Part 9 (2/2)
”Oh! is that it?” said thewhat he heard to the captain
”Well, just ask hilass of so before they shove off,” said Bowse
A feords were exchanged between the two strangers in a low tone, and there appeared to be some hesitation on the part of the elder; but, at last, they consented, and followed the master into an outer cabin, which he had retained as his own, and where he and his ed by the colonel, hen he saw the strangers, retired also with his niece into their cabin
As the door between the two stood open, all that took place in one could be heard in the other
”Let the Italians come in here, Mr Bowse,” said the colonel, frolass of sherry which they will like better than ruood than their own thin wash”
When the strangers, who, directed by the signs made by the master, found themselves in the presence of a lady, they stood somewhat abashed, it seemed, and bowed respectfully as they quaffed off the wine offered to the fro accustomed to darkness, and they kept their faces shaded by their hands during the short ti of their feature? could be seen
For an instant, however, the eyes of the youngest fell on Ada, and, at that leamed in the; but what it meant to say, she was at a loss to coence, as if he expected to be understood; but there was also blended with it an expression of adret, which further puzzled her At all events, she was convinced that, by that look, he intended to convey so, which he dared not otherwise explain
The strangers re the occupants of the cabin a good evening, they took their leave The elder went first, and as the second followed, he appeared to stumble at the door As he did so, he let a folded paper fall frolance at Ada over his shoulder
Before she had ti up the coers were quickly in their boat, which, with rapid strokes, pulled back towards the speronara
”Up with the helm, my lad,” exclaimed the captain, in a hurried tone, to the man at the wheel, as soon as the boat left the side, ”haul aft the head sheets--ease off the ht course”
”Ay, ay, sir,” answered the 's head fell off, ”square away the head yards, my men; come, be sharp about it”
”And what do you think, Ti and the pirate? It seee, doesn't it?”
said Bowse, as he walked the deck with his first officer as soon as they had put the shi+p on her forht astern, her outline every instant beco ran from her
”Why, sir,” replied the mate, in return to his coood of it, and that's a fact; but if you ask if I believe it, I don't do that neither These Italians are oes; and I believe we have just heard a pretty round lie, though I don't say there was no truth altogether in it To my mind, if there is such a chap as that Zap--what do they call him, the pirate--it is much more likely that he is on board that felucca, or perhaps he was one of the felloho ca should have sent her cruising about to give notice of hilish merchantmen”
”Well, Timmins, that's my view of the case,” replied Bowse; ”I think the Austrian brig would have stood on to Malta herself, seeing shea craft of that sort with a e Besides, what business had the speronara there at all?”
”There's so very suspicious about it, at all events,” returned the h I don't often listen to what the et hold of the wrong end of a thing, yet they have often an inkling of what's right and wrong Well, sir, they've already got all sorts of stories aboard here, about the _Flying Dutchman_ and such-like stuff, and they don't at all like the look of things When you were beloith the strangers, they talked of throwing the them swim to their boats, and I believe if you hadn't come up with them on deck yourself, they would not have let ht, Ti that the two felloho stood on our deck lately are knaves, but it wouldn't have done to heave them overboard,” said the master ”However, they are not likely to do us any harht look-out, and should any rascally pirate attack us, I'uns like men”
CHAPTER NINE
One of the most valuable qualities which a person can possess, is presence of mind Our safety and our life, and the safety and the lives of others, frequently depend on it Some people are endued with it naturally--they never act without thought, and they in a moment perceive what is best to be said or done Others act froh they ht by chance, they are ; like the Irish sea, cut above his head instead of below his feet, and came down by the run I believe that it is very possible to attain a presence of mind which one does not naturally possess, by constant practice and attention, though I suspect the task would be found very difficult
When Ada saw the paper drop fro Italian mariner, her first impulse was to call out to hiave as he left the cabin, convinced her that he had done so purposely, and feeling that if so, it was certainly of importance, as she did possess the quality of which I was speaking, she sprang forward to secure it The paper she saw, as she returned to her seat, was the blank leaf of a book, torn hastily out, and folded up in the for written on it
”Why, what is that you have got there, Ada?” said Colonel Gauntlett
”Oh, I fancied that I had discovered an important document, and, lo and behold, it turns out to be”One cannot help conjuring up so that in theseof the sort is likely to occur; but I believe after all there are some pencil ht, and as she did so, her countenance grew graver There were a few lines written in pencil, but so faint that it was not surprising she should, at first, not have remarked the of the people of that nation