In a moment or two came the answer—
“Ahoy, there, Captain—here we be!”
“Fetch along the cargo!” shouted Captain Settle, on my prompting.
“Where be you?”
“Up the road, here—waiting!”
“One minute, then—wait one minute, Captain!”
I heard the boat push’d off, some Good-nights call’d, and then (with tender anguish) the voice of my Delia lifted in entreaty. As I guess’d, she was beseeching the sailors to take her back to the sloop, nor leave her to these villains. There follow’d an oath or two growl’d out, a short scrimmage, and at last, above the splash of the retreating boat, came the tramp of heavy feet on the road below.
So fired was I at the sound of Delia’s voice, that ’twas with much ado I kept quiet behind the bush. Yet I had wit enough left to look to the priming of my pistol, and also to bid the Captain shout again. As he did so, a light shone out down the road, and round the corner came a man bearing a lantern.
“Can’t be quicker, Captain,” he called: “the jade struggles so that Dick and Jeremy ha’ their hands full.”
Sure enough, after him there came in view two stooping forms that bore my dear maid between them—one by the feet, the other by the shoulders. I ground my teeth to see it, for she writhed sorely. On they came, however, until not more than ten paces off; and then that traitor, Luke Settle, rose up behind our bush.