Part 9 (1/2)
”No ravely; ”but you know, Jeround is off the Cape, in a full-rigged shi+p, and I never heard on his coospel, old shi+pot tired of the Cape, and taken a trip up here?” argued Je, heto the sea he's in Besides, you know as how if there's one _Flying Dutchman_, there may be two, and this fellow may have come to trouble us here, up the straits Depend on't, Bill, the less coentry the better”
”Very true, Jem, but suppose a chap out of that boat then does come on board, what's to happen think ye?” asked Bill, in a tone which showed that he in no way doubted his messmate's account
”Why I can't say exactly, because as how I never seed what he does; but from what I've heard, I believe he tries to slip a letter like into the skipper's or soh to take it; and then the chap, who's no better nor Davy Jones hioes the shi+p to the bottoet up and drive her ashore But here coht just let fly at her; it would save mischief, I'll be sworn”
”Bear a hand there with a rope for the boat co out the captain in a loud voice, which sounded as o a lantern here to the gangway,”
he added Boith his first hich was lighted up with a lantern to receive the strangers, as a s in all only four persons, ca's stern They pulled only two oars, and two people were seated in the stern sheet ”Keep an eye to ard there, Larkins, on that felucca,” said the first mate to the second, as he went to his captain's suhty fuss about a very sure was seen to ascend froer was dressed in the Phrygian cap, and siarb of a Sicilian ed of by the di A profusion of long, straggling, grizzly locks, once probably of raven hue, which evidently had not felt the barber's scissors for reater part of his face which was still further hidden by a patch over one eye, and a handkerchief bound round his head, while his mouth was surrounded by an enormous pair of moustachios, and a beard of similar character, so that littlefierce eye was visible As he reached the deck, this handso, while he glanced his eye round at the creho still wore their cutlasses, and at the other weapons which were placed ready for use
Behind the group I have described, stood several of the crew, a ere Jeer had been able to read the expression of their countenances, he would certainly have been a bold man, had he not felt some apprehension; for they spoke almost as plainly as words could do, that had they the power, they would, without ceremony, heave him into the sea There were fear, suspicion, and dislike, strangely blended with the usual bold recklessness which had given a character to their features a sudden eht of the lantern fell in such a way as to throw them, where they stood, into shade
”What is it you ith us, signor?” said Bowse, in his usual blunt tone, seeing that the other did not speak
”To carry us all to Davy Jones, if we don't look sharp,” ar will be handing a letter directly, and then stand by for squall”
The stranger shook his head, as if not co as said
”That's it,” whispered Jem, in a tone of terror ”He don't speak He never does”
Bowse repeated the question, in the _lingua Franca_ of those seas
The stranger shook his head
”He does not understand our lingo,” observed Bowse ”Here, Tientleman what he wants aboard here”
”Ay, ay, sir,” said thethe question in execrable Italian
Again the stranger shook his head, as if not coress was likely to be angway, beckoned his companion to come on deck As he drew back, another person appeared, dressed precisely in the sa reater portion of his face, and from a patch down one side of his cheek, he looked as if, like his elder coht of the lantern, as he reached the deck, seemed particularly to annoy hi thelance of any of those surrounding hier in Italian, boith a not ungraceful bend, and a touch of his hand to his cap
”Oh! you can speak, can you? Well, that's all right,” said Timmins
”And now, if you please, tell us why it is the felucca there was so anxious to speak to us?”
”_Si, signor_,” answered the younger stranger, very slowly; and in an Italian which was mostly understood, he then explained that the speronara, of which his father was master, had, that afternoon, fallen in with an Austrian ht her to, and sent a boat on board her The officers, he said, infor the _Sea Hawk_, had lately been heard of not far from the mouth of the Adriatic, and that he had plundered and destroyed several vessels The Austrian, he said, had given hiovernor of Malta, relative to the subject, as also to the Neapolitan Governed them to inform all vessels they should fall in with of what had occurred
”Then he did not tell you to speak us in particular,” said Tinor_, he expressly--oh! no--not you in particular--oh, no,”
replied the youngfurther to tell us?” said Tied to you for your inforain, and if you should happen to fall in with the Signor Zappa and his brig the _Sea Hawk_, just tell hiive him a warm reception if he attempts to play off any of his tricks upon her”
”You don't know the pirate,” exclai man vehe his eye upon hilance quailed before that of the stout sailor
”Oh no, signor, I don't know hih”