suspense, while the men in the battery executed their duty. In a minute
the match was applied, and the gun was discharged. Though all her
companions uttered invocations to the saints, and other exclamations,
and some even crouched to the earth in terror, Ghita, the most delicate
of any in appearance, and with more real sensibility than all united
expressed in her face, stood firm and erect. The flash and the
explosion evidently had no effect on her; not an artillerist among them
was less unmoved in frame, at the report, than this slight girl. She
even imitated the manner of the soldiers, by turning to watch the flight
of the shot, though she clasped her hands as she did so, and appeared to
wait the result with trembling. The few seconds of suspense were soon
past, when the ball was seen to strike the water fully a quarter of a
mile astern of the lugger, and to skip along the placid sea for twice
that distance further, when it sank to the bottom by its own gravity.

"Santa Maria be praised!" murmured the girl, a smile half pleasure, half
irony, lighting her face, as unconsciously to herself she spoke, "these
Tuscan artillerists are no fatal marksmen!"

"That was most dexterously done, bella Ghita!" exclaimed the magistrate,
removing his two hands from his ears; "that was amazingly well aimed!
Another such shot as far ahead, with a third fairly between the two, and
the stranger will learn to respect the rights of Tuscany. What say'st
thou now, honest 'Maso--will this lugger tell us her country, or will
she further brave our power?"

"If wise, she will hoist her ensign; and yet I see no signs of
preparations for such an act."

Sure enough the stranger, though quite within effective range of shot