Part 26 (2/2)

”I should not have thought so either, signor; but it may be that, knowing there is war between Venice and Genoa, and that the state galleys of the republics, instead of being scattered over the seas, are now collected in fleets, and thinking only of fighting each other, they might consider it a good opportunity for picking prizes.”

”It is a good opportunity, certainly,” Francis said; ”but they would know that Venice would, sooner or later, reckon with them; and would demand a four-fold indemnity for any losses her merchants may have suffered.

”However, I will not detain you longer. Will you tell Signor Polani that you met us, and that we were making good progress, and hoped to reach Corfu some time tomorrow?”

”This is a curious thing about this galley,” the captain of the boat said to Francis, as the men again dipped their oars into the water, and the boat once more proceeded on the way.

”It is much more likely to be a Genoese pirate than a Moor,” Francis said. ”They may have purposely altered their rig a little, in order to deceive vessels who may sight them. It is very many years since any Moorish craft have been bold enough to commit acts of piracy on this side of Sicily. However, we must hope that we shall not fall in with her, and if we see anything answering to her description we will give it a wide berth. Besides, it is hardly likely they would interfere with so small a craft as ours, for they would be sure we should be carrying no cargo of any great value.”

”Twenty Christian slaves would fetch money among the Moors,” the captain said. ”Let us hope we shall see nothing of them; for we should have no chance of resistance against such a craft, and she would go two feet to our one.”

The next morning Francis was aroused by a hurried summons from the captain. Half awake, and wondering what could be the cause of the call, for the boat lay motionless on the water, he hurried out from the little cabin. Day had just broken, the sky was aglow with ruddy light in the east.

”Look there, signor!” the captain said, pointing to the south. ”The watch made them out a quarter of an hour since, but, thinking nothing of it, they did not call me. What do you think of that?”

Two vessels were lying in close proximity to each other, at a distance of about two miles from the boat. One of them was a large trader, the other was a long galley rigged quite differently to those of either Venice or Genoa.

”That is the craft they were speaking of,” the captain said. ”There is no mistaking her. She may be an Egyptian or a Moor, but certainly she comes from the African coast.”

”Or is got up in African fas.h.i.+on,” Francis said. ”She may be, as we agreed yesterday, a Genoese masquerading in that fas.h.i.+on, in order to be able to approach our traders without their suspicions being aroused. She looks as if she has made a captive of that vessel. I imagine she must have come up to her late yesterday evening, and has been at work all night stripping her. I hope she is too busy to attend to us.”

The sail had been lowered the instant the captain caught sight of the vessels, for there was scarcely enough wind to fill it, and the men were now rowing steadily.

”I do not think she could have taken much of her cargo out. She is very deep in the water.”

”Very deep,” Francis agreed. ”She seems to me to be deeper than she did three minutes ago.”

”She is a great deal deeper than when we first caught sight of her,” one of the sailors said. ”She stood much higher in the water than the galley did, and now, if anything, the galley stands highest.”

”See!” the captain exclaimed suddenly, ”the galley is rowing her oars on the port bow, and bringing her head round. She has noticed us, and is going to chase us! We have seen too much.

”Row, men--it is for life! If they overtake us it is a question between death, and slavery among the Moors.”

A sudden exclamation from one of the men caused the captain to glance round again at the galley. She was alone now on the water--the trader had sunk!

”Do you take the helm, signor,” the captain said. ”All hands will help at the oars.”

Some of the oars were double banked, and beneath the strength of the twenty men, the boat moved fast through the water. The galley was now rowing all her oars, and in full pursuit. For a quarter of an hour not a word was spoken. Every man on board was doing his utmost. Francis had glanced backwards several times, and at the end of a quarter of an hour, he could see that the distance between the boat and her pursuer had distinctly lessened.

”Is she gaining on us?” the captain asked, for the cabin in the stern hid the galley from the sight of the oarsmen.

”She is gaining,” Francis said quietly, ”but not rapidly. Row steadily, my lads, and do not despair. When they find how slowly they gain, they may give up the chase and think us not worth the trouble.

”Jacopo,” he said to an old sailor who was rowing in the bow, and who already was getting exhausted from the exertion, ”do you lay in your oar and come aft. I will take your place.”

At the end of an hour the galley was little more than a quarter of a mile away.

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