“He speaks right,� said an old seaman at the back of the crowd.
“There stands a man of sense,� said I, “therefore you will hear my conditions and accede to them.�
“Heave ahead,� said Pimball roughly enough, evidently not liking the situation but failing utterly to see how it could be amended since I completely held the whip hand of them all.
“What I stipulate is very simple. First of all, I am to have my full and equal share of the treasure with the rest. I am to be treated exactly like the others in the division, and my life and liberty, which are just as valuable to me as yours to any of you, are to be granted me, as I grant those of others.�
“Why, we told you that in the first place,� growled out the boatswain, “if that’s all you’ve got to say—�
“But it isn’t.�
“What else?�
“The woman.�
“Ah, the woman,� said Pimball slowly.
“What had you proposed to do with her?� I asked.