The Capsina: An Historical NovelBenson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
History
The Capsina: An Historical Novel
Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
Greece -- History -- War of Independence, 1821-1829 -- Fiction
Presently after Kanaris went down to the harbor to get the _Sophia_
ready for sea. With a fair wind it was only two hours to Kranidi. The
navigation was simple: a dozen men could work the ship, and they would
be back before morning.
The Capsina took down two pistols, and proceeded to tell Economos what
he was to do. He must walk straight to the quay and quickly. He must
stop to speak to no man, and not fire unless attacked. She would be in
the shadow of her own gate, Kanaris at the lower end of the street,
where it opened on to the quay, so that should any attempt be made on
his life the assassin would be hemmed in on both sides.
"Yet, yet," she said, hesitating, "ought I to warn Nikolas that I know?
It seems a Turkish thing to do, to set a trap for a man. Really, I am
afraid I should do the same to you if I were he, only I think I should
have the grace to kill you myself, for I cannot think I would have my
dirty work done for me, and I should not be such a fool as to ask you
to supper. I don't want this wretched Dimitri to be killed--I wonder
what Nikolas has paid him? Yes, it shall be so; one who attacks in the
dark for no quarrel of his own will be ever a coward. So shoot in the
air, only to show you are armed, and leave Dimitri to me."
At the end of the hour Economos rose to go. The Capsina went with him
to the gate, and from the shadow looked cautiously out down the road.
The far end of it, a hundred and fifty yards off, opened on to the
brightly lighted quay, and against the glare she saw the figure of a
man silhouetted by the long creeper-covered wall to the right of the
road.
"Yes, that is Dimitri," she whispered. "Begone, and God-speed. Don't
shoot, except to save your own life. Run rather."
She stepped back under cover of her gate, and looked after Economos.
He had not gone more than twenty yards when she heard a quick but
shuffling step coming down towards her from above, and, looking up,
saw Father Nikolas. Standing as she did, in a shadowed embrasure, he
passed her by unnoticed, and went swiftly and silently across the
road, and waited in the shadow of the opposite wall. He had passed so
close to her that she could almost have touched him. Then for a moment
there was silence, save only for the sounds of life on the quay and
the rapid step of Economos, getting fainter every second. Then came a
sudden scuffle, a shot, and the steps of a running man getting louder
every moment. She was just about to step out and stop him, when Father
Nikolas advanced from opposite. The man gave a little sobbing cry of
fright, till he saw who it was.
"You have failed," said Nikolas, in a low voice.
"Yes, and may the curses of all the saints be upon you!" cried Dimitri.
"You told me he went unarmed. You told me--Ah, God! who is that?"
The Capsina stepped out of the shadow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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