CHAPTER XXIII.

CHAPTER XXIII.

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”Hamlet.

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”Hamlet.

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”Hamlet.

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Hamlet.

After Lorenzo had been satisfactorily informed, by the confessions of the midshipman, with regard to the safety of his chief, deeming it no longer necessary to hazard any nearer approach to the man-of-war, he kept the schooner where she was: while, at the same, he continued to keep the ship-of-war still within sight. He was enabled to do so by an instrument of a very peculiar and strange device. From the tall masts of the schooner, there were reared to an immense height into the air long poles of steel that were joined and joined again to each other, and were, at the same time, carefully secured on all sides; at the top of these were adjusted large globe-shaped metallic mirrors, that were filled with a thick white liquid, which was continuouslyagitated by a small electric engine, which received its power from a battery on deck. These mirrors, when the sun was at a certain height, were made, by a trigonometrical principle, to receive impressions of objects that were beyond the scope of the human eye, and by conveying those impressions to other mirrors, that were fixed in a thousand different ways, to the several parts of the vessel, gave the power to an individual on deck to see every movement of any vessel which would otherwise be invisible, while his own remained unseen.

Thus, by the force of the same genius with which he might have shone among men on the side of good, Appadocca was enabled to excel, to be unapproachable and irresistible in his career of crime and evil. The firmness of mind which enabled him to curb the natures of even pirates, and to establish a discipline on board the Black Schooner that made his men simultaneously act as if they were but the individual members of only one single body moved but by one spirit, might, perhaps, have procured for him the reputation of a wise and great leader; the powers of invention, which supplied even the deficiencies of human nature, and permitted him to make almost every element his servant, could again have handed down his name to posterity as that of a profound philosopher, if his talents had been turned to a proper object.But the combination of circumstances—destiny, decided otherwise, and instead of finding himself in the high position of good, Appadocca found himself, by the very necessity of those self-same talents, in the high position of evil.

It is not Emmanuel Appadocca alone that has been thus doomed to bury a high intellect in obscurity, or been impelled by circumstances to expend its force in guilt. No: the world seems scarcely as yet prepared for genius, a higher humanity is required and must exist, before the man who possesses it can find a congenial place of existence on this planet. Mere chance now moves the balance in which he is weighed; circumstances either hazardously call him forth, or he is left to feed upon his own disgust, until his rough sands are run, then earth covers over the fire that ought to burn only in the skies. From among one hundred men of genius scarcely one ever goes beyond the boundary of the desert on which so many flowers are destined to “blush unseen.”

It was two hours after noon, on the day which we have above mentioned, that Lorenzo was standing by the helmsman of the schooner, eagerly reading the reflections of the mirrors, when the signals of Appadocca from the man-of-war fell upon his eyes.

“What is this?” involuntarily exclaimed the officer, as he read the well-known symbols of his chief.

“Too late, too late! his stupidity has already made him undergo the torture,” he exclaimed, as he deciphered,—

“Treat well the officer, for they treat me well.—SCORPION.”

Lorenzo gave an order to the officer on duty; a piercing sound was then heard; in a moment or two, the sides of the schooner became peopled with men, whose brawny arms were bared up to the shoulders. Not a word was spoken. The polished and shining guns of the schooner were immediately pointed, they seemed to thrust their muzzles through the port-holes, as if they worked by one impulse, by their own choice and their own action, for the slightest difference could not be traced either in the time or in the manner in which each separate piece was moved to its proper place.

Another piercing sound: each gun was fired at the precise moment. The schooner shook under the deafening explosion that followed, and the ocean rang, and rang again with the echo.

This was Lorenzo’s reply to the request of Appadocca.

By the aid of the same machine, that officer perceived when the man-of-war set all her sails, and began her voyage to Trinidad, as he concluded, both from the revelation of the young officer, and the direction in which she was steering. He rejoiced when he observed this, for he was persuaded that, in the event of the man-of-war entering the Gulf of Paria, he would be able triumphantly to rescue his chief. For the thousand bays and creeks which diversify the shore, the distance at which large vessels are obliged to remain on account of the harbour’s shallowness, and the lukewarmness of the inhabitants of the town with regard to pirates, for they have seldom or never been subjected to the ravages of those people, he calculated, would afford him all assistance, while they should, on the contrary, tend to perplex, hinder, and embarrass the enemy.

He immediately ordered a certain quantity of sails to be put on the schooner, and began to follow the man-of-war. He kept always out of sight, and at noon on each day, the sails were lowered, the same machine was erected, and he made his observations on the ship-of-war, which sailed away majestically, its commander little knowing that he was followed by a cunning, vigilant, and determined enemy.

Four hours had not elapsed since the man-of-warhad crossed the bocas, before the Black Schooner also passed them, and thus left in the water behind her the person to whose rescue she was going.

Lorenzo kept her head still towards the centre of the gulf, then went about, and, with one tack, gained the headland, behind which the schooner now lay concealed.

In that position, Lorenzo quickly disguised himself, and taking possession of one of the many little vessels that sail along the shore from the Spanish main, went up to Port-of-Spain, and heard the confused intelligence that Appadocca had committed suicide.

His cargo was sold, and he could remain no longer in the harbour for fear of detection, so he resolved upon the plan of taking anotherfallucha, and of returning to Port-of-Spain as a different captain. He lay in watch for the first vessel which might pass, and destiny willed that the one which he should board should carry Appadocca.

As soon as Appadocca had arrived on board of the schooner, after having bowed to the officer and men, who saluted him, he descended the companion-steps and requested Lorenzo to follow.

They arrived at the Captain’s cabin: and Jack Jimmy, who met Appadocca at the door, stood on tiptoe, threw his head forward, opened his eyes, and was just on the point of venting some exclamation, when Appadocca made a sign to him to be silent. The little man, almost bursting with the internal ebullition of the greeting which he was obliged to restrain, retreated into an angle, and Appadocca passed on.

“Sit down,” said he to Lorenzo, when they had arrived into the cabin, “and allow me to express my approval of the brave and wise manner in which you have discharged your duty during my absence.”

The officer bowed modestly.

“Has the crew always acted up to its office?” Appadocca demanded.

“Yes, your excellency,” replied Lorenzo.

“The unfortunate accident,” proceeded Appadocca, “which happened, deprived us of our last booty: but, in two days’ time I shall let the men have as much as they can desire. I shall let them have pleasure to-morrow. Lorenzo, let us drink together.”

Appadocca pressed a spring, and one of his attendants appeared and laid on a table wine and drinking-cups. Appadocca filled a goblet and passed the decanter to Lorenzo.

“Thanks to you, Lorenzo,” said Appadocca, and drank.

“To the joy of your return, your excellency,” said Lorenzo, and did the same.

In a few moments after the officer left the cabin.

Back to IndexNext