“Liar!” said one, giving him a slap that made his jaws ache again.
“Liar!” another one remarked, kicking him vigorously from behind; “didn’t we get up a tree after you, and you escaped?”
“Yet now I come to look at the rogue more closely, the more I am convinced he is one of young Warbeck’s followers,” said Death-wing, “and as such, he must—”
“Die!” said all, in a solemn chorus.
When the verdict was made known, the whole of the Skeleton Crew commenced dancing around him in a wild unearthly fashion, and as each came near him, they gave the luckless fellow a kick or a blow, until he was black and blue.
“Bind him hand and foot,” said the grim chief; “this rascal has many secrets to reveal about Wildfire Ned, and Sea-hawk’s gang; we must extract them all from him, or cut him joint from joint.”
“Bind him hand and foot, and tie him to the main-mast!”
This was done.
All the crew, save one, all the while stood round the victim, while Death-wing began to question him.
So silent were the crew upon extracting from him every item about Wildfire Ned, that they took but little notice of the intense fog which now enveloped the ship, or where it was drifting to.