orious
struggle to throw off the foul Turkish yoke, had abandoned all their
malpractices, and had joined heart and hand in the great cause against
the common enemy. I, too, am personally interested; as I am about to
embark on board some merchant vessel for the East and may fare as badly
as you have done, if not worse. Do you know any particulars of the
pirate who attacked you? I should like to learn all about him, that we
may, if possible, avoid the vessel if we see her at a distance."

"It was dark when she boarded us, so that we had not an opportunity of
scrutinising her near," answered the person addressed, who was
evidently, by his costume and appearance, a Greek merchant, and, as it
afterwards appeared, the two younger men with him were his sons. "Our
misfortune happened in this way. We sailed, you must know, on board a
Neapolitan brigantine from Athens, bound to Syracuse. The first part of
our voyage was performed in safety; but when some ten miles or so to the
south of Cerigo, we lay becalmed the whole day. Our captain and the
mariners set to work to pray to those accursed little images they call
their saints, for a breeze; and, at last, it came; but to prove what
sort of characters their saints are, at the same time appeared in the
north east, a large polacca brig, of a very rakish look, stealing round
the east end of the island. The stranger brought the wind up with her,
and, as she neared us, the captain, who had been eyeing her earnestly,
grew into a state of great trepidation, and began to pray harder than
ever; but this time his saints would not listen to him. He wrung his
hands, and beat his breast, and said that the stranger had a very
suspicious look, and that he did not like it at all. After stamping on
the deck, and weeping, and tearing his hair for some time, in which he
was imitated by most of his crew, he bethought himself of getting more
sail on his craft, and of trying to escape from the enemy, if enemy she
were. A wild boar might as well try to outstrip the fleet hunter. The
stranger came up with us hand over hand; our only hope of getting away
from him was in the coming darkness. At last the seamen managed to set
all the sail the vessel could carry, and, with the wind right aft, we
began to glide through the water. On, however, came the stranger after
us; if we wished to get away, he did not intend that we should do so,
and all of a sudden he yawed to port, and let fly a bow chaser