The Pirate City - Robert Michael Ballantyne (grave mercy TXT) 📗

So energetic was he in his motions, and so quick was his pace, on reaching Bab-el-Oued gate, that the guard--a young soldier, lately arrived from Turkey--became suspicious, and ventured to intercept him.

Flaggan was in no humour to be stopped, or even spoken with. He made an attempt to force past, which caused the soldier to present his piece at him. Hereupon Ted drew forth his cudgel, hit the Turk a Donnybrookian whack over the skull that laid him flat on the ground, and took to his heels.

The rest of the guard, who saw this little incident and recognised the now well-known seaman, instantly gave chase; but Ted was too active for them. He doubled down a narrow street on his left, and in five minutes was beyond their reach. He knew now that nothing but prompt action could save him from immediate arrest and probable castigation. He therefore went straight to Rais Ali's house, and was admitted by an old negress.

Arraying himself in the skin of the wild boar, he attempted to cover himself with an Arab burnous, but, do what he could, he found it impossible to draw the hood over him in such a way as to conceal the head of the boar, and after his recent escapade with the guard, he felt that it was not safe to venture forth again uncovered. He therefore resolved to keep the boar's head exposed, and to venture boldly forth, despite the attention it was sure to attract.

To his great relief Rais himself came in just as he was about to start, and after relating his adventure, that worthy suggested that he should join half a dozen of the French consul's own servants, who were about to set out for the scene of festivities.

Agreeing to this plan, he passed through the streets without attracting much more attention than did his somewhat wildly-habited companions, and soon reached the French consul's residence, which was not more than half a mile beyond the southern gate of the city.

The blaze of light and buzz of musical noise that reigned here immediately swallowed them up, so that Ted felt himself, for the time at least, to be safe. His grotesque figure did indeed attract some attention at first, for he was an exceeding tall and sturdy boar, but there were so many other notabilities from the forest and desert around him that he quickly sank into comparative insignificance.

Some of the other creatures referred to gave him a little uneasiness by their curiosity and desire to claim acquaintance, if not kindred, with him, but by humouring some, frightening others, running away from several, and tumbling a few into the bushes, he managed to push through the crowd of domestics unrecognised, and made his way into the outer lobby of the mansion.

Here, seated under the shadow of a Moorish arch way, drinking lemonade, in default, as he said, of better tipple, Ted resolved to bide his time, but his time seemed rather long of coming. He therefore boldly entered the magnificent skiffa in search of Colonel Langley.

His appearance was greeted with a shout of delight by several children who were present, and the French consul, willing to amuse them, went up, and, shaking hands with the boar, begged of him to join in the dance.

Poor Ted would have given anything to have known what was said to him, but, being utterly ignorant of French, shook his head and bowed with an air of profound respect, which piece of politeness caused his short and rather ill-fitting tail to stick straight up in the air for a moment, and drew roars of laughter from the company.

"Dansez, dansez-vous," said the Frenchman, with more emphasis.

"Och! it's that ye want, is it?" said Ted, much relieved; "sure I'll do it with all the pleasure in life.--Clear the deck, boys!"

And without more ado the lively tar began to whistle a sailor's hornpipe, and to dance the same with an amount of vigorous dexterity that had in former years made him the favourite of the forecastle.

The surprise soon merged into admiration, for our hero danced exceedingly well, and all eyes were attracted to him. Among others the British consul came forward to look on with much interest and curiosity, for his ear was perhaps the only one present to which the tune whistled was familiar.

Dancing close up to him, Ted Flaggan suddenly slipped, and, staggering as if about to fall, flung his arm over the consul's shoulder.

"Take care!" said the latter, catching him.

"Och!" gasped Ted, sinking down and almost dragging the other after him, "spake to me av ye love me."

Amazed by this tender appeal, and suddenly suspecting the personality of the boar, the consul bent down while the rest of the onlookers crowded round,--and said in a low voice--

"Why, Flag--"

"Whist! whist! blood an thunder! it'll rain scimitars an' grape-shot av ye say a word! Mate me in the gardin' dear, _under the palm_."

This was said in the midst of a writhing and growling which would have done credit to a lunatic boar, if such there were!

"Not hurt, I hope?" said the French consul, coming forward.

"Not at all," replied Colonel Langley, rising with a smile, "the fellow is one of my domestics, and has almost over-acted his part. He will be all right in a minute if some one will be kind enough to fetch him a glass of water--"

"An' brandy, ochone!" exclaimed the boar, with another tremendous growl, that again sent the children into shouts of delight.

The brandy and water was brought, and Ted making a polite bow to the company, passed down the room with a slight tremor of the hornpipe in his legs, and a faint trill of the tune on his lips, both of which melted gradually into a boarish grunt and roll as he reached the lobby and passed out into the garden.

Hastening to a stately date-palm, of which there happened to be only one specimen in the garden of the French residence, the heated seaman pushed off his head, wiped his brow, drank the brandy and water, and threw away the tumbler, after which he sat down on a root, mechanically pulled out his pipe, and was in the act of filling it when Colonel Langley came hurriedly forwards.

"Why, Flaggan," he asked, "what's wrong? for something must be, to induce your strange conduct."

"Lord Exmouth, sir," replied Ted, rising up with an air of dignified importance which the elevated snout of the boar tended sadly to impair, "is in the offing with fifty sail o' the line, more or less, comin' to blow this precious city into the middle of next week."

"Come, Flaggan, let us have it without jesting," said the consul gravely.

Thereupon Ted related in as serious a tone as it was possible for him to assume all that had been told by the Padre Giovanni.

"Our position will indeed be critical if this be true," muttered the consul, with a look of anxiety. "Omar is a man who fears nothing, and has unbounded faith in his men and fortifications. Moreover, he is utterly regardless of consequences, and has no mercy when once roused. My poor defenceless wife and children!--if--"

"You may depend upon _me_, sir," said Ted, seeing that he hesitated; "I'll stick to 'em, I will, through--"

"I have no doubt of that, my man," interrupted the consul, with a sad smile, "but your aid in this case will be useless. The fact is that the preservation of your life will be a more difficult matter for me to accomplish than my own. If Lord Exmouth really arrives and proceeds to extremities, I and my family will be in the greatest peril from these irate corsairs, but you, my poor fellow, are doomed whatever happens, seeing that you have laid violent hands on the Turkish guard of the gates."

"Sure, an' small blame to me," said Ted.

"I do not blame you, but the Turks will, and they will do more,--they will strangle you for a certainty the moment they get hold of you, and no power that I possess can save you, so that your only chance lies in making your escape from the city, either by land or sea."

"An' that won't be aisy, sur," said the seaman, with a perplexed look.

"Indeed it will not. You may be sure that the Turks are even now searching for you, and as they know that I am here, and that you belong to my household--"

"By your lave," said Ted suddenly, "it sames to me that it's time for Ted Flaggan to look after his owld bones. I'm grateful to 'ee, sur.-- Good-night."

He pulled his boar-head down without awaiting a reply, and went hastily off in the direction of a small outhouse where Rais Ali was enjoying himself amid a circle of the French consul's domestics.

Dashing forward, he seized his friend by the arm and dragged him out by main force, to the amusement of the domestics, who thought it was a practical jest.

"Arrah! don't stare like that, but come along wid ye," said Ted, hasting to a neighbouring thicket, into the very heart of which he penetrated before halting.

"What be go wrong?" exclaimed Rais.

"They're after me, lad. Don't waste time spaikin'. You've got your burnous here, haven't ye?"

"Yis!"

"Go, fetch it, an' sharp's the word."

Flaggan's tone and actions were such as to instil a spirit of prompt unquestioning obedience into his friend, who instantly went off; and in a few seconds, (which seemed years to Ted), returned with his burnous.

While the seaman quickly but quietly divested himself of the boar-skin, and put on the burnous with the hood well drawn over his face, he related to his friend the incident at the gate, without, however, mentioning the true cause of his behaviour.

"An' wat for you go be do now?" asked Rais Ali anxiously.

"To make me escape, sure," said Ted, holding the head of his cudgel close up to his friend's nose; "across the mountains or over the say, by hook or crook, or through the air, escape I will somehow, even though I should have to jump out at me mouth an' lave me body behind me, for depind upon it that all the Turks an' Moors an' boors an' naigers in the Pirates' Nest ain't able to take Ted Flaggan alive!"

"Unposs'ble!" exclaimed Rais decidedly.

"I manes to try, anyhow," returned Ted; "so give us your flipper, owld boy; I've a sort o' sneakin' regard for 'ee, tho' ye haven't much to boast of in the way o' pluck."

"Unposs'ble!" again ejaculated Rais Ali, with greater decision than before.

"Well, good-bye to 'ee--I'm off."

"Stay. _I_ will save you."

"How?" asked Ted, pausing with some impatience.

"Stay. Hold. Stop," cried, the Moor, seizing the arm of his friend. "You be mad. Unposs'ble I say?--no, yes, poss'ble anuf for you 'scape without your body. But me save bof. Me knows hole in de rocks; come take you dere,"--here the Moor became emphatic, and lowered his voice to a whisper,--"no boddy do knows it. All dead w'at know'd it vonce. Me was a--what you call?--pirate vonce. Hah! nebber mind, come 'long. Queek, no time for d'liberazhun."

"Git along then, old feller," said Flaggan, thrusting his companion through the thicket very unceremoniously.