Malta lay basking on the bright blue ocean, looking very white and very
hot under the scorching rays of a burning sun, as, early in the
afternoon, we stood towards the entrance of the harbour of Valetta.
Passing St. Elmo Castle on our right, and Fort Ricasoli on our left,
whose numberless guns looked frowning down upon us, as if ready, at a
moment's notice, to annihilate any enemy daring to enter with an
exhibition of hostile intent, we ran up that magnificent inlet called
the Grand Harbour.
Malta Harbour has been so often described, that my readers will not
thank me for another elaborate drawing. Only, let them picture to
themselves a gulf from three to four hundred yards across, with several
deep inlets full of shipping, and on every conspicuous point, on all
sides, white batteries of hewn stone, of various heights, some flush
with the water, others rising in tiers one above another, with huge
black guns grinning out of them, the whole crowned with flat-roofed
barracks, and palaces and churches and steeples and towers, with a blue
sky overhead, and blue water below, covered with oriental-looking boats,
and lateen-rigged craft, with high-pointed triangular sails of snowy
whiteness, and boatmen in gayly-coloured scarfs and caps, and
men-of-war, and merchant-vessels--and a very tolerable idea will be
formed of the place.
Valetta itself, the capital, stands on a hog's back, a narrow but high
neck of land, dividing the Grand Harbour from the quarantine harbour,
called, also, Marsa Muceit. The chief streets run in parallel lines
along the said hog's back, and they are intersected by others, which run
up and down its steep sides. In some parts they are so steep that
flights of steps take the place of the carriage-way. The best known of
these steps are the Nix Mangiari Stairs, so-called from the troops of
little beggars who infest them, and assure all passers-by that they have
had nothing to eat for six days. "_Oh, signori, me no fader no moder;
me nix mangiari seis journi_!" An assertion which their fat cheeks and
obese little figures most undeniably contradict. Few people will forget
those steep steps who have had to toil to the top of them on a
sweltering day, not one, but three or four times, perchance; nor will
those noisy, lazy, dirty beggars--those sights most foul--those odours
most sickening--fade from his memory.
We ran up the harbour and dropped our anchor not far from the chief
landing-place, abreast of Nix Mangiari Steps. There were several
men-of-war in the harbour. Among them was our old friend the "Trident."
"If Piper sees us, we shall soon have him on board to tell us all the
news," observed Porpoise. "I don't think Master Mite will forget us,
either, if he can manage to come. Our good things, in the way of eating
and drinking, made no slight impression on his mind, whatever he may
have thought of us as individuals. If he has an opportunity, that
little fellow will distinguish himself."
While stowing sails, the rest of the party having gone below to prepare
for a visit to the shore, my eye, as it ranged round the harbour, fell
on the sails of a Greek brig, which was just then standing out of the
galley port. I looked at her attentively, and then pointed her out to
Snow, who was so earnest in seeing that his mainsail was stowed in the
smoothest of skins, that he had not observed her.
"What do you think of her?" said I.
"Why, sir, if she isn't that rascally craft which attacked us, she is as
like her as one marlinspike is to another!" he exclaimed, slapping his
hand on his thigh. "I'll be hanged but what I believe it is her, and no
mistake about it."
"I think so, too. Call Mr Porpoise," said I.
Porpoise jumped on deck with his coat off, and a hairbrush in each hand,
to look at her.
"I couldn't swear to her; but she is the same build and look of craft as
our piratical friend," he answered. "Hang it! I wish that we had come
in an hour or two sooner; we might have just nabbed her. As it is, I
fear, before we can have time to get the power from the proper
authorities to stop her, she will be far away, and laughing at us. At
all events, there is not a moment to be lost."
By this time all hands were on deck, looking at the Greek brig; but all
were not agreed as to her being the pirate. However, the gig was
lowered, and we pulled on shore, to hurry up as fast as we could to the
governor's palace, to make our report, and to get him to stop the brig
before she got out of the harbour.
Landing among empty casks and bales on the sandy shore, we hurried up
Nix Mangiari Stairs, greatly to the detriment of Porpoise's
conversational powers, and then on to the residence of the governor,
once the palace of the Grand Master of the far-famed Knights of Malta; a
huge square structure, imposing for its size, rather than for the beauty
of its architecture. The governor was within, and without delay we were
ushered through a magnificent suite of rooms into his presence. He
received us politely, but raised his eyebrows at the account of our
adventure with the pirate, and seemed to insinuate that yachting
gentlemen might be apt to be mistaken, and that we had perhaps after all
only found a mare's-nest.
"But, hang it, sir," exclaimed Hearty, "the villain fired into us as
fast as he could; and that gentleman, Mr Bubble, and several of my
people, were hit. There was no fancy in that, I imagine."
"Ah, I see; that alters the case," said the governor. "We will send and
stop the brig; but understand, that you will have to prove that she is
the vessel which fired into you; and, if she is not, you must be
answerable for the consequences."
"By all manner of means," sung out Hearty. "I suppose the consequences
won't be very dreadful."
"Hang the consequences," he exclaimed, as soon afterwards we were left
to ourselves, to await the report from the telegraph-station. "I cannot
bear to hear these official gentlemen babbling of consequences when
rogues are to be punished, and honest men protected. A thing must be
either right or wrong. If it's right, do it--if it's wrong, let it
alone. I hate the red-tape system which binds our rulers from beginning
to end. We must break through it, and that pretty quickly, or Old
England will come to an end."
We were all ready enough to argue with Hearty in this matter, though the
said breaking through an old deep-rooted system is more easy to propose
than to carry into effect.
After we had waited some time, word was brought to the palace that, as I
expected would be the case, the suspicious brig had got out of the
harbour; and was out of the range of the guns on the batteries before
the message had reached them. A gun was fired to bring her to, but of
course she paid no attention to the signal. Once more we were ushered
into the presence of the governor. He was very civil and very kind, be
it understood.
"Your best course is to go to the admiral, and tell him your story, and
perhaps he will send a man-of-war after her."
"Thank you, sir," said Hearty, rising. "We will do as you advise;
though I fear, before a man-of-war can get under way, our piratical
friend will be safe from pursuit."
"It matters little. He is very certain to be caught before long; and we
will have him hung at his own yard-arm, like some of his predecessors,"
observed the governor, politely bowing us out.
"Humph!" muttered Hearty, as we descended the superb steps of the
palatial abode. "It matters not, I suppose, how many throats may be
cut, and how many rich cargoes sent to the bottom, in the mean time.
Hang official routine, I say again. We must get these things altered in
Parliament." [Note.]
The admiral was living on shore, and to his residence we repaired as
fast as our legs would carry us, with the thermometer at 90.
"I wish that we had taken the law into our own hands, and made chase
after the fellow in the yacht," exclaimed poor Porpoise, wiping the
perspiration from his forehead. "A few hours' fighting would have been
better than this hot work."
"All very well if we could prove that she was the vessel which attacked
us; but if it should have turned out that we were mistaken, we should
have been in the place of the pirates, and have been accused of murder,
robbery, rapine, and all sorts of atrocities," remarked Bubble. "No,
no; depend on it, things are better as they are. Retribution will
overtake the fellows one of these days."
The admiral's abode was reached at last; but the admiral was not at
home, though his secretary was. The admiral had gone into the country,
and would not return till the cool of the evening. The secretary
received us very politely, though he seemed rather inclined to laugh at
our suspicions.
A pirate sail into Malta Harbour,--beard the lion in his den! The idea
was too absurd. It was scarcely possible that any pirates could exist
in the Mediterranean. A few had appeared, from time to time, it was
true; but several had been hung, and the example had proved a warning to
other evil-doers. He would, however, as soon as the admiral returned,
mention the circumstance to him, and if he thought fit he would
undoubtedly send a vessel in chase of the suspected polacca.
Such was the substance of the worthy secretary's remarks to us. We
could not go in search of the admiral, as it was uncertain where he was
to be found, so, very little satisfied with our morning's work, we left
the house.
"What shall we do next?" exclaimed Hearty. "There seems to be no chance
of our catching Master Sandgate."
"Oh, by all means, let us go on board and get cool," answered Porpoise.
"Certainly," said Bubble, "I want to look out some zephyr clothing. One
can bear nothing thicker than a cobweb this sultry weather."
So on board we went, and lay each man in his cabin with all the
skylights off, and wind-sails down, an awning over the deck, and a
punkah invented by Bubble, kept working, which sent a stream of air
through every portion of our abode, so that we were far more comfortable
than we could have been anywhere else. When yachting I always make a
point of going everywhere in the yacht, and living on board her,
scarcely ever entering an hotel. We thus spent two or three hours--some
reading, others smoking or talking, Bubble every now and then giving
vent to his feelings in snatches of song. I am not certain that we did
not all drop asleep. We were aroused from our quietness by the sound of
footsteps on deck, and by the descent of the steward into the cabin.
"Please, sir, that young gentleman that came aboard from the
sloop-of-war, after we lost our masts, wants to know if he may come
below to see you," said he to Hearty.
"By all means," cried Hearty, springing up; "glad to see him."
Master Mite had followed the steward, and heard the last observation.
"Thank you, sir," quoth he, helping himself to a seat. "Glad to see
you, too. Scarcely thought you would be here so soon. Just in time for
a grand ball. You'll like it. We can take you there. I'm a great
favourite with the signora. Told me to bring all my friends--the more
the better--very hearty people for Smaitches. That's what we call the
Maltese here, you know. I saw your craft come in, and wanted to come on
board before, but couldn't. A midshipman is not always his own master,
you know. At last I got leave from our jolly old first, Tom Piper. He
told me to say that he would come as soon as he could. I know that he
wants to press you to come to the ball, also."
Thus did the young midshipman run on. Hearty told him that he should be
very happy to go to his friend's house under his chaperonage, and that
so should we all, which mightily pleased Master Mite.
"That's right," he exclaimed. "It will be jolly good fun, I can tell
you. There are some very nice English people, too, great friends of
mine. Such a splendiferous girl, too--a Miss Mizen--came out with her
uncle, old Rullock, in the `Zebra.' I dance with her whenever I can.
If you could but see her I'm sure you'd say my taste was very good.
Some people think that she is cut out by another fine girl, a Miss Jane
Seton; but I don't. Jane's all very well in her way, very fine to look
at, and all that sort of thing; but to say the truth, she's rather
addicted to snubbing midshipmen, and that we don't approve of. As for
her mother, she wouldn't touch one of us with a boarding-pike. She's a
terrible old harridan, and that's not in Jane's favour. Oh, no, give me
Laura Mizen for my money, and all our mess say the same. She's the
toast of the mess just now, I can tell you."
While the youngster was running on thus I watched Hearty's countenance.
He fairly blushed, and looked more pleased and astonished and puzzled
than I had ever seen him before in my life. He evidently did not like
to stop the boy, though he winced at hearing Miss Mizen spoken of as the
toast of the mess. He was astonished, and clearly delighted at hearing
that she was so near him, for, as may be remembered, I had not told him
that she and her mother had come out to Malta, nor did he hear of the
circumstance during our stay at Gibraltar. Dinner was soon brought on
the table, and Tom Mite did not fail to do ample justice to it.
"Well, you yachtsmen do live like princes," quoth the young gentleman,
as he quaffed his cool claret. "When I come into my fortune, I'll get a
yacht, and cut the service. Then, if Miss Mizen, or some other fine
young girl like her, will have me, she shall become the rover's bride.
Oh, wouldn't it be jolly! Here's to her health in the mean time."