CHAPTER ELEVEN.
The longer a sensible man lives (for a fool may live and not learn), themore convinced he will become of the importance of laying a firmfoundation for every undertaking, whether it be a constitution to liveunder, or a house to live in, an education for his children, a coat forhis back, shoes for his feet, or a ship to convey himself or hismerchandise from one part of the globe to the other. He learns that itis wisest and cheapest to have all the materials of the best, to employthe 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 ofcheap--no matter at what cost or ruin to the consumer as well as theproducer, for both are equally losers--the one from being badly said,the other from getting a bad article. On every side, one ears the criesof cheap government, cheap houses, cheap education, and cheap clothing;and the people are always found ready to offer to supply them. Wiserthan this generation are seamen. They know, from experience, that cheapclothes and cheap ships do not answer; that both are apt to fail at thevery moment their services are most required; and a good officer,therefore, spares no expense or trouble in seeing that everything isgood and sound on board his ship, from keelson to truck, below andaloft. Such a man was our friend Captain Bowse.
The spars and rigging of the _Zodiac_ did full justice to those whoselected the first, and fitted the latter. Not a spar was sprung--not astrand parted with the tremendous strain put on them. It was almost toomuch for the ship, Bowse himself owned. It was taking the wear of yearsout of her in a day--as a wild debauch, or any violent exertion, willinjure the human frame, more than years of ordinary toil. Though themasts stood, the ship, it was very evident, must be strained, from theway in which she was driven through the water, and made to buffet withthe waves. On rushed the brig.
"That is what I call tearing the marrow out of a body's bones," saidBill Bullock. "Well, bless the old barkie; there's few could stand itas she does. I never seed any one carry on so as our skipper does, thisblessed day--no, neither now, nor since the time I first went afloat."
"Nor I neither, old ship," answered Jem. "But for that matter, as theparson 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 erebeggar astern was right ahead now, and that we was a chasin' her, andevery 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 tolook into the rights of the case, like a man should do, why you sees ashow, if she has got twenty guns, which can sink us from where our shotcan't reach 'em, and we has only got four guns, for the Quakers only hasto do when you comes to frighten people at a distance, then you see ashow 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 justspoken, "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 asdry as a cork yesterday," he observed.
"I did not expect less, though," returned the master. "She must bestrong not to let it in faster. We'll sound again in another halfhour."
For the first two or three hours of the chase, it was difficult todetermine whether the stranger gained on them or not: but, by the timefive had passed away, she had clearly come up very much. Bowse lookedat his topmasts and topsail-yards, and then at the lee-scuppers, andshook his head. He was meditating the possibility of shaking outanother reef. He wished that he could divine some method to induce thestranger to set more sail; but this hope had failed, for as he wasgaining on them without it, he was not likely to do so. The masterwatched him anxiously through his glass. He seemed to stand up well tohis canvas, and there was but little chance of his carrying anythingaway. On coming to this conclusion, Bowse began to consider whether itwould not be more prudent to shorten sail himself, so as to be in bettercondition to meet the enemy when he should come up--a result which hefeared must, sooner or later, occur. Even should the weather moderate,the polacca brig would probably have a still greater advantage; but thenagain, his principle was to struggle to the last--never to yield todeath or misfortune, while the faintest gasp remains--never to let hopeexpire--so he determined still to drive the ship through it. Again thewell was sounded. The water had increased another half foot. The mateshook his head. Two more anxious hours passed away.
"How much has she gained on us now, Timmins?" answered Bowse, who hadreturned from snatching a hasty meal below.
"The best part of half a league at least, sir," answered the mate. "Ifshe comes up at this rate, she'll be within hail before the first watchis over to-night. Now, sir, as the carpenter reports the waterincreasing fast, and to have to keep the men at the pumps, where theymust go for a spell, will make them unfit to meet the enemy, I ventureto advise that we take the strain off the ship at once. It's clearlynothing else that makes her leak as she does, and we shall then meetthat fellow by daylight, which I tell you honestly, Captain Bowse, I forone would rather do."
Bowse listened to his mate's opinion with respect, but he doubted muchwhether to act upon it.
"What you say has much reason in it," he answered; "but send the handsto 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'llshorten sail; but if we can easily keep the leaks under, we'll carry onto the last."
The clank of the pumps was heard amid the roaring of the gale, and theloud dash of the water over the ship, as the crew performed that mostdetested portion of a seaman's duty. The result was watched for withanxiety by the captain, for he saw that on it depended how soon theymight be brought into action with the pirate. If he could still manageto keep ahead of him he might induce him to give up the chase; or hemight fall in with a man-of-war, or some armed merchantman, in companywith 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 forsome port on the Italian coast; but there was a wide extent of sea to becrossed before he could reach it, and the pirate being probably just asfast off the wind as on it, would still overtake him; and though hemight, as he trusted to do, beat him off, he would be so much furtheraway 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 keepthem under, and if I might advise--"
"Please Heaven, we'll carry on, then, on the ship!" exclaimed themaster, 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 withlittle variation. The _Zodiac_ tore her way through the water, and seasucceeding sea met her persevering bows, and either yielded her apassage or flew in deluges over her decks. Night came on, and thestranger was upward of two leagues astern. The mate had beforemiscalculated her distance; his anxiety to shorten sail had probablysomewhat blinded him. If the scene on board the _Zodiac_ appearedterrific during daylight, much more so was it when darkness added itsown peculiar horrors. Still not a sheet nor a tack would the bravemaster start, and he resolved, if the gale did not further increase, torun through the night without shortening sail. He himself set anexample of hardihood and resolution to his crew, for scarcely a momentdid he quit his post during the day, or the dreary hours of the firstwatch. As the short twilight disappeared, the stranger grew less andless distinct, till her shadowy outline could alone be traced, and eventhat 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 waskept 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 notnearer; and some even fancied they could see her
looming, surrounded bya halo of unnatural light, through the darkness.
It was in the first hour of the morning-watch, and neither Bowse nor hismate, though they swept the sea to the westward with theirnight-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 likedaylight," returned the mate; "and that cursed craft may be alongside usbefore then."
"Well, we are prepared for her," returned the master.
"I hope so," exclaimed the mate; "for, by Heaven, Captain Bowse, thereshe 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 feltinclined 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 causingno doubt of something ominous of evil being there, as some bird of preyhovering about, ready to pounce down any moment, and destroy them.
The morning light brought the stranger clearly in view, at about thesame distance; and at the same period of time the ship, rightingsuddenly from the downward pressure, to which she had been so longexposed, showed that there was a lull of the wind. It was butmomentarily, for again she heeled over as before. Again, however, sherighted, and this time, her lee scuppers remained for longer free of thewater.
Bowse looked to windward: he was about to order a couple of reefs moreto be shaken out of the topsails, when another violent blast almost laidher 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 thedecks to leeward. A loud crash was heard, and the fore-topmast wentover the side, carrying away the jibboom. It was the last expiringeffort 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, asshe continued to maintain the exact position she had held when firstseen in the morning.
The forenoon watch had just been set, when Colonel Gauntlett came ondeck.
"A nice night we've had of it, captain," he observed in a tone whichshowed but little anxiety on his part. "It was only towards the morningthe infernal hubbub would allow me a moment's sleep. But, hillo! whathave you been doing with your foremast? Why, it's shorn of half itsjust proportions. And a pretty work seems to have been going forward onyour deck. Why, I should have thought you had been in action already."
"With the winds and waves we have, sir," answered Bowse. "I wish wewere 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-byto our friend, the _Flying Dutchman_."
Bowse, whose spirits weariness and anxiety had much lowered, shook hishead, and pointed to the stranger.
"I wish I could say so, Colonel Gauntlett. There she is, as big aslife; and, what is more, may be alongside of us any moment those onboard her may desire."
"Ods life, then we shall have to fight her after all," exclaimed thecolonel, 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 bythe colonel's coolness. "We should have had an advantage we shall notenjoy to-day. She has the weather gauge, and may select her own time toengage us, and is, I suspect, but waiting till the sea goes down, whenshe may run us alongside, and take advantage of the great superiority ofmen 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 thosecolours."
"Merely to blind us, sir, depend on it," answered the master. "He iseven 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 diedaway completely, even before the sea created by the gale had had time togo down, and the two vessels lay rolling from side to side like logs onthe water, without power to progress, just beyond the range of eachother's guns.
Those who have cruised in the Mediterranean Sea must have livelyrecollections of the calms which have stopped their onward progress--theslow rolling of the vessel without any apparent cause, the loud flappingof 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 theseams between the planks, the dazzling glare too bright for the eyes toendure from the mirror-like surface of the water, and, above all, theconsequent feelings of discontent, lassitude, and weariness.
Notwithstanding the heat and the motion, and the excessive wearinessthey felt from their incessant toil, Bowse and his bold crew setmanfully to work to repair the damage the _Zodiac_ had received duringthe storm. All hands laboured cheerfully, for they saw that everythingmight depend on the speed with which they could get the ship to rightsagain. Although the damage on deck was considerable, yet their firstcare was to get up a new topmast, and another jib-boom out, for bothwhich purposes they fortunately had spare ones on board. Bowse had gonefor 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 rapidlyapproaching; she had in the stern-sheets four persons, three of whomwere dressed as officers, and wore cocked hats.
The passengers were on deck, as well as the two mates, watching theboat.
"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 tofight."
"I'm afraid there's little honesty either on board the craft or theboat; for I trust little to the Austrian bunting flying at her peak,"answered Bowse. "You must not be frightened, young lady, when you seethe men armed. It is safe to be prepared--Mr Timmins, get thecutlasses and small arms on deck, and send the people to theirquarters--Colonel Gauntlett, I will speak with you, if you please;" andthe master led the colonel aside. "I have to propose a bold plan, and adangerous one, should it not succeed; but if it does, I think our safetyis secured. The pirate--for pirate the commander of that brig is, I amassured--will, I suspect, through audacity or fool-hardiness, venture onour deck; now, what I propose, if he does, is to entice the rest of thepeople on board, and to seize them and their boat, and to hold them ashostages."
"But suppose they should prove to be really Austrians," urged thecolonel. "It would be an odd way of treating officers who come to pay afriendly visit; and, seeing there are ten men in the boat, it will notbe quite so easy either."
"No fear of that, sir," answered Bowse; "they venture here because theydon't know what Englishmen are made of. They have been accustomed todeal with Turks and degenerate Greeks and Italians, and fancy they canmanage us as easy; they come to see the condition we are in. Now, as Ifeel certain that boat comes here with the intention and hope of takingthis brig without any resistance, I want to make them fall into theirown trap."
The colonel thought a little time. "Well," he answered, "I do notdislike your plan on the whole, provided we are sure the fellows intendus 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 ondeck--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 securethem. I want you t
o offer a reason for our carrying so much sailyesterday and last night, to throw them off their guard, and to makethem 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 thatyou 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 inbefore 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," repliedBowse. "They will observe the loss of caboose and boats, and also ofour bulwarks, it is true; but we must settle them before they have timeto consult about it; or we may point it out to them at once, and tellthem that it happened at the end of the gale, and that it would havemade us shorten sail if the wind had not dropped."
The plan of the master being agreed to, preparations were made toreceive their very doubtful visitors. Ada and her attendant were on thepoop, with Mitchell to guard them. The colonel and master, with thefirst mate stood at the gangway, on either side of which were stationedtwo of the strongest men in the ship, their cutlasses being concealed.The second mate, with six other hands, well armed, had orders to rushaft the moment they were summoned, and to look after the boats and thosewho 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 uniformof the officers was perfectly correct, as far as he knew.
The boat dashed alongside without hesitation, and two of the officerssprung up on deck; the rest would have followed, but the two men at thegangway stopped them, in spite of gesticulations and strenuousendeavours.
"Messieurs, some one on board, I presume, speaks French?" said theprincipal 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 inthe world. "_Que voulez-vous, Messieurs_?"
"I am delighted to find a gentleman with whom I can converse in a commonlanguage. My native German I judged would be hopeless," observed theofficer.
He was a remarkably fine-looking man, with a dark, curling moustache,and a free, bold manner. Now the colonel had studied German in thecourse of his military education, and spoke it well; he thereforeimmediately answered in that language.
The officer looked puzzled, and then laughingly said, "Oh! I mustcompliment you; but we will speak in French--it is the proper languagefor the intercourse of strangers--a mutual ground on which they meet. Ihave come to offer the services of my ship's company in putting yourvessel 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 thecrew of the brig are fully competent to perform all the work which isrequired; and you see they have already accomplished much of it."
"I see they have been at work; but it will still occupy them much timeto put you to rights," observed the stranger. "You carried on yesterdayand during the night more than I ever saw a vessel do before; and may Iask why you endeavoured to outsail me as you did yesterday."
"Certainly," returned the colonel; and gave the explanation arrangedwith Bowse.
"Ah, it was a pity though, it made me suspicious of you," exclaimed theofficer. "And did you not receive a message by a Sicilian speronara,which I sent to invite any merchantmen to put themselves under myprotection?"
"Oh! we received it; and though doubts might have occurred, we weregrateful," returned the colonel; then, in a low whisper to Bowse, hesaid. "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 tooffer it also to those in the boat."
The stranger hesitated: at that instant Ada, who had risen to witnessthe conference, came to the break of the poop. She had been examiningthe 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 Austrianofficer, 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 hiscompanion, 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, beforethe guns could be brought to bear, and could be fired, the stranger wasa long way from the ship, and not a shot told. There was thus no longerany disguise--nor could they, should they be conquered, expect any mercyat the hands of the pirate.