On reaching the port my first consideration was to discover a suitable
craft in which to make the trip along the coast to the north end of the
island. When it actually came to the point I must confess that the idea
of seizing and carrying off the property of somebody else was extremely
repugnant to me. Still, I could see no other course open without
exposing the party to imminent danger of betrayal, and I had resolved in
my own mind that, since necessity seemed to point to the deprivation of
some unfortunate individual of his property, the deprivation should be
only temporary; I would take the most suitable boat I could find, and
when done with seek some means of returning her to her owner with a
handsome sum of money as hire.
Having made up my mind so far, I took counsel with Giaccomo, who knew
the place well, and he immediately ran over a list of craft belonging to
the port, any one of which he thought would serve our purpose passably
well. In the midst of his statement, however, he suddenly interrupted
himself with many objurgations upon his own stupidity, to which he added
a statement that he had just that instant thought of a craft which would
suit us admirably, one, moreover, which we need not distress ourselves
about returning.
"That sounds rather promising," said I. "What is she, Giaccomo?"
"She is a pleasure-boat measuring about fifteen tons," replied the man;
"she is a very strange-looking craft, but she sails like the wind. She
is the property of one of the French officers, who built her for his own
amusement."
"Then," said I, "if she is likely to suit us, we will certainly make a
prize of her without compunction. Lead on, my man, and let us see if we
can find her."
We went on some distance further until we came to the waterside, not
meeting with a single soul on the way, and there we helped ourselves to
a rowing-boat and pulled out into the bay, where, according to
Giaccomo's account, we should find her if she then happened to be in
port.
We pulled through a large fleet of fishing-boats, coasting feluccas, and
other craft, mostly of a size ranging from two to fifty tons, and at
length, just as I was beginning to think our search would be in vain,
Giaccomo exclaimed,--
"There she is!"
I looked in the direction indicated, and saw a long low-hulled craft,
cutter-rigged, with what struck me as a set of spars altogether
disproportionate to her size.
"Oh!" I exclaimed in a tone of disappointment, "_she_ will never do.
Why, she would capsize with half a capful of wind."
"By no means, signor," replied the Corsican. "Though yew would never
believe it, to look at her, she carries her canvas better and longer
than any boat belonging to Ajaccio, and as for working to windward--she
is simply astounding."
"If that be so," said I, "let us paddle up alongside and take a look at
her."
We did so, and on a nearer inspection found her to be, according to the
then prevalent ideas concerning naval architecture, quite as
extraordinary as Giaccomo had described her to be. She was about five
times as long as she was wide, with a bow like a fine wedge, a good
clean run, and very little freeboard; she was in fact a singular
foreshadowing of the modern type of racing cutter, and consequently, at
that date, absolutely unique.
I was rather taken with her appearance, and my curiosity, moreover,
being strongly excited by the marvellous stories told by Giaccomo
respecting her sailing powers,--which, he asserted, he had had frequent
opportunities of observing, from having been occasionally engaged to
accompany her owner on his cruises,--I decided forthwith to take
possession of her as a lawful prize. Mooring the boat alongside we
accordingly crept softly on board, and Giaccomo immediately descended
into the little forecastle to ascertain whether any one happened to be
on board. The forecastle proved to be empty, but on going down into the
cabin we saw by the feeble glimmer of the cabin lamp a lad of about
eighteen comfortably stretched out on the cushions laid along upon the
top of the lockers.
Drawing his long knife from its sheath, Giaccomo unceremoniously broke
in upon the slumbers of this youth, and brandishing the gleaming blade
before his astonished eyes, while admonishing him in a fierce whisper
not to utter a sound above his breath if he placed the slightest value
upon his life, he ordered him to enumerate what stores there were on
board, and to indicate their locality. This the lad did, leading us
first to a small but well-arranged pantry, and then opening the lockers
and exhibiting their contents. A brief survey was sufficient to satisfy
me that the craft was amply provisioned for our cruise, and this matter
being thus satisfactorily settled, we repaired to the deck and proceeded
to loose the sails and get the cutter under way; the lad whom we had so
roughly aroused being persuaded by occasional suggestive exhibitions of
Giaccomo's knife to render his best assistance in the task.
While the two were thus engaged, I conducted Francesca below, and having
indicated to her the small but luxuriously-furnished sleeping cabin of
the owner, proposed that she should take possession thereof, and
endeavour to recruit her somewhat exhausted energies by procuring, if
possible, a few hours' sleep. I then returned to the deck, and found my
"crew" in the act of getting up the anchor. This was soon done, the
head-sails were trimmed, and under a gentle westerly breeze we proceeded
to work out of the bay.
As the cutter had a boat of her own towing astern, I cast adrift the one
we had "borrowed," and left her to take her chance of drifting ashore
and finding her way once more into her proper owner's hands.
Shortly after leaving our anchorage we passed close to leeward of a long
rakish-looking lateener, on board which, as ill-luck would have it, an
anchor-watch was being kept. I suppose the circumstance of our getting
under way at so unusual an hour must have attracted attention on board
this craft, at all events the casting adrift of the shore-boat had been
observed; and as we approached we were hailed from her deck with an
inquiry as to whether we were aware that one of our boats had gone
adrift.
"Ay, ay," replied Giaccomo, "we know it; it is all right: we shall pick
her up presently, but we do not care to tack just now in this light wind
for fear of-- Diavolo! hold your tongue, you son of a boiled monkey, or
I will let daylight into you on one side and out on the other."
The latter part of this speech had been addressed to our prisoner, who,
encouraged by the close proximity of the two vessels, had without a sign
of warning lifted up his voice and shouted with all the power of his
lungs,--
"_Perfidie! nous som--_" The remainder of the sentence had been choked
back by the iron grasp of Giaccomo's hand upon the lad's throat, the
dagger being flashed before his eyes and the threat hissed into his ears
at the same moment.
But it was enough, the mischief had been done. As we glided past the
craft's stern we saw the man on watch dart to the companion and
disappear, returning to the deck in less than a minute, accompanied by
another individual, whose fluttering white garment sufficiently
indicated that he had come direct from his berth without waiting to
observe the decencies of ordinary life. He, too, hailed us, but we
wasted no breath in attempting to reply, fully aware that nothing we
could say would allay the suspicion which had been aroused. Instead
therefore of shouting back, and possibly attracting the attention of
other craft, we devoted all our energies to trimming our canvas to the
best advantage, and packing upon the cutter every rag we could set.
"Per Baccho!" ejaculated Giaccomo between his set teeth, addressing the
author of the mischief, and emphasising his remarks with a smart prod of
the knife in the most fleshy part of that misguided individual's person,
"I have a great mind to slash your throat open, and then launch you
overboard as a breakfast to the sharks. You have drawn upon us the
attention of that rascally guarda-costa, the captain of which will not
be satisfied until he has received a full explanation of your remark.
But, maledetto! remember this, the moment our capture seems certain I
will slit you up as I would a sardine,"--appropriate gesture with the
knife,--"so if you object to being slit open like a sardine you will
give me all the help you can. You comprehend?"
The lad comprehended so well that he was frightened half out of his
wits, and went round the deck, taking an extra pull here, easing off
half an inch of sheet there, shifting the water-casks, and, in short,
doing all he knew to increase the speed of the cutter, glancing
anxiously astern at the guarda-costa in the intervals, and from her to
his dreaded shipmate.
Of course I am aware that I ought to have interfered and put a stop to
this terrorism on the part of the hot-blooded Corsican, and I _should_
have done so, had there appeared any probability of his executing his
sanguinary threats; but I had already seen enough of him to believe that
his bark was a great deal worse than his bite, and so, as the prisoner
had evidently got us into what might prove a very awkward scrape, I was
willing that he should not be allowed to go altogether unpunished.
It was even as Giaccomo had foreseen. We were scarcely a mile from the
guarda-costa when we saw her canvas drooping in heavy festoons from her
long tapering yards, and by the time that we had increased our distance
to a couple of miles her anchor was a-trip, and she was sweeping round
on her way out after us.