He spat out some of the blood from his mouth and had plenty more on his face, so I threw him a towel.
“Are you going to try any more of this?” I asked.
He was wiping his face with the towel, and paused to look up at me, shook his head, and continued his task.
At that moment the Stella came alongside with a force which sent a shiver through the Rampallo from stern to stern; and the sounds of the trampling of many feet on the deck above our heads followed.
“What’s that?” he exclaimed and started to scramble up.
“You’ll find it safer to stop just where you are,” I said curtly.
He glanced up at me and, not liking my looks, abandoned the attempt. “What is the meaning of it all?” he asked sullenly.
“I was on this boat the night before last when you were all discussing your plans and I decided to play the king’s part in this business.”
“You?” and he ran his eyes over my much slighter form.
“You’ll find the remainder of His Majesty under the bunk here; the shot-weighted clothes and all the rest of it.”