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Updated: May 14, 2025
A hasty glance round the deck showed that our bulwarks and deck-fittings had been considerably damaged by the felucca's fire; and some eight or nine prostrate forms O'Flaherty's among them bore still further witness to its destructive effect. The boatswain came up to me and said: "Poor Mr O'Flaherty's down, sir; and you're hurt, yourself. Who is to take command of the schooner, sir?"
The instant that Obed struck the blow, he caught hold of my hand, threw away his cutlass, and advanced towards the group of the felucca's men, pistol in hand. "Am I not your captain, ye cowards have I ever deceived you yet have I ever flinched from heading you where the danger was greatest have you not all that I am worth in your hands, and will you murder me now?" "Viva, el noble capitan, viva!"
I could see that Carera was even more discomposed than ourselves at the approach of the boat, but he would not for a moment listen to my proposal to arm the felucca's people, hastily explaining and possibly he was right that the display of weapons would be only too likely to further excite our coming visitors and lead to some overt act productive of a terrible disaster.
It appeared he had greater control, the nature of which I now began to comprehend, over the felucca's people, than Francisco bargained for, as the moment the latter went below, they released him, and went forward in a body. My persecutor again advanced close up to me, seized me by the collar with one hand, and tried to drag me forward, brandishing his naked knife aloft in the other.
From the loud echo of the voices on deck, I judged that we were in a narrow canal, the banks of which were reflecting the sound; presently this ceased, and although we skimmed along as motionless as before, I no longer heard the splash of the felucca's sweeps; the roar of the sea gradually died away, until it sounded like distant thunder, and I thought we touched the ground now and then, although slightly.
The idea of the felucca's sails, in particular, would seem to have been literally taken from the wing of the large sea-fowl, the shape so nearly corresponding that, with the canvas spread in the manner just mentioned, one of those light craft has a very close resemblance to the gull or the hawk, as it poises itself in the air or is sweeping down upon its prey.
Time was now all important to us; for, of course, we could not tell at what moment Garcia, the arch-pirate, and his crew in the Tiburon, might put in an appearance upon the scene; and we had a few very important preparations to make before we could consider ourselves ready to deal with him; therefore we had no sooner let go the felucca's anchor than we lowered the only other boat that we had brought with us, and ran warps away to the shore of the islet, securing them to such rocks as were most convenient for our purpose.
"There was, in truth, a Tunis-man prowling about, between Stromboli and Sicily; but, Ali di San Michele! he might better have chased the cloud above the volcano than run after the felucca in a sirocco!" "Thou wast chicken-hearted, Stefano!" "I! I was more like thy lion here, with some small additions of chains and muzzles." "As was seen by thy felucca's speed?" "Cospetto!
The Bravo stepped into his gondola, which glided from the felucca's side with a facility which showed that an arm skilled in its use held the oar. He waved his hand in adieu to Stefano, and then the boat disappeared among the hulls that crowded the port.
Starboard a little," he sang out, "or we shall run into a tub with a light in it." "Oh, the scoundrels!" broke from many lips. Jack was about to douse the light, but Hemming told him to let it burn on. "It will serve as a beacon to us, and the felucca's people will not know whether or not we have been deceived by it," he observed. It now became a question in which direction the slaver had gone.
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