LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2079, 22 October 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A CONSPIKATOE IN SPITE OF MYSELF.

[Abridged from “Allthe Year Kound."]

C Continued .)

‘Now, my friends,’ said the old officer, addressing himself to Gustave and me, as soon as the carriages were in motion ; ‘ mark well what I say. Yon are Italian soldiers for the time being. Yon will probably be challenged by the sentries. In snch case reply Tutto iuono ! [All is well !] nothing more. And ’ —ottered to me— * if you say a word more, or if yon attempt to escape or to give alarm, yon will do so at the peril of instant death.’ He then became silent, and not another word was spoken until after a drive of perhaps a couple of leagues, we drew near the sea-shore.

Near the spot whereat wo alighted from the carriage stood a military guardhouse, which it was necessary to pass within the distance of a few yards, in order to reach the beach. As we were passing this guardhouse, a sentry challenge-’ us, and we answered Totto iuono ! in accordance with the orders we had received. An officer then came forth from the guardhouse, and —as they passed by—entered in conversation with the officers of onr party; bat they spoke Italian, and it was unintelligible to Gustave and me. On reaching the beach, we had a full view of the mouth of the Gulf ; but wa were unable to see La belle Jeannette, though she lay at anchor not more than a couple of miles distant, by reason of her being concealed by a projecting point of laud, called Point Licosa,

A man-of-war’s pinnace, steered by a yonng Italian naval officer, and manned by six sailors, was lying off the shore, to which it drew nearer as we approached. Again we were hailed from the boat, and again the padrone and I and the other men dressed like soldiers responded to the hail —Titto buono ! upon which the boat was pulled in until her keel grated on the pebbles. Two sailors leaped overboard, knee-deep into the water, and hauled her up as far as was possible on the beach ; and then a plank was laid from her bows to the shore, in order that we might get on board without wetting our feet.

We entered the pinnace, which was a boat of considerable size, to the number of twelve, all told. When all were seated the boat was shoved off, and was pulled by the Italian sailors towards the lofty Cape cn the northern shore of the Gulf, behind which the Italian corvette lay at anchor. Scarcely, however, were we ont of eight of the guardhouse, when, on a signal given by M. la Due, the Italian naval officer and the six oarsmen were suddenly seized all at the same moment and ruthlessly hurled overboard. I uttered a cry of alarm, as also did one of the young subalterns ; but I was sternly commanded to be silent by M le Due ; while the prince, as I may _ style the younger leader of the party, whispered in the ear of the yonng eubaltern officer, as if to reassure him. Then, addressing the padrone and me in French, and printing to two huge buoys—to which large vessels that entered the Gulf were sometimes moored, and between which we were passing—he said—- * Do not fear for the sailors ; yon see they can swim, and they will cling to yonder buoys until help comes to them.” Ths sailors were swimming towards the buoys, and they reached them before we in the pinnace lost sight of them. We were therefore satisfied as to their safety. The oars were now taken by the padrone and me and the four men, attired, like ourselves, as soldiers, while M. le Duo took npon himself the office of steersman ; and the pinnace was now pnlled across the Gulf in the opposite direction into the deep shadow caused by the high land. Then we palled along the land close in shore until we rourded Point Lioosa, and beheld Li belle Jeannette lying quietly at anchor a short distance ahead, with a lantern hoisted to her mast-head. We now steered direct towards the lugger, and were soon alongside, to the great astonishment and alarm of tho crew left on board, It would have been useless for them to have offered resistance. But some minutes elapsed after wo had clambered on board before the men could believe that it was really the padrone and I who stood on the deck before them in the guise of Italian soldiers. It was yet hardly four o’clock a.m., for the events I have narrated had passed rapidly, and it was still dark—darker, indeed, than it had been at midnight, for the moon was on the wane. ‘ Sou assured me,’ said M. le Due to the padrone, ‘that yonr vessel could be got under weigh in a few moments. Lower the lantern, and get her under weigh immediately.’ ‘Whither, monsieur?’ asked Gustave, who still trembled with affright. ‘ Ask no questions, but obey the orders you will receive,’ answered the aged i fllcer. ‘ Do so, and you will have no cause for regret. Hesitate, and the command of ths vessel will be taken ont of your hands. Let all lights be extinguished, ’ There was nothing else for the padrone to do but to obey, since he and his crew were powerless amidst so many armed and determined men; and in a few minutes the lugger’s anchor was hoisted, her sails were set, and she was standing ont of the Gulf. M, le Due, who now assumed the command of the little vessel, ordered her to be steered as close as possible under the high land, that she might be concealed In the deep gloom it cast across the Gulf. We had the breeze on onr starboard quarter. It was the vessel a best point of sailing; and in half-an-hour we had rounded the Cape, and were in sight of the corvette, which lay at anchor about

half a-mile c’i taat. In order, however, to avert suspicion by baldness, M Jo Duo nowordered the padrone to steer the logger in straight conrso out to sea. This course brought ns almost within hailing distance of the corvette, which, in evident expectation of the rttem of her pinnace, carried three laterna at he- mast heads Her commander, I presume, imagined the lugger to be a harmless fishing vessel; for though the corvette h>d her boats lowered, none of them left her side, nor were there ary attemptsmade to bring us to. We h d not, however, got beyond range of her go ns when three sky-rockets were sent up rapidly one after the other from the guard bouse, as an alarm signal; and a few moments afterwards we heard the report of a gun. • Monsieur,’said the young officer whom I will style M. le Prince, who was standing by my side, ‘that is an alarm from the guard-house on shore. The seizure of the pinnace is discovered. Tho corvette will respond to the signal, and will give chase to ua or fire upon us. Are wo beyond the range of her guns 7’ ‘ I should say that wo are, monsieur" I replied, speaking to him in French, in which language ho had addressed me; ‘bat whether or not, although her lanterns betray her position to us, those on board cannot discern tha lugger through the darknets. If she gives us chase, we shall easily escape from her, unless some chance shot should strike us. ’

‘That is well, monsieur,’said he; ‘yon are a sailer You will do your best to avoid capture? The poor padrone is affrighted.’ ‘ The lugger is his property, and the means by which he obtains hia livelihood, monsieur,’ I replied. ‘He would almost as soon perish himself as lose his vessel.’ I was still speaking, when a tongue of flame darted forth from the aide of the corvette ; a ;onnd shot struck the water about half a mite to windward of the lugger, and in a few seconds we heard the report of *- gun. Wo wore evidently not yet beyond the range of the corvette’s fire; but tha chances were a hundr«d to one that wo should escape her shot in the darkness, even if she gave chase, The two you! g subaltern, officers had retired to the cabin immediately after coming on board ; but everybody else, even to the two females, was npon deck, and in a state of great excitement. But though two or three more shots were fired from the corvette without effect, she did not attempt to get under weigh, as we coaid perceive by means of the lanterns at her which to all appearance remained stationary. Meanwhile the pradene and his crew wereordered to look out for a large which they were told would display a green light ; and in about twenty minutes such a light was seen gleaming to windward of the lugger. The pradene was now directed to rehoist the lantern to the masthead, and dip it thrice. This order was obeyed ; and the green light was immediately dipped and rehoisted in response to our signal. *lt Is well,'said the young Italian officerto me ; *it is the schooner wa are seeking.’ But daylight was now beginning to dawn, and though a light haze rested on the water, all doubt was soon set at rest by the appearance of a three-masted schooner, which, looming large amidst the haze, came bearing down towards ns. The excitement or board the lugger increased. The schooner rapidly neared us, and in a few minutes we were hailed by some person on board of her. The hail was answered; the two vessels rounded to within speaking distance ; and a lively conversation, in Italian, ensued between the people of the schooner and the officers on board the fishing vessel. A few minutes more, and a boat was lowered from the schooner, and pulled alongside the lugger; the two youthful subalterns, who had until now remained below in the cabin, were led upon deck by the elder officer M. le Due, and assisted into the boat, into which the young officer, Saa Altezza,had previously descended! to receive them.

The strong suspicions I had heretofore entertained that the two young subalternswere females were now confirmed. I had a a good view of their features and of their slender figures. Their fair, delicate complexions, and small white hands, upon the fingers of which glittered rings of great value ; their bashfulneas and timidity ; their manner of descending into the boat, and many other traits, together with the great respect and d* ferenca with which they were treated by the Italians, betrayed the fact beyond the possibility of a doubt that they were females, and to all appearances ladieS of high rank and station; while the pretended son owing femalrs—of whose sex I had certainly entertained - some doubts, though these doubts had beea from time to time discarded, so well did they act the characters they had assumed—were in reality two young military officers, hnt little past the age ot boyhood, who now appeared in their proper apparel, and who, while evidently relieved of a great responsibility, seemed inclined to regard the whole affair as a capital joke. The padrone was then ordered to enter the boat, and it was politely intimated to me by the young officer, Sua Altezza, who remained in the boat with the ladies, that he would be happy-if I would accompany the padrone oa board the schooner. This request was seconded by Mile Due, who remained on board the logger, * I cannot possibly remain on hoard that schooner, monsieur,’ said I to the young officer in the boat.

‘Assuredly not, monsieur,’ he repliel, ‘it is not required. The boat will return to the logger in a few minutes with you and the padrone.’ 1 no longer hesitated, for I had an eager desire to see the affair to the end. I entered the boat, therefore, which immediately put off to the schooner. As we left the side of the lugger the Italians on board, who lined the low bulwark, lifted their hats to the disguised ladies and wished them happiness. Some of them appeared to be deeply affected, by the parting, psrticnlarly the aged officer, who rased his eyes to heaven as if imploring a blessing npon them. The disguised ladies themselves wept bitterly, the younger and handsomer of the two as if she were scarcely able to support herae f, while the yonng officer by her side strove to console and encourage her. A few vigorous strokes of the oam carried ns alongside the schooner —*■ large, roomy vessel, having the appearance of a plea ure yacht that had been, adapt ;d for warlike or defem-iva purposes, she bring armed with six heavy guns, while boarding pikes and cutlasses were ranged, round her fife-rails under cover of a tarpaulin. The ladies were carefully assisted on board, and received with every token of ra-pect by the commander and his officers, who were attired in uniform. In the oourso of half an honr the pradone and I were requested to descend to the cabin, where we found the ladies and the young officer hia highness, or Sna Altezza, awaiting our appearance Every preparation mutt have been made beforehand for the reception and comfort of the ladies, for they had already divested themselves of their masculine apparel, and now appeared in garments suitable to their sex and high position. Both, were handsome, but the younger of the two, who was evidently the superior, and to all appearance not more than twenty years of age, was, as I have said, the handsomer. Both had <n a great measure recovered their composure ; and when the yonng officer was about to address the padrone and myaelf fn. French, the younger lady said in the sam» language, which she spike flaently—‘Nay, monsieur; pardon, but I will thank, and reward these good men myself.’ Then looking earnestly at me for the first time, and evidently surprised at my youthful appearance, she said—- ' You are very ycncg, monsieur ; and pardon me, bat you have not the aspect of a fisherman.’ I explained who and what I was, and how I came to be on board a fishing lugger. ‘Ha!’she exclaimed, ‘an English officer. Was not this hazardous, Adolphe?’

*On the contrary, I deemed it desirable,’ replied the yoarg offio:r; ‘ monsieur pledged hie honor not to betray ns ’ He then added something in Italian, in a low tone of voice, that was unintelligible to me, but which appeared to convince or satisfy the lady, who with a slight bow to me. now turned and addressed my companion, having first placed in his hand a small bag of gold, which she received from the young officer. ‘deceive. Monsieur Padrone,’ she said, 1 this small recompense in acknowledgment of the services you have rendered me this night; and with it accept the thanks of a* unfortunate lady, who will ever feel grateful for all that you have done in her behalf ; adieu, and may God pre-erva you, and the Blessed Virgin be ever your protectress!’ ‘And for you, sir,’ addressing me, ‘may you rise high in your noble profession.’ ( T* la aentinaad)