THE RED TARTANE. 387 



' Mine ! no, monk." 



te My master and thine, to spread thy sails and stand out to sea. 

 We should have been within sight of Tarifa, if hell itself had not 

 prompted thee, for some unhallowed purpose, to land at Cadiz. 

 With a price upon thy head hadst thou been seized " 



" I feared it not." 



<e It is not for thee I care, by San Francisco ! but for myself, indeed. 

 Hadst thou been arrested, what could I have done ?" 



" What would you, my father ? the idea pleased me, and my good 

 angel guided me." 



" Call me not father, accursed ! for thy good angel, by San Juan, 

 has a cloven hoof." 



" As you like, I shall not dispute it ; with regard to the summons, 

 I care as much for it as that" and he switched his boot with a small 

 whip he still held in his hand after gaining his vessel ; " know that 

 I shall await not only this enemy, but another that must arrive from 

 the east." 



" Thou wilt await them, holy Virgin ! holy San Juan, pray for my 

 miserable situation !" After a minute's silence he shouted with his 

 whole force " Up, up all hands, brethren, in the name of the 

 Superior of San Juan, I command " 



" Silence, monk !" sternly interrupted the rover, and placing one 

 hand over his mouth, with the other he grasped the arm of the un- 

 happy priest so violently, that overcome with terror he sunk down 

 upon the deck. Raising the glass the monk had laid down, he 

 looked long and steadily in the direction of the bay of Cadiz, where 

 another sail at the extreme verge of the horizon was just discernible 

 to the naked eye. After glancing for a moment at the first disco- 

 vered vessel, he slowly laid down the glass, and murmured " You 

 come on like two blood-hounds at a deer, but the deer is swift of 

 foot, and may give a vain and weary chase, which seems indeed to 

 have commenced, for here is the first flourish." 



At this moment the nearest of the luggers hoisted the royal flag 

 of Spain, and the report of a cannon broke upon the ears of the 

 affrighted monk ; giving a convulsive start, he cautiously raised his 

 head above the bulwark, and perceiving the guarda-costa, lowered it 

 again quickly ; then crossing himself devoutly, rushed down the 

 hatchway. 



The Gitano now anxiously examined the compass, compared its 

 direction with the wind, and, after a minute's calculation and reflec- 

 tion, took a golden whistle from his belt, and drawing from it three 

 shrill sounds, with one bound was on the netting. 



At this signal eighteen active and vigorous negroes ascended upon 

 deck rapidly, and, with the most profound silence and order, ranged 

 themselves in two lines ; another individual, of the same nation, con- 

 siderably older than the rest, his woolly locks being tinged with 

 white, placing himself at their head. 



Another and differently modulated sound from the rover's little 

 instrument dispersed them ; the helm was seized by the aged but 

 powerful leader, while the remainder were so diligent in their efforts, 



