CHAPTER SIX.
The crew of the Sicilian speronara were busily engaged the whole forepart of the day in discharging the small quantity of cargo, consistingchiefly of corn and other provisions, with which their vessel was laden.
When this was done she immediately cleared out at the custom-house, andwithout any of her crew having even visited the shore, she got up heranchor, and commenced making sail. The long tapering yard of herforesail was first hoisted, and its folds of white canvas let fall, andwhen her head paid round, her mainsail was next got on her, and sheetedhome. Instead, however, of running out of the harbour, as it at firstappeared she was about to do, after she had gone a little distance, justbetween Fort Saint Angelo and Fort Ricasoli, she hauled her foresail towindward, and hove to. The probable cause of this was soon explained,for a small boat was seen to dart out from beneath the fortifications ofValetta, and to take its way across the harbour towards her, carrying aperson in the stern-sheets, wrapped up in a cloak, with a broad-brimmedhat shading his features. The hat may not have been worn for thepurpose of disguise, for the rays of the sun, striking down full uponthe water, were very ardent, and there was good reason for its beingworn to protect him from their fury; but there was not quite so much forthe use of the cloak, unless, following the Italian fashion, he carriedthat also over his shoulders for the same reason. The boat ranalongside the speronara, when the person, whoever he was, stepped out,and the foresail being let draw, the beautiful little craft stood out ofthe harbour. The boat on its return was found to belong to the boatmanManuel, who, being questioned as to the person he had conveyed on boardthe speronara, declared that he had not the slightest notion who hewas--that he had never before seen his face, and that he could not tellwhether he was an Englishman, an Italian, or a Frenchman, but that hethought the former. He said, all he knew was, that he had come down tothe shore and engaged his boat, and as he had paid him well for the job,it was not his business to make further inquiries. The general opinionwas, that he was some person making his escape from his creditors; butby the time the proper authorities were informed of the supposed fact,and the necessary measures taken to ascertain its truth, the delinquentwas far beyond their reach.
The wind was about north-west--there was a nice fresh breeze, andsupposing that the speronara was bound for Syracuse, she could, haulingas close to the wind as she was able to do, easily lay her course forthat port. Either, however, she was carelessly steered, or she wasbound to some port in Italy, for, after hauling round Saint Elmo, shefell off considerably from the wind, and finally, when she might havebeen supposed to have got beyond the range of observation of those onshore, who were not likely to take much notice of so insignificant alittle craft, and of so ordinary a rig, she eased off both her sheets,and, with the wind on her larboard quarter, indeed, almost astern, ranout into the offing. By this course she crossed in a short time themouth of the harbour; and though at a considerable distance, she wasenabled to watch any vessel coming out.
Her movements, however, were not totally unobserved, for CaptainFleetwood, who had called at the house of Colonel Gauntlett, early inthe morning, in the vain hope of seeing Ada, was returning in adisconsolate mood along the ramparts, and meditating in what way hisduty should direct him to proceed, when his eye fell on the speronara,hove-to directly below him, Manuel's boat just touching her side.
As he had, like most naval officers, a remarkably good glass in hispocket, he directed it towards the little vessel, and among the peopleon her deck he fancied that he distinguished the figure of the strangerwho had paid so much attention to Ada on the previous evening. Now, ashe understood that that gentleman was about to sail immediately forGreece, he was naturally surprised, indeed so unlikely did it appear,that he thought he must be mistaken. Although he was very far frombeing of a suspicious disposition, yet combining the manner in which thestranger had gone on board, and the doubtful character of the craftherself, he determined to watch her movements.
Another cause also combined to create very extraordinary suspicions inhis mind respecting the character of the stranger, who had made hisappearance so suddenly in Malta. On his way to Colonel Gauntlett'sresidence, that morning, he had passed the office of the chief of theharbour police, and on looking in to speak a word with Captain S--, hefound him engaged in examining three Greek merchants, who stated thatthe vessel in which they were making a passage from Athens to Sicily,had been plundered by a well-known pirate of the name of Zappa, and thathe had appeared on board their vessel; that they had spoken to him, andthat they felt almost confident that they had seen the same person,without any disguise, in a coffee-house in Valetta on the previousevening. They acknowledged, that though at first they had no doubt ofhis identity, yet that when he came up to them, and entered intoconversation, they were staggered in their belief; but that after he haddisappeared it again occurred to them with greater force than ever, thathe must be the man they at first thought. When convinced of this theyimmediately set out in the hopes of falling in with him, and with theintention of handing him over to the police; but they were unsuccessfulin their search, and when, after many inquiries, they learned beforewhom they should make their depositions, it was too late in the day tosee any one. After sleeping on the subject, they were as strong intheir opinion as on the previous night, and the first thing in themorning they had come, they said, to make their statement. Captain S--listened attentively. He told them that he thought they must bemistaken as to the identity of the person, as he could not believe thata pirate would have the audacity to venture into Valetta; particularlyjust after he had committed a daring act of piracy. The Greeks shruggedtheir shoulders, but asserted that from what they had heard of Zappa,they believed him capable of any act of hardihood.
"At all events," observed Captain S--, "I will take your description ofthe gentleman. Figure tall, features regular, eyes large and animated,hair black, and slight curling moustache--not a bad-looking fellow for acut-throat, at all events. I will order the police instantly to go insearch of him, and if he can be found, of which I have no doubt, we willexamine him, and confront him with you; and if he turns out to be SignorZappa, he will, probably, before many days are over, be hanging upalongside Captain Delano and his shipmates."
The Greeks were satisfied that they were right, and on their retiring,officers were instantly despatched in search of the supposed pirate.The result of their inquiries Captain Fleetwood had not yet learned; butthe description given by the Greeks answered so exactly to that of thePrince Argiri Caramitzo, whom he had met at the ball the previous night,that he could not help being struck by it.
"I did not altogether like the style of the fellow," he muttered tohimself. "He is good-looking enough, certainly; but there was animpudent, sinister expression about his countenance which one does notobserve in that of an honest man. I wonder, too, what right he has tothe title of prince. There are some few chiefs in Greece, who callthemselves princes, but they are very rare. Who they are can easily beascertained, and I must learn if such a title exists. Let me see, hewas introduced, too, by that fellow Dunnup. He is a _mauvais sujet_ Isuspect, and I should fight very shy of his friends at all events. Whatcould have taken the gentleman on board that craft then! That puzzlesme! I must see to it."
Accordingly when the speronara let draw her foresail, and stood out ofthe harbour, he retraced his steps along the ramparts towards port SaintElmo, to a position whence he could command a clear view to seaward.
"She is a pretty lively craft that," he observed to himself, as he saw,with the pleased eye of a seaman, the rapid way in which the vesselglided over the crisp curling waves. "The fellows know how to handleher too; but what is she about now, I wonder? I thought, by the way shefirst steered, she was bound for Sicily, but there she goes running offto the south-east. I cannot be mistaken." And he took a scrutinisingglance at her with his telescope. "Yes, that is her, there can be nodoubt about the matter."
Now love makes most men sharp-witted in ev
erything regarding the objectof their affection, and Captain Fleetwood was certainly not a man to beless so than any other person.
The sudden change in the course of the speronara had given rise in hismind to sundry suspicions. They were not very serious, and probably,under other circumstances, he would not have entertained them; but hewas out of spirits and fatigued, and he could not help connecting themovements of the speronara with the sailing of the _Zodiac_, on boardwhich vessel Ada and her uncle were that evening to commence theirvoyage. He did not, however, suppose that a craft of her characterwould venture to attack an armed brig of the size of the _Zodiac_,unless she could take her by surprise, nor could she have any chance ofsuccess against so brave and good a seaman as Captain. Bowse, and sofine a crew as his; but at the same time he thought it would be moreprudent to let him know what he had seen, and urge him to be on hisguard against the speronara.
"I never heard of one of those fellows committing piracy--probably he isup to some smuggling trick--perhaps he expects to fall in with somevessel, and will take her goods out of her during the night, to run themon the Sicilian or Italian coast; perhaps to put that good-lookingfellow of a Greek prince, if that is him, on board some craft or otherbound eastward. However, I must speak to Bowse about it. I wish toheaven I might sail and convoy the brig; but the admiral would not giveme leave if I was to ask him--he would only think it was an excuse to benear Miss Garden."
These thoughts passed through his mind as he hurried down to the quay,where his boat was waiting for him, and jumping into her, he started forthe _Zodiac_. He had made the acquaintance of the honest master, onfinding that the colonel and his niece were going by his vessel, and hehad been every day on board to assist in arranging Ada's cabin, and tosuggest many little alterations which might conduce to her comfort andconvenience.
Captain Bowse was on board with every preparation made for sailing, andonly awaited the arrival of his passengers. The master of the _Zodiac_heard the account given by the naval officer without any alarm, thoughat the same time he owned that there was some cause for suspicion; andhe promised to keep a sharp look-out, and to take all the precaution inhis power to prevent being surprised. When he heard that the Greekstranger had gone on board the speronara, he remembered the visit of apersonage answering his description, on the previous evening, to hisvessel, and he felt glad that he had not been induced to take him.
"The chances are, if the fellow be a rogue, that he saw that there wouldbe no use trying to do anything with the _Zodiac_ and he has gone to layhis plots against some other craft," he observed. "That's my view ofthe case, sir, and I don't think that you need at all alarm yourselfabout the safety of your friends. But although we are safe ourselves,that is no reason that we should not think of others; and if I was you,sir, I would make inquiries about the strange gentleman, and give noticeto the authorities of what you have observed. You can tell, sir, of hiswanting to take a passage to Greece, on board here, and then shippingoff suddenly in a Sicilian craft. There may be nothing in it; but theremay be something; and to my mind it's as well never to trust to a ropewith a strand gone."
Wishing a prosperous voyage to the master, and again cautioning him tobe careful, Captain Fleetwood stepped into his gig, and had got somelittle distance, when he saw a large boat approaching, which he divinedcontained her he loved best on earth, with her uncle and his attendants.How could he resist the temptation of seeing and speaking to her oncemore? so, giving his boat a sweep, he pulled round to the other side ofthe _Zodiac_, from that on which the gangway ladder was shipped, and layon his oars, trusting to the chance of seeing Ada on deck, while heruncle was below.
There were fewer packages than most families travel with, for thecolonel was a martinet, and would allow none of his womankind, as hecalled them, to have more traps than was absolutely necessary; and thusno time was lost in getting the party and their goods on board. Besidesthe colonel and his niece, there was a little Maltese girl, as anattendant, and the colonel's own man, Mitchell, who, like his master,was a character not unworthy of note. Bowse, who understood pretty wellthe state of affairs, soon contrived to get the colonel below, while hedetained Ada on deck, and then pointing out Captain Fleetwood's boat toher, beckoned him on board. He was much too judicious to show in anyother way that he was aware of the feelings of the parties; but leavingthem together, he rejoined the colonel in the cabin, determined to keephim there as long as he could, showing him the arrangements made for hisconvenience. Little did the old gentleman think, that when praisingmany of them, he was indebted for them to the man for whom he hadconceived so hearty an aversion. What the lovers said need not be told.Those few moments were sweet but sad, and both felt that they would onno account have missed them. Ada again assured him that nothing shouldinduce her to give him up, and he repeated his promise to hasten andclaim her in spite of all opposition. The appearance of Bowse's honestface up the companion-ladder was the signal for him to tear himself awayfrom her, and he had just time to get over the side, when the colonelappeared on deck.
"What are you gazing at there, missie?" he asked, as he saw her, soonafter, looking up the harbour. "Oh, ay, thinking of your partners atthe ball, I suppose." She did not answer; but as she turned her facewith a reproachful look at her uncle, her eyes were full of tears.
As soon as Bowse came on deck, he gave the signal to weigh. The cablewas already hove short, the topsails were loose. The men went about thework with alacrity, and in a style very different to that of merchantseamen in general. They were all prime hands, mostly old men-of-war'smen turned adrift, as ships were paid off, and had all before servedwith Bowse.
He carried on the duty, therefore, as far as circumstances would allow,in the fashion to which they had been accustomed, and to which theywillingly submitted. The brig was consequently looked upon as as fine avessel as any sailing out of the port of London. To the cheery sound ofthe pipe, they manned the capstan bars, and singing in chorus to a merrystrain, away they ran swiftly round. A hand was sent to the helm, andthe mate was on the forecastle.
"Heave and away," he sung out, as the cable appearing up and down showedthat the anchor was under the forefoot. As the wind blew out of theharbour, the jib and fore-topmast-staysail were now hoisted to cast her.With renewed exertions the crew hove round, and the shout they utteredgave the signal that they had dragged the anchor from the bottom. Thebow of the vessel feeling the power of her head sails, now paid slowlyoff.
"Heave and in sight," the mate next sung out, as the anchor appearedabove water. Another turn ran it up to the bows. The foretopsail wasnext sheeted home and hoisted, and the head yards braced forward to helpher round more quickly. In the meantime the anchor was catted andfished ready for sea, and as the wind came abaft the beam, the headyards were squared, and the fore-clew-garnets being let run, theponderous folds of the foresail were allowed to fall towards the deck,just as the wind was brought right aft. Both sheets were then hauledaft, and the increasing breeze no longer finding escape beneath it, blewit out in a graceful swell which made it appear as if it were about tolift the vessel bodily out of the water to carry her gliding over thewaves. The fore-topmast-staysail, no longer being of use, was hauleddown, and her fore-topgallantsail and royal, with the after sail, werenext set, followed by studden-sails on either side, till the brigpresented the appearance of a tall tower of white canvas shiningbrightly in the rays of the sun, which was setting directly astern, andwhich threw on them, in confused lines of tracery-work, the shadows ofthe masts, their respective shrouds and running rigging.
Ada, who would not be persuaded by her uncle to go below, as he said, toget her out of harm's way, looked on with deep interest at theseproceedings, and with admiration at the method by which, in so short atime, so beautiful a fabric could be raised. Ada delighted ineverything connected with the sea. She was a sailor's daughter, and sheloved a sailor; but even before she had known Captain Fleetwood she feltan affection for things nautical, and certainly he had do
ne much toincrease her regard. She enjoyed too the physical pleasures of the sea,the fresh free breeze, and the light dancing wave, which to her was asource of no inconvenience. While others suffered, she was on deckenjoying existence to the full. It is true that she had as yet onlyseen the ocean in its summer dress, and except from the experience of ashort gale, which she looked upon rather as giving a zest to thepleasure of a voyage, she knew little of its wintry tempests, itsdangers and horrors. Bowse observed the interest she took in all thatwas going forward, and, like a true sailor, felt as much gratified as ifshe was his own daughter, and under his especial protection. Jack, thecabin-boy, was coiling away a rope near him, and beckoning to him, hesent him down for a comfortable chair, which, on its appearance, heplaced before her.
"There, miss," he observed, "I think you will be able, more at yourease, to sit and look at the little island we are leaving behind us.It's always a pleasure to take the last look at the place we are goingfrom."
Ada thanked him with a sweet smile for the chair which he hadjudiciously placed on the starboard side of the poop, and looking partlyaft, so that she could command a full view of the harbour, where the_Ione_ lay, and of the fortifications of Valetta. The _Zodiac_ was nowrunning out between forts Saint Elmo and Ricasoli; and as she clearedthe former, she felt the wind drawing rather more to the northward. Heryards were, therefore, braced forward, and her mainsail hauled out; andnow with the wind on her quarter, a point in which every sail asquare-rigged vessel can carry draws best, with a fine rattling breezeshe rapidly left the shores of Malta astern.