第94章

The ship was like a log in the sea, no land to be seen from the mast-head, the waves like glass, and the moon at its full.Up we rose, thirty of us and more.Up we rose with a shout; we poured into the captain's cabin, I at the head.The brave old boy had caught the alarm, and there he stood at the doorway, a pistol in each hand; and his one eye (he had only one) worse to meet than the pistols were.

"'Yield!' cried I; 'your life shall be safe.'

"'Take that,' said he, and whiz went the pistol; but the saints took care of their own, and the ball passed by my cheek, and shot the boatswain behind me.I closed with the captain, and the other pistol went off without mischief in the struggle.Such a fellow he was,--six feet four without his shoes! Over we went, rolling each on the other.Santa Maria! no time to get hold of one's knife.Meanwhile all the crew were up, some for the captain, some for me,--clashing and firing, and swearing and groaning, and now and then a heavy splash in the sea.Fine supper for the sharks that night! At last old Bilboa got uppermost; out flashed his knife; down it came, but not in my heart.No! I gave my left arm as a shield; and the blade went through to the hilt, with the blood spurting up like the rain from a whale's nostril! With the weight of the blow the stout fellow came down so that his face touched mine; with my right hand I caught him by the throat, turned him over like a lamb, signor, and faith it was soon all up with him: the boatswain's brother, a fat Dutchman, ran him through with a pike.

"'Old fellow,' said I, as he turned his terrible eye to me, 'Ibear you no malice, but we must try to get on in the world, you know.' The captain grinned and gave up the ghost.I went upon deck,--what a sight! Twenty bold fellows stark and cold, and the moon sparkling on the puddles of blood as calmly as if it were water.Well, signor, the victory was ours, and the ship mine; Iruled merrily enough for six months.We then attacked a French ship twice our size; what sport it was! And we had not had a good fight so long, we were quite like virgins at it! We got the best of it, and won ship and cargo.They wanted to pistol the captain, but that was against my laws: so we gagged him, for he scolded as loud as if we were married to him; left him and the rest of his crew on board our own vessel, which was terribly battered; clapped our black flag on the Frenchman's, and set off merrily, with a brisk wind in our favour.But luck deserted us on forsaking our own dear old ship.A storm came on, a plank struck; several of us escaped in a boat; we had lots of gold with us, but no water.For two days and two nights we suffered horribly; but at last we ran ashore near a French seaport.Our sorry plight moved compassion, and as we had money, we were not suspected,--people only suspect the poor.Here we soon recovered our fatigues, rigged ourselves out gayly, and your humble servant was considered as noble a captain as ever walked deck.But now, alas! my fate would have it that I should fall in love with a silk-mercer's daughter.Ah, how I loved her!--the pretty Clara!

Yes, I loved her so well that I was seized with horror at my past life! I resolved to repent, to marry her, and settle down into an honest man.Accordingly, I summoned my messmates, told them my resolution, resigned my command, and persuaded them to depart.

They were good fellows, engaged with a Dutchman, against whom Iheard afterwards they made a successful mutiny, but I never saw them more.I had two thousand crowns still left; with this sum Iobtained the consent of the silk-mercer, and it was agreed that Ishould become a partner in the firm.I need not say that no one suspected that I had been so great a man, and I passed for a Neapolitan goldsmith's son instead of a cardinal's.I was very happy then, signor, very,--I could not have harmed a fly! Had Imarried Clara, I had been as gentle a mercer as ever handled a measure."The bravo paused a moment, and it was easy to see that he felt more than his words and tone betokened."Well, well, we must not look back at the past too earnestly,--the sunlight upon it makes one's eyes water.The day was fixed for our wedding,--it approached.On the evening before the appointed day, Clara, her mother, her little sister, and myself, were walking by the port;and as we looked on the sea, I was telling them old gossip-tales of mermaids and sea-serpents, when a red-faced, bottle-nosed Frenchman clapped himself right before me, and, placing his spectacles very deliberately astride his proboscis, echoed out, 'Sacre, mille tonnerres! this is the damned pirate who boarded the "Niobe"!'

"'None of your jests,' said I, mildly.'Ho, ho!' said he; 'Ican't be mistaken; help there!' and he griped me by the collar.

I replied, as you may suppose, by laying him in the kennel; but it would not do.The French captain had a French lieutenant at his back, whose memory was as good as his chief's.A crowd assembled; other sailors came up: the odds were against me.Islept that night in prison; and in a few weeks afterwards I was sent to the galleys.They spared my life, because the old Frenchman politely averred that I had made my crew spare his.

You may believe that the oar and the chain were not to my taste.