“Heard you of any honest prisoner rescued from the pirates?”
“No.”
“Heard you of any man of Roland Bayard?”
“No! never heard that name before! There were but two names talked of—Nichol Silver, the captain of the blockade runner, and Craven Cloud, his first officer,” said the pilot, now breaking away and hurrying aft.
“And they’ll both be hung as high as Haman, or my name is not Grandiere, and I never commanded the good ship Kitty, and she was never taken from me, with all her cargo, by the piratical craft Argente, devil sink her! Blockade runner, is it? No doubt in the world she was a blockade runner! But she was so much worse than that that she was a pirate of the worst order! Attacking and taking unarmed merchantmen, and committing Lord knows what atrocities besides! Ah! I’m glad—I’m glad I didn’t stop longer in England! I’m glad I came over, so as to be able to give evidence that will hang the pirate captain and his mate! I shall take the first train to Washington, after landing! I must be on hand to give my evidence as soon as possible, or those devils will be claiming to be treated as prisoners of war, because they were taken while trying to run the blockade! Prisoners of war, indeed, after taking my peaceable Kitty, with her cargo, and sending her crew adrift! We’ll see when I get to Washington! My evidence will hang them as high as Haman!”
“Don’t you think a fifteen-foot gallows and a five-foot fall would be quite as effectual, Capt. Grandiere?” inquired Wynnette.
“What do you know about it?” demanded the skipper.
“Nothing at all! That is the very reason why I was turning the question over in my mind and asking for instructions.”
“Oh, Mr. Force! Oh, Mr. Force! What has become of Roland?” pleaded Rosemary, in a low, wailing voice as she took the squire’s hand.
“I wish I could satisfy you, my dear, but I cannot. We may learn something from the evening papers when we land in New York. If we do not we shall certainly find out when we reach Washington, where we shall meet Le.”