Act 1 — SCENE II. Saloon of the American vessel. Laughter at rise of curtain. Mariana, Mother Augustus, the nuns, Father Poularde, lady and gentlemen passengers, discovered.

1st L. P. (to a man passenger; laughing.) You said you never were sea-sick.

FATH. P. (a short, rubicund priest.) He is not now. Sea-sickness is all imagination. I have never been sea-sick.

1st M. P. (sea-sick.) You never sailed such a deadly level sea.

1st L. P. That’s the delightful part of it.

1st M. P. Ugh! (enter Marquis.)

MARQ. They say there’s a storm coming.

FATH. P. (laughing to sea-sick passenger.) Now you’ll be all right.

2d L. P. Oh, I am afraid of storms!

FATH. P. You should have no patience with fear.

2d L. P. (whimsically) I haven’t.

FATH. P. God is all powerful, He will provide.

MAR. How dark it’s getting! (faint thunder.)

M. AUG. (to Mariana and nuns.) Will you come? (exeunt Mariana, Mother Augustus and nuns.)

3d L. P. Ugh! Feel those swells!

1st L. P. Don’t! (lightning.)

FATH. P. What do you mean? Feel those swells!

1st M. P. Ugh! (exit; lightning and thunder.)

1st L. P. Oh,—(starts toward door.)

3d L. P. Where are you going, dear?

1st L. P. To—get my book.

3d L. P. I’ll go with you. (exeunt 1st and 3d lady passengers; lightning and thunder.)

2d M. P. (to Father Poularde who is leaving.)

FATH. P. I’ll be back in a moment. (exit.)

2d L. P. Oh, if I were only like Father Poularde!—fearless and never sea-sick! I—

2nd M. P. Allow me to assist you. (exeunt; terrible thunder and lightning; enter Father Poularde; he peeps around to see if anybody is in sight; has a good many qualms; enter the Captain.)

FATH. P. Captain, are we in any danger?

CAPT. Not in the least. It’s only a cross sea. (thunder and lightning.)

FATH. P. But—

CAPT. (Taking Father Poularde up to a hatchway leading below.) Put your ear here. (Father Poularde puts his ear to the hatchway.) What do you hear?

FATH. P. Nothing—but swearing.

CAPT. Just so. Those men are old sailors. Would they be swearing if there were any danger?

FATH. P. (grasping Captain’s hand.) Thank you. (exeunt; enter two ship’s officers, meeting each other.)

1st OFF. Have you noticed that craft off to Westward?

2nd OFF. No. What of her?

1st OFF. Come and See. (exeunt; thunder and lightning; enter Father Poularde, very unsteady on his legs and very sick; he looks around cautiously; creeps up to the hatchway and listens intently; then falls back relieved.)

FATH. P. Thank God, they’re swearing yet. (enter Captain and officers.)

1st OFF. She’s simply lying by.

2d OFF. Not in distress,—she doesn’t signal.

CAPT. A pirate, waiting till the blow is over. (exit Father Poularde expeditiously and horrifiedly.)

1st OFF. Shall the passengers be warned?

CAPT. Not until our suspicions are confirmed. (enter wildly and excitedly the passengers.)

1st L. P. Is there a pirate ship coming?

2d L. P. Can it catch us?

3d L. P. (hysterically) Let’s get the life preservers!

CAPT. Be quiet, ladies. (exeunt Captain and 2d Officer.)

MARQ. (determinedly, to 1st Officer.) What can we do?

FATH. P. (hysterically.) Put on more sail!

1st OFF. We are using all we dare now. (exit.)

1st NUN. I knew we wouldn’t be spared.

MAR. (in awe.) Oh hush, sister.

M. AUG. We are in God’s hands. (noises and excited voices heard without.)

FATH P. What’s that? (enter 2d Officer.)

2d OFF. Prepare yourselves. They are here. (Marquis goes to Mariana; leads her away; exeunt nuns and lady passengers; the men draw their swords and exeunt to the defense, except father Poularde, who follows the ladies; fighting; the clash of swords heard without; enter Pedro, forcing his way in in a hand fight; he has blood on his face, which has trickled down from a cut on his head; he is followed by Manuel and the Creole’s crew; exit Manuel in search of Mariana.)

PED. (after felling the Captain.) Mate.

MATE. Ay, ay, sir.

PED. See that two chests, one of gold and one of jewels, marked “d’Acosta” be placed on board the Creole.

MATE. Ay, ay, sir.

PED. They go to New Orleans. The balance of the booty will belong to the crew of the Creole.

MATE. To the crew of the Creole.

PED. Who are to take her to Barataria immediately after the landing in New Orleans.

MATE. Ay, ay, sir.

CAPT. (rising.) Not while I have life left to defend the property entrusted to my care! (gives Pedro a sword thrust.)

PED. (knocks the sword from the Captain’s hand and kills him.) I’ll send you where you won’t need property, curse you! (to the men.) Scuttle this ship. (he bandages his arm.) And put troublesome passengers out of the way.—Now, I’ll look up those chests. (exit; enter Manuel pursuing a nun.)

MAN. Ah, lift your veil. (tries to raise a corner of it.) I love you. Do you not realize that your youth, your beauty—

M. AUG. (suddenly tearing aside her vail.) Sir! (Manuel reels; recovers himself and rushes away; Mother Augustus veils herself and exits; enter Mariana veiled leaning upon the Marquis.)

MARQ. Have courage, Mariana. (enter pirates.)

1st PIR. (perceiving Mariana.) Ah,—won’t you give me that little silver ring, lady?—as a souvenir.

MAR. (covering the ring with her other hand.) Not that.

1st PIR. (laughs.) Even nuns, it seems, have their little bits of sentiment.

MAR. I will give you this jeweled cross.

1st PIR. Will you put it on my neck? (he bends his head and Mariana with trembling hands is about to put the chain around his neck when a tipsy fellow, with a glass in his hand, interferes.)

2d PIR. (pushing first pirate aside.) Let’s have impartiality. If I cannot have a jewel, I may have a look at her face. I’ll bet you it’s a pretty face. If I win, I get a kiss; if you win, you get my share of the booty.

PIRATES. Done.

MARQ. Gentlemen! I beseech you.

2d PIR. Oh, have done.

MARQ. You have heard of religion,—chivalry—

2d PIR. Throw the old clam overboard.

MARQ. You will find that he can still fight. (drawing.)

1st PIR. What!

3d PIR. Give him a bath! (they overpower the Marquis and take him up to exit with him.)

MAR. Uncle!—Oh, sirs, be merciful!

2d PIR. Troublesome passengers must be put out of the way. (exeunt with Marquis; enter Manuel.)

MAR. (distractedly.) Manuel! Uncle!—he has been thrown into sea!—save him!

MAN. We will hope that he can swim to safety, dear.

MAR. (stupified). What!

MAN. I dare not interfere. I discovered that the pirates intended attacking the vessel and in order to save you, took a false oath and joined them. Any rebellion would cost me my life. But life or no life, I will interfere in your behalf.

MAR. (distractedly.) Uncle,—

MAN. Listen to me, Mariana. Your uncle must take his chances. But you—You have no chance of death. You will be taken to Barataria, there to become a drudge when your attractions as toy shall have palled. Let me try to save you. Marry me, I beseech you.

MAR. Why can you not save me without marrying me?

MAN. (doggedly.) Because I have not the incentive; because I will not love you longer without reward.

MAR. I scorn your help. Any pirate would do as much.

MAN. Without marrying you.

MAR. I will appeal to them; they cannot be utterly heartless.

MAN. They seemed so about the Marquis. Ah, Mariana, listen to reason. Just now when you taunted me, I was angry. But I will tell you now why I cannot save you without marrying you. Because I have not the right to protect you from them; because now you belong as much to them as to me. (enter several tipsy pirates.)

1st PIR. I tell you that part of the booty belongs to me.

2d PIR. I don’t care a straw about that. The booty I want is her money. (exeunt pirates.)

MAN. You hear? Mariana, my darling, you have always been too honorable to choose dishonor now. I will wait for your love; have I not waited all these years? (several pirates pass through singing and laughing boisterously.)

1st PIR. (perceiving Mariana,) There she is! (Mariana goes to Manuel as first pirate advances,)

MAN. (moving forward to meet him.) She went that way just a minute ago. (exeunt pirates,) Quick! (to Mariana,) Decide. (Mariana bows her head in hopeless consent; Manuel seizes her hand; kisses it.) My darling! (turns to look for a priest just as Father Poularde appears trembling and white in the doorway.) Father. (Father Poularde enters.) Marry us immediately.

FATH. P. (looking fearfully around.) You are—

MAN. One of the pirates. Make haste.

FATH. P. (drops his book which he has taken out of his pocket; picks it up and opens it shakily; reads at random.) Be merciful, O Lord, and hear our prayers. From the shades of death, where the light of Thy countenance shineth not—

MAN. (knocking the book up.) You must be excellent for funerals. The marriage service, if you please.

FATH. P. (picking up his book.) Yes, yes. (enter several pirates.)

1st PIR. (to a pirate coming from the opposite direction.) You’d better hurry.

2d PIR. There aren’t many minutes in which to leave this ship. She’s settling fast.

FATH. P. (going.) There is no time to lose.

MAN. (threateningly.) There will be less for you, if you do not perform this marriage ceremony.

FATH. P. (fumbling for the place.) Do you take this woman for better, for worse, till death do you part?

MAN. I do.

FATH. P. Do you take this man for better, for worse, till death do you part?

MAR. No.

MAN. What!

MAR. No. Come death, come dishonor, I will not be the first to dishonor myself.

MAN. (seizing her shoulders in frenzy) You shall be my mistress then!—do you hear?—my mistress! (a great tumult without; enter an excited crowd.)

CROWD. The Pride! Lafitte! (Mariana puts out her hands to Father Poularde and falls fainting in his arms, her veil as she does so, drifting over her face.)

MAN. (to Father Poularde.) Give her to me. (Father Poularde too terror-stricken to hear, puts Mariana hastily on the floor and exits; Manuel is stooping to lift her when Lafitte enters.) Jean Durand! (he slinks away.)

LAF. Beluche.

BEL. Here.

LAF. See that the commander of the Creole be found, put in chains and brought on the Creole to Barataria, you to command her.

BEL. Very well. (exit.)

LAF. (to his men.) Attend to the passengers. (the men salute and exeunt; Lafitte sees the unconscious nun, goes to her and stoops to pick her up.) She must have air. (he puts her veil aside.) Mariana!—(kissing her hands.) Not dead, thank God! Narbonne! (to one of his men.) Tell Doctor Borde to come here instantly. (exit Narbonne.) Sweetheart ... (kissing her hands.) little sweetheart.... (enter Dr. Borde; he comes to Mariana’s side; kneels; feels her pulse; listens to her heart.)

DR. B. She must be kept perfectly quiet and, in the event of her regaining consciousness, it will be best for her to see no one but the nuns who were with her.

LAF. Is she in danger?

DR. B. Impossible to say. Shock. I will— (stooping as if to lift Mariana.)

LAF. (putting him aside.) Order the best room in the Pride gotten ready immediately. (exit Dr. Borde; Lafitte gently lifts Mariana: kisses her face tenderly and is carrying her out when the curtain falls.)

CURTAIN.