Authors: George W. M. Reynolds,James Malcolm Rymer
Many hours elapsed ere he woke;
and his slumber was serene and soothing. At length when he opened his eyes and
slowly raised his head from the hard pillow which a mass of rock had formed, he
beheld the rich red streaks in the eastern horizon, heralding the advent of the
sun; and as the various features of the island gradually developed themselves
to his view, as if breaking slowly from a mist, he collected and rearranged in
his mind all the details of the strange vision which he had seen. For a few
minutes he was oppressed with a fear that his vision would indeed prove the
delusive sport of his fevered brain; for there seemed to be in its component
parts a wild admixture of the sublime and the fantastic. The solemn language of
the angel appeared strangely diversified by the intimation that he would find a
boat upon the shore, that this boat would convey him to a place where he was to
inquire for a man whose age was
one
hundred and sixty-two years, and that this man was the being destined to save
him from the doom of a Wehr-Wolf.
Then, again, he thought that
heaven worked out its designs by means often inscrutable to human
comprehension: and he blamed himself for having doubted the truth of the
vision. Feelings of joy therefore accompanied the reassurance of his soul; and,
having poured forth his thanksgivings for the merciful intervention of
Providence in his behalf, he tarried not even to break his fast with the fruits
clustering at a short distance from him, but hastened to retrace his way across
the mountains, no longer doubting to find the sign fulfilled and the boat upon
the shore. And now these thoughts rose within him. Should he again behold
Nisida? Was the fleet, which he had seen on the previous day, still off the
island? Or had it departed, bearing Nisida away to another clime?
He expected not to behold either
the fleet or his loved one; for he felt convinced that the angel would not send
him back within the influence of her temptations. Nor was he mistaken, for
having traversed the volcanic range of heights, he beheld naught to break the
uniform and monotonous aspect of the sunlit sea. But, on drawing nearer to the
shore, he saw a dark spot almost immediately in front of the little hut which
Nisida and himself had constructed, and wherein they had passed so many, many
happy hours.
He now advanced with a beating
heart to the hut. The door was closed. Was it possible that Nisida might be
within? Oh, how weak in purpose is the strongest minded of mortals. For an
instant a pleasing hope filled Wagner’s breast; and then, again summoning all
his resolutions to his aid, he opened the door, resolved, should she indeed be
there, to remain proof against all the appeals she might make to induce him to
sacrifice to their mundane prosperity his immortal soul. But the hut was empty.
He lingered in it for a few moments; and the reminiscences of happy hours
passed therein swept across his brain. Suddenly the note which Nisida had left
for him met his eyes; and it would be representing him as something far more or
else far less than human, were we to declare he did not experience a feeling of
intense pleasure at beholding the memorial of her love. The tears flowed down
his cheeks as he read the following lines:
“The hour approaches, dearest
Fernand, when, in all probability, I shall quit the island. But think not that
this hope is unaccompanied by severe pangs. Oh, thou knowest that I love thee,
and I will return to thee, my own adored Fernand, so soon as my presence shall
be no longer needed at Florence. Yes, I will come back to thee, and we will not
part until death shall deprive thee of
me
—for I must perish first, and
while thou still remainest in all the glory of regenerated youth. Alas, thou
hast fled from me this morning in anger—perhaps in disgust. But thou wilt
forgive me, Fernand, if, yielding to some strange influence which I could not
control, I urged an appeal so well calculated to strike terror into thy soul.
Oh, that I could embrace thee ere I leave this isle; but alas! thou comest not
back—thou
hast fled to the
mountains. It is, however, in the ardent hope of thy return to this spot, that
I leave these few lines to assure thee of my undying affection, to pledge to
thee my intention to hasten back to thine arms as soon as possible, and to
implore thee not to nourish anger against thy devoted
Nisida.”
Wagner placed the letter to his
lips, exclaiming, “Oh, wherefore did an evil influence ever prove its power on
thee, thou loving, loved, and beauteous being. Why was thy hand raised against
the hapless Agnes? wherefore did fate make thee a murderess—and why, oh, why
didst thou assail me with prayers, tears, reproaches, menaces, to induce me to
consign my soul to Satan? Nisida, may Heaven manifest its merciful goodness
unto thee, even as that same benign care has been extended to me.”
Fernand then placed the letter in
his bosom, next to his heart, and dashing away the tears from his long lashes,
began to turn his attention toward the preparation for his own departure from
the island. As he approached the pile of stores, he beheld the light drapery
which Nisida had lately worn, but which she had laid aside previous to leaving
the island; and he also observed that the rich dress, which he had often seen
her examine with care, was no longer there.
“How beautiful she must have
appeared in the garb!” he murmured to himself. “But, alas! she returns to the
great world to resume her former character of the deaf and dumb.”
Nisida and himself had often
employed themselves in gathering quantities of those fruits which form an
excellent aliment when dried in the sun; and there was a large supply of these
comestibles now at his disposal. He accordingly transferred them to the boat;
then he procured a quantity of fresh fruits; and lastly he filled with pure
water a cask which had been saved by Nisida from the corsair-wreck. His
preparations were speedily completed; and he was about to depart, when it
struck him that he might never behold Nisida again, and that she might perform
her promise of returning to the island sooner or later. He accordingly availed
himself of the writing materials left amongst the stores, to pen a brief but
affectionate note, couched in the following terms:
“
Dearest Nisida
,—I have found,
read, and wept over thy letter. Thou hast my sincerest forgiveness, because I
love thee more than man ever before loved woman. Heaven has sent me the means
of escape from this island—and the doom at which my regenerated existence was
purchased, will shortly lose its spell. But perhaps my life may be surrendered
up at the same time; at all events, everything is dark and mysterious in
respect to means by which that spell is to be broken. Should we never meet
again, but shouldst thou return hither and find this note, receive it as a
proof of the unchanging affection of thy
“Fernand.”
The letter was placed in the hut,
in precisely the same spot where the one written by Nisida had been left; and
Wagner then hastened to the boat, which he had no difficulty in pushing away
from the shore. Without being
able to form any idea of the direction in which the island of Sicily lay, but
trusting entirely to the aid of Heaven to guide him to the coast whither his
destiny now required him to proceed, he hoisted the sail and abandoned the boat
to the gentle breeze which swept the surface of the Mediterranean.
*****
The state-cabins—they might more
properly be called spacious apartments—occupied by the Grand Vizier Ibrahim
Pasha, on board the ship of the lord high admiral, were fitted up in a most
sumptuous and luxurious manner. They consisted of two large saloons in a suit,
and from each of which opened, on either side, a number of small cabins,
tenanted by the officers immediately attached to the grand vizier’s person, and
the page and slaves in attendance on him.
The first of the two large
saloons was lighted by a handsome conical skylight on the deck: the innermost
had the advantage of the stern windows. The drapery—the curtains, the carpets,
the sofas, and the hangings were all of the richest materials; the sides and
ceilings of the cabin were beautifully painted and elaborately gilded, and the
wood-work of the windows was incrusted with thin slabs of variously-colored
marbles, on which were engraved the ciphers of the different lord high admirals
who had hoisted their flags at any time on board that ship. For the
state-apartments which we are describing properly belonged to the kapitan-pasha
himself; but they had been surrendered to the grand vizier, as a mark of
respect to the superior rank of this minister, during his stay on board.
The little cabins communicating
with the large saloons were in reality intended to accomodate the ladies of the
kapitan-pasha’s harem; but Ibrahim did not turn them to a similar use, because
it was contrary to Ottoman usage for the Princess Aischa, being the sultan’s
sister, to accompany her husband on any expedition; and he had received so
menacing a warning in the fate of Calanthe not to provoke the jealousy of
Aischa or the vengeance of her mother, the Sultana Valida, that he had brought
none of the ladies of his own harem with him. Indeed, since the violent death
of Calanthe the harem had been maintained at Constantinople rather as an
appendage of high rank than as a source of sensual enjoyment.
Nisida of Riverola was treated
with the utmost deference and attention by the Grand Vizier, Ibrahim Pasha; and
on reaching the lord high admiral’s ship, she was instantly conducted to the
innermost saloon, which she was given to understand by signs would be
exclusively appropriated to her own use. The slaves occupying the small cabins
opening therefrom were removed to another part of the ship; and the key of the
door connecting the two saloons was handed by the polite Ibrahim to the lady as
a guaranty, or at least an apparent one, of the respect with which she should
be treated and the security she might hope to enjoy.
The fleet weighed anchor and set
sail again almost immediately after the return of the grand vizier to the
admiral’s ship;
and as she
was wafted away from the Island of Snakes, Nisida sat at the window of her
splendid saloon gazing at the receding shores, and so strangely balancing
between her anxiety to revisit Florence and her regrets at abandoning Fernand
Wagner, that while smiles were on her lips, tears were in her eyes, and if her
bosom palpitated with joy at one moment it would heave with profound sighs at
the next.
In the afternoon four male slaves
entered Nisida’s cabin, and spread upon the table a magnificent repast,
accompanied with the most delicious wines of Cyprus and Greece—and while the
lady partook slightly of the banquet, two other slaves appeared and danced in a
pleasing style for several minutes. They retired, but shortly returned,
carrying in their hands massive silver censers, in which burnt aloes, cinnamon
and other odoriferous woods diffused a delicious perfume around. The four
slaves who attended at table removed the dishes on splendid silver salvers, and
then served sherbet and a variety of delicious fruits; and when the repast was
terminated, they all withdrew, leaving Nisida once more alone. The Island of
Snakes had been lost sight of for some hours, and the fresh breeze of evening
was playing upon the cheeks of the Lady Nisida as she sat at the open casement
of her splendid saloon, watching the ships that followed in the wake of that in
which she was, when the sounds of voices in the adjacent cabin attracted her
attention; and as the partition was but slight, and the persons discoursing
spoke Italian, she could not help overhearing the conversation which there look
place, even if she had possessed any punctilious feelings to have prevented her
from becoming a willing listener.
“The Lady Nisida is a magnificent
woman, Demetrius,” observed a voice which our heroine immediately recognized to
be that of the grand vizier. “Such a splendid aquiline countenance I never
before beheld! Such eyes, too, such a delicious mouth, and such brilliant
teeth! What a pity ’tis that she has not the use of her tongue! The voice of
such a glorious creature, speaking mine own dear Italian language, would be
music itself. And how admirably is she formed—upon somewhat too large a Scale,
perhaps, to precisely suit my taste, and yet the contours of her shape are so
well rounded—so perfectly proportioned in the most harmonious symmetry, that
were she less of the Hebe she would be less charming.”
“Is your highness already
enamored of Donna Nisida?” asked the person to whom the grand vizier had
addressed the preceding observations.
“I must confess that I am,
Demetrius,” replied Ibrahim; “I would give a year of my life to become her
favored lover for one day. But considering that I hope to see my sister Flora
become the wife of Donna Nisida’s brother Francisco, I must restrain this
passion of mine within due bounds. But wherefore do you sigh thus heavily,
Demetrius?”
“Alas! my lord, the mention you
make of your sister reminded me that I once possessed a sister also,” returned
the Greek in a plaintive tone. “But when I returned to Constantinople, I sought
vainly for her, and Heaven knows what has become
of her, and whether I shall ever
see her more. Poor Calanthe! some treachery has doubtless been practiced toward
thee!”
“Don’t give way to despair,
Demetrius,” said the grand vizier. “Who knows but Calanthe may have espoused
some youth on whom her affections were set——”