Page 215 - A Knight of the White Cross

Now you had better disguise yourself, so as to be in readiness to start as
soon as da Vinci comes off with the men. You will only need to take a

small stock of provisions, as each night you can replenish them here."

An hour later da Vinci came off with two stalwart young fishermen. The
little boat had already been painted, and it was lowered at once; Fosco
stepped into it, and started.

Two hours later the prizes got up sail, and, accompanied by the galley,

coasted quietly along the shore, arriving, late in the afternoon, at Muravera.
Fosco at once came on board.

"There is no news here beyond that which we gained this morning, Sir
Gervaise," he said. "Strange ships have certainly been seen sailing north,

but they did not approach the coast."

A similar report was given at Lunasei; there were certainly no corsairs

lying behind Cape Bellavista, or news would assuredly have reached the
village. At Orosei, next day, the report was the same; there were no strange

ships at Cape Comino. They had been warned overnight that the coast
beyond the cape was so precipitous, that there would be no villages at
which to make inquiries, and arranged with Fosco that the ships should

anchor north of the cape, and that he should go on at once to inspect the
next bay. If he found ships there, he was to return at once; if not, he was, at

daybreak, to land at one of the villages in the bay, and to make inquiries.

No news was brought in by him during the night.

"It is evident the pirates are not in the bay, Gervaise," Ralph said, as they

came on deck at daybreak.

"Yes; and I am glad of it. It is a large bay, and if the Genoese send half a

dozen galleys, some of the pirates might still escape, while the next bays
are deeper and narrower, and it would be more easy to entrap them all. I

have all along thought it most probable that they would rendezvous there.
The maps show no villages for many miles round, and they might lie there