Ronald Morton | Page 3

come to intrude on their domain. The Spanish seamen, accustomed
chiefly to southern climes, gazed with superstitious wonder at the
frowning cliff and the screeching birds, and fully believed that those
winged denizens of the wild sea-coast were evil spirits sent out by the
witches of the country to trick and torment them, and perchance to lead
them to destruction.
"Shall we anchor, Alvarez?" asked the captain, anxiously looking
around seaward, and then at the frowning height above their heads.
"Anchor!" exclaimed the lieutenant, "as well anchor in the middle of
the Bay of Biscay as in the Roust of Sumburgh with such a current as
this, even if the depth would allow. We might get the boats out and tow,
and perchance, by gaining time, obtain a breeze to carry us free."
"By all means do so," was the answer. The boats were lowered, and
their crews were soon lustily tugging at their oars with the head of the
corvette to the westward, while long sweeps were got out and run
through the ports to impel her yet more rapidly through the water.
Suddenly, however, she seemed to be once more seized upon and
carried completely out of their control. Her head was to the westward,
but she herself was swept away as fast as before to the southward;
while so tumbling and breaking was the sea, that it was not without

danger of being swamped that the boats were again hoisted in. The
crew cast frowning glances towards the shore.
"What are we to do, Alvarez?" asked the captain, not at all liking the
condition of his ship.
"Let her drive backwards and forwards till a breeze springs up, I
suppose," answered the lieutenant. "Should a westerly gale catch us
before we again get to the southward of Sumburgh Head, and should
we fail to weather some of those ugly-looking points, I doubt much
whether Saint Cecilia herself, after whom our pretty craft is called,
could prevent every one of us from sharing the fate which has befallen
many a bold seaman before us. However, we'll hope for the best."
"You do not seem to like the prospects of this northern cruise of ours,
Alvarez," observed the captain. "You have not been in good humour
since we entered the British Channel, and have done nothing but
predict disaster."
"Pardon me, captain," answered the lieutenant, "I am not now
predicting disaster--though it requires no seer to foretell the fate of the
ship, if not of our lives, should certain not unlikely contingencies occur.
However, here comes a breeze, I verily believe from the westward too,
and if it will but fill our sails for a short half-hour, we may double yon
ugly-looking Sumburgh Head, and getting out of the Roust, the tide
will carry us along to our anchorage."
The boats being once more lowered, towed the head of the corvette
round to the westward, though all the time several hands were bailing
to keep them free of the water, which bubbled and tumbled hissing into
them over the sides. The breeze which Pedro Alvarez had observed
playing on the surface in the distance, at length filled her sails, and
stemming the current, she again got into smooth water and the
influence of the tide, making to the northward. The wind also drew
round to the southward, and all sails being made, the corvette, with her
wide spread of canvas, glided on as smoothly and majestically as
before, till the island of Mousa, with its Pictie tower, bore west on her
larboard beam. A signal was flying for a pilot, and a long, light boat,

pulling six oars, was seen coming off from Fladbister, a town--in
reality a little fishing village--on the shore. The heads of her crew were
visible a long way off, by the bright hues of their long pendant worsted
caps. They wore large sheepskin coats, coming down to the knee over
their worsted shirts, and high boots of yellow untanned leather. The
corvette was about to shorten sail, but they making signals that that was
unnecessary, the boat shot alongside, and two of them sprang on board.
"Those fellows would be unpleasant customers if they came as enemies
to attack our ship, from the active way in which they leaped up our
sides," observed the captain. "They would be as difficult to keep out as
wild cats."
One of the two pilots was a man advanced in life, the other was very
much younger, and habited in the quaint costume which has been
described; his dress, though rough, differed much from the rest, while
his easy, unembarrassed manner showed that he was an officer rather
than an ordinary seaman. With a brisk step the men came aft, inquiring,
as they did so, of the officers if any