“He was always preachin’ agin the King, and agin us in particular,” said another. “He act’lly used his meetin’ house for a hospital. He oughter ha’ been shot when his wife was.”
“Gad,” said Arrison, his eye gleaming with tiger-like ferocity, “I’d liked to have been the fellow that finished her. She was as bad as him, if not worse. She was praying, wasn’t she?” he added, laughing sardonically. “Praying with her young whelp, Smith, when she was shot by one of your fellows through a window.”
“Yes,” replied the outlaw appealed to, “and arterwards we threw her body into the road, where it lay all day in the sun, before we’d allow ‘em to take it away. If a few more were sarved in the same fashion, it would be better for all of us, as well as for the King.”
“They ought to have their throats cut, the whole spawn of them, women and children too,” said another savagely, striking the table with his clenched fist. “There’ll never be peace till there is.”
“Nor booty for us,” cried another, with a laugh.
With a shudder of horror, Kate reflected that the men who applauded these atrocities, had her now in their power; and that to their natural ferocity the stimulus of intoxication was rapidly being added. Involuntarily she began to grope about the room, hoping to find a knife, or other weapon of defence. “But you haven’t told us,” said the lieutenant, after awhile, addressing Arrison, “what you’re going to do, to make up the plunder we were to get by taking this gal down the river. Will you put her to ransom?”
“Better than that,” was the answer. “I intend to marry her.”
“Marry her? But where’s the parson?”
“I’m parson enough.”
“Whew! that will be playing, high, low, Jack and the game. But you ought to double the pay,” he continued, “if we help you to such an heiress.”