“By my faith,” cried she, “I would not have him changed for all the world.”
And the words were dear to me, so that my heart glowed within me--even as it does now at the memory of them.
Then she spoke to me with some fulness of the snare she was preparing for the two galleons, now beating up towards the Sound.
It was the case, no doubt, said she, that the five ships of the wine fleet had been scattered over the western seas by the storm, but those Tibbot had seen had managed to keep by each other or had come together again, and were travelling as slowly as possible, with a view to picking up their companion vessel, and, further, that their sailing powers would most probably have been reduced by the damage wrought upon them by the tempest.
Her purpose was to stand off and on in the Sound, manœuvring the _Capitana_ in such a way as to indicate that she had also suffered from the violence of the weather; to allow the ships to come up within near hail of her--which they would be certain to do, as they could have no suspicion of what had befallen the _Capitana_, especially as they would be able to see nothing strange in the appearance of the galleon or in the dress of those on board of her--and then to trust to the chances of the hour for the rest.
When I raised the objection that this plot of hers necessitated the absence of the galleys from the attack, she replied that no more than a bare guard had been left on board of them, and that she had as many as eighty men out of them, and had placed them on the _Capitana_, a number which she thought more than sufficient for the enterprise.
“If all goes well,” said she, “I will myself lead the assault on the first ship, and Tibbot on the other--if they have to be fought together at the same time; do you remain on the _Capitana_, for she must be seen to by one who is a seaman, and much may depend on the way in which she is managed. Besides, you must still be weary of the fight of a few hours ago. But circumstances will guide us.”
“Surely,” said I, “there is no need for you to expose yourself, and my fatigue is gone.”
“Nay, nay!” said she, “let the thing stand.”
The anchor was gotten up, and out beyond the point of Trawkeera went the ship, the moon now shining more clearly, and the stars showing here and there like diamonds through a scarf of clouds. And there, not more than a mile away, loomed up the two galleons for which we were on the watch.