whispered his captain. "We shall still keep under the shadow of the cliffs for a short distance, to avoid the risk of being seen from the eastern towers. That will do, steady.
"Keep up your courage, my sweet Ada, for a few minutes more," he said, turning his eyes to her countenance, from which, indeed, his glance had never been absent longer than was necessary to watch for their safety.
"We may now congratulate ourselves on having every chance of escape. In less than half an hour we shall fall in with the _Ione"s_ boats, and then we may defy the whole nest of pirates to stop us."
"I shall have no further fear when we have lost sight of that dreadful vessel, which looks even now like some slumbering monster about to awake and rush after us," she answered, pointing to the _Sea Hawk_, which lay still open inside the harbour"s mouth.
She had scarcely uttered these words when a loud shout was heard, which seemed to proceed from some one on board her, and a musket was discharged at them. The shouting was repeated, and words were clearly distinguished.
"We are discovered," exclaimed the Greek captain. "Pull, pull, as hard as we can, the watch on deck is calling on us to come into the harbour.
He has evidently just woke up, and is yet uncertain what we are, though he suspects us. He threatens to fire the guns at us if we do not obey him, and that will have the effect, though we escape the shot, of waking up the rascals in all quarters, and we shall have a whole fleet of boats after us: stay, I will hail in return, and pretend we are fishermen."
On this he stood boldly up in the boat, and cried out in Romaic, at the top of his voice--
"What fool is that on board the _Sea Hawk_, who has been sleeping on his watch these four hours past, and now makes so much noise, because others more industrious get up early in the morning to follow their avocations?
We should have little fish to eat if we were to trust to you for the supply."
"Who is it?" exclaimed the same voice. "Is it you, Balbo?"
"Yes, yes," answered Captain Va.s.silato; "I should have thought you would have known my voice."
"Who is it?" hailed another person, apparently on sh.o.r.e.
"Gerasimo Listi," answered the watch on the _Sea Hawk"s_ deck.
"No, no, the old fellow lies drunk at home!" exclaimed the second speaker. "Treachery, treachery. They are the spies endeavouring to escape."
"It is hopeless to deceive them," said Captain Va.s.silato, when he heard these words, which he translated to his companions as he resumed his seat and oar. "We must pull for our lives; we have a good start, and it may be some time before any boats" crews can be collected to pursue us."
It is needless to say with what energy all hands bent to their oars-- concealment was of no further use, and they were able to put their whole strength into their strokes. There was no time to be lost. The brig was swinging with her broadside across the mouth of the harbour, and as soon as those on her deck could procure matches, they rushed to the guns, and discharged them in quick succession; and Ada could scarcely restrain a shriek of terror as she saw their bright flashes lighting up the mouth of the harbour--the sides and rigging of the vessel now crowded with people--and heard their loud report echoing among the cliffs, as also the rushing noise of the shot as they came flying by-- some over their heads, some close astern, and others ahead of them; for though the pirates" aim was very uncertain, yet, as from the narrow entrance of the bay, the only shot which could reach them must come between the cliffs, they could not go far distant from them. One or two, apparently, from the peculiar noise they made, hit the cliffs, and rebounded back into the bay. Marianna, whose fears had completely overcome her, crouched down at the bottom of the boat, where she thought she should be more secure; and Fleetwood entreated Ada in that respect to follow her example, desiring Jack Raby to place her as low down as possible, where a shot was less likely to strike the boat. Though she was unwilling to be more sheltered from danger than he was, yet she saw that her so doing would relieve him from some of his fear for her safety, and she complied with his wishes; reclining on some jackets and cloaks which Jack Raby spread out for her, she saw no more of what took place, though the noise of the firing soon ceasing told her that they had shut in the brig by the western cliffs.
"Remain where you are, dearest," said Fleetwood, as she was about to rise. "We may still have some shot sent after us, when the boats, which will probably pursue us, get outside; and though, with the start we have, they are not likely to take good aim, a fatal one may come on board; and think, Ada, of how little use would be the risk we have run, if you were to be the victim. But do not be alarmed; no enemy has yet approached."
I do not know if I have explained clearly the position of the boat: she was at this time about an eighth of a mile from the lofty cliffs which formed the western side of the bay, with her head to the west, going at the rate of between four and five knots an hour, which was the utmost speed with which, with all their exertions, they could urge her through the water. The cleft in the rock, as now the entrance of the harbour appeared to be, was seen over their starboard quarter, and in that direction their eyes were anxiously turned for the appearance of the boats they fully expected would follow them. A new danger also appeared from a quarter they had not expected, for along the summit of the cliffs, as seen against the bright blue sky, they could discern some figures running at full speed, and they were not left long in doubt as to their intentions. The persons halted, and the bright barrels of their guns gleamed in the moonlight, as they brought them to their shoulders and fired. Several b.a.l.l.s flew by them, and one struck the gunnel of the boat, though, fortunately, no other damage was done. The pirates kept shouting out their threats of vengeance, and firing away, apparently to intimidate the fugitives, little understanding the character of the people with whom they had to deal.
Here, of course, Ada was exposed to as much danger as the rest; and though Fleetwood would have joyfully interposed his own person to preserve her, it was impossible for him to do so, and all he could do was to entreat her to remain down as much as possible under the seat, and to redouble his efforts at the oar.
"We shall soon be beyond the range of those fellows" guns!" he exclaimed. "But ah, there"s a boat"s bow creeping out from between the rocks. We"ve a good start of her, however. Give way, gentlemen. We"ll lead her a long chase, and find her a warm reception at the end of it, I hope."
"She"s not alone, though!" exclaimed Bowse, whose eyesight was remarkably keen. "There"s another close astern of her, and, by heaven, there"s another just rounding the point. We shall have enough of them to look after us, at all events."
"It matters little how many, provided we keep ahead of the leading one,"
said Captain Fleetwood, in a cheerful tone, not as much for the object of encouraging his rude companions, as for the sake of keeping up Ada"s spirits. "I don"t think any of them are likely to pull much faster than we do."
These remarks were made slowly and at intervals, and perhaps even fewer words were really used, as any one who has pulled a heavy oar, for life and death, will know the utter impossibility of carrying on an unbroken conversation, as I have written it down.
They had by this time nearly doubled the distance they were from the sh.o.r.e when the first boat was seen, and had thus gained the best part of half a mile from the harbour"s mouth. The nearest of the pirate"s boats was rather more than a quarter of a mile off, which in a stern chase, with slow-pulling boats, was a considerable distance.
The other boats they would not have seen at that distance, had not, as they pulled out, a gleam of moonshine fallen on their bows, and tinged their foaming wake with a line of gold, as they rounded the point before they could stand to the westward in pursuit. The night remained as calm and beautiful as at first, and the moon, though still young, afforded sufficient light to enable the pursuers and pursued to distinguish each other, as they urged their boats through the water.
Fleetwood"s arrangements had been as follows: Provided the weather was sufficiently moderate, in Mr Saltwell"s opinion, with whom all authority rested, to permit him to venture to sea, with safety, in an open boat, he was to get under-weigh, in the _Ione_ every evening; to stand in till within sight of the island, and to send the boats on with all hands, well armed, to within about two miles of the island, due west of the harbour, or much nearer if the night should prove dark; but they were especially to avoid any risk of being seen from the island. As morning dawned they were to retire gradually, keeping a bright look-out for him, and they were then to return on board, and the _Ione_ was to stand back to her anchorage.
As the night was decidedly bright, Fleetwood did not expect to find the boats nearer than within the distance he had fixed on, and they had then a mile and a half at least to sail before they could come up with them; but he hoped that the firing would have attracted their attention, and that, suspecting its true cause, they would have pulled closer in. Raby stood up as he steered, to peer into the darkness, but no sign could be seen of the wished-for boats.
"May I hail, sir?" he asked. "The pirates will only think that we are laughing at them, and perhaps some of those with Mr Linton may know my voice."
"Yes, hail if you like; but we are still too far off for them to hear you," said Fleetwood.
On this, Jack Raby, putting his hand to his mouth, gave a long shrill cry, which might have been heard a mile off; and it must have made the pirates think that one of them was wounded; but no answering hail was given.
The pirates" boats, though so suddenly manned, were pulled well, and were decidedly overhauling the fugitives. Fleetwood remarked it, but he said nothing. He still hoped that as the distance was short between them, and when they might not only obtain a.s.sistance, but retaliate on the enemy, they might gain it before they were overtaken.
"It"s surprising that the pirates in the boats don"t fire on us,"
observed Bowse. "They must see us clearly enough to take good aim at this distance. I suspect they have no fire-arms with them."
"Depend on it, they are not without them," replied Captain Va.s.silato.
"His rifle was the first thing every man s.n.a.t.c.hed up, as he left his hut and sprang on deck to jump into his boat. No, no, they make sure of coming up to us, and antic.i.p.ate too much satisfaction in cutting our throats, to throw away a shot on us."
"They would be less chary of their powder if they knew how short a distance our friends are from us," said Fleetwood.
It occurred to him, also, that probably Zappa himself was on board one of the boats, and that he would not fire for fear of injuring Ada; for, judging from his own feelings, he had from the first, thought, and justly too, that the pirate was influenced to carry her off, more by his admiration of her than for the sake of her ransom, and this caused him still more anguish, when he saw the probability of her again falling into his power.
"I think there is a slight air springing up from the eastward, sir,"
said Jack Raby, as he sat down again to steer. "I wish we had a sail to drive her on faster."
"I fear, indeed, that there is a breeze getting up," said Fleetwood, in a tone which ill concealed the apprehensions he felt. "The other boats, however, may not have sails. They must all have come off in a great hurry."
"I see something which has a sail, though," exclaimed Bowse. "The rascals have towed out one of their cursed misticos, and we shall have her after us presently. I see her white canvas, even now, gleaming in the moon-light. She does not feel the breeze yet, for there is a little northerly in it, and the cliffs becalm her."
"I fear you are right, Bowse," said Fleetwood. "I have just now, also, caught a glimpse of her; but the breeze is still very light, and will not send her faster through the water than the boats can pull, so we need not fear her, I hope. It convinces me, also, that the boats have no sails; but that they believe we have, and might, if the wind increases, get away from them. Courage, my friends, we must not despair."
"We may give them a tough job to take us, sir, even if they come up with us," exclaimed the young midshipman, glancing over the boats, which were clearly overhauling them. "There are five of us,"--he reckoned himself a man in strength, as he was in courage--"and, with arms in our hands, we may thrash a few dozen rascally pirates, any day. But it may be as well to sing out again, and let our friends know our whereabouts."
He jumped up as he said this, and shouted at the top of his voice; but no hail was heard in return; and it now became too probable that, owing to the calm which had prevailed all day, the _Ione_ had been delayed, and that her boats had not reached their station; for, otherwise, as Fleetwood suggested, they would most certainly have pulled towards them directly they heard the guns of the _Sea Hawk_. Again and again Jack Raby hailed, with the same result; and it now became very certain that they must not depend on the speedy a.s.sistance of their friends. To say that Fleetwood"s heart sank within him, as this circ.u.mstance became evident, would be wrong; at the same time that he saw clearly the very great danger to which he and those with him were exposed.
"That they have refrained from firing shows that they will not injure Ada; and when she tells the pirate that a large ransom is ready to be paid for her, he will send her, unharmed, on board the _Ione_; and, for ourselves, we must sell our lives dearly, as brave men should do."
He thought this, as he saw the leading Greek boat rapidly gaining on them, and now little more than two-thirds the distance she had been before; while they had pulled rather more than a mile from the sh.o.r.e, which now rose dim and frowning astern of them. At the same rate they might thus pull two additional miles before they were overtaken; but then it was utterly impossible that their strength would enable them to continue urging the boat through the water at the same speed they had hitherto been doing. Could they indeed do so, it would be, they soon saw, to little purpose, for every instant the breeze increased, and the mistico was already up to the sternmost boats. They now saw that she had her sweeps out, as well as her canvas set--which, of course, still further lessened their chances of escape.
"I fear the knaves will have the best of it, sir," exclaimed Bowse, incautiously, forgetting the effect his observation might have upon Ada.
"But, never fear, sir, we"ll fight it out as long as we"ve hands to move. I"m sure Captain Va.s.silato and Mr Raby will, and I"ll answer for Pietro and myself."
"Thanks--thanks--my friends; I fear it must come to that," said Fleetwood. "Raby, have you got the muskets ready? We will give them a few shot, to show that we do not intend to yield, and at the same time the report may be heard by our friends."
"Yes, sir; there are three muskets here," replied the midshipman. "I suppose they are loaded."
"Oh, never fear; Captain Va.s.silato and I examined them after we got down to the boat, and we loaded them on board the mistico," said Bowse.
"Take a steady aim when you fire, sir. If you can but hit one or two of the men at the oars, it will throw them into great confusion."
"Shall I fire, sir?" asked Jack of his captain.