Part 55 (2/2)
”I fear so too, and it would be the last way I should wish to gain”I wish to Heaven we could fall in with this phantoreat deal of worry to kill a reat faith in the effect of any but physical causes on the body, the consequences of a lieon ”If he persists in going without food and sleep, of course he will grow thin”
”That's very well for you to say, doctor; but when a man's heart is sick he can't eat,” answered Linton ”It is the uncertainty of the thing is killing hi lady, and he will pluck up fast enough; or, let him know the worst, and, as he is a man and a Christian, he will bear his affliction like one, I'll answer for him”
”Deck, ahoy!” hailed the captain, from aloft ”Keep her away one point more to the southward”
”Ay, ay, sir,” answered Saltwell, and every telescope was pointed in the direction the shi+p was now steering
Nothing, however, was to be seen from the deck; but the captain still kept at thesome object still below the horizon At last he descended, and summoned the pilot, with the first lieutenant and master, into his cabin, where a chart was spread out on the table
”And we may stand safely on towards that island on our present course without fear of rocks or shoals, pilot?” he asked
The ansas in the affir from the eastward, you say, and you have known e? Then, Mr Saltwell, pack all sail on the brig There is a large boat, or a raft, with a square sail, to the south-east of us, which ill overhaul without delay”
Royals and studding-sails, alow and aloft, were now set, and away the _Ione_ flew before the breeze Now the wind fell, and now it freshened; but the brig gained rapidly on the chase, which, by the little way ita raft Then caested to Fleetwood'sout the hand at the foreht under the land ahead of us,” was the answer to the usual questions
Saltwell himself went aloft to ascertain more clearly her character, and soon returned with the report that she was aup for the raft
”She will be up to it, too, sir, I a before we can reach it,” he observed ”Shall we get a gun ready to fire, sir?”
”In mercy's name, no!” exclaiht be injured”
”I meant to fire at the mistico, sir,” said the lieutenant ”She is, I am certain, a piratical craft, and if those on the raft are of the same kidney, she will assist them to escape; or if not, her people will rob and et, Mr Saltwell, that we cannot be certain of that craft being a pirate, and till we are, we have no right to fire,” said the captain
”Besides, our shot ht fire on it in revenge”
The cry of ”a sail on the larboard bow” interrupted the conversation, and, as the glasses were turned in the direction indicated, the sails of a lofty shi+p were seen appearing above a headland, which ran out from the east end of the small island which lay before theer, so she stood on fearlessly towards the raft The people on the raft were then seen to quit it, and to go on board the mistico, which directly kept away, and ran to the ard, evidently to avoid the stranger which she must have just then seen for the first time
The shi+pon some little time, tacked and stood towards the _Ione_ The mistico, it must be understood, was now about a mile from the shore, and little more than the same distance from the west end of the island, while the _Ione_ was another ht easily get round the point, and then by keeping away a the cluster of islands and rocks further to the south, very likely escape altogether
To avoid this, Fleetwood nal to the _Venus_ to bear up and run round to the south end of the island, to intercept the chase, trusting to his senior officer following his wishes Old Raas not a nalised him he would have obeyed the order, and he instantly put up his helh the mistico was already too far to the ard to profit by the change by dodging round in the same direction
”We must leave the raft to take its chance, sir, while we chase the mistico, I suppose,” asked Saltwell
”Yes, by all means--haul up a couple of points on the starboard tack”
”Port the helm Larboard fore braces Starboard after braces,” cried Saltwell
”Avast,” exclaih his glass ”Starboard the helain Keep her as she was
The _Venus_ will look after the ure of a fe to us It is, it ed to support hi to his side to catch hi that he was about to fall to the deck
The brig ran on till she neared the raft, a boat was lowered--her captain threw hiside the raft; in anotherin his arratitude to Heaven, and love for him, who had rescued her