“Indeed!� said I sarcastically, whereat he turned pale with anger but still mastered himself.
“We offer you,� he continued, “safety. We can’t take you with us, but we’ll leave you here on the island arter we have fetched away the treasure.�
“Thank you,� I returned, “you are vastly kind.�
He bit his lip at that and then his eyes turned from me to my companion.
“If you are willin’ to give up the woman,� he said suddenly, revealing his real villainy, “I’ll enroll you with our followin’ an’ we’ll all git away together on The Rose of Devon.�
“What of the ship?� I asked.
It was a hard thing to control my temper, but I wanted the information and until I got it I must command myself.
“She was badly damaged when she took ground on the sand durin’ the storm but not entirely wrecked, an’ is still seaworthy. We’ve patched her up, too. We can git away in her an’ you can navigate her, or we can do without you, for that matter, an’ make shift to git her back to the South American coast at least.�
“So you offer me free passage and my share of the treasure if I will give up Mistress Wilberforce, do you?�
“That’s just it,� answered Pimball. “Eh, mates?� whereat a deep chorus of approval came from Glibby and the men.