“I have lost no time in going through your documents,” he said calmly, when I was seated by his table. “Your story of the finding of the strange ship with the mysterious survivor1 on board was most interesting, and last night, after you had gone, I turned my attention at once to this book, written by Bartholomew da Schorno.”
“And you have discovered the secret?” I asked eagerly.
“Not entirely2,” he responded. “But I have deciphered sufficient to tell us a curious narrative3, and to explain to some degree the mystery of the Seahorse. Are you acquainted with the history of Tuscany?”
I replied in the negative. I knew my history of England fairly well, but had never cared for the study of the history of other countries.
“In that case I must first explain to you a few historical facts, in order that you may rightly understand the situation,” he said. “During the late fifteenth century the southern coasts of France, and especially of Italy, from the Var mouth along to Leghorn, were continually raided by the Corsairs of Barbary, who ravaged4 the towns and villages and carried thousands of Christians5 into slavery, in Algera and Tunis. The great breakwater at Algiers was constructed by them, and at one of the gates of the city are still preserved the hooks upon which the unfortunate captives were hung to die if they offended their cruel taskmasters. So bold were these pirates and so terrible their depredations7, especially in the country between Savona and the mouth of the Arno, that in the year 1561, by a privilege granted by Pius IV., an order of chivalry8 was founded, called the Knights10 of St. Stephen, the members being all of the Italian aristocracy, and the object to construct armed ships to sweep these Corsairs from the sea.
“The headquarters of the Order were in Pisa, then an important city, where they constructed a church which still remains11 to this day hung with banners taken from the Corsairs, a magnificent relic12 of Italy’s departed glory. The founder13 of the Order was Cosimo di Medici, who, according to the volume here”—and he placed his hand upon a folio bound in yellow parchment—“took the habit in the Cathedral of Pisa on March 15, 1561, of Monsignor Georgio Cornaro, the Papal Nuncio.
“I fear,” he continued, “that these are rather dry details of a chapter of the forgotten history of Italy, but if you will bear with me for a few minutes I think I shall be able to explain the mystery to a certain extent. These extremely rare volumes I have obtained from the library of my friend, Sir Arthur Bond, the great Italian historian, in order that you may examine them.” And opening the first at the title page he placed it before me. Printed in big rough capitals on the damp-stained page were the words:?—
I pregj della Toscana nel’ Imprese piv ’segnalate de’ Cavalieri di Santo Stefano. Opera data in Lvce da Fulvo Fontana della Compagnia di Gesù. In Firenze MDCCI.
The other was a somewhat thicker but smaller volume, parchment bound like the first, its title being Statuti dell’ Ordine de Cavalieri di Stefano and contained in Italian a complete history of the Order, the bulls of the Popes concerning it, the regulations of its church and administration of its funds.
It was evident that Mr. Staffurth, although an elderly man, was not one to let grass grow beneath his feet. He pored over the books, blinking through his spectacles, and then continued his explanations, saying:?—
“It seems that the first admiral of this primitive15 fleet was Guilio di Medici, and although the knights rowed in galleys16 against the stronger ships of the Turks they succeeded in capturing three of the latter on their first voyage in 1573. From that year down to 1688 they waged continuous war against the Corsairs, until they had burned most of the strongholds of the latter, and entirely broken their power on the sea. Now,” he added, “you told me something of a banner with a cross upon it.” And opening the bigger volume he showed me a large copper-plate engraving17 of one of the battles wherein vessels19 exactly similar in build to the Seahorse were engaged, and each was flying a flag similar to the one I had discovered.
“The Maltese cross,” he explained, “was the distinguishing badge of the Knights of St. Stephen who fought for Christianity against the Mohammedans, and succeeded in liberating20 so many of the white slaves. No movement was perhaps more humane21, and none so completely forgotten, for even the Order itself is now discontinued, and all that remains is that grand old church in Pisa, nowadays visited by gaping22 tourists. From my investigations24, however, it seems quite plain that the Seahorse was one of the ships of the Order, and although of English name, and probably of English build, its commander was the noble Bartholomew da Schorno, who had as lieutenant25 Pomp?o Marie a Paule. The latter, as stated in the document with the leaden seal, was appointed commendatore by Cosimo the Second.”
“Then the fact is established that the reason cannon26 and armed men were aboard the Seahorse was because she was engaged in the suppression of piracy27?” I said.
“Exactly. Your remark regarding the banner with the Maltese cross gave me the cue, and I have, I think, successfully cleared up the first point. And, furthermore, you have recognized in this picture vessels built on the same lines. This picture, as you will see, represents the taking of the fortress29 of Elimano from the Corsairs in the year 1613.”
“Then do you fix the date of the loss of the Seahorse about that period?”
“I cannot say,” he responded. “It might have been ten, or even twenty years later.”
“Not more?”
“No; not more. In these later pictures you will see that the vessels were of somewhat different build,” and the old expert turned over folio after folio of the rare and interesting volume.
“All this, however,” he remarked, “must be very dry to you. But you have sought my aid in this curious affair, and I am giving it to the best of my ability. We men who make a special study of history, or of pal14?ography, are apt to believe that the general public are as absorbed in the gradual transition of the charter hands, or the vagaries30 of the Anglo-Norman scribes of the twelfth century, as we are ourselves. Therefore, I hope you will forgive me if I have bored you, Dr. Pickering. I will promise,” he added, with a laugh, “not to offend again.”
“No apology is needed, my dear sir,” I hastened to reassure31 him; “I am so terribly ignorant of all these things, and all that you discover is to me of most intense interest, having regard to my own adventures, and to the existence of a survivor from the Seahorse.”
“Very well then,” he answered, apparently32 much gratified; “let us proceed yet another step.” And he placed aside the two borrowed volumes. “Of course, I have not yet had sufficient time to decipher the whole of this volume written by Bartholomew da Schorno, but so far as I have gone I find that the writer, although of Italian birth, lived in England, and it is with certain things in England that occurred in 1589 and 1590 that he deals—matters which are mysterious and certainly require investigation23.”
From between the parchment leaves of the heavy book he drew several sheets of paper, which I saw were covered with pencil memoranda33 in his own handwriting, and these he spread before him to refresh his memory and make certain of his facts.
“From what is written here in old Italian—which, by the way, is not the easiest language to decipher—it seems that Bartholomew, the commander of the Seahorse, was also a Commendatore of the Order of St. Stephen, and a wealthy man who had forsaken34 the luxuries of ease to fight the Corsairs and release their slaves. Most probably he was owner of the vessel18 of which his compatriot Paule was second in command. This, however, must be mere35 conjecture36 on our part for the present. What is chronicled here is most important, and it was in order to consult you at once that I telegraphed.”
Then he paused, slowly turned over the vellum pages with his thin white hand, glancing for a few moments in silence at his memoranda. He had worked for hours over that crabbed37 yellow handwriting; indeed, he afterwards confessed to me that he had not been to bed at all, preferring, as a true palaeographist, to decipher the documents in the quiet hours instead of retiring to rest.
“It seems that this Bartholomew da Schorno was an Italian noble who, falling into disgrace with the Grand Duke of Ferrara, sold his estates and came to live in England during Elizabeth’s reign,” he said. “As far as I have yet been able to gather, it appears that he purchased a house and lands at a place called Caldecott. In my gazetteer38 I find there is a village of that name near Kettering. The main portion of the manuscript consists of a long history of his family and the cause of the quarrel with the Grand Duke, written in a kind of wearisome diary. When, however, he comes to his visit to England, his audience with Queen Elizabeth, and his decision to settle at Caldecott, he reveals himself as a man aggrieved39 at the treatment he has received in his own country, and yet fond of a life of excitement and adventure. It was the latter, he declares, that after a few years’ residence in England induced him to become a Knight9 of St. Stephen and to sail the seas in search of the Corsairs in company with ‘the dear friend of his youth, the noble Pomp?o a Paule, of Pisa.’?”
“But the secret,” I said interrupting him.
“As far as I have yet deciphered the manuscript I can discover nothing of it, only the mention that you have seen in the commencement. The book ends abruptly40. Perhaps he intended to explain some secret, but was prevented from so doing by the sinking of his ship.”
Such seemed a most likely theory.
“The reason I called you here was to suggest that you should go to this place, Caldecott, and see whether any descendants of this Italian nobleman are still existing. They may possess family papers, and be able to throw some further lights on these documents. The place is near Rockingham and not far from Market Harborough.”
This suggestion did not at that moment appeal to me. We were still too much in the dark.
“Have you read the other document?” I inquired. “I mean the one with the seven signatures and the seal with the leopard42.”
“Yes,” he responded, and I noticed a strange expression pass across his grey countenance43; “I have made a rough translation of it. The Latin is much abbreviated44, but its purport45 is a very remarkable46 one. At the present moment it is, perhaps, sufficient for me to briefly47 explain the contents without giving you the long and rather wearisome translation.”
Then, taking up his pencilled notes again, he continued: “It is nothing else than a statement by this same Bartholomew da Schorno relating a very romantic circumstance. On a date which he gives as August 14, in the thirty-first year of Elizabeth’s reign—which must be 1588—he was sailing in a ship called The Great Unicorn48, and when off the Cornish coast encountered a Spanish ship which vigorously attacked them. This vessel proved to belong to the defeated Armada, and had escaped the chase by Howard, but by clever man?uvring of The Great Unicorn—presumably a ship used to fight the pirates of Barbary—the Spanish galleon49 was captured after a terrible encounter with great loss on both sides. On board was found a quantity of gold and silver, jewelled ornaments50, and other treasure worth a great sum, and this being transferred to The Great Unicorn, together with the survivors51 of the crew, the vessel itself was scuttled52 and sent adrift. Our friend Bartholomew was evidently commander of the victorious53 vessel, for he weathered the storm which practically destroyed the remnant of the Spanish fleet, sailed up Channel, and landed his treasure secretly at Great Yarmouth, afterwards concealing54 it in a place of safety. As his was not an English warship55 and he had merely assumed a hostile attitude and fought fair and square in self-defence, he claims that he was entitled to the gold and jewels that had fallen into his hands.
“The persons who knew the place of concealment56 numbered seven, all of whom signed a covenant57 of secrecy58. They were Englishmen, all of them, and evidently the trusted followers59 of Bartholomew. The covenant enacts60 that the treasure shall remain untouched under the guardianship61 of one Richard Knutton, who was left ‘at the place of concealment’ for that purpose. The seven men each swore a sacred oath to make no attempt to seize any part of the gold or jewels, they having each received from their master an equal amount as prize-money. The remainder was to lie hidden until such time as the Order of St. Stephen should require funds for the prosecution63 of their good work of rescuing Christian6 slaves, when it was to be carried to Italy. This, of course, seems rather a romantic decision, but there is added a clause which shows that this Bartholomew was not only a chivalrous64 man, but was also fully28 alive to the wants of posterity65.
“The second covenant provides that if the Order of St. Stephen never required funds, the secret of the existence of the treasure is to descend41 in the family of Richard Knutton alone, but two-thirds of the treasure itself is to become the property of the youngest surviving child of the family of Clement66 Wollerton, whom Bartholomew names as ‘my esteemed67 lieutenant, who has twice been the means of saving my life,’ and ‘the remaining third to its guardian62, the descendant of the said Richard Knutton, seaman68, of the Port of Sandwich.’?”
“A very curious arrangement,” I said. “How do you understand it?”
“Well,” the old man remarked, fingering the yellow parchment with its faded scribble69, “it seems quite plain that a large amount of treasure was seized from a Spanish galleon, brought ashore70 at Yarmouth, and concealed71 somewhere under the care of three persons—Richard Knutton, George A. Dafte, and Robert Dafte. If the Knights of St. Stephen have never claimed it, as most probably they have not, for they were a very wealthy association right up to the time of their extinction72 at the end of the seventeenth century, then the gold and jewels still remain concealed, the secret still being in the hands of the lineal descendants of Richard Knutton alone, and the heir to it, the youngest child of this Wollerton family.”
“But have you discovered the place of concealment?” I asked anxiously.
“No. I expect the secret mentioned in this volume written at a later date has something to do with it, but I have not yet deciphered the whole. On the other hand, however, I cannot help thinking that if seven persons were aware of the secret hiding-place, and had signed the covenant, old Bartholomew would scarcely write it down on parchment that might fall into an enemy’s hands.”
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1
survivor
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| n.生存者，残存者，幸存者 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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4
ravaged
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| 毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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depredations
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| n.劫掠，毁坏( depredation的名词复数 ) | |
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chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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galleys
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| n.平底大船，战舰( galley的名词复数 )；（船上或航空器上的）厨房 | |
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engraving
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| n.版画；雕刻（作品）；雕刻艺术；镌版术v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的现在分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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liberating
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| 解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 ) | |
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humane
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| adj.人道的，富有同情心的 | |
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gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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piracy
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| n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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vagaries
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| n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 )；异想天开；异常行为；难以预测的情况 | |
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reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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memoranda
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| n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
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Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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crabbed
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| adj.脾气坏的；易怒的；（指字迹）难辨认的；（字迹等）难辨认的v.捕蟹( crab的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gazetteer
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| n.地名索引 | |
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aggrieved
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| adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词) | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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42
leopard
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| n.豹 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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abbreviated
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| adj. 简短的，省略的 动词abbreviate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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purport
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| n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是... | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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48
unicorn
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| n.(传说中的)独角兽 | |
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49
galleon
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| n.大帆船 | |
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50
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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51
survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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54
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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warship
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| n.军舰，战舰 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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covenant
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| n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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enacts
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的第三人称单数 ) | |
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guardianship
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| n. 监护, 保护, 守护 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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clement
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| adj.仁慈的；温和的 | |
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esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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68
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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scribble
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| v.潦草地书写，乱写，滥写；n.潦草的写法，潦草写成的东西，杂文 | |
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70
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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