A SUSPICIOUS SAIL--AN EXPECTED VISIT FROM AN UNINVITED STRANGER--WE
PREPARE TO RECEIVE HIM.
The Rock of Gibraltar was fading from our sight in the far distance, as
the sun in a blaze of glory went down into his ocean bed between the
pillars of Hercules. The yacht lay in a dead calm, her canvas idly
flapping for want of more useful employment, while every spar and rope
was reflected in the mirror-like surface of the watery expanse; yet she
was not immovable, for the current which runs in at the mouth of the
Mediterranean was sending her on at the rate of some knots an hour, over
the ground pretty well in her direct course. We sat on deck and smoked
our cigars, and spun many a yarn, and told many an adventure of bygone
days. It was with difficulty that we could persuade ourselves to turn
in, so enjoyable was the cool sea atmosphere after the burnt-up, baked,
oveny air of the old Rock.
The next morning, when we came on deck, although there had not been an
air in all the heavens, as Snow informed us, we had sunk Gibraltar
completely beneath the sea. That day passed much like the previous one.
Now and then a light breeze from the westward filled the cutter's
sails, and made her step through the water at a speed which must have
astonished some of the ancient fish, which looked up at her from out of
their caverned homes beneath the waves. As the day wore on we made out,
away to the westward, the mastheads of a brig. As we gradually rose
them it appeared that she was a polacca-rigged brig, probably a Greek
laden with corn, bound out of the Straits, perhaps to supply the
insatiable maw of old England with food. We had just made this
discovery when we were summoned to dinner. To people who have nothing
to do, any small thing affords subject of interest. I remember a story
of two noblemen, shut up at a country inn on a rainy day, betting large
sums on the speed of two small flies running over a pane of glass, and
of others equally wise, staking larger amounts than many a naval and
military officer receives in his life-time, on two spots of rain, the
bet being a drawn one by the drops uniting. When we returned on deck
after dinner no change had taken place. The canvas of the cutter gave
every now and then an idle flap, while the sails of the Greek brig
seemed very much in the same humour. We, however, were so far better
off than the stranger, because the current was sweeping us, slowly
indeed, but still in the direction we wanted to go, while it was
carrying her away from it. Still we appeared by some mysterious
influence to near each other. It was not, however, for some time that
we discovered that her crew were towing her ahead, and that she had also
long sweeps out, which probably sent her through the water two or three
knots an hour.
"I thought those Greek seamen were idle dogs, who would not think of
taking so much trouble as these fellows appear to do, even to save their
lives."
"Oh, there's little enough to be said in their favour," replied
Porpoise. "These fellows want to get through the Straits, as they fancy
they shall find a fair wind outside, so they take a little trouble now
in the hopes of perfect idleness by and by." Odd as it may seem, I
could not help fancying that there was something strange about that
brig, yet what it was of course I could not tell.
"Well, I shall always think favourably of the industry of Greeks, after
watching those fellows," said Carstairs.
The strange brig kept creeping up closer and closer to us; still, except
an occasional glance which we took of her, as being the only object in
sight, she appeared in no way to excite the interest of my messmates.
I, however, as I remarked, clearly remember to have had a strange
feeling of doubt and mistrust as I looked at her. It is impossible to
account for similar sensations, experienced frequently by people on
various occasions; had she been a rakish-looking, low, black schooner,
with a wide spread of canvas, met with in the latitude of the West
Indies, I might very naturally have guessed her to be a pirate or
slaver; but the brig in sight was a harmless, honest-looking trader, and
still I could not help frequently during the day looking at her, very
much as I should have done had she been of the character of the craft I
had described.
"Bubble!" exclaimed Hearty, "you know that you have promised us a tale
of your own composition, and you have very frequently been missed from
the deck and found pen in hand in the cabin, covering sundry sheets of
paper, and when we have been wrapped in slumber you have been supposed
to have sat up continuing your work. Come, man, have compassion on our
curiosity, and give us the result of your lucubrations."
"Oh, no! spare my blushes," answered Will, with a comic sentimental
look: "I don't aim at the world-wide celebrity of an author: I am
content to please a select circle of friends like yourselves. Who would
read a story published under the signature of Will Bubble? No! I say,
let me float on adown the quiet stream of insignificance. The post of
safety is a humble station--hum!"
"Over-modesty, over-modesty, Will," answered Hearty. "Pluck up courage,
man; you will do well if you try."
The best of the joke was, that the rogue, as I well know, had for many a
year past been dabbling in literature, and often had I enjoyed a quiet
laugh when reading an article from his pen.
"Well, perhaps some day I'll try," said he, demurely.
"Hillo! what can the fellow be wanting?" exclaimed Porpoise,
interrupting our talking (I won't call it conversation).
We all turned our eyes in the direction in which he was looking. The
brig had lowered a boat, which with rapid strokes was pulling towards
us.
"She seems to have a good many hands in her," he added, holding his
glass to his eye. "I don't quite like the look of her."
"Nor do I either, I confess," said I. "There are some craft in this sea
not altogether honest, we must remember, though they are generally met
with higher up towards the Levant."
"What ought we to do, then?" asked Hearty.
"Just serve out the cutlasses and pistols, and cast the guns loose,"
said Porpoise. "Tell the people to keep an eye on the strangers, and if
more than two or three attempt to come on board, to tumble them into
their boat again. There's not the slightest danger if we put on a bold
front, but if we are caught napping, I would not be answerable for the
consequences."