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Advanced Intelligent Systems For Sustainable Development AI2SD 2018 Vol 1 Advanced Intelligent Systems Applied To Agriculture Mostafa Ezziyyani

The document provides information about a collection of ebooks focused on advanced intelligent systems applied to various fields such as agriculture, energy, and environment, edited by Mostafa Ezziyyani. It includes links to download these ebooks in multiple formats from textbookfull.com. Additionally, it highlights the contributions of the editor and the significance of collaboration in applied computer science research.

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Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 911

Mostafa Ezziyyani Editor

Advanced
Intelligent Systems
for Sustainable
Development
(AI2SD’2018)
Vol 1: Advanced Intelligent Systems
Applied to Agriculture
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

Volume 911

Series editor
Janusz Kacprzyk, Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences,
Warsaw, Poland
e-mail: [email protected]
The series “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” contains publications on theory,
applications, and design methods of Intelligent Systems and Intelligent Computing. Virtually all
disciplines such as engineering, natural sciences, computer and information science, ICT, economics,
business, e-commerce, environment, healthcare, life science are covered. The list of topics spans all the
areas of modern intelligent systems and computing such as: computational intelligence, soft computing
including neural networks, fuzzy systems, evolutionary computing and the fusion of these paradigms,
social intelligence, ambient intelligence, computational neuroscience, artificial life, virtual worlds and
society, cognitive science and systems, Perception and Vision, DNA and immune based systems,
self-organizing and adaptive systems, e-Learning and teaching, human-centered and human-centric
computing, recommender systems, intelligent control, robotics and mechatronics including
human-machine teaming, knowledge-based paradigms, learning paradigms, machine ethics, intelligent
data analysis, knowledge management, intelligent agents, intelligent decision making and support,
intelligent network security, trust management, interactive entertainment, Web intelligence and multimedia.
The publications within “Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing” are primarily proceedings
of important conferences, symposia and congresses. They cover significant recent developments in the
field, both of a foundational and applicable character. An important characteristic feature of the series is
the short publication time and world-wide distribution. This permits a rapid and broad dissemination of
research results.

Advisory Board
Chairman
Nikhil R. Pal, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India
e-mail: [email protected]
Members
Rafael Bello Perez, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computing, Universidad Central de Las Villas, Santa
Clara, Cuba
e-mail: [email protected]
Emilio S. Corchado, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
e-mail: [email protected]
Hani Hagras, School of Computer Science & Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
e-mail: [email protected]
László T. Kóczy, Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Győr, Hungary
e-mail: [email protected]
Vladik Kreinovich, Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA
e-mail: [email protected]
Chin-Teng Lin, Department of Electrical Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
e-mail: [email protected]
Jie Lu, Faculty of Engineering and Information, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
e-mail: [email protected]
Patricia Melin, Graduate Program of Computer Science, Tijuana Institute of Technology, Tijuana, Mexico
e-mail: [email protected]
Nadia Nedjah, Department of Electronics Engineering, University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
e-mail: [email protected]
Ngoc Thanh Nguyen, Wrocław University of Technology, Wrocław, Poland
e-mail: [email protected]
Jun Wang, Department of Mechanical and Automation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin,
Hong Kong
e-mail: [email protected]

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11156


Mostafa Ezziyyani
Editor

Advanced Intelligent Systems


for Sustainable Development
(AI2SD’2018)
Vol 1: Advanced Intelligent Systems Applied
to Agriculture

123
Editor
Mostafa Ezziyyani
Computer Sciences Department,
Faculty of Sciences and Techniques
of Tangier
Abdelmalek Essaâdi University
Souani Tangier, Morocco

ISSN 2194-5357 ISSN 2194-5365 (electronic)


Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
ISBN 978-3-030-11877-8 ISBN 978-3-030-11878-5 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11878-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019930141

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019


This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar
methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from
the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or
for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Preface

Overview

The purpose of this volume is to honour myself and all colleagues around the world
that we have been able to collaborate closely for extensive research contributions
which have enriched the field of Applied Computer Science. Applied Computer
Science presents a appropriate research approach for developing a high-level skill
that will encourage various researchers with relevant topics from a variety of
disciplines, encourage their natural creativity, and prepare them for independent
research projects. We think this volume is a testament to the benefits and future
possibilities of this kind of collaboration, the framework for which has been put
in place.

v
vi Preface

About the Editor

Prof. Dr. Mostafa Ezziyyani, IEEE and ASTF Member, received the “Licence en
Informatique” degree, the “Diplôme de Cycle Supérieur en Informatique” degree
and the PhD “Doctorat (1)” degree in Information System Engineering, respec-
tively, in 1994, 1996 and 1999, from Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco.
Also, he received the second PhD degree “Doctorat (2)” in 2006, from Abdelmalek
Essaadi University in Distributed Systems and Web Technologies. In 2008, he
received a Researcher Professor Ability Grade. In 2015, he receives a PES grade
—the highest degree at Morocco University. Now he is a Professor of Computer
Engineering and Information System in Faculty of Science and Technologies of
Abdelmalek Essaadi University since 1996.
His research activities focus on the modelling databases and integration of
heterogeneous and distributed systems (with the various developments to the big
data, data sciences, data analytics, system decision support, knowledge manage-
ment, object DB, active DB, multi-system agents, distributed systems and media-
tion). This research is at the crossroads of databases, artificial intelligence, software
engineering and programming.
Professor at Computer Science Department, Member MA laboratory and
responsible of the research direction Information Systems and Technologies, he
formed a research team that works around this theme and more particularly in the
area of integration of heterogeneous systems and decision support systems using
WSN as technology for communication.
He received the first WSIS prize 2018 for the Category C7: ICT applications:
E-environment, First prize: MtG—ICC in the regional contest IEEE - London UK
Project: “World Talk”, The qualification to the final (Teachers-Researchers
Category): Business Plan Challenger 2015, EVARECH UAE Morocco. Project:
«Lavabo Intégré avec Robinet à Circuit Intelligent pour la préservation de l’eau»,
First prize: Intel Business, Challenge Middle East and North Africa—IBC-MENA.
Project: «Système Intelligent Préventif Pour le Contrôle et le Suivie en temps réel
des Plantes Médicinale En cours de Croissance (PCS: Plants Control System)»,
Best Paper: International Conference on Software Engineering and New
Technologies ICSENT’2012, Hammamat-Tunis. Paper: «Disaster Emergency
System Application Case Study: Flood Disaster».
He has authored three patents: (1) device and learning process of orchestra
conducting (e-Orchestra), (2) built-in washbasin with intelligent circuit tap for
water preservation. (LIRCI) (3) Device and method for assisting the driving of
vehicles for individuals with hearing loss.
He is the editor and coordinator of several projects with Ministry of Higher
Education and Scientific Research and others as international project; he has been
involved in several collaborative research projects in the context of
ERANETMED3/PRIMA/H2020/FP7 framework programmes including project
management activities in the topic modelling of distributed information systems
reseed to environment, Health, energy and agriculture. The first project aims to
Preface vii

propose an adaptive system for flood evacuation. This system gives the best
decisions to be taken in this emergency situation to minimize damages. The second
project aims to develop a research dynamic process of the itinerary in an events
graph for blind and partially signet users. Moreover, he has been the principal
investigator and the project manager for several research projects dealing with
several topics concerned with his research interests mentioned above.
He was an invited professor for several countries in the world (France, Spain
Belgium, Holland, USA and Tunisia). He is member of USA-J1 programme for
TCI Morocco Delegation in 2007. He creates strong collaborations with research
centres in databases and telecommunications for students’ exchange: LIP6,
Valencia, Poitier, Boston, Houston, China.
He is the author of more than 100 papers which appeared in refereed specialized
journals and symposia. He was also the editor of the book “New Trends in
Biomedical Engineering”, AEU Publications, 2004. He was a member of the
Organizing and the Scientific Committees of several symposia and conferences
dealing with topics related to computer sciences, distributed databases and web
technology. He has been actively involved in the research community by serving as
reviewer for technical, and as an organizer/co-organizer of numerous international
and national conferences and workshops. In addition, he served as a programme
committee member for international conferences and workshops.
He was responsible for the formation cycle “Maîtrise de Génie Informatique” in
the Faculty of Sciences and Technologies in Tangier since 2006. He is responsible
too and coordinator of Tow Master “DCESS - Systèmes Informatique pour
Management des Entreprise” and “DCESS - Systèmes Informatique pour
Management des Enterprise”. He is the coordinator of the computer science
modules and responsible for the graduation projects and external relations of the
Engineers Cycle “Statistique et Informatique Décisionnelle” in Mathematics
Department of the Faculty of Sciences and Technologies in Tangier since 2007. He
participates also in the Telecommunications Systems DESA/Masters,
“Bio-Informatique” Masters and “Qualité des logiciels” Masters in the Faculty of
Science in Tetuan since 2002.
He is also the founder and the current chair of the blinds and partially signet
people association. His activity interests focus mainly on the software to help the
blinds and partially signet people to use the ICT, specifically in Arabic countries.
He is the founder of the private centre of training and education in advanced
technologies AC-ETAT, in Tangier since 2000.

Mostafa Ezziyyani
Contents

Android Applications Analysis Using PerUpSecure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1


Latifa Er-rajy, My Ahemed El Kiram, and Mohamed El Ghazouani
Effect of Climate Change on Growth, Development and Pathogenicity
of Phytopathogenic Telluric Fungi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Mohammed Ezziyyani, Ahlem Hamdache, Meryem Asraoui,
Maria Emilia Requena, Catalina Egea-Gilabert,
and Maria Emilia Candela Castillo
An Intelligent Approach for Enhancing the Agricultural Production
in Arid Areas Using IoT Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Abdelhak Merizig, Hamza Saouli, Meftah Zouai, and Okba Kazar
Impacts of Climate Change on the Production, Yield and Cost
of Adaptation of Varieties Imported from Strawberry Plants
in the Perimeter of Loukkos (Morocco) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Mohammed Ezziyyani, Ahlem Hamdache, Mostafa Ezziyyani,
and Loubna Cherrat
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Enhanced Strawberry Plants Defense
Responses, upon Challenge with Botrytis cinerea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Meryem Asraoui, Filipo Zanella, Stefania Marcato, Andrea Squartini,
Jamila Amzil, Ahlem Hamdache, Barbara Baldan,
and Mohammed Ezziyyani
An Alternative Control of Yellow Rust on Bread Wheat with Essential
Oils of Mentha Pulegium, Eugenia Aromatica, and Cedrus Atlantica . . . 54
Marie Solange Uwineza, Brahim El Yousfi, and Abdeslam Lamiri
Study of Growth and Production of Botrytis Cinerea Conidia of Some
Morrocan Isolates in Different Nutrients Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Ahlem Hamdache, Mohammed Ezziyyani, and Ahmed Lamarti

ix
x Contents

Data Mining for Predicting the Quality of Crops Yield Based


on Climate Data Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Maroi Tsouli Fathi, Mostafa Ezziyyani, and Soumaya El Mamoune
The Effect of Inoculation by Indigenous Endomycorrhizal Fungi
on the Tolerance of Tetraclinis articulata Vahl masters Plants
to Water Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Amal El Khaddari, Jalila Aoujdad, Younes Abbas,
Abdenbi Zine El Abidine, Mohamed Ouajdi, Salwa El Antry,
and Jamila Dahmani
AgriFuture: A New Theory of Change Approach to Building
Climate-Resilient Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Hajar Mousannif and Jihad Zahir
A Method for Segmentation of Agricultural Fields on Aerial Images
with Markov Random Field Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Jamal Bouchti, Adel Asselman, and Abdellah El Hajjaji
Fuzzy TOPSIS with Coherent Measure: Applied to a Closed Loop
Agriculture Supply Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Mohamed El Alaoui, Hussain Ben-Azza, and Khalid El Yassini
Smart Management System to Monitor the Negative Impact
of Chemical Substances and the Climate Change on the Environment
and the Quality of Agricultural Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Loubna Cherrat, Maroi Tsouli Fathi, and Mostafa Ezziyyani
Author Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Android Applications Analysis
Using PerUpSecure

Latifa Er-rajy(&), My Ahemed El Kiram,


and Mohamed El Ghazouani

Department of Computer Sciences, University Cadi Ayyad, Marrakesh, Morocco


[email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]

Abstract. Since its introduction in 2008, Google’s Android has been a blazing
success, far outstripping the market share of all other mobile operating systems.
Android ships more than one billion new devices each year, and more than 1.5
million new devices are activated every day. This growth was not without pain,
however. Recent measures estimate that 96–97% of today’s mobile malware
targets the Android operating system, and 73% of them are specifically designed
to satisfy profit motives. In addition, as the system becomes more popular and
scrutinized, the number of vulnerabilities identified has exploded. The security
of Android is a key issue for Google, the mobile OS is - by far - the most
popular in the world. The Android security mechanism is founded on an
instrument that gives users all the information about the permissions requested
by the application before installing it. The main benefit of this Android per-
mission system is to provide users an overview of the application by showing
them the requested permissions list, which can help raise awareness of its risks
on their private data. However, we still do not have enough information to allow
us to say that standard users are able to clearly understand the permissions
requested and their implications for their security. In this article, we present a
tool called “PerUpSecure” multiphases that combines dynamic and static anal-
ysis and contrary to what we know about the installation process of Android
applications that puts in front of the user only two options, either he accepts all
requested permissions or he cancels the installation, our proposed tool allows the
user to install any application with only the necessary permissions. At the end of
this article, we present the analysis results of a set of normal applications and
malicious programs collected from different markets.

Keywords: Static analysis  Permissions  Sandboxing  Repackaging  Tool

1 Introduction

Today, Android captures about 85% of global smartphone shipments and continues to
generate growth of 3.2% on average per year [1]. By 2021, the volume of terminals will
climb over 1.5 billion euros units [2]. This popularity continues to grow not only
among users, but also among mobile application developers who take advantage of the
effect that Android is an open source OS. For all these reasons, Android has become a
very interesting and very easy target for cyber-attacks [3]. Indeed, the Android

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019


M. Ezziyyani (Ed.): AI2SD 2018, AISC 911, pp. 1–13, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11878-5_1
2 L. Er-rajy et al.

malwares number has grown up recently. And these attacks are no less dangerous than
malware targeting desktop computers [4].
On 2017, Android malware already accounted for 99% of all mobile threats. Their
expansion continued, with growth of 70% between January and August, according to
the F-Secure Laboratory [5].
Android smartphones are protected by a permissions-based framework that limits
third-party applications’ access to sensitive resources such as the SMS database and
external storage on Android smartphones [6].
One of the questions that can be asked about the permissions system is the exis-
tence (or not) of a coherent underlying theoretical model. Does each permission cor-
respond to a set of unique and strictly delimited tasks? this is the same question that
arises with the model of capabilities under Linux, and in this second case the answer is
“no”: CAP_SYS_MODULE allows for example to load arbitrary kernel modules, and
thus to compromise completely the integrity of the kernel [7]. In the case of Android,
we may suspect that the permission SYSTEMPROPERTIES_WRITE defined by
the operator Sprint probably has a non-zero intersection with the permission
WRITE_SETTINGS defined by Google, while probably unknown to the analysis
tools [8].
The practical value of a mathematical study on Android permissions is however
limited. Indeed, the two major risks [9, 10] encountered in nature are:
• Malicious applications that require excessively large permissions, and abuse the
trust of users;
• Unpermitted malicious applications that exploit system vulnerabilities to gain
access to the root account and completely bypass the security model.
Almost all existing applications require unlimited access to the network, very often
to retrieve advertising content. In practice, this means that the risk posed by an
application is not limited to a set of static permissions: for example, malicious content
may be sent to the WebKit rendering engine at any time through the advertising
channel, and thus cause control of a given phone through the application.
The requested permissions may change during an update [11]. Most users trust
applications they have already installed since they may access to sensitive resources
can lead to loss of money. For example, Android malware can send messages, make
calls, and generate a large amount of network data without users being aware of it.
Moreover, access to sensitive resources can lead to leakage of users’ private infor-
mation stored in their mobile devises such as contacts, emails and even credit card
numbers which can have a dangerous impact on them.
In this paper, we present the test results of PerUpSecure tool that has three mean
stages: static analysis, dynamic analysis and applications repackaging. after the user
install PerUpSecure on his Android device, the tool inserts immediately instrumenta-
tion code into arbitrary Android applications and the monitoring code that intercepts an
application’s interactions with the system in case of updates in order to enforce various
security policies by watching these updates and the permissions that may be added
without the user permission.
Android Applications Analysis Results Using PerUpSecure Tool 3

2 PerUpSecure Tool

PerUpSecure is a tool sandbox based dynamic and static analysis that evaluate android
applications permissions in installation time through several levels after using APKtool
[12] which is integrated in our proposed tool in order to extract manifest file from APK
file. Figure 1 presents some screenshots of PerUpSecure.
In addition, we used Java reflection [13] to get all API calls contained in manifest
file, which will be used in static analysis phase. Generally, each application before
being able to be installed, goes through two analysis levels: static and dynamic. The
biggest Advantage of PerUpSecure tool is to enable the user to install an application
with only the necessary permissions instead of accepting all the requested permissions
or canceling completely the installation.

Fig. 1. PerUpSecure screenshots

2.1 How PerUpSecure Work


PerUpSecure tool has three major process as it is shown in Fig. 2: static analysis,
dynamic analysis and applications repackaging. after the user install PerUpSecure on
his Android device, the tool inserts immediately instrumentation code into arbitrary
Android applications and the monitoring code that intercepts the application interac-
tions with the system in case of updates to enforce various security policies by
watching these updates and the permissions that may be added without the user
permission.
Static Analysis: The first thing that the tool does during the static analysis phase is to
scan the Android application package (APK) for special patterns (for example, Run-
time.Exec ()), which is used to classify the application to facilitate and speed up the
reading of the database. Our implementation of static analysis is run offline which
4 L. Er-rajy et al.

makes it light enough to run on the Android device. However, dynamic analysis
requires emulation on a more powerful machine.
When the user wants to install an application for the first time, PerUpSecure tool
preforms a static analysis in which compares the permissions requested by the appli-
cation with a predefined database that contains that all the permission requirements for
every API calls and permission specifications for more than one version of Android to
make a clear decision about what kind of permissions are requested by the application
(necessary, unnecessary or dangerous). In fact, this database contains almost all API
calls that can be required by Android applications.
Dynamic Analysis: This analysis is based on an Android virtual device founded on
QEMU [14] similar to Android SDK.
In this work, the application is installed in the standard Android emulator from the
Google Android SDK. Once application installation ended, Monkey Tool [15] which is
a program installed inside the emulator generates a set of random pseudo-streams
presented the user events such as clicks, keys, gestures, and a number of system-level
events.

Fig. 2. PerUpSecure operation scheme


Android Applications Analysis Results Using PerUpSecure Tool 5

The Monkey was mainly invented for stress testing applications. Our tool is placed
in the kernel space and shakes the system calls for logging. The dynamic analysis result
helps us to record application behavior at the system level. The resulting log file is
reduced to a mathematical vector to ensure a better analysis. The kernel module ensures
that every occurrence of a system call is saved with the required permission. This
ensures the registration of a complete system state and no malicious activity can be
hidden. An application system call log is saved in a separate file.
At the end of the dynamic analysis, PerUpSecure Tool receives two logs files. It
examines first the result of code analysis. If the application contains a malicious code, it
installation is automatically abort and a popup window is shown to the user explains
why the application installation is cancelled. Otherwise, PerUpSecure Tool examines
the permission result, if there are unnecessary or dangerous permissions requested by
the application, then, the tool send to user a notification that invites him either to allow
application installation with only the necessary permission or cancel completely the
installation. In the case where the user chooses to continue the installation, the tool
repackages the application in order to delete the unnecessary permissions before
allowing its installation.
Application Repackaging: In this process, we have to delete the unnecessary and
dangerous permissions from the application manifest file.
Each application is going through five steps before being ready to be installed in to
user device because the code in the APK file is so difficult to read by a human, since it
contains Dalvik bytecode (Dex format): extraction, decoding, modifying, encoding,
and packing. Figure 3 shows a rough overview of the process used to modify an
existing .apk file. The purpose of the extraction and decoding steps is to transform an
.apk file into an easily editable form. The modification step is an application specific
step which involves reading and modifying the bytecode. The encoding and packing
steps create a new .apk file from the modified files.

Fig. 3. Application repackaging steps


6 L. Er-rajy et al.

3 Experiments Results

Our dataset consists of 2279 Android apps. We made the application collection during
January-February 2018. During this period, we explored PlayStore [16] and 7 third-
party stores which are: AndroidBest [17], AndroidDrawer [18], AndroidLife [19]
Anruan [20], AppsApk [21], PandaApp [22], and SlideME [23].
Table 1 lists all the markets used in the analysis. During this analysis, we dis-
covered that all alternative markets give users the ability to download applications
without authentication. So, they need simply to the right URL to download an
application.
In exploring the web pages of the markets, we have discovered that for some of
them, these URLs can be easily predicted. For example, all applications on the
AndroidBest market can be downloaded simply by entering the following URLs
“download.php?Id=n”, where n varies from 0 to the order number of the last down-
loaded application. Also, in the case of AndroidDrawer, a crawler was developed to
parse the html pages and extract the URLs used to download the applications. After
downloading the applications, we performed a two-step analysis of our dataset using
our “PerUpSecure” tool. Our dataset occupies 17.4 GB of disk space.

Table 1. Applications set markets


Market Market link Applications number
AndroidBest http://androidbest.ru/ 62
AndroidDrawer http://www.androiddrawer.com/ 157
AndroidLife http://androidlife.ru/ 678
Anruan http://www.anruan.com/ 232
AppsApk http://www.appsapk.com/ 79
Google PlayStore https://play.google.com/store/apps 223
PandaApp http://android.pandaapp.com/ 543
SlideMe http://slideme.org/ 305
Total 2279

3.1 Static Analysis Results


As we mentioned before, the initial goal of static analysis is to calculate the maximum
set of Android permissions that an application may need to function properly.
We randomly chose 400 applications from the set of 2279 that we have and we
analyzed them with PerUpSecure. Our tool has been able to identify 118 applications as
dangerous and suspicious applications because they require permissions that are not
necessary and at the same time dangerous.
Dangerous Permissions: We focused on the prevalence of dangerous permissions. As
we mentioned before, dangerous permissions are displayed as a warning to users during
the applications installation and may have serious security ramifications on the user’s
personal data. We noted that 82% of the applications analyzed have at least one
Android Applications Analysis Results Using PerUpSecure Tool 7

dangerous permission. Permissions in Android are grouped into feature categories. This
provides a relative measure part of the protected API that is used by the applications.
A small number of permissions are required very frequently. We find that 24% of
applications request INTERNET as their only dangerous permission. we also found
that 38% of applications combine between three dangerous permissions, as for example
16% of applications require the permissions: CONTACTS, SMS and PHONE at the
same time, which means that these applications have the power to control and use the
user mobile phone to call numbers and send SMS without the user’s awareness what it
will probably lead to dangerous consequences on his banking transactions.

Fig. 4. Dangerous permission distribution

Although many applications ask for at least one dangerous permission, the total
number of permission requests is typically low. The most highly privileged application
in our set asks for less than half of the available 56 dangerous permissions. Figure 4
shows the distribution of dangerous permission requested.
Several important categories are requested relatively infrequently, which is a
positive finding. Permissions in the PERSONAL_INFO and COST_MONEY cate-
gories are only requested by 5% of applications. The PERSONAL_INFO category
includes permissions associated with the user’s contacts, calendar, etc.; COST_MO-
NEY permissions let applications send text messages or make phone calls without user
confirmation.
Users have reason to be suspicious of applications that ask for permissions in these
categories. As showed by Table 2, nearly all applications (82%) ask for at least one
dangerous permission, which indicates that users frequently install applications with
dangerous permissions. We were interested in the dangerous permissions most fre-
quently requested by all the applications we analyzed. Figure 5 below illustrates the
results of the analysis obtained.
8 L. Er-rajy et al.

Table 2. Applications with at least one dangerous permission in each category


Category Applications %
NETWORK** 66%
SYSTEM_TOOLS 39.7%
STORAGE** 34.1%
LOCATION** 26%
PHONE_CALLS 35%
PERSONAL_INFO 13%
HARDWARE_CONTROLS 17%
COST_MONEY 9%
MESSAGES 5%
ACCOUNTS 2%
DEVELOPMENT_TOOLS 0%

Fig. 5. Most dangerous permissions frequently requested

As we can notice the permissions: INTERNET (NETWORK), WRITE_


EXTERNAL_STORAGE (STORAGE), READ_PHONE_STATEMENT and
WAKE_LOCK are the most frequent dangerous permissions requested.
WAKE _LOCK permission Allows to an application the using of PowerManager
WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming. It is the same
thing for the permission ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION that allow to an application to
access precise location of the Mobile device owner.
Android Applications Analysis Results Using PerUpSecure Tool 9

3.2 Dynamic Analysis Results


To perform the dynamic analysis and test the good work of our virtual emulator, we
downloaded from Google PlayStore about 600 free applications (the results in
Table 3).
API Calls Results: As we mentioned before, our emulator can analyze API calls and
count the number of methods and classes have permission checks. This number of
checks for permissions, unused permissions, hierarchical permissions, permission
granularity, and class characteristics is shown above.
Number of Permissions Checks: Our tool recognized 1447 API calls with permission
control, among these calls: API 889 present methods of normal API classes, and 586
have RPC stubs methods exploited in communication with Android system services. In
addition, the dynamic analysis results show that 28 API calls have permission checks in
an additional part of the API added by a manufacturer, for a total of 1503 API calls that
have permission.
Signature/System Permissions: We noticed that 14% of normal API calls and 38% of
APIs with RPC stubs are protected with Signature/System permissions. The results
show that some permissions are defined by the platform but never used in the API calls.
For example, BRICK permission is never used, although it is cited as an example of a
particularly dangerous permission [24]. The only use of BRICK permission is in the
dead code which is not capable of causing any damage to the device. Dynamic analysis
revealed that 25 of the 134 permissions set by Android are unused which makes them
totally unnecessary. For each case where a permission was never found during the scan,
we manually searched the source tree to verify that the permission is not being used.
After running our virtual emulator on multiple devices, we discovered that one of the
unused permissions is being used by the custom classes that HTC and Samsung have
added to existing API calls to support 4G connection on their phones.
Hierarchical Permissions: Since the names of many permissions we can easily
conclude that there are hierarchical relationships between these permissions. Intu-
itively, we expect stronger permissions to be substitutable for lower permissions for the
same resource. However, we have no evidence of planned hierarchy. In the end, we
concluded that BLUETOOTH_ADMIN cannot replace BLUETOOTH, and that
WRITE_CONTACTS cannot replace READ_CONTACTS. Likewise, CHANGE_-
WIFI_STATE cannot be used instead of ACCESS_WIFI_STATE. Then, ACCESS_-
COARSE_LOCATION and ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION is the only permission pair
that has a hierarchical relationship. So, any method that admits COARSE accepts FINE
as an alternative. This is the only exception to this, which can be a bug.
Granularity of Permission: In the case where a single permission is made to a varied
set of features, this applies that applications that request permission for a subset of the
feature will have unnecessary access to the rest. The purpose of Google and specifically
Android is to avoid this by dividing the feature into multiple permissions, then their
approach has been shown to benefit from the more secure platform [25]. So, we looked
at the division of the Bluetooth feature as a case study since the Bluetooth permissions
Table 3. Applications set analysis results
10

Category Applications Permissions Requsted Unnecessary Number of DCL DCL calls Number JV Reflexion #JV ref calls
number Number Permissions Number
APP WALLPAPER 18 48 24 12 96 306 351
APP WIDGETS 42 19 5 4 38 87 390
BOOKS AND REFERENCE 10 66 17 16 132 113 369
BUSINESS 50 48 4 12 96 138 411
COMICS 17 94 18 23 188 110 363
L. Er-rajy et al.

COMMUNICATION 12 25 8 6 50 97 298
EDUCATION 40 68 27 17 136 105 305
ENTERTAINMENT 7 34 13 8 68 70 307
FINANCE 19 38 7 9 76 63 418
GAME 20 22 10 5 44 103 528
HEALTH AND FITNESS 52 77 8 19 154 168 532
LIBRARIES AND DEMO 56 88 21 22 176 193 532
LIFESTYLE 51 104 19 26 208 132 405
MEDIA AND VIDEO 16 28 12 7 56 100 394
MEDICAL 58 64 15 16 128 90 502
MUSIC AND AUDIO 13 18 7 4 36 105 551
NEWS AND MAGAZINES 51 79 33 19 158 177 575
PERSONALIZATION 51 90 23 22 180 199 561
PHOTOGRAPHY 59 109 18 27 218 138 590
PRODUCTIVITY 16 27 19 6 54 105 575
SHOPPING 59 67 23 16 134 190 695
SOCIAL 52 119 22 29 238 212 648
SPORTS 50 97 24 24 194 193 581
TOOLS 50 90 42 22 180 154 513
TRANSPORTATION 16 58 28 14 116 118 331
TRAVEL AND LOCAL 46 50 30 12 100 125 3367
WEATHER 17 70 16 17 140 65 3241
Total: 948 1697 493 414 3653 3653 18333
Android Applications Analysis Results Using PerUpSecure Tool 11

are the most highly verified permissions. Our analysis shows that the two Bluetooth
permissions are applied to 6 major classes. They are split between methods that change
state (BLUETOOTH_ADMIN) and methods that get information about the device
(BLUETOOTH). So, the BluetoothAdapter class is one of several that exploit Blue-
tooth permissions and appropriately divides most of its permissions assignments. Yet,
this receives some inconsistencies.
Unnecessary Permission: comparing two files shows that 45% applications have
unnecessary permissions, which are at the same time dangerous. Table 4 below shows
that almost all unnecessary requested by applications in our set are dangerous.

Table 4. Unnecessary permissions requested


PERMISSION % PERMISSION LEVEL
ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE 25% Normal
READ_PHONE_STATE 45% Dangerous
ACCESS_WIFI_STATE 38% Normal
WAKE_LOCK 5% Dangerous
WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE 27% Dangerous
ACCESS_LOCATION 36% Dangerous
PHONE 55% Dangerous
SMS 65% Dangerous
CAMERA 15% Dangerous
INTERNET 85% Dangerous
CONTACTS 30% Dangerous
DEVICE ID & CALL INFORMATION 28% Dangerous
PHOTOS/MEDIA/FILES 34% Dangerous

We also found that 42.5% of the applications permissions are overcrowded, with a
total of 39% unnecessary permissions. This represents a false positive rate of 7%. The
two false alerts were caused by the incompleteness of our static database. Everyone was
a special case that we did not anticipate. The last false positive was caused by an
application that integrates a website using HTML5 geolocation, which requires a
location permission. We wrote test cases for these scenarios and updated our permis-
sions database.
Code Analysis Results: Dynamic analysis shows that 19% of all PlayStore apps
contain dynamic class loading (DCL) calls. 8% of BUSINESS applications, 10% of
SHOPPING apps and 10% of TRAVEL AND LOCAL apps have the minimum per-
centage, however, 39% of GAME apps are using dynamic class loading feature. The
results can be easily understood. in recent years, games for mobile platforms have
evolved considerably. This forces a developer to write tons of code for different ver-
sions of the mobile platform. It is therefore not surprising that developers choose a
strategy when an original application (whose size is limited to 50 MB) is only an
installer, which downloads additional code from a server and loads it dynamically. On
12 L. Er-rajy et al.

average, there are 108 dynamic class load function calls per application. Considering
reflection, 78% of all applications use reflection calls that are interesting for our
dynamic analysis. The percentage reaches 98% for applications that belong to the
GAME category, which means that almost every application in this category is based
on reflection. In addition, applications in this category also show the highest average
number of reflection calls (38.13), 21.96 reflection calls per application.

4 Conclusion

In this paper, we present a Tool called “PerUpSecure” that analyzes permissions


requested by Android applications in installing-time and after their updates. Our ref-
erence implementation is very efficient and induces a small performance overhead.
Therefore, we have developed this tool especially for users without a technical and
security background. We analyzed a large set of normal and malicious applications
collected from different applications market. The majority of this article provide the
results we got.

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Effect of Climate Change on Growth,
Development and Pathogenicity
of Phytopathogenic Telluric Fungi

Mohammed Ezziyyani1(&), Ahlem Hamdache2, Meryem Asraoui3,


Maria Emilia Requena4, Catalina Egea-Gilabert5,
and Maria Emilia Candela Castillo4
1
Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache, Department of Life Sciences,
Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, 745 Poste Principale, 92004 Larache, Morocco
[email protected]
2
Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan, Department of Biology,
Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Avenue de Sebta, Mhannech II,
93002 Tétouan, Morocco
3
Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Settat, Hassan Premier University,
Route de Casablanca Km 3, 5 BP 539 Settat, Morocco
4
Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Biology, University of Murcia,
Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia Murcia, Spain
5
Department of Science and Agrarian Technology, Agronomic Engineering,
University Politenic of Cartagena,
Paseo Alfonso XIII, 48, 30203 Cartagena, Spain

Abstract. Soil microorganisms are extremely numerous and diverse. This


diversity responds to the multitude of biogeochemical microenvironments of the
soil as well as to the complexity of the forms of organic matter in the soil, their
energy resource. Their distribution in the soil is very heterogeneous and is
explained by the presence of conditions supporting the development of life.
A very likely consequence of global warming would be a change in the range of
some phytopathogens such as Phytophthora capsici, Rhizoctonia solani and
Fusarium oxysporum. The fungi live in relatively homogeneous conditions.
They are all heterotrophic microorganisms living under aerobic conditions.
Indeed, certain microorganisms are known to have a distribution limited by
temperature. To do this, we focused on the mean rate of mycelial growth as a
function of the time (Vmax = d/t) of the three phytopathogens, at three different
temperatures (20, 25 and 30 °C) and we also used a series of agroclimatic
indices. The results show that F. oxysporum and R. solani have a very limited
distribution at 22 and 30 °C (Vmax  10 mm) for 72 h; however P. capsici
showed a Vmax  20 mm for 72 h, although the pathogen also depends on the
temperature, probably its reproductive success as well as its distribution and
speeds of development are extremely related to moisture. The pathogenicity
analyzed by artificial inoculation of pepper seedlings shows that P. capsici is
very aggressive at 30 °C, F. oxysporum showed virulence only at 25 °C but R.
solani lost all virulence between 22 and 30 °C.

Keywords: Climate change  Temperature  Telluric phytopathogenic fungi

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019


M. Ezziyyani (Ed.): AI2SD 2018, AISC 911, pp. 14–21, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11878-5_2
Effect of Climate Change on Growth, Development and Pathogenicity 15

1 Introduction

Agriculture occupies an important place in the Moroccan economy and is largely


influenced by climatic conditions. This is all the more true since several Moroccan
regions are at the northern limit of agricultural production. In addition, climate change
will be greater in northern Morocco than in the south. These projected climate changes
are likely to have negative impacts on agriculture and sustainable development. The
impacts of climate change on agriculture and human well-being include biological
effects on crop yields, resulting downstream impacts, including those on prices, pro-
duction and consumption, and impacts on calorie consumption per capita and on child
malnutrition. The year 2015 was marked by meteorological events such as floods,
drought and heat making this year the hottest in history according to NASA (National
Aeronautics and Space Administration). NASA [1] has released a video that reflects the
unstoppable increase in global average temperature from 1880 to 2015. The images
show an indisputable trend of global warming. The problem lies not only in our
perception of heat, but in the increase of natural disasters such as drought, heat waves,
floods, electrical storms. Without mentioning the effects that this causes in the melting
of the poles, in the fauna and the flora. Although pathogens also depend on temper-
ature, their reproductive success and rate of development are extremely moisture-
related. The agricultural sector will have to adapt to climate change in a variety of
ways. One of the constraints it will face is crop pests, since the biology of pests is very
sensitive to climate change. In this context, anticipated climate change by 2050 will
potentially affect crop/pest relationships [2]. It is essential to realize right now that the
pressure caused by pests will change as the climate changes. This is particularly true in
the context where the industry is seeking to reduce the use of pest control products that
have adverse effects on the environment and human health. Temperature and humidity
are the main bioclimatic factors influencing the development of diseases, while CO2
and O3 have an indirect effect on pathogens via the physiology of the plant [3]. The
softening of winters will, in general, ensure a better preservation of pathogens, thus
increasing the amount of soil inoculum the following spring [4]. The biophysical
effects of climate change on agriculture lead to changes in production and prices, which
in turn affect the economic system as farmers and other market participants adapt
individually changing crop choice, input use, production, food demand, food con-
sumption and trade. It is increasingly evident that climate change is happening. The
international scientific community is unanimous about climate change: it is a real
phenomenon whose effects are already being felt in certain regions. In addition, it is
widely recognized that climate change will intensify despite the implementation of
important measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will have economic, social
and environmental consequences for climate change for Morocco and its inhabitants.
Although the effects vary from one region to another, all regions and virtually all
economic sectors in the country will be affected. It is especially the changes in climate,
temperature or rainfall that are likely to have direct consequences on pests and insect
pests. In return, the increase in the CO2 content of the air does not seem to have a direct
influence on the development of parasitic fungi and bacteria [5] or on that of insects [6].
The epidemic development of many parasites is strongly influenced by the conditions
16 M. Ezziyyani et al.

of temperature and humidity, whether for dissemination, infection or multiplication.


This is particularly the case of many leaf parasites that are highly dependent on the
moistening of leaves for infection or splashing caused by rain for dispersion (rust or
Marssonina on poplars). Others, such as oak powdery mildew, are favored by low
humidity. The epidemics provoked by these parasites have a very variable importance
according to the years. It is clear that long-term changes in rainfall or higher temper-
atures would have an impact on the importance of epidemics, although it is very
difficult to predict which diseases would be favored or disadvantaged. However, we
can expect more or less significant modifications of the parasite processions that we
know. The rise in temperature also affects the processions of parasites and predators of
insect pests [7]. Since their thermal optima may be different, global warming may be
favorable to insect pests [8], and sometimes favorable to their natural enemies [9].
A development of the insect pest accelerated compared to that of its parasite or predator
could also allow it in certain cases to escape from its aggressor, and thus to benefit from
a temporal refuge effect [10].

2 Materials and Methods

2.1 Pathogenic Fungi


The selected virulent pathogens are Phytophthora capsici, Rhizoctonia solani and
Fusarium oxysporum, obtained from the rhizosphere of pepper plants showing symptoms
of wilting and crown rot. Their pathogenicity has been experimentally confirmed in vivo
on leaves, stems and fruits of peppers. To avoid the development of secondary fungi and
bacteria, the pythiaceae selective medium developed by Ponchet [11] was used for all
isolates of the genus Phytophthora; on two different backgrounds: Acidified PDA
(pH = 4) with citric acid by Komada [12] selective for Fusarium genus and selective agar
medium (K2H PO4: 1 g, Mg SO4, 0.5 g, KCl: 0.5 g, Fe SO4: 0.01 g, Na NO2: 0.2 g,
tannic acid: 0.12 g, propamocarb (Schering): 0.8 g, streptomycin sulfate: 0.1 g,
chlortetracyclin: 0.05 g, etridiazole (Seppic): 0.005 g, CuSO4: 0.0013 g, benomyl
(Dupont): 0.0013 g, agar 15 g, H20 qsp: 1000 ml, sterilization 30 min/110 °C) for put
the Rhizoctonia genus in prominence Camporota [13]. The leaves, roots and neck of the
sample are washed, dried and then deposited on each selective medium. After confir-
mation of their membership, the strains, stored in tubes containing PDA medium at room
temperature of the laboratory, are sub-cultured every 3 or 4 weeks.

2.2 Temperature Tests


The rate of mycelial growth of pathogens was studied at three different temperatures
(20, 25 and 30 °C) on a PDA culture medium (Difco, Detroit, Michigan, USA). The
experiments were conducted in 90 mm Petri dishes inoculated with a 3 mm diameter
mycelial implant. Implants containing mycelium from each isolate were placed in direct
contact with the culture medium. Three boxes were used for each isolate and tem-
perature. The experiment was repeated three times simultaneously. The boxes
Effect of Climate Change on Growth, Development and Pathogenicity 17

containing the mycelial implants were incubated in the dark for 7 days. Two perpen-
dicular diameters per colony were measured daily without opening the Petri dishes and
the growth rate was calculated on the basis of these two diameters.

2.3 Statistical Analysis


The diametral growth and sporulation values of different phytopathogens P. capsici, R.
solani and F. oxysporum on culture medium are compared statistically by LSD (Least
significant Difference), multiple range test (P < 0.05).

2.4 Results and Discussion


The results shown in Table 1 show that the averages of diametral growth and sporu-
lation intensity (Fig. 1) of P. capsici, R. solani and F. oxysporum on PDA medium
show significant differences at the fold level 5%. After three days after incubation for
3 days at 20, 25 and 30 °C, on agar medium. The length of P. capsici mycelium was
2 cm at 20 °C, 2.9 at 25 °C and 4.2 °C at 30 °C. F. oxysporum was 1 cm at 20 °C,
2.2 cm at 25 °C and 0.8 cm at 30 °C. R. solani was 1.3 cm at 20 °C, 1.5 cm at 25 °C
and 1 cm at 30 °C. Mycelial growth and spore production is good at 30 °C for
P. capsici, medium between 25 and 30 °C for F. oxysporum and almost nil between 25
and 30 °C for R. solani.

Table 1. Diametral (cm) growth of mycelial phytopathogens on agar medium


Phytopathogens 20 °C 25 °C 30 °C
P. capsici 2.0 2.9 4.2
F. oxysporum 1.0 2.2 0.8
R. solani 1.3 1.5 1.0

On a global scale, average surface temperatures increased by about 0.6 °C during


the 20th century. According to the climate scenarios summarized by the Intergovern-
mental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), average global temperatures are projected to
rise from 1.4 to 5.8 degrees C in this century. It should be noted that the four hottest
years (2017 being limited to January-August) are in the order 2016, 2017, 2015 and
2014. 2017 will therefore be the hottest year if the average over the last four months is
higher than at +1.14 °C. It’s pretty unlikely. 2017 will be the second hottest year if the
average over the last four months is greater than +0.75 °C. This could happen if the
current trend continues. 2017 will be the hottest third year if the average over the last
four months is lower +0.75 °C. This is not excluded, knowing that September,
October, November and December the 0.75 °C have been exceeded only three times in
instrumental history. However, there is no chance to see 2017 fall to fourth place: it
should be an average of +0.33 °C, which has not happened since 2000.
18 M. Ezziyyani et al.

Fig. 1. In vitro growth at 25 °C of P. capsici (A), F. oxysporum (B) and R. solani (C), in agar
medium

The impact of climate change is more difficult to predict with these organisms since
the uncertainty related to rainfall forecasts in the near future is greater than for tem-
perature averages. Nevertheless, several studies show that climate change will have a
positive effect on some species by increasing their establishment capacity, their growth
rate and the duration of the epidemic [3]. Climate extremes also have a role to play in
the infectivity of a pathogen by promoting its entry, for example, by a wound to the
plant caused by hail, drought or frost. The resistance of the cultivated plant can thus be
compromised by these wounds or by physiological or morphological changes, as
mentioned above [14]. For example, the expected future decline in snow cover in
southern Quebec and its isolation capacity may, however, be detrimental to certain
cereal diseases, for example, which could see their winter survival rate drop. Soil-
dwelling genera (Botrytis, Fusarium, Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia,
Sclerotium, Verticillium) are less likely to be affected by this phenomenon due to
survival structures such as sclerotia or hyphae [3]. Warm periods with droughts may
reduce the intensity of some pathogens, but may also reduce plant resistance to disease
[15]. Some species such as Podosphaera, Sphaerotheca, Uncinula and Ustilago could
however benefit from a drier and hotter climate. A study of vine blight, a disease
developing at cooler temperatures (10 to 24 °C), predicts an increase in the intensity of
infections with an increase in temperature and a decrease in precipitation [16, 17]. An
expansion of the range of pathogens is also to be expected [18] in connection with the
increase in temperatures. The extension of the growing season duration would allow
greater inoculum production for some species and increase the frequency and intensity
of infections. Since moisture is a major factor in the development of most fungal
infections, increased precipitation favored spore dispersal of some species. The amount
of precipitation accumulated in southern Quebec, however, should not vary signifi-
cantly by 2050 for the summer period [19]. Further work on the influence of tem-
perature on the different life stages of Curvularia lunata: Mycelial growth and
sporulation of isolates are average at 20 °C and optimal at 28 °C. According to several
authors [20, 21], temperatures between 15 and 33 °C are optimal for the growth of the
Curvularia sp mycelium. However, some species of this genus can develop over a wide
range of temperatures [22]. At 35 °C, mycelial growth and sporulation of C. lunata,
although small, are still possible. But after exposure of cultures to temperatures of 5
and 40 °C, both growth and sporulation are inhibited. The inability of certain fungi to
grow at high temperatures [23] may be directly related to their inability to synthesize, at
these temperatures, substances necessary for growth, such as vitamins [24].
Effect of Climate Change on Growth, Development and Pathogenicity 19

3 Conclusion

P. capsici, R. solani and F. oxysporum have a short survival time at temperatures below
0 °C and moreover it is mostly active at temperatures of 22 to 25 °C for R. solani, from
24 to 27 °C. C for F. oxysporum and 30–35 °C for P. capsici. Its thermal requirements
probably limit their current spatio-temporal distribution and their virulence. Today,
most of the research on impacts and adaptation has focused on the biophysical effects
of climate change. The results suggest that the most important challenges will be
related to the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as
floods, droughts and storms. In contrast, many systems should be able, subject to
appropriate adjustments, to tolerate a gradual and limited warming of temperatures, and
even to take advantage of them at times. Thus, in some areas, the increase in tem-
perature could promote and/or inhibit the growth of pathogens. Although plant
pathogens encompass several types of organisms, this section focuses mainly on fungal
infections, dominant in Morocco in our case in the Larache Region. There are also gaps
in research on the impact of climate change on bacteria, viruses and nematodes, ene-
mies that can cause considerable damage to crops while the methods of struggle are
almost non-existent. Climate change will have an effect on plant physiology, which
may in turn alter the passive resistance of plants to disease. Physiological or physical
changes in the plant, related to climate change, may decrease or increase susceptibility
to pathogens. An increase in the incidence of diseases and plant susceptibility could
potentially limit the range of crops/cultivars available in the future. As far as fungicides
are concerned, their effectiveness in controlling pathogens is likely to be affected by
temperature increases that could reduce their toxicity or frequent rainfall events that
increase leaching before they enter the plant. We report a few studies have focused on
modeling the impacts of climate change on pathogens. In fact, they need moisture at
different stages of their life cycle and the modeling of precipitation and especially of
relative humidity presents a greater range of uncertainty than temperature modeling.
This uncertainty is reflected in a range of potentially variable biological responses. In
addition, the biology of pathogens is also very different from one species to another in
terms of their responses to climatic parameters, making it difficult to establish gener-
alities about the impact of climate change on climate change on these. The agricultural
sector will have to adapt to climate change in a variety of ways. One of the constraints
it will face is crop pests, since the biology of pests is very sensitive to climate change.
In this context, anticipated climate change by 2050 will potentially affect the crop /
pathogen relationships of crops. It is essential to realize right now that the pressure
caused by crop pathogens will change with climate change. This is particularly true in
the context where the sector is seeking to reduce the use of pathogen control products
that have adverse effects on the environment and human health.
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with Unrelated Content
Was it, after all, a mistake that she should have given this man her
solicitude and confidence?
A knock at the door fell almost as loudly upon her ears as the
crash of ordnance had done. When a second and sharper knock
resounded, she summoned her voice to answer.
“Madame, it is I,” came in low tones from without. “If you can find
it convenient to open—”
At the sound of the voice she gained courage. Monsieur had come
to her. Trembling, yet still undismayed, she crept to the door and
opened it.
The face of the Frenchman was dark and impassive. If the night
had brought a new resolution to her, it was plain that monsieur was
in no wise different from yesterday. All this she noted while her hand
still clung falteringly to the knob of the door.
“Madame,” he began, “the matter is most urgent. If it will please
you to follow me—”
Mistress Barbara with difficulty found her tongue.
“Where, monsieur. What—”
“Madame, I pray that you will make haste. There is little time to
lose. I should be at this moment upon the deck.”
“Monsieur would take me—?”
“Below the water-line, madame. There will be a fight. Shots may
be fired. I would have you in safety.”
Alas for Mistress Barbara’s crafty plans and gentle resolutions. In a
moment they were dissipated by the imperturbability, the tepid
indifference of his manner, which should have been so different in
the face of a situation which promised so much that was ominous to
her. His coolness fell about her like a bucket of water, and sent a
righteous anger to her rescue, so that her chill terror was driven
forth for the nonce by a flush of hot blood. When she spoke, her
voice rang clear with a certain bitter courage.
“Safety!” she cried. “Monsieur is too kind. I shall prefer to be killed
here—here in the decent privacy of the cabin.”
“Madame,” said he, in impatience, “it is no time for delay. There
must be no obstacle to your obedience.”
She looked at him in an angry wonder. If this were mock insult, it
had too undisguised a taste to be quite palatable.
“Monsieur,” she said, stamping her foot in a rage, “I go nowhere
for you. Nowhere. I will die before I follow you. Battle or no battle,
here I shall remain. Am I a lackey or a woman-of-all-work that you
order me thus! Safety! If you value my safety, why do you permit
them to make war over my very head? No, no. You are transparent—
a very tissue of falsities. I read you as an open book, monsieur.”
She paused a moment for the lack of breath.
“I do not believe in you. How do you repay me for what I have
done? Refuse me, deny me, and order me about like a willful child
with your insolent glare and your cool, puckered brow. What is my
safety to you? I do not believe—”
“Madame, you must come at once.”
“Never!” she cried. “Never! No power shall move me from the
spot. Nothing—” At this moment a crash ten times more dreadful
than the first shook the vessel like a hundred thunderbolts.
Cornbury, in blissful ignorance of the battle raging below, had
opened the battle above with the entire starboard broadside.
Mistress Barbara stammered, faltered, and fell back towards the
table, trembling with fear. She put her hands to her ears as though
to blot out the sounds. And then, in a supplicating dependence
which set at naught all the hot words that had poured from her lips,
she leaned forward listlessly upon the table.
“Take me,” she said, brokenly. “Take me. I am all humility. I will
go, monsieur.”
A soft light she had seen there before crept into the eyes of Bras-
de-Fer. As though unconscious, she saw his extended arms thrust
forward to her support and heard as from a distance the resonant
voice, the notes of which, with a strange, sweet insistence, sang
among her emotions until, like lute strings, they sang and trembled
in return. And the chord which they awoke to melody rang through
every fiber of her being with a new-pulsing joy, a splendid delight,
like the full-throated song of praise of a bird at early morn.
She felt his hand seek hers. She made no move to resist him. She
could not. Something in the break of his voice, the reverence in his
touch, sought and subdued her. In a moment she learned that the
love of a life had come and that all else was as nothing.
“Barbara! Barbara!” he was saying. “Look at me, chérie. Tell me
that you are not angry. I have tried so hard to leave you—so hard. I
have spoken to you bitterly and coldly, that your mind might be
poisoned and frozen against me, that you might hate and despise
me for the unworthy thing that I am. Alas! it is my own heart that I
have pierced and broken. Look up at me, Barbara. I cannot bear to
see you thus. Ah, if you had only opposed me in anger, I could have
continued the deception. Your anger was my refuge. It was the only
thing that made my cruelty possible. It cried aloud like a naked
sword. I welcomed it, and set steel upon steel that I might shield my
heart. But now, listless, yielding, submissive, you disarm me, you rob
me of my only weapon. I am yours. Do with me what you will.”
His voice trembled, and he bent his head upon her hand to hide
the excess of his emotion. As she felt the touch of his lips, she
started and moved ever so slightly, but with no effort to withdraw.
When he lifted his head it was to meet eyes that wavered and
looked away.
“Do not turn from me, Barbara. Do not add to the deep measure
of my contrition. The cup is full. Add to it but one drop and it will
overflow. Requite me with tenderness, madame, if you can find it in
your heart, for mine is very near to breaking. Look in my eyes,
where my love glows like a beacon. Listen, and you will hear it speak
in my voice like a young god. Can you not feel my very finger-tips
singing into your palms the cadences of my heart’s chorus? Is it not
thus that women wish to be loved? Search my heart as you will,
you’ll find an answer there to every wish and every prayer.”
She trembled and swayed in his arms like a slender shrub in a
storm. It seemed as though, in his fervor, he were running the
gamut of her every vulnerable sensibility. But as she felt his breath
warm upon her hair and cheek she raised her eyes until they looked
into his; then drew away from him with a gentle firmness. She was
perturbed and shaken with the compounding of new emotions. She
could not see all things clearly. She only knew that what she had
expected least had come to pass. She had burnished her woman’s
weapons in vain. She had sought to delude and beguile, and had
only deluded and beguiled herself. As she had promised herself, she
had drawn aside the mask, but she had unmasked herself at the
same time. She had sought and she had found so many things that
she knew not which way to turn. She must do something to gain
time to think and plan. It was all so different to London. In spite of
herself, she knew that he had conquered, and a suffusion of shame
that she had been so easily won mounted to her neck and forehead,
and she turned her head away. And then, in a last obedience to that
instinct of self-preservation which sets a woman upon the defensive
when she knows not what she would defend (nor would defend it if
she could), she broke away from him and stood alone, pulsing with
the effort, but triumphant.
“Monsieur,” she breathed with difficulty, “it is unfair—to—to—press
me so.”
But he was relentless. “Ah, madame, am I then despised, as on
that night in Dorset Gardens? Nay, I am as God made me—not the
thing you would have supposed—”
“Monsieur, have pity.”
“Ah, then look at me again, Barbara. Look in my face and deny.
Look in my eyes, chérie—deny me if you can.”
She felt his arms encircle her, and she struggled faintly.
“No, no. It is not so.”
“Look me in the eyes, Barbara; I will not believe it else. If I am
nothing to you, look me in the eyes and tell me so.”
“No! No! No!”
She raised her face until her closed eyes were on a level with his
own. Then she opened them with an effort to look at him, as though
to speak.
A deafening crash again shook the Sally, so that the ship’s dry
bones rattled and quivered under their feet like a being with the
ague, and she seemed about to shake her timbers asunder. Mistress
Barbara’s answer was not spoken, for at this rude sound a fit of
trembling seized her again and she sank listlessly into the protecting
shelter of his arms, and hid her face upon his bosom in a
commingling of terror and wonderment that were only half real.
“No, no,” she sobbed at last, “it is not true. It is not true.”
Bras-de-Fer bent over her in a blind adoration and gently touched
his lips to her hair. She made no further effort to resist him. Then,
when the tear-stained face was raised to his own, in her eyes he
read a different answer to his pleading.
“Bien adorée!” he whispered, kissing her tenderly—“Barbara!”
The hand within his own tightened and the lissome figure came
closer to his own. “Take me away, monsieur,” she murmured. “Take
me away. Oh, I am so weary—so weary.”
“Struggle no more,” he whispered. “Courage; all will yet be well.
Come with me below to safety, and it will soon be over.”
He had moved away from her towards the door, and would have
withdrawn his hand, but she held it with both of her own while her
eyes looked into his with an anxious query.
“Oh, I,” he said, with a smile—“I shall be in no danger, madame.
That I promise you. ’Tis but a Spanish merchantman, with little skill
in war. Why, Sally will run her aboard in the skipping of a shot. And
now”—as they moved towards the door—“but a little while and I
shall be with you again, to keep guard over your door, to keep guard
upon you always—always.”
CHAPTER XV
MUTINY

S he summoned all her courage, and Bras-de-Fer led her forward


along the passage upon the deck to the other hatch. Yan Gratz,
Jacquard, and the crew were crowded at the broadside guns, and at
the sight of monsieur the Dutchman’s face broke into a pasty smile
as he sneered to his neighbor.
“Vos dis a schip or Vitehall Palace? Pots blitz!” And he spat
demonstratively.
But Bras-de-Fer was handing my lady down the hatch into the
after-hold, with a gesture into which he put even more of a manner
than the occasion demanded. Jacquard had gone down before with
a lighted lantern, and had unfastened the hatch of the lazaretto, the
opening of which made a murky patch in the obscurity. Mistress
Barbara shuddered a little and drew back, but the strong arm of
monsieur encircled her waist, his firm hand reassured her own, and
his low voice spoke in even accents.
“These are chests of gold and silver, jewels and silks, madame”;
and then, “It is here that we keep our priceless captures,” he
whispered, smiling. “Sit in comfort. The water-line is above, where
you see the beams o’erhead. In a little while I will come again, and
all will be well.” He pressed the trembling hand in both his own, and
she saw him follow the long figure of Jacquard, who with sympathy
and discretion, of which his glum demeanor gave no indication, had
left the light hanging to a timber and gone growling above.
Alone with the swaying lantern, the beams and bulkheads, the
boxes and chests, she gave herself over to her own turbulent
reflections. There was a swish and hollow gurgle at her very ear as
the seas alongside washed astern, a creaking and a groaning of the
timbers, which made her tremble for the stanchness of the vessel.
The boxes and chests resolved themselves into great square patches
of light which thrust their staring presence forward obtrusively; and
the vagrant diagonal shadow took a new direction and meaning in
the misty darkness beyond the sphere of light at each new posture
of the vessel. Strange odors—musty, dry, and evil-smelling—afflicted
her nostrils; and the air, hot and fetid, hung about her and upon her
offensively. Breathing became a muscular exertion and an effort of
the will. She bit her lip and clenched her hands upon the chest
where she was seated, to keep from crying aloud her misery and
terror. Suddenly there was a sound of rending and tearing among
the complaining timbers, and the guns above renewed their angry
threats. One, two, three, four single discharges she heard, a
scattering broadside, and then silence. Again that chorus of
unfamiliar sounds, each one of which spoke to her in a different way
of danger in some new and dreadful form. Presently the clamorous
sea sang a louder, wilder note, the timbers cried aloud in their
distress, the lantern swung sharply in abrupt and shortening circles,
and the shadows, like arms, thrust out at her from the unseen and
filled her with a new and nameless terror. The motion of the vessel
was sickening. And the black, noisome air, from which there was no
escape, seemed to fill her very brain and poison her faculties.
With a blind effort she arose, and in affright at she knew not what
crept up the ladder to the hatch. It were better to die the death at
once than to be poisoned by inches. She drank gratefully of the
purer air above her and listened to the sounds of shouting from the
deck. There was a shock and a crash as the ships came together,
and then all sounds, save at intervals, were lost in the grinding of
the vessels and the roar of the sea between. She heard several shots
as though at a great distance, but these were as nothing after the
noise of the great guns, and she almost smiled as she thought how
easily the victory was accomplished.
And he—had monsieur come off free of harm? She trembled a
little at the thought of it, and yet even the trembling had in it
something of a new and singular delight. With her eyes free to roam
in the gray of the half-deck, where there was air, if ever so faint, and
the sweet smell of the sea, she thought no more of herself. The
silence above boded no ill. She heard nothing but the wash of the
sea alongside, the creaking and clatter of blocks on the deck, and
the craunch of the ships to the roll of the sea. At last the sound of
voices was nearer and louder, whether in anger, fear, or pleasure she
could not discover; then the tramping of heavy boots and the
rushing of men forward and aft; but no sound of shot or clash of
steel, to remind her of her continued jeopardy. Five, ten minutes she
listened, all her faculties alert for the sound of his voice. The
grinding of the vessels ceased, and when the main-deck hatch was
removed she could hear quite plainly the sounds upon the deck. The
voices of men in fierce disputation fell hollowly down through a crack
in the narrow aperture. One was thin and small, like that of a child.
Another was heavy and gruff, and cursed volubly in French. Sharper
tones rang between and through it all, the roar or continuous
murmur of a crowd. Something had fallen amiss, she was sure.
Suddenly, as though a spell had fallen upon their tongues, the
clamor was hushed, and in the brief second of desperation the sea
noises about her sang loudly in her ears, which strained to catch
every sound.
At last a single voice, slow, calm, dispassionate, began to speak; it
was his. She emerged upon the half-deck in order that nothing of
what was passing might escape her, and leaned upon the ladder,
looking to where the daylight flickered down.
“Your humor is changed wondrously, mes amis. You ask many
things, not the least of which is this Spaniard’s death. You, Yan
Gratz, and you, Barthier, Troc, and Duquesnoy, you, Craik and Goetz,
stand aside. I grant nothing—nothing—where I see the gleam of a
weapon naked. Sheathe your cutlasses and stand aside. Then,
maybe, we shall see.”
There was an ominous movement of scraping feet, a clatter of
weapons, and then a hoarse turmoil, a very bedlam of sounds, a
wild scratching and scuffling upon the deck, and hoarse, dreadful
cries, savage and fierce, like the bark of hungry dogs, yet, with its
ringing accompaniment of clanging steel, infinitely more terrible. Half
mad with the terror at this struggle, of which she could see nothing,
faint and weak with the accumulation of her distresses, she hung
more dead than alive to the companion-ladder, in one moment
shutting her ears to the mad din above her, in another listening
eagerly for the broken fragments of sound, fearful that the end of all
things might come in one of those merciful moments in which she
heard nothing. She thrust her hand into her breast and pulled forth
the slender petronel which she had brought from the San Isidro. She
looked at the shining barrel and saw to the flint and charge. There
should be no hesitation. If monsieur—
But no! no! He was there yet. She heard his voice, strong, valiant,
ringing like a clarion above the medley: “Aha, Cornbury!” it cried.
“Point and edge, mon ami!... Your pupils are too apt, Monsieur le
Maître d’Armes.... Ah, Craik, would you?... Voilà ... touché,
Duquesnoy ... touché, mais ... ce n’est rien!... Well struck,
Cornbury!... Jacquard, help us, coquin!... To the rail ... back to back
... we will drive them ... into the sea!”
The rushing feet clattered over her head and she heard the sound
of his voice no more. She wondered whether it was because it rang
no more that she did not hear it, or whether her terror and her
weakness had deprived her of her senses. The seconds grew into
hours. Broken cries and curses in strange, harsh voices came to her
again, and she knew that she heard aright; the sound of blows, the
hard breathing of men, all swallowed in the many noises of the
combat, and at the last the fall of something muffled, heavy, and
resistless upon the deck came with a new and dreadful portent to
her ears. She stifled the shriek which rose to her lips and pressed
her hands to her bosom to still its tremors. That dull, echoless sound
could have but one meaning.
She stood inert, her mind and body things apart. She could not
bring herself into accord with the too obtrusive fact, and wondered
aimlessly that her ear caught at the cries of the complaining timbers
and rush of water alongside, rather than at the vortex of her life’s
tragedy which whirled just at her elbow. And thus, in a merciful
tempering of her spirit to the occasion she hung swaying to the
ladder, her mind gaining a cool and purposeful self-possession which
was to nerve her frail body to further efforts. If monsieur were dead,
then she had but to die also. She knew that she must keep her
strength, for if she lost consciousness they would come below and
find her; and when she awoke—alive and alone upon this horrible
ship— The thought gave a new life to her energies, and she
determined to put an end at once to the uncertainty. Anything were
better than the suspense which each moment made the danger of
weakness more imminent. Step by step she crept up the staggering
ladder until her head had reached the level of the hatch above. Then
she pushed aside the covering, and, the pistolet in her nerveless
fingers, peered forth upon deck.
Joy gave her new strength and energy. There against the
bulwarks, pale and breathless, but erect and strong, with the light of
battle still undiminished in his eyes, was Bras-de-Fer; while around
him in a wide, snarling circle were a dozen of the wolves of the
Saucy Sally, ready to spring in upon him, and yet each fearful to be
the first to bite. There was a smell of rum in the air, and a broken
cask told a part of the cause of the difficulty. Upon the deck curious
loose distortions made a ghastly parody of the flesh which they had
been. All these things she noted in a glance, but her eyes fell
instinctively upon the figure of a tall man, the one who had lighted
her below, who was brandishing his arms, not at monsieur, but
towards a stout man in baggy breeches, who stood defiantly blinking
at him, raising first a pistol and then a sword towards Bras-de-Fer in
a manner not to be misinterpreted. Here was the key to the
situation. He was not then quite alone. But as she looked a thrill of
horror came over her. Two men fell upon the tall man from behind
and seized his arms. Then the fat man leaned forward towards
monsieur, with an oily, vicious smile. He said nothing at all, but,
keeping his sword in front of him, with his left hand, slowly and with
a grim deliberation, raised his pistol into a line.
Barbara’s wild cry rang from one end of the deck to the other.
Regardless of her own danger and scarce responsible, she was flying
across the intervening space towards Yan Gratz. The startled
Dutchman, disconcerted for a moment by this unfamiliar sound,
turned, his mouth agape, his pistol pointing purposeless at the
empty air. “Stop!” she cried, supremely imperious, yet affrighted at
the sound of her own voice. “Stop! You must not! I command you!”
Yan Gratz paused, uncertain for a moment. He looked at this
gentle adversary as though he did not know whether to scowl or
laugh. Then his lumpy face broke into a smile and his lifted brows
puckered his forehead into innumerable wrinkles. The pistol dropped
to his side.
“Aw—yaw—you commandt me?”—he began wagging his head
—“but who in de name o’ Cott vhas you?”
Then for the first time his eye fell upon the pistolet which Mistress
Barbara still held tightly clutched in her extended hand. In her
solicitude for monsieur she had forgotten herself and the weapon,
which now, still unconsciously, she pointed directly at the portly
person of Yan Gratz. He stammered and fell back a pace in
amazement. The diversion was sufficient. For by this time Jacquard
had struggled to his feet, and, throwing aside the fellows who were
holding him, had rushed in and seized the pistol from the hand of
the Dutchman before he could use it. At the same moment Bras-de-
Fer, with a fierce cry, had sprung forward among the amazed
mutineers and had taken Barbara under the cover of his weapon.
“Listen, mes camarades!” roared Jacquard above the confusion,
waving the pistol in wide, commanding circles. “Listen, mes braves,
and you will not regret. Listen, I say. It is I, Jacquard, who speaks.
Wait but a moment and hear me. Listen. And when I am done you
will say old Jacquard is wise.” His ungainly figure towered before
them—the swinging arms like great wings, the hooked brows and
curved beak making him look not unlike some gigantic bird of prey
ready at a moment to fall upon any who denied him. At last, such
was his influence that they were brought to a measure of calmness.
Then with crafty deliberation he began to speak.
“Ah, mes galants, we have hunted together long, you and I, and
we have hunted well. Last year you drank or spent or gamed a
thousand pounds away. To-day the hold and lazaretto of old Sally
are full of Spanish silks and laces and plate for the selling. In Port
Royal are other ships which will yield ye more. And you will sacrifice
these ships and these cargoes and all the money they’ll bring to
you.”
Many cries arose, the loudest of which was that of Yan Gratz.
“Sacrifice de schips, Shacky Shackart! Py Cott! It is a lie, verdomd!”
“It is so, mateys, I will swear it. Kill monsieur, yonder, and not one
shilling from the ships do you get. Why? In Port Royal monsieur
showed his warrant to the governor. The governor has a certain
share in the takings from the Isidro. ’Twill be a strange tale ye’ll tell
if Bras-de-Fer comes not back with the ship. The master-at-arms
ye’ve killed, if I mistake not. He’s captain in his Majesty’s Guards.
Perhaps ye can explain that.”
Anxious glances passed among the rascals as they looked first at
monsieur and then at Jacquard. But Yan Gratz was not to be
deceived or robbed of his vengeance.
“Donner vetter!” he cried. “Ay, yai. Vhat tifference it makes? De
varrant is de varrant of Pilly Vinch; no odder—I am as goot a man as
him. Tunder of der Teufel! I vill make a call mineself upon de
covernor of Chamaica.”
In answer to this sally, Jacquard burst into a loud laugh. “Ha, ha!
Ye’re swelled out of all proper dimensions, Yan Gratz. Ye forget that
Monsieur the Governor and Monsieur Bras-de-Fer are friends. Listen,
then, to what I propose. Bras-de-Fer will write us a letter saying that
you or I may receive the ships for our owners. In return we will give
monsieur and madame the pinnace and let them go whither they
will.”
“No, py Cott!” roared Gratz, furious at being balked of his
vengeance. “He shall not get avay from me!”
There was a mingling of opinions, loudly and profanely expressed,
and it looked for the moment as though the strife would be
renewed. Yan Gratz’s Dutchmen stood by him to a man. And while
the gleaming sword and pistolet of monsieur held them at a safe
distance, they sought by their shouting of wild threats to make up
for their other deficiencies. Barbara, hid behind Bras-de-Fer, sought
valiantly to match her courage to his, but with pale face and quaking
limbs she awaited the decision upon which rested his life or death,
and hers. It mattered little which it was to be. She had suffered so
much that anything—anything which brought rest—would be
welcome. But monsieur had lost no whit of his aggressiveness. If he
was silent, it was because silence was best. With a keen eye he
noted the effect of the speech of Jacquard. He saw that his
compatriot had chosen wisely in leaving his sword undrawn. Thus
Jacquard retained his influence with the crew, whose sympathy and
arms he could not have swayed alone against Yan Gratz. Had
Jacquard drawn his weapon, all would have been lost. As it was,
Bras-de-Fer noted that the larger number of the crew were wagging
and nodding their heads in a propitious deliberation. Frenchmen,
many of them, they were willing to forget the discipline and
restriction of their liberties. Only one of them, Duquesnoy, had
joined in the conflict against their compatriot. Duquesnoy was dead.
They would be satisfied now if the cause of their grievances was
removed. There was a way which offered complete compensation.
With Bras-de-Fer marooned with his lady and his imperious notions,
they would be free to lead the life which Billy Winch had not
scrupled to deny them.
Barthier, gray-haired, pock-marked, earringed, shoved his huge
frame before Yan Gratz.
“We have deliberated, Yan Gratz,” said he. “Jacquard has spoken
the truth. Monsieur has fought well. He has bought his life, and that
of his lady. San Salvador is distant but twenty leagues to the south.
We will give them provisions for a week, weapons, and the pinnace,
and set them free.”
Gratz glared around at him and past Barthier at the row of grim,
hairy faces; and he knew that he was defeated. With an ill grace he
sheathed his sword, thrust his pistol in his belt, and, muttering,
waddled forward into the forecastle with his following.
When they were gone, Bras-de-Fer fell upon his knees beside a
figure upon the deck at his feet. He lifted Cornbury’s head upon his
knee, and, calling for a pannikin of rum, forced a small quantity of
the fluid between the lips of the Irishman. Jacquard felt for his
heart, and Barbara tore a bit of her skirt to stanch the flow of blood.
They bathed his forehead with water, and in a moment were
rewarded by a flicker of the eyelid and a painful intaking of the
breath. Presently, resting upon Jacquard’s knee, he opened his eyes
and heaved a deep sigh.
“I am near spent,” he muttered. And then, as his eye caught those
of Bras-de-Fer, a smile with the faintest glimmer of professional pride
twitched at his lip.
“Ah, monsieur,” he said, “did I not teach them well their thrust and
parry?”
“Too well, indeed; Destouches himself could not have done better.
I would you had given them less skill, mon ami.”
“’Twas Craik—my favorite stroke—in tierce,” he gasped, and then
his head fell back against Jacquard. Presently he revived and looked
at Barbara and Bras-de-Fer, while another smile played at the corner
of his blue eye.
“Madame,” he whispered to Barbara—“madame, he has loved ye
long and well. Take him to London and there serve him as a
boucanier and renegado should be served. Take him prisoner to yer
house and yer heart, and keep him there for as long as ye both shall
live.” A spasm of pain shot across his features, and he clutched at
his wound. “Bedad,” he said, “but the plaguy thing burns at me like
an ember. It’s nearly over, I’m thinking. René,” he cried, “my dear
man, if ye tell them at the barracks that I was brought to my death
by the low thrust in tierce in the hands of such a lout, I’ll come from
my grave and smite ye. An’ if ye see my brother, the Earl, ye may tell
him for me—to send my pittance to—”
The effort had been too much for his waning strength. His eyes
closed again. And this time they did not open.
CHAPTER XVI
MAROONED

J acquard conducted Mistress Barbara aft to the cabin until the boat
could be prepared. And Monsieur silently followed, his eyes dim
with tears at the loss of this friend to whose helpful skill both he and
Mistress Barbara owed their lives. When they were safe within,
Jacquard blurted forth:
“It was the best I could do, monsieur, the very best I could do.
The danger is not yet past. There is no safety for you or madame
upon the same ship with Yan Gratz.”
Bras-de-Fer silently wrung his hands.
“It is a desperate journey for a lady tried already to the point of
breaking, Jacquard. If they would but land us—”
“Ah, monsieur. It were madness to try them again. Have you not
seen their temper?”
“No, no, monsieur, I am strong!” cried Barbara. “See! I am strong.
Let us leave this dreadful charnel-ship. If I must die, let it be alone
upon the broad ocean. That at least is clean of evil intent.”
“Nay, madame,” continued the Frenchman. “If they would but sail
us—”
“No, no. Let us go at once. I can meet death bravely if need be,
but not here.”
“Monsieur, it will not be so bad,” broke in Jacquard. “The sea has
gone down, and, although a long swell is running, it is low and
smooth. A fair breeze draws from the west. The pinnace is stanch.
The day is young. By the morrow you should raise the palms of
Guanahani above the sea. I shall see you well provided with food,
water, and weapons. Upon San Salvador are friendly Caribs, and in
due course—”
“Mon ami,” said Bras-de-Fer at last, “you are right. Were it not for
madame, perhaps, I should yet make some small effort to establish
myself upon the Sally. They have beaten me, but I am grieving little.
I have no stomach for this life, my friend. The letting of blood in any
but honest warfare sickens me and turns me to water. I leave the
dogs without regret. But you, you and my gallant Cornbury.” He
paused a moment, his hand to his brow, then raised his head with a
glad smile.
“Jacquard, will you not come with us? If we get safe ashore I can
perhaps give you a service which will requite you.”
But Jacquard was wagging his head.
“No, no, monsieur. It is too late. I am too old a bird. Would ye clip
the eagle’s wings? Would ye pen the old falcon in a gilded humming-
bird cage? I’ve chosen to fly broadly, and broadly I’ll fly till some
stray bullet ends my flapping. And now make ready, madame. A
warm cloak against the night air, a pillow—for boat-thwarts are none
too soft; and when ye are ready I shall be at the door.” And he
vanished, his bullet head, with its round wool cap, scraping at the
door-jamb as he passed.
When he had gone, Barbara sank upon the bench at the table.
Had it not been for the strong arms of Bras-de-Fer she must have
fallen to the deck. Tired nature, overwrought nerves, rebellious,
refused to obey.
“But a little while, Barbara, dear, and we will be alone. Courage,
brave one! Courage! We will soon gain the shore. Then, a ship—and
—life!”
“Ah, monsieur, I am weary. So weary that I fear for this journey in
the open boat. God grant we may reach its ending.” Her head fell
forward upon his breast and she breathed heavily as one in a deep
sleep.
He laid her gently so that her arms rested upon the table. Then he
quickly prepared a package of articles which would be most
necessary for her. Jewels there were and a packet of his own money.
He found a flask of eau-de-vie, and when he had aroused her he
gently forced her to drink a half-tumbler of it mixed with water.
Presently Jacquard and Barthier came with the papers for him to
sign. When this was done they all went upon the deck. The Spanish
prize lay at a distance of several cables’ lengths, and, from a
movement among the spars, was getting under way in charge of the
prize crew. Alongside, at the starboard gangway, rode the pinnace.
It looked so small, so masterless and helpless, by the side of the
larger vessels in that infinity of ocean, that Mistress Barbara shivered
as she looked down into it. But one glance around the decks to
where the prostrate figures had lain reconciled her to her lot.
Between Bras-de-Fer and Jacquard there was but one hearty
hand-shake. The very lack of more effusive demonstration between
them meant more than many words could have done. And as
monsieur passed over the gangway and down into the vessel there
was little in his demeanor to show the sting of his defeat at the
hands of these devils of the sea, whom he had sought, and
unsuccessfully, to bring into the domain of a proper humanity. A
scornful laugh broke from among the men as he disappeared over
the side, and Yan Gratz, waving a pistol, piped obscene threats and
criticism from the quarter-deck. But presently, when Mistress
Barbara had been slung over the side in a whip from the main-yard,
Jacquard disappeared from the rail, and the falsetto of the
Dutchman was no longer heard.
The mast in the pinnace had been stepped, and the sail, strong
and serviceable, but none too large, flapped impatiently in the
breeze. And so when Barbara was seated, white and dark-eyed,
showing with a painful effort a last haughty disdain to the rascals at
the portholes and bulwarks, Bras-de-Fer shipped his tiller and hauled
his sheet aft to the wind. The little vessel bounced in a sprightly,
joyous fashion, the brown sail bulged stanchly, and in a moment a
patch of green water, ever growing wider, flashed and trembled
between the pinnace and the Saucy Sally. Among the row of dark
heads along the rail Bras-de-Fer looked for only one, and to him he
presently turned and raised his hat in salute. Jacquard replied; and
then his long arms went flying and his hoarse voice cried aloud the
orders to set the vessel upon her course. Presently the yards flew
around, the vessel squared away, and the Saucy Sally was but a
memory. A vessel nameless, without identity, was sailing away from
them upon the sea, and they were alone.
Barbara looked no more. She had seated herself upon the gratings
at the bottom of the craft, her arms resting upon the stern thwart.
But now that all immediate danger had passed and she sat safe and
at peace, the wonderful spirit and courage to which she had nerved
herself in a moment failed her. Her head fell forward upon her arms
and she sank inert and prone at the feet of the Frenchman. Scarce
realizing what had happened, yet fearful that some dreadful fate had
intervened to take his love from him, he dropped the tiller and fell
upon his knees by her side, his mind shaken by the agony of the
moment; for her face had taken a kind of waxen, leaden color more
terrifying than mere pallor, and the lips, save for a faint-blue tinge,
became under his very eyes of the same deathly hue. He dashed
handful after handful of the sea-water into her face and rubbed her
chill arms and hands. He poured a draught of the rum between her
cold lips. But she moved not. Beseech her as he might, there was no
response to his petitions. He sought the pulse; he could feel nothing.
The breath had ceased. Oh, God! Had the cup of happiness been
placed at their lips only to sip? Was it to be poured out before his
very eyes? He cried aloud in his agony and raised the face to his
own, kissing it again and again, as if by the warmth of his own
passion he could awaken it to life.
“My love! my love!” he cried. “Come back to me! Come back to me
again! Open thine eyes! Breathe but my name! Come back to me,
my love!”
He had waited an eternity. At last, as he put his ear to her breast,
a sound, ever so faint, but still a sound, told him that the heart was
pulsing anew. He forced a generous draught of the rum through her
lips and madly renewed his efforts to arouse the blood. Several
moments more he struggled in pitiful suspense, and then a gentle
color flowed under the marble skin, a touch of pink rose to the blue
lips, the eyelids quivered a moment and then opened. He hauled the
sail to shield her from the glare of the sun, and held a cup of fresh
water to her lips. She looked at him, but no words came from her
lips. Instead, she breathed a sigh and with a faint smile relinquished
herself and fell back peacefully into his arms. Once or twice she
opened her eyes in an effort to speak, but each time he soothed her
and bade her rest. He was but a man, and it needed a gentler hand
to cope with such an emergency; but now that the danger was past
he felt instinctively that nature would seek in her own ways to
restore, and he let her lie quiet, pillowed in the curve of his arm
against his breast. And so, presently, her breathing was regular, and
she slept.
He could not know how long it had been since they left the Sally,
but by the sun he saw that there was yet an hour or two of the day.
The ships were become mere dull blotches upon the sky, and from
his position the lower tier of guns seemed just at the line of the sea.
Time was precious, for the land lay a full day’s sail, even should the
breeze continue to favor them, and he could not tell how long it
would blow thus steadily. Fearful of awakening Barbara and yet
anxious to take advantage of every favorable opportunity, he
reached for the sheet and tiller and set the little vessel upon her
course. She heeled gladly to the wind, and the coursing of the water
beneath her long keel made a sound grateful to his ears. He had
taken the Sally’s position upon the charts before leaving, and steered
a course which should surely fetch a sight of the land upon the
morrow. If the breeze held and the night were clear, he could steer
by the stars. He blessed the habits of his training, in which he had
studied the heavens in his night watches, wherever he might be.
There was no sign of any disturbance of the elements. The heavy
swell now and then shook the wind out of his tiny sail, but not a
cloud flecked the sky above him, and the sea which glittered and
sprang playfully at the sides of the pinnace seemed to beckon to him
gladly in hopeful augury for the hours to come.
The apprehensions that he had felt were dissipated in the mellow
glow of the southern sun. Had he been alone, this voyage in an
open boat over an unknown sea would have filled him with delight.
But the slender figure at his side, which lay pale and silent in the
shadow of the gunwale, filled him with vague alarms.
On, on into the void, the tiny vessel crept. The sun sank low in the
sky and dropped, a red ball, behind the disk of sea. The dusk swept
up over the ocean like the shadow of a storm, and night drew a
purplish curtain across the smiling heaven. The stars twinkled into
sudden life, and night fell, clear, warm, spangled, while the soft,
stealthy seas crept alongside and leaped and fawned at the shearing
prow of the pinnace. An arching moon arose and sailed, a silver
boat, high into the heavens. But Bras-de-Fer moved not and Barbara
still slept. Continually his keen eyes swept the dark rim of the
horizon for a blur of sail or the sign of any portentous movement of
the elements. He knew the horrors of this southern ocean, and the
catlike purring of the silken seas did not deceive him; for in the
swaying deep he could feel the great rhythmical pulse of the heart of
the sea, which spoke a continuous, sullen, ominous threat of
resistless might, ready at the turn of a mood to rise, engulf, and
devour.
By midnight the wind fell, and with the flapping of the idle sail
Barbara awoke.
She lay for some moments, her eyes winking at the swinging
stars, then pushed the cloak aside, lifted her head, and looked wide-
eyed around and into the face of Bras-de-Fer.
“I have slept?” she asked, bewildered—“I have slept in this boat?”
He bent forward over her eager delight.
“The clock around, Barbara, dear. You were so weary, so weary, I
have let you rest.”
“Ah, yes, I remember. The Saucy Sally—”
“An evil dream, a nightmare. See; we are borne upon a fairy sea.
All the world is at peace. This infinity of beauty is ours—it is for us
alone.”
She shuddered a little and drew closer to him. “Oh, it is so vast, so
inscrutable, this treacherous, pitiless water! Have we come nearer to
the land?”
“Fifteen leagues at least. The wind has failed us but this half-hour.
After you have eaten and drunk you shall sleep again, and when you
awake I promise you land under the very lid of the eye.”
“And you—have you not slept?”
“Madame, I am a very owl of birds. But I have the hunger of a
lynx.”
Then while she took the helm he set before her the food which
Jacquard had provided. There were sea-biscuit, boucan, preserved
fruits from the store of the San Isidro, and a pannikin of rum-and-
water.
It was not until she ate that she discovered how hungry she was;
Bras-de-Fer had eaten nothing for eight-and-forty hours. And so like
two children they sat and supped hungrily. When the meal was
done, Bras-de-Fer arranged the bread-bags and the pillow so that
she might sleep in greater comfort, but she would not have it so.
“No, no,” she insisted, “I am well again and strong. If you do not
sleep I shall not.” And so resolute was her tone that he forbore to
press her further.
But sleep was the furthest from his own eyes. He felt not even the
faintest touch of weariness. She leaned back upon his arm again,
and so, hand in hand, they sat in their little vessel, mute and
spellbound at the completeness of their happiness, which even the
presence of grim danger was powerless to steal away from them.
The air was sweet and balmy and brushed their cheeks like the
breath from an angel’s wing. The first pungent aromatic odor of the
land reached their nostrils, mingled delicately with the salt of the
sea. In silence they watched the planets burn and glow red like
molten iron against the star-bepowdered sky, across which the placid
moon sailed down upon its promised course. Flying stars vied with
each other in the brightness of their illuminations in their honor. And
presently, shaming them into darkness, a giant meteor shot like a
flaming brand across the spacious sky, spurning and burying in its
splendid pathway a myriad of the lesser embers; which, when it was
done, peeped forth again timidly upon the velvet night, ashamed of
their small share in its glory. All of this they saw reflected doubly on
an ocean of gray satin, which sent the bright reflections in wriggling
rays like so many snakes of fire to mingle and play amid the glow of
the caressing surges, which gushed languidly at their very feet.
To have spoken would have been to break the spell which bound
them to the infinite. And so they sat enthroned in these wonderful
dominions of which for the nonce they were prince and princess.
“Thou art content?” he asked at last.
She did not answer him at once. When she did, it was softly and
with eyes which sought the distant horizon away from him.
“If to be content means to breathe freely, deeply, the pure air of
heaven, to thank God for the present, to care not what evil has been
or what evil may be, to be engulfed in quiet delight, to be swathed
in peace, then, monsieur, I am content.”
He flushed warmly, and the arm about her tightened. He sought
her lips with his own. She did not resist him. And so before the high,
effulgent altar of God’s heaven, with the surges for choristers, the
stars for candles, and the voices of the sentient night for company,
he plighted her his troth.
It was then that she swept away the only shadow that remained
upon their love. With head bowed, in deep contrition he told her of
his madness that first night upon the Saucy Sally, when he had
wildly railed at fate, at all things, and promised to wreak upon her
he knew not what dire vengeance.
“Our accounts are balanced, then,” she smiled. “We shall begin
anew. For I, too, have many times denied you in my heart and on
my lips. And I know that I have loved you always.”
“Adorée!” he whispered.
It was Barbara, as if to belie her own happiness, who first broke
the spell of witchery that had fallen upon them. Her eyes, which had
aimlessly sought the horizon, stopped and dilated as she fixed her
gaze upon one spot which trembled and swam in the light. Bras-de-
Fer started up, straining his eyes to where she pointed.
“Look!” she cried. “Is it—”
There, her rigging and sails clearly drawn in lines of ice, a
phantom of the thing that she was, hung a vessel. She had crept up
on some flaw of wind, her sail in the shadow, and now upon another
tack had thrown her white canvases to the reflection of the sky.
“It is no phantom,” cried monsieur, in delight. “A ship, Barbara,
chérie! By her build a man-of-war, not two leagues distant.”
“Will she have seen us, do you think?”
“If she has not, it will be but a matter of moments.”
He ran forward to where the provisions and weapons had been
put under a piece of pitched canvas. He drew forth a musket, and
loaded it with an extra charge of powder. Barbara put her fingers to
her ears as the gun roared forth its salute.
The silent night was split and riven asunder by the mighty echoes;
the robe of enchantment fell, the prince and princess were prince
and princess no longer. Barbara sighed. Their throne was but a
rugged boat and themselves but castaways wildly seeking a refuge.
The dream of an hour was over. But none the less she helped
monsieur load the muskets, and cried gladly when a flash and a puff
of smoke came from the side of the stranger, and the low
reverberation of the echoes of the shot told her that they were
rescued.
The ship came slowly down. ’Twas evident she brought the wind
with her, for about the pinnace all was a dead calm. Barbara’s
qualms that she, too, might be a boucanier were speedily set at rest;
for as she came nearer they discovered that she sat tall upon the
water, and the glint of her ordnance along her larboard streaks
proclaimed her trade. No sign of her nationality she gave until she
had come within long earshot. Then a round, honest English voice
rang heartily:
“Ahoy the boat! Who are ye? Whence d’ye come?”
To this Bras-de-Fer replied that they were castaways, marooned,
and in sore need of help. The ship, they learned, was his Majesty’s
Royal Maid, war brig of his excellency the governor of Jamaica.
“See, madame,” he murmured as the ship drew near. “’Tis
manifest you are my destiny. While you have frowned, Dame
Fortune would have none of me. And now she is benignity itself.” He
paused, sighing. “And yet I could almost wish she had not smiled so
soon.”
Her hand under cover of the cloak sought his. “Insatiable man,
can you not be content?”
“It was too, too sweet an enchantment to be so soon ended.”
“Nay,” she whispered. “It is but just begun.”

THE END
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THE GENTLEMAN FROM INDIANA
THE FLIRT

GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK

JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD’S


STORIES OF ADVENTURE
May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list.

THE COUNTRY BEYOND


THE FLAMING FOREST
THE VALLEY OF SILENT MEN
THE RIVER’S END
THE GOLDEN SNARE
NOMADS OF THE NORTH
KAZAN
BAREE, SON OF KAZAN
THE COURAGE OF CAPTAIN PLUM
THE DANGER TRAIL
THE HUNTED WOMAN
THE FLOWER OF THE NORTH
THE GRIZZLY KING
ISOBEL
THE WOLF HUNTERS
THE GOLD HUNTERS
THE COURAGE OF MARGE O’DOONE
BACK TO GOD’S COUNTRY

Ask for Complete free list of G. & D. Popular Copyrighted Fiction


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK

ZANE GREY’S NOVELS


May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset and Dunlap’s
list.

THE CALL OF THE CANYON


WANDERER OF THE WASTELAND
TO THE LAST MAN
THE MYSTERIOUS RIDER
THE MAN OF THE FOREST
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