Part 33 (2/2)
On the Greek boat fleith redoubled speed, as she was keptthe broken water Zappa, his nerves unshaken, stood up to steer, while aover the bow, tried to make out the channel As soon as the pirate showed hilish boats opened their fire on hih several shot whistled round his head he re foa to fill the boat, should she for one instant meet with any impediment
Every lance ahead On either side, the water caunnel, and beyond, the heads of the black rocks appeared ah which they sailed Now the side of the boat alrazed a rock, which, had she struck, would have sent her into a thousand splinters A short distance more and they would be safe The _Zoe_ had observed the towards them to render them assistance
Even their enemies forbore to fire, so perilous was their situation, and so certain appeared their destruction On they rushed
”I can see no passage,” exclaimed the man in the bows ”We are all lost! Ah, no! Starboard the helain! Ease off the sheet Huzza! huzza! We are safe!”
The last great danger was past; a bend in the channel had been discovered, through which the boat glided; and now she floated in clear water, and held her rapid course towards the mistico No sooner was the chief on board the _Zoe_, than the helm was put up, and off she ran under all sail, with her head to the island of Lissa
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Doubtless, the reader will be anxious to hear by onderful event Colonel Gauntlett and his man, Mitchell, had escaped from the death they were supposed to have suffered, and whether poor Bowse, and any of the survivors of his crew, had been equally fortunate; but, as I have matter of still more importance to communicate in this chapter, I must entreat him to have patience till I can return to that part of my history We left the old pirate, Vlacco, on his way, by Nina's directions, to give his assistance to any who ht have survived the wreck of the Greek mistico He had no particular wish to turn philanthropist in his old age, so he went rather in a sulky humour, as he would very much rather have knocked them on the head than have had, not only to save their lives, but to refrain fro any of their property The orders of his chief's lady were, however, not to be disobeyed; so he and his coo with the rope and spars they had with theht just as well have co so far The boat is well handled though, and her crew don't seeive it up to the last They don't knohat they are co up their ar, and soo out of the world in the last way”
He walked on for some distance further, by which time the little h,” he continued ”She has got past Point Ausa, and I'ht up into Ziyra Bay
So, by the saints, she has; and if she had tried to get there, she could not have done it better Now, on my sons, or the sea will be too quick for us, and will have carried those strangers away before we get there”
A few e of a lofty cliff, from whence they looked down into a sh and dry, lay thethe shore The entrance to the bay was through a very narrow passage between two rocks, which could only just have allowed her to scrape through; but once inside, the force of the sea was so e The waves were, however, sufficiently high to break over her, and almost to fill her, so that the creere compelled to land as fast as they could This they acco down from the little stu up on to the dry sand before it returned
”You are lucky fellows to get on shore so easily,” muttered old Vlacco
”But now you are there, you are very like et out without my assistance”
From the appearance of the bay, there seemed to be much truth in his observation, for so perpendicular were the cliffs, that no one could by any possibility, have scaled them
He counted the people as they landed, and saw that there were fourto learn what they would do There was, as he ell aware, a narrow pathway cut up the side of the cliff; but the lower part was concealed, by leading into a sers were likely to find it It had been forular fortress, and had been thus arranged, that no enemy should land there, and take them unawares
The crew of the mistico immediately set to work to try and find their way to the su that Vlacco showed himself He went to the lowest part of the cliff, and beckoned to the two of the spars into the ground, he made a rope fast to them, and lowered it over the cliff It was iility of ahimself up by it, towards the su in the air, now placing his feet on the narrow ledges of the rock, and thusplay for a few yards to rest his ar off his cap, cheered to his conor,” he said, addressing Vlacco in a language which sounded soed, by his dress and the excessively dark hue of his skin
One after the other followed, till the whole creere safely landed
They were all dressed as Maltese; but one of them addressed Vlacco in Romaic, and said--
”He and his shi+pmates had to thank him for the assistance he had afforded them If our master was here, he would thank you, too; but, poor fellow, he and the mate ashed overboard, andnot where we have got to, or where to go We etting our vessel afloat, and we must then try to find our way back to Malta”
”You'll not find that so easy,” muttered the old pirate ”But how came you to hit the bay in the clever way you did? No one could have done it better who knows the island well”
”Our good luck served us, and our prayers to the saints wore efficacious,” returned the Maltese ”We did not expect to succeed so well, I can assure you”
”Soruff voice, the old pirate, who, since he had given up robbing on his own account, had no further fears on the score of the alternative generally mentioned ”You're in luck, I say; and since you happen not to be food for fishes, as I expected you would be by this ti you into the presence of the chief lady of this island, by whose directions I came all this way to try and save your lives, for I should not have taken so much trouble of my own accord, I can tell you”
”The chief lady of the island,” repeated the Maltese, who saw that it would be folly to take notice of the rude tone a the old man's observations ”Who is she, friend?”