Francisco gave the key to the man, who opened the locks of the hatches, and returned it.

'There she is!' cried the man; the head-sails making their appearance as the vessel opened to their view from the projecting point distant about four miles. Francisco directed his eye towards her, and, without further remark, hastened to the house.

'Well, Francisco,' said Don c.u.manos, who was stirring a small cup of chocolate, 'what's the news this morning?'

'The _Nostra Senora del Carmen_ and the _Aguilla_ have arrived, and I have just unlocked the hatches. There is a vessel off the point which requires examination, and I have come for the telescope.'

'Requires examination! Why, Francisco?'

'Because Giacomo and Pedro, who went fishing last night, have not returned, and there are no tidings of them.'

'That is strange! But how is this connected with the vessel?'

'That I will explain as soon as I have had an examination of her,'

replied Francisco, who had taken up the telescope, and was drawing out the tube. Francisco fixed the gla.s.s against the sill of the window, and examined the vessel some time in silence.

'Yes! by the living G.o.d, it is the _Avenger_, and no other!' exclaimed he, as he removed the telescope from his eye.

'Eh?' cried Don c.u.manos.

'It is the pirate vessel--the _Avenger_--I'll forfeit my life upon it!

Don c.u.manos, you must be prepared. I know that they have long talked of a visit to this quarter, and antic.i.p.ate great booty, and they have those on board who know the coast well. The disappearance of your two men convinces me that they sent up their boats last night to reconnoitre, and have captured them. Torture will extract the information which the pirates require, and I have little doubt but that the attack will be made when they learn how much bullion there is at present on your premises.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Francisco fixed the gla.s.s against the sill of the window, and examined the vessel some time in silence._]

'You may be right,' replied Don c.u.manos thoughtfully; 'that is, provided you are sure that it is the pirate vessel.'

'Sure, Don c.u.manos! I know every timber and plank in her; there is not a rope nor a block but I can recognise. At the distance of four miles, with such a gla.s.s as this, I can discover every little variety in her rigging from other craft. I will swear to her,' repeated Francisco, once more looking through the telescope.

'And if they attack, Francisco?'

'We must defend ourselves, and, I trust, beat them off. They will come in their boats, and at night. If they were to run in the schooner by daylight and anchor abreast of us, we should have but a poor chance. But they little think that I am here, and that they are recognised. They will attack this night, I rather think.'

'And what do you then propose, Francisco?'

'That we should send all the females away to Don Teodoro's--it is but five miles--and call the men together as soon as possible. We are strong enough to beat them off if we barricade the house. They cannot land more than from ninety to one hundred men, as some must remain in charge of the schooner; and we can muster quite as many. It may be as well to promise our men a reward if they do their duty.'

'That is all right enough; and the bullion we have here?'

'Here we had better let it remain; it will take too much time to remove it, and, besides, will weaken our force by the men who must be in charge of it. The outhouses must be abandoned, and everything which is of consequence taken from them. Fire them they will, in all probability. At all events we have plenty of time before us, if we begin at once.'

'Well, Francisco, I shall make you commandant, and leave the arrangements to you, while I go and speak to Donna Isidora. Send for the men and speak to them; promise them rewards, and act as if you were ordering upon your own responsibility.'

'I trust I shall prove myself worthy of your confidence, sir,' replied Francisco.

'Carambo!' exclaimed the old Don, as he left the room; 'but it is fortunate you are here. We might all have been murdered in our beds.'

Francisco sent for the head men of the establishment, and told them what he was convinced they would have to expect; and he then explained to them his views. The rest were all summoned; and Francisco pointed out to them the little mercy they would receive if the pirates were not repulsed, and the rewards which were promised by Don c.u.manos if they did their duty.

Spaniards are individually brave; and, encouraged by Francisco, they agreed that they would defend the property to the last.

The house of Don c.u.manos was well suited to resist an attack of this description, in which musketry only was expected to be employed. It was a long parallelogram of stone walls, with a wooden veranda on the first floor,--for it was only one story high. The windows on the first story were more numerous, but at the bas.e.m.e.nt there were but two, and no other opening but the door in the whole line of building. It was of a composite architecture, between the Morisco and the Spanish. If the lower part of the house, which was of stone, could be secured from entrance, the a.s.sailants would, of course, fight under a great disadvantage. The windows below were first secured by piling a heavy ma.s.s of stones in the interior of the rooms against them, rising to the ceiling from a base like the segment of a pyramid, extending to the opposite side of the chamber; and every preparation was made for effectually barricading the door before night. Ladders were then fixed to ascend to the veranda, which was rendered musket-proof nearly as high as its railings, to protect the men. The Donna Isidora, and the women of the establishment, were in the afternoon despatched to Don Teodoro's; and, at the request of Francisco, joined to the entreaties of Donna Isidora, Don c.u.manos was persuaded to accompany them. The Don called his men, and telling them that he left Francisco in command, expected them to do their duty; and then shaking hands with him, the cavalcade was soon lost in the woods behind the narrow meadows which skirted the river.

There was no want of muskets and ammunition. Some were employed casting bullets, and others in examining the arms which had long been laid by.

Before evening all was ready; every man had received his arms and ammunition; the flints had been inspected; and Francisco had time to pay more attention to the schooner, which had during the day increased her distance from the land, but was not again standing in for the sh.o.r.e.

Half an hour before dusk, when within three miles, she wore round and put her head to the offing.

'They'll attack this night,' said Francisco, 'I feel almost positive: their yards and stay-tackles are up, all ready for hoisting out the long-boat.'

'Let them come, senor; we will give them a warm reception,' replied Diego, the second in authority.

It was soon too dark to perceive the vessel. Francisco and Diego ordered every man, but five, into the house; the door was firmly barricaded, and some large pieces of rock, which had been rolled into the pa.s.sage, piled against it. Francisco then posted the five men down the banks of the river, at a hundred yards' distance from each other, to give notice of the approach of the boats. It was about ten o'clock at night when Francisco and Diego descended the ladder and went to examine their outposts.

'Senor,' said Diego, as he and Francisco stood on the bank of the river, 'at what hour is it your idea that these villains will make their attempt?'

'That is difficult to say. If the same captain commands them who did when I was on board of her, it will not be until after the moon is down, which will not be till midnight; but should it be any other who is in authority, they may not be so prudent.'

'Holy Virgin! senor, were you ever on board of that vessel?'

'Yes, Diego, I was, and for a long while too; but not with my own good will. Had I not been on board I never should have recognised her.'

'Very true, senor; then we may thank the saints that you have once been a pirate.'

'I hope that I never was that, Diego,' replied Francisco, smiling; 'but I have been a witness to dreadful proceedings on board of that vessel, at the remembrance of which, even now, my blood curdles.'

To pa.s.s away the time, Francisco then detailed many scenes of horror to Diego which he had witnessed when on board of the _Avenger_; and he was still in the middle of a narrative when a musket was discharged by the farthermost sentinel.

'Hark, Diego!'

Another, and another, nearer and nearer to them, gave the signal that the boats were close at hand. In a few minutes the men all came in, announcing that the pirates were pulling up the stream in three boats, and were less than a quarter of a mile from the landing-place.

'Diego, go to the house with these men, and see that all is ready,' said Francisco. 'I will wait here a little longer; but do not fire till I come to you.'

Diego and the men departed, and Francisco was left on the beach alone.

In another minute the sound of the oars was plainly distinguishable, and Francisco's ears were directed to catch, if possible, the voices. 'Yes,'

thought he, 'you come with the intentions of murder and robbery, but you will, through me, be disappointed.' As the boats approached, he heard the voice of Hawkhurst. The signal muskets fired had told the pirates that they were discovered, and that in all probability they would meet with resistance; silence was, therefore, no longer of any advantage.

'Oars, my lads!--oars!' cried Hawkhurst.

One boat ceased rowing, and soon afterwards the two others. The whole of them were now plainly seen by Francisco, at the distance of about one cable's length from where he stood; and the clear still night carried the sound of their voices along the water.

'Here is a creek, sir,' said Hawkhurst, 'leading up to those buildings.

Would it not be better to land there, as, if they are not occupied, they will prove a protection to us if we have a hard fight for it?'

'Very true, Hawkhurst,' replied a voice, which Francisco immediately recognised to be that of Cain.

'He is alive, then,' thought Francisco, 'and his blood is not yet upon my hands.'