CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
A bright moon was floating in the pure ether of that lovely clime, asthe _Ione_, under all sail, glided out from the calm waters of theharbour of Valetta on to the open sea. No sooner had she got beyond theshelter of Saint Elmo than she heeled over to the force of a brisknorth-westerly breeze, which sent her through the water at the rate ofsome seven or eight knots an hour, to the no small satisfaction of allon board. No time had been lost in getting ready for sea. The purserhad got off his stores with unusual despatch; the first lieutenant hadreceived what he required from the dockyard; the officers, who were onshore, had been sent for and collected; sea stock had been laid in bythe caterers of the gun-room and midshipmen's mess, and Signor Michael,from Nix Mangiare Stairs, had not neglected to send the groceries whichwere ordered; little was forgotten, and no one was left behind. Thecommander had been the most busy, and those who saw the calm andcomposed way in which he went about the business in which he wasoccupied, could scarcely have supposed the anguish which had so latelyrent his mind. After he had spoken to his first lieutenant, he hadagain gone on shore, and tried to find out the three Greeks who haddeposed to having been robbed by pirates; but as they had quitted Malta,he looked over the copies of their depositions, and he there found itstated that the vessel which had attacked theirs was a large polaccabrig, supposed to be the _Sea Hawk_, and there was further a fulldescription of her and her commander. The boatman, Manuel, wasexamined, but little could be gleaned from him but a description of theperson he had put on board the speronara, which answered to that givenby the Greeks; and the conclusion arrived at was the correct one, thathe was no other than Zappa himself, and that he had employed thesperonara merely to bring him to Malta and to carry him on board his ownvessel, which must have remained all the time in the offing. It mightbe supposed that Captain Fleetwood would first have gone in search ofthe speronara, but he considered that by so doing he should lose muchvaluable time without a prospect of gaining any adequate information;and he therefore resolved at once to sail to the eastward, touching atCephalonia, on the chance of learning something to guide his futurecourse.
The moment the object of the voyage was known, there was not a man orboy on board who did not zealously enter into it; and many became almostas eager to fall in with the _Sea Hawk_, and to recover the prisoners,if any were still alive, as could have been the commander himself. Itwas the universal subject of conversation, morning, noon, and night, inthe gun-room, the midshipmen's berth, and at the messes of the pettyofficers and men. Many a midnight watch was made to pass rapidly awayby discussions as to the probabilities of their success, and with yarnsof length interminable, about pirates and robberies on the high seas.Far too sacred were held the feelings of the commander to allow any oneto allude even to the subject to him; and though he doubtlessly thoughtmore than any one else about it, he endeavoured to maintain his usualtranquil exterior. It was sad, however, to perceive that anxiety wasrapidly thinning his cheek and dimming the lustre of his eye, though itcould not quench the fire which would urge him to continue the search aslong as life endured. He remained much in his cabin, poring over chartsof the Greek Archipelago, and studying all the books he possessed,describing the islands. When he came on deck, it was to gleaninformation from those who had visited that part of the Mediterranean,or to discuss with Saltwell the plan of operations he had commencedarranging, but in the details of which he purposed to be guided by theaccounts he should receive wherever they touched.
Every sail they sighted was overhauled, provided she did not lead themmuch out of their course, in the hopes of gaining tidings either of thesurvivors of the _Zodiac's_ crew or of the pirate brig, and also to urgethose bound in the same direction to aid in the search.
Every one on board the _Ione_ prayed for a fair wind, and plenty of it,to carry them along rapidly to the scene of their operations. Theofficers, who could but sympathise with their captain from having knownAda Garden, were, of course, the most eager, and never, perhaps, were aset of men collected better able to aid in accomplishing the sameobject.
Mr Saltwell, the first lieutenant, was a first-rate officer. He hadbeen constantly before at sea as a first lieutenant; for though his goodqualities were known in the service, he had very little interest.Whatever was the work in hand, he contrived to get it done in the bestpossible way without noise or trouble, so that he was always liked bythe men, and the ships in which he served were kept in excellent order.In appearance he was slight and dark, for his countenance was wellbronzed by tropical suns, and he was too active to grow fat. Hismanners were gentlemanly, though he had a remarkably small amount ofsoft-sawder about him; and all sincerity himself, he could not believethat people were speaking falsely to him, and was at times rather apt tocome out roundly with the truth, to the astonishment of those who heardhim; so that he was clearly not fitted to be a courtier. CaptainFleetwood had a great respect and regard for him, as he knew him well,for they had before served together.
The second lieutenant, Henry Linton, was a young man of good family andconsiderable interest, he had been made a lieutenant as soon as he hadserved his time, and he expected shortly to receive his commander'scommission. He was a very gentlemanly, amiable fellow; and as he hadgood sense and much observation, and had always attended to his duty, hewas a very fair seaman and a good officer. In his heart of hearts herather pitied, not to say despised, Saltwell, for his want of the polishhe possessed and his indifference to the elegancies of life, though hewas not unable to appreciate his messmate's frankness of manner andtruthfulness of character. His foible was his admiration for the poets,and his belief that he could write poetry and was a first-rate critic.
The purser, Mr Jones, was an honest, painstaking man, with a largefamily, and he came to sea for their benefit, after having nearly givenup the service.
Than the master, no one in the service was a better navigator. He was aself-taught genius, for he had gone to sea originally before the mast,and even in that capacity had found time to gain instructions innavigation, geography, history, and many other sciences. He was forsome time rated as a schoolmaster of a frigate, and afterwards enteredas a master's assistant, and was soon promoted to the rank of master.Mr Norton was, notwithstanding his early associates, a man of pleasing,gentlemanly manners, and a real favourite with all hands, and his vastfund of information and anecdote made him a great acquisition to a mess.
The surgeon, Mr Viall, was, for a wonder, an Englishman. He wassupposed to be able to amputate limbs with great accuracy, and was avery respectable man. Though he had been some years at sea, he hadnever contrived to learn anything about nautical affairs; and one day,in Malta harbour, he went on board a large merchantman, which happenedto be brought up at no great distance from his ship, and was going belowbefore he discovered that he had got into the wrong box.
The assistant-surgeon, O'Farrall, was an Irishman, and much more of acharacter. He had, shortly before the time of which I speak, come tosea for the first time. A day or two after he had joined the _Ione_,one of the marines insulted him by quizzing his Irish brogue, so heforthwith lodged his complaint with Mr Saltwell. The first lieutenantdesired him to point out the man.
"Faith, I don't remember exactly the cut of his mug," said he; "but Imade sure of knowing the spalpeen again by that same, that his name isTower."
"How do you know that his name is Tower? I think he must have deceivedyou. We havn't a man of that name on board."
"Oh! by--, he couldn't decave me, lieutenant, darlin', then; for thoughhe didn't recollect it, I'll be sworn, or he'd a kept a more dacenttongue in his mouth, I saw his name of Tower graven on his musket."
Most of the other members of the midshipmen's berth I have alreadydescribed.
There was a mate of the name of Grummit, who had been for some yearswaiting for his promotion, but was of so hopeful a disposition, that healways expected his commission out by the following packet; and therewas a master's assistant, called Samuel Spike, who cons
idered himselfcapable of commanding the allied fleets of Europe; and a clerk, namedSmith, who intended, when he had made his fortune and retired from theService, to become First Lord of the Treasury; but as these delusionsdid not prevent them from attending to their duties, and they certainlyappeared to contribute very much to the happiness of the young men whoentertained them, nobody interfered with them. I ought not to forget tomention among the officers, the boatswain, gunner, and carpenter. Themost remarkable circumstance connected with them was, that their nameswere respectively Brown, Black, and White. They were all good seamen,and properly impressed with the importance of their offices. If Brownhad, like his superiors, a weakness, it was in the belief that not aboatswain in the service could pipe better, or had a louder voice thanhimself, as also that he deserved a much higher rating than hepossessed.
"A sail on the larboard bow," hailed the look-out from the mast-head.
"What does she look like?" inquired Mr Saltwell, who was on deck.
"A large brig, sir, close hauled on the larboard tack," was the answer.
The wind at the time was about north-west.
The first lieutenant, with his glass slung across his shoulder,instantly went aloft. He could see about half way down her topsails,and there was something in the look of them which made him think it wasworth while overhauling her. He came down, and went into the cabin toreport her to Captain Fleetwood.
On his return the yards were braced up a little, and the course alteredthree points more to the northward. Captain Fleetwood soon came ondeck, and went aloft to examine the chase. As the _Ione_ was alreadycarrying as much canvas as could possibly be set, little more could bedone to make her sail faster.
Of course, bound as they were on what might prove a long and arduouscruise, it would not have done to start the water, or lighten the shipin any way; and, in a smooth sea, the common expedient of slinging thehammocks, and making the watch below turn in with round shot in theirarms, would have been of no avail. The breeze, however, favoured them;for while the _Ione_ was heeling over with it almost to her bearings,the chase lay nearly becalmed. She had no royals set, and her foresailwas hauled up, so that they neared her rapidly.
"I suspect our friend there keeps a bad look-out; for I don't think hehas seen us yet," observed Mr Saltwell to the master.
"If that is the case, he is not the fellow we are in search of,"answered Mr Norton. "A pirate would have his eyes about him."
"Perhaps, as he is becalmed and cannot get away, he hopes, by apparentindifference to our approach, to deceive us as to his character,"suggested Linton; "or he may have mistaken us for a merchantman, andexpects to make a prize of us."
"He'll find he's caught a Tartar," said Saltwell; "but he must be blindnot to see by the cut of our canvas what we are, even at this distance."
"Perhaps, he trusts to a fleet pair of heels, and we shall have himshowing them to us before long," said Linton. "I do not think there isanything yet to prove that he is not the pirate we are looking for.That fellow Zappa is a bold and crafty scoundrel, as his late visit toMalta and his successful attack on the Austrian brig sufficientlyproves. He may have a mind to engage us, perhaps."
"You don't know the Greeks, if you think so," said Saltwell. "Why, youmust have pictured him to yourself like one of the heroes in theromances you are so fond of, who fight alone for love and glory, andwhose greatest delight is to lay their ships alongside an enemy ofgreater force, in order to prove how superior knaves are to honest men.Depend upon it, Signor Zappa will keep clear of us, if he can."
"Well, but what do you say to his attacking an Austrian man-of-war, andcapturing her?" urged Linton. "That looks something like the chivalryof piracy."
"As to that, in the first place, he discovered, by some means or other,that she had specie on board; and she was also of much less force thanhis vessel. He carries, it is said, sixteen guns, and she had buteight," answered Saltwell. "So he followed her for some time, till hesurprised her one dark night, and captured her before her crew had timeto go to quarters. It did not say much for Austrian naval discipline,though it was not an enterprise Zappa had any great reason to boast of,either."
"If the account I heard is true, he acted, however, the part of amagnanimous conqueror; for, after he had rifled the brig, and takeneverything he wanted out of her, he allowed her and her officers andcrew to go free, without murdering a soul of them, which, at all events,speaks in his favour," said Linton.
"Well, if that is his vessel, we shall soon know more about him andher," observed Saltwell. "We are nearing her fast. I shall go aloft,and try if I can make out what her hull is like."
They drew nearer and nearer the stranger, who still continued her courseto the northward under the same easy sail.
At last, her hull was visible from the deck.
Mr Saltwell had his glass fixed on her, as had Captain Fleetwood.
"What do you make her out to be, Mr Saltwell?" said the captain.
"She is polacca rigged, with raking masts, and has a long, low, darkhull," answered the first lieutenant.
"The very description of the _Sea Hawk_," exclaimed Linton. "I hope togoodness it may be her."
"I trust it may," said Captain Fleetwood, drawing in his breath, andcompressing his lips, to conceal his agitation.
The excitement on board now increased, as there appeared a greaterprobability of the stranger proving to be the pirate.
Anxiously beat the heart of Captain Fleetwood. What might be theconsequence, supposing the prisoners were on board, and his Ada amongthem? Would the pirate hold them as hostages? Zappa, he was aware,well knew, from what he had learned at the ball at Malta, how dear AdaGarden was to him, and what, in consequence, might be the pirate'sconduct?
His orders were to burn, sink, or destroy the rover, wherever he shouldfind him; and he resolved to do his duty.
As he walked the deck in silence, he glanced his eye aloft morefrequently than usual to see how the sails stood. They were neverbetter set. Every brace and bowline was taut to a nicety. Then hewould look over the bulwarks to judge of the rate at which they wereslipping through the water, by the appearance of the sparkling bubbles,as they darted off from the side, and circled in eddies under thecounter, and many an earnest gaze did he cast at the chase to assurehimself that he was still coming up with her. It is a saying, that whena hare runs, the dogs will follow--it is equally true at sea, even whenthe order is reversed, if a vessel makes sail in chase, the chase willgenerally run away. Hitherto the officers of the _Ione_ had found thevessel in sight offering an exception to the rule.
"Let her see our colours, Mr Saltwell. It may induce her to show hersin return."
The British ensign flew out to the breeze at the peak of the _Ione_;but, for some time, no attention was paid to it by the stranger--perhaps, it might not have been observed--at all events, no answer wasmade.
"Ah, the rascal is ashamed of his nation, or is puzzled to know whatbunting to show us," said the master. "No, by Jove; there flies the newflag of independence, and a pennant to boot. He wishes to make ussuppose he is a Greek man-of-war."
"He may try to do so, but he will not deceive us," said Linton."There's a most piratical cut about the fellow, which is enough tocondemn him anywhere."
"We shall soon get her within range of our long guns, and we shall thensee what she is made of," observed Saltwell, eyeing her. "Shall we getthe gun ready, sir?" he asked of Captain Fleetwood.
"You may, Mr Saltwell; but as long as she does not show any intentionof avoiding us, on no account fire," was the answer.
"He seems in no hurry to move, at all events," observed the firstlieutenant. He had scarcely spoken, however, before the breeze whichthe _Ione_ had brought up with her reached the stranger, and, as if tomake amends for her former inactivity, the heavy folds of the foresailwere let fall, the royals were sent aloft, her head fell off from thewind, studdensail after studdensail was set, and away she flew, beforethe freshening breeze, like a sea
-fowl darting from its slumber on thewave, at a rate which those on board the British ship felt it would taketheir utmost speed to compete with.
"Up with the helm--square away the yards, Mr Saltwell," exclaimedCaptain Fleetwood, as soon as he saw what she was about to do.
"Ay, ay, sir. All hands make sail," cried Saltwell.
"All hands make sail," was echoed along the decks.
The men sprang on deck. The order to set the studden-sails was given.The hands flew aloft, and before the Greek had got all his canvas up,the _Ione_ had every stitch she could carry packed on her. This gaveher an advantage, but the stranger was still far beyond the range of herlong guns.
A stern chase is so proverbially a long chase, especially when theleading vessel happens to be the fastest, as there soon appeared reasonto believe was the case in the present instance, that I will not wearythe reader by describing it, but, for the present, will leave HisMajesty's ship _Ione_ running under all sail, in chase of a suspiciouscraft, towards the island-studded shores of Greece.