off, pretty well crippled, and oneof them in flames, for we carried Greek fire.
"Three or four times they nearly got a footing on deck, but we managedto beat them off somehow. We lost a third of our crew. I don't thinkthere was a man escaped without a wound. I was laid up for threemonths, after I got home, with a slash on the shoulder, which prettynigh took off my left arm. However, we saved the ship and the cargo,which was a valuable one, and Messer Polani saw that no one was theworse for his share in the business. There's no more liberal-heartedman in the trade than he is, and whatever may be the scarcity of handsin the port, there is never any difficulty in getting a good crewtogether for his vessels.
"Of course there are the roughs with the smooths. Some years ago I wasin prison for six months, with all my crew, in Azoff. It was the workof those rascally Genoese, who are always doing us a bad turn when theyhave the chance, even when we are at peace with them. They set the mindof the native khan--that is the prince of the country--against us bysome lying stories that we had been engaged in smuggling goods in atanother port. And suddenly, in the middle of the night, in marched hissoldiers on board my ship, and two other Venetian craft lying in theharbour, and took possession of them, and shut us all up in prison.There we were till Messer Polani got news, and sent out another ship topay the fine demanded. That was no joke, I can tell you, for the prisonwas so hot and crowded, and the food so bad, that we got fever, andpretty near half of us died before our ransom came. Then atConstantinople the Genoese stirred the people up against us once ortwice, and all the sailors ashore had to fight for their lives. ThoseGenoese are always doing us mischief."
"But I suppose you do them mischief sometimes, captain. I imagine itisn't all one side."
"Of course, we pay them out when we get a chance," the captain replied."It isn't likely we are going to stand being always put upon, and nottake our chance when it comes. We only want fair trade and no favour,while those rascals want it all to themselves. They know they have nochance with us when it comes to fair trading."
"You know, captain, that the Genoese say just the same things about theVenetians, that the Venetians do about them. So I expect that there arefaults on both sides."
The captain laughed.
"I suppose each want to have matters their own way, Messer Hammond, butI don't consider the Genoese have any right to come interfering withus, to the eastward of Italy. They have got France and Spain to tradewith, and all the western parts of Italy. Why don't they keep there?Besides, I look upon them as landsmen. Why, we can always lick them atsea in a fair fight."
"Generally, captain. I admit you generally thrash them. Still, you knowthey have sometimes got the better of you, even when the force wasequal."
The captain grunted. He could not deny the fact.
"Sometimes our captains don't do their duty," he said. "They put a lotof young patricians in command of the galleys, men that don't know on
eend of a ship from the other, and then, of course, we get the worst ofit. But I maintain that, properly fought, a Venetian ship is alwaysmore than a match for a Genoese."
"I think she generally is, captain, and I hope it will always prove soin the future. You see, though I am English, I have lived long enoughin Venice to feel like a Venetian."
"I have never been to England," the captain said, "though a good manyVenetian ships go there every year. They tell me it's an island, likeVenice, only a deal bigger than any we have got in the Mediterranean.Those who have been there say the sea is mighty stormy, and that,sailing up from Spain, you get tremendous tempests sometimes, with thewaves ever so much bigger than we have here, and longer and moreregular, but not so trying to the ships as the short sharp gales ofthese seas."
"I believe that is so, captain, though I don't know anything about itmyself. It is some years since I came out, and our voyage was a verycalm one."
Three days of quiet sailing, and the Bonito rounded the headlands ofthe Morea, and shaped her course to Candia. The voyage was a verypleasant one to Francis. Each day the captain brought out the list ofcargo, and instructed him in the prices of each description of goods,told him of the various descriptions of merchandise which they would belikely to purchase at the different ports at which they were to touch,and the prices which they would probably have to pay for them. Acertain time, too, was devoted each day to the examination of thecharts of the various ports and islands, the captain pointing out themarks which were to be observed on entering and leaving the harbours,the best places for anchorage, and the points where shelter could beobtained should high winds come on.
After losing sight of the Morea the weather changed, clouds banked uprapidly in the southwest, and the captain ordered the great sails to befurled.
"We are going to have a serious gale," he said to Francis, "which isunusual at this period of the year. I have thought, for the last twodays, we were going to have a change, but I hoped to have reachedCandia before the gale burst upon us. I fear that this will drive usoff our course."
By evening it was blowing hard, and the sea got up rapidly. The shipspeedily justified the remarks of the captain on her power of rolling,and the oars, at which the men had been labouring since the sails werefurled, were laid in.
"It is impossible to keep our course," the captain said, "and we mustrun up among the islands, and anchor under the lee of one of them. Ishould recommend you to get into your bed as soon as possible. You havenot learned to keep your legs in a storm. I see that lad of yours isvery ill already, but as you show no signs of suffering thus far, youwill probably escape."
It was some time, however, before Francis went below. The scene wasnovel to him, and he was astonished at the sight of the waves, and atthe manner in which they tossed the great ship about, as if she were aneggshell. But when it became quite dark, and he could see nothing butthe white crests of the waves and the foam that flew high in the airevery time the bluff bows of the ship plunged down into a hollow, hetook the captain's advice and retired to his cabin.
He was on deck again early. A gray mist overhung the water. The sea wasof a leaden colour, crested with white heads. The waves were far higherthan they had been on the previous evening, and as they came racingalong behind the Bonito each crest seemed as if it would rise over herstern and overwhelm her. But this apprehension was soon dispelled, ashe saw how lightly the vessel rose each time. Although showing but avery small breadth of sail, she was running along at a great rate,leaving a white streak of foam behind her. The captain was standingnear the helm, and Francis made his way to him.
"Well, captain, and how are you getting on, and where are we?" heasked, cheerfully.
"We are getting on well enough, Messer Francisco, as you can see foryourself. The Bonito is as good a sea boat as ever floated, and wouldnot care for the wind were it twice as strong as it is. It is not thestorm I am thinking about, but the islands. If we were down in theMediterranean I could turn into my cot and sleep soundly; but here itis another matter. We are somewhere up among the islands, but where, noman can say. The wind has shifted a bit two or three times during thenight, and, as we are obliged to run straight before it, there is nocalculating to within a few miles where we are. I have tried to edgeout to the westward as much as I could, but with this wind blowing andthe height of the ship out of water, we sag away to leeward so fastthat nothing is gained by it.
"According to my calculation, we cannot be very far from the west coastof Mitylene. If the clouds would but lift, and give us a look round fortwo minutes, we should know all about it, as I know the outline ofevery island in the Aegean; and as over on this side you are always insight of two or three of them, I should know all about it if I couldget a view of the land. Now, for aught we know, we may be runningstraight down upon some rocky coast."
The idea was not a pleasant one, and Francis strained his eyes, gazingthrough the mist.
"What should we do if we saw land, captain?" he asked presently.
"Get out the oars, row her head round, and try to work either to theright or left, whichever point of land seemed easiest to weather. Ofcourse, if it was the mainland we were being driven on there would beno use, and we should try and row into the teeth of the gale, so as tokeep her off land as long as possible, in the hope of the winddropping. When we got into shallow water we should drop our anchors,and still keep on rowing to lessen the strain upon them. If they gave,there would be an end to the Bonito. But if, as I think, we are drivingtowards Mitylene, there is a safe harbour on this side of the island,and I shall certainly run into it. It is well sheltered andlandlocked."
Two more hours passed, and then there was a startling transformation.The clouds broke suddenly and cleared off, as if by magic, and the sunstreamed brightly out. The wind was blowing as strong as ever, but thechange in the hue of sky and sea would at once have raised the spiritsof the tired crew, had not a long line of land been seen stretchingahead of them at a distance of four or five miles.
"Just as I thought," the captain exclaimed as he saw it. "That isMitylene, sure enough, and the entrance to the harbour I spoke of liesaway there on that beam."
The oars were at once got out, the sail braced up a little, and theBonito made for the point indicated by the captain, who himself tookthe helm.
Another half hour and they were close to land. Francis could see nosign of a port, but in a few minutes the Bonito rounded the end of alow island, and a passage opened before her. She passed through thisand found herself in still water, in a harbour large enough to hold thefleet of Venice. The anchor was speedily let drop.
"It seems almost bewildering," Francis said, "the hush and quiet hereafter the turmoil of the storm outside. To whom does Mitylene belong?"
"The Genoese have a trading station and a castle at the other side ofthe island, but it belongs to Constantinople. The other side of theisland is rich and fertile, but this, as you see, is mountainous andbarren. The people have not a very good reputation, and if we had beenwrecked we should have been plundered, if not murdered.
"You see those two vessels lying close to the shore, near the village?They are pirates when they get a chance, you may be quite sure. Infact, these islands swarm with them. Venice does all she can to keepthem down, but the Genoese, and the Hungarians, and the rest of them,keep her so busy that she has no time to take the matter properly inhand, and make a clean sweep of them."