Part 42 (2/2)
”The mistico has tacked,” shouted Tompion, in return. ”Shall I fire into her?”
”No--no; no firing--we may be hitting our friends,” cried Linton. ”Let her go--we can get her afterwards.”
As the boats drew near her, the mistico opened a fire of small arms and swivels on them over the larboard side; for she was now standing directly across their course, bringing them, as she got more to the northward, under her stern; so that when she again tacked, she would be able to bring her starboard broadside to bear on them. The pirate boats also commenced a slight and uncertain fire, showing that very few of them had arms; but, as they drew near the sh.o.r.e, the cliffs appeared fringed with a blaze of fire, which opened down upon them.
Still undaunted, Linton pushed on: the boats were occasionally hit, but no one was wounded. The mistico again tacked; but she found the wind more scant than she had probably expected, and she consequently fell off, and instead of having the English boats on her starboard side, she pa.s.sed astern of them, unable to fire, so close were both parties together, without an equal chance of injuring her own friends. The same cause also prevented the people on the cliffs from keeping up the hot fire they might otherwise have done; for in the darkness of night it was difficult to distinguish the position of the English boats, in consequence of their carefully abstaining from firing. Linton and his followers were almost up with the sternmost of the pirate boats when the lofty cliffs opened, as it seemed, by magic--the enemy disappeared in the narrow opening, and, as they were boldly pus.h.i.+ng after them, they found a thick chain drawn across the pa.s.sage, and at the same time a blaze of fire opened from the broadside of the brig, moored across it.
”Back your larboard oars, pull up your starboard oars, my men,” shouted Linton. ”We are in a trap--must give it up, or be knocked to pieces, I'm afraid. Let all the boats pull to the south-west as fast as they can till we are out of the range of their guns.”
It was, indeed, time for the British to retire; for besides the big guns and swivels of the brig, every accessible point of the cliffs above their head appeared covered with musketry, and several heavy pieces sent forth their messengers of destruction from beneath the walls of the castle. Never were boats perhaps exposed to a hotter fire--to penetrate into the harbour was utterly impossible, and the probability of their escaping was small indeed.
”Pull on--pull for your lives, my men,” shouted the young lieutenant, as the boats' heads came round, and their crews endeavoured to escape from the showers of round shot and bullets, which dashed the water up on every side of them, wounding several, and sending more than one brave heart to its last account.
”We shall do yet, my men. We'll pay the villains off for this!” he shouted. ”Oh, Heaven! They've done for me. Take the helm, Duff, and tell Mr Tompion--”
He spoke in a low tone, and before he finished the sentence he sunk down at the bottom of the boat.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
”And so, signora, you would show your grat.i.tude for the attention and respect with which I have treated you, by endeavouring to escape from my care, and by bringing your countrymen to attempt my destruction.”
These words, uttered in a deep, stern voice, were the first Ada heard with sufficient distinctness to comprehend their meaning, since the termination of the conflict, in which she had seen her lover, over whom she still hung, cast down wounded by her side. The tone and accent told her, too clearly, who was the speaker ere she raised her head, and, looking round, beheld the pirate Zappa, steering the boat. Whether or not it was fancy, she could scarcely tell; but, as she gazed at him through the gloom, his dress appeared disordered, and stained with blood, and his countenance seemed to her to wear an expression even of unusual ferocity. Dread, lest in his savage mood he should wreak his vengeance on Fleetwood, kept her silent.
”Speak, signora,” he repeated. ”Why have you done this?”
”I have done nothing to injure you, nothing of which you have a right to complain,” said Ada, lifting up her head, though still remaining on her knees by Fleetwood's side. ”You unjustly deprived me of my liberty, and that I have attempted to regain. Of no other crime towards you can you accuse me.”
She said this with as firm a voice as she could command, remembering the effect her courage had had on the pirate, on a former occasion; and she now felt that it was, if possible, of still greater importance to her to retain her presence of mind; not only her own life, but that of Fleetwood; might depend on her behaviour.
”But you are mistaken, signora. I accuse you of instigating some strangers, to whom hospitality had been shown, to run off with the property of my people, and of inducing that unhappy youth, Paolo Montifalcone, treacherously, to a.s.sist in your flight,” returned the pirate firmly. ”I will not, however, barter words with you. If I and my people escape from the attack your countrymen appear about to make on us, I may overlook your crime; but if any of them suffer through your means, you shall not escape my vengeance.”
”I am defenceless and in your power,” replied Ada. ”I repeat that I have not instigated my countrymen to attack you, and if you suffer, it is through no fault of mine. But if you add a cold-blooded murder to your other crimes, you will bring down the vengeance of all civilised nations on your head, as instruments of the G.o.d whom you have offended.”
”My resolution is fixed, signora. What I do depends on the result of this night's business,” said the pirate, in the same stern voice; and, without paying her any further apparent attention, he urged on his people to renewed exertions at their oars.
This conversation took place exactly as the British boats were first discovered through the darkness, coming up astern; and as they happened to be just there in line, and looming large in the gloom, Zappa could not tell what force was now being brought against him; and it was the belief that he was about to be attacked by overwhelming numbers, before, perhaps, he could get within shelter of the harbour, and make arrangements for his defence, which had stirred up all the devil within him. One of his remarks gave Ada some gleam of comfort, for it made her fancy that the pirate did not suspect that the wounded man at his feet was Captain Fleetwood, the enemy from whom he had most to dread, and she hoped that he still believed him to be simply the Maltese sailor he appeared. Hope, however slight, will, as the light branch keeps a drowning man above the surface of the treacherous waters, support a person amid present distress and difficulty, who would otherwise sink overwhelmed beneath them; and this idea, which had happily occurred to Ada, prevented her giving way to the wretchedness she felt at the failure of her lover's gallant attempt to rescue her, and the too probable destruction he had brought on himself and those a.s.sociated with him. The pirate every now and then turned his head to watch the advancing boats, expecting them each instant to fire on him; but seeing that they did not do so, he grew calmer as he approached the harbour, knowing that he should soon be in safety within it.
Though trembling lest her care should evince her interest in Fleetwood, Ada, as soon as Zappa's attention had been withdrawn from her, again employed herself in endeavouring to staunch the blood which flowed from his wound. As she bent over him she found he breathed; and as she held his hand in hers, she felt that his pulse was still beating, though slow and faint. It had at last occurred to her, that it would be wiser to call Marianna to her a.s.sistance, though, with the natural jealousy of love, she was unwilling that any one but herself should tend, while she was able, the object of her affection, but the poor girl was little in a condition to render her any aid; as, overcome with her fears, and the continued excitement in which she had been kept, she had gone off in a fainting fit, from which she was only just recovering. She heard the voice of her mistress, and it served to revive her, and raising her head, she dragged herself towards her.
”Oh, holy Mary, and is the brave captain killed!” she exclaimed, as she saw Fleetwood's rigid, death-like appearance, though the dark colour with which his skin was tinged concealed the ghastly pallor of his countenance. ”Oh, holy mother, is he dead?”
Ada grasped Marianna's arm, to make her keep silent, as she whispered--”He is your countryman, a seaman of Malta. You must attend to him.” And she trusted that Zappa had not overheard her maid's indiscreet exclamation. Whether he had or not, his attention was again attracted towards them.
”You appear to take great interest in that wounded man, signora,” he observed, in a less angry tone than before.
”I do, signor,” she replied, in a firm voice, without waiting for his saying any thing further. ”I perform but a woman's part towards a wounded man, in endeavouring to alleviate his suffering. I do as I would towards any one in a like situation; and as I would towards you, were a shot, from the guns of my countrymen, this instant to lay you low, and were I again carried into captivity by your orders. We are taught by our religion, signor, not to distinguish our enemies from our friends, when they are in affliction.” Ada made this last observation as the genuine feeling of her heart, without any hypocrisy, however excusable some might think it, under the circ.u.mstances, and, doubtlessly, would have staunched the wounds of her greatest enemy, to the best of her power, had she been called on to do so; though the anxiety and tenderness which animated her, as she watched over Fleetwood, would have, of necessity, been wanting.
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