The Pirate, and The Three Cutters Part 17

A morose, dark man, whom Francisco had not seen when he was before in the schooner, obeyed the commands of the captain. The irons were unlocked, and Francisco was brought down into the cabin. The captain rose and shut the door.

'I little thought to see you here, Francisco,' said Cain.

'Probably not,' replied Francis...o...b..ldly, 'but you have me again in your power, and may now wreak your vengeance.'

'I feel none, Francisco; nor would I have suffered you to have been put on sh.o.r.e as you were, had I known of it. Even now that our expedition has failed through your means, I feel no anger towards you, although I shall have some difficulty in preserving you from the enmity of others.

Indeed, Francisco, I am glad to find that you are alive, and I have bitterly mourned your loss;' and Cain extended his hand.

But Francisco folded his arms, and was silent.

'Are you then so unforgiving?' said the captain. 'You know that I tell the truth.'

'I believe that you state the truth, Captain Cain, for you are too bold to lie; and, as far as I am concerned, you have all the forgiveness you may wish: but I cannot take that hand; nor are our accounts yet settled.'

'What would you more? Cannot we be friends again? I do not ask you to remain on board. You are free to go where you please. Come, Francisco, take my hand, and let us forget what is past.'

'The hand that is imbrued with my mother's blood, perhaps!' exclaimed Francisco. 'Never!'

'Not so, by G--d!' exclaimed Cain. 'No, no; not quite so bad as that. In my mood I struck your mother; I grant it. I did not intend to injure her, but I did, and she died. I will not lie--that is the fact. And it is also the fact that I wept over her, Francisco; for I loved her as I do you.' ('It was a hasty, bitter blow, that,' continued Cain, soliloquising, with his hand to his forehead, and unconscious of Francisco's presence at the moment. 'It made me what I am, for it made me reckless.') 'Francisco,' said Cain, raising his head, 'I was bad, but I was no pirate when your mother lived. There is a curse upon me; that which I love most I treat the worst. Of all the world, I loved your mother most; yet did she from me receive much injury, and at last I caused her death. Next to your mother, whose memory I at once revere and love, and tremble when I think of (and each night does she appear to me), I have loved you, Francisco, for you, like her, have an angel's feelings; yet have I treated you as ill. You thwarted me, and you were right. Had you been wrong, I had not cared; but you were right, and it maddened me. Your appeals by day--your mother's in my dreams----'

Francisco's heart was softened; if not repentance, there was at least contrition. 'Indeed I pity you,' replied Francisco.

'You must do more, Francisco; you must be friends with me,' said Cain, again extending his hand.

'I cannot take that hand, it is too deeply dyed in blood,' replied Francisco.

'Well, well, so would have said your mother. But hear me, Francisco,'

said Cain, lowering his voice to a whisper, lest he should be overheard; 'I am tired of this life--perhaps sorry for what I have done--I wish to leave it--have wealth in plenty concealed where others know not. Tell me, Francisco, shall we both quit this vessel, and live together happily and without doing wrong? You shall share all, Francisco. Say, now, does that please you?'

'Yes; it pleases me to hear that you will abandon your lawless life, Captain Cain: but share your wealth I cannot, for how has it been gained?'

'It cannot be returned, Francisco; I will do good with it. I will indeed, Francisco. I--will--repent;' and again the hand was extended.

Francisco hesitated.

'I do, so help me G.o.d! I _do_ repent, Francisco!' exclaimed the pirate captain.

'And I, as a Christian, do forgive you all,' replied Francisco, taking the still extended hand. 'May G.o.d forgive you too!'

'Amen!' replied the pirate solemnly, covering his face up in his hands.

In this position he remained some minutes, Francisco watching him in silence. At last the face was uncovered, and, to the surprise of Francisco, a tear was on the cheek of Cain, and his eyes suffused with moisture. Francisco no longer waited for the hand to be extended; he walked up to the captain, and taking him by the hand, pressed it warmly.

'G.o.d bless you, boy! G.o.d bless you!' said Cain; 'but leave me now.'

Francisco returned on deck with a light and grateful heart. His countenance at once told those who were near him that he was not condemned, and many who dared not before take notice of, now saluted him. The man who had taken him out of irons looked round; he was a creature of Hawkhurst, and he knew not how to act. Francisco observed him, and, with a wave of the hand, ordered him below. That Francisco was again in authority was instantly perceived, and the first proof of it was, that the new second mate reported to him that there was a sail on the weather bow.

Francisco took the gla.s.s to examine her. It was a large schooner under all sail. Not wis.h.i.+ng that any one should enter the cabin but himself, he went down to the cabin door and knocked before he entered, and reported the vessel.

'Thank you, Francisco; you must take Hawkhurst's duty for the present--it shall not be for long; and fear not that I shall make another capture. I swear to you I will not, Francisco. But this schooner--I know very well what she is; she has been looking after us some time; and a week ago, Francisco, I was anxious to meet her, that I might shed more blood. Now I will do all I can to avoid her, and escape.

I can do no more, Francisco. I must not be taken.'

'There I cannot blame you. To avoid her will be easy, I should think; the _Avenger_ outsails everything.'

'Except, I believe, the _Enterprise_, which is a sister vessel. By heaven! it's a fair match,' continued Cain, his feelings of combativeness returning for a moment; 'and it will look like a craven to refuse the fight: but fear not, Francisco--I have promised you, and I shall keep my word.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: _'G.o.d bless you, boy! G.o.d bless you!' said Cain; 'but leave me now.'_]

Cain went on deck, and surveyed the vessel through the gla.s.s.

'Yes, it must be her,' said he aloud, so as to be heard by the pirates; 'she has been sent out by the admiral on purpose, full of his best men.

What a pity we are so short-handed!'

'There's enough of us, sir,' observed the boatswain.

'Yes,' replied Cain, 'if there was anything but hard blows to be got; but that is all, and I cannot spare more men. Ready about!' continued he, walking aft.

The _Enterprise_, for she was the vessel in pursuit, was then about five miles distant, steering for the _Avenger_, who was on a wind. As soon as the _Avenger_ tacked, the _Enterprise_ took in her topmast studding-sail, and hauled her wind. This brought the _Enterprise_ well on the weather-quarter of the _Avenger_, who now made all sail. The pirates, who had had quite enough of fighting, and were not stimulated by the presence of Hawkhurst, or the wishes of their captain, now showed as much anxiety to avoid as they usually did to seek a combat.

At the first trial of sailing between the two schooners there was no perceptible difference; for half an hour they both continued on a wind, and when Edward Templemore examined his s.e.xtant a second time, he could not perceive that he had gained upon the _Avenger_ one cable's length.

'We will keep away half a point,' said Edward to his second in command.

'We can afford that, and still hold the weather-gage.'

The _Enterprise_ was kept away, and increased her speed: they neared the _Avenger_ more than a quarter of a mile.

'They are nearing us,' observed Francisco; 'we must keep away a point.'

Away went the _Avenger_, and would have recovered her distance, but the _Enterprise_ was again steered more off the wind.

Thus did they continue altering their course until the studding-sails below and aloft were set by both, and the position of the schooners was changed; the _Enterprise_ now being on the starboard instead of the larboard quarter of the _Avenger_. The relative distance between the two schooners was, however, nearly the same, that is, about three miles and a half from each other; and there was every prospect of a long and weary chase on the part of the _Enterprise_, who again kept away a point to near the _Avenger_. Both vessels were now running to the eastward.

It was about an hour before dark that another sail hove in sight right ahead of the _Avenger_, and was clearly made out to be a frigate. The pirates were alarmed at this unfortunate circ.u.mstance, as there was little doubt but that she would prove a British cruiser; and, if not, they had equally reason to expect that she would a.s.sist in their capture. She had evidently perceived the two schooners, and had made all sail, tacking every quarter of an hour so as to keep her relative position. The _Enterprise_, who had also made out the frigate, to attract her attention, though not within range of the _Avenger_, commenced firing with her long gun.

'This is rather awkward,' observed Cain.

'It will be dark in less than an hour,' observed Francisco; 'and that is our only chance.'

Cain reflected a minute.

'Get the long gun ready, my lads! We will return her fire, Francisco, and hoist American colours; that will puzzle the frigate, at all events, and the night may do the rest.'

The long gun of the _Avenger_ was ready.

'I would not fire the long gun,' observed Francisco; 'it will show our force, and will give no reason for our attempt to escape. Now, if we were to fire our broadside guns, the difference of report between them and the one of large calibre fired by the other schooner would induce them to think that we are an American vessel.'

'Very true,' replied Cain; 'and, as America is at peace with all the world, that our antagonist is a pirate. Hold fast the long gun, there, and uns.h.i.+p the starboard ports. See that the ensign blows out clear.'