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Surely some good genius has transported us into the interior, that we might escape from the relatives of the crew whom I dreamt about," said Jack, looking at Gascoigne. As it afterwards was known to them, the speronare had sailed from the very seaport in which they had arrived that night, and where they had got into the cart.
"Now take the helm again," said Gascoigne; "I'm on the sick list." "And as surgeon I'm an idler," replied Jack; "but what shall we do?" continued he; "abandon the speronare at night and sink her, or run in for a town?" "We shall fall in with plenty of boats and vessels if we coast it up to Palermo, and they may overhaul us."
Having finished their meal, Jack went forward and observed the land ahead; they steered the same course for three or four hours. "We must haul our wind more," said Gascoigne; "it will not do to put into any small town; we have now to choose whether we shall land on the coast and sink the speronare, or land at some large town." "We must argue that point," replied Jack.
The speronare flew, rising on the crest of the waves with half her keel clear of the water: the moon was already up, and gave them light enough to perceive that they were not five miles from the coast, which was lined with foam. "At all events, they can't accuse us of running away with the boat," observed Jack; "for she's running away with us."
I took a passage in a Speronare that was bound to Candia, where I hoped to find some Trading Vessel of heavier Burden to take me to Constantinople. The Mediterranean Sea here very beautiful, and delightful to see the Dolphins, Tunnies, and other Fish, that frequently leapt out of the Water, and followed our Ship in great Numbers.
As it was, the cleft was not four feet more than the width of the boat, and as the waves hurled her up into it, the yard of the speronare was thrown fore and aft with great violence, and had not Jack been warned, he would have been struck overboard without a chance of being saved; but he crouched down and it passed over him.
My Gall works now to think of it; but Force was against us, and the Disaster was not to be helped. I was in such a Mad Rage as to be near Braining the Captain of the Speronare with a Marline-Spike, and would have assuredly blown out the Brains of the first Moor that boarded us, had not the Italian Captain and his Mate seized each one of my arms, and by Main Force wrested my Weapons from me.
"That's what I shall try to do," replied Gascoigne, who had been four years at sea, and knew very well what he was about. Jack handed him a huge piece of bread and sausage. "Thank ye, I cannot eat." "I can," replied Jack, with his mouth full. Jack ate while Gascoigne steered; and the rapidity with which the speronare rushed to the beach was almost frightful.
The wreck of the speronare had been found, and had been recognised, and it was considered by the inhabitants that the padrone and his crew had perished in the gale. Had they found our two midshipmen and questioned them, it is not improbable that suspicion might have been excited, and the results have been such as our hero had conjured up in his dream.
"I could laugh at the duel, for after all, it is nothing and he would have been let off with a severe reprimand; but the foolish boys have set off in a speronare to Sicily, and how the devil are we to get them back again?" "They'll come back, sir," replied Sawbridge, "when all their money's gone."
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