“It is much more likely to be a Genoese pirate than a Moor,” Francis said.  “They may have purposely altered their rig a little, in order to deceive vessels who may sight them.  It is very many years since any Moorish craft have been bold enough to commit acts of piracy on this side of Sicily.  However, we must hope that we shall not fall in with her, and if we see anything answering to her description we will give it a wide berth.  Besides, it is hardly likely they would interfere with so small a craft as ours, for they would be sure we should be carrying no cargo of any great value.”

“Twenty Christian slaves would fetch money among the Moors,” the captain said.  “Let us hope we shall see nothing of them; for we should have no chance of resistance against such a craft, and she would go two feet to our one.”

The next morning Francis was aroused by a hurried summons from the captain.  Half awake, and wondering what could be the cause of the call, for the boat lay motionless on the water, he hurried out from the little cabin.  Day had just broken, the sky was aglow with ruddy light in the east.

“Look there, signor!” the captain said, pointing to the south.  “The watch made them out a quarter of an hour since, but, thinking nothing of it, they did not call me.  What do you think of that?”

Two vessels were lying in close proximity to each other, at a distance of about two miles from the boat.  One of them was a large trader, the other was a long galley rigged quite differently to those of either Venice or Genoa.

“That is the craft they were speaking of,” the captain said.  “There is no mistaking her.  She may be an Egyptian or a Moor, but certainly she comes from the African coast.”

“Or is got up in African fashion,” Francis said.  “She may be, as we agreed yesterday, a Genoese masquerading in that fashion, in order to be able to approach our traders without their suspicions being aroused.  She looks as if she has made a captive of that vessel.  I imagine she must have come up to her late yesterday evening, and has been at work all night stripping her.  I hope she is too busy to attend to us.”

The sail had been lowered the instant the captain caught sight of the vessels, for there was scarcely enough wind to fill it, and the men were now rowing steadily.

“I do not think she could have taken much of her cargo out.  She is very deep in the water.”

“Very deep,” Francis agreed.  “She seems to me to be deeper than she did three minutes ago.”

“She is a great deal deeper than when we first caught sight of her,” one of the sailors said.  “She stood much higher in the water than the galley did, and now, if anything, the galley stands highest.”

“See!” the captain exclaimed suddenly, “the galley is rowing her oars on the port bow, and bringing her head round.  She has noticed us, and is going to chase us!  We have seen too much.