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 t