“Then come on, my dears,” the merchant said.  “I am burning to know what this all means; and I am sure you are equally curious; but nothing can be said till you are in safety.”

Accordingly, the party again broke into a run.  A few minutes later one of the servants, looking back, exclaimed: 

“They have fired the house, signor.  There are flames issuing from one of the lower windows.”

“I expected that,” the merchant said, without looking back.  “That scoundrel would, in any case, light it in his fury at finding that we have escaped; but he has probably done so, now, in hopes that the light will enable him to discover us.  It is well that we are so far ahead, for the blaze will light up the country for a long way round.”

“There is a wood a little way ahead, signor,” the servant said.  “Once through that we shall be hidden from sight, however great the light.”

Arrived at the wood, they again broke into a walk.  A few hundred yards beyond the wood was some rising ground, from which they could see far over the country.

“Let us stop here,” the merchant said.  “We are safe now.  We have placed two miles between ourselves and those villains.”

The villa was now a mass of flames.  Exclamations of fury broke from the men servants, while the women cried with anger at the sight of the destruction.

“Do not concern yourselves,” the merchant said.  “The house can be rebuilt, and I will see that none of you are the poorer for the loss of your belongings.

“Now, girls, let us sit down here and hear from Francisco how it is that he has once again been your saviour.”

“Before I begin, signor, tell me whether there are any ships of war in the port, and how far that is distant from us?”

“It is not above six miles on the other side of the island.  That is to say, we have been going towards it since we left the villa.

“See,” he broke off, “there are flames rising in three or four directions.  The rest of those villains are at their work.”

“But are there any war galleys in the port?” Francis interrupted.

“Yes.  Three ships were sent here, on the report that a Moorish pirate had been cruising in these waters, and that several vessels were missing.  When the story first came I did not credit it.  The captain of the ship who brought the news told me he had met you about halfway across, and had told you about the supposed pirate.  A vessel arrived four days later, and brought letters from my agent, but he said no word about your boat having arrived.

“Then I became uneasy; and when later news came, and still no word of you, I felt sure that something must have befallen you; that possibly the report was true, and that you had fallen into the hands of the pirates.  So I at once started, in one of the galleys which the council were despatching in answer to the request of the governor here.”

“In that case, signor, there is not a moment to lose.  The governor should be informed that the pirate is lying on the opposite coast, and that his crew have landed, and are burning and pillaging.  If orders are issued at once, the galleys could get round before morning, and so cut off the retreat of these miscreants.”