Part 32 (1/2)

”Is this he?” the governor said, in surprise. ”I heard, of course, by the account of those who came from Venice a month since, how Pisani was aided, when hard pressed, by the crew of one of your s.h.i.+ps, headed by a young Englishman, upon whom the state had conferred the rights of citizens.h.i.+p as a recognition of his services; but I did not dream that the Englishman was but a lad.

”What is your age, young sir?”

”I am just eighteen,” Francis replied. ”Our people are all fond of strong exercise, and thus it was that I became more skilled, perhaps, than many of my age, in the use of arms.”

At nine o'clock the squadron arrived in the port, bringing with them the captured galley. As soon as they were seen approaching, the church bells rang, flags were hung out from the houses, and the whole population a.s.sembled at the quay to welcome the victors and to hear the news.

”Do you go on at once, directly we land, Francisco, and set the girls' minds at ease. I must come on with the governor, and he is sure to be detained, and will have much to say before he can make his way through the crowd.”

Francis was, on his arrival at the governor's, recognized by the domestics, and at once shown into the room where the girls were awaiting him. The fact that the pirate galley had been captured was already known to them, the news having been brought some hours before, by a horseman, from the other side of the island.

”Where is our father?” Maria exclaimed, as Francis entered alone.

”He is well, and sent me on to relieve your minds.”

”Saint Mark be praised!” Maria said. ”We have been sorely anxious about you both. A messenger, who brought the news, said that it could be seen from the sh.o.r.e that there was a desperate fight on board the pirate s.h.i.+p, which was attacked by one galley only. We felt sure that it would be the s.h.i.+p that the governor was in, and we knew you were with him; and our father was so enraged at what had happened, that we felt sure he would take part in the fight.”

”He did so,” Francis said, ”and himself engaged hand-to-hand with Mocenigo, and would probably have killed him, had not his foot slipped on the deck. I was, of course, by his side, and occupied the villain until a cross bolt pierced his brain. So there is an end to all your trouble with him.”

”Is he really dead?” Maria said. ”Oh, Francisco, how thankful I am! He seemed so determined, that I began to think he was sure some day to succeed in carrying me off. Not that I would ever have become his wife, for I had vowed to kill myself before that came about. I should have thought he might have known that he could never have forced me to be his wife.”

”I told him the same thing,” Francis said, ”and he replied that he was not afraid of that, for that he should have your sister in his power also, and that he should warn you that, if you laid hands on yourself, he should make her his wife instead of you.”

The girls both gave an exclamation of horror.

”I never thought of that,” Maria said; ”but he would indeed have disarmed me with such a threat. It would have been horrible for me to have been the wife of such a man; but I think I could have borne it rather than have consigned Giulia to such a fate.

”Oh, here is father!”

”I have got away sooner than I expected,” Polani said as he entered. ”The governor was good enough to beg me to come on at once to you. You have heard all the news, I suppose, and know that our enemy will persecute you no more.”

”We have heard, papa, and also that you yourself fought with him, which was very wrong and very rash of you.”

”And did he tell you that had it not been for him I should not be here alive now, girls?”

”No, father. He said that when you slipped he occupied Ruggiero's attention until the cross bolt struck him.”

”That is what he did, my dear; but had he not occupied his attention I should have been a dead man. The thrust was aimed at me as I fell, and would have pierced me had he not sprung forward and turned it aside, and then engaged in single combat with Mocenigo, who, with all his faults, was brave and a skillful swordsman; and yet, as the governor himself said, probably Francisco would have slain him, even had not the combat ended as it did.

”And now we must have his story in full. I have not heard much about it yet, and you have heard nothing; and I want to know how he managed to get out of the hands of that man, when he had once fallen into them.”

”That is what we want to know, too, father. We know what a sharp watch was kept upon us, and I am sure they must have been much more severe with him.”

”They were certainly more severe,” Francis said smiling, ”for my right hand was chained to my left ankle, and the left hand to to my right ankle--not tightly, you know, but the chain was so short that I could not stand upright. But, on the other hand, I do not think my guards were as vigilant as yours. However, I will tell you the whole story.”

The girls listened with rapt attention to the story of the capture, the escape, and of his hiding in the hold of the pirate in order to be able to give them a warning in time.

”Your escape was fortunate, indeed,” the merchant said when he had finished. ”Fortunate both for you and for us, for I have no doubt that Mocenigo had intended to put you to a lingering death, on his return. As for the girls, nothing could have saved them from the fate he designed for them, save the method which you took of arriving here before him.”

”What are we to do for him, father?” Maria exclaimed. ”We are not tired of thanking him, but he hates being thanked. If he would only get into some terrible sc.r.a.pe, Giulia and I would set out to rescue him at once; but you see he gets out of his sc.r.a.pes before we hear of them. It is quite disheartening not to be able to do anything.”