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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Asiatic Breezes, by Oliver Optic
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Asiatic Breezes
+       Students on The Wing
+
+Author: Oliver Optic
+
+Release Date: May 27, 2008 [EBook #25620]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ASIATIC BREEZES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
+(This book was produced from scanned images of public
+domain material from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "THE STERN OF THE FATIMA SUDDENLY WENT DOWN." Page 127.]
+
+
+
+
+_All-Over-the-World Library--Second Series_
+
+
+ASIATIC BREEZES
+
+OR
+
+STUDENTS ON THE WING
+
+BY
+
+OLIVER OPTIC
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE ARMY AND NAVY SERIES" "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD FIRST AND
+SECOND SERIES" "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES" "THE GREAT WESTERN SERIES" "THE
+WOODVILLE STORIES" "THE ONWARD AND UPWARD SERIES" "THE LAKE SHORE
+SERIES" "THE YACHT-CLUB SERIES" "THE RIVERDALE STORIES" "THE BOAT
+BUILDER SERIES" "THE BLUE AND THE GRAY AFLOAT" "THE BLUE AND THE GRAY ON
+LAND" "STARRY FLAG SERIES" "ALL-OVER-THE-WORLD LIBRARY FIRST AND SECOND
+SERIES" "A MISSING MILLION" "A MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN" "A YOUNG
+KNIGHT-ERRANT" "STRANGE SIGHTS ABROAD" "AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT" "THE YOUNG
+NAVIGATORS" "UP AND DOWN THE NILE" ETC.
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS
+
+10 MILK STREET
+
+BOSTON
+
+1895
+
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1894, BY LEE AND SHEPARD
+
+_All Rights Reserved_
+
+ASIATIC BREEZES
+
+ELECTROTYPING BY C. J. PETERS & SON, BOSTON U.S.A.
+
+PRESSWORK BY S. J. PARKHILL & CO.
+
+
+To
+
+MY APPRECIATIVE FRIEND AND BROTHER
+
+FOSTER A. WHITNEY Esq.
+
+OF SOUTHINGTON CONN.
+
+This Volume
+
+IS FRATERNALLY AND RESPECTFULLY
+
+DEDICATED
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+"ASIATIC BREEZES" is the fourth volume of the second series of the
+"All-Over-the-World Library." Starting out from Alexandria, Egypt, after
+the adventures and explorations of the Guardian-Mother party in that
+interesting country, which included an excursion up the Nile to the
+First Cataract, the steamer sails out upon the Mediterranean, closely
+followed by her little consort. The enemy who had made a portion of the
+voyage exceedingly disagreeable to the watchful commander has been
+thwarted in all his schemes, and the threatened danger kept at a
+distance, even while those who are most deeply interested are
+unconscious of its existence.
+
+But the old enemy immediately appears on the coast, as was expected, and
+an attempt is made to carry out a plan to escape from further annoyance.
+The little steamer sails for the island of Cyprus, as arranged
+beforehand, and reaches her destination, though she encounters a smart
+gale on the voyage, through which the young navigators carry their
+lively little craft. Plans do not always work as they have been
+arranged; and by an accident the young people are left to fight their
+own battle, as has happened several times before in the history of the
+cruise.
+
+A considerable portion of the volume is taken up with the record of some
+very stirring events in a certain bay of the island of Cyprus, where the
+little steamer had made a harbor after the gale, and where the
+Guardian-Mother had failed to join her, as agreed upon. The story
+relates the manner in which the young captain, actively seconded by his
+shipmates, extricates his little craft from a very perilous situation,
+though it involves a disaster to the piratical enemy and his steamer.
+The conduct of the boy-commander brings up several questions of
+interest, upon which everybody has a right to his own opinion.
+
+The steamer and her consort pass through the Suez Canal, which is
+minutely described, both in its construction and operation. Some of
+those on board of the steamer are interested in Scripture history,
+including the commander; and the residence of the Israelites in the
+"Land of Goshen," as well as their pilgrimage into Asia, pursued by
+"Pharaoh and his host," are considered at some length. Some of the
+different views in regard to the passage of the Red Sea are given,
+though he who presents them clings to the narrative as he read it from
+the Bible in his childhood.
+
+Though the party for reasons given do not go to Mount Sinai, the
+peninsula to which it now gives its name is not neglected. Mount Serbal,
+and what is generally regarded as the Holy Mountain, are seen from the
+deck of the steamer, though some claim that the former is the scene of
+the delivery of the tablets of the Law to Moses. The captain of the
+steamer does not regard himself as a mere shipmaster; for in
+recommending the voyage for the young millionaire, he makes a great deal
+of its educational features, not alone for its opportunities for
+sight-seeing, but for study and receiving instruction. As earnest in
+carrying out his idea in the latter as well as the former, he has made a
+lecture-room of the deck of the vessel.
+
+The physical geography of the regions passed through is considered, as
+well as the history; and as the ship is in the vicinity of the kingdoms
+of the ancient world, the professor has something to say to his audience
+about Assyria, Babylonia, Arabia, the Caliphate, and gives an epitome of
+the life of Mohammed, and the rise and progress of Islamism.
+
+In the last chapters the story, which has been extended through several
+volumes, appears to be brought to a conclusion in a manner that may
+astonish the reader. However that may be, the termination points to an
+enlarged field of operations in the future for the party as they visit
+the vast empires where blow the Asiatic breezes.
+
+                         WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
+
+DORCHESTER, MASS., September 30, 1894.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER I.                                              PAGE
+PREPARING TO OUTWIT THE ENEMY                              1
+
+CHAPTER II.
+HARMONY DISTURBED, BUT HAPPILY RESTORED                   11
+
+CHAPTER III.
+A MOMENTOUS SECRET REVEALED                               21
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+THE POSITION OF THE THREE STEAMERS                        31
+
+CHAPTER V.
+LOUIS BELGRAVE HAS SOME MISGIVINGS                        41
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+A STORMY NIGHT RUN TO CAPE ARNAUTI                        51
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+THE BELLIGERENT COMMANDER OF THE MAUD                     61
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+THE LECTURE ON THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS                       71
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+A MOST IMPUDENT PROPOSITION                               81
+
+CHAPTER X.
+"JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE, MOTHER"                          91
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+AN EXPEDIENT TO ESCAPE THE ENEMY                         101
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+THE BATTLE FOUGHT, THE VICTORY WON                       111
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+THE CATASTROPHE TO THE FATIM�                            121
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+THE CONSULTATION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE                      131
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+THE ARRIVAL OF THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER                       141
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+THE REPORT OF THE BATTLE OF KHRYSOKO                     151
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+THE INSIDE HISTORY OF THE VOYAGE                         161
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SUEZ CANAL                        171
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+THE JOURNEY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL                    181
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+THE LAST OF CAPTAIN MAZAGAN                              192
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+THE CONFERENCE ON THE SUEZ CANAL                         202
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+THE CANAL AND ITS SUGGESTIONS                            212
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+THE MYSTERIOUS ARAB IN A NEW SUIT                        222
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+THE TOY OF THE TRANSIT MANAGER                           232
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+A VISIT TO THE SPRINGS OF MOSES                          241
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+THE VARIOUS ROUTES TO MOUNT SINAI                        251
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+THE CONFERENCE ON THE PROMENADE                          260
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD                        270
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+VIEW OF MOUNT SINAI IN THE DISTANCE                      280
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+SOME ACCOUNT OF MOHAMMED THE PROPHET                     290
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF ISLAMISM                        300
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+THE AGENT OF THE PARSEE MERCHANTS                        310
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+A DISAPPOINTMENT TO CAPTAIN SCOTT                        319
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+THE SUSPICIOUS WHITE STEAMER AT ADEN                     329
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+GENERAL NEWBY'S MAGNIFICENT YACHT                        339
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+AN ALMOST MIRACULOUS CONVERSION                          349
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+"THE STERN OF THE FATIMA SUDDENLY WENT DOWN"       _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                             PAGE
+"IT HAD BEEN A STORMY NIGHT"                                   51
+
+"STOP WHERE YOU ARE OR I SHALL ORDER MY MEN TO FIRE!"          92
+
+"SHE SPREAD OUT HER ARMS AND RUSHED UPON HIM"                 147
+
+"KNOTT, TAKE THIS VILLAIN AWAY"                               201
+
+"CAPTAIN RINGGOLD, I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE YOU"                 337
+
+"MY SHOT BROUGHT DOWN ONE OF THE BANDITS"                     351
+
+"HE WAS PLACED AT THE RIGHT OF CAPTAIN RINGGOLD"              359
+
+
+
+
+ASIATIC BREEZES
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+PREPARING TO OUTWIT THE ENEMY
+
+
+"Only one great mistake has been made, Louis Belgrave," said Captain
+George Scott Fencelowe.
+
+He was a young man of eighteen; but the title by which he was addressed
+was genuine so far as his position was actually concerned, though it
+would hardly have passed muster before a court of admiralty of the
+United States, whose flag was displayed on the ensign-staff at the
+stern. The vessel was a small steam-yacht, only forty feet in length,
+but furnished in a miniature way with most of the appliances of a
+regular steamer.
+
+She had a cabin twelve feet long, whose broad divans could be changed
+into berths for the four principal personages on board of her. Abaft
+this apartment was a standing-room with seating accommodations for eight
+persons, or twelve with a little crowding, with luxurious cushions and
+an awning overhead when needed.
+
+Her pilot-house, engine-room, galley, and forecastle were as regular as
+though she had been an ocean steamer of a thousand tons. Her ordinary
+speed was ten knots an hour; but she could be driven up to twelve on an
+emergency, and had even made a trifle more than this when an
+extraordinary effort was required of the craft.
+
+She had been built for a Moorish Pacha of the highest rank and of
+unbounded wealth, who had ordered that no expense should be spared in
+her construction and outfit. She was built of steel as strong as it was
+possible to build a vessel of any kind; and in more than one heavy gale
+on the Mediterranean she had proved herself to be an unusually able and
+weatherly craft.
+
+Though she had formerly been called the Salih�, her name had been
+changed by her later American owners to the Maud. Everything about her
+was as luxurious as it was substantial. She had a ship's company of
+seven persons, only two of whom had reached and passed their majority,
+the other five varying in age from fifteen to eighteen.
+
+The principal personages were boys, three of them having attained the
+mature age of eighteen, while the fourth was only fifteen. This quartet
+sometimes called themselves the "Big Four," though it was a borrowed
+designation, meaning something entirely different from its present
+signification. Captain Scott had been the first to apply the term; and
+he had done so simply because it tickled the tympanum of his ear, and it
+really meant nothing at all.
+
+The Maud was the consort, or more properly the tender, of the
+Guardian-Mother, a steam-yacht of over six hundred tons' burden, now
+engaged in making a voyage around the world. In a preceding volume it
+was related in what manner Louis Belgrave became a millionaire, with
+fifty per cent more than money enough to entitle him to this rather
+indefinite appellation. How he happened to be the proprietor of one of
+the finest steam-yachts that ever floated on the ocean was also
+explained, through a somewhat complicated narrative, and the details of
+a cruise to Bermuda, the Bahama Islands, and Cuba, followed by a voyage
+across the Atlantic and up the Mediterranean, the steamer and her tender
+having just sailed from Alexandria after the tour of Egypt.
+
+The ship, as the larger steamer was generally called to distinguish her
+from the smaller one, was the Guardian-Mother. This may be regarded as
+rather an odd name for a steamship, but it had been selected by the
+young millionaire himself as a tribute of love, affection, and honor to
+his mother; for they were devotedly attached to each other, and their
+relations were almost sentimental. Mrs. Belgrave was one of the most
+important passengers in the cabin of the steamer.
+
+Felix McGavonty was born in the United States, though his parents came
+from Ireland. He had been the companion of Louis Belgrave from their
+earliest childhood; and as they grew older they became the most
+consummate cronies. Felix almost worshipped his friend, and the
+friendship was mutual. He was a fair scholar, having attended the
+academy at Von Blonk Park, where they lived. He could speak the English
+language as well as a college professor; but he was very much given to
+speaking with the Irish brogue, in honor of his mother he insisted, and
+dragged into his speech all the dialects known in the Green Isle, and
+perhaps supplemented them with some inventions of his own. That great
+American humorist might have said of Felix just what he did of the
+kangaroo.
+
+Captain Scott had been a wild boy, in fact, a decidedly bad boy. He had
+been picked up with his foster-father in the Bahamas. His only guardian
+bound him over to Captain Royal Ringgold, the commander of the
+Guardian-Mother, who had thoroughly and entirely reformed his life and
+character. He was a natural-born sailor, and his abilities were of a
+high order in that direction. When the ship's company of the Maud was
+organized, Louis had brought his influence to bear in favor of electing
+him to the command, for which he was vastly better qualified than any
+other member of the "Big Four."
+
+Squire Moses Scarburn, another of the all-over-the-world excursionists,
+was the trustee of Louis's million and a half. He was a jolly fat man,
+rising fifty years old. He was a lawyer by profession, and had sat upon
+the bench, and Louis had always been an immense favorite with him. He
+had taken Felix into his house as an orphan; and his housekeeper, Mrs.
+Sarah Blossom, had cared for him in his childhood, looked after his
+morals and the buttons on his shirts and trousers, till she became very
+fond of him.
+
+Just before the Guardian-Mother sailed on her cruise from New York, a
+couple of professional gentlemen, thrown overboard by the upsetting of a
+sailing-yacht, were rescued from a watery grave by the people on board
+of the steamer, largely by the exertions of Louis. One of them was Dr.
+Philip Hawkes, one of the most noted medical men of the great city. He
+was almost the counterpart of the trustee physically, weighing two
+hundred and twenty-six pounds and three-quarters, while the lawyer fell
+a quarter of a pound short of these figures. They were continually
+bantering each other about this difference.
+
+The doctor called Uncle Moses, as the entire party addressed him,
+"Brother Avoirdupois;" and the lawyer retorted by christening the
+surgeon "Brother Adipose Tissue." The conductor of the party in Egypt
+had called them both "cupids;" and this term became very popular for the
+time. The other gentleman who had been saved from an untimely grave in
+the bay was a learned Frenchman. Both of them were in feeble health from
+overwork; and they accepted invitations to join the party, the one as
+the medical officer of the ship, and the other as the instructor in the
+languages as well as in the sciences generally, for which he was
+abundantly competent.
+
+Louis Belgrave, in passing through the incidents of the story, had made
+the acquaintance of Mr. Lowell Woolridge, a Fifth Avenue millionaire and
+magnate. He had formerly been a well-known sportsman; but he had
+abandoned the race-course, though he kept up his interest in yachting.
+He was the owner of a large sailing schooner; and through this craft
+Louis and his mother became acquainted with the yachtsman's family,
+consisting of his wife, a son, and a daughter. The latter was a very
+beautiful young lady of sixteen, whose face captivated everybody who
+came into her presence; and Louis's mother had deemed it her duty to
+warn her son against the fascination of the maiden before he had found
+his million.
+
+A slight illness had threatened the young lady with possible
+consequences, and the physicians had advised her father to take her to
+Orotava, in the Canary Islands. On the voyage the yacht had been nearly
+wrecked, and the family had been rescued by the officers and crew of the
+Guardian-Mother. The yacht sailed in company with the steamer; and they
+visited Mogadore, in Morocco. Here Ali-Noury Pacha, one of the richest
+and most influential magnates of the country, paid a visit to the ship.
+Unfortunately he saw the beautiful Blanche Woolridge, and was more
+attentive to her than pleased her parents.
+
+They were alarmed, for of course the Pacha was a Mohammedan. Captain
+Ringgold found a way out of the difficulty by towing the sailing-yacht
+out of the harbor; and both vessels hastened to Madeira. The Moor
+followed them in his steam-yacht, the Fatim�; but the commander put to
+sea as soon as he realized the situation. At Gibraltar the Pacha
+confronted the party again. The commander had learned at Funchal that
+His Highness was a villanously bad character, and he positively refused
+to permit him to visit or to meet the lady passengers on board his ship.
+He was an honest, upright, and plain-spoken man. He stated that the
+Pacha was not a suitable person to associate with Christian ladies.
+
+This led to a personal attack upon the stalwart commander, and the Pacha
+was knocked into the mud in the street. This had fanned his wrath to a
+roaring name, for he had been fined before an English court for the
+assault. His passion for revenge was even more determined than his
+admiration for the "houri," as he called the maiden. He had followed the
+ship to Constantinople, engaged a felucca and a ruffian, assisted by a
+French detective, to capture the fair girl, as the story has already
+informed the reader in other volumes.
+
+The national affairs of His Highness had called him home, but he had
+apparently placed his steam-yacht in command of a Captain Mazagan; and
+this ruffian, attended by Ulbach, the detective, had followed the party
+to Egypt. The capture of Louis Belgrave, or the young lady, or both of
+them, was the object of the ruffian, who was to receive two hundred
+thousand francs if he succeeded, or half that sum if he failed. Louis
+had had a narrow escape from these ruffians in Cairo; but he had worked
+his way out of the difficulty, assisted by a chance incident.
+
+The Fatim� had been discovered in the harbor of Alexandria before the
+Guardian-Mother and her tender sailed. The peril which menaced the young
+lady had been kept a profound secret from all except three of the "Big
+Four;" for the commander believed himself abundantly able to protect his
+passengers, and the knowledge of the danger would have made the ladies
+so nervous and terrified that Mrs. Belgrave and the Woolridges would
+have insisted upon returning to New York, and abandoning the voyage from
+which so much of pleasure and instruction was expected.
+
+Captain Ringgold and Louis had considered the situation, and fully
+realized the intention of Captain Mazagan to follow the steamer and her
+little consort. They had agreed upon a plan, after Captain Scott and
+Felix, who was the detective of the ship, by which they hoped to "fool"
+the enemy, as the young commander expressed it. The Fatim� had sailed
+early in the morning, but she was soon discovered off the Bay of Abukir.
+The reader is now in condition to inquire into what Captain Scott
+regarded as the one great mistake that had been made in the arrangements
+for outwitting the Moorish steam-yacht.
+
+The young captain was in the pilot-house of the Maud when the steamer
+was discovered. He was the commander; but the smallness of the ship's
+company made it necessary for him to keep his own watch, which is
+usually done by the second mate for him. Morris Woolridge, who had had
+considerable experience in his father's yacht, was the first officer,
+and there was no other. The young millionaire, in spite of his influence
+as owner, had insisted on serving as a common sailor, or deck-hand, with
+Felix. There were two engineers and a cook, who will be presented when
+they are needed.
+
+"What is the one great mistake, Captain Scott?" asked Louis, who stood
+at the open window in front of the pilot-house.
+
+"The single mistake of any consequence is in the fact that you are on
+board of the Maud when you ought to be stowed away in the cabin of the
+Guardian-Mother," replied the captain very decidedly, with something
+bordering on disgust in his tones and manner. "Instead of keeping you
+out of danger, you are running just as straight into the lion's den as
+you can go, Louis."
+
+"Where is the lion's den, please to inform me," replied the young
+millionaire, scouting, in his tones and manner, any idea of peril to
+himself which was not shared by his companions.
+
+"On board of that four-hundred-ton steamer which you see off by the
+coast."
+
+"Do you think I ought to be any more afraid of her than the rest of the
+fellows?" demanded Louis. "Do you wish me to stand back and stay behind
+a fence while you face the enemy?"
+
+"Of course I don't believe you are afraid, Louis, my dear fellow,"
+added Captain Scott, perhaps fearing he had said too much, or had been
+misunderstood.
+
+But just at that moment Morris Woolridge came forward, and neither of
+them was willing to continue the conversation in his presence; for he
+might fall into the possession of the secret which was so carefully
+guarded.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+HARMONY DISTURBED, BUT HAPPILY RESTORED
+
+
+Morris Woolridge was the first officer of the Maud, and as such he had
+charge of the port watch. The captain had been two hours at the wheel,
+and it was Morris's turn to take his trick; and the change was made. At
+the same time Felix McGavonty relieved Louis. Although the helmsman was
+always in position to see out ahead of the steamer, the other member of
+the watch was required to serve as lookout on the forecastle.
+
+Except in heavy weather, when all hands were required to be on duty, the
+watch not employed had nothing to do, and the members of it could use
+the time as they pleased. Sometimes they had lost sleep to make up; but
+most of the leisure hours during the day were given to study, for the
+commander had stimulated the ambition of the boys so that they were
+anxious to be prepared to speak on all subjects that were considered at
+the conferences, or lectures, on board the Guardian-Mother.
+
+Regular subjects for special study were given out, always with reference
+to the topics of the country that was next to be visited, or was to be
+seen from the deck of the vessels. After the business of outwitting the
+enemy on board of the Fatim�, which was an episode in the voyage forced
+upon the commander and his confidants, the steamers would pass through
+the Suez Canal, and proceed by the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
+
+A written list of about a dozen subjects had been given out to the
+students on the wing, as Dr. Hawkes called the class of five who
+profited systematically by the instructions of Professor Giroud, though
+all on both steamers were more or less engaged in study. The first of
+these were the Land of Goshen and Mount Sinai. As the little squadron
+was to pass near the territory of the ancient kingdoms of Assyria,
+Babylon, and Syria, and the more modern realm of Mohammed and the
+Caliphate of Bagdad, these subjects were to follow later. At any rate,
+the peripatetic students had enough to prevent their active minds from
+becoming rusty.
+
+It was not for two hours that Captain Scott and Louis Belgrave found
+another opportunity to consider the alleged mistake, as the former
+regarded it; for the latter belonged to the port watch, and served with
+Morris. But when the Maud had made twenty miles more, they were together
+again, with Felix on the lookout; for he was one of the triumvirate on
+board in charge of the secret.
+
+Louis took a seat in the pilot-house on one side of the wheel, while
+Scott was on the other. The Guardian-Mother was not a mile ahead of the
+Maud. The young captain had already studied up the chart, and the
+details of the manoeuvre contemplated had been already arranged, so
+far as it was possible to do so.
+
+"The ship does not seem to be letting herself out yet according to the
+programme," said Captain Scott, when Louis took his place near him, and
+Felix was using his glass, which had become his constant companion in
+observing the movements of the Moorish steamer.
+
+"Captain Ringgold knows what he is about," suggested the other.
+
+"Of course he does; but I supposed he would give his cue by this time,
+and begin the business of overhauling the pirate," added Scott. "Felix,
+is the ship stirring up her screw?"
+
+"I think she is, Captain," replied the lookoutman; "but she does not
+give the signal yet."
+
+"Keep your ears wide open tight, Flix, for it will come soon. Where is
+the pirate now?"
+
+"She is directly in range with the Guardian-Mother."
+
+If the Fatim� had not herself been engaged in piratical proceedings, her
+owner was responsible for the employment of her present commander on
+board the felucca Samothraki, in the Archipelago, in an attempt to take
+Louis and Miss Blanche, or both of them, out of the Maud; and he might
+have succeeded if Captain Ringgold had not decided to make use of the
+two twelve-pounders on the top-gallant forecastle of the Guardian-Mother
+at the critical moment.
+
+The commander regarded Captain Mazagan as really a pirate; and he would
+have proceeded against him as such, if it had not been that doing so
+would have broken up his own voyage. With this excellent authority Scott
+never called the Moorish steam-yacht anything but a pirate, unless it
+was to save too frequent repetition of the ugly word. If Captain
+Ringgold had been less politic and prudent, his action would have suited
+his junior commander better.
+
+"You don't think I am afraid, though one great mistake has been made in
+permitting me to be on board of the Maud at the present time?" said
+Louis, while they were waiting for the signal from the ship.
+
+"With no reflection or disparagement upon you of any kind, Louis, I said
+just what I thought, and spoke just what I felt," replied the captain.
+
+"But I don't understand your position at all, Captain Scott. I do not
+see that I am in any greater peril than the rest of the ship's company,"
+added Louis with a very cheerful smile upon his good-looking face.
+
+"I don't forget that you are the sole owner of the Guardian-Mother, and
+half-owner of the Maud, with a million and a half of dollars in your
+trousers pocket. Though we are all earning our living in your service,
+as well as improving our education, I for one do not lose sight of the
+fact that we are all dependent upon your bounty for the means of
+carrying on this voyage."
+
+"What has all this to do with what we were talking about, Captain
+Scott?" asked Louis, very much inclined to laugh out loud at the
+rehearsal of the situation.
+
+"It has this to do with it: I am very much afraid of saying something,
+or doing something, that will offend you," answered the captain, with
+more than usual deference in his tone and manner. "We came very near
+getting into a quarrel in Pournea Bay; and if I had forgotten for a
+moment what you are and what I am, we might have fallen into a jolly
+row."
+
+"I acted then as mildly as I could, however, in a matter which you did
+not understand then, but do now; and I apologized for my interference as
+soon as I had the opportunity," replied Louis quite seriously. "I cannot
+understand why you have found it necessary to remind me that I am a
+millionaire on a small scale, as fortunes are measured in our country,
+and that I am the owner of the Guardian-Mother. You make it appear as
+though I regarded you as my inferior. Have I ever put on airs in my
+relations with you, Captain Scott?"
+
+"Never!" replied the captain promptly, and with decided emphasis.
+
+"Have I ever interfered with you in your command, except in the instance
+referred to?"
+
+"Never!"
+
+"Have I ever done anything to stultify, degrade you, or impair your
+self-respect?"
+
+"Never!"
+
+"Could I have done any different, or been any different, if the
+bill-of-sale of the Guardian-Mother had been among your effects, and the
+million had been in your trousers pocket instead of mine?" demanded
+Louis with some earnestness; for the words of his friend--and they had
+been very strong friends--had produced an unpleasant impression upon his
+mind.
+
+"You could not, Louis! I have made a donkey of myself; you are the best
+friend I ever had in this world," returned the captain with emphasis.
+"But let me say that you have taken me on the wrong tack. I had not the
+remotest intention of casting the shadow of a reflection upon your
+demeanor towards me. You have entirely mistaken my meaning."
+
+"Then I think you had better explain yourself."
+
+"Since that little affair in Pournea Bay, I have been mortally afraid I
+should say or do something to offend you, or hurt your feelings,"
+continued Scott. "We are going on what may prove to be a delicate
+business."
+
+"I don't see how there can be anything delicate about it," added Louis.
+
+"Perhaps that was not the right word for it. But I want to have it
+understood, first and foremost, that I did not remind you of the
+difference in our situations because I felt that I had any cause of
+complaint," said the captain, so earnestly that he was almost eloquent.
+"Without reminding you again that you are a millionaire while I am a
+beggar, you are the most modest fellow on board, and have always been
+without any let-up. By your action I am in command of the Maud. On your
+petition I was admitted to the cabin of the Guardian-Mother, where I
+have a stateroom at this moment, and a place at the table when on board
+of her, on an entire equality with everybody there."
+
+"Why do you mention these matters, Captain Scott?"
+
+"Only to show that I am not ungrateful for the many favors extended to
+me," answered the young man heartily. "More than all this, I was a bad
+egg when I came on board of the steamer. It was your influence and your
+example, Louis Belgrave, more than even the treatment of Captain
+Ringgold, which caused me to turn over a new leaf, and try to make a man
+of myself."
+
+Scott turned away his head, and looked out at the starboard window, and
+Louis saw a gush of tears fall on the rim of the wheel as he did so. He
+had been about all that is bad which a young man could be when he was
+committed to the care of the commander by his foster-father; but since
+he had been "born again," as he expressed it, he had been thoroughly
+faithful and exemplary, and morally he stood as high as the other
+members of the "Big Four." His reformation had made a new being of him,
+and when he reverted to it, his feelings overcame him.
+
+"I have said too much, my dear fellow, and I am very sorry that I have
+hurt your feelings," interposed Louis, after he waited a few minutes
+for his emotion to subside. "Only don't remind me that I am a bigger
+fellow than the rest of you, and we shall never quarrel."
+
+"You have never spoken an unkind word to me since I was born over again,
+and it was mean in me to say anything which would cut you to the quick.
+I did not know what I was saying, and I hope you will forgive me."
+
+"With all my heart; for I realize now that you did not mean what I
+supposed you did, and you must forgive me for picking you up so
+suddenly," added Louis. "Now we will not say another word about the
+matter. We can't get up a quarrel if we try, and you cannot do or say
+anything now that will make me think less of you. There is my hand, my
+dear fellow."
+
+Louis extended his hand across the wheel, and it was warmly pressed by
+the captain. It is possible that Scott had some ideas in his mind in
+connection with the present mission of the Maud that would more clearly
+have explained why he had uttered words which seemed to be a reproach on
+him whom he regarded as his best friend. He was a young man of eighteen,
+and had some of the weaknesses that belong to immaturity of age. Though
+he did not say so, he thought Captain Ringgold was what he considered as
+"rather slow" in his treatment of the pirate. It would not have been
+unlike many very good boys if he had believed he could manage the matter
+better.
+
+"Now, Captain, let us come back to the question that was before us, the
+mistake that was made when I was permitted to remain on board the Maud
+as she came out on her present mission," said Louis, after harmony had
+been entirely restored.
+
+"In order to understand why I entertain this opinion, let us overhaul my
+instructions from the commander," replied the captain.
+
+"That will be the best way to get at the subject."
+
+"In the first place, we are to engage in an attempt to shake off the
+pirate; for she is not only a nuisance, but a constant menace to certain
+members of the party," added Scott.
+
+"All that has been admitted by the commander; though, as I happen to be
+one of the individuals, I may say I have not the slightest fear of
+anything the pirate can do."
+
+"You have been through quite a number of perilous adventures, Louis, and
+you have got used to such."
+
+"I don't throw myself into such adventures, but I can't deny that they
+have afforded me not a little of exhilarating excitement," replied the
+young millionaire. "It was you who proposed the plan to the commander
+which was adopted, and we are now to carry out."
+
+"And I hope no weakness in either the ship or the Maud will cause it to
+be a failure. At the signal from the Guardian-Mother the Maud is to run
+for the island of Cyprus, distance a trifle less than two hundred knots,
+while the ship is to continue on her course. Then it will remain to be
+proved what the pirate will do. I think she will follow the Maud, though
+Captain Ringgold is in doubt about it; and of course I don't feel
+sure."
+
+"Our machinery was overhauled by the chief engineer of the ship while we
+were in Egypt, and it is yet to be shown what speed she can make."
+
+"But the pirate is not good for more than thirteen knots at the most,
+for we have tried it on with her. In my judgment Captain Mazagan will
+board us if he can, and take one of our number out of the Maud; and that
+is the reason why I think it was a mistake that you remained with us."
+
+Louis could not yet see the mistake, and did not believe it was
+necessary that the Maud should be boarded; for that would be an act of
+downright piracy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+A MOMENTOUS SECRET REVEALED
+
+
+"Three whistles from the Guardian-Mother," said Felix, the lookoutman,
+walking up to the forward windows of the pilot-house, and speaking with
+a low voice.
+
+"Three whistles, and I heard them, Flix," returned Captain Scott, as he
+put the helm to starboard. "Where is Morris?"
+
+"I think he is in the cabin studying Assyria and Babylon," replied Felix
+with a mild laugh, as he thought this was an odd occupation for the
+first officer of the Maud; for he was little inclined to be a student
+himself, though he was an attentive listener at the lectures.
+
+Felix returned to his place in the bow, and directed the spy-glass,
+which he carried with him most of the time, whether on duty or not, in
+the direction of the Fatim�. He had a taste for the business of a
+detective in the higher walks of that profession, and the commander had
+recognized his ability. He had been employed to ascertain whether the
+pirate was in the waters of Egypt, having been the first to suspect her
+presence; and he had proved the fact beyond a doubt.
+
+Accompanied by John Donald, the second engineer of the Maud, who spoke
+Arabic, he had followed Mazagan to Rosetta, where he found the Fatim�,
+having evidently made a port there to escape the observation of the
+commander of the Guardian-Mother and his people. The villain and his
+assistant had failed to lead Captain Ringgold into the traps set for
+him.
+
+Having failed in their attempts to accomplish anything at Alexandria,
+the conspirators had followed the party to Cairo. Louis and Felix were
+sitting on a bench in the Ezbekiyeh, a park in front of their hotel,
+when Mazagan and the Frenchman approached them, and wished to make a
+compromise, which the Moor desired the young millionaire to recommend to
+the commander. The agent of the Pacha informed the young man that he was
+to receive a reward of forty thousand dollars for the capture and
+conveyance to Mogadore of either Louis or Miss Blanche, or both of them,
+or one-half that sum if he failed; and he proposed to compromise.
+
+The use of the steam-yacht was given to him to accomplish this purpose.
+Mazagan was, or pretended to be, discouraged by the several failures he
+had made in effecting his object, and he proposed that the commander
+should pay him twenty thousand dollars, and then he would collect the
+other half of the promised stipend of the Pacha, as the promised reward
+in case of failure.
+
+The pirate proved that he was a very mean and treacherous pirate, as
+willing to sell out his friend as his foe, and Louis was more disgusted
+than ever with him. He spoke his mind freely to the villain, and
+absolutely refused to recommend the treachery to the commander. He would
+as soon have compromised with the Evil One for the sale of his
+principles. The approach of Captain Ringgold terminated the interview,
+and the rascals made haste to retreat. After this they made an attempt
+to capture Louis, and the detective had been shot in the shoulder.
+
+What the conspirators intended or expected to accomplish since these
+failures of course none of those interested could know, and it only
+remained for them to watch the movements of the Fatim�, and to be
+constantly on their guard against any possible attempt on the part of
+the reprobates to carry out their purpose. Only the commander of the
+Guardian-Mother and the three members of the "Big Four" could take these
+precautions, for no others knew anything at all about the necessity for
+them.
+
+Felix used his glass very diligently. The Guardian-Mother did not change
+her course, and the Moorish steamer, which was now hardly a mile from
+her, was still headed to the eastward. Whether the latter would dodge
+into the port of Rosetta or Damietta, or give chase to the Maud, was yet
+to be demonstrated; and the lookoutman was watching for a movement of
+this kind.
+
+"The ship is stirring up a good deal of salt water under her stern,"
+said Felix, walking over to the pilot-house. "You can see by the power
+of smoke she is sending out at her funnel that the chief engineer is
+driving her."
+
+"I can see that she has increased her distance from us; but according to
+the commander's orders I have directed Felipe to run her not more than
+eight or nine knots," replied the captain of the Maud. "How far ahead of
+the Guardian-Mother is the pirate, Felix?"
+
+"Not more than a mile, as nearly as I can make it out," replied Felix.
+"But she is making the fur fly, and if the pirate don't want her to come
+alongside of her, or get a position where her people can overlook her
+deck, she will change her course within the next ten minutes;" and the
+lookoutman returned to his place in the bow.
+
+"It is lucky for that pirate that your humble servant is not in command
+of the Guardian-Mother," said Captain Scott.
+
+"Do you think yourself competent to command a steamer like the
+Guardian-Mother, my dear fellow?" asked Louis, with a rather quizzical
+expression on his face.
+
+"I know I am!" exclaimed Captain Scott emphatically; and he did not lack
+confidence in himself. "Why not? If I can navigate the Maud, I could do
+the same with the Guardian-Mother; for the size of the vessel don't make
+any difference in the navigation as long as both of them go out to sea
+off soundings. I suppose you doubt what I say?"
+
+"I do not; for I am not a qualified judge in the matter," replied
+Louis, who was considerably surprised at the amount of confidence the
+captain of eighteen years of age had in himself. "But why is it lucky
+for the pirate that Captain Ringgold, instead of Captain Scott, happens
+to be in command of the ship?"
+
+"Because I should serve her as the commander did another steamer of
+about the size of the pirate, on the run of the ship from Bermuda to
+Nassau, I believe it was, for I was not on board at the time," replied
+the captain, with decision enough in his tones and manner to indicate
+that he would do what he suggested. "I have heard Flix tell all about
+the affair; and in his estimation Hercules and General Grant were
+nothing at all compared with Captain Ringgold, when he tells the story.
+I think he believes the commander is the greatest man that is or ever
+was in this world, with the possible exception of yourself."
+
+"That steamer was sailing illegally under the name of the Maud, for her
+proper name was the Viking; but Captain Ringgold ran into her and
+smashed a big hole in her port bow."
+
+"As I would in one of the bows of the pirate."
+
+"But there was a reason for it; I was a prisoner on board of that Maud,
+or Viking--captured as this pirate would serve me if he got a chance."
+
+"I would sink him before he got the chance, rather than after he had
+picked you up," persisted the captain.
+
+"I doubt if that would be a prudent measure," replied Louis, shaking his
+head.
+
+"The pirate has changed her course to the southward," said Felix, coming
+to the window of the pilot-house again.
+
+"What does that mean?" demanded the captain.
+
+"It means that she is going to make a port at Rosetta."
+
+"She is about off the Rosetta mouth of the Nile; but she is doing that
+only to shake off the Guardian-Mother. What is the ship doing, Flix?"
+
+"She continues on her course, and takes no notice of the pirate;" and
+the lookout returned to his station.
+
+Captain Scott rang the gong in the engine-room, and the screw of the
+Maud immediately ceased to revolve. The sea was comparatively smooth,
+and the little steamer rolled on the waves but slightly. As soon as the
+screw stopped, and the little craft began to roll on the long swell,
+Morris Woolridge put aside the "Chambers's" in which he had been reading
+up Assyria and Babylon, and went out of the cabin into the
+standing-room. He looked about him to ascertain the cause of the
+stoppage; but he could make nothing of it.
+
+He was a good skipper himself, and he did not like to ask Captain Scott
+to explain the situation; for since he had gone into the cabin the
+relative positions of the three steamers had decidedly changed. His idea
+was that the Maud should follow the ship as usual; but she had dropped
+at least a couple of miles astern of her, and the Fatim� was headed to
+the southward. He could not understand the matter at all, and he
+continued to study upon it.
+
+Louis had come out of the pilot-house, and, looking aft, he discovered
+Morris, and saw that he was perplexed by the situation, and that Assyria
+was no longer the subject of his meditations.
+
+"Morris is in the standing-room, and I have no doubt he is wondering why
+we are wasting our steam just here, when the ship is going ahead at full
+speed," said he to the captain. "Don't you think the time has come?"
+
+"No doubt of it," answered the captain.
+
+These last remarks may seem a little mysterious; but the present
+situation had been foreseen by Captain Ringgold. Morris was the first
+officer, and if the momentous secret was to be kept from him any longer,
+it would require an amount of lying and deception which was utterly
+repugnant to the principles of both the commander and Louis. The
+representative of the Woolridge family on board of the Maud must be left
+with his father and mother and sister on the ship, or the whole truth
+must be told to the son. Thus far no lies had been necessary; and the
+captain did not believe it would be wrong for him to conceal what would
+be dangerous to the peace of mind of his passengers.
+
+As long as Captain Ringgold conscientiously believed that neither Miss
+Blanche nor Louis was in any peril, he considered it his duty to conceal
+from their parents the plot of the Pacha and his agents. He was sure
+that neither Mrs. Woolridge nor Mrs. Belgrave would consent to continue
+the voyage even in the face of a very remote danger to their children.
+He had abundant resources on board, including his two twelve-pounders,
+for their protection; and he had used them on one occasion, though his
+passengers did not understand the reason of the attack made on the Maud.
+
+This subject had been considered before the vessels sailed from
+Alexandria, and the commander declared that he could not adopt the
+scheme of Scott, if they were to be required to utter no end of
+falsehoods to Morris; and Louis absolutely refused to do so. They had
+finally compromised by making the owner a committee of one to confer
+with the subject of the difficulty when the time for action came. Like
+the others, Morris was to be pledged to secrecy for the peace and
+comfort of the mothers. If he refused to give the pledge, the plan of
+Captain Scott was to be abandoned, and the Maud was to place herself
+immediately under the wing of the Guardian-Mother again. The time for
+action on this subject had come.
+
+"I will go aft and have a talk with Morris; and I am only afraid he will
+fly off at the want of confidence in him we have shown," said Louis.
+
+"But his case is not a whit different from your own; for you have a
+mother in the cabin as well as he," added the captain.
+
+"But we have concealed everything from him for months; but Morris is as
+good a fellow as ever sailed the seas, and he will be reasonable."
+
+"I pledged myself to secrecy, and I think we had better make the 'Big
+Four' a society for the protection of this secret till the end of the
+voyage."
+
+"We will consider that at another time," replied Louis as he moved aft.
+
+He found Morris still looking about in order to solve what was a mystery
+to him, as it must have been to the engineers and the cook; but they
+were paid employes, and it was not proper for them to ask any questions.
+
+"Anything broken down, Louis?" asked Morris, as his watch-mate took a
+seat at his side.
+
+"Nothing at all," replied the owner. "Do you believe, Morris, that you
+could keep a very important secret if the peace and happiness of your
+best friends on earth depended upon it?"
+
+"I know I could, even from my mother, from whom I never kept a secret
+except once, when I heard the doctor say something about the health of
+Blanche last winter, not long before we sailed in the yacht. I knew that
+it would worry the life out of her," replied Morris very seriously.
+
+"This is a case just like that; and if the secret came out it would
+worry the life out of your mother and mine, and perhaps seriously affect
+the health of Miss Blanche."
+
+"There is my hand, and I will pledge myself to any honest secret you may
+impart to me; for I know you would not lead me to do anything wrong."
+
+"I would jump overboard before I would lead you astray, Morris,"
+protested Louis as he took the offered hand, and the pledge was
+exchanged.
+
+It required two hours to tell the whole story of the operations of
+Captain Mazagan, begun at Constantinople four months before, including
+the discovery of the plot of the conspirators in the caf� at Gallipoli.
+
+Morris was astonished at the explanation given him of several incidents
+with which he was familiar. He quite agreed with Louis as to the
+necessity of keeping the secret; for his mother would worry herself into
+a fit of sickness if she learned the truth. He agreed that there was no
+alternative between abandoning the excursion, which would be a great
+grief to him, and confining the secret to those who now knew it; and he
+repeated his pledge with more earnestness than before.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE POSITION OF THE THREE STEAMERS
+
+
+The conference in the standing-room of the Maud ended, and all the "Big
+Four" were in possession of the secret upon the keeping of which the
+continuation of the delightful excursion voyage depended. They stood on
+a perfect equality now, and each was as wise as the others. When Louis
+went forward, Morris went with him; and after the result of the
+interview had been announced, Scott grasped the hand of the newly
+initiated, and Felix followed his example.
+
+"I can see that you are all glad to keep me no longer in the dark," said
+Morris. "You must have been walking on glass all the time for fear that
+I should break through, and upset your plan to keep me behind the
+curtain."
+
+"That is so," replied the captain. "We had to shut up tight while you
+were in the pilot-house; and as Louis is in your watch, I stopped the
+Maud partly to give him a chance to talk with you, and partly to carry
+out the manoeuvre agreed upon."
+
+"But I can't see why it was considered necessary to keep me in the
+dark," added Morris. "Am I supposed to be any more leaky than the rest
+of you?"
+
+"I don't believe any one thought so," replied Louis. "You remember that
+at Gallipoli, Flix and I went ashore in one of the two harbors, taking
+Don with us to talk Turkish, though His Highness and Captain Mazagan did
+their business in French, which they supposed no one near them could
+speak or understand; and I happened to be the only one of our party who
+took in all that was said. When we returned to the Guardian-Mother I
+told Captain Ringgold all about it, in the presence of Flix. The
+commander immediately directed us to say not a word about it to any
+person. Even Captain Scott was kept in the dark till he and I were on
+the verge of a quarrel in Pournea Bay."
+
+"That is putting it a little too strong, Louis," interposed the captain.
+"I should not have quarrelled with you under any circumstances; I could
+not have done so."
+
+"But I interfered with you in your command because I understood the
+situation, and you did not; and Captain Ringgold told me to tell you all
+there was to be told," Louis explained. "But he was not willing you
+should be posted, Morris; for he feared that you might unintentionally
+betray the secret to your mother. We have got along so far without
+lying, and I believe the commander would throw up the voyage rather than
+have any of us go beyond simple concealment without falsehood. As he
+says, we are acting a lie, though we are doing it for the health,
+comfort, and happiness of those we love the best on earth. The biggest
+lies are sometimes told without the utterance of a vocal word."
+
+"I am satisfied, fellows, and I am sure Captain Ringgold has acted from
+the highest of motives. Now I should like to know something about the
+manoeuvre in which you are engaged."
+
+Captain Scott explained it in full. Felix had gone to his station in the
+bow, to observe the movements of the Guardian-Mother and the Fatim�.
+From there he had gone to the hurricane deck, in order to obtain a
+better view. After an absence of half an hour he came into the
+pilot-house again, with his glass under his arm; for it had now become
+the emblem of his occupation.
+
+"The ship is so far off that I can't tell whether or not she is still
+rushing things; but I judge by her distance that the engine is making
+things lively in the fire-room," said he.
+
+"How about the Fatim�?" asked the captain. "I can still see her."
+
+"The Fatty is sodjering."
+
+"What do you mean by that, Flix?"
+
+"She is wasting her time, and appears to be making not more than four
+knots," replied Felix. "I judge that Captain Mazagan does not feel quite
+at home."
+
+"You think our movements bother him?" suggested Louis.
+
+"Not the least doubt of that! The ship is going off at sixteen knots an
+hour, and will soon be hull down, and we are lying here 'like a painted
+ship upon a painted ocean.'"
+
+"Coleridge!" exclaimed Morris, amused to hear Felix quote from a poem.
+
+"In other words, he can't make out what we are driving at; for the Maud
+has always kept under the wing of the Guardian-Mother," added the
+captain. "But it is about time to give him something to think of."
+
+As he spoke, Captain Scott rang the gong in the engine-room to go ahead,
+and the screw began to turn again.
+
+"Now keep your weather eye open tight, Flix!" and he threw the wheel
+over, and fixed his gaze upon the compass in front of him. "You needn't
+watch the G.-M. very closely, but give me the earliest notice of any
+change in the course of the pirate; for I can hardly make her out now."
+
+"How far is it from here to Port Said?" asked the lookoutman.
+
+"To where? I don't know where Port Sed is," replied the captain,
+pronouncing the word as Felix did.
+
+"You don't know where the entrance to the Suez Canal is!" exclaimed the
+lookout.
+
+"That is what you mean, is it?"
+
+"Of course it is; and that is what I said," protested Felix.
+
+"You said Port Sed."
+
+"I know it; if S-a-i-d don't spell Sed, what does it spell?" demanded
+Felix.
+
+"It spells S-a-h-i-d out here when you mean the port at the entrance of
+the Suez Canal," replied the captain quietly and with a smile.
+
+"Oh, you have become an Arabian scholar!" exclaimed Felix with a hearty
+laugh.
+
+"Honestly, Flix, I did not understand what you meant. I have studied up
+the navigation in this region," continued Captain Scott, as he took from
+a drawer in the case on which the binnacle stood a small plan of the
+port in question. "Look at that, Flix, and tell me what the di�resis
+over the i in Sa�d is for."
+
+"It means that the two vowels in the word are to be pronounced
+separately, and I stand corrected," answered Felix promptly.
+
+"I did not mean to correct you; for I make too many blunders myself to
+pick up another fellow for doing so. I only wanted to explain why I did
+not understand you. I had got used to pronouncing it Sah-eed, and Sed
+does not sound much like it, and I did not take in what you meant, and
+thought you were talking about some port in the island of Cyprus, where
+we are bound."
+
+"I accept your apology, Captain, and shift all the guilt to my own
+shoulders. Now may I ask how far it is from here to Port Sah-eed?"
+replied Felix very good-naturedly.
+
+"It is 101.76 miles, by which, of course, I mean knots. I figured it up
+from a point north of Rosetta," added the navigator.
+
+"Won't you throw off the fraction?"
+
+"No; if you run one hundred and one miles only, you will fetch up
+three-quarters of a knot to the westward of the red light at the end of
+the breakwater."
+
+"That is putting a fine point on it; but I will go on the hurricane deck
+and see what the Fatty is about," replied Felix.
+
+"You have not rung the speed bell, Captain Scott, since you started the
+screw," suggested Louis.
+
+"I did not intend to do so yet a while," replied the captain. "I want to
+know what the Fatty is about, as Felix calls her; and I think we had
+better translate her heathen name into plain English."
+
+"Flix's name would apply better to Uncle Moses and Dr. Hawkes than to
+the Moorish steamer."
+
+"We had a girl in our high school who bore that name, though she was a
+full-blooded New Yorker; but the master always insisted upon putting the
+accent on the first syllable, declaring that was the right way to
+pronounce it. I know we have always pronounced the word Fat�-ee-may, and
+that is where Flix got the foundation for his abbreviation."
+
+"Fatty it is, Captain, if you say so. I wonder what the Fatty is about
+just now?" added Louis.
+
+"Flix will soon enlighten us on that subject, for he has a wonderfully
+sharp pair of eyes."
+
+"Do you really believe we shall get over to Cyprus, Captain Scott?"
+asked Louis, looking sharply into the eyes of the navigator.
+
+"Why should we not?"
+
+"Because I don't believe Captain Ringgold intends to turn us loose on
+the Mediterranean, and let us go it on our own hook, or rather on your
+own hook; for you are the commander, and all the rest of us have to do
+is to obey your orders," said Louis; and the little tiff between them
+had gently and remotely suggested to him that Captain Scott had some
+purpose in his mind which he would not explain to anybody.
+
+His hint that if he were in command of the Guardian-Mother he would make
+a hole in the side of the Fatim�, pointed to something of this kind,
+though probably it was nothing more than a vague idea. He had suggested
+the plan upon which the ship and her consort were then acting, and
+perhaps it had some possibility of which the commander had not yet
+dreamed.
+
+"Can you tell me why that steam-yacht of over six hundred tons is
+crowding on steam, and running away towards Port Said, while we are, by
+Captain Ringgold's order, headed for Cyprus?" asked the captain.
+
+"Of course I can. He expects by this means to draw off the Fatty, and
+set her to chasing the Maud, so that the party will not be bothered with
+any conspiracies while we are going through the canal," replied Louis.
+
+"What then?"
+
+"If the Fatty chases us, the Guardian-Mother will put in an appearance
+before any harm comes to the Maud, or to any one on board of her."
+
+"Precisely so; that is the way the business is laid out," replied
+Captain Scott; but he looked just as though something more might be said
+which he did not care to say.
+
+"But it remains to be shown whether the Fatty will follow the Maud or
+the ship," added Louis.
+
+"She will not follow the Guardian-Mother," said the navigator very
+decidedly.
+
+"How do you know, Captain? You speak as positively as though Captain
+Mazagan had told you precisely what he intended to do."
+
+"Of course he has told me nothing, for I have not seen him. Common-sense
+is all I have to guide me."
+
+They were about to go into a further discussion of the question when
+Felix came tumbling down the ladder from the upper deck as though he was
+in a hurry.
+
+"What has broken now, Flix?" demanded the captain.
+
+"Nothing; but the question is settled," replied the lookoutman, stopping
+at the front window of the pilot-house, as though he had something
+important to say. "The ship looks like a punctuation mark on the sea,
+and"--
+
+"Is it a full stop?" asked Captain Scott.
+
+"I don't know; but I think not. She is so far off that I can't make out
+whether she is moving or not; but she is not sending as much smoke out
+of her funnel as she was."
+
+"Then your news is a little indefinite."
+
+"As indefinite as a broken barometer. But I did not come down to report
+upon the ship alone," added the lookoutman.
+
+"Give out the text, and go on with the sermon."
+
+"The text is in the back part of Jonah, where Job swallowed the whale.
+The Fatty has come about and is now under a full head of steam, as
+nearly as I can judge," said Felix, who thought he was treated with too
+much levity over a serious subject. "I couldn't see her compass, but the
+arrow-head is directly under the mark, according to my figuring of it."
+
+"Don't be too nautical, Flix; but I suppose you mean that she is headed
+directly for the Maud," replied the captain. "That is precisely what I
+have been satisfied from the beginning she would do."
+
+"Then Morris may enter on his log-slate that the chase began at 11.15
+A.M.," said Louis as he glanced at the clock over the binnacle.
+
+"Not just yet, Morris," replied Captain Scott, who seemed to have no
+apprehension that the Moor would overhaul the Maud. "Let me have your
+glass, Flix; and it is your trick at the wheel, Louis."
+
+He took the spy-glass and left the pilot-house. They saw him climb the
+ladder to the hurricane deck, and it was evident that he intended to
+take a look for himself.
+
+"He does not accept my report," said Felix with a laugh.
+
+"But he said just now that you had wonderfully sharp eyes, Flix," added
+Louis.
+
+"Yet he will not trust them."
+
+But the captain returned in a few minutes, and reported what steamers
+were in sight, with the added information that none of them were headed
+to the north-east; his shipmates could not see the significance of his
+information. He rang the speed bell, and Morris noted the time on the
+slate.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+LOUIS BELGRAVE HAS SOME MISGIVINGS
+
+
+Captain Scott had evidently visited the hurricane deck with the
+spy-glass for the purpose of scanning the sea within eight or ten miles
+of the Maud, as his report was that no steamers going in a northeasterly
+direction were in sight. He did not say that he feared any interference
+on the part of such vessels if any were near. At eleven o'clock it was
+time for Felix to take his trick at the wheel; Morris's watch,
+consisting of himself and Louis, were off duty.
+
+It was a very democratic routine that prevailed on board of the little
+steamer; for the captain was no bigger man than the two seamen before
+the mast, and was obliged to take his turn on the lookout; but the
+arrangement had been made by the boys, all had agreed to it, and no one
+could complain. Scott went to his place in the bow, taking the glass
+with him. He had given out the course to his successor at the wheel, and
+the Maud was now going at full speed.
+
+The dignity of the quarter-deck does not permit an officer, much less a
+seaman, to ask questions of his superior. This sacred limit on board of
+a ship was entirely constructive so far as the Maud was concerned; for
+she was provided with no such planking, and the dignity was applicable
+only to the persons to whom the quarter-deck is appropriated. But
+Captain Ringgold was a strict disciplinarian, having served in the navy
+during the War of the Rebellion.
+
+The young navigators had imbibed this deference from the officers on
+board of the Guardian-Mother, and it had become, as it were, a part of
+their nautical being. It had never been incorporated in any regulation,
+but it was just as potent as though it had been set forth in an order
+from the commander. Captain Scott did not explain what other steamers
+headed in the same direction as the Maud had to do with the present
+voyage, and it was not in order to make any inquiries; but Louis
+Belgrave would have been very glad to know what was passing through the
+mind of his superior officer at this time.
+
+The young commander "made no sign," and all that could be done was to
+wait until events developed themselves. Morris and Louis were at liberty
+to go where they pleased, and do what they liked, provided they did not
+interfere with the routine of the steamer. Both of them were desirous of
+understanding the situation, and they went upon the upper deck in order
+to obtain a better view of the other vessels.
+
+Morris had a field-glass which he carried with him. Like everything else
+the magnate of the Fifth Avenue provided for the members of his family,
+it was of the best quality, and had proved to be a powerful instrument.
+He first looked for the Guardian-Mother; but he could not make her out.
+The trend of the coast was to the southward, beyond Damietta, and she
+had either gone out of the reach of the glass, or she was concealed by
+the intervening land. The Fatim� was very distinctly to be seen, headed
+for the Maud, and there could be no doubt at all in regard to her
+intentions. She was in pursuit of the Maud, and her movements very
+plainly indicated that she was engaged in a mischievous mission.
+
+"It begins to look serious, don't it, Louis?" asked Morris, after both
+of them had used the field-glass.
+
+"It would look so if the Guardian-Mother were not somewhere in the
+vicinity," replied Louis. "Captain Mazagan has waited till she is well
+out of sight; and I have no doubt he is wondering why our two vessels
+have separated. At any rate, he has bitten at the bait prepared for him
+without seeing the hook it conceals."
+
+"I don't see why the plan is not succeeding as well as could be
+desired," suggested the first officer. "Of course Captain Ringgold does
+not mean to leave us to fall into the hands of this pirate, as you all
+call her."
+
+"It was distinctly the understanding that she was to come between us and
+any possible harm."
+
+"Something may happen to prevent her from doing so."
+
+"Of course there is no knowing what may happen," Louis admitted. "I do
+not see what can possibly occur to prevent her from following us to
+Cyprus, if we go there."
+
+"Isn't it settled that we are to go there?" asked Morris, who had not
+heard the manoeuvre discussed before the commander of the ship.
+
+"It is not absolutely settled; for the Fatty might take to her heels,
+and no doubt would do so if she discovered the Guardian-Mother in her
+wake. Mazagan knows very well that she can make four knots to the
+Moorish craft's three; for that is just the ratio we figured out between
+them. With three or four knots the lead she could overhaul her in an
+hour."
+
+"But the pirate could make her out in clear weather ten or a dozen miles
+off. But what was Captain Scott's idea in running for the island of
+Cyprus?"
+
+"In order to have room enough for his manoeuvre."
+
+"Have you kept the run of the Maud's course, Louis?"
+
+"I have not; I am not so much of a sailor as you are, my boy, and I
+don't figure on sailing the craft unless required to do so," replied
+Louis. "But why do you ask that question?"
+
+"Because I think the captain has changed the course of the Maud, and is
+headed more to the northward," answered Morris.
+
+"What makes you think so? He gave out a north-east course to Flix. You
+have seen no compass since that time, and the sun is clouded in. I see
+that Captain Scott is no longer at the bow; he must have gone into the
+pilot-house," added Louis, his thought in regard to the indefinite idea
+in the mind of the navigator coming to him again.
+
+"There is a compass in the standing-room, Louis; suppose we go below and
+look up this matter," Morris proposed, though he could have had no
+suspicion that the captain had any concealed intentions.
+
+They went down the forward ladder to the forecastle, though there was
+one aft leading into the standing-room. Louis found that Scott was
+seated on the divan abaft the wheel, studying a chart, which he could
+see included the island of Cyprus. He took no notice of them as they
+descended the ladder, and they went to the standing-room without
+stopping on the forecastle. Morris led the way; for he seemed to be
+impatient to ascertain whether or not he was right in relation to the
+course of the steamer.
+
+"There you are!" he exclaimed as he looked at the face of the compass.
+"The Maud is headed to the north north-east half east; and that is not
+the course Captain Scott gave out when Flix took the helm."
+
+"But it is not a great change," added Louis.
+
+"Just now it is not; but in making two hundred miles to the northward it
+would take the Maud to a point about forty miles to the westward of
+where she would have brought up on her former course," Morris
+explained.
+
+"I understand your point; but what does it mean?"
+
+"It means that we are going to a place forty miles west of the one we
+started for."
+
+"I don't understand it; and Captain Scott is just as tenacious in
+keeping his own counsels as the commander of the Guardian-Mother
+himself," replied Louis.
+
+"But you have as much influence with him as the commander."
+
+"And for that reason I will not ask him any questions in regard to the
+sailing of the Maud."
+
+Morris was not ready to ask him to call the captain to an account; and,
+leaving him in the standing-room, he went into the cabin. Louis was not
+willing to believe, or even to accept a suggestion that Scott had any
+ulterior purpose in his mind; for it seemed very much like treason to
+harbor such a thought of his friend. The only thing that gave him a hint
+in that direction was the fact he had expressed that Louis ought not to
+be on board of the Maud during her present mission.
+
+If the little steamer was not to engage in some perilous adventure, why
+should Scott wish he were somewhere else? But the captain was certainly
+solicitous for one of those whose safety was threatened; and he tried to
+believe that this was a sufficient explanation. While he was thinking of
+the matter, Morris rushed out of the cabin, and looked and acted as
+though he were laboring under some excitement.
+
+"What is the matter now, Morris?" he asked.
+
+"Matter enough!" replied the first officer. "The barometer has made a
+considerable slump since I looked at it the last time."
+
+"And that means bad weather, I suppose," added Louis, who very rarely
+became excited when a young fellow would be expected to be in such a
+condition.
+
+"No doubt of it," answered the mate, wondering that he had made so
+slight an impression on his companion.
+
+"We have weathered two pretty severe gales in the Maud, and I dare say
+we can do it again. I suppose the barometer will tell the same story on
+board of the ship that it has on the consort."
+
+"No doubt of that."
+
+"Then we shall soon see the Guardian-Mother bowling this way at her best
+speed," answered Louis.
+
+The officer levelled his field-glass in the direction the ship had gone;
+but there was not the least sign of her or any other steamer in that
+quarter of the horizon.
+
+"She isn't there; but she may have run in under a lee somewhere near
+Damietta, in order to watch the movements of the Fatty."
+
+"That may be; and if she has done so it was not a bad idea. But I think
+we had better go forward and ascertain if there is any news there,"
+added Louis, as he led the way.
+
+If he was not alarmed at the situation in view of the weather
+indications, he was certainly somewhat anxious. When he reached the
+forecastle he found the captain there, using his glass very diligently,
+pointing it in the direction in which the ship was supposed to be. Louis
+and Morris did not interrupt his occupation. He discovered nothing, and
+he was apparently going aft to get a view of the Fatim� when he noticed
+the members of the port watch.
+
+"I suppose you noticed that the course of the Maud has been changed,
+Louis?" said he.
+
+This remark afforded the perplexed millionaire a decided relief; for it
+proved that the captain had not intended to conceal the change from him.
+
+"I did not observe it, but Morris did; for he is boiling over with
+nautical knowledge and skill," replied Louis, and without asking any
+question.
+
+"I was going aft to take a look at the Fatty; but I suppose you can
+report what she is doing," added Captain Scott.
+
+"Morris can, but I cannot."
+
+"Do you think she is gaining on us?" asked the captain, turning from
+Louis to the mate.
+
+"Of course I can't tell while she is coming head on; but I cannot make
+out that she has gained a cable's length upon us."
+
+"Mr. Sentrick and Felipe put our engine in first-rate condition while we
+were going up and down the Nile; and both of them say the Maud ought to
+make half a knot better time than before," continued the captain. "I am
+confident we are fully the equal of the Fatty in speed; and perhaps we
+could keep out of her way on an emergency. You know we had a little
+spurt with her in the Strait of Gibraltar. But come into the
+pilot-house, Louis, for I want to show you something there;" and he led
+the way.
+
+When both of them were fairly in the little apartment, he pointed to the
+barometer. If Louis was not much of a sailor, he had learned to read the
+instrument, and he saw that the mercury had made a decided fall from the
+last reading.
+
+"I see; and it means bad weather," he replied.
+
+"Flix called my attention to the fall some time ago; and after a look at
+the chart I decided to alter the course," said the captain, as he
+pointed out the island of Cyprus on the chart spread out on the falling
+table over the divan.
+
+"I have no doubt you have done the right thing at the right time, as you
+always do in the matter of navigation."
+
+"But look at this chart, Louis;" and it almost seemed to him that the
+captain had fathomed his unuttered thoughts, because he was taking so
+much pains to explain what he had done, and why he had done it. "The
+course I gave out at first would have carried the Maud to Cape Gata, on
+the southern coast of the island."
+
+"I understand it so far."
+
+"The tumble of the barometer opened the matter under a new phase. We
+should have made Cape Gata about three to-morrow morning, and in my
+judgment in a smart southerly or south-westerly gale. The cape would
+afford us little or no shelter, as you can see for yourself; and it
+would be a very bad place in a heavy blow. Our course is now north
+north-east half-east for Cape Arnauti, on the north side of the island,
+where we shall be under the lee of the island, though we have to get
+forty miles more of westing to make it."
+
+Louis thanked the captain for his lucid explanation. The next morning,
+in a fresh gale, the Maud was off the cape mentioned.
+
+[Illustration: "IT HAD BEEN A STORMY NIGHT." Page 51.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+A STORMY NIGHT RUN TO CAPE ARNAUTI
+
+
+It had been a stormy night, though the gale had not been so severe as
+either of the two the Maud had before encountered on the Mediterranean.
+It did not come on to blow hard till about eight bells in the afternoon;
+and at five o'clock in the morning Captain Scott estimated that the
+little steamer ought to be off Cape Arnauti; but all the lights of the
+island were on the south side. He kept her well off shore, where there
+were neither rocks nor shoals. There was nothing less than twenty
+fathoms of water a couple of miles from the shore.
+
+The gale had come from the south; and the course of the Maud was only a
+couple of points from taking it directly aft, so that she was running
+too nearly before it for the comfort of those on board of her. But she
+had a little slant, and a close-reefed foresail had been set in the
+first dog-watch, and she had carried it all night.
+
+The only difficulty about the Maud was her size when it blew hard and
+there was a heavy sea. She was too small to be at all steady on great
+waves, though the larger they were the better weather she made of it.
+Her worst behavior was in a smart, choppy sea, when the waves were not
+long, but short and violent. But this was not the kind of a sea she had
+through the night.
+
+In a heavy sea of any kind she made a good deal of fuss; and being only
+forty feet long it could not be otherwise. She pitched tremendously, and
+mixed in a considerable roll every time she rose and fell; and it was
+not an easy thing for even a sailor to get about on her deck. Life-lines
+had been extended wherever they were needed, and all the ship's company
+were used to the erratic ways of the diminutive craft. After all, she
+was larger than some of the vessels used by the early voyagers to
+America, some of whose craft were not even provided with decks.
+
+When the Maud was prepared for heavy weather she was as tight as a drum;
+and while the heavy seas rolled the whole length of her, not a bucketful
+of them found its way below her deck. The only danger of taking in a
+dangerous sea was at the scuttle on the forecastle, which was the usual
+door of admission to the forecastle below, where the two engineers and
+the cook had their quarters.
+
+The steamer when she made a dive into a sea scooped up a quantity of
+water, which she spilled out over the rails, or over the taffrail in the
+standing-room. The captain had therefore ordered this scuttle to be
+secured below, so that it could not be removed. Those who had occasion
+to go below in that part of the vessel were compelled to do so through
+the fire-room. Though Scott was a bold and brave fellow, and even
+daring when the occasion required, he was a prudent commander, and never
+took any unnecessary chances.
+
+But not a person on board had been permitted to "turn in" as the thing
+was done in moderate weather. The sail on the upper deck required one
+hand to stand by it all the time, though he was relieved every two
+hours. The engineers and the cook had broad divans upon which they could
+take a nap, and the sailing-force had taken turns on the broad sofa in
+the pilot-house. But Captain Scott had hardly closed his eyes during the
+night.
+
+From the time the Fatim� was found to be headed to the northward, the
+officers of the Maud had lost sight of her for only a couple of hours,
+when a bank of fog swept over the sea, just before sundown. But at eight
+bells her lights had been discovered. At midnight they could still be
+seen; but the captain and Morris were confident that she had been losing
+ground, judging by the diminished clearness of the triangle of lanterns
+as they appeared over the stern of the Maud.
+
+The lights of a vessel following another appear to the latter in this
+form, with the white, or plain one, at the upper apex of the triangle,
+the red and the green making the two abreast of each other. They were
+observed at seven bells in the first watch; but another fog-bank had
+passed over the sea, and at eight bells, or midnight, they could not be
+seen. Morris and Louis had the first watch. Felix had gone to take his
+nap in the galley; for Pitts, the cook, had been called into service,
+and was attending to the reefed sail on the upper deck. Captain Scott
+had joined him here.
+
+With a rope made fast around his waist, he had been to the standing-room
+to look out for the triangle of lights on the Fatim�. He could not find
+them; but the fog explained why they were not in sight. It was not a
+very comfortable position on the hurricane deck, for the spray stirred
+up at the stern was swept over it. All hands had donned their waterproof
+caps, with capes to protect the neck, and the oilskin suits they had
+found on board when the steamer was purchased.
+
+"We have been gaining upon her, Pitts," said the captain, after he had
+looked attentively into the fog astern for some time. "We may not see
+her again."
+
+"Perhaps not, sir; but she's a bad penny, and she is likely to turn up
+again," replied the cook. "But I suppose you will not weep, sir, if you
+don't see her again."
+
+"I should like to know what had become of her if we don't see her
+again," added Scott carelessly.
+
+"I suppose that Mustapha Pacha is still on board of her; and I should
+rather like to see Captain Ringgold pitch him into another muddy gutter,
+as he did in Gibraltar. But the Guardian-Mother is not with us just now,
+and that is not likely to happen on this little cruise."
+
+Pitts hinted in this manner that he should like to know something more
+about the present situation; but the captain was willing to let him form
+his own conclusions, and he gave him no assistance in doing so. Eight
+bells struck on the forecastle; and this was the signal for the mid
+watch, which consisted of the captain and Felix; and Scott left the
+upper deck.
+
+Pitts was relieved by Felix; for he could serve as lookout and take
+charge of the sail at the same time. Morris was the youngest person on
+board, and he was tired enough to camp down at once on the divan in the
+pilot-house. The cabin door could not be safely opened, or at least not
+without peril to the contents of the cabin; for an occasional wave
+combed over the taffrail, and poured itself upon it.
+
+Louis was not inclined to sleep, and he went on the upper deck to pass
+the time with Felix; and the captain asked him to keep a lookout for the
+pirate. The fog still prevailed, and he could see nothing. He talked
+with the Milesian for quite two hours, when the time for the relief of
+the helm came. Just before the four bells struck, the fog disappeared as
+suddenly as it had dropped down on the sea.
+
+Louis went aft and gazed into the distance; but he could see no triangle
+of lights, or even a single light in any direction. He made a thorough
+search, with no other result, and then stood by the sail till the
+captain came up to take the place of Felix.
+
+"The fog has blown in ahead of us, Louis; but Flix reports that you
+have not been able to find the lights of the pirate," said Scott.
+
+"Not a sign of them can be made out," replied Louis. "I have looked the
+sea over in every direction. What does that mean, Captain Scott?"
+
+"It may mean any one of three things, and you have to take your choice
+among them. The pirate may have foundered in the gale, she may have put
+about to return to the coast of Egypt, or we may have beaten her so
+badly in the race of fifteen hours, that she has dropped out of sight
+astern of us. I don't know much about the Pacha's steamer, though our
+second engineer told me she was not built to order, as the Maud was, but
+purchased outright."
+
+"But which of the three results you indicate do you consider the most
+probable, Captain?"
+
+"The last one I named. This gale has not been heavy enough to wreck any
+vessel of ordinary strength, so that I cannot believe she has foundered.
+Captain Mazagan is working for his little twenty thousand dollars'
+reward; and if he has followed us up here with the intention of picking
+you up on the cruise, I don't believe he would retire from the field
+without making a bigger effort than he has put forth so far."
+
+"Then, you think he is after me?"
+
+"Don't we know that he is? Not one of the 'Big Four' is so indifferent
+and careless about the matter as you are yourself, Louis," replied the
+captain with a good deal of energy. "I still think you ought not to
+have come with us on this perilous cruise; and I wonder with all my
+might that Captain Ringgold did not keep you on board of the
+Guardian-Mother."
+
+"He desired to do so; but I would not stand it. I have not the slightest
+fear of the Pacha and all his blackguards and pirates," protested Louis.
+
+"Not since Mazagan got his paw upon you, and you slipped out of it only
+by a lucky chance?" demanded the captain, more as an argument than as a
+question to be answered. "You got off by the skin of your teeth; and you
+may thank your stars that you are not shut up at this moment in some
+dungeon in Mogadore, where they don't ask hard questions as to what has
+become of troublesome Christians. If the shop had not been invaded by
+creditors, you would have been conveyed to Rosetta, and taken away on
+board the pirate. The rest of the party would not have known what had
+become of you; for we could not find you when we searched for you in
+Cairo."
+
+"That is all very nice, Captain Scott," replied Louis, laughing out
+loud. "I would not have given two cents to have the guard of sailors who
+made things so sad for the Arabs at Gizeh in the cellar with me. Make as
+much fuss as you may over my danger at this time, I was master of the
+situation all the while," answered Louis very decidedly.
+
+"Master of the situation!" exclaimed the captain. "You might as well
+call the trout the master of the situation after he has the hook in his
+gills. I don't see it in that light."
+
+"I had fired one shot from my revolver, and wounded Mazagan's assistant
+in the outrage; and I had five balls more in the weapon. I think the
+pirate counted upon the custom-house officers to deprive me of the
+pistol, or he would not have gone to work just as he did. My shot
+demoralized the wounded man, and scared his brother the shopkeeper out
+of his wits. My next shot was for Mazagan; and if he had taken another
+step in his programme he would not have been in command of that steamer
+just now."
+
+"Perhaps there were some chances for your aim or your calculations to
+fail," suggested Scott; "though Flix says you never miss your mark when
+you shoot."
+
+"Captain Ringgold said so much to me to induce me to remain on board of
+the Guardian-Mother, that I was tempted to yield the point; but it
+seemed to me to be cowardly to leave my friends in the face of a
+possible danger. I told him finally that I considered myself under his
+command, and if he ordered me to remain on board of the ship, I should
+obey. He would not do that, and I am here. If there is to be any row on
+my account I must be in it."
+
+"You have a mind of your own, and you are in condition to have your own
+way. If your mother had been posted you would not have been here."
+
+"We don't know; but I think I have as much influence with my mother as
+she has with me. I hardly believe she could or would make me act the
+part of a coward."
+
+The subject was dropped there, for it seemed to be exhausted. The night
+wore away very slowly, and nothing more was seen of the Fatim�'s lights.
+The morning watch came on duty at four o'clock; but the captain did not
+leave the deck. It was evident to him that the sail had increased the
+speed of the Maud, and perhaps that was the reason she had run away from
+the chaser. An hour later, with the dawn of the day, the gale broke.
+
+"Land, ho!" shouted Louis over the forward part of the upper deck, so
+that Morris could hear him at the wheel; and the captain rushed out of
+the pilot-house where he had lain down on the divan.
+
+"Where away?" called the first officer.
+
+"Broad on the starboard bow," replied Louis.
+
+"That must be the country south-west of Cape Arnauti," said Scott, after
+he had examined the shore with the glass. "Make the course north
+north-east, Morris," he shouted to the wheelman.
+
+"North north-east!" returned the helmsman.
+
+"There are mountains on this island, some of them nearly seven thousand
+feet high; and there is a cluster of them close to the shore here,"
+added the captain.
+
+It was another hour before they could distinctly make out these
+mountains; and by that time the end of the cape could be seen on the
+beam. The speed of the Maud had been reduced one-half, and the course
+due east was given out. She followed the land around the cape, and was
+soon in smooth water. With the chart before him at the helm, and with
+Morris heaving the lead, Captain Scott piloted the Maud to the head of a
+considerable bay, where he ordered the anchor to be cast loose, and then
+stopped the screw.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE BELLIGERENT COMMANDER OF THE MAUD
+
+
+"Here we are!" shouted Captain Scott, as the cable slid out through the
+hawse-hole.
+
+"That's so; but where are we?" asked Louis, who had been watching the
+bottom for the last hour. "There is a big ledge of rocks not twenty feet
+from the cutwater. Here we are; but where are we?"
+
+"We are on the south-west shore of Khrysoko Bay," replied the captain.
+"That ledge of rocks is just what I have been looking for the last
+half-hour."
+
+"Then, I am glad we have found it," added Louis.
+
+"What's the name of the bay, Captain?" inquired Felix, scratching his
+head.
+
+"Khrysoko," repeated Scott. "It pronounces well enough; but when you
+come to the spelling, that's another affair."
+
+"I could spell that with my eyes shut; for I used to cry so myself when
+I was a baby. Cry so, with a co on the end of it for a snapper. But I
+thought that bay was on the coast of Ireland, sou' sou'-west by nor'
+nor'-east from the Cove of Cork," added Felix.
+
+"That's the precise bearing of the one you mean, Flix; but this isn't
+that one at all, at all," said the captain with a long gape.
+
+"Then it must be this one."
+
+"The word is spelled with two k's."
+
+"That's a hard k'se; but where do you get them in?"
+
+The captain spelled the word with another gape, for he had not slept a
+wink during the night; and Louis advised him to turn in at once.
+
+"Breakfast is all ready in the cabin, sir," said Pitts.
+
+"That will do me more good than a nap," added Scott. "Don, keep a lively
+lookout on that high cape we came round, and see that it don't walk off
+while I'm eating my breakfast. Remember, all you fellows, that is Cape
+Arnauti; and if any of you are naughty, you will get fastened to that
+rock, as doubtless the chap it was named after was."
+
+"Oh-h-h!" groaned Morris. "You are not sleepy, Captain; a fellow that
+can make a pun can keep awake."
+
+"I should not need a brass band to put me to sleep just now; but I shall
+not take my nap till we have overhauled the situation, and figured up
+where the pirate may be about this time in the forenoon," replied Scott,
+as he led the way to the cabin.
+
+As Pitts was waiting on the table, nothing particular was said. Don had
+his morning meal carried to him on the forecastle, where Felipe joined
+him. He kept his eye fixed on the cape all the time, as though he
+expected to see the Fatim� double it. He knew nothing at all about the
+real situation, though he could not help seeing that the Maud was trying
+to keep clear of the Moorish steamer; and he was in full sympathy with
+this idea.
+
+The larder of the little steamer had been filled up at Alexandria, and
+Pitts had prepared one of his best breakfasts. The party were in high
+spirits; for the little Maud had run away from the pirate, though of
+course there were other chapters to the narrative.
+
+"As soon as we get the situation a little more settled, and you fellows
+get your eyes braced wide open, one of you must tackle the island of
+Cyprus, and get up a lecture on it; for the commander desired that we
+should learn something about the place," said the captain.
+
+"I move you, Mr. Commander, that Mr. Louis Belgrave be invited to
+prepare and deliver the lecture," interposed Morris; and the motion was
+put and carried.
+
+"I have no objection; and my own curiosity would have prompted me to do
+so without any invitation; but I thank you for the honor you confer on
+me in the selection," replied Louis; and the company adjourned to the
+forecastle.
+
+"Well, Don, have you seen anything of the Moorish craft?" asked the
+captain.
+
+"Not a sign, sir," replied the engineer. "If she is looking for the
+Maud, I don't believe she will find her in here very soon."
+
+"I don't believe this is just the place to hold a consultation on a
+delicate subject," said Louis, as he pointed to the scuttle which had
+been removed from its place by Felipe. "I think we shall do better on
+the hurricane deck."
+
+As this afforded a better place to observe the surroundings, and
+especially the approaches from the sea, the captain assented to it, and
+the "Big Four" repaired to the upper deck. They seated themselves in the
+little tender of the Maud, and all of them looked out in the direction
+of the cape, from beyond which the pirate was expected to put in an
+appearance.
+
+"Our present situation is the subject before the house," the captain
+began. "We have made the bay for which I shaped the course of the Maud
+as soon as the gale began to make things sloppy. This is a mountainous
+island, with nothing like a harbor on the west coast between Cape Gata
+and Cape Arnauti. There are from twelve to twenty fathoms of water in
+this bay, within a mile of the shore; and the rocks close aboard of us
+reach out a mile and a half, with from ten to twelve feet of water on
+them. There is no town within ten miles of the shore, and we are not
+likely to see any natives, unless some of them come to this bay to fish.
+That's where we are."
+
+"We should like to have you tell us now where the Fatty is," added
+Morris.
+
+"Or the Guardian-Mother," said Louis.
+
+"I am sorry to say that I can't tell you where either of these vessels
+is; and I am as anxious to know as any of you can be," replied Scott, as
+he took a paper from his pocket. "I have followed the orders of Captain
+Ringgold, just as he wrote them down: 'Proceed to Cape Gata; but if it
+should blow heavily from the southward, go to the north side of the
+island, and get in behind Cape Arnauti.' And here we are."
+
+Felix was seated where he could see that much more was written on the
+paper which the captain did not choose to read. But he had the right to
+keep his own council, and the Milesian asked no questions.
+
+"Here we are--what next?" added Louis.
+
+"That depends," replied Scott. "The commander of the Guardian-Mother
+knows where we are, though he may have to look in at the harbor of
+Limasol to see if the Maud is there. When he comes I shall have nothing
+further to say."
+
+"Don't you expect to see the Fatty before the ship comes?"
+
+"It is quite impossible to form any idea what has become of the pirate.
+Perhaps she is looking for the Maud; and if she is she will probably
+find her. I think this is about as far as we can go now; and, if you
+will excuse me, I will turn in and get my nap," said the captain as he
+rose from his seat.
+
+"That is the right thing to do," added Louis.
+
+"You will all keep a sharp lookout to seaward, and call me as soon as
+either vessel heaves in sight."
+
+The captain went to the cabin, and in two minutes he was sound asleep.
+The rest of the ship's company had obtained about one-half of their
+usual slumber, and they were not inclined to follow the example of the
+captain. Louis went to the cabin and proceeded to study up the island.
+He made notes in a little blank-book he kept for the purpose in his
+pocket, and he had already filled a dozen such books; for they contained
+a full diary of all the events of the voyage for over a year.
+
+Felix kept his spy-glass in his hand all the time, and every few minutes
+he swept the horizon to the northward with it. Morris had gone to sleep
+in the pilot-house, for his watch was not on duty. At about six bells in
+the forenoon watch the Milesian began to show more sign of animation
+than before. He held his glass in range with the cape, and directed his
+attention steadily in that direction.
+
+If he had been fishing, he would have said that he "had a bite." It was
+clear that he saw something in the distance, which was hardly more than
+a speck on the ocean; but there was also a thread of black smoke on the
+sky above it, for it had cleared off since sunrise. Of course it was a
+steamer; but whether it was the Fatim� or the Guardian-Mother, or
+neither of them, he could not determine, and he did not wish to disturb
+the captain for nothing.
+
+He continued to watch the appearance for half an hour longer, and then
+he struck seven bells. In that time the steamer could be seen more
+distinctly, though she was still five or six miles distant. He was
+satisfied from his reasoning that the vessel was approaching the cape.
+The craft looked smaller than the ship, and in another quarter of an
+hour he was convinced that she was the pirate. Then he hastened to the
+cabin, and announced the news to the captain, and Louis heard him.
+
+"Are you sure it is the pirate, Flix?" demanded Captain Scott, as he
+sprang from his bed and looked eagerly into the face of the messenger.
+
+"Not absolutely sure; only reasonably confident," replied Felix, as he
+followed the captain to the forecastle.
+
+Scott examined the distant sail with the glass for a little time, and
+Louis did the same with another. Morris was aroused by the voices, and
+rushed out with his field-glass.
+
+"That's the pirate!" exclaimed the captain; and the others had waited
+for him to express his opinion.
+
+"If my mother should step on deck and tell me so, I shouldn't know it
+any better," added Felix; and Louis and Morris were equally sure of the
+fact.
+
+"Go to the engine-room, Morris, and tell Felipe to stir up his fires,"
+said the captain, who had suddenly become a mass of vim and activity.
+"Then call all hands."
+
+Scott observed the approaching steamer with his glass till she was
+within three miles of the Maud. Morris had been ordered to set the
+American flag, and it was now floating in the light breeze at the ensign
+staff.
+
+"Now all hands will come with me," continued the captain; and all but
+Felipe followed him to the cabin.
+
+His first movement was to throw off the cushions from the divan on the
+port side, and raise the lid of the transom. From this place he took out
+a breech-loading rifle, one of half a dozen deposited there three months
+or more before. They had been in service in the famous attack of the
+Samothraki on the Maud in Pournea Bay, and had never been removed. No
+one asked any questions; and the captain ordered them to be conveyed to
+the pilot-house and engine-room, where they would be available for
+immediate use. A supply of cartridges was also sent forward, and those
+who had revolvers were instructed to put them in their pockets.
+
+All these orders were promptly obeyed, and the situation began to look
+decidedly warlike. Louis could not help asking himself whether or not
+Captain Scott was not proceeding too rapidly. But the belligerent chief
+had Captain Ringgold's written orders in his pocket, and there was no
+room for a protest. Everything appeared to be ready to give the pirate a
+warm reception, and nothing more could be done.
+
+The Moorish steamer was feeling her way into the bay very slowly,
+sounding all the time. The Maud was anchored in fourteen feet of water,
+which placed her keel very near the rocky bottom, and with no greater
+depth for a cable's length outside of her. Scott had chosen the position
+of the little steamer so that the Fatim� could not come alongside of
+her, or within a cable's length of her, which is one-fifth of a nautical
+mile.
+
+"I think we are all right now, Louis," said Captain Scott when he had
+completed his preparations.
+
+"It looks as though you meant to fight the pirate," added Louis.
+
+"Not if it can be avoided; but I do not intend to let Mazagan take any
+one of my people out of the Maud; and all hands will shoot before
+anything of that kind can happen," replied Scott very mildly, and with
+no excitement in his manner; for he had studied the bearing of his
+model, and tried to imitate him.
+
+"Do you expect Mazagan will resort to violence, Captain Scott?"
+
+"That is an odd question, Louis," answered Scott, laughing heartily,
+perhaps as much to manifest his coolness as to treat the question
+lightly. "Excuse me, Louis, but you make me smile. Do I expect Mazagan
+to resort to violence? For what did he visit Pournea Bay? Did he resort
+to violence when he caught you in that shop in the Muski? Did he resort
+to violence when his assistants attempted to capture you and Miss
+Blanche in Zante? What do you suppose he followed the Maud up here for,
+Louis?"
+
+"Perhaps to induce me to pay him twenty thousand dollars to let up on
+Miss Blanche and myself," replied Louis, overwhelmed by the argument.
+
+"Are you ready to pay him?"
+
+"Never!"
+
+"Then he will resort to some other means to accomplish his purpose in
+coming to Cyprus. Do you wish me to surrender the Maud to him?" asked
+the captain.
+
+"Certainly not."
+
+The Fatim� let go her anchor as near the Maud as the depth of water
+would permit her to come.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE LECTURE ON THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS
+
+
+Captain Scott was ready to do anything the occasion might require.
+Possibly he would not have been sorry to come into collision with
+Captain Mazagan and his piratical craft, judging from what he had said
+to Louis Belgrave, and he had pluck enough to precipitate a conflict
+with the enemy; but sometimes it requires more courage to keep out of a
+fight than to plunge into one.
+
+As he had admitted himself, Louis was his model; and he felt that no
+rashness, no braggadocio, no challenging, no casting down the gage of
+battle to the pirate who had already outlawed himself, no holding out of
+a temptation to cross swords with him, would be justified or palliated
+when he came to render an account of his conduct in what was yet to
+occur to the commander of the Guardian-Mother.
+
+Whatever he did he was to do strictly in self-defence. The character of
+Captain Ringgold and of Louis would permit nothing more than this. The
+"Big Four" fully understood why the Fatim� was there. It was true that
+the Maud had held out the temptation for her to follow her; but it was
+as a man with a gold watch and plenty of money in his purse holds out a
+temptation to the robber; but it does not follow that he should throw
+away his valuables.
+
+But the plan suggested by Scott and adopted by the commander had not
+worked as had been expected. The Guardian-Mother ought to be there in
+the bay, or somewhere in the vicinity; but nothing had been seen of her,
+and no one knew what had become of her. According to the plan, the two
+steamers were to find a way to escape from the pirate, and Scott had
+marked out the manner in which it was to be done. The gale and the
+non-appearance of the ship had upset the plan, though the Maud had
+carried out her portion of the programme.
+
+"What next, Captain Scott?" asked Louis.
+
+"Wait," replied the captain.
+
+"Wait for what?"
+
+"I don't know," replied Scott, shaking his head. "Wait for whatever is
+to come."
+
+"But what is to come?" asked Louis, who still had a fear that the
+captain would resort to some fool-hardy expedient.
+
+"You know just as much about this affair as I do, Louis, and you may be
+a better prophet than I am. It is not a question of navigation just now,
+or I should be willing to take the entire responsibility. Of course the
+handling of the Maud is an important element in getting out of the
+scrape, whatever it may prove to be. I have somewhere seen a picture of
+a good-looking gentleman playing chess with an individual provided with
+horns, hoofs, and a caudal appendage. But in this game the mortal
+appeared to have the best of it, and he says to the infernal power,
+'Your next move.'"
+
+"And that is what you say to the representative of the same infernal
+majesty in Khrysoko Bay," interposed Louis, rather pleased with the
+illustration, especially in its application to Captain Mazagan.
+
+"Precisely so; it is the pirate's move, and I shall not do a thing till
+he makes it," added Captain Scott. "What Mazagan will do, or how he will
+do it, I have no more idea than you have, Louis. That is where we stand.
+I am willing to listen to any advice that you wish to give me."
+
+"I have no wish to give any advice," replied Louis; and by this time he
+was entirely satisfied with the position Scott had taken, and he
+approved everything he had done.
+
+At this point Pitts announced that dinner was ready, and Scott led the
+way to the cabin. The ledge of rocks appeared to cover at least half an
+acre of the bottom of the bay. The Maud had anchored abreast of the
+rock, in two fathoms of water. It was just about high tide when she came
+in, as the captain had learned from his nautical almanac, and the ebb
+placed the craft broadside to the Moorish steamer, so that the "Big
+Four" could see her out the cabin windows.
+
+The pirate made no demonstration of any kind, and the dinner was
+disposed of in good order, and with hardly an allusion to the exciting
+events that were expected. Pitts was instructed to give the engineers
+their dinner as soon as possible; for all hands might be needed at any
+moment.
+
+"Heave the lead, Flix; it begins to look like shoal water around us,"
+said the captain when they returned to the forecastle.
+
+The great rock was of a light color, and could be distinctly seen from
+the deck. A portion of it rose about six feet above the surface of the
+water when the Maud anchored, and the receding tide now permitted two
+feet more of the projecting cone to be seen.
+
+"By the mark two," reported Felix, as he drew up the line.
+
+"Twelve feet; we have not much to spare under the keel," added the
+captain. "We had fourteen feet when we anchored, and the tide has been
+ebbing five hours."
+
+"Hold on, Captain Scott!" shouted Felix, as he carried the lead-line to
+the other side of the vessel. "I have been measuring on the top of a
+bulging rock. And a half two!"
+
+"Fifteen feet; that looks more like it. There ought to be about three
+feet ebb and flow here, and your sounding gave about double that, Flix."
+
+"It was the fault of the rock on the bottom, Captain;" but the leadsman
+heaved the line all around the steamer with the same result.
+
+There was nothing to do except to observe the Fatim�; but she did
+nothing, and there was no appearance of any movement on her deck.
+
+"I think we had better attend to that lesson now, as we have nothing
+else to do," said the captain after they had looked about them for a
+time. "I don't care to have the pirate suppose we are on the anxious
+seat."
+
+"All right," replied Louis, as he seated himself on the rail by the bow
+flag-pole. "I have studied my lesson, and I am all ready."
+
+"Blaze away, then," replied the captain.
+
+"If any of you have not yet found it out, I will begin by informing you
+that the land on three sides of us belongs to the island of Cyprus, and
+you are again on Turkish territory. The owners of the island call it
+Kebris, written by them G'br's, if you can make anything of that
+combination of consonants," Louis began, spelling out the strange names
+he introduced. "The Greeks call it Kupros, and the French, Chypre. Venus
+was the original goddess of spring among the Romans, but became the
+goddess of love, the Aphrodite of the Greeks, and was worshipped as such
+in this island by the Phoenicians and other ancients.
+
+"One of this lady's names was Cypris, or Cypria; and that is why the
+island happens to be called Cyprus. It is in about the same latitude as
+South Carolina. It is about 35 to 50 miles from Asia Minor on the south
+and Syria on the east. It is 140 miles long by 60 in breadth, containing
+3,707 square miles, or larger than both Rhode Island and Delaware
+united.
+
+"It has two ranges of mountains extending east and west, the highest
+peak being 6,352 feet. It has plenty of rivers, with no water in them
+except after heavy rains, or when the snow melts on the mountains. There
+is no room for lakes of any size, though there is a small one on the
+east coast, which dries up completely in summer, like the rivers, but
+has an abundance of fish in winter. This is rather remarkable, and the
+fact is not doubted, though the phenomenon has not been explained."
+
+"The fish must go down where the water goes," laughed Felix. "If there
+are any volcanoes here, I suppose they come up in the winter all boiled
+or broiled ready for the table."
+
+"I don't know how that is, Flix, and we haven't time to investigate the
+matter. The interior of the island is mostly composed of a great plain,
+which was once famous for its crops of grain; but the system of
+irrigation which prevailed has been discontinued, and its fertility no
+longer exists. In a scarcity of rain five years ago there was almost a
+famine in the island.
+
+"As you have seen for yourselves, there is a deficiency of harbors, and
+this bay is a fair specimen of them. It has two places they call
+seaports, but they are not worthy of the name. They are on the south
+side, and in such a blow as we had last night, they afford no shelter to
+shipping from southerly storms; and Captain Scott was wise in coming
+here instead of going to Limasol, which is just inside of Cape Gata.
+The ports on this side of the island would be similarly exposed in a
+northerly storm. Safe ports are necessary for the commerce of a country
+or an island, and therefore to its prosperity.
+
+"In ancient times there were ports at Salamis, Paphos, and Famagusta, in
+the eastern part of the island, which was the portion celebrated in the
+past. The capital is Leucosia, as I find it on my chart, though I find
+it elsewhere put down as Nicosia; and even the cape we have in sight is
+Pifanio in a standard atlas. The population is 186,000, of whom not
+quite 50,000 are Mohammedans, and the rest are orthodox Greeks. The
+great majority of the people speak the Greek language, but it is so much
+corrupted that Flix would not understand it."
+
+"You are right, my darling; I want the pure Greek of Kilkenny, or I
+don't take it in," replied the Milesian.
+
+"The island was colonized by the Phoenicians, who have a history too
+long to be related now; but they occupied the northern part of Syria and
+the country to the north of us. They were the New Yorkers of their day
+and generation, and were largely engaged in commerce. They brought the
+worship of Venus over here, and called the island Kupros after her. It
+had at first nine independent kingdoms, and I should suppose that almost
+anybody could afford to be a king in this locality. It was conquered by
+the Egyptians about five hundred years before the time of Christ; then
+by the Persians; and finally came into the possession of the Romans.
+
+"It went with the Eastern Empire when Rome was divided. The people
+embraced Christianity at an early date. It was said that a shepherd
+discovered the body of St. Matthew and a part of his Gospel in the
+island, which called many early saints to visit it. In 646 A.D., Cyprus
+was taken by the Saracens, but was not long held by them. Richard
+Coeur-de-Lion captured it on his way to Syria for the Third Crusade.
+In 1570 the Turks obtained possession of it, and have practically held
+it ever since.
+
+"The ruins of Salamis may be seen at the other end of the island. In the
+Book of Acts we read that Paul came over here. 'And when they were at
+Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.'
+Then the account informs us that they went 'through the isle' to Paphos;
+and doubtless the place was near Point Papho, which I find on my chart.
+Don't forget to tell Mrs. Blossom, Flix, that you have been to an island
+visited by Paul and Barnabas in their missionary travels.
+
+"The island has about the same productions as Egypt. Carobs, or locust
+beans, figure up to about $300,000. But I fear you will not remember any
+more figures if I should give them; and I see there is something like a
+movement on board of the pirate."
+
+"You must repeat that lecture on board of the ship when we get back to
+her," added the captain. "It was telling us just what I wanted to
+know."
+
+"I could have done better if I had had the library of the
+Guardian-Mother for reference," replied Louis, as all hands fixed their
+attention on the Fatim�.
+
+"They are getting out a boat, sir," said Don, who had gone to the
+hurricane deck to obtain a better view.
+
+"That means that they intend to pay us a visit; and as I intend to
+retain the command of the Maud until I am relieved by Captain Ringgold,
+I shall allow no one from the pirate to come on board," said Captain
+Scott in his most decided tones. "All hands except Felipe will arm with
+breech-loaders and revolvers, with a supply of ammunition, and form in
+the port gangway."
+
+This order was promptly executed, and the force collected at the place
+designated. This gangway was concealed from the enemy by the house on
+deck. Louis had two revolvers, and he loaned one to Don. Scott had
+carried out a handsaw which was kept in the pilot-house in readiness for
+any emergency, as well as an axe and a hatchet. The captain had used
+this same saw with decided effect upon some smugglers who attempted to
+obtain possession of the little steamer in the Bay of Gibraltar, and he
+placed it where it was ready for use at any moment.
+
+In addition to this novel weapon, he had sent for a small heave-line
+with which he had done some lassoing on the same occasion, and also on
+Captain Mazagan at a later period. The five hands in the port gangway
+had loaded their weapons, and were ready to be called into the field.
+The captain took a look at them, and all was satisfactory. He hastened
+back to the forecastle, where he saw that the boat was already pulling
+for the Maud.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+A MOST IMPUDENT PROPOSITION
+
+
+Certainly it looked decidedly warlike on board of the little steamer
+Maud; and Felix, who was never inclined to be very serious over
+anything, declared that she was like a bantam rooster ready for a
+pitched battle in a farmyard. Captain Scott called Louis out, and
+proposed to him that he should take the command of the riflemen, who
+were 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 will
+excuse me, I must protest against the appointment," replied Louis, as
+they watched the approaching enemy. "Morris is one of our number in the
+gangway, and it would not be fair or right to put another fellow over
+the first officer."
+
+"That is all right in theory; but Morris is the youngest fellow on
+board," reasoned the captain.
+
+"But he is just as resolute, plucky, and prompt as any one on board. He
+thinks quick, and has good judgment," persisted Louis. "I should be very
+sorry to be placed over his head."
+
+"Say no more! I only thought it would be unfortunate to lose you in the
+place where you could do the most good," added Scott. "I will give my
+orders to Morris, and let him carry them out. I don't know any better
+than the rest of the fellows what is coming out of this affair; but it
+is 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 thousand
+dollars 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 Highness
+to save his neck from any undue stretching," replied Captain Scott, as
+he walked to the port gangway. "Is everything ready here, Morris?"
+
+"Everything, Captain," answered the first officer. "The rifles are all
+loaded, and every man has a supply of cartridges in his pocket. Every
+one has a revolver except Pitts."
+
+"I have two, and he shall have one of them," interposed Felix, handing
+his 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, after
+all, there may be more talk than bullets in this affair."
+
+"I hope so," added Louis sincerely; though it was evident that some of
+the boys looked upon the adventure as decidedly exciting, and therefore
+agreeable.
+
+Louis walked to the forecastle with the captain, and both of them gave
+their entire attention to the boat that was approaching, having now
+accomplished more than half the distance between the two vessels.
+
+"I can't imagine what has become of the Guardian-Mother," said Louis, as
+he directed a spy-glass to seaward. "She cannot have intended to desert
+us in this manner. What do you suppose has become of her, Captain
+Scott?"
+
+"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 bay
+we 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 she
+was rounding a point near Damietta."
+
+"She intended to get out of sight of the pirate as soon as possible, so
+that the Fatty could follow the Maud; and she did all that in good
+order. But I have no doubt that she is safe enough; and, if we don't get
+chewed up in this scrape, I have no doubt she will soon put in an
+appearance in these waters."
+
+"Steamer, ahoy!" shouted a rather tall man in the stern-sheets of the
+boat.
+
+"In the boat!" replied Scott, after he had waited a moment, and then in
+a very careless and indifferent tone.
+
+"That's Mazagan," said Louis.
+
+"Of course it is; I knew he was there before he opened his mouth, the
+pirate!" added the captain.
+
+"Is Mr. Belgrave on board?" demanded the captain of the Fatim�.
+
+"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 with
+him?" Scott inquired, as indifferently as though the affair did not even
+remotely concern him.
+
+Of course his manner was assumed, and Louis listened to him with the
+most intense interest; for he was anxious to ascertain in what manner
+the captain intended to conduct the negotiation, if there was to be
+anything of that kind. In spite of his affectation of indifference, he
+knew that Scott was quite as anxious in regard to the result of the
+parley as he was himself, though he was the intended victim of the
+pirate.
+
+"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, apparently
+vexed at the reply. "Who are you? I don't mean to talk my affairs with
+one I don't know."
+
+"I am Captain Scott, commander of the steamer Maud, tender of the
+steamship Guardian-Mother, owned and in the service of Mr. Louis
+Belgrave," replied the captain as impressively as he could make the
+statement. "That ought to knock a hole through the tympanum of his
+starboard 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 of
+Hermopolis."
+
+"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 stepped
+out from the shelter of the pilot-house which had concealed him from
+those in the boat.
+
+"Of course it is no use to try to hide you. Do you wish to talk with the
+pirate, Louis?" asked the captain.
+
+"I don't object to hearing what he has to say, though certainly nothing
+will come of it," replied the intended victim.
+
+"It will use up some of the time, and the longer we wait before the
+curtain rises, the better the chance that the Guardian-Mother will come
+in to take a hand in the game," suggested the captain; and Louis took
+another look through the glass to seaward.
+
+"You needn't look so far out to sea for the ship, my dear fellow; for
+when she appears she will come around Cape Arnauti, and not more than a
+mile outside of it, where she will get eight fathoms of water. She is
+coming up from the south; and if our business was not such here that
+none of us can leave, I would send Morris and Flix to the top of that
+hill on the point, where they could see the ship twenty miles off in
+this clear air."
+
+While the captain was saying all this, the four Moorish rowers in the
+boat dropped their oars into the water, and began to pull again; for the
+patience 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 not
+answer me. You are using up my patience, and I tell you that I will not
+be trifled with!" said Captain Mazagan in a loud tone, with a spice of
+anger and impatience mixed in with it.
+
+"That's just my case! I won't be trifled with! Stop where you are! If
+you pull another stroke, I shall proceed to business!" called the
+captain, with vim enough to satisfy the most strenuous admirer of pluck
+in a moment of difficulty.
+
+The oarsmen ceased rowing; and when the boat lost its headway it was not
+more than forty feet from the side of the Maud. Scott did not object to
+this distance, as there was to be a talk with the pirate.
+
+"Mr. Belgrave will speak with you since you desire it," said Captain
+Scott, as soon as he realized that the boat's crew did not intend to
+board the steamer.
+
+He walked over to the port side of the deck, where he could still
+command a clear view of the boat all the time; and he did not take his
+eyes from it long enough to wink. He was ready to order the riflemen to
+the forecastle; and he intended to do so if the boat advanced another
+foot.
+
+"What is going on, Captain Scott?" asked Morris, who stood at the head
+of 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 the
+Guardian-Mother to arrive here before anybody gets hurt."
+
+"We have heard all that has passed so far, and we expected to be called
+out by this time," added Morris.
+
+"I don't care to have you show those rifles just yet, and I hope you
+will not have to exhibit them at all. You can sit down on the deck and
+hear all that is going on," added the captain, as he moved away. If he
+took his eyes off the boat at all, it was only to glance at the lofty
+cape where the ship would first be seen.
+
+Louis had placed himself at the rail, ready for the conference that the
+pirate desired. Mazagan had met him face to face, and he could not help
+knowing him.
+
+"Are you Mr. Louis Belgrave?" demanded the Moorish captain, more gently
+than he had spoken to Scott at the close of the interview with him.
+
+"That is my name," replied the young millionaire with all his native
+dignity.
+
+"We have had some business relations together, and at the present moment
+they are not in a satisfactory condition," the captain proceeded.
+
+"Go on," replied Louis when he paused; for he had decided to say nothing
+that 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 statement
+you wish to make; but I have nothing to say at present."
+
+"Between the noble and exalted gentleman in whose services I sail his
+steam-yacht, and the commander of your larger steam-yacht, Captain
+Ringgold, there is a difficulty of very great magnitude;" and Captain
+Mazagan paused as if to note the effect of this announcement upon his
+auditor.
+
+"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 right
+hand.
+
+"His Highness, the Pacha, was grossly and disgracefully insulted and
+assaulted by Captain Ringgold, who has so far declined to make any
+apology or reparation such as one gentleman has the right to require of
+another. 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 on
+Captain Ringgold with your grievance."
+
+"That he has tried to do, and called upon him in Constantinople for that
+purpose; but Captain Ringgold is a coward, a poltroon! He keeps himself
+shut up in his cabin, and refuses to give my noble master any
+satisfaction."
+
+It was with a struggle that Louis maintained his dignity and preserved
+his silence.
+
+"Finding all the avenues to any satisfaction closed against him, my
+noble master, one of the most exalted dignitaries of the Empire to which
+he is an honor, employed me to obtain the redress to which he is
+honorably entitled. So far I have not been successful. My noble master
+has been graciously pleased to modify the terms and conditions upon
+which he will consent to discontinue his efforts to obtain adequate
+satisfaction for the insults heaped upon him. He will accept the
+atonement of two hundred thousand francs for the injury done him,
+assured that this penalty would be the severest punishment that could be
+inflicted 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 for
+him.
+
+"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 favor
+to come on board of the Fatim�, and remain with me in the cabin, which
+is 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 matter
+at once," continued the Pacha's representative with a suavity creditable
+to 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 my
+quarters in the cabin of the Fatim�," 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 his
+force.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+"JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE, MOTHER"
+
+
+Morris Woolridge did not make use of any military forms, for he did not
+claim to understand them; but he simply came on the forecastle himself,
+followed by the other four of his party; for Louis had joined it when
+directed to do so by his superior. Captain Scott took the rifle he had
+reserved for his own use from the pilot-house. Those who had been
+waiting for the order had only to move a few feet, and not a second of
+delay had been made.
+
+A boat large enough to contain six men, as did the pirate's, does not
+overcome its inertia and shoot ahead forty feet without any apparent
+lapse of time, like a bullet shot from a rifle. Morris and his men were
+in position before the boat had made ten feet.
+
+Morris gave no orders according to the manual of the soldier, but he
+ranged his command on the forecastle, close to the starboard rail. The
+guns were all loaded, and every one of the party had had some experience
+in the use of the weapon, so that none of them had to be taught how to
+fire it.
+
+"Aim at the boat," said the first officer in a quiet tone; and all the
+rifles were directed to the enemy.
+
+It was a fact which came out afterwards, that every one of them aimed
+at Mazagan, not only because he was the most prominent mark as he stood
+in the standing-room, but he was regarded as the biggest villain of the
+assailants, and they could shoot him with less compunction than the
+Moors in his train. He was the representative of the villain behind the
+scenes, and all the mischief seemed to come out of him.
+
+"Stop where you are, or I shall order my men to fire!" shouted Captain
+Scott, as soon as the rifles were all aimed at the boat. "Say that in
+Arabic to them, Don!"
+
+The engineer translated the warning for the benefit of those who were
+back to the Maud, and perhaps did not see the weapons that were pointed
+at the boat. But Mazagan could see the six rifles, including the one in
+the hands of the captain; and before Don could finish his Arabic
+sentence, he had given the order to cease rowing. At least it was
+supposed he had done so, for the Moors dropped their oars, some of them
+into the water.
+
+The boat's crew were in a panic without any doubt, and Captain Scott was
+inclined to feel that "the coon had come down." Mazagan spoke to them in
+a savage tone, as though he was reproving them for their cowardice; but
+they plainly did not relish the idea of being shot down without being
+able to make any resistance, for there was nothing that looked like a
+musket to be seen in the boat.
+
+[Illustration: "STOP WHERE YOU ARE OR I SHALL ORDER MY MEN TO FIRE!"
+Page 92.]
+
+After his recent experience in Cairo, probably Captain Mazagan was
+provided with a revolver; but he did not exhibit it, and in the face of
+half a dozen breech-loaders, capable of sending three dozen bullets into
+the boat, it would be a piece of useless bravado. It could be seen on
+the forecastle of the Maud that the pirate's crew were demoralized. The
+Mohammedans are said to be fatalists; and in what they regard as a holy
+cause they have no fear of death, for they believe it bears them
+directly to paradise. But some of them must have had sense enough to
+understand that they were engaged in piracy, and that their heaven did
+not open wide its gates to those who fell in the commission of crime.
+
+The boat lost its headway, and became motionless at a distance of twenty
+feet from the Maud, with the rifles still pointed at its crew. If the
+pirate chief had a revolver in his pocket, this was the time to use it;
+but he did not even produce it. He could not help seeing that if he
+fired a shot, it would immediately cause half a dozen bullets to be sent
+into the boat; and he had good reason to believe that he would himself
+be the first victim.
+
+"What are you about?" he demanded in angry tones.
+
+"About to fire if you come any nearer," replied Captain Scott.
+
+"Can't you see that we are unarmed? Do you mean to shoot us down like
+dogs?"
+
+"That depends upon you, Captain Mazagan. But you are so very polite
+while you act as a pirate, that I think it is proper for me to say,
+with your permission, that my crew can fire thirty-six balls without
+stopping to load again. If you persist in this business, not one of your
+number will ever get on board of the Fatim� again," added the captain of
+the Maud, as decided as before; but the politeness of the pirate and
+Louis had amused him at such a time, and he was disposed to imitate
+them.
+
+"If you mean to murder us all, I cannot help myself just now," howled
+Mazagan, furiously mad at the disappointment which had suddenly
+overtaken him; and he seemed like an angry child who had been denied a
+piece of candy, and resented it with tears and yells.
+
+"All you have to do is to pull back to your ship, and we shall not take
+the trouble to follow you," answered Scott. "This difficulty is not of
+our seeking."
+
+"I came to you peaceably, unarmed, with a fair proposition"--
+
+"A most impudent and presumptuous proposition!" shouted Captain Scott.
+
+"I have been respectful and polite to you, and you threaten to shoot me
+and my men."
+
+"You have plainly announced your intention to take Mr. Belgrave on board
+of your steamer by force. Do you call that respectful and polite?"
+
+"But I gave him a polite invitation to take possession of my cabin
+without the use of force, and he declined to accept it," argued Captain
+Mazagan, somewhat mollified in his tone and manner.
+
+"Which he had a perfect right to do. You proposed to rob him of the sum
+of two hundred thousand francs; and you invite him to become a prisoner
+on board of your ship in the capacity of a hostage for the payment of
+the money of which you propose to rob him."
+
+"What is the use of arguing the question with him, Captain Scott?"
+interposed Louis, who retained his place in the ranks. "His position is
+absurd, and the fellow is a fool as well as a knave."
+
+"I have distinctly stated that my claim is to be indemnification for the
+injury done to my noble master," replied the pirate, in reply to Scott's
+last remark. "I do not propose to rob you."
+
+"Call it blackmail then, if you please."
+
+"I do not know what that means."
+
+"Mr. Belgrave has nothing to do with your claim. He has not insulted or
+assaulted your ignoble master; and, in United States dialect, you 'have
+taken the wrong pig by the ear.' To come back to first principles, I
+have nothing more to say," added Captain Scott, as he turned his back to
+the claimant.
+
+"I have something more to say," returned Mazagan, bristling up with
+anger again. "My boat is unarmed; but I have not come up here without
+being prepared to meet you. I wish to be fair and just, and I will state
+the truth to you."
+
+"I don't believe you know how to do it!" exclaimed Scott.
+
+"I would not irritate him any more than is necessary," said Louis in a
+whisper.
+
+"I have lost all patience with him," replied the captain; and his manner
+indicated that he spoke the truth.
+
+"You will find before you have done with me that I can and do speak the
+truth, Captain Scott. When I made my first attempt to obtain
+satisfaction for my noble master in the Archipelago, I failed because
+your large ship was armed with cannon, and she disabled my felucca. When
+my noble master offered me the command of the Fatim�, to be used in
+carrying out his wishes, I stipulated that she should be armed with two
+twelve-pounders, with a supply of ammunition. I may add that I have
+served as an officer in the Turkish navy. Now, Captain Scott, I have
+nothing more to say from this boat, and the next time I speak it will be
+with twelve-pounders; and my last word is that the Fatim� will not go
+out of this bay till she leaves with Mr. Belgrave on board of her."
+
+"Adieu!" shouted Scott in mocking tones.
+
+"Do you suppose the villain spoke the truth, Captain?" asked Louis.
+
+"Very likely he did, though he is not in the habit of doing so," replied
+Scott, laughing; but he was accustomed to put the best face upon an
+awkward situation.
+
+The boat was pulling away from the Maud, and the danger of an attack was
+removed for the present. Mazagan appeared to be urging his men to pull
+with all their might, and they were doing so. He evidently had a purpose
+before him, born of his failure to accomplish anything by his visit to
+the Maud.
+
+It seemed to be incredible that this man could be sane and sensible to
+make such a proposition as he had put forward; and doubtless it was done
+to clothe piracy in a more seemly garb than it usually wears. It was
+simply ridiculous on the face of it, with no imaginable foundation for
+the preposterous claim advanced.
+
+Mazagan went on board of his steamer, and a few minutes later a cloud of
+black smoke began to pour out of her smokestack. Captain Scott had
+already ordered Felipe to put his furnaces in order for quick time. At
+the indication given of the firing up of the enemy, he went to the
+engine-room himself. Don was at work on the fires; and he gave Felipe
+directions to get up all the steam possible, and to prepare to run the
+Maud at the greatest speed she had ever attained.
+
+Then he went to the pilot-house, and did not appear to be inclined to
+talk even with Louis. He went to work upon the chart which included
+Khrysoko Bay, called Pifanio on some maps, and studied intently for a
+considerable time. It was clear to all on deck that he had something in
+his head, and it was believed that he was preparing to meet the boastful
+threats of Captain Mazagan.
+
+"Well, my darling, what is to be the next scene in the comedy?" asked
+Felix, as he seated himself by Louis in the bow.
+
+"I don't know, Felix; but whatever it may be, Captain Scott is evidently
+getting ready to play his part in it," replied Louis, still watching the
+captain through the open front windows of the pilot-house.
+
+"They are making the steam sizzle below, and I suppose the captain has
+ordered this to be done. By the powers of mud! Do you mind that?"
+exclaimed the Milesian, pointing to the Fatim�.
+
+"What of her?"
+
+"Don't you see that she has a gun run out on her port side? She had just
+thrown open the port when I spoke," replied Felix.
+
+"Then the pirate spoke the truth for once," added Louis.
+
+"He said the vessel had been armed with two twelve-pounders, and we have
+not even one. I suppose she has the other on the starboard side. If she
+had half a dozen of those playthings she might do something."
+
+"She may do a deal of mischief with two of them if they are well
+handled," suggested Louis.
+
+"She can't use but one of them at once, and she will have to come
+entirely about before she can do anything with the other. Her
+top-gallant forecastle isn't big enough for them, as the
+Guardian-Mother's is for hers. I am not much scared yet, my darling."
+
+"Neither am I, Flix; but I think this is about the tightest place we
+have been in since we came across the Atlantic."
+
+"Captain Scott will arrange the affair all right. If I were a
+sporting-man, I would bet on him yet," protested Felix.
+
+"But while we are not scared, you know that it is possible for one of
+those guns to put a shot through our boiler, rip out the engine, or tear
+a big hole in the plates of the Maud," added Louis.
+
+"We can plug the shot-holes--I believe that is what they call it."
+
+"We have not a single one of the old man-of-war's-men of the
+Guardian-Mother on board who can tell us what to do in case of
+accident."
+
+"But we won't croak, whatever else we do. If we are to be sent to the
+bottom of this bay, we will go down with the best grace possible," added
+Felix, who was certainly in as good humor as ever he was, in spite of
+the brass gun that protruded at the side of the Fatim�. "Do you suppose
+Captain Scott knows about that twelve-pounder?"
+
+"He appears to be very busy; and I doubt if he has looked at the enemy
+since he went into the pilot-house," replied Louis. "I think I had
+better tell him that Mazagan spoke the truth about his guns."
+
+The young men might well have been excused if they had been intimidated
+at the situation as it was now presented to them. That the Maud was to
+be the mark for the cannon of the enemy looked like a settled fact; but
+no one seemed to be at all excited or nervous. It is true that all of
+them had been in several fights. They had fought the fishermen in the
+Canaries, the smugglers at Gibraltar, the Greek pirates in the
+Archipelago, and the brigands at Zante. They had had some experience of
+danger, but they had never come into the presence of great guns before.
+They were to face these on the present occasion; at least, they were
+prepared to do so.
+
+Before Louis could reach the pilot-house, he saw the captain standing at
+the wheel, and heard one bell in the engine-room on the gong. It was
+evident that he was ready to carry out his plan, whatever it was; for he
+was not expected to announce it. Felix observed the Fatim� and her
+twelve-pounder, whistling, "Just before the Battle, Mother."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+AN EXPEDIENT TO ESCAPE THE ENEMY
+
+
+Captain Scott had directed Morris to heave up the anchor before he
+buried himself in his study of the chart in the pilot-house, and to do
+it in such a manner as not to attract the attention of the Fatim�'s
+people. It was not a very heavy anchor that was required for a craft of
+the size of the Maud, and it had been done very easily and quietly.
+
+Louis went into the pilot-house, where the captain was behind the wheel
+by this time. He was gazing intently at the conic rock which rose from
+the water a cable's length ahead of him, off a point on the main shore.
+When he brought the little steamer in to her anchorage in the morning,
+the lead had been kept going all the time, and he had noted the
+soundings on the log-slate at his side. It was now dead low tide, and
+the last sounding had given fifteen feet.
+
+"I suppose you have noticed a change in the appearance of the Fatim�,
+Captain Scott," said Louis, as he took his place opposite him.
+
+"What change? I haven't glanced at her. I don't like the looks of her,
+for she stirs up bad blood in me. I have been trying to be a saint like
+you, Louis, and it is the most difficult enterprise in which I ever
+engaged," replied Scott, as he directed his attention to her. "I don't
+see any change in her."
+
+"Don't you see that gun sticking out through her bulwark?" asked Louis.
+
+"I see it now, but I had not noticed it before," answered the captain.
+"Then Mazagan was not lying when he said that his vessel had been armed
+since he took command of her. I suppose I ought to be frightened at the
+appearance of that twelve-pounder, poking its muzzle out the side of the
+vessel; but somehow I am not a bit scared," said the captain, with a
+broader smile on his face than usual.
+
+"But twelve-pound shot are not agreeable missiles to have plumped
+through the side of the Maud."
+
+"Perhaps not; but the lively little craft is built of extra strength,
+and she can stand a few of them. I am more concerned about the speed of
+the Fatim� than I am about her guns. Of course she has another gun on
+her starboard side."
+
+"Of course."
+
+"If Mazagan had consulted me in regard to the placing of them, he could
+not have arranged them to suit me any better. But her speed is of more
+consequence than her guns."
+
+"I judge from that, that you intend to run away from her," suggested
+Louis.
+
+"Louis," said Captain Scott, looking at his companion with a very
+serious expression for him, "there is a recording angel hovering over
+and around me all the time."
+
+"I suppose every fellow has one near him, to make a note of all his
+thoughts and actions, though we don't often take notice of his
+presence."
+
+"I believe all that, and that we shall be held responsible for all we do
+and say, and even for what we think," replied Scott.
+
+"A fellow has to keep a guard over his thoughts, for they are the
+foundation of his actions."
+
+"But you are taking a higher flight than I am, Louis, and we will
+overhaul your idea some other time, when there are no twelve-pounders
+near," interposed the captain, as he glanced at the enemy. "My recording
+angel is not one of the sort you are thinking about; though,
+metaphorically speaking, I believe in those to whom you allude. If my
+winged spirit, so constantly near me at times like the present
+especially, were to materialize, he would present the photograph of
+Captain Royal Ringgold."
+
+Louis could not help smiling as he imagined the angel described; and he
+thought the dignified commander made a rather odd-looking ethereal
+being.
+
+"I am not making fun of the idea, Louis; the commander seems to be close
+aboard of me when there is any doubtful question to be decided by me as
+captain of this craft," continued Scott. "He is looking at me, and
+writing down all I do and say, ready to hold me responsible for
+everything when I meet him again. He is bigger and more present, so to
+speak, just now than ever before. If he knew the situation here at the
+present moment, it would half worry the life out of him, though he would
+be as dignified as ever."
+
+"You have made a picture of your sense of responsibility; and I am glad
+you feel it so keenly," added Louis.
+
+"This is a tight place for a young fellow like me, and I want to do my
+duty faithfully. If I should follow out my natural, inborn inclination,
+I should pitch into the Fatim�, and open fire upon her officers and crew
+with all the rifles and revolvers we could muster. But I don't do that
+sort of thing now. I am not the same fellow I was when I came on board
+of the Guardian-Mother. Now I shall run away if I get a chance to do
+so."
+
+"I think you are wise, Captain Scott," added Louis.
+
+"Whatever my recording angel sets down for or against me, he shall not
+write that I tried to get into a fight with that pirate," said the
+captain with a great deal of emphasis.
+
+"You know something about her speed, for we had a little trial of it in
+the Strait of Gibraltar."
+
+"We did not beat her in a straight run, and we escaped from her by
+manoeuvring and the aid of shoal water," the captain explained. "I
+depend upon the same kind of assistance to get out of the present
+scrape."
+
+"Then you have a plan in your mind, Captain Scott?" asked Louis.
+
+"I have. I shall do the best I can to get away from the pirate; but we
+may not succeed. I have no plan of this bay, only the general chart, on
+which but a few soundings are given. We may be driven into a corner
+where we shall have to see what virtue there is in our firearms, though
+I hope not."
+
+"If we are compelled to fight, I am confident that every fellow on board
+will stand by you. I shall for one; for I heartily approve the platform
+on which you stand, Captain Scott," said Louis, giving him his hand.
+
+"I thank you, Louis, with all my heart. You make me stronger than I was
+before," replied Scott, as he took the offered hand, and warmly pressed
+it.
+
+The Maud was going ahead at only half speed, blowing off her extra
+steam; for she was in condition to make the best effort of her
+existence. Morris and Felix were at the bow, wondering what those in the
+pilot-house found to talk about so long. The water was extremely clear,
+as they had seen it in the Bahamas, and they were watching the bottom,
+composed entirely of rocks. Morris occasionally thrust down a
+long-handled boathook whose length he had measured, and it gave him
+thirteen feet about every time.
+
+With her bunkers full of coal as they had been when she left Alexandria,
+the Maud drew twelve feet of water, and by this time she had reduced it
+six inches. She was approaching the shore, and she could not continue
+much farther. Scott did not explain his plan in detail, and only said
+that he intended to escape if he could. He had a theory in regard to the
+formation of the bottom of the bay, which had twenty fathoms of water at
+a distance of a mile from the shore.
+
+He had a theory in regard to the subject which was by no means a novel
+one, that the bottom of the sea was similar in its features to the
+surface of the land. If the face of the country was rugged and uneven,
+so was the bottom of the sea near it. On Cape Arnauti the hills rose to
+the dignity of mountains, and some of the soundings at the entrance of
+the inlet were over a hundred fathoms, which confirmed his theory in its
+application to this particular locality.
+
+Otherwise stated, Captain Scott believed that if all the water in the
+bay could be suddenly dried up, the bottom of it would present the same
+irregularities as the shore. Doubtless his theory was correct in regard
+to the great oceans. Islands are only the tops of submarine hills and
+mountains rising above the surface of the water.
+
+The captain steered the Maud directly towards the shore, while the
+steamer was making not over five knots an hour. He kept one eye on the
+rocky cone on the starboard hand, which was an elevation on the enormous
+ledge of half an acre.
+
+"Where's the bottom, Morris?" he called to the first officer when the
+steamer was abreast of the cone.
+
+"Thirteen feet down," returned Morris.
+
+"Heave the lead on the port hand, Flix," added the captain very quietly;
+and he seemed to be still in a brown study.
+
+"Mark under water two," reported the Milesian.
+
+"Give the depth in feet now."
+
+"Thirteen feet, short."
+
+"Keep the lead going."
+
+For about a quarter of a mile farther Scott kept the Maud moving in the
+same direction, with no change in the reports of the soundings. The
+great ledge could still be seen from the windows of the pilot-house; but
+suddenly the color changed to a darker hue. At this point the captain
+threw the helm over to port, and changed the course from south-west to
+north-west, a full quarter of a circle. The soundings were continued,
+and for some time the reports were of deeper water.
+
+Louis had nothing to do on the forecastle, and he returned to the
+pilot-house, where he stationed himself at the door on the starboard
+side, where he could look down into the clear water as the others were
+doing. The ledge still presented the same appearance; that of a smooth
+surface, though with many seams and protuberances upon it.
+
+"You seem to have found a channel inside of the ledge, Captain Scott,"
+said Louis, after he had watched the indications for some time.
+
+"I thought there must be some kind of an opening on this side of the
+ledge; for on the shore there is a strip of land half a mile wide
+covered with trees. The channel is all right here; but I would give up
+all my chances of being appointed to the command of the Guardian-Mother
+within the next ten years, to be assured that it extends out to the deep
+water outside the bay," replied Scott, turning around to look at his
+companion, and thus showing that there was a cloud on his face.
+
+"Don't you believe that it extends the whole length of the ledge?" asked
+Louis, who could not fail to see the shadow of anxiety that hung over
+the expression of the young commander.
+
+"It is no use to believe or disbelieve in a thing you know nothing at
+all about," replied Scott, as Louis placed himself at the side of the
+wheel opposite to him, so that he could see his face. "Do I believe it
+rains in New York City at this moment? What is the use of expressing an
+opinion about a matter upon which you have no material to base an
+opinion?"
+
+"Correct, Captain!" exclaimed Louis, laughing. "Many people make fools
+of themselves by doing just that thing; but your recording angel never
+does it. I did not know but you had the means of knowing something about
+it."
+
+"None whatever; there is no law of nature I know of that requires the
+channel to reach through to deep water. But there is one circumstance
+which leads me to fear it is 'no thoroughfare' to the deep water."
+
+"What is that, Captain?"
+
+"The present attitude of the Fatim�."
+
+"She does not appear to have changed her position or her looks since she
+ran out that twelve-pounder."
+
+"That is just it!" replied Scott. "If he really intends to bag Mr. Louis
+Belgrave as his game in this hunt, as I have no doubt he does, he is not
+going to allow me to carry him off in the Maud through this channel
+without doing some kicking and some barking with his twelve-pounders. He
+remains there as quietly as though he had you in his cabin already.
+Mazagan is a sea-captain, and probably has spent most of his life
+sailing in these waters. I am afraid he knows more about this channel
+than I do, or has a more detailed chart of this bay than mine."
+
+The Maud passed the cone, and continued on her course for a short time
+longer. Half a mile more would take her into twenty fathoms of water.
+
+"It would look very hopeful, Louis, if the Fatim� were only doing her
+best to overhaul us in a chase; but she is like an alligator sunning
+himself on the water, she don't move a muscle," said the captain.
+
+"Well, if we have to go back, we shall still have the chance of a race
+before us," suggested Louis.
+
+"I hope so," added Scott.
+
+"Only hope so?" queried Louis.
+
+"That's all," answered the captain, with something like despondency in
+his tones and expression.
+
+"Twelve feet and a half!" shouted Morris with emphasis.
+
+"By the mark two! Twelve feet!" shouted Felix.
+
+"Eleven and a half feet!" said Morris.
+
+"Eleven feet!" yelled the Milesian.
+
+Captain Scott rang one bell on the gong to stop her, and then three more
+to back her. The boat was lowered into the water, and only seven feet of
+water could be found half a cable's length ahead of the Maud. She could
+go no farther in this direction.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE BATTLE FOUGHT, THE VICTORY WON
+
+
+Whatever doubts Louis had in the first instance about Captain Scott's
+management of the defence of the Maud, he now believed that he honestly
+and sincerely desired to escape from the difficult and trying situation
+without an encounter with the pirate. He had feared the temptation to
+make a hero of himself would lead him into a conflict with the enemy
+when it might be avoided.
+
+Without "showing the white feather," he had conducted himself with quite
+as much prudence as resolution. He had done his best to escape from the
+bay without any fighting. Before his reformation he was generally
+"spoiling for a fight" when there was any dispute or difficulty; but on
+the present occasion he had done his best to avoid one.
+
+He had tried to do just as he believed Louis, his model in morals and
+conduct, would have done if he had been in command of the Maud. The
+hearty approval which his mentor had expressed of all he had done so far
+afforded him intense satisfaction, and he was sure that Captain Ringgold
+could find no fault with his management up to this moment.
+
+"Here we are, Louis; and, so far as my plan is concerned, we are
+euchred. It is a failure," said Captain Scott, as he took a survey of
+the surroundings, which remained precisely the same as they had been
+from the beginning.
+
+"Through no fault of the plan or yourself, Captain. If there was no
+channel here to deep water, of course you could not pass through it,"
+replied Louis. "You have done everything you could."
+
+"I have been asking myself if I was to blame for getting into the trap;
+for we certainly are in a trap," continued Scott. "I followed the
+instructions of Captain Ringgold to the letter; and when I brought the
+Maud to her anchorage by the ledge, the pirate was not in sight, and I
+knew no more of what had become of him than I did in regard to the
+Guardian-Mother."
+
+"You have no occasion to censure yourself for anything," replied Louis.
+"You have obeyed your orders, and our present difficult situation is the
+result of the non-appearance of the ship. Don't blame yourself, Captain
+Scott, for not a shadow of an imputation can rest upon your conduct."
+
+"Thank you, my dear fellow. I hope I shall get out of this bay without
+forfeiting your generous approval," added Scott.
+
+"Here we are, Captain, as you say, and it looks as though we were in a
+bad scrape. All we have to do is to turn our attention to the manner of
+getting out of it. If there were any reason to reproach yourself or
+anybody else, we have no time to attend to that matter. What can be
+done next?" demanded Louis, rousing his energies to face the difficulty.
+
+"What we do next depends mainly upon what the Fatim� does; and she isn't
+doing anything," replied Captain Scott, apparently roused to new
+exertion by the burst of energy on the part of his companion in the
+pilot-house. "I have no doubt Mazagan intends to make an effort to get
+possession of our millionaire as soon as he has the opportunity; but he
+will never succeed unless he knocks the Maud all to pieces with his
+twelve-pounders, which I don't believe he can do, Louis. You have
+comforted me so effectually, my dear fellow, that I begin to think it is
+time for me to do something of the same sort for you."
+
+"I don't feel the need of comfort and consolation yet," said Louis quite
+merrily. "I am not at all alarmed; and what I say is not braggadocio."
+
+"If the Maud is wrecked by the guns and sent to the bottom, we still
+have the whole island of Cyprus open to us," added the captain.
+
+"To come down to the hard pan of business, allow me to ask a foolish
+question or two, and you may laugh at them if you please. What is the
+Fatim� waiting for? Why doesn't Mazagan proceed to carry out his threat
+to capture me?" asked Louis.
+
+"For the simple reason that he cannot; and the question calls for a
+review of the situation," replied the captain, as he took from his
+pocket a paper on which he had drawn a diagram of the position of both
+vessels, with the shape of the bay, the ledge, and the soundings so far
+as they were known. "Here is the Maud," he continued, making a small
+cross on the paper at the point in the inside channel where she had come
+to the shoal water. "There is no way to get out of this place except
+that by which we came in."
+
+"I understand all that; for we have the shore on one side of us and the
+ledge on the other, and the channel is not deep enough to permit us to
+go ahead," added Louis.
+
+"That is our position. The Fatim� lies in deep water at least a mile
+from us. She is a steamer of four hundred tons, and she must draw at
+least fifteen feet of water; for both of these steamers were built where
+they put them down deeper in the water than they do in our country. The
+pirate would take the ground anywhere near the ledge, and she could not
+come into the channel by which we reached this point. Therefore, she can
+do nothing; and her guns would not hit us a mile distant, if they would
+carry a ball as far as that. You can see why she can do nothing yet a
+while."
+
+"But the tide is rising, and we now have an hour of the flood,"
+suggested Louis.
+
+"But the tide is rising for the Fatim� as well as for the Maud."
+
+"There was nine feet of water on the ledge at low tide, and there will
+be twelve feet at high tide."
+
+"That will not be till nine o'clock this evening. But even if it were
+now I should not dare to undertake the task of piloting the Maud over
+the ledge; for I know nothing about the soundings on it except on the
+south edge. That would not do. We must get to deep water by the way we
+came in here," said the captain very decidedly.
+
+"A shot from the pirate!" shouted Felix at this moment, as he noted the
+flash.
+
+A moment later the report came to the ears of all on board, and the
+gun-made noise enough to startle a timid person. All watched for the
+ball, and saw it strike the water about half way between the two
+vessels.
+
+"Bully for you, Mazagan!" exclaimed Felix. "You fired at the water, and
+you hit it."
+
+"He is only trying his gun, and he will do better than that after he
+gets his hand in," said the captain. "The piece was depressed too much
+to prove what it would do if properly aimed."
+
+"They are getting up the anchor!" shouted Felix a couple of minutes
+later, after he had brought his spy-glass to bear upon the pirate.
+
+"She is evidently going to do something," said the captain, who had
+taken his usual place at the wheel, while Louis was on the other side of
+it, where both had remained after the steamer stopped.
+
+"What do you suppose Mazagan intends to do now?" asked Louis.
+
+"I have not the remotest idea, except that, in a general way, he will
+try to keep us shut up in this channel. For that reason I do not
+propose to remain here any longer;" and he rang the gong to go ahead.
+
+The tide must have risen six or eight inches by this time, increasing
+the depth in the channel to that extent. Scott had taken the bearings
+very carefully when he came in, and he soon rang the speed bell. The
+Maud proceeded at full speed till she came to the turn in the passage,
+where the captain rang to stop her, in order to take an observation.
+
+The Fatim� had not yet got under way, and she appeared to be having some
+difficulty with her cable or anchor. As soon as the Maud had lost her
+headway the port gun belched out another flash and cloud of smoke. The
+Maud was at about the same distance from the pirate as when the latter
+fired before, and Scott watched with interest for the result of the
+discharge. The solid shot plumped into the water half a mile from the
+mark, just as though it had been dropped from some point overhead.
+
+"I don't know much of anything about gunnery, except with four-pounders
+on a yacht; but that last gun was elevated so that we know about the
+range of her pieces," said the captain. "It is less than half a mile,
+and her shots would not do much damage at more than half that distance."
+
+"She has weighed her anchor, and started her screw," reported Felix, who
+was still watching the enemy with the glass.
+
+Scott rang the gong, and the Maud went ahead again. At the same time he
+directed Felipe to be ready to give the steamer her best speed.
+
+"Another shot!" shouted Felix.
+
+This one was discharged from her starboard gun, as she came about; but
+its range fell considerably short of that of the other piece. The Maud
+was still in the channel, and the ledge could be seen through the clear
+water on the port hand; what the soundings were on the starboard hand
+had not yet been demonstrated. The steamer was moving at her ordinary
+speed. The Fatim� had turned her head to the south; and, though she was
+still nearly a mile distant, her engine gong could be heard when it rang
+for the vessel to go ahead.
+
+The pirate soon changed her course, with the apparent intention of
+"cutting across lots," in order to reach the Maud. A hand was heaving
+the lead, indicating that Mazagan was not sure of his soundings. She
+went ahead on the new course not more than the eighth of a mile before
+she came about, showing that the depth of water was not satisfactory to
+her commander.
+
+"If the tide were not rising, I should know better what to do; for we
+might go back to the angle in the channel, out of the reach of the guns,
+and remain there till the morning tide, and then work out into deep
+water," said Captain Scott, after he had observed the movements of the
+enemy for a couple of minutes. "But with two feet more water, the Fatim�
+can go at least up to the verge of the ledge, and that plan would not
+work anyhow."
+
+"Another gun!" cried Felix, as he caught the flash.
+
+The enemy was a little nearer than before, but the shot fell hardly less
+than half a mile from the Maud. Mazagan had "swung to" in order to fire
+this shot, but resumed his course at once. Scott desired to gain some
+time by leaving the channel, and heading to the south-east. Morris was
+sounding with his boathook, and reported only thirteen feet when the
+Maud began to move in that direction.
+
+"Twelve feet and a half!" shouted the first officer a little later.
+
+"This won't do," said Scott, shaking his head. "The water shoals to the
+southward, and all we can do is to face the music."
+
+"What do you mean by that, Captain?" asked Louis.
+
+Scott made a couple of crosses on his diagram, and passed it to his
+companion.
+
+"The cross on your left is our present position near the outlet of the
+channel," the captain explained. "On the port we have the ledge, and we
+can't run over that. On the starboard the water is too shoal for us. We
+can go neither to the right nor the left."
+
+"Therefore you must run dead ahead."
+
+"Precisely so, or right into the guns of the enemy."
+
+"Couldn't you retreat up the channel again?" asked Louis; and it began
+to look to him as though "the end of all things had come;" and it even
+appeared possible that he might be captured, after all.
+
+"Heave the lead, Flix!" called the captain, without answering the
+question.
+
+"And a half two!" reported the Milesian.
+
+"That means fifteen feet," said the captain. "The Fatim� could come into
+this position now, or at least within an hour. After we had run as far
+as we could go up the channel, we should hardly be more than four
+hundred and fifty feet from her, and she could batter the Maud to pieces
+at her leisure. We must face the music. That is our only safety, if
+there is any safety anywhere."
+
+"I am with you, Captain Scott. But we are taking all the shot, and
+giving none. I am not a nonresistant in such a situation as this," said
+Louis. "We can't run away, and we must fight!"
+
+"I am glad the suggestion comes from you, Louis," replied Scott.
+"Morris, bring out your company of riflemen! You will act as
+sharpshooters, and pay particular attention to the bridge and
+pilot-house of the enemy."
+
+"Ay, ay, Captain!" returned Woolridge.
+
+Louis left the pilot-house to join the ranks. Don came up from the
+fire-room, and Morris led his force to the hurricane deck, which
+commanded the best view of the enemy. By this time the Fatim� was within
+the eighth of a mile of the Maud. Her engineer was forcing her to her
+best speed; but she was coming head on, and could not use her broadside
+guns without swinging to, which Mazagan seemed to be unwilling to do, as
+it caused considerable delay every time it was done.
+
+She was coming in ahead of the Maud, and her starboard gun would soon be
+available at a distance of not more than twenty yards. The work of the
+riflemen on the upper deck was evidently having its effect, and one man
+had been seen to fall on the bridge of the pirate.
+
+Suddenly the helm of the Fatim� was put to starboard, and the steamer
+presented her broadside to the Maud. The gun was discharged then, and
+the shot struck the house on deck of the little steamer, tearing its way
+through the galley. Scott, perhaps maddened by the crashing boards
+behind him, put the helm to port. Felipe was driving the engine to its
+full power, and the bow of the Maud struck the broadside of the Fatim�,
+crushing in about six feet of her plates. Then he rang to back her, and
+the little steamer went clear of the disabled pirate.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE CATASTROPHE TO THE FATIM�
+
+
+If the strength of the little Maud was never fully tested before, it was
+done on the present occasion; and the construction and material of the
+Fatim� at the same time. The story of the manner in which the
+Guardian-Mother had run into and made a hole in the side of the Viking
+had been many times repeated on board of the ship while the "Big Four"
+were on board of her; for this affair had interested Scott more than any
+other item of her voyage.
+
+The young captain had done at this time precisely the same thing that
+Captain Ringgold had at another; and the blow had not been given by
+accident on either occasion. When at the distance of sixty feet from the
+Maud, the pirate had swung to and discharged her starboard gun, the shot
+from which had passed through the galley. She was under full steam; her
+port gun was no doubt all ready, and another turn of the wheel would
+have enabled her to send another shot through the Maud.
+
+To Captain Scott it was the critical moment of the conflict. Another
+ball from the enemy might go through the boiler or the engine, or
+disable his beloved little craft in some other manner; and he did what
+seemed to be the only thing he could do for the salvation of the Maud
+and his ship's company. He had disabled his vindictive enemy.
+
+Up to the moment when the Maud struck the decisive blow, the five
+"sharpshooters," as Scott had called them, had used their rifles; but
+the people of the Fatim� had taken refuge under her top-gallant
+forecastle, or behind whatever would afford them shelter from the
+bullets, and not many of them appeared to have been hit. Besides, the
+situation was altogether too novel and exciting for the party to act
+with anything like coolness, and the smoke from the twelve-pounder
+concealed the enemy at the most critical moment. They had discharged the
+rifles at random, rather than with careful aim at each shot.
+
+The moment the collision came, the voice of the captain called the party
+to the main deck; for the battle appeared to him to be ended. The enemy
+could not board the Maud, for she had backed at least fifty feet from
+the disabled steamer; but all hands were needed there in case they
+attempted to do so with their boats, of which she had one on each
+quarter.
+
+"Don!" shouted Scott, as soon as the rifle-party appeared on the
+forecastle, and while the little steamer was still backing.
+
+"On deck, sir," promptly responded the second engineer.
+
+"Go below forward, and see what damage has been done to us," added the
+captain. "Flix, heave the lead!"
+
+However it may have been with the others on board of the Maud, the young
+commander was in full possession of all his faculties, in spite of the
+tremendous excitement which must have pervaded the minds of all on board
+of the little craft. His first care was for the Maud, and he looked all
+about him to ascertain what mischief had been done. He sent Pitts to the
+galley to report on the effect of the shot there.
+
+"And a quarter seven!" reported Felix.
+
+This was the first mark on the chart outside of the shoal line from one
+to two miles from the shore. The captain now turned his attention to the
+condition of the Fatim�. Louis had gone into the pilot-house to receive
+any orders the commander had to give him. The collision had been a
+surprise to him. It had not occurred to him that Captain Scott would
+resort to such an extreme measure, though he had hinted at something of
+the kind early in the morning.
+
+"I suppose we may consider the battle as ended, Louis," said Scott, as
+the other took his place on the opposite side of the wheel, where he
+could see out of the front window on the port.
+
+"I should say that it was decidedly ended, and in the most decisive
+manner," replied Louis, though his thoughts were not a little scattered
+and confused by the exciting events of the last few moments. "What
+next?"
+
+"If the pirates undertake to board us with their boats, we must be ready
+to repel them," replied Scott.
+
+"Board us! Why, the water is pouring into that hole in her side as
+through a mill-sluice!" exclaimed Louis.
+
+"But they are lowering their boats; and it remains to be seen what they
+intend to do with them."
+
+All the hands on board of the Fatim� appeared to be Moors, for they were
+all dressed in Oriental costume. By this time she was letting off steam
+with a tremendous racket. The crew were casting loose the boats at the
+quarter davits. If there was an English engineer on board of her, he had
+clothed himself in Moorish costume, for no one in a European dress could
+be seen.
+
+"She is settling in the water," said Louis, as he observed the condition
+of the disabled vessel.
+
+"In a word, Louis, she is going to the bottom!" exclaimed Captain Scott.
+"Do you see anything of Mazagan?"
+
+"I have been looking for him, but I can't make him out," replied Louis.
+
+By this time one of the boats was in the water, and the men were
+crowding into her without any order or method in their movements. No one
+appeared to be in command, and every one was acting for himself. There
+must have been a couple of officers besides the captain; but no one
+exerted his authority. The other boat was soon in the water, and all
+who had not found a place in the first one crowded into her, some of
+them jumping overboard in their haste to save themselves.
+
+The first boat shoved off from the side of the Fatim�, and all the
+people of the Maud watched it, some of the firing party seizing their
+rifles, and preparing to use them, to ascertain what the pirates
+intended to do. It contained ten men, as Morris counted them. The four
+men at the oars gave way as soon as it was clear of the vessel, but the
+head of the boat was directed to the shore.
+
+"Those villains have had fighting enough, and I don't believe they will
+give us any more trouble," said Captain Scott, when the boat was fairly
+in motion for the shore. It was evident enough that they could do
+nothing to save the steamer, and they had abandoned her. The other boat
+presently came out from the farther side of the vessel, and it contained
+only seven persons, from which it appeared that the Fatim�'s ship's
+company consisted of only seventeen men, unless some of them had been
+killed or wounded, and left on board.
+
+"This looks like the end of the Fatim�, and I don't believe she will
+give us any further trouble in our voyage, wherever we may go," said
+Captain Scott, while all hands were watching the passage of the two
+boats to the shore.
+
+"But why don't she sink?" asked Louis.
+
+"Though that is a big hole in her side, the most of it was above water
+in the first of it, and the brine did not flow in very rapidly; but she
+is settling very fast now, and it is a question of only a few minutes
+with her now," replied the captain, as he rang three bells upon the gong
+in the engine-room to back her. "We are rather too near her if she makes
+much of a stir-about when she goes down."
+
+"Help! Help! Save me! Save me!" came in rather feeble tones from the
+wreck of the Fatim�.
+
+At the same time the form of a man was seen staggering to the end of the
+bridge.
+
+"That's Captain Mazagan!" shouted Felix from the forecastle.
+
+"Mazagan!" exclaimed Louis.
+
+"Shall we do anything for that man, Captain Scott?" asked Don, coming to
+the front windows of the pilot-house. "If we do, it must be done in a
+hurry, for that craft is going to the bottom in less than two minutes."
+
+"Of course we shall save him," replied the captain, looking at Louis.
+
+"Certainly, we must save him!" added Louis with an earnestness that
+impressed his companion. "Don't let us forget that we are Christians at
+such a moment as this! How shall it be done, Captain? Give your orders,
+and count me in as the first volunteer."
+
+"Get the boat into the water, Morris! Be lively about it. Louis and
+Felix will go in it to save this man if they can," replied the captain.
+
+The boat on the hurricane deck was a small and light one, and the first
+officer had it in the water almost in the twinkling of an eye. Louis and
+Felix leaped into it, and in another instant they were pulling for the
+wreck. It was a smooth sea, and the distance was not more than fifty
+feet; for the captain had rung to stop the backward motion as soon as
+the cry from the survivor reached his ears.
+
+"Mind your eye, Louis!" shouted Scott, as soon as they were in motion.
+"She may go down at any moment! When I shout to you, back out as fast as
+you can! I will watch her, and let you know when she is likely to make
+her last dive!"
+
+"Ay, ay!" returned Louis.
+
+"I beg you, Captain Scott, not to let them go any farther," said Don
+very earnestly. "She is settling fast by the stern, and she will go down
+by the time they get alongside of her. She has settled so that the hole
+is more than half under water."
+
+"That is so!" exclaimed Scott, as he glanced at the stern of the wreck.
+"Hold on! Hold on!" he shouted with all the force of his lungs. "Back
+out!"
+
+The two rowers obeyed the order promptly, and backed water with all
+their might; and it was fortunate that they did so, or they would have
+been caught in the swirl of the sinking vessel. Before they had
+retreated twenty feet, the stern of the Fatim� suddenly went down, with
+a mighty rush of the water around her to fill up the vacant space inside
+of her, and then she shot to the bottom, disappearing entirely from the
+gaze of the beholders, as well in the two boats of the ship's company
+that had abandoned her, as of those on board of the Maud.
+
+"That is the end of the pirate!" exclaimed Captain Scott, with a sort of
+solemnity in his tones and manner, as though he regarded the fate of the
+steamer as a retribution upon her for the use to which she had been
+applied.
+
+"Amen!" responded Don at the window of the pilot-house.
+
+The burden of his responsibility began to weigh upon his mind as Captain
+Scott witnessed the last scene of the drama. But his thoughts were
+recalled to the present moment when he saw Louis and Felix, the
+commotion of the water having subsided, pulling with all their might
+back to the scene of the catastrophe.
+
+The little boat had not been far enough away from the turmoil of the
+water to be unaffected by it; and for a moment the puny craft had rolled
+and pitched as though it would toss its passengers into the bay. A
+skilful use of the oars had saved the boat from being upset, and Louis
+and Felix began to survey the scene of the uproar as soon as the waves
+ceased the violence of their motion.
+
+"Mazagan has gone to the bottom with her!" exclaimed Felix, as he looked
+about the various objects that had floated away from the wreck as it
+sank to the bottom.
+
+"Perhaps not," replied Louis. "He was on the end of the bridge, and he
+may have floated off and come to the surface. Give way again, Flix!"
+
+"There he is!" shouted the Milesian, as he bent to his oar with his
+boatmate. "His head just up out of the water, as though he had just come
+up from the bottom."
+
+A few more strokes brought the boat to the point where Felix had seen
+the head just as it rose again. He rushed to the bow, and seized the
+drowning man by the collar of his vest, for he wore no coat, and dragged
+him to the middle of the boat. He seemed to be exhausted or insensible,
+for he did not speak. With a great deal of difficulty they labored to
+get him in; but the boat was so small that they did not succeed at once.
+
+"All right, Flix; hold him where he is, if you can. The captain has
+started the Maud, and she will be here in a moment," said Louis. "Pass
+the painter of the boat under his arms, and make it fast if he is too
+much for you, though it will be but for a moment."
+
+"I can hold him in the water easily enough, my darling. I wonder what
+made him come up," replied Felix.
+
+"I suppose he was lighter than the water. But here is the Maud."
+
+The little steamer ran alongside the tender, and Don and Pitts leaped
+into it. By the order of the captain they drew the insensible form into
+the boat, which was then taken on board with the victim in it. It was
+shoved aft to the cabin door, in which Morris had made up a bed for the
+sufferer.
+
+The engineer and the cook proceeded to examine him. In his right
+shoulder they found a bullet-wound, which he must have received while on
+the bridge, doing his best for the destruction of the Maud. The cook
+declared that it was not a very bad wound, and not at all likely to be
+fatal. Pitts brought some brandy from the medicine-chest, and gave him a
+small quantity of it.
+
+This stimulant revived him, and then he wanted to talk; but Pitts would
+not permit him to do so. He remained with him, while Louis and Felix
+went forward to report to the captain, and Don went to the engine-room
+to tell Felipe the news.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE CONSULTATION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE
+
+
+Felipe Garcias, the first engineer of the Maud, had filled the same
+position on board of her when she was owned and used by Ali-Noury Pacha.
+He was a young man of eighteen now, a native of the Canary Islands, and
+a very religious Catholic. The orgies conducted by His Highness on board
+of the little steamer, not to say the crimes, had disgusted and revolted
+the pious soul of the youth, and he had rebelled against his master.
+
+For this he had been abused; and he had run away from his employer,
+departing alone in the Salih�, as she was then called. After an
+adventure with the unreformed Scott, the "Big Four" had been picked up
+at sea in an open boat, and conveyed to Gibraltar, where the Fatim� had
+followed the Guardian-Mother from Funchal.
+
+Felipe quieted his conscience for taking the steam-yacht by causing her
+to be made fast to the Pacha's steamer, and leaving her there. At that
+distance from his home the little craft was an elephant on the hands of
+the owner, and he had sold her for a nominal price to one who had
+disposed of her to the present owners. Don had been himself an engineer
+on board of the Fatim�; but he had been threatened when he criticised
+affairs which occurred on board of her, and he was ill-treated. He
+escaped from her at Gibraltar, and had been employed by Captain Ringgold
+in his present capacity.
+
+"The Fatim� has gone to the bottom, Felipe," said Don as he entered the
+engine-room. "There will be no more defiance of the laws of God and man
+on board of her, for the present at least."
+
+"God is good, and God is just," replied the chief engineer; but he did
+not understand English quite well enough to comprehend the remark of
+Don, who proceeded to repeat and explain it.
+
+Captain Scott still remained at the wheel, and had not left it for a
+moment. He was thinking all the time of what he had done, and wondering
+what his recording angel had written down in regard to his action in the
+greatest emergency of his lifetime.
+
+"Mazagan is wounded in the shoulder; but Pitts thinks it will not prove
+to be a fatal wound," said Felix as he went into the pilot-house.
+
+"Has he come to his senses?" asked the captain.
+
+"He has; and he wants to talk."
+
+"I should like to hear him talk; for there are some things about this
+affair which I do not yet understand."
+
+"The cook says he must not talk yet, and he is taking charge of the
+case."
+
+"Where is Louis?"
+
+"He was looking on, and doing what he could for the wounded man. Do you
+know, Captain Scott, I believe it was the ball from his rifle that
+struck Mazagan!" said Felix, with an impressive expression on his face.
+
+"Nonsense, Flix!" exclaimed Scott. "How under the canopy can you tell
+who fired the shot, when five of you were firing at the same time?"
+
+"Within my knowledge Louis has defended himself with a revolver in his
+hand three times, and in every one of them he hit his man in the right
+shoulder," replied Felix. "He never fires to kill; he is a dead shot,
+and he can put the ball just where he pleases every time. If Mazagan had
+been shot dead, I should know that Louis did not do it."
+
+"I remember that the fellow in the Muski was hit in the right shoulder,"
+added the captain.
+
+"That disables a man without making a very dangerous wound. But,
+Captain, darling, don't whisper a word to Louis that he did it, for it
+might make him feel bad."
+
+"I won't say a word; but ask him to come to the pilot-house, for I want
+to see him, Flix," said Scott, as he had had no opportunity since the
+catastrophe to speak to the one he regarded as the most important
+personage on board of the Maud.
+
+In fact, but a very few minutes had elapsed since the event occurred.
+Those on the wreck had made haste to escape before they should be
+carried down with it, and they were still pulling at no great distance
+from the Maud for the shore. Louis appeared at the door of the
+pilot-house very promptly; for he imagined that his presence before the
+wounded man was not agreeable to him, and that it emphasized in his mind
+the disastrous failure of his expedition to this island.
+
+"What next, Louis?" asked the captain with a smile on his face; for he
+believed he had stolen his friend's first question "after the battle."
+
+"That is for you to decide, Captain Scott, and I intend to avoid any
+interference with the duties of the commander," replied Louis.
+
+"But when the commander asks for advice it may be given without
+offence," suggested Scott. "We have just got out of the tightest place
+in which we have ever been placed, and our experience hitherto has been
+boy's play compared with this day's work."
+
+"That is very true; this is by all odds the most serious affair in which
+we have ever been engaged," answered Louis, as he seated himself on the
+divan.
+
+"I am not going to beat about the bush for a moment, my dear fellow; and
+before we talk about anything else, even of what we will do next in this
+trying situation, I want to say that I am very much troubled in my mind
+in regard to the consequences of what _I_ have done," continued Scott,
+as he seated himself by the side of his friend and model on the divan.
+
+"I don't wonder that you are troubled; so am I, for I think we may well
+regard what has happened as an extraordinary event," added Louis.
+
+"I say what _I_ have done; for I purposely abstained from asking advice
+of you or any other fellow, after I had decided what to do, even if
+there had been time for me to consult you. In other words, I took the
+entire responsibility upon myself; and there I purpose to have it rest."
+
+"Of course you had no time to ask the opinion of any fellow, even if it
+could have been of any use to you."
+
+"I believe I did the best I could. The shallow water at the south of us
+prevented me from running away in that direction, as I tried to do, and
+the only avenue out of the difficulty was directly ahead of the Maud."
+
+"I understand it all perfectly, for I could measure the situation from
+the upper deck," said Louis.
+
+"I headed the steamer to the east. Then came that shot through the
+galley. The Fatim� was coming about in order to bring her port gun to
+bear upon us. She could not well avoid hitting us if she had tried to do
+so, we were so near. If the ball went through the engine or the boiler,
+both of which were exposed to the fire, that would have been the last of
+us. Half of us might have been scalded to death; or, at the best,
+Mazagan might have knocked the Maud all to pieces at his leisure after
+he had disabled the vessel."
+
+"Precisely so."
+
+"I might have hoisted a white rag, and surrendered, permitting the
+pirate to take you on board his steamer; but if I had done that, I
+could never have held up my head again, and I could never have looked my
+recording angel in the face to tell him I had let the pirate take Louis
+Belgrave out of the Maud."
+
+"It would not have ended in just the way you have pictured it, Captain
+Scott," added Louis with a smile. "I think enough of the ship's company
+would have stood by me to enable me to make an effectual resistance, and
+Mazagan might have got a bullet through his left breast instead of
+through his right shoulder."
+
+"Every fellow would have stood by you, my dear fellow, as long as you
+stood yourself," replied the captain. "If Mazagan had disabled the Maud,
+he could have retired out of reach of our rifle balls, and knocked a
+hole through the vessel with his guns, and sunk her. Then he would have
+had nothing to do but to pick up his millionaire, and ransom him with
+double the sum he demanded in Cairo."
+
+"Perhaps you are right, Captain Scott; but I think we need not discuss
+what might have been. We know what is; and this is the problem with
+which we have to deal."
+
+"Bluntly, Louis, I desire to ask you whether you approve or disapprove
+what I have done as the captain of the Maud?" continued Scott rather
+nervously for him.
+
+"I wholly and heartily approve of what you have done!" protested Louis
+with emphatic earnestness, and without an instant's hesitation.
+
+"My dear Louis, give me your hand!" exclaimed Scott, springing to his
+feet; they clasped hands in front of the wheel, and the captain seemed
+disposed to extend it to an embrace. "You have removed all my doubts and
+anxiety by what you said and the manner in which you said it. If you
+approve my action, I believe the commander will do the same."
+
+"While I do not accept your view of what might have followed if you had
+done otherwise, I believe you did the best thing that could be done. If
+the end had not come just as you say, it would have amounted to the same
+thing. Let us leave the subject now, and come back to the question you
+asked me when I came in. What shall be done next?" said Louis.
+
+"I don't think we can do anything but wait here till the Guardian-Mother
+comes. If we go to sea, she will not know where to find us," replied
+Captain Scott. "What do you think of it, Louis?"
+
+"I am decidedly opposed to remaining where we are. Though you and I may
+agree that what has been done is all right, the officers of the Turkish
+government in authority on this island may not be of that opinion. There
+is no town, or anything like one, in sight, and I have not been able to
+make out even a single house or habitation of any kind."
+
+"It is an exceedingly rough-looking country on shore. There are nothing
+but mountains and forests to be seen. The nearest town put down on the
+chart is more than ten miles distant, though there may be a village or
+houses behind those hills on the shore to the south of us. If any of
+the inhabitants had heard the three shots fired by the pirate, they
+would have shown themselves before this time."
+
+"But I think we had better be farther from the island. When the
+Guardian-Mother comes, she must take the same course which we followed
+yesterday," persisted Louis. "I quite agree with you that we must remain
+in this vicinity. It is almost as calm outside the bay as it is inside.
+How is the water off the cape?"
+
+"There are eight fathoms half a mile from the point. I think you are
+right, on the whole, Louis; for we don't care to meet any Turkish
+officers of any kind," replied the captain, as he rang the gong to go
+ahead.
+
+The sound of the bell brought all hands except Morris, who had
+volunteered to stay with the patient in the cabin, to the forecastle.
+Pitts had gone to the galley to ascertain the condition of his wares
+after the passage of a twelve-pound shot through his quarters. The stove
+had not been struck, but it had knocked about everything else into the
+utmost confusion. He was arranging things as well as he could; for it
+was now five o'clock in the afternoon, and time to think of getting
+supper.
+
+"How is your patient, Pitts?" asked Louis, coming to the door.
+
+"He is doing well enough, though he has a good deal of pain. I suppose
+the ball is still in his shoulder, and he will not be much better till
+that is removed, Mr. Belgrave," replied the cook. "We are under way
+again, sir."
+
+"We are running out to the cape to wait for the Guardian-Mother,"
+returned Louis, as he joined the others on the forecastle.
+
+The two boats from the wreck had made a landing on a point near the
+conic rock on the ledge. The course of the Maud took her within half a
+mile of them; for she passed over the outer extremity of the ledge.
+
+"They are making signals to us," said Felix to the captain. "There goes
+a white cloth on a pole."
+
+A little later a boat put off pulled by four men, with another in the
+stern sheets. The captain rang to stop the screw; for he was curious to
+know what the men wanted.
+
+"Let the boat come alongside," said he.
+
+There was not force enough to do any mischief if the Moors had been so
+disposed. Don was sent for to do the talking; but the first person Louis
+saw was Jules Ulbach, who had been Mazagan's assistant in his
+operations. Louis talked with him in French. His first statement was
+that his employer had been shot in the shoulder, and had gone down with
+the wreck. The spokesman for the steamer did not deem it advisable to
+contradict this statement.
+
+Then Ulbach begged for a passage to some port from which he could return
+to Paris. A few words passed between the captain and Louis, and the
+request was peremptorily refused. The Frenchman begged hard, declaring
+that the island was a desolate place, and he should starve there. The
+men had come to beg some provisions, as they had not a morsel to eat.
+
+"Give them all they want to eat," replied the captain when the request
+was translated to him.
+
+"The Guardian-Mother!" suddenly shouted Felix at the top of his lungs.
+
+All hands gave three rousing cheers, to the astonishment of the
+Frenchman and those in the boat. Pitts came out of the galley to
+ascertain the cause of the demonstration, and he made out for himself
+the bow of the ship passing the point of the cape. A plentiful supply of
+food was put into the boat, and the Maud continued on her course.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE ARRIVAL OF THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER
+
+
+The appearance of the Guardian-Mother in the offing was hailed with
+rejoicing by every person belonging to the Maud. Off on an independent
+cruise 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 from
+the restraining presence and influence of the commander; but no such
+feeling pervaded the minds of the ship's company.
+
+Not even the captain of the little steamer had felt that he was in
+possession of any unusual liberty. It might have been otherwise with him
+and his companions if the threatening presence of the Fatim� had not
+been a serious damper upon them. As it was, the voyage to Cyprus had
+resulted in a tremendous event.
+
+Whatever Scott had said to Louis Belgrave about knocking a hole in the
+side of the pirate, as Captain Ringgold had done with the Viking, had no
+bearing whatever upon what he had actually done when the critical moment
+had come in the encounter. He declared rather lightly that he would
+proceed 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 the
+little Maud, when his opponent was a steamer of four hundred tons.
+
+Captain Scott and his companions had expected to see the Guardian-Mother
+long before she appeared. The commander might naturally have felt some
+anxiety in regard to the safety of the Maud in the gale of the night
+before, though it had not been a very severe storm; and Scott and Louis
+supposed he would make all possible haste to be near her. Instead of
+that, she was fully ten hours behind her, even with her superior speed
+and more weatherly ability. They could not explain her delay, and it was
+useless 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 Fatim� on
+the shore.
+
+"I haven't the least idea, and I don't think I shall trouble my head
+with the question," replied the captain. "We have given them provisions
+enough to keep them alive for several days, and they can make their way
+to some town. I don't consider their condition as at all desperate. If
+Captain Ringgold thinks it necessary, he will do whatever he deems
+advisable."
+
+"I don't consider those men as pirates, or hold them responsible for the
+acts of Captain Mazagan," added Louis. "They had to obey his orders, and
+I 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 the
+boats, who looked like an Englishman. Probably the foreign engineers
+retired from the Pacha's service when Mazagan took command of her. They
+knew the meaning of piracy. At any rate, the steamer was not officered
+nor manned as she was when we saw her at Gibraltar. Don says her cabin
+was magnificently furnished, as he had seen through the open door, for
+he 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 she
+became altogether behind the times."
+
+"She could not have been very strongly built, or the Maud would not have
+knocked a hole in her so easily," said Louis.
+
+"It has been repeated over and over again that the Maud was constructed
+of extra strength when she was built. Who was that man of whom she was
+purchased?"
+
+"Giles Chickworth, a Scotchman," replied Louis, as he recalled the
+character.
+
+"He declared that she was the strongest little vessel of her size that
+ever was built. Don examined the inside of her bow immediately after the
+blow was struck, and I have done so since. She has not started a plate
+or a bolt. But then we had all the advantage. We struck the pirate
+fairly on the broadside with the part of our craft where she is the
+strongest, and where there could be no give or spring. It does not seem
+so strange to me as I think it over."
+
+"Pitts," called the captain a little later, while they were still
+watching 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 way
+of getting well."
+
+"Does he talk any?"
+
+"He would talk all the time if I would let him; but I don't answer him
+when 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 the
+shelves on the starboard side, and knocked the tins and dishes all to
+pieces. 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 the
+ship. We shall be alongside of her in less than fifteen minutes," said
+the captain. "Set the colors astern, Flix."
+
+The Maud was going at full speed, and, as the two steamers were
+approaching each other, they came within hail off Cape Arnauti. At this
+time the captain ordered three cheers to be given; for he wished to make
+a demonstration of some kind, and this was the only way within his
+means. They were given with hearty good-will, and the seamen responded
+from the Guardian-Mother, and both vessels whistled as snappers. Then
+the ship stopped her screw, and the sound of escaping steam came from
+her.
+
+"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 came
+alongside on the port side of the ship. The gangway was already lowered.
+All the cabin party had been watching the approach to the island from
+the promenade; but as soon as the Maud came alongside, they all hastened
+to the main deck to greet the young cruisers, who had been absent from
+the ship about thirty hours.
+
+"Come on board, all of you!" called the commander from the head of the
+gangway.
+
+"I think we had better not say anything about what has happened in the
+presence 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 captain
+was permitted to pass without any assaulting embraces, but Louis dropped
+lovingly and submissively into the arms of his mother, as did Morris
+when Mrs. Woolridge presented herself. Felix hung back, for he knew what
+awaited him. The commander stepped aside to make room for these
+demonstrations.
+
+"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 she
+continued to hug her boy. "You have had a terrible time, haven't you, my
+dear?"
+
+"What makes you think so, mother?" asked Louis, wondering what she
+meant; 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 for
+you half the night."
+
+"Then your prayers were effectual, for I am safe," answered Louis with a
+smile.
+
+"But wasn't it an awful tempest, my boy?" she asked, hugging the young
+man with a new impulse.
+
+"Not at all, my dear mother. We had a gale of wind, and it made a rough
+night of it; but we got into this bay about eight o'clock this morning
+all right," returned Louis, reciprocating her caresses. "But you must
+not worry so about me, mother. We were in no danger at any time from the
+gale 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 it
+warmly.
+
+[Illustration: "SHE SPREAD OUT HER ARMS AND RUSHED UPON HIM." Page
+147.]
+
+"He says he has been in no danger from the storm, Captain," added the
+lady.
+
+"He knows best about that; but I told you the Maud would go through it
+all 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 his
+mother, 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; but
+Felix 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 by
+the right hand, with his left on guard. "I am delighted to be with you
+again. The Guardian-Mother did not come into the bay, and I was afraid
+you had all gone to the bottom in the gale."
+
+"Don't you call me 'grandma' again, Felix," protested the worthy woman
+quite warmly; for the Milesian had twice applied the opprobrious
+appellation to her. "If you ever do it again, I will never hug you
+another time!"
+
+"Then I will call you so till my dying day!" Felix declared, to the
+great amusement of all those within hearing.
+
+"I am not your grandma! I am only thirty-six years old, and I am not
+far enough into years to be the grandmother of a great strapping boy
+like you."
+
+"It is only a pet name. But you didn't go to the bottom of the sea after
+all, grandma."
+
+"There it is again!"
+
+"Of course it is, grandma. But I will make a fair trade with you. If you
+will promise never to hug me any more, I will agree never to call you
+grandma again."
+
+"That is fair," said Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+They retired to the boudoir to talk over the matter; but the agreement
+was ratified between them. The "Big Four" were cordially greeted by all
+the passengers and by all the officers of the ship; but they were
+careful not to drop any hint of what had transpired in Khrysoko Bay.
+Before the exchange of salutations was finished the gong rang for
+dinner.
+
+"For a reason to be given later on, Captain Ringgold, I must ask you to
+give the engineers and cook of the Maud their supper to-night," said
+Captain Scott at a favorable moment.
+
+The commander sent for Baldy Bickling, the second cook, and ordered him
+to provide for them; and Mr. Boulong to send an engineer and a couple of
+hands on board of the Maud while the party came on board to supper. The
+company in the cabin were in a very jovial state of feeling, and it
+would take a chapter to record all the jokes of Dr. Hawkes and Uncle
+Moses. It was an excellent dinner even for the Guardian-Mother; for both
+the chief steward and the chief cook were artists in their line, and it
+was heartily enjoyed by all at the table.
+
+The commander was impatient to hear the report of Captain Scott on his
+expedition, and the commander of the Maud was almost as impatient to
+learn what had delayed the ship; but fully an hour was spent at the
+table, for no one wished to break in upon the agreeable occasion. How he
+knew it he could not have told in detail; but the commander was
+satisfied, that something important had occurred in the experience of
+the young navigators, though not a word had yet been spoken, and he had
+failed to notice the ragged hole through the Maud's deck-house at the
+location of the galley.
+
+He had expected to find the Fatim� near the little steamer; but though
+he had swept the bay with his spy-glass, he could not find her, for she
+was no longer visible. Probably she had fallen over on the rocky and
+irregular bottom, and that had carried even her short masts under water.
+As soon as the party rose from the table, Louis and Morris detached
+themselves from their mothers, and hastened to the commander's room,
+where they found Captain Scott and Felix.
+
+"I don't see anything of the Fatim� 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 were
+here 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.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE REPORT OF THE BATTLE OF KHRYSOKO
+
+
+Captain Ringgold looked from one to another of the "Big Four," and a
+smile passed over his dignified face. It was evident to him from the
+expression of all of them that something of importance had occurred in
+Khrysoko Bay, and that Captain Scott, who was, by his position, the
+spokesman of the party, proposed to tell his story in his own way, to
+which he did not object.
+
+He believed the young men were honest, truthful, and straightforward,
+and he had no suspicions of any kind. As the bearer of heavy and
+disagreeable intelligence is inclined to approach his topic by degrees,
+the young captain did not like to tell the worst of his report in the
+beginning.
+
+The commander was not disposed to have the news "broken" to him, and
+considered himself able to bear the whole of it in a mass without being
+overwhelmed. But he had no idea of the seriousness of the event which
+had occurred, and he thought it probable that the boys were making a
+great deal more of it than the occasion required. They had all been to
+the table at dinner, and were as lively and as full of fun as usual. As
+none of them had been killed or injured, nothing very terrible could
+have happened.
+
+"When did you reach this bay, Captain Scott?" he asked, after he had
+measured the visages of his audience.
+
+"About eight o'clock this morning, sir," replied Scott.
+
+"You had a smart gale about all last night," the commander proceeded.
+
+"Yes, sir; but we made very good weather of it, and it lasted about
+twelve hours."
+
+"You had no accident?"
+
+"None of any kind, sir; everything went on as usual."
+
+"I suppose you expected the ship sooner than she came?"
+
+"I looked for her this morning."
+
+"In carrying out the plan which you suggested, Captain Scott, I found
+that the Fatim� was not disposed to follow you as long as the
+Guardian-Mother was in sight," continued the commander, while the "Big
+Four" looked at each other, wondering that Captain Ringgold had turned
+aside from the subject which was a burning one to them. "In order to
+help Captain Mazagan in his movements, I picked up a pilot off Ras
+Bourlos, and stood in behind a neck of land. We took the ground there,
+and stuck hard in the soft mud, though the chart gave water enough to
+float the ship."
+
+"That was unfortunate," added Scott.
+
+"A government tug hauled us off on the next tide, and I followed you at
+the best speed of the ship. I went in at Limasol, though I did not
+believe you would make that port in a southerly gale, and the lookout
+reported the Maud in this bay. That is the reason of my delay in joining
+you as arranged," said the commander, finishing his narrative. "But I
+expected to find the Fatim� here also; for she was pressing on after you
+the last we saw of her."
+
+"We lost sight of her early last night," added Scott. "Her lights
+disappeared, and we could form no idea as to what had become of her. I
+think now that we outsailed her; for we carried a reefed foresail before
+the gale, and it must have helped a good deal."
+
+"She came into this bay this morning," added Louis, who thought the
+conference was moving on very slowly.
+
+"I see that you wish me to drag out of you the particulars of your stay
+here, Captain Scott," said the commander with a smile. "As I have not
+the least idea what you have been about here, I find some difficulty in
+framing my questions. You know that a lawyer, when he examines a witness
+in court, is in possession of all the facts, as I am not on the present
+occasion. I have learned that the Fatim� came to this bay, and that she
+is at the bottom now. Perhaps you will be willing to inform me, Captain,
+by this time, how the Pacha's steamer happens to be at the bottom."
+
+"We had a fight here, and I ran the Maud into her, stove a big hole in
+her side, and she went to the bottom!" almost shouted Scott, who had
+been not a little perplexed at the manner of proceeding of the
+commander. "I believe that is telling the whole story in a heap, sir."
+
+Captain Ringgold sprang out of his chair, evidently startled by the
+intelligence; and he had never been known to make so much of a
+demonstration before since he had been in command of the ship. He stood
+looking into the face of Captain Scott as though he were incredulous in
+regard to the announcement just made to him; and that a little
+steam-yacht only forty feet in length had run into and sunk a vessel of
+four hundred tons was calculated to stagger a man of his experience in
+nautical affairs.
+
+"Do you mean literally, Captain Scott, that you ran into and sank the
+Fatim�?" demanded the commander.
+
+"Literally and exactly, sir, that was what was done," replied the young
+captain very decidedly.
+
+"It looks incredible," added the commander, as he resumed his seat.
+
+"It is the exact truth, Captain Ringgold," said Louis.
+
+"I vouch for the truth of the statement, Captain, if my word is good for
+anything," Felix followed.
+
+"I give my testimony in the same direction," Morris put in.
+
+"Of course I do not doubt the truth of your statement," replied the
+commander. "But it looks like an amazing fact that the little Maud was
+able to do so much mischief to a steamer of the size of the Fatim�.
+However, she is about as big as some of the little tug-boats in New York
+Harbor that drag ships of five hundred tons after them. In spite of all
+that has been said in the last six months about the extraordinary
+strength of the Maud, I should have supposed the blow, if you went at
+the steamer at full speed, would have crushed in her bow."
+
+"It did not start a bolt or bend a plate," replied Scott. "But,
+according to the evidence of Don, who knew something about the Pacha's
+yacht, she was old and nearly worn out when His Highness bought her."
+
+"That may explain it."
+
+"Before we proceed any farther, I ought to report that Captain Mazagan
+is now in the cabin of the Maud, wounded by a rifle ball in the
+shoulder, and in need of the services of the doctor," said Captain
+Scott.
+
+"Wounded with a rifle ball," repeated the commander. "Then there is a
+good deal more of this affair which has not yet come out. But if the
+villain is suffering, it is proper that he should be attended to at
+once."
+
+"Pitts has had charge of him."
+
+Pinch, the mess steward, was sent for, and ordered to make the hospital
+ready for a patient. Mr. Boulong was called in, and directed to
+superintend the removal of the wounded Moor to this apartment, under
+the direction of the surgeon. Dr. Hawkes was called from the boudoir,
+where the company had assembled by this time, and conducted to the
+patient.
+
+"With this affair all concealment comes to an end for two reasons," said
+the commander, as soon as he had given the orders for the disposal of
+the wounded man. "First, there is no longer any necessity for us to keep
+our own counsel, for Mazagan is now deprived of the means of following
+us on our voyage; and second, it would be impossible to cover up our
+movements under the present circumstances. The nervous mothers have no
+longer any cause for alarm."
+
+"It did not occur to me that we had made an end of this scare business,"
+said Captain Scott. "I had not thought of the matter in that connection,
+and all I did was to defend my steamer from the attack of the pirate,
+who proposed to come on board and take Louis Belgrave out of her."
+
+"Then you did your duty!" exclaimed Captain Ringgold, rising from his
+arm-chair, and extending his hand to the young man. "I congratulate you
+on your success, and I am only sorry that the unfortunate grounding of
+the Guardian-Mother compelled you to fight the battle alone. I had no
+intention of allowing the Maud to be out of my sight more than a few
+hours."
+
+Louis, Felix, and Morris clapped their hands with all their might at the
+indorsement the commander had given Captain Scott.
+
+"I cannot express to you, Louis, how happy I am to have you still with
+us," continued the captain of the ship, as he took the hand of the young
+millionaire; "for it appears from the report of Captain Scott that you
+have been in imminent danger of being captured and carried off by that
+miscreant, and that you have been saved only by the bravery and
+determination of the commander of the Maud. He has done no more than I
+would have done in his place, and if the pirate had taken you I would
+have sunk his steamer at sight to rescue you."
+
+"I am glad you approve the action of Captain Scott, though I had no
+doubt you would do so when you learned the facts," replied Louis, as he
+pressed the hand of the commander.
+
+"But I have got only a skeleton of the facts yet, and now I should like
+to hear the whole story in detail," said Captain Ringgold.
+
+Scott took a paper from his pocket, the one he had drawn off of the
+situation of the two steamers in Khrysoko Bay, with the position of the
+ledge, the trend of the shore, and some of the soundings as he had taken
+them from the chart. He had marked the course of the Maud in all the
+movements she had made, and also of the Fatim�, giving the position of
+each vessel at the moment of the collision.
+
+He began his recital with the pointing out of the places of each steamer
+as soon as the pirate came into the bay. The visit of her boat to the
+little steamer followed, and the marshalling of the five members of the
+ship's company armed with the repeating-rifles. The interview with
+Mazagan was as minutely stated as though a skilled reporter of a
+newspaper had taken it down.
+
+"That was the most amazing, presumptuous, groundless, and insane demand
+that one person could make upon another," interposed the commander. "It
+was sheer piracy!"
+
+Scott had so viewed it, and he proceeded with his narrative. Captain
+Ringgold had vacated his chair at the desk, on which the captain of the
+Maud had placed his diagram, and pointed out everything as he spoke. The
+attempted escape by the supposed channel near the shore was dwelt upon
+at some length, in order to enable the young captain to prove that he
+had done his best to avoid a collision with the enemy.
+
+The first shots the Fatim� had fired at the Maud, though they had fallen
+far short of the mark, were mentioned so as to give them their full
+effect; and Captain Ringgold declared that they were a sufficient
+declaration of war.
+
+"Only one avenue of escape was open to me," continued Captain Scott,
+"and that was directly across the bow of the enemy. If I remained where
+I was the Fatim� could come in with the rising of the tide, and sink the
+Maud at her leisure. Then the pirate fired the shot from her starboard
+gun which passed through the galley, and began to swing to, so as to
+bring her port gun to bear on the Maud.
+
+"I won't deny that the shot which went through our upper works made me
+mad; but I feared that the next one might go through our boiler or
+engine, and then it would have been all over with us. I determined to
+prevent such a disaster if I could. I had ordered the hands to use the
+rifles; but most of the crew concealed themselves under the top-gallant
+forecastle. I shifted the helm, and drove the little steamer's bow
+square into the broadside of the Fatim�, just abaft her fore chains.
+
+"It seemed to me from the feeling that she was going to bore her way
+through the pirate craft, and I rang to stop and back her. I gave the
+speed bell as soon as she began to go astern, and the Maud went clear,
+as I was afraid she would not."
+
+The picking up of Mazagan after the Fatim� had gone down, and the visit
+of the boat from the shore, were given in detail, and the narrative was
+completed.
+
+As soon as the story was finished, the commander took the hand of
+Captain Scott again, and pressed it in silence for a moment. He had
+listened attentively to the report, interrupting it but once, and had
+carefully followed the speaker as he pointed out his movements on the
+diagram.
+
+"I approved your conduct, Captain Scott, when I had only a partial
+knowledge of what you had done," said he. "I can now approve it with a
+full knowledge of the whole affair even more heartily and decidedly than
+before. You have been resolute and unflinching from the beginning, and
+you have not only fought your ship as bravely and skilfully as any
+naval officer could have done it, but you have done your best to avoid a
+conflict. I commend you with all my heart and mind."
+
+"I thank you, Captain Ringgold, for all the kind words you have spoken,
+and I am rejoiced to be informed on such authority as you are that I
+have done my duty faithfully," replied the young commander.
+
+"I suppose the mothers in the boudoir are wondering what has become of
+their boys," added the commander. "I give you an hour to pass with them,
+and then we must sail for Port Said."
+
+The conference was ended, and the boys all went to the boudoir.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE INSIDE HISTORY OF THE VOYAGE
+
+
+While the Guardian-Mother lay aground, the mothers in the cabin had
+become very anxious about their boys, and both of them had spent wakeful
+nights in thinking of them. In a comparison of notes it was evident that
+the wind had blown harder on the coast of Egypt than farther to the
+north. But the ship had escaped from the dilemma in the morning at an
+early hour, and had made a quick run to Cape Arnauti.
+
+There was therefore great rejoicing in the cabin when it was ascertained
+that the Maud was safe, with all on board of her. Dr. Hawkes operated
+upon Mazagan in the hospital, and readily removed the bullet from his
+shoulder. Ball, one of the old man-of-war's-men of the crew, who had
+seen some service as a nurse, was appointed to take care of him.
+
+The fact that the surgeon had a patient soon became known in the
+boudoir, and curiosity ran to the highest pitch to ascertain who and
+what he was. All that was known was the fact that he had been brought on
+board from the Maud, which Sparks had learned from the sailors who
+assisted in removing him. The commander and the "Big Four" were still
+closeted on the upper deck, and there was no one to answer any
+questions.
+
+Before Captain Scott had finished his report, Dr. Hawkes rejoined the
+party; and he was immediately beset by the curious ones for information.
+The seal of secrecy had been removed by the commander, and he had not
+been instructed to be silent. He knew the patient as soon as he saw him;
+for Mazagan had been a prisoner on board of the ship for a considerable
+time after his capture in Pournea Bay.
+
+"What is your patient, Dr. Hawkes?" asked Mrs. Blossom before he had
+fairly crossed the threshold of the door.
+
+"A wounded man; bullet in the shoulder," replied the surgeon with
+professional discretion. "It is not a woman, and Ball has been called in
+as his nurse."
+
+"A bullet in the shoulder!" exclaimed the excellent woman. "Will he
+die?"
+
+"Undoubtedly he will, though perhaps not for twenty or thirty years."
+
+"Is the wound dangerous?"
+
+"I don't think so."
+
+"But who is the man?"
+
+"Captain Mazagan."
+
+"Captain Mazagan!" exclaimed the good lady; and the name was repeated by
+several others, for they had known him as the pirate who had attacked
+the Maud for the purpose of robbery, as they supposed, and they had seen
+him occasionally on the upper deck when the conferences were in
+progress there.
+
+"How happened he to be wounded in the shoulder, doctor?" persisted the
+worthy lady.
+
+"Because the bullet hit him there," replied the stout surgeon with a
+chuckle, which was promptly communicated to Uncle Moses.
+
+"But who shot him?"
+
+"The man who fired the gun at him."
+
+"Who fired the gun?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"What was Captain Mazagan doing here?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Has there been a fight here?"
+
+"Not that I am aware of."
+
+"Then how did he get wounded?"
+
+"I don't know," replied Dr. Hawkes, who evidently enjoyed the defeat of
+the inquisitor; and Uncle Moses's huge frame was jarring like a pot of
+jelly under the influence of his inward chuckles.
+
+"Have you dressed the wound of your patient without finding out anything
+at all about how the man was wounded?" demanded the good lady, disgusted
+at her failure.
+
+"It was my affair to dress his wound, and not to pump him, as I should
+have done if he had taken a dose of poison," laughed the doctor. "But I
+think you need have no anxiety about my patient, for I have no doubt he
+will do very well."
+
+"But there must have been a quarrel or a fight somewhere about here,
+and I should like to know something about it," continued Mrs. Blossom,
+as she dropped herself heavily on one of the divans.
+
+"I can give you no information whatever; for I leave all the fights and
+quarrels to our worthy and discreet commander, and do not meddle with
+his affairs," added the surgeon.
+
+"Do you really know nothing at all about what has happened here, Dr.
+Hawkes?" asked Mrs. Belgrave; and it was plain that the curiosity of the
+rest of the party was strongly excited, though they were more guarded in
+manifesting it.
+
+"Absolutely nothing, my dear madam, beyond the fact that the man is
+Captain Mazagan," replied Dr. Hawkes. "I never inquire into the affairs
+of my patients beyond what it is necessary for me to know in treating
+the case. I have no doubt Captain Ringgold will give you all the
+particulars of whatever has happened here; for it looks as though
+something of importance had occurred."
+
+A little later the commander, followed by the four boys, appeared, and
+Mrs. Blossom renewed the onslaught. The others were, perhaps, quite as
+anxious to learn what had taken place; but they were silent, and waited
+for the captain to answer her questions if he was disposed to do so.
+
+"I am sorry to interrupt this pleasant party, ladies and gentlemen, but
+I have already given the order to weigh the anchor, and we shall go to
+sea immediately," said Captain Ringgold. "The young gentlemen of the
+Maud must take their leave, and return to the tender."
+
+"Has anything happened here, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave,
+taking him by the arm.
+
+"Something has happened here," replied the commander, loud enough to be
+heard by all in the boudoir. "But here are the four young men in whom
+you are all more or less interested, and you can see that they are not
+injured."
+
+"Have you been hurt, Mr. Belgrave?" asked Miss Blanche, by whose side
+Louis had taken his place when he entered the apartment, as he was very
+much in the habit of doing when the party assembled.
+
+"Not a hair of my head has been damaged," he replied.
+
+"As soon as we are under way, and get clear of the shore, I shall tell
+you the whole story of certain events which have transpired in Khrysoko
+Bay during our absence," continued the commander. "I am willing to add
+that it will make quite a thrilling narrative. About two o'clock
+to-morrow afternoon I expect the Guardian-Mother and the Maud will be at
+Port Said, at the entrance to the Suez Canal."
+
+The mothers hugged their boys again even for the separation of eighteen
+hours, and the hands of the others were duly shaken. Mrs. Blossom did
+not attempt to hug the Milesian this time.
+
+"What has happened here, Felix?" she asked in a low tone; for the good
+lady would have been glad to get at the solution of the mystery, in
+order that she might give a hint of it to the others.
+
+"Captain Ringgold will tell you all about it; it would take me six hours
+to do so, and I have not the time," replied Felix as he bolted through
+the door.
+
+"Six hours!" exclaimed the amiable lady. "Then we shall have to sit up
+about all night to hear the story. I wonder what the boys have been
+doing in this lonely place."
+
+She was no wiser than the rest of the party. The two sons tore
+themselves away from their mothers, and Louis was permitted to take the
+hand of Miss Blanche in bidding her adieu. The commander had sent four
+of the old sailors on board of the little steamer to stand the watches
+during the trip; for the "Big Four" were believed to be thoroughly
+exhausted after a night in the gale and the most exciting day of all
+their lives. This was certainly true of Captain Scott, for he had hardly
+slept a wink in the last thirty-six hours, and the others were tired
+enough.
+
+The chief engineer had been notified of the immediate departure of the
+Maud, and the fasts were cast off as soon as the ship's company went on
+board. Stevens, the carpenter of the ship, had repaired the damage done
+in the galley, and a supply of provisions had been put on board.
+
+Captain Scott had submitted the question as to whether anything was to
+be done in regard to the ship's company of the Fatim�. The matter had
+been decided at once. Captain Mazagan had declared war against the
+Maud, and had proceeded to enforce his preposterous demand. He had made
+a failure of it, and outside of the call of ordinary humanity, the
+commander believed that it was not his duty to look out for the comfort
+of the marauders. A sufficient supply of provisions had been sent to
+those on shore, and the pirate himself was under treatment on board of
+the ship. What was to be done with him was a question for the future.
+
+Captain Scott remained in the pilot-house of the Maud till the steamer
+was well off the cape, and then gave out the course, south and a half
+west. It was Morris's watch, and he insisted on remaining on the
+forecastle, as he had obtained a portion of his sleep the night before.
+The ship soon followed her consort; and as soon as the commander had
+given out the course he hastened to the boudoir, where the party were
+awaiting his appearance.
+
+"It is hardly necessary for me to give the nautical points involved in
+'The Battle of Khrysoko,'" said Captain Ringgold, as he laid the diagram
+of the captain of the Maud on the table.
+
+"I beg your pardon, Captain--involved in what?" interrupted Mr.
+Woolridge, who seemed to be bothered by the proper name.
+
+"'The Battle of Khrysoko,'" repeated the commander with a smile. "That
+is the name the boys gave to the affair, calling it after the bay in
+which it occurred, though it is rather a high-sounding designation for
+it."
+
+"Are we to understand that a battle has been fought here, Captain
+Ringgold?" inquired the magnate of the Fifth Avenue, as Louis had called
+him.
+
+"It did not rise to the dignity of a regular naval engagement, though it
+took place on the waters of the bay," replied the captain. "Perhaps if
+we call it a contest for superiority, it would cover the idea better.
+But this party are not prepared to understand what has taken place in
+Khrysoko Bay; and I must admit that I have concealed from you for the
+last three months certain features of our voyage, a knowledge of which
+would have rendered some of you very nervous and unhappy.
+
+"I did not consult Dr. Hawkes in relation to the effect upon one of his
+patients, but I am confident he would have advised me to do as I have
+done. I am equally confident that another of your number would very soon
+have become one of his patients if I had been imprudent enough to put
+her in possession of all the facts in the situation. If I had done so at
+Athens, Zante, or Alexandria, I am almost certain that the
+Guardian-Mother would have been speeding her way across the Atlantic to
+New York; for some of the party would have insisted upon abandoning the
+voyage as projected.
+
+"My only confidants in the inside history of this voyage for the last
+six months, or since we visited Mogadore, were the four young men who
+have just left you. Now I will relate this inside history, and give all
+the facts without any reservation whatever. I must begin back at
+Mogadore; and as I mention the incidents of our cruise so far, you will
+remember all of them. 'The Battle of Khrysoko' is the last chapter of
+the story, and for the present at least, and I hope forever, has removed
+all danger from our path."
+
+By this time the entire party were all attention. The captain began his
+review of the incidents of the voyage at Mogadore. He used the time
+judiciously, but it took him a full hour to bring the history down to
+the final event. Whatever had been dark and mysterious in the past was
+made plain. The discovery of the plot made by Louis in the caf� at
+Gallipoli made a tremendous impression, and Dr. Hawkes had to attend to
+Mrs. Belgrave, she became so excited and nervous.
+
+The stirring events in the bay were given very cautiously by the
+speaker, though he told the whole truth. He stated enough of the
+nautical situation to enable the party to understand the affair; and he
+warmly commended Captain Scott for the decisive act by which he had
+finished the encounter, after he had used every effort to escape a
+conflict.
+
+"And did that wicked pirate actually fire cannon-balls into the Maud
+while Louis was on board of her?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, very much
+excited.
+
+"He put one shot through her, though Louis was on the upper deck, firing
+his rifle into the enemy, and he was in no danger," replied the
+commander.
+
+It was midnight when the narrative and the comments upon it were
+finished. The doctor attended to his patient in the cabin, and then to
+the other in the hospital. Mazagan felt better, and wanted to talk; but
+Dr. Hawkes would not permit him to do so. The party retired with enough
+to think about.
+
+At the time stated by the commander, the Guardian-Mother and the Maud
+were off the red light on the end of the breakwater at the entrance to
+the Suez Canal.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SUEZ CANAL
+
+
+The sea was quite smooth when the Guardian-Mother and her tender arrived
+off Port Said. There was about thirty feet of water off the breakwater;
+and though there was an extensive basin at the town, the commander
+preferred to anchor outside for purposes he had in view. The trip to
+Cyprus had interrupted the educational work of the tourists, and this
+was the grand object ever uppermost in his mind.
+
+Though this instructive element of the cruise around the world had been
+prominent in his thoughts before the steamer sailed from New York, it
+was rather indefinite in its details, so that he had failed to make some
+preparations for the work which the experience of a year now suggested
+to him. In the lectures, conferences, talks, and explanations to
+individuals, the professor and himself had felt the want of suitable
+maps on a large scale.
+
+At Alexandria he had obtained a large map of Egypt, though it was not
+just what was wanted; but it had answered the purpose tolerably well.
+The subjects which would be next in order were full of interest to him,
+and were likely to be so to the members of the party; for they included
+some of the older countries of the world, such as Syria, Babylonia,
+Assyria, Persia, and Arabia. Geographically they were comparatively
+unfamiliar to the members of the party, who, unlike the professor, the
+surgeon, and Uncle Moses, had not been liberally educated.
+
+The instruction given at the various places on the voyage, and the
+studies of the students on the wing, had demonstrated that such maps
+were indispensable. But Captain Ringgold was a man of expedients. Every
+steamer, especially those engaged in making long voyages, has a
+paint-shop on board, more or less abundantly supplied with all necessary
+material. All seamen are required to do plain painting; for such a ship
+as the Guardian-Mother had to be kept in the nicest condition.
+
+At Alexandria and Cairo the commander had procured such additional
+material as was needed for the production of the maps desired. Some of
+the sailors were more skilful in the use of the brush than others; and
+as soon as the captain mentioned his purpose to the first and second
+officers, they were able to point out a couple of men who had some
+artistic ideas in their composition.
+
+All the crew were able seamen, and every one of them was skilled in the
+use of the sail-needle and palm, though of course in different degrees,
+as in all other occupations. Some of these had sewed the canvas together
+on which the maps were to be drawn and painted. It was not expected that
+anything which would pass the scrutiny of an artist would be produced;
+only such work as would answer the purpose of illustration.
+
+In Mr. P. Lord Gaskette, the second officer of the ship, Captain
+Ringgold found his ablest assistant. He was a graduate of one of the
+most noted colleges of the United States, and had made some progress in
+the study of the legal profession. Unfortunately his health had failed
+him, and he had turned his attention to artistic pursuits for the sake
+of the out-door life to be obtained in sketching. He had taken some
+lessons in drawing and painting; but his physician had insisted that he
+should go to sea. He had been seven years a wanderer over the world,
+having shipped before the mast, and reached his present position.
+
+In the paint-shop he was quite at home. He was assisted by the two
+seamen the most skilled with the brush, while he did the drawing
+himself. The large atlas of the world, a very expensive work, belonging
+to the commander, supplied accurate maps on a small scale, and these
+were transferred to the canvas, eight feet square. During the voyage to
+Cyprus three of these maps had been finished. One of them was the Delta
+of Egypt, including the Suez Canal; and the commander declared that it
+was handsome enough to adorn any schoolroom.
+
+The Maud had made fast to the ship as usual when she came to anchor, and
+the "Big Four" were to report on board as soon as they had put their
+craft to rights. The party had mounted the promenade as soon as the low
+shore was in sight, and were looking about them at the various objects
+in view. Several large English steamers were in sight, including one of
+the P. & O. Line, and the Ophir, the largest and finest of the Orient
+Line, both bound to India and other countries of the Orient.
+
+"How is your patient this afternoon, Dr. Hawkes?" asked the commander,
+as he met the physician on his way to the promenade.
+
+"He is doing very well. He has very little pain now; and I think he will
+be as well as ever in a fortnight or three weeks, if he will only be
+reasonable," replied the doctor.
+
+"Reasonable? Doesn't he wish to get well?" asked the commander.
+
+"He wants to talk, and evidently has something on his mind. He desires
+an interview with you, Captain, and has asked me to obtain it for him;
+but I refused to do anything of the kind, for he has some fever hanging
+about him, and must be kept as quiet as possible."
+
+"I don't know that I have any business with him, or he with me. I
+consider him one of the most unmitigated villains that ever walked the
+earth or sailed the seas," added Captain Ringgold. "The scoundrel does
+not seem to have common-sense; for he puts forward the most absurd
+claims that ever were invented, and it would not surprise me at all if
+he advanced another against me or Louis, in spite of the overwhelming
+defeat he has just sustained."
+
+"He is the coolest and most impudent rascal I ever heard of. He asks
+Louis for a vast sum of money, and then politely requests him to become
+a prisoner in the cabin of the Fatim� as security for the payment of the
+sum by his trustee;" and the doctor shook his fat sides with laughter at
+the absurdity.
+
+"Very likely he has some such proposition to make to me. He really
+believes, I think, that he has a fair claim for what he has lost, or
+failed to obtain, by the miscarriage of all his plots to make a prisoner
+of Louis and Miss Blanche. All I desire is to get rid of the villain;
+and as soon as you inform me that he is off your hands I shall put him
+on shore."
+
+The captain and the doctor joined the party on the promenade. Mr.
+Gaskette and his assistant were hanging one of the maps completed on the
+upper deck, where the conferences were usually held. He had assigned
+subjects to several members of the party, and he seemed to be anxious to
+have them disposed of; for he declared that this locality was one of the
+most interesting corners of the world to him.
+
+On the promenade the mothers had their sons by their side, and Mrs.
+Blossom had secured possession of Felix in some manner that did not
+appear; but the good woman seemed to be superlatively happy. The
+commander did not take a seat, but took a stand in front of the company.
+He described the two big steamers that were approaching, in answer to a
+question put by Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Of course you all recognize the shore before you," he continued.
+
+"There isn't much shore there, only a strip of sand, with water beyond
+it," added Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"What country is it?" asked Miss Blanche in a whisper to Louis, who had
+his mother on one side of him and the fair maiden on the other.
+
+"Egypt," replied Louis, wondering that she did not know.
+
+"The water you see is Lake Menzaleh," answered the captain. "It is not
+much of a lake, as Americans would look at it. It is a sort of lagoon,
+covering from five hundred to a thousand square miles, according to
+different authorities; but the inundation of the Nile makes varying
+areas of water. The Damietta branch of the great river empties into the
+sea about thirty miles to the west of us, and this lagoon covers the
+region between it and the Suez Canal.
+
+"The lake is separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow strip of land,
+which you can see, through which are a number of openings, such as we
+find in the sand-spits along the shore of our own country. But unlike
+our inlets, they were formerly mouths of the Nile, or at least of
+streams connected with it; and all of them have names, as the Mendesian
+Mouth, the Tanitic, the Pelusian, and others.
+
+"It is full of islands, on some of which are the remains of Roman towns.
+The average depth of the water is not more than three feet; but it
+abounds in fish, and it is the abode of vast flocks of aquatic birds,
+which are hunted by many English sportsmen, who camp out there to enjoy
+the shooting. The morass has been partially drained, which accounts for
+the low water in the lake at the present time; and undoubtedly it will
+all be above the ordinary level of the Nile at no very distant time.
+
+"The Suez Canal extends in a perfectly straight line, north and south,
+through this lake and the low land around it. But we will not meddle
+with the canal just yet, for we shall have a great deal of time to talk
+about it while we are going through it; for it is a hundred miles long,
+and steamers are required to move very slowly, except in the lakes now
+forming part of it. As this canal is one of the most important
+enterprises ever carried through to a completion, I have asked Mr.
+Woolridge to give us an account of its construction and uses. Then I
+shall invite you to adjourn to the promenade deck, where I have prepared
+something more in relation to Egypt, the 'Land of Goshen.'
+
+"This canal takes its name from the isthmus or city of that name, or the
+Red Sea; more properly from the former, as it makes its passage through
+it," Mr. Woolridge began. "Our old friend, Ramses II., of whom we have
+heard so much in the last four weeks, is said to have been the first to
+dig out a Suez Canal, though I cannot inform you by what name he called
+it in the Egyptian language; but that was a small affair compared with
+the one before us. But our friend's canal got filled up from the amount
+of mud and sand lying loose around here.
+
+"Darius I. of Persia cleaned it out, though it was suffered to become
+useless again. Then the Mohammedan conquerors of Egypt opened it once
+more; but they lacked the modern facilities for handling mud and sand,
+and it went to ruin again, and was useless till a comparatively modern
+date.
+
+"When Napoleon I. was in Egypt the subject attracted his attention, and
+he employed an expert French engineer to examine the matter. This
+gentleman declared that the level of the Red Sea was thirty feet higher
+than that of the Mediterranean; and this report knocked the scheme
+higher than a kite. But in 1841 the English officers employed in this
+region proved the fallacy of the French engineer's conclusion, and the
+subject came up again for consideration.
+
+"This time it was the Vicompte de Lesseps, another French engineer, who
+took up the subject. He was born at Versailles in 1805, had been
+educated for the diplomatic profession, and had served his country
+acceptably in this capacity at Lisbon, Cairo, Barcelona, and Madrid. In
+1854 he began upon the work, and two years later obtained a concession
+of certain privileges for his proposed company, which was duly formed,
+and began the actual work of construction in 1860. Nine years after it
+was completed, and formally opened with extraordinary ceremonies and
+festivities, and has now been in successful operation about twenty-two
+years. Queen Victoria of England made the distinguished Frenchman a K.
+C. S. I."
+
+"What does that mean, papa?" asked Miss Blanche.
+
+"It is a big distinction, and that is all I know about it," replied the
+speaker with a laugh; for he was not student enough to look up what he
+did not comprehend.
+
+"Knight Commander of the Star of India," added Louis, who had looked up
+the abbreviation.
+
+"Thank you, Mr. Belgrave. From 25,000 to 30,000 men were employed upon
+the work. It was delayed by the necessity of completing a fresh-water
+canal to Isma�lia, about half way through to Suez, and by some trouble
+with Ismail, who had succeeded as viceroy. The original capital of the
+company was about forty million dollars of our money; but the total
+cost, including the auxiliary works required to put it in running order,
+was one hundred million dollars. Yet it is good stock to-day; and all
+the steamers that used to be obliged to go around Cape Good Hope pass
+through the canal, and did so before some of you were born.
+
+"As the commander observed a little while ago, the canal is 100 miles
+long. The width of the water surface is from 150 to 300 feet, though it
+has changed somewhat since the canal was built. At the bottom it was 72
+feet wide, and the shoalest place has 26 feet in depth. As you see
+around you, two breakwaters had to be built, involving an immense
+amount of labor and expense; for one of them is nearly 7,000, and the
+other a little more than 6,000, feet in length.
+
+"The highest level on the isthmus is 52 feet, so that they did not have
+to dig very deep anywhere; and there were several depressions in the
+level, which made the work still less. The canal passes through three
+lakes: first, Menzaleh, 28 miles; Timsah, 5 miles; and the Bitter Lakes,
+23 miles. Every five or six miles there are side basins where one ship
+can pass another. That is all I need say at present; but as we are
+sailing through, there will be much more to say."
+
+The usual applause followed, and then the commander took the rostrum.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE JOURNEY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
+
+
+Captain Ringgold suggested to the magnate of the Fifth Avenue that he
+had omitted something, as he pointed to the long piers which extended
+out into the sea.
+
+"I had it on my tongue's end to mention them; but I am not much
+accustomed to speaking before an audience, and I forgot to do so,"
+replied Mr. Woolridge. "But then they are engineering work, and I doubt
+if this company would be interested."
+
+"I was wondering where they obtained all the stone to build them in this
+place, where there appears to be nothing but sand and mud," interposed
+Mrs. Belgrave. "They must be nearly a mile long."
+
+"They are quite a mile long," replied Mr. Woolridge.
+
+"Did they bring the stone from the quarries away up the Nile, where they
+got the material of which the pyramids are built?"
+
+"Not at all; that would have been about as big a job as digging out the
+canal."
+
+"Hardly; for they could have brought them by water about all the way,"
+said the commander. "But the material did not come from those
+quarries."
+
+"No; they made the rocks," added the magnate.
+
+"Made them!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom. "Do you expect us to believe that?"
+
+"There is a great deal of such work done in the United States, and in
+some of our cities there are streets paved and sidewalks built of
+manufactured stone," replied Mr. Woolridge. "At the town which you see,
+the piers start out about two-thirds of a mile apart, and approach each
+other till they are less than a third of a mile from each other. They
+were built to protect the port from the north-west winds which sometimes
+blow very fresh here, and to prevent the harbor of Port Said from being
+choked up with the Nile mud from the mouths of the great river.
+
+"These piers were constructed by a French firm. The first thing was to
+manufacture the artificial stone, which was composed of seven parts
+sand, of which there is a plentiful supply in this vicinity, and one
+part of hydraulic lime, imported from France. I suppose the latter is
+something like the cement used in New York in building sewers and
+drains, or other works in wet places. This concrete was mixed by
+machinery, then put into immense wooden moulds, just as you make a loaf
+of sponge cake, Mrs. Blossom, where it was kept for several weeks. These
+blocks weighed twenty tons each."
+
+"Goodness! They were heavier than Mrs. Grimper's sponge cake!" exclaimed
+Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"Considerably," laughed the magnate. "The solid contents of each were
+thirteen and a third cubic yards. How big a cubic block would that make
+in feet, young gentlemen? I hope you are not neglecting your mathematics
+for geography and sight-seeing."
+
+"About seven feet," replied Louis, after some mental figuring.
+
+"A little more than that," added the professor.
+
+"Seven feet is about the height of the cabin of this ship, and one of
+them would just stand up in it," continued Mr. Woolridge. "They made
+thirty of them every day, and twenty-five thousand were required."
+
+"This is about as wonderful as the immense work of the ancient
+Egyptians," said Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"But all this labor was done by machinery. The moulds were removed from
+the blocks, and they were exposed to the air in order to harden them
+more effectually. They were then hoisted on peculiar boats, built for
+the purpose, with an inclined deck, from which they were slid into the
+sea. They made a tremendous splash when they were dumped overboard; and
+it was a sight worth seeing if we had happened to be here twenty-four
+years ago."
+
+"It wasn't convaynient for some of us to be here at that time," said
+Felix.
+
+"That is so, my broth of a boy; but some things happened before you were
+born, as well as since."
+
+"Sure, the pyramids were built before your honor was barn."
+
+"True for you; some things happened before I was born, and even before
+the twin cupids came into the world; for I believe they are the oldest
+persons on board," replied the magnate. "They kept dropping these
+tremendous blocks into the sea till they came nearly to the level, and
+then they built the walls as you see them now. I suppose you have
+noticed that lighthouse on the little strip of land between the sea and
+Lake Menzaleh. That is also built of these artificial stones, and it is
+one hundred and sixty-four feet high. It is provided with electric
+lights, which are to be seen from a distance of twenty-four miles. It
+is, therefore, one of the largest in the world. I believe I have covered
+the ground now, and I won't say anything about Port Said till we are
+moored in the grand basin."
+
+"You have disposed of the _pierres perdues_ very nicely indeed, Mr.
+Woolridge," said the professor.
+
+"Who are they?" asked the magnate, who had forgotten all the French he
+ever knew.
+
+"Literally, 'lost stones,' as they were when they went overboard; but
+that was what the French engineers called them."
+
+"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I desire to invite you to the upper deck,
+where I wish to say something to you about the Land of Goshen, and thus
+finish up Egypt, except the portion we shall have in view as we continue
+on our voyage," said the commander rising from his seat.
+
+The ladies were handed down from the promenade by the gallant gentlemen,
+though, unfortunately, there were not enough of the former to go round;
+but no one but the captain and Louis presumed to offer his services to
+Mrs. Belgrave or Miss Blanche. As the party approached the place where
+the conferences had usually been held, they saw that a change had been
+made in the appearance of things.
+
+The first novelty that attracted their attention was the large map which
+was suspended on a frame rigged against the mainmast. It was brilliant
+with colors, with all the streams, towns, and lakes, properly labelled,
+upon it. A small table stood at the left, or port side, of it, covered
+with a cloth, with a Bible and a vase of flowers upon it. Chloe, the
+stewardess, had provided the latter from the pots which the ladies had
+kept in the cabin since their visit to Bermuda.
+
+On the deck a large carpet had been spread out, and the thirteen
+arm-chairs had been placed in a semicircle, facing the map, with one
+behind the table for the speaker for the occasion. As soon as the
+company had taken in this arrangement for the educational feature of the
+voyage, they halted, and applauded it with right good-will.
+
+"Please to be seated, ladies and gentlemen," said the commander, as he
+handed Mrs. Belgrave to the chair on the right of the table; and at the
+same time he took his place behind the table.
+
+The party took their chairs according to their own fancies, and Mrs.
+Blossom managed to get at the side of Felix. At one side stood Mr.
+Gaskette and the two sailors who had assisted him in his work. They had
+also arranged the meeting-place from the direction of the captain. Some
+of the tourists wondered what the commander meant to do in the face of
+all these preparations. It was not Sunday, or they would have come to
+the conclusion that the usual religious service was to be held here; for
+the Bible on the table pointed in this direction. As soon as the party
+were seated the commander opened the Good Book at a marked place.
+
+"I see that some of you are surprised at the altered appearance of our
+out-door hall," Captain Ringgold began. "I regard the instructive
+element of our voyage as one of the greatest importance; and if I were
+to fit out the ship again for this cruise, I should provide an apartment
+on this deck for our conference meetings. But I have done the best I
+could under the circumstances, with the assistance of Mr. Gaskette, the
+second officer of the ship.
+
+"I see also that the map before you has challenged your attention,"
+continued the commander, who proceeded to explain in what manner he had
+caused the maps to be made. "Mr. Gaskette has been my right-hand man in
+this work. He is not only a good navigator and a thorough seaman, but he
+is a highly educated gentleman, a graduate of Harvard College, a person
+of artistic tastes, as you may have learned from your intercourse with
+him. The map before you is only one of three already completed, and the
+work is in progress upon several others."
+
+The company, including the ladies, received this explanation with
+generous applause, and all the boys called for the subject of the
+captain's remarks. He was presented to them, and thanked the commander
+for his kind words, and hoped the maps would prove to be useful in the
+conferences.
+
+"I will begin what I have to say about the Land of Goshen by reading a
+few verses from the first chapter of Exodus: 'And Joseph died, and all
+his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were
+fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding
+mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there rose up a new king
+over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold,
+the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come
+on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to
+pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our
+enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
+Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their
+burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Ramses.'
+
+"Ramses II. is generally regarded as the Pharaoh of the oppression, and
+doubtless the Israelites suffered a great deal of persecution in his
+reign," the commander proceeded as he closed the Bible. "But the one who
+proposed in the verse I have read to 'get them up out of the land, was
+the successor of Ramses II., 'the new king over Egypt,' Merenptah, the
+son of Ramses, and now believed to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus. He
+reigned about 1325 years A.D.
+
+"The Land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, is the north-eastern
+part of Egypt, the whole of it lying to the east of the Damietta branch
+of the Nile," continued the commander, using his pointer upon the map.
+"Through this region then, as now, there were fresh-water canals, by
+which the country was made very productive, and the people were very
+prosperous. The city of Ramses, built by the Israelites, was doubtless
+the most important in Goshen. It is the ancient Tanis, the ruins of
+which are still to be seen. Pithom, the other city mentioned in the
+Scripture, is here," and the speaker pointed it out. "It is quite near
+the Arabian Desert, and the present fresh-water canal runs within a few
+miles of it.
+
+"With the birth of Moses, and the finding of the child in the ark or
+basket by the daughter of Pharaoh, and her adoption of it, you are all
+familiar; and the story is quite as interesting as any you can find in
+other books than the Bible. Though of the house of Levi, he became an
+Egyptian for the time; but he claimed his lineage, and became the leader
+of the Israelites, and conducted them out of Egypt.
+
+"A great deal of study has been given by learned men to the route by
+which this was accomplished. Most of them agreed that he started from
+Tanis, or Ramses. On that narrow strip of land between the lake and the
+Mediterranean, which you have seen from the promenade, was one of the
+usual roads from Egypt into Asia, and was the one which led into
+Palestine, the Holy Land. Where Moses and his followers crossed the Red
+Sea is still an open question, though hardly such to devout people who
+accept literally the Bible as their guide in matters of faith and fact
+both. These accept the belief that the crossing of the Red Sea, with the
+miracles attending it, was in the portion near Suez.
+
+"Heinrich Karl Brugsch, a learned German and eminent Egyptologist, born
+in Berlin in 1827, has constructed a theory in relation to the exodus of
+the Israelites which is more ingenious than reasonable to the pious
+reader of the Scripture. It would be hardly profitable for us to go into
+the details of his reasoning, though he uses the Bible as the foundation
+of his statements. There were two roads from Egypt to Palestine, the one
+mentioned, and one farther south, not so well adapted to caravans on
+account of the marshy country it traverses.
+
+"The German savant believed they departed by the northern road. In the
+British Museum is a letter written on papyrus over three thousand years
+ago, in which an Egyptian writer describes his journey from Ramses in
+pursuit of two runaway servants. The days of the month are given; and
+his stopping-places were the same as those of the Israelites. (Exodus
+xii. 37): 'The children of Israel journeyed from Ramses to Succoth;' and
+this is the region east of Goshen. (Exodus xiii. 20): 'And they
+journeyed from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the
+wilderness,' or the desert.
+
+"This was also the route of the Egyptian letter writer. Then the
+pilgrims were commanded to turn, and encamp at a point between Migdol
+and the sea, (Exodus xiv. 2.) He found the fugitives had gone towards
+the wall, meaning the forts by which Egypt was defended from Asiatic
+enemies. Following the same route, the Israelites came to the Sarbonian
+Lake. This is a long sheet of water on the isthmus," said the commander,
+as he pointed it out on the map. "It was, for it no longer exists,
+separated from the Mediterranean by such a strip as that which you see
+here by Lake Menzaleh.
+
+"Diodorus Siculus informs us that the Sarbonian Lake was filled with a
+rank growth of reeds and papyrus bushes, which made it very dangerous to
+travellers. Strong winds blew the sands of the desert over the surface,
+studded with leaves, so as to hide the water; and the traveller might
+walk upon it and sink to his death. The same ancient writer says that an
+army with which Artaxerxes, King of Persia, intended to invade Egypt,
+being unacquainted with this treacherous lake, got into it, and was
+lost.
+
+"Brugsch believes this was the lake through which the Israelites passed,
+and that Pharaoh's army encountered a storm, were lost, and perished as
+did the Persian forces. But we must drop the subject here, though it may
+come up again when we arrive at Suez, where others believe the six
+hundred thousand Israelites went over dry shod, while Pharaoh and his
+hosts perished in the closing waters."
+
+The company had certainly been deeply interested in the subject, and the
+commander retired from the rostrum with a volley of applause.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE LAST OF CAPTAIN MAZAGAN
+
+
+Captain Ringgold was very much delighted with the success which had
+attended his efforts to interest his passengers; for he never lost sight
+of the instructive feature of the voyage. None of his party were
+scientists in a technical sense in the studies which occupied them,
+though Dr. Hawkes and Professor Giroud were such in their occupation at
+home; but they were all well-educated persons in the ordinary use of the
+term.
+
+They were not Egyptologists, philosophers, theologians, zo�logists,
+biblical critics, ethnologists, or devoted to any special studies; they
+were ordinary seekers after knowledge in all its varieties. The everyday
+facts, events, and scenes, as presented to them in their present
+migratory existence, were the staple topics of thought and study. Though
+none of the party ascended to the higher flights of scientific inquiry,
+the commander endeavored to make use of the discoveries and conclusions
+of the learned men of the present and the past.
+
+He was eminently a practical man, and practical knowledge was his aim;
+and he endeavored to lead the conferences in this direction. The
+building of the piers at Port Said, and the construction of the canal,
+as meagrely described by the magnate of the Fifth Avenue, were the kind
+of subjects he believed in; and he had a sort of mild contempt for one
+who could discourse learnedly over a polype, and did not know the
+difference between a sea mile and a statute mile.
+
+"Do you believe in the explanation of that Dutchman you mentioned,
+Captain Ringgold?" asked Mr. Woolridge, at the close of the conference.
+
+"What Dutchman?" inquired the commander. "I do not remember that I
+alluded to any Dutchman."
+
+"I mean the man who says that Pharaoh's army perished in the lake where
+the weeds and papyrus grew," the magnate explained.
+
+"Brugsch? He was not a Dutchman; he was a German."
+
+"It is all the same thing; I have been in the habit of calling a German
+a Dutchman."
+
+"If you will excuse me, Mr. Woolridge, I think it is a very bad habit,"
+added the commander with a deprecatory smile. "A German is not a
+Dutchman, any more than a Dutchman is a German; and I should as soon
+think of calling a full-blooded American a Chinaman, as a German a
+Dutchman."
+
+"Of course you are right, Captain, though I am not alone in the use of
+the word," replied the magnate.
+
+"But it is more common among uneducated people than with people of even
+fair education. I do not accept Brugsch's explanation, but cling to the
+Bible story as I learned it in my childhood. I don't think Brugsch's
+explanation comes under the head of what is called the 'higher
+criticism,' or that it places him in the column of those who represent
+the 'advanced thought' of the present time; for he follows the Scripture
+record, and does not seek to invalidate it. But we are going to run into
+the basin, and it is time we were moving," added the commander, as he
+called the first officer, and ordered the anchor to be weighed.
+
+"Do you have to pay to go through the canal, Captain Ringgold?" asked
+Mrs. Belgrave, after the commander had given his orders.
+
+"Of course we do," replied the captain; and about all the party gathered
+around him to hear what he had to say. "As Mr. Woolridge said, the canal
+is good paying stock to the holders of the shares. It cost a vast sum of
+money, and it is worked and kept in running order at an immense
+expense."
+
+"I asked a foolish question, and I might have known better," said the
+lady.
+
+"Every vessel that goes through to Suez has to pay a round sum for the
+privilege."
+
+"Do all ships have to pay the same amount?"
+
+"Certainly not; for that would be very unfair. They pay by the ton; and
+every vessel carries a register, in which her tonnage is given. The
+Guardian-Mother's is 624 tons. About everything is French in this
+locality; and the rate charged is ten francs a ton, or a little less
+than two dollars. I shall have to pay a bill of $1,248 in our money."
+
+"That looks like an enormous price," suggested Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"In addition to this charge, we have to pay from ten to twenty francs
+for a pilot, depending upon the tonnage, and the same for each
+passenger. Through the greater portion of the canal the speed of
+steamers is limited to five miles an hour; otherwise the swash of the
+propeller would injure the embankments on either side. It takes steamers
+about sixteen hours to go through to Suez."
+
+"But that is over six miles an hour," Uncle Moses objected.
+
+"The three lakes, making nearly thirty miles of the distance, are wide
+enough and deep enough to permit steamers to go ahead at full speed,
+which will more than make up the difference, and include the stay at
+Isma�lia. There are sometimes unavoidable delays. A vessel may get
+aground, and bar the passage for a day or two. The canal is not in all
+places wide enough for one large steamer to pass another, and there are
+sidings, as on a single track railroad, where it can be done, a little
+more than three miles apart. Posts are set up every five kilometres to
+indicate the distances."
+
+"Anchor aweigh, sir," reported the first officer.
+
+"Heave it up," replied the captain, and went to the pilot-house.
+
+The "Big Four" had gone on board of the Maud, and she got under way at
+the same time. The pilot was on board of the ship, and none was taken
+for the little steamer, which was regarded as the tender. Captain Scott
+had his plan of the harbor before him, and he could have taken his craft
+into the basin without any assistance; but he was required to follow the
+ship.
+
+Port Said owes its existence to the canal, and without that it would
+amount to nothing. It is located on the eastern end of an island which
+is a part of the narrow neck of land which divides Lake Menzaleh from
+the Mediterranean. It was thought when it was laid out that it would
+become a considerable city; but it has not yet realized this
+expectation, though it has now a population of over seventeen thousand.
+Six thousand of this number are Europeans, the French predominating. The
+making of the harbor, or "Grand Basin Ismail" as it is called, was
+another difficult task for the canal company; for it has an area of 570
+acres, which had to be excavated to the depth of twenty-six feet by
+dredging.
+
+The Guardian-Mother, followed by the Maud, passed through the channel,
+which is marked by red and green lights, to the basin, where the former
+was moored at one of the walls. The town could not be seen by the
+tourists till the ship entered the basin, and then it was found to be a
+place of no small importance. It contains two good hotels, where one may
+board at one for three dollars a day, and at the other for two and a
+half.
+
+It was necessary for the steamers to coal at this point, and the party
+went on shore. From the deck they could see up the principal street. The
+French post-office, for there is also an Egyptian, was close to the
+wharf; and they hastened to that, for most of them had written letters
+to their friends at home. It was still Egypt, and the place was true to
+its national character; for the travellers were immediately beset by a
+horde of beggars, and bakshish was still a popular clamor. The shops
+were like those of other regions, though they did not seem to be doing a
+very thriving trade; for the entire surrounding country was either a
+desert or a morass, and there were few to go shopping.
+
+There was really nothing to be seen there, and the passengers soon
+returned to the ship, impatient to proceed on the passage through the
+canal; but the night was coming on, and the commander decided to make an
+early start the next morning, for he wished his charge to see the
+country as they passed through it, and especially the steamers on their
+way to India and China. After dinner the company gathered in the
+music-room; but it was observed that the commander and Dr. Hawkes were
+absent. They had remained in the cabin, and were in conversation.
+
+"What is the present condition of your patient, Doctor?" asked the
+captain as soon as they were alone.
+
+"He is doing very well, and is in a fair way to recover in a short
+time," replied the surgeon.
+
+"After we get through the Red Sea, we strike out on a voyage of ten days
+or more, and I am not anxious to retain this villain on board,"
+continued the captain. "I owe him nothing, though I shall treat him with
+common humanity. In a word, I wish to get rid of him as soon as
+possible."
+
+"There is nothing in his present condition to prevent you from putting
+him on shore at any time,--to-night, if you are so disposed," replied
+Dr. Hawkes in decided terms.
+
+"You would oblige me very much, Doctor, by broaching this subject to
+him. I suppose he has money, though I know nothing about it, and he can
+pay his way at one of the hotels here," suggested the captain.
+
+"We had the United States Consul with us at dinner, as you are aware,
+and he can inform you whether or not there is a hospital here. I will
+see Mazagan at once, and do as you desire. I will see you in your cabin
+in half an hour," said the surgeon, as he went forward to the hospital.
+
+Captain Ringgold went to the music-room, where the consul was enjoying
+himself in listening to Miss Blanche, who was giving him some account of
+the voyage; and she had just mentioned "The Battle of Khrysoko," of
+which the consul wished to know more. The captain called him aside, and
+proceeded to question him in regard to the care of the patient in the
+town.
+
+"I have a wounded man on board, and I wish to get rid of him," he
+began.
+
+"Wounded in the battle of which Miss Woolridge was telling me?" asked
+the official.
+
+"Precisely so; but he is not of my party, and is the biggest scoundrel
+that ever went unhung;" and the commander gave a brief account of his
+relations to Mazagan. "Is there a hospital in Port Said?"
+
+"None, except for _fellahs_ and other laborers. If he is a respectable
+man, perhaps I can find accommodations for him at the Hotel de France,"
+answered the consul. "I will go and see the landlord at once, and report
+to you in half an hour."
+
+"Come to my cabin on the upper deck."
+
+In less than the time he had stated he came back, and reported that the
+hotel would take him at sixty francs a week. While he was in the cabin
+the doctor presented himself.
+
+"Does this patient require a nurse?" asked the consul.
+
+"He does not. In the last two days he has greatly improved," replied the
+doctor, "though we keep a man near him to prevent him from doing any
+mischief."
+
+It was settled that the patient should be sent on shore that night to
+the hotel, and the consul returned to the music-room.
+
+"Mazagan protests against being sent ashore here; and I have no doubt he
+would do the same at Isma�lia or Suez," said Dr. Hawkes. "He insists
+upon seeing you, and declares that he has important business with you.
+If you do not seriously object, perhaps that would be the easiest way to
+quiet him."
+
+"Can he walk?" asked the commander.
+
+"As well as you can, Captain. He has a lame shoulder; but he can help
+himself with his left hand, and I have put his right arm in a sling, to
+prevent him from using it," answered Dr. Hawkes.
+
+Captain Ringgold struck his bell, and sent for Knott to conduct the
+patient to his cabin. In a few minutes Mazagan was seated in the chair
+he had occupied once before as a prisoner.
+
+"You wish to see me?" the commander began rather curtly.
+
+"I do, Captain Ringgold. You talk of sending me ashore at this place. I
+protest against it," said the prisoner; for such he was really.
+
+"Do you intend to remain on board of my ship for an indefinite period?"
+
+"Until you settle my account with you," answered the pirate, as
+self-possessed as though he had been the victor dealing with the
+vanquished.
+
+"Don't say anything more to me about your account!" added the commander,
+fiercely for him. "Your protest is of no consequence to me, and I shall
+put you ashore to-night!"
+
+"You don't know what you are doing, Captain Ringgold," said the wounded
+man, with a savage scowl on his face. "The Fatim� was old and worn out,
+or your tender could not have crushed in her side. Let me tell you that
+my noble master, the Pacha, ordered a new steam-yacht of a thousand tons
+a year ago; and if you treat me with this inhumanity, he will follow you
+all over the world till he obtains his revenge."
+
+[Illustration: "KNOTT, TAKE THIS VILLAIN AWAY." Page 201.]
+
+"That is enough of this nonsense!" said the captain, springing from his
+chair, and calling for Knott, who was at the door.
+
+"If you pay me the two hundred thousand francs, that will be the end of
+the affair," added the prisoner.
+
+"I will never pay you a centime! Knott, take this villain away, and have
+him conveyed to the Hotel de France at once!" said the commander.
+
+Knott obeyed the order, taking the pirate by the left arm. Mr. Boulong
+was instructed to carry out the order given. In five minutes more the
+Moor was marched up the quay between two seamen, and handed over to the
+landlord. At daylight the next morning the Guardian-Mother and the Maud
+sailed on their way through the canal; and nothing more was seen of
+Captain Mazagan.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+THE CONFERENCE ON THE SUEZ CANAL
+
+
+The Grand Basin Ismail, at Port Said, is only an extension in breadth of
+the canal, and the Guardian-Mother had only to proceed on her course by
+the narrow water-way through the desert. The Maud followed her closely,
+having nothing to fear on account of the depth of the water; and even
+the ship had plenty under her keel. But it is said that, by what appears
+to be a curious reversal of the ordinary rule, the very large steamers
+are in less danger of running aground than those of smaller dimensions.
+
+When the commander stated this canal axiom to the passengers assembled
+before the starting on the promenade, Uncle Moses objected strenuously
+to its truth, and Dr. Hawkes warmly supported him. The statement did not
+look reasonable to them.
+
+"Is it claimed that a vessel drawing twenty-five feet of water is in
+less peril than one needing only eighteen feet of water to float her?"
+asked the lawyer.
+
+"The facts seem to prove this; but you will say that it is so much the
+worse for the facts," replied the captain, laughing at the earnestness
+of the non-nautical gentlemen; and even the ladies understood the
+matter well enough to be interested in the dispute.
+
+"The affirmative side of the question must prove its position,"
+suggested the doctor.
+
+"Which the affirmative will be very happy to do," replied the commander
+very cheerfully. "If the bottom of the canal were a dead level, paved
+like Broadway, and the depth of the canal were just twenty-six feet in
+every place, with a perpendicular wall on each side, your theory would
+be entirely correct, and the affirmative would have nothing more to say.
+But the bottom is not paved, and there are no walls at the sides to
+secure a uniform depth."
+
+"Then the canal is not twenty-six feet deep, as the affirmative has laid
+down the law," added Uncle Moses.
+
+"That looks like a lawyer's quibble," replied the captain with a hearty
+laugh. "You have opened the road for the retreat of the negative."
+
+"The facts set forth by the speakers in our conference fail to be
+facts," persisted the legal gentleman.
+
+"The fact was given as a general truth that the depth of the canal is
+twenty-six feet; but I think that no person as reasonable as Squire
+Scarburn of Von Blonk Park would insist that it should be absolutely of
+fully that depth in every part in order to comply with the general truth
+of the statement. The courts don't rule in that way. I read lately of a
+life insurance company which refused to pay a policy on the plea that
+the holder had been a drunkard; but the court ruled that the use of
+intoxicating liquors, or even an occasional over-indulgence, did not
+constitute a drunkard."
+
+"A wise ruling," added the squire.
+
+"We call a person a good man; but even the affirmative does not insist
+that he shall be absolutely without sin, stain, or fault in order to
+entitle him to this designation."
+
+"There would not be a single good man in that case," laughed the doctor.
+"We admit the general truth that the canal is twenty-six feet deep."
+
+"The canal has been dug out of loose sand for the most part, and it
+would have been impossible to make it of uniform depth. Some of the
+largest steamers in the world pass through the canal on their way to
+India, China, and Australia. The Orient Line has the Ophir, a twin-screw
+ship, about five hundred feet long, and others nearly as large.
+
+"This big ditch across the isthmus has an average width of three hundred
+feet, or two hundred less than the length of the Ophir. She could not,
+therefore, get across the channel. There is a current in this water, and
+fierce winds sometimes blow across it, and both of these affect the
+inertia of the vessels. A comparatively small steamer like the
+Guardian-Mother can be twisted about by these causes, and her bow or her
+stern may catch on the sloping sides."
+
+"You have made out your case, Captain Ringgold; and the moral is that
+general truths are not invariably true," said Uncle Moses
+good-naturedly.
+
+"I only hope we shall not get aground," added Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"We are fairly started now, and we have Lake Menzaleh on one side, and a
+low sandy plain, once covered with water, on the other," continued the
+commander. "It is difficult to believe that the swamp and lagoon on the
+starboard were once covered with fertile fields, watered by two of the
+branches of the Nile, where wheat was raised in abundance, from which
+Rome and other countries were supplied with food."
+
+"What vast flocks of birds!" exclaimed Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"Those are flamingoes, just rising from their resting-place," added the
+captain. "They were white just now as we looked at them; notice the
+color of the inside of their wings, which are of a rose-tinted pink."
+
+"But what became of the wheat-fields that were here?" asked Mrs.
+Blossom, after they had observed the wild birds for a time.
+
+"The sea broke in and covered the rich lands with sand and salt; and
+there are towns buried there now."
+
+"Goodness, gracious!" almost screamed Mrs. Blossom. "There's another
+steamer sailing on the land!"
+
+"It appears to be so, but is not so," replied the commander.
+
+"It is really so," added Mrs. Woolridge; and all the party gazed with
+interest at the phenomenon.
+
+"Only apparently so," the captain insisted.
+
+"Please to explain it to us, Commodore," said Miss Blanche, who had long
+ago applied this title to him.
+
+"With pleasure, Miss Woolridge. It is the mirage, from the Latin
+_miror_, to wonder, which appears to be what you are doing just now. The
+steamer you see sailing along the shore is an optical illusion, a
+reflection, and not a reality. Refraction, which is the bending of the
+rays of light, produces this effect. If you look at a straight stick set
+up in the water, it will appear to be bent, and this is caused by
+refraction. The learned gentlemen present will excuse me for going back
+to the primer of physics."
+
+"We are quite satisfied to have the memory refreshed," replied the
+doctor.
+
+"The air around us is of different densities, which causes the rays of
+reflection of our ship to be bent, sending the image up on the shore.
+What sailors call 'looming,' often seen on our own shores, is produced
+in the same way; and we often see an island, or a vessel, looming up
+away above the water, from which it is sometimes separated by a strip of
+sky. The mirage is often seen in the desert, with a whole caravan up in
+the air, sometimes upside down.
+
+"An object is often seen when at a considerable distance from it. In the
+Arctic regions ships below the horizon, or hull down as sailors phrase
+it, are revealed to other ships far distant by their images in the air.
+From Hastings, on the English Channel, the coast of France, fifty miles
+distant, from Calais to Dieppe, was once seen for about three hours. In
+1854 a remarkable exhibition of the mirage was witnessed in the Baltic
+Sea from the deck of a ship of the British navy. The whole English
+fleet, consisting of nineteen sail, distant thirty miles from the point
+of observation, were seen up in the air, upside down, as if they had
+been hung up there by their keels.
+
+"The Fata Morgana is a sort of mirage seen in the Strait of Messina. A
+person standing on the shore sees the images of men, houses, ships, and
+other objects, sometimes in the air, sometimes in the water, the
+originals frequently magnified, passing like a panorama before the
+beholder. The vapory masses above the strait may cause the pictures to
+be surrounded by a colored line. When the peasants see it, they shout
+'Morgana! Morgana!'"
+
+"What does that word mean?" inquired Miss Blanche.
+
+"The French from which it is derived is '_Morgaine la Fee_,' from a
+sister of King Arthur of the Round Table, who had the reputation of
+being a fairy, which is _fata_ in Italian."
+
+"But what is that round table?" asked Mrs. Blossom very innocently.
+
+"You must excuse me, my dear woman," replied the commander, looking at
+his watch. "The Suez Canal is the subject before us, and I am talking
+all the morning about other things."
+
+"But it is collateral information, called out by the mirage; and the
+illustrations you mentioned are quite new to me, for one," added Dr.
+Hawkes.
+
+"I like this kind of a conference, where the side matters are all
+explained," said Mrs. Belgrave. "But it is a pity the boys are not here,
+for they are not getting any of the cream of this conference so early in
+the morning."
+
+This was enough for the commander, coming from her; and he immediately
+hastened to the stern of the ship, where he hailed the Maud, and ordered
+her to come alongside. The four sailors who had attended the party in
+the excursion to Cairo and up the Nile were directed to go on board of
+the tender, and take the places of the "Big Four." The Guardian-Mother
+had to go into a "siding" to permit a steamer to pass her at this point,
+and the transfer was easily made.
+
+However it may have been with the others, Louis Belgrave was glad to get
+back to the ship, where he could sit by the side of Miss Blanche, and
+answer the many questions she was continually asking; for she had an
+inquiring mind. As she often remarked, Louis always seemed to know all
+about everything. Perhaps if he had been with the party all the time, he
+might have lost some portion of his reputation as a walking
+encyclop�dia; for when he was to be with her on any excursion, he took
+extraordinary pains to post himself upon the topics likely to be
+considered.
+
+"You notice that post near the siding," said Captain Ringgold when the
+party on the promenade had been re-enforced by the addition of the young
+men, and the steamer began to move again. "That is one of the five
+kilometre posts; and you will find them all the way to the Red Sea."
+
+"What is a kilometre?" inquired Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"I have talked so much that I will ask Mr. Belgrave to explain it,"
+replied the captain.
+
+"It belongs to the French metrical system, which most people have come
+to believe is the best in the world. I suppose everybody here knows what
+a meridian is, for it was explained when we were talking about great
+circles and geographical or sea miles. A meridian is a great circle
+reaching around the earth, and passing through the equator and the
+poles. A quadrant of a meridian is the quarter of a meridian, extending
+from the equator to either pole. This is something that does not vary in
+extent. A commission of five learned men, especially in mathematics, was
+appointed by the French Academy, at the instance of the government, to
+adopt a standard, and they made it a metre, which is the ten millionth
+part of the quadrant of a meridian. The metre is 3.28 feet of our
+measure, with five more decimal places after it.
+
+"Ten metres make a decametre, and one thousand metres make a kilometre,
+and ten thousand metres make a myriametre. Without bothering with all
+these decimals, a kilometre is about five-eighths of a mile. Five
+kilometres make three miles and one-tenth, which is the distance between
+these posts," said Louis in conclusion.
+
+"How came you to be so ready with your explanation, Mr. Belgrave?" asked
+Miss Blanche, with a pleasant smile of approval.
+
+"Captain Scott had talked the whole thing to us on board of the Maud
+while he steered the steamer," replied Louis.
+
+"But he knows five times as much about metres as I do; for I could not
+have explained the meridian business," interjected the captain of the
+Maud.
+
+"Five miles an hour is slow travelling; but it enables us to see the
+country, and also to talk about it," said Dr. Hawkes.
+
+"If you don't mean that I am talking too much, Doctor"--
+
+"I certainly do not mean that, and I hope you will keep it up,"
+interposed the surgeon.
+
+"Then I will say that the canal is run on the 'block system,' except on
+the lakes, where the ships can go at full speed," added the commander.
+
+"Where are the blocks? I don't see any," said Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"They are all along the canal."
+
+"I don't know what is meant by the block system," added Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"The railroads in England and the United States, or many of them, are
+run by this method. The whole length of the road, or canal in this case,
+is divided into short sections. On the railroad no train is permitted to
+enter a section till all other trains are out of it, and a collision is
+therefore impossible. The system is controlled by telegraph, by which
+signals are ordered at either end of the division. On the canal the
+director at Port Tewfik controls the movements of every ship on its
+passage either way. These posts mark the sections. You will learn more
+of it when we get to the other end of the canal."
+
+The breakfast gong sounded at this time, and the party were not so eager
+for knowledge as to pass over the morning meal.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE CANAL AND ITS SUGGESTIONS
+
+
+The tourists had been up long enough to be in excellent condition for
+breakfast; and the Asiatic breezes from the south-east were cool and
+refreshing, for they came from the mountains of the peninsula of Sinai,
+where Moses had received the law from Heaven. There was something
+inspiring in this thought to the minds of the more religious members of
+the party when the commander announced the proximity of the sacred
+mountain after he had asked the blessing.
+
+"How far is Mount Sinai from where we are now?" asked Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"I cannot tell you just how far it is at this moment, for my charts are
+in my cabin," replied Captain Ringgold. "We are not so near it as we
+shall be later; but you will all see it after we get into the Red Sea.
+We will defer the subject till that time; and I should not have
+mentioned it if the south-east wind had not suggested it."
+
+"I got a glance at an enormously big steamer ahead of us just as we were
+leaving the promenade," added Mr. Woolridge. "She looked as large as
+Noah's Ark, and appeared as though she was sailing over the land."
+
+"Perhaps she was quite as large; for the pilot tells me that the Ophir
+is just ahead of us," added the commander.
+
+"What is the Ophir?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"She is the largest of the Orient Line of steamers, and one of the
+finest ships in the world. I remember that in Smith's Dictionary of the
+Bible it says that the ark was larger than any British man-of-war; and
+probably the statement is still correct, though by a narrower margin
+than when the learned editor completed his work. The Empress of India
+and two other barbette ships of her class in the English navy have a
+displacement of 14,150 tons, and the last built Cunarder, the Lucania,
+exceeds 13,000 tons. The ark was 525 feet long, reducing her 300 cubits
+to our measure, which is about the length of the Ophir."
+
+"I should like to go on board of one of those great British steamers
+that sail to the other side of the earth," said Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Possibly we may have an opportunity to do so at Isma�lia or Suez. I
+will ascertain when we arrive at these places," the captain replied to
+the lady; whose simple requests and hints were law to the gallant
+commander, who was a bachelor in the best possible preservation.
+
+The company returned to the promenade without any unnecessary delay; for
+all of them were interested in the canal itself, and in the sights to be
+seen on its shores. The great steamer ahead of the Guardian-Mother was
+much nearer than when the party went below, and it soon appeared that
+she had "taken the ground." But it proved to be only a temporary hitch,
+for she went ahead again before the American craft reached her.
+
+"They are at work all the time on the canal to prevent these accidents,
+and several changes have already been made in the original plan of the
+canal," said the commander. "Monsieur Lesseps, who projected this
+wonderful enterprise, and whose energy and perseverance carried it
+through to its completion, made a voyage through the canal in the
+Austral, one of the largest of the Orient Line, though not so large as
+the one ahead of us, for the purpose of observing any defects. The
+result has been that several improvements have been adopted which it is
+expected will remove all the difficulties."
+
+"Is Monsieur Lesseps still living, Captain?" inquired Captain Scott.
+
+"He is at the age of eighty-seven this year. His success with the Suez
+Canal led him to undertake the construction of the Panama Canal. The
+company was formed with the prestige of the great engineer's success on
+this isthmus, and the shares were readily sold. The work was begun; but
+it was a more difficult undertaking than Suez, and the company suspended
+payment four years ago. Speculators and 'boodlers' had 'monkeyed' with
+the finances, and the vast scheme is a failure. Whether it will ever be
+accomplished remains a question for the future."
+
+"The poor old man and his son were dragged into the mire, and were even
+committed to prison, though they were soon released," added Mr.
+Woolridge. "I think he was a great man, and I was exceedingly sorry for
+his misfortunes."
+
+"He will never receive the honor he deserves on our side of the
+Atlantic, I fear," added Captain Ringgold. "After rich and powerful
+potentates had rejected the scheme, Lesseps still cherished it. Over
+sixty years ago, when he was an employe in the office of the French
+consul at Tunis, he was sent to Alexandria on business. Here he was
+subjected to a residence of some time in quarantine. He was supplied
+with books by the French consul there, and among them was Lap�re's
+M�moire. The author was Napoleon's engineer, whose report that the level
+of the two seas was not uniform, had set aside the schemes to connect
+them by a canal. Lesseps considered his views, and some years after made
+the acquaintance of Lieutenant Waghorn, favorably known in connection
+with the Overland Route to India by the way of Egypt. The route by
+descending the Euphrates River to the head of the Persian Gulf was also
+considered. It appears, therefore, that Lesseps was cogitating his great
+enterprise for nearly forty years before the work was completed."
+
+"I cannot see the immense importance of this canal as you gentlemen
+represent it; but I suppose it is because I am a woman," said Mrs.
+Belgrave.
+
+"It is of the greatest importance to England," replied Mr. Woolridge.
+"Over twenty-five hundred British vessels went through the canal in
+1888; for England has a vast empire in Asia, to say nothing of Australia
+and other colonies in the East. Of other nations of Europe, France sent
+two hundred and seventy-two ships through the canal, Holland one hundred
+and twenty-four, Germany one hundred and twenty-two, and others less
+than a hundred each."
+
+"But how many American vessels went through?" asked Captain Scott.
+
+"None were mentioned in the report I saw; and the number must have been
+very few. The canal is of vastly less importance to the United States
+than to England, France, Holland, and Spain, all of which have colonies
+in the East. Since the war, our maritime commerce has been immensely
+reduced, though our ships still make voyages to India, China, and
+various ports of the East. Then the distance saved to our vessels would
+be much less. Roughly estimated,--in fact, guessed at,--I should say
+that the distance from New York to Ceylon, near the southern cape of
+India, is four-fifths of that around Cape Good Hope. The heavy dues for
+passing through the canal are an item, and it would not pay to save two
+thousand five hundred miles out of twelve thousand five hundred."
+
+"But the saving from London to Bombay is forty-four per cent," added Mr.
+Woolridge. "From Marseilles to the same port it is nearly sixty per
+cent. The United States 'is not in it'"--
+
+"_Are_ not in it, papa," interposed Miss Blanche with a silvery laugh.
+
+"No, my dear; _is_ not in it," returned the magnate, with a loving
+smile. "I know the government is said to have ruled for the plural, but
+I don't accept the ruling. Why, what does _E pluribus Unum_ mean if not
+the singular number? For what did we fight the War of the Rebellion if
+not to prove that the United States _is_ one government, and _are_ not
+forty-four of them at the present moment."
+
+"But the grammar, papa?" asked Blanche.
+
+"The grammar is all right, my child. What are the news, Blanche? The
+company is or are, just as you pay your money and take your choice,"
+said the father, chucking the fair maiden under the chin.
+
+"Our friend is quite right, and, so far as the canal is concerned, the
+United States _is_ not in it," added the commander, laughing at the turn
+the conference had taken.
+
+"How far have we gone so far, Captain?" asked Miss Blanche.
+
+"Ten o'clock," he replied, consulting his watch. "We have been moving at
+this snail's pace for five hours, and made twenty-five miles, or forty
+kilometres. In five more we shall come to El Kantara, where the caravan
+route from Egypt into Asia crosses the canal."
+
+"Do the camels have to swim across the canal?" asked Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"They do not; but it cost the canal company some money to save them the
+trouble of doing so," replied the captain. "El Kantara means 'the
+bridge;' and there used to be one across the outlet of a lake there. The
+bridge was removed by the company, and a ferry substituted for it."
+
+"I suppose all vessels have to go through the canal in the daytime,"
+said Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"Not at all; the system of signals is arranged for day or night. Vessels
+with an electric search-light or projector which will show up an object
+three-quarters of a mile ahead are allowed to navigate the canal at
+night. We could do so if so disposed; but we wish to see the country.
+The channel is lighted at night by illuminated buoys."
+
+"What sort of boys?" inquired Mrs. Blossom, who was struggling to grow
+wise, and had a long distance to travel in that direction.
+
+"Iron ones," answered the captain.
+
+"Iron boys!" exclaimed the good lady. "How could they point out the way
+through the canal?"
+
+"They swim in the water, and the pilots understand the language they
+speak," said the commander gravely.
+
+"Iron boys that swim and speak!" ejaculated the excellent lady. "I think
+you must be fooling with us, Captain Ringgold."
+
+"You have put your foot in it again!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave in a
+whisper. "Don't say another word!"
+
+"A buoy is a floating body in the shape of two inverted cones united at
+their bases, made of copper or plate iron. They are used all over the
+world to mark the bounds of channels, sometimes with fog-bells on them,
+rung by the action of the waves," continued the commander. "They are
+moored to the bottom here as elsewhere, and have a gas-light burning on
+them all the time."
+
+"A gas-light!" exclaimed Mrs. Woolridge; "where is the gas-house?"
+
+"There are several of them on the canal, and not one for each buoy,
+which is filled with gas, and contains a supply that will last for six
+weeks. Some folks who never went to sea suppose a lighthouse is to give
+light on the water, when they are only to mark certain localities, and
+to give ranges to navigators. These buoys are for the same purpose, and
+not to light up the canal. But here is El Kantara."
+
+"I think you said this place was on the road to Syria," said the
+magnate. "People who go to the Holy Land from Egypt, and most of them do
+go that way, take a steamer from Alexandria to Joppa, or Jaffa as it is
+now generally called, and do not go by camel-back over this road."
+
+"They do not; but they may go over it at some time in the near future,"
+added Professor Giroud. "The Egypto-Syrian Railroad has been projected,
+and it is to pass over this route."
+
+The travellers found quite a village at El Kantara, with a hotel, and
+other places for the refreshment of travellers. Passengers from the
+steamers seldom land here. The ship proceeded on her way, and the party
+caught a glimpse at a boat-load of camels crossing the canal. From this
+place to Fort Said the course had been perfectly straight through Lake
+Menzaleh, which ends here.
+
+"If you will look to the left," said the commander after a time, "you
+will see a considerable body of water. That is the upper part of Lake
+Balah, through which the canal passes. About a mile and a half distant
+is a lot of sandstone rocks like that of the Memnon statues. They appear
+to belong to an altar, and the inscription informs the visitor who can
+read it that they were parts of a temple erected by Seti I. in honor of
+his father, Ramses I., and completed by Ramses II., his son. There may
+have been a city here, but there are no signs of it now."
+
+The steamer passed through the Balah Lakes; for there are several of
+them, containing some islands. The canal is protected by high banks of
+yellow sand, and beyond is the desert, with hills in the distance.
+Coming out of the lakes, the canal passed through a deep cutting, which
+was the worst place encountered in doing the work. It is the highest
+ground on the isthmus, averaging fifty-two feet above the sea; and a
+ridge of this territory is from seventy to one hundred feet high,
+through which the digging had to be carried. There are some curves here,
+the canal is the narrowest in all its course, and vessels more
+frequently get aground here than in any other portion. The road to Syria
+passed over this elevation, which is called "the causeway" in Arabic.
+
+The Ophir went through without sticking in the sand, and the
+Guardian-Mother was likely to do as well. A solitary mosque and a ch�let
+of the Khedive were passed, and the ship was approaching Lake Timsah
+when the gong sounded for lunch, and the air of the desert had given the
+tourists an appetite which caused them to evacuate the promenade with
+hasty steps.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE MYSTERIOUS ARAB IN A NEW SUIT
+
+
+The cabin party of the Guardian-Mother were on the promenade in time to
+observe the entrance into Lake Timsah. It is near the seventy-five
+kilometre post from Port Said, or half way through the canal to the head
+of the Gulf of Suez, the most northern portion of the Red Sea. The city
+of Suez is several miles to the south-west of this point; for Lesseps,
+for some reason said to be political, avoided the old town, and carried
+the canal to the other side of the inlet, and below it.
+
+Lake Timsah has an area of about six square miles. It is not a deep body
+of water, and the canal had to be built through it as through Lake
+Menzaleh. Its water is now of a pale blue, very pretty to look at.
+Before any work was done here, it was a mere pond, filled with reeds;
+but it has been cleaned out and made more healthy for the surrounding
+country.
+
+On its northern shore is the town of Isma�lia, having about two thousand
+inhabitants, which has become a place of some importance. The railroad
+from Cairo is extended to it by a branch, the main line following the
+canal to Suez. It has a couple of hotels; and its principal square, on
+which the best one is situated, has the name of Place Champollion,
+showing that the French remember their learned men.
+
+While the canal was in process of construction, Isma�lia was the centre
+of operations. It was handsomely laid out, not unlike the city of
+Washington, which is one of the handsomest in the world; but, like the
+new places in our great West, it was built in a hurry, under the
+pressure of a drive of business, and the sanitary conditions were
+neglected. The important fresh-water canal, which is near the railroad
+all the way from the Nile, furnishes the only drinking-water of this
+town and of Suez; but the sewers of the new town had no other outlet.
+
+Of course the town was soon invaded by fever, which caused it to be
+deserted; and it has never recovered its former prosperity, though not
+wholly for this reason, for the completion of the canal destroyed its
+business basis. Isma�lia was the focal point of the great ceremonials at
+the opening of the canal. The Empress Eug�nie of France, the Emperor
+Frederick of Germany, then crown-prince, and other noted persons, were
+present; and the celebration is said to have cost the Khedive twenty
+million dollars.
+
+The town has improved somewhat of late; the viceroy's ch�teau, which had
+become much dilapidated, has been restored, and portions of the desert,
+irrigated from the canal, have been transformed into fine gardens.
+Though the climate is agreeable and the air dry, it is not likely to
+become a pleasure resort. A couple of small steamers run from this port
+to Port Said, while the railroad connects it with Suez.
+
+The steamer remained a couple of hours at the station, as did the Ophir;
+and the commander obtained permission for the ladies to pay her a visit.
+She is a magnificent specimen of naval architecture. Her saloon,
+staterooms, drawing-room on the upper deck, were magnificent apartments,
+most luxuriously furnished. Her appointments for second-class passengers
+were extensive and very comfortable, far better than on many Atlantic
+steamers.
+
+The ubiquitous donkey, and especially the donkey-boy, were here; and the
+"Big Four," with the exception of Louis Belgrave, who attended Miss
+Blanche on the visit to the Ophir, accompanied by Don, went on a frolic
+to the town. They made a great noise and waked up the place, but they
+committed no excesses. When they returned to the ship, they found Louis
+and Miss Blanche showing the captain and the surgeon of the big steamer
+over the Guardian-Mother. The beautiful young lady had evidently
+fascinated them, and they had been extremely polite to the party,
+perhaps on her account. They appeared to be interested in the
+steam-yacht, and expressed their belief that nothing more comfortable
+and elegant floated.
+
+The steamers got under way again, and proceeded through one of the two
+channels through the blue lake. The ladies waved their handkerchiefs to
+the officers and passengers of the Ophir; and their greetings were
+heartily reciprocated, for the American party had plainly made an
+impression upon the English people, partly perhaps by the style in which
+they travelled, but probably more by the beauty of the ladies, with Miss
+Blanche as princess, and the others were under forty and still
+good-looking. The lake is only five miles long, and the steamers soon
+passed into the cut at the south of it.
+
+"Along this region many ruins have been found, some of them of Persian
+structures," said the commander after the ship had left the lake.
+"Pharaoh-Necho, 600 B.C., built a canal from Suez to Lake Timsah, with
+gates, which Herodotus describes, and informs us that the vessels of the
+period went through it in four days."
+
+"I wish you would tell us something about Herodotus, Captain, for his
+name has been frequently mentioned in Egypt," said Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"And about Diodorus and Strabo, also mentioned in the lectures," added
+the magnate. "I have forgotten all that I ever knew about these
+gentlemen."
+
+"I am in the same boat, Captain," the doctor responded.
+
+"I shall leave those subjects to the professor. But we are approaching
+some objects of interest, and we will defer the matter to another time,"
+replied the commander. "Do you see a white dome on the starboard? That
+is the tomb of Shekh Ennedek; and it is rather a picturesque affair here
+in the midst of the desert."
+
+"Was he a fighting character?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Not at all; far from it. He was a wealthy Arab chief. He made the
+pilgrimage to Mecca, which is the duty of every faithful Mohammedan; and
+he seems to have been greatly impressed by it, for he gave his cattle
+and his lands to the poor, and spent the rest of his life on the
+greenish territory we have just passed through, in religious
+meditation."
+
+"He was a good man if he was a Mohammedan," added the lady.
+
+"We don't believe that all the good people in the world belong to our
+church," added the captain. "Do you all remember who Miriam was?"
+
+More than half the party could not remember.
+
+"She was the sister of Moses; and she first appears, doubtless as a
+young girl, watching the Nile-cradle of her infant brother. The land
+next south of Lake Timsah, made green by the water, is called Gebel
+Maryam, probably after the sister of Moses. She was a prophetess; but
+she found fault with the marriage of her brother, for which she was
+afflicted with Egyptian leprosy. As you find it in the Bible (Numbers
+xii.), Moses asked the Lord: 'Let her be shut out of the camp seven
+days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut
+out from the camp seven days.' An Arab legend points out this spot as
+the place where she spent that time, and from which it gets the name of
+Maryam."
+
+"That's nice, Captain Ringgold!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom. "I wish you
+would tell us more Bible stories."
+
+"Some people believe that the Mediterranean and the Red Seas were
+connected in some remote age of the world, or at least that the latter
+extended to the north as far as Lake Timsah," continued the commander,
+without noticing the suggestion of the amiable lady. "In proof of this
+supposition, certain shells found in the Mediterranean, but not in the
+Red Sea, have been thrown up in digging for the canal through Lake
+Timsah.
+
+"We are approaching what is called the Serapeum," said the captain.
+
+"What! more of them here? I thought we had used up all the Serapeums,"
+said the magnate with a laugh.
+
+"The present one is of a different sort," answered the commander. "But
+the ruins found in this vicinity were supposed to belong to a Serapeum
+such as several we have seen on the Nile; but Lepsius says they could
+not have been a part of a temple to Serapis, but were monuments built on
+the ancient canal by Darius.
+
+"It is high ground here, comparatively speaking; and you observe that
+the cutting of the water-way is through a rocky formation, with rather
+high banks on each side. There is quite a little village above; and, as
+it is getting dark, we shall pass the night here in the siding-basin."
+
+"Who is that man on the forecastle of the Maud?" asked Captain Scott as
+the little steamer came into the basin.
+
+"I don't know," replied Captain Ringgold. "I had not noticed him before.
+He looks like an Arab, though he is taller than most of them."
+
+A flight of steps ascended to the top of the embankment at the station
+of the little town. The Maud passed close to them on her way to her
+berth for the night. Abreast of them the Arab on the forecastle leaped
+ashore, but made a gesture as though the movement had given him pain. He
+went up the steps and disappeared.
+
+"Who was that man, Knott?" asked the captain when the seaman came on
+board of the ship.
+
+"I don't know, sir; I called upon him to give an account of himself as
+we were crossing Lake Timsah; but he could not understand me, pointed to
+his mouth, and shook his head, meaning that he could not speak English.
+He did not do any harm, so I let him alone; for Don was running the
+engine, and I did not like to call him from his duty. He kept his face
+covered up with a sort of veil, and would not say anything. I thought I
+would let him alone till we came to a stopping-place, and I could report
+to you."
+
+"When did he go on board of the Maud?" asked the captain.
+
+"I don't know, sir. The first time I saw him was on the lake. Spinner
+had the wheel, Don was in the engine-room, and the rest of the ship's
+company were on the upper deck looking at the sights. I inquired, but
+no one had seen him."
+
+"Did you ever see him before?"
+
+"I don't think I ever did, sir. He had on what looked like a new suit of
+Arab togs, and he kept his face covered up, as I said."
+
+If Captain Ringgold was not troubled, he was perplexed. He had observed
+the stranger distinctly as he went up the steps, but he could not
+identify him as a person he had ever seen before. Of course it came into
+his head at once that the tall Arab was Captain Mazagan, and he said as
+much to Scott.
+
+"We left him at the hotel at Port Said; how could he be here?" asked the
+captain of the Maud.
+
+"He must have smuggled himself on board of the little steamer when we
+were at Isma�lia; for he was first seen out in the lake."
+
+"How could he have been at Isma�lia?" Scott inquired.
+
+The commander went to his cabin, and looked over his "Bradshaw," in
+which he found that a steamer left Port Said at seven o'clock every
+morning, and arrived at Isma�lia at noon. It was possible that Mazagan
+had come by this conveyance; and he gave Scott the information.
+
+"Probably he stopped at the station while we were on board of the Ophir,
+or your party had gone to the town," said the commander. "It was easy
+enough for him to stow himself away in the cabin of the Maud while no
+one but Philip was on board of her."
+
+"I supposed we had got to the end of the pirate when I saw him trotted
+on shore to the hotel," added Scott.
+
+"So did I, though he made some huge but very indefinite threats when I
+saw him last," mused the commander. "But why did he go on board of the
+Maud, when he could have gone to Suez by the railroad?"
+
+"I don't see," replied Scott. "He is a Moor, and must be as revengeful
+as his 'noble master,' as he calls him. It was the Maud that did his
+business for him, and I was at the wheel of her when she smashed into
+the side of the Fatim�. I only hope his grudge is against me and not
+against Louis Belgrave."
+
+"You mention the idea I had in my mind when I asked why he went on board
+of the Maud, Captain Scott," said the commander. "Perhaps it is a lucky
+chance that I sent for the 'Big Four' so that they might hear all that
+was said about the scenes through which we were passing."
+
+"You mean that it may have been a lucky chance for Louis or for me; but
+I believe it is a luckier chance for the pirate, for I think I should
+have thrown him overboard if I had seen him on our deck," said Scott.
+
+"Then there would probably have been a fight on board of the Maud, and
+work made for our surgeon in your party. It may have been lucky for all
+that you were called on board of the ship. But we must take care that
+he does not resume his voyage in the morning with us."
+
+Captain Ringgold took all necessary precautions. A watch was kept on
+board of both vessels; and when they started on the remainder of the
+trip through the canal in the morning, nothing had been seen or heard of
+Mazagan. It was agreed that nothing had better be said about the matter;
+and when the cabin party, with the "Big Four," gathered on the promenade
+at five o'clock in the morning, not one of them, except the big and the
+little captain, suspected that an enemy was near, if the stranger really
+was Mazagan, of which they could not be sure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+THE TOY OF THE TRANSIT MANAGER
+
+
+The village of Serapeum has had an existence of over twenty years; and
+its pleasant little gardens looked very inviting in the fresh morning
+air to the members of the cabin party as they took their places on the
+promenade, which had come to be about as well defined as their seats at
+the table. The air was soft and agreeable; and after their refreshing
+sleep the tourists were in excellent condition to enjoy the continued
+passage through the canal, of which, however, there were only about
+forty-one miles left, and the commander expected to be at Suez by noon.
+
+Captain Ringgold had not said anything to any person except Scott about
+the mysterious stranger with a veil over his face; but the ship and her
+consort had been well guarded over night, and a search for stowaways was
+made when the morning watch came on duty. Not even an Arab tramp could
+be found, and the commander was confident the tall Mussulman had not
+again found a hiding-place on board of either vessel.
+
+"We shall soon have a change of scene," said Captain Ringgold, as he
+joined the party on the promenade. "We are still in the desert, though
+the fresh-water canal makes a streak of green along its banks, for it
+extends to Suez, and even across the bay to the entrance of the canal."
+
+"The prospect is not very exciting just now," added Mr. Woolridge, as
+the screw began to turn, and the ship moved away from her moorings.
+
+"We shall come to the larger of the Bitter Lakes in less than an hour,"
+replied the captain. "There is nothing very exciting about them; but
+Brugsch identifies these lakes with the Marah of the Bible, though
+others do not agree with him. In Exodus xv. 23 we read," and the speaker
+took a paper from his pocket: "'And when they came to Marah, they could
+not drink of the waters ... for they were bitter: therefore the name of
+it was called Marah.' But the bitter spring which Moses sweetened by
+casting into it a tree is in the peninsula of Sinai."
+
+"Shall we go there?" asked Mrs. Blossom, beginning to be excited, as she
+always was when scriptural subjects came up in connection with the
+journey; and she had studied the Bible more than any other book, and
+probably more than all others combined.
+
+"At the proper time I shall have something to say about Mount Sinai, and
+I hope to place you in a position to see it in the distance; but at
+present we are not prepared to consider the matter. You can now see
+through the cutting an expanse of water, which is the great basin, as
+the larger lake is called.
+
+"As stated before, the Red Sea formerly extended to Lake Timsah, over
+forty miles farther than now, and the lakes before us were then a part
+of the sea. The deepest water was twenty-four to forty feet below the
+Mediterranean, with a heavy crust of salt on the bottom, though the
+smaller basin required a great deal of dredging. In the spring of 1869
+the Prince and Princess of Wales were present in this locality, and took
+part in the ceremonial of 'letting in the waters.'"
+
+"'Wails for the multitude of Egypt,'" added Uncle Moses.
+
+"Ezekiel, chapter and verse forgotten," replied the commander.
+
+"Thirty-two, eighteen," said the bulky lawyer.
+
+"Are there any whales in the lake?" asked Felix.
+
+"You can fish for them, my lad; but the particular Waleses of whom I
+spoke were not 'in it,'" continued the captain. "These Wales did not
+spout, though they probably said something; but they let in the water
+instead of blowing it out, as respectable whales do at sea. The waters
+of the two seas came together, and notwithstanding the joyousness of the
+occasion, the meeting was not altogether amiable and pleasant at first.
+Each representative of the different bodies seemed to pitch into the
+other, and the onslaught created a great commotion for a time. If they
+were ever united before in the distant past, they appeared to have
+forgotten all about it.
+
+"The war was short and decisive, and the waters soon settled down into a
+peaceful condition, as you will find them to-day. They have apparently
+shaken hands, and accepted the task of promoting the commerce of the
+world. But here we come to the great basin. The lake is about six miles
+wide. Here is the lighthouse, and there is another at the other end of
+it, each of them sixty-five feet high."
+
+The shores of the lake are flat and sandy, and the water is of a bluish
+green hue. There is a well-defined channel through it. As there is no
+longer any danger of washing the banks of the canal, steamers increase
+their speed, and the Guardian-Mother made the next twenty miles in less
+than two hours. As the captain had promised, it was a change of scene,
+and it was very agreeable to the party. In the distance could be seen
+the Geneffeh range of hills, which were a relief in the landscape from
+the desert. In them are rich quarries of marble and limestone which are
+profitably worked.
+
+The passage through the canal had become monotonous to the travellers
+after they had passed through the lakes, for it was a desert on both
+sides. Shortly after, the water-way was cut through sandstone, and after
+that the soil was clay, or a mixture of it with lime; but the last part
+of the course was through depths of sand again. The tide on the Red Sea
+rises from five to seven feet, and its flow extends about four miles up
+the canal.
+
+"Looking ahead, you can see an expanse of water, which means that we are
+coming to the end of our canal travel," said the commander. "I suppose
+no one will be sorry for it; for we have had all our social
+arrangements as usual, and there has been something to see and much to
+learn all the way."
+
+"It has not been at all like my canal travel at home," added Uncle
+Moses, who was the oldest person on board of the ship by one month, by
+which time Dr. Hawkes was his junior, and they were only fifty-four. "I
+went from Syracuse to Oswego by a canal boat when I was a young man. The
+trip was in the night, and I slept on a swinging shelf, held up by
+ropes; and we were bumping much of the time in the locks so that I did
+not sleep so well as I did last night. But what water have we ahead,
+Captain?"
+
+"It is an arm of the Gulf of Suez, which is itself one of the two great
+arms of the Red Sea."
+
+"It appears to be well armed," said Uncle Moses, who could be guilty of
+a pun on extreme provocation.
+
+"Like yourself, it is provided with two arms, but it does not shoot with
+them," replied the captain. "On our left are the ruins of Arsinoe, which
+was an ancient port, once called Crocodilopolis; and, by the way, Lake
+Timsah was once Crocodile Lake, and doubtless the saurians formerly
+sported in its waters."
+
+"About Arsinoe?" suggested the professor.
+
+"Probably you know more about it than I do, Professor."
+
+"I know little except that it was a commercial city of Egypt, built by
+Ptolemy II. The name is that of several females distinguished in one way
+or another in the ancient world, and the word is usually written with a
+di�resis over the final _e_, so that it is pronounced as though it were
+written Arsinoey. The city thrived for a time, and was the emporium of
+eastern Egypt; but the perils of the navigation in the north of the Red
+Sea diverted the trade into other channels, and the place went to decay.
+It was named by Ptolemy after his sister, who was married at sixteen to
+the aged king of Thrace. There is a bloody story connected with her
+life, which I will not repeat; but in the end she fled to the protection
+of her brother in Egypt, and after the fashion of that age and country,
+he made her his wife."
+
+"You have not been in Asia any of you yet, or even as near that
+continent before as you are at this moment," continued the commander, as
+the ship passed out of the canal into the gulf.
+
+"I thought we had been in Asia," interposed Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Certainly we have," added half a dozen others.
+
+"Isn't Scutari in Asia, Captain?" asked the lady.
+
+"To be sure it is, and we all went over there from Constantinople,"
+replied the commander. "I had forgotten that, and you are not so
+innocent as I began to make it appear. But you have Asia on one side and
+Europe on the other."
+
+"Well, we had that on the Bosporus, when we made that trip to the Black
+Sea in the Maud," added the lady, who seemed to be pleased because she
+had caught the captain in a blunder.
+
+"Then you have been in all the grand divisions of the earth except South
+America, and I have no doubt you will go there before we come to the
+finish of this voyage. Here is the station; and you observe that there
+is a bridge across the canal by which the traveller can proceed to Suez,
+which you can see upon the point on the other side. The donkeys and
+donkey-boys abound here as everywhere in Egypt, and boats can be
+obtained to ferry you over to the town. But as we shall remain here a
+day or two, I think we had better go into the basin. We can then go
+where we please in the Maud."
+
+It was lunch time when the two vessels had been secured, and the party
+adjourned to the cabin. As soon as the meal was disposed of they
+returned to the upper deck, and seated themselves in the arm-chairs, for
+there was much to be seen. Port Tewfik is the proper name of the place
+at the station, but most of the people are Frenchmen, and they all call
+it Terreplein.
+
+"At this station the office of the canal company, which you can see from
+the deck, is located. It has a garden in front of it, on an avenue
+adorned with lebbec trees. You see that tall tower with balls and flags
+on it; and it is from this point that all the movements of vessels in
+the canal are controlled. But I think we had better land, and see it for
+ourselves."
+
+The company went on shore, and proceeded to promenade the environs. One
+of the first things that attracted their attention was a colossal bronze
+bust of Lieutenant Waghorn, who had been presented to them by Captain
+Ringgold in one of his talks. It was erected to his memory by the canal
+company, and is a graceful tribute of the French to the originator of
+the overland route. The inscription was in French, and Louis translated
+it for the benefit of the observers.
+
+"But I cannot translate the bass-relief on the bronze," he added.
+
+"That represents Lieutenant Waghorn embarking with the mails in an open
+boat at Suez, an incident that actually occurred. It is said that this
+gentleman, after spending the best years of his life in his efforts to
+establish a quicker route between England and her vast colonies, died in
+poverty in London in 1850; but I hope it is not true," the commander
+explained. "We will now apply for admission to the office of the
+manager."
+
+The permission was obtained, and the party ascended to the upper room of
+the building. Monsieur Chartrey, the superintendent of the transit
+department of the canal, was very polite to them, and explained
+everything to them in English. On a low table which occupied all one
+side of the apartment was what looked like a metal trough about fifteen
+feet long. A model of this apparatus was exhibited in England, and there
+it was called "the toy," a name which is still retained.
+
+On a shelf above the table are about fifty models of ships, each bearing
+the flag of some nation. The toy is a model of the canal, with its
+sidings, stations, and the lakes. When a ship enters the canal at
+either end, a little ship is placed in the relative position it
+occupies; and when one sails out of it, its representative in the trough
+is removed. All the stations are connected with this office by
+telegraph, just as the railroads are controlled in modern times; and
+when a vessel passes from one section, or block, it is reported to the
+manager. A man is always watching; and as news comes in, he makes the
+proper changes in the model ships. Where a steamer is to tie up for the
+night is ordered from this office.
+
+Monsieur Chartrey was very heartily thanked for his courtesy and
+kindness, and the party left to look at the docks, quays, and basins of
+Terreplein; but they were precisely the same as they had seen in various
+ports of Europe, especially at Havre. The commander had ordered the Maud
+to be in readiness for a trip, and it was decided to spend the rest of
+the afternoon at Suez.
+
+The first question the captain put on his return to the ship was as to
+whether anything had been seen of the mysterious Arab stranger; for the
+officers had been cautioned not to admit any person on board. Mr.
+Gaskette had remained on board of the Maud, and made the same report.
+With the four seamen who had attended the company up the Nile on board,
+and with the second officer and Don, the little steamer left her
+landing-place, provided with a pilot, and steamed by the channel over to
+the city of the desert, as it has been called.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+A VISIT TO THE SPRINGS OF MOSES
+
+
+The utility of the Maud was fully demonstrated at Suez, if there had
+been any doubt of it before, as a tender, and Captain Ringgold
+recognized it especially at this time; for the question of taking her
+out of the water, and giving her a place on the upper deck, had been
+referred to this point in the voyage, and it was yet to be settled.
+
+Port Ibrahim is the walled basin south-west of Port Tewfik, or
+Terreplein as the French call it, extending out to the deep water of the
+Gulf of Suez. The shores are bordered with a shoal in every part. To a
+practical person the motive of De Lesseps in avoiding the city of Suez
+was probably to strike the water at the deepest point, rather than
+political.
+
+The party took their places in the standing-room of the Maud, which had
+been prepared for their reception. The "Big Four" were again in their
+element, though the pilot had everything his own way. A channel
+describes about a quarter of a circle from the deep water and the very
+end of the canal to the north side of the city, in which there is depth
+enough for the smaller class of vessels engaged in its commerce.
+
+Most of these crafts were dhows, similar to the felucca with which the
+party had become familiar in the Archipelago, and the boys observed one
+just astern of them with great interest. They are used on the Malabar
+Coast in the East Indies as well as in the Red Sea, where it is called a
+_baggala_, though dhow is the more common name in the far East. They are
+over two hundred tons burden, and of all sizes below that. They have
+been used for commerce and piracy, which is also true of the felucca of
+the Mediterranean.
+
+"She sails like the wind," said Captain Scott, after they had looked the
+craft over.
+
+"She is bigger than the Samothraki, whose acquaintance we made in
+Pournea Bay," added Morris.
+
+"I have read something of the craft in stories about the Malays; and a
+craft of that sort suggests piracy to me every time, especially since
+our experience in the Archipelago," replied Scott.
+
+"There are no pirates up here," said the pilot with a laugh, for he
+spoke English and understood all that was said.
+
+"What do those dhows bring up here?" asked Louis.
+
+"Coffee from the ports of Arabia, spices, gums, senna, rose-leaves, and
+other drugs and perfumes," replied the pilot.
+
+"What becomes of these articles then?"
+
+"Some of them are used in Suez; but most of them go by the railroad to
+Cairo, or other parts of Egypt, and I suppose some of them get to
+Europe and America."
+
+"They are all rather costly merchandise, and one of those dhows can
+carry a big freight of them," added Louis, as he went aft, for Miss
+Blanche was there.
+
+The pilot brought the Maud up to the custom-house quay; and the dhow,
+which was not far behind the little steamer, came alongside the pier
+near her. The company landed, and proceeded to do the town. The pilot
+appeared to be a Frenchman, and he volunteered to act as a guide for the
+strangers. They found the streets very narrow, and not in the best
+condition. They passed over to the south side of the city, where they
+obtained a fine view of the Gulf of Suez.
+
+"Across the water you see the Ataka Mountains, about 2,700 feet high;
+and sometimes they show the colors of the garnet and amethyst. A fine
+view is obtained from the top of them, but it would give you a hard
+climb," said the guide. "On the other side of the bay it is Asia, Arabia
+Petr�a."
+
+"We shall go down to the Springs of Moses to-morrow," added the
+commander. "Are you a pilot in that direction?"
+
+"In all directions, Captain," answered the pilot. "Here is the Hotel
+Suez quite near us, if you wish to visit it."
+
+"We have no occasion to do so."
+
+"It is a first-class house, fitted up in English style, and kept by a
+German."
+
+"What is the price there by the day?" asked the captain from curiosity.
+
+"Sixteen shillings for the best fare."
+
+"Four dollars a day."
+
+"But they have two prices. I have been to New York, and over some of
+America, as I have over the rest of the world, and I know your money.
+For people like yourself, who want the best, breakfast or tiffin is one
+dollar."
+
+"Breakfast or what?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Tiffin," the commander explained. "It means luncheon, and is used by
+English people in India."
+
+"Dinner a dollar and a half. The rooms are at different prices. For the
+second-class fare the prices are just half as much as the first."
+
+"There are a couple of the waiters," said Mrs. Woolridge. "They are
+nice-looking men, not very black."
+
+"They come from India, and make better servants than Arabs," added the
+guide.
+
+"How slender their forms, and what delicate features they have!"
+exclaimed the New York lady.
+
+"You are likely to see a good many of them in the course of the next
+month or two," suggested the captain, as the walk was continued in the
+town. "The houses are about the same as they were in other parts of
+Egypt, and they have the same ornamented lattices behind which the
+ladies inside can see you without being seen."
+
+The party looked into the quarters of the Arabian sailors, consisting
+of low hovels, but did not enter. The population of the town is now
+about 15,000. Before the time of the canal, it was an Arab village of
+1,500, with low mud shanties. It was like the desert around it; for no
+water was there to brighten the foliage, if there was any, for not a
+tree or a plant was to be seen. The water used was of poor quality,
+brought from the Springs of Moses by camels and donkeys. It was a
+poverty-stricken place. But the opening of the fresh-water canal from
+the Nile vivified everything, and vegetation has come into being since
+this event.
+
+The party examined this canal, to which the place is so much indebted
+for its present appearance, as well as no little of its prosperity. It
+is six and a half feet above the level of the Red Sea, and its flow into
+the conduits for the supply of the city, as well as the waste into the
+sea, is regulated by a large lock, with gates. Near this they found the
+camel-camp, and not less than five hundred of these animals were there
+at the time; and the pilot said he had seen as many as a thousand of
+them there at once. They form the caravans to and from Arabia and Egypt,
+as well as into Syria.
+
+The tourists climbed a little hill near the ch�teau of the Khedive, from
+which they obtained a fine view of the surroundings, which included
+parts of Asia and of Africa. This elevation is said to be the site of
+the ancient Clysma, a fortified place, built to protect the ancient
+canal of Darius. The party, especially the "Cupids," were beginning to
+be fatigued; and the guide conducted them to the pier, which is a
+notable feature of the locality.
+
+"This pier is a mile and three-quarters in length, and reaches over to
+Port Ibrahim, conveying there a conduit from the fresh-water canal,"
+said the pilot in a perfunctory manner, as though he had had
+considerable experience as a guide. "It is forty-eight feet wide, and is
+built of artificial stone, like the great piers at Fort Said. It is
+erected on a sand-bank, which curves around in the shape you see the
+pier. The land you observe at the end of it, about fifty acres of it,
+was made out of the earth dug out of the canal. The building you see
+near the shore is a mosque; and there are several others. We will walk
+along the shore to the little steamer."
+
+The travellers were occasionally assailed by a mob of donkey-boys; but
+no notice of them was taken, and they reached the Hotel Suez near the
+landing-place. The guide pointed out an island near the shore on which
+was located the English Cemetery. There are at the west of the town an
+English and a French hospital. The party embarked, and the guide went to
+the pilot house. In a few minutes more they were on board of the ship.
+
+It was not yet dinner time, and the arrangements for the trip to the
+Springs of Moses were made. In the evening, attended by the pilot, Felix
+and Captain Scott went over to the town again, instructed to visit the
+hotels and ascertain, if they could, whether the veiled Arab was
+lodging at any of them. While they were absent the company in the cabin
+reviewed the pilgrimage of the Israelites, and the events which led to
+the receiving of the Law by Moses on Mount Sinai, in which the commander
+conducted the inquiry, and read many passages from Exodus and Numbers.
+
+About ten o'clock in the evening Captain Scott and Felix reported the
+result of their mission. The pilot was well acquainted with the keeper
+of the Hotel Suez, and the information desired had been readily
+obtained. A person answering to the description, though he wore no veil,
+had come to the hotel. He was suffering much pain from a lame shoulder,
+and had gone to the French hospital for treatment. They had inquired
+about "Monsieur Abdelkhalik," as he had given his name at the hotel, and
+were informed that he was "comfortable," which was all the attendants
+would say.
+
+The commander sent for Dr. Hawkes, and told him about his former
+patient. Mazagan had been very imprudent and even reckless, and his
+present condition was simply what might have been expected, was the
+doctor's reply. He might be out again in a week, not sooner, and might
+not for a month. The captain was satisfied there would be no further
+movement on the part of the pirate while he remained at Suez.
+
+After breakfast the party embarked again in the Maud. Four sailors in
+charge of Knott were sent on board, and the first cutter of the ship was
+taken in tow, to be used in making the landing. The men remained on the
+forecastle, and the pilot and Knott were already good friends. But the
+"Big Four" were requested to stay with the party at the stern. The
+little steamer went out of the basin and down the canal to the bay. As
+soon as she came into the open water, the commander took the floor.
+
+"On your right is Africa; on your left is Asia. You have probably had
+enough of Egypt, and now we will confine our attention to Asia; and we
+have pleasant Asiatic breezes from the east this morning. The country on
+your left is Arabia, and nearest to you is the Peninsula of Sinai. It
+has the Gulf of Suez on its west shore, and the Gulf of Akaba on its
+east coast. I spoke to you of Brugsch's theory that the Israelites
+journeyed east, with some diversions by divine command, till they came
+to the Sarbonic Lake, in which he said that Pharaoh and his host
+perished.
+
+"Now you are on that portion of the Red Sea where it is more generally
+believed that the fugitives crossed and Pharaoh's army was ingulfed. The
+king heard that the wanderers had not passed the fortifications on the
+isthmus, and he believed they were 'entangled in the land.' Then he
+began the pursuit, with 'the six hundred chosen chariots.' The
+Israelites fled before him, and crossed the waters in the manner
+described in the Scriptures.
+
+"Setting aside the miracle of the parted waves, there are still doubting
+critics who affirm that they crossed the gulf at low tide on these
+sands where the pier is built, as was frequently done by caravans before
+the canal was built. The Egyptians continued the pursuit, reaching the
+gulf before the tide turned, and attempted to follow them; but a strong
+south-west gale sprang up, driving the waters furiously before it, to
+the utter destruction of the whole army and its chariots.
+
+"But I accept the narrative as it is written (Exodus xiv.); and I should
+like to argue the case with any one who takes the view of Brugsch, or
+other critics who try to explain the miracle on natural grounds."
+
+The pilot anchored the Maud as near the shore as the depth would permit,
+and the party were taken ashore by the sailors in the cutter. The
+springs are about a mile from the landing, and the walk through the sand
+of the desert was trying to the ladies and to the fat gentlemen. The
+pilot acted as guide.
+
+"Ain Musa, as it is called, is an oasis a mile and a quarter in
+circumference. As you see, it is covered with date-palms, tamarisks, and
+acacias, and everything grows luxuriantly," the Frenchman began. "The
+Arabs who live in the mud hovels you see, raise fine vegetables here;
+and, like all Arabs, they will expect a bakshish."
+
+The springs were found to consist of several pools of rather muddy
+water. The largest of them, shut in by an old wall, is said to be the
+one called forth by the rod of Moses from the rock; but the tradition
+is accommodating, and, if you choose, it is the one whose bitter waters
+were sweetened by the casting in of the tree.
+
+The party had brought a luncheon with them, and it was served by Sparks
+at the usual hour. They had a delightful time under the trees, and
+listened to an explanation by the professor of the natural formation of
+the springs. In the middle of the afternoon they embarked, and returned
+to the ship in the canal basin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+THE VARIOUS ROUTES TO MOUNT SINAI
+
+
+The next day was Sunday; and, in accordance with the custom from the
+beginning of the voyage, no unnecessary work was required to be done by
+any person, and the business of sight-seeing was discontinued. But all
+were at liberty to observe the day in their own way. Religious services
+were conducted by the commander on the deck or in the cabin, which were
+usually attended by all. Most of them went to church on shore when it
+was convenient; but going to see the edifice or the pictures they did
+not regard as a devotional exercise.
+
+It was a warm and pleasant day for the seventeenth of January, in
+latitude 30�, about the same as New Orleans or the northern part of
+Florida; and the service was held in Conference Hall, as the carpeted
+section of the promenade deck had come to be called. The captain began
+the exercises by reading selections from Exodus xv.:--
+
+"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and
+spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed
+gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The
+Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my
+God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God, and I will
+exalt him.... Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea:
+his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have
+covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone."
+
+Several "Gospel Hymns" were sung, and the sermon read by the commander
+was as nearly fitted to the surroundings as any he could find in his
+collection. After the service Mrs. Blossom struck up "Turn back
+Pharaoh's Army, Hallelu!" in which those who knew this Jubilee Singers'
+melody joined. The conversation that followed naturally turned in the
+direction of the Peninsula of Sinai, which they could see from the deck.
+
+"Are we going to Mount Sinai, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, in
+a rather decided tone for her, as though she intended to have the
+question settled this time.
+
+A great deal had been said by the ladies from Von Blonk Park in relation
+to this proposed excursion; but for some reason of his own the commander
+had not yet given a definite answer. They all attended the same church
+at home, and the captain and the two ladies were members of it. While
+the others of the party were deeply interested in the Biblical history,
+they were not so enthusiastic as the two ladies mentioned.
+
+"Are we going to Mount Sinai?" replied the commander, repeating the
+question of the owner's mother, "No!"
+
+It was a decided "no" this time, and the jaws of the two Von Blonk
+Parkites suddenly dropped. Everybody in the company knew that the
+commander would do anything, even to swimming across the gulf where the
+children of Israel had walked over, to oblige her, and they were very
+much surprised at the emphatic negative.
+
+"I shall not finally decide this interesting question without giving my
+reasons," continued Captain Ringgold. "It would be an extremely
+interesting excursion to me, as well as to the others. Though I have
+been to Suez before, I have not made the trip, and I should be as glad
+to go as any person present. Many travellers go there, especially
+clergymen, to whom it is in a sense professional, aside from the
+interest their studies would naturally create in the subject, and the
+excursion finds a place in many excellent books of travel. I do not
+consult my own personal desires so much as the situation and
+circumstances in which we are placed.
+
+"Although we call our voyage an All-Over-the-World affair, the title is
+considerably exaggerated in the truest and most literal sense; for if we
+devoted the rest of our natural lives to the work, we could not go
+everywhere. It is impossible to visit every country on the earth even,
+and we must use judgment and discretion in determining where we will go.
+We are travelling by sea, making only such excursions inland as the
+facilities of the country we visit will conveniently permit. Such trips
+as we make of this kind must be regulated or controlled by conditions
+over which we have no influence.
+
+"Times and seasons form an important consideration. We are going to
+India, and the season is advancing. The southern end of the Red Sea is
+in latitude 12� north, where you are likely to see some hot weather; and
+the longer we delay, the hotter it will be. We shall sail from here
+Tuesday morning; and if we do not make a run up into the Persian Gulf,
+we shall probably be at Bombay by the first of next month. That city is
+in latitude 19�, or about that of the south side of Cuba, of which you
+know something. We shall see plenty of extremely hot weather, but we
+wish to avoid it as much as possible.
+
+"There are several routes to Mount Sinai, three from Suez, and two from
+ports south of it. It will take from two weeks by the shortest route to
+four by the others. It is a very fatiguing journey if made with due
+diligence, and it would require a full month for us to see the country
+properly. My first objection is the time it would require.
+
+"In the next place, the expense is from forty to fifty francs a day,
+eight to ten dollars, for each person, over a hundred dollars a day. If
+the result justified it, I should not object to the expense, and I don't
+think Uncle Moses would. There are no hotels in this region, and you
+would have to camp out, live in hovels, or at best in the monastery; and
+the trip would involve a great deal of discomfort to persons not
+accustomed to roughing it. The 'Big Four' might make a pleasant affair
+of it, but most of the others would not.
+
+"All the preparations for the excursion have to be made at Cairo, where
+dragomans who contract to supply tents, camels, food, and everything
+required are to be found, and I was approached by three of them at
+Shepheard's Hotel."
+
+"Then the trip seems to be impossible now, and it is useless to talk
+about it," suggested Mr. Woolridge; and the captain thought he could
+perceive an expression of relief on his face.
+
+"It is not impossible," added the commander with a smile. "We can go to
+Tur, 140 miles south of Suez, and there we shall find camels and a
+contractor, though perhaps not for so large a company. I do not think
+our party would enjoy the trip whichever way we might go. It is a rough
+country, a group of mountains. The Monastery is 5,014 feet high, and it
+must be cold weather up there in January. The Jebel Musa, which is
+usually regarded as the Holy Mountain, is 7,363 feet high; but even
+Mount Sinai itself is disputed ground, and the question 'Is Mount Serbal
+the Sinai of Scripture?' is discussed by the critics. Serbal is 8,712
+feet high, the loftiest, I believe, on the peninsula, and is nearer to
+the gulf than the others.
+
+"I believe the discomfort and exposure of the trip render it
+impracticable at the present time and at the present season. The
+guide-books indicate the months of March and April as the best for the
+excursion; and it is too early to go now with comfort, not to say
+enjoyment. Of course I do not know what Mr. Belgrave, under the advice
+of his guardian and trustee, will do with the Guardian-Mother when our
+present voyage shall be completed; but if he should retain the steamer,
+I should recommend him to make a trip across the ocean at the right
+time, and up the Mediterranean, by the Gulf of Iskanderun to
+Alexandretta, which is near the head waters of the Euphrates River, a
+proposed route to India by the Persian Gulf, of which I may have
+something to say another day.
+
+"From this city the steamer could take in the ports of the Holy Land, or
+her passengers could journey through Syria by land, with tents and
+dragoman. The ship could then be left at Port Said, the party could come
+through the canal to Suez in the Maud, or by some other conveyance, and
+then make a business of exploring the Peninsula of Sinai," said the
+commander in conclusion.
+
+"That arrangement would suit me much better," added Mrs. Belgrave. "I
+have been groaning at the necessity of going home without seeing the
+Holy Land. I shall keep this plan in my mind as one to be carried out in
+a couple of years if my son does not object to it."
+
+"The Guardian-Mother shall not go out of commission until this voyage is
+completed," replied Louis promptly. "Captain Ringgold is engaged as
+commander for life, and he will attend to the accomplishment of my
+mother's wishes."
+
+"I thank you, Mr. Belgrave, for the confidence thus reposed in me, and I
+shall be most happy to command the steamer on such a voyage," replied
+the captain. "We cannot calculate on events of the future with too much
+assurance."
+
+The day passed away quietly with reading and singing, and very early in
+the morning the passengers heard an unusual sound of activity on the
+part of the ship's company. The captain had given orders the night
+before to have everything made ready for hoisting on deck the Maud. He
+had announced his intention to the "Big Four" in his cabin, and given
+his reasons for his decision. Scott and Felix regretted this change in
+the programme of the voyage more than the other two.
+
+"The Red Sea is sometimes a very stormy place," said the commander. "I
+have feared more than anything else when you have been sailing in the
+Maud that she might get separated from the ship in a fog, or in some
+other manner, and that the little steamer might come to grief, however
+well she might be handled; for she certainly is not large enough for an
+independent voyage.
+
+"In the very last paper I received from New York, I read of a new
+steam-yacht to be built by a millionaire for the voyage around the world
+which has lately become the fad of millionaires. One item struck my
+attention; that she was to be armed with four cannon whose calibre was
+not given, as well as with a supply of small arms. The wealthy voyager
+was afraid of pirates, or some other freebooters on the Malabar and
+Malay coasts, as well as among the islands of the Indian Ocean and those
+of the Pacific.
+
+"As you are aware, I took the same precautions myself; and I only regret
+now that I did not take on board more guns and small arms. We have had
+occasion to use our twelve-pounders on one occasion, and perhaps, if the
+ship had reached the coast of Cyprus at the time I expected, I might
+have found them useful. I do not anticipate any trouble from native
+pirates wherever we may go; but I think the Maud is a temptation to
+Arabs and other natives.
+
+"In 1882 Edward Henry Palmer, an Englishman, while on a peaceful mission
+with two officers of the British service, was murdered by the natives,
+with his two companions, near Suez, but on the other side of the gulf.
+If I were sure that the ship could always be near enough to defend the
+little steamer if attacked, I should feel different about it. Then we
+are liable to encounter fearful storms, cyclones, in the Indian Ocean,
+and I think it is more prudent to have the little craft on our deck,
+rather than in the water."
+
+Neither Captain Scott nor Felix was disposed to argue the question, and
+they said nothing. Early in the morning the work of preparation began
+with the removal of everything heavy from the Maud that was not a
+fixture. She was a large steam-launch to be hoisted on the deck of a
+steamer no larger than the Guardian-Mother; but the task was
+satisfactorily accomplished by lunch-time. The afternoon was used in
+bracing the craft in her position, and putting everything around her in
+ship-shape condition.
+
+The space occupied by Conference Hall had been taken; but the captain
+had set the carpenter at work to extend the promenade six feet aft, and
+the work was completed before night. The carpet was laid, and the
+arm-chairs removed to the new Conference Hall. The awning overhead was
+to be lengthened out by the sailmakers among the crew.
+
+Mr. Shafter had always insisted that his force was too small, and the
+captain admitted the truth of his position. Felipe Garcias had stood on
+the books of the ship as third engineer for several months; and John
+Donald was made fourth engineer. The chief was entirely satisfied with
+the appointments. Pitts returned to his place on the forecastle as a
+seaman. The "Big Four" had staterooms in the cabin. After all, the
+change was only the restoration of the old order of things before the
+ship arrived at Gibraltar.
+
+At daylight the next morning the Guardian-Mother hauled out of the
+basin, and started on her voyage for the other extremity of the Red
+Sea.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+THE CONFERENCE ON THE PROMENADE
+
+
+The promenade did not wholly change its name after it became Conference
+Hall, and had been enlarged and improved. It was as popular a resort as
+it had ever been when the ship was under way and there was anything to
+be seen. The place was occupied when the ship hauled out of the basin in
+the early morning of January 19; for the passengers had all asked to be
+called at five o'clock.
+
+It seemed a little strange to go to sea without the Maud astern, and
+with the principal members of her ship's company seated with the others
+on the promenade. The commander had engaged a pilot for the whole length
+of the Red Sea; for it is full of rocks and reefs, making the navigation
+difficult and dangerous, though it has been thoroughly surveyed, and the
+chart is speckled with small islands and coral reefs.
+
+"I could give you the Arabic names of some of the surroundings as we
+proceed," said the captain, who had taken a position where he could
+observe the movements of the vessel, and it enabled him to look into the
+pilot-house through the after windows when he desired to do so.
+
+"Please don't, Captain Ringgold!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave. "It makes my
+jaws ache even to hear them."
+
+"But there are some things which have no other names, and they must
+sometimes be used. That buoy on the starboard has no English name; but
+it is of no consequence, and I will not try to speak it. On the opposite
+shore is the Gebel Ataka, which you have noticed before. By this time
+you have learned that gebel is a mountain, and _jebel_, as you will find
+it on your map of the Peninsula of Sinai, means the same thing. _Ras_ is
+a cape. Formerly I knew many more words than now; for it is very easy to
+forget a foreign language."
+
+"There is a lightship on the starboard," said Louis, who was seated
+between his mother and Miss Blanche.
+
+"That is the Zenobia, on Newport Rock," added the captain. "Now look to
+the shore on the left, which is called Abu Darraj. Perhaps you had
+better write it down and remember it; for the people in this vicinity
+believe the Israelites crossed the Red Sea where the ship is at this
+moment. The water was formerly very shallow here, and a passage for
+vessels had to be dredged through it. Napoleon and some of his generals
+were here, and tried to cross over on horseback; but the sea served him
+as it did Pharaoh and his army; the wind changed, and the tide rolled in
+so that he was compelled to retreat."
+
+There was nothing more to be explained, and the commander went to the
+pilot-house; but the air was delightfully pleasant, and the sun rising
+over the mountains of the peninsula was a beautiful sight. The ladies
+were in raptures, and some of the gentlemen shared the enthusiasm. The
+boys left their seats, and walked about the upper deck. Then Miss
+Blanche thought she had better walk for a time before breakfast, and
+very soon the whole party were occupied in the same manner. The
+commander had appointed a conference at nine o'clock, and several
+interesting subjects were to be considered.
+
+Captain Ringgold was not disposed to drive his ship at her best speed,
+which was over sixteen knots an hour; but he had instructed Mr. Shafter,
+the chief engineer, to give her about fourteen knots, for she was more
+comfortable at this rate than when forced to do her utmost, to say
+nothing of the saving of coal. At this rate she would arrive at Bombay
+in ten days, including a stop of one day at Aden. In this time he
+expected to accomplish a great deal in the school of the conference.
+
+The weather was fortunately all that could be desired, though the Red
+Sea sometimes behaves very badly; and at the time appointed the members
+of the party were all in their places on the promenade. The little
+table, with its vase of flowers brought from the gardens of the
+Terreplein, was in position. Mr. Woolridge was one of the first to take
+his arm-chair. He had at first been rather indifferent in regard to the
+instruction element of the ship, but had become quite interested since
+he had been called to the platform as a speaker.
+
+The commander was the first to take the platform; and he appeared with a
+rose in the lappel of his coat, which probably would not have been there
+if Mrs. Belgrave had not placed it there. She was very fond of flowers,
+and had arranged quite a collection of potted plants, as well as filled
+all the vases on board with cut flowers from the village.
+
+"The subject first in order seems to be the Red Sea; and we have not yet
+spoken of it in detail, though we have had considerable to say about it.
+I shall purposely omit some things which will be explained when we come
+to them. I am glad to see that you have brought your diaries or
+note-books with you, as I suggested, and you can write down the names of
+notable sights and the figures I shall give. I wish to say that I have
+always prepared myself for these occasions, and do not talk to you at
+random.
+
+"The Red Sea is an arm of the Indian Ocean, with the Gulf of Aden, about
+800 miles long, as a connection between them. The Persian Gulf, with the
+Gulf of Oman, forms a similar body of water, and they will probably
+render the same service to England and India that the Red Sea does at
+the present time. Arabia lies between them. The sea on which we are now
+sailing is 1,200 miles long."
+
+"Badaeker gives the length as 1,400 miles," said Louis.
+
+"He gives it in English miles," replied the commander. "A degree of a
+great circle is 69.07 English, or statute miles as we call them, or 60
+geographical sea miles or knots. This distinction has been fully
+explained to you before. For ordinary purposes the number of sea miles
+is to the number of statute miles in the ratio of six to seven. In other
+words, there will be six-sevenths as many knots as statute miles, and
+conversely, seven-sixths as many statute as sea miles. Six-sevenths of
+1,400 is 1,200; and thus we agree.
+
+"The Red Sea varies in width from 100 to 200 miles, and in the broadest
+part it is 205 sea miles. We are still in the Gulf of Suez, and shall be
+till about five this afternoon. On the African side you will see
+mountains all the way to the strait, with only sand between them and the
+water. There is nothing that can be called a town between Suez and
+Koser, over 300 statute miles. All around the sea are coral-reefs; and
+we shall pass a lighthouse on one right in the middle of it. Not a
+single river flows into the Red Sea, for there are no rains in Egypt;
+and if there were on either side, the desert would absorb all the water.
+
+"This sea has the reputation of being a hot region. The thermometer
+ranges from 70� to 94�, and sometimes the mercury mounts to over 100�,
+always in the daytime, and it may fall to the freezing point at night,
+though rarely. As on the Nile, the rule is hot days and cool nights,
+though you may find some of the latter uncomfortable farther south, for
+the water has shown a temperature of 100�.
+
+"The water is somewhat salter than the ocean, because no rivers empty
+into it, and because of excessive evaporation. It has been said by some
+scientists that, if the Red Sea were entirely enclosed, it would become
+a solid body of salt in less than two thousand years. I suppose they
+mean that all the fluid would evaporate, and the salt in it would remain
+at the bottom. We will not worry about it.
+
+"The average depth of this sea is 2,250 feet, and the greatest 7,200. I
+have nothing more to say about it; but while I am up I will say a few
+words about the new route to India of which I have spoken before. The
+Gulf of Iskanderun, sometimes called Scanderoon, is the north-east
+corner of the Mediterranean. Its eastern shore is within a hundred miles
+of the headwaters of the Euphrates River, which is navigable for small
+craft to Bir. Sixty years ago some preferred it to the Suez route. A
+grant of money was made by Parliament, two iron steamers of small size
+were put into the river; and though one of them was sunk, the other went
+through to the Persian Gulf.
+
+"It was shown that this route was about a thousand miles less in
+distance than any other to Kurrachee, the nearest port in India. But
+political influences were at work against it, first from Egypt, and then
+from some of the Powers, in the belief that it would give England an
+advantage in the affairs of Asia, and the scheme was dropped. Now we
+will take a walk of half an hour about the ship; for school-children
+need rest and recreation.
+
+"But I wish to remind you again that you are now near the ancient world;
+for Arabia is in sight all the time, and Assyria, Babylonia, Syria are
+beyond it. The professor will have the floor after the intermission."
+
+During the recess the party walked about the deck and observed the
+mountains, which were still in sight on both sides. Four bells, or ten
+o'clock, was the signal for them to come together again. Whatever might
+be anticipated farther south, the air was soft and pleasant, and not
+over warm, about 70� in the shade.
+
+"My excellent friend, Mr. Woolridge, has just reminded me of the promise
+made by the commander that certain ancient travellers over the world
+should be taken up, as we have frequent occasion to quote them,"
+Professor Giroud began. "There are only three of them of any especial
+note, the first of whom is Herodotus, 'the Father of History,' as he is
+often called, and was worthy of the title.
+
+"He was born about 485 years before the time of Christ, at
+Helicarnassus, a Greek colony of Asia. This was about the time the
+Persians were invading Greece. When this city obtained its freedom,
+there was a dispute about the method of government, in which he was
+involved, and which caused him to leave his native place. For the
+ancient time, over two thousand years ago, when they had no railroads
+and steamboats, his travels are remarkable for their extent. He went all
+over Asia Minor and Greece proper, as well as the islands of the �gean
+Sea. He visited Macedonia, Thrace, and the coasts of the Black Sea.
+
+"What was more remarkable, he penetrated to the Persian Empire and
+Babylon, and toured Egypt more thoroughly than most modern travellers.
+Then he extended his wanderings to Sicily and lower Italy. He was alive
+at the first of the Peloponnesian War; but what became of him, when or
+where he died, is not known.
+
+"He spent the greater part of his life in travel, though not for
+pleasure, but in acquiring knowledge which he intended to make useful to
+the world. He was the most eminent geographer of his time, and he may
+father that science as appropriately as that of history. But he treated
+many other branches of knowledge, like the races of men and their
+peculiarities, mythology, arch�ology, and, in fact, everything that came
+within the range of his observation. He was a man of a high order of
+intellect, a philosopher in his criticism of governments. Modern
+scholars are greatly indebted to him, and his works are still extant. He
+did not have the highest style of composition; but he was an honest man,
+and he wrote as he talked. You can understand the frequent references to
+him in modern books of travel.
+
+"Not as favorable a notice can be given of Strabo, who was an ancient
+geographer. He was born about sixty-four years before Christ, at Amasia
+in Pontus."
+
+"Where was that?" asked the magnate, who was taking the deepest interest
+in the exercise.
+
+"It is a name given to a country in the north-eastern corner of Asia
+Minor, on the Black Sea, the ancient name of which was Pontus Euxinus,
+or Euxine Sea, from which it got its name. His mother was of Greek
+descent, and nothing is known of his father. I suppose you all know what
+strabismus means."
+
+"I am sure I don't," replied Mrs. Blossom; and probably she was the only
+one who could answer in the negative.
+
+"In plain terms, it means cross-eyed; and doubtless Strabo obtained his
+name from having this defect in his eyes. Whether any of his family were
+called so before him is not known. He studied with various learned men
+in Greece, Rome, and Alexandria. It does not appear that he had any
+occupation, but devoted all his time to study and travel. He wrote
+forty-seven books, and those on geography were very valuable; for he
+wrote from his own observation, though sometimes he is very full, at
+others very meagre. He is regarded as by no means the equal of
+Herodotus.
+
+"The third of whom I am to speak is Diodorus Siculus."
+
+"You have put a tail on his name, Professor," added the magnate.
+
+"That is as much a part of his name as the rest of it, as used by
+scholars. It means that he was born in Sicily. Very little is known
+about him beyond what he told himself. He lived in the time of Julius
+C�sar and Augustus, and for a long time in Rome. He travelled in Europe
+and Asia for material. He wrote a history of the world from the creation
+to the time of Julius C�sar. Some of the volumes are lost, and some of
+them are still read.
+
+"Diodorus was deficient in the qualifications of a historian; and about
+all that is valuable in his writings is the mass of facts he gives, from
+which he was not competent to make the proper deductions. The material
+he gathered is valuable; but the thirty years he spent in the
+composition of his works have not purchased for him the literary
+reputation of Herodotus, or even of Strabo."
+
+"I am very much obliged to you for your lecture, and I hope others
+besides myself have profited by it," said Mr. Woolridge.
+
+The professor bowed, and took some manuscript from his pocket.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD
+
+
+When the promenade had been transformed into Conference Hall, the
+arrangement for the maps had not been forgotten, and the frame had been
+set up against the after end of the pilot-house. It covered the two
+windows; but they were not needed when the ship was at sea. When the
+professor made his bow, Mr. Gaskette exposed to the view of the audience
+a map which had been completed before the steamer arrived at Port Said;
+and all the way through the canal he and his assistants had been busy
+upon others.
+
+"Perhaps I ought to apologize for this map, Captain Ringgold," said Mr.
+Gaskette, when he had unrolled the huge sheet; "for the boundaries of
+these ancient countries are so indefinite in the great atlas that I have
+not been able to lay down all of them."
+
+"You have done exceedingly well, Mr. Gaskette, and I think the professor
+can ask for nothing better than you have given him," replied the
+commander.
+
+"Certainly not," added the learned gentleman. "I can give the boundaries
+no more definitely than they are presented on this beautiful map. I am
+extremely delighted to have the assistance which it will afford me. The
+artist might have guessed at some of the division lines, as others have
+done. He has given us Mesopotamia, Susiana, and the region between them,
+and that is all I desire.
+
+"Perhaps I shall disappoint you, Mr. Commander, by the meagreness of my
+description of these ancient countries; for these subjects in detail
+would be very tiresome to the company under present circumstances, and I
+propose to bring out only a few salient points in regard to them," said
+the professor.
+
+"The only thing I feared, Professor, was that you would go into them too
+diffusely, forgetting that your audience are not savants, or even
+college students, such as you have been in the habit of addressing. I am
+very glad to find that you have just the right idea in regard to the
+situation," replied Captain Ringgold.
+
+"It is fortunate that we agree," continued the instructor, as he took
+the pointer and turned to the map. "This map lays before you the region
+lying to the north-east of Arabia, on the port hand of the ship, as the
+commander would say; and with your imagination you can look over these
+mountains and sands and see it. You observe that Syria is on the west of
+the northern part of it, with Armenia just where it is now, on the north
+of it, though there was more of it then than now; for in ancient times
+it reached to the Caspian Sea. An old lady in the country at whose house
+I used to spend my vacation used to call things that could not be
+changed as fixed as the laws of the 'Medes and Parsicans.' She meant
+the Medes and Persians; and Media, now a part of Persia, was the eastern
+boundary of the region mapped out On the south-east is Susiana, now a
+large portion of Persia.
+
+"This beautiful map tempts me to be more diffuse than I should have been
+without it; but it gives you a bit of ancient geography which will do
+you no harm. There are two great rivers which extend through this
+territory, the Euphrates and the Tigris, though both of them unite and
+flow into the Persian Gulf. Of the former of them the commander has
+spoken to you this morning. Scholars have not been able to locate
+Paradise, or the Garden of Eden, with anything like precision; but it is
+generally supposed to have been between these two great streams. Some
+think it was not a place at all, but only a location given to a moral
+idea; others place it in the mountains of Armenia or Northern
+Mesopotamia."
+
+"The pesky Bible critics!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom; but Mrs. Belgrave
+"hunched her" as the good lady expressed it.
+
+"All this region has been in the possession of various masters, and even
+the countries themselves are very much mixed. Assyria was the eastern
+portion of the northern part," continued the professor, indicating the
+location with his wand. "In the British Museum and elsewhere you have
+seen bass-reliefs and figures brought from the ruins of Assyrian cities,
+and in these the country is called Assur. In Genesis x. 11, we read:
+'Out of that land [Shinar] went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh.'
+This was said of Nimrod; Shinar was a name of Babylonia.
+
+"The history becomes complicated, and is a record of the achievements of
+the Assyrian kings, Tiglath-Pileser, Sargon, Sennacherib, and others. It
+would not be profitable to go over them. The Babylonian monarchy was
+before Assyria was founded. The government was a despotism with nothing
+to soften it, and the religion was the worship of many gods. Its history
+dates back from 913 to 659 years before the birth of Christ, though
+there are tablets which carry it back to 2330 A.D. The empire began to
+decay in the reign of Sardanapalus, when the governor of Babylon and the
+king of Media conspired against it; and Nineveh was captured and
+destroyed a little more than 600 years before Christ."
+
+The commander announced another recess at this time, though the party
+appeared to be very much interested in the story of these ancient
+countries, closely connected with Bible history. Half an hour was spent
+in walking the deck and gazing at the shores, which were still the same,
+for the ship was yet in the Gulf of Suez. After this rest the professor
+resumed his place on the rostrum.
+
+"This is Babylonia, as it is now called to distinguish it from Babylon,
+the city," said the instructor, as he pointed to the region along the
+shores of the southern Euphrates, and to the city on both sides of it.
+"In the Scripture it is called Shinar, Babel, and 'the Land of the
+Chaldees.' It was and is a very rich and fertile country, extensively
+irrigated in modern times. Susiana is now a part of Persia, and the rest
+of the territory represented on the map is included in Turkey in Asia.
+
+"The people were of the Semitic race; in other words, they were
+descended from Shem, the son of Noah; but Babylonia in the past and
+present is a land of many races and languages, and the readers of the
+inscriptions have been bothered by the variety of tongues. The British
+and the New York Museum have figures and tablets revealing the history
+of Babylonia. But it takes an arch�ologist to translate their
+discoveries. The relations of the monuments indicate that the antiquity
+of Babylonia reaches back about as far as that of Egypt. A stone in the
+British Museum brought from this locality has the name of Sargon I.,
+king of Akkad, is reliably vouched for as coming down from the year 3800
+B.C.
+
+"The ancient tablets inform us that Narbonassar ascended his throne in
+747 (all these dates are B.C.). He reigned fourteen years, which were
+taken up in wars with Assyria, in which the latter got the best of it in
+the end. Then, in 625, invasions from the east afforded the Babylonians
+the opportunity of throwing off the yoke of Assyria, and Nabopolassar
+became king. In 604 he was succeeded by his son Nebuchadnezzar, who was
+accounted one of the greatest monarchs that ever ruled the empire.
+
+"In the forty-three years of his reign he recovered the lost provinces
+of the kingdom, and made his country the queen of the nations of his
+time. He rebuilt the city of Babylon, and restored all the temples and
+public edifices. It is said that not a single mound has been opened in
+this territory in which were not found bricks, cylinders, or tablets on
+which his name was inscribed. He captured Jerusalem, and a year later
+destroyed it, sending most of its people to Chaldea. He died in 561, and
+was succeeded by his son.
+
+"This son was murdered; and there was confusion again till 556, when the
+throne was usurped by Nabonidus, the son of a soothsayer, who became a
+wise and active prince, and his reign ranks next in importance to that
+of Nebuchadnezzar. His name is found in almost all the temples
+unearthed. After he had ruled seventeen years, all Babylonia revolted
+against him because he neglected his religious duties, as well as those
+of the court, leaving all the business to be done by his son Belshazzar.
+
+"At this point the historians get mixed again. Some say that Belshazzar
+was the last king of Babylonia. In Daniel v. 30, we read: 'In that night
+was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median
+took the kingdom.' Xenophon informs us that Babylon was taken in the
+night while the inhabitants were engaged in feasting and revelry, and
+that the king was killed. To this extent sacred and profane history
+agree. The country became a Persian province. Then it was conquered by
+Alexander the Great, who died in Babylon in 323. It was also a part of
+the Roman Empire at two different times.
+
+"In 650 the successors of Mohammed overthrew the Persian monarchy, and
+the province was the seat of the caliphs till A.D. 1258. On the Tigris
+in this region is the city of Bagdad, the capital of a province of the
+same name. Here lived and reigned the Caliph Haroun al-Raschid, or
+Haroun 'the Orthodox,' who is more famous in story than in history,
+though he was a wise ruler, a poet, and a scholar, and built up his
+domain. I have disposed of the two principal empires of this region,
+pictured on the map; and the next in order is Persia."
+
+"You haven't told us about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, said to be
+one of the great wonders of the world," suggested Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"They are hardly historical; but I will give you what I recall in
+relation to them. One writer says they were built by Queen Semiramis,
+the wife of Ninus, an alleged founder of Nineveh. She was a beautiful
+girl, brought up by Simmas, a shepherd, from whom her name is derived.
+One of the king's generals fell in love with her and married her. Then
+he himself was smitten by her beauty, and wanted her himself; the
+husband was good-natured enough to commit suicide, and she became queen.
+Ninus soon died in a very accommodating manner, and Semiramis reigned
+alone for over forty years.
+
+"Others regard the wonderful gardens as the work of Nebuchadnezzar.
+Diodorus Siculus and Strabo have described them. They are said to have
+covered about four acres, built on terraces, supported by arches of
+brick or stone, and were seventy-five feet high. They were watered from
+a reservoir at the top, to which water was forced from the Euphrates.
+Fountains and banquet halls were placed on the various terraces, as well
+as gardens of flowers. Trees, groves, and avenues gave a variety to the
+scene, and the view of the vast city was magnificent."
+
+The professor retired; and another recess followed at the word of the
+commander, who thought his school was doing admirably, and he was
+anxious not to overdo the matter.
+
+"I am afraid it will take all day for me to dispose of the subjects
+assigned to me," said the professor, as he took his place again.
+
+"I hope it will," replied Mr. Woolridge. "Very much to my surprise, I
+have become deeply interested in the subjects you present, Professor."
+
+"It is better than the theatre," added Miss Blanche in a low tone to
+Louis.
+
+"I shall give you only a few fragments in regard to Persia, and leave
+Syria to be considered when the Guardian-Mother makes her trip to
+Palestine. Persia is called Iran by the natives, and it is the largest
+and most powerful native kingdom of Western Asia. It includes the
+provinces of Susiana, Persis, and Media on the map, and extends from the
+Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, with Afghanistan and Beloochistan on
+the east, and Asia Minor on the west.
+
+"A considerable portion of the country is mountainous, and between the
+Elburz range and the Caspian Sea is an extinct volcano 18,600 feet high.
+About three-fourths of Persia is practically a desert for want of rain
+or artificial irrigation. In California, Colorado, and other States, our
+people have transformed just such regions into fertile districts. But in
+spite of the fact that such a large portion of the country is a desert,
+some parts are exceedingly fertile and beautiful. Some immense valleys,
+even a hundred miles wide, are of this character, and the productions of
+the country are varied and valuable. It has no navigable rivers, though
+many of large size and volume, some of which are beginning to be used
+for purposes of irrigation. There are many salt lakes.
+
+"The climate is varied; as Cyrus said to Xenophon, 'The people perish
+with cold at one extremity, and are suffocated with heat at the other.'
+The population has been estimated from forty down to eight millions; and
+the latter is probably about correct. Roads are utterly neglected, and
+the people live in mean houses, generally of earth or mud, and the
+wealthy are not much better housed than the poorer class. The trade is
+of little importance. There are silk manufactures in nearly every
+province. Cotton and woollen fabrics, carpets, shawls, and felt goods
+are largely produced; and the trade is carried on between the chief
+towns of Persia with the interior of Asia by caravans. They exchange
+these goods for cloth, printed calico, tea, coffee, and fancy goods.
+Teheran in the north is the capital and the most important place;
+Ispahan is in the centre, Shiraz in the south, and Bushire is the
+principal seaport on the gulf.
+
+"The government is an absolute monarchy of the most pronounced kind,
+though somewhat influenced by the priests, the dread of private
+vengeance, and insurrection. Taxation is heavy, and very burdensome to
+the subjects. Persia has a standing army of 200,000, but it is said to
+exist largely on paper. Incidentally you have learned considerable about
+the history of the country, and I shall not go over it. The present
+shah, as he is called, is N�sr ed-d�n, born in 1831. He ought to be a
+progressive monarch, for he has visited England and France several
+times."
+
+The professor retired, and the conference adjourned till afternoon.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+VIEW OF MOUNT SINAI IN THE DISTANCE
+
+
+When the professor concluded his lecture for the forenoon, the audience
+scattered, some of them feeling the need of more exercise; but Captain
+Ringgold went to the pilot-house. Like the cabin passengers, he
+immediately gave his attention to the mountains of the peninsula; for
+the African shore was little better than a blank, with nothing there
+worthy of notice. The pilot was an intelligent man, and he proceeded to
+question him in regard to the peaks in sight.
+
+Just then there was nothing difficult in the navigation; and Twist, the
+quartermaster, was at the wheel, steering the course which had been
+given out, south south-west half west. The pilot knew the mountains as
+though they had been old friends of his for a lifetime. It did not take
+the commander long to learn his lesson; and he returned to the deck,
+where the passengers were gazing at the lofty points, thirty to forty
+miles distant, but still very distinctly seen in the clear air of the
+day. As soon as the captain appeared they gathered around him. He had
+ordered all the spy-glasses on board to be brought out, and those who
+had opera or field glasses had been to their staterooms for them.
+
+"Isn't it time to see something, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave,
+to whom he had directed his steps.
+
+"There is always something to be seen in a narrow gulf like this, though
+we shall be out of sight of land to-morrow morning when you come on
+deck. We are now abreast of a plateau 1,600 feet high, which extends for
+about thirty miles along the coast. It is a part of the desert of Kaa,
+which extends to the southern point of the peninsula, over which you
+would have had to travel first by camel for nearly twenty miles, if we
+had gone to Mount Sinai by the only route open to us.
+
+"We have seen about deserts enough," added the lady.
+
+"Then you are the better prepared for the immense contrast between
+plains of sand and the rich lands of India, covered with the most
+luxuriant foliage. Now we have it at its best!" exclaimed the commander.
+
+"What do we have? I don't see anything."
+
+"We have Mount Serbal, which some believe is the genuine Mount Sinai,"
+continued the commander, as he pointed out the loftiest peak in sight,
+and which was readily distinguished from all others.
+
+All the passengers had by this time gathered near him; for all of them
+were anticipating a sight at the lofty height which had given a name to
+the peninsula, though its real name is Arabia Petr�a, as we used to read
+about it in "Stephens's Travels" sixty years ago.
+
+"That mountain is the highest on the peninsula; and if it is not the
+real Mount Sinai, where the law was delivered to Moses, some insist that
+it ought to be, for they say it is loftier, grander, nobler, and more
+worthy the great event than the one which is generally assigned as its
+location," said the captain. "As you have been informed before, Serbal
+is 8,712 feet high."
+
+Mrs. Blossom did not appear to be satisfied. Evidently she desired to
+"gush" over the Holy Mountain; but the doubt as to "which was which," as
+she stated it, bothered her very seriously, and she was not at all
+friendly to the "pesky Bible critics," who had raised the doubt as to
+its identity.
+
+"Jebel Musa!" shouted the commander a couple of hours later; and the
+party gathered around him again.
+
+"What on earth is that?" demanded the good lady.
+
+"Keep cool, Sarah," said Mrs. Belgrave to her. "The captain will tell
+you all about it in due time."
+
+"Jebel, or gebel, means a mountain in Arabic; Musa is sometimes spelled
+Moosa; and the whole name, I suppose, is 'Mountain of Moses,'" the
+commander explained as soon as he had enabled every one to see the peak
+that went by this name. "In other words, that is what nearly everybody
+who knows anything about the matter believes to be the true Mount
+Sinai."
+
+"Mount Sinai!" almost screamed Mrs. Blossom, who had apparently
+determined not to be harassed by any more doubts, for what everybody
+believed to be true must be so. "I should like to die on that
+mountain," she declared, wringing her hands in a sort of rapture.
+
+"Don't make yourself ridiculous, Sarah," interposed Mrs. Belgrave in a
+whisper.
+
+"How can a body look on Mount Sinai without being stirred up?" demanded
+the good woman.
+
+But whether it was Jebel Serbal or Jebel Musa, Mount Sinai was there;
+and doubtless most of the company were as much impressed by the fact as
+the excellent lady from Von Blonk Park, though they were less
+demonstrative about it. Mrs. Belgrave was silent for a time; and then
+she struck up one of Watts's familiar hymns, in which the others joined
+her:--
+
+    "Not to the terrors of the Lord,
+      The tempest, fire, and smoke,
+    Not to the thunder of that word
+      Which God on Sinai spoke;
+    But we are come to Zion's hill,
+      The city of our God,
+    Where milder words declare his will,
+      And spread his love abroad."
+
+As the gong sounded for lunch the ship was off Tur, but too far off to
+see the place, if there was anything there to see; and the commander
+mentioned it only as the port to which they would have sailed if they
+had gone to Mount Sinai. The "Big Four" were more interested in the
+Arabian craft they saw near the shore, for they always keep close to the
+land. Their captains are familiar with all the intricate reefs where
+large vessels never go. They are very cautious sailors, and on the least
+sign of foul weather they run into one of the creeks which indent the
+coast. They never sail at night; and if they have to cross the sea, they
+wait for settled weather.
+
+At the hour appointed for the afternoon conference the passengers were
+all in their places; and however the report of his lectures may read,
+the listeners were deeply interested, partly because they were inspired
+by a desire for knowledge, and partly on account of their proximity to
+the countries described. A map of the peninsula of Arabia had been
+unrolled on the frame, with enough of its surroundings to enable the
+audience to fix its location definitely in their minds. The professor
+came up smiling and pleasant as he always was, and the boys saluted him
+with a round of applause.
+
+"My subject this time is Arabia, which the natives call Jezirat-al-Arab,
+and the Turks and Persians Arabistan. It is a peninsula, the isthmus of
+which reaches across from the south-eastern corner of the Mediterranean
+to the head of the Persian Gulf," the professor began, indicating on the
+map the localities mentioned with the pointer. "Asia abounds in
+peninsulas, and Arabia is the great south-western one. From north-west
+to south-east it extends 1800 miles, and is about 600 wide. It has an
+area of 1,230,000 square miles, which is a very indefinite statement to
+the mind, though given in figures, and I will adopt the commander's
+method of giving a better idea by comparison with some of the States of
+your own country.
+
+"It is nearly five times as large as the State of Texas, the most
+extensive of the Union, and almost twenty-six times as large as the
+State of New York. They do not take a census here; and estimates from
+the best information that could be obtained make the population five
+millions, which is less than that of the State of New York. Mr. Gaskette
+has colored a strip of it along the Red Sea, about a hundred miles wide,
+in green, as he has Palestine and the other parts of Turkey in Asia
+shown before you. A large portion of Arabia consists of deserts, the
+principal of which is the Syrian in the north.
+
+"Ptolemy, not the king but the geographer, divided Arabia into three
+sections,--Arabia Petr�a, after the city of Petra; Arabia Deserta, the
+interior; and Arabia Felix (Arabie Heureuse in French), which does not
+mean 'the happy land,' as generally translated. Milton says, 'Sabean
+odors from the spicy shores of Araby the blest.' The words meant the
+land lying to the right, or south of Mecca, the Oriental principal point
+of the compass being the east and not the north.
+
+"The proper divisions at the present time are the Sinai peninsula,
+Hedjaz, which is the northern part of the green strip; Yemen, the south
+part (formerly Arabia Felix); Hadramaut, which borders the Arabian Gulf,
+the ante-sea of the Red; and Oman, a mountainous region at the entrance
+of the Persian Gulf, an independent country, under the government of the
+sultan or imam of Muscat, as the territory is also called.
+
+"We do not know much about the interior of Arabia, one-third of which is
+a desert, part of a zone reaching over all of Africa and Asia. El-Hasa,
+along the Persian Gulf in the east, for such a country, is level and
+fertile, and is really a Turkish province, like those on the west coast.
+A short rainy season occurs on the west coast, which only fills up the
+low places; and there is hardly a river, if there is anything entitled
+to the name, which is strong enough to go alone to the sea from any
+distance inland. Fine fruits are raised, especially in Yemen, as well as
+coffee, grain, tobacco, cotton, spices, aloes, frankincense, and myrrh.
+
+"Sheep, goats, oxen, camels, and horses are raised for domestic use.
+Gazelles and ostriches live in some of the oases, where also the lion,
+panther, hyena, and jackal seek their prey. The magnificent Arabian
+horse has been raised here for a thousand years. The camel is one of the
+most useful animals of this country; and some suppose he is an original
+native, for his likeness is not found among Egyptian drawings and
+sculptures. There are plenty of fish and turtle along the coast.
+
+"The original Arab is found here, and there is something about him to
+challenge our admiration. He is muscular, though of medium height, and
+is sharp and quick-witted by nature. He has some leading virtues, such
+as hospitality and good faith; he is courageous and temperate, perhaps
+because wine and spirits are forbidden in the Koran. But he is a sort of
+a natural robber, and seeks a terrible revenge for serious injuries. His
+wife, and there are often several of her, does the work, keeps house,
+and educates the children. Some Arabs are settled in towns or oases, and
+others lead a wandering life.
+
+"'Blessed is the country that has no history,' for it is usually the
+record of wars. Arabia has nothing that can properly be called history;
+but it has been concerned in the wars of Turkey and Egypt. What there is
+relates to the birth and life of Mohammed, and his wars to promote the
+increase of his followers; and I shall tell you the story of the Prophet
+at another time."
+
+The professor retired after the usual applause. Some walked the deck,
+watching whatever was to be seen, especially the Arabian dhows, and
+occasionally a large steamer passed; and some went to sleep in their
+staterooms. The course of the Guardian-Mother had been varied as much as
+the soundings would permit as she approached the Jubal Strait, which is
+the entrance to the Gulf of Suez, in order to give the passengers a view
+of some interesting scenery.
+
+"There is the Jebel Zeyt," said the commander, as he pointed out a group
+of hills, called mountains by courtesy, of a reddish hue. "Those hills
+are 1,530 feet high, and this locality is famous in story. The material
+of the elevations is h�matite, which Dr. Hawkes can explain better than
+I can."
+
+"It is a native sesquioxide of a reddish color, with a blood-like
+streak," added the surgeon, laughing.
+
+"Do you understand it, Mrs. Blossom?" asked the captain, turning to that
+worthy lady.
+
+"I am sure I don't," protested she, blushing.
+
+"The sesquipedality of that word is trying to all of us, I fancy, and I
+am in the same box as the lady; for I am as sure as she is that I don't
+know the meaning of the word," added the professor.
+
+"Of course you don't, for it is a technical term," replied the doctor.
+"It means an oxide in which two atoms of a metal combine with three
+atoms of oxygen. Please to remember it, Mrs. Blossom."
+
+"I don't even know what an ox-hide is," returned the lady promptly; for
+the professor had vindicated her by not understanding a definition
+himself.
+
+"We will settle that another time, if you please," interposed the
+commander. "These rocks are said to be so powerfully magnetic as to
+affect the compasses of ships passing them. The water is sometimes
+marked about here with patches of oil. Large sums were expended in this
+vicinity in boring for petroleum; but none of any account was found.
+Probably the red mountain has given its name to the sea, though that is
+not known."
+
+"Possibly Sinbad the Sailor was in this strait when the loadstone drew
+out the bolts in his ship, though he does not give the latitude and
+longitude of the place in the story of his adventure," suggested Louis.
+In the evening the passengers looked at the lights, and retired at a
+seasonable hour.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+SOME ACCOUNT OF MOHAMMED THE PROPHET
+
+
+The passengers of the Guardian-Mother fell back into their former sea
+habits when there was nothing particular to be seen, and only the young
+men appeared on deck before seven o'clock. Mrs. Belgrave and Louis were
+the first to meet the commander on the second morning. He had been to
+the pilot-house several times during the night; but he was an early
+riser, and had already looked over the log slate, and visited every part
+of the ship.
+
+"Good-morning, Mrs. Belgrave; good-morning, Louis; I hope you have both
+slept well," said the captain, saluting them.
+
+"I have slept like a rock all night long," replied the lady.
+
+"I have fallen into sailors' ways, so that I go to sleep whenever I lie
+down," added Louis. "I could sleep my four hours on board of the Maud,
+and wake at the right time without being called. But where are we now,
+sir?"
+
+"You see the lighthouse ahead; that is in latitude 25�. We are now
+nearly as far south as the first cataract on the Nile, as far south as
+we went in Africa."
+
+"I can understand that better than simple figures," said Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"But we went a little farther south than that off Cuba," suggested
+Louis.
+
+"We shall cross the Tropic of Cancer while we are at luncheon," added
+the commander. "You learned at school that this boundary was at
+twenty-three and a half degrees north of the equator, and it is
+generally so stated, though it is not quite accurate."
+
+"I wish you would explain this at the next conference, Captain Ringgold,
+for what you say is a surprise to me," said Louis.
+
+"I will do it in a general way, though I am not an astronomer in the
+scientific sense of the word," answered the captain. "We are approaching
+the D�dalus lightship. I suppose you remember the name."
+
+"I know that D�dalus was a very ingenious artist of Athens, who planned
+the Cretan labyrinth, invented carpentry and some of the tools used in
+the trade; but I don't know why his name was given to this lighthouse."
+
+"I cannot inform you why it is so called, if there was any reason for
+doing so; very likely it was given to it for no reason at all, as some
+of the ships in the British navy are supplied with classical names for
+the mere sound of the words, as Agamemnon, Achilles, though with some
+reference to the trade of the originals in war."
+
+"Why is it placed here all alone in the middle of this sea?" asked
+Louis, who had looked about it for any signs of rocks.
+
+"It is built on a dangerous reef which is never above water, though some
+small round black rocks are seen at low tide awash. They look like the
+kettles in which cooks get up a boiled dinner; and for this reason the
+Arabs call the reef Abu Kizan, which means the 'father of pots.' As you
+perceive, the ship is now out of sight of land; for the Red Sea is a
+hundred and twenty miles wide at this point. But there is the gong for
+breakfast, and we must attend to that."
+
+The usual hour for the conference was nine o'clock when the ship was at
+sea. So far the weather was remarkably pleasant; the north-west wind was
+very gentle, and the ship hardly pitched at all. At the regular hour the
+passengers had assembled on the promenade. The map of Arabia had been
+placed on the frame as before, and it was understood that Mohammed was
+to be the subject of the conference.
+
+"What has become of Koser, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, as
+the commander joined the party.
+
+"We passed it about two o'clock this morning," replied the captain.
+
+"I felt some interest in that town; for when we were on the Nile we came
+to a place where the Arabs wanted us to take the journey of four days
+across the desert to Koser on camels," the lady explained.
+
+"It is the first port in Egypt we come to, and was formerly an
+important place, though the Suez Canal has diverted the greater part of
+its trade. It was one of the chief outlets for the productions of Egypt,
+especially grain, while those of Arabia and other Eastern countries
+passed in by the same route. The poorer Mohammedans of Egypt make their
+pilgrimage to Mecca this way, journeying across the Arabian Desert on
+foot or by camel, and by steamers or dhows to Yembo.
+
+"General Sir Ralph Abercromby, who commanded the British army at Abukir
+when the French had possession of Egypt, landed at this port, marched
+across the desert to the Nile, which he descended to Cairo, where he
+found that the French army had surrendered to the English. The
+population has fallen from seven thousand to twelve hundred. The more
+wealthy Egyptians and Arabs make their pilgrimage now by the way of
+Suez, and in the season there are plenty of steamers to take them to
+Yembo.
+
+"We are now nearing the Tropic of Cancer, and when we have passed it we
+shall be in the Torrid Zone, in which are situated all those places on
+the globe where the sun is ever directly overhead. The tropics are
+generally said to be twenty-three and a half degrees from the equator,
+which is near enough for ordinary purposes, but it is not quite
+accurate. When the sun is at the summer solstice, June 21, it is
+overhead on this tropic, and enters the constellation of Cancer, after
+which it is named. Nicer calculations than I can follow show that the
+sun is not precisely overhead at this place every year. In January of
+this year the tropics were in latitude 23� 27' 11.84'', which places it
+nearly three miles farther south than the location usually named. I
+yield the floor to Professor Giroud."
+
+"I am informed by the commander that we shall be off Yembo, the nearest
+seaport to Medina, at about half-past three this afternoon; and this
+place is a hundred and thirty-two miles from it. The two cities of
+Medina and Mecca are the holy places of the Mohammedans. The principal
+and enjoined pilgrimage of the sect is to the latter, though many devout
+Moslems visit the other with pious intentions.
+
+"Mecca is the birthplace of Mohammed; but, for reasons which will
+presently be given, he went to Medina at the age of fifty-two, where he
+lived the rest of his life, and died there. What I have to say of Medina
+will come in better after we have followed the prophet through the first
+portion of his life.
+
+"I give the name according to the best English authorities at the
+present time, though some call it Mahomet still, as we call it in
+French. The word means 'praised' in Arabic. Mohammed the Prophet was
+born at Mecca about A.D. 570; but the precise year is not known, though
+the date I give is within a year of it. His father's name was Abdallah,
+a poor merchant, who died about the time of the child's birth. A great
+many stories have been invented in later years about the mother and the
+child.
+
+"The father was said to be the handsomest man of his time, and it is
+claimed that his wife Aminah was of a noble family. She was of a nervous
+temperament, and fancied she was visited by spirits. She was inclined to
+epilepsy, which may explain her visions. Mohammed was her only child. As
+soon as he was born, his mother is said to have raised her eyes to
+heaven, exclaiming: 'There is no God but God, and I am his Prophet.' It
+is also declared that the fire of the fire-worshippers, which had burned
+without going out for a thousand-years, was suddenly quenched, and all
+the idols in the world dropped from their pedestals."
+
+"Goodness, gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"The mother of the Prophet handed him over to a Bedouin woman to bring
+up, in order that he might have the benefit of the desert air; but the
+child appears to have been afflicted with his mother's malady, and the
+nurse returned him because he was subject to frequent fits. When he was
+six years old his mother died, and his grandfather adopted him; but the
+old man lived only two years after, and then he was taken by Abu Talib,
+his uncle, who, though poor himself, gave him a home, and continued to
+be his best friend through life.
+
+"At first the boy gained a precarious living by tending the flocks of
+the Meccans. When he was twenty-five years old he went into the service
+of a rich widow named Khadija, having the blood of the same ancestors in
+their veins. Up to this time his position had been in a low grade of
+poverty. He did not take the advice of Mr. Weller, and 'beware of the
+vidders,' and his fortunes suddenly changed. Doubtless he was a handsome
+man, as his father was said to be; and he was too much for the
+susceptible Khadija, twice widowed, and fifteen years older than her
+employe, and she offered him her hand and heart, which he accepted.
+
+"They had two sons and four daughters; but both of the former died in
+early life. He established himself as a merchant after his marriage; and
+he continued in the business, though he spent most of his time in
+meditation by himself. Up to the age of forty Mohammed was a strict
+devotee in the religion of his fathers, which was a species of idolatry.
+When he was about thirty years old Christianity had made its way into
+Arabia through Syria on one side, and Abyssinia on the other, and there
+were Jewish colonies in the peninsula. Though the missionaries of the
+new faith pervaded Mecca and Medina, the future Prophet was not
+converted, more is the pity!
+
+"It was at this time that he was moved to teach a new religion which
+should displace the idolatry of the people, and come into competition,
+as it were, with the teachings of the missionaries of Judaism and
+Christianity. He was forty years old when he received what he claimed as
+his first divine communication, on a mountain near Mecca. He declared
+that Gabriel appeared to him there, and commanded him to preach the true
+religion. It is now generally admitted that he was no vulgar and tricky
+impostor, and it cannot be known to what extent his inherited epilepsy
+or hysteria governed the alleged revelations.
+
+"After his long and lonely vigils passed in meditation, he proclaimed
+what he insisted had been revealed to him; and at these times he appears
+to have been little better than a lunatic, for he was moved to the most
+frightful fanatical vehemence. He frothed at the mouth, his eyes became
+red, and the perspiration rained from his head and face. He roared like
+a camel in his wrath, and such an exhibition could hardly fail to make a
+strong impression upon his ignorant audience.
+
+"His first revelations were related to Khadija and other members of his
+household; and they accepted his teachings, while his other relatives
+rejected them with scorn. His uncle called him a fool; and his adopted
+father never believed in him as a prophet, though for the honor of the
+family he remained his friend. After four years of preaching he mustered
+forty converts, slaves and men of the lowest social rank. Then he spoke
+more publicly, in response to new revelations commanding him to do so,
+denouncing boldly the superstitions of his people, exhorting them to
+lead pious and moral lives, and to believe in the one all-wise,
+almighty, and all-merciful God, who had chosen him as his Prophet. He
+held out the reward of paradise to those who accepted his religion, and
+the penalty of hell to those who rejected it.
+
+"Two of the most sacred objects of the Arabians were the fetich of a
+black stone and the spring of Zemzem, both of which were believed to be
+endowed with miraculous powers for the healing of the body and the soul.
+These imparted a sanctity above any other charms to the Kaaba in which
+the stone and the fountain were to be visited. In the valley by the city
+stands the great mosque, in which there is an immense square holding
+35,000 people. In the centre of it is the Kaaba, which is not a
+Mohammedan invention, for it existed ages before the Prophet was born.
+Pilgrimages had been made to it from Medina for many generations. The
+stone is perhaps a meteorite, set in a corner at a proper height for
+kissing.
+
+"The Kaaba was one of the superstitions with which the Prophet had to
+contend; and he was too politic, as well as too deeply rooted in his own
+belief, to think of abolishing it. He therefore converted the heathen
+shrine into an altar of his own faith, inventing the legend that it had
+been constructed by Abraham when he sent away his son Ishmael to found a
+nation. Though Mohammed was prudent in many things, he offended the
+people, particularly by prohibiting certain kinds of food. He condemned
+the Bedouin for killing their newly born daughters, and for other
+barbarous practices.
+
+"Though the number of proselytes increased more rapidly, he had raised a
+fierce opposition against him. About this time his faithful wife Khadija
+died, and then his devoted uncle. His misery over these events was
+increased by the fact that his business failed him, and he was reduced
+to poverty. He tried to improve his fortunes by emigration; but the
+scheme was a failure. He was so persecuted by the Meccans that he had on
+occasions narrowly escaped with his life. After his return he married
+again; and afterwards he had as many as nine wives at one time, though
+he never took a second while Khadija was living.
+
+"Now, good friends, I think we all need a rest, which the commander
+instructed me to give you at a convenient place in my remarks."
+
+The professor retired from the rostrum, and the company scattered over
+the ship.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF ISLAMISM
+
+
+Captain Ringgold permitted the day, which was only the second of the
+voyage, to pass away until half past three o'clock in the afternoon
+without again calling the conference together. The passengers appeared
+to be well occupied; for the boys had brought shuffle-board and the
+potato game on the planks, and everybody was enjoying these plays,
+either by taking part or looking on. The commander had taught them these
+amusements early in their sea experience, and they always became very
+hilarious over them.
+
+Besides, he was prudent and judicious in the conduct of the study
+department; for the adults were not in training as students, and he was
+somewhat afraid of overworking them, and creating a dislike for the
+conferences. As he expressed it, he desired to make them hungry for
+lectures. The schoolroom, which had been made of the after cabin, and
+contained the extensive library of the ship, had been deserted for
+several weeks so far as its regular use was concerned.
+
+Miss Blanche, Louis, Morris, and Scott formed a class, or rather several
+of them, and pursued their studies systematically under the professor;
+but they had been interrupted by the visit to Egypt and the trip to
+Cyprus, and their work was not resumed till the ship sailed from Suez.
+The recitations and the study were not confined to the classroom, but
+some of them were given on deck and in the cabin to individuals as the
+convenience of both permitted; and some of the hours of the first two
+days had been used in this manner.
+
+"Now you can see Yembo," said the commander at half-past three in the
+afternoon, as he pointed out a town on the shore of Arabia. "The name is
+spelled in so many different ways it is hard to find it in the books.
+Sometimes it is Yembo, Yanba, and Yembu, and again it is Zembo, Zambu,
+and Zanba. It is Yembo on my charts, and for that reason I use it. It is
+of not much importance except as the port of Medina, the later home of
+Mohammed, where the professor will take you at the next conference this
+afternoon.
+
+"But it is one hundred and thirty miles from its principal, and there
+are no railroads or stages here, and it must be a journey of four or
+five days by camel over the desert. A pilgrimage to Medina is
+recommended to the faithful; but it is not required, as it is at least
+once in a lifetime to Mecca. Mohammed was buried there, and it stands
+next to Mecca as the holiest city of the world to the followers of
+Islam. But I will not purloin the professor's thunder. On the other side
+of the Red Sea is Berenice, the seat of the Egyptian trade with India
+in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus; but there is not much besides
+ruins there at the present time."
+
+The conference met at four o'clock, and the map of Arabia still hung on
+the frame. The professor took his place, and pointed out Yembo on it,
+adding that Medina was two hundred and seventy miles north of Mecca.
+
+"When I suspended my remarks this morning, Mohammed had failed to
+improve his fortunes by emigration, had returned to Mecca, and had
+married again," the professor began. "At his death he left nine wives,
+and how many more he may have had I am not informed."
+
+"The wretch!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"The Prophet did not live in Von Blonk Park," suggested the instructor.
+
+"If he had, he would have been driven out of town by a mob," added the
+lady rather spitefully for her.
+
+"On this subject, if I should refer you to some of the patriarchs of the
+Bible, you would be able to see how much Christianity has improved the
+world in this respect. Among the wives of the Prophet was Ayeshah, the
+daughter of Abu Bekr, one of Mohammed's most enthusiastic disciples, a
+man of great influence in Mecca, belonging to the Koreish tribe, the
+religious aristocracy of the city.
+
+"Everything except matrimony, though he had not married all these wives
+at this time, was in a bad way with Mohammed; for he had lost his
+property, and had excited a violent opposition to himself among the
+people, though some of his proselytes remained faithful to him. The
+pilgrimages to the Kaaba brought many people to Mecca from all quarters,
+including Medina. Among those from the latter he succeeded in converting
+several; for he still preached, and still had remarkable visions.
+
+"At the next pilgrimage he obtained twelve more converts, and the one
+following seventy. All these new disciples sowed the seed of his
+teachings; and Medina, from which all of them came, appeared to contain
+the richest soil for the growth of his doctrines. Cast out and
+persecuted in his own city, the Prophet decided to emigrate to Medina;
+for he was in close alliance with the converts from that place. In 622
+he started on his flight from the city of his birth. This was the
+Hegira, which means 'the going away;' and from it the Mohammedans reckon
+their dates, as we do from the birth of Christ.
+
+"The Prophet was attended by Abu Bekr, and followed by about a hundred
+families of his Meccan adherents; and his going away was not without
+danger, for his enemies were many and vindictive. But with his multitude
+he made his way over the desert, and reached his destination in safety.
+He was received for all he claimed to be by his converts there, and the
+current of his fortunes as a religious leader was suddenly and entirely
+changed. He was no longer a madman and an impostor. He had come out of
+his former obscurity, and now all the details of his daily life became
+matters of record.
+
+"His modesty did not seem to stand in his way; and he now assumed the
+functions of the most powerful judge, lawgiver, and ruler of the two
+most influential Arabic tribes. He devoted his time and study to the
+organization of the worship of God according to Mohammed, his sole
+prophet. He was gathering in converts all the time, and his new home was
+entirely favorable to this work.
+
+"There were many Jews there to whom he turned his attention, preaching
+to them, and proclaiming that he was the Messiah whose coming they
+awaited; but they ridiculed his pretensions, and he became furious
+against them, remaining their enemy till the last day of his life.
+Whatever good precepts Mohammed promulgated, there appears to have been
+but little of the 'meek and lowly' spirit of Him 'who spake as never man
+spake;' for in the first year of the Hegira he gave it out that it was
+the will of God, expressed by his chosen prophet, that the faithful
+should make war on the enemies of Islam; which was a sort of manifesto
+directed against the Meccans who had practically cast him out.
+
+"But he had not the means to carry on war at his command at first in the
+open field: he assailed the caravans through his agents on their way to
+and from Syria, and succeeded in seriously disturbing the current of
+trade. His employment of the sons of the desert enabled him to form
+alliances with them, and thus obtain the semblance of an army. His first
+battle was fought between 314 Moslems and about 600 Meccans, and the
+inspiration of his fanaticism gave him the victory in spite of his
+inferior force.
+
+"This event gave him a degree of prestige, and many adventurers flocked
+to his standard. With an increased force he continued to send out
+expeditions against both of his old enemies, the Meccans and the Jews,
+exiling the latter. He was generally successful; and after one battle he
+caused 700 prisoners to be beheaded, and their women and children to be
+sold into slavery. But in 625 the Meccans defeated him; and he was
+dangerously wounded in the face by a javelin, some of his teeth having
+been knocked out. The enemy then besieged Medina; but Mohammed defeated
+them with the aid of earthworks and a ditch. In the sixth year of the
+Hegira, he proclaimed a pilgrimage to Mecca; and though the Meccans
+prevented it from being carried out, it led to a treaty of peace with
+them for ten years.
+
+"This event enabled him to send out missionaries all over Arabia; and
+the next year he conducted a pilgrimage to Mecca with 2,000 followers,
+remaining there undisturbed for three days. After this he carried on war
+vigorously against more potent powers, whose rulers he summoned to
+become converts. Some yielded, and others scorned him, one of them
+beheading the Prophet's messengers. This brought on battles of greater
+magnitude, and in one he was badly beaten.
+
+"He accused the Meccans of taking part against him, and marched against
+their city at the head of 10,000 men. It surrendered, and Mohammed was
+publicly recognized as ruler, and prophet of God. I will read one of his
+sayings, that you may better understand the man and his religion: 'The
+sword is the key of heaven and hell: a drop of blood shed in the cause
+of God, or a night spent in arms, is of more avail than two months of
+fasting and prayer. Whoever falls in battle, his sins are forgiven him,
+and at the day of judgment the loss of his limbs shall be supplied by
+the wings of cherubim.'
+
+"In one of his expeditions against the Jews, a Jewess who had lost a
+relative in a fight against him placed a piece of poisoned roast meat
+before him. He barely tasted it, but he carried the effects of the
+poison to his grave.
+
+"His religion seemed to be firmly established, not only in Arabia, but
+it had been carried to foreign lands by the sword or by missionaries. He
+had it in his mind to conquer Syria; but the want of a sufficient army
+deterred him, and he was forced to content himself with the homage of a
+few inferior princes. In the tenth year of the new calendar he made his
+last solemn pilgrimage to Mecca, and then fixed for all future time the
+ordinance of the pilgrimage with its ceremonial, which is still observed
+in all Moslem countries.
+
+"On his return from this visit he busied himself again with the project
+of conquering Syria; for some great scheme seemed to be necessary to
+keep his followers in alliance, and extend his religion. While so
+engaged he was taken dangerously sick. He selected the abode of Ayeshah
+as his home. The house was close to the mosque, and afterwards became a
+part of it. He continued to attend the public prayers as long as he was
+able. When he felt that his end was near, he preached once more to the
+people, recommending Abu Bekr and Osama as the generals of the army whom
+he had chosen. In the last wanderings of his mind he spoke of angels and
+heaven only, and died in the arms of Ayeshah. He was buried in the night
+in the house of his faithful wife, which was for that reason taken into
+the mosque.
+
+"His death produced great distress and an immense excitement among his
+followers. Even before he was dead the struggle began, and an
+influential official had prevented him from naming his successor by
+preventing him from obtaining the use of writing materials; but Abu Bekr
+was preferred, and received the homage of the chief men of Medina.
+Undoubtedly Mohammed was a man of great ability, and the possessor of
+some extraordinary gifts. There was much that was good in the person and
+his religion; much that Christianity preaches as the true faith to-day.
+He believed in the one God, however much he failed to comprehend his
+attributes.
+
+"He claimed to be the Prophet of God, and preached piety and
+righteousness, and recommended chiefly that his followers should protect
+the weak, the poor, and the women, and to abstain from usury. In his
+private character he was an amiable man, faithful to his friends, and
+tender in his family. In spite of the power he finally obtained, he
+never appeared in any state, with pomp and parade; for he lived in the
+utmost simplicity, and when at the height of his power he dwelt like the
+Arabs in general in a miserable hut. He mended his own clothes, and
+freed his slaves when he had them.
+
+"He was a man of strong passions, of a nervous temperament, and his
+ecstatic visions were perhaps the result of his inherited malady. He is
+not to be judged by our standard any more than King Solomon is; but
+there was a great deal of good in him, with a vast deal that was
+emphatically bad; for he was cunning and deceitful when it suited his
+purpose, extremely revengeful, as shown in his dealings with the Meccans
+and the Jews, and a wholesale murderer in the spirit of retaliation.
+
+"He had read the Christian Bible, and not a little of his religion was
+borrowed from that. Glancing over the world, we cannot help seeing that
+Christian nations have been the most progressive, while those of the
+Mohammedan faith have been far behind them, and have borrowed their
+principal improvements from those whose emblem is the Cross. To the end
+of time the Crescent will be overshadowed by the Cross."
+
+The passengers had been much interested in the story of the Prophet, and
+the professor was warmly applauded as he gathered up his papers and
+retired from the stand.
+
+"Unless we slow down I am afraid you will see nothing of Jiddah, which
+is the port of Mecca, and our nearest point to it," said the commander.
+"Though thousands of pilgrims are landed there every year on their way
+to obey the injunction of Mohammed, there is nothing there to see; and
+it is not a case of sour grapes."
+
+"I wanted to ask the professor about the coffin of the Prophet being
+suspended in the air," interposed Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"That is pure fiction, madam," replied the professor. "The body of
+Mohammed is believed to rest within the mausoleum in the mosque; and
+there is no reason to doubt that it is on the spot occupied by Ayeshah's
+house, added to the sacred building. His body is supposed to lie
+undecayed at full length, on the right side, the right hand supporting
+the head, with the face directed towards Mecca."
+
+The professor had to answer many other questions of no great
+importance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+THE AGENT OF THE PARSEE MERCHANTS
+
+
+The ancient kingdoms of the world had been disposed of by the professor,
+and all the countries of the Red Sea had been treated historically and
+geographically; and though the passengers still occupied the promenade,
+no more conferences were needed for the present. But it became a place
+for conversation, and all kinds of subjects were discussed there.
+
+The commander pointed out the location of all the important places, or
+where any notable event had occurred; but none of them were of any great
+consequence, and they were too far off to be seen distinctly. The ship
+had reached the widest part of the sea, and all the rest of the course
+to the entrance was through the deep water in the middle; for the shores
+were studded with reefs, reaching out from forty to sixty miles from the
+land.
+
+"How deep is the water here, Captain Ringgold?" asked Dr. Hawkes, at one
+of these conversation parties on the third day from Suez.
+
+"The last time I looked at the chart, just on the parallel of 20� of
+north latitude, the sounding was 500 fathoms," replied the commander.
+
+"Indeed? That is 3,000 feet; I did not suppose it was so deep as that,"
+added the doctor.
+
+"The bottom is very irregular in all parts of the Red Sea; and in some
+places it is more than double the figure just mentioned. When we were
+about sixty miles north of Jiddah, the sounding was 1,054 fathoms, or
+6,234 feet."
+
+"How deep has the water been found to be in the ocean?"
+
+"As much as 4,000 fathoms of line have been paid out, with no bottom as
+the result. Soundings of 3,000 fathoms have been obtained. In the
+library you will find the 'Cruise of the Challenger,' which is the
+latest authority on this subject."
+
+"I shall refer to it; thank you, Captain."
+
+"On a little rocky island on our right," continued the commander,
+pointing to the location, "is the town of Suakin, as it is generally
+called, though the proper word is Sawakin. It is a town of ten thousand
+inhabitants. It is abreast of Nubia, the Soudan, and is the outlet of
+its commerce. When the Mahdi War became a serious matter, England took
+possession of this port; and several battles were fought in the vicinity
+with the followers of the Mahdi, who seemed to imitate the example of
+Mohammed to some extent in his crusade. The place is still held by a
+British garrison, and about seven thousand pilgrims embark here every
+year for Mecca by the way of Jiddah."
+
+"We all remember the war in the Soudan in which the Mahdi figured so
+largely," said Uncle Moses. "I should like to know something more about
+him."
+
+"The meaning of the word is the guide, 'the well-directed one.' There
+have been at least half a dozen Mahdis in the history of Mohammedans,
+just as there have been Messiahs in Christian lands, all of them
+impostors of course. One appeared in Arabia, who claimed to be a
+successor of Mohammed who had disappeared; another presented himself in
+the northern part of Africa. One appeared in Egypt during the French
+invasion, and was killed in battle.
+
+"The last one was Mohammed Ahmed; and like the rest of them he claimed
+to be a lineal descendant of the Prophet, divinely commissioned to
+extend his religion, and especially to drive the Christians out of the
+Soudan. He was in his earlier life an employe of the Egyptian
+government, but quarrelled with the governor of his province, and became
+a trader and a slave-dealer. At the age of forty he assumed the _r�le_
+of the Mahdi; and in that capacity he did a great deal of mischief. He
+captured the chief city of Kordofan, and made it the capital; he
+overwhelmed the army of Hicks Pacha, and finally shut up General Gordon
+in Khartoom, as has been related before. He died in 1885, and was
+succeeded by Abdallah. But he had deprived Egypt of even the nominal
+possession of the Soudan."
+
+"He was a terrible fighter," added Uncle Moses.
+
+"Fanatics usually are."
+
+The voyage continued without any unusual incident till the ship was
+approaching the entrance to the sea. The shores on both sides became
+more precipitous, and heights of two thousand feet were to be seen. The
+commander pointed out Mocha, which has the reputation of sending out the
+finest coffee in the world; but this is said to come from Hodeida, a
+port north of it.
+
+"Those hills on the left indicate the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, which was
+written Babelmandel in the old geographies when I went to school. Bab
+means a gate wherever you find it; and this is the 'Gate of Tears,' so
+called from the perils it presented to the small craft of the Arabians;
+and many of them were wrecked here," said the commander when the party
+were gathered on the promenade as usual if anything was to be seen. "We
+are now in latitude 12� 30', and I notice that some of the ladies are
+becoming tolerably diligent in the use of their fans."
+
+"It is time for us to begin to reduce our clothing," suggested Mrs.
+Belgrave.
+
+"Be prudent about that, ladies; for I think we shall have some cool
+weather again when we get out from the land, though it has been growing
+warmer since yesterday," added the doctor.
+
+"There is a strong current here, and some of the water comes up from the
+region of the equator; and, as you have been informed before, the
+temperature of it runs up to a hundred degrees," said the captain. "Here
+is the Island of Perim, a barren rock, three miles and a half long by
+two and a half wide, shaped like a crescent, with a good harbor between
+the two horns. The English took possession of it and held it for a year
+in 1799, and again occupied it in 1857, and later it was made into a
+coaling-station.
+
+"As you perceive, it is fortified, and it has a British garrison. It has
+hardly any other population than coolie coal-heavers. It is a
+desolate-looking place, and there does not appear to be even a blade of
+grass growing upon it."
+
+"Is it still Egypt on the other side of the strait?" asked Mrs.
+Belgrave.
+
+"No; it is Abyssinia," replied the captain. "It is a country containing
+200,000 square miles, nearly three-fourths of the size of Texas. It
+consists of tableland about 7,000 feet high, and there are peaks within
+its borders 15,000 feet high. It has a lake sixty miles long, and you
+have been told something about its rivers in connection with the sources
+of the Nile. It is rich in minerals, but the mines are hardly worked at
+all.
+
+"There has been the usual amount of quarrelling as in former times among
+the chiefs of the various tribes in Abyssinia; but finally an adventurer
+named Kassa, after defeating various chiefs, caused himself to be
+crowned as King Theodore. He tried to form an active alliance with
+England and France; but no notice was taken of his propositions. He was
+so enraged at this neglect on the part of England, that he began to
+maltreat the missionaries and consuls of that country. The British sent
+agents to treat for the release of the prisoners; but the king shut them
+up in the fortress of Magdala, though they brought a royal letter and
+presents.
+
+"Of course England could not stand this, and she sent an army of 16,000
+men to attend to the matter. They landed on the coast, and marched to
+Magdala. Theodore occupied a fort on a height with 6,000 men, and he
+hurled nearly the whole of his force upon a detachment of 1,700 British
+encamped on the plain below. The repeated attacks were repulsed every
+time, and the king was beaten. Then he sued for peace, and released the
+prisoners he held in the castle; but as he refused to surrender, the
+fortress was stormed and captured. Theodore was found dead where he had
+shot himself. The fort was demolished, and the British retired from the
+country. The expedition cost 45,000,000 dollars; but England always
+protects her citizens, wherever they are."
+
+"Is it a Mohammedan country, like Egypt?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"It is not; it is nominally a Christian country, though its religion is
+of the very lowest type that ever was called by that name, wholly
+external, and morals are at a very low ebb. After the British left, a
+prince defeated his rival, and was crowned as Emperor John; but it is a
+single-horse monarchy. It has been at war with Egypt, which never got
+possession of the country as it desired. In 1885 Italy occupied
+Massowah, though for what purpose was never definitely stated. Three
+companies of its army were attacked by the Abyssinians, and nearly the
+whole of them were massacred; but the Italians did not avenge this
+assault."
+
+The ship continued on her course along the coast of Yemen ninety miles
+to Aden, which the commander had before given out as his first
+stopping-place. Steam had been reduced so that the arrival should not be
+in the night. The passage had been made in about four days. The pilot
+came on board at six o'clock in the morning, and the passengers were
+already on the promenade. Two large steamers were at anchor in the
+roads, and were engaged in coaling and watering. A boat came off as soon
+as the ship anchored, containing an agent of the great Parsee merchants,
+who do most of the business of the town. He wished to see the captain,
+who was in his cabin.
+
+"Good-morning, Captain," said the man, speaking very good English. "I
+have taken the liberty to bring off some newspapers."
+
+"I am greatly obliged to you, for we are getting hungry for newspapers,"
+replied Captain Ringgold as he took the package. "Excuse me for a moment
+and I will send them to the passengers, for I have not time to look at
+them now."
+
+He tossed the bundle of papers up to Dr. Hawkes, and returned to his
+cabin.
+
+"I shall be happy to take your orders for whatever you may need at this
+port, including coal and water, as well as provisions and other
+supplies," continued the agent.
+
+The commander ordered both coal and water; for he knew about the Parsee
+merchants, and referred Mr. Gaskill, as he gave his name, to Mr.
+Melancthon Sage, the chief steward.
+
+"What sort of goods do you furnish here, Mr. Gaskill?" asked the
+commander.
+
+"Every sort, Captain Ringgold. This steamer does not belong to any
+regular line, I think," said the agent.
+
+"It does not to any line, regular or irregular; and yet she is not a
+tramp," replied the commander with a smile.
+
+"Is she a man-of-war?" inquired the visitor, opening wide his big eyes.
+
+"She is not; she is a yacht, with a pleasure party on board who are
+making a voyage around the world."
+
+"Ah, yes, Captain; I understand. There is another steam-yacht in the
+roads, over beyond the P. & O. steamer nearest to you. Perhaps you have
+seen her; she is painted white all over."
+
+"I did not notice her. What flag does she carry?"
+
+"She sails under the British flag. But you suggested that you might need
+other supplies. We can furnish your party with all the English goods
+they want, and there are first-class tailors and dressmakers here."
+
+"My passengers must speak for themselves," answered the captain. "I fear
+you cannot furnish the supplies I need."
+
+"We can furnish everything that can be named," persisted the agent of
+the Parsee merchants. "What do you require?"
+
+"Two twenty-four pounders, brass, naval carriages, and all the
+ammunition needed for their use," replied the commander; and he felt as
+though he had made an impossible demand.
+
+"We can furnish anything and everything you may desire in this line; in
+fact, we can fit out your ship as a man-of-war. But do you need only two
+such guns as you describe, Captain Ringgold?" asked the business-driving
+Mr. Gaskill. "We have a lot of four of them, and we should like to
+dispose of them together."
+
+"I will see the guns before I say anything more about the matter. When
+can you fill our water-tanks and coal-bunkers?" inquired the commander.
+
+"We are very busy to-day, for we have several steamers to supply; but it
+shall be done before to-morrow noon."
+
+"Now I will introduce you to our chief steward."
+
+Mr. Sage insisted upon seeing his supplies before he named the quantity
+needed, and made an appointment on shore.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+A DISAPPOINTMENT TO CAPTAIN SCOTT
+
+
+Captain Ringgold knew something about Aden before he decided to make a
+stopping-place of it, and it was certainly a more agreeable location
+than Perim. The town--or towns, for there appear to be several of
+them--is described by a former resident as a sort of crater like that of
+a volcano, formed by a circular chain of steep hills, the highest of
+which is 1,775 feet above the sea level. The slope outside of them
+reaching to the waters of the Arabian Gulf, or the Gulf of Aden as it is
+now called, has several strings of hills in that direction, with valleys
+between them, radiating from the group to the shore.
+
+Aden is a peninsula connected with Hadramaut, the southern section of
+Arabia, by a narrow isthmus, covered at the spring tides by the
+surrounding waters. Over it is a causeway conveying an aqueduct which is
+always above the sea level. The region looks as though it might have
+been subject to volcanic convulsions at some remote period. Within the
+circle of hills are the town and a portion of the military works. In its
+natural location, as well as in the strength of its defences, it bears
+some resemblance to Gibraltar.
+
+This was the substance of what the commander told his passengers before
+they landed, and proceeded to give points in the history of the
+peninsula, which he had studied up, as he always did when approaching a
+new locality; and though he was a walking encyclop�dia, he had not
+obtained this reputation without much study and labor in addition to his
+extensive voyages and travels "all over the world."
+
+"A learned biblical scholar of the last century, who studied Oriental
+history in connection with the sacred record, identifies Aden as the
+Eden mentioned by Ezekiel in describing the wealth of Tyrus," continued
+the commander.
+
+"But who was Tyrus, Captain?" asked Mrs. Blossom, who was wide awake
+when any scriptural name was used.
+
+"He wasn't anybody, Mrs. Blossom; and when Ezekiel and some other of the
+prophets used the word Tyrus, they meant Tyre; and doubtless you have
+read about Tyre and Sidon."
+
+"I never heard it called by that name before," added the worthy lady
+with a blush.
+
+"Read Ezekiel xxvii. and you will find it. This place was known before
+the time of Christ, and was the centre of an extensive commerce with
+India, though it was also carried on by the Indus and the Oxus, the
+latter formerly flowing into the Caspian Sea. In the fourth century
+after Christ, the son of the Emperor Constantine established a Christian
+church here. In more modern history Aden has been a part of Yemen,
+along whose shores we sailed for more than a day on the Red Sea. The
+lines from Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' partly quoted before,
+
+                  "'As when to them who sail
+    Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past
+    Mozambic, off at sea north-east winds blow
+    Sab�an odors from the spicy shore
+    Of Arabie the blest,'
+
+alludes to this country. The Sab�ans were the ancient people of Yemen,
+called Sheba in the Book of Genesis. They were a wealthy and powerful
+people, and it was probably the queen of this region who made a
+celebrated visit to King Solomon. But we cannot follow them now.
+
+"Yemen changed hands several times, belonging to Abyssinia, Persia, and
+the caliphs of Arabia, and has been fought for by Portuguese, Turks, and
+Egyptians; but now it is a Turkish province. England had reason to
+demand satisfaction from the Arab authorities for injuries done to her
+Indian subjects. The negotiations failed, and there was evident
+treachery. England does her work thoroughly in such cases; and Aden was
+promptly bombarded, and then seized by a naval and military force in
+1839. This is said to be the first territory acquired during the reign
+of Queen Victoria; and the nation's record is not so bad as sometimes
+stated.
+
+"Aden was made a free port in 1850; and it has since had a large trade,
+increasing it from half a million dollars to sixteen millions. It is
+governed by English civil officers, and the military is in command of a
+brigadier-general. The troops are British and East Indian, and are of
+all arms of the service, including a troop of native cavalry, to which
+Arabs mounted on camels are attached. Now we are ready to go on shore,"
+the commander concluded.
+
+"How are we to go on shore, sir?" asked Scott.
+
+"We have plenty of boats,--the barge, the first and second cutters, and
+the dingy," replied Captain Ringgold with a pleasant smile; for he
+understood what the captain of the Maud was driving at.
+
+"Are you not going to put the little steamer into the water again, sir?"
+inquired the young captain. "She would be very convenient in going about
+this place, which is nearly surrounded by water."
+
+"She would be indeed; but we shall probably leave Aden by to-morrow
+afternoon, and it would hardly pay to lower her into the water, for you
+know that it requires a great deal of hard work to do so," said the
+commander, who was really very sorry to disoblige the young man, and he
+kept more than his usual smile on his face all the time.
+
+"I think we could make the voyage very comfortably in her from here to
+Bombay, or wherever you are going," suggested Captain Scott.
+
+"I do not consider a voyage of that length in such a small craft quite
+prudent, even if there were no other question to be considered. But it
+would take us at least half a day to put the Maud into the water, and
+as long to coal and water her, and otherwise fit her out. Then it is
+ordinarily a seven days' voyage from Aden to Bombay, and the Maud would
+get out of coal in half that time."
+
+"But for the next five hundred miles the voyage is along the coast of
+Arabia."
+
+"There are no coal stations except at Aden and Perim, so far as I know,
+unless you run up to Muscat, and I am not sure that there is any there,"
+answered the captain of the ship. "I learned from Mr. Gaskill, the
+Parsee agent here, after I told him who and what we were, that he had
+heard of us before. Stories exaggerated beyond all decent limits have
+been told about us. Louis's million and a half have been stretched to
+hundreds of millions, and the Guardian-Mother has been regarded as a
+floating mine of wealth. I suspect that Mazagan spread such stories in
+Egypt, and they have travelled to this port."
+
+"What have these stories to do with a voyage to Bombay by the Maud?"
+asked Scott, with something like a laugh; for he could see no
+connection.
+
+"Mr. Gaskill asked me about the little steamer that was sailing with the
+ship; so that he had heard of her, for she came through the canal with
+us. I have thought of this matter before; and the little steamer would
+be a great temptation to the half-civilized Arabs that inhabit these
+shores, and they are sailors after their own fashion. I know you are not
+afraid of them, Captain Scott; but it would be easy enough for these
+pirates to fall upon you, capture the little steamer, and make an end of
+all on board of her."
+
+"Where should we be while they were doing all this?" asked Scott with a
+smile of incredulity.
+
+"You would be treated to some treachery at first probably; but even in a
+square, stand-up fight your chances against fifty or a hundred of these
+savages would be very small. In fact, I came to the conclusion, after
+your battle at Khrysoko, that the armament of the ship was not heavy
+enough for possible contingencies, though the saluting-guns on the
+top-gallant forecastle are well enough for ordinary occasions."
+
+"As your mind seems to be made up, Captain Ringgold, I will say no more
+about the matter," added Scott; and it was plain enough that he was
+sorely disappointed.
+
+"I am very confident that Mrs. Belgrave and Mrs. Woolridge, since the
+trouble in the Cyprus bay, and after all that has been said since that
+event, would not permit their sons to go to sea again in the Maud; and I
+must say that their prudence is perfectly justifiable."
+
+"Then we are not likely to use the Maud again?" asked Scott.
+
+"Certainly not in these localities, though we may put her in the water
+at Bombay, Calcutta, and perhaps some other ports," replied the
+commander. "If anything should happen to you, or to any of your ship's
+company, I should never forgive myself."
+
+"I don't see that she will be of any use to us hereafter," suggested the
+discontented young navigator.
+
+"I advised her purchase mainly for use in the Mediterranean; and she has
+certainly been very useful, adding very much to the pleasure of the
+party."
+
+"If you cannot use her, I should think you would sell her," added Scott.
+"Of whatever service she may have been, she seems to be played out, and
+is of no use at all now."
+
+"You are nearer right, Captain Scott, than perhaps you suppose; and to
+be candid with you, I regard the Maud as very like an elephant on our
+hands."
+
+"Then I hope you will sell her," replied the young man, with something
+like desperation in his manner. "For my part, I am entirely willing you
+should do so, sir."
+
+"It is plainly impracticable to make any use of her in the next six
+months, except in harbor service, and we hardly need her for that,"
+continued the commander. "I know that Louis and Morris do not wish to go
+to sea in her again; and I suppose Felix would prefer to be where his
+crony is."
+
+"Cruising in the Maud is then decidedly a thing of the past," said
+Scott, with a feeble attempt to laugh.
+
+"Then, if I should find an opportunity to sell the Maud at Aden, you
+will not be disappointed?" asked the captain, point-blank, looking
+earnestly into the face of the young sailor.
+
+"If we are not to use her as we did before"--
+
+"That is utterly impracticable in the waters of the Indian Ocean; for
+the perils I have suggested, to say nothing of typhoons and hurricanes,"
+interposed the commander.
+
+"Then I shall be perfectly satisfied to have her go," answered Scott.
+
+"In the first typhoon or hurricane, and I expect to see such, we might
+be obliged to cut her loose, and launch her into the boiling waters to
+save the ship; for I find that she is too great a load to carry on our
+promenade deck, and we have no other place for her. We have had no storm
+to test the matter; if we had, she might have gone before this time. I
+have already spoken to Uncle Moses and Mr. Woolridge about the matter,
+and they not only consent, but insist, that the Maud be sold."
+
+"I have nothing more to say, Captain Ringgold," said Scott rather
+stiffly.
+
+Then he told the young man about the terrors of the mothers, the grave
+fears of Mr. Woolridge, who was a yachtsman, and was so confident that
+the little steamer would have to be cast into the sea, that Scott was
+somewhat mollified. He had made his reputation as a sailor, a navigator,
+a brave fellow, on board of her, and to lose the Maud seemed like
+destroying the ark which had brought him out of the floods of evil, and
+made a man of him.
+
+The wise commander had evidently saved him from a life of iniquity, and
+the little steamer had been an effective agency in his hands in doing
+the work. He was absolutely clear that it was not prudent for the young
+navigators to sail the Maud over the Indian Ocean, and his conscience
+would not permit it to be done. He was afraid his decision might have a
+bad effect upon the young man, that it might even turn him from the
+paths of rectitude in which he had trodden for many months; but he
+trusted to himself and the co-operation of the other three members of
+the "Big Four" to save him from any such disaster.
+
+The barge and the first cutter were manned at the gangway, and the party
+went on shore, prepared by what the commander had said to them to
+understand what they were to see. Captain Ringgold was obliged to visit
+the Parsee merchants, while an army officer who had been presented to
+them showed them about the town. They found everything they could
+possibly desire at the shops (not stores on British territory). Louis
+procured the vehicles, and they all rode out to the fortifications,
+where they were greatly interested, especially in the water tanks, which
+have a capacity of nearly eight million gallons. The officer was
+exceedingly polite, not alone because the reputation of the wealth of
+the young millionaire had gone out before him, but because this is the
+rule with well-bred English people.
+
+He was re-enforced by others, and the ladies had all the beaux they
+could manage; and Miss Blanche could have had all of them if she had not
+chosen to cling to Louis Belgrave. They were all invited to dinner in
+the cabin of the Guardian-Mother, and Mr. Sage was informed of the fact
+before he returned to the ship.
+
+Before noon the Maud had been sold for four times the sum she had cost,
+to the Parsees, who wanted her very badly to ply between steamers and
+the shore in prosecuting their trade. Out of the price to be received
+was deducted that of the four guns and a liberal supply of ammunition of
+all descriptions.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV
+
+THE SUSPICIOUS WHITE STEAMER AT ADEN
+
+
+Captain Ringgold had sold the little steamer for four times what she had
+cost the owners, but still for less than her value, for she was an
+exceptionally strong and handsome craft. On the other hand, he had
+purchased the naval material for "a mere song;" for it was not available
+for a man-of-war in modern times, and not of the kind used in the naval
+or military forces of England.
+
+The commander had been a young naval officer from the beginning of the
+War of the Rebellion, and had attained the grade of lieutenant, so that
+he was a judge of the material he bought. He examined everything very
+critically before a price was named. The guns had been procured for a
+native East-Indian prince; but the ship that brought them to the shores
+of his country was not permitted to land them. He was deposed about the
+time, probably on account of the attempt to bring these guns into his
+domain.
+
+The captain of the sailing-ship could not collect even his freight
+money, and he was forced to carry them off with him when his cargo was
+completed. His consignee suggested to him that the Imam, or Sultan, of
+Muscat would purchase his war material, and be glad to get it, and he
+had sailed for that port; but among the rocks at the entrance to the
+Persian Gulf his bark had been wrecked. The guns and ammunition were
+saved, for they were the captain's private venture, and he had stored
+them between decks.
+
+The bottom of the bark was pounded and ground off, and the cargo in the
+hold was a total loss; but an English steamer had taken off the ship's
+company and the naval goods, and carried them to Aden. The unfortunate
+captain sold them for the most he could get to the Parsee merchants, who
+had kept them for years before they found a purchaser. They got their
+money back, and they were satisfied.
+
+As soon as the commander finished his business with the merchants he
+hastened to join the party, who were still exploring the town. It
+contains about twenty thousand inhabitants, and everything was as
+Arabian as in the desert. He found his passengers just starting for a
+ride of about five miles; and, after he had been introduced to the
+officers, he went with them.
+
+"Goodness gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom, as they were getting into
+the carriages, "what is the matter with that man?"
+
+"Nothing is the matter with him, madam," replied an officer, laughing at
+the manner of the excellent woman.
+
+"Why, I thought he had a hornets' nest on the top of his head," she
+added.
+
+"He has nothing but his hair there."
+
+"It would be just the thing for a mop."
+
+"That is a Soumali Indian, and you will see a plenty of them," the
+officer explained. "In fact, you will find every sort of people here.
+These Soumalis are great dandies; for you see they dye their hair in red
+or yellow, and I suppose they think they are handsome. Probably you
+don't think so."
+
+"I'm sure I don't. Why, the fellow has no clothes on but a sheet wrapped
+around him, and don't even cover his chest with that!"
+
+"That's his fashion; and if you dressed him up like one of those Sepoys
+he would not feel easy. They have some fine horses and carriages here."
+
+The vehicles had to stop presently when they met a caravan of camels,
+which had long since ceased to be a novelty to the tourists. They were
+driven, the officer said, by the real Bedouins of the desert, and by men
+of all shades of color, from jet-black to pale copper hue. The donkeys
+were not a strange sight; but when a couple of ostriches passed along
+the street, the visitors were all eyes. They were seven feet high; and
+they could capture a fly, if they would take such small game, off the
+ceiling of a room eight feet high. They were tame, and like the monkeys,
+gazelles, parrots, and other birds on the verandas, were kept as pets.
+
+There were pretty little gardens along the roads; for the volcanic soil,
+when dug up and fertilized, makes productive land. There were plenty of
+rocks; but wherever there was a cleft or a seam, there was a growth of
+something green. Thirty or forty miles back in the country, there are
+green valleys and rippling streams. Abundant crops are raised within ten
+miles of the town, and the garrison and the people of the town are
+plentifully supplied with fruit and vegetables.
+
+The officers showed the party through the fortifications, some of which
+strongly reminded them of Gibraltar. Our friends were greatly pleased
+with Aden, and especially with the attentions of the officers, who are
+to some extent shut out from social relations. The commander added the
+Parsee merchants and Mr. Gaskill to the number of invited guests, and
+entered warmly into the spirit of the affair. Mr. Sage had replenished
+his stores from the market, and he was in good condition to meet the
+requirements of the occasion.
+
+After a lunch at the H�tel de l'Europe, Captain Ringgold left the
+company to return on board of the ship, where the war material had
+already been sent. The tourists found the town very like an English
+city, and after Egypt and the isthmus they enjoyed the contrast. The
+first cutter was waiting for him, and he went to the pier.
+
+More than once during the forenoon he had obtained a view of the white
+steamer anchored in the roads, and he had inquired in regard to her, but
+had been able to obtain no very definite information concerning her. She
+was a steam-yacht of about the size of the Guardian-Mother, as nearly
+as he could judge, painted white, and she looked like a very beautiful
+vessel.
+
+Captain Ringgold had inquired in regard to her of the merchants. Had
+they seen the owner who was making the cruise in her? They had. He was a
+man thirty or thirty-two, with a fine black beard, and a lady had said
+he was a remarkably handsome man. His informant thought he was a
+foreigner, though he spoke English as fluently as the officers of the
+garrison. He was dressed in the latest style of European garments when
+he came on shore, and the Parsee had been unable to form an opinion in
+regard to his nationality.
+
+The carpenter of the Guardian-Mother had constructed something like a
+magazine in the hold of the ship for the ammunition which had been taken
+on board before she sailed. It was large enough for the new supply,
+though some further precautions were taken for the safety of the
+contents. The four twenty-four pounders were placed, two forward and two
+aft, the former on the forecastle, and the latter in the space on deck
+abaft the boudoir.
+
+The guns were mounted on naval carriages, and portholes were to be
+prepared on the passage to India. The two twelve-pounders were to remain
+on the top-gallant forecastle, where they had always been; though they
+had been used on the Fourth of July, and for saluting purposes only,
+except in the Archipelago, where they had done more serious work, and
+had doubtless saved Miss Blanche and Louis from capture.
+
+The commander sincerely hoped there would never be an occasion to make
+use of either the old or the new guns, for he was eminently a man of
+peace; but he was prepared to defend his ship, either from pirates,
+belligerent natives, or Captain Mazagan when he had recovered from his
+wound. Probably he would not have thought of such a thing as increasing
+his means of defence if Mazagan had not followed the ship as far as
+Suez.
+
+After he had looked over the white steam-yacht which lay beyond the
+British steamer as well as he could, and gathered all the information in
+regard to her and her commander, he could not help thinking of the last
+threats of Mazagan. He had been assured that Ali-Noury Pacha was as
+vindictive as ever, and that he had long before ordered a new steamer to
+be built for him. Did the white steam-yacht belong to him?
+
+Mazagan, evidently for the want of care, had irritated his wound, and
+gone to the hospital at Suez. He could learn nothing in regard to him
+there; but it was entirely impossible that he could have come to Aden,
+for no steamer had passed the Guardian-Mother on her passage. The white
+steamer had no doubt come through the canal before her.
+
+The commander could not solve the problem. He decided to "take the bull
+by the horns," and settle the question before he sailed the next day. He
+had dressed himself in his best uniform in the morning, and he decided
+to pay a visit to the white steam-yacht before he slept again. It was to
+be a visit of ceremony; and he ordered the crew of the barge to put on
+their clean white uniforms, for he intended to go in state.
+
+All the passengers were still on shore, and there was no one to go with
+him if he had desired any company. He wished to inform the Pacha, if the
+owner proved to be he, and he was on board, that he was prepared for any
+and every thing. If His Highness attempted any trickery or treachery in
+the direction of the members of his party, or any one of them, he would
+blow the white steamer out of the water, even if she belonged to the
+Sultan of Morocco. In fact, he had worked himself up as much as he ever
+could into an angry frame of mind.
+
+If he was waiting for Mazagan to come to Aden,--for the pirate must have
+written to him in regard to his intentions, if he had any,--the
+persecution of the Americans was to be continued over the Indian Ocean.
+He was to command this magnificent steamer, as he had the Fatim�, and
+would be ready to retrieve his misfortunes in the past. But Captain
+Ringgold was "reckoning without his host."
+
+He descended the gangway steps, and took his seat in the stern-sheets of
+the barge with compressed lips; for he intended to meet the Pacha face
+to face, and this time at his own instigation. Possibly his crew were
+physiognomists enough to wonder what had come over the captain; for
+they had never seen him when he looked more in earnest. The captain
+nodded at the cockswain, and the bowman shoved off. The crew gave way,
+and no boat ever presented a finer appearance.
+
+"To the white steam-yacht beyond the P. and O. steamer," said the
+commander; and said no more.
+
+The men bent to their oars, and they were soon in sight of the beautiful
+vessel, as everybody called her; and Captain Ringgold could not but
+indorse the general verdict; at least, he thought she was quite as
+handsome as the Guardian-Mother, which was enough to say of any vessel
+in his estimation. The barge made a landing at the platform of the
+gangway.
+
+"May I be permitted to go on board?" asked the captain of the sailor who
+stood at the head of the steps.
+
+"Yes, sir; she is open to ladies and gentlemen to-day," replied the man.
+
+The commander ascended the steps to the bulwarks, where the seaman was
+evidently doing duty as a sentinel, though he was not armed.
+
+"What steamer is this?" asked the visitor; for he had not yet seen the
+name of the steamer.
+
+"The Blanche, sir," replied the man very respectfully; for the
+commander's uniform had made its proper impression.
+
+"The Blanche!" exclaimed the captain of the Guardian-Mother, starting
+back as though a red-hot shot had struck him.
+
+[Illustration: "CAPTAIN RINGGOLD, I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE YOU." Page
+337.]
+
+It was very remarkable that the steamer should have that name; but he
+preserved his dignity, and concluded that the name had been given for
+some member of the owner's family; and he saw a lady seated near the
+rudder-head, who might be the owner of the name. He looked about the
+deck,--what of it could be seen,--though most of it was covered by the
+house, extended nearly from stem to stern, as on the Guardian-Mother.
+Everything was as neat and trim as though she had been a man-of-war. He
+could see two twelve-pounders on the side where he was; and he concluded
+there were two more on the other side.
+
+But if this craft was to chase and annoy his party, she was not well
+enough armed to be a match for his own ship; and with the feeling he had
+stirred up in his mind, he congratulated himself on the superiority of
+the ship he commanded. The seaman informed him that he was at liberty to
+look over the vessel, for it was believed to be the finest her
+celebrated builders had ever completed.
+
+"I desire to see the captain of this steamer," replied Captain Ringgold,
+declining the permission extended to him.
+
+"He is in his cabin, sir, and I will call him down," replied the man.
+
+The captain gave him his card, and the sailor mounted to the promenade
+deck. He had not been gone two minutes before the captain rushed down
+the steps as though he were in a desperate hurry.
+
+"Captain Ringgold, I am delighted to see you!" shouted the captain of
+the Blanche before the visitor had time to make out who he was. "I am
+glad to see you on the deck of my ship!" And he extended his hand to the
+commander of the Guardian-Mother.
+
+"Captain Sharp!" roared the visitor, seizing the offered hand, and
+warmly pressing it.
+
+It was a tremendous let-down for him, after he had roused all his
+belligerent nature into action, to find Captain W. Penn Sharp in command
+of the suspicious steamer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV
+
+GENERAL NEWRY'S MAGNIFICENT YACHT
+
+
+The biography of Captain Penn Sharp had been quite romantic within the
+preceding year. In company with his brother he had been a detective in
+New York during the greater portion of his lifetime. He had been an
+honest and upright man; but in spite of this fact he had saved a
+competence for a man of small desires before he was fifty years old. He
+had never been married till the last year of his life.
+
+He had what he called a "profession," and he had attended to it very
+closely for twenty years or more. When he "had a case to 'work up,'" he
+took it to his humble lodging with him, and studied out the problem.
+There was nothing in his room that could be called a luxury, unless a
+library of two hundred volumes were classed under that head; and he
+spent all his leisure time in this apartment, having absolutely no
+vices. He was a great reader, had never taken a vacation, and saved all
+his money, which he had prudently invested.
+
+In his younger days he had been to sea, and came home as the mate of a
+large ship when he was twenty-two. His prospects in the commercial
+marine were very promising; but his brother, believing he had peculiar
+talent for the occupation in which he was himself engaged, induced him
+to go into the business as his partner. He had been a success; but men
+do not live as he did, depriving himself of rest or recreation, without
+suffering for it. His health broke down.
+
+Confident that a voyage at sea would build him up, he applied to Captain
+Ringgold for any place he could offer him. Only the position of
+quartermaster was available. He was glad to obtain this on board of such
+a steamer. He had told his story, and the commander needed just such a
+person. Mrs. Belgrave had married for her second husband a man who had
+proved to be a robber and a villain. Her son Louis had discovered his
+character long before she did, and, after fighting a long and severe
+battle, had driven him away, recovering a large sum of money he had
+purloined.
+
+Captain Ringgold ascertained in Bermuda that the villain had another
+wife in England. He promoted his quartermaster to the position of third
+officer, and set him at work as a detective on the case. The recreant
+husband had inherited a fortune in Bermuda, had purchased a steam-yacht,
+and was still struggling to recover the wife who had discarded him,
+believing the "Missing Million" was behind her.
+
+The deserted English wife had been sent for by her uncle, who had become
+a large sugar planter in Cuba. Sharp found her; and her relative had
+died but a short time before, leaving her a large fortune. The wretch
+who had abandoned her was arrested for his crimes, and sent back to New
+York, and was soon serving a long sentence at Sing Sing. He had been
+obliged to leave his steam-yacht, and it had been awarded to his wife.
+
+By the influence of Captain Ringgold, Penn Sharp had been appointed
+captain of her; and he had sailed for New York, and then for England, in
+her. The lady was still on the sunny side of forty, and Sharp had
+married her. After this happy event, they had sailed for the
+Mediterranean; and the commander and passengers of the Guardian-Mother
+had met them at Gibraltar. How Captain Penn Sharp happened to be in
+command of the Blanche was a mystery to Captain Ringgold, though it was
+possible that the million or more of Mrs. Penn Sharp enabled her to
+support such a steam-yacht.
+
+It seemed as though Captain Sharp would never release the hand of the
+commander of the Guardian-Mother, who had not only been a good friend to
+him in every sense of the word, but he had unintentionally put him in
+the way of achieving the remarkably good fortune which had now crowned
+his life.
+
+"I don't know what to make of this, Captain Sharp," said he of the
+Guardian-Mother. "Are you in command of this fine steamer?"
+
+"Without a ghost of a doubt I am," replied he of the Blanche, with a
+renewed pressure of the hand.
+
+"Of course I am astonished, surprised, astounded, as I ought to be on an
+occasion like this. About the last I knew of you, you had just got
+married. Have you become so accustomed to married life that you are
+ready to leave your wife on shore while you wander over the ocean
+again?" asked the visitor in a good-humored, rallying tone.
+
+"Not a bit of it, my dear Captain. My wife is worth more to me than all
+the money she brought me, though she is as much of a millionaire as
+young Mr. Belgrave, we find. She is on board of the Blanche at this
+moment; and Ruth will be delighted to see you and all your people."
+
+"I am glad all is so happy with you, and I may be tempted to marry
+myself," laughed the commander.
+
+"You are already tempted, and you will yield to the temptation."
+
+"I have not been tempted like Adam in the garden; if I had been, I
+should have swallowed the apple whole," replied Captain Ringgold, who
+had never said so much before on this delicate subject to any person.
+"It will have to be Adam this time that does all the tempting. But I
+wish you would explain to me how you happen to be fixed up here like
+Aladdin in one of his fairy palaces. I suppose, of course, you are
+sailing in your own steamer?"
+
+"Not at all; for though we have money enough now, we are not disposed to
+throw it away upon a ship with so much style about her as the Blanche
+carries over the ocean. But I have not asked you about your party on
+board of the Guardian-Mother. I like that title, and if I had had the
+naming of the Blanche, I should have called her the Protecting
+Grandmother, or something of that sort."
+
+"The company on board of my ship are all in excellent health and
+spirits. By the way, we have a dinner party at six, and you and your
+wife must assist; and it will be a most unexpected pleasure."
+
+"I will go; but it is four now, and we haven't half time enough to do
+our talking. But come to my cabin; and then, if you will excuse me for a
+moment, I will notify Mrs. Sharp, so that she may be ready for the
+dinner."
+
+Captain Sharp sent the sailor at the gangway to show the visitor to his
+cabin, while he went aft on his errand. Captain Ringgold found the cabin
+consisted of two apartments, one of which was evidently his wife's
+boudoir; and nothing could have been more elegant or convenient. In
+fact, it was Oriental magnificence, though the portion appropriated to
+the commander was fitted up with the usual nautical appliances. The
+occupant of the cabin soon appeared; and he acted as though he wanted to
+hug his visitor, though he satisfied himself by taking his hand again.
+He evidently credited the captain of the Guardian-Mother with both his
+wife and his fortune.
+
+"Now take this arm-chair, Captain Ringgold, and we will have it out,"
+said the commander of the Blanche. "My wife will be ready in an hour,
+and she will be delighted to see Mrs. Belgrave and the rest of the
+party; for she is particularly fond of that lady, though they have both
+been in the same relation to Scoble."
+
+"I think the name of Scoble has not been mentioned for nearly a year on
+board of the Guardian-Mother. But you told me, Captain Sharp, that you
+and your wife were not the owners of this fine craft," suggested the
+visitor, leading to the solution of the mystery which perplexed him.
+
+"We are not; and I am sailing in the employ of General Newry," answered
+the other; and Captain Ringgold imagined that the name was spelled in
+this manner, though there was a twinkle in the eyes of the speaker.
+
+"General Newry; I never heard of him. One of those Englishmen who have
+won their spurs and their fortunes in India, I suppose," added the
+visitor.
+
+"Not at all; and he is not even an Englishman."
+
+"Not an Englishman!" exclaimed the puzzled captain. "Is he a Frenchman
+with that name?"
+
+"Not even a Frenchman."
+
+"I came on board of the Blanche almost angry enough to break something,
+for certain members of my party have been hunted and hounded the whole
+length of the Mediterranean; and I am determined to put a stop to it,"
+said Captain Ringgold, getting back some of the spirit in which he had
+boarded the steamer. "I am of the same mind still."
+
+"You will have no further trouble with your troublesome customer," said
+Captain Sharp, with a very agreeable smile.
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"As the boys say, because I know; I do not guess at it."
+
+"You do not understand the matter."
+
+"I know more about it than you do."
+
+"Do you know Ali-Noury Pacha?"
+
+"I do; intimately."
+
+"Then you know that he is one of the greatest scoundrels that ever went
+six months without being hung," said he of the Guardian-Mother warmly.
+
+"There I must beg to differ from you. He may have been what you say in
+the past, but he is not in the present," replied he of the Blanche,
+quite as decidedly as the other had spoken.
+
+Captain Ringgold proceeded to demonstrate the truth of his remark
+concerning the Pacha by relating his experience from Mogadore to
+Alexandria, detailing the plots and conspiracies of His Highness and his
+agents against the peace and safety of his party. Captain Sharp admitted
+the truth of all the attempts to capture Miss Blanche and Louis
+Belgrave.
+
+"Then you must admit that he is an unmitigated scoundrel," added Captain
+Ringgold.
+
+"Much that you charge to him was the work of his agents."
+
+"He hatched up the conspiracy with Mazagan, for Louis heard every word
+of it in the caf� at Gallipoli. The attempt was made in Pournea Bay in
+the Archipelago to take Miss Blanche and Louis out of the Maud."
+
+"I grant it; but Mazagan far exceeded his instructions, as he did at
+Zante."
+
+"How much money did the Pacha offer Mazagan to obtain the persons
+mentioned?"
+
+"Twenty thousand dollars, or a hundred thousand francs; but that is a
+bagatelle to him. The Pacha is another man now," added the ex-detective
+impressively.
+
+"How long has he been another man?" asked Captain Ringgold with
+something like a sneer.
+
+"Over six months."
+
+"But Mazagan has been operating the same old scheme in Egypt within two
+months," protested the commander of the Guardian-Mother very vigorously.
+
+"Then he was not acting under the instructions of the Pacha."
+
+"We should have found it difficult to believe that if you had told it to
+us in Cairo," said the objector in a manner that might have made one who
+did not know the captain decidedly belligerent. "Mazagan told Louis that
+the Pacha had offered him two hundred thousand francs if he succeeded in
+his enterprise, or half that sum if he failed."
+
+"Then the fellow lied!" exclaimed the captain of the Blanche.
+
+"He told Louis if he would persuade his trustee to give him half the
+full amount of the reward, he would collect the other half of His
+Highness, as promised in case of failure."
+
+"That Mazagan is a villain and a scoundrel I have no doubt," said
+Captain Sharp. "Since the affair at Zante, the Pacha has had no hand in
+the matter."
+
+"But the steamer of His Highness, the Fatim�, has been in Rosetta in
+command of Mazagan," put in the objector with earnestness, believing his
+reply would demolish the truth of his companion's statement.
+
+"That can be explained," answered the commander of the Blanche. "If you
+believe there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, it is
+quite time for me to tell my story; and I hope you will take a different
+view of the Pacha's present character, as I believe you will."
+
+"Where is the distinguished Moor now?" asked Captain Ringgold,
+carelessly and flippantly, as though it was of no consequence to him
+where he was.
+
+"He is in the cabin."
+
+"In the cabin!" exclaimed the commander of the Guardian-Mother, leaping
+out of his chair with an utter lack of dignity for him. "What cabin?"
+
+"The cabin of the Blanche, of course."
+
+"Is this his steamer?"
+
+"It is."
+
+"You told me it was General Newry's," said the visitor with a frown, as
+he buttoned up his coat as though he was about to take his leave of such
+a disagreeable locality. "General N-e-w-r-y."
+
+"N-o-u-r-y is the way he spells it," interposed the ex-detective. "Sit
+down, Captain. He is a general of the highest rank in the army of
+Morocco, and he prefers to cruise under this title."
+
+"If this is the steamer of Ali-Noury Pacha, it is time for me to leave."
+
+"I hope you will hear my story before you go; for I assure you I have
+been honest and sincere with you, telling you nothing but the truth. I
+hated and condemned the vices of His Highness as much as you do,
+Captain; I have told him so to his face, and that was the foundation of
+his reformation."
+
+Captain Ringgold concluded to hear the story.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI
+
+AN ALMOST MIRACULOUS CONVERSION
+
+
+It was a long story which Captain Penn Sharp told of his relations with
+Ali-Noury Pacha; and his visitor was so incredulous at first that he
+appeared to have solemnly resolved not to accept anything as the truth.
+But the character of the speaker left its impress all along the
+narrative; and Captain Ringgold was compelled to believe, just as the
+hardened sinner is sometimes forced to accept the truth when presented
+to him by the true evangelist, though his teeth were set against it.
+
+"You gentlemen with millions in your trousers pockets are subject to
+perils which we of moderate means are not exposed to," the commander of
+the Blanche began.
+
+"That means you, and not me," suggested the visitor.
+
+"You have the reputation of being a rich man, whether you are one or
+not. My wife is rich, and I am only well off; but never mind that now,"
+replied Captain Sharp. "I saw General Noury, as we will call him after
+this if you do not object, for that is the name by which he chooses to
+be known, in Gibraltar several times, and I knew all about your affair
+with him there; but I did not get acquainted with him, for I despised
+him as much as you did.
+
+"I sailed from the Rock, and took my wife to a great many of the ports
+of Europe, and some in Africa, including Egypt; but I am not going to
+tell you about our travels. We went from Alexandria to Malta, Syracuse,
+and to Messina; and it was at this last port that I fell in with General
+Noury. His steamer, I forget her name,"--
+
+"The Fatim�; but Felix McGavonty always called her the Fatty."
+
+"The Fatty anchored within a cable's length of me before I had been
+there two hours, and the Pacha went ashore at once. That night my wife
+was sick, and I went to the city to procure a certain medicine for her.
+I happened into a shop where no one could speak English, and I don't
+speak anything else. I was just going off to find another place where
+they did speak English, when a gentleman rose from a chair with some
+difficulty and offered his services.
+
+"It was General Noury. He had been drinking, but was not very badly off.
+He was as polite as a dancing-master, and helped me out so that I got
+what I wanted. He spoke Italian as though he had known it in his
+babyhood. I was very much obliged to him, and thanked him with all my
+might. He left before my package was ready, and I soon followed him.
+
+[Illustration: "MY SHOT BROUGHT DOWN ONE OF THE BANDITS." Page 351.]
+
+"As I entered the street that leads from the Corso Cavour to the shore I
+heard the yells of a man in trouble. I always carried my revolver with
+me, and I had handled a good many rough villains in my day. I started at
+a run, and soon reached the scene of the fight. I found two men had
+attacked one; and though the latter was bravely defending himself, he
+was getting the worst of it. I saw that he was going under, and I fired
+just as the man attacked dropped on the pavement.
+
+"My shot brought down one of the bandits, and the other rushed towards
+me. He had brought down his victim, and he wanted to get rid of me so
+that he could go through his pockets. I fired at him, and he dropped the
+long knife with which he was going to stick me on the pavement. There it
+is over the window;" and the captain pointed to it. "He was wounded; and
+then he ran away, for he did not like to play with a revolver. Before I
+could get to him, the other assassin got on his feet and followed him,
+though he moved with no little labor and pain; but my business was not
+with him, and I let him go.
+
+"The man who had been attacked was trying to get on his feet, and when I
+came up to him I found it was General Noury. He had been stabbed in the
+shoulder, and he was bleeding very freely. With my assistance he walked
+to my boat, and my men placed him in the stern-sheets. I found that he
+was bleeding badly, and I was no surgeon. The Hotel Vittorio was on the
+other side of the street, and some one there could tell me in English
+where to find a doctor.
+
+"Two gentlemen at the door were smoking. They were talking in English,
+and I told them what I wanted. They were both Americans, and one of
+them was a doctor. He volunteered to go with me. He said the patient had
+a bad wound. He went back to the hotel for his case of instruments, and
+then went on board of the Viking with his patient. It would make your
+dinner very late if I should give you all the details of the general's
+case. Dr. Henderson stopped the flow of blood, and attended to his
+patient for three weeks on board of the steam-yacht.
+
+"When he was in condition to be moved to the Fatty, he did not wish to
+go. My wife had nursed him as she would have nursed her own brother, and
+as she had her uncle in Cuba. When he was convalescent he treated her
+with the most profound respect. Mazagan came on board to see him, and
+told me he had just come from Athens. But the general was plainly
+disgusted with him, and wanted to get rid of him. He gave him the
+command of the Fatty, and ordered him to wait for him at Gibraltar.
+
+"Dr. Henderson was travelling for pleasure, and he liked it so well that
+he wanted more of it; but he had spent all his money, and had no more at
+home. He came on board of the Viking, and lived there. His friend had
+left, and he was alone. He had been a very skilful practitioner in New
+York City, but his thirst for travel would not permit him to wait long
+enough to save sufficient money from his abundant income.
+
+"Of his own free will and accord General Noury told me that he was
+leading a miserable life in spite of the wealth that he possessed, the
+honors that crowned him in Morocco, and the leisure that was always at
+his command when the army was not in the field. As he summed it up
+himself, his vices had got the better of him. He could not respect
+himself. I could see that there was something left of him. I went to
+work on him. I am not an evangelist myself, and I did not take him on
+that tack.
+
+"I have no doubt that I had saved his life; and no man was ever more
+grateful for the service I had rendered him. My wife was such a houri as
+he had never seen in a harem. We both talked with him about the beauty
+of a good and useful life. In a word, we redeemed him. My wife is a
+sincere Christian, and she did more of it than I did. He was absolutely
+penitent over his sins, his dissipation, the wrongs towards others he
+had committed, though he was still a Mohammedan; but a great deal of the
+prophet's creed would pass for Christianity. We both saw that it would
+be useless to attack his religion; for he was a Moslem to the marrow of
+his bones.
+
+"More than anything else he was penitent over his relations with you and
+your party. The general was certainly infatuated over the beauty of Miss
+Blanche; but it was as an artist runs mad over a picture. He solemnly
+assured me he never had an unworthy thought in regard to her. He looked
+upon her as a beautiful child, whose image haunted him day and night. If
+you had permitted him to see her, that was all he wanted. No such
+thought had ever entered his head as that of putting her in his harem,
+even if he had succeeded through his agents in capturing her; though he
+was urged forward to this by the insults you heaped upon him.
+
+"I mean that you spoke the truth to him, nothing more, as I did. He
+desires to beg your forgiveness, and he would cross the Atlantic for the
+purpose of doing so. We stayed at Messina three weeks, and at the end of
+that time General Noury was quite well again. He gave Dr. Henderson a
+hundred thousand francs, and wanted me to take five times that amount;
+but I positively refused to take a cent from him. To shorten up the
+story, we became fast friends, including my wife. He had sent the Fatty
+off, and I invited him to remain on board of the Viking. He was in a
+hurry to get to Gibraltar; and I soon found that he had a reason for
+going there.
+
+"He told me that the Fatty was old and slow, and more than a year before
+he had ordered the finest steam-yacht that could be built; and the
+Blanche was the result of the order. He named her after the highest
+ideal he had ever been able to obtain of human loveliness; but he had
+written this letter from Madeira, before he had had any trouble with
+you. Ruth and I were ready to go to England by this time, and we
+conveyed the general to Gibraltar. He had received a letter from his
+English agent informing him that the Blanche was finished.
+
+"He ordered his man of business to ship the best English ship's company
+he could gather together at liberal wages, and proceed to Gibraltar. We
+found her there. He insisted that I should sell the Viking, for which he
+found a customer, and take the command of the Blanche. My wife should
+have any and all the accommodations on board she desired, and we would
+make the voyage around the world, an idea he borrowed from you, Captain
+Ringgold.
+
+"I accepted the offer because I liked the general, and my wife was more
+pleased with the plan than I was. I was to have my own way about
+everything, and he acted in princely style. My first business was to
+improve his reputation in Gibraltar. He gave a very large sum to the
+charities of the city; and where the officers and soldiers had benefit
+associations he filled up their coffers. He did not drink a drop of
+spirits or wine, and would have signed a total-abstinence pledge if I
+had asked him to do so. I am not quite old enough to be his father; but
+if he had been my son I could have had no more influence over him.
+
+"The general came to me to know how he should settle his accounts with
+Mazagan, informing me that the villain had offered him twenty-five
+thousand francs for the Fatty, and claimed the fifty thousand due him. I
+told him he had made a bad bargain with the wretch, but as he had
+promised he must perform. The vessel was worth at least double what he
+offered; but I advised him to take it, for money was no object to him
+compared with getting rid of this villain. Mazagan took possession of
+the Fatty, and that was the last of her."
+
+"No, it wasn't," interposed Captain Ringgold; and he gave a brief
+account of the "Battle of Khrysoko," with the events leading to it.
+
+"Good for Captain Scott!" exclaimed the commander of the Blanche. "I am
+glad she has gone to the bottom, for that is the best place for her. We
+sailed from Gibraltar to Madeira, where the general made himself solid
+with the people there in the same manner as at the Rock. He apologized
+to everybody he had insulted, and he was quite a lion before we left the
+port. Then we went to Mogadore; and there he scattered his harem, on the
+plea that he was going around the world; but he told me it would never
+be gathered together again, that or any other.
+
+"The general would have gone to New York in the Blanche if you had been
+there, for the sole purpose of apologizing to you, and begging you to
+forgive him for all the injuries he had done or had attempted to do you.
+It is only five o'clock, and now you must see General Noury. I was going
+to the Guardian-Mother this evening to make an appointment for him; for
+I thought you would be busy all day."
+
+"I am quite ready now to meet him, and to give him my hand," replied
+Captain Ringgold. "I must say that this is the greatest conversion on
+record, considering that the Pacha is still a Mohammedan."
+
+"I think so myself; but my wife will never be satisfied till she has
+made him a convert to the Christian religion," replied Captain Sharp, as
+he led the way to the cabin of the general.
+
+They were promptly admitted; and the owner of the Blanche started back,
+and stood with clasped hands gazing at Captain Ringgold.
+
+"General Noury, this is Captain Ringgold, commander of the
+Guardian-Mother," said Captain Sharp.
+
+"Most sincerely, I am very glad to see you, General Noury," added the
+visitor, advancing with extended hand to the Pacha, for such he was
+still in spite of the change in his name.
+
+"I feel more like throwing myself on my knees before you, after the
+Oriental manner, than taking you by the hand," replied the general,
+though he took the hand tendered to him. "I have grievously wronged and
+insulted you, and I ask to be forgiven with the most sincere and
+long-continued sorrow for the injuries I have done you."
+
+"General Noury, I am happy to take by the hand as my friend one who has
+passed from the darkness into the light; and as my own religion teaches
+me to forgive those who have wronged me, I am glad to make the past, as
+it lies between us, a total blank."
+
+"And my religion teaches me to seek the forgiveness of those I have
+injured, or tried to injure. We will not differ over our faith,
+different as they are; and on my part there shall henceforth be nothing
+else to make us at variance."
+
+"And nothing on my part," responded Captain Ringgold, again pressing the
+hand of the Pacha.
+
+The general was invited to visit the Guardian-Mother, and dine with the
+party in the cabin. Captain Ringgold was then conducted to the after
+part of the ship, and there found Mrs. Sharp, who was delighted to see
+him. The Pacha presently came out of his cabin dressed in evening
+costume, but in European style, and the trio embarked in the barge. As
+they approached the anchorage of the ship, strains of martial music came
+from her deck, which the commander could not explain. It appeared that
+some of the invited officers had sent a regimental band on board as a
+compliment to the steamer and her passengers.
+
+The long absence of the commander had begun to excite some uneasiness,
+for he had not been seen since the middle of the forenoon. The addition
+of even three more guests to the crowded table upset the calculations of
+the accomplished steward, and he was obliged to add another table. While
+he was doing so, the captain told his passengers "of the mighty things
+that had happened." He could not tell the whole story; but he begged all
+on board to receive the Pacha kindly and politely, for he had forgiven
+everything, and he honored him for the bravery and resolution with which
+he had put his vices behind him. "Get thee behind me, Satan!" was the
+way he phrased it.
+
+[Illustration: "HE WAS PLACED AT THE RIGHT OF CAPTAIN RINGGOLD." Page
+359.]
+
+The general was then presented to all the party, passengers as well as
+invited guests. It may have required an effort on the part of the former
+to carry out the instructions of the commander; but the Pacha declared
+that he was delighted with his reception. He was placed on the right of
+Captain Ringgold, as the guest of honor, and treated with distinguished
+consideration by all the people from the shore.
+
+The dinner was Mr. Melancthon Sage's crowning effort, as he had been
+ordered to make it. Not a word was said, or an allusion made, to the
+scenes of the past in which the trouble had bubbled up. The commander
+made a speech, and proclaimed his temperance principle so originally
+that the military guests hardly missed the wine to which they were
+accustomed. Some of them spoke, mostly of the ship and her agreeable
+passengers; but all agreed the Pacha made the speech of the evening,
+which was a comparison between his own country and those in which he had
+spent so large a portion of his life. In the first place, he was a very
+handsome man; his English was perfect; and he had a poetic nature, which
+developed itself in the flowery language he used.
+
+It was a very delightful occasion, and everybody enjoyed it without any
+drawbacks. The Maud was at the gangway to take the party ashore; for the
+Parsee merchants had invited the military officers to make use of her.
+By eleven o'clock all were gone in that direction. Captain Ringgold had
+intended to sail for Bombay the next day; but the extraordinary event
+which had transpired at Aden decided him to remain another day.
+
+The party from the Blanche, attended by the commander, were put on
+board of their steamer, in the barge. On her return Captain Ringgold was
+very anxious to ascertain what impression had been made upon the
+passengers by His Highness the Pacha. They insisted that he was not the
+same man at all, and that they had been pleased with him. Had he really
+reformed his life? Mrs. Belgrave had heard from Mrs. Sharp a fuller
+account of the conversion of the sinner in a high place, and she
+believed it.
+
+Louis Belgrave sat at the side of Miss Blanche, and she had little
+knowledge of the intentions of the Pacha so far as she was concerned. He
+had treated her with the most scrupulous politeness and reserve, and she
+admitted that she "rather liked him." Mrs. Blossom declared that he was
+still a heathen, and wondered that Mrs. Sharp had not converted him to
+Christianity while she was about it, as she would have done if she had
+had the opportunity. But the good woman would probably have lost her
+case if she had tried to do too much at once.
+
+The next day the intercourse between the two steamers was renewed; and
+the Pacha was decidedly a lion, though he conducted himself with extreme
+modesty. The impression he continued to make was decidedly in his favor.
+He assumed nothing on account of his wealth, his lofty station, or
+anything else. The passengers dined that day in the cabin of the
+Blanche, with about all the guests whose acquaintance the general had
+made on board the Guardian-Mother.
+
+In the afternoon it was decided by the unanimous vote of the company on
+board of the Guardian-Mother that the two steamers should sail the next
+day for Bombay together. The "Big Four" had been properly noticed by the
+Pacha, and they had all made friends with him. He had talked with Louis
+a good deal, for he had become very well acquainted with him at
+Mogadore; and Scott even thought it possible such a man, "made of
+money," might yet buy a steamer for him.
+
+The Maud, with the Parsee merchants and all the friendly officers,
+followed the two magnificent steamers to sea the next day, and both
+vessels fired salutes for them at parting. The party were going to
+India; new sights, different from anything they had ever seen before,
+were to open upon them, and it is more than possible that the young men
+on board would fall into some stirring adventures as they proceeded. The
+company of the Blanche was likely to bring with it some attractions, and
+to change somewhat the order of events on board both vessels. But the
+narrative of the voyage will be found in "ACROSS INDIA; OR, LIVE BOYS IN
+THE FAR EAST."
+
+
+
+
+OLIVER OPTICS BOOKS.
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+THE BLUE and THE GRAY
+
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+Per volume, $1.50.
+
+
+NAVY SERIES
+
+    TAKEN BY THE ENEMY
+    WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES
+    A VICTORIOUS UNION
+    ON THE BLOCKADE
+    STAND BY THE UNION
+    FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT
+
+
+ARMY SERIES
+
+    BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER
+    IN THE SADDLE
+    A LIEUTENANT AT EIGHTEEN
+
+_Other volumes in preparation_
+
+The opening of a new series of books from the pen of Oliver Optic is
+bound to arouse the highest anticipation in the minds of boy and girl
+readers. There never has been a more interesting writer in the field of
+juvenile literature than Mr. W. T. Adams, who under his well-known
+pseudonym, is known and admired by every boy and girl in the country,
+and by thousands who have long since passed the boundaries of youth, yet
+who remember with pleasure the genial, interesting pen that did so much
+to interest, instruct and entertain their younger years. The present
+volume opens "The Blue and the Gray Series," a title that is
+sufficiently indicative of the nature and spirit of the series, of which
+the first volume is now presented, while the name of Oliver Optic is
+sufficient warrant of the absorbing style of narrative. "Taken by the
+Enemy," the first book of the series, is as bright and entertaining as
+any work that Mr. Adams has yet put forth, and will be as eagerly
+perused as any that has borne his name. It would not be fair to the
+prospective reader to deprive him of the zest which comes from the
+unexpected, by entering into a synopsis of the story. A word, however,
+should be said in regard to the beauty and appropriateness of the
+binding, which makes it a most attractive volume.--_Boston Budget._
+
+"Taken by the Enemy" has just come from the press, an announcement that
+cannot but appeal to every healthy boy from ten to fifteen years of age
+in the country. "No writer of the present day," says the Boston
+_Commonwealth_, "whose aim has been to hit the boyish heart, has been as
+successful as Oliver Optic. There is a period in the life of every
+youth, just about the time that he is collecting postage-stamps, and
+before his legs are long enough for a bicycle, when he has the Oliver
+Optic fever. He catches it by reading a few stray pages somewhere, and
+then there is nothing for it but to let the matter take its course.
+Relief comes only when the last page of the last book is read; and then
+there are relapses whenever a new book appears until one is safely on
+through the teens."--_Literary News._
+
+
+ALL-OVER-THE-WORLD LIBRARY
+
+By OLIVER OPTIC
+
+_Illustrated, Price per Volume $1.35_
+
+
+FIRST SERIES
+
+A MISSING MILLION
+OR THE ADVENTURES OF LOUIS BELGRAVE
+
+A MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN
+OR THE CRUISE OF THE GUARDIAN MOTHER
+
+A YOUNG KNIGHT-ERRANT
+OR CRUISING IN THE WEST INDIES
+
+STRANGE SIGHTS ABROAD
+OR A VOYAGE IN EUROPEAN WATERS
+
+
+SECOND SERIES
+
+AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT
+OR CRUISING IN THE ORIENT
+
+THE YOUNG NAVIGATORS
+OR THE FOREIGN CRUISE OF THE MAUD
+
+UP AND DOWN THE NILE
+OR YOUNG ADVENTURERS IN AFRICA
+
+ASIATIC BREEZES
+OR STUDENTS ON THE WING
+
+_OTHER VOLUMES IN PREPARATION_
+ANY VOLUME SOLD SEPARATELY
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston
+
+
+YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD.
+
+FIRST SERIES.
+
+A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo Illustrated by
+Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others. Per volume, $1.50.
+
+    l. OUTWARD BOUND;
+        Or, Young America Afloat.
+
+    2. SHAMROCK AND THISTLE;
+        Or, Young America in Ireland and Scotland.
+
+    3. RED CROSS;
+        Or, Young America in England and Wales.
+
+    4. DIKES AND DITCHES;
+        Or, Young America in Holland and Belgium.
+
+    5. PALACE AND COTTAGE;
+        Or, Young America in France and Switzerland.
+
+    6. DOWN THE RHINE;
+        Or, Young America in Germany.
+
+The story from its inception and through the twelve volumes (see _Second
+Series_), is a bewitching one, while the information imparted,
+concerning the countries of Europe and the isles of the sea, is not only
+correct in every particular, but is told in a captivating style. "Oliver
+Optic" will continue to be the boy's friend, and his pleasant books will
+continue to be read by thousands of American boys. What a fine holiday
+present either or both series of "Young America Abroad" would be for a
+young friend! It would make a little library highly prized by the
+recipient, and would not be an expensive one.--_Providence Press._
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Asiatic Breezes, by Oliver Optic
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ASIATIC BREEZES ***
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Asiatic Breezes, by Oliver Optic
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Asiatic Breezes
+       Students on The Wing
+
+Author: Oliver Optic
+
+Release Date: May 27, 2008 [EBook #25620]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ASIATIC BREEZES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
+(This book was produced from scanned images of public
+domain material from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<p><a name="front" id="front"></a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 320px;">
+<img src="images/fronticpiece.jpg" width="320" height="500" alt="&quot;The stern of the Fatima suddenly went down.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;The stern of the Fatima suddenly went down.&quot; Page <a href="#Page_127">127</a>.</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<h4><i>All-Over-the-World Library&mdash;Second Series</i></h4>
+
+
+<h1>ASIATIC BREEZES</h1>
+
+<h4>OR</h4>
+
+<h1>STUDENTS ON THE WING</h1>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>OLIVER OPTIC</h2>
+
+<p class="center">AUTHOR OF "THE ARMY AND NAVY SERIES" "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD FIRST AND
+SECOND SERIES" "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES" "THE GREAT WESTERN SERIES" "THE
+WOODVILLE STORIES" "THE ONWARD AND UPWARD SERIES" "THE LAKE SHORE
+SERIES" "THE YACHT-CLUB SERIES" "THE RIVERDALE STORIES" "THE BOAT
+BUILDER SERIES" "THE BLUE AND THE GRAY AFLOAT" "THE BLUE AND THE GRAY ON
+LAND" "STARRY FLAG SERIES" "ALL-OVER-THE-WORLD LIBRARY FIRST AND SECOND
+SERIES" "A MISSING MILLION" "A MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN" "A YOUNG
+KNIGHT-ERRANT" "STRANGE SIGHTS ABROAD" "AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT" "THE YOUNG
+NAVIGATORS" "UP AND DOWN THE NILE" ETC.</p>
+
+<h3>LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS</h3>
+
+<h3>10 MILK STREET</h3>
+
+<h4>BOSTON</h4>
+
+<h4>1895</h4>
+
+
+<p class="center">
+<span class="smcap">Copyright, 1894, by Lee and Shepard</span><br />
+<br />
+<i>All Rights Reserved</i><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Asiatic Breezes</span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Electrotyping by C. J. Peters &amp; Son, Boston U.S.A.</span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Presswork by S. J. Parkhill &amp; Co.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<p class="center">
+To<br />
+<br />
+MY APPRECIATIVE FRIEND AND BROTHER<br />
+<br />
+FOSTER A. WHITNEY Esq.<br />
+<br />
+OF SOUTHINGTON CONN.<br />
+<br />
+This Volume<br />
+<br />
+IS FRATERNALLY AND RESPECTFULLY<br />
+<br />
+DEDICATED<br />
+</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</a></span></p>
+<h2>PREFACE</h2>
+
+
+<p>"ASIATIC BREEZES" is the fourth volume of the second series of the
+"All-Over-the-World Library." Starting out from Alexandria, Egypt, after
+the adventures and explorations of the Guardian-Mother party in that
+interesting country, which included an excursion up the Nile to the
+First Cataract, the steamer sails out upon the Mediterranean, closely
+followed by her little consort. The enemy who had made a portion of the
+voyage exceedingly disagreeable to the watchful commander has been
+thwarted in all his schemes, and the threatened danger kept at a
+distance, even while those who are most deeply interested are
+unconscious of its existence.</p>
+
+<p>But the old enemy immediately appears on the coast, as was expected, and
+an attempt is made to carry out a plan to escape from further annoyance.
+The little steamer sails for the island of Cyprus,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</a></span> as arranged
+beforehand, and reaches her destination, though she encounters a smart
+gale on the voyage, through which the young navigators carry their
+lively little craft. Plans do not always work as they have been
+arranged; and by an accident the young people are left to fight their
+own battle, as has happened several times before in the history of the
+cruise.</p>
+
+<p>A considerable portion of the volume is taken up with the record of some
+very stirring events in a certain bay of the island of Cyprus, where the
+little steamer had made a harbor after the gale, and where the
+Guardian-Mother had failed to join her, as agreed upon. The story
+relates the manner in which the young captain, actively seconded by his
+shipmates, extricates his little craft from a very perilous situation,
+though it involves a disaster to the piratical enemy and his steamer.
+The conduct of the boy-commander brings up several questions of
+interest, upon which everybody has a right to his own opinion.</p>
+
+<p>The steamer and her consort pass through the Suez Canal, which is
+minutely described, both in its construction and operation. Some of
+those on board<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</a></span> of the steamer are interested in Scripture history,
+including the commander; and the residence of the Israelites in the
+"Land of Goshen," as well as their pilgrimage into Asia, pursued by
+"Pharaoh and his host," are considered at some length. Some of the
+different views in regard to the passage of the Red Sea are given,
+though he who presents them clings to the narrative as he read it from
+the Bible in his childhood.</p>
+
+<p>Though the party for reasons given do not go to Mount Sinai, the
+peninsula to which it now gives its name is not neglected. Mount Serbal,
+and what is generally regarded as the Holy Mountain, are seen from the
+deck of the steamer, though some claim that the former is the scene of
+the delivery of the tablets of the Law to Moses. The captain of the
+steamer does not regard himself as a mere shipmaster; for in
+recommending the voyage for the young millionaire, he makes a great deal
+of its educational features, not alone for its opportunities for
+sight-seeing, but for study and receiving instruction. As earnest in
+carrying out his idea in the latter as well as the former, he has made a
+lecture-room of the deck of the vessel.</p>
+
+<p>The physical geography of the regions passed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[Pg viii]</a></span> through is considered, as
+well as the history; and as the ship is in the vicinity of the kingdoms
+of the ancient world, the professor has something to say to his audience
+about Assyria, Babylonia, Arabia, the Caliphate, and gives an epitome of
+the life of Mohammed, and the rise and progress of Islamism.</p>
+
+<p>In the last chapters the story, which has been extended through several
+volumes, appears to be brought to a conclusion in a manner that may
+astonish the reader. However that may be, the termination points to an
+enlarged field of operations in the future for the party as they visit
+the vast empires where blow the Asiatic breezes.</p>
+
+
+<p class="right">WILLIAM T. ADAMS.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dorchester, Mass.,</span> September 30, 1894.<br /></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[Pg ix]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+<p>
+CHAPTER I.         <span class="tocnum">PAGE</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">Preparing to Outwit the Enemy</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_1'>1</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER II.<br />
+<span class="smcap">Harmony Disturbed, but Happily Restored</span>       <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_11'>11</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER III.<br />
+<span class="smcap">A Momentous Secret Revealed</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_21'>21</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER IV.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Position of the Three Steamers</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_31'>31</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER V.<br />
+<span class="smcap">Louis Belgrave has Some Misgivings</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_41'>41</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER VI.<br />
+<span class="smcap">A Stormy Night Run to Cape Arnauti</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_51'>51</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER VII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Belligerent Commander of the Maud</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_61'>61</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER VIII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Lecture on the Island of Cyprus</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_71'>71</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER IX.<br />
+<span class="smcap">A Most Impudent Proposition</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_81'>81</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER X.<br />
+<span class="smcap">"Just Before the Battle, Mother"</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_91'>91</a></span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[Pg x]</a></span><br />
+CHAPTER XI.<br />
+<span class="smcap">An Expedient to Escape the Enemy</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_101'>101</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Battle Fought, the Victory Won</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_111'>111</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XIII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Catastrophe to the Fatim&eacute;</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_121'>121</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XIV.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Consultation in the Pilot-house</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_131'>131</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XV.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Arrival of the Guardian-Mother</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_141'>141</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XVI.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Report of the Battle of Khrysoko</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_151'>151</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XVII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Inside History of the Voyage</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_161'>161</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XVIII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">A Brief History of the Suez Canal</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_171'>171</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XIX.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Journey of the Children of Israel</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_181'>181</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XX.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Last of Captain Mazagan</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_192'>192</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXI.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Conference on the Suez Canal</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_202'>202</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXII<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Canal and its Suggestions</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_212'>212</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXIII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Mysterious Arab in a New Suit</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_222'>222</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXIV.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Toy of the Transit Manager</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_232'>232</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXV.<br />
+<span class="smcap">A Visit to the Springs of Moses</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_241'>241</a></span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[Pg xi]</a></span><br />
+CHAPTER XXVI.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Various Routes to Mount Sinai</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_251'>251</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXVII<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Conference on the Promenade</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_260'>260</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXVIII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Ancient Kingdoms of the World</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_270'>270</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXIX.<br />
+<span class="smcap">View of Mount Sinai in the Distance</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_280'>280</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXX.<br />
+<span class="smcap">Some Account of Mohammed the Prophet</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_290'>290</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXXI.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Rise and Progress of Islamism</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_300'>300</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXXII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Agent of the Parsee Merchants</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_310'>310</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXXIII.<br />
+<span class="smcap">A Disappointment to Captain Scott</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_319'>319</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXXIV.<br />
+<span class="smcap">The Suspicious White Steamer at Aden</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_329'>329</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXXV.<br />
+<span class="smcap">General Newby's Magnificent Yacht</span>      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_339'>339</a></span><br />
+<br />
+CHAPTER XXXVI.<br />
+<span class="smcap">An Almost Miraculous Conversion</span>     <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_349'>349</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[Pg xii]</a></span></p>
+<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+
+<p>
+"<span class="smcap">The stern of the Fatima suddenly went down</span>"    <span class="tocnum"><i><a href="#front">Frontispiece</a></i></span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="tocnum">PAGE</span><br />
+"<span class="smcap">It had been a stormy night</span>"            <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_51'>51</a></span><br />
+<br />
+"<span class="smcap">Stop where you are or I shall order my men to fire!</span>"         <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_92'>92</a></span><br />
+<br />
+"<span class="smcap">She spread out her arms and rushed upon him</span>"      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_147'>147</a></span><br />
+<br />
+"<span class="smcap">Knott, take this villain away</span>"      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_201'>201</a></span><br />
+<br />
+"<span class="smcap">Captain Ringgold, I am delighted to see you</span>"      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_337'>337</a></span><br />
+<br />
+"<span class="smcap">My shot brought down one of the bandits</span>"      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_351'>351</a></span><br />
+<br />
+"<span class="smcap">He was placed at the right of Captain Ringgold</span>"      <span class="tocnum"><a href='#Page_359'>359</a></span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>ASIATIC BREEZES</h2>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<h3>PREPARING TO OUTWIT THE ENEMY</h3>
+
+
+<p>"Only one great mistake has been made, Louis Belgrave," said Captain
+George Scott Fencelowe.</p>
+
+<p>He was a young man of eighteen; but the title by which he was addressed
+was genuine so far as his position was actually concerned, though it
+would hardly have passed muster before a court of admiralty of the
+United States, whose flag was displayed on the ensign-staff at the
+stern. The vessel was a small steam-yacht, only forty feet in length,
+but furnished in a miniature way with most of the appliances of a
+regular steamer.</p>
+
+<p>She had a cabin twelve feet long, whose broad divans could be changed
+into berths for the four principal personages on board of her. Abaft
+this apartment was a standing-room with seating accommodations for eight
+persons, or twelve with a little crowding, with luxurious cushions and
+an awning overhead when needed.</p>
+
+<p>Her pilot-house, engine-room, galley, and forecastle<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> were as regular as
+though she had been an ocean steamer of a thousand tons. Her ordinary
+speed was ten knots an hour; but she could be driven up to twelve on an
+emergency, and had even made a trifle more than this when an
+extraordinary effort was required of the craft.</p>
+
+<p>She had been built for a Moorish Pacha of the highest rank and of
+unbounded wealth, who had ordered that no expense should be spared in
+her construction and outfit. She was built of steel as strong as it was
+possible to build a vessel of any kind; and in more than one heavy gale
+on the Mediterranean she had proved herself to be an unusually able and
+weatherly craft.</p>
+
+<p>Though she had formerly been called the Salih&eacute;, her name had been
+changed by her later American owners to the Maud. Everything about her
+was as luxurious as it was substantial. She had a ship's company of
+seven persons, only two of whom had reached and passed their majority,
+the other five varying in age from fifteen to eighteen.</p>
+
+<p>The principal personages were boys, three of them having attained the
+mature age of eighteen, while the fourth was only fifteen. This quartet
+sometimes called themselves the "Big Four," though it was a borrowed
+designation, meaning something entirely different from its present
+signification. Captain Scott had been the first to apply the term; and
+he had done so simply because it tickled the tympanum of his ear, and it
+really meant nothing at all.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The Maud was the consort, or more properly the tender, of the
+Guardian-Mother, a steam-yacht of over six hundred tons' burden, now
+engaged in making a voyage around the world. In a preceding volume it
+was related in what manner Louis Belgrave became a millionaire, with
+fifty per cent more than money enough to entitle him to this rather
+indefinite appellation. How he happened to be the proprietor of one of
+the finest steam-yachts that ever floated on the ocean was also
+explained, through a somewhat complicated narrative, and the details of
+a cruise to Bermuda, the Bahama Islands, and Cuba, followed by a voyage
+across the Atlantic and up the Mediterranean, the steamer and her tender
+having just sailed from Alexandria after the tour of Egypt.</p>
+
+<p>The ship, as the larger steamer was generally called to distinguish her
+from the smaller one, was the Guardian-Mother. This may be regarded as
+rather an odd name for a steamship, but it had been selected by the
+young millionaire himself as a tribute of love, affection, and honor to
+his mother; for they were devotedly attached to each other, and their
+relations were almost sentimental. Mrs. Belgrave was one of the most
+important passengers in the cabin of the steamer.</p>
+
+<p>Felix McGavonty was born in the United States, though his parents came
+from Ireland. He had been the companion of Louis Belgrave from their
+earliest childhood; and as they grew older they became the most
+consummate cronies. Felix almost worshipped<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> his friend, and the
+friendship was mutual. He was a fair scholar, having attended the
+academy at Von Blonk Park, where they lived. He could speak the English
+language as well as a college professor; but he was very much given to
+speaking with the Irish brogue, in honor of his mother he insisted, and
+dragged into his speech all the dialects known in the Green Isle, and
+perhaps supplemented them with some inventions of his own. That great
+American humorist might have said of Felix just what he did of the
+kangaroo.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Scott had been a wild boy, in fact, a decidedly bad boy. He had
+been picked up with his foster-father in the Bahamas. His only guardian
+bound him over to Captain Royal Ringgold, the commander of the
+Guardian-Mother, who had thoroughly and entirely reformed his life and
+character. He was a natural-born sailor, and his abilities were of a
+high order in that direction. When the ship's company of the Maud was
+organized, Louis had brought his influence to bear in favor of electing
+him to the command, for which he was vastly better qualified than any
+other member of the "Big Four."</p>
+
+<p>Squire Moses Scarburn, another of the all-over-the-world excursionists,
+was the trustee of Louis's million and a half. He was a jolly fat man,
+rising fifty years old. He was a lawyer by profession, and had sat upon
+the bench, and Louis had always been an immense favorite with him. He
+had taken Felix into his house as an orphan; and his housekeeper,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> Mrs.
+Sarah Blossom, had cared for him in his childhood, looked after his
+morals and the buttons on his shirts and trousers, till she became very
+fond of him.</p>
+
+<p>Just before the Guardian-Mother sailed on her cruise from New York, a
+couple of professional gentlemen, thrown overboard by the upsetting of a
+sailing-yacht, were rescued from a watery grave by the people on board
+of the steamer, largely by the exertions of Louis. One of them was Dr.
+Philip Hawkes, one of the most noted medical men of the great city. He
+was almost the counterpart of the trustee physically, weighing two
+hundred and twenty-six pounds and three-quarters, while the lawyer fell
+a quarter of a pound short of these figures. They were continually
+bantering each other about this difference.</p>
+
+<p>The doctor called Uncle Moses, as the entire party addressed him,
+"Brother Avoirdupois;" and the lawyer retorted by christening the
+surgeon "Brother Adipose Tissue." The conductor of the party in Egypt
+had called them both "cupids;" and this term became very popular for the
+time. The other gentleman who had been saved from an untimely grave in
+the bay was a learned Frenchman. Both of them were in feeble health from
+overwork; and they accepted invitations to join the party, the one as
+the medical officer of the ship, and the other as the instructor in the
+languages as well as in the sciences generally, for which he was
+abundantly competent.</p>
+
+<p>Louis Belgrave, in passing through the incidents<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> of the story, had made
+the acquaintance of Mr. Lowell Woolridge, a Fifth Avenue millionaire and
+magnate. He had formerly been a well-known sportsman; but he had
+abandoned the race-course, though he kept up his interest in yachting.
+He was the owner of a large sailing schooner; and through this craft
+Louis and his mother became acquainted with the yachtsman's family,
+consisting of his wife, a son, and a daughter. The latter was a very
+beautiful young lady of sixteen, whose face captivated everybody who
+came into her presence; and Louis's mother had deemed it her duty to
+warn her son against the fascination of the maiden before he had found
+his million.</p>
+
+<p>A slight illness had threatened the young lady with possible
+consequences, and the physicians had advised her father to take her to
+Orotava, in the Canary Islands. On the voyage the yacht had been nearly
+wrecked, and the family had been rescued by the officers and crew of the
+Guardian-Mother. The yacht sailed in company with the steamer; and they
+visited Mogadore, in Morocco. Here Ali-Noury Pacha, one of the richest
+and most influential magnates of the country, paid a visit to the ship.
+Unfortunately he saw the beautiful Blanche Woolridge, and was more
+attentive to her than pleased her parents.</p>
+
+<p>They were alarmed, for of course the Pacha was a Mohammedan. Captain
+Ringgold found a way out of the difficulty by towing the sailing-yacht
+out of the harbor; and both vessels hastened to Madeira.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> The Moor
+followed them in his steam-yacht, the Fatim&eacute;; but the commander put to
+sea as soon as he realized the situation. At Gibraltar the Pacha
+confronted the party again. The commander had learned at Funchal that
+His Highness was a villanously bad character, and he positively refused
+to permit him to visit or to meet the lady passengers on board his ship.
+He was an honest, upright, and plain-spoken man. He stated that the
+Pacha was not a suitable person to associate with Christian ladies.</p>
+
+<p>This led to a personal attack upon the stalwart commander, and the Pacha
+was knocked into the mud in the street. This had fanned his wrath to a
+roaring name, for he had been fined before an English court for the
+assault. His passion for revenge was even more determined than his
+admiration for the "houri," as he called the maiden. He had followed the
+ship to Constantinople, engaged a felucca and a ruffian, assisted by a
+French detective, to capture the fair girl, as the story has already
+informed the reader in other volumes.</p>
+
+<p>The national affairs of His Highness had called him home, but he had
+apparently placed his steam-yacht in command of a Captain Mazagan; and
+this ruffian, attended by Ulbach, the detective, had followed the party
+to Egypt. The capture of Louis Belgrave, or the young lady, or both of
+them, was the object of the ruffian, who was to receive two hundred
+thousand francs if he succeeded, or half that sum if he failed. Louis
+had had a narrow escape from these<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> ruffians in Cairo; but he had worked
+his way out of the difficulty, assisted by a chance incident.</p>
+
+<p>The Fatim&eacute; had been discovered in the harbor of Alexandria before the
+Guardian-Mother and her tender sailed. The peril which menaced the young
+lady had been kept a profound secret from all except three of the "Big
+Four;" for the commander believed himself abundantly able to protect his
+passengers, and the knowledge of the danger would have made the ladies
+so nervous and terrified that Mrs. Belgrave and the Woolridges would
+have insisted upon returning to New York, and abandoning the voyage from
+which so much of pleasure and instruction was expected.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold and Louis had considered the situation, and fully
+realized the intention of Captain Mazagan to follow the steamer and her
+little consort. They had agreed upon a plan, after Captain Scott and
+Felix, who was the detective of the ship, by which they hoped to "fool"
+the enemy, as the young commander expressed it. The Fatim&eacute; had sailed
+early in the morning, but she was soon discovered off the Bay of Abukir.
+The reader is now in condition to inquire into what Captain Scott
+regarded as the one great mistake that had been made in the arrangements
+for outwitting the Moorish steam-yacht.</p>
+
+<p>The young captain was in the pilot-house of the Maud when the steamer
+was discovered. He was the commander; but the smallness of the ship's
+company made it necessary for him to keep his own<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> watch, which is
+usually done by the second mate for him. Morris Woolridge, who had had
+considerable experience in his father's yacht, was the first officer,
+and there was no other. The young millionaire, in spite of his influence
+as owner, had insisted on serving as a common sailor, or deck-hand, with
+Felix. There were two engineers and a cook, who will be presented when
+they are needed.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the one great mistake, Captain Scott?" asked Louis, who stood
+at the open window in front of the pilot-house.</p>
+
+<p>"The single mistake of any consequence is in the fact that you are on
+board of the Maud when you ought to be stowed away in the cabin of the
+Guardian-Mother," replied the captain very decidedly, with something
+bordering on disgust in his tones and manner. "Instead of keeping you
+out of danger, you are running just as straight into the lion's den as
+you can go, Louis."</p>
+
+<p>"Where is the lion's den, please to inform me," replied the young
+millionaire, scouting, in his tones and manner, any idea of peril to
+himself which was not shared by his companions.</p>
+
+<p>"On board of that four-hundred-ton steamer which you see off by the
+coast."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think I ought to be any more afraid of her than the rest of the
+fellows?" demanded Louis. "Do you wish me to stand back and stay behind
+a fence while you face the enemy?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I don't believe you are afraid, Louis,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> my dear fellow,"
+added Captain Scott, perhaps fearing he had said too much, or had been
+misunderstood.</p>
+
+<p>But just at that moment Morris Woolridge came forward, and neither of
+them was willing to continue the conversation in his presence; for he
+might fall into the possession of the secret which was so carefully
+guarded.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<h3>HARMONY DISTURBED, BUT HAPPILY RESTORED</h3>
+
+
+<p>Morris Woolridge was the first officer of the Maud, and as such he had
+charge of the port watch. The captain had been two hours at the wheel,
+and it was Morris's turn to take his trick; and the change was made. At
+the same time Felix McGavonty relieved Louis. Although the helmsman was
+always in position to see out ahead of the steamer, the other member of
+the watch was required to serve as lookout on the forecastle.</p>
+
+<p>Except in heavy weather, when all hands were required to be on duty, the
+watch not employed had nothing to do, and the members of it could use
+the time as they pleased. Sometimes they had lost sleep to make up; but
+most of the leisure hours during the day were given to study, for the
+commander had stimulated the ambition of the boys so that they were
+anxious to be prepared to speak on all subjects that were considered at
+the conferences, or lectures, on board the Guardian-Mother.</p>
+
+<p>Regular subjects for special study were given out, always with reference
+to the topics of the country that was next to be visited, or was to be
+seen from the deck of the vessels. After the business of outwitting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> the
+enemy on board of the Fatim&eacute;, which was an episode in the voyage forced
+upon the commander and his confidants, the steamers would pass through
+the Suez Canal, and proceed by the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.</p>
+
+<p>A written list of about a dozen subjects had been given out to the
+students on the wing, as Dr. Hawkes called the class of five who
+profited systematically by the instructions of Professor Giroud, though
+all on both steamers were more or less engaged in study. The first of
+these were the Land of Goshen and Mount Sinai. As the little squadron
+was to pass near the territory of the ancient kingdoms of Assyria,
+Babylon, and Syria, and the more modern realm of Mohammed and the
+Caliphate of Bagdad, these subjects were to follow later. At any rate,
+the peripatetic students had enough to prevent their active minds from
+becoming rusty.</p>
+
+<p>It was not for two hours that Captain Scott and Louis Belgrave found
+another opportunity to consider the alleged mistake, as the former
+regarded it; for the latter belonged to the port watch, and served with
+Morris. But when the Maud had made twenty miles more, they were together
+again, with Felix on the lookout; for he was one of the triumvirate on
+board in charge of the secret.</p>
+
+<p>Louis took a seat in the pilot-house on one side of the wheel, while
+Scott was on the other. The Guardian-Mother was not a mile ahead of the
+Maud. The young captain had already studied up the chart, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> the
+details of the man&oelig;uvre contemplated had been already arranged, so
+far as it was possible to do so.</p>
+
+<p>"The ship does not seem to be letting herself out yet according to the
+programme," said Captain Scott, when Louis took his place near him, and
+Felix was using his glass, which had become his constant companion in
+observing the movements of the Moorish steamer.</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Ringgold knows what he is about," suggested the other.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course he does; but I supposed he would give his cue by this time,
+and begin the business of overhauling the pirate," added Scott. "Felix,
+is the ship stirring up her screw?"</p>
+
+<p>"I think she is, Captain," replied the lookoutman; "but she does not
+give the signal yet."</p>
+
+<p>"Keep your ears wide open tight, Flix, for it will come soon. Where is
+the pirate now?"</p>
+
+<p>"She is directly in range with the Guardian-Mother."</p>
+
+<p>If the Fatim&eacute; had not herself been engaged in piratical proceedings, her
+owner was responsible for the employment of her present commander on
+board the felucca Samothraki, in the Archipelago, in an attempt to take
+Louis and Miss Blanche, or both of them, out of the Maud; and he might
+have succeeded if Captain Ringgold had not decided to make use of the
+two twelve-pounders on the top-gallant forecastle of the Guardian-Mother
+at the critical moment.</p>
+
+<p>The commander regarded Captain Mazagan as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> really a pirate; and he would
+have proceeded against him as such, if it had not been that doing so
+would have broken up his own voyage. With this excellent authority Scott
+never called the Moorish steam-yacht anything but a pirate, unless it
+was to save too frequent repetition of the ugly word. If Captain
+Ringgold had been less politic and prudent, his action would have suited
+his junior commander better.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't think I am afraid, though one great mistake has been made in
+permitting me to be on board of the Maud at the present time?" said
+Louis, while they were waiting for the signal from the ship.</p>
+
+<p>"With no reflection or disparagement upon you of any kind, Louis, I said
+just what I thought, and spoke just what I felt," replied the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"But I don't understand your position at all, Captain Scott. I do not
+see that I am in any greater peril than the rest of the ship's company,"
+added Louis with a very cheerful smile upon his good-looking face.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't forget that you are the sole owner of the Guardian-Mother, and
+half-owner of the Maud, with a million and a half of dollars in your
+trousers pocket. Though we are all earning our living in your service,
+as well as improving our education, I for one do not lose sight of the
+fact that we are all dependent upon your bounty for the means of
+carrying on this voyage."</p>
+
+<p>"What has all this to do with what we were talking about, Captain
+Scott?" asked Louis, very much<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> inclined to laugh out loud at the
+rehearsal of the situation.</p>
+
+<p>"It has this to do with it: I am very much afraid of saying something,
+or doing something, that will offend you," answered the captain, with
+more than usual deference in his tone and manner. "We came very near
+getting into a quarrel in Pournea Bay; and if I had forgotten for a
+moment what you are and what I am, we might have fallen into a jolly
+row."</p>
+
+<p>"I acted then as mildly as I could, however, in a matter which you did
+not understand then, but do now; and I apologized for my interference as
+soon as I had the opportunity," replied Louis quite seriously. "I cannot
+understand why you have found it necessary to remind me that I am a
+millionaire on a small scale, as fortunes are measured in our country,
+and that I am the owner of the Guardian-Mother. You make it appear as
+though I regarded you as my inferior. Have I ever put on airs in my
+relations with you, Captain Scott?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never!" replied the captain promptly, and with decided emphasis.</p>
+
+<p>"Have I ever interfered with you in your command, except in the instance
+referred to?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never!"</p>
+
+<p>"Have I ever done anything to stultify, degrade you, or impair your
+self-respect?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never!"</p>
+
+<p>"Could I have done any different, or been any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> different, if the
+bill-of-sale of the Guardian-Mother had been among your effects, and the
+million had been in your trousers pocket instead of mine?" demanded
+Louis with some earnestness; for the words of his friend&mdash;and they had
+been very strong friends&mdash;had produced an unpleasant impression upon his
+mind.</p>
+
+<p>"You could not, Louis! I have made a donkey of myself; you are the best
+friend I ever had in this world," returned the captain with emphasis.
+"But let me say that you have taken me on the wrong tack. I had not the
+remotest intention of casting the shadow of a reflection upon your
+demeanor towards me. You have entirely mistaken my meaning."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I think you had better explain yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"Since that little affair in Pournea Bay, I have been mortally afraid I
+should say or do something to offend you, or hurt your feelings,"
+continued Scott. "We are going on what may prove to be a delicate
+business."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see how there can be anything delicate about it," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps that was not the right word for it. But I want to have it
+understood, first and foremost, that I did not remind you of the
+difference in our situations because I felt that I had any cause of
+complaint," said the captain, so earnestly that he was almost eloquent.
+"Without reminding you again that you are a millionaire while I am a
+beggar, you are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> the most modest fellow on board, and have always been
+without any let-up. By your action I am in command of the Maud. On your
+petition I was admitted to the cabin of the Guardian-Mother, where I
+have a stateroom at this moment, and a place at the table when on board
+of her, on an entire equality with everybody there."</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you mention these matters, Captain Scott?"</p>
+
+<p>"Only to show that I am not ungrateful for the many favors extended to
+me," answered the young man heartily. "More than all this, I was a bad
+egg when I came on board of the steamer. It was your influence and your
+example, Louis Belgrave, more than even the treatment of Captain
+Ringgold, which caused me to turn over a new leaf, and try to make a man
+of myself."</p>
+
+<p>Scott turned away his head, and looked out at the starboard window, and
+Louis saw a gush of tears fall on the rim of the wheel as he did so. He
+had been about all that is bad which a young man could be when he was
+committed to the care of the commander by his foster-father; but since
+he had been "born again," as he expressed it, he had been thoroughly
+faithful and exemplary, and morally he stood as high as the other
+members of the "Big Four." His reformation had made a new being of him,
+and when he reverted to it, his feelings overcame him.</p>
+
+<p>"I have said too much, my dear fellow, and I am very sorry that I have
+hurt your feelings," interposed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> Louis, after he waited a few minutes
+for his emotion to subside. "Only don't remind me that I am a bigger
+fellow than the rest of you, and we shall never quarrel."</p>
+
+<p>"You have never spoken an unkind word to me since I was born over again,
+and it was mean in me to say anything which would cut you to the quick.
+I did not know what I was saying, and I hope you will forgive me."</p>
+
+<p>"With all my heart; for I realize now that you did not mean what I
+supposed you did, and you must forgive me for picking you up so
+suddenly," added Louis. "Now we will not say another word about the
+matter. We can't get up a quarrel if we try, and you cannot do or say
+anything now that will make me think less of you. There is my hand, my
+dear fellow."</p>
+
+<p>Louis extended his hand across the wheel, and it was warmly pressed by
+the captain. It is possible that Scott had some ideas in his mind in
+connection with the present mission of the Maud that would more clearly
+have explained why he had uttered words which seemed to be a reproach on
+him whom he regarded as his best friend. He was a young man of eighteen,
+and had some of the weaknesses that belong to immaturity of age. Though
+he did not say so, he thought Captain Ringgold was what he considered as
+"rather slow" in his treatment of the pirate. It would not have been
+unlike many very good boys if he had believed he could manage the matter
+better.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Captain, let us come back to the question<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> that was before us, the
+mistake that was made when I was permitted to remain on board the Maud
+as she came out on her present mission," said Louis, after harmony had
+been entirely restored.</p>
+
+<p>"In order to understand why I entertain this opinion, let us overhaul my
+instructions from the commander," replied the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"That will be the best way to get at the subject."</p>
+
+<p>"In the first place, we are to engage in an attempt to shake off the
+pirate; for she is not only a nuisance, but a constant menace to certain
+members of the party," added Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"All that has been admitted by the commander; though, as I happen to be
+one of the individuals, I may say I have not the slightest fear of
+anything the pirate can do."</p>
+
+<p>"You have been through quite a number of perilous adventures, Louis, and
+you have got used to such."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't throw myself into such adventures, but I can't deny that they
+have afforded me not a little of exhilarating excitement," replied the
+young millionaire. "It was you who proposed the plan to the commander
+which was adopted, and we are now to carry out."</p>
+
+<p>"And I hope no weakness in either the ship or the Maud will cause it to
+be a failure. At the signal from the Guardian-Mother the Maud is to run
+for the island of Cyprus, distance a trifle less than two hundred knots,
+while the ship is to continue on her course. Then it will remain to be
+proved what the pirate will do. I think she will follow the Maud, though
+Captain<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> Ringgold is in doubt about it; and of course I don't feel
+sure."</p>
+
+<p>"Our machinery was overhauled by the chief engineer of the ship while we
+were in Egypt, and it is yet to be shown what speed she can make."</p>
+
+<p>"But the pirate is not good for more than thirteen knots at the most,
+for we have tried it on with her. In my judgment Captain Mazagan will
+board us if he can, and take one of our number out of the Maud; and that
+is the reason why I think it was a mistake that you remained with us."</p>
+
+<p>Louis could not yet see the mistake, and did not believe it was
+necessary that the Maud should be boarded; for that would be an act of
+downright piracy.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<h3>A MOMENTOUS SECRET REVEALED</h3>
+
+
+<p>"Three whistles from the Guardian-Mother," said Felix, the lookoutman,
+walking up to the forward windows of the pilot-house, and speaking with
+a low voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Three whistles, and I heard them, Flix," returned Captain Scott, as he
+put the helm to starboard. "Where is Morris?"</p>
+
+<p>"I think he is in the cabin studying Assyria and Babylon," replied Felix
+with a mild laugh, as he thought this was an odd occupation for the
+first officer of the Maud; for he was little inclined to be a student
+himself, though he was an attentive listener at the lectures.</p>
+
+<p>Felix returned to his place in the bow, and directed the spy-glass,
+which he carried with him most of the time, whether on duty or not, in
+the direction of the Fatim&eacute;. He had a taste for the business of a
+detective in the higher walks of that profession, and the commander had
+recognized his ability. He had been employed to ascertain whether the
+pirate was in the waters of Egypt, having been the first to suspect her
+presence; and he had proved the fact beyond a doubt.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Accompanied by John Donald, the second engineer of the Maud, who spoke
+Arabic, he had followed Mazagan to Rosetta, where he found the Fatim&eacute;,
+having evidently made a port there to escape the observation of the
+commander of the Guardian-Mother and his people. The villain and his
+assistant had failed to lead Captain Ringgold into the traps set for
+him.</p>
+
+<p>Having failed in their attempts to accomplish anything at Alexandria,
+the conspirators had followed the party to Cairo. Louis and Felix were
+sitting on a bench in the Ezbekiyeh, a park in front of their hotel,
+when Mazagan and the Frenchman approached them, and wished to make a
+compromise, which the Moor desired the young millionaire to recommend to
+the commander. The agent of the Pacha informed the young man that he was
+to receive a reward of forty thousand dollars for the capture and
+conveyance to Mogadore of either Louis or Miss Blanche, or both of them,
+or one-half that sum if he failed; and he proposed to compromise.</p>
+
+<p>The use of the steam-yacht was given to him to accomplish this purpose.
+Mazagan was, or pretended to be, discouraged by the several failures he
+had made in effecting his object, and he proposed that the commander
+should pay him twenty thousand dollars, and then he would collect the
+other half of the promised stipend of the Pacha, as the promised reward
+in case of failure.</p>
+
+<p>The pirate proved that he was a very mean and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> treacherous pirate, as
+willing to sell out his friend as his foe, and Louis was more disgusted
+than ever with him. He spoke his mind freely to the villain, and
+absolutely refused to recommend the treachery to the commander. He would
+as soon have compromised with the Evil One for the sale of his
+principles. The approach of Captain Ringgold terminated the interview,
+and the rascals made haste to retreat. After this they made an attempt
+to capture Louis, and the detective had been shot in the shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>What the conspirators intended or expected to accomplish since these
+failures of course none of those interested could know, and it only
+remained for them to watch the movements of the Fatim&eacute;, and to be
+constantly on their guard against any possible attempt on the part of
+the reprobates to carry out their purpose. Only the commander of the
+Guardian-Mother and the three members of the "Big Four" could take these
+precautions, for no others knew anything at all about the necessity for
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Felix used his glass very diligently. The Guardian-Mother did not change
+her course, and the Moorish steamer, which was now hardly a mile from
+her, was still headed to the eastward. Whether the latter would dodge
+into the port of Rosetta or Damietta, or give chase to the Maud, was yet
+to be demonstrated; and the lookoutman was watching for a movement of
+this kind.</p>
+
+<p>"The ship is stirring up a good deal of salt water under her stern,"
+said Felix, walking over to the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> pilot-house. "You can see by the power
+of smoke she is sending out at her funnel that the chief engineer is
+driving her."</p>
+
+<p>"I can see that she has increased her distance from us; but according to
+the commander's orders I have directed Felipe to run her not more than
+eight or nine knots," replied the captain of the Maud. "How far ahead of
+the Guardian-Mother is the pirate, Felix?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not more than a mile, as nearly as I can make it out," replied Felix.
+"But she is making the fur fly, and if the pirate don't want her to come
+alongside of her, or get a position where her people can overlook her
+deck, she will change her course within the next ten minutes;" and the
+lookoutman returned to his place in the bow.</p>
+
+<p>"It is lucky for that pirate that your humble servant is not in command
+of the Guardian-Mother," said Captain Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think yourself competent to command a steamer like the
+Guardian-Mother, my dear fellow?" asked Louis, with a rather quizzical
+expression on his face.</p>
+
+<p>"I know I am!" exclaimed Captain Scott emphatically; and he did not lack
+confidence in himself. "Why not? If I can navigate the Maud, I could do
+the same with the Guardian-Mother; for the size of the vessel don't make
+any difference in the navigation as long as both of them go out to sea
+off soundings. I suppose you doubt what I say?"</p>
+
+<p>"I do not; for I am not a qualified judge in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> matter," replied
+Louis, who was considerably surprised at the amount of confidence the
+captain of eighteen years of age had in himself. "But why is it lucky
+for the pirate that Captain Ringgold, instead of Captain Scott, happens
+to be in command of the ship?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because I should serve her as the commander did another steamer of
+about the size of the pirate, on the run of the ship from Bermuda to
+Nassau, I believe it was, for I was not on board at the time," replied
+the captain, with decision enough in his tones and manner to indicate
+that he would do what he suggested. "I have heard Flix tell all about
+the affair; and in his estimation Hercules and General Grant were
+nothing at all compared with Captain Ringgold, when he tells the story.
+I think he believes the commander is the greatest man that is or ever
+was in this world, with the possible exception of yourself."</p>
+
+<p>"That steamer was sailing illegally under the name of the Maud, for her
+proper name was the Viking; but Captain Ringgold ran into her and
+smashed a big hole in her port bow."</p>
+
+<p>"As I would in one of the bows of the pirate."</p>
+
+<p>"But there was a reason for it; I was a prisoner on board of that Maud,
+or Viking&mdash;captured as this pirate would serve me if he got a chance."</p>
+
+<p>"I would sink him before he got the chance, rather than after he had
+picked you up," persisted the captain.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I doubt if that would be a prudent measure," replied Louis, shaking his
+head.</p>
+
+<p>"The pirate has changed her course to the southward," said Felix, coming
+to the window of the pilot-house again.</p>
+
+<p>"What does that mean?" demanded the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"It means that she is going to make a port at Rosetta."</p>
+
+<p>"She is about off the Rosetta mouth of the Nile; but she is doing that
+only to shake off the Guardian-Mother. What is the ship doing, Flix?"</p>
+
+<p>"She continues on her course, and takes no notice of the pirate;" and
+the lookout returned to his station.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Scott rang the gong in the engine-room, and the screw of the
+Maud immediately ceased to revolve. The sea was comparatively smooth,
+and the little steamer rolled on the waves but slightly. As soon as the
+screw stopped, and the little craft began to roll on the long swell,
+Morris Woolridge put aside the "Chambers's" in which he had been reading
+up Assyria and Babylon, and went out of the cabin into the
+standing-room. He looked about him to ascertain the cause of the
+stoppage; but he could make nothing of it.</p>
+
+<p>He was a good skipper himself, and he did not like to ask Captain Scott
+to explain the situation; for since he had gone into the cabin the
+relative positions of the three steamers had decidedly changed. His idea
+was that the Maud should follow the ship as usual; but she had dropped
+at least a couple of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> miles astern of her, and the Fatim&eacute; was headed to
+the southward. He could not understand the matter at all, and he
+continued to study upon it.</p>
+
+<p>Louis had come out of the pilot-house, and, looking aft, he discovered
+Morris, and saw that he was perplexed by the situation, and that Assyria
+was no longer the subject of his meditations.</p>
+
+<p>"Morris is in the standing-room, and I have no doubt he is wondering why
+we are wasting our steam just here, when the ship is going ahead at full
+speed," said he to the captain. "Don't you think the time has come?"</p>
+
+<p>"No doubt of it," answered the captain.</p>
+
+<p>These last remarks may seem a little mysterious; but the present
+situation had been foreseen by Captain Ringgold. Morris was the first
+officer, and if the momentous secret was to be kept from him any longer,
+it would require an amount of lying and deception which was utterly
+repugnant to the principles of both the commander and Louis. The
+representative of the Woolridge family on board of the Maud must be left
+with his father and mother and sister on the ship, or the whole truth
+must be told to the son. Thus far no lies had been necessary; and the
+captain did not believe it would be wrong for him to conceal what would
+be dangerous to the peace of mind of his passengers.</p>
+
+<p>As long as Captain Ringgold conscientiously believed that neither Miss
+Blanche nor Louis was in any peril, he considered it his duty to conceal
+from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> their parents the plot of the Pacha and his agents. He was sure
+that neither Mrs. Woolridge nor Mrs. Belgrave would consent to continue
+the voyage even in the face of a very remote danger to their children.
+He had abundant resources on board, including his two twelve-pounders,
+for their protection; and he had used them on one occasion, though his
+passengers did not understand the reason of the attack made on the Maud.</p>
+
+<p>This subject had been considered before the vessels sailed from
+Alexandria, and the commander declared that he could not adopt the
+scheme of Scott, if they were to be required to utter no end of
+falsehoods to Morris; and Louis absolutely refused to do so. They had
+finally compromised by making the owner a committee of one to confer
+with the subject of the difficulty when the time for action came. Like
+the others, Morris was to be pledged to secrecy for the peace and
+comfort of the mothers. If he refused to give the pledge, the plan of
+Captain Scott was to be abandoned, and the Maud was to place herself
+immediately under the wing of the Guardian-Mother again. The time for
+action on this subject had come.</p>
+
+<p>"I will go aft and have a talk with Morris; and I am only afraid he will
+fly off at the want of confidence in him we have shown," said Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"But his case is not a whit different from your own; for you have a
+mother in the cabin as well as he," added the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"But we have concealed everything from him for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> months; but Morris is as
+good a fellow as ever sailed the seas, and he will be reasonable."</p>
+
+<p>"I pledged myself to secrecy, and I think we had better make the 'Big
+Four' a society for the protection of this secret till the end of the
+voyage."</p>
+
+<p>"We will consider that at another time," replied Louis as he moved aft.</p>
+
+<p>He found Morris still looking about in order to solve what was a mystery
+to him, as it must have been to the engineers and the cook; but they
+were paid employes, and it was not proper for them to ask any questions.</p>
+
+<p>"Anything broken down, Louis?" asked Morris, as his watch-mate took a
+seat at his side.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing at all," replied the owner. "Do you believe, Morris, that you
+could keep a very important secret if the peace and happiness of your
+best friends on earth depended upon it?"</p>
+
+<p>"I know I could, even from my mother, from whom I never kept a secret
+except once, when I heard the doctor say something about the health of
+Blanche last winter, not long before we sailed in the yacht. I knew that
+it would worry the life out of her," replied Morris very seriously.</p>
+
+<p>"This is a case just like that; and if the secret came out it would
+worry the life out of your mother and mine, and perhaps seriously affect
+the health of Miss Blanche."</p>
+
+<p>"There is my hand, and I will pledge myself to any honest secret you may
+impart to me; for I know you would not lead me to do anything wrong."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I would jump overboard before I would lead you astray, Morris,"
+protested Louis as he took the offered hand, and the pledge was
+exchanged.</p>
+
+<p>It required two hours to tell the whole story of the operations of
+Captain Mazagan, begun at Constantinople four months before, including
+the discovery of the plot of the conspirators in the caf&eacute; at Gallipoli.</p>
+
+<p>Morris was astonished at the explanation given him of several incidents
+with which he was familiar. He quite agreed with Louis as to the
+necessity of keeping the secret; for his mother would worry herself into
+a fit of sickness if she learned the truth. He agreed that there was no
+alternative between abandoning the excursion, which would be a great
+grief to him, and confining the secret to those who now knew it; and he
+repeated his pledge with more earnestness than before.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE POSITION OF THE THREE STEAMERS</h3>
+
+
+<p>The conference in the standing-room of the Maud ended, and all the "Big
+Four" were in possession of the secret upon the keeping of which the
+continuation of the delightful excursion voyage depended. They stood on
+a perfect equality now, and each was as wise as the others. When Louis
+went forward, Morris went with him; and after the result of the
+interview had been announced, Scott grasped the hand of the newly
+initiated, and Felix followed his example.</p>
+
+<p>"I can see that you are all glad to keep me no longer in the dark," said
+Morris. "You must have been walking on glass all the time for fear that
+I should break through, and upset your plan to keep me behind the
+curtain."</p>
+
+<p>"That is so," replied the captain. "We had to shut up tight while you
+were in the pilot-house; and as Louis is in your watch, I stopped the
+Maud partly to give him a chance to talk with you, and partly to carry
+out the man&oelig;uvre agreed upon."</p>
+
+<p>"But I can't see why it was considered necessary to keep me in the
+dark," added Morris. "Am I supposed to be any more leaky than the rest
+of you?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe any one thought so," replied Louis. "You remember that
+at Gallipoli, Flix and I went ashore in one of the two harbors, taking
+Don with us to talk Turkish, though His Highness and Captain Mazagan did
+their business in French, which they supposed no one near them could
+speak or understand; and I happened to be the only one of our party who
+took in all that was said. When we returned to the Guardian-Mother I
+told Captain Ringgold all about it, in the presence of Flix. The
+commander immediately directed us to say not a word about it to any
+person. Even Captain Scott was kept in the dark till he and I were on
+the verge of a quarrel in Pournea Bay."</p>
+
+<p>"That is putting it a little too strong, Louis," interposed the captain.
+"I should not have quarrelled with you under any circumstances; I could
+not have done so."</p>
+
+<p>"But I interfered with you in your command because I understood the
+situation, and you did not; and Captain Ringgold told me to tell you all
+there was to be told," Louis explained. "But he was not willing you
+should be posted, Morris; for he feared that you might unintentionally
+betray the secret to your mother. We have got along so far without
+lying, and I believe the commander would throw up the voyage rather than
+have any of us go beyond simple concealment without falsehood. As he
+says, we are acting a lie, though we are doing it for the health,
+comfort, and happiness of those we love the best on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> earth. The biggest
+lies are sometimes told without the utterance of a vocal word."</p>
+
+<p>"I am satisfied, fellows, and I am sure Captain Ringgold has acted from
+the highest of motives. Now I should like to know something about the
+man&oelig;uvre in which you are engaged."</p>
+
+<p>Captain Scott explained it in full. Felix had gone to his station in the
+bow, to observe the movements of the Guardian-Mother and the Fatim&eacute;.
+From there he had gone to the hurricane deck, in order to obtain a
+better view. After an absence of half an hour he came into the
+pilot-house again, with his glass under his arm; for it had now become
+the emblem of his occupation.</p>
+
+<p>"The ship is so far off that I can't tell whether or not she is still
+rushing things; but I judge by her distance that the engine is making
+things lively in the fire-room," said he.</p>
+
+<p>"How about the Fatim&eacute;?" asked the captain. "I can still see her."</p>
+
+<p>"The Fatty is sodjering."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean by that, Flix?"</p>
+
+<p>"She is wasting her time, and appears to be making not more than four
+knots," replied Felix. "I judge that Captain Mazagan does not feel quite
+at home."</p>
+
+<p>"You think our movements bother him?" suggested Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Not the least doubt of that! The ship is going off at sixteen knots an
+hour, and will soon be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> hull down, and we are lying here 'like a painted
+ship upon a painted ocean.'"</p>
+
+<p>"Coleridge!" exclaimed Morris, amused to hear Felix quote from a poem.</p>
+
+<p>"In other words, he can't make out what we are driving at; for the Maud
+has always kept under the wing of the Guardian-Mother," added the
+captain. "But it is about time to give him something to think of."</p>
+
+<p>As he spoke, Captain Scott rang the gong in the engine-room to go ahead,
+and the screw began to turn again.</p>
+
+<p>"Now keep your weather eye open tight, Flix!" and he threw the wheel
+over, and fixed his gaze upon the compass in front of him. "You needn't
+watch the G.-M. very closely, but give me the earliest notice of any
+change in the course of the pirate; for I can hardly make her out now."</p>
+
+<p>"How far is it from here to Port Said?" asked the lookoutman.</p>
+
+<p>"To where? I don't know where Port Sed is," replied the captain,
+pronouncing the word as Felix did.</p>
+
+<p>"You don't know where the entrance to the Suez Canal is!" exclaimed the
+lookout.</p>
+
+<p>"That is what you mean, is it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course it is; and that is what I said," protested Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"You said Port Sed."</p>
+
+<p>"I know it; if S-a-i-d don't spell Sed, what does it spell?" demanded
+Felix.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It spells S-a-h-i-d out here when you mean the port at the entrance of
+the Suez Canal," replied the captain quietly and with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, you have become an Arabian scholar!" exclaimed Felix with a hearty
+laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"Honestly, Flix, I did not understand what you meant. I have studied up
+the navigation in this region," continued Captain Scott, as he took from
+a drawer in the case on which the binnacle stood a small plan of the
+port in question. "Look at that, Flix, and tell me what the di&aelig;resis
+over the i in Sa&iuml;d is for."</p>
+
+<p>"It means that the two vowels in the word are to be pronounced
+separately, and I stand corrected," answered Felix promptly.</p>
+
+<p>"I did not mean to correct you; for I make too many blunders myself to
+pick up another fellow for doing so. I only wanted to explain why I did
+not understand you. I had got used to pronouncing it Sah-eed, and Sed
+does not sound much like it, and I did not take in what you meant, and
+thought you were talking about some port in the island of Cyprus, where
+we are bound."</p>
+
+<p>"I accept your apology, Captain, and shift all the guilt to my own
+shoulders. Now may I ask how far it is from here to Port Sah-eed?"
+replied Felix very good-naturedly.</p>
+
+<p>"It is 101.76 miles, by which, of course, I mean knots. I figured it up
+from a point north of Rosetta," added the navigator.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Won't you throw off the fraction?"</p>
+
+<p>"No; if you run one hundred and one miles only, you will fetch up
+three-quarters of a knot to the westward of the red light at the end of
+the breakwater."</p>
+
+<p>"That is putting a fine point on it; but I will go on the hurricane deck
+and see what the Fatty is about," replied Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"You have not rung the speed bell, Captain Scott, since you started the
+screw," suggested Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I did not intend to do so yet a while," replied the captain. "I want to
+know what the Fatty is about, as Felix calls her; and I think we had
+better translate her heathen name into plain English."</p>
+
+<p>"Flix's name would apply better to Uncle Moses and Dr. Hawkes than to
+the Moorish steamer."</p>
+
+<p>"We had a girl in our high school who bore that name, though she was a
+full-blooded New Yorker; but the master always insisted upon putting the
+accent on the first syllable, declaring that was the right way to
+pronounce it. I know we have always pronounced the word Fat&acute;-ee-may, and
+that is where Flix got the foundation for his abbreviation."</p>
+
+<p>"Fatty it is, Captain, if you say so. I wonder what the Fatty is about
+just now?" added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Flix will soon enlighten us on that subject, for he has a wonderfully
+sharp pair of eyes."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you really believe we shall get over to Cyprus, Captain Scott?"
+asked Louis, looking sharply into the eyes of the navigator.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Why should we not?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because I don't believe Captain Ringgold intends to turn us loose on
+the Mediterranean, and let us go it on our own hook, or rather on your
+own hook; for you are the commander, and all the rest of us have to do
+is to obey your orders," said Louis; and the little tiff between them
+had gently and remotely suggested to him that Captain Scott had some
+purpose in his mind which he would not explain to anybody.</p>
+
+<p>His hint that if he were in command of the Guardian-Mother he would make
+a hole in the side of the Fatim&eacute;, pointed to something of this kind,
+though probably it was nothing more than a vague idea. He had suggested
+the plan upon which the ship and her consort were then acting, and
+perhaps it had some possibility of which the commander had not yet
+dreamed.</p>
+
+<p>"Can you tell me why that steam-yacht of over six hundred tons is
+crowding on steam, and running away towards Port Said, while we are, by
+Captain Ringgold's order, headed for Cyprus?" asked the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I can. He expects by this means to draw off the Fatty, and
+set her to chasing the Maud, so that the party will not be bothered with
+any conspiracies while we are going through the canal," replied Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"What then?"</p>
+
+<p>"If the Fatty chases us, the Guardian-Mother will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> put in an appearance
+before any harm comes to the Maud, or to any one on board of her."</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely so; that is the way the business is laid out," replied
+Captain Scott; but he looked just as though something more might be said
+which he did not care to say.</p>
+
+<p>"But it remains to be shown whether the Fatty will follow the Maud or
+the ship," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"She will not follow the Guardian-Mother," said the navigator very
+decidedly.</p>
+
+<p>"How do you know, Captain? You speak as positively as though Captain
+Mazagan had told you precisely what he intended to do."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course he has told me nothing, for I have not seen him. Common-sense
+is all I have to guide me."</p>
+
+<p>They were about to go into a further discussion of the question when
+Felix came tumbling down the ladder from the upper deck as though he was
+in a hurry.</p>
+
+<p>"What has broken now, Flix?" demanded the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing; but the question is settled," replied the lookoutman, stopping
+at the front window of the pilot-house, as though he had something
+important to say. "The ship looks like a punctuation mark on the sea,
+and"&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Is it a full stop?" asked Captain Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know; but I think not. She is so far off that I can't make out
+whether she is moving or not;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> but she is not sending as much smoke out
+of her funnel as she was."</p>
+
+<p>"Then your news is a little indefinite."</p>
+
+<p>"As indefinite as a broken barometer. But I did not come down to report
+upon the ship alone," added the lookoutman.</p>
+
+<p>"Give out the text, and go on with the sermon."</p>
+
+<p>"The text is in the back part of Jonah, where Job swallowed the whale.
+The Fatty has come about and is now under a full head of steam, as
+nearly as I can judge," said Felix, who thought he was treated with too
+much levity over a serious subject. "I couldn't see her compass, but the
+arrow-head is directly under the mark, according to my figuring of it."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't be too nautical, Flix; but I suppose you mean that she is headed
+directly for the Maud," replied the captain. "That is precisely what I
+have been satisfied from the beginning she would do."</p>
+
+<p>"Then Morris may enter on his log-slate that the chase began at 11.15
+<span class="smcap">a.m.</span>," said Louis as he glanced at the clock over the binnacle.</p>
+
+<p>"Not just yet, Morris," replied Captain Scott, who seemed to have no
+apprehension that the Moor would overhaul the Maud. "Let me have your
+glass, Flix; and it is your trick at the wheel, Louis."</p>
+
+<p>He took the spy-glass and left the pilot-house. They saw him climb the
+ladder to the hurricane deck, and it was evident that he intended to
+take a look for himself.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"He does not accept my report," said Felix with a laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"But he said just now that you had wonderfully sharp eyes, Flix," added
+Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Yet he will not trust them."</p>
+
+<p>But the captain returned in a few minutes, and reported what steamers
+were in sight, with the added information that none of them were headed
+to the north-east; his shipmates could not see the significance of his
+information. He rang the speed bell, and Morris noted the time on the
+slate.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<h3>LOUIS BELGRAVE HAS SOME MISGIVINGS</h3>
+
+
+<p>Captain Scott had evidently visited the hurricane deck with the
+spy-glass for the purpose of scanning the sea within eight or ten miles
+of the Maud, as his report was that no steamers going in a northeasterly
+direction were in sight. He did not say that he feared any interference
+on the part of such vessels if any were near. At eleven o'clock it was
+time for Felix to take his trick at the wheel; Morris's watch,
+consisting of himself and Louis, were off duty.</p>
+
+<p>It was a very democratic routine that prevailed on board of the little
+steamer; for the captain was no bigger man than the two seamen before
+the mast, and was obliged to take his turn on the lookout; but the
+arrangement had been made by the boys, all had agreed to it, and no one
+could complain. Scott went to his place in the bow, taking the glass
+with him. He had given out the course to his successor at the wheel, and
+the Maud was now going at full speed.</p>
+
+<p>The dignity of the quarter-deck does not permit an officer, much less a
+seaman, to ask questions of his superior. This sacred limit on board of
+a ship<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> was entirely constructive so far as the Maud was concerned; for
+she was provided with no such planking, and the dignity was applicable
+only to the persons to whom the quarter-deck is appropriated. But
+Captain Ringgold was a strict disciplinarian, having served in the navy
+during the War of the Rebellion.</p>
+
+<p>The young navigators had imbibed this deference from the officers on
+board of the Guardian-Mother, and it had become, as it were, a part of
+their nautical being. It had never been incorporated in any regulation,
+but it was just as potent as though it had been set forth in an order
+from the commander. Captain Scott did not explain what other steamers
+headed in the same direction as the Maud had to do with the present
+voyage, and it was not in order to make any inquiries; but Louis
+Belgrave would have been very glad to know what was passing through the
+mind of his superior officer at this time.</p>
+
+<p>The young commander "made no sign," and all that could be done was to
+wait until events developed themselves. Morris and Louis were at liberty
+to go where they pleased, and do what they liked, provided they did not
+interfere with the routine of the steamer. Both of them were desirous of
+understanding the situation, and they went upon the upper deck in order
+to obtain a better view of the other vessels.</p>
+
+<p>Morris had a field-glass which he carried with him. Like everything else
+the magnate of the Fifth Avenue<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> provided for the members of his family,
+it was of the best quality, and had proved to be a powerful instrument.
+He first looked for the Guardian-Mother; but he could not make her out.
+The trend of the coast was to the southward, beyond Damietta, and she
+had either gone out of the reach of the glass, or she was concealed by
+the intervening land. The Fatim&eacute; was very distinctly to be seen, headed
+for the Maud, and there could be no doubt at all in regard to her
+intentions. She was in pursuit of the Maud, and her movements very
+plainly indicated that she was engaged in a mischievous mission.</p>
+
+<p>"It begins to look serious, don't it, Louis?" asked Morris, after both
+of them had used the field-glass.</p>
+
+<p>"It would look so if the Guardian-Mother were not somewhere in the
+vicinity," replied Louis. "Captain Mazagan has waited till she is well
+out of sight; and I have no doubt he is wondering why our two vessels
+have separated. At any rate, he has bitten at the bait prepared for him
+without seeing the hook it conceals."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see why the plan is not succeeding as well as could be
+desired," suggested the first officer. "Of course Captain Ringgold does
+not mean to leave us to fall into the hands of this pirate, as you all
+call her."</p>
+
+<p>"It was distinctly the understanding that she was to come between us and
+any possible harm."</p>
+
+<p>"Something may happen to prevent her from doing so."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Of course there is no knowing what may happen," Louis admitted. "I do
+not see what can possibly occur to prevent her from following us to
+Cyprus, if we go there."</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't it settled that we are to go there?" asked Morris, who had not
+heard the man&oelig;uvre discussed before the commander of the ship.</p>
+
+<p>"It is not absolutely settled; for the Fatty might take to her heels,
+and no doubt would do so if she discovered the Guardian-Mother in her
+wake. Mazagan knows very well that she can make four knots to the
+Moorish craft's three; for that is just the ratio we figured out between
+them. With three or four knots the lead she could overhaul her in an
+hour."</p>
+
+<p>"But the pirate could make her out in clear weather ten or a dozen miles
+off. But what was Captain Scott's idea in running for the island of
+Cyprus?"</p>
+
+<p>"In order to have room enough for his man&oelig;uvre."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you kept the run of the Maud's course, Louis?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have not; I am not so much of a sailor as you are, my boy, and I
+don't figure on sailing the craft unless required to do so," replied
+Louis. "But why do you ask that question?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because I think the captain has changed the course of the Maud, and is
+headed more to the northward," answered Morris.</p>
+
+<p>"What makes you think so? He gave out a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> north-east course to Flix. You
+have seen no compass since that time, and the sun is clouded in. I see
+that Captain Scott is no longer at the bow; he must have gone into the
+pilot-house," added Louis, his thought in regard to the indefinite idea
+in the mind of the navigator coming to him again.</p>
+
+<p>"There is a compass in the standing-room, Louis; suppose we go below and
+look up this matter," Morris proposed, though he could have had no
+suspicion that the captain had any concealed intentions.</p>
+
+<p>They went down the forward ladder to the forecastle, though there was
+one aft leading into the standing-room. Louis found that Scott was
+seated on the divan abaft the wheel, studying a chart, which he could
+see included the island of Cyprus. He took no notice of them as they
+descended the ladder, and they went to the standing-room without
+stopping on the forecastle. Morris led the way; for he seemed to be
+impatient to ascertain whether or not he was right in relation to the
+course of the steamer.</p>
+
+<p>"There you are!" he exclaimed as he looked at the face of the compass.
+"The Maud is headed to the north north-east half east; and that is not
+the course Captain Scott gave out when Flix took the helm."</p>
+
+<p>"But it is not a great change," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Just now it is not; but in making two hundred miles to the northward it
+would take the Maud to a point about forty miles to the westward of
+where<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> she would have brought up on her former course," Morris
+explained.</p>
+
+<p>"I understand your point; but what does it mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"It means that we are going to a place forty miles west of the one we
+started for."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't understand it; and Captain Scott is just as tenacious in
+keeping his own counsels as the commander of the Guardian-Mother
+himself," replied Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"But you have as much influence with him as the commander."</p>
+
+<p>"And for that reason I will not ask him any questions in regard to the
+sailing of the Maud."</p>
+
+<p>Morris was not ready to ask him to call the captain to an account; and,
+leaving him in the standing-room, he went into the cabin. Louis was not
+willing to believe, or even to accept a suggestion that Scott had any
+ulterior purpose in his mind; for it seemed very much like treason to
+harbor such a thought of his friend. The only thing that gave him a hint
+in that direction was the fact he had expressed that Louis ought not to
+be on board of the Maud during her present mission.</p>
+
+<p>If the little steamer was not to engage in some perilous adventure, why
+should Scott wish he were somewhere else? But the captain was certainly
+solicitous for one of those whose safety was threatened; and he tried to
+believe that this was a sufficient explanation. While he was thinking of
+the matter, Morris rushed out of the cabin, and looked and acted as
+though he were laboring under some excitement.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What is the matter now, Morris?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Matter enough!" replied the first officer. "The barometer has made a
+considerable slump since I looked at it the last time."</p>
+
+<p>"And that means bad weather, I suppose," added Louis, who very rarely
+became excited when a young fellow would be expected to be in such a
+condition.</p>
+
+<p>"No doubt of it," answered the mate, wondering that he had made so
+slight an impression on his companion.</p>
+
+<p>"We have weathered two pretty severe gales in the Maud, and I dare say
+we can do it again. I suppose the barometer will tell the same story on
+board of the ship that it has on the consort."</p>
+
+<p>"No doubt of that."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we shall soon see the Guardian-Mother bowling this way at her best
+speed," answered Louis.</p>
+
+<p>The officer levelled his field-glass in the direction the ship had gone;
+but there was not the least sign of her or any other steamer in that
+quarter of the horizon.</p>
+
+<p>"She isn't there; but she may have run in under a lee somewhere near
+Damietta, in order to watch the movements of the Fatty."</p>
+
+<p>"That may be; and if she has done so it was not a bad idea. But I think
+we had better go forward and ascertain if there is any news there,"
+added Louis, as he led the way.</p>
+
+<p>If he was not alarmed at the situation in view of the weather
+indications, he was certainly somewhat<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> anxious. When he reached the
+forecastle he found the captain there, using his glass very diligently,
+pointing it in the direction in which the ship was supposed to be. Louis
+and Morris did not interrupt his occupation. He discovered nothing, and
+he was apparently going aft to get a view of the Fatim&eacute; when he noticed
+the members of the port watch.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you noticed that the course of the Maud has been changed,
+Louis?" said he.</p>
+
+<p>This remark afforded the perplexed millionaire a decided relief; for it
+proved that the captain had not intended to conceal the change from him.</p>
+
+<p>"I did not observe it, but Morris did; for he is boiling over with
+nautical knowledge and skill," replied Louis, and without asking any
+question.</p>
+
+<p>"I was going aft to take a look at the Fatty; but I suppose you can
+report what she is doing," added Captain Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Morris can, but I cannot."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think she is gaining on us?" asked the captain, turning from
+Louis to the mate.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I can't tell while she is coming head on; but I cannot make
+out that she has gained a cable's length upon us."</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Sentrick and Felipe put our engine in first-rate condition while we
+were going up and down the Nile; and both of them say the Maud ought to
+make half a knot better time than before," continued the captain. "I am
+confident we are fully the equal of the Fatty in speed; and perhaps we
+could keep<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> out of her way on an emergency. You know we had a little
+spurt with her in the Strait of Gibraltar. But come into the
+pilot-house, Louis, for I want to show you something there;" and he led
+the way.</p>
+
+<p>When both of them were fairly in the little apartment, he pointed to the
+barometer. If Louis was not much of a sailor, he had learned to read the
+instrument, and he saw that the mercury had made a decided fall from the
+last reading.</p>
+
+<p>"I see; and it means bad weather," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"Flix called my attention to the fall some time ago; and after a look at
+the chart I decided to alter the course," said the captain, as he
+pointed out the island of Cyprus on the chart spread out on the falling
+table over the divan.</p>
+
+<p>"I have no doubt you have done the right thing at the right time, as you
+always do in the matter of navigation."</p>
+
+<p>"But look at this chart, Louis;" and it almost seemed to him that the
+captain had fathomed his unuttered thoughts, because he was taking so
+much pains to explain what he had done, and why he had done it. "The
+course I gave out at first would have carried the Maud to Cape Gata, on
+the southern coast of the island."</p>
+
+<p>"I understand it so far."</p>
+
+<p>"The tumble of the barometer opened the matter under a new phase. We
+should have made Cape Gata about three to-morrow morning, and in my
+judgment in a smart southerly or south-westerly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> gale. The cape would
+afford us little or no shelter, as you can see for yourself; and it
+would be a very bad place in a heavy blow. Our course is now north
+north-east half-east for Cape Arnauti, on the north side of the island,
+where we shall be under the lee of the island, though we have to get
+forty miles more of westing to make it."</p>
+
+<p>Louis thanked the captain for his lucid explanation. The next morning,
+in a fresh gale, the Maud was off the cape mentioned.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 322px;">
+<img src="images/i001.jpg" width="322" height="500" alt="&quot;It had been a stormy night.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;It had been a stormy night.&quot; Page <a href="#Page_51">51</a>.</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<h3>A STORMY NIGHT RUN TO CAPE ARNAUTI</h3>
+
+
+<p>It had been a stormy night, though the gale had not been so severe as
+either of the two the Maud had before encountered on the Mediterranean.
+It did not come on to blow hard till about eight bells in the afternoon;
+and at five o'clock in the morning Captain Scott estimated that the
+little steamer ought to be off Cape Arnauti; but all the lights of the
+island were on the south side. He kept her well off shore, where there
+were neither rocks nor shoals. There was nothing less than twenty
+fathoms of water a couple of miles from the shore.</p>
+
+<p>The gale had come from the south; and the course of the Maud was only a
+couple of points from taking it directly aft, so that she was running
+too nearly before it for the comfort of those on board of her. But she
+had a little slant, and a close-reefed foresail had been set in the
+first dog-watch, and she had carried it all night.</p>
+
+<p>The only difficulty about the Maud was her size when it blew hard and
+there was a heavy sea. She was too small to be at all steady on great
+waves, though the larger they were the better weather she made of it.
+Her worst behavior was in a smart,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> choppy sea, when the waves were not
+long, but short and violent. But this was not the kind of a sea she had
+through the night.</p>
+
+<p>In a heavy sea of any kind she made a good deal of fuss; and being only
+forty feet long it could not be otherwise. She pitched tremendously, and
+mixed in a considerable roll every time she rose and fell; and it was
+not an easy thing for even a sailor to get about on her deck. Life-lines
+had been extended wherever they were needed, and all the ship's company
+were used to the erratic ways of the diminutive craft. After all, she
+was larger than some of the vessels used by the early voyagers to
+America, some of whose craft were not even provided with decks.</p>
+
+<p>When the Maud was prepared for heavy weather she was as tight as a drum;
+and while the heavy seas rolled the whole length of her, not a bucketful
+of them found its way below her deck. The only danger of taking in a
+dangerous sea was at the scuttle on the forecastle, which was the usual
+door of admission to the forecastle below, where the two engineers and
+the cook had their quarters.</p>
+
+<p>The steamer when she made a dive into a sea scooped up a quantity of
+water, which she spilled out over the rails, or over the taffrail in the
+standing-room. The captain had therefore ordered this scuttle to be
+secured below, so that it could not be removed. Those who had occasion
+to go below in that part of the vessel were compelled to do so through
+the fire-room. Though Scott was a bold<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span> and brave fellow, and even
+daring when the occasion required, he was a prudent commander, and never
+took any unnecessary chances.</p>
+
+<p>But not a person on board had been permitted to "turn in" as the thing
+was done in moderate weather. The sail on the upper deck required one
+hand to stand by it all the time, though he was relieved every two
+hours. The engineers and the cook had broad divans upon which they could
+take a nap, and the sailing-force had taken turns on the broad sofa in
+the pilot-house. But Captain Scott had hardly closed his eyes during the
+night.</p>
+
+<p>From the time the Fatim&eacute; was found to be headed to the northward, the
+officers of the Maud had lost sight of her for only a couple of hours,
+when a bank of fog swept over the sea, just before sundown. But at eight
+bells her lights had been discovered. At midnight they could still be
+seen; but the captain and Morris were confident that she had been losing
+ground, judging by the diminished clearness of the triangle of lanterns
+as they appeared over the stern of the Maud.</p>
+
+<p>The lights of a vessel following another appear to the latter in this
+form, with the white, or plain one, at the upper apex of the triangle,
+the red and the green making the two abreast of each other. They were
+observed at seven bells in the first watch; but another fog-bank had
+passed over the sea, and at eight bells, or midnight, they could not be
+seen. Morris and Louis had the first watch. Felix had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> gone to take his
+nap in the galley; for Pitts, the cook, had been called into service,
+and was attending to the reefed sail on the upper deck. Captain Scott
+had joined him here.</p>
+
+<p>With a rope made fast around his waist, he had been to the standing-room
+to look out for the triangle of lights on the Fatim&eacute;. He could not find
+them; but the fog explained why they were not in sight. It was not a
+very comfortable position on the hurricane deck, for the spray stirred
+up at the stern was swept over it. All hands had donned their waterproof
+caps, with capes to protect the neck, and the oilskin suits they had
+found on board when the steamer was purchased.</p>
+
+<p>"We have been gaining upon her, Pitts," said the captain, after he had
+looked attentively into the fog astern for some time. "We may not see
+her again."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps not, sir; but she's a bad penny, and she is likely to turn up
+again," replied the cook. "But I suppose you will not weep, sir, if you
+don't see her again."</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to know what had become of her if we don't see her
+again," added Scott carelessly.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose that Mustapha Pacha is still on board of her; and I should
+rather like to see Captain Ringgold pitch him into another muddy gutter,
+as he did in Gibraltar. But the Guardian-Mother is not with us just now,
+and that is not likely to happen on this little cruise."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Pitts hinted in this manner that he should like to know something more
+about the present situation; but the captain was willing to let him form
+his own conclusions, and he gave him no assistance in doing so. Eight
+bells struck on the forecastle; and this was the signal for the mid
+watch, which consisted of the captain and Felix; and Scott left the
+upper deck.</p>
+
+<p>Pitts was relieved by Felix; for he could serve as lookout and take
+charge of the sail at the same time. Morris was the youngest person on
+board, and he was tired enough to camp down at once on the divan in the
+pilot-house. The cabin door could not be safely opened, or at least not
+without peril to the contents of the cabin; for an occasional wave
+combed over the taffrail, and poured itself upon it.</p>
+
+<p>Louis was not inclined to sleep, and he went on the upper deck to pass
+the time with Felix; and the captain asked him to keep a lookout for the
+pirate. The fog still prevailed, and he could see nothing. He talked
+with the Milesian for quite two hours, when the time for the relief of
+the helm came. Just before the four bells struck, the fog disappeared as
+suddenly as it had dropped down on the sea.</p>
+
+<p>Louis went aft and gazed into the distance; but he could see no triangle
+of lights, or even a single light in any direction. He made a thorough
+search, with no other result, and then stood by the sail till the
+captain came up to take the place of Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"The fog has blown in ahead of us, Louis; but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> Flix reports that you
+have not been able to find the lights of the pirate," said Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a sign of them can be made out," replied Louis. "I have looked the
+sea over in every direction. What does that mean, Captain Scott?"</p>
+
+<p>"It may mean any one of three things, and you have to take your choice
+among them. The pirate may have foundered in the gale, she may have put
+about to return to the coast of Egypt, or we may have beaten her so
+badly in the race of fifteen hours, that she has dropped out of sight
+astern of us. I don't know much about the Pacha's steamer, though our
+second engineer told me she was not built to order, as the Maud was, but
+purchased outright."</p>
+
+<p>"But which of the three results you indicate do you consider the most
+probable, Captain?"</p>
+
+<p>"The last one I named. This gale has not been heavy enough to wreck any
+vessel of ordinary strength, so that I cannot believe she has foundered.
+Captain Mazagan is working for his little twenty thousand dollars'
+reward; and if he has followed us up here with the intention of picking
+you up on the cruise, I don't believe he would retire from the field
+without making a bigger effort than he has put forth so far."</p>
+
+<p>"Then, you think he is after me?"</p>
+
+<p>"Don't we know that he is? Not one of the 'Big Four' is so indifferent
+and careless about the matter as you are yourself, Louis," replied the
+captain with a good deal of energy. "I still think you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> ought not to
+have come with us on this perilous cruise; and I wonder with all my
+might that Captain Ringgold did not keep you on board of the
+Guardian-Mother."</p>
+
+<p>"He desired to do so; but I would not stand it. I have not the slightest
+fear of the Pacha and all his blackguards and pirates," protested Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Not since Mazagan got his paw upon you, and you slipped out of it only
+by a lucky chance?" demanded the captain, more as an argument than as a
+question to be answered. "You got off by the skin of your teeth; and you
+may thank your stars that you are not shut up at this moment in some
+dungeon in Mogadore, where they don't ask hard questions as to what has
+become of troublesome Christians. If the shop had not been invaded by
+creditors, you would have been conveyed to Rosetta, and taken away on
+board the pirate. The rest of the party would not have known what had
+become of you; for we could not find you when we searched for you in
+Cairo."</p>
+
+<p>"That is all very nice, Captain Scott," replied Louis, laughing out
+loud. "I would not have given two cents to have the guard of sailors who
+made things so sad for the Arabs at Gizeh in the cellar with me. Make as
+much fuss as you may over my danger at this time, I was master of the
+situation all the while," answered Louis very decidedly.</p>
+
+<p>"Master of the situation!" exclaimed the captain.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> "You might as well
+call the trout the master of the situation after he has the hook in his
+gills. I don't see it in that light."</p>
+
+<p>"I had fired one shot from my revolver, and wounded Mazagan's assistant
+in the outrage; and I had five balls more in the weapon. I think the
+pirate counted upon the custom-house officers to deprive me of the
+pistol, or he would not have gone to work just as he did. My shot
+demoralized the wounded man, and scared his brother the shopkeeper out
+of his wits. My next shot was for Mazagan; and if he had taken another
+step in his programme he would not have been in command of that steamer
+just now."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps there were some chances for your aim or your calculations to
+fail," suggested Scott; "though Flix says you never miss your mark when
+you shoot."</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Ringgold said so much to me to induce me to remain on board of
+the Guardian-Mother, that I was tempted to yield the point; but it
+seemed to me to be cowardly to leave my friends in the face of a
+possible danger. I told him finally that I considered myself under his
+command, and if he ordered me to remain on board of the ship, I should
+obey. He would not do that, and I am here. If there is to be any row on
+my account I must be in it."</p>
+
+<p>"You have a mind of your own, and you are in condition to have your own
+way. If your mother had been posted you would not have been here."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We don't know; but I think I have as much influence with my mother as
+she has with me. I hardly believe she could or would make me act the
+part of a coward."</p>
+
+<p>The subject was dropped there, for it seemed to be exhausted. The night
+wore away very slowly, and nothing more was seen of the Fatim&eacute;'s lights.
+The morning watch came on duty at four o'clock; but the captain did not
+leave the deck. It was evident to him that the sail had increased the
+speed of the Maud, and perhaps that was the reason she had run away from
+the chaser. An hour later, with the dawn of the day, the gale broke.</p>
+
+<p>"Land, ho!" shouted Louis over the forward part of the upper deck, so
+that Morris could hear him at the wheel; and the captain rushed out of
+the pilot-house where he had lain down on the divan.</p>
+
+<p>"Where away?" called the first officer.</p>
+
+<p>"Broad on the starboard bow," replied Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"That must be the country south-west of Cape Arnauti," said Scott, after
+he had examined the shore with the glass. "Make the course north
+north-east, Morris," he shouted to the wheelman.</p>
+
+<p>"North north-east!" returned the helmsman.</p>
+
+<p>"There are mountains on this island, some of them nearly seven thousand
+feet high; and there is a cluster of them close to the shore here,"
+added the captain.</p>
+
+<p>It was another hour before they could distinctly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> make out these
+mountains; and by that time the end of the cape could be seen on the
+beam. The speed of the Maud had been reduced one-half, and the course
+due east was given out. She followed the land around the cape, and was
+soon in smooth water. With the chart before him at the helm, and with
+Morris heaving the lead, Captain Scott piloted the Maud to the head of a
+considerable bay, where he ordered the anchor to be cast loose, and then
+stopped the screw.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE BELLIGERENT COMMANDER OF THE MAUD</h3>
+
+
+<p>"Here we are!" shouted Captain Scott, as the cable slid out through the
+hawse-hole.</p>
+
+<p>"That's so; but where are we?" asked Louis, who had been watching the
+bottom for the last hour. "There is a big ledge of rocks not twenty feet
+from the cutwater. Here we are; but where are we?"</p>
+
+<p>"We are on the south-west shore of Khrysoko Bay," replied the captain.
+"That ledge of rocks is just what I have been looking for the last
+half-hour."</p>
+
+<p>"Then, I am glad we have found it," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the name of the bay, Captain?" inquired Felix, scratching his
+head.</p>
+
+<p>"Khrysoko," repeated Scott. "It pronounces well enough; but when you
+come to the spelling, that's another affair."</p>
+
+<p>"I could spell that with my eyes shut; for I used to cry so myself when
+I was a baby. Cry so, with a co on the end of it for a snapper. But I
+thought that bay was on the coast of Ireland, sou' sou'-west by nor'
+nor'-east from the Cove of Cork," added Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"That's the precise bearing of the one you mean,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> Flix; but this isn't
+that one at all, at all," said the captain with a long gape.</p>
+
+<p>"Then it must be this one."</p>
+
+<p>"The word is spelled with two k's."</p>
+
+<p>"That's a hard k'se; but where do you get them in?"</p>
+
+<p>The captain spelled the word with another gape, for he had not slept a
+wink during the night; and Louis advised him to turn in at once.</p>
+
+<p>"Breakfast is all ready in the cabin, sir," said Pitts.</p>
+
+<p>"That will do me more good than a nap," added Scott. "Don, keep a lively
+lookout on that high cape we came round, and see that it don't walk off
+while I'm eating my breakfast. Remember, all you fellows, that is Cape
+Arnauti; and if any of you are naughty, you will get fastened to that
+rock, as doubtless the chap it was named after was."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh-h-h!" groaned Morris. "You are not sleepy, Captain; a fellow that
+can make a pun can keep awake."</p>
+
+<p>"I should not need a brass band to put me to sleep just now; but I shall
+not take my nap till we have overhauled the situation, and figured up
+where the pirate may be about this time in the forenoon," replied Scott,
+as he led the way to the cabin.</p>
+
+<p>As Pitts was waiting on the table, nothing particular was said. Don had
+his morning meal carried to him on the forecastle, where Felipe joined<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>
+him. He kept his eye fixed on the cape all the time, as though he
+expected to see the Fatim&eacute; double it. He knew nothing at all about the
+real situation, though he could not help seeing that the Maud was trying
+to keep clear of the Moorish steamer; and he was in full sympathy with
+this idea.</p>
+
+<p>The larder of the little steamer had been filled up at Alexandria, and
+Pitts had prepared one of his best breakfasts. The party were in high
+spirits; for the little Maud had run away from the pirate, though of
+course there were other chapters to the narrative.</p>
+
+<p>"As soon as we get the situation a little more settled, and you fellows
+get your eyes braced wide open, one of you must tackle the island of
+Cyprus, and get up a lecture on it; for the commander desired that we
+should learn something about the place," said the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"I move you, Mr. Commander, that Mr. Louis Belgrave be invited to
+prepare and deliver the lecture," interposed Morris; and the motion was
+put and carried.</p>
+
+<p>"I have no objection; and my own curiosity would have prompted me to do
+so without any invitation; but I thank you for the honor you confer on
+me in the selection," replied Louis; and the company adjourned to the
+forecastle.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Don, have you seen anything of the Moorish craft?" asked the
+captain.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Not a sign, sir," replied the engineer. "If she is looking for the
+Maud, I don't believe she will find her in here very soon."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe this is just the place to hold a consultation on a
+delicate subject," said Louis, as he pointed to the scuttle which had
+been removed from its place by Felipe. "I think we shall do better on
+the hurricane deck."</p>
+
+<p>As this afforded a better place to observe the surroundings, and
+especially the approaches from the sea, the captain assented to it, and
+the "Big Four" repaired to the upper deck. They seated themselves in the
+little tender of the Maud, and all of them looked out in the direction
+of the cape, from beyond which the pirate was expected to put in an
+appearance.</p>
+
+<p>"Our present situation is the subject before the house," the captain
+began. "We have made the bay for which I shaped the course of the Maud
+as soon as the gale began to make things sloppy. This is a mountainous
+island, with nothing like a harbor on the west coast between Cape Gata
+and Cape Arnauti. There are from twelve to twenty fathoms of water in
+this bay, within a mile of the shore; and the rocks close aboard of us
+reach out a mile and a half, with from ten to twelve feet of water on
+them. There is no town within ten miles of the shore, and we are not
+likely to see any natives, unless some of them come to this bay to fish.
+That's where we are."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We should like to have you tell us now where the Fatty is," added
+Morris.</p>
+
+<p>"Or the Guardian-Mother," said Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry to say that I can't tell you where either of these vessels
+is; and I am as anxious to know as any of you can be," replied Scott, as
+he took a paper from his pocket. "I have followed the orders of Captain
+Ringgold, just as he wrote them down: 'Proceed to Cape Gata; but if it
+should blow heavily from the southward, go to the north side of the
+island, and get in behind Cape Arnauti.' And here we are."</p>
+
+<p>Felix was seated where he could see that much more was written on the
+paper which the captain did not choose to read. But he had the right to
+keep his own council, and the Milesian asked no questions.</p>
+
+<p>"Here we are&mdash;what next?" added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"That depends," replied Scott. "The commander of the Guardian-Mother
+knows where we are, though he may have to look in at the harbor of
+Limasol to see if the Maud is there. When he comes I shall have nothing
+further to say."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you expect to see the Fatty before the ship comes?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is quite impossible to form any idea what has become of the pirate.
+Perhaps she is looking for the Maud; and if she is she will probably
+find her. I think this is about as far as we can go now; and, if you
+will excuse me, I will turn in and get my nap," said the captain as he
+rose from his seat.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That is the right thing to do," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"You will all keep a sharp lookout to seaward, and call me as soon as
+either vessel heaves in sight."</p>
+
+<p>The captain went to the cabin, and in two minutes he was sound asleep.
+The rest of the ship's company had obtained about one-half of their
+usual slumber, and they were not inclined to follow the example of the
+captain. Louis went to the cabin and proceeded to study up the island.
+He made notes in a little blank-book he kept for the purpose in his
+pocket, and he had already filled a dozen such books; for they contained
+a full diary of all the events of the voyage for over a year.</p>
+
+<p>Felix kept his spy-glass in his hand all the time, and every few minutes
+he swept the horizon to the northward with it. Morris had gone to sleep
+in the pilot-house, for his watch was not on duty. At about six bells in
+the forenoon watch the Milesian began to show more sign of animation
+than before. He held his glass in range with the cape, and directed his
+attention steadily in that direction.</p>
+
+<p>If he had been fishing, he would have said that he "had a bite." It was
+clear that he saw something in the distance, which was hardly more than
+a speck on the ocean; but there was also a thread of black smoke on the
+sky above it, for it had cleared off since sunrise. Of course it was a
+steamer; but whether it was the Fatim&eacute; or the Guardian-Mother, or
+neither of them, he could not determine, and he did not wish to disturb
+the captain for nothing.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He continued to watch the appearance for half an hour longer, and then
+he struck seven bells. In that time the steamer could be seen more
+distinctly, though she was still five or six miles distant. He was
+satisfied from his reasoning that the vessel was approaching the cape.
+The craft looked smaller than the ship, and in another quarter of an
+hour he was convinced that she was the pirate. Then he hastened to the
+cabin, and announced the news to the captain, and Louis heard him.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you sure it is the pirate, Flix?" demanded Captain Scott, as he
+sprang from his bed and looked eagerly into the face of the messenger.</p>
+
+<p>"Not absolutely sure; only reasonably confident," replied Felix, as he
+followed the captain to the forecastle.</p>
+
+<p>Scott examined the distant sail with the glass for a little time, and
+Louis did the same with another. Morris was aroused by the voices, and
+rushed out with his field-glass.</p>
+
+<p>"That's the pirate!" exclaimed the captain; and the others had waited
+for him to express his opinion.</p>
+
+<p>"If my mother should step on deck and tell me so, I shouldn't know it
+any better," added Felix; and Louis and Morris were equally sure of the
+fact.</p>
+
+<p>"Go to the engine-room, Morris, and tell Felipe to stir up his fires,"
+said the captain, who had suddenly become a mass of vim and activity.
+"Then call all hands."</p>
+
+<p>Scott observed the approaching steamer with his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> glass till she was
+within three miles of the Maud. Morris had been ordered to set the
+American flag, and it was now floating in the light breeze at the ensign
+staff.</p>
+
+<p>"Now all hands will come with me," continued the captain; and all but
+Felipe followed him to the cabin.</p>
+
+<p>His first movement was to throw off the cushions from the divan on the
+port side, and raise the lid of the transom. From this place he took out
+a breech-loading rifle, one of half a dozen deposited there three months
+or more before. They had been in service in the famous attack of the
+Samothraki on the Maud in Pournea Bay, and had never been removed. No
+one asked any questions; and the captain ordered them to be conveyed to
+the pilot-house and engine-room, where they would be available for
+immediate use. A supply of cartridges was also sent forward, and those
+who had revolvers were instructed to put them in their pockets.</p>
+
+<p>All these orders were promptly obeyed, and the situation began to look
+decidedly warlike. Louis could not help asking himself whether or not
+Captain Scott was not proceeding too rapidly. But the belligerent chief
+had Captain Ringgold's written orders in his pocket, and there was no
+room for a protest. Everything appeared to be ready to give the pirate a
+warm reception, and nothing more could be done.</p>
+
+<p>The Moorish steamer was feeling her way into the bay very slowly,
+sounding all the time. The Maud<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> was anchored in fourteen feet of water,
+which placed her keel very near the rocky bottom, and with no greater
+depth for a cable's length outside of her. Scott had chosen the position
+of the little steamer so that the Fatim&eacute; could not come alongside of
+her, or within a cable's length of her, which is one-fifth of a nautical
+mile.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we are all right now, Louis," said Captain Scott when he had
+completed his preparations.</p>
+
+<p>"It looks as though you meant to fight the pirate," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Not if it can be avoided; but I do not intend to let Mazagan take any
+one of my people out of the Maud; and all hands will shoot before
+anything of that kind can happen," replied Scott very mildly, and with
+no excitement in his manner; for he had studied the bearing of his
+model, and tried to imitate him.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you expect Mazagan will resort to violence, Captain Scott?"</p>
+
+<p>"That is an odd question, Louis," answered Scott, laughing heartily,
+perhaps as much to manifest his coolness as to treat the question
+lightly. "Excuse me, Louis, but you make me smile. Do I expect Mazagan
+to resort to violence? For what did he visit Pournea Bay? Did he resort
+to violence when he caught you in that shop in the Muski? Did he resort
+to violence when his assistants attempted to capture you and Miss
+Blanche in Zante? What do you suppose he followed the Maud up here for,
+Louis?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps to induce me to pay him twenty thousand dollars to let up on
+Miss Blanche and myself," replied Louis, overwhelmed by the argument.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you ready to pay him?"</p>
+
+<p>"Never!"</p>
+
+<p>"Then he will resort to some other means to accomplish his purpose in
+coming to Cyprus. Do you wish me to surrender the Maud to him?" asked
+the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly not."</p>
+
+<p>The Fatim&eacute; let go her anchor as near the Maud as the depth of water
+would permit her to come.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p>
+<h3>THE LECTURE ON THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS</h3>
+
+
+<p>Captain Scott was ready to do anything the occasion might require.
+Possibly he would not have been sorry to come into collision with
+Captain Mazagan and his piratical craft, judging from what he had said
+to Louis Belgrave, and he had pluck enough to precipitate a conflict
+with the enemy; but sometimes it requires more courage to keep out of a
+fight than to plunge into one.</p>
+
+<p>As he had admitted himself, Louis was his model; and he felt that no
+rashness, no braggadocio, no challenging, no casting down the gage of
+battle to the pirate who had already outlawed himself, no holding out of
+a temptation to cross swords with him, would be justified or palliated
+when he came to render an account of his conduct in what was yet to
+occur to the commander of the Guardian-Mother.</p>
+
+<p>Whatever he did he was to do strictly in self-defence. The character of
+Captain Ringgold and of Louis would permit nothing more than this. The
+"Big Four" fully understood why the Fatim&eacute; was there. It was true that
+the Maud had held out the temptation for her to follow her; but it was
+as a man with a gold watch and plenty of money in his purse holds<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> out a
+temptation to the robber; but it does not follow that he should throw
+away his valuables.</p>
+
+<p>But the plan suggested by Scott and adopted by the commander had not
+worked as had been expected. The Guardian-Mother ought to be there in
+the bay, or somewhere in the vicinity; but nothing had been seen of her,
+and no one knew what had become of her. According to the plan, the two
+steamers were to find a way to escape from the pirate, and Scott had
+marked out the manner in which it was to be done. The gale and the
+non-appearance of the ship had upset the plan, though the Maud had
+carried out her portion of the programme.</p>
+
+<p>"What next, Captain Scott?" asked Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait," replied the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait for what?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," replied Scott, shaking his head. "Wait for whatever is
+to come."</p>
+
+<p>"But what is to come?" asked Louis, who still had a fear that the
+captain would resort to some fool-hardy expedient.</p>
+
+<p>"You know just as much about this affair as I do, Louis, and you may be
+a better prophet than I am. It is not a question of navigation just now,
+or I should be willing to take the entire responsibility. Of course the
+handling of the Maud is an important element in getting out of the
+scrape, whatever it may prove to be. I have somewhere seen a picture of
+a good-looking gentleman playing chess with an individual provided with
+horns, hoofs, and a caudal<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> appendage. But in this game the mortal
+appeared to have the best of it, and he says to the infernal power,
+'Your next move.'"</p>
+
+<p>"And that is what you say to the representative of the same infernal
+majesty in Khrysoko Bay," interposed Louis, rather pleased with the
+illustration, especially in its application to Captain Mazagan.</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely so; it is the pirate's move, and I shall not do a thing till
+he makes it," added Captain Scott. "What Mazagan will do, or how he will
+do it, I have no more idea than you have, Louis. That is where we stand.
+I am willing to listen to any advice that you wish to give me."</p>
+
+<p>"I have no wish to give any advice," replied Louis; and by this time he
+was entirely satisfied with the position Scott had taken, and he
+approved everything he had done.</p>
+
+<p>At this point Pitts announced that dinner was ready, and Scott led the
+way to the cabin. The ledge of rocks appeared to cover at least half an
+acre of the bottom of the bay. The Maud had anchored abreast of the
+rock, in two fathoms of water. It was just about high tide when she came
+in, as the captain had learned from his nautical almanac, and the ebb
+placed the craft broadside to the Moorish steamer, so that the "Big
+Four" could see her out the cabin windows.</p>
+
+<p>The pirate made no demonstration of any kind, and the dinner was
+disposed of in good order, and with hardly an allusion to the exciting
+events that were expected. Pitts was instructed to give the engineers<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>
+their dinner as soon as possible; for all hands might be needed at any
+moment.</p>
+
+<p>"Heave the lead, Flix; it begins to look like shoal water around us,"
+said the captain when they returned to the forecastle.</p>
+
+<p>The great rock was of a light color, and could be distinctly seen from
+the deck. A portion of it rose about six feet above the surface of the
+water when the Maud anchored, and the receding tide now permitted two
+feet more of the projecting cone to be seen.</p>
+
+<p>"By the mark two," reported Felix, as he drew up the line.</p>
+
+<p>"Twelve feet; we have not much to spare under the keel," added the
+captain. "We had fourteen feet when we anchored, and the tide has been
+ebbing five hours."</p>
+
+<p>"Hold on, Captain Scott!" shouted Felix, as he carried the lead-line to
+the other side of the vessel. "I have been measuring on the top of a
+bulging rock. And a half two!"</p>
+
+<p>"Fifteen feet; that looks more like it. There ought to be about three
+feet ebb and flow here, and your sounding gave about double that, Flix."</p>
+
+<p>"It was the fault of the rock on the bottom, Captain;" but the leadsman
+heaved the line all around the steamer with the same result.</p>
+
+<p>There was nothing to do except to observe the Fatim&eacute;; but she did
+nothing, and there was no appearance of any movement on her deck.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I think we had better attend to that lesson now, as we have nothing
+else to do," said the captain after they had looked about them for a
+time. "I don't care to have the pirate suppose we are on the anxious
+seat."</p>
+
+<p>"All right," replied Louis, as he seated himself on the rail by the bow
+flag-pole. "I have studied my lesson, and I am all ready."</p>
+
+<p>"Blaze away, then," replied the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"If any of you have not yet found it out, I will begin by informing you
+that the land on three sides of us belongs to the island of Cyprus, and
+you are again on Turkish territory. The owners of the island call it
+Kebris, written by them G'br's, if you can make anything of that
+combination of consonants," Louis began, spelling out the strange names
+he introduced. "The Greeks call it Kupros, and the French, Chypre. Venus
+was the original goddess of spring among the Romans, but became the
+goddess of love, the Aphrodite of the Greeks, and was worshipped as such
+in this island by the Ph&oelig;nicians and other ancients.</p>
+
+<p>"One of this lady's names was Cypris, or Cypria; and that is why the
+island happens to be called Cyprus. It is in about the same latitude as
+South Carolina. It is about 35 to 50 miles from Asia Minor on the south
+and Syria on the east. It is 140 miles long by 60 in breadth, containing
+3,707 square miles, or larger than both Rhode Island and Delaware
+united.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It has two ranges of mountains extending east and west, the highest
+peak being 6,352 feet. It has plenty of rivers, with no water in them
+except after heavy rains, or when the snow melts on the mountains. There
+is no room for lakes of any size, though there is a small one on the
+east coast, which dries up completely in summer, like the rivers, but
+has an abundance of fish in winter. This is rather remarkable, and the
+fact is not doubted, though the phenomenon has not been explained."</p>
+
+<p>"The fish must go down where the water goes," laughed Felix. "If there
+are any volcanoes here, I suppose they come up in the winter all boiled
+or broiled ready for the table."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know how that is, Flix, and we haven't time to investigate the
+matter. The interior of the island is mostly composed of a great plain,
+which was once famous for its crops of grain; but the system of
+irrigation which prevailed has been discontinued, and its fertility no
+longer exists. In a scarcity of rain five years ago there was almost a
+famine in the island.</p>
+
+<p>"As you have seen for yourselves, there is a deficiency of harbors, and
+this bay is a fair specimen of them. It has two places they call
+seaports, but they are not worthy of the name. They are on the south
+side, and in such a blow as we had last night, they afford no shelter to
+shipping from southerly storms; and Captain Scott was wise in coming
+here instead of going to Limasol, which is just inside of Cape Gata.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span>
+The ports on this side of the island would be similarly exposed in a
+northerly storm. Safe ports are necessary for the commerce of a country
+or an island, and therefore to its prosperity.</p>
+
+<p>"In ancient times there were ports at Salamis, Paphos, and Famagusta, in
+the eastern part of the island, which was the portion celebrated in the
+past. The capital is Leucosia, as I find it on my chart, though I find
+it elsewhere put down as Nicosia; and even the cape we have in sight is
+Pifanio in a standard atlas. The population is 186,000, of whom not
+quite 50,000 are Mohammedans, and the rest are orthodox Greeks. The
+great majority of the people speak the Greek language, but it is so much
+corrupted that Flix would not understand it."</p>
+
+<p>"You are right, my darling; I want the pure Greek of Kilkenny, or I
+don't take it in," replied the Milesian.</p>
+
+<p>"The island was colonized by the Ph&oelig;nicians, who have a history too
+long to be related now; but they occupied the northern part of Syria and
+the country to the north of us. They were the New Yorkers of their day
+and generation, and were largely engaged in commerce. They brought the
+worship of Venus over here, and called the island Kupros after her. It
+had at first nine independent kingdoms, and I should suppose that almost
+anybody could afford to be a king in this locality. It was conquered by
+the Egyptians about five hundred years before the time of Christ; then
+by the Persians;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> and finally came into the possession of the Romans.</p>
+
+<p>"It went with the Eastern Empire when Rome was divided. The people
+embraced Christianity at an early date. It was said that a shepherd
+discovered the body of St. Matthew and a part of his Gospel in the
+island, which called many early saints to visit it. In 646 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span>, Cyprus
+was taken by the Saracens, but was not long held by them. Richard
+C&oelig;ur-de-Lion captured it on his way to Syria for the Third Crusade.
+In 1570 the Turks obtained possession of it, and have practically held
+it ever since.</p>
+
+<p>"The ruins of Salamis may be seen at the other end of the island. In the
+Book of Acts we read that Paul came over here. 'And when they were at
+Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.'
+Then the account informs us that they went 'through the isle' to Paphos;
+and doubtless the place was near Point Papho, which I find on my chart.
+Don't forget to tell Mrs. Blossom, Flix, that you have been to an island
+visited by Paul and Barnabas in their missionary travels.</p>
+
+<p>"The island has about the same productions as Egypt. Carobs, or locust
+beans, figure up to about $300,000. But I fear you will not remember any
+more figures if I should give them; and I see there is something like a
+movement on board of the pirate."</p>
+
+<p>"You must repeat that lecture on board of the ship when we get back to
+her," added the captain. "It was telling us just what I wanted to
+know."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I could have done better if I had had the library of the
+Guardian-Mother for reference," replied Louis, as all hands fixed their
+attention on the Fatim&eacute;.</p>
+
+<p>"They are getting out a boat, sir," said Don, who had gone to the
+hurricane deck to obtain a better view.</p>
+
+<p>"That means that they intend to pay us a visit; and as I intend to
+retain the command of the Maud until I am relieved by Captain Ringgold,
+I shall allow no one from the pirate to come on board," said Captain
+Scott in his most decided tones. "All hands except Felipe will arm with
+breech-loaders and revolvers, with a supply of ammunition, and form in
+the port gangway."</p>
+
+<p>This order was promptly executed, and the force collected at the place
+designated. This gangway was concealed from the enemy by the house on
+deck. Louis had two revolvers, and he loaned one to Don. Scott had
+carried out a handsaw which was kept in the pilot-house in readiness for
+any emergency, as well as an axe and a hatchet. The captain had used
+this same saw with decided effect upon some smugglers who attempted to
+obtain possession of the little steamer in the Bay of Gibraltar, and he
+placed it where it was ready for use at any moment.</p>
+
+<p>In addition to this novel weapon, he had sent for a small heave-line
+with which he had done some lassoing on the same occasion, and also on
+Captain<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> Mazagan at a later period. The five hands in the port gangway
+had loaded their weapons, and were ready to be called into the field.
+The captain took a look at them, and all was satisfactory. He hastened
+back to the forecastle, where he saw that the boat was already pulling
+for the Maud.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<h3>A MOST IMPUDENT PROPOSITION</h3>
+
+
+<p>Certainly it looked decidedly warlike on board of the little steamer
+Maud; and Felix, who was never inclined to be very serious over
+anything, declared that she was like a bantam rooster ready for a
+pitched battle in a farmyard. Captain Scott called Louis out, and
+proposed to him that he should take the command of the riflemen, who
+were required to keep out of sight of the Moors in the boat.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I will obey orders wherever I am placed; but, if you will
+excuse me, I must protest against the appointment," replied Louis, as
+they watched the approaching enemy. "Morris is one of our number in the
+gangway, and it would not be fair or right to put another fellow over
+the first officer."</p>
+
+<p>"That is all right in theory; but Morris is the youngest fellow on
+board," reasoned the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"But he is just as resolute, plucky, and prompt as any one on board. He
+thinks quick, and has good judgment," persisted Louis. "I should be very
+sorry to be placed over his head."</p>
+
+<p>"Say no more! I only thought it would be unfortunate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> to lose you in the
+place where you could do the most good," added Scott. "I will give my
+orders to Morris, and let him carry them out. I don't know any better
+than the rest of the fellows what is coming out of this affair; but it
+is plain enough now that Mazagan intends to do something."</p>
+
+<p>"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.</p>
+
+<p>"Piracy! He makes no bones of anything that will put forty thousand
+dollars 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 Highness
+to save his neck from any undue stretching," replied Captain Scott, as
+he walked to the port gangway. "Is everything ready here, Morris?"</p>
+
+<p>"Everything, Captain," answered the first officer. "The rifles are all
+loaded, and every man has a supply of cartridges in his pocket. Every
+one has a revolver except Pitts."</p>
+
+<p>"I have two, and he shall have one of them," interposed Felix, handing
+his extra weapon to the cook, with a package of ammunition for it.</p>
+
+<p>"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, after
+all, there may be more talk than bullets in this affair."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I hope so," added Louis sincerely; though it was evident that some of
+the boys looked upon the adventure as decidedly exciting, and therefore
+agreeable.</p>
+
+<p>Louis walked to the forecastle with the captain, and both of them gave
+their entire attention to the boat that was approaching, having now
+accomplished more than half the distance between the two vessels.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't imagine what has become of the Guardian-Mother," said Louis, as
+he directed a spy-glass to seaward. "She cannot have intended to desert
+us in this manner. What do you suppose has become of her, Captain
+Scott?"</p>
+
+<p>"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 bay
+we were to bring things to a head, and give the pirate the slip."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope nothing serious has happened to her. The last we saw of her she
+was rounding a point near Damietta."</p>
+
+<p>"She intended to get out of sight of the pirate as soon as possible, so
+that the Fatty could follow the Maud; and she did all that in good
+order. But I have no doubt that she is safe enough; and, if we don't get
+chewed up in this scrape, I have no doubt she will soon put in an
+appearance in these waters."</p>
+
+<p>"Steamer, ahoy!" shouted a rather tall man in the stern-sheets of the
+boat.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"In the boat!" replied Scott, after he had waited a moment, and then in
+a very careless and indifferent tone.</p>
+
+<p>"That's Mazagan," said Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course it is; I knew he was there before he opened his mouth, the
+pirate!" added the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Is Mr. Belgrave on board?" demanded the captain of the Fatim&eacute;.</p>
+
+<p>"What if he is? What if he is not?" answered the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish to see him."</p>
+
+<p>"He is not to be seen at the present moment. What is your business with
+him?" Scott inquired, as indifferently as though the affair did not even
+remotely concern him.</p>
+
+<p>Of course his manner was assumed, and Louis listened to him with the
+most intense interest; for he was anxious to ascertain in what manner
+the captain intended to conduct the negotiation, if there was to be
+anything of that kind. In spite of his affectation of indifference, he
+knew that Scott was quite as anxious in regard to the result of the
+parley as he was himself, though he was the intended victim of the
+pirate.</p>
+
+<p>"My business is quite as important to Mr. Belgrave as it is to me,"
+replied Mazagan.</p>
+
+<p>"Very likely; but what is your business with him?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is with him, and not with you," returned the pirate, apparently
+vexed at the reply. "Who are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> you? I don't mean to talk my affairs with
+one I don't know."</p>
+
+<p>"I am Captain Scott, commander of the steamer Maud, tender of the
+steamship Guardian-Mother, owned and in the service of Mr. Louis
+Belgrave," replied the captain as impressively as he could make the
+statement. "That ought to knock a hole through the tympanum of his
+starboard ear," he added with a smile, in a lower tone.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course he knew who you were before," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"He ought to know me, for I fished him out of the water in the harbor of
+Hermopolis."</p>
+
+<p>"If Mr. Belgrave is on board, I wish to see him," continued Mazagan.</p>
+
+<p>"I may as well face the music first as last," said Louis, as he stepped
+out from the shelter of the pilot-house which had concealed him from
+those in the boat.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course it is no use to try to hide you. Do you wish to talk with the
+pirate, Louis?" asked the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't object to hearing what he has to say, though certainly nothing
+will come of it," replied the intended victim.</p>
+
+<p>"It will use up some of the time, and the longer we wait before the
+curtain rises, the better the chance that the Guardian-Mother will come
+in to take a hand in the game," suggested the captain; and Louis took
+another look through the glass to seaward.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You needn't look so far out to sea for the ship, my dear fellow; for
+when she appears she will come around Cape Arnauti, and not more than a
+mile outside of it, where she will get eight fathoms of water. She is
+coming up from the south; and if our business was not such here that
+none of us can leave, I would send Morris and Flix to the top of that
+hill on the point, where they could see the ship twenty miles off in
+this clear air."</p>
+
+<p>While the captain was saying all this, the four Moorish rowers in the
+boat dropped their oars into the water, and began to pull again; for the
+patience of their commander seemed to be oozing out.</p>
+
+<p>"That won't do!" exclaimed Scott. "Boat ahoy! Keep off!" he shouted.</p>
+
+<p>"I told you I wished to see Mr. Belgrave, Captain Scott; and you do not
+answer me. You are using up my patience, and I tell you that I will not
+be trifled with!" said Captain Mazagan in a loud tone, with a spice of
+anger and impatience mixed in with it.</p>
+
+<p>"That's just my case! I won't be trifled with! Stop where you are! If
+you pull another stroke, I shall proceed to business!" called the
+captain, with vim enough to satisfy the most strenuous admirer of pluck
+in a moment of difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>The oarsmen ceased rowing; and when the boat lost its headway it was not
+more than forty feet from the side of the Maud. Scott did not object to
+this distance, as there was to be a talk with the pirate.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Belgrave will speak with you since you desire<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> it," said Captain
+Scott, as soon as he realized that the boat's crew did not intend to
+board the steamer.</p>
+
+<p>He walked over to the port side of the deck, where he could still
+command a clear view of the boat all the time; and he did not take his
+eyes from it long enough to wink. He was ready to order the riflemen to
+the forecastle; and he intended to do so if the boat advanced another
+foot.</p>
+
+<p>"What is going on, Captain Scott?" asked Morris, who stood at the head
+of the column.</p>
+
+<p>"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 the
+Guardian-Mother to arrive here before anybody gets hurt."</p>
+
+<p>"We have heard all that has passed so far, and we expected to be called
+out by this time," added Morris.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care to have you show those rifles just yet, and I hope you
+will not have to exhibit them at all. You can sit down on the deck and
+hear all that is going on," added the captain, as he moved away. If he
+took his eyes off the boat at all, it was only to glance at the lofty
+cape where the ship would first be seen.</p>
+
+<p>Louis had placed himself at the rail, ready for the conference that the
+pirate desired. Mazagan had met him face to face, and he could not help
+knowing him.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you Mr. Louis Belgrave?" demanded the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> Moorish captain, more gently
+than he had spoken to Scott at the close of the interview with him.</p>
+
+<p>"That is my name," replied the young millionaire with all his native
+dignity.</p>
+
+<p>"We have had some business relations together, and at the present moment
+they are not in a satisfactory condition," the captain proceeded.</p>
+
+<p>"Go on," replied Louis when he paused; for he had decided to say nothing
+that would unnecessarily irritate the villain.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish you to join in the conversation, and express your mind freely."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall do so as occasion may require. I am ready to hear any statement
+you wish to make; but I have nothing to say at present."</p>
+
+<p>"Between the noble and exalted gentleman in whose services I sail his
+steam-yacht, and the commander of your larger steam-yacht, Captain
+Ringgold, there is a difficulty of very great magnitude;" and Captain
+Mazagan paused as if to note the effect of this announcement upon his
+auditor.</p>
+
+<p>"Proceed, sir," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you deny the truth of what I have stated?"</p>
+
+<p>"By no means," said Louis with a polite bow and a wave of his right
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>"His Highness, the Pacha, was grossly and disgracefully insulted and
+assaulted by Captain Ringgold, who has so far declined to make any
+apology or reparation such as one gentleman has the right to require of
+another. Can you deny this statement?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Proceed, Captain Mazagan; I have nothing to say," repeated Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"You will not speak?"</p>
+
+<p>"If you desire it, I will; but simply to suggest that you wait on
+Captain Ringgold with your grievance."</p>
+
+<p>"That he has tried to do, and called upon him in Constantinople for that
+purpose; but Captain Ringgold is a coward, a poltroon! He keeps himself
+shut up in his cabin, and refuses to give my noble master any
+satisfaction."</p>
+
+<p>It was with a struggle that Louis maintained his dignity and preserved
+his silence.</p>
+
+<p>"Finding all the avenues to any satisfaction closed against him, my
+noble master, one of the most exalted dignitaries of the Empire to which
+he is an honor, employed me to obtain the redress to which he is
+honorably entitled. So far I have not been successful. My noble master
+has been graciously pleased to modify the terms and conditions upon
+which he will consent to discontinue his efforts to obtain adequate
+satisfaction for the insults heaped upon him. He will accept the
+atonement of two hundred thousand francs for the injury done him,
+assured that this penalty would be the severest punishment that could be
+inflicted upon a cowardly and penurious American like Captain Ringgold."</p>
+
+<p>"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 for
+him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"He would not notice the claim," replied the pirate.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think he would," said Louis, inclined to laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"I intend to make the matter sure this time. If you will do me the favor
+to come on board of the Fatim&eacute;, and remain with me in the cabin, which
+is 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 matter
+at once," continued the Pacha's representative with a suavity creditable
+to his French education.</p>
+
+<p>"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 my
+quarters in the cabin of the Fatim&eacute;," replied Louis blandly.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I must take you by force!" exclaimed the pirate.</p>
+
+<p>He gave the order for his men to pull. Captain Scott called out his
+force.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<h3>"JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE, MOTHER"</h3>
+
+
+<p>Morris Woolridge did not make use of any military forms, for he did not
+claim to understand them; but he simply came on the forecastle himself,
+followed by the other four of his party; for Louis had joined it when
+directed to do so by his superior. Captain Scott took the rifle he had
+reserved for his own use from the pilot-house. Those who had been
+waiting for the order had only to move a few feet, and not a second of
+delay had been made.</p>
+
+<p>A boat large enough to contain six men, as did the pirate's, does not
+overcome its inertia and shoot ahead forty feet without any apparent
+lapse of time, like a bullet shot from a rifle. Morris and his men were
+in position before the boat had made ten feet.</p>
+
+<p>Morris gave no orders according to the manual of the soldier, but he
+ranged his command on the forecastle, close to the starboard rail. The
+guns were all loaded, and every one of the party had had some experience
+in the use of the weapon, so that none of them had to be taught how to
+fire it.</p>
+
+<p>"Aim at the boat," said the first officer in a quiet tone; and all the
+rifles were directed to the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>It was a fact which came out afterwards, that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> every one of them aimed
+at Mazagan, not only because he was the most prominent mark as he stood
+in the standing-room, but he was regarded as the biggest villain of the
+assailants, and they could shoot him with less compunction than the
+Moors in his train. He was the representative of the villain behind the
+scenes, and all the mischief seemed to come out of him.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop where you are, or I shall order my men to fire!" shouted Captain
+Scott, as soon as the rifles were all aimed at the boat. "Say that in
+Arabic to them, Don!"</p>
+
+<p>The engineer translated the warning for the benefit of those who were
+back to the Maud, and perhaps did not see the weapons that were pointed
+at the boat. But Mazagan could see the six rifles, including the one in
+the hands of the captain; and before Don could finish his Arabic
+sentence, he had given the order to cease rowing. At least it was
+supposed he had done so, for the Moors dropped their oars, some of them
+into the water.</p>
+
+<p>The boat's crew were in a panic without any doubt, and Captain Scott was
+inclined to feel that "the coon had come down." Mazagan spoke to them in
+a savage tone, as though he was reproving them for their cowardice; but
+they plainly did not relish the idea of being shot down without being
+able to make any resistance, for there was nothing that looked like a
+musket to be seen in the boat.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 317px;">
+<img src="images/i002.jpg" width="317" height="500" alt="&quot;Stop where you are or I shall order my men to fire!&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Stop where you are or I shall order my men to fire!&quot; Page <a href="#Page_92">92</a>.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>After his recent experience in Cairo, probably Captain Mazagan was
+provided with a revolver; but he did not exhibit it, and in the face of
+half a dozen breech-loaders, capable of sending three dozen bullets into
+the boat, it would be a piece of useless bravado. It could be seen on
+the forecastle of the Maud that the pirate's crew were demoralized. The
+Mohammedans are said to be fatalists; and in what they regard as a holy
+cause they have no fear of death, for they believe it bears them
+directly to paradise. But some of them must have had sense enough to
+understand that they were engaged in piracy, and that their heaven did
+not open wide its gates to those who fell in the commission of crime.</p>
+
+<p>The boat lost its headway, and became motionless at a distance of twenty
+feet from the Maud, with the rifles still pointed at its crew. If the
+pirate chief had a revolver in his pocket, this was the time to use it;
+but he did not even produce it. He could not help seeing that if he
+fired a shot, it would immediately cause half a dozen bullets to be sent
+into the boat; and he had good reason to believe that he would himself
+be the first victim.</p>
+
+<p>"What are you about?" he demanded in angry tones.</p>
+
+<p>"About to fire if you come any nearer," replied Captain Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Can't you see that we are unarmed? Do you mean to shoot us down like
+dogs?"</p>
+
+<p>"That depends upon you, Captain Mazagan. But you are so very polite
+while you act as a pirate, that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> I think it is proper for me to say,
+with your permission, that my crew can fire thirty-six balls without
+stopping to load again. If you persist in this business, not one of your
+number will ever get on board of the Fatim&eacute; again," added the captain of
+the Maud, as decided as before; but the politeness of the pirate and
+Louis had amused him at such a time, and he was disposed to imitate
+them.</p>
+
+<p>"If you mean to murder us all, I cannot help myself just now," howled
+Mazagan, furiously mad at the disappointment which had suddenly
+overtaken him; and he seemed like an angry child who had been denied a
+piece of candy, and resented it with tears and yells.</p>
+
+<p>"All you have to do is to pull back to your ship, and we shall not take
+the trouble to follow you," answered Scott. "This difficulty is not of
+our seeking."</p>
+
+<p>"I came to you peaceably, unarmed, with a fair proposition"&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"A most impudent and presumptuous proposition!" shouted Captain Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"I have been respectful and polite to you, and you threaten to shoot me
+and my men."</p>
+
+<p>"You have plainly announced your intention to take Mr. Belgrave on board
+of your steamer by force. Do you call that respectful and polite?"</p>
+
+<p>"But I gave him a polite invitation to take possession of my cabin
+without the use of force, and he declined to accept it," argued Captain
+Mazagan, somewhat mollified in his tone and manner.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Which he had a perfect right to do. You proposed to rob him of the sum
+of two hundred thousand francs; and you invite him to become a prisoner
+on board of your ship in the capacity of a hostage for the payment of
+the money of which you propose to rob him."</p>
+
+<p>"What is the use of arguing the question with him, Captain Scott?"
+interposed Louis, who retained his place in the ranks. "His position is
+absurd, and the fellow is a fool as well as a knave."</p>
+
+<p>"I have distinctly stated that my claim is to be indemnification for the
+injury done to my noble master," replied the pirate, in reply to Scott's
+last remark. "I do not propose to rob you."</p>
+
+<p>"Call it blackmail then, if you please."</p>
+
+<p>"I do not know what that means."</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Belgrave has nothing to do with your claim. He has not insulted or
+assaulted your ignoble master; and, in United States dialect, you 'have
+taken the wrong pig by the ear.' To come back to first principles, I
+have nothing more to say," added Captain Scott, as he turned his back to
+the claimant.</p>
+
+<p>"I have something more to say," returned Mazagan, bristling up with
+anger again. "My boat is unarmed; but I have not come up here without
+being prepared to meet you. I wish to be fair and just, and I will state
+the truth to you."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe you know how to do it!" exclaimed Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"I would not irritate him any more than is necessary," said Louis in a
+whisper.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I have lost all patience with him," replied the captain; and his manner
+indicated that he spoke the truth.</p>
+
+<p>"You will find before you have done with me that I can and do speak the
+truth, Captain Scott. When I made my first attempt to obtain
+satisfaction for my noble master in the Archipelago, I failed because
+your large ship was armed with cannon, and she disabled my felucca. When
+my noble master offered me the command of the Fatim&eacute;, to be used in
+carrying out his wishes, I stipulated that she should be armed with two
+twelve-pounders, with a supply of ammunition. I may add that I have
+served as an officer in the Turkish navy. Now, Captain Scott, I have
+nothing more to say from this boat, and the next time I speak it will be
+with twelve-pounders; and my last word is that the Fatim&eacute; will not go
+out of this bay till she leaves with Mr. Belgrave on board of her."</p>
+
+<p>"Adieu!" shouted Scott in mocking tones.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you suppose the villain spoke the truth, Captain?" asked Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Very likely he did, though he is not in the habit of doing so," replied
+Scott, laughing; but he was accustomed to put the best face upon an
+awkward situation.</p>
+
+<p>The boat was pulling away from the Maud, and the danger of an attack was
+removed for the present. Mazagan appeared to be urging his men to pull
+with all their might, and they were doing so. He evidently had a purpose
+before him, born of his failure<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span> to accomplish anything by his visit to
+the Maud.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed to be incredible that this man could be sane and sensible to
+make such a proposition as he had put forward; and doubtless it was done
+to clothe piracy in a more seemly garb than it usually wears. It was
+simply ridiculous on the face of it, with no imaginable foundation for
+the preposterous claim advanced.</p>
+
+<p>Mazagan went on board of his steamer, and a few minutes later a cloud of
+black smoke began to pour out of her smokestack. Captain Scott had
+already ordered Felipe to put his furnaces in order for quick time. At
+the indication given of the firing up of the enemy, he went to the
+engine-room himself. Don was at work on the fires; and he gave Felipe
+directions to get up all the steam possible, and to prepare to run the
+Maud at the greatest speed she had ever attained.</p>
+
+<p>Then he went to the pilot-house, and did not appear to be inclined to
+talk even with Louis. He went to work upon the chart which included
+Khrysoko Bay, called Pifanio on some maps, and studied intently for a
+considerable time. It was clear to all on deck that he had something in
+his head, and it was believed that he was preparing to meet the boastful
+threats of Captain Mazagan.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, my darling, what is to be the next scene in the comedy?" asked
+Felix, as he seated himself by Louis in the bow.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't know, Felix; but whatever it may be, Captain Scott is evidently
+getting ready to play his part in it," replied Louis, still watching the
+captain through the open front windows of the pilot-house.</p>
+
+<p>"They are making the steam sizzle below, and I suppose the captain has
+ordered this to be done. By the powers of mud! Do you mind that?"
+exclaimed the Milesian, pointing to the Fatim&eacute;.</p>
+
+<p>"What of her?"</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you see that she has a gun run out on her port side? She had just
+thrown open the port when I spoke," replied Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"Then the pirate spoke the truth for once," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"He said the vessel had been armed with two twelve-pounders, and we have
+not even one. I suppose she has the other on the starboard side. If she
+had half a dozen of those playthings she might do something."</p>
+
+<p>"She may do a deal of mischief with two of them if they are well
+handled," suggested Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"She can't use but one of them at once, and she will have to come
+entirely about before she can do anything with the other. Her
+top-gallant forecastle isn't big enough for them, as the
+Guardian-Mother's is for hers. I am not much scared yet, my darling."</p>
+
+<p>"Neither am I, Flix; but I think this is about the tightest place we
+have been in since we came across the Atlantic."</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Scott will arrange the affair all right. If<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> I were a
+sporting-man, I would bet on him yet," protested Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"But while we are not scared, you know that it is possible for one of
+those guns to put a shot through our boiler, rip out the engine, or tear
+a big hole in the plates of the Maud," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"We can plug the shot-holes&mdash;I believe that is what they call it."</p>
+
+<p>"We have not a single one of the old man-of-war's-men of the
+Guardian-Mother on board who can tell us what to do in case of
+accident."</p>
+
+<p>"But we won't croak, whatever else we do. If we are to be sent to the
+bottom of this bay, we will go down with the best grace possible," added
+Felix, who was certainly in as good humor as ever he was, in spite of
+the brass gun that protruded at the side of the Fatim&eacute;. "Do you suppose
+Captain Scott knows about that twelve-pounder?"</p>
+
+<p>"He appears to be very busy; and I doubt if he has looked at the enemy
+since he went into the pilot-house," replied Louis. "I think I had
+better tell him that Mazagan spoke the truth about his guns."</p>
+
+<p>The young men might well have been excused if they had been intimidated
+at the situation as it was now presented to them. That the Maud was to
+be the mark for the cannon of the enemy looked like a settled fact; but
+no one seemed to be at all excited or nervous. It is true that all of
+them had been in several fights. They had fought the fishermen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span> in the
+Canaries, the smugglers at Gibraltar, the Greek pirates in the
+Archipelago, and the brigands at Zante. They had had some experience of
+danger, but they had never come into the presence of great guns before.
+They were to face these on the present occasion; at least, they were
+prepared to do so.</p>
+
+<p>Before Louis could reach the pilot-house, he saw the captain standing at
+the wheel, and heard one bell in the engine-room on the gong. It was
+evident that he was ready to carry out his plan, whatever it was; for he
+was not expected to announce it. Felix observed the Fatim&eacute; and her
+twelve-pounder, whistling, "Just before the Battle, Mother."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span></p>
+<h3>AN EXPEDIENT TO ESCAPE THE ENEMY</h3>
+
+
+<p>Captain Scott had directed Morris to heave up the anchor before he
+buried himself in his study of the chart in the pilot-house, and to do
+it in such a manner as not to attract the attention of the Fatim&eacute;'s
+people. It was not a very heavy anchor that was required for a craft of
+the size of the Maud, and it had been done very easily and quietly.</p>
+
+<p>Louis went into the pilot-house, where the captain was behind the wheel
+by this time. He was gazing intently at the conic rock which rose from
+the water a cable's length ahead of him, off a point on the main shore.
+When he brought the little steamer in to her anchorage in the morning,
+the lead had been kept going all the time, and he had noted the
+soundings on the log-slate at his side. It was now dead low tide, and
+the last sounding had given fifteen feet.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you have noticed a change in the appearance of the Fatim&eacute;,
+Captain Scott," said Louis, as he took his place opposite him.</p>
+
+<p>"What change? I haven't glanced at her. I don't like the looks of her,
+for she stirs up bad blood in me. I have been trying to be a saint like<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>
+you, Louis, and it is the most difficult enterprise in which I ever
+engaged," replied Scott, as he directed his attention to her. "I don't
+see any change in her."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you see that gun sticking out through her bulwark?" asked Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I see it now, but I had not noticed it before," answered the captain.
+"Then Mazagan was not lying when he said that his vessel had been armed
+since he took command of her. I suppose I ought to be frightened at the
+appearance of that twelve-pounder, poking its muzzle out the side of the
+vessel; but somehow I am not a bit scared," said the captain, with a
+broader smile on his face than usual.</p>
+
+<p>"But twelve-pound shot are not agreeable missiles to have plumped
+through the side of the Maud."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps not; but the lively little craft is built of extra strength,
+and she can stand a few of them. I am more concerned about the speed of
+the Fatim&eacute; than I am about her guns. Of course she has another gun on
+her starboard side."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course."</p>
+
+<p>"If Mazagan had consulted me in regard to the placing of them, he could
+not have arranged them to suit me any better. But her speed is of more
+consequence than her guns."</p>
+
+<p>"I judge from that, that you intend to run away from her," suggested
+Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Louis," said Captain Scott, looking at his companion with a very
+serious expression for him,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> "there is a recording angel hovering over
+and around me all the time."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose every fellow has one near him, to make a note of all his
+thoughts and actions, though we don't often take notice of his
+presence."</p>
+
+<p>"I believe all that, and that we shall be held responsible for all we do
+and say, and even for what we think," replied Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"A fellow has to keep a guard over his thoughts, for they are the
+foundation of his actions."</p>
+
+<p>"But you are taking a higher flight than I am, Louis, and we will
+overhaul your idea some other time, when there are no twelve-pounders
+near," interposed the captain, as he glanced at the enemy. "My recording
+angel is not one of the sort you are thinking about; though,
+metaphorically speaking, I believe in those to whom you allude. If my
+winged spirit, so constantly near me at times like the present
+especially, were to materialize, he would present the photograph of
+Captain Royal Ringgold."</p>
+
+<p>Louis could not help smiling as he imagined the angel described; and he
+thought the dignified commander made a rather odd-looking ethereal
+being.</p>
+
+<p>"I am not making fun of the idea, Louis; the commander seems to be close
+aboard of me when there is any doubtful question to be decided by me as
+captain of this craft," continued Scott. "He is looking at me, and
+writing down all I do and say, ready to hold me responsible for
+everything when I meet him again. He is bigger and more present,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span> so to
+speak, just now than ever before. If he knew the situation here at the
+present moment, it would half worry the life out of him, though he would
+be as dignified as ever."</p>
+
+<p>"You have made a picture of your sense of responsibility; and I am glad
+you feel it so keenly," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"This is a tight place for a young fellow like me, and I want to do my
+duty faithfully. If I should follow out my natural, inborn inclination,
+I should pitch into the Fatim&eacute;, and open fire upon her officers and crew
+with all the rifles and revolvers we could muster. But I don't do that
+sort of thing now. I am not the same fellow I was when I came on board
+of the Guardian-Mother. Now I shall run away if I get a chance to do
+so."</p>
+
+<p>"I think you are wise, Captain Scott," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Whatever my recording angel sets down for or against me, he shall not
+write that I tried to get into a fight with that pirate," said the
+captain with a great deal of emphasis.</p>
+
+<p>"You know something about her speed, for we had a little trial of it in
+the Strait of Gibraltar."</p>
+
+<p>"We did not beat her in a straight run, and we escaped from her by
+man&oelig;uvring and the aid of shoal water," the captain explained. "I
+depend upon the same kind of assistance to get out of the present
+scrape."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you have a plan in your mind, Captain Scott?" asked Louis.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I have. I shall do the best I can to get away from the pirate; but we
+may not succeed. I have no plan of this bay, only the general chart, on
+which but a few soundings are given. We may be driven into a corner
+where we shall have to see what virtue there is in our firearms, though
+I hope not."</p>
+
+<p>"If we are compelled to fight, I am confident that every fellow on board
+will stand by you. I shall for one; for I heartily approve the platform
+on which you stand, Captain Scott," said Louis, giving him his hand.</p>
+
+<p>"I thank you, Louis, with all my heart. You make me stronger than I was
+before," replied Scott, as he took the offered hand, and warmly pressed
+it.</p>
+
+<p>The Maud was going ahead at only half speed, blowing off her extra
+steam; for she was in condition to make the best effort of her
+existence. Morris and Felix were at the bow, wondering what those in the
+pilot-house found to talk about so long. The water was extremely clear,
+as they had seen it in the Bahamas, and they were watching the bottom,
+composed entirely of rocks. Morris occasionally thrust down a
+long-handled boathook whose length he had measured, and it gave him
+thirteen feet about every time.</p>
+
+<p>With her bunkers full of coal as they had been when she left Alexandria,
+the Maud drew twelve feet of water, and by this time she had reduced it
+six inches. She was approaching the shore, and she could not continue
+much farther. Scott did not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span> explain his plan in detail, and only said
+that he intended to escape if he could. He had a theory in regard to the
+formation of the bottom of the bay, which had twenty fathoms of water at
+a distance of a mile from the shore.</p>
+
+<p>He had a theory in regard to the subject which was by no means a novel
+one, that the bottom of the sea was similar in its features to the
+surface of the land. If the face of the country was rugged and uneven,
+so was the bottom of the sea near it. On Cape Arnauti the hills rose to
+the dignity of mountains, and some of the soundings at the entrance of
+the inlet were over a hundred fathoms, which confirmed his theory in its
+application to this particular locality.</p>
+
+<p>Otherwise stated, Captain Scott believed that if all the water in the
+bay could be suddenly dried up, the bottom of it would present the same
+irregularities as the shore. Doubtless his theory was correct in regard
+to the great oceans. Islands are only the tops of submarine hills and
+mountains rising above the surface of the water.</p>
+
+<p>The captain steered the Maud directly towards the shore, while the
+steamer was making not over five knots an hour. He kept one eye on the
+rocky cone on the starboard hand, which was an elevation on the enormous
+ledge of half an acre.</p>
+
+<p>"Where's the bottom, Morris?" he called to the first officer when the
+steamer was abreast of the cone.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Thirteen feet down," returned Morris.</p>
+
+<p>"Heave the lead on the port hand, Flix," added the captain very quietly;
+and he seemed to be still in a brown study.</p>
+
+<p>"Mark under water two," reported the Milesian.</p>
+
+<p>"Give the depth in feet now."</p>
+
+<p>"Thirteen feet, short."</p>
+
+<p>"Keep the lead going."</p>
+
+<p>For about a quarter of a mile farther Scott kept the Maud moving in the
+same direction, with no change in the reports of the soundings. The
+great ledge could still be seen from the windows of the pilot-house; but
+suddenly the color changed to a darker hue. At this point the captain
+threw the helm over to port, and changed the course from south-west to
+north-west, a full quarter of a circle. The soundings were continued,
+and for some time the reports were of deeper water.</p>
+
+<p>Louis had nothing to do on the forecastle, and he returned to the
+pilot-house, where he stationed himself at the door on the starboard
+side, where he could look down into the clear water as the others were
+doing. The ledge still presented the same appearance; that of a smooth
+surface, though with many seams and protuberances upon it.</p>
+
+<p>"You seem to have found a channel inside of the ledge, Captain Scott,"
+said Louis, after he had watched the indications for some time.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought there must be some kind of an opening on this side of the
+ledge; for on the shore there<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> is a strip of land half a mile wide
+covered with trees. The channel is all right here; but I would give up
+all my chances of being appointed to the command of the Guardian-Mother
+within the next ten years, to be assured that it extends out to the deep
+water outside the bay," replied Scott, turning around to look at his
+companion, and thus showing that there was a cloud on his face.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you believe that it extends the whole length of the ledge?" asked
+Louis, who could not fail to see the shadow of anxiety that hung over
+the expression of the young commander.</p>
+
+<p>"It is no use to believe or disbelieve in a thing you know nothing at
+all about," replied Scott, as Louis placed himself at the side of the
+wheel opposite to him, so that he could see his face. "Do I believe it
+rains in New York City at this moment? What is the use of expressing an
+opinion about a matter upon which you have no material to base an
+opinion?"</p>
+
+<p>"Correct, Captain!" exclaimed Louis, laughing. "Many people make fools
+of themselves by doing just that thing; but your recording angel never
+does it. I did not know but you had the means of knowing something about
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"None whatever; there is no law of nature I know of that requires the
+channel to reach through to deep water. But there is one circumstance
+which leads me to fear it is 'no thoroughfare' to the deep water."</p>
+
+<p>"What is that, Captain?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The present attitude of the Fatim&eacute;."</p>
+
+<p>"She does not appear to have changed her position or her looks since she
+ran out that twelve-pounder."</p>
+
+<p>"That is just it!" replied Scott. "If he really intends to bag Mr. Louis
+Belgrave as his game in this hunt, as I have no doubt he does, he is not
+going to allow me to carry him off in the Maud through this channel
+without doing some kicking and some barking with his twelve-pounders. He
+remains there as quietly as though he had you in his cabin already.
+Mazagan is a sea-captain, and probably has spent most of his life
+sailing in these waters. I am afraid he knows more about this channel
+than I do, or has a more detailed chart of this bay than mine."</p>
+
+<p>The Maud passed the cone, and continued on her course for a short time
+longer. Half a mile more would take her into twenty fathoms of water.</p>
+
+<p>"It would look very hopeful, Louis, if the Fatim&eacute; were only doing her
+best to overhaul us in a chase; but she is like an alligator sunning
+himself on the water, she don't move a muscle," said the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, if we have to go back, we shall still have the chance of a race
+before us," suggested Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope so," added Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Only hope so?" queried Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"That's all," answered the captain, with something like despondency in
+his tones and expression.</p>
+
+<p>"Twelve feet and a half!" shouted Morris with emphasis.</p>
+
+<p>"By the mark two! Twelve feet!" shouted Felix.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Eleven and a half feet!" said Morris.</p>
+
+<p>"Eleven feet!" yelled the Milesian.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Scott rang one bell on the gong to stop her, and then three more
+to back her. The boat was lowered into the water, and only seven feet of
+water could be found half a cable's length ahead of the Maud. She could
+go no farther in this direction.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE BATTLE FOUGHT, THE VICTORY WON</h3>
+
+
+<p>Whatever doubts Louis had in the first instance about Captain Scott's
+management of the defence of the Maud, he now believed that he honestly
+and sincerely desired to escape from the difficult and trying situation
+without an encounter with the pirate. He had feared the temptation to
+make a hero of himself would lead him into a conflict with the enemy
+when it might be avoided.</p>
+
+<p>Without "showing the white feather," he had conducted himself with quite
+as much prudence as resolution. He had done his best to escape from the
+bay without any fighting. Before his reformation he was generally
+"spoiling for a fight" when there was any dispute or difficulty; but on
+the present occasion he had done his best to avoid one.</p>
+
+<p>He had tried to do just as he believed Louis, his model in morals and
+conduct, would have done if he had been in command of the Maud. The
+hearty approval which his mentor had expressed of all he had done so far
+afforded him intense satisfaction, and he was sure that Captain Ringgold
+could find no fault with his management up to this moment.</p>
+
+<p>"Here we are, Louis; and, so far as my plan is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> concerned, we are
+euchred. It is a failure," said Captain Scott, as he took a survey of
+the surroundings, which remained precisely the same as they had been
+from the beginning.</p>
+
+<p>"Through no fault of the plan or yourself, Captain. If there was no
+channel here to deep water, of course you could not pass through it,"
+replied Louis. "You have done everything you could."</p>
+
+<p>"I have been asking myself if I was to blame for getting into the trap;
+for we certainly are in a trap," continued Scott. "I followed the
+instructions of Captain Ringgold to the letter; and when I brought the
+Maud to her anchorage by the ledge, the pirate was not in sight, and I
+knew no more of what had become of him than I did in regard to the
+Guardian-Mother."</p>
+
+<p>"You have no occasion to censure yourself for anything," replied Louis.
+"You have obeyed your orders, and our present difficult situation is the
+result of the non-appearance of the ship. Don't blame yourself, Captain
+Scott, for not a shadow of an imputation can rest upon your conduct."</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, my dear fellow. I hope I shall get out of this bay without
+forfeiting your generous approval," added Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Here we are, Captain, as you say, and it looks as though we were in a
+bad scrape. All we have to do is to turn our attention to the manner of
+getting out of it. If there were any reason to reproach yourself or
+anybody else, we have no time to attend to that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> matter. What can be
+done next?" demanded Louis, rousing his energies to face the difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>"What we do next depends mainly upon what the Fatim&eacute; does; and she isn't
+doing anything," replied Captain Scott, apparently roused to new
+exertion by the burst of energy on the part of his companion in the
+pilot-house. "I have no doubt Mazagan intends to make an effort to get
+possession of our millionaire as soon as he has the opportunity; but he
+will never succeed unless he knocks the Maud all to pieces with his
+twelve-pounders, which I don't believe he can do, Louis. You have
+comforted me so effectually, my dear fellow, that I begin to think it is
+time for me to do something of the same sort for you."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't feel the need of comfort and consolation yet," said Louis quite
+merrily. "I am not at all alarmed; and what I say is not braggadocio."</p>
+
+<p>"If the Maud is wrecked by the guns and sent to the bottom, we still
+have the whole island of Cyprus open to us," added the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"To come down to the hard pan of business, allow me to ask a foolish
+question or two, and you may laugh at them if you please. What is the
+Fatim&eacute; waiting for? Why doesn't Mazagan proceed to carry out his threat
+to capture me?" asked Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"For the simple reason that he cannot; and the question calls for a
+review of the situation," replied the captain, as he took from his
+pocket a paper on which he had drawn a diagram of the position<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> of both
+vessels, with the shape of the bay, the ledge, and the soundings so far
+as they were known. "Here is the Maud," he continued, making a small
+cross on the paper at the point in the inside channel where she had come
+to the shoal water. "There is no way to get out of this place except
+that by which we came in."</p>
+
+<p>"I understand all that; for we have the shore on one side of us and the
+ledge on the other, and the channel is not deep enough to permit us to
+go ahead," added Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"That is our position. The Fatim&eacute; lies in deep water at least a mile
+from us. She is a steamer of four hundred tons, and she must draw at
+least fifteen feet of water; for both of these steamers were built where
+they put them down deeper in the water than they do in our country. The
+pirate would take the ground anywhere near the ledge, and she could not
+come into the channel by which we reached this point. Therefore, she can
+do nothing; and her guns would not hit us a mile distant, if they would
+carry a ball as far as that. You can see why she can do nothing yet a
+while."</p>
+
+<p>"But the tide is rising, and we now have an hour of the flood,"
+suggested Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"But the tide is rising for the Fatim&eacute; as well as for the Maud."</p>
+
+<p>"There was nine feet of water on the ledge at low tide, and there will
+be twelve feet at high tide."</p>
+
+<p>"That will not be till nine o'clock this evening.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> But even if it were
+now I should not dare to undertake the task of piloting the Maud over
+the ledge; for I know nothing about the soundings on it except on the
+south edge. That would not do. We must get to deep water by the way we
+came in here," said the captain very decidedly.</p>
+
+<p>"A shot from the pirate!" shouted Felix at this moment, as he noted the
+flash.</p>
+
+<p>A moment later the report came to the ears of all on board, and the
+gun-made noise enough to startle a timid person. All watched for the
+ball, and saw it strike the water about half way between the two
+vessels.</p>
+
+<p>"Bully for you, Mazagan!" exclaimed Felix. "You fired at the water, and
+you hit it."</p>
+
+<p>"He is only trying his gun, and he will do better than that after he
+gets his hand in," said the captain. "The piece was depressed too much
+to prove what it would do if properly aimed."</p>
+
+<p>"They are getting up the anchor!" shouted Felix a couple of minutes
+later, after he had brought his spy-glass to bear upon the pirate.</p>
+
+<p>"She is evidently going to do something," said the captain, who had
+taken his usual place at the wheel, while Louis was on the other side of
+it, where both had remained after the steamer stopped.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you suppose Mazagan intends to do now?" asked Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I have not the remotest idea, except that, in a general way, he will
+try to keep us shut up in this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> channel. For that reason I do not
+propose to remain here any longer;" and he rang the gong to go ahead.</p>
+
+<p>The tide must have risen six or eight inches by this time, increasing
+the depth in the channel to that extent. Scott had taken the bearings
+very carefully when he came in, and he soon rang the speed bell. The
+Maud proceeded at full speed till she came to the turn in the passage,
+where the captain rang to stop her, in order to take an observation.</p>
+
+<p>The Fatim&eacute; had not yet got under way, and she appeared to be having some
+difficulty with her cable or anchor. As soon as the Maud had lost her
+headway the port gun belched out another flash and cloud of smoke. The
+Maud was at about the same distance from the pirate as when the latter
+fired before, and Scott watched with interest for the result of the
+discharge. The solid shot plumped into the water half a mile from the
+mark, just as though it had been dropped from some point overhead.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know much of anything about gunnery, except with four-pounders
+on a yacht; but that last gun was elevated so that we know about the
+range of her pieces," said the captain. "It is less than half a mile,
+and her shots would not do much damage at more than half that distance."</p>
+
+<p>"She has weighed her anchor, and started her screw," reported Felix, who
+was still watching the enemy with the glass.</p>
+
+<p>Scott rang the gong, and the Maud went ahead<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span> again. At the same time he
+directed Felipe to be ready to give the steamer her best speed.</p>
+
+<p>"Another shot!" shouted Felix.</p>
+
+<p>This one was discharged from her starboard gun, as she came about; but
+its range fell considerably short of that of the other piece. The Maud
+was still in the channel, and the ledge could be seen through the clear
+water on the port hand; what the soundings were on the starboard hand
+had not yet been demonstrated. The steamer was moving at her ordinary
+speed. The Fatim&eacute; had turned her head to the south; and, though she was
+still nearly a mile distant, her engine gong could be heard when it rang
+for the vessel to go ahead.</p>
+
+<p>The pirate soon changed her course, with the apparent intention of
+"cutting across lots," in order to reach the Maud. A hand was heaving
+the lead, indicating that Mazagan was not sure of his soundings. She
+went ahead on the new course not more than the eighth of a mile before
+she came about, showing that the depth of water was not satisfactory to
+her commander.</p>
+
+<p>"If the tide were not rising, I should know better what to do; for we
+might go back to the angle in the channel, out of the reach of the guns,
+and remain there till the morning tide, and then work out into deep
+water," said Captain Scott, after he had observed the movements of the
+enemy for a couple of minutes. "But with two feet more water, the Fatim&eacute;
+can go at least up to the verge of the ledge, and that plan would not
+work anyhow."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Another gun!" cried Felix, as he caught the flash.</p>
+
+<p>The enemy was a little nearer than before, but the shot fell hardly less
+than half a mile from the Maud. Mazagan had "swung to" in order to fire
+this shot, but resumed his course at once. Scott desired to gain some
+time by leaving the channel, and heading to the south-east. Morris was
+sounding with his boathook, and reported only thirteen feet when the
+Maud began to move in that direction.</p>
+
+<p>"Twelve feet and a half!" shouted the first officer a little later.</p>
+
+<p>"This won't do," said Scott, shaking his head. "The water shoals to the
+southward, and all we can do is to face the music."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean by that, Captain?" asked Louis.</p>
+
+<p>Scott made a couple of crosses on his diagram, and passed it to his
+companion.</p>
+
+<p>"The cross on your left is our present position near the outlet of the
+channel," the captain explained. "On the port we have the ledge, and we
+can't run over that. On the starboard the water is too shoal for us. We
+can go neither to the right nor the left."</p>
+
+<p>"Therefore you must run dead ahead."</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely so, or right into the guns of the enemy."</p>
+
+<p>"Couldn't you retreat up the channel again?" asked Louis; and it began
+to look to him as though<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span> "the end of all things had come;" and it even
+appeared possible that he might be captured, after all.</p>
+
+<p>"Heave the lead, Flix!" called the captain, without answering the
+question.</p>
+
+<p>"And a half two!" reported the Milesian.</p>
+
+<p>"That means fifteen feet," said the captain. "The Fatim&eacute; could come into
+this position now, or at least within an hour. After we had run as far
+as we could go up the channel, we should hardly be more than four
+hundred and fifty feet from her, and she could batter the Maud to pieces
+at her leisure. We must face the music. That is our only safety, if
+there is any safety anywhere."</p>
+
+<p>"I am with you, Captain Scott. But we are taking all the shot, and
+giving none. I am not a nonresistant in such a situation as this," said
+Louis. "We can't run away, and we must fight!"</p>
+
+<p>"I am glad the suggestion comes from you, Louis," replied Scott.
+"Morris, bring out your company of riflemen! You will act as
+sharpshooters, and pay particular attention to the bridge and
+pilot-house of the enemy."</p>
+
+<p>"Ay, ay, Captain!" returned Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>Louis left the pilot-house to join the ranks. Don came up from the
+fire-room, and Morris led his force to the hurricane deck, which
+commanded the best view of the enemy. By this time the Fatim&eacute; was within
+the eighth of a mile of the Maud. Her engineer was forcing her to her
+best speed; but she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span> was coming head on, and could not use her broadside
+guns without swinging to, which Mazagan seemed to be unwilling to do, as
+it caused considerable delay every time it was done.</p>
+
+<p>She was coming in ahead of the Maud, and her starboard gun would soon be
+available at a distance of not more than twenty yards. The work of the
+riflemen on the upper deck was evidently having its effect, and one man
+had been seen to fall on the bridge of the pirate.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the helm of the Fatim&eacute; was put to starboard, and the steamer
+presented her broadside to the Maud. The gun was discharged then, and
+the shot struck the house on deck of the little steamer, tearing its way
+through the galley. Scott, perhaps maddened by the crashing boards
+behind him, put the helm to port. Felipe was driving the engine to its
+full power, and the bow of the Maud struck the broadside of the Fatim&eacute;,
+crushing in about six feet of her plates. Then he rang to back her, and
+the little steamer went clear of the disabled pirate.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CATASTROPHE TO THE FATIM&Eacute;</h3>
+
+
+<p>If the strength of the little Maud was never fully tested before, it was
+done on the present occasion; and the construction and material of the
+Fatim&eacute; at the same time. The story of the manner in which the
+Guardian-Mother had run into and made a hole in the side of the Viking
+had been many times repeated on board of the ship while the "Big Four"
+were on board of her; for this affair had interested Scott more than any
+other item of her voyage.</p>
+
+<p>The young captain had done at this time precisely the same thing that
+Captain Ringgold had at another; and the blow had not been given by
+accident on either occasion. When at the distance of sixty feet from the
+Maud, the pirate had swung to and discharged her starboard gun, the shot
+from which had passed through the galley. She was under full steam; her
+port gun was no doubt all ready, and another turn of the wheel would
+have enabled her to send another shot through the Maud.</p>
+
+<p>To Captain Scott it was the critical moment of the conflict. Another
+ball from the enemy might go through the boiler or the engine, or
+disable his beloved little craft in some other manner; and he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> did what
+seemed to be the only thing he could do for the salvation of the Maud
+and his ship's company. He had disabled his vindictive enemy.</p>
+
+<p>Up to the moment when the Maud struck the decisive blow, the five
+"sharpshooters," as Scott had called them, had used their rifles; but
+the people of the Fatim&eacute; had taken refuge under her top-gallant
+forecastle, or behind whatever would afford them shelter from the
+bullets, and not many of them appeared to have been hit. Besides, the
+situation was altogether too novel and exciting for the party to act
+with anything like coolness, and the smoke from the twelve-pounder
+concealed the enemy at the most critical moment. They had discharged the
+rifles at random, rather than with careful aim at each shot.</p>
+
+<p>The moment the collision came, the voice of the captain called the party
+to the main deck; for the battle appeared to him to be ended. The enemy
+could not board the Maud, for she had backed at least fifty feet from
+the disabled steamer; but all hands were needed there in case they
+attempted to do so with their boats, of which she had one on each
+quarter.</p>
+
+<p>"Don!" shouted Scott, as soon as the rifle-party appeared on the
+forecastle, and while the little steamer was still backing.</p>
+
+<p>"On deck, sir," promptly responded the second engineer.</p>
+
+<p>"Go below forward, and see what damage has been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span> done to us," added the
+captain. "Flix, heave the lead!"</p>
+
+<p>However it may have been with the others on board of the Maud, the young
+commander was in full possession of all his faculties, in spite of the
+tremendous excitement which must have pervaded the minds of all on board
+of the little craft. His first care was for the Maud, and he looked all
+about him to ascertain what mischief had been done. He sent Pitts to the
+galley to report on the effect of the shot there.</p>
+
+<p>"And a quarter seven!" reported Felix.</p>
+
+<p>This was the first mark on the chart outside of the shoal line from one
+to two miles from the shore. The captain now turned his attention to the
+condition of the Fatim&eacute;. Louis had gone into the pilot-house to receive
+any orders the commander had to give him. The collision had been a
+surprise to him. It had not occurred to him that Captain Scott would
+resort to such an extreme measure, though he had hinted at something of
+the kind early in the morning.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose we may consider the battle as ended, Louis," said Scott, as
+the other took his place on the opposite side of the wheel, where he
+could see out of the front window on the port.</p>
+
+<p>"I should say that it was decidedly ended, and in the most decisive
+manner," replied Louis, though his thoughts were not a little scattered
+and confused by the exciting events of the last few moments. "What
+next?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"If the pirates undertake to board us with their boats, we must be ready
+to repel them," replied Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Board us! Why, the water is pouring into that hole in her side as
+through a mill-sluice!" exclaimed Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"But they are lowering their boats; and it remains to be seen what they
+intend to do with them."</p>
+
+<p>All the hands on board of the Fatim&eacute; appeared to be Moors, for they were
+all dressed in Oriental costume. By this time she was letting off steam
+with a tremendous racket. The crew were casting loose the boats at the
+quarter davits. If there was an English engineer on board of her, he had
+clothed himself in Moorish costume, for no one in a European dress could
+be seen.</p>
+
+<p>"She is settling in the water," said Louis, as he observed the condition
+of the disabled vessel.</p>
+
+<p>"In a word, Louis, she is going to the bottom!" exclaimed Captain Scott.
+"Do you see anything of Mazagan?"</p>
+
+<p>"I have been looking for him, but I can't make him out," replied Louis.</p>
+
+<p>By this time one of the boats was in the water, and the men were
+crowding into her without any order or method in their movements. No one
+appeared to be in command, and every one was acting for himself. There
+must have been a couple of officers besides the captain; but no one
+exerted his authority. The other boat was soon in the water, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> all
+who had not found a place in the first one crowded into her, some of
+them jumping overboard in their haste to save themselves.</p>
+
+<p>The first boat shoved off from the side of the Fatim&eacute;, and all the
+people of the Maud watched it, some of the firing party seizing their
+rifles, and preparing to use them, to ascertain what the pirates
+intended to do. It contained ten men, as Morris counted them. The four
+men at the oars gave way as soon as it was clear of the vessel, but the
+head of the boat was directed to the shore.</p>
+
+<p>"Those villains have had fighting enough, and I don't believe they will
+give us any more trouble," said Captain Scott, when the boat was fairly
+in motion for the shore. It was evident enough that they could do
+nothing to save the steamer, and they had abandoned her. The other boat
+presently came out from the farther side of the vessel, and it contained
+only seven persons, from which it appeared that the Fatim&eacute;'s ship's
+company consisted of only seventeen men, unless some of them had been
+killed or wounded, and left on board.</p>
+
+<p>"This looks like the end of the Fatim&eacute;, and I don't believe she will
+give us any further trouble in our voyage, wherever we may go," said
+Captain Scott, while all hands were watching the passage of the two
+boats to the shore.</p>
+
+<p>"But why don't she sink?" asked Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Though that is a big hole in her side, the most of it was above water
+in the first of it, and the brine<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span> did not flow in very rapidly; but she
+is settling very fast now, and it is a question of only a few minutes
+with her now," replied the captain, as he rang three bells upon the gong
+in the engine-room to back her. "We are rather too near her if she makes
+much of a stir-about when she goes down."</p>
+
+<p>"Help! Help! Save me! Save me!" came in rather feeble tones from the
+wreck of the Fatim&eacute;.</p>
+
+<p>At the same time the form of a man was seen staggering to the end of the
+bridge.</p>
+
+<p>"That's Captain Mazagan!" shouted Felix from the forecastle.</p>
+
+<p>"Mazagan!" exclaimed Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Shall we do anything for that man, Captain Scott?" asked Don, coming to
+the front windows of the pilot-house. "If we do, it must be done in a
+hurry, for that craft is going to the bottom in less than two minutes."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course we shall save him," replied the captain, looking at Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly, we must save him!" added Louis with an earnestness that
+impressed his companion. "Don't let us forget that we are Christians at
+such a moment as this! How shall it be done, Captain? Give your orders,
+and count me in as the first volunteer."</p>
+
+<p>"Get the boat into the water, Morris! Be lively about it. Louis and
+Felix will go in it to save this man if they can," replied the captain.</p>
+
+<p>The boat on the hurricane deck was a small and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> light one, and the first
+officer had it in the water almost in the twinkling of an eye. Louis and
+Felix leaped into it, and in another instant they were pulling for the
+wreck. It was a smooth sea, and the distance was not more than fifty
+feet; for the captain had rung to stop the backward motion as soon as
+the cry from the survivor reached his ears.</p>
+
+<p>"Mind your eye, Louis!" shouted Scott, as soon as they were in motion.
+"She may go down at any moment! When I shout to you, back out as fast as
+you can! I will watch her, and let you know when she is likely to make
+her last dive!"</p>
+
+<p>"Ay, ay!" returned Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I beg you, Captain Scott, not to let them go any farther," said Don
+very earnestly. "She is settling fast by the stern, and she will go down
+by the time they get alongside of her. She has settled so that the hole
+is more than half under water."</p>
+
+<p>"That is so!" exclaimed Scott, as he glanced at the stern of the wreck.
+"Hold on! Hold on!" he shouted with all the force of his lungs. "Back
+out!"</p>
+
+<p>The two rowers obeyed the order promptly, and backed water with all
+their might; and it was fortunate that they did so, or they would have
+been caught in the swirl of the sinking vessel. Before they had
+retreated twenty feet, the stern of the Fatim&eacute; suddenly went down, with
+a mighty rush of the water around her to fill up the vacant space inside
+of her, and then she shot to the bottom, disappearing entirely from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> the
+gaze of the beholders, as well in the two boats of the ship's company
+that had abandoned her, as of those on board of the Maud.</p>
+
+<p>"That is the end of the pirate!" exclaimed Captain Scott, with a sort of
+solemnity in his tones and manner, as though he regarded the fate of the
+steamer as a retribution upon her for the use to which she had been
+applied.</p>
+
+<p>"Amen!" responded Don at the window of the pilot-house.</p>
+
+<p>The burden of his responsibility began to weigh upon his mind as Captain
+Scott witnessed the last scene of the drama. But his thoughts were
+recalled to the present moment when he saw Louis and Felix, the
+commotion of the water having subsided, pulling with all their might
+back to the scene of the catastrophe.</p>
+
+<p>The little boat had not been far enough away from the turmoil of the
+water to be unaffected by it; and for a moment the puny craft had rolled
+and pitched as though it would toss its passengers into the bay. A
+skilful use of the oars had saved the boat from being upset, and Louis
+and Felix began to survey the scene of the uproar as soon as the waves
+ceased the violence of their motion.</p>
+
+<p>"Mazagan has gone to the bottom with her!" exclaimed Felix, as he looked
+about the various objects that had floated away from the wreck as it
+sank to the bottom.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps not," replied Louis. "He was on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> end of the bridge, and he
+may have floated off and come to the surface. Give way again, Flix!"</p>
+
+<p>"There he is!" shouted the Milesian, as he bent to his oar with his
+boatmate. "His head just up out of the water, as though he had just come
+up from the bottom."</p>
+
+<p>A few more strokes brought the boat to the point where Felix had seen
+the head just as it rose again. He rushed to the bow, and seized the
+drowning man by the collar of his vest, for he wore no coat, and dragged
+him to the middle of the boat. He seemed to be exhausted or insensible,
+for he did not speak. With a great deal of difficulty they labored to
+get him in; but the boat was so small that they did not succeed at once.</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Flix; hold him where he is, if you can. The captain has
+started the Maud, and she will be here in a moment," said Louis. "Pass
+the painter of the boat under his arms, and make it fast if he is too
+much for you, though it will be but for a moment."</p>
+
+<p>"I can hold him in the water easily enough, my darling. I wonder what
+made him come up," replied Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose he was lighter than the water. But here is the Maud."</p>
+
+<p>The little steamer ran alongside the tender, and Don and Pitts leaped
+into it. By the order of the captain they drew the insensible form into
+the boat, which was then taken on board with the victim in it.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> It was
+shoved aft to the cabin door, in which Morris had made up a bed for the
+sufferer.</p>
+
+<p>The engineer and the cook proceeded to examine him. In his right
+shoulder they found a bullet-wound, which he must have received while on
+the bridge, doing his best for the destruction of the Maud. The cook
+declared that it was not a very bad wound, and not at all likely to be
+fatal. Pitts brought some brandy from the medicine-chest, and gave him a
+small quantity of it.</p>
+
+<p>This stimulant revived him, and then he wanted to talk; but Pitts would
+not permit him to do so. He remained with him, while Louis and Felix
+went forward to report to the captain, and Don went to the engine-room
+to tell Felipe the news.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CONSULTATION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE</h3>
+
+
+<p>Felipe Garcias, the first engineer of the Maud, had filled the same
+position on board of her when she was owned and used by Ali-Noury Pacha.
+He was a young man of eighteen now, a native of the Canary Islands, and
+a very religious Catholic. The orgies conducted by His Highness on board
+of the little steamer, not to say the crimes, had disgusted and revolted
+the pious soul of the youth, and he had rebelled against his master.</p>
+
+<p>For this he had been abused; and he had run away from his employer,
+departing alone in the Salih&eacute;, as she was then called. After an
+adventure with the unreformed Scott, the "Big Four" had been picked up
+at sea in an open boat, and conveyed to Gibraltar, where the Fatim&eacute; had
+followed the Guardian-Mother from Funchal.</p>
+
+<p>Felipe quieted his conscience for taking the steam-yacht by causing her
+to be made fast to the Pacha's steamer, and leaving her there. At that
+distance from his home the little craft was an elephant on the hands of
+the owner, and he had sold her for a nominal price to one who had
+disposed of her to the present owners. Don had been himself an engineer<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span>
+on board of the Fatim&eacute;; but he had been threatened when he criticised
+affairs which occurred on board of her, and he was ill-treated. He
+escaped from her at Gibraltar, and had been employed by Captain Ringgold
+in his present capacity.</p>
+
+<p>"The Fatim&eacute; has gone to the bottom, Felipe," said Don as he entered the
+engine-room. "There will be no more defiance of the laws of God and man
+on board of her, for the present at least."</p>
+
+<p>"God is good, and God is just," replied the chief engineer; but he did
+not understand English quite well enough to comprehend the remark of
+Don, who proceeded to repeat and explain it.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Scott still remained at the wheel, and had not left it for a
+moment. He was thinking all the time of what he had done, and wondering
+what his recording angel had written down in regard to his action in the
+greatest emergency of his lifetime.</p>
+
+<p>"Mazagan is wounded in the shoulder; but Pitts thinks it will not prove
+to be a fatal wound," said Felix as he went into the pilot-house.</p>
+
+<p>"Has he come to his senses?" asked the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"He has; and he wants to talk."</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to hear him talk; for there are some things about this
+affair which I do not yet understand."</p>
+
+<p>"The cook says he must not talk yet, and he is taking charge of the
+case."</p>
+
+<p>"Where is Louis?"</p>
+
+<p>"He was looking on, and doing what he could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span> for the wounded man. Do you
+know, Captain Scott, I believe it was the ball from his rifle that
+struck Mazagan!" said Felix, with an impressive expression on his face.</p>
+
+<p>"Nonsense, Flix!" exclaimed Scott. "How under the canopy can you tell
+who fired the shot, when five of you were firing at the same time?"</p>
+
+<p>"Within my knowledge Louis has defended himself with a revolver in his
+hand three times, and in every one of them he hit his man in the right
+shoulder," replied Felix. "He never fires to kill; he is a dead shot,
+and he can put the ball just where he pleases every time. If Mazagan had
+been shot dead, I should know that Louis did not do it."</p>
+
+<p>"I remember that the fellow in the Muski was hit in the right shoulder,"
+added the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"That disables a man without making a very dangerous wound. But,
+Captain, darling, don't whisper a word to Louis that he did it, for it
+might make him feel bad."</p>
+
+<p>"I won't say a word; but ask him to come to the pilot-house, for I want
+to see him, Flix," said Scott, as he had had no opportunity since the
+catastrophe to speak to the one he regarded as the most important
+personage on board of the Maud.</p>
+
+<p>In fact, but a very few minutes had elapsed since the event occurred.
+Those on the wreck had made haste to escape before they should be
+carried down with it, and they were still pulling at no great distance
+from the Maud for the shore. Louis appeared<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> at the door of the
+pilot-house very promptly; for he imagined that his presence before the
+wounded man was not agreeable to him, and that it emphasized in his mind
+the disastrous failure of his expedition to this island.</p>
+
+<p>"What next, Louis?" asked the captain with a smile on his face; for he
+believed he had stolen his friend's first question "after the battle."</p>
+
+<p>"That is for you to decide, Captain Scott, and I intend to avoid any
+interference with the duties of the commander," replied Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"But when the commander asks for advice it may be given without
+offence," suggested Scott. "We have just got out of the tightest place
+in which we have ever been placed, and our experience hitherto has been
+boy's play compared with this day's work."</p>
+
+<p>"That is very true; this is by all odds the most serious affair in which
+we have ever been engaged," answered Louis, as he seated himself on the
+divan.</p>
+
+<p>"I am not going to beat about the bush for a moment, my dear fellow; and
+before we talk about anything else, even of what we will do next in this
+trying situation, I want to say that I am very much troubled in my mind
+in regard to the consequences of what <i>I</i> have done," continued Scott,
+as he seated himself by the side of his friend and model on the divan.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't wonder that you are troubled; so am I, for I think we may well
+regard what has happened as an extraordinary event," added Louis.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I say what <i>I</i> have done; for I purposely abstained from asking advice
+of you or any other fellow, after I had decided what to do, even if
+there had been time for me to consult you. In other words, I took the
+entire responsibility upon myself; and there I purpose to have it rest."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course you had no time to ask the opinion of any fellow, even if it
+could have been of any use to you."</p>
+
+<p>"I believe I did the best I could. The shallow water at the south of us
+prevented me from running away in that direction, as I tried to do, and
+the only avenue out of the difficulty was directly ahead of the Maud."</p>
+
+<p>"I understand it all perfectly, for I could measure the situation from
+the upper deck," said Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I headed the steamer to the east. Then came that shot through the
+galley. The Fatim&eacute; was coming about in order to bring her port gun to
+bear upon us. She could not well avoid hitting us if she had tried to do
+so, we were so near. If the ball went through the engine or the boiler,
+both of which were exposed to the fire, that would have been the last of
+us. Half of us might have been scalded to death; or, at the best,
+Mazagan might have knocked the Maud all to pieces at his leisure after
+he had disabled the vessel."</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely so."</p>
+
+<p>"I might have hoisted a white rag, and surrendered, permitting the
+pirate to take you on board his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span> steamer; but if I had done that, I
+could never have held up my head again, and I could never have looked my
+recording angel in the face to tell him I had let the pirate take Louis
+Belgrave out of the Maud."</p>
+
+<p>"It would not have ended in just the way you have pictured it, Captain
+Scott," added Louis with a smile. "I think enough of the ship's company
+would have stood by me to enable me to make an effectual resistance, and
+Mazagan might have got a bullet through his left breast instead of
+through his right shoulder."</p>
+
+<p>"Every fellow would have stood by you, my dear fellow, as long as you
+stood yourself," replied the captain. "If Mazagan had disabled the Maud,
+he could have retired out of reach of our rifle balls, and knocked a
+hole through the vessel with his guns, and sunk her. Then he would have
+had nothing to do but to pick up his millionaire, and ransom him with
+double the sum he demanded in Cairo."</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps you are right, Captain Scott; but I think we need not discuss
+what might have been. We know what is; and this is the problem with
+which we have to deal."</p>
+
+<p>"Bluntly, Louis, I desire to ask you whether you approve or disapprove
+what I have done as the captain of the Maud?" continued Scott rather
+nervously for him.</p>
+
+<p>"I wholly and heartily approve of what you have done!" protested Louis
+with emphatic earnestness, and without an instant's hesitation.</p>
+
+<p>"My dear Louis, give me your hand!" exclaimed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> Scott, springing to his
+feet; they clasped hands in front of the wheel, and the captain seemed
+disposed to extend it to an embrace. "You have removed all my doubts and
+anxiety by what you said and the manner in which you said it. If you
+approve my action, I believe the commander will do the same."</p>
+
+<p>"While I do not accept your view of what might have followed if you had
+done otherwise, I believe you did the best thing that could be done. If
+the end had not come just as you say, it would have amounted to the same
+thing. Let us leave the subject now, and come back to the question you
+asked me when I came in. What shall be done next?" said Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think we can do anything but wait here till the Guardian-Mother
+comes. If we go to sea, she will not know where to find us," replied
+Captain Scott. "What do you think of it, Louis?"</p>
+
+<p>"I am decidedly opposed to remaining where we are. Though you and I may
+agree that what has been done is all right, the officers of the Turkish
+government in authority on this island may not be of that opinion. There
+is no town, or anything like one, in sight, and I have not been able to
+make out even a single house or habitation of any kind."</p>
+
+<p>"It is an exceedingly rough-looking country on shore. There are nothing
+but mountains and forests to be seen. The nearest town put down on the
+chart is more than ten miles distant, though there may be a village or
+houses behind those hills on the shore to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span> the south of us. If any of
+the inhabitants had heard the three shots fired by the pirate, they
+would have shown themselves before this time."</p>
+
+<p>"But I think we had better be farther from the island. When the
+Guardian-Mother comes, she must take the same course which we followed
+yesterday," persisted Louis. "I quite agree with you that we must remain
+in this vicinity. It is almost as calm outside the bay as it is inside.
+How is the water off the cape?"</p>
+
+<p>"There are eight fathoms half a mile from the point. I think you are
+right, on the whole, Louis; for we don't care to meet any Turkish
+officers of any kind," replied the captain, as he rang the gong to go
+ahead.</p>
+
+<p>The sound of the bell brought all hands except Morris, who had
+volunteered to stay with the patient in the cabin, to the forecastle.
+Pitts had gone to the galley to ascertain the condition of his wares
+after the passage of a twelve-pound shot through his quarters. The stove
+had not been struck, but it had knocked about everything else into the
+utmost confusion. He was arranging things as well as he could; for it
+was now five o'clock in the afternoon, and time to think of getting
+supper.</p>
+
+<p>"How is your patient, Pitts?" asked Louis, coming to the door.</p>
+
+<p>"He is doing well enough, though he has a good deal of pain. I suppose
+the ball is still in his shoulder, and he will not be much better till
+that is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> removed, Mr. Belgrave," replied the cook. "We are under way
+again, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"We are running out to the cape to wait for the Guardian-Mother,"
+returned Louis, as he joined the others on the forecastle.</p>
+
+<p>The two boats from the wreck had made a landing on a point near the
+conic rock on the ledge. The course of the Maud took her within half a
+mile of them; for she passed over the outer extremity of the ledge.</p>
+
+<p>"They are making signals to us," said Felix to the captain. "There goes
+a white cloth on a pole."</p>
+
+<p>A little later a boat put off pulled by four men, with another in the
+stern sheets. The captain rang to stop the screw; for he was curious to
+know what the men wanted.</p>
+
+<p>"Let the boat come alongside," said he.</p>
+
+<p>There was not force enough to do any mischief if the Moors had been so
+disposed. Don was sent for to do the talking; but the first person Louis
+saw was Jules Ulbach, who had been Mazagan's assistant in his
+operations. Louis talked with him in French. His first statement was
+that his employer had been shot in the shoulder, and had gone down with
+the wreck. The spokesman for the steamer did not deem it advisable to
+contradict this statement.</p>
+
+<p>Then Ulbach begged for a passage to some port from which he could return
+to Paris. A few words passed between the captain and Louis, and the
+request was peremptorily refused. The Frenchman<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> begged hard, declaring
+that the island was a desolate place, and he should starve there. The
+men had come to beg some provisions, as they had not a morsel to eat.</p>
+
+<p>"Give them all they want to eat," replied the captain when the request
+was translated to him.</p>
+
+<p>"The Guardian-Mother!" suddenly shouted Felix at the top of his lungs.</p>
+
+<p>All hands gave three rousing cheers, to the astonishment of the
+Frenchman and those in the boat. Pitts came out of the galley to
+ascertain the cause of the demonstration, and he made out for himself
+the bow of the ship passing the point of the cape. A plentiful supply of
+food was put into the boat, and the Maud continued on her course.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE ARRIVAL OF THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER</h3>
+
+
+<p>The appearance of the Guardian-Mother in the offing was hailed with
+rejoicing by every person belonging to the Maud. Off on an independent
+cruise 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 from
+the restraining presence and influence of the commander; but no such
+feeling pervaded the minds of the ship's company.</p>
+
+<p>Not even the captain of the little steamer had felt that he was in
+possession of any unusual liberty. It might have been otherwise with him
+and his companions if the threatening presence of the Fatim&eacute; had not
+been a serious damper upon them. As it was, the voyage to Cyprus had
+resulted in a tremendous event.</p>
+
+<p>Whatever Scott had said to Louis Belgrave about knocking a hole in the
+side of the pirate, as Captain Ringgold had done with the Viking, had no
+bearing whatever upon what he had actually done when the critical moment
+had come in the encounter. He declared rather lightly that he would
+proceed to this extremity if he were the captain of the larger steamer;
+but it had not occurred to him to do such a reckless<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span> deed with the
+little Maud, when his opponent was a steamer of four hundred tons.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Scott and his companions had expected to see the Guardian-Mother
+long before she appeared. The commander might naturally have felt some
+anxiety in regard to the safety of the Maud in the gale of the night
+before, though it had not been a very severe storm; and Scott and Louis
+supposed he would make all possible haste to be near her. Instead of
+that, she was fully ten hours behind her, even with her superior speed
+and more weatherly ability. They could not explain her delay, and it was
+useless to attempt to do so.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you suppose will become of those fellows from the pirate,
+Captain Scott?" asked Louis, looking at the people from the Fatim&eacute; on
+the shore.</p>
+
+<p>"I haven't the least idea, and I don't think I shall trouble my head
+with the question," replied the captain. "We have given them provisions
+enough to keep them alive for several days, and they can make their way
+to some town. I don't consider their condition as at all desperate. If
+Captain Ringgold thinks it necessary, he will do whatever he deems
+advisable."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't consider those men as pirates, or hold them responsible for the
+acts of Captain Mazagan," added Louis. "They had to obey his orders, and
+I doubt if they had any knowledge of his intentions."</p>
+
+<p>"I did not see a single person, as well as I could make them out in the
+boats, who looked like an Englishman.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span> Probably the foreign engineers
+retired from the Pacha's service when Mazagan took command of her. They
+knew the meaning of piracy. At any rate, the steamer was not officered
+nor manned as she was when we saw her at Gibraltar. Don says her cabin
+was magnificently furnished, as he had seen through the open door, for
+he 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 she
+became altogether behind the times."</p>
+
+<p>"She could not have been very strongly built, or the Maud would not have
+knocked a hole in her so easily," said Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"It has been repeated over and over again that the Maud was constructed
+of extra strength when she was built. Who was that man of whom she was
+purchased?"</p>
+
+<p>"Giles Chickworth, a Scotchman," replied Louis, as he recalled the
+character.</p>
+
+<p>"He declared that she was the strongest little vessel of her size that
+ever was built. Don examined the inside of her bow immediately after the
+blow was struck, and I have done so since. She has not started a plate
+or a bolt. But then we had all the advantage. We struck the pirate
+fairly on the broadside with the part of our craft where she is the
+strongest, and where there could be no give or spring. It does not seem
+so strange to me as I think it over."</p>
+
+<p>"Pitts," called the captain a little later, while they were still
+watching the approach of the ship, "how is your patient?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"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 way
+of getting well."</p>
+
+<p>"Does he talk any?"</p>
+
+<p>"He would talk all the time if I would let him; but I don't answer him
+when he asks questions, and I leave him alone most of the time."</p>
+
+<p>"What is the condition of the galley?" asked the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"It is in very bad condition, sir; the cannon-ball tore away all the
+shelves on the starboard side, and knocked the tins and dishes all to
+pieces. But I can get supper after a fashion," replied the cook.</p>
+
+<p>"You may let the supper go to-night, and we will get it on board of the
+ship. We shall be alongside of her in less than fifteen minutes," said
+the captain. "Set the colors astern, Flix."</p>
+
+<p>The Maud was going at full speed, and, as the two steamers were
+approaching each other, they came within hail off Cape Arnauti. At this
+time the captain ordered three cheers to be given; for he wished to make
+a demonstration of some kind, and this was the only way within his
+means. They were given with hearty good-will, and the seamen responded
+from the Guardian-Mother, and both vessels whistled as snappers. Then
+the ship stopped her screw, and the sound of escaping steam came from
+her.</p>
+
+<p>"Maud, ahoy!" shouted Captain Ringgold from her top-gallant forecastle.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"On board the Guardian-Mother!" responded Captain Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Come alongside!" added the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"Alongside, sir!" replied the captain.</p>
+
+<p>The Maud made a sweep around, and when she had come about, she came
+alongside on the port side of the ship. The gangway was already lowered.
+All the cabin party had been watching the approach to the island from
+the promenade; but as soon as the Maud came alongside, they all hastened
+to the main deck to greet the young cruisers, who had been absent from
+the ship about thirty hours.</p>
+
+<p>"Come on board, all of you!" called the commander from the head of the
+gangway.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we had better not say anything about what has happened in the
+presence of the party," said Scott, as he started to mount the steps.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a word," added Louis; and Morris and Felix repeated the words.</p>
+
+<p>The "Big Four" ascended the gangway stairs to the main deck. The captain
+was permitted to pass without any assaulting embraces, but Louis dropped
+lovingly and submissively into the arms of his mother, as did Morris
+when Mrs. Woolridge presented herself. Felix hung back, for he knew what
+awaited him. The commander stepped aside to make room for these
+demonstrations.</p>
+
+<p>"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.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I will, sir," replied he, fully understanding what was meant.</p>
+
+<p>"I am so glad to see you again, Louis!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave, as she
+continued to hug her boy. "You have had a terrible time, haven't you, my
+dear?"</p>
+
+<p>"What makes you think so, mother?" asked Louis, wondering what she
+meant; for it seemed impossible that she could know anything about the
+"Battle of Khrysoko," as it afterwards came to be called.</p>
+
+<p>"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 for
+you half the night."</p>
+
+<p>"Then your prayers were effectual, for I am safe," answered Louis with a
+smile.</p>
+
+<p>"But wasn't it an awful tempest, my boy?" she asked, hugging the young
+man with a new impulse.</p>
+
+<p>"Not at all, my dear mother. We had a gale of wind, and it made a rough
+night of it; but we got into this bay about eight o'clock this morning
+all right," returned Louis, reciprocating her caresses. "But you must
+not worry so about me, mother. We were in no danger at any time from the
+gale or the heavy sea."</p>
+
+<p>"Here is the commander, and he wants to see you, I know," she said,
+stepping aside for him.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold took the hand of the owner of the ship, and pressed it
+warmly.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 319px;">
+<img src="images/i003.jpg" width="319" height="500" alt="&quot;She spread out her arms and rushed upon him.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;She spread out her arms and rushed upon him.&quot; Page
+<a href="#Page_147">147</a>.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"He says he has been in no danger from the storm, Captain," added the
+lady.</p>
+
+<p>"He knows best about that; but I told you the Maud would go through it
+all right," added the commander as he turned to greet Morris.</p>
+
+<p>"Where in the world is Felix?" cried Mrs. Blossom; for the Milesian,
+actually dreading the onslaught of the excellent woman who was not his
+mother, had dodged in at the door of the boudoir.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm looking for you, grandma," said he, stepping out on the deck.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as she saw him, she spread out her arms and rushed upon him; but
+Felix put up his left arm and warded off the burden of the attack,
+taking her by the hand with the right.</p>
+
+<p>"How glad I am to see you, grandma!" he exclaimed, still holding her by
+the right hand, with his left on guard. "I am delighted to be with you
+again. The Guardian-Mother did not come into the bay, and I was afraid
+you had all gone to the bottom in the gale."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you call me 'grandma' again, Felix," protested the worthy woman
+quite warmly; for the Milesian had twice applied the opprobrious
+appellation to her. "If you ever do it again, I will never hug you
+another time!"</p>
+
+<p>"Then I will call you so till my dying day!" Felix declared, to the
+great amusement of all those within hearing.</p>
+
+<p>"I am not your grandma! I am only thirty-six<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> years old, and I am not
+far enough into years to be the grandmother of a great strapping boy
+like you."</p>
+
+<p>"It is only a pet name. But you didn't go to the bottom of the sea after
+all, grandma."</p>
+
+<p>"There it is again!"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course it is, grandma. But I will make a fair trade with you. If you
+will promise never to hug me any more, I will agree never to call you
+grandma again."</p>
+
+<p>"That is fair," said Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>They retired to the boudoir to talk over the matter; but the agreement
+was ratified between them. The "Big Four" were cordially greeted by all
+the passengers and by all the officers of the ship; but they were
+careful not to drop any hint of what had transpired in Khrysoko Bay.
+Before the exchange of salutations was finished the gong rang for
+dinner.</p>
+
+<p>"For a reason to be given later on, Captain Ringgold, I must ask you to
+give the engineers and cook of the Maud their supper to-night," said
+Captain Scott at a favorable moment.</p>
+
+<p>The commander sent for Baldy Bickling, the second cook, and ordered him
+to provide for them; and Mr. Boulong to send an engineer and a couple of
+hands on board of the Maud while the party came on board to supper. The
+company in the cabin were in a very jovial state of feeling, and it
+would take a chapter to record all the jokes of Dr. Hawkes and Uncle
+Moses. It was an excellent dinner even for the Guardian-Mother; for both
+the chief steward and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> the chief cook were artists in their line, and it
+was heartily enjoyed by all at the table.</p>
+
+<p>The commander was impatient to hear the report of Captain Scott on his
+expedition, and the commander of the Maud was almost as impatient to
+learn what had delayed the ship; but fully an hour was spent at the
+table, for no one wished to break in upon the agreeable occasion. How he
+knew it he could not have told in detail; but the commander was
+satisfied, that something important had occurred in the experience of
+the young navigators, though not a word had yet been spoken, and he had
+failed to notice the ragged hole through the Maud's deck-house at the
+location of the galley.</p>
+
+<p>He had expected to find the Fatim&eacute; near the little steamer; but though
+he had swept the bay with his spy-glass, he could not find her, for she
+was no longer visible. Probably she had fallen over on the rocky and
+irregular bottom, and that had carried even her short masts under water.
+As soon as the party rose from the table, Louis and Morris detached
+themselves from their mothers, and hastened to the commander's room,
+where they found Captain Scott and Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see anything of the Fatim&eacute; in this bay," said Captain Ringgold,
+when he had closed and locked his doors.</p>
+
+<p>"But she is there, sir," replied Scott mysteriously to the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"Where? I looked the bay over with my glass,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> and I think if she were
+here I should have seen her," added Captain Ringgold.</p>
+
+<p>"You could not see her where she is, Captain," replied Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Where is she, then?" demanded the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"On the bottom, Captain Ringgold," said Captain Scott impressively.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE REPORT OF THE BATTLE OF KHRYSOKO</h3>
+
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold looked from one to another of the "Big Four," and a
+smile passed over his dignified face. It was evident to him from the
+expression of all of them that something of importance had occurred in
+Khrysoko Bay, and that Captain Scott, who was, by his position, the
+spokesman of the party, proposed to tell his story in his own way, to
+which he did not object.</p>
+
+<p>He believed the young men were honest, truthful, and straightforward,
+and he had no suspicions of any kind. As the bearer of heavy and
+disagreeable intelligence is inclined to approach his topic by degrees,
+the young captain did not like to tell the worst of his report in the
+beginning.</p>
+
+<p>The commander was not disposed to have the news "broken" to him, and
+considered himself able to bear the whole of it in a mass without being
+overwhelmed. But he had no idea of the seriousness of the event which
+had occurred, and he thought it probable that the boys were making a
+great deal more of it than the occasion required. They had all been to
+the table at dinner, and were as lively and as full of fun as usual. As
+none of them had been<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> killed or injured, nothing very terrible could
+have happened.</p>
+
+<p>"When did you reach this bay, Captain Scott?" he asked, after he had
+measured the visages of his audience.</p>
+
+<p>"About eight o'clock this morning, sir," replied Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"You had a smart gale about all last night," the commander proceeded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir; but we made very good weather of it, and it lasted about
+twelve hours."</p>
+
+<p>"You had no accident?"</p>
+
+<p>"None of any kind, sir; everything went on as usual."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you expected the ship sooner than she came?"</p>
+
+<p>"I looked for her this morning."</p>
+
+<p>"In carrying out the plan which you suggested, Captain Scott, I found
+that the Fatim&eacute; was not disposed to follow you as long as the
+Guardian-Mother was in sight," continued the commander, while the "Big
+Four" looked at each other, wondering that Captain Ringgold had turned
+aside from the subject which was a burning one to them. "In order to
+help Captain Mazagan in his movements, I picked up a pilot off Ras
+Bourlos, and stood in behind a neck of land. We took the ground there,
+and stuck hard in the soft mud, though the chart gave water enough to
+float the ship."</p>
+
+<p>"That was unfortunate," added Scott.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"A government tug hauled us off on the next tide, and I followed you at
+the best speed of the ship. I went in at Limasol, though I did not
+believe you would make that port in a southerly gale, and the lookout
+reported the Maud in this bay. That is the reason of my delay in joining
+you as arranged," said the commander, finishing his narrative. "But I
+expected to find the Fatim&eacute; here also; for she was pressing on after you
+the last we saw of her."</p>
+
+<p>"We lost sight of her early last night," added Scott. "Her lights
+disappeared, and we could form no idea as to what had become of her. I
+think now that we outsailed her; for we carried a reefed foresail before
+the gale, and it must have helped a good deal."</p>
+
+<p>"She came into this bay this morning," added Louis, who thought the
+conference was moving on very slowly.</p>
+
+<p>"I see that you wish me to drag out of you the particulars of your stay
+here, Captain Scott," said the commander with a smile. "As I have not
+the least idea what you have been about here, I find some difficulty in
+framing my questions. You know that a lawyer, when he examines a witness
+in court, is in possession of all the facts, as I am not on the present
+occasion. I have learned that the Fatim&eacute; came to this bay, and that she
+is at the bottom now. Perhaps you will be willing to inform me, Captain,
+by this time, how the Pacha's steamer happens to be at the bottom."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We had a fight here, and I ran the Maud into her, stove a big hole in
+her side, and she went to the bottom!" almost shouted Scott, who had
+been not a little perplexed at the manner of proceeding of the
+commander. "I believe that is telling the whole story in a heap, sir."</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold sprang out of his chair, evidently startled by the
+intelligence; and he had never been known to make so much of a
+demonstration before since he had been in command of the ship. He stood
+looking into the face of Captain Scott as though he were incredulous in
+regard to the announcement just made to him; and that a little
+steam-yacht only forty feet in length had run into and sunk a vessel of
+four hundred tons was calculated to stagger a man of his experience in
+nautical affairs.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you mean literally, Captain Scott, that you ran into and sank the
+Fatim&eacute;?" demanded the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"Literally and exactly, sir, that was what was done," replied the young
+captain very decidedly.</p>
+
+<p>"It looks incredible," added the commander, as he resumed his seat.</p>
+
+<p>"It is the exact truth, Captain Ringgold," said Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I vouch for the truth of the statement, Captain, if my word is good for
+anything," Felix followed.</p>
+
+<p>"I give my testimony in the same direction," Morris put in.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Of course I do not doubt the truth of your statement," replied the
+commander. "But it looks like an amazing fact that the little Maud was
+able to do so much mischief to a steamer of the size of the Fatim&eacute;.
+However, she is about as big as some of the little tug-boats in New York
+Harbor that drag ships of five hundred tons after them. In spite of all
+that has been said in the last six months about the extraordinary
+strength of the Maud, I should have supposed the blow, if you went at
+the steamer at full speed, would have crushed in her bow."</p>
+
+<p>"It did not start a bolt or bend a plate," replied Scott. "But,
+according to the evidence of Don, who knew something about the Pacha's
+yacht, she was old and nearly worn out when His Highness bought her."</p>
+
+<p>"That may explain it."</p>
+
+<p>"Before we proceed any farther, I ought to report that Captain Mazagan
+is now in the cabin of the Maud, wounded by a rifle ball in the
+shoulder, and in need of the services of the doctor," said Captain
+Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Wounded with a rifle ball," repeated the commander. "Then there is a
+good deal more of this affair which has not yet come out. But if the
+villain is suffering, it is proper that he should be attended to at
+once."</p>
+
+<p>"Pitts has had charge of him."</p>
+
+<p>Pinch, the mess steward, was sent for, and ordered to make the hospital
+ready for a patient. Mr. Boulong was called in, and directed to
+superintend the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span> removal of the wounded Moor to this apartment, under
+the direction of the surgeon. Dr. Hawkes was called from the boudoir,
+where the company had assembled by this time, and conducted to the
+patient.</p>
+
+<p>"With this affair all concealment comes to an end for two reasons," said
+the commander, as soon as he had given the orders for the disposal of
+the wounded man. "First, there is no longer any necessity for us to keep
+our own counsel, for Mazagan is now deprived of the means of following
+us on our voyage; and second, it would be impossible to cover up our
+movements under the present circumstances. The nervous mothers have no
+longer any cause for alarm."</p>
+
+<p>"It did not occur to me that we had made an end of this scare business,"
+said Captain Scott. "I had not thought of the matter in that connection,
+and all I did was to defend my steamer from the attack of the pirate,
+who proposed to come on board and take Louis Belgrave out of her."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you did your duty!" exclaimed Captain Ringgold, rising from his
+arm-chair, and extending his hand to the young man. "I congratulate you
+on your success, and I am only sorry that the unfortunate grounding of
+the Guardian-Mother compelled you to fight the battle alone. I had no
+intention of allowing the Maud to be out of my sight more than a few
+hours."</p>
+
+<p>Louis, Felix, and Morris clapped their hands with all their might at the
+indorsement the commander had given Captain Scott.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I cannot express to you, Louis, how happy I am to have you still with
+us," continued the captain of the ship, as he took the hand of the young
+millionaire; "for it appears from the report of Captain Scott that you
+have been in imminent danger of being captured and carried off by that
+miscreant, and that you have been saved only by the bravery and
+determination of the commander of the Maud. He has done no more than I
+would have done in his place, and if the pirate had taken you I would
+have sunk his steamer at sight to rescue you."</p>
+
+<p>"I am glad you approve the action of Captain Scott, though I had no
+doubt you would do so when you learned the facts," replied Louis, as he
+pressed the hand of the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"But I have got only a skeleton of the facts yet, and now I should like
+to hear the whole story in detail," said Captain Ringgold.</p>
+
+<p>Scott took a paper from his pocket, the one he had drawn off of the
+situation of the two steamers in Khrysoko Bay, with the position of the
+ledge, the trend of the shore, and some of the soundings as he had taken
+them from the chart. He had marked the course of the Maud in all the
+movements she had made, and also of the Fatim&eacute;, giving the position of
+each vessel at the moment of the collision.</p>
+
+<p>He began his recital with the pointing out of the places of each steamer
+as soon as the pirate came into the bay. The visit of her boat to the
+little steamer followed, and the marshalling of the five members of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span> the
+ship's company armed with the repeating-rifles. The interview with
+Mazagan was as minutely stated as though a skilled reporter of a
+newspaper had taken it down.</p>
+
+<p>"That was the most amazing, presumptuous, groundless, and insane demand
+that one person could make upon another," interposed the commander. "It
+was sheer piracy!"</p>
+
+<p>Scott had so viewed it, and he proceeded with his narrative. Captain
+Ringgold had vacated his chair at the desk, on which the captain of the
+Maud had placed his diagram, and pointed out everything as he spoke. The
+attempted escape by the supposed channel near the shore was dwelt upon
+at some length, in order to enable the young captain to prove that he
+had done his best to avoid a collision with the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>The first shots the Fatim&eacute; had fired at the Maud, though they had fallen
+far short of the mark, were mentioned so as to give them their full
+effect; and Captain Ringgold declared that they were a sufficient
+declaration of war.</p>
+
+<p>"Only one avenue of escape was open to me," continued Captain Scott,
+"and that was directly across the bow of the enemy. If I remained where
+I was the Fatim&eacute; could come in with the rising of the tide, and sink the
+Maud at her leisure. Then the pirate fired the shot from her starboard
+gun which passed through the galley, and began to swing to, so as to
+bring her port gun to bear on the Maud.</p>
+
+<p>"I won't deny that the shot which went through<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> our upper works made me
+mad; but I feared that the next one might go through our boiler or
+engine, and then it would have been all over with us. I determined to
+prevent such a disaster if I could. I had ordered the hands to use the
+rifles; but most of the crew concealed themselves under the top-gallant
+forecastle. I shifted the helm, and drove the little steamer's bow
+square into the broadside of the Fatim&eacute;, just abaft her fore chains.</p>
+
+<p>"It seemed to me from the feeling that she was going to bore her way
+through the pirate craft, and I rang to stop and back her. I gave the
+speed bell as soon as she began to go astern, and the Maud went clear,
+as I was afraid she would not."</p>
+
+<p>The picking up of Mazagan after the Fatim&eacute; had gone down, and the visit
+of the boat from the shore, were given in detail, and the narrative was
+completed.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the story was finished, the commander took the hand of
+Captain Scott again, and pressed it in silence for a moment. He had
+listened attentively to the report, interrupting it but once, and had
+carefully followed the speaker as he pointed out his movements on the
+diagram.</p>
+
+<p>"I approved your conduct, Captain Scott, when I had only a partial
+knowledge of what you had done," said he. "I can now approve it with a
+full knowledge of the whole affair even more heartily and decidedly than
+before. You have been resolute and unflinching from the beginning, and
+you have not only fought your ship as bravely and skilfully as any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span>
+naval officer could have done it, but you have done your best to avoid a
+conflict. I commend you with all my heart and mind."</p>
+
+<p>"I thank you, Captain Ringgold, for all the kind words you have spoken,
+and I am rejoiced to be informed on such authority as you are that I
+have done my duty faithfully," replied the young commander.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose the mothers in the boudoir are wondering what has become of
+their boys," added the commander. "I give you an hour to pass with them,
+and then we must sail for Port Said."</p>
+
+<p>The conference was ended, and the boys all went to the boudoir.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE INSIDE HISTORY OF THE VOYAGE</h3>
+
+
+<p>While the Guardian-Mother lay aground, the mothers in the cabin had
+become very anxious about their boys, and both of them had spent wakeful
+nights in thinking of them. In a comparison of notes it was evident that
+the wind had blown harder on the coast of Egypt than farther to the
+north. But the ship had escaped from the dilemma in the morning at an
+early hour, and had made a quick run to Cape Arnauti.</p>
+
+<p>There was therefore great rejoicing in the cabin when it was ascertained
+that the Maud was safe, with all on board of her. Dr. Hawkes operated
+upon Mazagan in the hospital, and readily removed the bullet from his
+shoulder. Ball, one of the old man-of-war's-men of the crew, who had
+seen some service as a nurse, was appointed to take care of him.</p>
+
+<p>The fact that the surgeon had a patient soon became known in the
+boudoir, and curiosity ran to the highest pitch to ascertain who and
+what he was. All that was known was the fact that he had been brought on
+board from the Maud, which Sparks had learned from the sailors who
+assisted in removing him. The commander and the "Big Four" were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> still
+closeted on the upper deck, and there was no one to answer any
+questions.</p>
+
+<p>Before Captain Scott had finished his report, Dr. Hawkes rejoined the
+party; and he was immediately beset by the curious ones for information.
+The seal of secrecy had been removed by the commander, and he had not
+been instructed to be silent. He knew the patient as soon as he saw him;
+for Mazagan had been a prisoner on board of the ship for a considerable
+time after his capture in Pournea Bay.</p>
+
+<p>"What is your patient, Dr. Hawkes?" asked Mrs. Blossom before he had
+fairly crossed the threshold of the door.</p>
+
+<p>"A wounded man; bullet in the shoulder," replied the surgeon with
+professional discretion. "It is not a woman, and Ball has been called in
+as his nurse."</p>
+
+<p>"A bullet in the shoulder!" exclaimed the excellent woman. "Will he
+die?"</p>
+
+<p>"Undoubtedly he will, though perhaps not for twenty or thirty years."</p>
+
+<p>"Is the wound dangerous?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think so."</p>
+
+<p>"But who is the man?"</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Mazagan."</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Mazagan!" exclaimed the good lady; and the name was repeated by
+several others, for they had known him as the pirate who had attacked
+the Maud for the purpose of robbery, as they supposed, and they had seen
+him occasionally on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span> upper deck when the conferences were in
+progress there.</p>
+
+<p>"How happened he to be wounded in the shoulder, doctor?" persisted the
+worthy lady.</p>
+
+<p>"Because the bullet hit him there," replied the stout surgeon with a
+chuckle, which was promptly communicated to Uncle Moses.</p>
+
+<p>"But who shot him?"</p>
+
+<p>"The man who fired the gun at him."</p>
+
+<p>"Who fired the gun?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know."</p>
+
+<p>"What was Captain Mazagan doing here?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know."</p>
+
+<p>"Has there been a fight here?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not that I am aware of."</p>
+
+<p>"Then how did he get wounded?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," replied Dr. Hawkes, who evidently enjoyed the defeat of
+the inquisitor; and Uncle Moses's huge frame was jarring like a pot of
+jelly under the influence of his inward chuckles.</p>
+
+<p>"Have you dressed the wound of your patient without finding out anything
+at all about how the man was wounded?" demanded the good lady, disgusted
+at her failure.</p>
+
+<p>"It was my affair to dress his wound, and not to pump him, as I should
+have done if he had taken a dose of poison," laughed the doctor. "But I
+think you need have no anxiety about my patient, for I have no doubt he
+will do very well."</p>
+
+<p>"But there must have been a quarrel or a fight<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span> somewhere about here,
+and I should like to know something about it," continued Mrs. Blossom,
+as she dropped herself heavily on one of the divans.</p>
+
+<p>"I can give you no information whatever; for I leave all the fights and
+quarrels to our worthy and discreet commander, and do not meddle with
+his affairs," added the surgeon.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you really know nothing at all about what has happened here, Dr.
+Hawkes?" asked Mrs. Belgrave; and it was plain that the curiosity of the
+rest of the party was strongly excited, though they were more guarded in
+manifesting it.</p>
+
+<p>"Absolutely nothing, my dear madam, beyond the fact that the man is
+Captain Mazagan," replied Dr. Hawkes. "I never inquire into the affairs
+of my patients beyond what it is necessary for me to know in treating
+the case. I have no doubt Captain Ringgold will give you all the
+particulars of whatever has happened here; for it looks as though
+something of importance had occurred."</p>
+
+<p>A little later the commander, followed by the four boys, appeared, and
+Mrs. Blossom renewed the onslaught. The others were, perhaps, quite as
+anxious to learn what had taken place; but they were silent, and waited
+for the captain to answer her questions if he was disposed to do so.</p>
+
+<p>"I am sorry to interrupt this pleasant party, ladies and gentlemen, but
+I have already given the order to weigh the anchor, and we shall go to
+sea immediately," said Captain Ringgold. "The young gentlemen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span> of the
+Maud must take their leave, and return to the tender."</p>
+
+<p>"Has anything happened here, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave,
+taking him by the arm.</p>
+
+<p>"Something has happened here," replied the commander, loud enough to be
+heard by all in the boudoir. "But here are the four young men in whom
+you are all more or less interested, and you can see that they are not
+injured."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you been hurt, Mr. Belgrave?" asked Miss Blanche, by whose side
+Louis had taken his place when he entered the apartment, as he was very
+much in the habit of doing when the party assembled.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a hair of my head has been damaged," he replied.</p>
+
+<p>"As soon as we are under way, and get clear of the shore, I shall tell
+you the whole story of certain events which have transpired in Khrysoko
+Bay during our absence," continued the commander. "I am willing to add
+that it will make quite a thrilling narrative. About two o'clock
+to-morrow afternoon I expect the Guardian-Mother and the Maud will be at
+Port Said, at the entrance to the Suez Canal."</p>
+
+<p>The mothers hugged their boys again even for the separation of eighteen
+hours, and the hands of the others were duly shaken. Mrs. Blossom did
+not attempt to hug the Milesian this time.</p>
+
+<p>"What has happened here, Felix?" she asked in a low tone; for the good
+lady would have been glad to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span> get at the solution of the mystery, in
+order that she might give a hint of it to the others.</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Ringgold will tell you all about it; it would take me six hours
+to do so, and I have not the time," replied Felix as he bolted through
+the door.</p>
+
+<p>"Six hours!" exclaimed the amiable lady. "Then we shall have to sit up
+about all night to hear the story. I wonder what the boys have been
+doing in this lonely place."</p>
+
+<p>She was no wiser than the rest of the party. The two sons tore
+themselves away from their mothers, and Louis was permitted to take the
+hand of Miss Blanche in bidding her adieu. The commander had sent four
+of the old sailors on board of the little steamer to stand the watches
+during the trip; for the "Big Four" were believed to be thoroughly
+exhausted after a night in the gale and the most exciting day of all
+their lives. This was certainly true of Captain Scott, for he had hardly
+slept a wink in the last thirty-six hours, and the others were tired
+enough.</p>
+
+<p>The chief engineer had been notified of the immediate departure of the
+Maud, and the fasts were cast off as soon as the ship's company went on
+board. Stevens, the carpenter of the ship, had repaired the damage done
+in the galley, and a supply of provisions had been put on board.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Scott had submitted the question as to whether anything was to
+be done in regard to the ship's company of the Fatim&eacute;. The matter had
+been decided at once. Captain Mazagan had declared war<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> against the
+Maud, and had proceeded to enforce his preposterous demand. He had made
+a failure of it, and outside of the call of ordinary humanity, the
+commander believed that it was not his duty to look out for the comfort
+of the marauders. A sufficient supply of provisions had been sent to
+those on shore, and the pirate himself was under treatment on board of
+the ship. What was to be done with him was a question for the future.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Scott remained in the pilot-house of the Maud till the steamer
+was well off the cape, and then gave out the course, south and a half
+west. It was Morris's watch, and he insisted on remaining on the
+forecastle, as he had obtained a portion of his sleep the night before.
+The ship soon followed her consort; and as soon as the commander had
+given out the course he hastened to the boudoir, where the party were
+awaiting his appearance.</p>
+
+<p>"It is hardly necessary for me to give the nautical points involved in
+'The Battle of Khrysoko,'" said Captain Ringgold, as he laid the diagram
+of the captain of the Maud on the table.</p>
+
+<p>"I beg your pardon, Captain&mdash;involved in what?" interrupted Mr.
+Woolridge, who seemed to be bothered by the proper name.</p>
+
+<p>"'The Battle of Khrysoko,'" repeated the commander with a smile. "That
+is the name the boys gave to the affair, calling it after the bay in
+which it occurred, though it is rather a high-sounding designation for
+it."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Are we to understand that a battle has been fought here, Captain
+Ringgold?" inquired the magnate of the Fifth Avenue, as Louis had called
+him.</p>
+
+<p>"It did not rise to the dignity of a regular naval engagement, though it
+took place on the waters of the bay," replied the captain. "Perhaps if
+we call it a contest for superiority, it would cover the idea better.
+But this party are not prepared to understand what has taken place in
+Khrysoko Bay; and I must admit that I have concealed from you for the
+last three months certain features of our voyage, a knowledge of which
+would have rendered some of you very nervous and unhappy.</p>
+
+<p>"I did not consult Dr. Hawkes in relation to the effect upon one of his
+patients, but I am confident he would have advised me to do as I have
+done. I am equally confident that another of your number would very soon
+have become one of his patients if I had been imprudent enough to put
+her in possession of all the facts in the situation. If I had done so at
+Athens, Zante, or Alexandria, I am almost certain that the
+Guardian-Mother would have been speeding her way across the Atlantic to
+New York; for some of the party would have insisted upon abandoning the
+voyage as projected.</p>
+
+<p>"My only confidants in the inside history of this voyage for the last
+six months, or since we visited Mogadore, were the four young men who
+have just left you. Now I will relate this inside history, and give all
+the facts without any reservation whatever.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> I must begin back at
+Mogadore; and as I mention the incidents of our cruise so far, you will
+remember all of them. 'The Battle of Khrysoko' is the last chapter of
+the story, and for the present at least, and I hope forever, has removed
+all danger from our path."</p>
+
+<p>By this time the entire party were all attention. The captain began his
+review of the incidents of the voyage at Mogadore. He used the time
+judiciously, but it took him a full hour to bring the history down to
+the final event. Whatever had been dark and mysterious in the past was
+made plain. The discovery of the plot made by Louis in the caf&eacute; at
+Gallipoli made a tremendous impression, and Dr. Hawkes had to attend to
+Mrs. Belgrave, she became so excited and nervous.</p>
+
+<p>The stirring events in the bay were given very cautiously by the
+speaker, though he told the whole truth. He stated enough of the
+nautical situation to enable the party to understand the affair; and he
+warmly commended Captain Scott for the decisive act by which he had
+finished the encounter, after he had used every effort to escape a
+conflict.</p>
+
+<p>"And did that wicked pirate actually fire cannon-balls into the Maud
+while Louis was on board of her?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, very much
+excited.</p>
+
+<p>"He put one shot through her, though Louis was on the upper deck, firing
+his rifle into the enemy, and he was in no danger," replied the
+commander.</p>
+
+<p>It was midnight when the narrative and the comments<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span> upon it were
+finished. The doctor attended to his patient in the cabin, and then to
+the other in the hospital. Mazagan felt better, and wanted to talk; but
+Dr. Hawkes would not permit him to do so. The party retired with enough
+to think about.</p>
+
+<p>At the time stated by the commander, the Guardian-Mother and the Maud
+were off the red light on the end of the breakwater at the entrance to
+the Suez Canal.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SUEZ CANAL</h3>
+
+
+<p>The sea was quite smooth when the Guardian-Mother and her tender arrived
+off Port Said. There was about thirty feet of water off the breakwater;
+and though there was an extensive basin at the town, the commander
+preferred to anchor outside for purposes he had in view. The trip to
+Cyprus had interrupted the educational work of the tourists, and this
+was the grand object ever uppermost in his mind.</p>
+
+<p>Though this instructive element of the cruise around the world had been
+prominent in his thoughts before the steamer sailed from New York, it
+was rather indefinite in its details, so that he had failed to make some
+preparations for the work which the experience of a year now suggested
+to him. In the lectures, conferences, talks, and explanations to
+individuals, the professor and himself had felt the want of suitable
+maps on a large scale.</p>
+
+<p>At Alexandria he had obtained a large map of Egypt, though it was not
+just what was wanted; but it had answered the purpose tolerably well.
+The subjects which would be next in order were full of interest to him,
+and were likely to be so to the members of the party; for they included
+some of the older<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> countries of the world, such as Syria, Babylonia,
+Assyria, Persia, and Arabia. Geographically they were comparatively
+unfamiliar to the members of the party, who, unlike the professor, the
+surgeon, and Uncle Moses, had not been liberally educated.</p>
+
+<p>The instruction given at the various places on the voyage, and the
+studies of the students on the wing, had demonstrated that such maps
+were indispensable. But Captain Ringgold was a man of expedients. Every
+steamer, especially those engaged in making long voyages, has a
+paint-shop on board, more or less abundantly supplied with all necessary
+material. All seamen are required to do plain painting; for such a ship
+as the Guardian-Mother had to be kept in the nicest condition.</p>
+
+<p>At Alexandria and Cairo the commander had procured such additional
+material as was needed for the production of the maps desired. Some of
+the sailors were more skilful in the use of the brush than others; and
+as soon as the captain mentioned his purpose to the first and second
+officers, they were able to point out a couple of men who had some
+artistic ideas in their composition.</p>
+
+<p>All the crew were able seamen, and every one of them was skilled in the
+use of the sail-needle and palm, though of course in different degrees,
+as in all other occupations. Some of these had sewed the canvas together
+on which the maps were to be drawn and painted. It was not expected that
+anything which would pass the scrutiny of an artist would be produced;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>
+only such work as would answer the purpose of illustration.</p>
+
+<p>In Mr. P. Lord Gaskette, the second officer of the ship, Captain
+Ringgold found his ablest assistant. He was a graduate of one of the
+most noted colleges of the United States, and had made some progress in
+the study of the legal profession. Unfortunately his health had failed
+him, and he had turned his attention to artistic pursuits for the sake
+of the out-door life to be obtained in sketching. He had taken some
+lessons in drawing and painting; but his physician had insisted that he
+should go to sea. He had been seven years a wanderer over the world,
+having shipped before the mast, and reached his present position.</p>
+
+<p>In the paint-shop he was quite at home. He was assisted by the two
+seamen the most skilled with the brush, while he did the drawing
+himself. The large atlas of the world, a very expensive work, belonging
+to the commander, supplied accurate maps on a small scale, and these
+were transferred to the canvas, eight feet square. During the voyage to
+Cyprus three of these maps had been finished. One of them was the Delta
+of Egypt, including the Suez Canal; and the commander declared that it
+was handsome enough to adorn any schoolroom.</p>
+
+<p>The Maud had made fast to the ship as usual when she came to anchor, and
+the "Big Four" were to report on board as soon as they had put their
+craft to rights. The party had mounted the promenade as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> soon as the low
+shore was in sight, and were looking about them at the various objects
+in view. Several large English steamers were in sight, including one of
+the P. &amp; O. Line, and the Ophir, the largest and finest of the Orient
+Line, both bound to India and other countries of the Orient.</p>
+
+<p>"How is your patient this afternoon, Dr. Hawkes?" asked the commander,
+as he met the physician on his way to the promenade.</p>
+
+<p>"He is doing very well. He has very little pain now; and I think he will
+be as well as ever in a fortnight or three weeks, if he will only be
+reasonable," replied the doctor.</p>
+
+<p>"Reasonable? Doesn't he wish to get well?" asked the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"He wants to talk, and evidently has something on his mind. He desires
+an interview with you, Captain, and has asked me to obtain it for him;
+but I refused to do anything of the kind, for he has some fever hanging
+about him, and must be kept as quiet as possible."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know that I have any business with him, or he with me. I
+consider him one of the most unmitigated villains that ever walked the
+earth or sailed the seas," added Captain Ringgold. "The scoundrel does
+not seem to have common-sense; for he puts forward the most absurd
+claims that ever were invented, and it would not surprise me at all if
+he advanced another against me or Louis, in spite of the overwhelming
+defeat he has just sustained."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"He is the coolest and most impudent rascal I ever heard of. He asks
+Louis for a vast sum of money, and then politely requests him to become
+a prisoner in the cabin of the Fatim&eacute; as security for the payment of the
+sum by his trustee;" and the doctor shook his fat sides with laughter at
+the absurdity.</p>
+
+<p>"Very likely he has some such proposition to make to me. He really
+believes, I think, that he has a fair claim for what he has lost, or
+failed to obtain, by the miscarriage of all his plots to make a prisoner
+of Louis and Miss Blanche. All I desire is to get rid of the villain;
+and as soon as you inform me that he is off your hands I shall put him
+on shore."</p>
+
+<p>The captain and the doctor joined the party on the promenade. Mr.
+Gaskette and his assistant were hanging one of the maps completed on the
+upper deck, where the conferences were usually held. He had assigned
+subjects to several members of the party, and he seemed to be anxious to
+have them disposed of; for he declared that this locality was one of the
+most interesting corners of the world to him.</p>
+
+<p>On the promenade the mothers had their sons by their side, and Mrs.
+Blossom had secured possession of Felix in some manner that did not
+appear; but the good woman seemed to be superlatively happy. The
+commander did not take a seat, but took a stand in front of the company.
+He described the two big steamers that were approaching, in answer to a
+question put by Mrs. Belgrave.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Of course you all recognize the shore before you," he continued.</p>
+
+<p>"There isn't much shore there, only a strip of sand, with water beyond
+it," added Mrs. Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>"What country is it?" asked Miss Blanche in a whisper to Louis, who had
+his mother on one side of him and the fair maiden on the other.</p>
+
+<p>"Egypt," replied Louis, wondering that she did not know.</p>
+
+<p>"The water you see is Lake Menzaleh," answered the captain. "It is not
+much of a lake, as Americans would look at it. It is a sort of lagoon,
+covering from five hundred to a thousand square miles, according to
+different authorities; but the inundation of the Nile makes varying
+areas of water. The Damietta branch of the great river empties into the
+sea about thirty miles to the west of us, and this lagoon covers the
+region between it and the Suez Canal.</p>
+
+<p>"The lake is separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow strip of land,
+which you can see, through which are a number of openings, such as we
+find in the sand-spits along the shore of our own country. But unlike
+our inlets, they were formerly mouths of the Nile, or at least of
+streams connected with it; and all of them have names, as the Mendesian
+Mouth, the Tanitic, the Pelusian, and others.</p>
+
+<p>"It is full of islands, on some of which are the remains of Roman towns.
+The average depth of the water is not more than three feet; but it
+abounds<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> in fish, and it is the abode of vast flocks of aquatic birds,
+which are hunted by many English sportsmen, who camp out there to enjoy
+the shooting. The morass has been partially drained, which accounts for
+the low water in the lake at the present time; and undoubtedly it will
+all be above the ordinary level of the Nile at no very distant time.</p>
+
+<p>"The Suez Canal extends in a perfectly straight line, north and south,
+through this lake and the low land around it. But we will not meddle
+with the canal just yet, for we shall have a great deal of time to talk
+about it while we are going through it; for it is a hundred miles long,
+and steamers are required to move very slowly, except in the lakes now
+forming part of it. As this canal is one of the most important
+enterprises ever carried through to a completion, I have asked Mr.
+Woolridge to give us an account of its construction and uses. Then I
+shall invite you to adjourn to the promenade deck, where I have prepared
+something more in relation to Egypt, the 'Land of Goshen.'</p>
+
+<p>"This canal takes its name from the isthmus or city of that name, or the
+Red Sea; more properly from the former, as it makes its passage through
+it," Mr. Woolridge began. "Our old friend, Ramses II., of whom we have
+heard so much in the last four weeks, is said to have been the first to
+dig out a Suez Canal, though I cannot inform you by what name he called
+it in the Egyptian language; but that was a small affair compared with
+the one before us. But our<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span> friend's canal got filled up from the amount
+of mud and sand lying loose around here.</p>
+
+<p>"Darius I. of Persia cleaned it out, though it was suffered to become
+useless again. Then the Mohammedan conquerors of Egypt opened it once
+more; but they lacked the modern facilities for handling mud and sand,
+and it went to ruin again, and was useless till a comparatively modern
+date.</p>
+
+<p>"When Napoleon I. was in Egypt the subject attracted his attention, and
+he employed an expert French engineer to examine the matter. This
+gentleman declared that the level of the Red Sea was thirty feet higher
+than that of the Mediterranean; and this report knocked the scheme
+higher than a kite. But in 1841 the English officers employed in this
+region proved the fallacy of the French engineer's conclusion, and the
+subject came up again for consideration.</p>
+
+<p>"This time it was the Vicompte de Lesseps, another French engineer, who
+took up the subject. He was born at Versailles in 1805, had been
+educated for the diplomatic profession, and had served his country
+acceptably in this capacity at Lisbon, Cairo, Barcelona, and Madrid. In
+1854 he began upon the work, and two years later obtained a concession
+of certain privileges for his proposed company, which was duly formed,
+and began the actual work of construction in 1860. Nine years after it
+was completed, and formally opened with extraordinary ceremonies and
+festivities, and has now been in successful<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span> operation about twenty-two
+years. Queen Victoria of England made the distinguished Frenchman a K.
+C. S. I."</p>
+
+<p>"What does that mean, papa?" asked Miss Blanche.</p>
+
+<p>"It is a big distinction, and that is all I know about it," replied the
+speaker with a laugh; for he was not student enough to look up what he
+did not comprehend.</p>
+
+<p>"Knight Commander of the Star of India," added Louis, who had looked up
+the abbreviation.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you, Mr. Belgrave. From 25,000 to 30,000 men were employed upon
+the work. It was delayed by the necessity of completing a fresh-water
+canal to Isma&iuml;lia, about half way through to Suez, and by some trouble
+with Ismail, who had succeeded as viceroy. The original capital of the
+company was about forty million dollars of our money; but the total
+cost, including the auxiliary works required to put it in running order,
+was one hundred million dollars. Yet it is good stock to-day; and all
+the steamers that used to be obliged to go around Cape Good Hope pass
+through the canal, and did so before some of you were born.</p>
+
+<p>"As the commander observed a little while ago, the canal is 100 miles
+long. The width of the water surface is from 150 to 300 feet, though it
+has changed somewhat since the canal was built. At the bottom it was 72
+feet wide, and the shoalest place has 26 feet in depth. As you see
+around you,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span> two breakwaters had to be built, involving an immense
+amount of labor and expense; for one of them is nearly 7,000, and the
+other a little more than 6,000, feet in length.</p>
+
+<p>"The highest level on the isthmus is 52 feet, so that they did not have
+to dig very deep anywhere; and there were several depressions in the
+level, which made the work still less. The canal passes through three
+lakes: first, Menzaleh, 28 miles; Timsah, 5 miles; and the Bitter Lakes,
+23 miles. Every five or six miles there are side basins where one ship
+can pass another. That is all I need say at present; but as we are
+sailing through, there will be much more to say."</p>
+
+<p>The usual applause followed, and then the commander took the rostrum.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+
+<h3>THE JOURNEY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL</h3>
+
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold suggested to the magnate of the Fifth Avenue that he
+had omitted something, as he pointed to the long piers which extended
+out into the sea.</p>
+
+<p>"I had it on my tongue's end to mention them; but I am not much
+accustomed to speaking before an audience, and I forgot to do so,"
+replied Mr. Woolridge. "But then they are engineering work, and I doubt
+if this company would be interested."</p>
+
+<p>"I was wondering where they obtained all the stone to build them in this
+place, where there appears to be nothing but sand and mud," interposed
+Mrs. Belgrave. "They must be nearly a mile long."</p>
+
+<p>"They are quite a mile long," replied Mr. Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>"Did they bring the stone from the quarries away up the Nile, where they
+got the material of which the pyramids are built?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not at all; that would have been about as big a job as digging out the
+canal."</p>
+
+<p>"Hardly; for they could have brought them by water about all the way,"
+said the commander. "But the material did not come from those
+quarries."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No; they made the rocks," added the magnate.</p>
+
+<p>"Made them!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom. "Do you expect us to believe that?"</p>
+
+<p>"There is a great deal of such work done in the United States, and in
+some of our cities there are streets paved and sidewalks built of
+manufactured stone," replied Mr. Woolridge. "At the town which you see,
+the piers start out about two-thirds of a mile apart, and approach each
+other till they are less than a third of a mile from each other. They
+were built to protect the port from the north-west winds which sometimes
+blow very fresh here, and to prevent the harbor of Port Said from being
+choked up with the Nile mud from the mouths of the great river.</p>
+
+<p>"These piers were constructed by a French firm. The first thing was to
+manufacture the artificial stone, which was composed of seven parts
+sand, of which there is a plentiful supply in this vicinity, and one
+part of hydraulic lime, imported from France. I suppose the latter is
+something like the cement used in New York in building sewers and
+drains, or other works in wet places. This concrete was mixed by
+machinery, then put into immense wooden moulds, just as you make a loaf
+of sponge cake, Mrs. Blossom, where it was kept for several weeks. These
+blocks weighed twenty tons each."</p>
+
+<p>"Goodness! They were heavier than Mrs. Grimper's sponge cake!" exclaimed
+Mrs. Blossom.</p>
+
+<p>"Considerably," laughed the magnate. "The solid<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span> contents of each were
+thirteen and a third cubic yards. How big a cubic block would that make
+in feet, young gentlemen? I hope you are not neglecting your mathematics
+for geography and sight-seeing."</p>
+
+<p>"About seven feet," replied Louis, after some mental figuring.</p>
+
+<p>"A little more than that," added the professor.</p>
+
+<p>"Seven feet is about the height of the cabin of this ship, and one of
+them would just stand up in it," continued Mr. Woolridge. "They made
+thirty of them every day, and twenty-five thousand were required."</p>
+
+<p>"This is about as wonderful as the immense work of the ancient
+Egyptians," said Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"But all this labor was done by machinery. The moulds were removed from
+the blocks, and they were exposed to the air in order to harden them
+more effectually. They were then hoisted on peculiar boats, built for
+the purpose, with an inclined deck, from which they were slid into the
+sea. They made a tremendous splash when they were dumped overboard; and
+it was a sight worth seeing if we had happened to be here twenty-four
+years ago."</p>
+
+<p>"It wasn't convaynient for some of us to be here at that time," said
+Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"That is so, my broth of a boy; but some things happened before you were
+born, as well as since."</p>
+
+<p>"Sure, the pyramids were built before your honor was barn."</p>
+
+<p>"True for you; some things happened before I was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span> born, and even before
+the twin cupids came into the world; for I believe they are the oldest
+persons on board," replied the magnate. "They kept dropping these
+tremendous blocks into the sea till they came nearly to the level, and
+then they built the walls as you see them now. I suppose you have
+noticed that lighthouse on the little strip of land between the sea and
+Lake Menzaleh. That is also built of these artificial stones, and it is
+one hundred and sixty-four feet high. It is provided with electric
+lights, which are to be seen from a distance of twenty-four miles. It
+is, therefore, one of the largest in the world. I believe I have covered
+the ground now, and I won't say anything about Port Said till we are
+moored in the grand basin."</p>
+
+<p>"You have disposed of the <i>pierres perdues</i> very nicely indeed, Mr.
+Woolridge," said the professor.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are they?" asked the magnate, who had forgotten all the French he
+ever knew.</p>
+
+<p>"Literally, 'lost stones,' as they were when they went overboard; but
+that was what the French engineers called them."</p>
+
+<p>"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I desire to invite you to the upper deck,
+where I wish to say something to you about the Land of Goshen, and thus
+finish up Egypt, except the portion we shall have in view as we continue
+on our voyage," said the commander rising from his seat.</p>
+
+<p>The ladies were handed down from the promenade by the gallant gentlemen,
+though, unfortunately,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> there were not enough of the former to go round;
+but no one but the captain and Louis presumed to offer his services to
+Mrs. Belgrave or Miss Blanche. As the party approached the place where
+the conferences had usually been held, they saw that a change had been
+made in the appearance of things.</p>
+
+<p>The first novelty that attracted their attention was the large map which
+was suspended on a frame rigged against the mainmast. It was brilliant
+with colors, with all the streams, towns, and lakes, properly labelled,
+upon it. A small table stood at the left, or port side, of it, covered
+with a cloth, with a Bible and a vase of flowers upon it. Chloe, the
+stewardess, had provided the latter from the pots which the ladies had
+kept in the cabin since their visit to Bermuda.</p>
+
+<p>On the deck a large carpet had been spread out, and the thirteen
+arm-chairs had been placed in a semicircle, facing the map, with one
+behind the table for the speaker for the occasion. As soon as the
+company had taken in this arrangement for the educational feature of the
+voyage, they halted, and applauded it with right good-will.</p>
+
+<p>"Please to be seated, ladies and gentlemen," said the commander, as he
+handed Mrs. Belgrave to the chair on the right of the table; and at the
+same time he took his place behind the table.</p>
+
+<p>The party took their chairs according to their own fancies, and Mrs.
+Blossom managed to get at the side of Felix. At one side stood Mr.
+Gaskette and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span> two sailors who had assisted him in his work. They had
+also arranged the meeting-place from the direction of the captain. Some
+of the tourists wondered what the commander meant to do in the face of
+all these preparations. It was not Sunday, or they would have come to
+the conclusion that the usual religious service was to be held here; for
+the Bible on the table pointed in this direction. As soon as the party
+were seated the commander opened the Good Book at a marked place.</p>
+
+<p>"I see that some of you are surprised at the altered appearance of our
+out-door hall," Captain Ringgold began. "I regard the instructive
+element of our voyage as one of the greatest importance; and if I were
+to fit out the ship again for this cruise, I should provide an apartment
+on this deck for our conference meetings. But I have done the best I
+could under the circumstances, with the assistance of Mr. Gaskette, the
+second officer of the ship.</p>
+
+<p>"I see also that the map before you has challenged your attention,"
+continued the commander, who proceeded to explain in what manner he had
+caused the maps to be made. "Mr. Gaskette has been my right-hand man in
+this work. He is not only a good navigator and a thorough seaman, but he
+is a highly educated gentleman, a graduate of Harvard College, a person
+of artistic tastes, as you may have learned from your intercourse with
+him. The map before you is only one of three already completed, and the
+work is in progress upon several others."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The company, including the ladies, received this explanation with
+generous applause, and all the boys called for the subject of the
+captain's remarks. He was presented to them, and thanked the commander
+for his kind words, and hoped the maps would prove to be useful in the
+conferences.</p>
+
+<p>"I will begin what I have to say about the Land of Goshen by reading a
+few verses from the first chapter of Exodus: 'And Joseph died, and all
+his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were
+fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding
+mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there rose up a new king
+over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold,
+the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come
+on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to
+pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our
+enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
+Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their
+burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Ramses.'</p>
+
+<p>"Ramses II. is generally regarded as the Pharaoh of the oppression, and
+doubtless the Israelites suffered a great deal of persecution in his
+reign," the commander proceeded as he closed the Bible. "But the one who
+proposed in the verse I have read to 'get them up out of the land, was
+the successor of Ramses II., 'the new king over Egypt,' Merenptah, the
+son of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span> Ramses, and now believed to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus. He
+reigned about 1325 years <span class="smcap">a.d.</span></p>
+
+<p>"The Land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, is the north-eastern
+part of Egypt, the whole of it lying to the east of the Damietta branch
+of the Nile," continued the commander, using his pointer upon the map.
+"Through this region then, as now, there were fresh-water canals, by
+which the country was made very productive, and the people were very
+prosperous. The city of Ramses, built by the Israelites, was doubtless
+the most important in Goshen. It is the ancient Tanis, the ruins of
+which are still to be seen. Pithom, the other city mentioned in the
+Scripture, is here," and the speaker pointed it out. "It is quite near
+the Arabian Desert, and the present fresh-water canal runs within a few
+miles of it.</p>
+
+<p>"With the birth of Moses, and the finding of the child in the ark or
+basket by the daughter of Pharaoh, and her adoption of it, you are all
+familiar; and the story is quite as interesting as any you can find in
+other books than the Bible. Though of the house of Levi, he became an
+Egyptian for the time; but he claimed his lineage, and became the leader
+of the Israelites, and conducted them out of Egypt.</p>
+
+<p>"A great deal of study has been given by learned men to the route by
+which this was accomplished. Most of them agreed that he started from
+Tanis, or Ramses. On that narrow strip of land between the lake and the
+Mediterranean, which you have seen<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> from the promenade, was one of the
+usual roads from Egypt into Asia, and was the one which led into
+Palestine, the Holy Land. Where Moses and his followers crossed the Red
+Sea is still an open question, though hardly such to devout people who
+accept literally the Bible as their guide in matters of faith and fact
+both. These accept the belief that the crossing of the Red Sea, with the
+miracles attending it, was in the portion near Suez.</p>
+
+<p>"Heinrich Karl Brugsch, a learned German and eminent Egyptologist, born
+in Berlin in 1827, has constructed a theory in relation to the exodus of
+the Israelites which is more ingenious than reasonable to the pious
+reader of the Scripture. It would be hardly profitable for us to go into
+the details of his reasoning, though he uses the Bible as the foundation
+of his statements. There were two roads from Egypt to Palestine, the one
+mentioned, and one farther south, not so well adapted to caravans on
+account of the marshy country it traverses.</p>
+
+<p>"The German savant believed they departed by the northern road. In the
+British Museum is a letter written on papyrus over three thousand years
+ago, in which an Egyptian writer describes his journey from Ramses in
+pursuit of two runaway servants. The days of the month are given; and
+his stopping-places were the same as those of the Israelites. (Exodus
+xii. 37): 'The children of Israel journeyed from Ramses to Succoth;' and
+this is the region east of Goshen. (Exodus xiii. 20): 'And they
+journeyed from Succoth,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the
+wilderness,' or the desert.</p>
+
+<p>"This was also the route of the Egyptian letter writer. Then the
+pilgrims were commanded to turn, and encamp at a point between Migdol
+and the sea, (Exodus xiv. 2.) He found the fugitives had gone towards
+the wall, meaning the forts by which Egypt was defended from Asiatic
+enemies. Following the same route, the Israelites came to the Sarbonian
+Lake. This is a long sheet of water on the isthmus," said the commander,
+as he pointed it out on the map. "It was, for it no longer exists,
+separated from the Mediterranean by such a strip as that which you see
+here by Lake Menzaleh.</p>
+
+<p>"Diodorus Siculus informs us that the Sarbonian Lake was filled with a
+rank growth of reeds and papyrus bushes, which made it very dangerous to
+travellers. Strong winds blew the sands of the desert over the surface,
+studded with leaves, so as to hide the water; and the traveller might
+walk upon it and sink to his death. The same ancient writer says that an
+army with which Artaxerxes, King of Persia, intended to invade Egypt,
+being unacquainted with this treacherous lake, got into it, and was
+lost.</p>
+
+<p>"Brugsch believes this was the lake through which the Israelites passed,
+and that Pharaoh's army encountered a storm, were lost, and perished as
+did the Persian forces. But we must drop the subject here, though it may
+come up again when we arrive at Suez, where others believe the six
+hundred thousand Israelites<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> went over dry shod, while Pharaoh and his
+hosts perished in the closing waters."</p>
+
+<p>The company had certainly been deeply interested in the subject, and the
+commander retired from the rostrum with a volley of applause.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+
+<h3>THE LAST OF CAPTAIN MAZAGAN</h3>
+
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold was very much delighted with the success which had
+attended his efforts to interest his passengers; for he never lost sight
+of the instructive feature of the voyage. None of his party were
+scientists in a technical sense in the studies which occupied them,
+though Dr. Hawkes and Professor Giroud were such in their occupation at
+home; but they were all well-educated persons in the ordinary use of the
+term.</p>
+
+<p>They were not Egyptologists, philosophers, theologians, zo&ouml;logists,
+biblical critics, ethnologists, or devoted to any special studies; they
+were ordinary seekers after knowledge in all its varieties. The everyday
+facts, events, and scenes, as presented to them in their present
+migratory existence, were the staple topics of thought and study. Though
+none of the party ascended to the higher flights of scientific inquiry,
+the commander endeavored to make use of the discoveries and conclusions
+of the learned men of the present and the past.</p>
+
+<p>He was eminently a practical man, and practical knowledge was his aim;
+and he endeavored to lead the conferences in this direction. The
+building of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> the piers at Port Said, and the construction of the canal,
+as meagrely described by the magnate of the Fifth Avenue, were the kind
+of subjects he believed in; and he had a sort of mild contempt for one
+who could discourse learnedly over a polype, and did not know the
+difference between a sea mile and a statute mile.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you believe in the explanation of that Dutchman you mentioned,
+Captain Ringgold?" asked Mr. Woolridge, at the close of the conference.</p>
+
+<p>"What Dutchman?" inquired the commander. "I do not remember that I
+alluded to any Dutchman."</p>
+
+<p>"I mean the man who says that Pharaoh's army perished in the lake where
+the weeds and papyrus grew," the magnate explained.</p>
+
+<p>"Brugsch? He was not a Dutchman; he was a German."</p>
+
+<p>"It is all the same thing; I have been in the habit of calling a German
+a Dutchman."</p>
+
+<p>"If you will excuse me, Mr. Woolridge, I think it is a very bad habit,"
+added the commander with a deprecatory smile. "A German is not a
+Dutchman, any more than a Dutchman is a German; and I should as soon
+think of calling a full-blooded American a Chinaman, as a German a
+Dutchman."</p>
+
+<p>"Of course you are right, Captain, though I am not alone in the use of
+the word," replied the magnate.</p>
+
+<p>"But it is more common among uneducated people than with people of even
+fair education. I do not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span> accept Brugsch's explanation, but cling to the
+Bible story as I learned it in my childhood. I don't think Brugsch's
+explanation comes under the head of what is called the 'higher
+criticism,' or that it places him in the column of those who represent
+the 'advanced thought' of the present time; for he follows the Scripture
+record, and does not seek to invalidate it. But we are going to run into
+the basin, and it is time we were moving," added the commander, as he
+called the first officer, and ordered the anchor to be weighed.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you have to pay to go through the canal, Captain Ringgold?" asked
+Mrs. Belgrave, after the commander had given his orders.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course we do," replied the captain; and about all the party gathered
+around him to hear what he had to say. "As Mr. Woolridge said, the canal
+is good paying stock to the holders of the shares. It cost a vast sum of
+money, and it is worked and kept in running order at an immense
+expense."</p>
+
+<p>"I asked a foolish question, and I might have known better," said the
+lady.</p>
+
+<p>"Every vessel that goes through to Suez has to pay a round sum for the
+privilege."</p>
+
+<p>"Do all ships have to pay the same amount?"</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly not; for that would be very unfair. They pay by the ton; and
+every vessel carries a register, in which her tonnage is given. The
+Guardian-Mother's is 624 tons. About everything is French in this
+locality; and the rate charged is ten francs a ton,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> or a little less
+than two dollars. I shall have to pay a bill of $1,248 in our money."</p>
+
+<p>"That looks like an enormous price," suggested Mrs. Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>"In addition to this charge, we have to pay from ten to twenty francs
+for a pilot, depending upon the tonnage, and the same for each
+passenger. Through the greater portion of the canal the speed of
+steamers is limited to five miles an hour; otherwise the swash of the
+propeller would injure the embankments on either side. It takes steamers
+about sixteen hours to go through to Suez."</p>
+
+<p>"But that is over six miles an hour," Uncle Moses objected.</p>
+
+<p>"The three lakes, making nearly thirty miles of the distance, are wide
+enough and deep enough to permit steamers to go ahead at full speed,
+which will more than make up the difference, and include the stay at
+Isma&iuml;lia. There are sometimes unavoidable delays. A vessel may get
+aground, and bar the passage for a day or two. The canal is not in all
+places wide enough for one large steamer to pass another, and there are
+sidings, as on a single track railroad, where it can be done, a little
+more than three miles apart. Posts are set up every five kilometres to
+indicate the distances."</p>
+
+<p>"Anchor aweigh, sir," reported the first officer.</p>
+
+<p>"Heave it up," replied the captain, and went to the pilot-house.</p>
+
+<p>The "Big Four" had gone on board of the Maud,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> and she got under way at
+the same time. The pilot was on board of the ship, and none was taken
+for the little steamer, which was regarded as the tender. Captain Scott
+had his plan of the harbor before him, and he could have taken his craft
+into the basin without any assistance; but he was required to follow the
+ship.</p>
+
+<p>Port Said owes its existence to the canal, and without that it would
+amount to nothing. It is located on the eastern end of an island which
+is a part of the narrow neck of land which divides Lake Menzaleh from
+the Mediterranean. It was thought when it was laid out that it would
+become a considerable city; but it has not yet realized this
+expectation, though it has now a population of over seventeen thousand.
+Six thousand of this number are Europeans, the French predominating. The
+making of the harbor, or "Grand Basin Ismail" as it is called, was
+another difficult task for the canal company; for it has an area of 570
+acres, which had to be excavated to the depth of twenty-six feet by
+dredging.</p>
+
+<p>The Guardian-Mother, followed by the Maud, passed through the channel,
+which is marked by red and green lights, to the basin, where the former
+was moored at one of the walls. The town could not be seen by the
+tourists till the ship entered the basin, and then it was found to be a
+place of no small importance. It contains two good hotels, where one may
+board at one for three dollars a day, and at the other for two and a
+half.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was necessary for the steamers to coal at this point, and the party
+went on shore. From the deck they could see up the principal street. The
+French post-office, for there is also an Egyptian, was close to the
+wharf; and they hastened to that, for most of them had written letters
+to their friends at home. It was still Egypt, and the place was true to
+its national character; for the travellers were immediately beset by a
+horde of beggars, and bakshish was still a popular clamor. The shops
+were like those of other regions, though they did not seem to be doing a
+very thriving trade; for the entire surrounding country was either a
+desert or a morass, and there were few to go shopping.</p>
+
+<p>There was really nothing to be seen there, and the passengers soon
+returned to the ship, impatient to proceed on the passage through the
+canal; but the night was coming on, and the commander decided to make an
+early start the next morning, for he wished his charge to see the
+country as they passed through it, and especially the steamers on their
+way to India and China. After dinner the company gathered in the
+music-room; but it was observed that the commander and Dr. Hawkes were
+absent. They had remained in the cabin, and were in conversation.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the present condition of your patient, Doctor?" asked the
+captain as soon as they were alone.</p>
+
+<p>"He is doing very well, and is in a fair way to recover in a short
+time," replied the surgeon.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"After we get through the Red Sea, we strike out on a voyage of ten days
+or more, and I am not anxious to retain this villain on board,"
+continued the captain. "I owe him nothing, though I shall treat him with
+common humanity. In a word, I wish to get rid of him as soon as
+possible."</p>
+
+<p>"There is nothing in his present condition to prevent you from putting
+him on shore at any time,&mdash;to-night, if you are so disposed," replied
+Dr. Hawkes in decided terms.</p>
+
+<p>"You would oblige me very much, Doctor, by broaching this subject to
+him. I suppose he has money, though I know nothing about it, and he can
+pay his way at one of the hotels here," suggested the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"We had the United States Consul with us at dinner, as you are aware,
+and he can inform you whether or not there is a hospital here. I will
+see Mazagan at once, and do as you desire. I will see you in your cabin
+in half an hour," said the surgeon, as he went forward to the hospital.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold went to the music-room, where the consul was enjoying
+himself in listening to Miss Blanche, who was giving him some account of
+the voyage; and she had just mentioned "The Battle of Khrysoko," of
+which the consul wished to know more. The captain called him aside, and
+proceeded to question him in regard to the care of the patient in the
+town.</p>
+
+<p>"I have a wounded man on board, and I wish to get rid of him," he
+began.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Wounded in the battle of which Miss Woolridge was telling me?" asked
+the official.</p>
+
+<p>"Precisely so; but he is not of my party, and is the biggest scoundrel
+that ever went unhung;" and the commander gave a brief account of his
+relations to Mazagan. "Is there a hospital in Port Said?"</p>
+
+<p>"None, except for <i>fellahs</i> and other laborers. If he is a respectable
+man, perhaps I can find accommodations for him at the Hotel de France,"
+answered the consul. "I will go and see the landlord at once, and report
+to you in half an hour."</p>
+
+<p>"Come to my cabin on the upper deck."</p>
+
+<p>In less than the time he had stated he came back, and reported that the
+hotel would take him at sixty francs a week. While he was in the cabin
+the doctor presented himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Does this patient require a nurse?" asked the consul.</p>
+
+<p>"He does not. In the last two days he has greatly improved," replied the
+doctor, "though we keep a man near him to prevent him from doing any
+mischief."</p>
+
+<p>It was settled that the patient should be sent on shore that night to
+the hotel, and the consul returned to the music-room.</p>
+
+<p>"Mazagan protests against being sent ashore here; and I have no doubt he
+would do the same at Isma&iuml;lia or Suez," said Dr. Hawkes. "He insists
+upon seeing you, and declares that he has important business with you.
+If you do not seriously object, perhaps that would be the easiest way to
+quiet him."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Can he walk?" asked the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"As well as you can, Captain. He has a lame shoulder; but he can help
+himself with his left hand, and I have put his right arm in a sling, to
+prevent him from using it," answered Dr. Hawkes.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold struck his bell, and sent for Knott to conduct the
+patient to his cabin. In a few minutes Mazagan was seated in the chair
+he had occupied once before as a prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>"You wish to see me?" the commander began rather curtly.</p>
+
+<p>"I do, Captain Ringgold. You talk of sending me ashore at this place. I
+protest against it," said the prisoner; for such he was really.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you intend to remain on board of my ship for an indefinite period?"</p>
+
+<p>"Until you settle my account with you," answered the pirate, as
+self-possessed as though he had been the victor dealing with the
+vanquished.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't say anything more to me about your account!" added the commander,
+fiercely for him. "Your protest is of no consequence to me, and I shall
+put you ashore to-night!"</p>
+
+<p>"You don't know what you are doing, Captain Ringgold," said the wounded
+man, with a savage scowl on his face. "The Fatim&eacute; was old and worn out,
+or your tender could not have crushed in her side. Let me tell you that
+my noble master, the Pacha, ordered a new steam-yacht of a thousand tons
+a year ago; and if you treat me with this inhumanity, he will follow you
+all over the world till he obtains his revenge."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 314px;">
+<img src="images/i004.jpg" width="314" height="500" alt="&quot;Knott, take this villain away.&quot; Page 201." title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Knott, take this villain away.&quot; Page <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That is enough of this nonsense!" said the captain, springing from his
+chair, and calling for Knott, who was at the door.</p>
+
+<p>"If you pay me the two hundred thousand francs, that will be the end of
+the affair," added the prisoner.</p>
+
+<p>"I will never pay you a centime! Knott, take this villain away, and have
+him conveyed to the Hotel de France at once!" said the commander.</p>
+
+<p>Knott obeyed the order, taking the pirate by the left arm. Mr. Boulong
+was instructed to carry out the order given. In five minutes more the
+Moor was marched up the quay between two seamen, and handed over to the
+landlord. At daylight the next morning the Guardian-Mother and the Maud
+sailed on their way through the canal; and nothing more was seen of
+Captain Mazagan.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CONFERENCE ON THE SUEZ CANAL</h3>
+
+
+<p>The Grand Basin Ismail, at Port Said, is only an extension in breadth of
+the canal, and the Guardian-Mother had only to proceed on her course by
+the narrow water-way through the desert. The Maud followed her closely,
+having nothing to fear on account of the depth of the water; and even
+the ship had plenty under her keel. But it is said that, by what appears
+to be a curious reversal of the ordinary rule, the very large steamers
+are in less danger of running aground than those of smaller dimensions.</p>
+
+<p>When the commander stated this canal axiom to the passengers assembled
+before the starting on the promenade, Uncle Moses objected strenuously
+to its truth, and Dr. Hawkes warmly supported him. The statement did not
+look reasonable to them.</p>
+
+<p>"Is it claimed that a vessel drawing twenty-five feet of water is in
+less peril than one needing only eighteen feet of water to float her?"
+asked the lawyer.</p>
+
+<p>"The facts seem to prove this; but you will say that it is so much the
+worse for the facts," replied the captain, laughing at the earnestness
+of the non-nautical gentlemen; and even the ladies understood<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span> the
+matter well enough to be interested in the dispute.</p>
+
+<p>"The affirmative side of the question must prove its position,"
+suggested the doctor.</p>
+
+<p>"Which the affirmative will be very happy to do," replied the commander
+very cheerfully. "If the bottom of the canal were a dead level, paved
+like Broadway, and the depth of the canal were just twenty-six feet in
+every place, with a perpendicular wall on each side, your theory would
+be entirely correct, and the affirmative would have nothing more to say.
+But the bottom is not paved, and there are no walls at the sides to
+secure a uniform depth."</p>
+
+<p>"Then the canal is not twenty-six feet deep, as the affirmative has laid
+down the law," added Uncle Moses.</p>
+
+<p>"That looks like a lawyer's quibble," replied the captain with a hearty
+laugh. "You have opened the road for the retreat of the negative."</p>
+
+<p>"The facts set forth by the speakers in our conference fail to be
+facts," persisted the legal gentleman.</p>
+
+<p>"The fact was given as a general truth that the depth of the canal is
+twenty-six feet; but I think that no person as reasonable as Squire
+Scarburn of Von Blonk Park would insist that it should be absolutely of
+fully that depth in every part in order to comply with the general truth
+of the statement. The courts don't rule in that way. I read lately of a
+life insurance company which refused to pay a policy on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> the plea that
+the holder had been a drunkard; but the court ruled that the use of
+intoxicating liquors, or even an occasional over-indulgence, did not
+constitute a drunkard."</p>
+
+<p>"A wise ruling," added the squire.</p>
+
+<p>"We call a person a good man; but even the affirmative does not insist
+that he shall be absolutely without sin, stain, or fault in order to
+entitle him to this designation."</p>
+
+<p>"There would not be a single good man in that case," laughed the doctor.
+"We admit the general truth that the canal is twenty-six feet deep."</p>
+
+<p>"The canal has been dug out of loose sand for the most part, and it
+would have been impossible to make it of uniform depth. Some of the
+largest steamers in the world pass through the canal on their way to
+India, China, and Australia. The Orient Line has the Ophir, a twin-screw
+ship, about five hundred feet long, and others nearly as large.</p>
+
+<p>"This big ditch across the isthmus has an average width of three hundred
+feet, or two hundred less than the length of the Ophir. She could not,
+therefore, get across the channel. There is a current in this water, and
+fierce winds sometimes blow across it, and both of these affect the
+inertia of the vessels. A comparatively small steamer like the
+Guardian-Mother can be twisted about by these causes, and her bow or her
+stern may catch on the sloping sides."</p>
+
+<p>"You have made out your case, Captain Ringgold;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> and the moral is that
+general truths are not invariably true," said Uncle Moses
+good-naturedly.</p>
+
+<p>"I only hope we shall not get aground," added Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"We are fairly started now, and we have Lake Menzaleh on one side, and a
+low sandy plain, once covered with water, on the other," continued the
+commander. "It is difficult to believe that the swamp and lagoon on the
+starboard were once covered with fertile fields, watered by two of the
+branches of the Nile, where wheat was raised in abundance, from which
+Rome and other countries were supplied with food."</p>
+
+<p>"What vast flocks of birds!" exclaimed Mrs. Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>"Those are flamingoes, just rising from their resting-place," added the
+captain. "They were white just now as we looked at them; notice the
+color of the inside of their wings, which are of a rose-tinted pink."</p>
+
+<p>"But what became of the wheat-fields that were here?" asked Mrs.
+Blossom, after they had observed the wild birds for a time.</p>
+
+<p>"The sea broke in and covered the rich lands with sand and salt; and
+there are towns buried there now."</p>
+
+<p>"Goodness, gracious!" almost screamed Mrs. Blossom. "There's another
+steamer sailing on the land!"</p>
+
+<p>"It appears to be so, but is not so," replied the commander.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is really so," added Mrs. Woolridge; and all the party gazed with
+interest at the phenomenon.</p>
+
+<p>"Only apparently so," the captain insisted.</p>
+
+<p>"Please to explain it to us, Commodore," said Miss Blanche, who had long
+ago applied this title to him.</p>
+
+<p>"With pleasure, Miss Woolridge. It is the mirage, from the Latin
+<i>miror</i>, to wonder, which appears to be what you are doing just now. The
+steamer you see sailing along the shore is an optical illusion, a
+reflection, and not a reality. Refraction, which is the bending of the
+rays of light, produces this effect. If you look at a straight stick set
+up in the water, it will appear to be bent, and this is caused by
+refraction. The learned gentlemen present will excuse me for going back
+to the primer of physics."</p>
+
+<p>"We are quite satisfied to have the memory refreshed," replied the
+doctor.</p>
+
+<p>"The air around us is of different densities, which causes the rays of
+reflection of our ship to be bent, sending the image up on the shore.
+What sailors call 'looming,' often seen on our own shores, is produced
+in the same way; and we often see an island, or a vessel, looming up
+away above the water, from which it is sometimes separated by a strip of
+sky. The mirage is often seen in the desert, with a whole caravan up in
+the air, sometimes upside down.</p>
+
+<p>"An object is often seen when at a considerable distance from it. In the
+Arctic regions ships below the horizon, or hull down as sailors phrase
+it, are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span> revealed to other ships far distant by their images in the air.
+From Hastings, on the English Channel, the coast of France, fifty miles
+distant, from Calais to Dieppe, was once seen for about three hours. In
+1854 a remarkable exhibition of the mirage was witnessed in the Baltic
+Sea from the deck of a ship of the British navy. The whole English
+fleet, consisting of nineteen sail, distant thirty miles from the point
+of observation, were seen up in the air, upside down, as if they had
+been hung up there by their keels.</p>
+
+<p>"The Fata Morgana is a sort of mirage seen in the Strait of Messina. A
+person standing on the shore sees the images of men, houses, ships, and
+other objects, sometimes in the air, sometimes in the water, the
+originals frequently magnified, passing like a panorama before the
+beholder. The vapory masses above the strait may cause the pictures to
+be surrounded by a colored line. When the peasants see it, they shout
+'Morgana! Morgana!'"</p>
+
+<p>"What does that word mean?" inquired Miss Blanche.</p>
+
+<p>"The French from which it is derived is '<i>Morgaine la Fee</i>,' from a
+sister of King Arthur of the Round Table, who had the reputation of
+being a fairy, which is <i>fata</i> in Italian."</p>
+
+<p>"But what is that round table?" asked Mrs. Blossom very innocently.</p>
+
+<p>"You must excuse me, my dear woman," replied the commander, looking at
+his watch. "The Suez<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span> Canal is the subject before us, and I am talking
+all the morning about other things."</p>
+
+<p>"But it is collateral information, called out by the mirage; and the
+illustrations you mentioned are quite new to me, for one," added Dr.
+Hawkes.</p>
+
+<p>"I like this kind of a conference, where the side matters are all
+explained," said Mrs. Belgrave. "But it is a pity the boys are not here,
+for they are not getting any of the cream of this conference so early in
+the morning."</p>
+
+<p>This was enough for the commander, coming from her; and he immediately
+hastened to the stern of the ship, where he hailed the Maud, and ordered
+her to come alongside. The four sailors who had attended the party in
+the excursion to Cairo and up the Nile were directed to go on board of
+the tender, and take the places of the "Big Four." The Guardian-Mother
+had to go into a "siding" to permit a steamer to pass her at this point,
+and the transfer was easily made.</p>
+
+<p>However it may have been with the others, Louis Belgrave was glad to get
+back to the ship, where he could sit by the side of Miss Blanche, and
+answer the many questions she was continually asking; for she had an
+inquiring mind. As she often remarked, Louis always seemed to know all
+about everything. Perhaps if he had been with the party all the time, he
+might have lost some portion of his reputation as a walking
+encyclop&aelig;dia; for when he was to be with her on any excursion, he took
+extraordinary pains<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span> to post himself upon the topics likely to be
+considered.</p>
+
+<p>"You notice that post near the siding," said Captain Ringgold when the
+party on the promenade had been re-enforced by the addition of the young
+men, and the steamer began to move again. "That is one of the five
+kilometre posts; and you will find them all the way to the Red Sea."</p>
+
+<p>"What is a kilometre?" inquired Mrs. Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>"I have talked so much that I will ask Mr. Belgrave to explain it,"
+replied the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"It belongs to the French metrical system, which most people have come
+to believe is the best in the world. I suppose everybody here knows what
+a meridian is, for it was explained when we were talking about great
+circles and geographical or sea miles. A meridian is a great circle
+reaching around the earth, and passing through the equator and the
+poles. A quadrant of a meridian is the quarter of a meridian, extending
+from the equator to either pole. This is something that does not vary in
+extent. A commission of five learned men, especially in mathematics, was
+appointed by the French Academy, at the instance of the government, to
+adopt a standard, and they made it a metre, which is the ten millionth
+part of the quadrant of a meridian. The metre is 3.28 feet of our
+measure, with five more decimal places after it.</p>
+
+<p>"Ten metres make a decametre, and one thousand metres make a kilometre,
+and ten thousand metres<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span> make a myriametre. Without bothering with all
+these decimals, a kilometre is about five-eighths of a mile. Five
+kilometres make three miles and one-tenth, which is the distance between
+these posts," said Louis in conclusion.</p>
+
+<p>"How came you to be so ready with your explanation, Mr. Belgrave?" asked
+Miss Blanche, with a pleasant smile of approval.</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Scott had talked the whole thing to us on board of the Maud
+while he steered the steamer," replied Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"But he knows five times as much about metres as I do; for I could not
+have explained the meridian business," interjected the captain of the
+Maud.</p>
+
+<p>"Five miles an hour is slow travelling; but it enables us to see the
+country, and also to talk about it," said Dr. Hawkes.</p>
+
+<p>"If you don't mean that I am talking too much, Doctor"&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"I certainly do not mean that, and I hope you will keep it up,"
+interposed the surgeon.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I will say that the canal is run on the 'block system,' except on
+the lakes, where the ships can go at full speed," added the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"Where are the blocks? I don't see any," said Mrs. Blossom.</p>
+
+<p>"They are all along the canal."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what is meant by the block system," added Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"The railroads in England and the United States,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> or many of them, are
+run by this method. The whole length of the road, or canal in this case,
+is divided into short sections. On the railroad no train is permitted to
+enter a section till all other trains are out of it, and a collision is
+therefore impossible. The system is controlled by telegraph, by which
+signals are ordered at either end of the division. On the canal the
+director at Port Tewfik controls the movements of every ship on its
+passage either way. These posts mark the sections. You will learn more
+of it when we get to the other end of the canal."</p>
+
+<p>The breakfast gong sounded at this time, and the party were not so eager
+for knowledge as to pass over the morning meal.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CANAL AND ITS SUGGESTIONS</h3>
+
+
+<p>The tourists had been up long enough to be in excellent condition for
+breakfast; and the Asiatic breezes from the south-east were cool and
+refreshing, for they came from the mountains of the peninsula of Sinai,
+where Moses had received the law from Heaven. There was something
+inspiring in this thought to the minds of the more religious members of
+the party when the commander announced the proximity of the sacred
+mountain after he had asked the blessing.</p>
+
+<p>"How far is Mount Sinai from where we are now?" asked Mrs. Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot tell you just how far it is at this moment, for my charts are
+in my cabin," replied Captain Ringgold. "We are not so near it as we
+shall be later; but you will all see it after we get into the Red Sea.
+We will defer the subject till that time; and I should not have
+mentioned it if the south-east wind had not suggested it."</p>
+
+<p>"I got a glance at an enormously big steamer ahead of us just as we were
+leaving the promenade," added Mr. Woolridge. "She looked as large as
+Noah's Ark, and appeared as though she was sailing over the land."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps she was quite as large; for the pilot tells me that the Ophir
+is just ahead of us," added the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"What is the Ophir?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"She is the largest of the Orient Line of steamers, and one of the
+finest ships in the world. I remember that in Smith's Dictionary of the
+Bible it says that the ark was larger than any British man-of-war; and
+probably the statement is still correct, though by a narrower margin
+than when the learned editor completed his work. The Empress of India
+and two other barbette ships of her class in the English navy have a
+displacement of 14,150 tons, and the last built Cunarder, the Lucania,
+exceeds 13,000 tons. The ark was 525 feet long, reducing her 300 cubits
+to our measure, which is about the length of the Ophir."</p>
+
+<p>"I should like to go on board of one of those great British steamers
+that sail to the other side of the earth," said Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"Possibly we may have an opportunity to do so at Isma&iuml;lia or Suez. I
+will ascertain when we arrive at these places," the captain replied to
+the lady; whose simple requests and hints were law to the gallant
+commander, who was a bachelor in the best possible preservation.</p>
+
+<p>The company returned to the promenade without any unnecessary delay; for
+all of them were interested in the canal itself, and in the sights to be
+seen on its shores. The great steamer ahead of the Guardian-Mother was
+much nearer than when the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> party went below, and it soon appeared that
+she had "taken the ground." But it proved to be only a temporary hitch,
+for she went ahead again before the American craft reached her.</p>
+
+<p>"They are at work all the time on the canal to prevent these accidents,
+and several changes have already been made in the original plan of the
+canal," said the commander. "Monsieur Lesseps, who projected this
+wonderful enterprise, and whose energy and perseverance carried it
+through to its completion, made a voyage through the canal in the
+Austral, one of the largest of the Orient Line, though not so large as
+the one ahead of us, for the purpose of observing any defects. The
+result has been that several improvements have been adopted which it is
+expected will remove all the difficulties."</p>
+
+<p>"Is Monsieur Lesseps still living, Captain?" inquired Captain Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"He is at the age of eighty-seven this year. His success with the Suez
+Canal led him to undertake the construction of the Panama Canal. The
+company was formed with the prestige of the great engineer's success on
+this isthmus, and the shares were readily sold. The work was begun; but
+it was a more difficult undertaking than Suez, and the company suspended
+payment four years ago. Speculators and 'boodlers' had 'monkeyed' with
+the finances, and the vast scheme is a failure. Whether it will ever be
+accomplished remains a question for the future."</p>
+
+<p>"The poor old man and his son were dragged into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> the mire, and were even
+committed to prison, though they were soon released," added Mr.
+Woolridge. "I think he was a great man, and I was exceedingly sorry for
+his misfortunes."</p>
+
+<p>"He will never receive the honor he deserves on our side of the
+Atlantic, I fear," added Captain Ringgold. "After rich and powerful
+potentates had rejected the scheme, Lesseps still cherished it. Over
+sixty years ago, when he was an employe in the office of the French
+consul at Tunis, he was sent to Alexandria on business. Here he was
+subjected to a residence of some time in quarantine. He was supplied
+with books by the French consul there, and among them was Lap&egrave;re's
+M&eacute;moire. The author was Napoleon's engineer, whose report that the level
+of the two seas was not uniform, had set aside the schemes to connect
+them by a canal. Lesseps considered his views, and some years after made
+the acquaintance of Lieutenant Waghorn, favorably known in connection
+with the Overland Route to India by the way of Egypt. The route by
+descending the Euphrates River to the head of the Persian Gulf was also
+considered. It appears, therefore, that Lesseps was cogitating his great
+enterprise for nearly forty years before the work was completed."</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot see the immense importance of this canal as you gentlemen
+represent it; but I suppose it is because I am a woman," said Mrs.
+Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"It is of the greatest importance to England," replied Mr. Woolridge.
+"Over twenty-five hundred<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> British vessels went through the canal in
+1888; for England has a vast empire in Asia, to say nothing of Australia
+and other colonies in the East. Of other nations of Europe, France sent
+two hundred and seventy-two ships through the canal, Holland one hundred
+and twenty-four, Germany one hundred and twenty-two, and others less
+than a hundred each."</p>
+
+<p>"But how many American vessels went through?" asked Captain Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"None were mentioned in the report I saw; and the number must have been
+very few. The canal is of vastly less importance to the United States
+than to England, France, Holland, and Spain, all of which have colonies
+in the East. Since the war, our maritime commerce has been immensely
+reduced, though our ships still make voyages to India, China, and
+various ports of the East. Then the distance saved to our vessels would
+be much less. Roughly estimated,&mdash;in fact, guessed at,&mdash;I should say
+that the distance from New York to Ceylon, near the southern cape of
+India, is four-fifths of that around Cape Good Hope. The heavy dues for
+passing through the canal are an item, and it would not pay to save two
+thousand five hundred miles out of twelve thousand five hundred."</p>
+
+<p>"But the saving from London to Bombay is forty-four per cent," added Mr.
+Woolridge. "From Marseilles to the same port it is nearly sixty per
+cent. The United States 'is not in it'"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span>&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Are</i> not in it, papa," interposed Miss Blanche with a silvery laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"No, my dear; <i>is</i> not in it," returned the magnate, with a loving
+smile. "I know the government is said to have ruled for the plural, but
+I don't accept the ruling. Why, what does <i>E pluribus Unum</i> mean if not
+the singular number? For what did we fight the War of the Rebellion if
+not to prove that the United States <i>is</i> one government, and <i>are</i> not
+forty-four of them at the present moment."</p>
+
+<p>"But the grammar, papa?" asked Blanche.</p>
+
+<p>"The grammar is all right, my child. What are the news, Blanche? The
+company is or are, just as you pay your money and take your choice,"
+said the father, chucking the fair maiden under the chin.</p>
+
+<p>"Our friend is quite right, and, so far as the canal is concerned, the
+United States <i>is</i> not in it," added the commander, laughing at the turn
+the conference had taken.</p>
+
+<p>"How far have we gone so far, Captain?" asked Miss Blanche.</p>
+
+<p>"Ten o'clock," he replied, consulting his watch. "We have been moving at
+this snail's pace for five hours, and made twenty-five miles, or forty
+kilometres. In five more we shall come to El Kantara, where the caravan
+route from Egypt into Asia crosses the canal."</p>
+
+<p>"Do the camels have to swim across the canal?" asked Mrs. Blossom.</p>
+
+<p>"They do not; but it cost the canal company some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></span> money to save them the
+trouble of doing so," replied the captain. "El Kantara means 'the
+bridge;' and there used to be one across the outlet of a lake there. The
+bridge was removed by the company, and a ferry substituted for it."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose all vessels have to go through the canal in the daytime,"
+said Mrs. Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>"Not at all; the system of signals is arranged for day or night. Vessels
+with an electric search-light or projector which will show up an object
+three-quarters of a mile ahead are allowed to navigate the canal at
+night. We could do so if so disposed; but we wish to see the country.
+The channel is lighted at night by illuminated buoys."</p>
+
+<p>"What sort of boys?" inquired Mrs. Blossom, who was struggling to grow
+wise, and had a long distance to travel in that direction.</p>
+
+<p>"Iron ones," answered the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Iron boys!" exclaimed the good lady. "How could they point out the way
+through the canal?"</p>
+
+<p>"They swim in the water, and the pilots understand the language they
+speak," said the commander gravely.</p>
+
+<p>"Iron boys that swim and speak!" ejaculated the excellent lady. "I think
+you must be fooling with us, Captain Ringgold."</p>
+
+<p>"You have put your foot in it again!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave in a
+whisper. "Don't say another word!"</p>
+
+<p>"A buoy is a floating body in the shape of two inverted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span> cones united at
+their bases, made of copper or plate iron. They are used all over the
+world to mark the bounds of channels, sometimes with fog-bells on them,
+rung by the action of the waves," continued the commander. "They are
+moored to the bottom here as elsewhere, and have a gas-light burning on
+them all the time."</p>
+
+<p>"A gas-light!" exclaimed Mrs. Woolridge; "where is the gas-house?"</p>
+
+<p>"There are several of them on the canal, and not one for each buoy,
+which is filled with gas, and contains a supply that will last for six
+weeks. Some folks who never went to sea suppose a lighthouse is to give
+light on the water, when they are only to mark certain localities, and
+to give ranges to navigators. These buoys are for the same purpose, and
+not to light up the canal. But here is El Kantara."</p>
+
+<p>"I think you said this place was on the road to Syria," said the
+magnate. "People who go to the Holy Land from Egypt, and most of them do
+go that way, take a steamer from Alexandria to Joppa, or Jaffa as it is
+now generally called, and do not go by camel-back over this road."</p>
+
+<p>"They do not; but they may go over it at some time in the near future,"
+added Professor Giroud. "The Egypto-Syrian Railroad has been projected,
+and it is to pass over this route."</p>
+
+<p>The travellers found quite a village at El Kantara, with a hotel, and
+other places for the refreshment of travellers. Passengers from the
+steamers seldom<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span> land here. The ship proceeded on her way, and the party
+caught a glimpse at a boat-load of camels crossing the canal. From this
+place to Fort Said the course had been perfectly straight through Lake
+Menzaleh, which ends here.</p>
+
+<p>"If you will look to the left," said the commander after a time, "you
+will see a considerable body of water. That is the upper part of Lake
+Balah, through which the canal passes. About a mile and a half distant
+is a lot of sandstone rocks like that of the Memnon statues. They appear
+to belong to an altar, and the inscription informs the visitor who can
+read it that they were parts of a temple erected by Seti I. in honor of
+his father, Ramses I., and completed by Ramses II., his son. There may
+have been a city here, but there are no signs of it now."</p>
+
+<p>The steamer passed through the Balah Lakes; for there are several of
+them, containing some islands. The canal is protected by high banks of
+yellow sand, and beyond is the desert, with hills in the distance.
+Coming out of the lakes, the canal passed through a deep cutting, which
+was the worst place encountered in doing the work. It is the highest
+ground on the isthmus, averaging fifty-two feet above the sea; and a
+ridge of this territory is from seventy to one hundred feet high,
+through which the digging had to be carried. There are some curves here,
+the canal is the narrowest in all its course, and vessels more
+frequently get aground here than in any other portion. The road to Syria
+passed over<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span> this elevation, which is called "the causeway" in Arabic.</p>
+
+<p>The Ophir went through without sticking in the sand, and the
+Guardian-Mother was likely to do as well. A solitary mosque and a ch&acirc;let
+of the Khedive were passed, and the ship was approaching Lake Timsah
+when the gong sounded for lunch, and the air of the desert had given the
+tourists an appetite which caused them to evacuate the promenade with
+hasty steps.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE MYSTERIOUS ARAB IN A NEW SUIT</h3>
+
+
+<p>The cabin party of the Guardian-Mother were on the promenade in time to
+observe the entrance into Lake Timsah. It is near the seventy-five
+kilometre post from Port Said, or half way through the canal to the head
+of the Gulf of Suez, the most northern portion of the Red Sea. The city
+of Suez is several miles to the south-west of this point; for Lesseps,
+for some reason said to be political, avoided the old town, and carried
+the canal to the other side of the inlet, and below it.</p>
+
+<p>Lake Timsah has an area of about six square miles. It is not a deep body
+of water, and the canal had to be built through it as through Lake
+Menzaleh. Its water is now of a pale blue, very pretty to look at.
+Before any work was done here, it was a mere pond, filled with reeds;
+but it has been cleaned out and made more healthy for the surrounding
+country.</p>
+
+<p>On its northern shore is the town of Isma&iuml;lia, having about two thousand
+inhabitants, which has become a place of some importance. The railroad
+from Cairo is extended to it by a branch, the main line following the
+canal to Suez. It has a couple of hotels; and its principal square, on
+which the best<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span> one is situated, has the name of Place Champollion,
+showing that the French remember their learned men.</p>
+
+<p>While the canal was in process of construction, Isma&iuml;lia was the centre
+of operations. It was handsomely laid out, not unlike the city of
+Washington, which is one of the handsomest in the world; but, like the
+new places in our great West, it was built in a hurry, under the
+pressure of a drive of business, and the sanitary conditions were
+neglected. The important fresh-water canal, which is near the railroad
+all the way from the Nile, furnishes the only drinking-water of this
+town and of Suez; but the sewers of the new town had no other outlet.</p>
+
+<p>Of course the town was soon invaded by fever, which caused it to be
+deserted; and it has never recovered its former prosperity, though not
+wholly for this reason, for the completion of the canal destroyed its
+business basis. Isma&iuml;lia was the focal point of the great ceremonials at
+the opening of the canal. The Empress Eug&eacute;nie of France, the Emperor
+Frederick of Germany, then crown-prince, and other noted persons, were
+present; and the celebration is said to have cost the Khedive twenty
+million dollars.</p>
+
+<p>The town has improved somewhat of late; the viceroy's ch&acirc;teau, which had
+become much dilapidated, has been restored, and portions of the desert,
+irrigated from the canal, have been transformed into fine gardens.
+Though the climate is agreeable and the air dry, it is not likely to
+become a pleasure resort.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span> A couple of small steamers run from this port
+to Port Said, while the railroad connects it with Suez.</p>
+
+<p>The steamer remained a couple of hours at the station, as did the Ophir;
+and the commander obtained permission for the ladies to pay her a visit.
+She is a magnificent specimen of naval architecture. Her saloon,
+staterooms, drawing-room on the upper deck, were magnificent apartments,
+most luxuriously furnished. Her appointments for second-class passengers
+were extensive and very comfortable, far better than on many Atlantic
+steamers.</p>
+
+<p>The ubiquitous donkey, and especially the donkey-boy, were here; and the
+"Big Four," with the exception of Louis Belgrave, who attended Miss
+Blanche on the visit to the Ophir, accompanied by Don, went on a frolic
+to the town. They made a great noise and waked up the place, but they
+committed no excesses. When they returned to the ship, they found Louis
+and Miss Blanche showing the captain and the surgeon of the big steamer
+over the Guardian-Mother. The beautiful young lady had evidently
+fascinated them, and they had been extremely polite to the party,
+perhaps on her account. They appeared to be interested in the
+steam-yacht, and expressed their belief that nothing more comfortable
+and elegant floated.</p>
+
+<p>The steamers got under way again, and proceeded through one of the two
+channels through the blue lake. The ladies waved their handkerchiefs to
+the officers and passengers of the Ophir; and their greetings<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span> were
+heartily reciprocated, for the American party had plainly made an
+impression upon the English people, partly perhaps by the style in which
+they travelled, but probably more by the beauty of the ladies, with Miss
+Blanche as princess, and the others were under forty and still
+good-looking. The lake is only five miles long, and the steamers soon
+passed into the cut at the south of it.</p>
+
+<p>"Along this region many ruins have been found, some of them of Persian
+structures," said the commander after the ship had left the lake.
+"Pharaoh-Necho, 600 <span class="smcap">b.c.</span>, built a canal from Suez to Lake Timsah, with
+gates, which Herodotus describes, and informs us that the vessels of the
+period went through it in four days."</p>
+
+<p>"I wish you would tell us something about Herodotus, Captain, for his
+name has been frequently mentioned in Egypt," said Mrs. Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>"And about Diodorus and Strabo, also mentioned in the lectures," added
+the magnate. "I have forgotten all that I ever knew about these
+gentlemen."</p>
+
+<p>"I am in the same boat, Captain," the doctor responded.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall leave those subjects to the professor. But we are approaching
+some objects of interest, and we will defer the matter to another time,"
+replied the commander. "Do you see a white dome on the starboard? That
+is the tomb of Shekh Ennedek; and it is rather a picturesque affair here
+in the midst of the desert."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Was he a fighting character?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"Not at all; far from it. He was a wealthy Arab chief. He made the
+pilgrimage to Mecca, which is the duty of every faithful Mohammedan; and
+he seems to have been greatly impressed by it, for he gave his cattle
+and his lands to the poor, and spent the rest of his life on the
+greenish territory we have just passed through, in religious
+meditation."</p>
+
+<p>"He was a good man if he was a Mohammedan," added the lady.</p>
+
+<p>"We don't believe that all the good people in the world belong to our
+church," added the captain. "Do you all remember who Miriam was?"</p>
+
+<p>More than half the party could not remember.</p>
+
+<p>"She was the sister of Moses; and she first appears, doubtless as a
+young girl, watching the Nile-cradle of her infant brother. The land
+next south of Lake Timsah, made green by the water, is called Gebel
+Maryam, probably after the sister of Moses. She was a prophetess; but
+she found fault with the marriage of her brother, for which she was
+afflicted with Egyptian leprosy. As you find it in the Bible (Numbers
+xii.), Moses asked the Lord: 'Let her be shut out of the camp seven
+days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut
+out from the camp seven days.' An Arab legend points out this spot as
+the place where she spent that time, and from which it gets the name of
+Maryam."</p>
+
+<p>"That's nice, Captain Ringgold!" exclaimed Mrs.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span> Blossom. "I wish you
+would tell us more Bible stories."</p>
+
+<p>"Some people believe that the Mediterranean and the Red Seas were
+connected in some remote age of the world, or at least that the latter
+extended to the north as far as Lake Timsah," continued the commander,
+without noticing the suggestion of the amiable lady. "In proof of this
+supposition, certain shells found in the Mediterranean, but not in the
+Red Sea, have been thrown up in digging for the canal through Lake
+Timsah.</p>
+
+<p>"We are approaching what is called the Serapeum," said the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"What! more of them here? I thought we had used up all the Serapeums,"
+said the magnate with a laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"The present one is of a different sort," answered the commander. "But
+the ruins found in this vicinity were supposed to belong to a Serapeum
+such as several we have seen on the Nile; but Lepsius says they could
+not have been a part of a temple to Serapis, but were monuments built on
+the ancient canal by Darius.</p>
+
+<p>"It is high ground here, comparatively speaking; and you observe that
+the cutting of the water-way is through a rocky formation, with rather
+high banks on each side. There is quite a little village above; and, as
+it is getting dark, we shall pass the night here in the siding-basin."</p>
+
+<p>"Who is that man on the forecastle of the Maud?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span> asked Captain Scott as
+the little steamer came into the basin.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," replied Captain Ringgold. "I had not noticed him before.
+He looks like an Arab, though he is taller than most of them."</p>
+
+<p>A flight of steps ascended to the top of the embankment at the station
+of the little town. The Maud passed close to them on her way to her
+berth for the night. Abreast of them the Arab on the forecastle leaped
+ashore, but made a gesture as though the movement had given him pain. He
+went up the steps and disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>"Who was that man, Knott?" asked the captain when the seaman came on
+board of the ship.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know, sir; I called upon him to give an account of himself as
+we were crossing Lake Timsah; but he could not understand me, pointed to
+his mouth, and shook his head, meaning that he could not speak English.
+He did not do any harm, so I let him alone; for Don was running the
+engine, and I did not like to call him from his duty. He kept his face
+covered up with a sort of veil, and would not say anything. I thought I
+would let him alone till we came to a stopping-place, and I could report
+to you."</p>
+
+<p>"When did he go on board of the Maud?" asked the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know, sir. The first time I saw him was on the lake. Spinner
+had the wheel, Don was in the engine-room, and the rest of the ship's
+company were<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></span> on the upper deck looking at the sights. I inquired, but
+no one had seen him."</p>
+
+<p>"Did you ever see him before?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't think I ever did, sir. He had on what looked like a new suit of
+Arab togs, and he kept his face covered up, as I said."</p>
+
+<p>If Captain Ringgold was not troubled, he was perplexed. He had observed
+the stranger distinctly as he went up the steps, but he could not
+identify him as a person he had ever seen before. Of course it came into
+his head at once that the tall Arab was Captain Mazagan, and he said as
+much to Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"We left him at the hotel at Port Said; how could he be here?" asked the
+captain of the Maud.</p>
+
+<p>"He must have smuggled himself on board of the little steamer when we
+were at Isma&iuml;lia; for he was first seen out in the lake."</p>
+
+<p>"How could he have been at Isma&iuml;lia?" Scott inquired.</p>
+
+<p>The commander went to his cabin, and looked over his "Bradshaw," in
+which he found that a steamer left Port Said at seven o'clock every
+morning, and arrived at Isma&iuml;lia at noon. It was possible that Mazagan
+had come by this conveyance; and he gave Scott the information.</p>
+
+<p>"Probably he stopped at the station while we were on board of the Ophir,
+or your party had gone to the town," said the commander. "It was easy
+enough for him to stow himself away in the cabin of the Maud while no
+one but Philip was on board of her."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I supposed we had got to the end of the pirate when I saw him trotted
+on shore to the hotel," added Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"So did I, though he made some huge but very indefinite threats when I
+saw him last," mused the commander. "But why did he go on board of the
+Maud, when he could have gone to Suez by the railroad?"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't see," replied Scott. "He is a Moor, and must be as revengeful
+as his 'noble master,' as he calls him. It was the Maud that did his
+business for him, and I was at the wheel of her when she smashed into
+the side of the Fatim&eacute;. I only hope his grudge is against me and not
+against Louis Belgrave."</p>
+
+<p>"You mention the idea I had in my mind when I asked why he went on board
+of the Maud, Captain Scott," said the commander. "Perhaps it is a lucky
+chance that I sent for the 'Big Four' so that they might hear all that
+was said about the scenes through which we were passing."</p>
+
+<p>"You mean that it may have been a lucky chance for Louis or for me; but
+I believe it is a luckier chance for the pirate, for I think I should
+have thrown him overboard if I had seen him on our deck," said Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Then there would probably have been a fight on board of the Maud, and
+work made for our surgeon in your party. It may have been lucky for all
+that you were called on board of the ship. But we must<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span> take care that
+he does not resume his voyage in the morning with us."</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold took all necessary precautions. A watch was kept on
+board of both vessels; and when they started on the remainder of the
+trip through the canal in the morning, nothing had been seen or heard of
+Mazagan. It was agreed that nothing had better be said about the matter;
+and when the cabin party, with the "Big Four," gathered on the promenade
+at five o'clock in the morning, not one of them, except the big and the
+little captain, suspected that an enemy was near, if the stranger really
+was Mazagan, of which they could not be sure.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE TOY OF THE TRANSIT MANAGER</h3>
+
+
+<p>The village of Serapeum has had an existence of over twenty years; and
+its pleasant little gardens looked very inviting in the fresh morning
+air to the members of the cabin party as they took their places on the
+promenade, which had come to be about as well defined as their seats at
+the table. The air was soft and agreeable; and after their refreshing
+sleep the tourists were in excellent condition to enjoy the continued
+passage through the canal, of which, however, there were only about
+forty-one miles left, and the commander expected to be at Suez by noon.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold had not said anything to any person except Scott about
+the mysterious stranger with a veil over his face; but the ship and her
+consort had been well guarded over night, and a search for stowaways was
+made when the morning watch came on duty. Not even an Arab tramp could
+be found, and the commander was confident the tall Mussulman had not
+again found a hiding-place on board of either vessel.</p>
+
+<p>"We shall soon have a change of scene," said Captain Ringgold, as he
+joined the party on the promenade. "We are still in the desert, though<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span>
+the fresh-water canal makes a streak of green along its banks, for it
+extends to Suez, and even across the bay to the entrance of the canal."</p>
+
+<p>"The prospect is not very exciting just now," added Mr. Woolridge, as
+the screw began to turn, and the ship moved away from her moorings.</p>
+
+<p>"We shall come to the larger of the Bitter Lakes in less than an hour,"
+replied the captain. "There is nothing very exciting about them; but
+Brugsch identifies these lakes with the Marah of the Bible, though
+others do not agree with him. In Exodus xv. 23 we read," and the speaker
+took a paper from his pocket: "'And when they came to Marah, they could
+not drink of the waters ... for they were bitter: therefore the name of
+it was called Marah.' But the bitter spring which Moses sweetened by
+casting into it a tree is in the peninsula of Sinai."</p>
+
+<p>"Shall we go there?" asked Mrs. Blossom, beginning to be excited, as she
+always was when scriptural subjects came up in connection with the
+journey; and she had studied the Bible more than any other book, and
+probably more than all others combined.</p>
+
+<p>"At the proper time I shall have something to say about Mount Sinai, and
+I hope to place you in a position to see it in the distance; but at
+present we are not prepared to consider the matter. You can now see
+through the cutting an expanse of water, which is the great basin, as
+the larger lake is called.</p>
+
+<p>"As stated before, the Red Sea formerly extended to Lake Timsah, over
+forty miles farther than now,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span> and the lakes before us were then a part
+of the sea. The deepest water was twenty-four to forty feet below the
+Mediterranean, with a heavy crust of salt on the bottom, though the
+smaller basin required a great deal of dredging. In the spring of 1869
+the Prince and Princess of Wales were present in this locality, and took
+part in the ceremonial of 'letting in the waters.'"</p>
+
+<p>"'Wails for the multitude of Egypt,'" added Uncle Moses.</p>
+
+<p>"Ezekiel, chapter and verse forgotten," replied the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"Thirty-two, eighteen," said the bulky lawyer.</p>
+
+<p>"Are there any whales in the lake?" asked Felix.</p>
+
+<p>"You can fish for them, my lad; but the particular Waleses of whom I
+spoke were not 'in it,'" continued the captain. "These Wales did not
+spout, though they probably said something; but they let in the water
+instead of blowing it out, as respectable whales do at sea. The waters
+of the two seas came together, and notwithstanding the joyousness of the
+occasion, the meeting was not altogether amiable and pleasant at first.
+Each representative of the different bodies seemed to pitch into the
+other, and the onslaught created a great commotion for a time. If they
+were ever united before in the distant past, they appeared to have
+forgotten all about it.</p>
+
+<p>"The war was short and decisive, and the waters soon settled down into a
+peaceful condition, as you will find them to-day. They have apparently
+shaken<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span> hands, and accepted the task of promoting the commerce of the
+world. But here we come to the great basin. The lake is about six miles
+wide. Here is the lighthouse, and there is another at the other end of
+it, each of them sixty-five feet high."</p>
+
+<p>The shores of the lake are flat and sandy, and the water is of a bluish
+green hue. There is a well-defined channel through it. As there is no
+longer any danger of washing the banks of the canal, steamers increase
+their speed, and the Guardian-Mother made the next twenty miles in less
+than two hours. As the captain had promised, it was a change of scene,
+and it was very agreeable to the party. In the distance could be seen
+the Geneffeh range of hills, which were a relief in the landscape from
+the desert. In them are rich quarries of marble and limestone which are
+profitably worked.</p>
+
+<p>The passage through the canal had become monotonous to the travellers
+after they had passed through the lakes, for it was a desert on both
+sides. Shortly after, the water-way was cut through sandstone, and after
+that the soil was clay, or a mixture of it with lime; but the last part
+of the course was through depths of sand again. The tide on the Red Sea
+rises from five to seven feet, and its flow extends about four miles up
+the canal.</p>
+
+<p>"Looking ahead, you can see an expanse of water, which means that we are
+coming to the end of our canal travel," said the commander. "I suppose
+no one will be sorry for it; for we have had all our<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></span> social
+arrangements as usual, and there has been something to see and much to
+learn all the way."</p>
+
+<p>"It has not been at all like my canal travel at home," added Uncle
+Moses, who was the oldest person on board of the ship by one month, by
+which time Dr. Hawkes was his junior, and they were only fifty-four. "I
+went from Syracuse to Oswego by a canal boat when I was a young man. The
+trip was in the night, and I slept on a swinging shelf, held up by
+ropes; and we were bumping much of the time in the locks so that I did
+not sleep so well as I did last night. But what water have we ahead,
+Captain?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is an arm of the Gulf of Suez, which is itself one of the two great
+arms of the Red Sea."</p>
+
+<p>"It appears to be well armed," said Uncle Moses, who could be guilty of
+a pun on extreme provocation.</p>
+
+<p>"Like yourself, it is provided with two arms, but it does not shoot with
+them," replied the captain. "On our left are the ruins of Arsinoe, which
+was an ancient port, once called Crocodilopolis; and, by the way, Lake
+Timsah was once Crocodile Lake, and doubtless the saurians formerly
+sported in its waters."</p>
+
+<p>"About Arsinoe?" suggested the professor.</p>
+
+<p>"Probably you know more about it than I do, Professor."</p>
+
+<p>"I know little except that it was a commercial city of Egypt, built by
+Ptolemy II. The name is that of several females distinguished in one way
+or another in the ancient world, and the word is usually written with a
+di&aelig;resis over the final <i>e</i>, so that it is pronounced<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span> as though it were
+written Arsinoey. The city thrived for a time, and was the emporium of
+eastern Egypt; but the perils of the navigation in the north of the Red
+Sea diverted the trade into other channels, and the place went to decay.
+It was named by Ptolemy after his sister, who was married at sixteen to
+the aged king of Thrace. There is a bloody story connected with her
+life, which I will not repeat; but in the end she fled to the protection
+of her brother in Egypt, and after the fashion of that age and country,
+he made her his wife."</p>
+
+<p>"You have not been in Asia any of you yet, or even as near that
+continent before as you are at this moment," continued the commander, as
+the ship passed out of the canal into the gulf.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought we had been in Asia," interposed Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly we have," added half a dozen others.</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't Scutari in Asia, Captain?" asked the lady.</p>
+
+<p>"To be sure it is, and we all went over there from Constantinople,"
+replied the commander. "I had forgotten that, and you are not so
+innocent as I began to make it appear. But you have Asia on one side and
+Europe on the other."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we had that on the Bosporus, when we made that trip to the Black
+Sea in the Maud," added the lady, who seemed to be pleased because she
+had caught the captain in a blunder.</p>
+
+<p>"Then you have been in all the grand divisions of the earth except South
+America, and I have no doubt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span> you will go there before we come to the
+finish of this voyage. Here is the station; and you observe that there
+is a bridge across the canal by which the traveller can proceed to Suez,
+which you can see upon the point on the other side. The donkeys and
+donkey-boys abound here as everywhere in Egypt, and boats can be
+obtained to ferry you over to the town. But as we shall remain here a
+day or two, I think we had better go into the basin. We can then go
+where we please in the Maud."</p>
+
+<p>It was lunch time when the two vessels had been secured, and the party
+adjourned to the cabin. As soon as the meal was disposed of they
+returned to the upper deck, and seated themselves in the arm-chairs, for
+there was much to be seen. Port Tewfik is the proper name of the place
+at the station, but most of the people are Frenchmen, and they all call
+it Terreplein.</p>
+
+<p>"At this station the office of the canal company, which you can see from
+the deck, is located. It has a garden in front of it, on an avenue
+adorned with lebbec trees. You see that tall tower with balls and flags
+on it; and it is from this point that all the movements of vessels in
+the canal are controlled. But I think we had better land, and see it for
+ourselves."</p>
+
+<p>The company went on shore, and proceeded to promenade the environs. One
+of the first things that attracted their attention was a colossal bronze
+bust of Lieutenant Waghorn, who had been presented<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span> to them by Captain
+Ringgold in one of his talks. It was erected to his memory by the canal
+company, and is a graceful tribute of the French to the originator of
+the overland route. The inscription was in French, and Louis translated
+it for the benefit of the observers.</p>
+
+<p>"But I cannot translate the bass-relief on the bronze," he added.</p>
+
+<p>"That represents Lieutenant Waghorn embarking with the mails in an open
+boat at Suez, an incident that actually occurred. It is said that this
+gentleman, after spending the best years of his life in his efforts to
+establish a quicker route between England and her vast colonies, died in
+poverty in London in 1850; but I hope it is not true," the commander
+explained. "We will now apply for admission to the office of the
+manager."</p>
+
+<p>The permission was obtained, and the party ascended to the upper room of
+the building. Monsieur Chartrey, the superintendent of the transit
+department of the canal, was very polite to them, and explained
+everything to them in English. On a low table which occupied all one
+side of the apartment was what looked like a metal trough about fifteen
+feet long. A model of this apparatus was exhibited in England, and there
+it was called "the toy," a name which is still retained.</p>
+
+<p>On a shelf above the table are about fifty models of ships, each bearing
+the flag of some nation. The toy is a model of the canal, with its
+sidings, stations, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span> the lakes. When a ship enters the canal at
+either end, a little ship is placed in the relative position it
+occupies; and when one sails out of it, its representative in the trough
+is removed. All the stations are connected with this office by
+telegraph, just as the railroads are controlled in modern times; and
+when a vessel passes from one section, or block, it is reported to the
+manager. A man is always watching; and as news comes in, he makes the
+proper changes in the model ships. Where a steamer is to tie up for the
+night is ordered from this office.</p>
+
+<p>Monsieur Chartrey was very heartily thanked for his courtesy and
+kindness, and the party left to look at the docks, quays, and basins of
+Terreplein; but they were precisely the same as they had seen in various
+ports of Europe, especially at Havre. The commander had ordered the Maud
+to be in readiness for a trip, and it was decided to spend the rest of
+the afternoon at Suez.</p>
+
+<p>The first question the captain put on his return to the ship was as to
+whether anything had been seen of the mysterious Arab stranger; for the
+officers had been cautioned not to admit any person on board. Mr.
+Gaskette had remained on board of the Maud, and made the same report.
+With the four seamen who had attended the company up the Nile on board,
+and with the second officer and Don, the little steamer left her
+landing-place, provided with a pilot, and steamed by the channel over to
+the city of the desert, as it has been called.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXV</h2>
+
+<h3>A VISIT TO THE SPRINGS OF MOSES</h3>
+
+
+<p>The utility of the Maud was fully demonstrated at Suez, if there had
+been any doubt of it before, as a tender, and Captain Ringgold
+recognized it especially at this time; for the question of taking her
+out of the water, and giving her a place on the upper deck, had been
+referred to this point in the voyage, and it was yet to be settled.</p>
+
+<p>Port Ibrahim is the walled basin south-west of Port Tewfik, or
+Terreplein as the French call it, extending out to the deep water of the
+Gulf of Suez. The shores are bordered with a shoal in every part. To a
+practical person the motive of De Lesseps in avoiding the city of Suez
+was probably to strike the water at the deepest point, rather than
+political.</p>
+
+<p>The party took their places in the standing-room of the Maud, which had
+been prepared for their reception. The "Big Four" were again in their
+element, though the pilot had everything his own way. A channel
+describes about a quarter of a circle from the deep water and the very
+end of the canal to the north side of the city, in which there is depth
+enough for the smaller class of vessels engaged in its commerce.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Most of these crafts were dhows, similar to the felucca with which the
+party had become familiar in the Archipelago, and the boys observed one
+just astern of them with great interest. They are used on the Malabar
+Coast in the East Indies as well as in the Red Sea, where it is called a
+<i>baggala</i>, though dhow is the more common name in the far East. They are
+over two hundred tons burden, and of all sizes below that. They have
+been used for commerce and piracy, which is also true of the felucca of
+the Mediterranean.</p>
+
+<p>"She sails like the wind," said Captain Scott, after they had looked the
+craft over.</p>
+
+<p>"She is bigger than the Samothraki, whose acquaintance we made in
+Pournea Bay," added Morris.</p>
+
+<p>"I have read something of the craft in stories about the Malays; and a
+craft of that sort suggests piracy to me every time, especially since
+our experience in the Archipelago," replied Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"There are no pirates up here," said the pilot with a laugh, for he
+spoke English and understood all that was said.</p>
+
+<p>"What do those dhows bring up here?" asked Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"Coffee from the ports of Arabia, spices, gums, senna, rose-leaves, and
+other drugs and perfumes," replied the pilot.</p>
+
+<p>"What becomes of these articles then?"</p>
+
+<p>"Some of them are used in Suez; but most of them go by the railroad to
+Cairo, or other parts of Egypt,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span> and I suppose some of them get to
+Europe and America."</p>
+
+<p>"They are all rather costly merchandise, and one of those dhows can
+carry a big freight of them," added Louis, as he went aft, for Miss
+Blanche was there.</p>
+
+<p>The pilot brought the Maud up to the custom-house quay; and the dhow,
+which was not far behind the little steamer, came alongside the pier
+near her. The company landed, and proceeded to do the town. The pilot
+appeared to be a Frenchman, and he volunteered to act as a guide for the
+strangers. They found the streets very narrow, and not in the best
+condition. They passed over to the south side of the city, where they
+obtained a fine view of the Gulf of Suez.</p>
+
+<p>"Across the water you see the Ataka Mountains, about 2,700 feet high;
+and sometimes they show the colors of the garnet and amethyst. A fine
+view is obtained from the top of them, but it would give you a hard
+climb," said the guide. "On the other side of the bay it is Asia, Arabia
+Petr&aelig;a."</p>
+
+<p>"We shall go down to the Springs of Moses to-morrow," added the
+commander. "Are you a pilot in that direction?"</p>
+
+<p>"In all directions, Captain," answered the pilot. "Here is the Hotel
+Suez quite near us, if you wish to visit it."</p>
+
+<p>"We have no occasion to do so."</p>
+
+<p>"It is a first-class house, fitted up in English style, and kept by a
+German."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What is the price there by the day?" asked the captain from curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>"Sixteen shillings for the best fare."</p>
+
+<p>"Four dollars a day."</p>
+
+<p>"But they have two prices. I have been to New York, and over some of
+America, as I have over the rest of the world, and I know your money.
+For people like yourself, who want the best, breakfast or tiffin is one
+dollar."</p>
+
+<p>"Breakfast or what?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"Tiffin," the commander explained. "It means luncheon, and is used by
+English people in India."</p>
+
+<p>"Dinner a dollar and a half. The rooms are at different prices. For the
+second-class fare the prices are just half as much as the first."</p>
+
+<p>"There are a couple of the waiters," said Mrs. Woolridge. "They are
+nice-looking men, not very black."</p>
+
+<p>"They come from India, and make better servants than Arabs," added the
+guide.</p>
+
+<p>"How slender their forms, and what delicate features they have!"
+exclaimed the New York lady.</p>
+
+<p>"You are likely to see a good many of them in the course of the next
+month or two," suggested the captain, as the walk was continued in the
+town. "The houses are about the same as they were in other parts of
+Egypt, and they have the same ornamented lattices behind which the
+ladies inside can see you without being seen."</p>
+
+<p>The party looked into the quarters of the Arabian<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></span> sailors, consisting
+of low hovels, but did not enter. The population of the town is now
+about 15,000. Before the time of the canal, it was an Arab village of
+1,500, with low mud shanties. It was like the desert around it; for no
+water was there to brighten the foliage, if there was any, for not a
+tree or a plant was to be seen. The water used was of poor quality,
+brought from the Springs of Moses by camels and donkeys. It was a
+poverty-stricken place. But the opening of the fresh-water canal from
+the Nile vivified everything, and vegetation has come into being since
+this event.</p>
+
+<p>The party examined this canal, to which the place is so much indebted
+for its present appearance, as well as no little of its prosperity. It
+is six and a half feet above the level of the Red Sea, and its flow into
+the conduits for the supply of the city, as well as the waste into the
+sea, is regulated by a large lock, with gates. Near this they found the
+camel-camp, and not less than five hundred of these animals were there
+at the time; and the pilot said he had seen as many as a thousand of
+them there at once. They form the caravans to and from Arabia and Egypt,
+as well as into Syria.</p>
+
+<p>The tourists climbed a little hill near the ch&acirc;teau of the Khedive, from
+which they obtained a fine view of the surroundings, which included
+parts of Asia and of Africa. This elevation is said to be the site of
+the ancient Clysma, a fortified place, built to protect the ancient
+canal of Darius. The party, especially<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span> the "Cupids," were beginning to
+be fatigued; and the guide conducted them to the pier, which is a
+notable feature of the locality.</p>
+
+<p>"This pier is a mile and three-quarters in length, and reaches over to
+Port Ibrahim, conveying there a conduit from the fresh-water canal,"
+said the pilot in a perfunctory manner, as though he had had
+considerable experience as a guide. "It is forty-eight feet wide, and is
+built of artificial stone, like the great piers at Fort Said. It is
+erected on a sand-bank, which curves around in the shape you see the
+pier. The land you observe at the end of it, about fifty acres of it,
+was made out of the earth dug out of the canal. The building you see
+near the shore is a mosque; and there are several others. We will walk
+along the shore to the little steamer."</p>
+
+<p>The travellers were occasionally assailed by a mob of donkey-boys; but
+no notice of them was taken, and they reached the Hotel Suez near the
+landing-place. The guide pointed out an island near the shore on which
+was located the English Cemetery. There are at the west of the town an
+English and a French hospital. The party embarked, and the guide went to
+the pilot house. In a few minutes more they were on board of the ship.</p>
+
+<p>It was not yet dinner time, and the arrangements for the trip to the
+Springs of Moses were made. In the evening, attended by the pilot, Felix
+and Captain Scott went over to the town again, instructed to visit the
+hotels and ascertain, if they could, whether the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span> veiled Arab was
+lodging at any of them. While they were absent the company in the cabin
+reviewed the pilgrimage of the Israelites, and the events which led to
+the receiving of the Law by Moses on Mount Sinai, in which the commander
+conducted the inquiry, and read many passages from Exodus and Numbers.</p>
+
+<p>About ten o'clock in the evening Captain Scott and Felix reported the
+result of their mission. The pilot was well acquainted with the keeper
+of the Hotel Suez, and the information desired had been readily
+obtained. A person answering to the description, though he wore no veil,
+had come to the hotel. He was suffering much pain from a lame shoulder,
+and had gone to the French hospital for treatment. They had inquired
+about "Monsieur Abdelkhalik," as he had given his name at the hotel, and
+were informed that he was "comfortable," which was all the attendants
+would say.</p>
+
+<p>The commander sent for Dr. Hawkes, and told him about his former
+patient. Mazagan had been very imprudent and even reckless, and his
+present condition was simply what might have been expected, was the
+doctor's reply. He might be out again in a week, not sooner, and might
+not for a month. The captain was satisfied there would be no further
+movement on the part of the pirate while he remained at Suez.</p>
+
+<p>After breakfast the party embarked again in the Maud. Four sailors in
+charge of Knott were sent on board, and the first cutter of the ship was
+taken<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span> in tow, to be used in making the landing. The men remained on the
+forecastle, and the pilot and Knott were already good friends. But the
+"Big Four" were requested to stay with the party at the stern. The
+little steamer went out of the basin and down the canal to the bay. As
+soon as she came into the open water, the commander took the floor.</p>
+
+<p>"On your right is Africa; on your left is Asia. You have probably had
+enough of Egypt, and now we will confine our attention to Asia; and we
+have pleasant Asiatic breezes from the east this morning. The country on
+your left is Arabia, and nearest to you is the Peninsula of Sinai. It
+has the Gulf of Suez on its west shore, and the Gulf of Akaba on its
+east coast. I spoke to you of Brugsch's theory that the Israelites
+journeyed east, with some diversions by divine command, till they came
+to the Sarbonic Lake, in which he said that Pharaoh and his host
+perished.</p>
+
+<p>"Now you are on that portion of the Red Sea where it is more generally
+believed that the fugitives crossed and Pharaoh's army was ingulfed. The
+king heard that the wanderers had not passed the fortifications on the
+isthmus, and he believed they were 'entangled in the land.' Then he
+began the pursuit, with 'the six hundred chosen chariots.' The
+Israelites fled before him, and crossed the waters in the manner
+described in the Scriptures.</p>
+
+<p>"Setting aside the miracle of the parted waves, there are still doubting
+critics who affirm that they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span> crossed the gulf at low tide on these
+sands where the pier is built, as was frequently done by caravans before
+the canal was built. The Egyptians continued the pursuit, reaching the
+gulf before the tide turned, and attempted to follow them; but a strong
+south-west gale sprang up, driving the waters furiously before it, to
+the utter destruction of the whole army and its chariots.</p>
+
+<p>"But I accept the narrative as it is written (Exodus xiv.); and I should
+like to argue the case with any one who takes the view of Brugsch, or
+other critics who try to explain the miracle on natural grounds."</p>
+
+<p>The pilot anchored the Maud as near the shore as the depth would permit,
+and the party were taken ashore by the sailors in the cutter. The
+springs are about a mile from the landing, and the walk through the sand
+of the desert was trying to the ladies and to the fat gentlemen. The
+pilot acted as guide.</p>
+
+<p>"Ain Musa, as it is called, is an oasis a mile and a quarter in
+circumference. As you see, it is covered with date-palms, tamarisks, and
+acacias, and everything grows luxuriantly," the Frenchman began. "The
+Arabs who live in the mud hovels you see, raise fine vegetables here;
+and, like all Arabs, they will expect a bakshish."</p>
+
+<p>The springs were found to consist of several pools of rather muddy
+water. The largest of them, shut in by an old wall, is said to be the
+one called forth by the rod of Moses from the rock; but the tradition<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span>
+is accommodating, and, if you choose, it is the one whose bitter waters
+were sweetened by the casting in of the tree.</p>
+
+<p>The party had brought a luncheon with them, and it was served by Sparks
+at the usual hour. They had a delightful time under the trees, and
+listened to an explanation by the professor of the natural formation of
+the springs. In the middle of the afternoon they embarked, and returned
+to the ship in the canal basin.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXVI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE VARIOUS ROUTES TO MOUNT SINAI</h3>
+
+
+<p>The next day was Sunday; and, in accordance with the custom from the
+beginning of the voyage, no unnecessary work was required to be done by
+any person, and the business of sight-seeing was discontinued. But all
+were at liberty to observe the day in their own way. Religious services
+were conducted by the commander on the deck or in the cabin, which were
+usually attended by all. Most of them went to church on shore when it
+was convenient; but going to see the edifice or the pictures they did
+not regard as a devotional exercise.</p>
+
+<p>It was a warm and pleasant day for the seventeenth of January, in
+latitude 30&deg;, about the same as New Orleans or the northern part of
+Florida; and the service was held in Conference Hall, as the carpeted
+section of the promenade deck had come to be called. The captain began
+the exercises by reading selections from Exodus xv.:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and
+spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed
+gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The
+Lord is my strength and song,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span> and he is become my salvation: he is my
+God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God, and I will
+exalt him.... Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea:
+his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have
+covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone."</p>
+
+<p>Several "Gospel Hymns" were sung, and the sermon read by the commander
+was as nearly fitted to the surroundings as any he could find in his
+collection. After the service Mrs. Blossom struck up "Turn back
+Pharaoh's Army, Hallelu!" in which those who knew this Jubilee Singers'
+melody joined. The conversation that followed naturally turned in the
+direction of the Peninsula of Sinai, which they could see from the deck.</p>
+
+<p>"Are we going to Mount Sinai, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, in
+a rather decided tone for her, as though she intended to have the
+question settled this time.</p>
+
+<p>A great deal had been said by the ladies from Von Blonk Park in relation
+to this proposed excursion; but for some reason of his own the commander
+had not yet given a definite answer. They all attended the same church
+at home, and the captain and the two ladies were members of it. While
+the others of the party were deeply interested in the Biblical history,
+they were not so enthusiastic as the two ladies mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>"Are we going to Mount Sinai?" replied the commander,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span> repeating the
+question of the owner's mother, "No!"</p>
+
+<p>It was a decided "no" this time, and the jaws of the two Von Blonk
+Parkites suddenly dropped. Everybody in the company knew that the
+commander would do anything, even to swimming across the gulf where the
+children of Israel had walked over, to oblige her, and they were very
+much surprised at the emphatic negative.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall not finally decide this interesting question without giving my
+reasons," continued Captain Ringgold. "It would be an extremely
+interesting excursion to me, as well as to the others. Though I have
+been to Suez before, I have not made the trip, and I should be as glad
+to go as any person present. Many travellers go there, especially
+clergymen, to whom it is in a sense professional, aside from the
+interest their studies would naturally create in the subject, and the
+excursion finds a place in many excellent books of travel. I do not
+consult my own personal desires so much as the situation and
+circumstances in which we are placed.</p>
+
+<p>"Although we call our voyage an All-Over-the-World affair, the title is
+considerably exaggerated in the truest and most literal sense; for if we
+devoted the rest of our natural lives to the work, we could not go
+everywhere. It is impossible to visit every country on the earth even,
+and we must use judgment and discretion in determining where we will go.
+We are travelling by sea, making only such excursions inland<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span> as the
+facilities of the country we visit will conveniently permit. Such trips
+as we make of this kind must be regulated or controlled by conditions
+over which we have no influence.</p>
+
+<p>"Times and seasons form an important consideration. We are going to
+India, and the season is advancing. The southern end of the Red Sea is
+in latitude 12&deg; north, where you are likely to see some hot weather; and
+the longer we delay, the hotter it will be. We shall sail from here
+Tuesday morning; and if we do not make a run up into the Persian Gulf,
+we shall probably be at Bombay by the first of next month. That city is
+in latitude 19&deg;, or about that of the south side of Cuba, of which you
+know something. We shall see plenty of extremely hot weather, but we
+wish to avoid it as much as possible.</p>
+
+<p>"There are several routes to Mount Sinai, three from Suez, and two from
+ports south of it. It will take from two weeks by the shortest route to
+four by the others. It is a very fatiguing journey if made with due
+diligence, and it would require a full month for us to see the country
+properly. My first objection is the time it would require.</p>
+
+<p>"In the next place, the expense is from forty to fifty francs a day,
+eight to ten dollars, for each person, over a hundred dollars a day. If
+the result justified it, I should not object to the expense, and I don't
+think Uncle Moses would. There are no hotels in this region, and you
+would have to camp out, live in hovels, or at best in the monastery; and
+the trip<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></span> would involve a great deal of discomfort to persons not
+accustomed to roughing it. The 'Big Four' might make a pleasant affair
+of it, but most of the others would not.</p>
+
+<p>"All the preparations for the excursion have to be made at Cairo, where
+dragomans who contract to supply tents, camels, food, and everything
+required are to be found, and I was approached by three of them at
+Shepheard's Hotel."</p>
+
+<p>"Then the trip seems to be impossible now, and it is useless to talk
+about it," suggested Mr. Woolridge; and the captain thought he could
+perceive an expression of relief on his face.</p>
+
+<p>"It is not impossible," added the commander with a smile. "We can go to
+Tur, 140 miles south of Suez, and there we shall find camels and a
+contractor, though perhaps not for so large a company. I do not think
+our party would enjoy the trip whichever way we might go. It is a rough
+country, a group of mountains. The Monastery is 5,014 feet high, and it
+must be cold weather up there in January. The Jebel Musa, which is
+usually regarded as the Holy Mountain, is 7,363 feet high; but even
+Mount Sinai itself is disputed ground, and the question 'Is Mount Serbal
+the Sinai of Scripture?' is discussed by the critics. Serbal is 8,712
+feet high, the loftiest, I believe, on the peninsula, and is nearer to
+the gulf than the others.</p>
+
+<p>"I believe the discomfort and exposure of the trip render it
+impracticable at the present time and at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span> present season. The
+guide-books indicate the months of March and April as the best for the
+excursion; and it is too early to go now with comfort, not to say
+enjoyment. Of course I do not know what Mr. Belgrave, under the advice
+of his guardian and trustee, will do with the Guardian-Mother when our
+present voyage shall be completed; but if he should retain the steamer,
+I should recommend him to make a trip across the ocean at the right
+time, and up the Mediterranean, by the Gulf of Iskanderun to
+Alexandretta, which is near the head waters of the Euphrates River, a
+proposed route to India by the Persian Gulf, of which I may have
+something to say another day.</p>
+
+<p>"From this city the steamer could take in the ports of the Holy Land, or
+her passengers could journey through Syria by land, with tents and
+dragoman. The ship could then be left at Port Said, the party could come
+through the canal to Suez in the Maud, or by some other conveyance, and
+then make a business of exploring the Peninsula of Sinai," said the
+commander in conclusion.</p>
+
+<p>"That arrangement would suit me much better," added Mrs. Belgrave. "I
+have been groaning at the necessity of going home without seeing the
+Holy Land. I shall keep this plan in my mind as one to be carried out in
+a couple of years if my son does not object to it."</p>
+
+<p>"The Guardian-Mother shall not go out of commission until this voyage is
+completed," replied Louis promptly. "Captain Ringgold is engaged as
+commander<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span> for life, and he will attend to the accomplishment of my
+mother's wishes."</p>
+
+<p>"I thank you, Mr. Belgrave, for the confidence thus reposed in me, and I
+shall be most happy to command the steamer on such a voyage," replied
+the captain. "We cannot calculate on events of the future with too much
+assurance."</p>
+
+<p>The day passed away quietly with reading and singing, and very early in
+the morning the passengers heard an unusual sound of activity on the
+part of the ship's company. The captain had given orders the night
+before to have everything made ready for hoisting on deck the Maud. He
+had announced his intention to the "Big Four" in his cabin, and given
+his reasons for his decision. Scott and Felix regretted this change in
+the programme of the voyage more than the other two.</p>
+
+<p>"The Red Sea is sometimes a very stormy place," said the commander. "I
+have feared more than anything else when you have been sailing in the
+Maud that she might get separated from the ship in a fog, or in some
+other manner, and that the little steamer might come to grief, however
+well she might be handled; for she certainly is not large enough for an
+independent voyage.</p>
+
+<p>"In the very last paper I received from New York, I read of a new
+steam-yacht to be built by a millionaire for the voyage around the world
+which has lately become the fad of millionaires. One item struck my
+attention; that she was to be armed with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span> four cannon whose calibre was
+not given, as well as with a supply of small arms. The wealthy voyager
+was afraid of pirates, or some other freebooters on the Malabar and
+Malay coasts, as well as among the islands of the Indian Ocean and those
+of the Pacific.</p>
+
+<p>"As you are aware, I took the same precautions myself; and I only regret
+now that I did not take on board more guns and small arms. We have had
+occasion to use our twelve-pounders on one occasion, and perhaps, if the
+ship had reached the coast of Cyprus at the time I expected, I might
+have found them useful. I do not anticipate any trouble from native
+pirates wherever we may go; but I think the Maud is a temptation to
+Arabs and other natives.</p>
+
+<p>"In 1882 Edward Henry Palmer, an Englishman, while on a peaceful mission
+with two officers of the British service, was murdered by the natives,
+with his two companions, near Suez, but on the other side of the gulf.
+If I were sure that the ship could always be near enough to defend the
+little steamer if attacked, I should feel different about it. Then we
+are liable to encounter fearful storms, cyclones, in the Indian Ocean,
+and I think it is more prudent to have the little craft on our deck,
+rather than in the water."</p>
+
+<p>Neither Captain Scott nor Felix was disposed to argue the question, and
+they said nothing. Early in the morning the work of preparation began
+with the removal of everything heavy from the Maud that was not a
+fixture. She was a large steam-launch to be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span> hoisted on the deck of a
+steamer no larger than the Guardian-Mother; but the task was
+satisfactorily accomplished by lunch-time. The afternoon was used in
+bracing the craft in her position, and putting everything around her in
+ship-shape condition.</p>
+
+<p>The space occupied by Conference Hall had been taken; but the captain
+had set the carpenter at work to extend the promenade six feet aft, and
+the work was completed before night. The carpet was laid, and the
+arm-chairs removed to the new Conference Hall. The awning overhead was
+to be lengthened out by the sailmakers among the crew.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Shafter had always insisted that his force was too small, and the
+captain admitted the truth of his position. Felipe Garcias had stood on
+the books of the ship as third engineer for several months; and John
+Donald was made fourth engineer. The chief was entirely satisfied with
+the appointments. Pitts returned to his place on the forecastle as a
+seaman. The "Big Four" had staterooms in the cabin. After all, the
+change was only the restoration of the old order of things before the
+ship arrived at Gibraltar.</p>
+
+<p>At daylight the next morning the Guardian-Mother hauled out of the
+basin, and started on her voyage for the other extremity of the Red
+Sea.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXVII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE CONFERENCE ON THE PROMENADE</h3>
+
+
+<p>The promenade did not wholly change its name after it became Conference
+Hall, and had been enlarged and improved. It was as popular a resort as
+it had ever been when the ship was under way and there was anything to
+be seen. The place was occupied when the ship hauled out of the basin in
+the early morning of January 19; for the passengers had all asked to be
+called at five o'clock.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed a little strange to go to sea without the Maud astern, and
+with the principal members of her ship's company seated with the others
+on the promenade. The commander had engaged a pilot for the whole length
+of the Red Sea; for it is full of rocks and reefs, making the navigation
+difficult and dangerous, though it has been thoroughly surveyed, and the
+chart is speckled with small islands and coral reefs.</p>
+
+<p>"I could give you the Arabic names of some of the surroundings as we
+proceed," said the captain, who had taken a position where he could
+observe the movements of the vessel, and it enabled him to look into the
+pilot-house through the after windows when he desired to do so.</p>
+
+<p>"Please don't, Captain Ringgold!" exclaimed Mrs.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span> Belgrave. "It makes my
+jaws ache even to hear them."</p>
+
+<p>"But there are some things which have no other names, and they must
+sometimes be used. That buoy on the starboard has no English name; but
+it is of no consequence, and I will not try to speak it. On the opposite
+shore is the Gebel Ataka, which you have noticed before. By this time
+you have learned that gebel is a mountain, and <i>jebel</i>, as you will find
+it on your map of the Peninsula of Sinai, means the same thing. <i>Ras</i> is
+a cape. Formerly I knew many more words than now; for it is very easy to
+forget a foreign language."</p>
+
+<p>"There is a lightship on the starboard," said Louis, who was seated
+between his mother and Miss Blanche.</p>
+
+<p>"That is the Zenobia, on Newport Rock," added the captain. "Now look to
+the shore on the left, which is called Abu Darraj. Perhaps you had
+better write it down and remember it; for the people in this vicinity
+believe the Israelites crossed the Red Sea where the ship is at this
+moment. The water was formerly very shallow here, and a passage for
+vessels had to be dredged through it. Napoleon and some of his generals
+were here, and tried to cross over on horseback; but the sea served him
+as it did Pharaoh and his army; the wind changed, and the tide rolled in
+so that he was compelled to retreat."</p>
+
+<p>There was nothing more to be explained, and the commander went to the
+pilot-house; but the air was delightfully pleasant, and the sun rising
+over the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span> mountains of the peninsula was a beautiful sight. The ladies
+were in raptures, and some of the gentlemen shared the enthusiasm. The
+boys left their seats, and walked about the upper deck. Then Miss
+Blanche thought she had better walk for a time before breakfast, and
+very soon the whole party were occupied in the same manner. The
+commander had appointed a conference at nine o'clock, and several
+interesting subjects were to be considered.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold was not disposed to drive his ship at her best speed,
+which was over sixteen knots an hour; but he had instructed Mr. Shafter,
+the chief engineer, to give her about fourteen knots, for she was more
+comfortable at this rate than when forced to do her utmost, to say
+nothing of the saving of coal. At this rate she would arrive at Bombay
+in ten days, including a stop of one day at Aden. In this time he
+expected to accomplish a great deal in the school of the conference.</p>
+
+<p>The weather was fortunately all that could be desired, though the Red
+Sea sometimes behaves very badly; and at the time appointed the members
+of the party were all in their places on the promenade. The little
+table, with its vase of flowers brought from the gardens of the
+Terreplein, was in position. Mr. Woolridge was one of the first to take
+his arm-chair. He had at first been rather indifferent in regard to the
+instruction element of the ship, but had become quite interested since
+he had been called to the platform as a speaker.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The commander was the first to take the platform; and he appeared with a
+rose in the lappel of his coat, which probably would not have been there
+if Mrs. Belgrave had not placed it there. She was very fond of flowers,
+and had arranged quite a collection of potted plants, as well as filled
+all the vases on board with cut flowers from the village.</p>
+
+<p>"The subject first in order seems to be the Red Sea; and we have not yet
+spoken of it in detail, though we have had considerable to say about it.
+I shall purposely omit some things which will be explained when we come
+to them. I am glad to see that you have brought your diaries or
+note-books with you, as I suggested, and you can write down the names of
+notable sights and the figures I shall give. I wish to say that I have
+always prepared myself for these occasions, and do not talk to you at
+random.</p>
+
+<p>"The Red Sea is an arm of the Indian Ocean, with the Gulf of Aden, about
+800 miles long, as a connection between them. The Persian Gulf, with the
+Gulf of Oman, forms a similar body of water, and they will probably
+render the same service to England and India that the Red Sea does at
+the present time. Arabia lies between them. The sea on which we are now
+sailing is 1,200 miles long."</p>
+
+<p>"Badaeker gives the length as 1,400 miles," said Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"He gives it in English miles," replied the commander. "A degree of a
+great circle is 69.07 English, or statute miles as we call them, or 60
+geographical<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span> sea miles or knots. This distinction has been fully
+explained to you before. For ordinary purposes the number of sea miles
+is to the number of statute miles in the ratio of six to seven. In other
+words, there will be six-sevenths as many knots as statute miles, and
+conversely, seven-sixths as many statute as sea miles. Six-sevenths of
+1,400 is 1,200; and thus we agree.</p>
+
+<p>"The Red Sea varies in width from 100 to 200 miles, and in the broadest
+part it is 205 sea miles. We are still in the Gulf of Suez, and shall be
+till about five this afternoon. On the African side you will see
+mountains all the way to the strait, with only sand between them and the
+water. There is nothing that can be called a town between Suez and
+Koser, over 300 statute miles. All around the sea are coral-reefs; and
+we shall pass a lighthouse on one right in the middle of it. Not a
+single river flows into the Red Sea, for there are no rains in Egypt;
+and if there were on either side, the desert would absorb all the water.</p>
+
+<p>"This sea has the reputation of being a hot region. The thermometer
+ranges from 70&deg; to 94&deg;, and sometimes the mercury mounts to over 100&deg;,
+always in the daytime, and it may fall to the freezing point at night,
+though rarely. As on the Nile, the rule is hot days and cool nights,
+though you may find some of the latter uncomfortable farther south, for
+the water has shown a temperature of 100&deg;.</p>
+
+<p>"The water is somewhat salter than the ocean,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span> because no rivers empty
+into it, and because of excessive evaporation. It has been said by some
+scientists that, if the Red Sea were entirely enclosed, it would become
+a solid body of salt in less than two thousand years. I suppose they
+mean that all the fluid would evaporate, and the salt in it would remain
+at the bottom. We will not worry about it.</p>
+
+<p>"The average depth of this sea is 2,250 feet, and the greatest 7,200. I
+have nothing more to say about it; but while I am up I will say a few
+words about the new route to India of which I have spoken before. The
+Gulf of Iskanderun, sometimes called Scanderoon, is the north-east
+corner of the Mediterranean. Its eastern shore is within a hundred miles
+of the headwaters of the Euphrates River, which is navigable for small
+craft to Bir. Sixty years ago some preferred it to the Suez route. A
+grant of money was made by Parliament, two iron steamers of small size
+were put into the river; and though one of them was sunk, the other went
+through to the Persian Gulf.</p>
+
+<p>"It was shown that this route was about a thousand miles less in
+distance than any other to Kurrachee, the nearest port in India. But
+political influences were at work against it, first from Egypt, and then
+from some of the Powers, in the belief that it would give England an
+advantage in the affairs of Asia, and the scheme was dropped. Now we
+will take a walk of half an hour about the ship; for school-children
+need rest and recreation.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But I wish to remind you again that you are now near the ancient world;
+for Arabia is in sight all the time, and Assyria, Babylonia, Syria are
+beyond it. The professor will have the floor after the intermission."</p>
+
+<p>During the recess the party walked about the deck and observed the
+mountains, which were still in sight on both sides. Four bells, or ten
+o'clock, was the signal for them to come together again. Whatever might
+be anticipated farther south, the air was soft and pleasant, and not
+over warm, about 70&deg; in the shade.</p>
+
+<p>"My excellent friend, Mr. Woolridge, has just reminded me of the promise
+made by the commander that certain ancient travellers over the world
+should be taken up, as we have frequent occasion to quote them,"
+Professor Giroud began. "There are only three of them of any especial
+note, the first of whom is Herodotus, 'the Father of History,' as he is
+often called, and was worthy of the title.</p>
+
+<p>"He was born about 485 years before the time of Christ, at
+Helicarnassus, a Greek colony of Asia. This was about the time the
+Persians were invading Greece. When this city obtained its freedom,
+there was a dispute about the method of government, in which he was
+involved, and which caused him to leave his native place. For the
+ancient time, over two thousand years ago, when they had no railroads
+and steamboats, his travels are remarkable for their extent. He went all
+over Asia Minor and Greece proper, as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span> well as the islands of the &AElig;gean
+Sea. He visited Macedonia, Thrace, and the coasts of the Black Sea.</p>
+
+<p>"What was more remarkable, he penetrated to the Persian Empire and
+Babylon, and toured Egypt more thoroughly than most modern travellers.
+Then he extended his wanderings to Sicily and lower Italy. He was alive
+at the first of the Peloponnesian War; but what became of him, when or
+where he died, is not known.</p>
+
+<p>"He spent the greater part of his life in travel, though not for
+pleasure, but in acquiring knowledge which he intended to make useful to
+the world. He was the most eminent geographer of his time, and he may
+father that science as appropriately as that of history. But he treated
+many other branches of knowledge, like the races of men and their
+peculiarities, mythology, arch&aelig;ology, and, in fact, everything that came
+within the range of his observation. He was a man of a high order of
+intellect, a philosopher in his criticism of governments. Modern
+scholars are greatly indebted to him, and his works are still extant. He
+did not have the highest style of composition; but he was an honest man,
+and he wrote as he talked. You can understand the frequent references to
+him in modern books of travel.</p>
+
+<p>"Not as favorable a notice can be given of Strabo, who was an ancient
+geographer. He was born about sixty-four years before Christ, at Amasia
+in Pontus."</p>
+
+<p>"Where was that?" asked the magnate, who was taking the deepest interest
+in the exercise.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It is a name given to a country in the north-eastern corner of Asia
+Minor, on the Black Sea, the ancient name of which was Pontus Euxinus,
+or Euxine Sea, from which it got its name. His mother was of Greek
+descent, and nothing is known of his father. I suppose you all know what
+strabismus means."</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure I don't," replied Mrs. Blossom; and probably she was the only
+one who could answer in the negative.</p>
+
+<p>"In plain terms, it means cross-eyed; and doubtless Strabo obtained his
+name from having this defect in his eyes. Whether any of his family were
+called so before him is not known. He studied with various learned men
+in Greece, Rome, and Alexandria. It does not appear that he had any
+occupation, but devoted all his time to study and travel. He wrote
+forty-seven books, and those on geography were very valuable; for he
+wrote from his own observation, though sometimes he is very full, at
+others very meagre. He is regarded as by no means the equal of
+Herodotus.</p>
+
+<p>"The third of whom I am to speak is Diodorus Siculus."</p>
+
+<p>"You have put a tail on his name, Professor," added the magnate.</p>
+
+<p>"That is as much a part of his name as the rest of it, as used by
+scholars. It means that he was born in Sicily. Very little is known
+about him beyond what he told himself. He lived in the time of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span> Julius
+C&aelig;sar and Augustus, and for a long time in Rome. He travelled in Europe
+and Asia for material. He wrote a history of the world from the creation
+to the time of Julius C&aelig;sar. Some of the volumes are lost, and some of
+them are still read.</p>
+
+<p>"Diodorus was deficient in the qualifications of a historian; and about
+all that is valuable in his writings is the mass of facts he gives, from
+which he was not competent to make the proper deductions. The material
+he gathered is valuable; but the thirty years he spent in the
+composition of his works have not purchased for him the literary
+reputation of Herodotus, or even of Strabo."</p>
+
+<p>"I am very much obliged to you for your lecture, and I hope others
+besides myself have profited by it," said Mr. Woolridge.</p>
+
+<p>The professor bowed, and took some manuscript from his pocket.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXVIII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD</h3>
+
+
+<p>When the promenade had been transformed into Conference Hall, the
+arrangement for the maps had not been forgotten, and the frame had been
+set up against the after end of the pilot-house. It covered the two
+windows; but they were not needed when the ship was at sea. When the
+professor made his bow, Mr. Gaskette exposed to the view of the audience
+a map which had been completed before the steamer arrived at Port Said;
+and all the way through the canal he and his assistants had been busy
+upon others.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps I ought to apologize for this map, Captain Ringgold," said Mr.
+Gaskette, when he had unrolled the huge sheet; "for the boundaries of
+these ancient countries are so indefinite in the great atlas that I have
+not been able to lay down all of them."</p>
+
+<p>"You have done exceedingly well, Mr. Gaskette, and I think the professor
+can ask for nothing better than you have given him," replied the
+commander.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly not," added the learned gentleman. "I can give the boundaries
+no more definitely than they are presented on this beautiful map. I am
+extremely delighted to have the assistance which it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span> will afford me. The
+artist might have guessed at some of the division lines, as others have
+done. He has given us Mesopotamia, Susiana, and the region between them,
+and that is all I desire.</p>
+
+<p>"Perhaps I shall disappoint you, Mr. Commander, by the meagreness of my
+description of these ancient countries; for these subjects in detail
+would be very tiresome to the company under present circumstances, and I
+propose to bring out only a few salient points in regard to them," said
+the professor.</p>
+
+<p>"The only thing I feared, Professor, was that you would go into them too
+diffusely, forgetting that your audience are not savants, or even
+college students, such as you have been in the habit of addressing. I am
+very glad to find that you have just the right idea in regard to the
+situation," replied Captain Ringgold.</p>
+
+<p>"It is fortunate that we agree," continued the instructor, as he took
+the pointer and turned to the map. "This map lays before you the region
+lying to the north-east of Arabia, on the port hand of the ship, as the
+commander would say; and with your imagination you can look over these
+mountains and sands and see it. You observe that Syria is on the west of
+the northern part of it, with Armenia just where it is now, on the north
+of it, though there was more of it then than now; for in ancient times
+it reached to the Caspian Sea. An old lady in the country at whose house
+I used to spend my vacation used to call things that could not be
+changed as fixed as the laws of the 'Medes and Parsicans.' She<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span> meant
+the Medes and Persians; and Media, now a part of Persia, was the eastern
+boundary of the region mapped out On the south-east is Susiana, now a
+large portion of Persia.</p>
+
+<p>"This beautiful map tempts me to be more diffuse than I should have been
+without it; but it gives you a bit of ancient geography which will do
+you no harm. There are two great rivers which extend through this
+territory, the Euphrates and the Tigris, though both of them unite and
+flow into the Persian Gulf. Of the former of them the commander has
+spoken to you this morning. Scholars have not been able to locate
+Paradise, or the Garden of Eden, with anything like precision; but it is
+generally supposed to have been between these two great streams. Some
+think it was not a place at all, but only a location given to a moral
+idea; others place it in the mountains of Armenia or Northern
+Mesopotamia."</p>
+
+<p>"The pesky Bible critics!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom; but Mrs. Belgrave
+"hunched her" as the good lady expressed it.</p>
+
+<p>"All this region has been in the possession of various masters, and even
+the countries themselves are very much mixed. Assyria was the eastern
+portion of the northern part," continued the professor, indicating the
+location with his wand. "In the British Museum and elsewhere you have
+seen bass-reliefs and figures brought from the ruins of Assyrian cities,
+and in these the country is called Assur. In Genesis x. 11, we read:
+'Out of that land [Shinar] went forth<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span> Asshur, and builded Nineveh.'
+This was said of Nimrod; Shinar was a name of Babylonia.</p>
+
+<p>"The history becomes complicated, and is a record of the achievements of
+the Assyrian kings, Tiglath-Pileser, Sargon, Sennacherib, and others. It
+would not be profitable to go over them. The Babylonian monarchy was
+before Assyria was founded. The government was a despotism with nothing
+to soften it, and the religion was the worship of many gods. Its history
+dates back from 913 to 659 years before the birth of Christ, though
+there are tablets which carry it back to 2330 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> The empire began to
+decay in the reign of Sardanapalus, when the governor of Babylon and the
+king of Media conspired against it; and Nineveh was captured and
+destroyed a little more than 600 years before Christ."</p>
+
+<p>The commander announced another recess at this time, though the party
+appeared to be very much interested in the story of these ancient
+countries, closely connected with Bible history. Half an hour was spent
+in walking the deck and gazing at the shores, which were still the same,
+for the ship was yet in the Gulf of Suez. After this rest the professor
+resumed his place on the rostrum.</p>
+
+<p>"This is Babylonia, as it is now called to distinguish it from Babylon,
+the city," said the instructor, as he pointed to the region along the
+shores of the southern Euphrates, and to the city on both sides of it.
+"In the Scripture it is called Shinar, Babel, and 'the Land of the
+Chaldees.' It was and is a very<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></span> rich and fertile country, extensively
+irrigated in modern times. Susiana is now a part of Persia, and the rest
+of the territory represented on the map is included in Turkey in Asia.</p>
+
+<p>"The people were of the Semitic race; in other words, they were
+descended from Shem, the son of Noah; but Babylonia in the past and
+present is a land of many races and languages, and the readers of the
+inscriptions have been bothered by the variety of tongues. The British
+and the New York Museum have figures and tablets revealing the history
+of Babylonia. But it takes an arch&aelig;ologist to translate their
+discoveries. The relations of the monuments indicate that the antiquity
+of Babylonia reaches back about as far as that of Egypt. A stone in the
+British Museum brought from this locality has the name of Sargon I.,
+king of Akkad, is reliably vouched for as coming down from the year 3800
+<span class="smcap">b.c.</span></p>
+
+<p>"The ancient tablets inform us that Narbonassar ascended his throne in
+747 (all these dates are <span class="smcap">b.c.</span>). He reigned fourteen years, which were
+taken up in wars with Assyria, in which the latter got the best of it in
+the end. Then, in 625, invasions from the east afforded the Babylonians
+the opportunity of throwing off the yoke of Assyria, and Nabopolassar
+became king. In 604 he was succeeded by his son Nebuchadnezzar, who was
+accounted one of the greatest monarchs that ever ruled the empire.</p>
+
+<p>"In the forty-three years of his reign he recovered the lost provinces
+of the kingdom, and made his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span> country the queen of the nations of his
+time. He rebuilt the city of Babylon, and restored all the temples and
+public edifices. It is said that not a single mound has been opened in
+this territory in which were not found bricks, cylinders, or tablets on
+which his name was inscribed. He captured Jerusalem, and a year later
+destroyed it, sending most of its people to Chaldea. He died in 561, and
+was succeeded by his son.</p>
+
+<p>"This son was murdered; and there was confusion again till 556, when the
+throne was usurped by Nabonidus, the son of a soothsayer, who became a
+wise and active prince, and his reign ranks next in importance to that
+of Nebuchadnezzar. His name is found in almost all the temples
+unearthed. After he had ruled seventeen years, all Babylonia revolted
+against him because he neglected his religious duties, as well as those
+of the court, leaving all the business to be done by his son Belshazzar.</p>
+
+<p>"At this point the historians get mixed again. Some say that Belshazzar
+was the last king of Babylonia. In Daniel v. 30, we read: 'In that night
+was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median
+took the kingdom.' Xenophon informs us that Babylon was taken in the
+night while the inhabitants were engaged in feasting and revelry, and
+that the king was killed. To this extent sacred and profane history
+agree. The country became a Persian province. Then it was conquered by
+Alexander the Great, who died in Babylon in 323. It<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span> was also a part of
+the Roman Empire at two different times.</p>
+
+<p>"In 650 the successors of Mohammed overthrew the Persian monarchy, and
+the province was the seat of the caliphs till <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> 1258. On the Tigris
+in this region is the city of Bagdad, the capital of a province of the
+same name. Here lived and reigned the Caliph Haroun al-Raschid, or
+Haroun 'the Orthodox,' who is more famous in story than in history,
+though he was a wise ruler, a poet, and a scholar, and built up his
+domain. I have disposed of the two principal empires of this region,
+pictured on the map; and the next in order is Persia."</p>
+
+<p>"You haven't told us about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, said to be
+one of the great wonders of the world," suggested Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"They are hardly historical; but I will give you what I recall in
+relation to them. One writer says they were built by Queen Semiramis,
+the wife of Ninus, an alleged founder of Nineveh. She was a beautiful
+girl, brought up by Simmas, a shepherd, from whom her name is derived.
+One of the king's generals fell in love with her and married her. Then
+he himself was smitten by her beauty, and wanted her himself; the
+husband was good-natured enough to commit suicide, and she became queen.
+Ninus soon died in a very accommodating manner, and Semiramis reigned
+alone for over forty years.</p>
+
+<p>"Others regard the wonderful gardens as the work of Nebuchadnezzar.
+Diodorus Siculus and Strabo<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span> have described them. They are said to have
+covered about four acres, built on terraces, supported by arches of
+brick or stone, and were seventy-five feet high. They were watered from
+a reservoir at the top, to which water was forced from the Euphrates.
+Fountains and banquet halls were placed on the various terraces, as well
+as gardens of flowers. Trees, groves, and avenues gave a variety to the
+scene, and the view of the vast city was magnificent."</p>
+
+<p>The professor retired; and another recess followed at the word of the
+commander, who thought his school was doing admirably, and he was
+anxious not to overdo the matter.</p>
+
+<p>"I am afraid it will take all day for me to dispose of the subjects
+assigned to me," said the professor, as he took his place again.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope it will," replied Mr. Woolridge. "Very much to my surprise, I
+have become deeply interested in the subjects you present, Professor."</p>
+
+<p>"It is better than the theatre," added Miss Blanche in a low tone to
+Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall give you only a few fragments in regard to Persia, and leave
+Syria to be considered when the Guardian-Mother makes her trip to
+Palestine. Persia is called Iran by the natives, and it is the largest
+and most powerful native kingdom of Western Asia. It includes the
+provinces of Susiana, Persis, and Media on the map, and extends from the
+Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, with Afghanistan and Beloochistan on
+the east, and Asia Minor on the west.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"A considerable portion of the country is mountainous, and between the
+Elburz range and the Caspian Sea is an extinct volcano 18,600 feet high.
+About three-fourths of Persia is practically a desert for want of rain
+or artificial irrigation. In California, Colorado, and other States, our
+people have transformed just such regions into fertile districts. But in
+spite of the fact that such a large portion of the country is a desert,
+some parts are exceedingly fertile and beautiful. Some immense valleys,
+even a hundred miles wide, are of this character, and the productions of
+the country are varied and valuable. It has no navigable rivers, though
+many of large size and volume, some of which are beginning to be used
+for purposes of irrigation. There are many salt lakes.</p>
+
+<p>"The climate is varied; as Cyrus said to Xenophon, 'The people perish
+with cold at one extremity, and are suffocated with heat at the other.'
+The population has been estimated from forty down to eight millions; and
+the latter is probably about correct. Roads are utterly neglected, and
+the people live in mean houses, generally of earth or mud, and the
+wealthy are not much better housed than the poorer class. The trade is
+of little importance. There are silk manufactures in nearly every
+province. Cotton and woollen fabrics, carpets, shawls, and felt goods
+are largely produced; and the trade is carried on between the chief
+towns of Persia with the interior of Asia by caravans. They exchange
+these goods for cloth, printed calico, tea, coffee, and fancy goods.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span>
+Teheran in the north is the capital and the most important place;
+Ispahan is in the centre, Shiraz in the south, and Bushire is the
+principal seaport on the gulf.</p>
+
+<p>"The government is an absolute monarchy of the most pronounced kind,
+though somewhat influenced by the priests, the dread of private
+vengeance, and insurrection. Taxation is heavy, and very burdensome to
+the subjects. Persia has a standing army of 200,000, but it is said to
+exist largely on paper. Incidentally you have learned considerable about
+the history of the country, and I shall not go over it. The present
+shah, as he is called, is N&acirc;sr ed-d&icirc;n, born in 1831. He ought to be a
+progressive monarch, for he has visited England and France several
+times."</p>
+
+<p>The professor retired, and the conference adjourned till afternoon.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIX</h2>
+
+<h3>VIEW OF MOUNT SINAI IN THE DISTANCE</h3>
+
+
+<p>When the professor concluded his lecture for the forenoon, the audience
+scattered, some of them feeling the need of more exercise; but Captain
+Ringgold went to the pilot-house. Like the cabin passengers, he
+immediately gave his attention to the mountains of the peninsula; for
+the African shore was little better than a blank, with nothing there
+worthy of notice. The pilot was an intelligent man, and he proceeded to
+question him in regard to the peaks in sight.</p>
+
+<p>Just then there was nothing difficult in the navigation; and Twist, the
+quartermaster, was at the wheel, steering the course which had been
+given out, south south-west half west. The pilot knew the mountains as
+though they had been old friends of his for a lifetime. It did not take
+the commander long to learn his lesson; and he returned to the deck,
+where the passengers were gazing at the lofty points, thirty to forty
+miles distant, but still very distinctly seen in the clear air of the
+day. As soon as the captain appeared they gathered around him. He had
+ordered all the spy-glasses on board to be brought out, and those who
+had opera or field glasses had been to their staterooms for them.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Isn't it time to see something, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave,
+to whom he had directed his steps.</p>
+
+<p>"There is always something to be seen in a narrow gulf like this, though
+we shall be out of sight of land to-morrow morning when you come on
+deck. We are now abreast of a plateau 1,600 feet high, which extends for
+about thirty miles along the coast. It is a part of the desert of Kaa,
+which extends to the southern point of the peninsula, over which you
+would have had to travel first by camel for nearly twenty miles, if we
+had gone to Mount Sinai by the only route open to us.</p>
+
+<p>"We have seen about deserts enough," added the lady.</p>
+
+<p>"Then you are the better prepared for the immense contrast between
+plains of sand and the rich lands of India, covered with the most
+luxuriant foliage. Now we have it at its best!" exclaimed the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"What do we have? I don't see anything."</p>
+
+<p>"We have Mount Serbal, which some believe is the genuine Mount Sinai,"
+continued the commander, as he pointed out the loftiest peak in sight,
+and which was readily distinguished from all others.</p>
+
+<p>All the passengers had by this time gathered near him; for all of them
+were anticipating a sight at the lofty height which had given a name to
+the peninsula, though its real name is Arabia Petr&aelig;a, as we used to read
+about it in "Stephens's Travels" sixty years ago.</p>
+
+<p>"That mountain is the highest on the peninsula;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span> and if it is not the
+real Mount Sinai, where the law was delivered to Moses, some insist that
+it ought to be, for they say it is loftier, grander, nobler, and more
+worthy the great event than the one which is generally assigned as its
+location," said the captain. "As you have been informed before, Serbal
+is 8,712 feet high."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Blossom did not appear to be satisfied. Evidently she desired to
+"gush" over the Holy Mountain; but the doubt as to "which was which," as
+she stated it, bothered her very seriously, and she was not at all
+friendly to the "pesky Bible critics," who had raised the doubt as to
+its identity.</p>
+
+<p>"Jebel Musa!" shouted the commander a couple of hours later; and the
+party gathered around him again.</p>
+
+<p>"What on earth is that?" demanded the good lady.</p>
+
+<p>"Keep cool, Sarah," said Mrs. Belgrave to her. "The captain will tell
+you all about it in due time."</p>
+
+<p>"Jebel, or gebel, means a mountain in Arabic; Musa is sometimes spelled
+Moosa; and the whole name, I suppose, is 'Mountain of Moses,'" the
+commander explained as soon as he had enabled every one to see the peak
+that went by this name. "In other words, that is what nearly everybody
+who knows anything about the matter believes to be the true Mount
+Sinai."</p>
+
+<p>"Mount Sinai!" almost screamed Mrs. Blossom, who had apparently
+determined not to be harassed by any more doubts, for what everybody
+believed to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span> be true must be so. "I should like to die on that
+mountain," she declared, wringing her hands in a sort of rapture.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't make yourself ridiculous, Sarah," interposed Mrs. Belgrave in a
+whisper.</p>
+
+<p>"How can a body look on Mount Sinai without being stirred up?" demanded
+the good woman.</p>
+
+<p>But whether it was Jebel Serbal or Jebel Musa, Mount Sinai was there;
+and doubtless most of the company were as much impressed by the fact as
+the excellent lady from Von Blonk Park, though they were less
+demonstrative about it. Mrs. Belgrave was silent for a time; and then
+she struck up one of Watts's familiar hymns, in which the others joined
+her:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Not to the terrors of the Lord,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">The tempest, fire, and smoke,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Not to the thunder of that word<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">Which God on Sinai spoke;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">But we are come to Zion's hill,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">The city of our God,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Where milder words declare his will,<br /></span>
+<span class="i2">And spread his love abroad."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>As the gong sounded for lunch the ship was off Tur, but too far off to
+see the place, if there was anything there to see; and the commander
+mentioned it only as the port to which they would have sailed if they
+had gone to Mount Sinai. The "Big Four" were more interested in the
+Arabian craft they saw near the shore, for they always keep close to the
+land.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span> Their captains are familiar with all the intricate reefs where
+large vessels never go. They are very cautious sailors, and on the least
+sign of foul weather they run into one of the creeks which indent the
+coast. They never sail at night; and if they have to cross the sea, they
+wait for settled weather.</p>
+
+<p>At the hour appointed for the afternoon conference the passengers were
+all in their places; and however the report of his lectures may read,
+the listeners were deeply interested, partly because they were inspired
+by a desire for knowledge, and partly on account of their proximity to
+the countries described. A map of the peninsula of Arabia had been
+unrolled on the frame, with enough of its surroundings to enable the
+audience to fix its location definitely in their minds. The professor
+came up smiling and pleasant as he always was, and the boys saluted him
+with a round of applause.</p>
+
+<p>"My subject this time is Arabia, which the natives call Jezirat-al-Arab,
+and the Turks and Persians Arabistan. It is a peninsula, the isthmus of
+which reaches across from the south-eastern corner of the Mediterranean
+to the head of the Persian Gulf," the professor began, indicating on the
+map the localities mentioned with the pointer. "Asia abounds in
+peninsulas, and Arabia is the great south-western one. From north-west
+to south-east it extends 1800 miles, and is about 600 wide. It has an
+area of 1,230,000 square miles, which is a very indefinite statement to
+the mind, though given in figures, and I will adopt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span> the commander's
+method of giving a better idea by comparison with some of the States of
+your own country.</p>
+
+<p>"It is nearly five times as large as the State of Texas, the most
+extensive of the Union, and almost twenty-six times as large as the
+State of New York. They do not take a census here; and estimates from
+the best information that could be obtained make the population five
+millions, which is less than that of the State of New York. Mr. Gaskette
+has colored a strip of it along the Red Sea, about a hundred miles wide,
+in green, as he has Palestine and the other parts of Turkey in Asia
+shown before you. A large portion of Arabia consists of deserts, the
+principal of which is the Syrian in the north.</p>
+
+<p>"Ptolemy, not the king but the geographer, divided Arabia into three
+sections,&mdash;Arabia Petr&aelig;a, after the city of Petra; Arabia Deserta, the
+interior; and Arabia Felix (Arabie Heureuse in French), which does not
+mean 'the happy land,' as generally translated. Milton says, 'Sabean
+odors from the spicy shores of Araby the blest.' The words meant the
+land lying to the right, or south of Mecca, the Oriental principal point
+of the compass being the east and not the north.</p>
+
+<p>"The proper divisions at the present time are the Sinai peninsula,
+Hedjaz, which is the northern part of the green strip; Yemen, the south
+part (formerly Arabia Felix); Hadramaut, which borders the Arabian Gulf,
+the ante-sea of the Red; and Oman, a mountainous<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span> region at the entrance
+of the Persian Gulf, an independent country, under the government of the
+sultan or imam of Muscat, as the territory is also called.</p>
+
+<p>"We do not know much about the interior of Arabia, one-third of which is
+a desert, part of a zone reaching over all of Africa and Asia. El-Hasa,
+along the Persian Gulf in the east, for such a country, is level and
+fertile, and is really a Turkish province, like those on the west coast.
+A short rainy season occurs on the west coast, which only fills up the
+low places; and there is hardly a river, if there is anything entitled
+to the name, which is strong enough to go alone to the sea from any
+distance inland. Fine fruits are raised, especially in Yemen, as well as
+coffee, grain, tobacco, cotton, spices, aloes, frankincense, and myrrh.</p>
+
+<p>"Sheep, goats, oxen, camels, and horses are raised for domestic use.
+Gazelles and ostriches live in some of the oases, where also the lion,
+panther, hyena, and jackal seek their prey. The magnificent Arabian
+horse has been raised here for a thousand years. The camel is one of the
+most useful animals of this country; and some suppose he is an original
+native, for his likeness is not found among Egyptian drawings and
+sculptures. There are plenty of fish and turtle along the coast.</p>
+
+<p>"The original Arab is found here, and there is something about him to
+challenge our admiration. He is muscular, though of medium height, and
+is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span> sharp and quick-witted by nature. He has some leading virtues, such
+as hospitality and good faith; he is courageous and temperate, perhaps
+because wine and spirits are forbidden in the Koran. But he is a sort of
+a natural robber, and seeks a terrible revenge for serious injuries. His
+wife, and there are often several of her, does the work, keeps house,
+and educates the children. Some Arabs are settled in towns or oases, and
+others lead a wandering life.</p>
+
+<p>"'Blessed is the country that has no history,' for it is usually the
+record of wars. Arabia has nothing that can properly be called history;
+but it has been concerned in the wars of Turkey and Egypt. What there is
+relates to the birth and life of Mohammed, and his wars to promote the
+increase of his followers; and I shall tell you the story of the Prophet
+at another time."</p>
+
+<p>The professor retired after the usual applause. Some walked the deck,
+watching whatever was to be seen, especially the Arabian dhows, and
+occasionally a large steamer passed; and some went to sleep in their
+staterooms. The course of the Guardian-Mother had been varied as much as
+the soundings would permit as she approached the Jubal Strait, which is
+the entrance to the Gulf of Suez, in order to give the passengers a view
+of some interesting scenery.</p>
+
+<p>"There is the Jebel Zeyt," said the commander, as he pointed out a group
+of hills, called mountains by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span> courtesy, of a reddish hue. "Those hills
+are 1,530 feet high, and this locality is famous in story. The material
+of the elevations is h&aelig;matite, which Dr. Hawkes can explain better than
+I can."</p>
+
+<p>"It is a native sesquioxide of a reddish color, with a blood-like
+streak," added the surgeon, laughing.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you understand it, Mrs. Blossom?" asked the captain, turning to that
+worthy lady.</p>
+
+<p>"I am sure I don't," protested she, blushing.</p>
+
+<p>"The sesquipedality of that word is trying to all of us, I fancy, and I
+am in the same box as the lady; for I am as sure as she is that I don't
+know the meaning of the word," added the professor.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course you don't, for it is a technical term," replied the doctor.
+"It means an oxide in which two atoms of a metal combine with three
+atoms of oxygen. Please to remember it, Mrs. Blossom."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't even know what an ox-hide is," returned the lady promptly; for
+the professor had vindicated her by not understanding a definition
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>"We will settle that another time, if you please," interposed the
+commander. "These rocks are said to be so powerfully magnetic as to
+affect the compasses of ships passing them. The water is sometimes
+marked about here with patches of oil. Large sums were expended in this
+vicinity in boring for petroleum; but none of any account was found.
+Probably the red mountain has given its name to the sea, though that is
+not known."</p>
+
+<p>"Possibly Sinbad the Sailor was in this strait when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span> the loadstone drew
+out the bolts in his ship, though he does not give the latitude and
+longitude of the place in the story of his adventure," suggested Louis.
+In the evening the passengers looked at the lights, and retired at a
+seasonable hour.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXX</h2>
+
+<h3>SOME ACCOUNT OF MOHAMMED THE PROPHET</h3>
+
+
+<p>The passengers of the Guardian-Mother fell back into their former sea
+habits when there was nothing particular to be seen, and only the young
+men appeared on deck before seven o'clock. Mrs. Belgrave and Louis were
+the first to meet the commander on the second morning. He had been to
+the pilot-house several times during the night; but he was an early
+riser, and had already looked over the log slate, and visited every part
+of the ship.</p>
+
+<p>"Good-morning, Mrs. Belgrave; good-morning, Louis; I hope you have both
+slept well," said the captain, saluting them.</p>
+
+<p>"I have slept like a rock all night long," replied the lady.</p>
+
+<p>"I have fallen into sailors' ways, so that I go to sleep whenever I lie
+down," added Louis. "I could sleep my four hours on board of the Maud,
+and wake at the right time without being called. But where are we now,
+sir?"</p>
+
+<p>"You see the lighthouse ahead; that is in latitude 25&deg;. We are now
+nearly as far south as the first cataract on the Nile, as far south as
+we went in Africa."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I can understand that better than simple figures," said Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"But we went a little farther south than that off Cuba," suggested
+Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"We shall cross the Tropic of Cancer while we are at luncheon," added
+the commander. "You learned at school that this boundary was at
+twenty-three and a half degrees north of the equator, and it is
+generally so stated, though it is not quite accurate."</p>
+
+<p>"I wish you would explain this at the next conference, Captain Ringgold,
+for what you say is a surprise to me," said Louis.</p>
+
+<p>"I will do it in a general way, though I am not an astronomer in the
+scientific sense of the word," answered the captain. "We are approaching
+the D&aelig;dalus lightship. I suppose you remember the name."</p>
+
+<p>"I know that D&aelig;dalus was a very ingenious artist of Athens, who planned
+the Cretan labyrinth, invented carpentry and some of the tools used in
+the trade; but I don't know why his name was given to this lighthouse."</p>
+
+<p>"I cannot inform you why it is so called, if there was any reason for
+doing so; very likely it was given to it for no reason at all, as some
+of the ships in the British navy are supplied with classical names for
+the mere sound of the words, as Agamemnon, Achilles, though with some
+reference to the trade of the originals in war."</p>
+
+<p>"Why is it placed here all alone in the middle of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span> this sea?" asked
+Louis, who had looked about it for any signs of rocks.</p>
+
+<p>"It is built on a dangerous reef which is never above water, though some
+small round black rocks are seen at low tide awash. They look like the
+kettles in which cooks get up a boiled dinner; and for this reason the
+Arabs call the reef Abu Kizan, which means the 'father of pots.' As you
+perceive, the ship is now out of sight of land; for the Red Sea is a
+hundred and twenty miles wide at this point. But there is the gong for
+breakfast, and we must attend to that."</p>
+
+<p>The usual hour for the conference was nine o'clock when the ship was at
+sea. So far the weather was remarkably pleasant; the north-west wind was
+very gentle, and the ship hardly pitched at all. At the regular hour the
+passengers had assembled on the promenade. The map of Arabia had been
+placed on the frame as before, and it was understood that Mohammed was
+to be the subject of the conference.</p>
+
+<p>"What has become of Koser, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, as
+the commander joined the party.</p>
+
+<p>"We passed it about two o'clock this morning," replied the captain.</p>
+
+<p>"I felt some interest in that town; for when we were on the Nile we came
+to a place where the Arabs wanted us to take the journey of four days
+across the desert to Koser on camels," the lady explained.</p>
+
+<p>"It is the first port in Egypt we come to, and was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span> formerly an
+important place, though the Suez Canal has diverted the greater part of
+its trade. It was one of the chief outlets for the productions of Egypt,
+especially grain, while those of Arabia and other Eastern countries
+passed in by the same route. The poorer Mohammedans of Egypt make their
+pilgrimage to Mecca this way, journeying across the Arabian Desert on
+foot or by camel, and by steamers or dhows to Yembo.</p>
+
+<p>"General Sir Ralph Abercromby, who commanded the British army at Abukir
+when the French had possession of Egypt, landed at this port, marched
+across the desert to the Nile, which he descended to Cairo, where he
+found that the French army had surrendered to the English. The
+population has fallen from seven thousand to twelve hundred. The more
+wealthy Egyptians and Arabs make their pilgrimage now by the way of
+Suez, and in the season there are plenty of steamers to take them to
+Yembo.</p>
+
+<p>"We are now nearing the Tropic of Cancer, and when we have passed it we
+shall be in the Torrid Zone, in which are situated all those places on
+the globe where the sun is ever directly overhead. The tropics are
+generally said to be twenty-three and a half degrees from the equator,
+which is near enough for ordinary purposes, but it is not quite
+accurate. When the sun is at the summer solstice, June 21, it is
+overhead on this tropic, and enters the constellation of Cancer, after
+which it is named. Nicer calculations than I can follow show that the
+sun is not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span> precisely overhead at this place every year. In January of
+this year the tropics were in latitude 23&deg; 27' 11.84'', which places it
+nearly three miles farther south than the location usually named. I
+yield the floor to Professor Giroud."</p>
+
+<p>"I am informed by the commander that we shall be off Yembo, the nearest
+seaport to Medina, at about half-past three this afternoon; and this
+place is a hundred and thirty-two miles from it. The two cities of
+Medina and Mecca are the holy places of the Mohammedans. The principal
+and enjoined pilgrimage of the sect is to the latter, though many devout
+Moslems visit the other with pious intentions.</p>
+
+<p>"Mecca is the birthplace of Mohammed; but, for reasons which will
+presently be given, he went to Medina at the age of fifty-two, where he
+lived the rest of his life, and died there. What I have to say of Medina
+will come in better after we have followed the prophet through the first
+portion of his life.</p>
+
+<p>"I give the name according to the best English authorities at the
+present time, though some call it Mahomet still, as we call it in
+French. The word means 'praised' in Arabic. Mohammed the Prophet was
+born at Mecca about <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> 570; but the precise year is not known, though
+the date I give is within a year of it. His father's name was Abdallah,
+a poor merchant, who died about the time of the child's birth. A great
+many stories have been invented in later years about the mother and the
+child.</p>
+
+<p>"The father was said to be the handsomest man of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span> his time, and it is
+claimed that his wife Aminah was of a noble family. She was of a nervous
+temperament, and fancied she was visited by spirits. She was inclined to
+epilepsy, which may explain her visions. Mohammed was her only child. As
+soon as he was born, his mother is said to have raised her eyes to
+heaven, exclaiming: 'There is no God but God, and I am his Prophet.' It
+is also declared that the fire of the fire-worshippers, which had burned
+without going out for a thousand-years, was suddenly quenched, and all
+the idols in the world dropped from their pedestals."</p>
+
+<p>"Goodness, gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom.</p>
+
+<p>"The mother of the Prophet handed him over to a Bedouin woman to bring
+up, in order that he might have the benefit of the desert air; but the
+child appears to have been afflicted with his mother's malady, and the
+nurse returned him because he was subject to frequent fits. When he was
+six years old his mother died, and his grandfather adopted him; but the
+old man lived only two years after, and then he was taken by Abu Talib,
+his uncle, who, though poor himself, gave him a home, and continued to
+be his best friend through life.</p>
+
+<p>"At first the boy gained a precarious living by tending the flocks of
+the Meccans. When he was twenty-five years old he went into the service
+of a rich widow named Khadija, having the blood of the same ancestors in
+their veins. Up to this time his position had been in a low grade of
+poverty. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span> did not take the advice of Mr. Weller, and 'beware of the
+vidders,' and his fortunes suddenly changed. Doubtless he was a handsome
+man, as his father was said to be; and he was too much for the
+susceptible Khadija, twice widowed, and fifteen years older than her
+employe, and she offered him her hand and heart, which he accepted.</p>
+
+<p>"They had two sons and four daughters; but both of the former died in
+early life. He established himself as a merchant after his marriage; and
+he continued in the business, though he spent most of his time in
+meditation by himself. Up to the age of forty Mohammed was a strict
+devotee in the religion of his fathers, which was a species of idolatry.
+When he was about thirty years old Christianity had made its way into
+Arabia through Syria on one side, and Abyssinia on the other, and there
+were Jewish colonies in the peninsula. Though the missionaries of the
+new faith pervaded Mecca and Medina, the future Prophet was not
+converted, more is the pity!</p>
+
+<p>"It was at this time that he was moved to teach a new religion which
+should displace the idolatry of the people, and come into competition,
+as it were, with the teachings of the missionaries of Judaism and
+Christianity. He was forty years old when he received what he claimed as
+his first divine communication, on a mountain near Mecca. He declared
+that Gabriel appeared to him there, and commanded him to preach the true
+religion. It is now generally admitted that he was no vulgar and tricky
+impostor,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span> and it cannot be known to what extent his inherited epilepsy
+or hysteria governed the alleged revelations.</p>
+
+<p>"After his long and lonely vigils passed in meditation, he proclaimed
+what he insisted had been revealed to him; and at these times he appears
+to have been little better than a lunatic, for he was moved to the most
+frightful fanatical vehemence. He frothed at the mouth, his eyes became
+red, and the perspiration rained from his head and face. He roared like
+a camel in his wrath, and such an exhibition could hardly fail to make a
+strong impression upon his ignorant audience.</p>
+
+<p>"His first revelations were related to Khadija and other members of his
+household; and they accepted his teachings, while his other relatives
+rejected them with scorn. His uncle called him a fool; and his adopted
+father never believed in him as a prophet, though for the honor of the
+family he remained his friend. After four years of preaching he mustered
+forty converts, slaves and men of the lowest social rank. Then he spoke
+more publicly, in response to new revelations commanding him to do so,
+denouncing boldly the superstitions of his people, exhorting them to
+lead pious and moral lives, and to believe in the one all-wise,
+almighty, and all-merciful God, who had chosen him as his Prophet. He
+held out the reward of paradise to those who accepted his religion, and
+the penalty of hell to those who rejected it.</p>
+
+<p>"Two of the most sacred objects of the Arabians<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></span> were the fetich of a
+black stone and the spring of Zemzem, both of which were believed to be
+endowed with miraculous powers for the healing of the body and the soul.
+These imparted a sanctity above any other charms to the Kaaba in which
+the stone and the fountain were to be visited. In the valley by the city
+stands the great mosque, in which there is an immense square holding
+35,000 people. In the centre of it is the Kaaba, which is not a
+Mohammedan invention, for it existed ages before the Prophet was born.
+Pilgrimages had been made to it from Medina for many generations. The
+stone is perhaps a meteorite, set in a corner at a proper height for
+kissing.</p>
+
+<p>"The Kaaba was one of the superstitions with which the Prophet had to
+contend; and he was too politic, as well as too deeply rooted in his own
+belief, to think of abolishing it. He therefore converted the heathen
+shrine into an altar of his own faith, inventing the legend that it had
+been constructed by Abraham when he sent away his son Ishmael to found a
+nation. Though Mohammed was prudent in many things, he offended the
+people, particularly by prohibiting certain kinds of food. He condemned
+the Bedouin for killing their newly born daughters, and for other
+barbarous practices.</p>
+
+<p>"Though the number of proselytes increased more rapidly, he had raised a
+fierce opposition against him. About this time his faithful wife Khadija
+died, and then his devoted uncle. His misery over these events was
+increased by the fact that his business failed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span> him, and he was reduced
+to poverty. He tried to improve his fortunes by emigration; but the
+scheme was a failure. He was so persecuted by the Meccans that he had on
+occasions narrowly escaped with his life. After his return he married
+again; and afterwards he had as many as nine wives at one time, though
+he never took a second while Khadija was living.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, good friends, I think we all need a rest, which the commander
+instructed me to give you at a convenient place in my remarks."</p>
+
+<p>The professor retired from the rostrum, and the company scattered over
+the ship.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXXI</h2>
+
+<h3>THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF ISLAMISM</h3>
+
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold permitted the day, which was only the second of the
+voyage, to pass away until half past three o'clock in the afternoon
+without again calling the conference together. The passengers appeared
+to be well occupied; for the boys had brought shuffle-board and the
+potato game on the planks, and everybody was enjoying these plays,
+either by taking part or looking on. The commander had taught them these
+amusements early in their sea experience, and they always became very
+hilarious over them.</p>
+
+<p>Besides, he was prudent and judicious in the conduct of the study
+department; for the adults were not in training as students, and he was
+somewhat afraid of overworking them, and creating a dislike for the
+conferences. As he expressed it, he desired to make them hungry for
+lectures. The schoolroom, which had been made of the after cabin, and
+contained the extensive library of the ship, had been deserted for
+several weeks so far as its regular use was concerned.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Blanche, Louis, Morris, and Scott formed a class, or rather several
+of them, and pursued their studies systematically under the professor;
+but they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></span> had been interrupted by the visit to Egypt and the trip to
+Cyprus, and their work was not resumed till the ship sailed from Suez.
+The recitations and the study were not confined to the classroom, but
+some of them were given on deck and in the cabin to individuals as the
+convenience of both permitted; and some of the hours of the first two
+days had been used in this manner.</p>
+
+<p>"Now you can see Yembo," said the commander at half-past three in the
+afternoon, as he pointed out a town on the shore of Arabia. "The name is
+spelled in so many different ways it is hard to find it in the books.
+Sometimes it is Yembo, Yanba, and Yembu, and again it is Zembo, Zambu,
+and Zanba. It is Yembo on my charts, and for that reason I use it. It is
+of not much importance except as the port of Medina, the later home of
+Mohammed, where the professor will take you at the next conference this
+afternoon.</p>
+
+<p>"But it is one hundred and thirty miles from its principal, and there
+are no railroads or stages here, and it must be a journey of four or
+five days by camel over the desert. A pilgrimage to Medina is
+recommended to the faithful; but it is not required, as it is at least
+once in a lifetime to Mecca. Mohammed was buried there, and it stands
+next to Mecca as the holiest city of the world to the followers of
+Islam. But I will not purloin the professor's thunder. On the other side
+of the Red Sea is Berenice, the seat of the Egyptian trade with India
+in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></span> the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus; but there is not much besides
+ruins there at the present time."</p>
+
+<p>The conference met at four o'clock, and the map of Arabia still hung on
+the frame. The professor took his place, and pointed out Yembo on it,
+adding that Medina was two hundred and seventy miles north of Mecca.</p>
+
+<p>"When I suspended my remarks this morning, Mohammed had failed to
+improve his fortunes by emigration, had returned to Mecca, and had
+married again," the professor began. "At his death he left nine wives,
+and how many more he may have had I am not informed."</p>
+
+<p>"The wretch!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom.</p>
+
+<p>"The Prophet did not live in Von Blonk Park," suggested the instructor.</p>
+
+<p>"If he had, he would have been driven out of town by a mob," added the
+lady rather spitefully for her.</p>
+
+<p>"On this subject, if I should refer you to some of the patriarchs of the
+Bible, you would be able to see how much Christianity has improved the
+world in this respect. Among the wives of the Prophet was Ayeshah, the
+daughter of Abu Bekr, one of Mohammed's most enthusiastic disciples, a
+man of great influence in Mecca, belonging to the Koreish tribe, the
+religious aristocracy of the city.</p>
+
+<p>"Everything except matrimony, though he had not married all these wives
+at this time, was in a bad way with Mohammed; for he had lost his
+property, and had excited a violent opposition to himself among<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></span> the
+people, though some of his proselytes remained faithful to him. The
+pilgrimages to the Kaaba brought many people to Mecca from all quarters,
+including Medina. Among those from the latter he succeeded in converting
+several; for he still preached, and still had remarkable visions.</p>
+
+<p>"At the next pilgrimage he obtained twelve more converts, and the one
+following seventy. All these new disciples sowed the seed of his
+teachings; and Medina, from which all of them came, appeared to contain
+the richest soil for the growth of his doctrines. Cast out and
+persecuted in his own city, the Prophet decided to emigrate to Medina;
+for he was in close alliance with the converts from that place. In 622
+he started on his flight from the city of his birth. This was the
+Hegira, which means 'the going away;' and from it the Mohammedans reckon
+their dates, as we do from the birth of Christ.</p>
+
+<p>"The Prophet was attended by Abu Bekr, and followed by about a hundred
+families of his Meccan adherents; and his going away was not without
+danger, for his enemies were many and vindictive. But with his multitude
+he made his way over the desert, and reached his destination in safety.
+He was received for all he claimed to be by his converts there, and the
+current of his fortunes as a religious leader was suddenly and entirely
+changed. He was no longer a madman and an impostor. He had come out of
+his former obscurity, and now all the details of his daily life became
+matters of record.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"His modesty did not seem to stand in his way; and he now assumed the
+functions of the most powerful judge, lawgiver, and ruler of the two
+most influential Arabic tribes. He devoted his time and study to the
+organization of the worship of God according to Mohammed, his sole
+prophet. He was gathering in converts all the time, and his new home was
+entirely favorable to this work.</p>
+
+<p>"There were many Jews there to whom he turned his attention, preaching
+to them, and proclaiming that he was the Messiah whose coming they
+awaited; but they ridiculed his pretensions, and he became furious
+against them, remaining their enemy till the last day of his life.
+Whatever good precepts Mohammed promulgated, there appears to have been
+but little of the 'meek and lowly' spirit of Him 'who spake as never man
+spake;' for in the first year of the Hegira he gave it out that it was
+the will of God, expressed by his chosen prophet, that the faithful
+should make war on the enemies of Islam; which was a sort of manifesto
+directed against the Meccans who had practically cast him out.</p>
+
+<p>"But he had not the means to carry on war at his command at first in the
+open field: he assailed the caravans through his agents on their way to
+and from Syria, and succeeded in seriously disturbing the current of
+trade. His employment of the sons of the desert enabled him to form
+alliances with them, and thus obtain the semblance of an army. His first
+battle was fought between 314 Moslems and about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span> 600 Meccans, and the
+inspiration of his fanaticism gave him the victory in spite of his
+inferior force.</p>
+
+<p>"This event gave him a degree of prestige, and many adventurers flocked
+to his standard. With an increased force he continued to send out
+expeditions against both of his old enemies, the Meccans and the Jews,
+exiling the latter. He was generally successful; and after one battle he
+caused 700 prisoners to be beheaded, and their women and children to be
+sold into slavery. But in 625 the Meccans defeated him; and he was
+dangerously wounded in the face by a javelin, some of his teeth having
+been knocked out. The enemy then besieged Medina; but Mohammed defeated
+them with the aid of earthworks and a ditch. In the sixth year of the
+Hegira, he proclaimed a pilgrimage to Mecca; and though the Meccans
+prevented it from being carried out, it led to a treaty of peace with
+them for ten years.</p>
+
+<p>"This event enabled him to send out missionaries all over Arabia; and
+the next year he conducted a pilgrimage to Mecca with 2,000 followers,
+remaining there undisturbed for three days. After this he carried on war
+vigorously against more potent powers, whose rulers he summoned to
+become converts. Some yielded, and others scorned him, one of them
+beheading the Prophet's messengers. This brought on battles of greater
+magnitude, and in one he was badly beaten.</p>
+
+<p>"He accused the Meccans of taking part against him, and marched against
+their city at the head of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span> 10,000 men. It surrendered, and Mohammed was
+publicly recognized as ruler, and prophet of God. I will read one of his
+sayings, that you may better understand the man and his religion: 'The
+sword is the key of heaven and hell: a drop of blood shed in the cause
+of God, or a night spent in arms, is of more avail than two months of
+fasting and prayer. Whoever falls in battle, his sins are forgiven him,
+and at the day of judgment the loss of his limbs shall be supplied by
+the wings of cherubim.'</p>
+
+<p>"In one of his expeditions against the Jews, a Jewess who had lost a
+relative in a fight against him placed a piece of poisoned roast meat
+before him. He barely tasted it, but he carried the effects of the
+poison to his grave.</p>
+
+<p>"His religion seemed to be firmly established, not only in Arabia, but
+it had been carried to foreign lands by the sword or by missionaries. He
+had it in his mind to conquer Syria; but the want of a sufficient army
+deterred him, and he was forced to content himself with the homage of a
+few inferior princes. In the tenth year of the new calendar he made his
+last solemn pilgrimage to Mecca, and then fixed for all future time the
+ordinance of the pilgrimage with its ceremonial, which is still observed
+in all Moslem countries.</p>
+
+<p>"On his return from this visit he busied himself again with the project
+of conquering Syria; for some great scheme seemed to be necessary to
+keep his followers in alliance, and extend his religion. While so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span>
+engaged he was taken dangerously sick. He selected the abode of Ayeshah
+as his home. The house was close to the mosque, and afterwards became a
+part of it. He continued to attend the public prayers as long as he was
+able. When he felt that his end was near, he preached once more to the
+people, recommending Abu Bekr and Osama as the generals of the army whom
+he had chosen. In the last wanderings of his mind he spoke of angels and
+heaven only, and died in the arms of Ayeshah. He was buried in the night
+in the house of his faithful wife, which was for that reason taken into
+the mosque.</p>
+
+<p>"His death produced great distress and an immense excitement among his
+followers. Even before he was dead the struggle began, and an
+influential official had prevented him from naming his successor by
+preventing him from obtaining the use of writing materials; but Abu Bekr
+was preferred, and received the homage of the chief men of Medina.
+Undoubtedly Mohammed was a man of great ability, and the possessor of
+some extraordinary gifts. There was much that was good in the person and
+his religion; much that Christianity preaches as the true faith to-day.
+He believed in the one God, however much he failed to comprehend his
+attributes.</p>
+
+<p>"He claimed to be the Prophet of God, and preached piety and
+righteousness, and recommended chiefly that his followers should protect
+the weak, the poor, and the women, and to abstain from usury. In his
+private character he was an amiable man,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span> faithful to his friends, and
+tender in his family. In spite of the power he finally obtained, he
+never appeared in any state, with pomp and parade; for he lived in the
+utmost simplicity, and when at the height of his power he dwelt like the
+Arabs in general in a miserable hut. He mended his own clothes, and
+freed his slaves when he had them.</p>
+
+<p>"He was a man of strong passions, of a nervous temperament, and his
+ecstatic visions were perhaps the result of his inherited malady. He is
+not to be judged by our standard any more than King Solomon is; but
+there was a great deal of good in him, with a vast deal that was
+emphatically bad; for he was cunning and deceitful when it suited his
+purpose, extremely revengeful, as shown in his dealings with the Meccans
+and the Jews, and a wholesale murderer in the spirit of retaliation.</p>
+
+<p>"He had read the Christian Bible, and not a little of his religion was
+borrowed from that. Glancing over the world, we cannot help seeing that
+Christian nations have been the most progressive, while those of the
+Mohammedan faith have been far behind them, and have borrowed their
+principal improvements from those whose emblem is the Cross. To the end
+of time the Crescent will be overshadowed by the Cross."</p>
+
+<p>The passengers had been much interested in the story of the Prophet, and
+the professor was warmly applauded as he gathered up his papers and
+retired from the stand.</p>
+
+<p>"Unless we slow down I am afraid you will see<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span> nothing of Jiddah, which
+is the port of Mecca, and our nearest point to it," said the commander.
+"Though thousands of pilgrims are landed there every year on their way
+to obey the injunction of Mohammed, there is nothing there to see; and
+it is not a case of sour grapes."</p>
+
+<p>"I wanted to ask the professor about the coffin of the Prophet being
+suspended in the air," interposed Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"That is pure fiction, madam," replied the professor. "The body of
+Mohammed is believed to rest within the mausoleum in the mosque; and
+there is no reason to doubt that it is on the spot occupied by Ayeshah's
+house, added to the sacred building. His body is supposed to lie
+undecayed at full length, on the right side, the right hand supporting
+the head, with the face directed towards Mecca."</p>
+
+<p>The professor had to answer many other questions of no great
+importance.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXXII</h2>
+
+<h3>THE AGENT OF THE PARSEE MERCHANTS</h3>
+
+
+<p>The ancient kingdoms of the world had been disposed of by the professor,
+and all the countries of the Red Sea had been treated historically and
+geographically; and though the passengers still occupied the promenade,
+no more conferences were needed for the present. But it became a place
+for conversation, and all kinds of subjects were discussed there.</p>
+
+<p>The commander pointed out the location of all the important places, or
+where any notable event had occurred; but none of them were of any great
+consequence, and they were too far off to be seen distinctly. The ship
+had reached the widest part of the sea, and all the rest of the course
+to the entrance was through the deep water in the middle; for the shores
+were studded with reefs, reaching out from forty to sixty miles from the
+land.</p>
+
+<p>"How deep is the water here, Captain Ringgold?" asked Dr. Hawkes, at one
+of these conversation parties on the third day from Suez.</p>
+
+<p>"The last time I looked at the chart, just on the parallel of 20&deg; of
+north latitude, the sounding was 500 fathoms," replied the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"Indeed? That is 3,000 feet; I did not suppose it was so deep as that,"
+added the doctor.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"The bottom is very irregular in all parts of the Red Sea; and in some
+places it is more than double the figure just mentioned. When we were
+about sixty miles north of Jiddah, the sounding was 1,054 fathoms, or
+6,234 feet."</p>
+
+<p>"How deep has the water been found to be in the ocean?"</p>
+
+<p>"As much as 4,000 fathoms of line have been paid out, with no bottom as
+the result. Soundings of 3,000 fathoms have been obtained. In the
+library you will find the 'Cruise of the Challenger,' which is the
+latest authority on this subject."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall refer to it; thank you, Captain."</p>
+
+<p>"On a little rocky island on our right," continued the commander,
+pointing to the location, "is the town of Suakin, as it is generally
+called, though the proper word is Sawakin. It is a town of ten thousand
+inhabitants. It is abreast of Nubia, the Soudan, and is the outlet of
+its commerce. When the Mahdi War became a serious matter, England took
+possession of this port; and several battles were fought in the vicinity
+with the followers of the Mahdi, who seemed to imitate the example of
+Mohammed to some extent in his crusade. The place is still held by a
+British garrison, and about seven thousand pilgrims embark here every
+year for Mecca by the way of Jiddah."</p>
+
+<p>"We all remember the war in the Soudan in which the Mahdi figured so
+largely," said Uncle Moses. "I should like to know something more about
+him."</p>
+
+<p>"The meaning of the word is the guide, 'the well-directed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span> one.' There
+have been at least half a dozen Mahdis in the history of Mohammedans,
+just as there have been Messiahs in Christian lands, all of them
+impostors of course. One appeared in Arabia, who claimed to be a
+successor of Mohammed who had disappeared; another presented himself in
+the northern part of Africa. One appeared in Egypt during the French
+invasion, and was killed in battle.</p>
+
+<p>"The last one was Mohammed Ahmed; and like the rest of them he claimed
+to be a lineal descendant of the Prophet, divinely commissioned to
+extend his religion, and especially to drive the Christians out of the
+Soudan. He was in his earlier life an employe of the Egyptian
+government, but quarrelled with the governor of his province, and became
+a trader and a slave-dealer. At the age of forty he assumed the <i>r&ocirc;le</i>
+of the Mahdi; and in that capacity he did a great deal of mischief. He
+captured the chief city of Kordofan, and made it the capital; he
+overwhelmed the army of Hicks Pacha, and finally shut up General Gordon
+in Khartoom, as has been related before. He died in 1885, and was
+succeeded by Abdallah. But he had deprived Egypt of even the nominal
+possession of the Soudan."</p>
+
+<p>"He was a terrible fighter," added Uncle Moses.</p>
+
+<p>"Fanatics usually are."</p>
+
+<p>The voyage continued without any unusual incident till the ship was
+approaching the entrance to the sea. The shores on both sides became
+more precipitous, and heights of two thousand feet were to be seen.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></span> The
+commander pointed out Mocha, which has the reputation of sending out the
+finest coffee in the world; but this is said to come from Hodeida, a
+port north of it.</p>
+
+<p>"Those hills on the left indicate the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, which was
+written Babelmandel in the old geographies when I went to school. Bab
+means a gate wherever you find it; and this is the 'Gate of Tears,' so
+called from the perils it presented to the small craft of the Arabians;
+and many of them were wrecked here," said the commander when the party
+were gathered on the promenade as usual if anything was to be seen. "We
+are now in latitude 12&deg; 30', and I notice that some of the ladies are
+becoming tolerably diligent in the use of their fans."</p>
+
+<p>"It is time for us to begin to reduce our clothing," suggested Mrs.
+Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"Be prudent about that, ladies; for I think we shall have some cool
+weather again when we get out from the land, though it has been growing
+warmer since yesterday," added the doctor.</p>
+
+<p>"There is a strong current here, and some of the water comes up from the
+region of the equator; and, as you have been informed before, the
+temperature of it runs up to a hundred degrees," said the captain. "Here
+is the Island of Perim, a barren rock, three miles and a half long by
+two and a half wide, shaped like a crescent, with a good harbor between
+the two horns. The English took possession of it and held it for a year
+in 1799, and again occupied it in 1857, and later it was made into a
+coaling-station.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"As you perceive, it is fortified, and it has a British garrison. It has
+hardly any other population than coolie coal-heavers. It is a
+desolate-looking place, and there does not appear to be even a blade of
+grass growing upon it."</p>
+
+<p>"Is it still Egypt on the other side of the strait?" asked Mrs.
+Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"No; it is Abyssinia," replied the captain. "It is a country containing
+200,000 square miles, nearly three-fourths of the size of Texas. It
+consists of tableland about 7,000 feet high, and there are peaks within
+its borders 15,000 feet high. It has a lake sixty miles long, and you
+have been told something about its rivers in connection with the sources
+of the Nile. It is rich in minerals, but the mines are hardly worked at
+all.</p>
+
+<p>"There has been the usual amount of quarrelling as in former times among
+the chiefs of the various tribes in Abyssinia; but finally an adventurer
+named Kassa, after defeating various chiefs, caused himself to be
+crowned as King Theodore. He tried to form an active alliance with
+England and France; but no notice was taken of his propositions. He was
+so enraged at this neglect on the part of England, that he began to
+maltreat the missionaries and consuls of that country. The British sent
+agents to treat for the release of the prisoners; but the king shut them
+up in the fortress of Magdala, though they brought a royal letter and
+presents.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course England could not stand this, and she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span> sent an army of 16,000
+men to attend to the matter. They landed on the coast, and marched to
+Magdala. Theodore occupied a fort on a height with 6,000 men, and he
+hurled nearly the whole of his force upon a detachment of 1,700 British
+encamped on the plain below. The repeated attacks were repulsed every
+time, and the king was beaten. Then he sued for peace, and released the
+prisoners he held in the castle; but as he refused to surrender, the
+fortress was stormed and captured. Theodore was found dead where he had
+shot himself. The fort was demolished, and the British retired from the
+country. The expedition cost 45,000,000 dollars; but England always
+protects her citizens, wherever they are."</p>
+
+<p>"Is it a Mohammedan country, like Egypt?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"It is not; it is nominally a Christian country, though its religion is
+of the very lowest type that ever was called by that name, wholly
+external, and morals are at a very low ebb. After the British left, a
+prince defeated his rival, and was crowned as Emperor John; but it is a
+single-horse monarchy. It has been at war with Egypt, which never got
+possession of the country as it desired. In 1885 Italy occupied
+Massowah, though for what purpose was never definitely stated. Three
+companies of its army were attacked by the Abyssinians, and nearly the
+whole of them were massacred; but the Italians did not avenge this
+assault."</p>
+
+<p>The ship continued on her course along the coast of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span> Yemen ninety miles
+to Aden, which the commander had before given out as his first
+stopping-place. Steam had been reduced so that the arrival should not be
+in the night. The passage had been made in about four days. The pilot
+came on board at six o'clock in the morning, and the passengers were
+already on the promenade. Two large steamers were at anchor in the
+roads, and were engaged in coaling and watering. A boat came off as soon
+as the ship anchored, containing an agent of the great Parsee merchants,
+who do most of the business of the town. He wished to see the captain,
+who was in his cabin.</p>
+
+<p>"Good-morning, Captain," said the man, speaking very good English. "I
+have taken the liberty to bring off some newspapers."</p>
+
+<p>"I am greatly obliged to you, for we are getting hungry for newspapers,"
+replied Captain Ringgold as he took the package. "Excuse me for a moment
+and I will send them to the passengers, for I have not time to look at
+them now."</p>
+
+<p>He tossed the bundle of papers up to Dr. Hawkes, and returned to his
+cabin.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be happy to take your orders for whatever you may need at this
+port, including coal and water, as well as provisions and other
+supplies," continued the agent.</p>
+
+<p>The commander ordered both coal and water; for he knew about the Parsee
+merchants, and referred Mr. Gaskill, as he gave his name, to Mr.
+Melancthon Sage, the chief steward.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What sort of goods do you furnish here, Mr. Gaskill?" asked the
+commander.</p>
+
+<p>"Every sort, Captain Ringgold. This steamer does not belong to any
+regular line, I think," said the agent.</p>
+
+<p>"It does not to any line, regular or irregular; and yet she is not a
+tramp," replied the commander with a smile.</p>
+
+<p>"Is she a man-of-war?" inquired the visitor, opening wide his big eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"She is not; she is a yacht, with a pleasure party on board who are
+making a voyage around the world."</p>
+
+<p>"Ah, yes, Captain; I understand. There is another steam-yacht in the
+roads, over beyond the P. &amp; O. steamer nearest to you. Perhaps you have
+seen her; she is painted white all over."</p>
+
+<p>"I did not notice her. What flag does she carry?"</p>
+
+<p>"She sails under the British flag. But you suggested that you might need
+other supplies. We can furnish your party with all the English goods
+they want, and there are first-class tailors and dressmakers here."</p>
+
+<p>"My passengers must speak for themselves," answered the captain. "I fear
+you cannot furnish the supplies I need."</p>
+
+<p>"We can furnish everything that can be named," persisted the agent of
+the Parsee merchants. "What do you require?"</p>
+
+<p>"Two twenty-four pounders, brass, naval carriages,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span> and all the
+ammunition needed for their use," replied the commander; and he felt as
+though he had made an impossible demand.</p>
+
+<p>"We can furnish anything and everything you may desire in this line; in
+fact, we can fit out your ship as a man-of-war. But do you need only two
+such guns as you describe, Captain Ringgold?" asked the business-driving
+Mr. Gaskill. "We have a lot of four of them, and we should like to
+dispose of them together."</p>
+
+<p>"I will see the guns before I say anything more about the matter. When
+can you fill our water-tanks and coal-bunkers?" inquired the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"We are very busy to-day, for we have several steamers to supply; but it
+shall be done before to-morrow noon."</p>
+
+<p>"Now I will introduce you to our chief steward."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Sage insisted upon seeing his supplies before he named the quantity
+needed, and made an appointment on shore.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXXIII</h2>
+
+<h3>A DISAPPOINTMENT TO CAPTAIN SCOTT</h3>
+
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold knew something about Aden before he decided to make a
+stopping-place of it, and it was certainly a more agreeable location
+than Perim. The town&mdash;or towns, for there appear to be several of
+them&mdash;is described by a former resident as a sort of crater like that of
+a volcano, formed by a circular chain of steep hills, the highest of
+which is 1,775 feet above the sea level. The slope outside of them
+reaching to the waters of the Arabian Gulf, or the Gulf of Aden as it is
+now called, has several strings of hills in that direction, with valleys
+between them, radiating from the group to the shore.</p>
+
+<p>Aden is a peninsula connected with Hadramaut, the southern section of
+Arabia, by a narrow isthmus, covered at the spring tides by the
+surrounding waters. Over it is a causeway conveying an aqueduct which is
+always above the sea level. The region looks as though it might have
+been subject to volcanic convulsions at some remote period. Within the
+circle of hills are the town and a portion of the military works. In its
+natural location, as well as in the strength of its defences, it bears
+some resemblance to Gibraltar.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>This was the substance of what the commander told his passengers before
+they landed, and proceeded to give points in the history of the
+peninsula, which he had studied up, as he always did when approaching a
+new locality; and though he was a walking encyclop&aelig;dia, he had not
+obtained this reputation without much study and labor in addition to his
+extensive voyages and travels "all over the world."</p>
+
+<p>"A learned biblical scholar of the last century, who studied Oriental
+history in connection with the sacred record, identifies Aden as the
+Eden mentioned by Ezekiel in describing the wealth of Tyrus," continued
+the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"But who was Tyrus, Captain?" asked Mrs. Blossom, who was wide awake
+when any scriptural name was used.</p>
+
+<p>"He wasn't anybody, Mrs. Blossom; and when Ezekiel and some other of the
+prophets used the word Tyrus, they meant Tyre; and doubtless you have
+read about Tyre and Sidon."</p>
+
+<p>"I never heard it called by that name before," added the worthy lady
+with a blush.</p>
+
+<p>"Read Ezekiel xxvii. and you will find it. This place was known before
+the time of Christ, and was the centre of an extensive commerce with
+India, though it was also carried on by the Indus and the Oxus, the
+latter formerly flowing into the Caspian Sea. In the fourth century
+after Christ, the son of the Emperor Constantine established a Christian
+church here. In more modern history Aden has<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span> been a part of Yemen,
+along whose shores we sailed for more than a day on the Red Sea. The
+lines from Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' partly quoted before,</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i14">"'As when to them who sail<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Mozambic, off at sea north-east winds blow<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Sab&aelig;an odors from the spicy shore<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Of Arabie the blest,'<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>alludes to this country. The Sab&aelig;ans were the ancient people of Yemen,
+called Sheba in the Book of Genesis. They were a wealthy and powerful
+people, and it was probably the queen of this region who made a
+celebrated visit to King Solomon. But we cannot follow them now.</p>
+
+<p>"Yemen changed hands several times, belonging to Abyssinia, Persia, and
+the caliphs of Arabia, and has been fought for by Portuguese, Turks, and
+Egyptians; but now it is a Turkish province. England had reason to
+demand satisfaction from the Arab authorities for injuries done to her
+Indian subjects. The negotiations failed, and there was evident
+treachery. England does her work thoroughly in such cases; and Aden was
+promptly bombarded, and then seized by a naval and military force in
+1839. This is said to be the first territory acquired during the reign
+of Queen Victoria; and the nation's record is not so bad as sometimes
+stated.</p>
+
+<p>"Aden was made a free port in 1850; and it has since had a large trade,
+increasing it from half a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span> million dollars to sixteen millions. It is
+governed by English civil officers, and the military is in command of a
+brigadier-general. The troops are British and East Indian, and are of
+all arms of the service, including a troop of native cavalry, to which
+Arabs mounted on camels are attached. Now we are ready to go on shore,"
+the commander concluded.</p>
+
+<p>"How are we to go on shore, sir?" asked Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"We have plenty of boats,&mdash;the barge, the first and second cutters, and
+the dingy," replied Captain Ringgold with a pleasant smile; for he
+understood what the captain of the Maud was driving at.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you not going to put the little steamer into the water again, sir?"
+inquired the young captain. "She would be very convenient in going about
+this place, which is nearly surrounded by water."</p>
+
+<p>"She would be indeed; but we shall probably leave Aden by to-morrow
+afternoon, and it would hardly pay to lower her into the water, for you
+know that it requires a great deal of hard work to do so," said the
+commander, who was really very sorry to disoblige the young man, and he
+kept more than his usual smile on his face all the time.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we could make the voyage very comfortably in her from here to
+Bombay, or wherever you are going," suggested Captain Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"I do not consider a voyage of that length in such a small craft quite
+prudent, even if there were no other question to be considered. But it
+would take us at least half a day to put the Maud into the water,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span> and
+as long to coal and water her, and otherwise fit her out. Then it is
+ordinarily a seven days' voyage from Aden to Bombay, and the Maud would
+get out of coal in half that time."</p>
+
+<p>"But for the next five hundred miles the voyage is along the coast of
+Arabia."</p>
+
+<p>"There are no coal stations except at Aden and Perim, so far as I know,
+unless you run up to Muscat, and I am not sure that there is any there,"
+answered the captain of the ship. "I learned from Mr. Gaskill, the
+Parsee agent here, after I told him who and what we were, that he had
+heard of us before. Stories exaggerated beyond all decent limits have
+been told about us. Louis's million and a half have been stretched to
+hundreds of millions, and the Guardian-Mother has been regarded as a
+floating mine of wealth. I suspect that Mazagan spread such stories in
+Egypt, and they have travelled to this port."</p>
+
+<p>"What have these stories to do with a voyage to Bombay by the Maud?"
+asked Scott, with something like a laugh; for he could see no
+connection.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Gaskill asked me about the little steamer that was sailing with the
+ship; so that he had heard of her, for she came through the canal with
+us. I have thought of this matter before; and the little steamer would
+be a great temptation to the half-civilized Arabs that inhabit these
+shores, and they are sailors after their own fashion. I know you are not
+afraid of them, Captain Scott; but it would be easy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span> enough for these
+pirates to fall upon you, capture the little steamer, and make an end of
+all on board of her."</p>
+
+<p>"Where should we be while they were doing all this?" asked Scott with a
+smile of incredulity.</p>
+
+<p>"You would be treated to some treachery at first probably; but even in a
+square, stand-up fight your chances against fifty or a hundred of these
+savages would be very small. In fact, I came to the conclusion, after
+your battle at Khrysoko, that the armament of the ship was not heavy
+enough for possible contingencies, though the saluting-guns on the
+top-gallant forecastle are well enough for ordinary occasions."</p>
+
+<p>"As your mind seems to be made up, Captain Ringgold, I will say no more
+about the matter," added Scott; and it was plain enough that he was
+sorely disappointed.</p>
+
+<p>"I am very confident that Mrs. Belgrave and Mrs. Woolridge, since the
+trouble in the Cyprus bay, and after all that has been said since that
+event, would not permit their sons to go to sea again in the Maud; and I
+must say that their prudence is perfectly justifiable."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we are not likely to use the Maud again?" asked Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"Certainly not in these localities, though we may put her in the water
+at Bombay, Calcutta, and perhaps some other ports," replied the
+commander. "If anything should happen to you, or to any of your ship's
+company, I should never forgive myself."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I don't see that she will be of any use to us hereafter," suggested the
+discontented young navigator.</p>
+
+<p>"I advised her purchase mainly for use in the Mediterranean; and she has
+certainly been very useful, adding very much to the pleasure of the
+party."</p>
+
+<p>"If you cannot use her, I should think you would sell her," added Scott.
+"Of whatever service she may have been, she seems to be played out, and
+is of no use at all now."</p>
+
+<p>"You are nearer right, Captain Scott, than perhaps you suppose; and to
+be candid with you, I regard the Maud as very like an elephant on our
+hands."</p>
+
+<p>"Then I hope you will sell her," replied the young man, with something
+like desperation in his manner. "For my part, I am entirely willing you
+should do so, sir."</p>
+
+<p>"It is plainly impracticable to make any use of her in the next six
+months, except in harbor service, and we hardly need her for that,"
+continued the commander. "I know that Louis and Morris do not wish to go
+to sea in her again; and I suppose Felix would prefer to be where his
+crony is."</p>
+
+<p>"Cruising in the Maud is then decidedly a thing of the past," said
+Scott, with a feeble attempt to laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"Then, if I should find an opportunity to sell the Maud at Aden, you
+will not be disappointed?" asked the captain, point-blank, looking
+earnestly into the face of the young sailor.</p>
+
+<p>"If we are not to use her as we did before"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</a></span>&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"That is utterly impracticable in the waters of the Indian Ocean; for
+the perils I have suggested, to say nothing of typhoons and hurricanes,"
+interposed the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I shall be perfectly satisfied to have her go," answered Scott.</p>
+
+<p>"In the first typhoon or hurricane, and I expect to see such, we might
+be obliged to cut her loose, and launch her into the boiling waters to
+save the ship; for I find that she is too great a load to carry on our
+promenade deck, and we have no other place for her. We have had no storm
+to test the matter; if we had, she might have gone before this time. I
+have already spoken to Uncle Moses and Mr. Woolridge about the matter,
+and they not only consent, but insist, that the Maud be sold."</p>
+
+<p>"I have nothing more to say, Captain Ringgold," said Scott rather
+stiffly.</p>
+
+<p>Then he told the young man about the terrors of the mothers, the grave
+fears of Mr. Woolridge, who was a yachtsman, and was so confident that
+the little steamer would have to be cast into the sea, that Scott was
+somewhat mollified. He had made his reputation as a sailor, a navigator,
+a brave fellow, on board of her, and to lose the Maud seemed like
+destroying the ark which had brought him out of the floods of evil, and
+made a man of him.</p>
+
+<p>The wise commander had evidently saved him from a life of iniquity, and
+the little steamer had been an effective agency in his hands in doing
+the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</a></span> work. He was absolutely clear that it was not prudent for the young
+navigators to sail the Maud over the Indian Ocean, and his conscience
+would not permit it to be done. He was afraid his decision might have a
+bad effect upon the young man, that it might even turn him from the
+paths of rectitude in which he had trodden for many months; but he
+trusted to himself and the co-operation of the other three members of
+the "Big Four" to save him from any such disaster.</p>
+
+<p>The barge and the first cutter were manned at the gangway, and the party
+went on shore, prepared by what the commander had said to them to
+understand what they were to see. Captain Ringgold was obliged to visit
+the Parsee merchants, while an army officer who had been presented to
+them showed them about the town. They found everything they could
+possibly desire at the shops (not stores on British territory). Louis
+procured the vehicles, and they all rode out to the fortifications,
+where they were greatly interested, especially in the water tanks, which
+have a capacity of nearly eight million gallons. The officer was
+exceedingly polite, not alone because the reputation of the wealth of
+the young millionaire had gone out before him, but because this is the
+rule with well-bred English people.</p>
+
+<p>He was re-enforced by others, and the ladies had all the beaux they
+could manage; and Miss Blanche could have had all of them if she had not
+chosen to cling to Louis Belgrave. They were all invited to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span> dinner in
+the cabin of the Guardian-Mother, and Mr. Sage was informed of the fact
+before he returned to the ship.</p>
+
+<p>Before noon the Maud had been sold for four times the sum she had cost,
+to the Parsees, who wanted her very badly to ply between steamers and
+the shore in prosecuting their trade. Out of the price to be received
+was deducted that of the four guns and a liberal supply of ammunition of
+all descriptions.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXXIV</h2>
+
+<h3>THE SUSPICIOUS WHITE STEAMER AT ADEN</h3>
+
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold had sold the little steamer for four times what she had
+cost the owners, but still for less than her value, for she was an
+exceptionally strong and handsome craft. On the other hand, he had
+purchased the naval material for "a mere song;" for it was not available
+for a man-of-war in modern times, and not of the kind used in the naval
+or military forces of England.</p>
+
+<p>The commander had been a young naval officer from the beginning of the
+War of the Rebellion, and had attained the grade of lieutenant, so that
+he was a judge of the material he bought. He examined everything very
+critically before a price was named. The guns had been procured for a
+native East-Indian prince; but the ship that brought them to the shores
+of his country was not permitted to land them. He was deposed about the
+time, probably on account of the attempt to bring these guns into his
+domain.</p>
+
+<p>The captain of the sailing-ship could not collect even his freight
+money, and he was forced to carry them off with him when his cargo was
+completed. His consignee suggested to him that the Imam, or Sultan, of
+Muscat would purchase his war material,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</a></span> and be glad to get it, and he
+had sailed for that port; but among the rocks at the entrance to the
+Persian Gulf his bark had been wrecked. The guns and ammunition were
+saved, for they were the captain's private venture, and he had stored
+them between decks.</p>
+
+<p>The bottom of the bark was pounded and ground off, and the cargo in the
+hold was a total loss; but an English steamer had taken off the ship's
+company and the naval goods, and carried them to Aden. The unfortunate
+captain sold them for the most he could get to the Parsee merchants, who
+had kept them for years before they found a purchaser. They got their
+money back, and they were satisfied.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the commander finished his business with the merchants he
+hastened to join the party, who were still exploring the town. It
+contains about twenty thousand inhabitants, and everything was as
+Arabian as in the desert. He found his passengers just starting for a
+ride of about five miles; and, after he had been introduced to the
+officers, he went with them.</p>
+
+<p>"Goodness gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom, as they were getting into
+the carriages, "what is the matter with that man?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing is the matter with him, madam," replied an officer, laughing at
+the manner of the excellent woman.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, I thought he had a hornets' nest on the top of his head," she
+added.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"He has nothing but his hair there."</p>
+
+<p>"It would be just the thing for a mop."</p>
+
+<p>"That is a Soumali Indian, and you will see a plenty of them," the
+officer explained. "In fact, you will find every sort of people here.
+These Soumalis are great dandies; for you see they dye their hair in red
+or yellow, and I suppose they think they are handsome. Probably you
+don't think so."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sure I don't. Why, the fellow has no clothes on but a sheet wrapped
+around him, and don't even cover his chest with that!"</p>
+
+<p>"That's his fashion; and if you dressed him up like one of those Sepoys
+he would not feel easy. They have some fine horses and carriages here."</p>
+
+<p>The vehicles had to stop presently when they met a caravan of camels,
+which had long since ceased to be a novelty to the tourists. They were
+driven, the officer said, by the real Bedouins of the desert, and by men
+of all shades of color, from jet-black to pale copper hue. The donkeys
+were not a strange sight; but when a couple of ostriches passed along
+the street, the visitors were all eyes. They were seven feet high; and
+they could capture a fly, if they would take such small game, off the
+ceiling of a room eight feet high. They were tame, and like the monkeys,
+gazelles, parrots, and other birds on the verandas, were kept as pets.</p>
+
+<p>There were pretty little gardens along the roads; for the volcanic soil,
+when dug up and fertilized, makes productive land. There were plenty of
+rocks;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</a></span> but wherever there was a cleft or a seam, there was a growth of
+something green. Thirty or forty miles back in the country, there are
+green valleys and rippling streams. Abundant crops are raised within ten
+miles of the town, and the garrison and the people of the town are
+plentifully supplied with fruit and vegetables.</p>
+
+<p>The officers showed the party through the fortifications, some of which
+strongly reminded them of Gibraltar. Our friends were greatly pleased
+with Aden, and especially with the attentions of the officers, who are
+to some extent shut out from social relations. The commander added the
+Parsee merchants and Mr. Gaskill to the number of invited guests, and
+entered warmly into the spirit of the affair. Mr. Sage had replenished
+his stores from the market, and he was in good condition to meet the
+requirements of the occasion.</p>
+
+<p>After a lunch at the H&ocirc;tel de l'Europe, Captain Ringgold left the
+company to return on board of the ship, where the war material had
+already been sent. The tourists found the town very like an English
+city, and after Egypt and the isthmus they enjoyed the contrast. The
+first cutter was waiting for him, and he went to the pier.</p>
+
+<p>More than once during the forenoon he had obtained a view of the white
+steamer anchored in the roads, and he had inquired in regard to her, but
+had been able to obtain no very definite information concerning her. She
+was a steam-yacht of about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</a></span> the size of the Guardian-Mother, as nearly
+as he could judge, painted white, and she looked like a very beautiful
+vessel.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold had inquired in regard to her of the merchants. Had
+they seen the owner who was making the cruise in her? They had. He was a
+man thirty or thirty-two, with a fine black beard, and a lady had said
+he was a remarkably handsome man. His informant thought he was a
+foreigner, though he spoke English as fluently as the officers of the
+garrison. He was dressed in the latest style of European garments when
+he came on shore, and the Parsee had been unable to form an opinion in
+regard to his nationality.</p>
+
+<p>The carpenter of the Guardian-Mother had constructed something like a
+magazine in the hold of the ship for the ammunition which had been taken
+on board before she sailed. It was large enough for the new supply,
+though some further precautions were taken for the safety of the
+contents. The four twenty-four pounders were placed, two forward and two
+aft, the former on the forecastle, and the latter in the space on deck
+abaft the boudoir.</p>
+
+<p>The guns were mounted on naval carriages, and portholes were to be
+prepared on the passage to India. The two twelve-pounders were to remain
+on the top-gallant forecastle, where they had always been; though they
+had been used on the Fourth of July, and for saluting purposes only,
+except in the Archipelago, where they had done more serious work,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span> and
+had doubtless saved Miss Blanche and Louis from capture.</p>
+
+<p>The commander sincerely hoped there would never be an occasion to make
+use of either the old or the new guns, for he was eminently a man of
+peace; but he was prepared to defend his ship, either from pirates,
+belligerent natives, or Captain Mazagan when he had recovered from his
+wound. Probably he would not have thought of such a thing as increasing
+his means of defence if Mazagan had not followed the ship as far as
+Suez.</p>
+
+<p>After he had looked over the white steam-yacht which lay beyond the
+British steamer as well as he could, and gathered all the information in
+regard to her and her commander, he could not help thinking of the last
+threats of Mazagan. He had been assured that Ali-Noury Pacha was as
+vindictive as ever, and that he had long before ordered a new steamer to
+be built for him. Did the white steam-yacht belong to him?</p>
+
+<p>Mazagan, evidently for the want of care, had irritated his wound, and
+gone to the hospital at Suez. He could learn nothing in regard to him
+there; but it was entirely impossible that he could have come to Aden,
+for no steamer had passed the Guardian-Mother on her passage. The white
+steamer had no doubt come through the canal before her.</p>
+
+<p>The commander could not solve the problem. He decided to "take the bull
+by the horns," and settle the question before he sailed the next day. He
+had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</a></span> dressed himself in his best uniform in the morning, and he decided
+to pay a visit to the white steam-yacht before he slept again. It was to
+be a visit of ceremony; and he ordered the crew of the barge to put on
+their clean white uniforms, for he intended to go in state.</p>
+
+<p>All the passengers were still on shore, and there was no one to go with
+him if he had desired any company. He wished to inform the Pacha, if the
+owner proved to be he, and he was on board, that he was prepared for any
+and every thing. If His Highness attempted any trickery or treachery in
+the direction of the members of his party, or any one of them, he would
+blow the white steamer out of the water, even if she belonged to the
+Sultan of Morocco. In fact, he had worked himself up as much as he ever
+could into an angry frame of mind.</p>
+
+<p>If he was waiting for Mazagan to come to Aden,&mdash;for the pirate must have
+written to him in regard to his intentions, if he had any,&mdash;the
+persecution of the Americans was to be continued over the Indian Ocean.
+He was to command this magnificent steamer, as he had the Fatim&eacute;, and
+would be ready to retrieve his misfortunes in the past. But Captain
+Ringgold was "reckoning without his host."</p>
+
+<p>He descended the gangway steps, and took his seat in the stern-sheets of
+the barge with compressed lips; for he intended to meet the Pacha face
+to face, and this time at his own instigation. Possibly his crew were
+physiognomists enough to wonder what had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</a></span> come over the captain; for
+they had never seen him when he looked more in earnest. The captain
+nodded at the cockswain, and the bowman shoved off. The crew gave way,
+and no boat ever presented a finer appearance.</p>
+
+<p>"To the white steam-yacht beyond the P. and O. steamer," said the
+commander; and said no more.</p>
+
+<p>The men bent to their oars, and they were soon in sight of the beautiful
+vessel, as everybody called her; and Captain Ringgold could not but
+indorse the general verdict; at least, he thought she was quite as
+handsome as the Guardian-Mother, which was enough to say of any vessel
+in his estimation. The barge made a landing at the platform of the
+gangway.</p>
+
+<p>"May I be permitted to go on board?" asked the captain of the sailor who
+stood at the head of the steps.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir; she is open to ladies and gentlemen to-day," replied the man.</p>
+
+<p>The commander ascended the steps to the bulwarks, where the seaman was
+evidently doing duty as a sentinel, though he was not armed.</p>
+
+<p>"What steamer is this?" asked the visitor; for he had not yet seen the
+name of the steamer.</p>
+
+<p>"The Blanche, sir," replied the man very respectfully; for the
+commander's uniform had made its proper impression.</p>
+
+<p>"The Blanche!" exclaimed the captain of the Guardian-Mother, starting
+back as though a red-hot shot had struck him.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 318px;">
+<img src="images/i005.jpg" width="318" height="500" alt="&quot;Captain Ringgold, I am delighted to see you.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Captain Ringgold, I am delighted to see you.&quot; Page
+<a href="#Page_337">337</a>.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was very remarkable that the steamer should have that name; but he
+preserved his dignity, and concluded that the name had been given for
+some member of the owner's family; and he saw a lady seated near the
+rudder-head, who might be the owner of the name. He looked about the
+deck,&mdash;what of it could be seen,&mdash;though most of it was covered by the
+house, extended nearly from stem to stern, as on the Guardian-Mother.
+Everything was as neat and trim as though she had been a man-of-war. He
+could see two twelve-pounders on the side where he was; and he concluded
+there were two more on the other side.</p>
+
+<p>But if this craft was to chase and annoy his party, she was not well
+enough armed to be a match for his own ship; and with the feeling he had
+stirred up in his mind, he congratulated himself on the superiority of
+the ship he commanded. The seaman informed him that he was at liberty to
+look over the vessel, for it was believed to be the finest her
+celebrated builders had ever completed.</p>
+
+<p>"I desire to see the captain of this steamer," replied Captain Ringgold,
+declining the permission extended to him.</p>
+
+<p>"He is in his cabin, sir, and I will call him down," replied the man.</p>
+
+<p>The captain gave him his card, and the sailor mounted to the promenade
+deck. He had not been gone two minutes before the captain rushed down
+the steps as though he were in a desperate hurry.</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Ringgold, I am delighted to see you!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</a></span> shouted the captain of
+the Blanche before the visitor had time to make out who he was. "I am
+glad to see you on the deck of my ship!" And he extended his hand to the
+commander of the Guardian-Mother.</p>
+
+<p>"Captain Sharp!" roared the visitor, seizing the offered hand, and
+warmly pressing it.</p>
+
+<p>It was a tremendous let-down for him, after he had roused all his
+belligerent nature into action, to find Captain W. Penn Sharp in command
+of the suspicious steamer.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXXV</h2>
+
+<h3>GENERAL NEWRY'S MAGNIFICENT YACHT</h3>
+
+
+<p>The biography of Captain Penn Sharp had been quite romantic within the
+preceding year. In company with his brother he had been a detective in
+New York during the greater portion of his lifetime. He had been an
+honest and upright man; but in spite of this fact he had saved a
+competence for a man of small desires before he was fifty years old. He
+had never been married till the last year of his life.</p>
+
+<p>He had what he called a "profession," and he had attended to it very
+closely for twenty years or more. When he "had a case to 'work up,'" he
+took it to his humble lodging with him, and studied out the problem.
+There was nothing in his room that could be called a luxury, unless a
+library of two hundred volumes were classed under that head; and he
+spent all his leisure time in this apartment, having absolutely no
+vices. He was a great reader, had never taken a vacation, and saved all
+his money, which he had prudently invested.</p>
+
+<p>In his younger days he had been to sea, and came home as the mate of a
+large ship when he was twenty-two. His prospects in the commercial
+marine were very promising; but his brother, believing he had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</a></span> peculiar
+talent for the occupation in which he was himself engaged, induced him
+to go into the business as his partner. He had been a success; but men
+do not live as he did, depriving himself of rest or recreation, without
+suffering for it. His health broke down.</p>
+
+<p>Confident that a voyage at sea would build him up, he applied to Captain
+Ringgold for any place he could offer him. Only the position of
+quartermaster was available. He was glad to obtain this on board of such
+a steamer. He had told his story, and the commander needed just such a
+person. Mrs. Belgrave had married for her second husband a man who had
+proved to be a robber and a villain. Her son Louis had discovered his
+character long before she did, and, after fighting a long and severe
+battle, had driven him away, recovering a large sum of money he had
+purloined.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold ascertained in Bermuda that the villain had another
+wife in England. He promoted his quartermaster to the position of third
+officer, and set him at work as a detective on the case. The recreant
+husband had inherited a fortune in Bermuda, had purchased a steam-yacht,
+and was still struggling to recover the wife who had discarded him,
+believing the "Missing Million" was behind her.</p>
+
+<p>The deserted English wife had been sent for by her uncle, who had become
+a large sugar planter in Cuba. Sharp found her; and her relative had
+died but a short time before, leaving her a large fortune.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</a></span> The wretch
+who had abandoned her was arrested for his crimes, and sent back to New
+York, and was soon serving a long sentence at Sing Sing. He had been
+obliged to leave his steam-yacht, and it had been awarded to his wife.</p>
+
+<p>By the influence of Captain Ringgold, Penn Sharp had been appointed
+captain of her; and he had sailed for New York, and then for England, in
+her. The lady was still on the sunny side of forty, and Sharp had
+married her. After this happy event, they had sailed for the
+Mediterranean; and the commander and passengers of the Guardian-Mother
+had met them at Gibraltar. How Captain Penn Sharp happened to be in
+command of the Blanche was a mystery to Captain Ringgold, though it was
+possible that the million or more of Mrs. Penn Sharp enabled her to
+support such a steam-yacht.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed as though Captain Sharp would never release the hand of the
+commander of the Guardian-Mother, who had not only been a good friend to
+him in every sense of the word, but he had unintentionally put him in
+the way of achieving the remarkably good fortune which had now crowned
+his life.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know what to make of this, Captain Sharp," said he of the
+Guardian-Mother. "Are you in command of this fine steamer?"</p>
+
+<p>"Without a ghost of a doubt I am," replied he of the Blanche, with a
+renewed pressure of the hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I am astonished, surprised, astounded, as I ought to be on an
+occasion like this. About the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</a></span> last I knew of you, you had just got
+married. Have you become so accustomed to married life that you are
+ready to leave your wife on shore while you wander over the ocean
+again?" asked the visitor in a good-humored, rallying tone.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a bit of it, my dear Captain. My wife is worth more to me than all
+the money she brought me, though she is as much of a millionaire as
+young Mr. Belgrave, we find. She is on board of the Blanche at this
+moment; and Ruth will be delighted to see you and all your people."</p>
+
+<p>"I am glad all is so happy with you, and I may be tempted to marry
+myself," laughed the commander.</p>
+
+<p>"You are already tempted, and you will yield to the temptation."</p>
+
+<p>"I have not been tempted like Adam in the garden; if I had been, I
+should have swallowed the apple whole," replied Captain Ringgold, who
+had never said so much before on this delicate subject to any person.
+"It will have to be Adam this time that does all the tempting. But I
+wish you would explain to me how you happen to be fixed up here like
+Aladdin in one of his fairy palaces. I suppose, of course, you are
+sailing in your own steamer?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not at all; for though we have money enough now, we are not disposed to
+throw it away upon a ship with so much style about her as the Blanche
+carries over the ocean. But I have not asked you about your party on
+board of the Guardian-Mother. I like that title, and if I had had the
+naming of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</a></span> Blanche, I should have called her the Protecting
+Grandmother, or something of that sort."</p>
+
+<p>"The company on board of my ship are all in excellent health and
+spirits. By the way, we have a dinner party at six, and you and your
+wife must assist; and it will be a most unexpected pleasure."</p>
+
+<p>"I will go; but it is four now, and we haven't half time enough to do
+our talking. But come to my cabin; and then, if you will excuse me for a
+moment, I will notify Mrs. Sharp, so that she may be ready for the
+dinner."</p>
+
+<p>Captain Sharp sent the sailor at the gangway to show the visitor to his
+cabin, while he went aft on his errand. Captain Ringgold found the cabin
+consisted of two apartments, one of which was evidently his wife's
+boudoir; and nothing could have been more elegant or convenient. In
+fact, it was Oriental magnificence, though the portion appropriated to
+the commander was fitted up with the usual nautical appliances. The
+occupant of the cabin soon appeared; and he acted as though he wanted to
+hug his visitor, though he satisfied himself by taking his hand again.
+He evidently credited the captain of the Guardian-Mother with both his
+wife and his fortune.</p>
+
+<p>"Now take this arm-chair, Captain Ringgold, and we will have it out,"
+said the commander of the Blanche. "My wife will be ready in an hour,
+and she will be delighted to see Mrs. Belgrave and the rest of the
+party; for she is particularly fond of that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</a></span> lady, though they have both
+been in the same relation to Scoble."</p>
+
+<p>"I think the name of Scoble has not been mentioned for nearly a year on
+board of the Guardian-Mother. But you told me, Captain Sharp, that you
+and your wife were not the owners of this fine craft," suggested the
+visitor, leading to the solution of the mystery which perplexed him.</p>
+
+<p>"We are not; and I am sailing in the employ of General Newry," answered
+the other; and Captain Ringgold imagined that the name was spelled in
+this manner, though there was a twinkle in the eyes of the speaker.</p>
+
+<p>"General Newry; I never heard of him. One of those Englishmen who have
+won their spurs and their fortunes in India, I suppose," added the
+visitor.</p>
+
+<p>"Not at all; and he is not even an Englishman."</p>
+
+<p>"Not an Englishman!" exclaimed the puzzled captain. "Is he a Frenchman
+with that name?"</p>
+
+<p>"Not even a Frenchman."</p>
+
+<p>"I came on board of the Blanche almost angry enough to break something,
+for certain members of my party have been hunted and hounded the whole
+length of the Mediterranean; and I am determined to put a stop to it,"
+said Captain Ringgold, getting back some of the spirit in which he had
+boarded the steamer. "I am of the same mind still."</p>
+
+<p>"You will have no further trouble with your troublesome customer," said
+Captain Sharp, with a very agreeable smile.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"How do you know?"</p>
+
+<p>"As the boys say, because I know; I do not guess at it."</p>
+
+<p>"You do not understand the matter."</p>
+
+<p>"I know more about it than you do."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you know Ali-Noury Pacha?"</p>
+
+<p>"I do; intimately."</p>
+
+<p>"Then you know that he is one of the greatest scoundrels that ever went
+six months without being hung," said he of the Guardian-Mother warmly.</p>
+
+<p>"There I must beg to differ from you. He may have been what you say in
+the past, but he is not in the present," replied he of the Blanche,
+quite as decidedly as the other had spoken.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold proceeded to demonstrate the truth of his remark
+concerning the Pacha by relating his experience from Mogadore to
+Alexandria, detailing the plots and conspiracies of His Highness and his
+agents against the peace and safety of his party. Captain Sharp admitted
+the truth of all the attempts to capture Miss Blanche and Louis
+Belgrave.</p>
+
+<p>"Then you must admit that he is an unmitigated scoundrel," added Captain
+Ringgold.</p>
+
+<p>"Much that you charge to him was the work of his agents."</p>
+
+<p>"He hatched up the conspiracy with Mazagan, for Louis heard every word
+of it in the caf&eacute; at Gallipoli. The attempt was made in Pournea Bay in
+the Archipelago to take Miss Blanche and Louis out of the Maud."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I grant it; but Mazagan far exceeded his instructions, as he did at
+Zante."</p>
+
+<p>"How much money did the Pacha offer Mazagan to obtain the persons
+mentioned?"</p>
+
+<p>"Twenty thousand dollars, or a hundred thousand francs; but that is a
+bagatelle to him. The Pacha is another man now," added the ex-detective
+impressively.</p>
+
+<p>"How long has he been another man?" asked Captain Ringgold with
+something like a sneer.</p>
+
+<p>"Over six months."</p>
+
+<p>"But Mazagan has been operating the same old scheme in Egypt within two
+months," protested the commander of the Guardian-Mother very vigorously.</p>
+
+<p>"Then he was not acting under the instructions of the Pacha."</p>
+
+<p>"We should have found it difficult to believe that if you had told it to
+us in Cairo," said the objector in a manner that might have made one who
+did not know the captain decidedly belligerent. "Mazagan told Louis that
+the Pacha had offered him two hundred thousand francs if he succeeded in
+his enterprise, or half that sum if he failed."</p>
+
+<p>"Then the fellow lied!" exclaimed the captain of the Blanche.</p>
+
+<p>"He told Louis if he would persuade his trustee to give him half the
+full amount of the reward, he would collect the other half of His
+Highness, as promised in case of failure."</p>
+
+<p>"That Mazagan is a villain and a scoundrel I have<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</a></span> no doubt," said
+Captain Sharp. "Since the affair at Zante, the Pacha has had no hand in
+the matter."</p>
+
+<p>"But the steamer of His Highness, the Fatim&eacute;, has been in Rosetta in
+command of Mazagan," put in the objector with earnestness, believing his
+reply would demolish the truth of his companion's statement.</p>
+
+<p>"That can be explained," answered the commander of the Blanche. "If you
+believe there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, it is
+quite time for me to tell my story; and I hope you will take a different
+view of the Pacha's present character, as I believe you will."</p>
+
+<p>"Where is the distinguished Moor now?" asked Captain Ringgold,
+carelessly and flippantly, as though it was of no consequence to him
+where he was.</p>
+
+<p>"He is in the cabin."</p>
+
+<p>"In the cabin!" exclaimed the commander of the Guardian-Mother, leaping
+out of his chair with an utter lack of dignity for him. "What cabin?"</p>
+
+<p>"The cabin of the Blanche, of course."</p>
+
+<p>"Is this his steamer?"</p>
+
+<p>"It is."</p>
+
+<p>"You told me it was General Newry's," said the visitor with a frown, as
+he buttoned up his coat as though he was about to take his leave of such
+a disagreeable locality. "General N-e-w-r-y."</p>
+
+<p>"N-o-u-r-y is the way he spells it," interposed the ex-detective. "Sit
+down, Captain. He is a general of the highest rank in the army of
+Morocco, and he prefers to cruise under this title."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"If this is the steamer of Ali-Noury Pacha, it is time for me to leave."</p>
+
+<p>"I hope you will hear my story before you go; for I assure you I have
+been honest and sincere with you, telling you nothing but the truth. I
+hated and condemned the vices of His Highness as much as you do,
+Captain; I have told him so to his face, and that was the foundation of
+his reformation."</p>
+
+<p>Captain Ringgold concluded to hear the story.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</a></span></p>
+<h2>CHAPTER XXXVI</h2>
+
+<h3>AN ALMOST MIRACULOUS CONVERSION</h3>
+
+
+<p>It was a long story which Captain Penn Sharp told of his relations with
+Ali-Noury Pacha; and his visitor was so incredulous at first that he
+appeared to have solemnly resolved not to accept anything as the truth.
+But the character of the speaker left its impress all along the
+narrative; and Captain Ringgold was compelled to believe, just as the
+hardened sinner is sometimes forced to accept the truth when presented
+to him by the true evangelist, though his teeth were set against it.</p>
+
+<p>"You gentlemen with millions in your trousers pockets are subject to
+perils which we of moderate means are not exposed to," the commander of
+the Blanche began.</p>
+
+<p>"That means you, and not me," suggested the visitor.</p>
+
+<p>"You have the reputation of being a rich man, whether you are one or
+not. My wife is rich, and I am only well off; but never mind that now,"
+replied Captain Sharp. "I saw General Noury, as we will call him after
+this if you do not object, for that is the name by which he chooses to
+be known, in Gibraltar several times, and I knew all about your affair<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</a></span>
+with him there; but I did not get acquainted with him, for I despised
+him as much as you did.</p>
+
+<p>"I sailed from the Rock, and took my wife to a great many of the ports
+of Europe, and some in Africa, including Egypt; but I am not going to
+tell you about our travels. We went from Alexandria to Malta, Syracuse,
+and to Messina; and it was at this last port that I fell in with General
+Noury. His steamer, I forget her name,"&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"The Fatim&eacute;; but Felix McGavonty always called her the Fatty."</p>
+
+<p>"The Fatty anchored within a cable's length of me before I had been
+there two hours, and the Pacha went ashore at once. That night my wife
+was sick, and I went to the city to procure a certain medicine for her.
+I happened into a shop where no one could speak English, and I don't
+speak anything else. I was just going off to find another place where
+they did speak English, when a gentleman rose from a chair with some
+difficulty and offered his services.</p>
+
+<p>"It was General Noury. He had been drinking, but was not very badly off.
+He was as polite as a dancing-master, and helped me out so that I got
+what I wanted. He spoke Italian as though he had known it in his
+babyhood. I was very much obliged to him, and thanked him with all my
+might. He left before my package was ready, and I soon followed him.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 320px;">
+<img src="images/i006.jpg" width="320" height="500" alt="&quot;My shot brought down one of the bandits.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;My shot brought down one of the bandits.&quot; Page <a href="#Page_351">351</a>.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"As I entered the street that leads from the Corso Cavour to the shore I
+heard the yells of a man in trouble. I always carried my revolver with
+me, and I had handled a good many rough villains in my day. I started at
+a run, and soon reached the scene of the fight. I found two men had
+attacked one; and though the latter was bravely defending himself, he
+was getting the worst of it. I saw that he was going under, and I fired
+just as the man attacked dropped on the pavement.</p>
+
+<p>"My shot brought down one of the bandits, and the other rushed towards
+me. He had brought down his victim, and he wanted to get rid of me so
+that he could go through his pockets. I fired at him, and he dropped the
+long knife with which he was going to stick me on the pavement. There it
+is over the window;" and the captain pointed to it. "He was wounded; and
+then he ran away, for he did not like to play with a revolver. Before I
+could get to him, the other assassin got on his feet and followed him,
+though he moved with no little labor and pain; but my business was not
+with him, and I let him go.</p>
+
+<p>"The man who had been attacked was trying to get on his feet, and when I
+came up to him I found it was General Noury. He had been stabbed in the
+shoulder, and he was bleeding very freely. With my assistance he walked
+to my boat, and my men placed him in the stern-sheets. I found that he
+was bleeding badly, and I was no surgeon. The Hotel Vittorio was on the
+other side of the street, and some one there could tell me in English
+where to find a doctor.</p>
+
+<p>"Two gentlemen at the door were smoking. They were talking in English,
+and I told them what I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</a></span> wanted. They were both Americans, and one of
+them was a doctor. He volunteered to go with me. He said the patient had
+a bad wound. He went back to the hotel for his case of instruments, and
+then went on board of the Viking with his patient. It would make your
+dinner very late if I should give you all the details of the general's
+case. Dr. Henderson stopped the flow of blood, and attended to his
+patient for three weeks on board of the steam-yacht.</p>
+
+<p>"When he was in condition to be moved to the Fatty, he did not wish to
+go. My wife had nursed him as she would have nursed her own brother, and
+as she had her uncle in Cuba. When he was convalescent he treated her
+with the most profound respect. Mazagan came on board to see him, and
+told me he had just come from Athens. But the general was plainly
+disgusted with him, and wanted to get rid of him. He gave him the
+command of the Fatty, and ordered him to wait for him at Gibraltar.</p>
+
+<p>"Dr. Henderson was travelling for pleasure, and he liked it so well that
+he wanted more of it; but he had spent all his money, and had no more at
+home. He came on board of the Viking, and lived there. His friend had
+left, and he was alone. He had been a very skilful practitioner in New
+York City, but his thirst for travel would not permit him to wait long
+enough to save sufficient money from his abundant income.</p>
+
+<p>"Of his own free will and accord General Noury told me that he was
+leading a miserable life in spite<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</a></span> of the wealth that he possessed, the
+honors that crowned him in Morocco, and the leisure that was always at
+his command when the army was not in the field. As he summed it up
+himself, his vices had got the better of him. He could not respect
+himself. I could see that there was something left of him. I went to
+work on him. I am not an evangelist myself, and I did not take him on
+that tack.</p>
+
+<p>"I have no doubt that I had saved his life; and no man was ever more
+grateful for the service I had rendered him. My wife was such a houri as
+he had never seen in a harem. We both talked with him about the beauty
+of a good and useful life. In a word, we redeemed him. My wife is a
+sincere Christian, and she did more of it than I did. He was absolutely
+penitent over his sins, his dissipation, the wrongs towards others he
+had committed, though he was still a Mohammedan; but a great deal of the
+prophet's creed would pass for Christianity. We both saw that it would
+be useless to attack his religion; for he was a Moslem to the marrow of
+his bones.</p>
+
+<p>"More than anything else he was penitent over his relations with you and
+your party. The general was certainly infatuated over the beauty of Miss
+Blanche; but it was as an artist runs mad over a picture. He solemnly
+assured me he never had an unworthy thought in regard to her. He looked
+upon her as a beautiful child, whose image haunted him day and night. If
+you had permitted him to see her, that was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</a></span> all he wanted. No such
+thought had ever entered his head as that of putting her in his harem,
+even if he had succeeded through his agents in capturing her; though he
+was urged forward to this by the insults you heaped upon him.</p>
+
+<p>"I mean that you spoke the truth to him, nothing more, as I did. He
+desires to beg your forgiveness, and he would cross the Atlantic for the
+purpose of doing so. We stayed at Messina three weeks, and at the end of
+that time General Noury was quite well again. He gave Dr. Henderson a
+hundred thousand francs, and wanted me to take five times that amount;
+but I positively refused to take a cent from him. To shorten up the
+story, we became fast friends, including my wife. He had sent the Fatty
+off, and I invited him to remain on board of the Viking. He was in a
+hurry to get to Gibraltar; and I soon found that he had a reason for
+going there.</p>
+
+<p>"He told me that the Fatty was old and slow, and more than a year before
+he had ordered the finest steam-yacht that could be built; and the
+Blanche was the result of the order. He named her after the highest
+ideal he had ever been able to obtain of human loveliness; but he had
+written this letter from Madeira, before he had had any trouble with
+you. Ruth and I were ready to go to England by this time, and we
+conveyed the general to Gibraltar. He had received a letter from his
+English agent informing him that the Blanche was finished.</p>
+
+<p>"He ordered his man of business to ship the best<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</a></span> English ship's company
+he could gather together at liberal wages, and proceed to Gibraltar. We
+found her there. He insisted that I should sell the Viking, for which he
+found a customer, and take the command of the Blanche. My wife should
+have any and all the accommodations on board she desired, and we would
+make the voyage around the world, an idea he borrowed from you, Captain
+Ringgold.</p>
+
+<p>"I accepted the offer because I liked the general, and my wife was more
+pleased with the plan than I was. I was to have my own way about
+everything, and he acted in princely style. My first business was to
+improve his reputation in Gibraltar. He gave a very large sum to the
+charities of the city; and where the officers and soldiers had benefit
+associations he filled up their coffers. He did not drink a drop of
+spirits or wine, and would have signed a total-abstinence pledge if I
+had asked him to do so. I am not quite old enough to be his father; but
+if he had been my son I could have had no more influence over him.</p>
+
+<p>"The general came to me to know how he should settle his accounts with
+Mazagan, informing me that the villain had offered him twenty-five
+thousand francs for the Fatty, and claimed the fifty thousand due him. I
+told him he had made a bad bargain with the wretch, but as he had
+promised he must perform. The vessel was worth at least double what he
+offered; but I advised him to take it, for money was no object to him
+compared with getting rid of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</a></span> this villain. Mazagan took possession of
+the Fatty, and that was the last of her."</p>
+
+<p>"No, it wasn't," interposed Captain Ringgold; and he gave a brief
+account of the "Battle of Khrysoko," with the events leading to it.</p>
+
+<p>"Good for Captain Scott!" exclaimed the commander of the Blanche. "I am
+glad she has gone to the bottom, for that is the best place for her. We
+sailed from Gibraltar to Madeira, where the general made himself solid
+with the people there in the same manner as at the Rock. He apologized
+to everybody he had insulted, and he was quite a lion before we left the
+port. Then we went to Mogadore; and there he scattered his harem, on the
+plea that he was going around the world; but he told me it would never
+be gathered together again, that or any other.</p>
+
+<p>"The general would have gone to New York in the Blanche if you had been
+there, for the sole purpose of apologizing to you, and begging you to
+forgive him for all the injuries he had done or had attempted to do you.
+It is only five o'clock, and now you must see General Noury. I was going
+to the Guardian-Mother this evening to make an appointment for him; for
+I thought you would be busy all day."</p>
+
+<p>"I am quite ready now to meet him, and to give him my hand," replied
+Captain Ringgold. "I must say that this is the greatest conversion on
+record, considering that the Pacha is still a Mohammedan."</p>
+
+<p>"I think so myself; but my wife will never be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</a></span> satisfied till she has
+made him a convert to the Christian religion," replied Captain Sharp, as
+he led the way to the cabin of the general.</p>
+
+<p>They were promptly admitted; and the owner of the Blanche started back,
+and stood with clasped hands gazing at Captain Ringgold.</p>
+
+<p>"General Noury, this is Captain Ringgold, commander of the
+Guardian-Mother," said Captain Sharp.</p>
+
+<p>"Most sincerely, I am very glad to see you, General Noury," added the
+visitor, advancing with extended hand to the Pacha, for such he was
+still in spite of the change in his name.</p>
+
+<p>"I feel more like throwing myself on my knees before you, after the
+Oriental manner, than taking you by the hand," replied the general,
+though he took the hand tendered to him. "I have grievously wronged and
+insulted you, and I ask to be forgiven with the most sincere and
+long-continued sorrow for the injuries I have done you."</p>
+
+<p>"General Noury, I am happy to take by the hand as my friend one who has
+passed from the darkness into the light; and as my own religion teaches
+me to forgive those who have wronged me, I am glad to make the past, as
+it lies between us, a total blank."</p>
+
+<p>"And my religion teaches me to seek the forgiveness of those I have
+injured, or tried to injure. We will not differ over our faith,
+different as they are; and on my part there shall henceforth be nothing
+else to make us at variance."</p>
+
+<p>"And nothing on my part," responded Captain Ringgold, again pressing the
+hand of the Pacha.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The general was invited to visit the Guardian-Mother, and dine with the
+party in the cabin. Captain Ringgold was then conducted to the after
+part of the ship, and there found Mrs. Sharp, who was delighted to see
+him. The Pacha presently came out of his cabin dressed in evening
+costume, but in European style, and the trio embarked in the barge. As
+they approached the anchorage of the ship, strains of martial music came
+from her deck, which the commander could not explain. It appeared that
+some of the invited officers had sent a regimental band on board as a
+compliment to the steamer and her passengers.</p>
+
+<p>The long absence of the commander had begun to excite some uneasiness,
+for he had not been seen since the middle of the forenoon. The addition
+of even three more guests to the crowded table upset the calculations of
+the accomplished steward, and he was obliged to add another table. While
+he was doing so, the captain told his passengers "of the mighty things
+that had happened." He could not tell the whole story; but he begged all
+on board to receive the Pacha kindly and politely, for he had forgiven
+everything, and he honored him for the bravery and resolution with which
+he had put his vices behind him. "Get thee behind me, Satan!" was the
+way he phrased it.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 317px;">
+<img src="images/i007.jpg" width="317" height="500" alt="&quot;He was placed at the right of Captain Ringgold.&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;He was placed at the right of Captain Ringgold.&quot; Page
+<a href="#Page_359">359</a>.</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The general was then presented to all the party, passengers as well as
+invited guests. It may have required an effort on the part of the former
+to carry out the instructions of the commander; but the Pacha declared
+that he was delighted with his reception. He was placed on the right of
+Captain Ringgold, as the guest of honor, and treated with distinguished
+consideration by all the people from the shore.</p>
+
+<p>The dinner was Mr. Melancthon Sage's crowning effort, as he had been
+ordered to make it. Not a word was said, or an allusion made, to the
+scenes of the past in which the trouble had bubbled up. The commander
+made a speech, and proclaimed his temperance principle so originally
+that the military guests hardly missed the wine to which they were
+accustomed. Some of them spoke, mostly of the ship and her agreeable
+passengers; but all agreed the Pacha made the speech of the evening,
+which was a comparison between his own country and those in which he had
+spent so large a portion of his life. In the first place, he was a very
+handsome man; his English was perfect; and he had a poetic nature, which
+developed itself in the flowery language he used.</p>
+
+<p>It was a very delightful occasion, and everybody enjoyed it without any
+drawbacks. The Maud was at the gangway to take the party ashore; for the
+Parsee merchants had invited the military officers to make use of her.
+By eleven o'clock all were gone in that direction. Captain Ringgold had
+intended to sail for Bombay the next day; but the extraordinary event
+which had transpired at Aden decided him to remain another day.</p>
+
+<p>The party from the Blanche, attended by the commander,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</a></span> were put on
+board of their steamer, in the barge. On her return Captain Ringgold was
+very anxious to ascertain what impression had been made upon the
+passengers by His Highness the Pacha. They insisted that he was not the
+same man at all, and that they had been pleased with him. Had he really
+reformed his life? Mrs. Belgrave had heard from Mrs. Sharp a fuller
+account of the conversion of the sinner in a high place, and she
+believed it.</p>
+
+<p>Louis Belgrave sat at the side of Miss Blanche, and she had little
+knowledge of the intentions of the Pacha so far as she was concerned. He
+had treated her with the most scrupulous politeness and reserve, and she
+admitted that she "rather liked him." Mrs. Blossom declared that he was
+still a heathen, and wondered that Mrs. Sharp had not converted him to
+Christianity while she was about it, as she would have done if she had
+had the opportunity. But the good woman would probably have lost her
+case if she had tried to do too much at once.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the intercourse between the two steamers was renewed; and
+the Pacha was decidedly a lion, though he conducted himself with extreme
+modesty. The impression he continued to make was decidedly in his favor.
+He assumed nothing on account of his wealth, his lofty station, or
+anything else. The passengers dined that day in the cabin of the
+Blanche, with about all the guests whose acquaintance the general had
+made on board the Guardian-Mother.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In the afternoon it was decided by the unanimous vote of the company on
+board of the Guardian-Mother that the two steamers should sail the next
+day for Bombay together. The "Big Four" had been properly noticed by the
+Pacha, and they had all made friends with him. He had talked with Louis
+a good deal, for he had become very well acquainted with him at
+Mogadore; and Scott even thought it possible such a man, "made of
+money," might yet buy a steamer for him.</p>
+
+<p>The Maud, with the Parsee merchants and all the friendly officers,
+followed the two magnificent steamers to sea the next day, and both
+vessels fired salutes for them at parting. The party were going to
+India; new sights, different from anything they had ever seen before,
+were to open upon them, and it is more than possible that the young men
+on board would fall into some stirring adventures as they proceeded. The
+company of the Blanche was likely to bring with it some attractions, and
+to change somewhat the order of events on board both vessels. But the
+narrative of the voyage will be found in "<span class="smcap">Across India; or, Live Boys in
+the Far East</span>."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>OLIVER OPTICS BOOKS.</h2>
+
+
+<h3>THE BLUE and THE GRAY</h3>
+
+<p>Illustrated. With Emblematic Dies. Each volume bound in Blue and Gray.
+Per volume, $1.50.</p>
+
+
+<h4>NAVY SERIES</h4>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">TAKEN BY THE ENEMY<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A VICTORIOUS UNION<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">ON THE BLOCKADE<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">STAND BY THE UNION<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+
+<h4>ARMY SERIES</h4>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">IN THE SADDLE<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A LIEUTENANT AT EIGHTEEN<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p><i>Other volumes in preparation</i></p>
+
+<p>The opening of a new series of books from the pen of Oliver Optic is
+bound to arouse the highest anticipation in the minds of boy and girl
+readers. There never has been a more interesting writer in the field of
+juvenile literature than Mr. W. T. Adams, who under his well-known
+pseudonym, is known and admired by every boy and girl in the country,
+and by thousands who have long since passed the boundaries of youth, yet
+who remember with pleasure the genial, interesting pen that did so much
+to interest, instruct and entertain their younger years. The present
+volume opens "The Blue and the Gray Series," a title that is
+sufficiently indicative of the nature and spirit of the series, of which
+the first volume is now presented, while the name of Oliver Optic is
+sufficient warrant of the absorbing style of narrative. "Taken by the
+Enemy," the first book of the series, is as bright and entertaining as
+any work that Mr. Adams has yet put forth, and will be as eagerly
+perused as any that has borne his name. It would not be fair to the
+prospective reader to deprive him of the zest which comes from the
+unexpected, by entering into a synopsis of the story. A word, however,
+should be said in regard to the beauty and appropriateness of the
+binding, which makes it a most attractive volume.&mdash;<i>Boston Budget.</i></p>
+
+<p>"Taken by the Enemy" has just come from the press, an announcement that
+cannot but appeal to every healthy boy from ten to fifteen years of age
+in the country. "No writer of the present day," says the Boston
+<i>Commonwealth</i>, "whose aim has been to hit the boyish heart, has been as
+successful as Oliver Optic. There is a period in the life of every
+youth, just about the time that he is collecting postage-stamps, and
+before his legs are long enough for a bicycle, when he has the Oliver
+Optic fever. He catches it by reading a few stray pages somewhere, and
+then there is nothing for it but to let the matter take its course.
+Relief comes only when the last page of the last book is read; and then
+there are relapses whenever a new book appears until one is safely on
+through the teens."&mdash;<i>Literary News.</i></p>
+
+
+<h3>ALL-OVER-THE-WORLD LIBRARY</h3>
+
+<h4>By OLIVER OPTIC</h4>
+
+<p><i>Illustrated, Price per Volume $1.35</i></p>
+
+
+<h4>FIRST SERIES</h4>
+
+<p>
+A MISSING MILLION<br />
+<span class="smcap">Or The Adventures of Louis Belgrave</span><br />
+<br />
+A MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN<br />
+<span class="smcap">Or The Cruise of the Guardian Mother</span><br />
+<br />
+A YOUNG KNIGHT-ERRANT<br />
+<span class="smcap">Or Cruising in the West Indies</span><br />
+<br />
+STRANGE SIGHTS ABROAD<br />
+<span class="smcap">Or A Voyage in European Waters</span><br />
+<br />
+<br /></p>
+<h4>SECOND SERIES</h4>
+<p>
+AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT<br />
+<span class="smcap">Or Cruising in the Orient</span><br />
+<br />
+THE YOUNG NAVIGATORS<br />
+<span class="smcap">Or The Foreign Cruise of the Maud</span><br />
+<br />
+UP AND DOWN THE NILE<br />
+<span class="smcap">Or Young Adventurers in Africa</span><br />
+<br />
+ASIATIC BREEZES<br />
+<span class="smcap">Or Students on the Wing</span><br />
+<br />
+<i>OTHER VOLUMES IN PREPARATION</i><br />
+ANY VOLUME SOLD SEPARATELY<br />
+<br />
+LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston<br />
+</p>
+
+
+<h3>YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD.</h3>
+
+<h4>FIRST SERIES.</h4>
+
+<p>A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo Illustrated by
+Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others. Per volume, $1.50.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">l. OUTWARD BOUND;<br /></span>
+<span class="i4">Or, Young America Afloat.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">2. SHAMROCK AND THISTLE;<br /></span>
+<span class="i4">Or, Young America in Ireland and Scotland.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">3. RED CROSS;<br /></span>
+<span class="i4">Or, Young America in England and Wales.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">4. DIKES AND DITCHES;<br /></span>
+<span class="i4">Or, Young America in Holland and Belgium.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">5. PALACE AND COTTAGE;<br /></span>
+<span class="i4">Or, Young America in France and Switzerland.<br /></span>
+</div><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">6. DOWN THE RHINE;<br /></span>
+<span class="i4">Or, Young America in Germany.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>The story from its inception and through the twelve volumes (see <i>Second
+Series</i>), is a bewitching one, while the information imparted,
+concerning the countries of Europe and the isles of the sea, is not only
+correct in every particular, but is told in a captivating style. "Oliver
+Optic" will continue to be the boy's friend, and his pleasant books will
+continue to be read by thousands of American boys. What a fine holiday
+present either or both series of "Young America Abroad" would be for a
+young friend! It would make a little library highly prized by the
+recipient, and would not be an expensive one.&mdash;<i>Providence Press.</i></p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Asiatic Breezes, by Oliver Optic
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Asiatic Breezes, by Oliver Optic
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Asiatic Breezes
+       Students on The Wing
+
+Author: Oliver Optic
+
+Release Date: May 27, 2008 [EBook #25620]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ASIATIC BREEZES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
+(This book was produced from scanned images of public
+domain material from the Google Print project.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "THE STERN OF THE FATIMA SUDDENLY WENT DOWN." Page 127.]
+
+
+
+
+_All-Over-the-World Library--Second Series_
+
+
+ASIATIC BREEZES
+
+OR
+
+STUDENTS ON THE WING
+
+BY
+
+OLIVER OPTIC
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE ARMY AND NAVY SERIES" "YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD FIRST AND
+SECOND SERIES" "THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES" "THE GREAT WESTERN SERIES" "THE
+WOODVILLE STORIES" "THE ONWARD AND UPWARD SERIES" "THE LAKE SHORE
+SERIES" "THE YACHT-CLUB SERIES" "THE RIVERDALE STORIES" "THE BOAT
+BUILDER SERIES" "THE BLUE AND THE GRAY AFLOAT" "THE BLUE AND THE GRAY ON
+LAND" "STARRY FLAG SERIES" "ALL-OVER-THE-WORLD LIBRARY FIRST AND SECOND
+SERIES" "A MISSING MILLION" "A MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN" "A YOUNG
+KNIGHT-ERRANT" "STRANGE SIGHTS ABROAD" "AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT" "THE YOUNG
+NAVIGATORS" "UP AND DOWN THE NILE" ETC.
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS
+
+10 MILK STREET
+
+BOSTON
+
+1895
+
+
+COPYRIGHT, 1894, BY LEE AND SHEPARD
+
+_All Rights Reserved_
+
+ASIATIC BREEZES
+
+ELECTROTYPING BY C. J. PETERS & SON, BOSTON U.S.A.
+
+PRESSWORK BY S. J. PARKHILL & CO.
+
+
+To
+
+MY APPRECIATIVE FRIEND AND BROTHER
+
+FOSTER A. WHITNEY Esq.
+
+OF SOUTHINGTON CONN.
+
+This Volume
+
+IS FRATERNALLY AND RESPECTFULLY
+
+DEDICATED
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+"ASIATIC BREEZES" is the fourth volume of the second series of the
+"All-Over-the-World Library." Starting out from Alexandria, Egypt, after
+the adventures and explorations of the Guardian-Mother party in that
+interesting country, which included an excursion up the Nile to the
+First Cataract, the steamer sails out upon the Mediterranean, closely
+followed by her little consort. The enemy who had made a portion of the
+voyage exceedingly disagreeable to the watchful commander has been
+thwarted in all his schemes, and the threatened danger kept at a
+distance, even while those who are most deeply interested are
+unconscious of its existence.
+
+But the old enemy immediately appears on the coast, as was expected, and
+an attempt is made to carry out a plan to escape from further annoyance.
+The little steamer sails for the island of Cyprus, as arranged
+beforehand, and reaches her destination, though she encounters a smart
+gale on the voyage, through which the young navigators carry their
+lively little craft. Plans do not always work as they have been
+arranged; and by an accident the young people are left to fight their
+own battle, as has happened several times before in the history of the
+cruise.
+
+A considerable portion of the volume is taken up with the record of some
+very stirring events in a certain bay of the island of Cyprus, where the
+little steamer had made a harbor after the gale, and where the
+Guardian-Mother had failed to join her, as agreed upon. The story
+relates the manner in which the young captain, actively seconded by his
+shipmates, extricates his little craft from a very perilous situation,
+though it involves a disaster to the piratical enemy and his steamer.
+The conduct of the boy-commander brings up several questions of
+interest, upon which everybody has a right to his own opinion.
+
+The steamer and her consort pass through the Suez Canal, which is
+minutely described, both in its construction and operation. Some of
+those on board of the steamer are interested in Scripture history,
+including the commander; and the residence of the Israelites in the
+"Land of Goshen," as well as their pilgrimage into Asia, pursued by
+"Pharaoh and his host," are considered at some length. Some of the
+different views in regard to the passage of the Red Sea are given,
+though he who presents them clings to the narrative as he read it from
+the Bible in his childhood.
+
+Though the party for reasons given do not go to Mount Sinai, the
+peninsula to which it now gives its name is not neglected. Mount Serbal,
+and what is generally regarded as the Holy Mountain, are seen from the
+deck of the steamer, though some claim that the former is the scene of
+the delivery of the tablets of the Law to Moses. The captain of the
+steamer does not regard himself as a mere shipmaster; for in
+recommending the voyage for the young millionaire, he makes a great deal
+of its educational features, not alone for its opportunities for
+sight-seeing, but for study and receiving instruction. As earnest in
+carrying out his idea in the latter as well as the former, he has made a
+lecture-room of the deck of the vessel.
+
+The physical geography of the regions passed through is considered, as
+well as the history; and as the ship is in the vicinity of the kingdoms
+of the ancient world, the professor has something to say to his audience
+about Assyria, Babylonia, Arabia, the Caliphate, and gives an epitome of
+the life of Mohammed, and the rise and progress of Islamism.
+
+In the last chapters the story, which has been extended through several
+volumes, appears to be brought to a conclusion in a manner that may
+astonish the reader. However that may be, the termination points to an
+enlarged field of operations in the future for the party as they visit
+the vast empires where blow the Asiatic breezes.
+
+                         WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
+
+DORCHESTER, MASS., September 30, 1894.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER I.                                              PAGE
+PREPARING TO OUTWIT THE ENEMY                              1
+
+CHAPTER II.
+HARMONY DISTURBED, BUT HAPPILY RESTORED                   11
+
+CHAPTER III.
+A MOMENTOUS SECRET REVEALED                               21
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+THE POSITION OF THE THREE STEAMERS                        31
+
+CHAPTER V.
+LOUIS BELGRAVE HAS SOME MISGIVINGS                        41
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+A STORMY NIGHT RUN TO CAPE ARNAUTI                        51
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+THE BELLIGERENT COMMANDER OF THE MAUD                     61
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+THE LECTURE ON THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS                       71
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+A MOST IMPUDENT PROPOSITION                               81
+
+CHAPTER X.
+"JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE, MOTHER"                          91
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+AN EXPEDIENT TO ESCAPE THE ENEMY                         101
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+THE BATTLE FOUGHT, THE VICTORY WON                       111
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+THE CATASTROPHE TO THE FATIME                            121
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+THE CONSULTATION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE                      131
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+THE ARRIVAL OF THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER                       141
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+THE REPORT OF THE BATTLE OF KHRYSOKO                     151
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+THE INSIDE HISTORY OF THE VOYAGE                         161
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SUEZ CANAL                        171
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+THE JOURNEY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL                    181
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+THE LAST OF CAPTAIN MAZAGAN                              192
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+THE CONFERENCE ON THE SUEZ CANAL                         202
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+THE CANAL AND ITS SUGGESTIONS                            212
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+THE MYSTERIOUS ARAB IN A NEW SUIT                        222
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+THE TOY OF THE TRANSIT MANAGER                           232
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+A VISIT TO THE SPRINGS OF MOSES                          241
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+THE VARIOUS ROUTES TO MOUNT SINAI                        251
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+THE CONFERENCE ON THE PROMENADE                          260
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD                        270
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+VIEW OF MOUNT SINAI IN THE DISTANCE                      280
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+SOME ACCOUNT OF MOHAMMED THE PROPHET                     290
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF ISLAMISM                        300
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+THE AGENT OF THE PARSEE MERCHANTS                        310
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+A DISAPPOINTMENT TO CAPTAIN SCOTT                        319
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+THE SUSPICIOUS WHITE STEAMER AT ADEN                     329
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+GENERAL NEWBY'S MAGNIFICENT YACHT                        339
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+AN ALMOST MIRACULOUS CONVERSION                          349
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+"THE STERN OF THE FATIMA SUDDENLY WENT DOWN"       _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                             PAGE
+"IT HAD BEEN A STORMY NIGHT"                                   51
+
+"STOP WHERE YOU ARE OR I SHALL ORDER MY MEN TO FIRE!"          92
+
+"SHE SPREAD OUT HER ARMS AND RUSHED UPON HIM"                 147
+
+"KNOTT, TAKE THIS VILLAIN AWAY"                               201
+
+"CAPTAIN RINGGOLD, I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE YOU"                 337
+
+"MY SHOT BROUGHT DOWN ONE OF THE BANDITS"                     351
+
+"HE WAS PLACED AT THE RIGHT OF CAPTAIN RINGGOLD"              359
+
+
+
+
+ASIATIC BREEZES
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+PREPARING TO OUTWIT THE ENEMY
+
+
+"Only one great mistake has been made, Louis Belgrave," said Captain
+George Scott Fencelowe.
+
+He was a young man of eighteen; but the title by which he was addressed
+was genuine so far as his position was actually concerned, though it
+would hardly have passed muster before a court of admiralty of the
+United States, whose flag was displayed on the ensign-staff at the
+stern. The vessel was a small steam-yacht, only forty feet in length,
+but furnished in a miniature way with most of the appliances of a
+regular steamer.
+
+She had a cabin twelve feet long, whose broad divans could be changed
+into berths for the four principal personages on board of her. Abaft
+this apartment was a standing-room with seating accommodations for eight
+persons, or twelve with a little crowding, with luxurious cushions and
+an awning overhead when needed.
+
+Her pilot-house, engine-room, galley, and forecastle were as regular as
+though she had been an ocean steamer of a thousand tons. Her ordinary
+speed was ten knots an hour; but she could be driven up to twelve on an
+emergency, and had even made a trifle more than this when an
+extraordinary effort was required of the craft.
+
+She had been built for a Moorish Pacha of the highest rank and of
+unbounded wealth, who had ordered that no expense should be spared in
+her construction and outfit. She was built of steel as strong as it was
+possible to build a vessel of any kind; and in more than one heavy gale
+on the Mediterranean she had proved herself to be an unusually able and
+weatherly craft.
+
+Though she had formerly been called the Salihe, her name had been
+changed by her later American owners to the Maud. Everything about her
+was as luxurious as it was substantial. She had a ship's company of
+seven persons, only two of whom had reached and passed their majority,
+the other five varying in age from fifteen to eighteen.
+
+The principal personages were boys, three of them having attained the
+mature age of eighteen, while the fourth was only fifteen. This quartet
+sometimes called themselves the "Big Four," though it was a borrowed
+designation, meaning something entirely different from its present
+signification. Captain Scott had been the first to apply the term; and
+he had done so simply because it tickled the tympanum of his ear, and it
+really meant nothing at all.
+
+The Maud was the consort, or more properly the tender, of the
+Guardian-Mother, a steam-yacht of over six hundred tons' burden, now
+engaged in making a voyage around the world. In a preceding volume it
+was related in what manner Louis Belgrave became a millionaire, with
+fifty per cent more than money enough to entitle him to this rather
+indefinite appellation. How he happened to be the proprietor of one of
+the finest steam-yachts that ever floated on the ocean was also
+explained, through a somewhat complicated narrative, and the details of
+a cruise to Bermuda, the Bahama Islands, and Cuba, followed by a voyage
+across the Atlantic and up the Mediterranean, the steamer and her tender
+having just sailed from Alexandria after the tour of Egypt.
+
+The ship, as the larger steamer was generally called to distinguish her
+from the smaller one, was the Guardian-Mother. This may be regarded as
+rather an odd name for a steamship, but it had been selected by the
+young millionaire himself as a tribute of love, affection, and honor to
+his mother; for they were devotedly attached to each other, and their
+relations were almost sentimental. Mrs. Belgrave was one of the most
+important passengers in the cabin of the steamer.
+
+Felix McGavonty was born in the United States, though his parents came
+from Ireland. He had been the companion of Louis Belgrave from their
+earliest childhood; and as they grew older they became the most
+consummate cronies. Felix almost worshipped his friend, and the
+friendship was mutual. He was a fair scholar, having attended the
+academy at Von Blonk Park, where they lived. He could speak the English
+language as well as a college professor; but he was very much given to
+speaking with the Irish brogue, in honor of his mother he insisted, and
+dragged into his speech all the dialects known in the Green Isle, and
+perhaps supplemented them with some inventions of his own. That great
+American humorist might have said of Felix just what he did of the
+kangaroo.
+
+Captain Scott had been a wild boy, in fact, a decidedly bad boy. He had
+been picked up with his foster-father in the Bahamas. His only guardian
+bound him over to Captain Royal Ringgold, the commander of the
+Guardian-Mother, who had thoroughly and entirely reformed his life and
+character. He was a natural-born sailor, and his abilities were of a
+high order in that direction. When the ship's company of the Maud was
+organized, Louis had brought his influence to bear in favor of electing
+him to the command, for which he was vastly better qualified than any
+other member of the "Big Four."
+
+Squire Moses Scarburn, another of the all-over-the-world excursionists,
+was the trustee of Louis's million and a half. He was a jolly fat man,
+rising fifty years old. He was a lawyer by profession, and had sat upon
+the bench, and Louis had always been an immense favorite with him. He
+had taken Felix into his house as an orphan; and his housekeeper, Mrs.
+Sarah Blossom, had cared for him in his childhood, looked after his
+morals and the buttons on his shirts and trousers, till she became very
+fond of him.
+
+Just before the Guardian-Mother sailed on her cruise from New York, a
+couple of professional gentlemen, thrown overboard by the upsetting of a
+sailing-yacht, were rescued from a watery grave by the people on board
+of the steamer, largely by the exertions of Louis. One of them was Dr.
+Philip Hawkes, one of the most noted medical men of the great city. He
+was almost the counterpart of the trustee physically, weighing two
+hundred and twenty-six pounds and three-quarters, while the lawyer fell
+a quarter of a pound short of these figures. They were continually
+bantering each other about this difference.
+
+The doctor called Uncle Moses, as the entire party addressed him,
+"Brother Avoirdupois;" and the lawyer retorted by christening the
+surgeon "Brother Adipose Tissue." The conductor of the party in Egypt
+had called them both "cupids;" and this term became very popular for the
+time. The other gentleman who had been saved from an untimely grave in
+the bay was a learned Frenchman. Both of them were in feeble health from
+overwork; and they accepted invitations to join the party, the one as
+the medical officer of the ship, and the other as the instructor in the
+languages as well as in the sciences generally, for which he was
+abundantly competent.
+
+Louis Belgrave, in passing through the incidents of the story, had made
+the acquaintance of Mr. Lowell Woolridge, a Fifth Avenue millionaire and
+magnate. He had formerly been a well-known sportsman; but he had
+abandoned the race-course, though he kept up his interest in yachting.
+He was the owner of a large sailing schooner; and through this craft
+Louis and his mother became acquainted with the yachtsman's family,
+consisting of his wife, a son, and a daughter. The latter was a very
+beautiful young lady of sixteen, whose face captivated everybody who
+came into her presence; and Louis's mother had deemed it her duty to
+warn her son against the fascination of the maiden before he had found
+his million.
+
+A slight illness had threatened the young lady with possible
+consequences, and the physicians had advised her father to take her to
+Orotava, in the Canary Islands. On the voyage the yacht had been nearly
+wrecked, and the family had been rescued by the officers and crew of the
+Guardian-Mother. The yacht sailed in company with the steamer; and they
+visited Mogadore, in Morocco. Here Ali-Noury Pacha, one of the richest
+and most influential magnates of the country, paid a visit to the ship.
+Unfortunately he saw the beautiful Blanche Woolridge, and was more
+attentive to her than pleased her parents.
+
+They were alarmed, for of course the Pacha was a Mohammedan. Captain
+Ringgold found a way out of the difficulty by towing the sailing-yacht
+out of the harbor; and both vessels hastened to Madeira. The Moor
+followed them in his steam-yacht, the Fatime; but the commander put to
+sea as soon as he realized the situation. At Gibraltar the Pacha
+confronted the party again. The commander had learned at Funchal that
+His Highness was a villanously bad character, and he positively refused
+to permit him to visit or to meet the lady passengers on board his ship.
+He was an honest, upright, and plain-spoken man. He stated that the
+Pacha was not a suitable person to associate with Christian ladies.
+
+This led to a personal attack upon the stalwart commander, and the Pacha
+was knocked into the mud in the street. This had fanned his wrath to a
+roaring name, for he had been fined before an English court for the
+assault. His passion for revenge was even more determined than his
+admiration for the "houri," as he called the maiden. He had followed the
+ship to Constantinople, engaged a felucca and a ruffian, assisted by a
+French detective, to capture the fair girl, as the story has already
+informed the reader in other volumes.
+
+The national affairs of His Highness had called him home, but he had
+apparently placed his steam-yacht in command of a Captain Mazagan; and
+this ruffian, attended by Ulbach, the detective, had followed the party
+to Egypt. The capture of Louis Belgrave, or the young lady, or both of
+them, was the object of the ruffian, who was to receive two hundred
+thousand francs if he succeeded, or half that sum if he failed. Louis
+had had a narrow escape from these ruffians in Cairo; but he had worked
+his way out of the difficulty, assisted by a chance incident.
+
+The Fatime had been discovered in the harbor of Alexandria before the
+Guardian-Mother and her tender sailed. The peril which menaced the young
+lady had been kept a profound secret from all except three of the "Big
+Four;" for the commander believed himself abundantly able to protect his
+passengers, and the knowledge of the danger would have made the ladies
+so nervous and terrified that Mrs. Belgrave and the Woolridges would
+have insisted upon returning to New York, and abandoning the voyage from
+which so much of pleasure and instruction was expected.
+
+Captain Ringgold and Louis had considered the situation, and fully
+realized the intention of Captain Mazagan to follow the steamer and her
+little consort. They had agreed upon a plan, after Captain Scott and
+Felix, who was the detective of the ship, by which they hoped to "fool"
+the enemy, as the young commander expressed it. The Fatime had sailed
+early in the morning, but she was soon discovered off the Bay of Abukir.
+The reader is now in condition to inquire into what Captain Scott
+regarded as the one great mistake that had been made in the arrangements
+for outwitting the Moorish steam-yacht.
+
+The young captain was in the pilot-house of the Maud when the steamer
+was discovered. He was the commander; but the smallness of the ship's
+company made it necessary for him to keep his own watch, which is
+usually done by the second mate for him. Morris Woolridge, who had had
+considerable experience in his father's yacht, was the first officer,
+and there was no other. The young millionaire, in spite of his influence
+as owner, had insisted on serving as a common sailor, or deck-hand, with
+Felix. There were two engineers and a cook, who will be presented when
+they are needed.
+
+"What is the one great mistake, Captain Scott?" asked Louis, who stood
+at the open window in front of the pilot-house.
+
+"The single mistake of any consequence is in the fact that you are on
+board of the Maud when you ought to be stowed away in the cabin of the
+Guardian-Mother," replied the captain very decidedly, with something
+bordering on disgust in his tones and manner. "Instead of keeping you
+out of danger, you are running just as straight into the lion's den as
+you can go, Louis."
+
+"Where is the lion's den, please to inform me," replied the young
+millionaire, scouting, in his tones and manner, any idea of peril to
+himself which was not shared by his companions.
+
+"On board of that four-hundred-ton steamer which you see off by the
+coast."
+
+"Do you think I ought to be any more afraid of her than the rest of the
+fellows?" demanded Louis. "Do you wish me to stand back and stay behind
+a fence while you face the enemy?"
+
+"Of course I don't believe you are afraid, Louis, my dear fellow,"
+added Captain Scott, perhaps fearing he had said too much, or had been
+misunderstood.
+
+But just at that moment Morris Woolridge came forward, and neither of
+them was willing to continue the conversation in his presence; for he
+might fall into the possession of the secret which was so carefully
+guarded.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+HARMONY DISTURBED, BUT HAPPILY RESTORED
+
+
+Morris Woolridge was the first officer of the Maud, and as such he had
+charge of the port watch. The captain had been two hours at the wheel,
+and it was Morris's turn to take his trick; and the change was made. At
+the same time Felix McGavonty relieved Louis. Although the helmsman was
+always in position to see out ahead of the steamer, the other member of
+the watch was required to serve as lookout on the forecastle.
+
+Except in heavy weather, when all hands were required to be on duty, the
+watch not employed had nothing to do, and the members of it could use
+the time as they pleased. Sometimes they had lost sleep to make up; but
+most of the leisure hours during the day were given to study, for the
+commander had stimulated the ambition of the boys so that they were
+anxious to be prepared to speak on all subjects that were considered at
+the conferences, or lectures, on board the Guardian-Mother.
+
+Regular subjects for special study were given out, always with reference
+to the topics of the country that was next to be visited, or was to be
+seen from the deck of the vessels. After the business of outwitting the
+enemy on board of the Fatime, which was an episode in the voyage forced
+upon the commander and his confidants, the steamers would pass through
+the Suez Canal, and proceed by the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
+
+A written list of about a dozen subjects had been given out to the
+students on the wing, as Dr. Hawkes called the class of five who
+profited systematically by the instructions of Professor Giroud, though
+all on both steamers were more or less engaged in study. The first of
+these were the Land of Goshen and Mount Sinai. As the little squadron
+was to pass near the territory of the ancient kingdoms of Assyria,
+Babylon, and Syria, and the more modern realm of Mohammed and the
+Caliphate of Bagdad, these subjects were to follow later. At any rate,
+the peripatetic students had enough to prevent their active minds from
+becoming rusty.
+
+It was not for two hours that Captain Scott and Louis Belgrave found
+another opportunity to consider the alleged mistake, as the former
+regarded it; for the latter belonged to the port watch, and served with
+Morris. But when the Maud had made twenty miles more, they were together
+again, with Felix on the lookout; for he was one of the triumvirate on
+board in charge of the secret.
+
+Louis took a seat in the pilot-house on one side of the wheel, while
+Scott was on the other. The Guardian-Mother was not a mile ahead of the
+Maud. The young captain had already studied up the chart, and the
+details of the manoeuvre contemplated had been already arranged, so
+far as it was possible to do so.
+
+"The ship does not seem to be letting herself out yet according to the
+programme," said Captain Scott, when Louis took his place near him, and
+Felix was using his glass, which had become his constant companion in
+observing the movements of the Moorish steamer.
+
+"Captain Ringgold knows what he is about," suggested the other.
+
+"Of course he does; but I supposed he would give his cue by this time,
+and begin the business of overhauling the pirate," added Scott. "Felix,
+is the ship stirring up her screw?"
+
+"I think she is, Captain," replied the lookoutman; "but she does not
+give the signal yet."
+
+"Keep your ears wide open tight, Flix, for it will come soon. Where is
+the pirate now?"
+
+"She is directly in range with the Guardian-Mother."
+
+If the Fatime had not herself been engaged in piratical proceedings, her
+owner was responsible for the employment of her present commander on
+board the felucca Samothraki, in the Archipelago, in an attempt to take
+Louis and Miss Blanche, or both of them, out of the Maud; and he might
+have succeeded if Captain Ringgold had not decided to make use of the
+two twelve-pounders on the top-gallant forecastle of the Guardian-Mother
+at the critical moment.
+
+The commander regarded Captain Mazagan as really a pirate; and he would
+have proceeded against him as such, if it had not been that doing so
+would have broken up his own voyage. With this excellent authority Scott
+never called the Moorish steam-yacht anything but a pirate, unless it
+was to save too frequent repetition of the ugly word. If Captain
+Ringgold had been less politic and prudent, his action would have suited
+his junior commander better.
+
+"You don't think I am afraid, though one great mistake has been made in
+permitting me to be on board of the Maud at the present time?" said
+Louis, while they were waiting for the signal from the ship.
+
+"With no reflection or disparagement upon you of any kind, Louis, I said
+just what I thought, and spoke just what I felt," replied the captain.
+
+"But I don't understand your position at all, Captain Scott. I do not
+see that I am in any greater peril than the rest of the ship's company,"
+added Louis with a very cheerful smile upon his good-looking face.
+
+"I don't forget that you are the sole owner of the Guardian-Mother, and
+half-owner of the Maud, with a million and a half of dollars in your
+trousers pocket. Though we are all earning our living in your service,
+as well as improving our education, I for one do not lose sight of the
+fact that we are all dependent upon your bounty for the means of
+carrying on this voyage."
+
+"What has all this to do with what we were talking about, Captain
+Scott?" asked Louis, very much inclined to laugh out loud at the
+rehearsal of the situation.
+
+"It has this to do with it: I am very much afraid of saying something,
+or doing something, that will offend you," answered the captain, with
+more than usual deference in his tone and manner. "We came very near
+getting into a quarrel in Pournea Bay; and if I had forgotten for a
+moment what you are and what I am, we might have fallen into a jolly
+row."
+
+"I acted then as mildly as I could, however, in a matter which you did
+not understand then, but do now; and I apologized for my interference as
+soon as I had the opportunity," replied Louis quite seriously. "I cannot
+understand why you have found it necessary to remind me that I am a
+millionaire on a small scale, as fortunes are measured in our country,
+and that I am the owner of the Guardian-Mother. You make it appear as
+though I regarded you as my inferior. Have I ever put on airs in my
+relations with you, Captain Scott?"
+
+"Never!" replied the captain promptly, and with decided emphasis.
+
+"Have I ever interfered with you in your command, except in the instance
+referred to?"
+
+"Never!"
+
+"Have I ever done anything to stultify, degrade you, or impair your
+self-respect?"
+
+"Never!"
+
+"Could I have done any different, or been any different, if the
+bill-of-sale of the Guardian-Mother had been among your effects, and the
+million had been in your trousers pocket instead of mine?" demanded
+Louis with some earnestness; for the words of his friend--and they had
+been very strong friends--had produced an unpleasant impression upon his
+mind.
+
+"You could not, Louis! I have made a donkey of myself; you are the best
+friend I ever had in this world," returned the captain with emphasis.
+"But let me say that you have taken me on the wrong tack. I had not the
+remotest intention of casting the shadow of a reflection upon your
+demeanor towards me. You have entirely mistaken my meaning."
+
+"Then I think you had better explain yourself."
+
+"Since that little affair in Pournea Bay, I have been mortally afraid I
+should say or do something to offend you, or hurt your feelings,"
+continued Scott. "We are going on what may prove to be a delicate
+business."
+
+"I don't see how there can be anything delicate about it," added Louis.
+
+"Perhaps that was not the right word for it. But I want to have it
+understood, first and foremost, that I did not remind you of the
+difference in our situations because I felt that I had any cause of
+complaint," said the captain, so earnestly that he was almost eloquent.
+"Without reminding you again that you are a millionaire while I am a
+beggar, you are the most modest fellow on board, and have always been
+without any let-up. By your action I am in command of the Maud. On your
+petition I was admitted to the cabin of the Guardian-Mother, where I
+have a stateroom at this moment, and a place at the table when on board
+of her, on an entire equality with everybody there."
+
+"Why do you mention these matters, Captain Scott?"
+
+"Only to show that I am not ungrateful for the many favors extended to
+me," answered the young man heartily. "More than all this, I was a bad
+egg when I came on board of the steamer. It was your influence and your
+example, Louis Belgrave, more than even the treatment of Captain
+Ringgold, which caused me to turn over a new leaf, and try to make a man
+of myself."
+
+Scott turned away his head, and looked out at the starboard window, and
+Louis saw a gush of tears fall on the rim of the wheel as he did so. He
+had been about all that is bad which a young man could be when he was
+committed to the care of the commander by his foster-father; but since
+he had been "born again," as he expressed it, he had been thoroughly
+faithful and exemplary, and morally he stood as high as the other
+members of the "Big Four." His reformation had made a new being of him,
+and when he reverted to it, his feelings overcame him.
+
+"I have said too much, my dear fellow, and I am very sorry that I have
+hurt your feelings," interposed Louis, after he waited a few minutes
+for his emotion to subside. "Only don't remind me that I am a bigger
+fellow than the rest of you, and we shall never quarrel."
+
+"You have never spoken an unkind word to me since I was born over again,
+and it was mean in me to say anything which would cut you to the quick.
+I did not know what I was saying, and I hope you will forgive me."
+
+"With all my heart; for I realize now that you did not mean what I
+supposed you did, and you must forgive me for picking you up so
+suddenly," added Louis. "Now we will not say another word about the
+matter. We can't get up a quarrel if we try, and you cannot do or say
+anything now that will make me think less of you. There is my hand, my
+dear fellow."
+
+Louis extended his hand across the wheel, and it was warmly pressed by
+the captain. It is possible that Scott had some ideas in his mind in
+connection with the present mission of the Maud that would more clearly
+have explained why he had uttered words which seemed to be a reproach on
+him whom he regarded as his best friend. He was a young man of eighteen,
+and had some of the weaknesses that belong to immaturity of age. Though
+he did not say so, he thought Captain Ringgold was what he considered as
+"rather slow" in his treatment of the pirate. It would not have been
+unlike many very good boys if he had believed he could manage the matter
+better.
+
+"Now, Captain, let us come back to the question that was before us, the
+mistake that was made when I was permitted to remain on board the Maud
+as she came out on her present mission," said Louis, after harmony had
+been entirely restored.
+
+"In order to understand why I entertain this opinion, let us overhaul my
+instructions from the commander," replied the captain.
+
+"That will be the best way to get at the subject."
+
+"In the first place, we are to engage in an attempt to shake off the
+pirate; for she is not only a nuisance, but a constant menace to certain
+members of the party," added Scott.
+
+"All that has been admitted by the commander; though, as I happen to be
+one of the individuals, I may say I have not the slightest fear of
+anything the pirate can do."
+
+"You have been through quite a number of perilous adventures, Louis, and
+you have got used to such."
+
+"I don't throw myself into such adventures, but I can't deny that they
+have afforded me not a little of exhilarating excitement," replied the
+young millionaire. "It was you who proposed the plan to the commander
+which was adopted, and we are now to carry out."
+
+"And I hope no weakness in either the ship or the Maud will cause it to
+be a failure. At the signal from the Guardian-Mother the Maud is to run
+for the island of Cyprus, distance a trifle less than two hundred knots,
+while the ship is to continue on her course. Then it will remain to be
+proved what the pirate will do. I think she will follow the Maud, though
+Captain Ringgold is in doubt about it; and of course I don't feel
+sure."
+
+"Our machinery was overhauled by the chief engineer of the ship while we
+were in Egypt, and it is yet to be shown what speed she can make."
+
+"But the pirate is not good for more than thirteen knots at the most,
+for we have tried it on with her. In my judgment Captain Mazagan will
+board us if he can, and take one of our number out of the Maud; and that
+is the reason why I think it was a mistake that you remained with us."
+
+Louis could not yet see the mistake, and did not believe it was
+necessary that the Maud should be boarded; for that would be an act of
+downright piracy.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+A MOMENTOUS SECRET REVEALED
+
+
+"Three whistles from the Guardian-Mother," said Felix, the lookoutman,
+walking up to the forward windows of the pilot-house, and speaking with
+a low voice.
+
+"Three whistles, and I heard them, Flix," returned Captain Scott, as he
+put the helm to starboard. "Where is Morris?"
+
+"I think he is in the cabin studying Assyria and Babylon," replied Felix
+with a mild laugh, as he thought this was an odd occupation for the
+first officer of the Maud; for he was little inclined to be a student
+himself, though he was an attentive listener at the lectures.
+
+Felix returned to his place in the bow, and directed the spy-glass,
+which he carried with him most of the time, whether on duty or not, in
+the direction of the Fatime. He had a taste for the business of a
+detective in the higher walks of that profession, and the commander had
+recognized his ability. He had been employed to ascertain whether the
+pirate was in the waters of Egypt, having been the first to suspect her
+presence; and he had proved the fact beyond a doubt.
+
+Accompanied by John Donald, the second engineer of the Maud, who spoke
+Arabic, he had followed Mazagan to Rosetta, where he found the Fatime,
+having evidently made a port there to escape the observation of the
+commander of the Guardian-Mother and his people. The villain and his
+assistant had failed to lead Captain Ringgold into the traps set for
+him.
+
+Having failed in their attempts to accomplish anything at Alexandria,
+the conspirators had followed the party to Cairo. Louis and Felix were
+sitting on a bench in the Ezbekiyeh, a park in front of their hotel,
+when Mazagan and the Frenchman approached them, and wished to make a
+compromise, which the Moor desired the young millionaire to recommend to
+the commander. The agent of the Pacha informed the young man that he was
+to receive a reward of forty thousand dollars for the capture and
+conveyance to Mogadore of either Louis or Miss Blanche, or both of them,
+or one-half that sum if he failed; and he proposed to compromise.
+
+The use of the steam-yacht was given to him to accomplish this purpose.
+Mazagan was, or pretended to be, discouraged by the several failures he
+had made in effecting his object, and he proposed that the commander
+should pay him twenty thousand dollars, and then he would collect the
+other half of the promised stipend of the Pacha, as the promised reward
+in case of failure.
+
+The pirate proved that he was a very mean and treacherous pirate, as
+willing to sell out his friend as his foe, and Louis was more disgusted
+than ever with him. He spoke his mind freely to the villain, and
+absolutely refused to recommend the treachery to the commander. He would
+as soon have compromised with the Evil One for the sale of his
+principles. The approach of Captain Ringgold terminated the interview,
+and the rascals made haste to retreat. After this they made an attempt
+to capture Louis, and the detective had been shot in the shoulder.
+
+What the conspirators intended or expected to accomplish since these
+failures of course none of those interested could know, and it only
+remained for them to watch the movements of the Fatime, and to be
+constantly on their guard against any possible attempt on the part of
+the reprobates to carry out their purpose. Only the commander of the
+Guardian-Mother and the three members of the "Big Four" could take these
+precautions, for no others knew anything at all about the necessity for
+them.
+
+Felix used his glass very diligently. The Guardian-Mother did not change
+her course, and the Moorish steamer, which was now hardly a mile from
+her, was still headed to the eastward. Whether the latter would dodge
+into the port of Rosetta or Damietta, or give chase to the Maud, was yet
+to be demonstrated; and the lookoutman was watching for a movement of
+this kind.
+
+"The ship is stirring up a good deal of salt water under her stern,"
+said Felix, walking over to the pilot-house. "You can see by the power
+of smoke she is sending out at her funnel that the chief engineer is
+driving her."
+
+"I can see that she has increased her distance from us; but according to
+the commander's orders I have directed Felipe to run her not more than
+eight or nine knots," replied the captain of the Maud. "How far ahead of
+the Guardian-Mother is the pirate, Felix?"
+
+"Not more than a mile, as nearly as I can make it out," replied Felix.
+"But she is making the fur fly, and if the pirate don't want her to come
+alongside of her, or get a position where her people can overlook her
+deck, she will change her course within the next ten minutes;" and the
+lookoutman returned to his place in the bow.
+
+"It is lucky for that pirate that your humble servant is not in command
+of the Guardian-Mother," said Captain Scott.
+
+"Do you think yourself competent to command a steamer like the
+Guardian-Mother, my dear fellow?" asked Louis, with a rather quizzical
+expression on his face.
+
+"I know I am!" exclaimed Captain Scott emphatically; and he did not lack
+confidence in himself. "Why not? If I can navigate the Maud, I could do
+the same with the Guardian-Mother; for the size of the vessel don't make
+any difference in the navigation as long as both of them go out to sea
+off soundings. I suppose you doubt what I say?"
+
+"I do not; for I am not a qualified judge in the matter," replied
+Louis, who was considerably surprised at the amount of confidence the
+captain of eighteen years of age had in himself. "But why is it lucky
+for the pirate that Captain Ringgold, instead of Captain Scott, happens
+to be in command of the ship?"
+
+"Because I should serve her as the commander did another steamer of
+about the size of the pirate, on the run of the ship from Bermuda to
+Nassau, I believe it was, for I was not on board at the time," replied
+the captain, with decision enough in his tones and manner to indicate
+that he would do what he suggested. "I have heard Flix tell all about
+the affair; and in his estimation Hercules and General Grant were
+nothing at all compared with Captain Ringgold, when he tells the story.
+I think he believes the commander is the greatest man that is or ever
+was in this world, with the possible exception of yourself."
+
+"That steamer was sailing illegally under the name of the Maud, for her
+proper name was the Viking; but Captain Ringgold ran into her and
+smashed a big hole in her port bow."
+
+"As I would in one of the bows of the pirate."
+
+"But there was a reason for it; I was a prisoner on board of that Maud,
+or Viking--captured as this pirate would serve me if he got a chance."
+
+"I would sink him before he got the chance, rather than after he had
+picked you up," persisted the captain.
+
+"I doubt if that would be a prudent measure," replied Louis, shaking his
+head.
+
+"The pirate has changed her course to the southward," said Felix, coming
+to the window of the pilot-house again.
+
+"What does that mean?" demanded the captain.
+
+"It means that she is going to make a port at Rosetta."
+
+"She is about off the Rosetta mouth of the Nile; but she is doing that
+only to shake off the Guardian-Mother. What is the ship doing, Flix?"
+
+"She continues on her course, and takes no notice of the pirate;" and
+the lookout returned to his station.
+
+Captain Scott rang the gong in the engine-room, and the screw of the
+Maud immediately ceased to revolve. The sea was comparatively smooth,
+and the little steamer rolled on the waves but slightly. As soon as the
+screw stopped, and the little craft began to roll on the long swell,
+Morris Woolridge put aside the "Chambers's" in which he had been reading
+up Assyria and Babylon, and went out of the cabin into the
+standing-room. He looked about him to ascertain the cause of the
+stoppage; but he could make nothing of it.
+
+He was a good skipper himself, and he did not like to ask Captain Scott
+to explain the situation; for since he had gone into the cabin the
+relative positions of the three steamers had decidedly changed. His idea
+was that the Maud should follow the ship as usual; but she had dropped
+at least a couple of miles astern of her, and the Fatime was headed to
+the southward. He could not understand the matter at all, and he
+continued to study upon it.
+
+Louis had come out of the pilot-house, and, looking aft, he discovered
+Morris, and saw that he was perplexed by the situation, and that Assyria
+was no longer the subject of his meditations.
+
+"Morris is in the standing-room, and I have no doubt he is wondering why
+we are wasting our steam just here, when the ship is going ahead at full
+speed," said he to the captain. "Don't you think the time has come?"
+
+"No doubt of it," answered the captain.
+
+These last remarks may seem a little mysterious; but the present
+situation had been foreseen by Captain Ringgold. Morris was the first
+officer, and if the momentous secret was to be kept from him any longer,
+it would require an amount of lying and deception which was utterly
+repugnant to the principles of both the commander and Louis. The
+representative of the Woolridge family on board of the Maud must be left
+with his father and mother and sister on the ship, or the whole truth
+must be told to the son. Thus far no lies had been necessary; and the
+captain did not believe it would be wrong for him to conceal what would
+be dangerous to the peace of mind of his passengers.
+
+As long as Captain Ringgold conscientiously believed that neither Miss
+Blanche nor Louis was in any peril, he considered it his duty to conceal
+from their parents the plot of the Pacha and his agents. He was sure
+that neither Mrs. Woolridge nor Mrs. Belgrave would consent to continue
+the voyage even in the face of a very remote danger to their children.
+He had abundant resources on board, including his two twelve-pounders,
+for their protection; and he had used them on one occasion, though his
+passengers did not understand the reason of the attack made on the Maud.
+
+This subject had been considered before the vessels sailed from
+Alexandria, and the commander declared that he could not adopt the
+scheme of Scott, if they were to be required to utter no end of
+falsehoods to Morris; and Louis absolutely refused to do so. They had
+finally compromised by making the owner a committee of one to confer
+with the subject of the difficulty when the time for action came. Like
+the others, Morris was to be pledged to secrecy for the peace and
+comfort of the mothers. If he refused to give the pledge, the plan of
+Captain Scott was to be abandoned, and the Maud was to place herself
+immediately under the wing of the Guardian-Mother again. The time for
+action on this subject had come.
+
+"I will go aft and have a talk with Morris; and I am only afraid he will
+fly off at the want of confidence in him we have shown," said Louis.
+
+"But his case is not a whit different from your own; for you have a
+mother in the cabin as well as he," added the captain.
+
+"But we have concealed everything from him for months; but Morris is as
+good a fellow as ever sailed the seas, and he will be reasonable."
+
+"I pledged myself to secrecy, and I think we had better make the 'Big
+Four' a society for the protection of this secret till the end of the
+voyage."
+
+"We will consider that at another time," replied Louis as he moved aft.
+
+He found Morris still looking about in order to solve what was a mystery
+to him, as it must have been to the engineers and the cook; but they
+were paid employes, and it was not proper for them to ask any questions.
+
+"Anything broken down, Louis?" asked Morris, as his watch-mate took a
+seat at his side.
+
+"Nothing at all," replied the owner. "Do you believe, Morris, that you
+could keep a very important secret if the peace and happiness of your
+best friends on earth depended upon it?"
+
+"I know I could, even from my mother, from whom I never kept a secret
+except once, when I heard the doctor say something about the health of
+Blanche last winter, not long before we sailed in the yacht. I knew that
+it would worry the life out of her," replied Morris very seriously.
+
+"This is a case just like that; and if the secret came out it would
+worry the life out of your mother and mine, and perhaps seriously affect
+the health of Miss Blanche."
+
+"There is my hand, and I will pledge myself to any honest secret you may
+impart to me; for I know you would not lead me to do anything wrong."
+
+"I would jump overboard before I would lead you astray, Morris,"
+protested Louis as he took the offered hand, and the pledge was
+exchanged.
+
+It required two hours to tell the whole story of the operations of
+Captain Mazagan, begun at Constantinople four months before, including
+the discovery of the plot of the conspirators in the cafe at Gallipoli.
+
+Morris was astonished at the explanation given him of several incidents
+with which he was familiar. He quite agreed with Louis as to the
+necessity of keeping the secret; for his mother would worry herself into
+a fit of sickness if she learned the truth. He agreed that there was no
+alternative between abandoning the excursion, which would be a great
+grief to him, and confining the secret to those who now knew it; and he
+repeated his pledge with more earnestness than before.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE POSITION OF THE THREE STEAMERS
+
+
+The conference in the standing-room of the Maud ended, and all the "Big
+Four" were in possession of the secret upon the keeping of which the
+continuation of the delightful excursion voyage depended. They stood on
+a perfect equality now, and each was as wise as the others. When Louis
+went forward, Morris went with him; and after the result of the
+interview had been announced, Scott grasped the hand of the newly
+initiated, and Felix followed his example.
+
+"I can see that you are all glad to keep me no longer in the dark," said
+Morris. "You must have been walking on glass all the time for fear that
+I should break through, and upset your plan to keep me behind the
+curtain."
+
+"That is so," replied the captain. "We had to shut up tight while you
+were in the pilot-house; and as Louis is in your watch, I stopped the
+Maud partly to give him a chance to talk with you, and partly to carry
+out the manoeuvre agreed upon."
+
+"But I can't see why it was considered necessary to keep me in the
+dark," added Morris. "Am I supposed to be any more leaky than the rest
+of you?"
+
+"I don't believe any one thought so," replied Louis. "You remember that
+at Gallipoli, Flix and I went ashore in one of the two harbors, taking
+Don with us to talk Turkish, though His Highness and Captain Mazagan did
+their business in French, which they supposed no one near them could
+speak or understand; and I happened to be the only one of our party who
+took in all that was said. When we returned to the Guardian-Mother I
+told Captain Ringgold all about it, in the presence of Flix. The
+commander immediately directed us to say not a word about it to any
+person. Even Captain Scott was kept in the dark till he and I were on
+the verge of a quarrel in Pournea Bay."
+
+"That is putting it a little too strong, Louis," interposed the captain.
+"I should not have quarrelled with you under any circumstances; I could
+not have done so."
+
+"But I interfered with you in your command because I understood the
+situation, and you did not; and Captain Ringgold told me to tell you all
+there was to be told," Louis explained. "But he was not willing you
+should be posted, Morris; for he feared that you might unintentionally
+betray the secret to your mother. We have got along so far without
+lying, and I believe the commander would throw up the voyage rather than
+have any of us go beyond simple concealment without falsehood. As he
+says, we are acting a lie, though we are doing it for the health,
+comfort, and happiness of those we love the best on earth. The biggest
+lies are sometimes told without the utterance of a vocal word."
+
+"I am satisfied, fellows, and I am sure Captain Ringgold has acted from
+the highest of motives. Now I should like to know something about the
+manoeuvre in which you are engaged."
+
+Captain Scott explained it in full. Felix had gone to his station in the
+bow, to observe the movements of the Guardian-Mother and the Fatime.
+From there he had gone to the hurricane deck, in order to obtain a
+better view. After an absence of half an hour he came into the
+pilot-house again, with his glass under his arm; for it had now become
+the emblem of his occupation.
+
+"The ship is so far off that I can't tell whether or not she is still
+rushing things; but I judge by her distance that the engine is making
+things lively in the fire-room," said he.
+
+"How about the Fatime?" asked the captain. "I can still see her."
+
+"The Fatty is sodjering."
+
+"What do you mean by that, Flix?"
+
+"She is wasting her time, and appears to be making not more than four
+knots," replied Felix. "I judge that Captain Mazagan does not feel quite
+at home."
+
+"You think our movements bother him?" suggested Louis.
+
+"Not the least doubt of that! The ship is going off at sixteen knots an
+hour, and will soon be hull down, and we are lying here 'like a painted
+ship upon a painted ocean.'"
+
+"Coleridge!" exclaimed Morris, amused to hear Felix quote from a poem.
+
+"In other words, he can't make out what we are driving at; for the Maud
+has always kept under the wing of the Guardian-Mother," added the
+captain. "But it is about time to give him something to think of."
+
+As he spoke, Captain Scott rang the gong in the engine-room to go ahead,
+and the screw began to turn again.
+
+"Now keep your weather eye open tight, Flix!" and he threw the wheel
+over, and fixed his gaze upon the compass in front of him. "You needn't
+watch the G.-M. very closely, but give me the earliest notice of any
+change in the course of the pirate; for I can hardly make her out now."
+
+"How far is it from here to Port Said?" asked the lookoutman.
+
+"To where? I don't know where Port Sed is," replied the captain,
+pronouncing the word as Felix did.
+
+"You don't know where the entrance to the Suez Canal is!" exclaimed the
+lookout.
+
+"That is what you mean, is it?"
+
+"Of course it is; and that is what I said," protested Felix.
+
+"You said Port Sed."
+
+"I know it; if S-a-i-d don't spell Sed, what does it spell?" demanded
+Felix.
+
+"It spells S-a-h-i-d out here when you mean the port at the entrance of
+the Suez Canal," replied the captain quietly and with a smile.
+
+"Oh, you have become an Arabian scholar!" exclaimed Felix with a hearty
+laugh.
+
+"Honestly, Flix, I did not understand what you meant. I have studied up
+the navigation in this region," continued Captain Scott, as he took from
+a drawer in the case on which the binnacle stood a small plan of the
+port in question. "Look at that, Flix, and tell me what the diaeresis
+over the i in Said is for."
+
+"It means that the two vowels in the word are to be pronounced
+separately, and I stand corrected," answered Felix promptly.
+
+"I did not mean to correct you; for I make too many blunders myself to
+pick up another fellow for doing so. I only wanted to explain why I did
+not understand you. I had got used to pronouncing it Sah-eed, and Sed
+does not sound much like it, and I did not take in what you meant, and
+thought you were talking about some port in the island of Cyprus, where
+we are bound."
+
+"I accept your apology, Captain, and shift all the guilt to my own
+shoulders. Now may I ask how far it is from here to Port Sah-eed?"
+replied Felix very good-naturedly.
+
+"It is 101.76 miles, by which, of course, I mean knots. I figured it up
+from a point north of Rosetta," added the navigator.
+
+"Won't you throw off the fraction?"
+
+"No; if you run one hundred and one miles only, you will fetch up
+three-quarters of a knot to the westward of the red light at the end of
+the breakwater."
+
+"That is putting a fine point on it; but I will go on the hurricane deck
+and see what the Fatty is about," replied Felix.
+
+"You have not rung the speed bell, Captain Scott, since you started the
+screw," suggested Louis.
+
+"I did not intend to do so yet a while," replied the captain. "I want to
+know what the Fatty is about, as Felix calls her; and I think we had
+better translate her heathen name into plain English."
+
+"Flix's name would apply better to Uncle Moses and Dr. Hawkes than to
+the Moorish steamer."
+
+"We had a girl in our high school who bore that name, though she was a
+full-blooded New Yorker; but the master always insisted upon putting the
+accent on the first syllable, declaring that was the right way to
+pronounce it. I know we have always pronounced the word Fat'-ee-may, and
+that is where Flix got the foundation for his abbreviation."
+
+"Fatty it is, Captain, if you say so. I wonder what the Fatty is about
+just now?" added Louis.
+
+"Flix will soon enlighten us on that subject, for he has a wonderfully
+sharp pair of eyes."
+
+"Do you really believe we shall get over to Cyprus, Captain Scott?"
+asked Louis, looking sharply into the eyes of the navigator.
+
+"Why should we not?"
+
+"Because I don't believe Captain Ringgold intends to turn us loose on
+the Mediterranean, and let us go it on our own hook, or rather on your
+own hook; for you are the commander, and all the rest of us have to do
+is to obey your orders," said Louis; and the little tiff between them
+had gently and remotely suggested to him that Captain Scott had some
+purpose in his mind which he would not explain to anybody.
+
+His hint that if he were in command of the Guardian-Mother he would make
+a hole in the side of the Fatime, pointed to something of this kind,
+though probably it was nothing more than a vague idea. He had suggested
+the plan upon which the ship and her consort were then acting, and
+perhaps it had some possibility of which the commander had not yet
+dreamed.
+
+"Can you tell me why that steam-yacht of over six hundred tons is
+crowding on steam, and running away towards Port Said, while we are, by
+Captain Ringgold's order, headed for Cyprus?" asked the captain.
+
+"Of course I can. He expects by this means to draw off the Fatty, and
+set her to chasing the Maud, so that the party will not be bothered with
+any conspiracies while we are going through the canal," replied Louis.
+
+"What then?"
+
+"If the Fatty chases us, the Guardian-Mother will put in an appearance
+before any harm comes to the Maud, or to any one on board of her."
+
+"Precisely so; that is the way the business is laid out," replied
+Captain Scott; but he looked just as though something more might be said
+which he did not care to say.
+
+"But it remains to be shown whether the Fatty will follow the Maud or
+the ship," added Louis.
+
+"She will not follow the Guardian-Mother," said the navigator very
+decidedly.
+
+"How do you know, Captain? You speak as positively as though Captain
+Mazagan had told you precisely what he intended to do."
+
+"Of course he has told me nothing, for I have not seen him. Common-sense
+is all I have to guide me."
+
+They were about to go into a further discussion of the question when
+Felix came tumbling down the ladder from the upper deck as though he was
+in a hurry.
+
+"What has broken now, Flix?" demanded the captain.
+
+"Nothing; but the question is settled," replied the lookoutman, stopping
+at the front window of the pilot-house, as though he had something
+important to say. "The ship looks like a punctuation mark on the sea,
+and"--
+
+"Is it a full stop?" asked Captain Scott.
+
+"I don't know; but I think not. She is so far off that I can't make out
+whether she is moving or not; but she is not sending as much smoke out
+of her funnel as she was."
+
+"Then your news is a little indefinite."
+
+"As indefinite as a broken barometer. But I did not come down to report
+upon the ship alone," added the lookoutman.
+
+"Give out the text, and go on with the sermon."
+
+"The text is in the back part of Jonah, where Job swallowed the whale.
+The Fatty has come about and is now under a full head of steam, as
+nearly as I can judge," said Felix, who thought he was treated with too
+much levity over a serious subject. "I couldn't see her compass, but the
+arrow-head is directly under the mark, according to my figuring of it."
+
+"Don't be too nautical, Flix; but I suppose you mean that she is headed
+directly for the Maud," replied the captain. "That is precisely what I
+have been satisfied from the beginning she would do."
+
+"Then Morris may enter on his log-slate that the chase began at 11.15
+A.M.," said Louis as he glanced at the clock over the binnacle.
+
+"Not just yet, Morris," replied Captain Scott, who seemed to have no
+apprehension that the Moor would overhaul the Maud. "Let me have your
+glass, Flix; and it is your trick at the wheel, Louis."
+
+He took the spy-glass and left the pilot-house. They saw him climb the
+ladder to the hurricane deck, and it was evident that he intended to
+take a look for himself.
+
+"He does not accept my report," said Felix with a laugh.
+
+"But he said just now that you had wonderfully sharp eyes, Flix," added
+Louis.
+
+"Yet he will not trust them."
+
+But the captain returned in a few minutes, and reported what steamers
+were in sight, with the added information that none of them were headed
+to the north-east; his shipmates could not see the significance of his
+information. He rang the speed bell, and Morris noted the time on the
+slate.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+LOUIS BELGRAVE HAS SOME MISGIVINGS
+
+
+Captain Scott had evidently visited the hurricane deck with the
+spy-glass for the purpose of scanning the sea within eight or ten miles
+of the Maud, as his report was that no steamers going in a northeasterly
+direction were in sight. He did not say that he feared any interference
+on the part of such vessels if any were near. At eleven o'clock it was
+time for Felix to take his trick at the wheel; Morris's watch,
+consisting of himself and Louis, were off duty.
+
+It was a very democratic routine that prevailed on board of the little
+steamer; for the captain was no bigger man than the two seamen before
+the mast, and was obliged to take his turn on the lookout; but the
+arrangement had been made by the boys, all had agreed to it, and no one
+could complain. Scott went to his place in the bow, taking the glass
+with him. He had given out the course to his successor at the wheel, and
+the Maud was now going at full speed.
+
+The dignity of the quarter-deck does not permit an officer, much less a
+seaman, to ask questions of his superior. This sacred limit on board of
+a ship was entirely constructive so far as the Maud was concerned; for
+she was provided with no such planking, and the dignity was applicable
+only to the persons to whom the quarter-deck is appropriated. But
+Captain Ringgold was a strict disciplinarian, having served in the navy
+during the War of the Rebellion.
+
+The young navigators had imbibed this deference from the officers on
+board of the Guardian-Mother, and it had become, as it were, a part of
+their nautical being. It had never been incorporated in any regulation,
+but it was just as potent as though it had been set forth in an order
+from the commander. Captain Scott did not explain what other steamers
+headed in the same direction as the Maud had to do with the present
+voyage, and it was not in order to make any inquiries; but Louis
+Belgrave would have been very glad to know what was passing through the
+mind of his superior officer at this time.
+
+The young commander "made no sign," and all that could be done was to
+wait until events developed themselves. Morris and Louis were at liberty
+to go where they pleased, and do what they liked, provided they did not
+interfere with the routine of the steamer. Both of them were desirous of
+understanding the situation, and they went upon the upper deck in order
+to obtain a better view of the other vessels.
+
+Morris had a field-glass which he carried with him. Like everything else
+the magnate of the Fifth Avenue provided for the members of his family,
+it was of the best quality, and had proved to be a powerful instrument.
+He first looked for the Guardian-Mother; but he could not make her out.
+The trend of the coast was to the southward, beyond Damietta, and she
+had either gone out of the reach of the glass, or she was concealed by
+the intervening land. The Fatime was very distinctly to be seen, headed
+for the Maud, and there could be no doubt at all in regard to her
+intentions. She was in pursuit of the Maud, and her movements very
+plainly indicated that she was engaged in a mischievous mission.
+
+"It begins to look serious, don't it, Louis?" asked Morris, after both
+of them had used the field-glass.
+
+"It would look so if the Guardian-Mother were not somewhere in the
+vicinity," replied Louis. "Captain Mazagan has waited till she is well
+out of sight; and I have no doubt he is wondering why our two vessels
+have separated. At any rate, he has bitten at the bait prepared for him
+without seeing the hook it conceals."
+
+"I don't see why the plan is not succeeding as well as could be
+desired," suggested the first officer. "Of course Captain Ringgold does
+not mean to leave us to fall into the hands of this pirate, as you all
+call her."
+
+"It was distinctly the understanding that she was to come between us and
+any possible harm."
+
+"Something may happen to prevent her from doing so."
+
+"Of course there is no knowing what may happen," Louis admitted. "I do
+not see what can possibly occur to prevent her from following us to
+Cyprus, if we go there."
+
+"Isn't it settled that we are to go there?" asked Morris, who had not
+heard the manoeuvre discussed before the commander of the ship.
+
+"It is not absolutely settled; for the Fatty might take to her heels,
+and no doubt would do so if she discovered the Guardian-Mother in her
+wake. Mazagan knows very well that she can make four knots to the
+Moorish craft's three; for that is just the ratio we figured out between
+them. With three or four knots the lead she could overhaul her in an
+hour."
+
+"But the pirate could make her out in clear weather ten or a dozen miles
+off. But what was Captain Scott's idea in running for the island of
+Cyprus?"
+
+"In order to have room enough for his manoeuvre."
+
+"Have you kept the run of the Maud's course, Louis?"
+
+"I have not; I am not so much of a sailor as you are, my boy, and I
+don't figure on sailing the craft unless required to do so," replied
+Louis. "But why do you ask that question?"
+
+"Because I think the captain has changed the course of the Maud, and is
+headed more to the northward," answered Morris.
+
+"What makes you think so? He gave out a north-east course to Flix. You
+have seen no compass since that time, and the sun is clouded in. I see
+that Captain Scott is no longer at the bow; he must have gone into the
+pilot-house," added Louis, his thought in regard to the indefinite idea
+in the mind of the navigator coming to him again.
+
+"There is a compass in the standing-room, Louis; suppose we go below and
+look up this matter," Morris proposed, though he could have had no
+suspicion that the captain had any concealed intentions.
+
+They went down the forward ladder to the forecastle, though there was
+one aft leading into the standing-room. Louis found that Scott was
+seated on the divan abaft the wheel, studying a chart, which he could
+see included the island of Cyprus. He took no notice of them as they
+descended the ladder, and they went to the standing-room without
+stopping on the forecastle. Morris led the way; for he seemed to be
+impatient to ascertain whether or not he was right in relation to the
+course of the steamer.
+
+"There you are!" he exclaimed as he looked at the face of the compass.
+"The Maud is headed to the north north-east half east; and that is not
+the course Captain Scott gave out when Flix took the helm."
+
+"But it is not a great change," added Louis.
+
+"Just now it is not; but in making two hundred miles to the northward it
+would take the Maud to a point about forty miles to the westward of
+where she would have brought up on her former course," Morris
+explained.
+
+"I understand your point; but what does it mean?"
+
+"It means that we are going to a place forty miles west of the one we
+started for."
+
+"I don't understand it; and Captain Scott is just as tenacious in
+keeping his own counsels as the commander of the Guardian-Mother
+himself," replied Louis.
+
+"But you have as much influence with him as the commander."
+
+"And for that reason I will not ask him any questions in regard to the
+sailing of the Maud."
+
+Morris was not ready to ask him to call the captain to an account; and,
+leaving him in the standing-room, he went into the cabin. Louis was not
+willing to believe, or even to accept a suggestion that Scott had any
+ulterior purpose in his mind; for it seemed very much like treason to
+harbor such a thought of his friend. The only thing that gave him a hint
+in that direction was the fact he had expressed that Louis ought not to
+be on board of the Maud during her present mission.
+
+If the little steamer was not to engage in some perilous adventure, why
+should Scott wish he were somewhere else? But the captain was certainly
+solicitous for one of those whose safety was threatened; and he tried to
+believe that this was a sufficient explanation. While he was thinking of
+the matter, Morris rushed out of the cabin, and looked and acted as
+though he were laboring under some excitement.
+
+"What is the matter now, Morris?" he asked.
+
+"Matter enough!" replied the first officer. "The barometer has made a
+considerable slump since I looked at it the last time."
+
+"And that means bad weather, I suppose," added Louis, who very rarely
+became excited when a young fellow would be expected to be in such a
+condition.
+
+"No doubt of it," answered the mate, wondering that he had made so
+slight an impression on his companion.
+
+"We have weathered two pretty severe gales in the Maud, and I dare say
+we can do it again. I suppose the barometer will tell the same story on
+board of the ship that it has on the consort."
+
+"No doubt of that."
+
+"Then we shall soon see the Guardian-Mother bowling this way at her best
+speed," answered Louis.
+
+The officer levelled his field-glass in the direction the ship had gone;
+but there was not the least sign of her or any other steamer in that
+quarter of the horizon.
+
+"She isn't there; but she may have run in under a lee somewhere near
+Damietta, in order to watch the movements of the Fatty."
+
+"That may be; and if she has done so it was not a bad idea. But I think
+we had better go forward and ascertain if there is any news there,"
+added Louis, as he led the way.
+
+If he was not alarmed at the situation in view of the weather
+indications, he was certainly somewhat anxious. When he reached the
+forecastle he found the captain there, using his glass very diligently,
+pointing it in the direction in which the ship was supposed to be. Louis
+and Morris did not interrupt his occupation. He discovered nothing, and
+he was apparently going aft to get a view of the Fatime when he noticed
+the members of the port watch.
+
+"I suppose you noticed that the course of the Maud has been changed,
+Louis?" said he.
+
+This remark afforded the perplexed millionaire a decided relief; for it
+proved that the captain had not intended to conceal the change from him.
+
+"I did not observe it, but Morris did; for he is boiling over with
+nautical knowledge and skill," replied Louis, and without asking any
+question.
+
+"I was going aft to take a look at the Fatty; but I suppose you can
+report what she is doing," added Captain Scott.
+
+"Morris can, but I cannot."
+
+"Do you think she is gaining on us?" asked the captain, turning from
+Louis to the mate.
+
+"Of course I can't tell while she is coming head on; but I cannot make
+out that she has gained a cable's length upon us."
+
+"Mr. Sentrick and Felipe put our engine in first-rate condition while we
+were going up and down the Nile; and both of them say the Maud ought to
+make half a knot better time than before," continued the captain. "I am
+confident we are fully the equal of the Fatty in speed; and perhaps we
+could keep out of her way on an emergency. You know we had a little
+spurt with her in the Strait of Gibraltar. But come into the
+pilot-house, Louis, for I want to show you something there;" and he led
+the way.
+
+When both of them were fairly in the little apartment, he pointed to the
+barometer. If Louis was not much of a sailor, he had learned to read the
+instrument, and he saw that the mercury had made a decided fall from the
+last reading.
+
+"I see; and it means bad weather," he replied.
+
+"Flix called my attention to the fall some time ago; and after a look at
+the chart I decided to alter the course," said the captain, as he
+pointed out the island of Cyprus on the chart spread out on the falling
+table over the divan.
+
+"I have no doubt you have done the right thing at the right time, as you
+always do in the matter of navigation."
+
+"But look at this chart, Louis;" and it almost seemed to him that the
+captain had fathomed his unuttered thoughts, because he was taking so
+much pains to explain what he had done, and why he had done it. "The
+course I gave out at first would have carried the Maud to Cape Gata, on
+the southern coast of the island."
+
+"I understand it so far."
+
+"The tumble of the barometer opened the matter under a new phase. We
+should have made Cape Gata about three to-morrow morning, and in my
+judgment in a smart southerly or south-westerly gale. The cape would
+afford us little or no shelter, as you can see for yourself; and it
+would be a very bad place in a heavy blow. Our course is now north
+north-east half-east for Cape Arnauti, on the north side of the island,
+where we shall be under the lee of the island, though we have to get
+forty miles more of westing to make it."
+
+Louis thanked the captain for his lucid explanation. The next morning,
+in a fresh gale, the Maud was off the cape mentioned.
+
+[Illustration: "IT HAD BEEN A STORMY NIGHT." Page 51.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+A STORMY NIGHT RUN TO CAPE ARNAUTI
+
+
+It had been a stormy night, though the gale had not been so severe as
+either of the two the Maud had before encountered on the Mediterranean.
+It did not come on to blow hard till about eight bells in the afternoon;
+and at five o'clock in the morning Captain Scott estimated that the
+little steamer ought to be off Cape Arnauti; but all the lights of the
+island were on the south side. He kept her well off shore, where there
+were neither rocks nor shoals. There was nothing less than twenty
+fathoms of water a couple of miles from the shore.
+
+The gale had come from the south; and the course of the Maud was only a
+couple of points from taking it directly aft, so that she was running
+too nearly before it for the comfort of those on board of her. But she
+had a little slant, and a close-reefed foresail had been set in the
+first dog-watch, and she had carried it all night.
+
+The only difficulty about the Maud was her size when it blew hard and
+there was a heavy sea. She was too small to be at all steady on great
+waves, though the larger they were the better weather she made of it.
+Her worst behavior was in a smart, choppy sea, when the waves were not
+long, but short and violent. But this was not the kind of a sea she had
+through the night.
+
+In a heavy sea of any kind she made a good deal of fuss; and being only
+forty feet long it could not be otherwise. She pitched tremendously, and
+mixed in a considerable roll every time she rose and fell; and it was
+not an easy thing for even a sailor to get about on her deck. Life-lines
+had been extended wherever they were needed, and all the ship's company
+were used to the erratic ways of the diminutive craft. After all, she
+was larger than some of the vessels used by the early voyagers to
+America, some of whose craft were not even provided with decks.
+
+When the Maud was prepared for heavy weather she was as tight as a drum;
+and while the heavy seas rolled the whole length of her, not a bucketful
+of them found its way below her deck. The only danger of taking in a
+dangerous sea was at the scuttle on the forecastle, which was the usual
+door of admission to the forecastle below, where the two engineers and
+the cook had their quarters.
+
+The steamer when she made a dive into a sea scooped up a quantity of
+water, which she spilled out over the rails, or over the taffrail in the
+standing-room. The captain had therefore ordered this scuttle to be
+secured below, so that it could not be removed. Those who had occasion
+to go below in that part of the vessel were compelled to do so through
+the fire-room. Though Scott was a bold and brave fellow, and even
+daring when the occasion required, he was a prudent commander, and never
+took any unnecessary chances.
+
+But not a person on board had been permitted to "turn in" as the thing
+was done in moderate weather. The sail on the upper deck required one
+hand to stand by it all the time, though he was relieved every two
+hours. The engineers and the cook had broad divans upon which they could
+take a nap, and the sailing-force had taken turns on the broad sofa in
+the pilot-house. But Captain Scott had hardly closed his eyes during the
+night.
+
+From the time the Fatime was found to be headed to the northward, the
+officers of the Maud had lost sight of her for only a couple of hours,
+when a bank of fog swept over the sea, just before sundown. But at eight
+bells her lights had been discovered. At midnight they could still be
+seen; but the captain and Morris were confident that she had been losing
+ground, judging by the diminished clearness of the triangle of lanterns
+as they appeared over the stern of the Maud.
+
+The lights of a vessel following another appear to the latter in this
+form, with the white, or plain one, at the upper apex of the triangle,
+the red and the green making the two abreast of each other. They were
+observed at seven bells in the first watch; but another fog-bank had
+passed over the sea, and at eight bells, or midnight, they could not be
+seen. Morris and Louis had the first watch. Felix had gone to take his
+nap in the galley; for Pitts, the cook, had been called into service,
+and was attending to the reefed sail on the upper deck. Captain Scott
+had joined him here.
+
+With a rope made fast around his waist, he had been to the standing-room
+to look out for the triangle of lights on the Fatime. He could not find
+them; but the fog explained why they were not in sight. It was not a
+very comfortable position on the hurricane deck, for the spray stirred
+up at the stern was swept over it. All hands had donned their waterproof
+caps, with capes to protect the neck, and the oilskin suits they had
+found on board when the steamer was purchased.
+
+"We have been gaining upon her, Pitts," said the captain, after he had
+looked attentively into the fog astern for some time. "We may not see
+her again."
+
+"Perhaps not, sir; but she's a bad penny, and she is likely to turn up
+again," replied the cook. "But I suppose you will not weep, sir, if you
+don't see her again."
+
+"I should like to know what had become of her if we don't see her
+again," added Scott carelessly.
+
+"I suppose that Mustapha Pacha is still on board of her; and I should
+rather like to see Captain Ringgold pitch him into another muddy gutter,
+as he did in Gibraltar. But the Guardian-Mother is not with us just now,
+and that is not likely to happen on this little cruise."
+
+Pitts hinted in this manner that he should like to know something more
+about the present situation; but the captain was willing to let him form
+his own conclusions, and he gave him no assistance in doing so. Eight
+bells struck on the forecastle; and this was the signal for the mid
+watch, which consisted of the captain and Felix; and Scott left the
+upper deck.
+
+Pitts was relieved by Felix; for he could serve as lookout and take
+charge of the sail at the same time. Morris was the youngest person on
+board, and he was tired enough to camp down at once on the divan in the
+pilot-house. The cabin door could not be safely opened, or at least not
+without peril to the contents of the cabin; for an occasional wave
+combed over the taffrail, and poured itself upon it.
+
+Louis was not inclined to sleep, and he went on the upper deck to pass
+the time with Felix; and the captain asked him to keep a lookout for the
+pirate. The fog still prevailed, and he could see nothing. He talked
+with the Milesian for quite two hours, when the time for the relief of
+the helm came. Just before the four bells struck, the fog disappeared as
+suddenly as it had dropped down on the sea.
+
+Louis went aft and gazed into the distance; but he could see no triangle
+of lights, or even a single light in any direction. He made a thorough
+search, with no other result, and then stood by the sail till the
+captain came up to take the place of Felix.
+
+"The fog has blown in ahead of us, Louis; but Flix reports that you
+have not been able to find the lights of the pirate," said Scott.
+
+"Not a sign of them can be made out," replied Louis. "I have looked the
+sea over in every direction. What does that mean, Captain Scott?"
+
+"It may mean any one of three things, and you have to take your choice
+among them. The pirate may have foundered in the gale, she may have put
+about to return to the coast of Egypt, or we may have beaten her so
+badly in the race of fifteen hours, that she has dropped out of sight
+astern of us. I don't know much about the Pacha's steamer, though our
+second engineer told me she was not built to order, as the Maud was, but
+purchased outright."
+
+"But which of the three results you indicate do you consider the most
+probable, Captain?"
+
+"The last one I named. This gale has not been heavy enough to wreck any
+vessel of ordinary strength, so that I cannot believe she has foundered.
+Captain Mazagan is working for his little twenty thousand dollars'
+reward; and if he has followed us up here with the intention of picking
+you up on the cruise, I don't believe he would retire from the field
+without making a bigger effort than he has put forth so far."
+
+"Then, you think he is after me?"
+
+"Don't we know that he is? Not one of the 'Big Four' is so indifferent
+and careless about the matter as you are yourself, Louis," replied the
+captain with a good deal of energy. "I still think you ought not to
+have come with us on this perilous cruise; and I wonder with all my
+might that Captain Ringgold did not keep you on board of the
+Guardian-Mother."
+
+"He desired to do so; but I would not stand it. I have not the slightest
+fear of the Pacha and all his blackguards and pirates," protested Louis.
+
+"Not since Mazagan got his paw upon you, and you slipped out of it only
+by a lucky chance?" demanded the captain, more as an argument than as a
+question to be answered. "You got off by the skin of your teeth; and you
+may thank your stars that you are not shut up at this moment in some
+dungeon in Mogadore, where they don't ask hard questions as to what has
+become of troublesome Christians. If the shop had not been invaded by
+creditors, you would have been conveyed to Rosetta, and taken away on
+board the pirate. The rest of the party would not have known what had
+become of you; for we could not find you when we searched for you in
+Cairo."
+
+"That is all very nice, Captain Scott," replied Louis, laughing out
+loud. "I would not have given two cents to have the guard of sailors who
+made things so sad for the Arabs at Gizeh in the cellar with me. Make as
+much fuss as you may over my danger at this time, I was master of the
+situation all the while," answered Louis very decidedly.
+
+"Master of the situation!" exclaimed the captain. "You might as well
+call the trout the master of the situation after he has the hook in his
+gills. I don't see it in that light."
+
+"I had fired one shot from my revolver, and wounded Mazagan's assistant
+in the outrage; and I had five balls more in the weapon. I think the
+pirate counted upon the custom-house officers to deprive me of the
+pistol, or he would not have gone to work just as he did. My shot
+demoralized the wounded man, and scared his brother the shopkeeper out
+of his wits. My next shot was for Mazagan; and if he had taken another
+step in his programme he would not have been in command of that steamer
+just now."
+
+"Perhaps there were some chances for your aim or your calculations to
+fail," suggested Scott; "though Flix says you never miss your mark when
+you shoot."
+
+"Captain Ringgold said so much to me to induce me to remain on board of
+the Guardian-Mother, that I was tempted to yield the point; but it
+seemed to me to be cowardly to leave my friends in the face of a
+possible danger. I told him finally that I considered myself under his
+command, and if he ordered me to remain on board of the ship, I should
+obey. He would not do that, and I am here. If there is to be any row on
+my account I must be in it."
+
+"You have a mind of your own, and you are in condition to have your own
+way. If your mother had been posted you would not have been here."
+
+"We don't know; but I think I have as much influence with my mother as
+she has with me. I hardly believe she could or would make me act the
+part of a coward."
+
+The subject was dropped there, for it seemed to be exhausted. The night
+wore away very slowly, and nothing more was seen of the Fatime's lights.
+The morning watch came on duty at four o'clock; but the captain did not
+leave the deck. It was evident to him that the sail had increased the
+speed of the Maud, and perhaps that was the reason she had run away from
+the chaser. An hour later, with the dawn of the day, the gale broke.
+
+"Land, ho!" shouted Louis over the forward part of the upper deck, so
+that Morris could hear him at the wheel; and the captain rushed out of
+the pilot-house where he had lain down on the divan.
+
+"Where away?" called the first officer.
+
+"Broad on the starboard bow," replied Louis.
+
+"That must be the country south-west of Cape Arnauti," said Scott, after
+he had examined the shore with the glass. "Make the course north
+north-east, Morris," he shouted to the wheelman.
+
+"North north-east!" returned the helmsman.
+
+"There are mountains on this island, some of them nearly seven thousand
+feet high; and there is a cluster of them close to the shore here,"
+added the captain.
+
+It was another hour before they could distinctly make out these
+mountains; and by that time the end of the cape could be seen on the
+beam. The speed of the Maud had been reduced one-half, and the course
+due east was given out. She followed the land around the cape, and was
+soon in smooth water. With the chart before him at the helm, and with
+Morris heaving the lead, Captain Scott piloted the Maud to the head of a
+considerable bay, where he ordered the anchor to be cast loose, and then
+stopped the screw.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE BELLIGERENT COMMANDER OF THE MAUD
+
+
+"Here we are!" shouted Captain Scott, as the cable slid out through the
+hawse-hole.
+
+"That's so; but where are we?" asked Louis, who had been watching the
+bottom for the last hour. "There is a big ledge of rocks not twenty feet
+from the cutwater. Here we are; but where are we?"
+
+"We are on the south-west shore of Khrysoko Bay," replied the captain.
+"That ledge of rocks is just what I have been looking for the last
+half-hour."
+
+"Then, I am glad we have found it," added Louis.
+
+"What's the name of the bay, Captain?" inquired Felix, scratching his
+head.
+
+"Khrysoko," repeated Scott. "It pronounces well enough; but when you
+come to the spelling, that's another affair."
+
+"I could spell that with my eyes shut; for I used to cry so myself when
+I was a baby. Cry so, with a co on the end of it for a snapper. But I
+thought that bay was on the coast of Ireland, sou' sou'-west by nor'
+nor'-east from the Cove of Cork," added Felix.
+
+"That's the precise bearing of the one you mean, Flix; but this isn't
+that one at all, at all," said the captain with a long gape.
+
+"Then it must be this one."
+
+"The word is spelled with two k's."
+
+"That's a hard k'se; but where do you get them in?"
+
+The captain spelled the word with another gape, for he had not slept a
+wink during the night; and Louis advised him to turn in at once.
+
+"Breakfast is all ready in the cabin, sir," said Pitts.
+
+"That will do me more good than a nap," added Scott. "Don, keep a lively
+lookout on that high cape we came round, and see that it don't walk off
+while I'm eating my breakfast. Remember, all you fellows, that is Cape
+Arnauti; and if any of you are naughty, you will get fastened to that
+rock, as doubtless the chap it was named after was."
+
+"Oh-h-h!" groaned Morris. "You are not sleepy, Captain; a fellow that
+can make a pun can keep awake."
+
+"I should not need a brass band to put me to sleep just now; but I shall
+not take my nap till we have overhauled the situation, and figured up
+where the pirate may be about this time in the forenoon," replied Scott,
+as he led the way to the cabin.
+
+As Pitts was waiting on the table, nothing particular was said. Don had
+his morning meal carried to him on the forecastle, where Felipe joined
+him. He kept his eye fixed on the cape all the time, as though he
+expected to see the Fatime double it. He knew nothing at all about the
+real situation, though he could not help seeing that the Maud was trying
+to keep clear of the Moorish steamer; and he was in full sympathy with
+this idea.
+
+The larder of the little steamer had been filled up at Alexandria, and
+Pitts had prepared one of his best breakfasts. The party were in high
+spirits; for the little Maud had run away from the pirate, though of
+course there were other chapters to the narrative.
+
+"As soon as we get the situation a little more settled, and you fellows
+get your eyes braced wide open, one of you must tackle the island of
+Cyprus, and get up a lecture on it; for the commander desired that we
+should learn something about the place," said the captain.
+
+"I move you, Mr. Commander, that Mr. Louis Belgrave be invited to
+prepare and deliver the lecture," interposed Morris; and the motion was
+put and carried.
+
+"I have no objection; and my own curiosity would have prompted me to do
+so without any invitation; but I thank you for the honor you confer on
+me in the selection," replied Louis; and the company adjourned to the
+forecastle.
+
+"Well, Don, have you seen anything of the Moorish craft?" asked the
+captain.
+
+"Not a sign, sir," replied the engineer. "If she is looking for the
+Maud, I don't believe she will find her in here very soon."
+
+"I don't believe this is just the place to hold a consultation on a
+delicate subject," said Louis, as he pointed to the scuttle which had
+been removed from its place by Felipe. "I think we shall do better on
+the hurricane deck."
+
+As this afforded a better place to observe the surroundings, and
+especially the approaches from the sea, the captain assented to it, and
+the "Big Four" repaired to the upper deck. They seated themselves in the
+little tender of the Maud, and all of them looked out in the direction
+of the cape, from beyond which the pirate was expected to put in an
+appearance.
+
+"Our present situation is the subject before the house," the captain
+began. "We have made the bay for which I shaped the course of the Maud
+as soon as the gale began to make things sloppy. This is a mountainous
+island, with nothing like a harbor on the west coast between Cape Gata
+and Cape Arnauti. There are from twelve to twenty fathoms of water in
+this bay, within a mile of the shore; and the rocks close aboard of us
+reach out a mile and a half, with from ten to twelve feet of water on
+them. There is no town within ten miles of the shore, and we are not
+likely to see any natives, unless some of them come to this bay to fish.
+That's where we are."
+
+"We should like to have you tell us now where the Fatty is," added
+Morris.
+
+"Or the Guardian-Mother," said Louis.
+
+"I am sorry to say that I can't tell you where either of these vessels
+is; and I am as anxious to know as any of you can be," replied Scott, as
+he took a paper from his pocket. "I have followed the orders of Captain
+Ringgold, just as he wrote them down: 'Proceed to Cape Gata; but if it
+should blow heavily from the southward, go to the north side of the
+island, and get in behind Cape Arnauti.' And here we are."
+
+Felix was seated where he could see that much more was written on the
+paper which the captain did not choose to read. But he had the right to
+keep his own council, and the Milesian asked no questions.
+
+"Here we are--what next?" added Louis.
+
+"That depends," replied Scott. "The commander of the Guardian-Mother
+knows where we are, though he may have to look in at the harbor of
+Limasol to see if the Maud is there. When he comes I shall have nothing
+further to say."
+
+"Don't you expect to see the Fatty before the ship comes?"
+
+"It is quite impossible to form any idea what has become of the pirate.
+Perhaps she is looking for the Maud; and if she is she will probably
+find her. I think this is about as far as we can go now; and, if you
+will excuse me, I will turn in and get my nap," said the captain as he
+rose from his seat.
+
+"That is the right thing to do," added Louis.
+
+"You will all keep a sharp lookout to seaward, and call me as soon as
+either vessel heaves in sight."
+
+The captain went to the cabin, and in two minutes he was sound asleep.
+The rest of the ship's company had obtained about one-half of their
+usual slumber, and they were not inclined to follow the example of the
+captain. Louis went to the cabin and proceeded to study up the island.
+He made notes in a little blank-book he kept for the purpose in his
+pocket, and he had already filled a dozen such books; for they contained
+a full diary of all the events of the voyage for over a year.
+
+Felix kept his spy-glass in his hand all the time, and every few minutes
+he swept the horizon to the northward with it. Morris had gone to sleep
+in the pilot-house, for his watch was not on duty. At about six bells in
+the forenoon watch the Milesian began to show more sign of animation
+than before. He held his glass in range with the cape, and directed his
+attention steadily in that direction.
+
+If he had been fishing, he would have said that he "had a bite." It was
+clear that he saw something in the distance, which was hardly more than
+a speck on the ocean; but there was also a thread of black smoke on the
+sky above it, for it had cleared off since sunrise. Of course it was a
+steamer; but whether it was the Fatime or the Guardian-Mother, or
+neither of them, he could not determine, and he did not wish to disturb
+the captain for nothing.
+
+He continued to watch the appearance for half an hour longer, and then
+he struck seven bells. In that time the steamer could be seen more
+distinctly, though she was still five or six miles distant. He was
+satisfied from his reasoning that the vessel was approaching the cape.
+The craft looked smaller than the ship, and in another quarter of an
+hour he was convinced that she was the pirate. Then he hastened to the
+cabin, and announced the news to the captain, and Louis heard him.
+
+"Are you sure it is the pirate, Flix?" demanded Captain Scott, as he
+sprang from his bed and looked eagerly into the face of the messenger.
+
+"Not absolutely sure; only reasonably confident," replied Felix, as he
+followed the captain to the forecastle.
+
+Scott examined the distant sail with the glass for a little time, and
+Louis did the same with another. Morris was aroused by the voices, and
+rushed out with his field-glass.
+
+"That's the pirate!" exclaimed the captain; and the others had waited
+for him to express his opinion.
+
+"If my mother should step on deck and tell me so, I shouldn't know it
+any better," added Felix; and Louis and Morris were equally sure of the
+fact.
+
+"Go to the engine-room, Morris, and tell Felipe to stir up his fires,"
+said the captain, who had suddenly become a mass of vim and activity.
+"Then call all hands."
+
+Scott observed the approaching steamer with his glass till she was
+within three miles of the Maud. Morris had been ordered to set the
+American flag, and it was now floating in the light breeze at the ensign
+staff.
+
+"Now all hands will come with me," continued the captain; and all but
+Felipe followed him to the cabin.
+
+His first movement was to throw off the cushions from the divan on the
+port side, and raise the lid of the transom. From this place he took out
+a breech-loading rifle, one of half a dozen deposited there three months
+or more before. They had been in service in the famous attack of the
+Samothraki on the Maud in Pournea Bay, and had never been removed. No
+one asked any questions; and the captain ordered them to be conveyed to
+the pilot-house and engine-room, where they would be available for
+immediate use. A supply of cartridges was also sent forward, and those
+who had revolvers were instructed to put them in their pockets.
+
+All these orders were promptly obeyed, and the situation began to look
+decidedly warlike. Louis could not help asking himself whether or not
+Captain Scott was not proceeding too rapidly. But the belligerent chief
+had Captain Ringgold's written orders in his pocket, and there was no
+room for a protest. Everything appeared to be ready to give the pirate a
+warm reception, and nothing more could be done.
+
+The Moorish steamer was feeling her way into the bay very slowly,
+sounding all the time. The Maud was anchored in fourteen feet of water,
+which placed her keel very near the rocky bottom, and with no greater
+depth for a cable's length outside of her. Scott had chosen the position
+of the little steamer so that the Fatime could not come alongside of
+her, or within a cable's length of her, which is one-fifth of a nautical
+mile.
+
+"I think we are all right now, Louis," said Captain Scott when he had
+completed his preparations.
+
+"It looks as though you meant to fight the pirate," added Louis.
+
+"Not if it can be avoided; but I do not intend to let Mazagan take any
+one of my people out of the Maud; and all hands will shoot before
+anything of that kind can happen," replied Scott very mildly, and with
+no excitement in his manner; for he had studied the bearing of his
+model, and tried to imitate him.
+
+"Do you expect Mazagan will resort to violence, Captain Scott?"
+
+"That is an odd question, Louis," answered Scott, laughing heartily,
+perhaps as much to manifest his coolness as to treat the question
+lightly. "Excuse me, Louis, but you make me smile. Do I expect Mazagan
+to resort to violence? For what did he visit Pournea Bay? Did he resort
+to violence when he caught you in that shop in the Muski? Did he resort
+to violence when his assistants attempted to capture you and Miss
+Blanche in Zante? What do you suppose he followed the Maud up here for,
+Louis?"
+
+"Perhaps to induce me to pay him twenty thousand dollars to let up on
+Miss Blanche and myself," replied Louis, overwhelmed by the argument.
+
+"Are you ready to pay him?"
+
+"Never!"
+
+"Then he will resort to some other means to accomplish his purpose in
+coming to Cyprus. Do you wish me to surrender the Maud to him?" asked
+the captain.
+
+"Certainly not."
+
+The Fatime let go her anchor as near the Maud as the depth of water
+would permit her to come.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE LECTURE ON THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS
+
+
+Captain Scott was ready to do anything the occasion might require.
+Possibly he would not have been sorry to come into collision with
+Captain Mazagan and his piratical craft, judging from what he had said
+to Louis Belgrave, and he had pluck enough to precipitate a conflict
+with the enemy; but sometimes it requires more courage to keep out of a
+fight than to plunge into one.
+
+As he had admitted himself, Louis was his model; and he felt that no
+rashness, no braggadocio, no challenging, no casting down the gage of
+battle to the pirate who had already outlawed himself, no holding out of
+a temptation to cross swords with him, would be justified or palliated
+when he came to render an account of his conduct in what was yet to
+occur to the commander of the Guardian-Mother.
+
+Whatever he did he was to do strictly in self-defence. The character of
+Captain Ringgold and of Louis would permit nothing more than this. The
+"Big Four" fully understood why the Fatime was there. It was true that
+the Maud had held out the temptation for her to follow her; but it was
+as a man with a gold watch and plenty of money in his purse holds out a
+temptation to the robber; but it does not follow that he should throw
+away his valuables.
+
+But the plan suggested by Scott and adopted by the commander had not
+worked as had been expected. The Guardian-Mother ought to be there in
+the bay, or somewhere in the vicinity; but nothing had been seen of her,
+and no one knew what had become of her. According to the plan, the two
+steamers were to find a way to escape from the pirate, and Scott had
+marked out the manner in which it was to be done. The gale and the
+non-appearance of the ship had upset the plan, though the Maud had
+carried out her portion of the programme.
+
+"What next, Captain Scott?" asked Louis.
+
+"Wait," replied the captain.
+
+"Wait for what?"
+
+"I don't know," replied Scott, shaking his head. "Wait for whatever is
+to come."
+
+"But what is to come?" asked Louis, who still had a fear that the
+captain would resort to some fool-hardy expedient.
+
+"You know just as much about this affair as I do, Louis, and you may be
+a better prophet than I am. It is not a question of navigation just now,
+or I should be willing to take the entire responsibility. Of course the
+handling of the Maud is an important element in getting out of the
+scrape, whatever it may prove to be. I have somewhere seen a picture of
+a good-looking gentleman playing chess with an individual provided with
+horns, hoofs, and a caudal appendage. But in this game the mortal
+appeared to have the best of it, and he says to the infernal power,
+'Your next move.'"
+
+"And that is what you say to the representative of the same infernal
+majesty in Khrysoko Bay," interposed Louis, rather pleased with the
+illustration, especially in its application to Captain Mazagan.
+
+"Precisely so; it is the pirate's move, and I shall not do a thing till
+he makes it," added Captain Scott. "What Mazagan will do, or how he will
+do it, I have no more idea than you have, Louis. That is where we stand.
+I am willing to listen to any advice that you wish to give me."
+
+"I have no wish to give any advice," replied Louis; and by this time he
+was entirely satisfied with the position Scott had taken, and he
+approved everything he had done.
+
+At this point Pitts announced that dinner was ready, and Scott led the
+way to the cabin. The ledge of rocks appeared to cover at least half an
+acre of the bottom of the bay. The Maud had anchored abreast of the
+rock, in two fathoms of water. It was just about high tide when she came
+in, as the captain had learned from his nautical almanac, and the ebb
+placed the craft broadside to the Moorish steamer, so that the "Big
+Four" could see her out the cabin windows.
+
+The pirate made no demonstration of any kind, and the dinner was
+disposed of in good order, and with hardly an allusion to the exciting
+events that were expected. Pitts was instructed to give the engineers
+their dinner as soon as possible; for all hands might be needed at any
+moment.
+
+"Heave the lead, Flix; it begins to look like shoal water around us,"
+said the captain when they returned to the forecastle.
+
+The great rock was of a light color, and could be distinctly seen from
+the deck. A portion of it rose about six feet above the surface of the
+water when the Maud anchored, and the receding tide now permitted two
+feet more of the projecting cone to be seen.
+
+"By the mark two," reported Felix, as he drew up the line.
+
+"Twelve feet; we have not much to spare under the keel," added the
+captain. "We had fourteen feet when we anchored, and the tide has been
+ebbing five hours."
+
+"Hold on, Captain Scott!" shouted Felix, as he carried the lead-line to
+the other side of the vessel. "I have been measuring on the top of a
+bulging rock. And a half two!"
+
+"Fifteen feet; that looks more like it. There ought to be about three
+feet ebb and flow here, and your sounding gave about double that, Flix."
+
+"It was the fault of the rock on the bottom, Captain;" but the leadsman
+heaved the line all around the steamer with the same result.
+
+There was nothing to do except to observe the Fatime; but she did
+nothing, and there was no appearance of any movement on her deck.
+
+"I think we had better attend to that lesson now, as we have nothing
+else to do," said the captain after they had looked about them for a
+time. "I don't care to have the pirate suppose we are on the anxious
+seat."
+
+"All right," replied Louis, as he seated himself on the rail by the bow
+flag-pole. "I have studied my lesson, and I am all ready."
+
+"Blaze away, then," replied the captain.
+
+"If any of you have not yet found it out, I will begin by informing you
+that the land on three sides of us belongs to the island of Cyprus, and
+you are again on Turkish territory. The owners of the island call it
+Kebris, written by them G'br's, if you can make anything of that
+combination of consonants," Louis began, spelling out the strange names
+he introduced. "The Greeks call it Kupros, and the French, Chypre. Venus
+was the original goddess of spring among the Romans, but became the
+goddess of love, the Aphrodite of the Greeks, and was worshipped as such
+in this island by the Phoenicians and other ancients.
+
+"One of this lady's names was Cypris, or Cypria; and that is why the
+island happens to be called Cyprus. It is in about the same latitude as
+South Carolina. It is about 35 to 50 miles from Asia Minor on the south
+and Syria on the east. It is 140 miles long by 60 in breadth, containing
+3,707 square miles, or larger than both Rhode Island and Delaware
+united.
+
+"It has two ranges of mountains extending east and west, the highest
+peak being 6,352 feet. It has plenty of rivers, with no water in them
+except after heavy rains, or when the snow melts on the mountains. There
+is no room for lakes of any size, though there is a small one on the
+east coast, which dries up completely in summer, like the rivers, but
+has an abundance of fish in winter. This is rather remarkable, and the
+fact is not doubted, though the phenomenon has not been explained."
+
+"The fish must go down where the water goes," laughed Felix. "If there
+are any volcanoes here, I suppose they come up in the winter all boiled
+or broiled ready for the table."
+
+"I don't know how that is, Flix, and we haven't time to investigate the
+matter. The interior of the island is mostly composed of a great plain,
+which was once famous for its crops of grain; but the system of
+irrigation which prevailed has been discontinued, and its fertility no
+longer exists. In a scarcity of rain five years ago there was almost a
+famine in the island.
+
+"As you have seen for yourselves, there is a deficiency of harbors, and
+this bay is a fair specimen of them. It has two places they call
+seaports, but they are not worthy of the name. They are on the south
+side, and in such a blow as we had last night, they afford no shelter to
+shipping from southerly storms; and Captain Scott was wise in coming
+here instead of going to Limasol, which is just inside of Cape Gata.
+The ports on this side of the island would be similarly exposed in a
+northerly storm. Safe ports are necessary for the commerce of a country
+or an island, and therefore to its prosperity.
+
+"In ancient times there were ports at Salamis, Paphos, and Famagusta, in
+the eastern part of the island, which was the portion celebrated in the
+past. The capital is Leucosia, as I find it on my chart, though I find
+it elsewhere put down as Nicosia; and even the cape we have in sight is
+Pifanio in a standard atlas. The population is 186,000, of whom not
+quite 50,000 are Mohammedans, and the rest are orthodox Greeks. The
+great majority of the people speak the Greek language, but it is so much
+corrupted that Flix would not understand it."
+
+"You are right, my darling; I want the pure Greek of Kilkenny, or I
+don't take it in," replied the Milesian.
+
+"The island was colonized by the Phoenicians, who have a history too
+long to be related now; but they occupied the northern part of Syria and
+the country to the north of us. They were the New Yorkers of their day
+and generation, and were largely engaged in commerce. They brought the
+worship of Venus over here, and called the island Kupros after her. It
+had at first nine independent kingdoms, and I should suppose that almost
+anybody could afford to be a king in this locality. It was conquered by
+the Egyptians about five hundred years before the time of Christ; then
+by the Persians; and finally came into the possession of the Romans.
+
+"It went with the Eastern Empire when Rome was divided. The people
+embraced Christianity at an early date. It was said that a shepherd
+discovered the body of St. Matthew and a part of his Gospel in the
+island, which called many early saints to visit it. In 646 A.D., Cyprus
+was taken by the Saracens, but was not long held by them. Richard
+Coeur-de-Lion captured it on his way to Syria for the Third Crusade.
+In 1570 the Turks obtained possession of it, and have practically held
+it ever since.
+
+"The ruins of Salamis may be seen at the other end of the island. In the
+Book of Acts we read that Paul came over here. 'And when they were at
+Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.'
+Then the account informs us that they went 'through the isle' to Paphos;
+and doubtless the place was near Point Papho, which I find on my chart.
+Don't forget to tell Mrs. Blossom, Flix, that you have been to an island
+visited by Paul and Barnabas in their missionary travels.
+
+"The island has about the same productions as Egypt. Carobs, or locust
+beans, figure up to about $300,000. But I fear you will not remember any
+more figures if I should give them; and I see there is something like a
+movement on board of the pirate."
+
+"You must repeat that lecture on board of the ship when we get back to
+her," added the captain. "It was telling us just what I wanted to
+know."
+
+"I could have done better if I had had the library of the
+Guardian-Mother for reference," replied Louis, as all hands fixed their
+attention on the Fatime.
+
+"They are getting out a boat, sir," said Don, who had gone to the
+hurricane deck to obtain a better view.
+
+"That means that they intend to pay us a visit; and as I intend to
+retain the command of the Maud until I am relieved by Captain Ringgold,
+I shall allow no one from the pirate to come on board," said Captain
+Scott in his most decided tones. "All hands except Felipe will arm with
+breech-loaders and revolvers, with a supply of ammunition, and form in
+the port gangway."
+
+This order was promptly executed, and the force collected at the place
+designated. This gangway was concealed from the enemy by the house on
+deck. Louis had two revolvers, and he loaned one to Don. Scott had
+carried out a handsaw which was kept in the pilot-house in readiness for
+any emergency, as well as an axe and a hatchet. The captain had used
+this same saw with decided effect upon some smugglers who attempted to
+obtain possession of the little steamer in the Bay of Gibraltar, and he
+placed it where it was ready for use at any moment.
+
+In addition to this novel weapon, he had sent for a small heave-line
+with which he had done some lassoing on the same occasion, and also on
+Captain Mazagan at a later period. The five hands in the port gangway
+had loaded their weapons, and were ready to be called into the field.
+The captain took a look at them, and all was satisfactory. He hastened
+back to the forecastle, where he saw that the boat was already pulling
+for the Maud.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+A MOST IMPUDENT PROPOSITION
+
+
+Certainly it looked decidedly warlike on board of the little steamer
+Maud; and Felix, who was never inclined to be very serious over
+anything, declared that she was like a bantam rooster ready for a
+pitched battle in a farmyard. Captain Scott called Louis out, and
+proposed to him that he should take the command of the riflemen, who
+were 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 will
+excuse me, I must protest against the appointment," replied Louis, as
+they watched the approaching enemy. "Morris is one of our number in the
+gangway, and it would not be fair or right to put another fellow over
+the first officer."
+
+"That is all right in theory; but Morris is the youngest fellow on
+board," reasoned the captain.
+
+"But he is just as resolute, plucky, and prompt as any one on board. He
+thinks quick, and has good judgment," persisted Louis. "I should be very
+sorry to be placed over his head."
+
+"Say no more! I only thought it would be unfortunate to lose you in the
+place where you could do the most good," added Scott. "I will give my
+orders to Morris, and let him carry them out. I don't know any better
+than the rest of the fellows what is coming out of this affair; but it
+is 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 thousand
+dollars 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 Highness
+to save his neck from any undue stretching," replied Captain Scott, as
+he walked to the port gangway. "Is everything ready here, Morris?"
+
+"Everything, Captain," answered the first officer. "The rifles are all
+loaded, and every man has a supply of cartridges in his pocket. Every
+one has a revolver except Pitts."
+
+"I have two, and he shall have one of them," interposed Felix, handing
+his 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, after
+all, there may be more talk than bullets in this affair."
+
+"I hope so," added Louis sincerely; though it was evident that some of
+the boys looked upon the adventure as decidedly exciting, and therefore
+agreeable.
+
+Louis walked to the forecastle with the captain, and both of them gave
+their entire attention to the boat that was approaching, having now
+accomplished more than half the distance between the two vessels.
+
+"I can't imagine what has become of the Guardian-Mother," said Louis, as
+he directed a spy-glass to seaward. "She cannot have intended to desert
+us in this manner. What do you suppose has become of her, Captain
+Scott?"
+
+"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 bay
+we 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 she
+was rounding a point near Damietta."
+
+"She intended to get out of sight of the pirate as soon as possible, so
+that the Fatty could follow the Maud; and she did all that in good
+order. But I have no doubt that she is safe enough; and, if we don't get
+chewed up in this scrape, I have no doubt she will soon put in an
+appearance in these waters."
+
+"Steamer, ahoy!" shouted a rather tall man in the stern-sheets of the
+boat.
+
+"In the boat!" replied Scott, after he had waited a moment, and then in
+a very careless and indifferent tone.
+
+"That's Mazagan," said Louis.
+
+"Of course it is; I knew he was there before he opened his mouth, the
+pirate!" 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 with
+him?" Scott inquired, as indifferently as though the affair did not even
+remotely concern him.
+
+Of course his manner was assumed, and Louis listened to him with the
+most intense interest; for he was anxious to ascertain in what manner
+the captain intended to conduct the negotiation, if there was to be
+anything of that kind. In spite of his affectation of indifference, he
+knew that Scott was quite as anxious in regard to the result of the
+parley as he was himself, though he was the intended victim of the
+pirate.
+
+"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, apparently
+vexed at the reply. "Who are you? I don't mean to talk my affairs with
+one I don't know."
+
+"I am Captain Scott, commander of the steamer Maud, tender of the
+steamship Guardian-Mother, owned and in the service of Mr. Louis
+Belgrave," replied the captain as impressively as he could make the
+statement. "That ought to knock a hole through the tympanum of his
+starboard 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 of
+Hermopolis."
+
+"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 stepped
+out from the shelter of the pilot-house which had concealed him from
+those in the boat.
+
+"Of course it is no use to try to hide you. Do you wish to talk with the
+pirate, Louis?" asked the captain.
+
+"I don't object to hearing what he has to say, though certainly nothing
+will come of it," replied the intended victim.
+
+"It will use up some of the time, and the longer we wait before the
+curtain rises, the better the chance that the Guardian-Mother will come
+in to take a hand in the game," suggested the captain; and Louis took
+another look through the glass to seaward.
+
+"You needn't look so far out to sea for the ship, my dear fellow; for
+when she appears she will come around Cape Arnauti, and not more than a
+mile outside of it, where she will get eight fathoms of water. She is
+coming up from the south; and if our business was not such here that
+none of us can leave, I would send Morris and Flix to the top of that
+hill on the point, where they could see the ship twenty miles off in
+this clear air."
+
+While the captain was saying all this, the four Moorish rowers in the
+boat dropped their oars into the water, and began to pull again; for the
+patience 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 not
+answer me. You are using up my patience, and I tell you that I will not
+be trifled with!" said Captain Mazagan in a loud tone, with a spice of
+anger and impatience mixed in with it.
+
+"That's just my case! I won't be trifled with! Stop where you are! If
+you pull another stroke, I shall proceed to business!" called the
+captain, with vim enough to satisfy the most strenuous admirer of pluck
+in a moment of difficulty.
+
+The oarsmen ceased rowing; and when the boat lost its headway it was not
+more than forty feet from the side of the Maud. Scott did not object to
+this distance, as there was to be a talk with the pirate.
+
+"Mr. Belgrave will speak with you since you desire it," said Captain
+Scott, as soon as he realized that the boat's crew did not intend to
+board the steamer.
+
+He walked over to the port side of the deck, where he could still
+command a clear view of the boat all the time; and he did not take his
+eyes from it long enough to wink. He was ready to order the riflemen to
+the forecastle; and he intended to do so if the boat advanced another
+foot.
+
+"What is going on, Captain Scott?" asked Morris, who stood at the head
+of 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 the
+Guardian-Mother to arrive here before anybody gets hurt."
+
+"We have heard all that has passed so far, and we expected to be called
+out by this time," added Morris.
+
+"I don't care to have you show those rifles just yet, and I hope you
+will not have to exhibit them at all. You can sit down on the deck and
+hear all that is going on," added the captain, as he moved away. If he
+took his eyes off the boat at all, it was only to glance at the lofty
+cape where the ship would first be seen.
+
+Louis had placed himself at the rail, ready for the conference that the
+pirate desired. Mazagan had met him face to face, and he could not help
+knowing him.
+
+"Are you Mr. Louis Belgrave?" demanded the Moorish captain, more gently
+than he had spoken to Scott at the close of the interview with him.
+
+"That is my name," replied the young millionaire with all his native
+dignity.
+
+"We have had some business relations together, and at the present moment
+they are not in a satisfactory condition," the captain proceeded.
+
+"Go on," replied Louis when he paused; for he had decided to say nothing
+that 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 statement
+you wish to make; but I have nothing to say at present."
+
+"Between the noble and exalted gentleman in whose services I sail his
+steam-yacht, and the commander of your larger steam-yacht, Captain
+Ringgold, there is a difficulty of very great magnitude;" and Captain
+Mazagan paused as if to note the effect of this announcement upon his
+auditor.
+
+"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 right
+hand.
+
+"His Highness, the Pacha, was grossly and disgracefully insulted and
+assaulted by Captain Ringgold, who has so far declined to make any
+apology or reparation such as one gentleman has the right to require of
+another. 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 on
+Captain Ringgold with your grievance."
+
+"That he has tried to do, and called upon him in Constantinople for that
+purpose; but Captain Ringgold is a coward, a poltroon! He keeps himself
+shut up in his cabin, and refuses to give my noble master any
+satisfaction."
+
+It was with a struggle that Louis maintained his dignity and preserved
+his silence.
+
+"Finding all the avenues to any satisfaction closed against him, my
+noble master, one of the most exalted dignitaries of the Empire to which
+he is an honor, employed me to obtain the redress to which he is
+honorably entitled. So far I have not been successful. My noble master
+has been graciously pleased to modify the terms and conditions upon
+which he will consent to discontinue his efforts to obtain adequate
+satisfaction for the insults heaped upon him. He will accept the
+atonement of two hundred thousand francs for the injury done him,
+assured that this penalty would be the severest punishment that could be
+inflicted 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 for
+him.
+
+"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 favor
+to come on board of the Fatime, and remain with me in the cabin, which
+is 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 matter
+at once," continued the Pacha's representative with a suavity creditable
+to 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 my
+quarters 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 his
+force.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+"JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE, MOTHER"
+
+
+Morris Woolridge did not make use of any military forms, for he did not
+claim to understand them; but he simply came on the forecastle himself,
+followed by the other four of his party; for Louis had joined it when
+directed to do so by his superior. Captain Scott took the rifle he had
+reserved for his own use from the pilot-house. Those who had been
+waiting for the order had only to move a few feet, and not a second of
+delay had been made.
+
+A boat large enough to contain six men, as did the pirate's, does not
+overcome its inertia and shoot ahead forty feet without any apparent
+lapse of time, like a bullet shot from a rifle. Morris and his men were
+in position before the boat had made ten feet.
+
+Morris gave no orders according to the manual of the soldier, but he
+ranged his command on the forecastle, close to the starboard rail. The
+guns were all loaded, and every one of the party had had some experience
+in the use of the weapon, so that none of them had to be taught how to
+fire it.
+
+"Aim at the boat," said the first officer in a quiet tone; and all the
+rifles were directed to the enemy.
+
+It was a fact which came out afterwards, that every one of them aimed
+at Mazagan, not only because he was the most prominent mark as he stood
+in the standing-room, but he was regarded as the biggest villain of the
+assailants, and they could shoot him with less compunction than the
+Moors in his train. He was the representative of the villain behind the
+scenes, and all the mischief seemed to come out of him.
+
+"Stop where you are, or I shall order my men to fire!" shouted Captain
+Scott, as soon as the rifles were all aimed at the boat. "Say that in
+Arabic to them, Don!"
+
+The engineer translated the warning for the benefit of those who were
+back to the Maud, and perhaps did not see the weapons that were pointed
+at the boat. But Mazagan could see the six rifles, including the one in
+the hands of the captain; and before Don could finish his Arabic
+sentence, he had given the order to cease rowing. At least it was
+supposed he had done so, for the Moors dropped their oars, some of them
+into the water.
+
+The boat's crew were in a panic without any doubt, and Captain Scott was
+inclined to feel that "the coon had come down." Mazagan spoke to them in
+a savage tone, as though he was reproving them for their cowardice; but
+they plainly did not relish the idea of being shot down without being
+able to make any resistance, for there was nothing that looked like a
+musket to be seen in the boat.
+
+[Illustration: "STOP WHERE YOU ARE OR I SHALL ORDER MY MEN TO FIRE!"
+Page 92.]
+
+After his recent experience in Cairo, probably Captain Mazagan was
+provided with a revolver; but he did not exhibit it, and in the face of
+half a dozen breech-loaders, capable of sending three dozen bullets into
+the boat, it would be a piece of useless bravado. It could be seen on
+the forecastle of the Maud that the pirate's crew were demoralized. The
+Mohammedans are said to be fatalists; and in what they regard as a holy
+cause they have no fear of death, for they believe it bears them
+directly to paradise. But some of them must have had sense enough to
+understand that they were engaged in piracy, and that their heaven did
+not open wide its gates to those who fell in the commission of crime.
+
+The boat lost its headway, and became motionless at a distance of twenty
+feet from the Maud, with the rifles still pointed at its crew. If the
+pirate chief had a revolver in his pocket, this was the time to use it;
+but he did not even produce it. He could not help seeing that if he
+fired a shot, it would immediately cause half a dozen bullets to be sent
+into the boat; and he had good reason to believe that he would himself
+be the first victim.
+
+"What are you about?" he demanded in angry tones.
+
+"About to fire if you come any nearer," replied Captain Scott.
+
+"Can't you see that we are unarmed? Do you mean to shoot us down like
+dogs?"
+
+"That depends upon you, Captain Mazagan. But you are so very polite
+while you act as a pirate, that I think it is proper for me to say,
+with your permission, that my crew can fire thirty-six balls without
+stopping to load again. If you persist in this business, not one of your
+number will ever get on board of the Fatime again," added the captain of
+the Maud, as decided as before; but the politeness of the pirate and
+Louis had amused him at such a time, and he was disposed to imitate
+them.
+
+"If you mean to murder us all, I cannot help myself just now," howled
+Mazagan, furiously mad at the disappointment which had suddenly
+overtaken him; and he seemed like an angry child who had been denied a
+piece of candy, and resented it with tears and yells.
+
+"All you have to do is to pull back to your ship, and we shall not take
+the trouble to follow you," answered Scott. "This difficulty is not of
+our seeking."
+
+"I came to you peaceably, unarmed, with a fair proposition"--
+
+"A most impudent and presumptuous proposition!" shouted Captain Scott.
+
+"I have been respectful and polite to you, and you threaten to shoot me
+and my men."
+
+"You have plainly announced your intention to take Mr. Belgrave on board
+of your steamer by force. Do you call that respectful and polite?"
+
+"But I gave him a polite invitation to take possession of my cabin
+without the use of force, and he declined to accept it," argued Captain
+Mazagan, somewhat mollified in his tone and manner.
+
+"Which he had a perfect right to do. You proposed to rob him of the sum
+of two hundred thousand francs; and you invite him to become a prisoner
+on board of your ship in the capacity of a hostage for the payment of
+the money of which you propose to rob him."
+
+"What is the use of arguing the question with him, Captain Scott?"
+interposed Louis, who retained his place in the ranks. "His position is
+absurd, and the fellow is a fool as well as a knave."
+
+"I have distinctly stated that my claim is to be indemnification for the
+injury done to my noble master," replied the pirate, in reply to Scott's
+last remark. "I do not propose to rob you."
+
+"Call it blackmail then, if you please."
+
+"I do not know what that means."
+
+"Mr. Belgrave has nothing to do with your claim. He has not insulted or
+assaulted your ignoble master; and, in United States dialect, you 'have
+taken the wrong pig by the ear.' To come back to first principles, I
+have nothing more to say," added Captain Scott, as he turned his back to
+the claimant.
+
+"I have something more to say," returned Mazagan, bristling up with
+anger again. "My boat is unarmed; but I have not come up here without
+being prepared to meet you. I wish to be fair and just, and I will state
+the truth to you."
+
+"I don't believe you know how to do it!" exclaimed Scott.
+
+"I would not irritate him any more than is necessary," said Louis in a
+whisper.
+
+"I have lost all patience with him," replied the captain; and his manner
+indicated that he spoke the truth.
+
+"You will find before you have done with me that I can and do speak the
+truth, Captain Scott. When I made my first attempt to obtain
+satisfaction for my noble master in the Archipelago, I failed because
+your large ship was armed with cannon, and she disabled my felucca. When
+my noble master offered me the command of the Fatime, to be used in
+carrying out his wishes, I stipulated that she should be armed with two
+twelve-pounders, with a supply of ammunition. I may add that I have
+served as an officer in the Turkish navy. Now, Captain Scott, I have
+nothing more to say from this boat, and the next time I speak it will be
+with twelve-pounders; and my last word is that the Fatime will not go
+out of this bay till she leaves with Mr. Belgrave on board of her."
+
+"Adieu!" shouted Scott in mocking tones.
+
+"Do you suppose the villain spoke the truth, Captain?" asked Louis.
+
+"Very likely he did, though he is not in the habit of doing so," replied
+Scott, laughing; but he was accustomed to put the best face upon an
+awkward situation.
+
+The boat was pulling away from the Maud, and the danger of an attack was
+removed for the present. Mazagan appeared to be urging his men to pull
+with all their might, and they were doing so. He evidently had a purpose
+before him, born of his failure to accomplish anything by his visit to
+the Maud.
+
+It seemed to be incredible that this man could be sane and sensible to
+make such a proposition as he had put forward; and doubtless it was done
+to clothe piracy in a more seemly garb than it usually wears. It was
+simply ridiculous on the face of it, with no imaginable foundation for
+the preposterous claim advanced.
+
+Mazagan went on board of his steamer, and a few minutes later a cloud of
+black smoke began to pour out of her smokestack. Captain Scott had
+already ordered Felipe to put his furnaces in order for quick time. At
+the indication given of the firing up of the enemy, he went to the
+engine-room himself. Don was at work on the fires; and he gave Felipe
+directions to get up all the steam possible, and to prepare to run the
+Maud at the greatest speed she had ever attained.
+
+Then he went to the pilot-house, and did not appear to be inclined to
+talk even with Louis. He went to work upon the chart which included
+Khrysoko Bay, called Pifanio on some maps, and studied intently for a
+considerable time. It was clear to all on deck that he had something in
+his head, and it was believed that he was preparing to meet the boastful
+threats of Captain Mazagan.
+
+"Well, my darling, what is to be the next scene in the comedy?" asked
+Felix, as he seated himself by Louis in the bow.
+
+"I don't know, Felix; but whatever it may be, Captain Scott is evidently
+getting ready to play his part in it," replied Louis, still watching the
+captain through the open front windows of the pilot-house.
+
+"They are making the steam sizzle below, and I suppose the captain has
+ordered this to be done. By the powers of mud! Do you mind that?"
+exclaimed the Milesian, pointing to the Fatime.
+
+"What of her?"
+
+"Don't you see that she has a gun run out on her port side? She had just
+thrown open the port when I spoke," replied Felix.
+
+"Then the pirate spoke the truth for once," added Louis.
+
+"He said the vessel had been armed with two twelve-pounders, and we have
+not even one. I suppose she has the other on the starboard side. If she
+had half a dozen of those playthings she might do something."
+
+"She may do a deal of mischief with two of them if they are well
+handled," suggested Louis.
+
+"She can't use but one of them at once, and she will have to come
+entirely about before she can do anything with the other. Her
+top-gallant forecastle isn't big enough for them, as the
+Guardian-Mother's is for hers. I am not much scared yet, my darling."
+
+"Neither am I, Flix; but I think this is about the tightest place we
+have been in since we came across the Atlantic."
+
+"Captain Scott will arrange the affair all right. If I were a
+sporting-man, I would bet on him yet," protested Felix.
+
+"But while we are not scared, you know that it is possible for one of
+those guns to put a shot through our boiler, rip out the engine, or tear
+a big hole in the plates of the Maud," added Louis.
+
+"We can plug the shot-holes--I believe that is what they call it."
+
+"We have not a single one of the old man-of-war's-men of the
+Guardian-Mother on board who can tell us what to do in case of
+accident."
+
+"But we won't croak, whatever else we do. If we are to be sent to the
+bottom of this bay, we will go down with the best grace possible," added
+Felix, who was certainly in as good humor as ever he was, in spite of
+the brass gun that protruded at the side of the Fatime. "Do you suppose
+Captain Scott knows about that twelve-pounder?"
+
+"He appears to be very busy; and I doubt if he has looked at the enemy
+since he went into the pilot-house," replied Louis. "I think I had
+better tell him that Mazagan spoke the truth about his guns."
+
+The young men might well have been excused if they had been intimidated
+at the situation as it was now presented to them. That the Maud was to
+be the mark for the cannon of the enemy looked like a settled fact; but
+no one seemed to be at all excited or nervous. It is true that all of
+them had been in several fights. They had fought the fishermen in the
+Canaries, the smugglers at Gibraltar, the Greek pirates in the
+Archipelago, and the brigands at Zante. They had had some experience of
+danger, but they had never come into the presence of great guns before.
+They were to face these on the present occasion; at least, they were
+prepared to do so.
+
+Before Louis could reach the pilot-house, he saw the captain standing at
+the wheel, and heard one bell in the engine-room on the gong. It was
+evident that he was ready to carry out his plan, whatever it was; for he
+was not expected to announce it. Felix observed the Fatime and her
+twelve-pounder, whistling, "Just before the Battle, Mother."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+AN EXPEDIENT TO ESCAPE THE ENEMY
+
+
+Captain Scott had directed Morris to heave up the anchor before he
+buried himself in his study of the chart in the pilot-house, and to do
+it in such a manner as not to attract the attention of the Fatime's
+people. It was not a very heavy anchor that was required for a craft of
+the size of the Maud, and it had been done very easily and quietly.
+
+Louis went into the pilot-house, where the captain was behind the wheel
+by this time. He was gazing intently at the conic rock which rose from
+the water a cable's length ahead of him, off a point on the main shore.
+When he brought the little steamer in to her anchorage in the morning,
+the lead had been kept going all the time, and he had noted the
+soundings on the log-slate at his side. It was now dead low tide, and
+the last sounding had given fifteen feet.
+
+"I suppose you have noticed a change in the appearance of the Fatime,
+Captain Scott," said Louis, as he took his place opposite him.
+
+"What change? I haven't glanced at her. I don't like the looks of her,
+for she stirs up bad blood in me. I have been trying to be a saint like
+you, Louis, and it is the most difficult enterprise in which I ever
+engaged," replied Scott, as he directed his attention to her. "I don't
+see any change in her."
+
+"Don't you see that gun sticking out through her bulwark?" asked Louis.
+
+"I see it now, but I had not noticed it before," answered the captain.
+"Then Mazagan was not lying when he said that his vessel had been armed
+since he took command of her. I suppose I ought to be frightened at the
+appearance of that twelve-pounder, poking its muzzle out the side of the
+vessel; but somehow I am not a bit scared," said the captain, with a
+broader smile on his face than usual.
+
+"But twelve-pound shot are not agreeable missiles to have plumped
+through the side of the Maud."
+
+"Perhaps not; but the lively little craft is built of extra strength,
+and she can stand a few of them. I am more concerned about the speed of
+the Fatime than I am about her guns. Of course she has another gun on
+her starboard side."
+
+"Of course."
+
+"If Mazagan had consulted me in regard to the placing of them, he could
+not have arranged them to suit me any better. But her speed is of more
+consequence than her guns."
+
+"I judge from that, that you intend to run away from her," suggested
+Louis.
+
+"Louis," said Captain Scott, looking at his companion with a very
+serious expression for him, "there is a recording angel hovering over
+and around me all the time."
+
+"I suppose every fellow has one near him, to make a note of all his
+thoughts and actions, though we don't often take notice of his
+presence."
+
+"I believe all that, and that we shall be held responsible for all we do
+and say, and even for what we think," replied Scott.
+
+"A fellow has to keep a guard over his thoughts, for they are the
+foundation of his actions."
+
+"But you are taking a higher flight than I am, Louis, and we will
+overhaul your idea some other time, when there are no twelve-pounders
+near," interposed the captain, as he glanced at the enemy. "My recording
+angel is not one of the sort you are thinking about; though,
+metaphorically speaking, I believe in those to whom you allude. If my
+winged spirit, so constantly near me at times like the present
+especially, were to materialize, he would present the photograph of
+Captain Royal Ringgold."
+
+Louis could not help smiling as he imagined the angel described; and he
+thought the dignified commander made a rather odd-looking ethereal
+being.
+
+"I am not making fun of the idea, Louis; the commander seems to be close
+aboard of me when there is any doubtful question to be decided by me as
+captain of this craft," continued Scott. "He is looking at me, and
+writing down all I do and say, ready to hold me responsible for
+everything when I meet him again. He is bigger and more present, so to
+speak, just now than ever before. If he knew the situation here at the
+present moment, it would half worry the life out of him, though he would
+be as dignified as ever."
+
+"You have made a picture of your sense of responsibility; and I am glad
+you feel it so keenly," added Louis.
+
+"This is a tight place for a young fellow like me, and I want to do my
+duty faithfully. If I should follow out my natural, inborn inclination,
+I should pitch into the Fatime, and open fire upon her officers and crew
+with all the rifles and revolvers we could muster. But I don't do that
+sort of thing now. I am not the same fellow I was when I came on board
+of the Guardian-Mother. Now I shall run away if I get a chance to do
+so."
+
+"I think you are wise, Captain Scott," added Louis.
+
+"Whatever my recording angel sets down for or against me, he shall not
+write that I tried to get into a fight with that pirate," said the
+captain with a great deal of emphasis.
+
+"You know something about her speed, for we had a little trial of it in
+the Strait of Gibraltar."
+
+"We did not beat her in a straight run, and we escaped from her by
+manoeuvring and the aid of shoal water," the captain explained. "I
+depend upon the same kind of assistance to get out of the present
+scrape."
+
+"Then you have a plan in your mind, Captain Scott?" asked Louis.
+
+"I have. I shall do the best I can to get away from the pirate; but we
+may not succeed. I have no plan of this bay, only the general chart, on
+which but a few soundings are given. We may be driven into a corner
+where we shall have to see what virtue there is in our firearms, though
+I hope not."
+
+"If we are compelled to fight, I am confident that every fellow on board
+will stand by you. I shall for one; for I heartily approve the platform
+on which you stand, Captain Scott," said Louis, giving him his hand.
+
+"I thank you, Louis, with all my heart. You make me stronger than I was
+before," replied Scott, as he took the offered hand, and warmly pressed
+it.
+
+The Maud was going ahead at only half speed, blowing off her extra
+steam; for she was in condition to make the best effort of her
+existence. Morris and Felix were at the bow, wondering what those in the
+pilot-house found to talk about so long. The water was extremely clear,
+as they had seen it in the Bahamas, and they were watching the bottom,
+composed entirely of rocks. Morris occasionally thrust down a
+long-handled boathook whose length he had measured, and it gave him
+thirteen feet about every time.
+
+With her bunkers full of coal as they had been when she left Alexandria,
+the Maud drew twelve feet of water, and by this time she had reduced it
+six inches. She was approaching the shore, and she could not continue
+much farther. Scott did not explain his plan in detail, and only said
+that he intended to escape if he could. He had a theory in regard to the
+formation of the bottom of the bay, which had twenty fathoms of water at
+a distance of a mile from the shore.
+
+He had a theory in regard to the subject which was by no means a novel
+one, that the bottom of the sea was similar in its features to the
+surface of the land. If the face of the country was rugged and uneven,
+so was the bottom of the sea near it. On Cape Arnauti the hills rose to
+the dignity of mountains, and some of the soundings at the entrance of
+the inlet were over a hundred fathoms, which confirmed his theory in its
+application to this particular locality.
+
+Otherwise stated, Captain Scott believed that if all the water in the
+bay could be suddenly dried up, the bottom of it would present the same
+irregularities as the shore. Doubtless his theory was correct in regard
+to the great oceans. Islands are only the tops of submarine hills and
+mountains rising above the surface of the water.
+
+The captain steered the Maud directly towards the shore, while the
+steamer was making not over five knots an hour. He kept one eye on the
+rocky cone on the starboard hand, which was an elevation on the enormous
+ledge of half an acre.
+
+"Where's the bottom, Morris?" he called to the first officer when the
+steamer was abreast of the cone.
+
+"Thirteen feet down," returned Morris.
+
+"Heave the lead on the port hand, Flix," added the captain very quietly;
+and he seemed to be still in a brown study.
+
+"Mark under water two," reported the Milesian.
+
+"Give the depth in feet now."
+
+"Thirteen feet, short."
+
+"Keep the lead going."
+
+For about a quarter of a mile farther Scott kept the Maud moving in the
+same direction, with no change in the reports of the soundings. The
+great ledge could still be seen from the windows of the pilot-house; but
+suddenly the color changed to a darker hue. At this point the captain
+threw the helm over to port, and changed the course from south-west to
+north-west, a full quarter of a circle. The soundings were continued,
+and for some time the reports were of deeper water.
+
+Louis had nothing to do on the forecastle, and he returned to the
+pilot-house, where he stationed himself at the door on the starboard
+side, where he could look down into the clear water as the others were
+doing. The ledge still presented the same appearance; that of a smooth
+surface, though with many seams and protuberances upon it.
+
+"You seem to have found a channel inside of the ledge, Captain Scott,"
+said Louis, after he had watched the indications for some time.
+
+"I thought there must be some kind of an opening on this side of the
+ledge; for on the shore there is a strip of land half a mile wide
+covered with trees. The channel is all right here; but I would give up
+all my chances of being appointed to the command of the Guardian-Mother
+within the next ten years, to be assured that it extends out to the deep
+water outside the bay," replied Scott, turning around to look at his
+companion, and thus showing that there was a cloud on his face.
+
+"Don't you believe that it extends the whole length of the ledge?" asked
+Louis, who could not fail to see the shadow of anxiety that hung over
+the expression of the young commander.
+
+"It is no use to believe or disbelieve in a thing you know nothing at
+all about," replied Scott, as Louis placed himself at the side of the
+wheel opposite to him, so that he could see his face. "Do I believe it
+rains in New York City at this moment? What is the use of expressing an
+opinion about a matter upon which you have no material to base an
+opinion?"
+
+"Correct, Captain!" exclaimed Louis, laughing. "Many people make fools
+of themselves by doing just that thing; but your recording angel never
+does it. I did not know but you had the means of knowing something about
+it."
+
+"None whatever; there is no law of nature I know of that requires the
+channel to reach through to deep water. But there is one circumstance
+which leads me to fear it is 'no thoroughfare' to the deep water."
+
+"What is that, Captain?"
+
+"The present attitude of the Fatime."
+
+"She does not appear to have changed her position or her looks since she
+ran out that twelve-pounder."
+
+"That is just it!" replied Scott. "If he really intends to bag Mr. Louis
+Belgrave as his game in this hunt, as I have no doubt he does, he is not
+going to allow me to carry him off in the Maud through this channel
+without doing some kicking and some barking with his twelve-pounders. He
+remains there as quietly as though he had you in his cabin already.
+Mazagan is a sea-captain, and probably has spent most of his life
+sailing in these waters. I am afraid he knows more about this channel
+than I do, or has a more detailed chart of this bay than mine."
+
+The Maud passed the cone, and continued on her course for a short time
+longer. Half a mile more would take her into twenty fathoms of water.
+
+"It would look very hopeful, Louis, if the Fatime were only doing her
+best to overhaul us in a chase; but she is like an alligator sunning
+himself on the water, she don't move a muscle," said the captain.
+
+"Well, if we have to go back, we shall still have the chance of a race
+before us," suggested Louis.
+
+"I hope so," added Scott.
+
+"Only hope so?" queried Louis.
+
+"That's all," answered the captain, with something like despondency in
+his tones and expression.
+
+"Twelve feet and a half!" shouted Morris with emphasis.
+
+"By the mark two! Twelve feet!" shouted Felix.
+
+"Eleven and a half feet!" said Morris.
+
+"Eleven feet!" yelled the Milesian.
+
+Captain Scott rang one bell on the gong to stop her, and then three more
+to back her. The boat was lowered into the water, and only seven feet of
+water could be found half a cable's length ahead of the Maud. She could
+go no farther in this direction.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE BATTLE FOUGHT, THE VICTORY WON
+
+
+Whatever doubts Louis had in the first instance about Captain Scott's
+management of the defence of the Maud, he now believed that he honestly
+and sincerely desired to escape from the difficult and trying situation
+without an encounter with the pirate. He had feared the temptation to
+make a hero of himself would lead him into a conflict with the enemy
+when it might be avoided.
+
+Without "showing the white feather," he had conducted himself with quite
+as much prudence as resolution. He had done his best to escape from the
+bay without any fighting. Before his reformation he was generally
+"spoiling for a fight" when there was any dispute or difficulty; but on
+the present occasion he had done his best to avoid one.
+
+He had tried to do just as he believed Louis, his model in morals and
+conduct, would have done if he had been in command of the Maud. The
+hearty approval which his mentor had expressed of all he had done so far
+afforded him intense satisfaction, and he was sure that Captain Ringgold
+could find no fault with his management up to this moment.
+
+"Here we are, Louis; and, so far as my plan is concerned, we are
+euchred. It is a failure," said Captain Scott, as he took a survey of
+the surroundings, which remained precisely the same as they had been
+from the beginning.
+
+"Through no fault of the plan or yourself, Captain. If there was no
+channel here to deep water, of course you could not pass through it,"
+replied Louis. "You have done everything you could."
+
+"I have been asking myself if I was to blame for getting into the trap;
+for we certainly are in a trap," continued Scott. "I followed the
+instructions of Captain Ringgold to the letter; and when I brought the
+Maud to her anchorage by the ledge, the pirate was not in sight, and I
+knew no more of what had become of him than I did in regard to the
+Guardian-Mother."
+
+"You have no occasion to censure yourself for anything," replied Louis.
+"You have obeyed your orders, and our present difficult situation is the
+result of the non-appearance of the ship. Don't blame yourself, Captain
+Scott, for not a shadow of an imputation can rest upon your conduct."
+
+"Thank you, my dear fellow. I hope I shall get out of this bay without
+forfeiting your generous approval," added Scott.
+
+"Here we are, Captain, as you say, and it looks as though we were in a
+bad scrape. All we have to do is to turn our attention to the manner of
+getting out of it. If there were any reason to reproach yourself or
+anybody else, we have no time to attend to that matter. What can be
+done next?" demanded Louis, rousing his energies to face the difficulty.
+
+"What we do next depends mainly upon what the Fatime does; and she isn't
+doing anything," replied Captain Scott, apparently roused to new
+exertion by the burst of energy on the part of his companion in the
+pilot-house. "I have no doubt Mazagan intends to make an effort to get
+possession of our millionaire as soon as he has the opportunity; but he
+will never succeed unless he knocks the Maud all to pieces with his
+twelve-pounders, which I don't believe he can do, Louis. You have
+comforted me so effectually, my dear fellow, that I begin to think it is
+time for me to do something of the same sort for you."
+
+"I don't feel the need of comfort and consolation yet," said Louis quite
+merrily. "I am not at all alarmed; and what I say is not braggadocio."
+
+"If the Maud is wrecked by the guns and sent to the bottom, we still
+have the whole island of Cyprus open to us," added the captain.
+
+"To come down to the hard pan of business, allow me to ask a foolish
+question or two, and you may laugh at them if you please. What is the
+Fatime waiting for? Why doesn't Mazagan proceed to carry out his threat
+to capture me?" asked Louis.
+
+"For the simple reason that he cannot; and the question calls for a
+review of the situation," replied the captain, as he took from his
+pocket a paper on which he had drawn a diagram of the position of both
+vessels, with the shape of the bay, the ledge, and the soundings so far
+as they were known. "Here is the Maud," he continued, making a small
+cross on the paper at the point in the inside channel where she had come
+to the shoal water. "There is no way to get out of this place except
+that by which we came in."
+
+"I understand all that; for we have the shore on one side of us and the
+ledge on the other, and the channel is not deep enough to permit us to
+go ahead," added Louis.
+
+"That is our position. The Fatime lies in deep water at least a mile
+from us. She is a steamer of four hundred tons, and she must draw at
+least fifteen feet of water; for both of these steamers were built where
+they put them down deeper in the water than they do in our country. The
+pirate would take the ground anywhere near the ledge, and she could not
+come into the channel by which we reached this point. Therefore, she can
+do nothing; and her guns would not hit us a mile distant, if they would
+carry a ball as far as that. You can see why she can do nothing yet a
+while."
+
+"But the tide is rising, and we now have an hour of the flood,"
+suggested Louis.
+
+"But the tide is rising for the Fatime as well as for the Maud."
+
+"There was nine feet of water on the ledge at low tide, and there will
+be twelve feet at high tide."
+
+"That will not be till nine o'clock this evening. But even if it were
+now I should not dare to undertake the task of piloting the Maud over
+the ledge; for I know nothing about the soundings on it except on the
+south edge. That would not do. We must get to deep water by the way we
+came in here," said the captain very decidedly.
+
+"A shot from the pirate!" shouted Felix at this moment, as he noted the
+flash.
+
+A moment later the report came to the ears of all on board, and the
+gun-made noise enough to startle a timid person. All watched for the
+ball, and saw it strike the water about half way between the two
+vessels.
+
+"Bully for you, Mazagan!" exclaimed Felix. "You fired at the water, and
+you hit it."
+
+"He is only trying his gun, and he will do better than that after he
+gets his hand in," said the captain. "The piece was depressed too much
+to prove what it would do if properly aimed."
+
+"They are getting up the anchor!" shouted Felix a couple of minutes
+later, after he had brought his spy-glass to bear upon the pirate.
+
+"She is evidently going to do something," said the captain, who had
+taken his usual place at the wheel, while Louis was on the other side of
+it, where both had remained after the steamer stopped.
+
+"What do you suppose Mazagan intends to do now?" asked Louis.
+
+"I have not the remotest idea, except that, in a general way, he will
+try to keep us shut up in this channel. For that reason I do not
+propose to remain here any longer;" and he rang the gong to go ahead.
+
+The tide must have risen six or eight inches by this time, increasing
+the depth in the channel to that extent. Scott had taken the bearings
+very carefully when he came in, and he soon rang the speed bell. The
+Maud proceeded at full speed till she came to the turn in the passage,
+where the captain rang to stop her, in order to take an observation.
+
+The Fatime had not yet got under way, and she appeared to be having some
+difficulty with her cable or anchor. As soon as the Maud had lost her
+headway the port gun belched out another flash and cloud of smoke. The
+Maud was at about the same distance from the pirate as when the latter
+fired before, and Scott watched with interest for the result of the
+discharge. The solid shot plumped into the water half a mile from the
+mark, just as though it had been dropped from some point overhead.
+
+"I don't know much of anything about gunnery, except with four-pounders
+on a yacht; but that last gun was elevated so that we know about the
+range of her pieces," said the captain. "It is less than half a mile,
+and her shots would not do much damage at more than half that distance."
+
+"She has weighed her anchor, and started her screw," reported Felix, who
+was still watching the enemy with the glass.
+
+Scott rang the gong, and the Maud went ahead again. At the same time he
+directed Felipe to be ready to give the steamer her best speed.
+
+"Another shot!" shouted Felix.
+
+This one was discharged from her starboard gun, as she came about; but
+its range fell considerably short of that of the other piece. The Maud
+was still in the channel, and the ledge could be seen through the clear
+water on the port hand; what the soundings were on the starboard hand
+had not yet been demonstrated. The steamer was moving at her ordinary
+speed. The Fatime had turned her head to the south; and, though she was
+still nearly a mile distant, her engine gong could be heard when it rang
+for the vessel to go ahead.
+
+The pirate soon changed her course, with the apparent intention of
+"cutting across lots," in order to reach the Maud. A hand was heaving
+the lead, indicating that Mazagan was not sure of his soundings. She
+went ahead on the new course not more than the eighth of a mile before
+she came about, showing that the depth of water was not satisfactory to
+her commander.
+
+"If the tide were not rising, I should know better what to do; for we
+might go back to the angle in the channel, out of the reach of the guns,
+and remain there till the morning tide, and then work out into deep
+water," said Captain Scott, after he had observed the movements of the
+enemy for a couple of minutes. "But with two feet more water, the Fatime
+can go at least up to the verge of the ledge, and that plan would not
+work anyhow."
+
+"Another gun!" cried Felix, as he caught the flash.
+
+The enemy was a little nearer than before, but the shot fell hardly less
+than half a mile from the Maud. Mazagan had "swung to" in order to fire
+this shot, but resumed his course at once. Scott desired to gain some
+time by leaving the channel, and heading to the south-east. Morris was
+sounding with his boathook, and reported only thirteen feet when the
+Maud began to move in that direction.
+
+"Twelve feet and a half!" shouted the first officer a little later.
+
+"This won't do," said Scott, shaking his head. "The water shoals to the
+southward, and all we can do is to face the music."
+
+"What do you mean by that, Captain?" asked Louis.
+
+Scott made a couple of crosses on his diagram, and passed it to his
+companion.
+
+"The cross on your left is our present position near the outlet of the
+channel," the captain explained. "On the port we have the ledge, and we
+can't run over that. On the starboard the water is too shoal for us. We
+can go neither to the right nor the left."
+
+"Therefore you must run dead ahead."
+
+"Precisely so, or right into the guns of the enemy."
+
+"Couldn't you retreat up the channel again?" asked Louis; and it began
+to look to him as though "the end of all things had come;" and it even
+appeared possible that he might be captured, after all.
+
+"Heave the lead, Flix!" called the captain, without answering the
+question.
+
+"And a half two!" reported the Milesian.
+
+"That means fifteen feet," said the captain. "The Fatime could come into
+this position now, or at least within an hour. After we had run as far
+as we could go up the channel, we should hardly be more than four
+hundred and fifty feet from her, and she could batter the Maud to pieces
+at her leisure. We must face the music. That is our only safety, if
+there is any safety anywhere."
+
+"I am with you, Captain Scott. But we are taking all the shot, and
+giving none. I am not a nonresistant in such a situation as this," said
+Louis. "We can't run away, and we must fight!"
+
+"I am glad the suggestion comes from you, Louis," replied Scott.
+"Morris, bring out your company of riflemen! You will act as
+sharpshooters, and pay particular attention to the bridge and
+pilot-house of the enemy."
+
+"Ay, ay, Captain!" returned Woolridge.
+
+Louis left the pilot-house to join the ranks. Don came up from the
+fire-room, and Morris led his force to the hurricane deck, which
+commanded the best view of the enemy. By this time the Fatime was within
+the eighth of a mile of the Maud. Her engineer was forcing her to her
+best speed; but she was coming head on, and could not use her broadside
+guns without swinging to, which Mazagan seemed to be unwilling to do, as
+it caused considerable delay every time it was done.
+
+She was coming in ahead of the Maud, and her starboard gun would soon be
+available at a distance of not more than twenty yards. The work of the
+riflemen on the upper deck was evidently having its effect, and one man
+had been seen to fall on the bridge of the pirate.
+
+Suddenly the helm of the Fatime was put to starboard, and the steamer
+presented her broadside to the Maud. The gun was discharged then, and
+the shot struck the house on deck of the little steamer, tearing its way
+through the galley. Scott, perhaps maddened by the crashing boards
+behind him, put the helm to port. Felipe was driving the engine to its
+full power, and the bow of the Maud struck the broadside of the Fatime,
+crushing in about six feet of her plates. Then he rang to back her, and
+the little steamer went clear of the disabled pirate.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE CATASTROPHE TO THE FATIME
+
+
+If the strength of the little Maud was never fully tested before, it was
+done on the present occasion; and the construction and material of the
+Fatime at the same time. The story of the manner in which the
+Guardian-Mother had run into and made a hole in the side of the Viking
+had been many times repeated on board of the ship while the "Big Four"
+were on board of her; for this affair had interested Scott more than any
+other item of her voyage.
+
+The young captain had done at this time precisely the same thing that
+Captain Ringgold had at another; and the blow had not been given by
+accident on either occasion. When at the distance of sixty feet from the
+Maud, the pirate had swung to and discharged her starboard gun, the shot
+from which had passed through the galley. She was under full steam; her
+port gun was no doubt all ready, and another turn of the wheel would
+have enabled her to send another shot through the Maud.
+
+To Captain Scott it was the critical moment of the conflict. Another
+ball from the enemy might go through the boiler or the engine, or
+disable his beloved little craft in some other manner; and he did what
+seemed to be the only thing he could do for the salvation of the Maud
+and his ship's company. He had disabled his vindictive enemy.
+
+Up to the moment when the Maud struck the decisive blow, the five
+"sharpshooters," as Scott had called them, had used their rifles; but
+the people of the Fatime had taken refuge under her top-gallant
+forecastle, or behind whatever would afford them shelter from the
+bullets, and not many of them appeared to have been hit. Besides, the
+situation was altogether too novel and exciting for the party to act
+with anything like coolness, and the smoke from the twelve-pounder
+concealed the enemy at the most critical moment. They had discharged the
+rifles at random, rather than with careful aim at each shot.
+
+The moment the collision came, the voice of the captain called the party
+to the main deck; for the battle appeared to him to be ended. The enemy
+could not board the Maud, for she had backed at least fifty feet from
+the disabled steamer; but all hands were needed there in case they
+attempted to do so with their boats, of which she had one on each
+quarter.
+
+"Don!" shouted Scott, as soon as the rifle-party appeared on the
+forecastle, and while the little steamer was still backing.
+
+"On deck, sir," promptly responded the second engineer.
+
+"Go below forward, and see what damage has been done to us," added the
+captain. "Flix, heave the lead!"
+
+However it may have been with the others on board of the Maud, the young
+commander was in full possession of all his faculties, in spite of the
+tremendous excitement which must have pervaded the minds of all on board
+of the little craft. His first care was for the Maud, and he looked all
+about him to ascertain what mischief had been done. He sent Pitts to the
+galley to report on the effect of the shot there.
+
+"And a quarter seven!" reported Felix.
+
+This was the first mark on the chart outside of the shoal line from one
+to two miles from the shore. The captain now turned his attention to the
+condition of the Fatime. Louis had gone into the pilot-house to receive
+any orders the commander had to give him. The collision had been a
+surprise to him. It had not occurred to him that Captain Scott would
+resort to such an extreme measure, though he had hinted at something of
+the kind early in the morning.
+
+"I suppose we may consider the battle as ended, Louis," said Scott, as
+the other took his place on the opposite side of the wheel, where he
+could see out of the front window on the port.
+
+"I should say that it was decidedly ended, and in the most decisive
+manner," replied Louis, though his thoughts were not a little scattered
+and confused by the exciting events of the last few moments. "What
+next?"
+
+"If the pirates undertake to board us with their boats, we must be ready
+to repel them," replied Scott.
+
+"Board us! Why, the water is pouring into that hole in her side as
+through a mill-sluice!" exclaimed Louis.
+
+"But they are lowering their boats; and it remains to be seen what they
+intend to do with them."
+
+All the hands on board of the Fatime appeared to be Moors, for they were
+all dressed in Oriental costume. By this time she was letting off steam
+with a tremendous racket. The crew were casting loose the boats at the
+quarter davits. If there was an English engineer on board of her, he had
+clothed himself in Moorish costume, for no one in a European dress could
+be seen.
+
+"She is settling in the water," said Louis, as he observed the condition
+of the disabled vessel.
+
+"In a word, Louis, she is going to the bottom!" exclaimed Captain Scott.
+"Do you see anything of Mazagan?"
+
+"I have been looking for him, but I can't make him out," replied Louis.
+
+By this time one of the boats was in the water, and the men were
+crowding into her without any order or method in their movements. No one
+appeared to be in command, and every one was acting for himself. There
+must have been a couple of officers besides the captain; but no one
+exerted his authority. The other boat was soon in the water, and all
+who had not found a place in the first one crowded into her, some of
+them jumping overboard in their haste to save themselves.
+
+The first boat shoved off from the side of the Fatime, and all the
+people of the Maud watched it, some of the firing party seizing their
+rifles, and preparing to use them, to ascertain what the pirates
+intended to do. It contained ten men, as Morris counted them. The four
+men at the oars gave way as soon as it was clear of the vessel, but the
+head of the boat was directed to the shore.
+
+"Those villains have had fighting enough, and I don't believe they will
+give us any more trouble," said Captain Scott, when the boat was fairly
+in motion for the shore. It was evident enough that they could do
+nothing to save the steamer, and they had abandoned her. The other boat
+presently came out from the farther side of the vessel, and it contained
+only seven persons, from which it appeared that the Fatime's ship's
+company consisted of only seventeen men, unless some of them had been
+killed or wounded, and left on board.
+
+"This looks like the end of the Fatime, and I don't believe she will
+give us any further trouble in our voyage, wherever we may go," said
+Captain Scott, while all hands were watching the passage of the two
+boats to the shore.
+
+"But why don't she sink?" asked Louis.
+
+"Though that is a big hole in her side, the most of it was above water
+in the first of it, and the brine did not flow in very rapidly; but she
+is settling very fast now, and it is a question of only a few minutes
+with her now," replied the captain, as he rang three bells upon the gong
+in the engine-room to back her. "We are rather too near her if she makes
+much of a stir-about when she goes down."
+
+"Help! Help! Save me! Save me!" came in rather feeble tones from the
+wreck of the Fatime.
+
+At the same time the form of a man was seen staggering to the end of the
+bridge.
+
+"That's Captain Mazagan!" shouted Felix from the forecastle.
+
+"Mazagan!" exclaimed Louis.
+
+"Shall we do anything for that man, Captain Scott?" asked Don, coming to
+the front windows of the pilot-house. "If we do, it must be done in a
+hurry, for that craft is going to the bottom in less than two minutes."
+
+"Of course we shall save him," replied the captain, looking at Louis.
+
+"Certainly, we must save him!" added Louis with an earnestness that
+impressed his companion. "Don't let us forget that we are Christians at
+such a moment as this! How shall it be done, Captain? Give your orders,
+and count me in as the first volunteer."
+
+"Get the boat into the water, Morris! Be lively about it. Louis and
+Felix will go in it to save this man if they can," replied the captain.
+
+The boat on the hurricane deck was a small and light one, and the first
+officer had it in the water almost in the twinkling of an eye. Louis and
+Felix leaped into it, and in another instant they were pulling for the
+wreck. It was a smooth sea, and the distance was not more than fifty
+feet; for the captain had rung to stop the backward motion as soon as
+the cry from the survivor reached his ears.
+
+"Mind your eye, Louis!" shouted Scott, as soon as they were in motion.
+"She may go down at any moment! When I shout to you, back out as fast as
+you can! I will watch her, and let you know when she is likely to make
+her last dive!"
+
+"Ay, ay!" returned Louis.
+
+"I beg you, Captain Scott, not to let them go any farther," said Don
+very earnestly. "She is settling fast by the stern, and she will go down
+by the time they get alongside of her. She has settled so that the hole
+is more than half under water."
+
+"That is so!" exclaimed Scott, as he glanced at the stern of the wreck.
+"Hold on! Hold on!" he shouted with all the force of his lungs. "Back
+out!"
+
+The two rowers obeyed the order promptly, and backed water with all
+their might; and it was fortunate that they did so, or they would have
+been caught in the swirl of the sinking vessel. Before they had
+retreated twenty feet, the stern of the Fatime suddenly went down, with
+a mighty rush of the water around her to fill up the vacant space inside
+of her, and then she shot to the bottom, disappearing entirely from the
+gaze of the beholders, as well in the two boats of the ship's company
+that had abandoned her, as of those on board of the Maud.
+
+"That is the end of the pirate!" exclaimed Captain Scott, with a sort of
+solemnity in his tones and manner, as though he regarded the fate of the
+steamer as a retribution upon her for the use to which she had been
+applied.
+
+"Amen!" responded Don at the window of the pilot-house.
+
+The burden of his responsibility began to weigh upon his mind as Captain
+Scott witnessed the last scene of the drama. But his thoughts were
+recalled to the present moment when he saw Louis and Felix, the
+commotion of the water having subsided, pulling with all their might
+back to the scene of the catastrophe.
+
+The little boat had not been far enough away from the turmoil of the
+water to be unaffected by it; and for a moment the puny craft had rolled
+and pitched as though it would toss its passengers into the bay. A
+skilful use of the oars had saved the boat from being upset, and Louis
+and Felix began to survey the scene of the uproar as soon as the waves
+ceased the violence of their motion.
+
+"Mazagan has gone to the bottom with her!" exclaimed Felix, as he looked
+about the various objects that had floated away from the wreck as it
+sank to the bottom.
+
+"Perhaps not," replied Louis. "He was on the end of the bridge, and he
+may have floated off and come to the surface. Give way again, Flix!"
+
+"There he is!" shouted the Milesian, as he bent to his oar with his
+boatmate. "His head just up out of the water, as though he had just come
+up from the bottom."
+
+A few more strokes brought the boat to the point where Felix had seen
+the head just as it rose again. He rushed to the bow, and seized the
+drowning man by the collar of his vest, for he wore no coat, and dragged
+him to the middle of the boat. He seemed to be exhausted or insensible,
+for he did not speak. With a great deal of difficulty they labored to
+get him in; but the boat was so small that they did not succeed at once.
+
+"All right, Flix; hold him where he is, if you can. The captain has
+started the Maud, and she will be here in a moment," said Louis. "Pass
+the painter of the boat under his arms, and make it fast if he is too
+much for you, though it will be but for a moment."
+
+"I can hold him in the water easily enough, my darling. I wonder what
+made him come up," replied Felix.
+
+"I suppose he was lighter than the water. But here is the Maud."
+
+The little steamer ran alongside the tender, and Don and Pitts leaped
+into it. By the order of the captain they drew the insensible form into
+the boat, which was then taken on board with the victim in it. It was
+shoved aft to the cabin door, in which Morris had made up a bed for the
+sufferer.
+
+The engineer and the cook proceeded to examine him. In his right
+shoulder they found a bullet-wound, which he must have received while on
+the bridge, doing his best for the destruction of the Maud. The cook
+declared that it was not a very bad wound, and not at all likely to be
+fatal. Pitts brought some brandy from the medicine-chest, and gave him a
+small quantity of it.
+
+This stimulant revived him, and then he wanted to talk; but Pitts would
+not permit him to do so. He remained with him, while Louis and Felix
+went forward to report to the captain, and Don went to the engine-room
+to tell Felipe the news.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE CONSULTATION IN THE PILOT-HOUSE
+
+
+Felipe Garcias, the first engineer of the Maud, had filled the same
+position on board of her when she was owned and used by Ali-Noury Pacha.
+He was a young man of eighteen now, a native of the Canary Islands, and
+a very religious Catholic. The orgies conducted by His Highness on board
+of the little steamer, not to say the crimes, had disgusted and revolted
+the pious soul of the youth, and he had rebelled against his master.
+
+For this he had been abused; and he had run away from his employer,
+departing alone in the Salihe, as she was then called. After an
+adventure with the unreformed Scott, the "Big Four" had been picked up
+at sea in an open boat, and conveyed to Gibraltar, where the Fatime had
+followed the Guardian-Mother from Funchal.
+
+Felipe quieted his conscience for taking the steam-yacht by causing her
+to be made fast to the Pacha's steamer, and leaving her there. At that
+distance from his home the little craft was an elephant on the hands of
+the owner, and he had sold her for a nominal price to one who had
+disposed of her to the present owners. Don had been himself an engineer
+on board of the Fatime; but he had been threatened when he criticised
+affairs which occurred on board of her, and he was ill-treated. He
+escaped from her at Gibraltar, and had been employed by Captain Ringgold
+in his present capacity.
+
+"The Fatime has gone to the bottom, Felipe," said Don as he entered the
+engine-room. "There will be no more defiance of the laws of God and man
+on board of her, for the present at least."
+
+"God is good, and God is just," replied the chief engineer; but he did
+not understand English quite well enough to comprehend the remark of
+Don, who proceeded to repeat and explain it.
+
+Captain Scott still remained at the wheel, and had not left it for a
+moment. He was thinking all the time of what he had done, and wondering
+what his recording angel had written down in regard to his action in the
+greatest emergency of his lifetime.
+
+"Mazagan is wounded in the shoulder; but Pitts thinks it will not prove
+to be a fatal wound," said Felix as he went into the pilot-house.
+
+"Has he come to his senses?" asked the captain.
+
+"He has; and he wants to talk."
+
+"I should like to hear him talk; for there are some things about this
+affair which I do not yet understand."
+
+"The cook says he must not talk yet, and he is taking charge of the
+case."
+
+"Where is Louis?"
+
+"He was looking on, and doing what he could for the wounded man. Do you
+know, Captain Scott, I believe it was the ball from his rifle that
+struck Mazagan!" said Felix, with an impressive expression on his face.
+
+"Nonsense, Flix!" exclaimed Scott. "How under the canopy can you tell
+who fired the shot, when five of you were firing at the same time?"
+
+"Within my knowledge Louis has defended himself with a revolver in his
+hand three times, and in every one of them he hit his man in the right
+shoulder," replied Felix. "He never fires to kill; he is a dead shot,
+and he can put the ball just where he pleases every time. If Mazagan had
+been shot dead, I should know that Louis did not do it."
+
+"I remember that the fellow in the Muski was hit in the right shoulder,"
+added the captain.
+
+"That disables a man without making a very dangerous wound. But,
+Captain, darling, don't whisper a word to Louis that he did it, for it
+might make him feel bad."
+
+"I won't say a word; but ask him to come to the pilot-house, for I want
+to see him, Flix," said Scott, as he had had no opportunity since the
+catastrophe to speak to the one he regarded as the most important
+personage on board of the Maud.
+
+In fact, but a very few minutes had elapsed since the event occurred.
+Those on the wreck had made haste to escape before they should be
+carried down with it, and they were still pulling at no great distance
+from the Maud for the shore. Louis appeared at the door of the
+pilot-house very promptly; for he imagined that his presence before the
+wounded man was not agreeable to him, and that it emphasized in his mind
+the disastrous failure of his expedition to this island.
+
+"What next, Louis?" asked the captain with a smile on his face; for he
+believed he had stolen his friend's first question "after the battle."
+
+"That is for you to decide, Captain Scott, and I intend to avoid any
+interference with the duties of the commander," replied Louis.
+
+"But when the commander asks for advice it may be given without
+offence," suggested Scott. "We have just got out of the tightest place
+in which we have ever been placed, and our experience hitherto has been
+boy's play compared with this day's work."
+
+"That is very true; this is by all odds the most serious affair in which
+we have ever been engaged," answered Louis, as he seated himself on the
+divan.
+
+"I am not going to beat about the bush for a moment, my dear fellow; and
+before we talk about anything else, even of what we will do next in this
+trying situation, I want to say that I am very much troubled in my mind
+in regard to the consequences of what _I_ have done," continued Scott,
+as he seated himself by the side of his friend and model on the divan.
+
+"I don't wonder that you are troubled; so am I, for I think we may well
+regard what has happened as an extraordinary event," added Louis.
+
+"I say what _I_ have done; for I purposely abstained from asking advice
+of you or any other fellow, after I had decided what to do, even if
+there had been time for me to consult you. In other words, I took the
+entire responsibility upon myself; and there I purpose to have it rest."
+
+"Of course you had no time to ask the opinion of any fellow, even if it
+could have been of any use to you."
+
+"I believe I did the best I could. The shallow water at the south of us
+prevented me from running away in that direction, as I tried to do, and
+the only avenue out of the difficulty was directly ahead of the Maud."
+
+"I understand it all perfectly, for I could measure the situation from
+the upper deck," said Louis.
+
+"I headed the steamer to the east. Then came that shot through the
+galley. The Fatime was coming about in order to bring her port gun to
+bear upon us. She could not well avoid hitting us if she had tried to do
+so, we were so near. If the ball went through the engine or the boiler,
+both of which were exposed to the fire, that would have been the last of
+us. Half of us might have been scalded to death; or, at the best,
+Mazagan might have knocked the Maud all to pieces at his leisure after
+he had disabled the vessel."
+
+"Precisely so."
+
+"I might have hoisted a white rag, and surrendered, permitting the
+pirate to take you on board his steamer; but if I had done that, I
+could never have held up my head again, and I could never have looked my
+recording angel in the face to tell him I had let the pirate take Louis
+Belgrave out of the Maud."
+
+"It would not have ended in just the way you have pictured it, Captain
+Scott," added Louis with a smile. "I think enough of the ship's company
+would have stood by me to enable me to make an effectual resistance, and
+Mazagan might have got a bullet through his left breast instead of
+through his right shoulder."
+
+"Every fellow would have stood by you, my dear fellow, as long as you
+stood yourself," replied the captain. "If Mazagan had disabled the Maud,
+he could have retired out of reach of our rifle balls, and knocked a
+hole through the vessel with his guns, and sunk her. Then he would have
+had nothing to do but to pick up his millionaire, and ransom him with
+double the sum he demanded in Cairo."
+
+"Perhaps you are right, Captain Scott; but I think we need not discuss
+what might have been. We know what is; and this is the problem with
+which we have to deal."
+
+"Bluntly, Louis, I desire to ask you whether you approve or disapprove
+what I have done as the captain of the Maud?" continued Scott rather
+nervously for him.
+
+"I wholly and heartily approve of what you have done!" protested Louis
+with emphatic earnestness, and without an instant's hesitation.
+
+"My dear Louis, give me your hand!" exclaimed Scott, springing to his
+feet; they clasped hands in front of the wheel, and the captain seemed
+disposed to extend it to an embrace. "You have removed all my doubts and
+anxiety by what you said and the manner in which you said it. If you
+approve my action, I believe the commander will do the same."
+
+"While I do not accept your view of what might have followed if you had
+done otherwise, I believe you did the best thing that could be done. If
+the end had not come just as you say, it would have amounted to the same
+thing. Let us leave the subject now, and come back to the question you
+asked me when I came in. What shall be done next?" said Louis.
+
+"I don't think we can do anything but wait here till the Guardian-Mother
+comes. If we go to sea, she will not know where to find us," replied
+Captain Scott. "What do you think of it, Louis?"
+
+"I am decidedly opposed to remaining where we are. Though you and I may
+agree that what has been done is all right, the officers of the Turkish
+government in authority on this island may not be of that opinion. There
+is no town, or anything like one, in sight, and I have not been able to
+make out even a single house or habitation of any kind."
+
+"It is an exceedingly rough-looking country on shore. There are nothing
+but mountains and forests to be seen. The nearest town put down on the
+chart is more than ten miles distant, though there may be a village or
+houses behind those hills on the shore to the south of us. If any of
+the inhabitants had heard the three shots fired by the pirate, they
+would have shown themselves before this time."
+
+"But I think we had better be farther from the island. When the
+Guardian-Mother comes, she must take the same course which we followed
+yesterday," persisted Louis. "I quite agree with you that we must remain
+in this vicinity. It is almost as calm outside the bay as it is inside.
+How is the water off the cape?"
+
+"There are eight fathoms half a mile from the point. I think you are
+right, on the whole, Louis; for we don't care to meet any Turkish
+officers of any kind," replied the captain, as he rang the gong to go
+ahead.
+
+The sound of the bell brought all hands except Morris, who had
+volunteered to stay with the patient in the cabin, to the forecastle.
+Pitts had gone to the galley to ascertain the condition of his wares
+after the passage of a twelve-pound shot through his quarters. The stove
+had not been struck, but it had knocked about everything else into the
+utmost confusion. He was arranging things as well as he could; for it
+was now five o'clock in the afternoon, and time to think of getting
+supper.
+
+"How is your patient, Pitts?" asked Louis, coming to the door.
+
+"He is doing well enough, though he has a good deal of pain. I suppose
+the ball is still in his shoulder, and he will not be much better till
+that is removed, Mr. Belgrave," replied the cook. "We are under way
+again, sir."
+
+"We are running out to the cape to wait for the Guardian-Mother,"
+returned Louis, as he joined the others on the forecastle.
+
+The two boats from the wreck had made a landing on a point near the
+conic rock on the ledge. The course of the Maud took her within half a
+mile of them; for she passed over the outer extremity of the ledge.
+
+"They are making signals to us," said Felix to the captain. "There goes
+a white cloth on a pole."
+
+A little later a boat put off pulled by four men, with another in the
+stern sheets. The captain rang to stop the screw; for he was curious to
+know what the men wanted.
+
+"Let the boat come alongside," said he.
+
+There was not force enough to do any mischief if the Moors had been so
+disposed. Don was sent for to do the talking; but the first person Louis
+saw was Jules Ulbach, who had been Mazagan's assistant in his
+operations. Louis talked with him in French. His first statement was
+that his employer had been shot in the shoulder, and had gone down with
+the wreck. The spokesman for the steamer did not deem it advisable to
+contradict this statement.
+
+Then Ulbach begged for a passage to some port from which he could return
+to Paris. A few words passed between the captain and Louis, and the
+request was peremptorily refused. The Frenchman begged hard, declaring
+that the island was a desolate place, and he should starve there. The
+men had come to beg some provisions, as they had not a morsel to eat.
+
+"Give them all they want to eat," replied the captain when the request
+was translated to him.
+
+"The Guardian-Mother!" suddenly shouted Felix at the top of his lungs.
+
+All hands gave three rousing cheers, to the astonishment of the
+Frenchman and those in the boat. Pitts came out of the galley to
+ascertain the cause of the demonstration, and he made out for himself
+the bow of the ship passing the point of the cape. A plentiful supply of
+food was put into the boat, and the Maud continued on her course.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE ARRIVAL OF THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER
+
+
+The appearance of the Guardian-Mother in the offing was hailed with
+rejoicing by every person belonging to the Maud. Off on an independent
+cruise 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 from
+the restraining presence and influence of the commander; but no such
+feeling pervaded the minds of the ship's company.
+
+Not even the captain of the little steamer had felt that he was in
+possession of any unusual liberty. It might have been otherwise with him
+and his companions if the threatening presence of the Fatime had not
+been a serious damper upon them. As it was, the voyage to Cyprus had
+resulted in a tremendous event.
+
+Whatever Scott had said to Louis Belgrave about knocking a hole in the
+side of the pirate, as Captain Ringgold had done with the Viking, had no
+bearing whatever upon what he had actually done when the critical moment
+had come in the encounter. He declared rather lightly that he would
+proceed 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 the
+little Maud, when his opponent was a steamer of four hundred tons.
+
+Captain Scott and his companions had expected to see the Guardian-Mother
+long before she appeared. The commander might naturally have felt some
+anxiety in regard to the safety of the Maud in the gale of the night
+before, though it had not been a very severe storm; and Scott and Louis
+supposed he would make all possible haste to be near her. Instead of
+that, she was fully ten hours behind her, even with her superior speed
+and more weatherly ability. They could not explain her delay, and it was
+useless 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 on
+the shore.
+
+"I haven't the least idea, and I don't think I shall trouble my head
+with the question," replied the captain. "We have given them provisions
+enough to keep them alive for several days, and they can make their way
+to some town. I don't consider their condition as at all desperate. If
+Captain Ringgold thinks it necessary, he will do whatever he deems
+advisable."
+
+"I don't consider those men as pirates, or hold them responsible for the
+acts of Captain Mazagan," added Louis. "They had to obey his orders, and
+I 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 the
+boats, who looked like an Englishman. Probably the foreign engineers
+retired from the Pacha's service when Mazagan took command of her. They
+knew the meaning of piracy. At any rate, the steamer was not officered
+nor manned as she was when we saw her at Gibraltar. Don says her cabin
+was magnificently furnished, as he had seen through the open door, for
+he 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 she
+became altogether behind the times."
+
+"She could not have been very strongly built, or the Maud would not have
+knocked a hole in her so easily," said Louis.
+
+"It has been repeated over and over again that the Maud was constructed
+of extra strength when she was built. Who was that man of whom she was
+purchased?"
+
+"Giles Chickworth, a Scotchman," replied Louis, as he recalled the
+character.
+
+"He declared that she was the strongest little vessel of her size that
+ever was built. Don examined the inside of her bow immediately after the
+blow was struck, and I have done so since. She has not started a plate
+or a bolt. But then we had all the advantage. We struck the pirate
+fairly on the broadside with the part of our craft where she is the
+strongest, and where there could be no give or spring. It does not seem
+so strange to me as I think it over."
+
+"Pitts," called the captain a little later, while they were still
+watching 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 way
+of getting well."
+
+"Does he talk any?"
+
+"He would talk all the time if I would let him; but I don't answer him
+when 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 the
+shelves on the starboard side, and knocked the tins and dishes all to
+pieces. 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 the
+ship. We shall be alongside of her in less than fifteen minutes," said
+the captain. "Set the colors astern, Flix."
+
+The Maud was going at full speed, and, as the two steamers were
+approaching each other, they came within hail off Cape Arnauti. At this
+time the captain ordered three cheers to be given; for he wished to make
+a demonstration of some kind, and this was the only way within his
+means. They were given with hearty good-will, and the seamen responded
+from the Guardian-Mother, and both vessels whistled as snappers. Then
+the ship stopped her screw, and the sound of escaping steam came from
+her.
+
+"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 came
+alongside on the port side of the ship. The gangway was already lowered.
+All the cabin party had been watching the approach to the island from
+the promenade; but as soon as the Maud came alongside, they all hastened
+to the main deck to greet the young cruisers, who had been absent from
+the ship about thirty hours.
+
+"Come on board, all of you!" called the commander from the head of the
+gangway.
+
+"I think we had better not say anything about what has happened in the
+presence 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 captain
+was permitted to pass without any assaulting embraces, but Louis dropped
+lovingly and submissively into the arms of his mother, as did Morris
+when Mrs. Woolridge presented herself. Felix hung back, for he knew what
+awaited him. The commander stepped aside to make room for these
+demonstrations.
+
+"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 she
+continued to hug her boy. "You have had a terrible time, haven't you, my
+dear?"
+
+"What makes you think so, mother?" asked Louis, wondering what she
+meant; 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 for
+you half the night."
+
+"Then your prayers were effectual, for I am safe," answered Louis with a
+smile.
+
+"But wasn't it an awful tempest, my boy?" she asked, hugging the young
+man with a new impulse.
+
+"Not at all, my dear mother. We had a gale of wind, and it made a rough
+night of it; but we got into this bay about eight o'clock this morning
+all right," returned Louis, reciprocating her caresses. "But you must
+not worry so about me, mother. We were in no danger at any time from the
+gale 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 it
+warmly.
+
+[Illustration: "SHE SPREAD OUT HER ARMS AND RUSHED UPON HIM." Page
+147.]
+
+"He says he has been in no danger from the storm, Captain," added the
+lady.
+
+"He knows best about that; but I told you the Maud would go through it
+all 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 his
+mother, 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; but
+Felix 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 by
+the right hand, with his left on guard. "I am delighted to be with you
+again. The Guardian-Mother did not come into the bay, and I was afraid
+you had all gone to the bottom in the gale."
+
+"Don't you call me 'grandma' again, Felix," protested the worthy woman
+quite warmly; for the Milesian had twice applied the opprobrious
+appellation to her. "If you ever do it again, I will never hug you
+another time!"
+
+"Then I will call you so till my dying day!" Felix declared, to the
+great amusement of all those within hearing.
+
+"I am not your grandma! I am only thirty-six years old, and I am not
+far enough into years to be the grandmother of a great strapping boy
+like you."
+
+"It is only a pet name. But you didn't go to the bottom of the sea after
+all, grandma."
+
+"There it is again!"
+
+"Of course it is, grandma. But I will make a fair trade with you. If you
+will promise never to hug me any more, I will agree never to call you
+grandma again."
+
+"That is fair," said Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+They retired to the boudoir to talk over the matter; but the agreement
+was ratified between them. The "Big Four" were cordially greeted by all
+the passengers and by all the officers of the ship; but they were
+careful not to drop any hint of what had transpired in Khrysoko Bay.
+Before the exchange of salutations was finished the gong rang for
+dinner.
+
+"For a reason to be given later on, Captain Ringgold, I must ask you to
+give the engineers and cook of the Maud their supper to-night," said
+Captain Scott at a favorable moment.
+
+The commander sent for Baldy Bickling, the second cook, and ordered him
+to provide for them; and Mr. Boulong to send an engineer and a couple of
+hands on board of the Maud while the party came on board to supper. The
+company in the cabin were in a very jovial state of feeling, and it
+would take a chapter to record all the jokes of Dr. Hawkes and Uncle
+Moses. It was an excellent dinner even for the Guardian-Mother; for both
+the chief steward and the chief cook were artists in their line, and it
+was heartily enjoyed by all at the table.
+
+The commander was impatient to hear the report of Captain Scott on his
+expedition, and the commander of the Maud was almost as impatient to
+learn what had delayed the ship; but fully an hour was spent at the
+table, for no one wished to break in upon the agreeable occasion. How he
+knew it he could not have told in detail; but the commander was
+satisfied, that something important had occurred in the experience of
+the young navigators, though not a word had yet been spoken, and he had
+failed to notice the ragged hole through the Maud's deck-house at the
+location of the galley.
+
+He had expected to find the Fatime near the little steamer; but though
+he had swept the bay with his spy-glass, he could not find her, for she
+was no longer visible. Probably she had fallen over on the rocky and
+irregular bottom, and that had carried even her short masts under water.
+As soon as the party rose from the table, Louis and Morris detached
+themselves 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 were
+here 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.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE REPORT OF THE BATTLE OF KHRYSOKO
+
+
+Captain Ringgold looked from one to another of the "Big Four," and a
+smile passed over his dignified face. It was evident to him from the
+expression of all of them that something of importance had occurred in
+Khrysoko Bay, and that Captain Scott, who was, by his position, the
+spokesman of the party, proposed to tell his story in his own way, to
+which he did not object.
+
+He believed the young men were honest, truthful, and straightforward,
+and he had no suspicions of any kind. As the bearer of heavy and
+disagreeable intelligence is inclined to approach his topic by degrees,
+the young captain did not like to tell the worst of his report in the
+beginning.
+
+The commander was not disposed to have the news "broken" to him, and
+considered himself able to bear the whole of it in a mass without being
+overwhelmed. But he had no idea of the seriousness of the event which
+had occurred, and he thought it probable that the boys were making a
+great deal more of it than the occasion required. They had all been to
+the table at dinner, and were as lively and as full of fun as usual. As
+none of them had been killed or injured, nothing very terrible could
+have happened.
+
+"When did you reach this bay, Captain Scott?" he asked, after he had
+measured the visages of his audience.
+
+"About eight o'clock this morning, sir," replied Scott.
+
+"You had a smart gale about all last night," the commander proceeded.
+
+"Yes, sir; but we made very good weather of it, and it lasted about
+twelve hours."
+
+"You had no accident?"
+
+"None of any kind, sir; everything went on as usual."
+
+"I suppose you expected the ship sooner than she came?"
+
+"I looked for her this morning."
+
+"In carrying out the plan which you suggested, Captain Scott, I found
+that the Fatime was not disposed to follow you as long as the
+Guardian-Mother was in sight," continued the commander, while the "Big
+Four" looked at each other, wondering that Captain Ringgold had turned
+aside from the subject which was a burning one to them. "In order to
+help Captain Mazagan in his movements, I picked up a pilot off Ras
+Bourlos, and stood in behind a neck of land. We took the ground there,
+and stuck hard in the soft mud, though the chart gave water enough to
+float the ship."
+
+"That was unfortunate," added Scott.
+
+"A government tug hauled us off on the next tide, and I followed you at
+the best speed of the ship. I went in at Limasol, though I did not
+believe you would make that port in a southerly gale, and the lookout
+reported the Maud in this bay. That is the reason of my delay in joining
+you as arranged," said the commander, finishing his narrative. "But I
+expected to find the Fatime here also; for she was pressing on after you
+the last we saw of her."
+
+"We lost sight of her early last night," added Scott. "Her lights
+disappeared, and we could form no idea as to what had become of her. I
+think now that we outsailed her; for we carried a reefed foresail before
+the gale, and it must have helped a good deal."
+
+"She came into this bay this morning," added Louis, who thought the
+conference was moving on very slowly.
+
+"I see that you wish me to drag out of you the particulars of your stay
+here, Captain Scott," said the commander with a smile. "As I have not
+the least idea what you have been about here, I find some difficulty in
+framing my questions. You know that a lawyer, when he examines a witness
+in court, is in possession of all the facts, as I am not on the present
+occasion. I have learned that the Fatime came to this bay, and that she
+is at the bottom now. Perhaps you will be willing to inform me, Captain,
+by this time, how the Pacha's steamer happens to be at the bottom."
+
+"We had a fight here, and I ran the Maud into her, stove a big hole in
+her side, and she went to the bottom!" almost shouted Scott, who had
+been not a little perplexed at the manner of proceeding of the
+commander. "I believe that is telling the whole story in a heap, sir."
+
+Captain Ringgold sprang out of his chair, evidently startled by the
+intelligence; and he had never been known to make so much of a
+demonstration before since he had been in command of the ship. He stood
+looking into the face of Captain Scott as though he were incredulous in
+regard to the announcement just made to him; and that a little
+steam-yacht only forty feet in length had run into and sunk a vessel of
+four hundred tons was calculated to stagger a man of his experience in
+nautical affairs.
+
+"Do you mean literally, Captain Scott, that you ran into and sank the
+Fatime?" demanded the commander.
+
+"Literally and exactly, sir, that was what was done," replied the young
+captain very decidedly.
+
+"It looks incredible," added the commander, as he resumed his seat.
+
+"It is the exact truth, Captain Ringgold," said Louis.
+
+"I vouch for the truth of the statement, Captain, if my word is good for
+anything," Felix followed.
+
+"I give my testimony in the same direction," Morris put in.
+
+"Of course I do not doubt the truth of your statement," replied the
+commander. "But it looks like an amazing fact that the little Maud was
+able to do so much mischief to a steamer of the size of the Fatime.
+However, she is about as big as some of the little tug-boats in New York
+Harbor that drag ships of five hundred tons after them. In spite of all
+that has been said in the last six months about the extraordinary
+strength of the Maud, I should have supposed the blow, if you went at
+the steamer at full speed, would have crushed in her bow."
+
+"It did not start a bolt or bend a plate," replied Scott. "But,
+according to the evidence of Don, who knew something about the Pacha's
+yacht, she was old and nearly worn out when His Highness bought her."
+
+"That may explain it."
+
+"Before we proceed any farther, I ought to report that Captain Mazagan
+is now in the cabin of the Maud, wounded by a rifle ball in the
+shoulder, and in need of the services of the doctor," said Captain
+Scott.
+
+"Wounded with a rifle ball," repeated the commander. "Then there is a
+good deal more of this affair which has not yet come out. But if the
+villain is suffering, it is proper that he should be attended to at
+once."
+
+"Pitts has had charge of him."
+
+Pinch, the mess steward, was sent for, and ordered to make the hospital
+ready for a patient. Mr. Boulong was called in, and directed to
+superintend the removal of the wounded Moor to this apartment, under
+the direction of the surgeon. Dr. Hawkes was called from the boudoir,
+where the company had assembled by this time, and conducted to the
+patient.
+
+"With this affair all concealment comes to an end for two reasons," said
+the commander, as soon as he had given the orders for the disposal of
+the wounded man. "First, there is no longer any necessity for us to keep
+our own counsel, for Mazagan is now deprived of the means of following
+us on our voyage; and second, it would be impossible to cover up our
+movements under the present circumstances. The nervous mothers have no
+longer any cause for alarm."
+
+"It did not occur to me that we had made an end of this scare business,"
+said Captain Scott. "I had not thought of the matter in that connection,
+and all I did was to defend my steamer from the attack of the pirate,
+who proposed to come on board and take Louis Belgrave out of her."
+
+"Then you did your duty!" exclaimed Captain Ringgold, rising from his
+arm-chair, and extending his hand to the young man. "I congratulate you
+on your success, and I am only sorry that the unfortunate grounding of
+the Guardian-Mother compelled you to fight the battle alone. I had no
+intention of allowing the Maud to be out of my sight more than a few
+hours."
+
+Louis, Felix, and Morris clapped their hands with all their might at the
+indorsement the commander had given Captain Scott.
+
+"I cannot express to you, Louis, how happy I am to have you still with
+us," continued the captain of the ship, as he took the hand of the young
+millionaire; "for it appears from the report of Captain Scott that you
+have been in imminent danger of being captured and carried off by that
+miscreant, and that you have been saved only by the bravery and
+determination of the commander of the Maud. He has done no more than I
+would have done in his place, and if the pirate had taken you I would
+have sunk his steamer at sight to rescue you."
+
+"I am glad you approve the action of Captain Scott, though I had no
+doubt you would do so when you learned the facts," replied Louis, as he
+pressed the hand of the commander.
+
+"But I have got only a skeleton of the facts yet, and now I should like
+to hear the whole story in detail," said Captain Ringgold.
+
+Scott took a paper from his pocket, the one he had drawn off of the
+situation of the two steamers in Khrysoko Bay, with the position of the
+ledge, the trend of the shore, and some of the soundings as he had taken
+them from the chart. He had marked the course of the Maud in all the
+movements she had made, and also of the Fatime, giving the position of
+each vessel at the moment of the collision.
+
+He began his recital with the pointing out of the places of each steamer
+as soon as the pirate came into the bay. The visit of her boat to the
+little steamer followed, and the marshalling of the five members of the
+ship's company armed with the repeating-rifles. The interview with
+Mazagan was as minutely stated as though a skilled reporter of a
+newspaper had taken it down.
+
+"That was the most amazing, presumptuous, groundless, and insane demand
+that one person could make upon another," interposed the commander. "It
+was sheer piracy!"
+
+Scott had so viewed it, and he proceeded with his narrative. Captain
+Ringgold had vacated his chair at the desk, on which the captain of the
+Maud had placed his diagram, and pointed out everything as he spoke. The
+attempted escape by the supposed channel near the shore was dwelt upon
+at some length, in order to enable the young captain to prove that he
+had done his best to avoid a collision with the enemy.
+
+The first shots the Fatime had fired at the Maud, though they had fallen
+far short of the mark, were mentioned so as to give them their full
+effect; and Captain Ringgold declared that they were a sufficient
+declaration of war.
+
+"Only one avenue of escape was open to me," continued Captain Scott,
+"and that was directly across the bow of the enemy. If I remained where
+I was the Fatime could come in with the rising of the tide, and sink the
+Maud at her leisure. Then the pirate fired the shot from her starboard
+gun which passed through the galley, and began to swing to, so as to
+bring her port gun to bear on the Maud.
+
+"I won't deny that the shot which went through our upper works made me
+mad; but I feared that the next one might go through our boiler or
+engine, and then it would have been all over with us. I determined to
+prevent such a disaster if I could. I had ordered the hands to use the
+rifles; but most of the crew concealed themselves under the top-gallant
+forecastle. I shifted the helm, and drove the little steamer's bow
+square into the broadside of the Fatime, just abaft her fore chains.
+
+"It seemed to me from the feeling that she was going to bore her way
+through the pirate craft, and I rang to stop and back her. I gave the
+speed bell as soon as she began to go astern, and the Maud went clear,
+as I was afraid she would not."
+
+The picking up of Mazagan after the Fatime had gone down, and the visit
+of the boat from the shore, were given in detail, and the narrative was
+completed.
+
+As soon as the story was finished, the commander took the hand of
+Captain Scott again, and pressed it in silence for a moment. He had
+listened attentively to the report, interrupting it but once, and had
+carefully followed the speaker as he pointed out his movements on the
+diagram.
+
+"I approved your conduct, Captain Scott, when I had only a partial
+knowledge of what you had done," said he. "I can now approve it with a
+full knowledge of the whole affair even more heartily and decidedly than
+before. You have been resolute and unflinching from the beginning, and
+you have not only fought your ship as bravely and skilfully as any
+naval officer could have done it, but you have done your best to avoid a
+conflict. I commend you with all my heart and mind."
+
+"I thank you, Captain Ringgold, for all the kind words you have spoken,
+and I am rejoiced to be informed on such authority as you are that I
+have done my duty faithfully," replied the young commander.
+
+"I suppose the mothers in the boudoir are wondering what has become of
+their boys," added the commander. "I give you an hour to pass with them,
+and then we must sail for Port Said."
+
+The conference was ended, and the boys all went to the boudoir.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE INSIDE HISTORY OF THE VOYAGE
+
+
+While the Guardian-Mother lay aground, the mothers in the cabin had
+become very anxious about their boys, and both of them had spent wakeful
+nights in thinking of them. In a comparison of notes it was evident that
+the wind had blown harder on the coast of Egypt than farther to the
+north. But the ship had escaped from the dilemma in the morning at an
+early hour, and had made a quick run to Cape Arnauti.
+
+There was therefore great rejoicing in the cabin when it was ascertained
+that the Maud was safe, with all on board of her. Dr. Hawkes operated
+upon Mazagan in the hospital, and readily removed the bullet from his
+shoulder. Ball, one of the old man-of-war's-men of the crew, who had
+seen some service as a nurse, was appointed to take care of him.
+
+The fact that the surgeon had a patient soon became known in the
+boudoir, and curiosity ran to the highest pitch to ascertain who and
+what he was. All that was known was the fact that he had been brought on
+board from the Maud, which Sparks had learned from the sailors who
+assisted in removing him. The commander and the "Big Four" were still
+closeted on the upper deck, and there was no one to answer any
+questions.
+
+Before Captain Scott had finished his report, Dr. Hawkes rejoined the
+party; and he was immediately beset by the curious ones for information.
+The seal of secrecy had been removed by the commander, and he had not
+been instructed to be silent. He knew the patient as soon as he saw him;
+for Mazagan had been a prisoner on board of the ship for a considerable
+time after his capture in Pournea Bay.
+
+"What is your patient, Dr. Hawkes?" asked Mrs. Blossom before he had
+fairly crossed the threshold of the door.
+
+"A wounded man; bullet in the shoulder," replied the surgeon with
+professional discretion. "It is not a woman, and Ball has been called in
+as his nurse."
+
+"A bullet in the shoulder!" exclaimed the excellent woman. "Will he
+die?"
+
+"Undoubtedly he will, though perhaps not for twenty or thirty years."
+
+"Is the wound dangerous?"
+
+"I don't think so."
+
+"But who is the man?"
+
+"Captain Mazagan."
+
+"Captain Mazagan!" exclaimed the good lady; and the name was repeated by
+several others, for they had known him as the pirate who had attacked
+the Maud for the purpose of robbery, as they supposed, and they had seen
+him occasionally on the upper deck when the conferences were in
+progress there.
+
+"How happened he to be wounded in the shoulder, doctor?" persisted the
+worthy lady.
+
+"Because the bullet hit him there," replied the stout surgeon with a
+chuckle, which was promptly communicated to Uncle Moses.
+
+"But who shot him?"
+
+"The man who fired the gun at him."
+
+"Who fired the gun?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"What was Captain Mazagan doing here?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Has there been a fight here?"
+
+"Not that I am aware of."
+
+"Then how did he get wounded?"
+
+"I don't know," replied Dr. Hawkes, who evidently enjoyed the defeat of
+the inquisitor; and Uncle Moses's huge frame was jarring like a pot of
+jelly under the influence of his inward chuckles.
+
+"Have you dressed the wound of your patient without finding out anything
+at all about how the man was wounded?" demanded the good lady, disgusted
+at her failure.
+
+"It was my affair to dress his wound, and not to pump him, as I should
+have done if he had taken a dose of poison," laughed the doctor. "But I
+think you need have no anxiety about my patient, for I have no doubt he
+will do very well."
+
+"But there must have been a quarrel or a fight somewhere about here,
+and I should like to know something about it," continued Mrs. Blossom,
+as she dropped herself heavily on one of the divans.
+
+"I can give you no information whatever; for I leave all the fights and
+quarrels to our worthy and discreet commander, and do not meddle with
+his affairs," added the surgeon.
+
+"Do you really know nothing at all about what has happened here, Dr.
+Hawkes?" asked Mrs. Belgrave; and it was plain that the curiosity of the
+rest of the party was strongly excited, though they were more guarded in
+manifesting it.
+
+"Absolutely nothing, my dear madam, beyond the fact that the man is
+Captain Mazagan," replied Dr. Hawkes. "I never inquire into the affairs
+of my patients beyond what it is necessary for me to know in treating
+the case. I have no doubt Captain Ringgold will give you all the
+particulars of whatever has happened here; for it looks as though
+something of importance had occurred."
+
+A little later the commander, followed by the four boys, appeared, and
+Mrs. Blossom renewed the onslaught. The others were, perhaps, quite as
+anxious to learn what had taken place; but they were silent, and waited
+for the captain to answer her questions if he was disposed to do so.
+
+"I am sorry to interrupt this pleasant party, ladies and gentlemen, but
+I have already given the order to weigh the anchor, and we shall go to
+sea immediately," said Captain Ringgold. "The young gentlemen of the
+Maud must take their leave, and return to the tender."
+
+"Has anything happened here, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave,
+taking him by the arm.
+
+"Something has happened here," replied the commander, loud enough to be
+heard by all in the boudoir. "But here are the four young men in whom
+you are all more or less interested, and you can see that they are not
+injured."
+
+"Have you been hurt, Mr. Belgrave?" asked Miss Blanche, by whose side
+Louis had taken his place when he entered the apartment, as he was very
+much in the habit of doing when the party assembled.
+
+"Not a hair of my head has been damaged," he replied.
+
+"As soon as we are under way, and get clear of the shore, I shall tell
+you the whole story of certain events which have transpired in Khrysoko
+Bay during our absence," continued the commander. "I am willing to add
+that it will make quite a thrilling narrative. About two o'clock
+to-morrow afternoon I expect the Guardian-Mother and the Maud will be at
+Port Said, at the entrance to the Suez Canal."
+
+The mothers hugged their boys again even for the separation of eighteen
+hours, and the hands of the others were duly shaken. Mrs. Blossom did
+not attempt to hug the Milesian this time.
+
+"What has happened here, Felix?" she asked in a low tone; for the good
+lady would have been glad to get at the solution of the mystery, in
+order that she might give a hint of it to the others.
+
+"Captain Ringgold will tell you all about it; it would take me six hours
+to do so, and I have not the time," replied Felix as he bolted through
+the door.
+
+"Six hours!" exclaimed the amiable lady. "Then we shall have to sit up
+about all night to hear the story. I wonder what the boys have been
+doing in this lonely place."
+
+She was no wiser than the rest of the party. The two sons tore
+themselves away from their mothers, and Louis was permitted to take the
+hand of Miss Blanche in bidding her adieu. The commander had sent four
+of the old sailors on board of the little steamer to stand the watches
+during the trip; for the "Big Four" were believed to be thoroughly
+exhausted after a night in the gale and the most exciting day of all
+their lives. This was certainly true of Captain Scott, for he had hardly
+slept a wink in the last thirty-six hours, and the others were tired
+enough.
+
+The chief engineer had been notified of the immediate departure of the
+Maud, and the fasts were cast off as soon as the ship's company went on
+board. Stevens, the carpenter of the ship, had repaired the damage done
+in the galley, and a supply of provisions had been put on board.
+
+Captain Scott had submitted the question as to whether anything was to
+be done in regard to the ship's company of the Fatime. The matter had
+been decided at once. Captain Mazagan had declared war against the
+Maud, and had proceeded to enforce his preposterous demand. He had made
+a failure of it, and outside of the call of ordinary humanity, the
+commander believed that it was not his duty to look out for the comfort
+of the marauders. A sufficient supply of provisions had been sent to
+those on shore, and the pirate himself was under treatment on board of
+the ship. What was to be done with him was a question for the future.
+
+Captain Scott remained in the pilot-house of the Maud till the steamer
+was well off the cape, and then gave out the course, south and a half
+west. It was Morris's watch, and he insisted on remaining on the
+forecastle, as he had obtained a portion of his sleep the night before.
+The ship soon followed her consort; and as soon as the commander had
+given out the course he hastened to the boudoir, where the party were
+awaiting his appearance.
+
+"It is hardly necessary for me to give the nautical points involved in
+'The Battle of Khrysoko,'" said Captain Ringgold, as he laid the diagram
+of the captain of the Maud on the table.
+
+"I beg your pardon, Captain--involved in what?" interrupted Mr.
+Woolridge, who seemed to be bothered by the proper name.
+
+"'The Battle of Khrysoko,'" repeated the commander with a smile. "That
+is the name the boys gave to the affair, calling it after the bay in
+which it occurred, though it is rather a high-sounding designation for
+it."
+
+"Are we to understand that a battle has been fought here, Captain
+Ringgold?" inquired the magnate of the Fifth Avenue, as Louis had called
+him.
+
+"It did not rise to the dignity of a regular naval engagement, though it
+took place on the waters of the bay," replied the captain. "Perhaps if
+we call it a contest for superiority, it would cover the idea better.
+But this party are not prepared to understand what has taken place in
+Khrysoko Bay; and I must admit that I have concealed from you for the
+last three months certain features of our voyage, a knowledge of which
+would have rendered some of you very nervous and unhappy.
+
+"I did not consult Dr. Hawkes in relation to the effect upon one of his
+patients, but I am confident he would have advised me to do as I have
+done. I am equally confident that another of your number would very soon
+have become one of his patients if I had been imprudent enough to put
+her in possession of all the facts in the situation. If I had done so at
+Athens, Zante, or Alexandria, I am almost certain that the
+Guardian-Mother would have been speeding her way across the Atlantic to
+New York; for some of the party would have insisted upon abandoning the
+voyage as projected.
+
+"My only confidants in the inside history of this voyage for the last
+six months, or since we visited Mogadore, were the four young men who
+have just left you. Now I will relate this inside history, and give all
+the facts without any reservation whatever. I must begin back at
+Mogadore; and as I mention the incidents of our cruise so far, you will
+remember all of them. 'The Battle of Khrysoko' is the last chapter of
+the story, and for the present at least, and I hope forever, has removed
+all danger from our path."
+
+By this time the entire party were all attention. The captain began his
+review of the incidents of the voyage at Mogadore. He used the time
+judiciously, but it took him a full hour to bring the history down to
+the final event. Whatever had been dark and mysterious in the past was
+made plain. The discovery of the plot made by Louis in the cafe at
+Gallipoli made a tremendous impression, and Dr. Hawkes had to attend to
+Mrs. Belgrave, she became so excited and nervous.
+
+The stirring events in the bay were given very cautiously by the
+speaker, though he told the whole truth. He stated enough of the
+nautical situation to enable the party to understand the affair; and he
+warmly commended Captain Scott for the decisive act by which he had
+finished the encounter, after he had used every effort to escape a
+conflict.
+
+"And did that wicked pirate actually fire cannon-balls into the Maud
+while Louis was on board of her?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, very much
+excited.
+
+"He put one shot through her, though Louis was on the upper deck, firing
+his rifle into the enemy, and he was in no danger," replied the
+commander.
+
+It was midnight when the narrative and the comments upon it were
+finished. The doctor attended to his patient in the cabin, and then to
+the other in the hospital. Mazagan felt better, and wanted to talk; but
+Dr. Hawkes would not permit him to do so. The party retired with enough
+to think about.
+
+At the time stated by the commander, the Guardian-Mother and the Maud
+were off the red light on the end of the breakwater at the entrance to
+the Suez Canal.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SUEZ CANAL
+
+
+The sea was quite smooth when the Guardian-Mother and her tender arrived
+off Port Said. There was about thirty feet of water off the breakwater;
+and though there was an extensive basin at the town, the commander
+preferred to anchor outside for purposes he had in view. The trip to
+Cyprus had interrupted the educational work of the tourists, and this
+was the grand object ever uppermost in his mind.
+
+Though this instructive element of the cruise around the world had been
+prominent in his thoughts before the steamer sailed from New York, it
+was rather indefinite in its details, so that he had failed to make some
+preparations for the work which the experience of a year now suggested
+to him. In the lectures, conferences, talks, and explanations to
+individuals, the professor and himself had felt the want of suitable
+maps on a large scale.
+
+At Alexandria he had obtained a large map of Egypt, though it was not
+just what was wanted; but it had answered the purpose tolerably well.
+The subjects which would be next in order were full of interest to him,
+and were likely to be so to the members of the party; for they included
+some of the older countries of the world, such as Syria, Babylonia,
+Assyria, Persia, and Arabia. Geographically they were comparatively
+unfamiliar to the members of the party, who, unlike the professor, the
+surgeon, and Uncle Moses, had not been liberally educated.
+
+The instruction given at the various places on the voyage, and the
+studies of the students on the wing, had demonstrated that such maps
+were indispensable. But Captain Ringgold was a man of expedients. Every
+steamer, especially those engaged in making long voyages, has a
+paint-shop on board, more or less abundantly supplied with all necessary
+material. All seamen are required to do plain painting; for such a ship
+as the Guardian-Mother had to be kept in the nicest condition.
+
+At Alexandria and Cairo the commander had procured such additional
+material as was needed for the production of the maps desired. Some of
+the sailors were more skilful in the use of the brush than others; and
+as soon as the captain mentioned his purpose to the first and second
+officers, they were able to point out a couple of men who had some
+artistic ideas in their composition.
+
+All the crew were able seamen, and every one of them was skilled in the
+use of the sail-needle and palm, though of course in different degrees,
+as in all other occupations. Some of these had sewed the canvas together
+on which the maps were to be drawn and painted. It was not expected that
+anything which would pass the scrutiny of an artist would be produced;
+only such work as would answer the purpose of illustration.
+
+In Mr. P. Lord Gaskette, the second officer of the ship, Captain
+Ringgold found his ablest assistant. He was a graduate of one of the
+most noted colleges of the United States, and had made some progress in
+the study of the legal profession. Unfortunately his health had failed
+him, and he had turned his attention to artistic pursuits for the sake
+of the out-door life to be obtained in sketching. He had taken some
+lessons in drawing and painting; but his physician had insisted that he
+should go to sea. He had been seven years a wanderer over the world,
+having shipped before the mast, and reached his present position.
+
+In the paint-shop he was quite at home. He was assisted by the two
+seamen the most skilled with the brush, while he did the drawing
+himself. The large atlas of the world, a very expensive work, belonging
+to the commander, supplied accurate maps on a small scale, and these
+were transferred to the canvas, eight feet square. During the voyage to
+Cyprus three of these maps had been finished. One of them was the Delta
+of Egypt, including the Suez Canal; and the commander declared that it
+was handsome enough to adorn any schoolroom.
+
+The Maud had made fast to the ship as usual when she came to anchor, and
+the "Big Four" were to report on board as soon as they had put their
+craft to rights. The party had mounted the promenade as soon as the low
+shore was in sight, and were looking about them at the various objects
+in view. Several large English steamers were in sight, including one of
+the P. & O. Line, and the Ophir, the largest and finest of the Orient
+Line, both bound to India and other countries of the Orient.
+
+"How is your patient this afternoon, Dr. Hawkes?" asked the commander,
+as he met the physician on his way to the promenade.
+
+"He is doing very well. He has very little pain now; and I think he will
+be as well as ever in a fortnight or three weeks, if he will only be
+reasonable," replied the doctor.
+
+"Reasonable? Doesn't he wish to get well?" asked the commander.
+
+"He wants to talk, and evidently has something on his mind. He desires
+an interview with you, Captain, and has asked me to obtain it for him;
+but I refused to do anything of the kind, for he has some fever hanging
+about him, and must be kept as quiet as possible."
+
+"I don't know that I have any business with him, or he with me. I
+consider him one of the most unmitigated villains that ever walked the
+earth or sailed the seas," added Captain Ringgold. "The scoundrel does
+not seem to have common-sense; for he puts forward the most absurd
+claims that ever were invented, and it would not surprise me at all if
+he advanced another against me or Louis, in spite of the overwhelming
+defeat he has just sustained."
+
+"He is the coolest and most impudent rascal I ever heard of. He asks
+Louis for a vast sum of money, and then politely requests him to become
+a prisoner in the cabin of the Fatime as security for the payment of the
+sum by his trustee;" and the doctor shook his fat sides with laughter at
+the absurdity.
+
+"Very likely he has some such proposition to make to me. He really
+believes, I think, that he has a fair claim for what he has lost, or
+failed to obtain, by the miscarriage of all his plots to make a prisoner
+of Louis and Miss Blanche. All I desire is to get rid of the villain;
+and as soon as you inform me that he is off your hands I shall put him
+on shore."
+
+The captain and the doctor joined the party on the promenade. Mr.
+Gaskette and his assistant were hanging one of the maps completed on the
+upper deck, where the conferences were usually held. He had assigned
+subjects to several members of the party, and he seemed to be anxious to
+have them disposed of; for he declared that this locality was one of the
+most interesting corners of the world to him.
+
+On the promenade the mothers had their sons by their side, and Mrs.
+Blossom had secured possession of Felix in some manner that did not
+appear; but the good woman seemed to be superlatively happy. The
+commander did not take a seat, but took a stand in front of the company.
+He described the two big steamers that were approaching, in answer to a
+question put by Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Of course you all recognize the shore before you," he continued.
+
+"There isn't much shore there, only a strip of sand, with water beyond
+it," added Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"What country is it?" asked Miss Blanche in a whisper to Louis, who had
+his mother on one side of him and the fair maiden on the other.
+
+"Egypt," replied Louis, wondering that she did not know.
+
+"The water you see is Lake Menzaleh," answered the captain. "It is not
+much of a lake, as Americans would look at it. It is a sort of lagoon,
+covering from five hundred to a thousand square miles, according to
+different authorities; but the inundation of the Nile makes varying
+areas of water. The Damietta branch of the great river empties into the
+sea about thirty miles to the west of us, and this lagoon covers the
+region between it and the Suez Canal.
+
+"The lake is separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow strip of land,
+which you can see, through which are a number of openings, such as we
+find in the sand-spits along the shore of our own country. But unlike
+our inlets, they were formerly mouths of the Nile, or at least of
+streams connected with it; and all of them have names, as the Mendesian
+Mouth, the Tanitic, the Pelusian, and others.
+
+"It is full of islands, on some of which are the remains of Roman towns.
+The average depth of the water is not more than three feet; but it
+abounds in fish, and it is the abode of vast flocks of aquatic birds,
+which are hunted by many English sportsmen, who camp out there to enjoy
+the shooting. The morass has been partially drained, which accounts for
+the low water in the lake at the present time; and undoubtedly it will
+all be above the ordinary level of the Nile at no very distant time.
+
+"The Suez Canal extends in a perfectly straight line, north and south,
+through this lake and the low land around it. But we will not meddle
+with the canal just yet, for we shall have a great deal of time to talk
+about it while we are going through it; for it is a hundred miles long,
+and steamers are required to move very slowly, except in the lakes now
+forming part of it. As this canal is one of the most important
+enterprises ever carried through to a completion, I have asked Mr.
+Woolridge to give us an account of its construction and uses. Then I
+shall invite you to adjourn to the promenade deck, where I have prepared
+something more in relation to Egypt, the 'Land of Goshen.'
+
+"This canal takes its name from the isthmus or city of that name, or the
+Red Sea; more properly from the former, as it makes its passage through
+it," Mr. Woolridge began. "Our old friend, Ramses II., of whom we have
+heard so much in the last four weeks, is said to have been the first to
+dig out a Suez Canal, though I cannot inform you by what name he called
+it in the Egyptian language; but that was a small affair compared with
+the one before us. But our friend's canal got filled up from the amount
+of mud and sand lying loose around here.
+
+"Darius I. of Persia cleaned it out, though it was suffered to become
+useless again. Then the Mohammedan conquerors of Egypt opened it once
+more; but they lacked the modern facilities for handling mud and sand,
+and it went to ruin again, and was useless till a comparatively modern
+date.
+
+"When Napoleon I. was in Egypt the subject attracted his attention, and
+he employed an expert French engineer to examine the matter. This
+gentleman declared that the level of the Red Sea was thirty feet higher
+than that of the Mediterranean; and this report knocked the scheme
+higher than a kite. But in 1841 the English officers employed in this
+region proved the fallacy of the French engineer's conclusion, and the
+subject came up again for consideration.
+
+"This time it was the Vicompte de Lesseps, another French engineer, who
+took up the subject. He was born at Versailles in 1805, had been
+educated for the diplomatic profession, and had served his country
+acceptably in this capacity at Lisbon, Cairo, Barcelona, and Madrid. In
+1854 he began upon the work, and two years later obtained a concession
+of certain privileges for his proposed company, which was duly formed,
+and began the actual work of construction in 1860. Nine years after it
+was completed, and formally opened with extraordinary ceremonies and
+festivities, and has now been in successful operation about twenty-two
+years. Queen Victoria of England made the distinguished Frenchman a K.
+C. S. I."
+
+"What does that mean, papa?" asked Miss Blanche.
+
+"It is a big distinction, and that is all I know about it," replied the
+speaker with a laugh; for he was not student enough to look up what he
+did not comprehend.
+
+"Knight Commander of the Star of India," added Louis, who had looked up
+the abbreviation.
+
+"Thank you, Mr. Belgrave. From 25,000 to 30,000 men were employed upon
+the work. It was delayed by the necessity of completing a fresh-water
+canal to Ismailia, about half way through to Suez, and by some trouble
+with Ismail, who had succeeded as viceroy. The original capital of the
+company was about forty million dollars of our money; but the total
+cost, including the auxiliary works required to put it in running order,
+was one hundred million dollars. Yet it is good stock to-day; and all
+the steamers that used to be obliged to go around Cape Good Hope pass
+through the canal, and did so before some of you were born.
+
+"As the commander observed a little while ago, the canal is 100 miles
+long. The width of the water surface is from 150 to 300 feet, though it
+has changed somewhat since the canal was built. At the bottom it was 72
+feet wide, and the shoalest place has 26 feet in depth. As you see
+around you, two breakwaters had to be built, involving an immense
+amount of labor and expense; for one of them is nearly 7,000, and the
+other a little more than 6,000, feet in length.
+
+"The highest level on the isthmus is 52 feet, so that they did not have
+to dig very deep anywhere; and there were several depressions in the
+level, which made the work still less. The canal passes through three
+lakes: first, Menzaleh, 28 miles; Timsah, 5 miles; and the Bitter Lakes,
+23 miles. Every five or six miles there are side basins where one ship
+can pass another. That is all I need say at present; but as we are
+sailing through, there will be much more to say."
+
+The usual applause followed, and then the commander took the rostrum.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE JOURNEY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
+
+
+Captain Ringgold suggested to the magnate of the Fifth Avenue that he
+had omitted something, as he pointed to the long piers which extended
+out into the sea.
+
+"I had it on my tongue's end to mention them; but I am not much
+accustomed to speaking before an audience, and I forgot to do so,"
+replied Mr. Woolridge. "But then they are engineering work, and I doubt
+if this company would be interested."
+
+"I was wondering where they obtained all the stone to build them in this
+place, where there appears to be nothing but sand and mud," interposed
+Mrs. Belgrave. "They must be nearly a mile long."
+
+"They are quite a mile long," replied Mr. Woolridge.
+
+"Did they bring the stone from the quarries away up the Nile, where they
+got the material of which the pyramids are built?"
+
+"Not at all; that would have been about as big a job as digging out the
+canal."
+
+"Hardly; for they could have brought them by water about all the way,"
+said the commander. "But the material did not come from those
+quarries."
+
+"No; they made the rocks," added the magnate.
+
+"Made them!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom. "Do you expect us to believe that?"
+
+"There is a great deal of such work done in the United States, and in
+some of our cities there are streets paved and sidewalks built of
+manufactured stone," replied Mr. Woolridge. "At the town which you see,
+the piers start out about two-thirds of a mile apart, and approach each
+other till they are less than a third of a mile from each other. They
+were built to protect the port from the north-west winds which sometimes
+blow very fresh here, and to prevent the harbor of Port Said from being
+choked up with the Nile mud from the mouths of the great river.
+
+"These piers were constructed by a French firm. The first thing was to
+manufacture the artificial stone, which was composed of seven parts
+sand, of which there is a plentiful supply in this vicinity, and one
+part of hydraulic lime, imported from France. I suppose the latter is
+something like the cement used in New York in building sewers and
+drains, or other works in wet places. This concrete was mixed by
+machinery, then put into immense wooden moulds, just as you make a loaf
+of sponge cake, Mrs. Blossom, where it was kept for several weeks. These
+blocks weighed twenty tons each."
+
+"Goodness! They were heavier than Mrs. Grimper's sponge cake!" exclaimed
+Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"Considerably," laughed the magnate. "The solid contents of each were
+thirteen and a third cubic yards. How big a cubic block would that make
+in feet, young gentlemen? I hope you are not neglecting your mathematics
+for geography and sight-seeing."
+
+"About seven feet," replied Louis, after some mental figuring.
+
+"A little more than that," added the professor.
+
+"Seven feet is about the height of the cabin of this ship, and one of
+them would just stand up in it," continued Mr. Woolridge. "They made
+thirty of them every day, and twenty-five thousand were required."
+
+"This is about as wonderful as the immense work of the ancient
+Egyptians," said Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"But all this labor was done by machinery. The moulds were removed from
+the blocks, and they were exposed to the air in order to harden them
+more effectually. They were then hoisted on peculiar boats, built for
+the purpose, with an inclined deck, from which they were slid into the
+sea. They made a tremendous splash when they were dumped overboard; and
+it was a sight worth seeing if we had happened to be here twenty-four
+years ago."
+
+"It wasn't convaynient for some of us to be here at that time," said
+Felix.
+
+"That is so, my broth of a boy; but some things happened before you were
+born, as well as since."
+
+"Sure, the pyramids were built before your honor was barn."
+
+"True for you; some things happened before I was born, and even before
+the twin cupids came into the world; for I believe they are the oldest
+persons on board," replied the magnate. "They kept dropping these
+tremendous blocks into the sea till they came nearly to the level, and
+then they built the walls as you see them now. I suppose you have
+noticed that lighthouse on the little strip of land between the sea and
+Lake Menzaleh. That is also built of these artificial stones, and it is
+one hundred and sixty-four feet high. It is provided with electric
+lights, which are to be seen from a distance of twenty-four miles. It
+is, therefore, one of the largest in the world. I believe I have covered
+the ground now, and I won't say anything about Port Said till we are
+moored in the grand basin."
+
+"You have disposed of the _pierres perdues_ very nicely indeed, Mr.
+Woolridge," said the professor.
+
+"Who are they?" asked the magnate, who had forgotten all the French he
+ever knew.
+
+"Literally, 'lost stones,' as they were when they went overboard; but
+that was what the French engineers called them."
+
+"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I desire to invite you to the upper deck,
+where I wish to say something to you about the Land of Goshen, and thus
+finish up Egypt, except the portion we shall have in view as we continue
+on our voyage," said the commander rising from his seat.
+
+The ladies were handed down from the promenade by the gallant gentlemen,
+though, unfortunately, there were not enough of the former to go round;
+but no one but the captain and Louis presumed to offer his services to
+Mrs. Belgrave or Miss Blanche. As the party approached the place where
+the conferences had usually been held, they saw that a change had been
+made in the appearance of things.
+
+The first novelty that attracted their attention was the large map which
+was suspended on a frame rigged against the mainmast. It was brilliant
+with colors, with all the streams, towns, and lakes, properly labelled,
+upon it. A small table stood at the left, or port side, of it, covered
+with a cloth, with a Bible and a vase of flowers upon it. Chloe, the
+stewardess, had provided the latter from the pots which the ladies had
+kept in the cabin since their visit to Bermuda.
+
+On the deck a large carpet had been spread out, and the thirteen
+arm-chairs had been placed in a semicircle, facing the map, with one
+behind the table for the speaker for the occasion. As soon as the
+company had taken in this arrangement for the educational feature of the
+voyage, they halted, and applauded it with right good-will.
+
+"Please to be seated, ladies and gentlemen," said the commander, as he
+handed Mrs. Belgrave to the chair on the right of the table; and at the
+same time he took his place behind the table.
+
+The party took their chairs according to their own fancies, and Mrs.
+Blossom managed to get at the side of Felix. At one side stood Mr.
+Gaskette and the two sailors who had assisted him in his work. They had
+also arranged the meeting-place from the direction of the captain. Some
+of the tourists wondered what the commander meant to do in the face of
+all these preparations. It was not Sunday, or they would have come to
+the conclusion that the usual religious service was to be held here; for
+the Bible on the table pointed in this direction. As soon as the party
+were seated the commander opened the Good Book at a marked place.
+
+"I see that some of you are surprised at the altered appearance of our
+out-door hall," Captain Ringgold began. "I regard the instructive
+element of our voyage as one of the greatest importance; and if I were
+to fit out the ship again for this cruise, I should provide an apartment
+on this deck for our conference meetings. But I have done the best I
+could under the circumstances, with the assistance of Mr. Gaskette, the
+second officer of the ship.
+
+"I see also that the map before you has challenged your attention,"
+continued the commander, who proceeded to explain in what manner he had
+caused the maps to be made. "Mr. Gaskette has been my right-hand man in
+this work. He is not only a good navigator and a thorough seaman, but he
+is a highly educated gentleman, a graduate of Harvard College, a person
+of artistic tastes, as you may have learned from your intercourse with
+him. The map before you is only one of three already completed, and the
+work is in progress upon several others."
+
+The company, including the ladies, received this explanation with
+generous applause, and all the boys called for the subject of the
+captain's remarks. He was presented to them, and thanked the commander
+for his kind words, and hoped the maps would prove to be useful in the
+conferences.
+
+"I will begin what I have to say about the Land of Goshen by reading a
+few verses from the first chapter of Exodus: 'And Joseph died, and all
+his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were
+fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding
+mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there rose up a new king
+over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold,
+the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come
+on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to
+pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our
+enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
+Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their
+burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Ramses.'
+
+"Ramses II. is generally regarded as the Pharaoh of the oppression, and
+doubtless the Israelites suffered a great deal of persecution in his
+reign," the commander proceeded as he closed the Bible. "But the one who
+proposed in the verse I have read to 'get them up out of the land, was
+the successor of Ramses II., 'the new king over Egypt,' Merenptah, the
+son of Ramses, and now believed to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus. He
+reigned about 1325 years A.D.
+
+"The Land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, is the north-eastern
+part of Egypt, the whole of it lying to the east of the Damietta branch
+of the Nile," continued the commander, using his pointer upon the map.
+"Through this region then, as now, there were fresh-water canals, by
+which the country was made very productive, and the people were very
+prosperous. The city of Ramses, built by the Israelites, was doubtless
+the most important in Goshen. It is the ancient Tanis, the ruins of
+which are still to be seen. Pithom, the other city mentioned in the
+Scripture, is here," and the speaker pointed it out. "It is quite near
+the Arabian Desert, and the present fresh-water canal runs within a few
+miles of it.
+
+"With the birth of Moses, and the finding of the child in the ark or
+basket by the daughter of Pharaoh, and her adoption of it, you are all
+familiar; and the story is quite as interesting as any you can find in
+other books than the Bible. Though of the house of Levi, he became an
+Egyptian for the time; but he claimed his lineage, and became the leader
+of the Israelites, and conducted them out of Egypt.
+
+"A great deal of study has been given by learned men to the route by
+which this was accomplished. Most of them agreed that he started from
+Tanis, or Ramses. On that narrow strip of land between the lake and the
+Mediterranean, which you have seen from the promenade, was one of the
+usual roads from Egypt into Asia, and was the one which led into
+Palestine, the Holy Land. Where Moses and his followers crossed the Red
+Sea is still an open question, though hardly such to devout people who
+accept literally the Bible as their guide in matters of faith and fact
+both. These accept the belief that the crossing of the Red Sea, with the
+miracles attending it, was in the portion near Suez.
+
+"Heinrich Karl Brugsch, a learned German and eminent Egyptologist, born
+in Berlin in 1827, has constructed a theory in relation to the exodus of
+the Israelites which is more ingenious than reasonable to the pious
+reader of the Scripture. It would be hardly profitable for us to go into
+the details of his reasoning, though he uses the Bible as the foundation
+of his statements. There were two roads from Egypt to Palestine, the one
+mentioned, and one farther south, not so well adapted to caravans on
+account of the marshy country it traverses.
+
+"The German savant believed they departed by the northern road. In the
+British Museum is a letter written on papyrus over three thousand years
+ago, in which an Egyptian writer describes his journey from Ramses in
+pursuit of two runaway servants. The days of the month are given; and
+his stopping-places were the same as those of the Israelites. (Exodus
+xii. 37): 'The children of Israel journeyed from Ramses to Succoth;' and
+this is the region east of Goshen. (Exodus xiii. 20): 'And they
+journeyed from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the
+wilderness,' or the desert.
+
+"This was also the route of the Egyptian letter writer. Then the
+pilgrims were commanded to turn, and encamp at a point between Migdol
+and the sea, (Exodus xiv. 2.) He found the fugitives had gone towards
+the wall, meaning the forts by which Egypt was defended from Asiatic
+enemies. Following the same route, the Israelites came to the Sarbonian
+Lake. This is a long sheet of water on the isthmus," said the commander,
+as he pointed it out on the map. "It was, for it no longer exists,
+separated from the Mediterranean by such a strip as that which you see
+here by Lake Menzaleh.
+
+"Diodorus Siculus informs us that the Sarbonian Lake was filled with a
+rank growth of reeds and papyrus bushes, which made it very dangerous to
+travellers. Strong winds blew the sands of the desert over the surface,
+studded with leaves, so as to hide the water; and the traveller might
+walk upon it and sink to his death. The same ancient writer says that an
+army with which Artaxerxes, King of Persia, intended to invade Egypt,
+being unacquainted with this treacherous lake, got into it, and was
+lost.
+
+"Brugsch believes this was the lake through which the Israelites passed,
+and that Pharaoh's army encountered a storm, were lost, and perished as
+did the Persian forces. But we must drop the subject here, though it may
+come up again when we arrive at Suez, where others believe the six
+hundred thousand Israelites went over dry shod, while Pharaoh and his
+hosts perished in the closing waters."
+
+The company had certainly been deeply interested in the subject, and the
+commander retired from the rostrum with a volley of applause.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE LAST OF CAPTAIN MAZAGAN
+
+
+Captain Ringgold was very much delighted with the success which had
+attended his efforts to interest his passengers; for he never lost sight
+of the instructive feature of the voyage. None of his party were
+scientists in a technical sense in the studies which occupied them,
+though Dr. Hawkes and Professor Giroud were such in their occupation at
+home; but they were all well-educated persons in the ordinary use of the
+term.
+
+They were not Egyptologists, philosophers, theologians, zoologists,
+biblical critics, ethnologists, or devoted to any special studies; they
+were ordinary seekers after knowledge in all its varieties. The everyday
+facts, events, and scenes, as presented to them in their present
+migratory existence, were the staple topics of thought and study. Though
+none of the party ascended to the higher flights of scientific inquiry,
+the commander endeavored to make use of the discoveries and conclusions
+of the learned men of the present and the past.
+
+He was eminently a practical man, and practical knowledge was his aim;
+and he endeavored to lead the conferences in this direction. The
+building of the piers at Port Said, and the construction of the canal,
+as meagrely described by the magnate of the Fifth Avenue, were the kind
+of subjects he believed in; and he had a sort of mild contempt for one
+who could discourse learnedly over a polype, and did not know the
+difference between a sea mile and a statute mile.
+
+"Do you believe in the explanation of that Dutchman you mentioned,
+Captain Ringgold?" asked Mr. Woolridge, at the close of the conference.
+
+"What Dutchman?" inquired the commander. "I do not remember that I
+alluded to any Dutchman."
+
+"I mean the man who says that Pharaoh's army perished in the lake where
+the weeds and papyrus grew," the magnate explained.
+
+"Brugsch? He was not a Dutchman; he was a German."
+
+"It is all the same thing; I have been in the habit of calling a German
+a Dutchman."
+
+"If you will excuse me, Mr. Woolridge, I think it is a very bad habit,"
+added the commander with a deprecatory smile. "A German is not a
+Dutchman, any more than a Dutchman is a German; and I should as soon
+think of calling a full-blooded American a Chinaman, as a German a
+Dutchman."
+
+"Of course you are right, Captain, though I am not alone in the use of
+the word," replied the magnate.
+
+"But it is more common among uneducated people than with people of even
+fair education. I do not accept Brugsch's explanation, but cling to the
+Bible story as I learned it in my childhood. I don't think Brugsch's
+explanation comes under the head of what is called the 'higher
+criticism,' or that it places him in the column of those who represent
+the 'advanced thought' of the present time; for he follows the Scripture
+record, and does not seek to invalidate it. But we are going to run into
+the basin, and it is time we were moving," added the commander, as he
+called the first officer, and ordered the anchor to be weighed.
+
+"Do you have to pay to go through the canal, Captain Ringgold?" asked
+Mrs. Belgrave, after the commander had given his orders.
+
+"Of course we do," replied the captain; and about all the party gathered
+around him to hear what he had to say. "As Mr. Woolridge said, the canal
+is good paying stock to the holders of the shares. It cost a vast sum of
+money, and it is worked and kept in running order at an immense
+expense."
+
+"I asked a foolish question, and I might have known better," said the
+lady.
+
+"Every vessel that goes through to Suez has to pay a round sum for the
+privilege."
+
+"Do all ships have to pay the same amount?"
+
+"Certainly not; for that would be very unfair. They pay by the ton; and
+every vessel carries a register, in which her tonnage is given. The
+Guardian-Mother's is 624 tons. About everything is French in this
+locality; and the rate charged is ten francs a ton, or a little less
+than two dollars. I shall have to pay a bill of $1,248 in our money."
+
+"That looks like an enormous price," suggested Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"In addition to this charge, we have to pay from ten to twenty francs
+for a pilot, depending upon the tonnage, and the same for each
+passenger. Through the greater portion of the canal the speed of
+steamers is limited to five miles an hour; otherwise the swash of the
+propeller would injure the embankments on either side. It takes steamers
+about sixteen hours to go through to Suez."
+
+"But that is over six miles an hour," Uncle Moses objected.
+
+"The three lakes, making nearly thirty miles of the distance, are wide
+enough and deep enough to permit steamers to go ahead at full speed,
+which will more than make up the difference, and include the stay at
+Ismailia. There are sometimes unavoidable delays. A vessel may get
+aground, and bar the passage for a day or two. The canal is not in all
+places wide enough for one large steamer to pass another, and there are
+sidings, as on a single track railroad, where it can be done, a little
+more than three miles apart. Posts are set up every five kilometres to
+indicate the distances."
+
+"Anchor aweigh, sir," reported the first officer.
+
+"Heave it up," replied the captain, and went to the pilot-house.
+
+The "Big Four" had gone on board of the Maud, and she got under way at
+the same time. The pilot was on board of the ship, and none was taken
+for the little steamer, which was regarded as the tender. Captain Scott
+had his plan of the harbor before him, and he could have taken his craft
+into the basin without any assistance; but he was required to follow the
+ship.
+
+Port Said owes its existence to the canal, and without that it would
+amount to nothing. It is located on the eastern end of an island which
+is a part of the narrow neck of land which divides Lake Menzaleh from
+the Mediterranean. It was thought when it was laid out that it would
+become a considerable city; but it has not yet realized this
+expectation, though it has now a population of over seventeen thousand.
+Six thousand of this number are Europeans, the French predominating. The
+making of the harbor, or "Grand Basin Ismail" as it is called, was
+another difficult task for the canal company; for it has an area of 570
+acres, which had to be excavated to the depth of twenty-six feet by
+dredging.
+
+The Guardian-Mother, followed by the Maud, passed through the channel,
+which is marked by red and green lights, to the basin, where the former
+was moored at one of the walls. The town could not be seen by the
+tourists till the ship entered the basin, and then it was found to be a
+place of no small importance. It contains two good hotels, where one may
+board at one for three dollars a day, and at the other for two and a
+half.
+
+It was necessary for the steamers to coal at this point, and the party
+went on shore. From the deck they could see up the principal street. The
+French post-office, for there is also an Egyptian, was close to the
+wharf; and they hastened to that, for most of them had written letters
+to their friends at home. It was still Egypt, and the place was true to
+its national character; for the travellers were immediately beset by a
+horde of beggars, and bakshish was still a popular clamor. The shops
+were like those of other regions, though they did not seem to be doing a
+very thriving trade; for the entire surrounding country was either a
+desert or a morass, and there were few to go shopping.
+
+There was really nothing to be seen there, and the passengers soon
+returned to the ship, impatient to proceed on the passage through the
+canal; but the night was coming on, and the commander decided to make an
+early start the next morning, for he wished his charge to see the
+country as they passed through it, and especially the steamers on their
+way to India and China. After dinner the company gathered in the
+music-room; but it was observed that the commander and Dr. Hawkes were
+absent. They had remained in the cabin, and were in conversation.
+
+"What is the present condition of your patient, Doctor?" asked the
+captain as soon as they were alone.
+
+"He is doing very well, and is in a fair way to recover in a short
+time," replied the surgeon.
+
+"After we get through the Red Sea, we strike out on a voyage of ten days
+or more, and I am not anxious to retain this villain on board,"
+continued the captain. "I owe him nothing, though I shall treat him with
+common humanity. In a word, I wish to get rid of him as soon as
+possible."
+
+"There is nothing in his present condition to prevent you from putting
+him on shore at any time,--to-night, if you are so disposed," replied
+Dr. Hawkes in decided terms.
+
+"You would oblige me very much, Doctor, by broaching this subject to
+him. I suppose he has money, though I know nothing about it, and he can
+pay his way at one of the hotels here," suggested the captain.
+
+"We had the United States Consul with us at dinner, as you are aware,
+and he can inform you whether or not there is a hospital here. I will
+see Mazagan at once, and do as you desire. I will see you in your cabin
+in half an hour," said the surgeon, as he went forward to the hospital.
+
+Captain Ringgold went to the music-room, where the consul was enjoying
+himself in listening to Miss Blanche, who was giving him some account of
+the voyage; and she had just mentioned "The Battle of Khrysoko," of
+which the consul wished to know more. The captain called him aside, and
+proceeded to question him in regard to the care of the patient in the
+town.
+
+"I have a wounded man on board, and I wish to get rid of him," he
+began.
+
+"Wounded in the battle of which Miss Woolridge was telling me?" asked
+the official.
+
+"Precisely so; but he is not of my party, and is the biggest scoundrel
+that ever went unhung;" and the commander gave a brief account of his
+relations to Mazagan. "Is there a hospital in Port Said?"
+
+"None, except for _fellahs_ and other laborers. If he is a respectable
+man, perhaps I can find accommodations for him at the Hotel de France,"
+answered the consul. "I will go and see the landlord at once, and report
+to you in half an hour."
+
+"Come to my cabin on the upper deck."
+
+In less than the time he had stated he came back, and reported that the
+hotel would take him at sixty francs a week. While he was in the cabin
+the doctor presented himself.
+
+"Does this patient require a nurse?" asked the consul.
+
+"He does not. In the last two days he has greatly improved," replied the
+doctor, "though we keep a man near him to prevent him from doing any
+mischief."
+
+It was settled that the patient should be sent on shore that night to
+the hotel, and the consul returned to the music-room.
+
+"Mazagan protests against being sent ashore here; and I have no doubt he
+would do the same at Ismailia or Suez," said Dr. Hawkes. "He insists
+upon seeing you, and declares that he has important business with you.
+If you do not seriously object, perhaps that would be the easiest way to
+quiet him."
+
+"Can he walk?" asked the commander.
+
+"As well as you can, Captain. He has a lame shoulder; but he can help
+himself with his left hand, and I have put his right arm in a sling, to
+prevent him from using it," answered Dr. Hawkes.
+
+Captain Ringgold struck his bell, and sent for Knott to conduct the
+patient to his cabin. In a few minutes Mazagan was seated in the chair
+he had occupied once before as a prisoner.
+
+"You wish to see me?" the commander began rather curtly.
+
+"I do, Captain Ringgold. You talk of sending me ashore at this place. I
+protest against it," said the prisoner; for such he was really.
+
+"Do you intend to remain on board of my ship for an indefinite period?"
+
+"Until you settle my account with you," answered the pirate, as
+self-possessed as though he had been the victor dealing with the
+vanquished.
+
+"Don't say anything more to me about your account!" added the commander,
+fiercely for him. "Your protest is of no consequence to me, and I shall
+put you ashore to-night!"
+
+"You don't know what you are doing, Captain Ringgold," said the wounded
+man, with a savage scowl on his face. "The Fatime was old and worn out,
+or your tender could not have crushed in her side. Let me tell you that
+my noble master, the Pacha, ordered a new steam-yacht of a thousand tons
+a year ago; and if you treat me with this inhumanity, he will follow you
+all over the world till he obtains his revenge."
+
+[Illustration: "KNOTT, TAKE THIS VILLAIN AWAY." Page 201.]
+
+"That is enough of this nonsense!" said the captain, springing from his
+chair, and calling for Knott, who was at the door.
+
+"If you pay me the two hundred thousand francs, that will be the end of
+the affair," added the prisoner.
+
+"I will never pay you a centime! Knott, take this villain away, and have
+him conveyed to the Hotel de France at once!" said the commander.
+
+Knott obeyed the order, taking the pirate by the left arm. Mr. Boulong
+was instructed to carry out the order given. In five minutes more the
+Moor was marched up the quay between two seamen, and handed over to the
+landlord. At daylight the next morning the Guardian-Mother and the Maud
+sailed on their way through the canal; and nothing more was seen of
+Captain Mazagan.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+THE CONFERENCE ON THE SUEZ CANAL
+
+
+The Grand Basin Ismail, at Port Said, is only an extension in breadth of
+the canal, and the Guardian-Mother had only to proceed on her course by
+the narrow water-way through the desert. The Maud followed her closely,
+having nothing to fear on account of the depth of the water; and even
+the ship had plenty under her keel. But it is said that, by what appears
+to be a curious reversal of the ordinary rule, the very large steamers
+are in less danger of running aground than those of smaller dimensions.
+
+When the commander stated this canal axiom to the passengers assembled
+before the starting on the promenade, Uncle Moses objected strenuously
+to its truth, and Dr. Hawkes warmly supported him. The statement did not
+look reasonable to them.
+
+"Is it claimed that a vessel drawing twenty-five feet of water is in
+less peril than one needing only eighteen feet of water to float her?"
+asked the lawyer.
+
+"The facts seem to prove this; but you will say that it is so much the
+worse for the facts," replied the captain, laughing at the earnestness
+of the non-nautical gentlemen; and even the ladies understood the
+matter well enough to be interested in the dispute.
+
+"The affirmative side of the question must prove its position,"
+suggested the doctor.
+
+"Which the affirmative will be very happy to do," replied the commander
+very cheerfully. "If the bottom of the canal were a dead level, paved
+like Broadway, and the depth of the canal were just twenty-six feet in
+every place, with a perpendicular wall on each side, your theory would
+be entirely correct, and the affirmative would have nothing more to say.
+But the bottom is not paved, and there are no walls at the sides to
+secure a uniform depth."
+
+"Then the canal is not twenty-six feet deep, as the affirmative has laid
+down the law," added Uncle Moses.
+
+"That looks like a lawyer's quibble," replied the captain with a hearty
+laugh. "You have opened the road for the retreat of the negative."
+
+"The facts set forth by the speakers in our conference fail to be
+facts," persisted the legal gentleman.
+
+"The fact was given as a general truth that the depth of the canal is
+twenty-six feet; but I think that no person as reasonable as Squire
+Scarburn of Von Blonk Park would insist that it should be absolutely of
+fully that depth in every part in order to comply with the general truth
+of the statement. The courts don't rule in that way. I read lately of a
+life insurance company which refused to pay a policy on the plea that
+the holder had been a drunkard; but the court ruled that the use of
+intoxicating liquors, or even an occasional over-indulgence, did not
+constitute a drunkard."
+
+"A wise ruling," added the squire.
+
+"We call a person a good man; but even the affirmative does not insist
+that he shall be absolutely without sin, stain, or fault in order to
+entitle him to this designation."
+
+"There would not be a single good man in that case," laughed the doctor.
+"We admit the general truth that the canal is twenty-six feet deep."
+
+"The canal has been dug out of loose sand for the most part, and it
+would have been impossible to make it of uniform depth. Some of the
+largest steamers in the world pass through the canal on their way to
+India, China, and Australia. The Orient Line has the Ophir, a twin-screw
+ship, about five hundred feet long, and others nearly as large.
+
+"This big ditch across the isthmus has an average width of three hundred
+feet, or two hundred less than the length of the Ophir. She could not,
+therefore, get across the channel. There is a current in this water, and
+fierce winds sometimes blow across it, and both of these affect the
+inertia of the vessels. A comparatively small steamer like the
+Guardian-Mother can be twisted about by these causes, and her bow or her
+stern may catch on the sloping sides."
+
+"You have made out your case, Captain Ringgold; and the moral is that
+general truths are not invariably true," said Uncle Moses
+good-naturedly.
+
+"I only hope we shall not get aground," added Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"We are fairly started now, and we have Lake Menzaleh on one side, and a
+low sandy plain, once covered with water, on the other," continued the
+commander. "It is difficult to believe that the swamp and lagoon on the
+starboard were once covered with fertile fields, watered by two of the
+branches of the Nile, where wheat was raised in abundance, from which
+Rome and other countries were supplied with food."
+
+"What vast flocks of birds!" exclaimed Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"Those are flamingoes, just rising from their resting-place," added the
+captain. "They were white just now as we looked at them; notice the
+color of the inside of their wings, which are of a rose-tinted pink."
+
+"But what became of the wheat-fields that were here?" asked Mrs.
+Blossom, after they had observed the wild birds for a time.
+
+"The sea broke in and covered the rich lands with sand and salt; and
+there are towns buried there now."
+
+"Goodness, gracious!" almost screamed Mrs. Blossom. "There's another
+steamer sailing on the land!"
+
+"It appears to be so, but is not so," replied the commander.
+
+"It is really so," added Mrs. Woolridge; and all the party gazed with
+interest at the phenomenon.
+
+"Only apparently so," the captain insisted.
+
+"Please to explain it to us, Commodore," said Miss Blanche, who had long
+ago applied this title to him.
+
+"With pleasure, Miss Woolridge. It is the mirage, from the Latin
+_miror_, to wonder, which appears to be what you are doing just now. The
+steamer you see sailing along the shore is an optical illusion, a
+reflection, and not a reality. Refraction, which is the bending of the
+rays of light, produces this effect. If you look at a straight stick set
+up in the water, it will appear to be bent, and this is caused by
+refraction. The learned gentlemen present will excuse me for going back
+to the primer of physics."
+
+"We are quite satisfied to have the memory refreshed," replied the
+doctor.
+
+"The air around us is of different densities, which causes the rays of
+reflection of our ship to be bent, sending the image up on the shore.
+What sailors call 'looming,' often seen on our own shores, is produced
+in the same way; and we often see an island, or a vessel, looming up
+away above the water, from which it is sometimes separated by a strip of
+sky. The mirage is often seen in the desert, with a whole caravan up in
+the air, sometimes upside down.
+
+"An object is often seen when at a considerable distance from it. In the
+Arctic regions ships below the horizon, or hull down as sailors phrase
+it, are revealed to other ships far distant by their images in the air.
+From Hastings, on the English Channel, the coast of France, fifty miles
+distant, from Calais to Dieppe, was once seen for about three hours. In
+1854 a remarkable exhibition of the mirage was witnessed in the Baltic
+Sea from the deck of a ship of the British navy. The whole English
+fleet, consisting of nineteen sail, distant thirty miles from the point
+of observation, were seen up in the air, upside down, as if they had
+been hung up there by their keels.
+
+"The Fata Morgana is a sort of mirage seen in the Strait of Messina. A
+person standing on the shore sees the images of men, houses, ships, and
+other objects, sometimes in the air, sometimes in the water, the
+originals frequently magnified, passing like a panorama before the
+beholder. The vapory masses above the strait may cause the pictures to
+be surrounded by a colored line. When the peasants see it, they shout
+'Morgana! Morgana!'"
+
+"What does that word mean?" inquired Miss Blanche.
+
+"The French from which it is derived is '_Morgaine la Fee_,' from a
+sister of King Arthur of the Round Table, who had the reputation of
+being a fairy, which is _fata_ in Italian."
+
+"But what is that round table?" asked Mrs. Blossom very innocently.
+
+"You must excuse me, my dear woman," replied the commander, looking at
+his watch. "The Suez Canal is the subject before us, and I am talking
+all the morning about other things."
+
+"But it is collateral information, called out by the mirage; and the
+illustrations you mentioned are quite new to me, for one," added Dr.
+Hawkes.
+
+"I like this kind of a conference, where the side matters are all
+explained," said Mrs. Belgrave. "But it is a pity the boys are not here,
+for they are not getting any of the cream of this conference so early in
+the morning."
+
+This was enough for the commander, coming from her; and he immediately
+hastened to the stern of the ship, where he hailed the Maud, and ordered
+her to come alongside. The four sailors who had attended the party in
+the excursion to Cairo and up the Nile were directed to go on board of
+the tender, and take the places of the "Big Four." The Guardian-Mother
+had to go into a "siding" to permit a steamer to pass her at this point,
+and the transfer was easily made.
+
+However it may have been with the others, Louis Belgrave was glad to get
+back to the ship, where he could sit by the side of Miss Blanche, and
+answer the many questions she was continually asking; for she had an
+inquiring mind. As she often remarked, Louis always seemed to know all
+about everything. Perhaps if he had been with the party all the time, he
+might have lost some portion of his reputation as a walking
+encyclopaedia; for when he was to be with her on any excursion, he took
+extraordinary pains to post himself upon the topics likely to be
+considered.
+
+"You notice that post near the siding," said Captain Ringgold when the
+party on the promenade had been re-enforced by the addition of the young
+men, and the steamer began to move again. "That is one of the five
+kilometre posts; and you will find them all the way to the Red Sea."
+
+"What is a kilometre?" inquired Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"I have talked so much that I will ask Mr. Belgrave to explain it,"
+replied the captain.
+
+"It belongs to the French metrical system, which most people have come
+to believe is the best in the world. I suppose everybody here knows what
+a meridian is, for it was explained when we were talking about great
+circles and geographical or sea miles. A meridian is a great circle
+reaching around the earth, and passing through the equator and the
+poles. A quadrant of a meridian is the quarter of a meridian, extending
+from the equator to either pole. This is something that does not vary in
+extent. A commission of five learned men, especially in mathematics, was
+appointed by the French Academy, at the instance of the government, to
+adopt a standard, and they made it a metre, which is the ten millionth
+part of the quadrant of a meridian. The metre is 3.28 feet of our
+measure, with five more decimal places after it.
+
+"Ten metres make a decametre, and one thousand metres make a kilometre,
+and ten thousand metres make a myriametre. Without bothering with all
+these decimals, a kilometre is about five-eighths of a mile. Five
+kilometres make three miles and one-tenth, which is the distance between
+these posts," said Louis in conclusion.
+
+"How came you to be so ready with your explanation, Mr. Belgrave?" asked
+Miss Blanche, with a pleasant smile of approval.
+
+"Captain Scott had talked the whole thing to us on board of the Maud
+while he steered the steamer," replied Louis.
+
+"But he knows five times as much about metres as I do; for I could not
+have explained the meridian business," interjected the captain of the
+Maud.
+
+"Five miles an hour is slow travelling; but it enables us to see the
+country, and also to talk about it," said Dr. Hawkes.
+
+"If you don't mean that I am talking too much, Doctor"--
+
+"I certainly do not mean that, and I hope you will keep it up,"
+interposed the surgeon.
+
+"Then I will say that the canal is run on the 'block system,' except on
+the lakes, where the ships can go at full speed," added the commander.
+
+"Where are the blocks? I don't see any," said Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"They are all along the canal."
+
+"I don't know what is meant by the block system," added Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"The railroads in England and the United States, or many of them, are
+run by this method. The whole length of the road, or canal in this case,
+is divided into short sections. On the railroad no train is permitted to
+enter a section till all other trains are out of it, and a collision is
+therefore impossible. The system is controlled by telegraph, by which
+signals are ordered at either end of the division. On the canal the
+director at Port Tewfik controls the movements of every ship on its
+passage either way. These posts mark the sections. You will learn more
+of it when we get to the other end of the canal."
+
+The breakfast gong sounded at this time, and the party were not so eager
+for knowledge as to pass over the morning meal.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE CANAL AND ITS SUGGESTIONS
+
+
+The tourists had been up long enough to be in excellent condition for
+breakfast; and the Asiatic breezes from the south-east were cool and
+refreshing, for they came from the mountains of the peninsula of Sinai,
+where Moses had received the law from Heaven. There was something
+inspiring in this thought to the minds of the more religious members of
+the party when the commander announced the proximity of the sacred
+mountain after he had asked the blessing.
+
+"How far is Mount Sinai from where we are now?" asked Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"I cannot tell you just how far it is at this moment, for my charts are
+in my cabin," replied Captain Ringgold. "We are not so near it as we
+shall be later; but you will all see it after we get into the Red Sea.
+We will defer the subject till that time; and I should not have
+mentioned it if the south-east wind had not suggested it."
+
+"I got a glance at an enormously big steamer ahead of us just as we were
+leaving the promenade," added Mr. Woolridge. "She looked as large as
+Noah's Ark, and appeared as though she was sailing over the land."
+
+"Perhaps she was quite as large; for the pilot tells me that the Ophir
+is just ahead of us," added the commander.
+
+"What is the Ophir?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"She is the largest of the Orient Line of steamers, and one of the
+finest ships in the world. I remember that in Smith's Dictionary of the
+Bible it says that the ark was larger than any British man-of-war; and
+probably the statement is still correct, though by a narrower margin
+than when the learned editor completed his work. The Empress of India
+and two other barbette ships of her class in the English navy have a
+displacement of 14,150 tons, and the last built Cunarder, the Lucania,
+exceeds 13,000 tons. The ark was 525 feet long, reducing her 300 cubits
+to our measure, which is about the length of the Ophir."
+
+"I should like to go on board of one of those great British steamers
+that sail to the other side of the earth," said Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Possibly we may have an opportunity to do so at Ismailia or Suez. I
+will ascertain when we arrive at these places," the captain replied to
+the lady; whose simple requests and hints were law to the gallant
+commander, who was a bachelor in the best possible preservation.
+
+The company returned to the promenade without any unnecessary delay; for
+all of them were interested in the canal itself, and in the sights to be
+seen on its shores. The great steamer ahead of the Guardian-Mother was
+much nearer than when the party went below, and it soon appeared that
+she had "taken the ground." But it proved to be only a temporary hitch,
+for she went ahead again before the American craft reached her.
+
+"They are at work all the time on the canal to prevent these accidents,
+and several changes have already been made in the original plan of the
+canal," said the commander. "Monsieur Lesseps, who projected this
+wonderful enterprise, and whose energy and perseverance carried it
+through to its completion, made a voyage through the canal in the
+Austral, one of the largest of the Orient Line, though not so large as
+the one ahead of us, for the purpose of observing any defects. The
+result has been that several improvements have been adopted which it is
+expected will remove all the difficulties."
+
+"Is Monsieur Lesseps still living, Captain?" inquired Captain Scott.
+
+"He is at the age of eighty-seven this year. His success with the Suez
+Canal led him to undertake the construction of the Panama Canal. The
+company was formed with the prestige of the great engineer's success on
+this isthmus, and the shares were readily sold. The work was begun; but
+it was a more difficult undertaking than Suez, and the company suspended
+payment four years ago. Speculators and 'boodlers' had 'monkeyed' with
+the finances, and the vast scheme is a failure. Whether it will ever be
+accomplished remains a question for the future."
+
+"The poor old man and his son were dragged into the mire, and were even
+committed to prison, though they were soon released," added Mr.
+Woolridge. "I think he was a great man, and I was exceedingly sorry for
+his misfortunes."
+
+"He will never receive the honor he deserves on our side of the
+Atlantic, I fear," added Captain Ringgold. "After rich and powerful
+potentates had rejected the scheme, Lesseps still cherished it. Over
+sixty years ago, when he was an employe in the office of the French
+consul at Tunis, he was sent to Alexandria on business. Here he was
+subjected to a residence of some time in quarantine. He was supplied
+with books by the French consul there, and among them was Lapere's
+Memoire. The author was Napoleon's engineer, whose report that the level
+of the two seas was not uniform, had set aside the schemes to connect
+them by a canal. Lesseps considered his views, and some years after made
+the acquaintance of Lieutenant Waghorn, favorably known in connection
+with the Overland Route to India by the way of Egypt. The route by
+descending the Euphrates River to the head of the Persian Gulf was also
+considered. It appears, therefore, that Lesseps was cogitating his great
+enterprise for nearly forty years before the work was completed."
+
+"I cannot see the immense importance of this canal as you gentlemen
+represent it; but I suppose it is because I am a woman," said Mrs.
+Belgrave.
+
+"It is of the greatest importance to England," replied Mr. Woolridge.
+"Over twenty-five hundred British vessels went through the canal in
+1888; for England has a vast empire in Asia, to say nothing of Australia
+and other colonies in the East. Of other nations of Europe, France sent
+two hundred and seventy-two ships through the canal, Holland one hundred
+and twenty-four, Germany one hundred and twenty-two, and others less
+than a hundred each."
+
+"But how many American vessels went through?" asked Captain Scott.
+
+"None were mentioned in the report I saw; and the number must have been
+very few. The canal is of vastly less importance to the United States
+than to England, France, Holland, and Spain, all of which have colonies
+in the East. Since the war, our maritime commerce has been immensely
+reduced, though our ships still make voyages to India, China, and
+various ports of the East. Then the distance saved to our vessels would
+be much less. Roughly estimated,--in fact, guessed at,--I should say
+that the distance from New York to Ceylon, near the southern cape of
+India, is four-fifths of that around Cape Good Hope. The heavy dues for
+passing through the canal are an item, and it would not pay to save two
+thousand five hundred miles out of twelve thousand five hundred."
+
+"But the saving from London to Bombay is forty-four per cent," added Mr.
+Woolridge. "From Marseilles to the same port it is nearly sixty per
+cent. The United States 'is not in it'"--
+
+"_Are_ not in it, papa," interposed Miss Blanche with a silvery laugh.
+
+"No, my dear; _is_ not in it," returned the magnate, with a loving
+smile. "I know the government is said to have ruled for the plural, but
+I don't accept the ruling. Why, what does _E pluribus Unum_ mean if not
+the singular number? For what did we fight the War of the Rebellion if
+not to prove that the United States _is_ one government, and _are_ not
+forty-four of them at the present moment."
+
+"But the grammar, papa?" asked Blanche.
+
+"The grammar is all right, my child. What are the news, Blanche? The
+company is or are, just as you pay your money and take your choice,"
+said the father, chucking the fair maiden under the chin.
+
+"Our friend is quite right, and, so far as the canal is concerned, the
+United States _is_ not in it," added the commander, laughing at the turn
+the conference had taken.
+
+"How far have we gone so far, Captain?" asked Miss Blanche.
+
+"Ten o'clock," he replied, consulting his watch. "We have been moving at
+this snail's pace for five hours, and made twenty-five miles, or forty
+kilometres. In five more we shall come to El Kantara, where the caravan
+route from Egypt into Asia crosses the canal."
+
+"Do the camels have to swim across the canal?" asked Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"They do not; but it cost the canal company some money to save them the
+trouble of doing so," replied the captain. "El Kantara means 'the
+bridge;' and there used to be one across the outlet of a lake there. The
+bridge was removed by the company, and a ferry substituted for it."
+
+"I suppose all vessels have to go through the canal in the daytime,"
+said Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"Not at all; the system of signals is arranged for day or night. Vessels
+with an electric search-light or projector which will show up an object
+three-quarters of a mile ahead are allowed to navigate the canal at
+night. We could do so if so disposed; but we wish to see the country.
+The channel is lighted at night by illuminated buoys."
+
+"What sort of boys?" inquired Mrs. Blossom, who was struggling to grow
+wise, and had a long distance to travel in that direction.
+
+"Iron ones," answered the captain.
+
+"Iron boys!" exclaimed the good lady. "How could they point out the way
+through the canal?"
+
+"They swim in the water, and the pilots understand the language they
+speak," said the commander gravely.
+
+"Iron boys that swim and speak!" ejaculated the excellent lady. "I think
+you must be fooling with us, Captain Ringgold."
+
+"You have put your foot in it again!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave in a
+whisper. "Don't say another word!"
+
+"A buoy is a floating body in the shape of two inverted cones united at
+their bases, made of copper or plate iron. They are used all over the
+world to mark the bounds of channels, sometimes with fog-bells on them,
+rung by the action of the waves," continued the commander. "They are
+moored to the bottom here as elsewhere, and have a gas-light burning on
+them all the time."
+
+"A gas-light!" exclaimed Mrs. Woolridge; "where is the gas-house?"
+
+"There are several of them on the canal, and not one for each buoy,
+which is filled with gas, and contains a supply that will last for six
+weeks. Some folks who never went to sea suppose a lighthouse is to give
+light on the water, when they are only to mark certain localities, and
+to give ranges to navigators. These buoys are for the same purpose, and
+not to light up the canal. But here is El Kantara."
+
+"I think you said this place was on the road to Syria," said the
+magnate. "People who go to the Holy Land from Egypt, and most of them do
+go that way, take a steamer from Alexandria to Joppa, or Jaffa as it is
+now generally called, and do not go by camel-back over this road."
+
+"They do not; but they may go over it at some time in the near future,"
+added Professor Giroud. "The Egypto-Syrian Railroad has been projected,
+and it is to pass over this route."
+
+The travellers found quite a village at El Kantara, with a hotel, and
+other places for the refreshment of travellers. Passengers from the
+steamers seldom land here. The ship proceeded on her way, and the party
+caught a glimpse at a boat-load of camels crossing the canal. From this
+place to Fort Said the course had been perfectly straight through Lake
+Menzaleh, which ends here.
+
+"If you will look to the left," said the commander after a time, "you
+will see a considerable body of water. That is the upper part of Lake
+Balah, through which the canal passes. About a mile and a half distant
+is a lot of sandstone rocks like that of the Memnon statues. They appear
+to belong to an altar, and the inscription informs the visitor who can
+read it that they were parts of a temple erected by Seti I. in honor of
+his father, Ramses I., and completed by Ramses II., his son. There may
+have been a city here, but there are no signs of it now."
+
+The steamer passed through the Balah Lakes; for there are several of
+them, containing some islands. The canal is protected by high banks of
+yellow sand, and beyond is the desert, with hills in the distance.
+Coming out of the lakes, the canal passed through a deep cutting, which
+was the worst place encountered in doing the work. It is the highest
+ground on the isthmus, averaging fifty-two feet above the sea; and a
+ridge of this territory is from seventy to one hundred feet high,
+through which the digging had to be carried. There are some curves here,
+the canal is the narrowest in all its course, and vessels more
+frequently get aground here than in any other portion. The road to Syria
+passed over this elevation, which is called "the causeway" in Arabic.
+
+The Ophir went through without sticking in the sand, and the
+Guardian-Mother was likely to do as well. A solitary mosque and a chalet
+of the Khedive were passed, and the ship was approaching Lake Timsah
+when the gong sounded for lunch, and the air of the desert had given the
+tourists an appetite which caused them to evacuate the promenade with
+hasty steps.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE MYSTERIOUS ARAB IN A NEW SUIT
+
+
+The cabin party of the Guardian-Mother were on the promenade in time to
+observe the entrance into Lake Timsah. It is near the seventy-five
+kilometre post from Port Said, or half way through the canal to the head
+of the Gulf of Suez, the most northern portion of the Red Sea. The city
+of Suez is several miles to the south-west of this point; for Lesseps,
+for some reason said to be political, avoided the old town, and carried
+the canal to the other side of the inlet, and below it.
+
+Lake Timsah has an area of about six square miles. It is not a deep body
+of water, and the canal had to be built through it as through Lake
+Menzaleh. Its water is now of a pale blue, very pretty to look at.
+Before any work was done here, it was a mere pond, filled with reeds;
+but it has been cleaned out and made more healthy for the surrounding
+country.
+
+On its northern shore is the town of Ismailia, having about two thousand
+inhabitants, which has become a place of some importance. The railroad
+from Cairo is extended to it by a branch, the main line following the
+canal to Suez. It has a couple of hotels; and its principal square, on
+which the best one is situated, has the name of Place Champollion,
+showing that the French remember their learned men.
+
+While the canal was in process of construction, Ismailia was the centre
+of operations. It was handsomely laid out, not unlike the city of
+Washington, which is one of the handsomest in the world; but, like the
+new places in our great West, it was built in a hurry, under the
+pressure of a drive of business, and the sanitary conditions were
+neglected. The important fresh-water canal, which is near the railroad
+all the way from the Nile, furnishes the only drinking-water of this
+town and of Suez; but the sewers of the new town had no other outlet.
+
+Of course the town was soon invaded by fever, which caused it to be
+deserted; and it has never recovered its former prosperity, though not
+wholly for this reason, for the completion of the canal destroyed its
+business basis. Ismailia was the focal point of the great ceremonials at
+the opening of the canal. The Empress Eugenie of France, the Emperor
+Frederick of Germany, then crown-prince, and other noted persons, were
+present; and the celebration is said to have cost the Khedive twenty
+million dollars.
+
+The town has improved somewhat of late; the viceroy's chateau, which had
+become much dilapidated, has been restored, and portions of the desert,
+irrigated from the canal, have been transformed into fine gardens.
+Though the climate is agreeable and the air dry, it is not likely to
+become a pleasure resort. A couple of small steamers run from this port
+to Port Said, while the railroad connects it with Suez.
+
+The steamer remained a couple of hours at the station, as did the Ophir;
+and the commander obtained permission for the ladies to pay her a visit.
+She is a magnificent specimen of naval architecture. Her saloon,
+staterooms, drawing-room on the upper deck, were magnificent apartments,
+most luxuriously furnished. Her appointments for second-class passengers
+were extensive and very comfortable, far better than on many Atlantic
+steamers.
+
+The ubiquitous donkey, and especially the donkey-boy, were here; and the
+"Big Four," with the exception of Louis Belgrave, who attended Miss
+Blanche on the visit to the Ophir, accompanied by Don, went on a frolic
+to the town. They made a great noise and waked up the place, but they
+committed no excesses. When they returned to the ship, they found Louis
+and Miss Blanche showing the captain and the surgeon of the big steamer
+over the Guardian-Mother. The beautiful young lady had evidently
+fascinated them, and they had been extremely polite to the party,
+perhaps on her account. They appeared to be interested in the
+steam-yacht, and expressed their belief that nothing more comfortable
+and elegant floated.
+
+The steamers got under way again, and proceeded through one of the two
+channels through the blue lake. The ladies waved their handkerchiefs to
+the officers and passengers of the Ophir; and their greetings were
+heartily reciprocated, for the American party had plainly made an
+impression upon the English people, partly perhaps by the style in which
+they travelled, but probably more by the beauty of the ladies, with Miss
+Blanche as princess, and the others were under forty and still
+good-looking. The lake is only five miles long, and the steamers soon
+passed into the cut at the south of it.
+
+"Along this region many ruins have been found, some of them of Persian
+structures," said the commander after the ship had left the lake.
+"Pharaoh-Necho, 600 B.C., built a canal from Suez to Lake Timsah, with
+gates, which Herodotus describes, and informs us that the vessels of the
+period went through it in four days."
+
+"I wish you would tell us something about Herodotus, Captain, for his
+name has been frequently mentioned in Egypt," said Mrs. Woolridge.
+
+"And about Diodorus and Strabo, also mentioned in the lectures," added
+the magnate. "I have forgotten all that I ever knew about these
+gentlemen."
+
+"I am in the same boat, Captain," the doctor responded.
+
+"I shall leave those subjects to the professor. But we are approaching
+some objects of interest, and we will defer the matter to another time,"
+replied the commander. "Do you see a white dome on the starboard? That
+is the tomb of Shekh Ennedek; and it is rather a picturesque affair here
+in the midst of the desert."
+
+"Was he a fighting character?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Not at all; far from it. He was a wealthy Arab chief. He made the
+pilgrimage to Mecca, which is the duty of every faithful Mohammedan; and
+he seems to have been greatly impressed by it, for he gave his cattle
+and his lands to the poor, and spent the rest of his life on the
+greenish territory we have just passed through, in religious
+meditation."
+
+"He was a good man if he was a Mohammedan," added the lady.
+
+"We don't believe that all the good people in the world belong to our
+church," added the captain. "Do you all remember who Miriam was?"
+
+More than half the party could not remember.
+
+"She was the sister of Moses; and she first appears, doubtless as a
+young girl, watching the Nile-cradle of her infant brother. The land
+next south of Lake Timsah, made green by the water, is called Gebel
+Maryam, probably after the sister of Moses. She was a prophetess; but
+she found fault with the marriage of her brother, for which she was
+afflicted with Egyptian leprosy. As you find it in the Bible (Numbers
+xii.), Moses asked the Lord: 'Let her be shut out of the camp seven
+days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut
+out from the camp seven days.' An Arab legend points out this spot as
+the place where she spent that time, and from which it gets the name of
+Maryam."
+
+"That's nice, Captain Ringgold!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom. "I wish you
+would tell us more Bible stories."
+
+"Some people believe that the Mediterranean and the Red Seas were
+connected in some remote age of the world, or at least that the latter
+extended to the north as far as Lake Timsah," continued the commander,
+without noticing the suggestion of the amiable lady. "In proof of this
+supposition, certain shells found in the Mediterranean, but not in the
+Red Sea, have been thrown up in digging for the canal through Lake
+Timsah.
+
+"We are approaching what is called the Serapeum," said the captain.
+
+"What! more of them here? I thought we had used up all the Serapeums,"
+said the magnate with a laugh.
+
+"The present one is of a different sort," answered the commander. "But
+the ruins found in this vicinity were supposed to belong to a Serapeum
+such as several we have seen on the Nile; but Lepsius says they could
+not have been a part of a temple to Serapis, but were monuments built on
+the ancient canal by Darius.
+
+"It is high ground here, comparatively speaking; and you observe that
+the cutting of the water-way is through a rocky formation, with rather
+high banks on each side. There is quite a little village above; and, as
+it is getting dark, we shall pass the night here in the siding-basin."
+
+"Who is that man on the forecastle of the Maud?" asked Captain Scott as
+the little steamer came into the basin.
+
+"I don't know," replied Captain Ringgold. "I had not noticed him before.
+He looks like an Arab, though he is taller than most of them."
+
+A flight of steps ascended to the top of the embankment at the station
+of the little town. The Maud passed close to them on her way to her
+berth for the night. Abreast of them the Arab on the forecastle leaped
+ashore, but made a gesture as though the movement had given him pain. He
+went up the steps and disappeared.
+
+"Who was that man, Knott?" asked the captain when the seaman came on
+board of the ship.
+
+"I don't know, sir; I called upon him to give an account of himself as
+we were crossing Lake Timsah; but he could not understand me, pointed to
+his mouth, and shook his head, meaning that he could not speak English.
+He did not do any harm, so I let him alone; for Don was running the
+engine, and I did not like to call him from his duty. He kept his face
+covered up with a sort of veil, and would not say anything. I thought I
+would let him alone till we came to a stopping-place, and I could report
+to you."
+
+"When did he go on board of the Maud?" asked the captain.
+
+"I don't know, sir. The first time I saw him was on the lake. Spinner
+had the wheel, Don was in the engine-room, and the rest of the ship's
+company were on the upper deck looking at the sights. I inquired, but
+no one had seen him."
+
+"Did you ever see him before?"
+
+"I don't think I ever did, sir. He had on what looked like a new suit of
+Arab togs, and he kept his face covered up, as I said."
+
+If Captain Ringgold was not troubled, he was perplexed. He had observed
+the stranger distinctly as he went up the steps, but he could not
+identify him as a person he had ever seen before. Of course it came into
+his head at once that the tall Arab was Captain Mazagan, and he said as
+much to Scott.
+
+"We left him at the hotel at Port Said; how could he be here?" asked the
+captain of the Maud.
+
+"He must have smuggled himself on board of the little steamer when we
+were at Ismailia; for he was first seen out in the lake."
+
+"How could he have been at Ismailia?" Scott inquired.
+
+The commander went to his cabin, and looked over his "Bradshaw," in
+which he found that a steamer left Port Said at seven o'clock every
+morning, and arrived at Ismailia at noon. It was possible that Mazagan
+had come by this conveyance; and he gave Scott the information.
+
+"Probably he stopped at the station while we were on board of the Ophir,
+or your party had gone to the town," said the commander. "It was easy
+enough for him to stow himself away in the cabin of the Maud while no
+one but Philip was on board of her."
+
+"I supposed we had got to the end of the pirate when I saw him trotted
+on shore to the hotel," added Scott.
+
+"So did I, though he made some huge but very indefinite threats when I
+saw him last," mused the commander. "But why did he go on board of the
+Maud, when he could have gone to Suez by the railroad?"
+
+"I don't see," replied Scott. "He is a Moor, and must be as revengeful
+as his 'noble master,' as he calls him. It was the Maud that did his
+business for him, and I was at the wheel of her when she smashed into
+the side of the Fatime. I only hope his grudge is against me and not
+against Louis Belgrave."
+
+"You mention the idea I had in my mind when I asked why he went on board
+of the Maud, Captain Scott," said the commander. "Perhaps it is a lucky
+chance that I sent for the 'Big Four' so that they might hear all that
+was said about the scenes through which we were passing."
+
+"You mean that it may have been a lucky chance for Louis or for me; but
+I believe it is a luckier chance for the pirate, for I think I should
+have thrown him overboard if I had seen him on our deck," said Scott.
+
+"Then there would probably have been a fight on board of the Maud, and
+work made for our surgeon in your party. It may have been lucky for all
+that you were called on board of the ship. But we must take care that
+he does not resume his voyage in the morning with us."
+
+Captain Ringgold took all necessary precautions. A watch was kept on
+board of both vessels; and when they started on the remainder of the
+trip through the canal in the morning, nothing had been seen or heard of
+Mazagan. It was agreed that nothing had better be said about the matter;
+and when the cabin party, with the "Big Four," gathered on the promenade
+at five o'clock in the morning, not one of them, except the big and the
+little captain, suspected that an enemy was near, if the stranger really
+was Mazagan, of which they could not be sure.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+THE TOY OF THE TRANSIT MANAGER
+
+
+The village of Serapeum has had an existence of over twenty years; and
+its pleasant little gardens looked very inviting in the fresh morning
+air to the members of the cabin party as they took their places on the
+promenade, which had come to be about as well defined as their seats at
+the table. The air was soft and agreeable; and after their refreshing
+sleep the tourists were in excellent condition to enjoy the continued
+passage through the canal, of which, however, there were only about
+forty-one miles left, and the commander expected to be at Suez by noon.
+
+Captain Ringgold had not said anything to any person except Scott about
+the mysterious stranger with a veil over his face; but the ship and her
+consort had been well guarded over night, and a search for stowaways was
+made when the morning watch came on duty. Not even an Arab tramp could
+be found, and the commander was confident the tall Mussulman had not
+again found a hiding-place on board of either vessel.
+
+"We shall soon have a change of scene," said Captain Ringgold, as he
+joined the party on the promenade. "We are still in the desert, though
+the fresh-water canal makes a streak of green along its banks, for it
+extends to Suez, and even across the bay to the entrance of the canal."
+
+"The prospect is not very exciting just now," added Mr. Woolridge, as
+the screw began to turn, and the ship moved away from her moorings.
+
+"We shall come to the larger of the Bitter Lakes in less than an hour,"
+replied the captain. "There is nothing very exciting about them; but
+Brugsch identifies these lakes with the Marah of the Bible, though
+others do not agree with him. In Exodus xv. 23 we read," and the speaker
+took a paper from his pocket: "'And when they came to Marah, they could
+not drink of the waters ... for they were bitter: therefore the name of
+it was called Marah.' But the bitter spring which Moses sweetened by
+casting into it a tree is in the peninsula of Sinai."
+
+"Shall we go there?" asked Mrs. Blossom, beginning to be excited, as she
+always was when scriptural subjects came up in connection with the
+journey; and she had studied the Bible more than any other book, and
+probably more than all others combined.
+
+"At the proper time I shall have something to say about Mount Sinai, and
+I hope to place you in a position to see it in the distance; but at
+present we are not prepared to consider the matter. You can now see
+through the cutting an expanse of water, which is the great basin, as
+the larger lake is called.
+
+"As stated before, the Red Sea formerly extended to Lake Timsah, over
+forty miles farther than now, and the lakes before us were then a part
+of the sea. The deepest water was twenty-four to forty feet below the
+Mediterranean, with a heavy crust of salt on the bottom, though the
+smaller basin required a great deal of dredging. In the spring of 1869
+the Prince and Princess of Wales were present in this locality, and took
+part in the ceremonial of 'letting in the waters.'"
+
+"'Wails for the multitude of Egypt,'" added Uncle Moses.
+
+"Ezekiel, chapter and verse forgotten," replied the commander.
+
+"Thirty-two, eighteen," said the bulky lawyer.
+
+"Are there any whales in the lake?" asked Felix.
+
+"You can fish for them, my lad; but the particular Waleses of whom I
+spoke were not 'in it,'" continued the captain. "These Wales did not
+spout, though they probably said something; but they let in the water
+instead of blowing it out, as respectable whales do at sea. The waters
+of the two seas came together, and notwithstanding the joyousness of the
+occasion, the meeting was not altogether amiable and pleasant at first.
+Each representative of the different bodies seemed to pitch into the
+other, and the onslaught created a great commotion for a time. If they
+were ever united before in the distant past, they appeared to have
+forgotten all about it.
+
+"The war was short and decisive, and the waters soon settled down into a
+peaceful condition, as you will find them to-day. They have apparently
+shaken hands, and accepted the task of promoting the commerce of the
+world. But here we come to the great basin. The lake is about six miles
+wide. Here is the lighthouse, and there is another at the other end of
+it, each of them sixty-five feet high."
+
+The shores of the lake are flat and sandy, and the water is of a bluish
+green hue. There is a well-defined channel through it. As there is no
+longer any danger of washing the banks of the canal, steamers increase
+their speed, and the Guardian-Mother made the next twenty miles in less
+than two hours. As the captain had promised, it was a change of scene,
+and it was very agreeable to the party. In the distance could be seen
+the Geneffeh range of hills, which were a relief in the landscape from
+the desert. In them are rich quarries of marble and limestone which are
+profitably worked.
+
+The passage through the canal had become monotonous to the travellers
+after they had passed through the lakes, for it was a desert on both
+sides. Shortly after, the water-way was cut through sandstone, and after
+that the soil was clay, or a mixture of it with lime; but the last part
+of the course was through depths of sand again. The tide on the Red Sea
+rises from five to seven feet, and its flow extends about four miles up
+the canal.
+
+"Looking ahead, you can see an expanse of water, which means that we are
+coming to the end of our canal travel," said the commander. "I suppose
+no one will be sorry for it; for we have had all our social
+arrangements as usual, and there has been something to see and much to
+learn all the way."
+
+"It has not been at all like my canal travel at home," added Uncle
+Moses, who was the oldest person on board of the ship by one month, by
+which time Dr. Hawkes was his junior, and they were only fifty-four. "I
+went from Syracuse to Oswego by a canal boat when I was a young man. The
+trip was in the night, and I slept on a swinging shelf, held up by
+ropes; and we were bumping much of the time in the locks so that I did
+not sleep so well as I did last night. But what water have we ahead,
+Captain?"
+
+"It is an arm of the Gulf of Suez, which is itself one of the two great
+arms of the Red Sea."
+
+"It appears to be well armed," said Uncle Moses, who could be guilty of
+a pun on extreme provocation.
+
+"Like yourself, it is provided with two arms, but it does not shoot with
+them," replied the captain. "On our left are the ruins of Arsinoe, which
+was an ancient port, once called Crocodilopolis; and, by the way, Lake
+Timsah was once Crocodile Lake, and doubtless the saurians formerly
+sported in its waters."
+
+"About Arsinoe?" suggested the professor.
+
+"Probably you know more about it than I do, Professor."
+
+"I know little except that it was a commercial city of Egypt, built by
+Ptolemy II. The name is that of several females distinguished in one way
+or another in the ancient world, and the word is usually written with a
+diaeresis over the final _e_, so that it is pronounced as though it were
+written Arsinoey. The city thrived for a time, and was the emporium of
+eastern Egypt; but the perils of the navigation in the north of the Red
+Sea diverted the trade into other channels, and the place went to decay.
+It was named by Ptolemy after his sister, who was married at sixteen to
+the aged king of Thrace. There is a bloody story connected with her
+life, which I will not repeat; but in the end she fled to the protection
+of her brother in Egypt, and after the fashion of that age and country,
+he made her his wife."
+
+"You have not been in Asia any of you yet, or even as near that
+continent before as you are at this moment," continued the commander, as
+the ship passed out of the canal into the gulf.
+
+"I thought we had been in Asia," interposed Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Certainly we have," added half a dozen others.
+
+"Isn't Scutari in Asia, Captain?" asked the lady.
+
+"To be sure it is, and we all went over there from Constantinople,"
+replied the commander. "I had forgotten that, and you are not so
+innocent as I began to make it appear. But you have Asia on one side and
+Europe on the other."
+
+"Well, we had that on the Bosporus, when we made that trip to the Black
+Sea in the Maud," added the lady, who seemed to be pleased because she
+had caught the captain in a blunder.
+
+"Then you have been in all the grand divisions of the earth except South
+America, and I have no doubt you will go there before we come to the
+finish of this voyage. Here is the station; and you observe that there
+is a bridge across the canal by which the traveller can proceed to Suez,
+which you can see upon the point on the other side. The donkeys and
+donkey-boys abound here as everywhere in Egypt, and boats can be
+obtained to ferry you over to the town. But as we shall remain here a
+day or two, I think we had better go into the basin. We can then go
+where we please in the Maud."
+
+It was lunch time when the two vessels had been secured, and the party
+adjourned to the cabin. As soon as the meal was disposed of they
+returned to the upper deck, and seated themselves in the arm-chairs, for
+there was much to be seen. Port Tewfik is the proper name of the place
+at the station, but most of the people are Frenchmen, and they all call
+it Terreplein.
+
+"At this station the office of the canal company, which you can see from
+the deck, is located. It has a garden in front of it, on an avenue
+adorned with lebbec trees. You see that tall tower with balls and flags
+on it; and it is from this point that all the movements of vessels in
+the canal are controlled. But I think we had better land, and see it for
+ourselves."
+
+The company went on shore, and proceeded to promenade the environs. One
+of the first things that attracted their attention was a colossal bronze
+bust of Lieutenant Waghorn, who had been presented to them by Captain
+Ringgold in one of his talks. It was erected to his memory by the canal
+company, and is a graceful tribute of the French to the originator of
+the overland route. The inscription was in French, and Louis translated
+it for the benefit of the observers.
+
+"But I cannot translate the bass-relief on the bronze," he added.
+
+"That represents Lieutenant Waghorn embarking with the mails in an open
+boat at Suez, an incident that actually occurred. It is said that this
+gentleman, after spending the best years of his life in his efforts to
+establish a quicker route between England and her vast colonies, died in
+poverty in London in 1850; but I hope it is not true," the commander
+explained. "We will now apply for admission to the office of the
+manager."
+
+The permission was obtained, and the party ascended to the upper room of
+the building. Monsieur Chartrey, the superintendent of the transit
+department of the canal, was very polite to them, and explained
+everything to them in English. On a low table which occupied all one
+side of the apartment was what looked like a metal trough about fifteen
+feet long. A model of this apparatus was exhibited in England, and there
+it was called "the toy," a name which is still retained.
+
+On a shelf above the table are about fifty models of ships, each bearing
+the flag of some nation. The toy is a model of the canal, with its
+sidings, stations, and the lakes. When a ship enters the canal at
+either end, a little ship is placed in the relative position it
+occupies; and when one sails out of it, its representative in the trough
+is removed. All the stations are connected with this office by
+telegraph, just as the railroads are controlled in modern times; and
+when a vessel passes from one section, or block, it is reported to the
+manager. A man is always watching; and as news comes in, he makes the
+proper changes in the model ships. Where a steamer is to tie up for the
+night is ordered from this office.
+
+Monsieur Chartrey was very heartily thanked for his courtesy and
+kindness, and the party left to look at the docks, quays, and basins of
+Terreplein; but they were precisely the same as they had seen in various
+ports of Europe, especially at Havre. The commander had ordered the Maud
+to be in readiness for a trip, and it was decided to spend the rest of
+the afternoon at Suez.
+
+The first question the captain put on his return to the ship was as to
+whether anything had been seen of the mysterious Arab stranger; for the
+officers had been cautioned not to admit any person on board. Mr.
+Gaskette had remained on board of the Maud, and made the same report.
+With the four seamen who had attended the company up the Nile on board,
+and with the second officer and Don, the little steamer left her
+landing-place, provided with a pilot, and steamed by the channel over to
+the city of the desert, as it has been called.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+A VISIT TO THE SPRINGS OF MOSES
+
+
+The utility of the Maud was fully demonstrated at Suez, if there had
+been any doubt of it before, as a tender, and Captain Ringgold
+recognized it especially at this time; for the question of taking her
+out of the water, and giving her a place on the upper deck, had been
+referred to this point in the voyage, and it was yet to be settled.
+
+Port Ibrahim is the walled basin south-west of Port Tewfik, or
+Terreplein as the French call it, extending out to the deep water of the
+Gulf of Suez. The shores are bordered with a shoal in every part. To a
+practical person the motive of De Lesseps in avoiding the city of Suez
+was probably to strike the water at the deepest point, rather than
+political.
+
+The party took their places in the standing-room of the Maud, which had
+been prepared for their reception. The "Big Four" were again in their
+element, though the pilot had everything his own way. A channel
+describes about a quarter of a circle from the deep water and the very
+end of the canal to the north side of the city, in which there is depth
+enough for the smaller class of vessels engaged in its commerce.
+
+Most of these crafts were dhows, similar to the felucca with which the
+party had become familiar in the Archipelago, and the boys observed one
+just astern of them with great interest. They are used on the Malabar
+Coast in the East Indies as well as in the Red Sea, where it is called a
+_baggala_, though dhow is the more common name in the far East. They are
+over two hundred tons burden, and of all sizes below that. They have
+been used for commerce and piracy, which is also true of the felucca of
+the Mediterranean.
+
+"She sails like the wind," said Captain Scott, after they had looked the
+craft over.
+
+"She is bigger than the Samothraki, whose acquaintance we made in
+Pournea Bay," added Morris.
+
+"I have read something of the craft in stories about the Malays; and a
+craft of that sort suggests piracy to me every time, especially since
+our experience in the Archipelago," replied Scott.
+
+"There are no pirates up here," said the pilot with a laugh, for he
+spoke English and understood all that was said.
+
+"What do those dhows bring up here?" asked Louis.
+
+"Coffee from the ports of Arabia, spices, gums, senna, rose-leaves, and
+other drugs and perfumes," replied the pilot.
+
+"What becomes of these articles then?"
+
+"Some of them are used in Suez; but most of them go by the railroad to
+Cairo, or other parts of Egypt, and I suppose some of them get to
+Europe and America."
+
+"They are all rather costly merchandise, and one of those dhows can
+carry a big freight of them," added Louis, as he went aft, for Miss
+Blanche was there.
+
+The pilot brought the Maud up to the custom-house quay; and the dhow,
+which was not far behind the little steamer, came alongside the pier
+near her. The company landed, and proceeded to do the town. The pilot
+appeared to be a Frenchman, and he volunteered to act as a guide for the
+strangers. They found the streets very narrow, and not in the best
+condition. They passed over to the south side of the city, where they
+obtained a fine view of the Gulf of Suez.
+
+"Across the water you see the Ataka Mountains, about 2,700 feet high;
+and sometimes they show the colors of the garnet and amethyst. A fine
+view is obtained from the top of them, but it would give you a hard
+climb," said the guide. "On the other side of the bay it is Asia, Arabia
+Petraea."
+
+"We shall go down to the Springs of Moses to-morrow," added the
+commander. "Are you a pilot in that direction?"
+
+"In all directions, Captain," answered the pilot. "Here is the Hotel
+Suez quite near us, if you wish to visit it."
+
+"We have no occasion to do so."
+
+"It is a first-class house, fitted up in English style, and kept by a
+German."
+
+"What is the price there by the day?" asked the captain from curiosity.
+
+"Sixteen shillings for the best fare."
+
+"Four dollars a day."
+
+"But they have two prices. I have been to New York, and over some of
+America, as I have over the rest of the world, and I know your money.
+For people like yourself, who want the best, breakfast or tiffin is one
+dollar."
+
+"Breakfast or what?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"Tiffin," the commander explained. "It means luncheon, and is used by
+English people in India."
+
+"Dinner a dollar and a half. The rooms are at different prices. For the
+second-class fare the prices are just half as much as the first."
+
+"There are a couple of the waiters," said Mrs. Woolridge. "They are
+nice-looking men, not very black."
+
+"They come from India, and make better servants than Arabs," added the
+guide.
+
+"How slender their forms, and what delicate features they have!"
+exclaimed the New York lady.
+
+"You are likely to see a good many of them in the course of the next
+month or two," suggested the captain, as the walk was continued in the
+town. "The houses are about the same as they were in other parts of
+Egypt, and they have the same ornamented lattices behind which the
+ladies inside can see you without being seen."
+
+The party looked into the quarters of the Arabian sailors, consisting
+of low hovels, but did not enter. The population of the town is now
+about 15,000. Before the time of the canal, it was an Arab village of
+1,500, with low mud shanties. It was like the desert around it; for no
+water was there to brighten the foliage, if there was any, for not a
+tree or a plant was to be seen. The water used was of poor quality,
+brought from the Springs of Moses by camels and donkeys. It was a
+poverty-stricken place. But the opening of the fresh-water canal from
+the Nile vivified everything, and vegetation has come into being since
+this event.
+
+The party examined this canal, to which the place is so much indebted
+for its present appearance, as well as no little of its prosperity. It
+is six and a half feet above the level of the Red Sea, and its flow into
+the conduits for the supply of the city, as well as the waste into the
+sea, is regulated by a large lock, with gates. Near this they found the
+camel-camp, and not less than five hundred of these animals were there
+at the time; and the pilot said he had seen as many as a thousand of
+them there at once. They form the caravans to and from Arabia and Egypt,
+as well as into Syria.
+
+The tourists climbed a little hill near the chateau of the Khedive, from
+which they obtained a fine view of the surroundings, which included
+parts of Asia and of Africa. This elevation is said to be the site of
+the ancient Clysma, a fortified place, built to protect the ancient
+canal of Darius. The party, especially the "Cupids," were beginning to
+be fatigued; and the guide conducted them to the pier, which is a
+notable feature of the locality.
+
+"This pier is a mile and three-quarters in length, and reaches over to
+Port Ibrahim, conveying there a conduit from the fresh-water canal,"
+said the pilot in a perfunctory manner, as though he had had
+considerable experience as a guide. "It is forty-eight feet wide, and is
+built of artificial stone, like the great piers at Fort Said. It is
+erected on a sand-bank, which curves around in the shape you see the
+pier. The land you observe at the end of it, about fifty acres of it,
+was made out of the earth dug out of the canal. The building you see
+near the shore is a mosque; and there are several others. We will walk
+along the shore to the little steamer."
+
+The travellers were occasionally assailed by a mob of donkey-boys; but
+no notice of them was taken, and they reached the Hotel Suez near the
+landing-place. The guide pointed out an island near the shore on which
+was located the English Cemetery. There are at the west of the town an
+English and a French hospital. The party embarked, and the guide went to
+the pilot house. In a few minutes more they were on board of the ship.
+
+It was not yet dinner time, and the arrangements for the trip to the
+Springs of Moses were made. In the evening, attended by the pilot, Felix
+and Captain Scott went over to the town again, instructed to visit the
+hotels and ascertain, if they could, whether the veiled Arab was
+lodging at any of them. While they were absent the company in the cabin
+reviewed the pilgrimage of the Israelites, and the events which led to
+the receiving of the Law by Moses on Mount Sinai, in which the commander
+conducted the inquiry, and read many passages from Exodus and Numbers.
+
+About ten o'clock in the evening Captain Scott and Felix reported the
+result of their mission. The pilot was well acquainted with the keeper
+of the Hotel Suez, and the information desired had been readily
+obtained. A person answering to the description, though he wore no veil,
+had come to the hotel. He was suffering much pain from a lame shoulder,
+and had gone to the French hospital for treatment. They had inquired
+about "Monsieur Abdelkhalik," as he had given his name at the hotel, and
+were informed that he was "comfortable," which was all the attendants
+would say.
+
+The commander sent for Dr. Hawkes, and told him about his former
+patient. Mazagan had been very imprudent and even reckless, and his
+present condition was simply what might have been expected, was the
+doctor's reply. He might be out again in a week, not sooner, and might
+not for a month. The captain was satisfied there would be no further
+movement on the part of the pirate while he remained at Suez.
+
+After breakfast the party embarked again in the Maud. Four sailors in
+charge of Knott were sent on board, and the first cutter of the ship was
+taken in tow, to be used in making the landing. The men remained on the
+forecastle, and the pilot and Knott were already good friends. But the
+"Big Four" were requested to stay with the party at the stern. The
+little steamer went out of the basin and down the canal to the bay. As
+soon as she came into the open water, the commander took the floor.
+
+"On your right is Africa; on your left is Asia. You have probably had
+enough of Egypt, and now we will confine our attention to Asia; and we
+have pleasant Asiatic breezes from the east this morning. The country on
+your left is Arabia, and nearest to you is the Peninsula of Sinai. It
+has the Gulf of Suez on its west shore, and the Gulf of Akaba on its
+east coast. I spoke to you of Brugsch's theory that the Israelites
+journeyed east, with some diversions by divine command, till they came
+to the Sarbonic Lake, in which he said that Pharaoh and his host
+perished.
+
+"Now you are on that portion of the Red Sea where it is more generally
+believed that the fugitives crossed and Pharaoh's army was ingulfed. The
+king heard that the wanderers had not passed the fortifications on the
+isthmus, and he believed they were 'entangled in the land.' Then he
+began the pursuit, with 'the six hundred chosen chariots.' The
+Israelites fled before him, and crossed the waters in the manner
+described in the Scriptures.
+
+"Setting aside the miracle of the parted waves, there are still doubting
+critics who affirm that they crossed the gulf at low tide on these
+sands where the pier is built, as was frequently done by caravans before
+the canal was built. The Egyptians continued the pursuit, reaching the
+gulf before the tide turned, and attempted to follow them; but a strong
+south-west gale sprang up, driving the waters furiously before it, to
+the utter destruction of the whole army and its chariots.
+
+"But I accept the narrative as it is written (Exodus xiv.); and I should
+like to argue the case with any one who takes the view of Brugsch, or
+other critics who try to explain the miracle on natural grounds."
+
+The pilot anchored the Maud as near the shore as the depth would permit,
+and the party were taken ashore by the sailors in the cutter. The
+springs are about a mile from the landing, and the walk through the sand
+of the desert was trying to the ladies and to the fat gentlemen. The
+pilot acted as guide.
+
+"Ain Musa, as it is called, is an oasis a mile and a quarter in
+circumference. As you see, it is covered with date-palms, tamarisks, and
+acacias, and everything grows luxuriantly," the Frenchman began. "The
+Arabs who live in the mud hovels you see, raise fine vegetables here;
+and, like all Arabs, they will expect a bakshish."
+
+The springs were found to consist of several pools of rather muddy
+water. The largest of them, shut in by an old wall, is said to be the
+one called forth by the rod of Moses from the rock; but the tradition
+is accommodating, and, if you choose, it is the one whose bitter waters
+were sweetened by the casting in of the tree.
+
+The party had brought a luncheon with them, and it was served by Sparks
+at the usual hour. They had a delightful time under the trees, and
+listened to an explanation by the professor of the natural formation of
+the springs. In the middle of the afternoon they embarked, and returned
+to the ship in the canal basin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+THE VARIOUS ROUTES TO MOUNT SINAI
+
+
+The next day was Sunday; and, in accordance with the custom from the
+beginning of the voyage, no unnecessary work was required to be done by
+any person, and the business of sight-seeing was discontinued. But all
+were at liberty to observe the day in their own way. Religious services
+were conducted by the commander on the deck or in the cabin, which were
+usually attended by all. Most of them went to church on shore when it
+was convenient; but going to see the edifice or the pictures they did
+not regard as a devotional exercise.
+
+It was a warm and pleasant day for the seventeenth of January, in
+latitude 30 deg., about the same as New Orleans or the northern part of
+Florida; and the service was held in Conference Hall, as the carpeted
+section of the promenade deck had come to be called. The captain began
+the exercises by reading selections from Exodus xv.:--
+
+"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and
+spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed
+gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The
+Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my
+God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God, and I will
+exalt him.... Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea:
+his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have
+covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone."
+
+Several "Gospel Hymns" were sung, and the sermon read by the commander
+was as nearly fitted to the surroundings as any he could find in his
+collection. After the service Mrs. Blossom struck up "Turn back
+Pharaoh's Army, Hallelu!" in which those who knew this Jubilee Singers'
+melody joined. The conversation that followed naturally turned in the
+direction of the Peninsula of Sinai, which they could see from the deck.
+
+"Are we going to Mount Sinai, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, in
+a rather decided tone for her, as though she intended to have the
+question settled this time.
+
+A great deal had been said by the ladies from Von Blonk Park in relation
+to this proposed excursion; but for some reason of his own the commander
+had not yet given a definite answer. They all attended the same church
+at home, and the captain and the two ladies were members of it. While
+the others of the party were deeply interested in the Biblical history,
+they were not so enthusiastic as the two ladies mentioned.
+
+"Are we going to Mount Sinai?" replied the commander, repeating the
+question of the owner's mother, "No!"
+
+It was a decided "no" this time, and the jaws of the two Von Blonk
+Parkites suddenly dropped. Everybody in the company knew that the
+commander would do anything, even to swimming across the gulf where the
+children of Israel had walked over, to oblige her, and they were very
+much surprised at the emphatic negative.
+
+"I shall not finally decide this interesting question without giving my
+reasons," continued Captain Ringgold. "It would be an extremely
+interesting excursion to me, as well as to the others. Though I have
+been to Suez before, I have not made the trip, and I should be as glad
+to go as any person present. Many travellers go there, especially
+clergymen, to whom it is in a sense professional, aside from the
+interest their studies would naturally create in the subject, and the
+excursion finds a place in many excellent books of travel. I do not
+consult my own personal desires so much as the situation and
+circumstances in which we are placed.
+
+"Although we call our voyage an All-Over-the-World affair, the title is
+considerably exaggerated in the truest and most literal sense; for if we
+devoted the rest of our natural lives to the work, we could not go
+everywhere. It is impossible to visit every country on the earth even,
+and we must use judgment and discretion in determining where we will go.
+We are travelling by sea, making only such excursions inland as the
+facilities of the country we visit will conveniently permit. Such trips
+as we make of this kind must be regulated or controlled by conditions
+over which we have no influence.
+
+"Times and seasons form an important consideration. We are going to
+India, and the season is advancing. The southern end of the Red Sea is
+in latitude 12 deg. north, where you are likely to see some hot weather;
+and the longer we delay, the hotter it will be. We shall sail from here
+Tuesday morning; and if we do not make a run up into the Persian Gulf,
+we shall probably be at Bombay by the first of next month. That city is
+in latitude 19 deg., or about that of the south side of Cuba, of which you
+know something. We shall see plenty of extremely hot weather, but we
+wish to avoid it as much as possible.
+
+"There are several routes to Mount Sinai, three from Suez, and two from
+ports south of it. It will take from two weeks by the shortest route to
+four by the others. It is a very fatiguing journey if made with due
+diligence, and it would require a full month for us to see the country
+properly. My first objection is the time it would require.
+
+"In the next place, the expense is from forty to fifty francs a day,
+eight to ten dollars, for each person, over a hundred dollars a day. If
+the result justified it, I should not object to the expense, and I don't
+think Uncle Moses would. There are no hotels in this region, and you
+would have to camp out, live in hovels, or at best in the monastery; and
+the trip would involve a great deal of discomfort to persons not
+accustomed to roughing it. The 'Big Four' might make a pleasant affair
+of it, but most of the others would not.
+
+"All the preparations for the excursion have to be made at Cairo, where
+dragomans who contract to supply tents, camels, food, and everything
+required are to be found, and I was approached by three of them at
+Shepheard's Hotel."
+
+"Then the trip seems to be impossible now, and it is useless to talk
+about it," suggested Mr. Woolridge; and the captain thought he could
+perceive an expression of relief on his face.
+
+"It is not impossible," added the commander with a smile. "We can go to
+Tur, 140 miles south of Suez, and there we shall find camels and a
+contractor, though perhaps not for so large a company. I do not think
+our party would enjoy the trip whichever way we might go. It is a rough
+country, a group of mountains. The Monastery is 5,014 feet high, and it
+must be cold weather up there in January. The Jebel Musa, which is
+usually regarded as the Holy Mountain, is 7,363 feet high; but even
+Mount Sinai itself is disputed ground, and the question 'Is Mount Serbal
+the Sinai of Scripture?' is discussed by the critics. Serbal is 8,712
+feet high, the loftiest, I believe, on the peninsula, and is nearer to
+the gulf than the others.
+
+"I believe the discomfort and exposure of the trip render it
+impracticable at the present time and at the present season. The
+guide-books indicate the months of March and April as the best for the
+excursion; and it is too early to go now with comfort, not to say
+enjoyment. Of course I do not know what Mr. Belgrave, under the advice
+of his guardian and trustee, will do with the Guardian-Mother when our
+present voyage shall be completed; but if he should retain the steamer,
+I should recommend him to make a trip across the ocean at the right
+time, and up the Mediterranean, by the Gulf of Iskanderun to
+Alexandretta, which is near the head waters of the Euphrates River, a
+proposed route to India by the Persian Gulf, of which I may have
+something to say another day.
+
+"From this city the steamer could take in the ports of the Holy Land, or
+her passengers could journey through Syria by land, with tents and
+dragoman. The ship could then be left at Port Said, the party could come
+through the canal to Suez in the Maud, or by some other conveyance, and
+then make a business of exploring the Peninsula of Sinai," said the
+commander in conclusion.
+
+"That arrangement would suit me much better," added Mrs. Belgrave. "I
+have been groaning at the necessity of going home without seeing the
+Holy Land. I shall keep this plan in my mind as one to be carried out in
+a couple of years if my son does not object to it."
+
+"The Guardian-Mother shall not go out of commission until this voyage is
+completed," replied Louis promptly. "Captain Ringgold is engaged as
+commander for life, and he will attend to the accomplishment of my
+mother's wishes."
+
+"I thank you, Mr. Belgrave, for the confidence thus reposed in me, and I
+shall be most happy to command the steamer on such a voyage," replied
+the captain. "We cannot calculate on events of the future with too much
+assurance."
+
+The day passed away quietly with reading and singing, and very early in
+the morning the passengers heard an unusual sound of activity on the
+part of the ship's company. The captain had given orders the night
+before to have everything made ready for hoisting on deck the Maud. He
+had announced his intention to the "Big Four" in his cabin, and given
+his reasons for his decision. Scott and Felix regretted this change in
+the programme of the voyage more than the other two.
+
+"The Red Sea is sometimes a very stormy place," said the commander. "I
+have feared more than anything else when you have been sailing in the
+Maud that she might get separated from the ship in a fog, or in some
+other manner, and that the little steamer might come to grief, however
+well she might be handled; for she certainly is not large enough for an
+independent voyage.
+
+"In the very last paper I received from New York, I read of a new
+steam-yacht to be built by a millionaire for the voyage around the world
+which has lately become the fad of millionaires. One item struck my
+attention; that she was to be armed with four cannon whose calibre was
+not given, as well as with a supply of small arms. The wealthy voyager
+was afraid of pirates, or some other freebooters on the Malabar and
+Malay coasts, as well as among the islands of the Indian Ocean and those
+of the Pacific.
+
+"As you are aware, I took the same precautions myself; and I only regret
+now that I did not take on board more guns and small arms. We have had
+occasion to use our twelve-pounders on one occasion, and perhaps, if the
+ship had reached the coast of Cyprus at the time I expected, I might
+have found them useful. I do not anticipate any trouble from native
+pirates wherever we may go; but I think the Maud is a temptation to
+Arabs and other natives.
+
+"In 1882 Edward Henry Palmer, an Englishman, while on a peaceful mission
+with two officers of the British service, was murdered by the natives,
+with his two companions, near Suez, but on the other side of the gulf.
+If I were sure that the ship could always be near enough to defend the
+little steamer if attacked, I should feel different about it. Then we
+are liable to encounter fearful storms, cyclones, in the Indian Ocean,
+and I think it is more prudent to have the little craft on our deck,
+rather than in the water."
+
+Neither Captain Scott nor Felix was disposed to argue the question, and
+they said nothing. Early in the morning the work of preparation began
+with the removal of everything heavy from the Maud that was not a
+fixture. She was a large steam-launch to be hoisted on the deck of a
+steamer no larger than the Guardian-Mother; but the task was
+satisfactorily accomplished by lunch-time. The afternoon was used in
+bracing the craft in her position, and putting everything around her in
+ship-shape condition.
+
+The space occupied by Conference Hall had been taken; but the captain
+had set the carpenter at work to extend the promenade six feet aft, and
+the work was completed before night. The carpet was laid, and the
+arm-chairs removed to the new Conference Hall. The awning overhead was
+to be lengthened out by the sailmakers among the crew.
+
+Mr. Shafter had always insisted that his force was too small, and the
+captain admitted the truth of his position. Felipe Garcias had stood on
+the books of the ship as third engineer for several months; and John
+Donald was made fourth engineer. The chief was entirely satisfied with
+the appointments. Pitts returned to his place on the forecastle as a
+seaman. The "Big Four" had staterooms in the cabin. After all, the
+change was only the restoration of the old order of things before the
+ship arrived at Gibraltar.
+
+At daylight the next morning the Guardian-Mother hauled out of the
+basin, and started on her voyage for the other extremity of the Red
+Sea.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII
+
+THE CONFERENCE ON THE PROMENADE
+
+
+The promenade did not wholly change its name after it became Conference
+Hall, and had been enlarged and improved. It was as popular a resort as
+it had ever been when the ship was under way and there was anything to
+be seen. The place was occupied when the ship hauled out of the basin in
+the early morning of January 19; for the passengers had all asked to be
+called at five o'clock.
+
+It seemed a little strange to go to sea without the Maud astern, and
+with the principal members of her ship's company seated with the others
+on the promenade. The commander had engaged a pilot for the whole length
+of the Red Sea; for it is full of rocks and reefs, making the navigation
+difficult and dangerous, though it has been thoroughly surveyed, and the
+chart is speckled with small islands and coral reefs.
+
+"I could give you the Arabic names of some of the surroundings as we
+proceed," said the captain, who had taken a position where he could
+observe the movements of the vessel, and it enabled him to look into the
+pilot-house through the after windows when he desired to do so.
+
+"Please don't, Captain Ringgold!" exclaimed Mrs. Belgrave. "It makes my
+jaws ache even to hear them."
+
+"But there are some things which have no other names, and they must
+sometimes be used. That buoy on the starboard has no English name; but
+it is of no consequence, and I will not try to speak it. On the opposite
+shore is the Gebel Ataka, which you have noticed before. By this time
+you have learned that gebel is a mountain, and _jebel_, as you will find
+it on your map of the Peninsula of Sinai, means the same thing. _Ras_ is
+a cape. Formerly I knew many more words than now; for it is very easy to
+forget a foreign language."
+
+"There is a lightship on the starboard," said Louis, who was seated
+between his mother and Miss Blanche.
+
+"That is the Zenobia, on Newport Rock," added the captain. "Now look to
+the shore on the left, which is called Abu Darraj. Perhaps you had
+better write it down and remember it; for the people in this vicinity
+believe the Israelites crossed the Red Sea where the ship is at this
+moment. The water was formerly very shallow here, and a passage for
+vessels had to be dredged through it. Napoleon and some of his generals
+were here, and tried to cross over on horseback; but the sea served him
+as it did Pharaoh and his army; the wind changed, and the tide rolled in
+so that he was compelled to retreat."
+
+There was nothing more to be explained, and the commander went to the
+pilot-house; but the air was delightfully pleasant, and the sun rising
+over the mountains of the peninsula was a beautiful sight. The ladies
+were in raptures, and some of the gentlemen shared the enthusiasm. The
+boys left their seats, and walked about the upper deck. Then Miss
+Blanche thought she had better walk for a time before breakfast, and
+very soon the whole party were occupied in the same manner. The
+commander had appointed a conference at nine o'clock, and several
+interesting subjects were to be considered.
+
+Captain Ringgold was not disposed to drive his ship at her best speed,
+which was over sixteen knots an hour; but he had instructed Mr. Shafter,
+the chief engineer, to give her about fourteen knots, for she was more
+comfortable at this rate than when forced to do her utmost, to say
+nothing of the saving of coal. At this rate she would arrive at Bombay
+in ten days, including a stop of one day at Aden. In this time he
+expected to accomplish a great deal in the school of the conference.
+
+The weather was fortunately all that could be desired, though the Red
+Sea sometimes behaves very badly; and at the time appointed the members
+of the party were all in their places on the promenade. The little
+table, with its vase of flowers brought from the gardens of the
+Terreplein, was in position. Mr. Woolridge was one of the first to take
+his arm-chair. He had at first been rather indifferent in regard to the
+instruction element of the ship, but had become quite interested since
+he had been called to the platform as a speaker.
+
+The commander was the first to take the platform; and he appeared with a
+rose in the lappel of his coat, which probably would not have been there
+if Mrs. Belgrave had not placed it there. She was very fond of flowers,
+and had arranged quite a collection of potted plants, as well as filled
+all the vases on board with cut flowers from the village.
+
+"The subject first in order seems to be the Red Sea; and we have not yet
+spoken of it in detail, though we have had considerable to say about it.
+I shall purposely omit some things which will be explained when we come
+to them. I am glad to see that you have brought your diaries or
+note-books with you, as I suggested, and you can write down the names of
+notable sights and the figures I shall give. I wish to say that I have
+always prepared myself for these occasions, and do not talk to you at
+random.
+
+"The Red Sea is an arm of the Indian Ocean, with the Gulf of Aden, about
+800 miles long, as a connection between them. The Persian Gulf, with the
+Gulf of Oman, forms a similar body of water, and they will probably
+render the same service to England and India that the Red Sea does at
+the present time. Arabia lies between them. The sea on which we are now
+sailing is 1,200 miles long."
+
+"Badaeker gives the length as 1,400 miles," said Louis.
+
+"He gives it in English miles," replied the commander. "A degree of a
+great circle is 69.07 English, or statute miles as we call them, or 60
+geographical sea miles or knots. This distinction has been fully
+explained to you before. For ordinary purposes the number of sea miles
+is to the number of statute miles in the ratio of six to seven. In other
+words, there will be six-sevenths as many knots as statute miles, and
+conversely, seven-sixths as many statute as sea miles. Six-sevenths of
+1,400 is 1,200; and thus we agree.
+
+"The Red Sea varies in width from 100 to 200 miles, and in the broadest
+part it is 205 sea miles. We are still in the Gulf of Suez, and shall be
+till about five this afternoon. On the African side you will see
+mountains all the way to the strait, with only sand between them and the
+water. There is nothing that can be called a town between Suez and
+Koser, over 300 statute miles. All around the sea are coral-reefs; and
+we shall pass a lighthouse on one right in the middle of it. Not a
+single river flows into the Red Sea, for there are no rains in Egypt;
+and if there were on either side, the desert would absorb all the water.
+
+"This sea has the reputation of being a hot region. The thermometer
+ranges from 70 deg. to 94 deg., and sometimes the mercury mounts to over
+100 deg., always in the daytime, and it may fall to the freezing point
+at night, though rarely. As on the Nile, the rule is hot days and cool
+nights, though you may find some of the latter uncomfortable farther
+south, for the water has shown a temperature of 100 deg.
+
+"The water is somewhat salter than the ocean, because no rivers empty
+into it, and because of excessive evaporation. It has been said by some
+scientists that, if the Red Sea were entirely enclosed, it would become
+a solid body of salt in less than two thousand years. I suppose they
+mean that all the fluid would evaporate, and the salt in it would remain
+at the bottom. We will not worry about it.
+
+"The average depth of this sea is 2,250 feet, and the greatest 7,200. I
+have nothing more to say about it; but while I am up I will say a few
+words about the new route to India of which I have spoken before. The
+Gulf of Iskanderun, sometimes called Scanderoon, is the north-east
+corner of the Mediterranean. Its eastern shore is within a hundred miles
+of the headwaters of the Euphrates River, which is navigable for small
+craft to Bir. Sixty years ago some preferred it to the Suez route. A
+grant of money was made by Parliament, two iron steamers of small size
+were put into the river; and though one of them was sunk, the other went
+through to the Persian Gulf.
+
+"It was shown that this route was about a thousand miles less in
+distance than any other to Kurrachee, the nearest port in India. But
+political influences were at work against it, first from Egypt, and then
+from some of the Powers, in the belief that it would give England an
+advantage in the affairs of Asia, and the scheme was dropped. Now we
+will take a walk of half an hour about the ship; for school-children
+need rest and recreation.
+
+"But I wish to remind you again that you are now near the ancient world;
+for Arabia is in sight all the time, and Assyria, Babylonia, Syria are
+beyond it. The professor will have the floor after the intermission."
+
+During the recess the party walked about the deck and observed the
+mountains, which were still in sight on both sides. Four bells, or ten
+o'clock, was the signal for them to come together again. Whatever might
+be anticipated farther south, the air was soft and pleasant, and not
+over warm, about 70 deg. in the shade.
+
+"My excellent friend, Mr. Woolridge, has just reminded me of the promise
+made by the commander that certain ancient travellers over the world
+should be taken up, as we have frequent occasion to quote them,"
+Professor Giroud began. "There are only three of them of any especial
+note, the first of whom is Herodotus, 'the Father of History,' as he is
+often called, and was worthy of the title.
+
+"He was born about 485 years before the time of Christ, at
+Helicarnassus, a Greek colony of Asia. This was about the time the
+Persians were invading Greece. When this city obtained its freedom,
+there was a dispute about the method of government, in which he was
+involved, and which caused him to leave his native place. For the
+ancient time, over two thousand years ago, when they had no railroads
+and steamboats, his travels are remarkable for their extent. He went all
+over Asia Minor and Greece proper, as well as the islands of the AEgean
+Sea. He visited Macedonia, Thrace, and the coasts of the Black Sea.
+
+"What was more remarkable, he penetrated to the Persian Empire and
+Babylon, and toured Egypt more thoroughly than most modern travellers.
+Then he extended his wanderings to Sicily and lower Italy. He was alive
+at the first of the Peloponnesian War; but what became of him, when or
+where he died, is not known.
+
+"He spent the greater part of his life in travel, though not for
+pleasure, but in acquiring knowledge which he intended to make useful to
+the world. He was the most eminent geographer of his time, and he may
+father that science as appropriately as that of history. But he treated
+many other branches of knowledge, like the races of men and their
+peculiarities, mythology, archaeology, and, in fact, everything that came
+within the range of his observation. He was a man of a high order of
+intellect, a philosopher in his criticism of governments. Modern
+scholars are greatly indebted to him, and his works are still extant. He
+did not have the highest style of composition; but he was an honest man,
+and he wrote as he talked. You can understand the frequent references to
+him in modern books of travel.
+
+"Not as favorable a notice can be given of Strabo, who was an ancient
+geographer. He was born about sixty-four years before Christ, at Amasia
+in Pontus."
+
+"Where was that?" asked the magnate, who was taking the deepest interest
+in the exercise.
+
+"It is a name given to a country in the north-eastern corner of Asia
+Minor, on the Black Sea, the ancient name of which was Pontus Euxinus,
+or Euxine Sea, from which it got its name. His mother was of Greek
+descent, and nothing is known of his father. I suppose you all know what
+strabismus means."
+
+"I am sure I don't," replied Mrs. Blossom; and probably she was the only
+one who could answer in the negative.
+
+"In plain terms, it means cross-eyed; and doubtless Strabo obtained his
+name from having this defect in his eyes. Whether any of his family were
+called so before him is not known. He studied with various learned men
+in Greece, Rome, and Alexandria. It does not appear that he had any
+occupation, but devoted all his time to study and travel. He wrote
+forty-seven books, and those on geography were very valuable; for he
+wrote from his own observation, though sometimes he is very full, at
+others very meagre. He is regarded as by no means the equal of
+Herodotus.
+
+"The third of whom I am to speak is Diodorus Siculus."
+
+"You have put a tail on his name, Professor," added the magnate.
+
+"That is as much a part of his name as the rest of it, as used by
+scholars. It means that he was born in Sicily. Very little is known
+about him beyond what he told himself. He lived in the time of Julius
+Caesar and Augustus, and for a long time in Rome. He travelled in Europe
+and Asia for material. He wrote a history of the world from the creation
+to the time of Julius Caesar. Some of the volumes are lost, and some of
+them are still read.
+
+"Diodorus was deficient in the qualifications of a historian; and about
+all that is valuable in his writings is the mass of facts he gives, from
+which he was not competent to make the proper deductions. The material
+he gathered is valuable; but the thirty years he spent in the
+composition of his works have not purchased for him the literary
+reputation of Herodotus, or even of Strabo."
+
+"I am very much obliged to you for your lecture, and I hope others
+besides myself have profited by it," said Mr. Woolridge.
+
+The professor bowed, and took some manuscript from his pocket.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII
+
+THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD
+
+
+When the promenade had been transformed into Conference Hall, the
+arrangement for the maps had not been forgotten, and the frame had been
+set up against the after end of the pilot-house. It covered the two
+windows; but they were not needed when the ship was at sea. When the
+professor made his bow, Mr. Gaskette exposed to the view of the audience
+a map which had been completed before the steamer arrived at Port Said;
+and all the way through the canal he and his assistants had been busy
+upon others.
+
+"Perhaps I ought to apologize for this map, Captain Ringgold," said Mr.
+Gaskette, when he had unrolled the huge sheet; "for the boundaries of
+these ancient countries are so indefinite in the great atlas that I have
+not been able to lay down all of them."
+
+"You have done exceedingly well, Mr. Gaskette, and I think the professor
+can ask for nothing better than you have given him," replied the
+commander.
+
+"Certainly not," added the learned gentleman. "I can give the boundaries
+no more definitely than they are presented on this beautiful map. I am
+extremely delighted to have the assistance which it will afford me. The
+artist might have guessed at some of the division lines, as others have
+done. He has given us Mesopotamia, Susiana, and the region between them,
+and that is all I desire.
+
+"Perhaps I shall disappoint you, Mr. Commander, by the meagreness of my
+description of these ancient countries; for these subjects in detail
+would be very tiresome to the company under present circumstances, and I
+propose to bring out only a few salient points in regard to them," said
+the professor.
+
+"The only thing I feared, Professor, was that you would go into them too
+diffusely, forgetting that your audience are not savants, or even
+college students, such as you have been in the habit of addressing. I am
+very glad to find that you have just the right idea in regard to the
+situation," replied Captain Ringgold.
+
+"It is fortunate that we agree," continued the instructor, as he took
+the pointer and turned to the map. "This map lays before you the region
+lying to the north-east of Arabia, on the port hand of the ship, as the
+commander would say; and with your imagination you can look over these
+mountains and sands and see it. You observe that Syria is on the west of
+the northern part of it, with Armenia just where it is now, on the north
+of it, though there was more of it then than now; for in ancient times
+it reached to the Caspian Sea. An old lady in the country at whose house
+I used to spend my vacation used to call things that could not be
+changed as fixed as the laws of the 'Medes and Parsicans.' She meant
+the Medes and Persians; and Media, now a part of Persia, was the eastern
+boundary of the region mapped out On the south-east is Susiana, now a
+large portion of Persia.
+
+"This beautiful map tempts me to be more diffuse than I should have been
+without it; but it gives you a bit of ancient geography which will do
+you no harm. There are two great rivers which extend through this
+territory, the Euphrates and the Tigris, though both of them unite and
+flow into the Persian Gulf. Of the former of them the commander has
+spoken to you this morning. Scholars have not been able to locate
+Paradise, or the Garden of Eden, with anything like precision; but it is
+generally supposed to have been between these two great streams. Some
+think it was not a place at all, but only a location given to a moral
+idea; others place it in the mountains of Armenia or Northern
+Mesopotamia."
+
+"The pesky Bible critics!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom; but Mrs. Belgrave
+"hunched her" as the good lady expressed it.
+
+"All this region has been in the possession of various masters, and even
+the countries themselves are very much mixed. Assyria was the eastern
+portion of the northern part," continued the professor, indicating the
+location with his wand. "In the British Museum and elsewhere you have
+seen bass-reliefs and figures brought from the ruins of Assyrian cities,
+and in these the country is called Assur. In Genesis x. 11, we read:
+'Out of that land [Shinar] went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh.'
+This was said of Nimrod; Shinar was a name of Babylonia.
+
+"The history becomes complicated, and is a record of the achievements of
+the Assyrian kings, Tiglath-Pileser, Sargon, Sennacherib, and others. It
+would not be profitable to go over them. The Babylonian monarchy was
+before Assyria was founded. The government was a despotism with nothing
+to soften it, and the religion was the worship of many gods. Its history
+dates back from 913 to 659 years before the birth of Christ, though
+there are tablets which carry it back to 2330 A.D. The empire began to
+decay in the reign of Sardanapalus, when the governor of Babylon and the
+king of Media conspired against it; and Nineveh was captured and
+destroyed a little more than 600 years before Christ."
+
+The commander announced another recess at this time, though the party
+appeared to be very much interested in the story of these ancient
+countries, closely connected with Bible history. Half an hour was spent
+in walking the deck and gazing at the shores, which were still the same,
+for the ship was yet in the Gulf of Suez. After this rest the professor
+resumed his place on the rostrum.
+
+"This is Babylonia, as it is now called to distinguish it from Babylon,
+the city," said the instructor, as he pointed to the region along the
+shores of the southern Euphrates, and to the city on both sides of it.
+"In the Scripture it is called Shinar, Babel, and 'the Land of the
+Chaldees.' It was and is a very rich and fertile country, extensively
+irrigated in modern times. Susiana is now a part of Persia, and the rest
+of the territory represented on the map is included in Turkey in Asia.
+
+"The people were of the Semitic race; in other words, they were
+descended from Shem, the son of Noah; but Babylonia in the past and
+present is a land of many races and languages, and the readers of the
+inscriptions have been bothered by the variety of tongues. The British
+and the New York Museum have figures and tablets revealing the history
+of Babylonia. But it takes an archaeologist to translate their
+discoveries. The relations of the monuments indicate that the antiquity
+of Babylonia reaches back about as far as that of Egypt. A stone in the
+British Museum brought from this locality has the name of Sargon I.,
+king of Akkad, is reliably vouched for as coming down from the year 3800
+B.C.
+
+"The ancient tablets inform us that Narbonassar ascended his throne in
+747 (all these dates are B.C.). He reigned fourteen years, which were
+taken up in wars with Assyria, in which the latter got the best of it in
+the end. Then, in 625, invasions from the east afforded the Babylonians
+the opportunity of throwing off the yoke of Assyria, and Nabopolassar
+became king. In 604 he was succeeded by his son Nebuchadnezzar, who was
+accounted one of the greatest monarchs that ever ruled the empire.
+
+"In the forty-three years of his reign he recovered the lost provinces
+of the kingdom, and made his country the queen of the nations of his
+time. He rebuilt the city of Babylon, and restored all the temples and
+public edifices. It is said that not a single mound has been opened in
+this territory in which were not found bricks, cylinders, or tablets on
+which his name was inscribed. He captured Jerusalem, and a year later
+destroyed it, sending most of its people to Chaldea. He died in 561, and
+was succeeded by his son.
+
+"This son was murdered; and there was confusion again till 556, when the
+throne was usurped by Nabonidus, the son of a soothsayer, who became a
+wise and active prince, and his reign ranks next in importance to that
+of Nebuchadnezzar. His name is found in almost all the temples
+unearthed. After he had ruled seventeen years, all Babylonia revolted
+against him because he neglected his religious duties, as well as those
+of the court, leaving all the business to be done by his son Belshazzar.
+
+"At this point the historians get mixed again. Some say that Belshazzar
+was the last king of Babylonia. In Daniel v. 30, we read: 'In that night
+was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median
+took the kingdom.' Xenophon informs us that Babylon was taken in the
+night while the inhabitants were engaged in feasting and revelry, and
+that the king was killed. To this extent sacred and profane history
+agree. The country became a Persian province. Then it was conquered by
+Alexander the Great, who died in Babylon in 323. It was also a part of
+the Roman Empire at two different times.
+
+"In 650 the successors of Mohammed overthrew the Persian monarchy, and
+the province was the seat of the caliphs till A.D. 1258. On the Tigris
+in this region is the city of Bagdad, the capital of a province of the
+same name. Here lived and reigned the Caliph Haroun al-Raschid, or
+Haroun 'the Orthodox,' who is more famous in story than in history,
+though he was a wise ruler, a poet, and a scholar, and built up his
+domain. I have disposed of the two principal empires of this region,
+pictured on the map; and the next in order is Persia."
+
+"You haven't told us about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, said to be
+one of the great wonders of the world," suggested Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"They are hardly historical; but I will give you what I recall in
+relation to them. One writer says they were built by Queen Semiramis,
+the wife of Ninus, an alleged founder of Nineveh. She was a beautiful
+girl, brought up by Simmas, a shepherd, from whom her name is derived.
+One of the king's generals fell in love with her and married her. Then
+he himself was smitten by her beauty, and wanted her himself; the
+husband was good-natured enough to commit suicide, and she became queen.
+Ninus soon died in a very accommodating manner, and Semiramis reigned
+alone for over forty years.
+
+"Others regard the wonderful gardens as the work of Nebuchadnezzar.
+Diodorus Siculus and Strabo have described them. They are said to have
+covered about four acres, built on terraces, supported by arches of
+brick or stone, and were seventy-five feet high. They were watered from
+a reservoir at the top, to which water was forced from the Euphrates.
+Fountains and banquet halls were placed on the various terraces, as well
+as gardens of flowers. Trees, groves, and avenues gave a variety to the
+scene, and the view of the vast city was magnificent."
+
+The professor retired; and another recess followed at the word of the
+commander, who thought his school was doing admirably, and he was
+anxious not to overdo the matter.
+
+"I am afraid it will take all day for me to dispose of the subjects
+assigned to me," said the professor, as he took his place again.
+
+"I hope it will," replied Mr. Woolridge. "Very much to my surprise, I
+have become deeply interested in the subjects you present, Professor."
+
+"It is better than the theatre," added Miss Blanche in a low tone to
+Louis.
+
+"I shall give you only a few fragments in regard to Persia, and leave
+Syria to be considered when the Guardian-Mother makes her trip to
+Palestine. Persia is called Iran by the natives, and it is the largest
+and most powerful native kingdom of Western Asia. It includes the
+provinces of Susiana, Persis, and Media on the map, and extends from the
+Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, with Afghanistan and Beloochistan on
+the east, and Asia Minor on the west.
+
+"A considerable portion of the country is mountainous, and between the
+Elburz range and the Caspian Sea is an extinct volcano 18,600 feet high.
+About three-fourths of Persia is practically a desert for want of rain
+or artificial irrigation. In California, Colorado, and other States, our
+people have transformed just such regions into fertile districts. But in
+spite of the fact that such a large portion of the country is a desert,
+some parts are exceedingly fertile and beautiful. Some immense valleys,
+even a hundred miles wide, are of this character, and the productions of
+the country are varied and valuable. It has no navigable rivers, though
+many of large size and volume, some of which are beginning to be used
+for purposes of irrigation. There are many salt lakes.
+
+"The climate is varied; as Cyrus said to Xenophon, 'The people perish
+with cold at one extremity, and are suffocated with heat at the other.'
+The population has been estimated from forty down to eight millions; and
+the latter is probably about correct. Roads are utterly neglected, and
+the people live in mean houses, generally of earth or mud, and the
+wealthy are not much better housed than the poorer class. The trade is
+of little importance. There are silk manufactures in nearly every
+province. Cotton and woollen fabrics, carpets, shawls, and felt goods
+are largely produced; and the trade is carried on between the chief
+towns of Persia with the interior of Asia by caravans. They exchange
+these goods for cloth, printed calico, tea, coffee, and fancy goods.
+Teheran in the north is the capital and the most important place;
+Ispahan is in the centre, Shiraz in the south, and Bushire is the
+principal seaport on the gulf.
+
+"The government is an absolute monarchy of the most pronounced kind,
+though somewhat influenced by the priests, the dread of private
+vengeance, and insurrection. Taxation is heavy, and very burdensome to
+the subjects. Persia has a standing army of 200,000, but it is said to
+exist largely on paper. Incidentally you have learned considerable about
+the history of the country, and I shall not go over it. The present
+shah, as he is called, is Nasr ed-din, born in 1831. He ought to be a
+progressive monarch, for he has visited England and France several
+times."
+
+The professor retired, and the conference adjourned till afternoon.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX
+
+VIEW OF MOUNT SINAI IN THE DISTANCE
+
+
+When the professor concluded his lecture for the forenoon, the audience
+scattered, some of them feeling the need of more exercise; but Captain
+Ringgold went to the pilot-house. Like the cabin passengers, he
+immediately gave his attention to the mountains of the peninsula; for
+the African shore was little better than a blank, with nothing there
+worthy of notice. The pilot was an intelligent man, and he proceeded to
+question him in regard to the peaks in sight.
+
+Just then there was nothing difficult in the navigation; and Twist, the
+quartermaster, was at the wheel, steering the course which had been
+given out, south south-west half west. The pilot knew the mountains as
+though they had been old friends of his for a lifetime. It did not take
+the commander long to learn his lesson; and he returned to the deck,
+where the passengers were gazing at the lofty points, thirty to forty
+miles distant, but still very distinctly seen in the clear air of the
+day. As soon as the captain appeared they gathered around him. He had
+ordered all the spy-glasses on board to be brought out, and those who
+had opera or field glasses had been to their staterooms for them.
+
+"Isn't it time to see something, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave,
+to whom he had directed his steps.
+
+"There is always something to be seen in a narrow gulf like this, though
+we shall be out of sight of land to-morrow morning when you come on
+deck. We are now abreast of a plateau 1,600 feet high, which extends for
+about thirty miles along the coast. It is a part of the desert of Kaa,
+which extends to the southern point of the peninsula, over which you
+would have had to travel first by camel for nearly twenty miles, if we
+had gone to Mount Sinai by the only route open to us.
+
+"We have seen about deserts enough," added the lady.
+
+"Then you are the better prepared for the immense contrast between
+plains of sand and the rich lands of India, covered with the most
+luxuriant foliage. Now we have it at its best!" exclaimed the commander.
+
+"What do we have? I don't see anything."
+
+"We have Mount Serbal, which some believe is the genuine Mount Sinai,"
+continued the commander, as he pointed out the loftiest peak in sight,
+and which was readily distinguished from all others.
+
+All the passengers had by this time gathered near him; for all of them
+were anticipating a sight at the lofty height which had given a name to
+the peninsula, though its real name is Arabia Petraea, as we used to read
+about it in "Stephens's Travels" sixty years ago.
+
+"That mountain is the highest on the peninsula; and if it is not the
+real Mount Sinai, where the law was delivered to Moses, some insist that
+it ought to be, for they say it is loftier, grander, nobler, and more
+worthy the great event than the one which is generally assigned as its
+location," said the captain. "As you have been informed before, Serbal
+is 8,712 feet high."
+
+Mrs. Blossom did not appear to be satisfied. Evidently she desired to
+"gush" over the Holy Mountain; but the doubt as to "which was which," as
+she stated it, bothered her very seriously, and she was not at all
+friendly to the "pesky Bible critics," who had raised the doubt as to
+its identity.
+
+"Jebel Musa!" shouted the commander a couple of hours later; and the
+party gathered around him again.
+
+"What on earth is that?" demanded the good lady.
+
+"Keep cool, Sarah," said Mrs. Belgrave to her. "The captain will tell
+you all about it in due time."
+
+"Jebel, or gebel, means a mountain in Arabic; Musa is sometimes spelled
+Moosa; and the whole name, I suppose, is 'Mountain of Moses,'" the
+commander explained as soon as he had enabled every one to see the peak
+that went by this name. "In other words, that is what nearly everybody
+who knows anything about the matter believes to be the true Mount
+Sinai."
+
+"Mount Sinai!" almost screamed Mrs. Blossom, who had apparently
+determined not to be harassed by any more doubts, for what everybody
+believed to be true must be so. "I should like to die on that
+mountain," she declared, wringing her hands in a sort of rapture.
+
+"Don't make yourself ridiculous, Sarah," interposed Mrs. Belgrave in a
+whisper.
+
+"How can a body look on Mount Sinai without being stirred up?" demanded
+the good woman.
+
+But whether it was Jebel Serbal or Jebel Musa, Mount Sinai was there;
+and doubtless most of the company were as much impressed by the fact as
+the excellent lady from Von Blonk Park, though they were less
+demonstrative about it. Mrs. Belgrave was silent for a time; and then
+she struck up one of Watts's familiar hymns, in which the others joined
+her:--
+
+    "Not to the terrors of the Lord,
+      The tempest, fire, and smoke,
+    Not to the thunder of that word
+      Which God on Sinai spoke;
+    But we are come to Zion's hill,
+      The city of our God,
+    Where milder words declare his will,
+      And spread his love abroad."
+
+As the gong sounded for lunch the ship was off Tur, but too far off to
+see the place, if there was anything there to see; and the commander
+mentioned it only as the port to which they would have sailed if they
+had gone to Mount Sinai. The "Big Four" were more interested in the
+Arabian craft they saw near the shore, for they always keep close to the
+land. Their captains are familiar with all the intricate reefs where
+large vessels never go. They are very cautious sailors, and on the least
+sign of foul weather they run into one of the creeks which indent the
+coast. They never sail at night; and if they have to cross the sea, they
+wait for settled weather.
+
+At the hour appointed for the afternoon conference the passengers were
+all in their places; and however the report of his lectures may read,
+the listeners were deeply interested, partly because they were inspired
+by a desire for knowledge, and partly on account of their proximity to
+the countries described. A map of the peninsula of Arabia had been
+unrolled on the frame, with enough of its surroundings to enable the
+audience to fix its location definitely in their minds. The professor
+came up smiling and pleasant as he always was, and the boys saluted him
+with a round of applause.
+
+"My subject this time is Arabia, which the natives call Jezirat-al-Arab,
+and the Turks and Persians Arabistan. It is a peninsula, the isthmus of
+which reaches across from the south-eastern corner of the Mediterranean
+to the head of the Persian Gulf," the professor began, indicating on the
+map the localities mentioned with the pointer. "Asia abounds in
+peninsulas, and Arabia is the great south-western one. From north-west
+to south-east it extends 1800 miles, and is about 600 wide. It has an
+area of 1,230,000 square miles, which is a very indefinite statement to
+the mind, though given in figures, and I will adopt the commander's
+method of giving a better idea by comparison with some of the States of
+your own country.
+
+"It is nearly five times as large as the State of Texas, the most
+extensive of the Union, and almost twenty-six times as large as the
+State of New York. They do not take a census here; and estimates from
+the best information that could be obtained make the population five
+millions, which is less than that of the State of New York. Mr. Gaskette
+has colored a strip of it along the Red Sea, about a hundred miles wide,
+in green, as he has Palestine and the other parts of Turkey in Asia
+shown before you. A large portion of Arabia consists of deserts, the
+principal of which is the Syrian in the north.
+
+"Ptolemy, not the king but the geographer, divided Arabia into three
+sections,--Arabia Petraea, after the city of Petra; Arabia Deserta, the
+interior; and Arabia Felix (Arabie Heureuse in French), which does not
+mean 'the happy land,' as generally translated. Milton says, 'Sabean
+odors from the spicy shores of Araby the blest.' The words meant the
+land lying to the right, or south of Mecca, the Oriental principal point
+of the compass being the east and not the north.
+
+"The proper divisions at the present time are the Sinai peninsula,
+Hedjaz, which is the northern part of the green strip; Yemen, the south
+part (formerly Arabia Felix); Hadramaut, which borders the Arabian Gulf,
+the ante-sea of the Red; and Oman, a mountainous region at the entrance
+of the Persian Gulf, an independent country, under the government of the
+sultan or imam of Muscat, as the territory is also called.
+
+"We do not know much about the interior of Arabia, one-third of which is
+a desert, part of a zone reaching over all of Africa and Asia. El-Hasa,
+along the Persian Gulf in the east, for such a country, is level and
+fertile, and is really a Turkish province, like those on the west coast.
+A short rainy season occurs on the west coast, which only fills up the
+low places; and there is hardly a river, if there is anything entitled
+to the name, which is strong enough to go alone to the sea from any
+distance inland. Fine fruits are raised, especially in Yemen, as well as
+coffee, grain, tobacco, cotton, spices, aloes, frankincense, and myrrh.
+
+"Sheep, goats, oxen, camels, and horses are raised for domestic use.
+Gazelles and ostriches live in some of the oases, where also the lion,
+panther, hyena, and jackal seek their prey. The magnificent Arabian
+horse has been raised here for a thousand years. The camel is one of the
+most useful animals of this country; and some suppose he is an original
+native, for his likeness is not found among Egyptian drawings and
+sculptures. There are plenty of fish and turtle along the coast.
+
+"The original Arab is found here, and there is something about him to
+challenge our admiration. He is muscular, though of medium height, and
+is sharp and quick-witted by nature. He has some leading virtues, such
+as hospitality and good faith; he is courageous and temperate, perhaps
+because wine and spirits are forbidden in the Koran. But he is a sort of
+a natural robber, and seeks a terrible revenge for serious injuries. His
+wife, and there are often several of her, does the work, keeps house,
+and educates the children. Some Arabs are settled in towns or oases, and
+others lead a wandering life.
+
+"'Blessed is the country that has no history,' for it is usually the
+record of wars. Arabia has nothing that can properly be called history;
+but it has been concerned in the wars of Turkey and Egypt. What there is
+relates to the birth and life of Mohammed, and his wars to promote the
+increase of his followers; and I shall tell you the story of the Prophet
+at another time."
+
+The professor retired after the usual applause. Some walked the deck,
+watching whatever was to be seen, especially the Arabian dhows, and
+occasionally a large steamer passed; and some went to sleep in their
+staterooms. The course of the Guardian-Mother had been varied as much as
+the soundings would permit as she approached the Jubal Strait, which is
+the entrance to the Gulf of Suez, in order to give the passengers a view
+of some interesting scenery.
+
+"There is the Jebel Zeyt," said the commander, as he pointed out a group
+of hills, called mountains by courtesy, of a reddish hue. "Those hills
+are 1,530 feet high, and this locality is famous in story. The material
+of the elevations is haematite, which Dr. Hawkes can explain better than
+I can."
+
+"It is a native sesquioxide of a reddish color, with a blood-like
+streak," added the surgeon, laughing.
+
+"Do you understand it, Mrs. Blossom?" asked the captain, turning to that
+worthy lady.
+
+"I am sure I don't," protested she, blushing.
+
+"The sesquipedality of that word is trying to all of us, I fancy, and I
+am in the same box as the lady; for I am as sure as she is that I don't
+know the meaning of the word," added the professor.
+
+"Of course you don't, for it is a technical term," replied the doctor.
+"It means an oxide in which two atoms of a metal combine with three
+atoms of oxygen. Please to remember it, Mrs. Blossom."
+
+"I don't even know what an ox-hide is," returned the lady promptly; for
+the professor had vindicated her by not understanding a definition
+himself.
+
+"We will settle that another time, if you please," interposed the
+commander. "These rocks are said to be so powerfully magnetic as to
+affect the compasses of ships passing them. The water is sometimes
+marked about here with patches of oil. Large sums were expended in this
+vicinity in boring for petroleum; but none of any account was found.
+Probably the red mountain has given its name to the sea, though that is
+not known."
+
+"Possibly Sinbad the Sailor was in this strait when the loadstone drew
+out the bolts in his ship, though he does not give the latitude and
+longitude of the place in the story of his adventure," suggested Louis.
+In the evening the passengers looked at the lights, and retired at a
+seasonable hour.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX
+
+SOME ACCOUNT OF MOHAMMED THE PROPHET
+
+
+The passengers of the Guardian-Mother fell back into their former sea
+habits when there was nothing particular to be seen, and only the young
+men appeared on deck before seven o'clock. Mrs. Belgrave and Louis were
+the first to meet the commander on the second morning. He had been to
+the pilot-house several times during the night; but he was an early
+riser, and had already looked over the log slate, and visited every part
+of the ship.
+
+"Good-morning, Mrs. Belgrave; good-morning, Louis; I hope you have both
+slept well," said the captain, saluting them.
+
+"I have slept like a rock all night long," replied the lady.
+
+"I have fallen into sailors' ways, so that I go to sleep whenever I lie
+down," added Louis. "I could sleep my four hours on board of the Maud,
+and wake at the right time without being called. But where are we now,
+sir?"
+
+"You see the lighthouse ahead; that is in latitude 25 deg. We are now
+nearly as far south as the first cataract on the Nile, as far south as
+we went in Africa."
+
+"I can understand that better than simple figures," said Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"But we went a little farther south than that off Cuba," suggested
+Louis.
+
+"We shall cross the Tropic of Cancer while we are at luncheon," added
+the commander. "You learned at school that this boundary was at
+twenty-three and a half degrees north of the equator, and it is
+generally so stated, though it is not quite accurate."
+
+"I wish you would explain this at the next conference, Captain Ringgold,
+for what you say is a surprise to me," said Louis.
+
+"I will do it in a general way, though I am not an astronomer in the
+scientific sense of the word," answered the captain. "We are approaching
+the Daedalus lightship. I suppose you remember the name."
+
+"I know that Daedalus was a very ingenious artist of Athens, who planned
+the Cretan labyrinth, invented carpentry and some of the tools used in
+the trade; but I don't know why his name was given to this lighthouse."
+
+"I cannot inform you why it is so called, if there was any reason for
+doing so; very likely it was given to it for no reason at all, as some
+of the ships in the British navy are supplied with classical names for
+the mere sound of the words, as Agamemnon, Achilles, though with some
+reference to the trade of the originals in war."
+
+"Why is it placed here all alone in the middle of this sea?" asked
+Louis, who had looked about it for any signs of rocks.
+
+"It is built on a dangerous reef which is never above water, though some
+small round black rocks are seen at low tide awash. They look like the
+kettles in which cooks get up a boiled dinner; and for this reason the
+Arabs call the reef Abu Kizan, which means the 'father of pots.' As you
+perceive, the ship is now out of sight of land; for the Red Sea is a
+hundred and twenty miles wide at this point. But there is the gong for
+breakfast, and we must attend to that."
+
+The usual hour for the conference was nine o'clock when the ship was at
+sea. So far the weather was remarkably pleasant; the north-west wind was
+very gentle, and the ship hardly pitched at all. At the regular hour the
+passengers had assembled on the promenade. The map of Arabia had been
+placed on the frame as before, and it was understood that Mohammed was
+to be the subject of the conference.
+
+"What has become of Koser, Captain Ringgold?" asked Mrs. Belgrave, as
+the commander joined the party.
+
+"We passed it about two o'clock this morning," replied the captain.
+
+"I felt some interest in that town; for when we were on the Nile we came
+to a place where the Arabs wanted us to take the journey of four days
+across the desert to Koser on camels," the lady explained.
+
+"It is the first port in Egypt we come to, and was formerly an
+important place, though the Suez Canal has diverted the greater part of
+its trade. It was one of the chief outlets for the productions of Egypt,
+especially grain, while those of Arabia and other Eastern countries
+passed in by the same route. The poorer Mohammedans of Egypt make their
+pilgrimage to Mecca this way, journeying across the Arabian Desert on
+foot or by camel, and by steamers or dhows to Yembo.
+
+"General Sir Ralph Abercromby, who commanded the British army at Abukir
+when the French had possession of Egypt, landed at this port, marched
+across the desert to the Nile, which he descended to Cairo, where he
+found that the French army had surrendered to the English. The
+population has fallen from seven thousand to twelve hundred. The more
+wealthy Egyptians and Arabs make their pilgrimage now by the way of
+Suez, and in the season there are plenty of steamers to take them to
+Yembo.
+
+"We are now nearing the Tropic of Cancer, and when we have passed it we
+shall be in the Torrid Zone, in which are situated all those places on
+the globe where the sun is ever directly overhead. The tropics are
+generally said to be twenty-three and a half degrees from the equator,
+which is near enough for ordinary purposes, but it is not quite
+accurate. When the sun is at the summer solstice, June 21, it is
+overhead on this tropic, and enters the constellation of Cancer, after
+which it is named. Nicer calculations than I can follow show that the
+sun is not precisely overhead at this place every year. In January of
+this year the tropics were in latitude 23 deg. 27' 11.84'', which places
+it nearly three miles farther south than the location usually named. I
+yield the floor to Professor Giroud."
+
+"I am informed by the commander that we shall be off Yembo, the nearest
+seaport to Medina, at about half-past three this afternoon; and this
+place is a hundred and thirty-two miles from it. The two cities of
+Medina and Mecca are the holy places of the Mohammedans. The principal
+and enjoined pilgrimage of the sect is to the latter, though many devout
+Moslems visit the other with pious intentions.
+
+"Mecca is the birthplace of Mohammed; but, for reasons which will
+presently be given, he went to Medina at the age of fifty-two, where he
+lived the rest of his life, and died there. What I have to say of Medina
+will come in better after we have followed the prophet through the first
+portion of his life.
+
+"I give the name according to the best English authorities at the
+present time, though some call it Mahomet still, as we call it in
+French. The word means 'praised' in Arabic. Mohammed the Prophet was
+born at Mecca about A.D. 570; but the precise year is not known, though
+the date I give is within a year of it. His father's name was Abdallah,
+a poor merchant, who died about the time of the child's birth. A great
+many stories have been invented in later years about the mother and the
+child.
+
+"The father was said to be the handsomest man of his time, and it is
+claimed that his wife Aminah was of a noble family. She was of a nervous
+temperament, and fancied she was visited by spirits. She was inclined to
+epilepsy, which may explain her visions. Mohammed was her only child. As
+soon as he was born, his mother is said to have raised her eyes to
+heaven, exclaiming: 'There is no God but God, and I am his Prophet.' It
+is also declared that the fire of the fire-worshippers, which had burned
+without going out for a thousand-years, was suddenly quenched, and all
+the idols in the world dropped from their pedestals."
+
+"Goodness, gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"The mother of the Prophet handed him over to a Bedouin woman to bring
+up, in order that he might have the benefit of the desert air; but the
+child appears to have been afflicted with his mother's malady, and the
+nurse returned him because he was subject to frequent fits. When he was
+six years old his mother died, and his grandfather adopted him; but the
+old man lived only two years after, and then he was taken by Abu Talib,
+his uncle, who, though poor himself, gave him a home, and continued to
+be his best friend through life.
+
+"At first the boy gained a precarious living by tending the flocks of
+the Meccans. When he was twenty-five years old he went into the service
+of a rich widow named Khadija, having the blood of the same ancestors in
+their veins. Up to this time his position had been in a low grade of
+poverty. He did not take the advice of Mr. Weller, and 'beware of the
+vidders,' and his fortunes suddenly changed. Doubtless he was a handsome
+man, as his father was said to be; and he was too much for the
+susceptible Khadija, twice widowed, and fifteen years older than her
+employe, and she offered him her hand and heart, which he accepted.
+
+"They had two sons and four daughters; but both of the former died in
+early life. He established himself as a merchant after his marriage; and
+he continued in the business, though he spent most of his time in
+meditation by himself. Up to the age of forty Mohammed was a strict
+devotee in the religion of his fathers, which was a species of idolatry.
+When he was about thirty years old Christianity had made its way into
+Arabia through Syria on one side, and Abyssinia on the other, and there
+were Jewish colonies in the peninsula. Though the missionaries of the
+new faith pervaded Mecca and Medina, the future Prophet was not
+converted, more is the pity!
+
+"It was at this time that he was moved to teach a new religion which
+should displace the idolatry of the people, and come into competition,
+as it were, with the teachings of the missionaries of Judaism and
+Christianity. He was forty years old when he received what he claimed as
+his first divine communication, on a mountain near Mecca. He declared
+that Gabriel appeared to him there, and commanded him to preach the true
+religion. It is now generally admitted that he was no vulgar and tricky
+impostor, and it cannot be known to what extent his inherited epilepsy
+or hysteria governed the alleged revelations.
+
+"After his long and lonely vigils passed in meditation, he proclaimed
+what he insisted had been revealed to him; and at these times he appears
+to have been little better than a lunatic, for he was moved to the most
+frightful fanatical vehemence. He frothed at the mouth, his eyes became
+red, and the perspiration rained from his head and face. He roared like
+a camel in his wrath, and such an exhibition could hardly fail to make a
+strong impression upon his ignorant audience.
+
+"His first revelations were related to Khadija and other members of his
+household; and they accepted his teachings, while his other relatives
+rejected them with scorn. His uncle called him a fool; and his adopted
+father never believed in him as a prophet, though for the honor of the
+family he remained his friend. After four years of preaching he mustered
+forty converts, slaves and men of the lowest social rank. Then he spoke
+more publicly, in response to new revelations commanding him to do so,
+denouncing boldly the superstitions of his people, exhorting them to
+lead pious and moral lives, and to believe in the one all-wise,
+almighty, and all-merciful God, who had chosen him as his Prophet. He
+held out the reward of paradise to those who accepted his religion, and
+the penalty of hell to those who rejected it.
+
+"Two of the most sacred objects of the Arabians were the fetich of a
+black stone and the spring of Zemzem, both of which were believed to be
+endowed with miraculous powers for the healing of the body and the soul.
+These imparted a sanctity above any other charms to the Kaaba in which
+the stone and the fountain were to be visited. In the valley by the city
+stands the great mosque, in which there is an immense square holding
+35,000 people. In the centre of it is the Kaaba, which is not a
+Mohammedan invention, for it existed ages before the Prophet was born.
+Pilgrimages had been made to it from Medina for many generations. The
+stone is perhaps a meteorite, set in a corner at a proper height for
+kissing.
+
+"The Kaaba was one of the superstitions with which the Prophet had to
+contend; and he was too politic, as well as too deeply rooted in his own
+belief, to think of abolishing it. He therefore converted the heathen
+shrine into an altar of his own faith, inventing the legend that it had
+been constructed by Abraham when he sent away his son Ishmael to found a
+nation. Though Mohammed was prudent in many things, he offended the
+people, particularly by prohibiting certain kinds of food. He condemned
+the Bedouin for killing their newly born daughters, and for other
+barbarous practices.
+
+"Though the number of proselytes increased more rapidly, he had raised a
+fierce opposition against him. About this time his faithful wife Khadija
+died, and then his devoted uncle. His misery over these events was
+increased by the fact that his business failed him, and he was reduced
+to poverty. He tried to improve his fortunes by emigration; but the
+scheme was a failure. He was so persecuted by the Meccans that he had on
+occasions narrowly escaped with his life. After his return he married
+again; and afterwards he had as many as nine wives at one time, though
+he never took a second while Khadija was living.
+
+"Now, good friends, I think we all need a rest, which the commander
+instructed me to give you at a convenient place in my remarks."
+
+The professor retired from the rostrum, and the company scattered over
+the ship.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI
+
+THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF ISLAMISM
+
+
+Captain Ringgold permitted the day, which was only the second of the
+voyage, to pass away until half past three o'clock in the afternoon
+without again calling the conference together. The passengers appeared
+to be well occupied; for the boys had brought shuffle-board and the
+potato game on the planks, and everybody was enjoying these plays,
+either by taking part or looking on. The commander had taught them these
+amusements early in their sea experience, and they always became very
+hilarious over them.
+
+Besides, he was prudent and judicious in the conduct of the study
+department; for the adults were not in training as students, and he was
+somewhat afraid of overworking them, and creating a dislike for the
+conferences. As he expressed it, he desired to make them hungry for
+lectures. The schoolroom, which had been made of the after cabin, and
+contained the extensive library of the ship, had been deserted for
+several weeks so far as its regular use was concerned.
+
+Miss Blanche, Louis, Morris, and Scott formed a class, or rather several
+of them, and pursued their studies systematically under the professor;
+but they had been interrupted by the visit to Egypt and the trip to
+Cyprus, and their work was not resumed till the ship sailed from Suez.
+The recitations and the study were not confined to the classroom, but
+some of them were given on deck and in the cabin to individuals as the
+convenience of both permitted; and some of the hours of the first two
+days had been used in this manner.
+
+"Now you can see Yembo," said the commander at half-past three in the
+afternoon, as he pointed out a town on the shore of Arabia. "The name is
+spelled in so many different ways it is hard to find it in the books.
+Sometimes it is Yembo, Yanba, and Yembu, and again it is Zembo, Zambu,
+and Zanba. It is Yembo on my charts, and for that reason I use it. It is
+of not much importance except as the port of Medina, the later home of
+Mohammed, where the professor will take you at the next conference this
+afternoon.
+
+"But it is one hundred and thirty miles from its principal, and there
+are no railroads or stages here, and it must be a journey of four or
+five days by camel over the desert. A pilgrimage to Medina is
+recommended to the faithful; but it is not required, as it is at least
+once in a lifetime to Mecca. Mohammed was buried there, and it stands
+next to Mecca as the holiest city of the world to the followers of
+Islam. But I will not purloin the professor's thunder. On the other side
+of the Red Sea is Berenice, the seat of the Egyptian trade with India
+in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus; but there is not much besides
+ruins there at the present time."
+
+The conference met at four o'clock, and the map of Arabia still hung on
+the frame. The professor took his place, and pointed out Yembo on it,
+adding that Medina was two hundred and seventy miles north of Mecca.
+
+"When I suspended my remarks this morning, Mohammed had failed to
+improve his fortunes by emigration, had returned to Mecca, and had
+married again," the professor began. "At his death he left nine wives,
+and how many more he may have had I am not informed."
+
+"The wretch!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom.
+
+"The Prophet did not live in Von Blonk Park," suggested the instructor.
+
+"If he had, he would have been driven out of town by a mob," added the
+lady rather spitefully for her.
+
+"On this subject, if I should refer you to some of the patriarchs of the
+Bible, you would be able to see how much Christianity has improved the
+world in this respect. Among the wives of the Prophet was Ayeshah, the
+daughter of Abu Bekr, one of Mohammed's most enthusiastic disciples, a
+man of great influence in Mecca, belonging to the Koreish tribe, the
+religious aristocracy of the city.
+
+"Everything except matrimony, though he had not married all these wives
+at this time, was in a bad way with Mohammed; for he had lost his
+property, and had excited a violent opposition to himself among the
+people, though some of his proselytes remained faithful to him. The
+pilgrimages to the Kaaba brought many people to Mecca from all quarters,
+including Medina. Among those from the latter he succeeded in converting
+several; for he still preached, and still had remarkable visions.
+
+"At the next pilgrimage he obtained twelve more converts, and the one
+following seventy. All these new disciples sowed the seed of his
+teachings; and Medina, from which all of them came, appeared to contain
+the richest soil for the growth of his doctrines. Cast out and
+persecuted in his own city, the Prophet decided to emigrate to Medina;
+for he was in close alliance with the converts from that place. In 622
+he started on his flight from the city of his birth. This was the
+Hegira, which means 'the going away;' and from it the Mohammedans reckon
+their dates, as we do from the birth of Christ.
+
+"The Prophet was attended by Abu Bekr, and followed by about a hundred
+families of his Meccan adherents; and his going away was not without
+danger, for his enemies were many and vindictive. But with his multitude
+he made his way over the desert, and reached his destination in safety.
+He was received for all he claimed to be by his converts there, and the
+current of his fortunes as a religious leader was suddenly and entirely
+changed. He was no longer a madman and an impostor. He had come out of
+his former obscurity, and now all the details of his daily life became
+matters of record.
+
+"His modesty did not seem to stand in his way; and he now assumed the
+functions of the most powerful judge, lawgiver, and ruler of the two
+most influential Arabic tribes. He devoted his time and study to the
+organization of the worship of God according to Mohammed, his sole
+prophet. He was gathering in converts all the time, and his new home was
+entirely favorable to this work.
+
+"There were many Jews there to whom he turned his attention, preaching
+to them, and proclaiming that he was the Messiah whose coming they
+awaited; but they ridiculed his pretensions, and he became furious
+against them, remaining their enemy till the last day of his life.
+Whatever good precepts Mohammed promulgated, there appears to have been
+but little of the 'meek and lowly' spirit of Him 'who spake as never man
+spake;' for in the first year of the Hegira he gave it out that it was
+the will of God, expressed by his chosen prophet, that the faithful
+should make war on the enemies of Islam; which was a sort of manifesto
+directed against the Meccans who had practically cast him out.
+
+"But he had not the means to carry on war at his command at first in the
+open field: he assailed the caravans through his agents on their way to
+and from Syria, and succeeded in seriously disturbing the current of
+trade. His employment of the sons of the desert enabled him to form
+alliances with them, and thus obtain the semblance of an army. His first
+battle was fought between 314 Moslems and about 600 Meccans, and the
+inspiration of his fanaticism gave him the victory in spite of his
+inferior force.
+
+"This event gave him a degree of prestige, and many adventurers flocked
+to his standard. With an increased force he continued to send out
+expeditions against both of his old enemies, the Meccans and the Jews,
+exiling the latter. He was generally successful; and after one battle he
+caused 700 prisoners to be beheaded, and their women and children to be
+sold into slavery. But in 625 the Meccans defeated him; and he was
+dangerously wounded in the face by a javelin, some of his teeth having
+been knocked out. The enemy then besieged Medina; but Mohammed defeated
+them with the aid of earthworks and a ditch. In the sixth year of the
+Hegira, he proclaimed a pilgrimage to Mecca; and though the Meccans
+prevented it from being carried out, it led to a treaty of peace with
+them for ten years.
+
+"This event enabled him to send out missionaries all over Arabia; and
+the next year he conducted a pilgrimage to Mecca with 2,000 followers,
+remaining there undisturbed for three days. After this he carried on war
+vigorously against more potent powers, whose rulers he summoned to
+become converts. Some yielded, and others scorned him, one of them
+beheading the Prophet's messengers. This brought on battles of greater
+magnitude, and in one he was badly beaten.
+
+"He accused the Meccans of taking part against him, and marched against
+their city at the head of 10,000 men. It surrendered, and Mohammed was
+publicly recognized as ruler, and prophet of God. I will read one of his
+sayings, that you may better understand the man and his religion: 'The
+sword is the key of heaven and hell: a drop of blood shed in the cause
+of God, or a night spent in arms, is of more avail than two months of
+fasting and prayer. Whoever falls in battle, his sins are forgiven him,
+and at the day of judgment the loss of his limbs shall be supplied by
+the wings of cherubim.'
+
+"In one of his expeditions against the Jews, a Jewess who had lost a
+relative in a fight against him placed a piece of poisoned roast meat
+before him. He barely tasted it, but he carried the effects of the
+poison to his grave.
+
+"His religion seemed to be firmly established, not only in Arabia, but
+it had been carried to foreign lands by the sword or by missionaries. He
+had it in his mind to conquer Syria; but the want of a sufficient army
+deterred him, and he was forced to content himself with the homage of a
+few inferior princes. In the tenth year of the new calendar he made his
+last solemn pilgrimage to Mecca, and then fixed for all future time the
+ordinance of the pilgrimage with its ceremonial, which is still observed
+in all Moslem countries.
+
+"On his return from this visit he busied himself again with the project
+of conquering Syria; for some great scheme seemed to be necessary to
+keep his followers in alliance, and extend his religion. While so
+engaged he was taken dangerously sick. He selected the abode of Ayeshah
+as his home. The house was close to the mosque, and afterwards became a
+part of it. He continued to attend the public prayers as long as he was
+able. When he felt that his end was near, he preached once more to the
+people, recommending Abu Bekr and Osama as the generals of the army whom
+he had chosen. In the last wanderings of his mind he spoke of angels and
+heaven only, and died in the arms of Ayeshah. He was buried in the night
+in the house of his faithful wife, which was for that reason taken into
+the mosque.
+
+"His death produced great distress and an immense excitement among his
+followers. Even before he was dead the struggle began, and an
+influential official had prevented him from naming his successor by
+preventing him from obtaining the use of writing materials; but Abu Bekr
+was preferred, and received the homage of the chief men of Medina.
+Undoubtedly Mohammed was a man of great ability, and the possessor of
+some extraordinary gifts. There was much that was good in the person and
+his religion; much that Christianity preaches as the true faith to-day.
+He believed in the one God, however much he failed to comprehend his
+attributes.
+
+"He claimed to be the Prophet of God, and preached piety and
+righteousness, and recommended chiefly that his followers should protect
+the weak, the poor, and the women, and to abstain from usury. In his
+private character he was an amiable man, faithful to his friends, and
+tender in his family. In spite of the power he finally obtained, he
+never appeared in any state, with pomp and parade; for he lived in the
+utmost simplicity, and when at the height of his power he dwelt like the
+Arabs in general in a miserable hut. He mended his own clothes, and
+freed his slaves when he had them.
+
+"He was a man of strong passions, of a nervous temperament, and his
+ecstatic visions were perhaps the result of his inherited malady. He is
+not to be judged by our standard any more than King Solomon is; but
+there was a great deal of good in him, with a vast deal that was
+emphatically bad; for he was cunning and deceitful when it suited his
+purpose, extremely revengeful, as shown in his dealings with the Meccans
+and the Jews, and a wholesale murderer in the spirit of retaliation.
+
+"He had read the Christian Bible, and not a little of his religion was
+borrowed from that. Glancing over the world, we cannot help seeing that
+Christian nations have been the most progressive, while those of the
+Mohammedan faith have been far behind them, and have borrowed their
+principal improvements from those whose emblem is the Cross. To the end
+of time the Crescent will be overshadowed by the Cross."
+
+The passengers had been much interested in the story of the Prophet, and
+the professor was warmly applauded as he gathered up his papers and
+retired from the stand.
+
+"Unless we slow down I am afraid you will see nothing of Jiddah, which
+is the port of Mecca, and our nearest point to it," said the commander.
+"Though thousands of pilgrims are landed there every year on their way
+to obey the injunction of Mohammed, there is nothing there to see; and
+it is not a case of sour grapes."
+
+"I wanted to ask the professor about the coffin of the Prophet being
+suspended in the air," interposed Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"That is pure fiction, madam," replied the professor. "The body of
+Mohammed is believed to rest within the mausoleum in the mosque; and
+there is no reason to doubt that it is on the spot occupied by Ayeshah's
+house, added to the sacred building. His body is supposed to lie
+undecayed at full length, on the right side, the right hand supporting
+the head, with the face directed towards Mecca."
+
+The professor had to answer many other questions of no great
+importance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII
+
+THE AGENT OF THE PARSEE MERCHANTS
+
+
+The ancient kingdoms of the world had been disposed of by the professor,
+and all the countries of the Red Sea had been treated historically and
+geographically; and though the passengers still occupied the promenade,
+no more conferences were needed for the present. But it became a place
+for conversation, and all kinds of subjects were discussed there.
+
+The commander pointed out the location of all the important places, or
+where any notable event had occurred; but none of them were of any great
+consequence, and they were too far off to be seen distinctly. The ship
+had reached the widest part of the sea, and all the rest of the course
+to the entrance was through the deep water in the middle; for the shores
+were studded with reefs, reaching out from forty to sixty miles from the
+land.
+
+"How deep is the water here, Captain Ringgold?" asked Dr. Hawkes, at one
+of these conversation parties on the third day from Suez.
+
+"The last time I looked at the chart, just on the parallel of 20 deg. of
+north latitude, the sounding was 500 fathoms," replied the commander.
+
+"Indeed? That is 3,000 feet; I did not suppose it was so deep as that,"
+added the doctor.
+
+"The bottom is very irregular in all parts of the Red Sea; and in some
+places it is more than double the figure just mentioned. When we were
+about sixty miles north of Jiddah, the sounding was 1,054 fathoms, or
+6,234 feet."
+
+"How deep has the water been found to be in the ocean?"
+
+"As much as 4,000 fathoms of line have been paid out, with no bottom as
+the result. Soundings of 3,000 fathoms have been obtained. In the
+library you will find the 'Cruise of the Challenger,' which is the
+latest authority on this subject."
+
+"I shall refer to it; thank you, Captain."
+
+"On a little rocky island on our right," continued the commander,
+pointing to the location, "is the town of Suakin, as it is generally
+called, though the proper word is Sawakin. It is a town of ten thousand
+inhabitants. It is abreast of Nubia, the Soudan, and is the outlet of
+its commerce. When the Mahdi War became a serious matter, England took
+possession of this port; and several battles were fought in the vicinity
+with the followers of the Mahdi, who seemed to imitate the example of
+Mohammed to some extent in his crusade. The place is still held by a
+British garrison, and about seven thousand pilgrims embark here every
+year for Mecca by the way of Jiddah."
+
+"We all remember the war in the Soudan in which the Mahdi figured so
+largely," said Uncle Moses. "I should like to know something more about
+him."
+
+"The meaning of the word is the guide, 'the well-directed one.' There
+have been at least half a dozen Mahdis in the history of Mohammedans,
+just as there have been Messiahs in Christian lands, all of them
+impostors of course. One appeared in Arabia, who claimed to be a
+successor of Mohammed who had disappeared; another presented himself in
+the northern part of Africa. One appeared in Egypt during the French
+invasion, and was killed in battle.
+
+"The last one was Mohammed Ahmed; and like the rest of them he claimed
+to be a lineal descendant of the Prophet, divinely commissioned to
+extend his religion, and especially to drive the Christians out of the
+Soudan. He was in his earlier life an employe of the Egyptian
+government, but quarrelled with the governor of his province, and became
+a trader and a slave-dealer. At the age of forty he assumed the _role_
+of the Mahdi; and in that capacity he did a great deal of mischief. He
+captured the chief city of Kordofan, and made it the capital; he
+overwhelmed the army of Hicks Pacha, and finally shut up General Gordon
+in Khartoom, as has been related before. He died in 1885, and was
+succeeded by Abdallah. But he had deprived Egypt of even the nominal
+possession of the Soudan."
+
+"He was a terrible fighter," added Uncle Moses.
+
+"Fanatics usually are."
+
+The voyage continued without any unusual incident till the ship was
+approaching the entrance to the sea. The shores on both sides became
+more precipitous, and heights of two thousand feet were to be seen. The
+commander pointed out Mocha, which has the reputation of sending out the
+finest coffee in the world; but this is said to come from Hodeida, a
+port north of it.
+
+"Those hills on the left indicate the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, which was
+written Babelmandel in the old geographies when I went to school. Bab
+means a gate wherever you find it; and this is the 'Gate of Tears,' so
+called from the perils it presented to the small craft of the Arabians;
+and many of them were wrecked here," said the commander when the party
+were gathered on the promenade as usual if anything was to be seen. "We
+are now in latitude 12 deg. 30', and I notice that some of the ladies are
+becoming tolerably diligent in the use of their fans."
+
+"It is time for us to begin to reduce our clothing," suggested Mrs.
+Belgrave.
+
+"Be prudent about that, ladies; for I think we shall have some cool
+weather again when we get out from the land, though it has been growing
+warmer since yesterday," added the doctor.
+
+"There is a strong current here, and some of the water comes up from the
+region of the equator; and, as you have been informed before, the
+temperature of it runs up to a hundred degrees," said the captain. "Here
+is the Island of Perim, a barren rock, three miles and a half long by
+two and a half wide, shaped like a crescent, with a good harbor between
+the two horns. The English took possession of it and held it for a year
+in 1799, and again occupied it in 1857, and later it was made into a
+coaling-station.
+
+"As you perceive, it is fortified, and it has a British garrison. It has
+hardly any other population than coolie coal-heavers. It is a
+desolate-looking place, and there does not appear to be even a blade of
+grass growing upon it."
+
+"Is it still Egypt on the other side of the strait?" asked Mrs.
+Belgrave.
+
+"No; it is Abyssinia," replied the captain. "It is a country containing
+200,000 square miles, nearly three-fourths of the size of Texas. It
+consists of tableland about 7,000 feet high, and there are peaks within
+its borders 15,000 feet high. It has a lake sixty miles long, and you
+have been told something about its rivers in connection with the sources
+of the Nile. It is rich in minerals, but the mines are hardly worked at
+all.
+
+"There has been the usual amount of quarrelling as in former times among
+the chiefs of the various tribes in Abyssinia; but finally an adventurer
+named Kassa, after defeating various chiefs, caused himself to be
+crowned as King Theodore. He tried to form an active alliance with
+England and France; but no notice was taken of his propositions. He was
+so enraged at this neglect on the part of England, that he began to
+maltreat the missionaries and consuls of that country. The British sent
+agents to treat for the release of the prisoners; but the king shut them
+up in the fortress of Magdala, though they brought a royal letter and
+presents.
+
+"Of course England could not stand this, and she sent an army of 16,000
+men to attend to the matter. They landed on the coast, and marched to
+Magdala. Theodore occupied a fort on a height with 6,000 men, and he
+hurled nearly the whole of his force upon a detachment of 1,700 British
+encamped on the plain below. The repeated attacks were repulsed every
+time, and the king was beaten. Then he sued for peace, and released the
+prisoners he held in the castle; but as he refused to surrender, the
+fortress was stormed and captured. Theodore was found dead where he had
+shot himself. The fort was demolished, and the British retired from the
+country. The expedition cost 45,000,000 dollars; but England always
+protects her citizens, wherever they are."
+
+"Is it a Mohammedan country, like Egypt?" asked Mrs. Belgrave.
+
+"It is not; it is nominally a Christian country, though its religion is
+of the very lowest type that ever was called by that name, wholly
+external, and morals are at a very low ebb. After the British left, a
+prince defeated his rival, and was crowned as Emperor John; but it is a
+single-horse monarchy. It has been at war with Egypt, which never got
+possession of the country as it desired. In 1885 Italy occupied
+Massowah, though for what purpose was never definitely stated. Three
+companies of its army were attacked by the Abyssinians, and nearly the
+whole of them were massacred; but the Italians did not avenge this
+assault."
+
+The ship continued on her course along the coast of Yemen ninety miles
+to Aden, which the commander had before given out as his first
+stopping-place. Steam had been reduced so that the arrival should not be
+in the night. The passage had been made in about four days. The pilot
+came on board at six o'clock in the morning, and the passengers were
+already on the promenade. Two large steamers were at anchor in the
+roads, and were engaged in coaling and watering. A boat came off as soon
+as the ship anchored, containing an agent of the great Parsee merchants,
+who do most of the business of the town. He wished to see the captain,
+who was in his cabin.
+
+"Good-morning, Captain," said the man, speaking very good English. "I
+have taken the liberty to bring off some newspapers."
+
+"I am greatly obliged to you, for we are getting hungry for newspapers,"
+replied Captain Ringgold as he took the package. "Excuse me for a moment
+and I will send them to the passengers, for I have not time to look at
+them now."
+
+He tossed the bundle of papers up to Dr. Hawkes, and returned to his
+cabin.
+
+"I shall be happy to take your orders for whatever you may need at this
+port, including coal and water, as well as provisions and other
+supplies," continued the agent.
+
+The commander ordered both coal and water; for he knew about the Parsee
+merchants, and referred Mr. Gaskill, as he gave his name, to Mr.
+Melancthon Sage, the chief steward.
+
+"What sort of goods do you furnish here, Mr. Gaskill?" asked the
+commander.
+
+"Every sort, Captain Ringgold. This steamer does not belong to any
+regular line, I think," said the agent.
+
+"It does not to any line, regular or irregular; and yet she is not a
+tramp," replied the commander with a smile.
+
+"Is she a man-of-war?" inquired the visitor, opening wide his big eyes.
+
+"She is not; she is a yacht, with a pleasure party on board who are
+making a voyage around the world."
+
+"Ah, yes, Captain; I understand. There is another steam-yacht in the
+roads, over beyond the P. & O. steamer nearest to you. Perhaps you have
+seen her; she is painted white all over."
+
+"I did not notice her. What flag does she carry?"
+
+"She sails under the British flag. But you suggested that you might need
+other supplies. We can furnish your party with all the English goods
+they want, and there are first-class tailors and dressmakers here."
+
+"My passengers must speak for themselves," answered the captain. "I fear
+you cannot furnish the supplies I need."
+
+"We can furnish everything that can be named," persisted the agent of
+the Parsee merchants. "What do you require?"
+
+"Two twenty-four pounders, brass, naval carriages, and all the
+ammunition needed for their use," replied the commander; and he felt as
+though he had made an impossible demand.
+
+"We can furnish anything and everything you may desire in this line; in
+fact, we can fit out your ship as a man-of-war. But do you need only two
+such guns as you describe, Captain Ringgold?" asked the business-driving
+Mr. Gaskill. "We have a lot of four of them, and we should like to
+dispose of them together."
+
+"I will see the guns before I say anything more about the matter. When
+can you fill our water-tanks and coal-bunkers?" inquired the commander.
+
+"We are very busy to-day, for we have several steamers to supply; but it
+shall be done before to-morrow noon."
+
+"Now I will introduce you to our chief steward."
+
+Mr. Sage insisted upon seeing his supplies before he named the quantity
+needed, and made an appointment on shore.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII
+
+A DISAPPOINTMENT TO CAPTAIN SCOTT
+
+
+Captain Ringgold knew something about Aden before he decided to make a
+stopping-place of it, and it was certainly a more agreeable location
+than Perim. The town--or towns, for there appear to be several of
+them--is described by a former resident as a sort of crater like that of
+a volcano, formed by a circular chain of steep hills, the highest of
+which is 1,775 feet above the sea level. The slope outside of them
+reaching to the waters of the Arabian Gulf, or the Gulf of Aden as it is
+now called, has several strings of hills in that direction, with valleys
+between them, radiating from the group to the shore.
+
+Aden is a peninsula connected with Hadramaut, the southern section of
+Arabia, by a narrow isthmus, covered at the spring tides by the
+surrounding waters. Over it is a causeway conveying an aqueduct which is
+always above the sea level. The region looks as though it might have
+been subject to volcanic convulsions at some remote period. Within the
+circle of hills are the town and a portion of the military works. In its
+natural location, as well as in the strength of its defences, it bears
+some resemblance to Gibraltar.
+
+This was the substance of what the commander told his passengers before
+they landed, and proceeded to give points in the history of the
+peninsula, which he had studied up, as he always did when approaching a
+new locality; and though he was a walking encyclopaedia, he had not
+obtained this reputation without much study and labor in addition to his
+extensive voyages and travels "all over the world."
+
+"A learned biblical scholar of the last century, who studied Oriental
+history in connection with the sacred record, identifies Aden as the
+Eden mentioned by Ezekiel in describing the wealth of Tyrus," continued
+the commander.
+
+"But who was Tyrus, Captain?" asked Mrs. Blossom, who was wide awake
+when any scriptural name was used.
+
+"He wasn't anybody, Mrs. Blossom; and when Ezekiel and some other of the
+prophets used the word Tyrus, they meant Tyre; and doubtless you have
+read about Tyre and Sidon."
+
+"I never heard it called by that name before," added the worthy lady
+with a blush.
+
+"Read Ezekiel xxvii. and you will find it. This place was known before
+the time of Christ, and was the centre of an extensive commerce with
+India, though it was also carried on by the Indus and the Oxus, the
+latter formerly flowing into the Caspian Sea. In the fourth century
+after Christ, the son of the Emperor Constantine established a Christian
+church here. In more modern history Aden has been a part of Yemen,
+along whose shores we sailed for more than a day on the Red Sea. The
+lines from Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' partly quoted before,
+
+                  "'As when to them who sail
+    Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past
+    Mozambic, off at sea north-east winds blow
+    Sabaean odors from the spicy shore
+    Of Arabie the blest,'
+
+alludes to this country. The Sabaeans were the ancient people of Yemen,
+called Sheba in the Book of Genesis. They were a wealthy and powerful
+people, and it was probably the queen of this region who made a
+celebrated visit to King Solomon. But we cannot follow them now.
+
+"Yemen changed hands several times, belonging to Abyssinia, Persia, and
+the caliphs of Arabia, and has been fought for by Portuguese, Turks, and
+Egyptians; but now it is a Turkish province. England had reason to
+demand satisfaction from the Arab authorities for injuries done to her
+Indian subjects. The negotiations failed, and there was evident
+treachery. England does her work thoroughly in such cases; and Aden was
+promptly bombarded, and then seized by a naval and military force in
+1839. This is said to be the first territory acquired during the reign
+of Queen Victoria; and the nation's record is not so bad as sometimes
+stated.
+
+"Aden was made a free port in 1850; and it has since had a large trade,
+increasing it from half a million dollars to sixteen millions. It is
+governed by English civil officers, and the military is in command of a
+brigadier-general. The troops are British and East Indian, and are of
+all arms of the service, including a troop of native cavalry, to which
+Arabs mounted on camels are attached. Now we are ready to go on shore,"
+the commander concluded.
+
+"How are we to go on shore, sir?" asked Scott.
+
+"We have plenty of boats,--the barge, the first and second cutters, and
+the dingy," replied Captain Ringgold with a pleasant smile; for he
+understood what the captain of the Maud was driving at.
+
+"Are you not going to put the little steamer into the water again, sir?"
+inquired the young captain. "She would be very convenient in going about
+this place, which is nearly surrounded by water."
+
+"She would be indeed; but we shall probably leave Aden by to-morrow
+afternoon, and it would hardly pay to lower her into the water, for you
+know that it requires a great deal of hard work to do so," said the
+commander, who was really very sorry to disoblige the young man, and he
+kept more than his usual smile on his face all the time.
+
+"I think we could make the voyage very comfortably in her from here to
+Bombay, or wherever you are going," suggested Captain Scott.
+
+"I do not consider a voyage of that length in such a small craft quite
+prudent, even if there were no other question to be considered. But it
+would take us at least half a day to put the Maud into the water, and
+as long to coal and water her, and otherwise fit her out. Then it is
+ordinarily a seven days' voyage from Aden to Bombay, and the Maud would
+get out of coal in half that time."
+
+"But for the next five hundred miles the voyage is along the coast of
+Arabia."
+
+"There are no coal stations except at Aden and Perim, so far as I know,
+unless you run up to Muscat, and I am not sure that there is any there,"
+answered the captain of the ship. "I learned from Mr. Gaskill, the
+Parsee agent here, after I told him who and what we were, that he had
+heard of us before. Stories exaggerated beyond all decent limits have
+been told about us. Louis's million and a half have been stretched to
+hundreds of millions, and the Guardian-Mother has been regarded as a
+floating mine of wealth. I suspect that Mazagan spread such stories in
+Egypt, and they have travelled to this port."
+
+"What have these stories to do with a voyage to Bombay by the Maud?"
+asked Scott, with something like a laugh; for he could see no
+connection.
+
+"Mr. Gaskill asked me about the little steamer that was sailing with the
+ship; so that he had heard of her, for she came through the canal with
+us. I have thought of this matter before; and the little steamer would
+be a great temptation to the half-civilized Arabs that inhabit these
+shores, and they are sailors after their own fashion. I know you are not
+afraid of them, Captain Scott; but it would be easy enough for these
+pirates to fall upon you, capture the little steamer, and make an end of
+all on board of her."
+
+"Where should we be while they were doing all this?" asked Scott with a
+smile of incredulity.
+
+"You would be treated to some treachery at first probably; but even in a
+square, stand-up fight your chances against fifty or a hundred of these
+savages would be very small. In fact, I came to the conclusion, after
+your battle at Khrysoko, that the armament of the ship was not heavy
+enough for possible contingencies, though the saluting-guns on the
+top-gallant forecastle are well enough for ordinary occasions."
+
+"As your mind seems to be made up, Captain Ringgold, I will say no more
+about the matter," added Scott; and it was plain enough that he was
+sorely disappointed.
+
+"I am very confident that Mrs. Belgrave and Mrs. Woolridge, since the
+trouble in the Cyprus bay, and after all that has been said since that
+event, would not permit their sons to go to sea again in the Maud; and I
+must say that their prudence is perfectly justifiable."
+
+"Then we are not likely to use the Maud again?" asked Scott.
+
+"Certainly not in these localities, though we may put her in the water
+at Bombay, Calcutta, and perhaps some other ports," replied the
+commander. "If anything should happen to you, or to any of your ship's
+company, I should never forgive myself."
+
+"I don't see that she will be of any use to us hereafter," suggested the
+discontented young navigator.
+
+"I advised her purchase mainly for use in the Mediterranean; and she has
+certainly been very useful, adding very much to the pleasure of the
+party."
+
+"If you cannot use her, I should think you would sell her," added Scott.
+"Of whatever service she may have been, she seems to be played out, and
+is of no use at all now."
+
+"You are nearer right, Captain Scott, than perhaps you suppose; and to
+be candid with you, I regard the Maud as very like an elephant on our
+hands."
+
+"Then I hope you will sell her," replied the young man, with something
+like desperation in his manner. "For my part, I am entirely willing you
+should do so, sir."
+
+"It is plainly impracticable to make any use of her in the next six
+months, except in harbor service, and we hardly need her for that,"
+continued the commander. "I know that Louis and Morris do not wish to go
+to sea in her again; and I suppose Felix would prefer to be where his
+crony is."
+
+"Cruising in the Maud is then decidedly a thing of the past," said
+Scott, with a feeble attempt to laugh.
+
+"Then, if I should find an opportunity to sell the Maud at Aden, you
+will not be disappointed?" asked the captain, point-blank, looking
+earnestly into the face of the young sailor.
+
+"If we are not to use her as we did before"--
+
+"That is utterly impracticable in the waters of the Indian Ocean; for
+the perils I have suggested, to say nothing of typhoons and hurricanes,"
+interposed the commander.
+
+"Then I shall be perfectly satisfied to have her go," answered Scott.
+
+"In the first typhoon or hurricane, and I expect to see such, we might
+be obliged to cut her loose, and launch her into the boiling waters to
+save the ship; for I find that she is too great a load to carry on our
+promenade deck, and we have no other place for her. We have had no storm
+to test the matter; if we had, she might have gone before this time. I
+have already spoken to Uncle Moses and Mr. Woolridge about the matter,
+and they not only consent, but insist, that the Maud be sold."
+
+"I have nothing more to say, Captain Ringgold," said Scott rather
+stiffly.
+
+Then he told the young man about the terrors of the mothers, the grave
+fears of Mr. Woolridge, who was a yachtsman, and was so confident that
+the little steamer would have to be cast into the sea, that Scott was
+somewhat mollified. He had made his reputation as a sailor, a navigator,
+a brave fellow, on board of her, and to lose the Maud seemed like
+destroying the ark which had brought him out of the floods of evil, and
+made a man of him.
+
+The wise commander had evidently saved him from a life of iniquity, and
+the little steamer had been an effective agency in his hands in doing
+the work. He was absolutely clear that it was not prudent for the young
+navigators to sail the Maud over the Indian Ocean, and his conscience
+would not permit it to be done. He was afraid his decision might have a
+bad effect upon the young man, that it might even turn him from the
+paths of rectitude in which he had trodden for many months; but he
+trusted to himself and the co-operation of the other three members of
+the "Big Four" to save him from any such disaster.
+
+The barge and the first cutter were manned at the gangway, and the party
+went on shore, prepared by what the commander had said to them to
+understand what they were to see. Captain Ringgold was obliged to visit
+the Parsee merchants, while an army officer who had been presented to
+them showed them about the town. They found everything they could
+possibly desire at the shops (not stores on British territory). Louis
+procured the vehicles, and they all rode out to the fortifications,
+where they were greatly interested, especially in the water tanks, which
+have a capacity of nearly eight million gallons. The officer was
+exceedingly polite, not alone because the reputation of the wealth of
+the young millionaire had gone out before him, but because this is the
+rule with well-bred English people.
+
+He was re-enforced by others, and the ladies had all the beaux they
+could manage; and Miss Blanche could have had all of them if she had not
+chosen to cling to Louis Belgrave. They were all invited to dinner in
+the cabin of the Guardian-Mother, and Mr. Sage was informed of the fact
+before he returned to the ship.
+
+Before noon the Maud had been sold for four times the sum she had cost,
+to the Parsees, who wanted her very badly to ply between steamers and
+the shore in prosecuting their trade. Out of the price to be received
+was deducted that of the four guns and a liberal supply of ammunition of
+all descriptions.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV
+
+THE SUSPICIOUS WHITE STEAMER AT ADEN
+
+
+Captain Ringgold had sold the little steamer for four times what she had
+cost the owners, but still for less than her value, for she was an
+exceptionally strong and handsome craft. On the other hand, he had
+purchased the naval material for "a mere song;" for it was not available
+for a man-of-war in modern times, and not of the kind used in the naval
+or military forces of England.
+
+The commander had been a young naval officer from the beginning of the
+War of the Rebellion, and had attained the grade of lieutenant, so that
+he was a judge of the material he bought. He examined everything very
+critically before a price was named. The guns had been procured for a
+native East-Indian prince; but the ship that brought them to the shores
+of his country was not permitted to land them. He was deposed about the
+time, probably on account of the attempt to bring these guns into his
+domain.
+
+The captain of the sailing-ship could not collect even his freight
+money, and he was forced to carry them off with him when his cargo was
+completed. His consignee suggested to him that the Imam, or Sultan, of
+Muscat would purchase his war material, and be glad to get it, and he
+had sailed for that port; but among the rocks at the entrance to the
+Persian Gulf his bark had been wrecked. The guns and ammunition were
+saved, for they were the captain's private venture, and he had stored
+them between decks.
+
+The bottom of the bark was pounded and ground off, and the cargo in the
+hold was a total loss; but an English steamer had taken off the ship's
+company and the naval goods, and carried them to Aden. The unfortunate
+captain sold them for the most he could get to the Parsee merchants, who
+had kept them for years before they found a purchaser. They got their
+money back, and they were satisfied.
+
+As soon as the commander finished his business with the merchants he
+hastened to join the party, who were still exploring the town. It
+contains about twenty thousand inhabitants, and everything was as
+Arabian as in the desert. He found his passengers just starting for a
+ride of about five miles; and, after he had been introduced to the
+officers, he went with them.
+
+"Goodness gracious!" exclaimed Mrs. Blossom, as they were getting into
+the carriages, "what is the matter with that man?"
+
+"Nothing is the matter with him, madam," replied an officer, laughing at
+the manner of the excellent woman.
+
+"Why, I thought he had a hornets' nest on the top of his head," she
+added.
+
+"He has nothing but his hair there."
+
+"It would be just the thing for a mop."
+
+"That is a Soumali Indian, and you will see a plenty of them," the
+officer explained. "In fact, you will find every sort of people here.
+These Soumalis are great dandies; for you see they dye their hair in red
+or yellow, and I suppose they think they are handsome. Probably you
+don't think so."
+
+"I'm sure I don't. Why, the fellow has no clothes on but a sheet wrapped
+around him, and don't even cover his chest with that!"
+
+"That's his fashion; and if you dressed him up like one of those Sepoys
+he would not feel easy. They have some fine horses and carriages here."
+
+The vehicles had to stop presently when they met a caravan of camels,
+which had long since ceased to be a novelty to the tourists. They were
+driven, the officer said, by the real Bedouins of the desert, and by men
+of all shades of color, from jet-black to pale copper hue. The donkeys
+were not a strange sight; but when a couple of ostriches passed along
+the street, the visitors were all eyes. They were seven feet high; and
+they could capture a fly, if they would take such small game, off the
+ceiling of a room eight feet high. They were tame, and like the monkeys,
+gazelles, parrots, and other birds on the verandas, were kept as pets.
+
+There were pretty little gardens along the roads; for the volcanic soil,
+when dug up and fertilized, makes productive land. There were plenty of
+rocks; but wherever there was a cleft or a seam, there was a growth of
+something green. Thirty or forty miles back in the country, there are
+green valleys and rippling streams. Abundant crops are raised within ten
+miles of the town, and the garrison and the people of the town are
+plentifully supplied with fruit and vegetables.
+
+The officers showed the party through the fortifications, some of which
+strongly reminded them of Gibraltar. Our friends were greatly pleased
+with Aden, and especially with the attentions of the officers, who are
+to some extent shut out from social relations. The commander added the
+Parsee merchants and Mr. Gaskill to the number of invited guests, and
+entered warmly into the spirit of the affair. Mr. Sage had replenished
+his stores from the market, and he was in good condition to meet the
+requirements of the occasion.
+
+After a lunch at the Hotel de l'Europe, Captain Ringgold left the
+company to return on board of the ship, where the war material had
+already been sent. The tourists found the town very like an English
+city, and after Egypt and the isthmus they enjoyed the contrast. The
+first cutter was waiting for him, and he went to the pier.
+
+More than once during the forenoon he had obtained a view of the white
+steamer anchored in the roads, and he had inquired in regard to her, but
+had been able to obtain no very definite information concerning her. She
+was a steam-yacht of about the size of the Guardian-Mother, as nearly
+as he could judge, painted white, and she looked like a very beautiful
+vessel.
+
+Captain Ringgold had inquired in regard to her of the merchants. Had
+they seen the owner who was making the cruise in her? They had. He was a
+man thirty or thirty-two, with a fine black beard, and a lady had said
+he was a remarkably handsome man. His informant thought he was a
+foreigner, though he spoke English as fluently as the officers of the
+garrison. He was dressed in the latest style of European garments when
+he came on shore, and the Parsee had been unable to form an opinion in
+regard to his nationality.
+
+The carpenter of the Guardian-Mother had constructed something like a
+magazine in the hold of the ship for the ammunition which had been taken
+on board before she sailed. It was large enough for the new supply,
+though some further precautions were taken for the safety of the
+contents. The four twenty-four pounders were placed, two forward and two
+aft, the former on the forecastle, and the latter in the space on deck
+abaft the boudoir.
+
+The guns were mounted on naval carriages, and portholes were to be
+prepared on the passage to India. The two twelve-pounders were to remain
+on the top-gallant forecastle, where they had always been; though they
+had been used on the Fourth of July, and for saluting purposes only,
+except in the Archipelago, where they had done more serious work, and
+had doubtless saved Miss Blanche and Louis from capture.
+
+The commander sincerely hoped there would never be an occasion to make
+use of either the old or the new guns, for he was eminently a man of
+peace; but he was prepared to defend his ship, either from pirates,
+belligerent natives, or Captain Mazagan when he had recovered from his
+wound. Probably he would not have thought of such a thing as increasing
+his means of defence if Mazagan had not followed the ship as far as
+Suez.
+
+After he had looked over the white steam-yacht which lay beyond the
+British steamer as well as he could, and gathered all the information in
+regard to her and her commander, he could not help thinking of the last
+threats of Mazagan. He had been assured that Ali-Noury Pacha was as
+vindictive as ever, and that he had long before ordered a new steamer to
+be built for him. Did the white steam-yacht belong to him?
+
+Mazagan, evidently for the want of care, had irritated his wound, and
+gone to the hospital at Suez. He could learn nothing in regard to him
+there; but it was entirely impossible that he could have come to Aden,
+for no steamer had passed the Guardian-Mother on her passage. The white
+steamer had no doubt come through the canal before her.
+
+The commander could not solve the problem. He decided to "take the bull
+by the horns," and settle the question before he sailed the next day. He
+had dressed himself in his best uniform in the morning, and he decided
+to pay a visit to the white steam-yacht before he slept again. It was to
+be a visit of ceremony; and he ordered the crew of the barge to put on
+their clean white uniforms, for he intended to go in state.
+
+All the passengers were still on shore, and there was no one to go with
+him if he had desired any company. He wished to inform the Pacha, if the
+owner proved to be he, and he was on board, that he was prepared for any
+and every thing. If His Highness attempted any trickery or treachery in
+the direction of the members of his party, or any one of them, he would
+blow the white steamer out of the water, even if she belonged to the
+Sultan of Morocco. In fact, he had worked himself up as much as he ever
+could into an angry frame of mind.
+
+If he was waiting for Mazagan to come to Aden,--for the pirate must have
+written to him in regard to his intentions, if he had any,--the
+persecution of the Americans was to be continued over the Indian Ocean.
+He was to command this magnificent steamer, as he had the Fatime, and
+would be ready to retrieve his misfortunes in the past. But Captain
+Ringgold was "reckoning without his host."
+
+He descended the gangway steps, and took his seat in the stern-sheets of
+the barge with compressed lips; for he intended to meet the Pacha face
+to face, and this time at his own instigation. Possibly his crew were
+physiognomists enough to wonder what had come over the captain; for
+they had never seen him when he looked more in earnest. The captain
+nodded at the cockswain, and the bowman shoved off. The crew gave way,
+and no boat ever presented a finer appearance.
+
+"To the white steam-yacht beyond the P. and O. steamer," said the
+commander; and said no more.
+
+The men bent to their oars, and they were soon in sight of the beautiful
+vessel, as everybody called her; and Captain Ringgold could not but
+indorse the general verdict; at least, he thought she was quite as
+handsome as the Guardian-Mother, which was enough to say of any vessel
+in his estimation. The barge made a landing at the platform of the
+gangway.
+
+"May I be permitted to go on board?" asked the captain of the sailor who
+stood at the head of the steps.
+
+"Yes, sir; she is open to ladies and gentlemen to-day," replied the man.
+
+The commander ascended the steps to the bulwarks, where the seaman was
+evidently doing duty as a sentinel, though he was not armed.
+
+"What steamer is this?" asked the visitor; for he had not yet seen the
+name of the steamer.
+
+"The Blanche, sir," replied the man very respectfully; for the
+commander's uniform had made its proper impression.
+
+"The Blanche!" exclaimed the captain of the Guardian-Mother, starting
+back as though a red-hot shot had struck him.
+
+[Illustration: "CAPTAIN RINGGOLD, I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE YOU." Page
+337.]
+
+It was very remarkable that the steamer should have that name; but he
+preserved his dignity, and concluded that the name had been given for
+some member of the owner's family; and he saw a lady seated near the
+rudder-head, who might be the owner of the name. He looked about the
+deck,--what of it could be seen,--though most of it was covered by the
+house, extended nearly from stem to stern, as on the Guardian-Mother.
+Everything was as neat and trim as though she had been a man-of-war. He
+could see two twelve-pounders on the side where he was; and he concluded
+there were two more on the other side.
+
+But if this craft was to chase and annoy his party, she was not well
+enough armed to be a match for his own ship; and with the feeling he had
+stirred up in his mind, he congratulated himself on the superiority of
+the ship he commanded. The seaman informed him that he was at liberty to
+look over the vessel, for it was believed to be the finest her
+celebrated builders had ever completed.
+
+"I desire to see the captain of this steamer," replied Captain Ringgold,
+declining the permission extended to him.
+
+"He is in his cabin, sir, and I will call him down," replied the man.
+
+The captain gave him his card, and the sailor mounted to the promenade
+deck. He had not been gone two minutes before the captain rushed down
+the steps as though he were in a desperate hurry.
+
+"Captain Ringgold, I am delighted to see you!" shouted the captain of
+the Blanche before the visitor had time to make out who he was. "I am
+glad to see you on the deck of my ship!" And he extended his hand to the
+commander of the Guardian-Mother.
+
+"Captain Sharp!" roared the visitor, seizing the offered hand, and
+warmly pressing it.
+
+It was a tremendous let-down for him, after he had roused all his
+belligerent nature into action, to find Captain W. Penn Sharp in command
+of the suspicious steamer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV
+
+GENERAL NEWRY'S MAGNIFICENT YACHT
+
+
+The biography of Captain Penn Sharp had been quite romantic within the
+preceding year. In company with his brother he had been a detective in
+New York during the greater portion of his lifetime. He had been an
+honest and upright man; but in spite of this fact he had saved a
+competence for a man of small desires before he was fifty years old. He
+had never been married till the last year of his life.
+
+He had what he called a "profession," and he had attended to it very
+closely for twenty years or more. When he "had a case to 'work up,'" he
+took it to his humble lodging with him, and studied out the problem.
+There was nothing in his room that could be called a luxury, unless a
+library of two hundred volumes were classed under that head; and he
+spent all his leisure time in this apartment, having absolutely no
+vices. He was a great reader, had never taken a vacation, and saved all
+his money, which he had prudently invested.
+
+In his younger days he had been to sea, and came home as the mate of a
+large ship when he was twenty-two. His prospects in the commercial
+marine were very promising; but his brother, believing he had peculiar
+talent for the occupation in which he was himself engaged, induced him
+to go into the business as his partner. He had been a success; but men
+do not live as he did, depriving himself of rest or recreation, without
+suffering for it. His health broke down.
+
+Confident that a voyage at sea would build him up, he applied to Captain
+Ringgold for any place he could offer him. Only the position of
+quartermaster was available. He was glad to obtain this on board of such
+a steamer. He had told his story, and the commander needed just such a
+person. Mrs. Belgrave had married for her second husband a man who had
+proved to be a robber and a villain. Her son Louis had discovered his
+character long before she did, and, after fighting a long and severe
+battle, had driven him away, recovering a large sum of money he had
+purloined.
+
+Captain Ringgold ascertained in Bermuda that the villain had another
+wife in England. He promoted his quartermaster to the position of third
+officer, and set him at work as a detective on the case. The recreant
+husband had inherited a fortune in Bermuda, had purchased a steam-yacht,
+and was still struggling to recover the wife who had discarded him,
+believing the "Missing Million" was behind her.
+
+The deserted English wife had been sent for by her uncle, who had become
+a large sugar planter in Cuba. Sharp found her; and her relative had
+died but a short time before, leaving her a large fortune. The wretch
+who had abandoned her was arrested for his crimes, and sent back to New
+York, and was soon serving a long sentence at Sing Sing. He had been
+obliged to leave his steam-yacht, and it had been awarded to his wife.
+
+By the influence of Captain Ringgold, Penn Sharp had been appointed
+captain of her; and he had sailed for New York, and then for England, in
+her. The lady was still on the sunny side of forty, and Sharp had
+married her. After this happy event, they had sailed for the
+Mediterranean; and the commander and passengers of the Guardian-Mother
+had met them at Gibraltar. How Captain Penn Sharp happened to be in
+command of the Blanche was a mystery to Captain Ringgold, though it was
+possible that the million or more of Mrs. Penn Sharp enabled her to
+support such a steam-yacht.
+
+It seemed as though Captain Sharp would never release the hand of the
+commander of the Guardian-Mother, who had not only been a good friend to
+him in every sense of the word, but he had unintentionally put him in
+the way of achieving the remarkably good fortune which had now crowned
+his life.
+
+"I don't know what to make of this, Captain Sharp," said he of the
+Guardian-Mother. "Are you in command of this fine steamer?"
+
+"Without a ghost of a doubt I am," replied he of the Blanche, with a
+renewed pressure of the hand.
+
+"Of course I am astonished, surprised, astounded, as I ought to be on an
+occasion like this. About the last I knew of you, you had just got
+married. Have you become so accustomed to married life that you are
+ready to leave your wife on shore while you wander over the ocean
+again?" asked the visitor in a good-humored, rallying tone.
+
+"Not a bit of it, my dear Captain. My wife is worth more to me than all
+the money she brought me, though she is as much of a millionaire as
+young Mr. Belgrave, we find. She is on board of the Blanche at this
+moment; and Ruth will be delighted to see you and all your people."
+
+"I am glad all is so happy with you, and I may be tempted to marry
+myself," laughed the commander.
+
+"You are already tempted, and you will yield to the temptation."
+
+"I have not been tempted like Adam in the garden; if I had been, I
+should have swallowed the apple whole," replied Captain Ringgold, who
+had never said so much before on this delicate subject to any person.
+"It will have to be Adam this time that does all the tempting. But I
+wish you would explain to me how you happen to be fixed up here like
+Aladdin in one of his fairy palaces. I suppose, of course, you are
+sailing in your own steamer?"
+
+"Not at all; for though we have money enough now, we are not disposed to
+throw it away upon a ship with so much style about her as the Blanche
+carries over the ocean. But I have not asked you about your party on
+board of the Guardian-Mother. I like that title, and if I had had the
+naming of the Blanche, I should have called her the Protecting
+Grandmother, or something of that sort."
+
+"The company on board of my ship are all in excellent health and
+spirits. By the way, we have a dinner party at six, and you and your
+wife must assist; and it will be a most unexpected pleasure."
+
+"I will go; but it is four now, and we haven't half time enough to do
+our talking. But come to my cabin; and then, if you will excuse me for a
+moment, I will notify Mrs. Sharp, so that she may be ready for the
+dinner."
+
+Captain Sharp sent the sailor at the gangway to show the visitor to his
+cabin, while he went aft on his errand. Captain Ringgold found the cabin
+consisted of two apartments, one of which was evidently his wife's
+boudoir; and nothing could have been more elegant or convenient. In
+fact, it was Oriental magnificence, though the portion appropriated to
+the commander was fitted up with the usual nautical appliances. The
+occupant of the cabin soon appeared; and he acted as though he wanted to
+hug his visitor, though he satisfied himself by taking his hand again.
+He evidently credited the captain of the Guardian-Mother with both his
+wife and his fortune.
+
+"Now take this arm-chair, Captain Ringgold, and we will have it out,"
+said the commander of the Blanche. "My wife will be ready in an hour,
+and she will be delighted to see Mrs. Belgrave and the rest of the
+party; for she is particularly fond of that lady, though they have both
+been in the same relation to Scoble."
+
+"I think the name of Scoble has not been mentioned for nearly a year on
+board of the Guardian-Mother. But you told me, Captain Sharp, that you
+and your wife were not the owners of this fine craft," suggested the
+visitor, leading to the solution of the mystery which perplexed him.
+
+"We are not; and I am sailing in the employ of General Newry," answered
+the other; and Captain Ringgold imagined that the name was spelled in
+this manner, though there was a twinkle in the eyes of the speaker.
+
+"General Newry; I never heard of him. One of those Englishmen who have
+won their spurs and their fortunes in India, I suppose," added the
+visitor.
+
+"Not at all; and he is not even an Englishman."
+
+"Not an Englishman!" exclaimed the puzzled captain. "Is he a Frenchman
+with that name?"
+
+"Not even a Frenchman."
+
+"I came on board of the Blanche almost angry enough to break something,
+for certain members of my party have been hunted and hounded the whole
+length of the Mediterranean; and I am determined to put a stop to it,"
+said Captain Ringgold, getting back some of the spirit in which he had
+boarded the steamer. "I am of the same mind still."
+
+"You will have no further trouble with your troublesome customer," said
+Captain Sharp, with a very agreeable smile.
+
+"How do you know?"
+
+"As the boys say, because I know; I do not guess at it."
+
+"You do not understand the matter."
+
+"I know more about it than you do."
+
+"Do you know Ali-Noury Pacha?"
+
+"I do; intimately."
+
+"Then you know that he is one of the greatest scoundrels that ever went
+six months without being hung," said he of the Guardian-Mother warmly.
+
+"There I must beg to differ from you. He may have been what you say in
+the past, but he is not in the present," replied he of the Blanche,
+quite as decidedly as the other had spoken.
+
+Captain Ringgold proceeded to demonstrate the truth of his remark
+concerning the Pacha by relating his experience from Mogadore to
+Alexandria, detailing the plots and conspiracies of His Highness and his
+agents against the peace and safety of his party. Captain Sharp admitted
+the truth of all the attempts to capture Miss Blanche and Louis
+Belgrave.
+
+"Then you must admit that he is an unmitigated scoundrel," added Captain
+Ringgold.
+
+"Much that you charge to him was the work of his agents."
+
+"He hatched up the conspiracy with Mazagan, for Louis heard every word
+of it in the cafe at Gallipoli. The attempt was made in Pournea Bay in
+the Archipelago to take Miss Blanche and Louis out of the Maud."
+
+"I grant it; but Mazagan far exceeded his instructions, as he did at
+Zante."
+
+"How much money did the Pacha offer Mazagan to obtain the persons
+mentioned?"
+
+"Twenty thousand dollars, or a hundred thousand francs; but that is a
+bagatelle to him. The Pacha is another man now," added the ex-detective
+impressively.
+
+"How long has he been another man?" asked Captain Ringgold with
+something like a sneer.
+
+"Over six months."
+
+"But Mazagan has been operating the same old scheme in Egypt within two
+months," protested the commander of the Guardian-Mother very vigorously.
+
+"Then he was not acting under the instructions of the Pacha."
+
+"We should have found it difficult to believe that if you had told it to
+us in Cairo," said the objector in a manner that might have made one who
+did not know the captain decidedly belligerent. "Mazagan told Louis that
+the Pacha had offered him two hundred thousand francs if he succeeded in
+his enterprise, or half that sum if he failed."
+
+"Then the fellow lied!" exclaimed the captain of the Blanche.
+
+"He told Louis if he would persuade his trustee to give him half the
+full amount of the reward, he would collect the other half of His
+Highness, as promised in case of failure."
+
+"That Mazagan is a villain and a scoundrel I have no doubt," said
+Captain Sharp. "Since the affair at Zante, the Pacha has had no hand in
+the matter."
+
+"But the steamer of His Highness, the Fatime, has been in Rosetta in
+command of Mazagan," put in the objector with earnestness, believing his
+reply would demolish the truth of his companion's statement.
+
+"That can be explained," answered the commander of the Blanche. "If you
+believe there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, it is
+quite time for me to tell my story; and I hope you will take a different
+view of the Pacha's present character, as I believe you will."
+
+"Where is the distinguished Moor now?" asked Captain Ringgold,
+carelessly and flippantly, as though it was of no consequence to him
+where he was.
+
+"He is in the cabin."
+
+"In the cabin!" exclaimed the commander of the Guardian-Mother, leaping
+out of his chair with an utter lack of dignity for him. "What cabin?"
+
+"The cabin of the Blanche, of course."
+
+"Is this his steamer?"
+
+"It is."
+
+"You told me it was General Newry's," said the visitor with a frown, as
+he buttoned up his coat as though he was about to take his leave of such
+a disagreeable locality. "General N-e-w-r-y."
+
+"N-o-u-r-y is the way he spells it," interposed the ex-detective. "Sit
+down, Captain. He is a general of the highest rank in the army of
+Morocco, and he prefers to cruise under this title."
+
+"If this is the steamer of Ali-Noury Pacha, it is time for me to leave."
+
+"I hope you will hear my story before you go; for I assure you I have
+been honest and sincere with you, telling you nothing but the truth. I
+hated and condemned the vices of His Highness as much as you do,
+Captain; I have told him so to his face, and that was the foundation of
+his reformation."
+
+Captain Ringgold concluded to hear the story.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI
+
+AN ALMOST MIRACULOUS CONVERSION
+
+
+It was a long story which Captain Penn Sharp told of his relations with
+Ali-Noury Pacha; and his visitor was so incredulous at first that he
+appeared to have solemnly resolved not to accept anything as the truth.
+But the character of the speaker left its impress all along the
+narrative; and Captain Ringgold was compelled to believe, just as the
+hardened sinner is sometimes forced to accept the truth when presented
+to him by the true evangelist, though his teeth were set against it.
+
+"You gentlemen with millions in your trousers pockets are subject to
+perils which we of moderate means are not exposed to," the commander of
+the Blanche began.
+
+"That means you, and not me," suggested the visitor.
+
+"You have the reputation of being a rich man, whether you are one or
+not. My wife is rich, and I am only well off; but never mind that now,"
+replied Captain Sharp. "I saw General Noury, as we will call him after
+this if you do not object, for that is the name by which he chooses to
+be known, in Gibraltar several times, and I knew all about your affair
+with him there; but I did not get acquainted with him, for I despised
+him as much as you did.
+
+"I sailed from the Rock, and took my wife to a great many of the ports
+of Europe, and some in Africa, including Egypt; but I am not going to
+tell you about our travels. We went from Alexandria to Malta, Syracuse,
+and to Messina; and it was at this last port that I fell in with General
+Noury. His steamer, I forget her name,"--
+
+"The Fatime; but Felix McGavonty always called her the Fatty."
+
+"The Fatty anchored within a cable's length of me before I had been
+there two hours, and the Pacha went ashore at once. That night my wife
+was sick, and I went to the city to procure a certain medicine for her.
+I happened into a shop where no one could speak English, and I don't
+speak anything else. I was just going off to find another place where
+they did speak English, when a gentleman rose from a chair with some
+difficulty and offered his services.
+
+"It was General Noury. He had been drinking, but was not very badly off.
+He was as polite as a dancing-master, and helped me out so that I got
+what I wanted. He spoke Italian as though he had known it in his
+babyhood. I was very much obliged to him, and thanked him with all my
+might. He left before my package was ready, and I soon followed him.
+
+[Illustration: "MY SHOT BROUGHT DOWN ONE OF THE BANDITS." Page 351.]
+
+"As I entered the street that leads from the Corso Cavour to the shore I
+heard the yells of a man in trouble. I always carried my revolver with
+me, and I had handled a good many rough villains in my day. I started at
+a run, and soon reached the scene of the fight. I found two men had
+attacked one; and though the latter was bravely defending himself, he
+was getting the worst of it. I saw that he was going under, and I fired
+just as the man attacked dropped on the pavement.
+
+"My shot brought down one of the bandits, and the other rushed towards
+me. He had brought down his victim, and he wanted to get rid of me so
+that he could go through his pockets. I fired at him, and he dropped the
+long knife with which he was going to stick me on the pavement. There it
+is over the window;" and the captain pointed to it. "He was wounded; and
+then he ran away, for he did not like to play with a revolver. Before I
+could get to him, the other assassin got on his feet and followed him,
+though he moved with no little labor and pain; but my business was not
+with him, and I let him go.
+
+"The man who had been attacked was trying to get on his feet, and when I
+came up to him I found it was General Noury. He had been stabbed in the
+shoulder, and he was bleeding very freely. With my assistance he walked
+to my boat, and my men placed him in the stern-sheets. I found that he
+was bleeding badly, and I was no surgeon. The Hotel Vittorio was on the
+other side of the street, and some one there could tell me in English
+where to find a doctor.
+
+"Two gentlemen at the door were smoking. They were talking in English,
+and I told them what I wanted. They were both Americans, and one of
+them was a doctor. He volunteered to go with me. He said the patient had
+a bad wound. He went back to the hotel for his case of instruments, and
+then went on board of the Viking with his patient. It would make your
+dinner very late if I should give you all the details of the general's
+case. Dr. Henderson stopped the flow of blood, and attended to his
+patient for three weeks on board of the steam-yacht.
+
+"When he was in condition to be moved to the Fatty, he did not wish to
+go. My wife had nursed him as she would have nursed her own brother, and
+as she had her uncle in Cuba. When he was convalescent he treated her
+with the most profound respect. Mazagan came on board to see him, and
+told me he had just come from Athens. But the general was plainly
+disgusted with him, and wanted to get rid of him. He gave him the
+command of the Fatty, and ordered him to wait for him at Gibraltar.
+
+"Dr. Henderson was travelling for pleasure, and he liked it so well that
+he wanted more of it; but he had spent all his money, and had no more at
+home. He came on board of the Viking, and lived there. His friend had
+left, and he was alone. He had been a very skilful practitioner in New
+York City, but his thirst for travel would not permit him to wait long
+enough to save sufficient money from his abundant income.
+
+"Of his own free will and accord General Noury told me that he was
+leading a miserable life in spite of the wealth that he possessed, the
+honors that crowned him in Morocco, and the leisure that was always at
+his command when the army was not in the field. As he summed it up
+himself, his vices had got the better of him. He could not respect
+himself. I could see that there was something left of him. I went to
+work on him. I am not an evangelist myself, and I did not take him on
+that tack.
+
+"I have no doubt that I had saved his life; and no man was ever more
+grateful for the service I had rendered him. My wife was such a houri as
+he had never seen in a harem. We both talked with him about the beauty
+of a good and useful life. In a word, we redeemed him. My wife is a
+sincere Christian, and she did more of it than I did. He was absolutely
+penitent over his sins, his dissipation, the wrongs towards others he
+had committed, though he was still a Mohammedan; but a great deal of the
+prophet's creed would pass for Christianity. We both saw that it would
+be useless to attack his religion; for he was a Moslem to the marrow of
+his bones.
+
+"More than anything else he was penitent over his relations with you and
+your party. The general was certainly infatuated over the beauty of Miss
+Blanche; but it was as an artist runs mad over a picture. He solemnly
+assured me he never had an unworthy thought in regard to her. He looked
+upon her as a beautiful child, whose image haunted him day and night. If
+you had permitted him to see her, that was all he wanted. No such
+thought had ever entered his head as that of putting her in his harem,
+even if he had succeeded through his agents in capturing her; though he
+was urged forward to this by the insults you heaped upon him.
+
+"I mean that you spoke the truth to him, nothing more, as I did. He
+desires to beg your forgiveness, and he would cross the Atlantic for the
+purpose of doing so. We stayed at Messina three weeks, and at the end of
+that time General Noury was quite well again. He gave Dr. Henderson a
+hundred thousand francs, and wanted me to take five times that amount;
+but I positively refused to take a cent from him. To shorten up the
+story, we became fast friends, including my wife. He had sent the Fatty
+off, and I invited him to remain on board of the Viking. He was in a
+hurry to get to Gibraltar; and I soon found that he had a reason for
+going there.
+
+"He told me that the Fatty was old and slow, and more than a year before
+he had ordered the finest steam-yacht that could be built; and the
+Blanche was the result of the order. He named her after the highest
+ideal he had ever been able to obtain of human loveliness; but he had
+written this letter from Madeira, before he had had any trouble with
+you. Ruth and I were ready to go to England by this time, and we
+conveyed the general to Gibraltar. He had received a letter from his
+English agent informing him that the Blanche was finished.
+
+"He ordered his man of business to ship the best English ship's company
+he could gather together at liberal wages, and proceed to Gibraltar. We
+found her there. He insisted that I should sell the Viking, for which he
+found a customer, and take the command of the Blanche. My wife should
+have any and all the accommodations on board she desired, and we would
+make the voyage around the world, an idea he borrowed from you, Captain
+Ringgold.
+
+"I accepted the offer because I liked the general, and my wife was more
+pleased with the plan than I was. I was to have my own way about
+everything, and he acted in princely style. My first business was to
+improve his reputation in Gibraltar. He gave a very large sum to the
+charities of the city; and where the officers and soldiers had benefit
+associations he filled up their coffers. He did not drink a drop of
+spirits or wine, and would have signed a total-abstinence pledge if I
+had asked him to do so. I am not quite old enough to be his father; but
+if he had been my son I could have had no more influence over him.
+
+"The general came to me to know how he should settle his accounts with
+Mazagan, informing me that the villain had offered him twenty-five
+thousand francs for the Fatty, and claimed the fifty thousand due him. I
+told him he had made a bad bargain with the wretch, but as he had
+promised he must perform. The vessel was worth at least double what he
+offered; but I advised him to take it, for money was no object to him
+compared with getting rid of this villain. Mazagan took possession of
+the Fatty, and that was the last of her."
+
+"No, it wasn't," interposed Captain Ringgold; and he gave a brief
+account of the "Battle of Khrysoko," with the events leading to it.
+
+"Good for Captain Scott!" exclaimed the commander of the Blanche. "I am
+glad she has gone to the bottom, for that is the best place for her. We
+sailed from Gibraltar to Madeira, where the general made himself solid
+with the people there in the same manner as at the Rock. He apologized
+to everybody he had insulted, and he was quite a lion before we left the
+port. Then we went to Mogadore; and there he scattered his harem, on the
+plea that he was going around the world; but he told me it would never
+be gathered together again, that or any other.
+
+"The general would have gone to New York in the Blanche if you had been
+there, for the sole purpose of apologizing to you, and begging you to
+forgive him for all the injuries he had done or had attempted to do you.
+It is only five o'clock, and now you must see General Noury. I was going
+to the Guardian-Mother this evening to make an appointment for him; for
+I thought you would be busy all day."
+
+"I am quite ready now to meet him, and to give him my hand," replied
+Captain Ringgold. "I must say that this is the greatest conversion on
+record, considering that the Pacha is still a Mohammedan."
+
+"I think so myself; but my wife will never be satisfied till she has
+made him a convert to the Christian religion," replied Captain Sharp, as
+he led the way to the cabin of the general.
+
+They were promptly admitted; and the owner of the Blanche started back,
+and stood with clasped hands gazing at Captain Ringgold.
+
+"General Noury, this is Captain Ringgold, commander of the
+Guardian-Mother," said Captain Sharp.
+
+"Most sincerely, I am very glad to see you, General Noury," added the
+visitor, advancing with extended hand to the Pacha, for such he was
+still in spite of the change in his name.
+
+"I feel more like throwing myself on my knees before you, after the
+Oriental manner, than taking you by the hand," replied the general,
+though he took the hand tendered to him. "I have grievously wronged and
+insulted you, and I ask to be forgiven with the most sincere and
+long-continued sorrow for the injuries I have done you."
+
+"General Noury, I am happy to take by the hand as my friend one who has
+passed from the darkness into the light; and as my own religion teaches
+me to forgive those who have wronged me, I am glad to make the past, as
+it lies between us, a total blank."
+
+"And my religion teaches me to seek the forgiveness of those I have
+injured, or tried to injure. We will not differ over our faith,
+different as they are; and on my part there shall henceforth be nothing
+else to make us at variance."
+
+"And nothing on my part," responded Captain Ringgold, again pressing the
+hand of the Pacha.
+
+The general was invited to visit the Guardian-Mother, and dine with the
+party in the cabin. Captain Ringgold was then conducted to the after
+part of the ship, and there found Mrs. Sharp, who was delighted to see
+him. The Pacha presently came out of his cabin dressed in evening
+costume, but in European style, and the trio embarked in the barge. As
+they approached the anchorage of the ship, strains of martial music came
+from her deck, which the commander could not explain. It appeared that
+some of the invited officers had sent a regimental band on board as a
+compliment to the steamer and her passengers.
+
+The long absence of the commander had begun to excite some uneasiness,
+for he had not been seen since the middle of the forenoon. The addition
+of even three more guests to the crowded table upset the calculations of
+the accomplished steward, and he was obliged to add another table. While
+he was doing so, the captain told his passengers "of the mighty things
+that had happened." He could not tell the whole story; but he begged all
+on board to receive the Pacha kindly and politely, for he had forgiven
+everything, and he honored him for the bravery and resolution with which
+he had put his vices behind him. "Get thee behind me, Satan!" was the
+way he phrased it.
+
+[Illustration: "HE WAS PLACED AT THE RIGHT OF CAPTAIN RINGGOLD." Page
+359.]
+
+The general was then presented to all the party, passengers as well as
+invited guests. It may have required an effort on the part of the former
+to carry out the instructions of the commander; but the Pacha declared
+that he was delighted with his reception. He was placed on the right of
+Captain Ringgold, as the guest of honor, and treated with distinguished
+consideration by all the people from the shore.
+
+The dinner was Mr. Melancthon Sage's crowning effort, as he had been
+ordered to make it. Not a word was said, or an allusion made, to the
+scenes of the past in which the trouble had bubbled up. The commander
+made a speech, and proclaimed his temperance principle so originally
+that the military guests hardly missed the wine to which they were
+accustomed. Some of them spoke, mostly of the ship and her agreeable
+passengers; but all agreed the Pacha made the speech of the evening,
+which was a comparison between his own country and those in which he had
+spent so large a portion of his life. In the first place, he was a very
+handsome man; his English was perfect; and he had a poetic nature, which
+developed itself in the flowery language he used.
+
+It was a very delightful occasion, and everybody enjoyed it without any
+drawbacks. The Maud was at the gangway to take the party ashore; for the
+Parsee merchants had invited the military officers to make use of her.
+By eleven o'clock all were gone in that direction. Captain Ringgold had
+intended to sail for Bombay the next day; but the extraordinary event
+which had transpired at Aden decided him to remain another day.
+
+The party from the Blanche, attended by the commander, were put on
+board of their steamer, in the barge. On her return Captain Ringgold was
+very anxious to ascertain what impression had been made upon the
+passengers by His Highness the Pacha. They insisted that he was not the
+same man at all, and that they had been pleased with him. Had he really
+reformed his life? Mrs. Belgrave had heard from Mrs. Sharp a fuller
+account of the conversion of the sinner in a high place, and she
+believed it.
+
+Louis Belgrave sat at the side of Miss Blanche, and she had little
+knowledge of the intentions of the Pacha so far as she was concerned. He
+had treated her with the most scrupulous politeness and reserve, and she
+admitted that she "rather liked him." Mrs. Blossom declared that he was
+still a heathen, and wondered that Mrs. Sharp had not converted him to
+Christianity while she was about it, as she would have done if she had
+had the opportunity. But the good woman would probably have lost her
+case if she had tried to do too much at once.
+
+The next day the intercourse between the two steamers was renewed; and
+the Pacha was decidedly a lion, though he conducted himself with extreme
+modesty. The impression he continued to make was decidedly in his favor.
+He assumed nothing on account of his wealth, his lofty station, or
+anything else. The passengers dined that day in the cabin of the
+Blanche, with about all the guests whose acquaintance the general had
+made on board the Guardian-Mother.
+
+In the afternoon it was decided by the unanimous vote of the company on
+board of the Guardian-Mother that the two steamers should sail the next
+day for Bombay together. The "Big Four" had been properly noticed by the
+Pacha, and they had all made friends with him. He had talked with Louis
+a good deal, for he had become very well acquainted with him at
+Mogadore; and Scott even thought it possible such a man, "made of
+money," might yet buy a steamer for him.
+
+The Maud, with the Parsee merchants and all the friendly officers,
+followed the two magnificent steamers to sea the next day, and both
+vessels fired salutes for them at parting. The party were going to
+India; new sights, different from anything they had ever seen before,
+were to open upon them, and it is more than possible that the young men
+on board would fall into some stirring adventures as they proceeded. The
+company of the Blanche was likely to bring with it some attractions, and
+to change somewhat the order of events on board both vessels. But the
+narrative of the voyage will be found in "ACROSS INDIA; OR, LIVE BOYS IN
+THE FAR EAST."
+
+
+
+
+OLIVER OPTICS BOOKS.
+
+
+THE BLUE and THE GRAY
+
+Illustrated. With Emblematic Dies. Each volume bound in Blue and Gray.
+Per volume, $1.50.
+
+
+NAVY SERIES
+
+    TAKEN BY THE ENEMY
+    WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES
+    A VICTORIOUS UNION
+    ON THE BLOCKADE
+    STAND BY THE UNION
+    FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT
+
+
+ARMY SERIES
+
+    BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER
+    IN THE SADDLE
+    A LIEUTENANT AT EIGHTEEN
+
+_Other volumes in preparation_
+
+The opening of a new series of books from the pen of Oliver Optic is
+bound to arouse the highest anticipation in the minds of boy and girl
+readers. There never has been a more interesting writer in the field of
+juvenile literature than Mr. W. T. Adams, who under his well-known
+pseudonym, is known and admired by every boy and girl in the country,
+and by thousands who have long since passed the boundaries of youth, yet
+who remember with pleasure the genial, interesting pen that did so much
+to interest, instruct and entertain their younger years. The present
+volume opens "The Blue and the Gray Series," a title that is
+sufficiently indicative of the nature and spirit of the series, of which
+the first volume is now presented, while the name of Oliver Optic is
+sufficient warrant of the absorbing style of narrative. "Taken by the
+Enemy," the first book of the series, is as bright and entertaining as
+any work that Mr. Adams has yet put forth, and will be as eagerly
+perused as any that has borne his name. It would not be fair to the
+prospective reader to deprive him of the zest which comes from the
+unexpected, by entering into a synopsis of the story. A word, however,
+should be said in regard to the beauty and appropriateness of the
+binding, which makes it a most attractive volume.--_Boston Budget._
+
+"Taken by the Enemy" has just come from the press, an announcement that
+cannot but appeal to every healthy boy from ten to fifteen years of age
+in the country. "No writer of the present day," says the Boston
+_Commonwealth_, "whose aim has been to hit the boyish heart, has been as
+successful as Oliver Optic. There is a period in the life of every
+youth, just about the time that he is collecting postage-stamps, and
+before his legs are long enough for a bicycle, when he has the Oliver
+Optic fever. He catches it by reading a few stray pages somewhere, and
+then there is nothing for it but to let the matter take its course.
+Relief comes only when the last page of the last book is read; and then
+there are relapses whenever a new book appears until one is safely on
+through the teens."--_Literary News._
+
+
+ALL-OVER-THE-WORLD LIBRARY
+
+By OLIVER OPTIC
+
+_Illustrated, Price per Volume $1.35_
+
+
+FIRST SERIES
+
+A MISSING MILLION
+OR THE ADVENTURES OF LOUIS BELGRAVE
+
+A MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN
+OR THE CRUISE OF THE GUARDIAN MOTHER
+
+A YOUNG KNIGHT-ERRANT
+OR CRUISING IN THE WEST INDIES
+
+STRANGE SIGHTS ABROAD
+OR A VOYAGE IN EUROPEAN WATERS
+
+
+SECOND SERIES
+
+AMERICAN BOYS AFLOAT
+OR CRUISING IN THE ORIENT
+
+THE YOUNG NAVIGATORS
+OR THE FOREIGN CRUISE OF THE MAUD
+
+UP AND DOWN THE NILE
+OR YOUNG ADVENTURERS IN AFRICA
+
+ASIATIC BREEZES
+OR STUDENTS ON THE WING
+
+_OTHER VOLUMES IN PREPARATION_
+ANY VOLUME SOLD SEPARATELY
+
+LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers Boston
+
+
+YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD.
+
+FIRST SERIES.
+
+A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo Illustrated by
+Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others. Per volume, $1.50.
+
+    l. OUTWARD BOUND;
+        Or, Young America Afloat.
+
+    2. SHAMROCK AND THISTLE;
+        Or, Young America in Ireland and Scotland.
+
+    3. RED CROSS;
+        Or, Young America in England and Wales.
+
+    4. DIKES AND DITCHES;
+        Or, Young America in Holland and Belgium.
+
+    5. PALACE AND COTTAGE;
+        Or, Young America in France and Switzerland.
+
+    6. DOWN THE RHINE;
+        Or, Young America in Germany.
+
+The story from its inception and through the twelve volumes (see _Second
+Series_), is a bewitching one, while the information imparted,
+concerning the countries of Europe and the isles of the sea, is not only
+correct in every particular, but is told in a captivating style. "Oliver
+Optic" will continue to be the boy's friend, and his pleasant books will
+continue to be read by thousands of American boys. What a fine holiday
+present either or both series of "Young America Abroad" would be for a
+young friend! It would make a little library highly prized by the
+recipient, and would not be an expensive one.--_Providence Press._
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Asiatic Breezes, by Oliver Optic
+
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