by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XV
THE ARRIVAL OF THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER
The appearance of the Guardian-Mother in the offing was hailed withrejoicing by every person belonging to the Maud. Off on an independentcruise as the boys were, and "when the cat's away the mice will play,"it would not have been strange if they had enjoyed their freedom fromthe restraining presence and influence of the commander; but no suchfeeling pervaded the minds of the ship's company.
Not even the captain of the little steamer had felt that he was inpossession of any unusual liberty. It might have been otherwise with himand his companions if the threatening presence of the Fatime had notbeen a serious damper upon them. As it was, the voyage to Cyprus hadresulted in a tremendous event.
Whatever Scott had said to Louis Belgrave about knocking a hole in theside of the pirate, as Captain Ringgold had done with the Viking, had nobearing whatever upon what he had actually done when the critical momenthad come in the encounter. He declared rather lightly that he wouldproceed to this extremity if he were the captain of the larger steamer;but it had not occurred to him to do such a reckless deed with thelittle Maud, when his opponent was a steamer of four hundred tons.
Captain Scott and his companions had expected to see the Guardian-Motherlong before she appeared. The commander might naturally have felt someanxiety in regard to the safety of the Maud in the gale of the nightbefore, though it had not been a very severe storm; and Scott and Louissupposed he would make all possible haste to be near her. Instead ofthat, she was fully ten hours behind her, even with her superior speedand more weatherly ability. They could not explain her delay, and it wasuseless to attempt to do so.
"What do you suppose will become of those fellows from the pirate,Captain Scott?" asked Louis, looking at the people from the Fatime onthe shore.
"I haven't the least idea, and I don't think I shall trouble my headwith the question," replied the captain. "We have given them provisionsenough to keep them alive for several days, and they can make their wayto some town. I don't consider their condition as at all desperate. IfCaptain Ringgold thinks it necessary, he will do whatever he deemsadvisable."
"I don't consider those men as pirates, or hold them responsible for theacts of Captain Mazagan," added Louis. "They had to obey his orders, andI doubt if they had any knowledge of his intentions."
"I did not see a single person, as well as I could make them out in theboats, who looked like an Englishman. Probably the foreign engineersretired from the Pacha's service when Mazagan took command of her. Theyknew the meaning of piracy. At any rate, the steamer was not officerednor manned as she was when we saw her at Gibraltar. Don says her cabinwas magnificently furnished, as he had seen through the open door, forhe had never been into it. But he is certain that she is an old steamer,built for a steam-yacht, but sold by her owner at a big price when shebecame altogether behind the times."
"She could not have been very strongly built, or the Maud would not haveknocked a hole in her so easily," said Louis.
"It has been repeated over and over again that the Maud was constructedof extra strength when she was built. Who was that man of whom she waspurchased?"
"Giles Chickworth, a Scotchman," replied Louis, as he recalled thecharacter.
"He declared that she was the strongest little vessel of her size thatever was built. Don examined the inside of her bow immediately after theblow was struck, and I have done so since. She has not started a plateor a bolt. But then we had all the advantage. We struck the piratefairly on the broadside with the part of our craft where she is thestrongest, and where there could be no give or spring. It does not seemso strange to me as I think it over."
"Pitts," called the captain a little later, while they were stillwatching the approach of the ship, "how is your patient?"
"About the same, sir; I don't see any change in him," replied the cook."But he will have the doctor to-night, and that will put him in the wayof getting well."
"Does he talk any?"
"He would talk all the time if I would let him; but I don't answer himwhen he asks questions, and I leave him alone most of the time."
"What is the condition of the galley?" asked the captain.
"It is in very bad condition, sir; the cannon-ball tore away all theshelves on the starboard side, and knocked the tins and dishes all topieces. But I can get supper after a fashion," replied the cook.
"You may let the supper go to-night, and we will get it on board of theship. We shall be alongside of her in less than fifteen minutes," saidthe captain. "Set the colors astern, Flix."
The Maud was going at full speed, and, as the two steamers wereapproaching each other, they came within hail off Cape Arnauti. At thistime the captain ordered three cheers to be given; for he wished to makea demonstration of some kind, and this was the only way within hismeans. They were given with hearty good-will, and the seamen respondedfrom the Guardian-Mother, and both vessels whistled as snappers. Thenthe ship stopped her screw, and the sound of escaping steam came fromher.
"Maud, ahoy!" shouted Captain Ringgold from her top-gallant forecastle.
"On board the Guardian-Mother!" responded Captain Scott.
"Come alongside!" added the commander.
"Alongside, sir!" replied the captain.
The Maud made a sweep around, and when she had come about, she camealongside on the port side of the ship. The gangway was already lowered.All the cabin party had been watching the approach to the island fromthe promenade; but as soon as the Maud came alongside, they all hastenedto the main deck to greet the young cruisers, who had been absent fromthe ship about thirty hours.
"Come on board, all of you!" called the commander from the head of thegangway.
"I think we had better not say anything about what has happened in thepresence of the party," said Scott, as he started to mount the steps.
"Not a word," added Louis; and Morris and Felix repeated the words.
The "Big Four" ascended the gangway stairs to the main deck. The captainwas permitted to pass without any assaulting embraces, but Louis droppedlovingly and submissively into the arms of his mother, as did Morriswhen Mrs. Woolridge presented herself. Felix hung back, for he knew whatawaited him. The commander stepped aside to make room for thesedemonstrations.
"Come to my room, all of you, as soon as the others are at liberty,"said the commander in a low tone to Captain Scott.
"I will, sir," replied he, fully understanding what was meant.
"I am so glad to see you again, Louis!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave, as shecontinued to hug her boy. "You have had a terrible time, haven't you, mydear?"
"What makes you think so, mother?" asked Louis, wondering what shemeant; for it seemed impossible that she could know anything about the"Battle of Khrysoko," as it afterwards came to be called.
"Why, you were out in a terrible storm last night," replied Mrs.Belgrave. "I was afraid you would be cast away, my son, and I prayed foryou half the night."
"Then your prayers were effectual, for I am safe," answered Louis with asmile.
"But wasn't it an awful tempest, my boy?" she asked, hugging the youngman with a new impulse.
"Not at all, my dear mother. We had a gale of wind, and it made a roughnight of it; but we got into this bay about eight o'clock this morningall right," returned Louis, reciprocating her caresses. "But you mustnot worry so about me, mother. We were in no danger at any time from thegale or the heavy sea."
"Here is the commander, and he wants to see you, I know," she said,stepping aside for him.
Captain Ringgold took the hand of the owner of the ship, and pressed itwarmly.
"SHE SPREAD OUT HER ARMS AND RUSHED UPON HIM." Page147.]
"He says he has been in no danger from the storm, Captain," added thelady.
"He knows best about that; but I told you the Maud would go through itall right," added the commander as he turned to greet Morris.
"Where in the world is Felix?" cried Mrs. Blossom; for the Milesian,actually dreading the
onslaught of the excellent woman who was not hismother, had dodged in at the door of the boudoir.
"I'm looking for you, grandma," said he, stepping out on the deck.
As soon as she saw him, she spread out her arms and rushed upon him; butFelix put up his left arm and warded off the burden of the attack,taking her by the hand with the right.
"How glad I am to see you, grandma!" he exclaimed, still holding her bythe right hand, with his left on guard. "I am delighted to be with youagain. The Guardian-Mother did not come into the bay, and I was afraidyou had all gone to the bottom in the gale."
"Don't you call me 'grandma' again, Felix," protested the worthy womanquite warmly; for the Milesian had twice applied the opprobriousappellation to her. "If you ever do it again, I will never hug youanother time!"
"Then I will call you so till my dying day!" Felix declared, to thegreat amusement of all those within hearing.
"I am not your grandma! I am only thirty-six years old, and I am notfar enough into years to be the grandmother of a great strapping boylike you."
"It is only a pet name. But you didn't go to the bottom of the sea afterall, grandma."
"There it is again!"
"Of course it is, grandma. But I will make a fair trade with you. If youwill promise never to hug me any more, I will agree never to call yougrandma again."
"That is fair," said Mrs. Belgrave.
They retired to the boudoir to talk over the matter; but the agreementwas ratified between them. The "Big Four" were cordially greeted by allthe passengers and by all the officers of the ship; but they werecareful not to drop any hint of what had transpired in Khrysoko Bay.Before the exchange of salutations was finished the gong rang fordinner.
"For a reason to be given later on, Captain Ringgold, I must ask you togive the engineers and cook of the Maud their supper to-night," saidCaptain Scott at a favorable moment.
The commander sent for Baldy Bickling, the second cook, and ordered himto provide for them; and Mr. Boulong to send an engineer and a couple ofhands on board of the Maud while the party came on board to supper. Thecompany in the cabin were in a very jovial state of feeling, and itwould take a chapter to record all the jokes of Dr. Hawkes and UncleMoses. It was an excellent dinner even for the Guardian-Mother; for boththe chief steward and the chief cook were artists in their line, and itwas heartily enjoyed by all at the table.
The commander was impatient to hear the report of Captain Scott on hisexpedition, and the commander of the Maud was almost as impatient tolearn what had delayed the ship; but fully an hour was spent at thetable, for no one wished to break in upon the agreeable occasion. How heknew it he could not have told in detail; but the commander wassatisfied, that something important had occurred in the experience ofthe young navigators, though not a word had yet been spoken, and he hadfailed to notice the ragged hole through the Maud's deck-house at thelocation of the galley.
He had expected to find the Fatime near the little steamer; but thoughhe had swept the bay with his spy-glass, he could not find her, for shewas no longer visible. Probably she had fallen over on the rocky andirregular bottom, and that had carried even her short masts under water.As soon as the party rose from the table, Louis and Morris detachedthemselves from their mothers, and hastened to the commander's room,where they found Captain Scott and Felix.
"I don't see anything of the Fatime in this bay," said Captain Ringgold,when he had closed and locked his doors.
"But she is there, sir," replied Scott mysteriously to the commander.
"Where? I looked the bay over with my glass, and I think if she werehere I should have seen her," added Captain Ringgold.
"You could not see her where she is, Captain," replied Scott.
"Where is she, then?" demanded the commander.
"On the bottom, Captain Ringgold," said Captain Scott impressively.