by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER IX
A MOST IMPUDENT PROPOSITION
Certainly it looked decidedly warlike on board of the little steamerMaud; and Felix, who was never inclined to be very serious overanything, declared that she was like a bantam rooster ready for apitched battle in a farmyard. Captain Scott called Louis out, andproposed to him that he should take the command of the riflemen, whowere required to keep out of sight of the Moors in the boat.
"Of course I will obey orders wherever I am placed; but, if you willexcuse me, I must protest against the appointment," replied Louis, asthey watched the approaching enemy. "Morris is one of our number in thegangway, and it would not be fair or right to put another fellow overthe first officer."
"That is all right in theory; but Morris is the youngest fellow onboard," reasoned the captain.
"But he is just as resolute, plucky, and prompt as any one on board. Hethinks quick, and has good judgment," persisted Louis. "I should be verysorry to be placed over his head."
"Say no more! I only thought it would be unfortunate to lose you in theplace where you could do the most good," added Scott. "I will give myorders to Morris, and let him carry them out. I don't know any betterthan the rest of the fellows what is coming out of this affair; but itis plain enough now that Mazagan intends to do something."
"No doubt of that; but it does not follow that he intends to attack us.He knows very well that such would be piracy," suggested Louis.
"Piracy! He makes no bones of anything that will put forty thousanddollars into his pocket; and that is what he expects to make out of us.Piracy is nothing but a pastime to him; and he relies upon His Highnessto save his neck from any undue stretching," replied Captain Scott, ashe walked to the port gangway. "Is everything ready here, Morris?"
"Everything, Captain," answered the first officer. "The rifles are allloaded, and every man has a supply of cartridges in his pocket. Everyone has a revolver except Pitts."
"I have two, and he shall have one of them," interposed Felix, handinghis extra weapon to the cook, with a package of ammunition for it.
"I think we shall be able to render a good account of ourselves,whatever may turn up in the course of the afternoon," added the captain."I want you with me on the forecastle for the present, Louis; for, afterall, there may be more talk than bullets in this affair."
"I hope so," added Louis sincerely; though it was evident that some ofthe boys looked upon the adventure as decidedly exciting, and thereforeagreeable.
Louis walked to the forecastle with the captain, and both of them gavetheir entire attention to the boat that was approaching, having nowaccomplished more than half the distance between the two vessels.
"I can't imagine what has become of the Guardian-Mother," said Louis, ashe directed a spy-glass to seaward. "She cannot have intended to desertus in this manner. What do you suppose has become of her, CaptainScott?"
"I shall have to give it up at once, for I cannot form any idea,"replied Scott. "She was to follow us, and in some such place as this baywe were to bring things to a head, and give the pirate the slip."
"I hope nothing serious has happened to her. The last we saw of her shewas rounding a point near Damietta."
"She intended to get out of sight of the pirate as soon as possible, sothat the Fatty could follow the Maud; and she did all that in goodorder. But I have no doubt that she is safe enough; and, if we don't getchewed up in this scrape, I have no doubt she will soon put in anappearance in these waters."
"Steamer, ahoy!" shouted a rather tall man in the stern-sheets of theboat.
"In the boat!" replied Scott, after he had waited a moment, and then ina very careless and indifferent tone.
"That's Mazagan," said Louis.
"Of course it is; I knew he was there before he opened his mouth, thepirate!" added the captain.
"Is Mr. Belgrave on board?" demanded the captain of the Fatime.
"What if he is? What if he is not?" answered the captain.
"I wish to see him."
"He is not to be seen at the present moment. What is your business withhim?" Scott inquired, as indifferently as though the affair did not evenremotely concern him.
Of course his manner was assumed, and Louis listened to him with themost intense interest; for he was anxious to ascertain in what mannerthe captain intended to conduct the negotiation, if there was to beanything of that kind. In spite of his affectation of indifference, heknew that Scott was quite as anxious in regard to the result of theparley as he was himself, though he was the intended victim of thepirate.
"My business is quite as important to Mr. Belgrave as it is to me,"replied Mazagan.
"Very likely; but what is your business with him?"
"It is with him, and not with you," returned the pirate, apparentlyvexed at the reply. "Who are you? I don't mean to talk my affairs withone I don't know."
"I am Captain Scott, commander of the steamer Maud, tender of thesteamship Guardian-Mother, owned and in the service of Mr. LouisBelgrave," replied the captain as impressively as he could make thestatement. "That ought to knock a hole through the tympanum of hisstarboard ear," he added with a smile, in a lower tone.
"Of course he knew who you were before," added Louis.
"He ought to know me, for I fished him out of the water in the harbor ofHermopolis."
"If Mr. Belgrave is on board, I wish to see him," continued Mazagan.
"I may as well face the music first as last," said Louis, as he steppedout from the shelter of the pilot-house which had concealed him fromthose in the boat.
"Of course it is no use to try to hide you. Do you wish to talk with thepirate, Louis?" asked the captain.
"I don't object to hearing what he has to say, though certainly nothingwill come of it," replied the intended victim.
"It will use up some of the time, and the longer we wait before thecurtain rises, the better the chance that the Guardian-Mother will comein to take a hand in the game," suggested the captain; and Louis tookanother look through the glass to seaward.
"You needn't look so far out to sea for the ship, my dear fellow; forwhen she appears she will come around Cape Arnauti, and not more than amile outside of it, where she will get eight fathoms of water. She iscoming up from the south; and if our business was not such here thatnone of us can leave, I would send Morris and Flix to the top of thathill on the point, where they could see the ship twenty miles off inthis clear air."
While the captain was saying all this, the four Moorish rowers in theboat dropped their oars into the water, and began to pull again; for thepatience of their commander seemed to be oozing out.
"That won't do!" exclaimed Scott. "Boat ahoy! Keep off!" he shouted.
"I told you I wished to see Mr. Belgrave, Captain Scott; and you do notanswer me. You are using up my patience, and I tell you that I will notbe trifled with!" said Captain Mazagan in a loud tone, with a spice ofanger and impatience mixed in with it.
"That's just my case! I won't be trifled with! Stop where you are! Ifyou pull another stroke, I shall proceed to business!" called thecaptain, with vim enough to satisfy the most strenuous admirer of pluckin a moment of difficulty.
The oarsmen ceased rowing; and when the boat lost its headway it was notmore than forty feet from the side of the Maud. Scott did not object tothis distance, as there was to be a talk with the pirate.
"Mr. Belgrave will speak with you since you desire it," said CaptainScott, as soon as he realized that the boat's crew did not intend toboard the steamer.
He walked over to the port side of the deck, where he could stillcommand a clear view of the boat all the time; and he did not take hiseyes from it long enough to wink. He was ready to order the riflemen tothe forecastle; and he intended to do so if the boat advanced anotherfoot.
"What is going on, Captain Scott?" asked Morris, who stood at the headof the column.
"Mazagan wants to talk with Louis, and we are willing he should do so;for we desire to gain all the time we can, in order to
enable theGuardian-Mother to arrive here before anybody gets hurt."
"We have heard all that has passed so far, and we expected to be calledout by this time," added Morris.
"I don't care to have you show those rifles just yet, and I hope youwill not have to exhibit them at all. You can sit down on the deck andhear all that is going on," added the captain, as he moved away. If hetook his eyes off the boat at all, it was only to glance at the loftycape where the ship would first be seen.
Louis had placed himself at the rail, ready for the conference that thepirate desired. Mazagan had met him face to face, and he could not helpknowing him.
"Are you Mr. Louis Belgrave?" demanded the Moorish captain, more gentlythan he had spoken to Scott at the close of the interview with him.
"That is my name," replied the young millionaire with all his nativedignity.
"We have had some business relations together, and at the present momentthey are not in a satisfactory condition," the captain proceeded.
"Go on," replied Louis when he paused; for he had decided to say nothingthat would unnecessarily irritate the villain.
"I wish you to join in the conversation, and express your mind freely."
"I shall do so as occasion may require. I am ready to hear any statementyou wish to make; but I have nothing to say at present."
"Between the noble and exalted gentleman in whose services I sail hissteam-yacht, and the commander of your larger steam-yacht, CaptainRinggold, there is a difficulty of very great magnitude;" and CaptainMazagan paused as if to note the effect of this announcement upon hisauditor.
"Proceed, sir," added Louis.
"Do you deny the truth of what I have stated?"
"By no means," said Louis with a polite bow and a wave of his righthand.
"His Highness, the Pacha, was grossly and disgracefully insulted andassaulted by Captain Ringgold, who has so far declined to make anyapology or reparation such as one gentleman has the right to require ofanother. Can you deny this statement?"
"Proceed, Captain Mazagan; I have nothing to say," repeated Louis.
"You will not speak?"
"If you desire it, I will; but simply to suggest that you wait onCaptain Ringgold with your grievance."
"That he has tried to do, and called upon him in Constantinople for thatpurpose; but Captain Ringgold is a coward, a poltroon! He keeps himselfshut up in his cabin, and refuses to give my noble master anysatisfaction."
It was with a struggle that Louis maintained his dignity and preservedhis silence.
"Finding all the avenues to any satisfaction closed against him, mynoble master, one of the most exalted dignitaries of the Empire to whichhe is an honor, employed me to obtain the redress to which he ishonorably entitled. So far I have not been successful. My noble masterhas been graciously pleased to modify the terms and conditions uponwhich he will consent to discontinue his efforts to obtain adequatesatisfaction for the insults heaped upon him. He will accept theatonement of two hundred thousand francs for the injury done him,assured that this penalty would be the severest punishment that could beinflicted upon a cowardly and penurious American like Captain Ringgold."
"Why don't you send in your bill to him for the boodle?" asked Louis,who thought somebody must have written out the speech of Mazagan forhim.
"He would not notice the claim," replied the pirate.
"I don't think he would," said Louis, inclined to laugh.
"I intend to make the matter sure this time. If you will do me the favorto come on board of the Fatime, and remain with me in the cabin, whichis quite as luxurious as your own on board of your large steam-yacht,until the money is paid, it will save all trouble and settle the matterat once," continued the Pacha's representative with a suavity creditableto his French education.
"If you please, Captain Mazagan, we will not settle it in just that way;and without any disrespect to you personally, I object to taking up myquarters in the cabin of the Fatime," replied Louis blandly.
"Then I must take you by force!" exclaimed the pirate.
He gave the order for his men to pull. Captain Scott called out hisforce.