I suppose I sprang at his throat; it was the only thing for a live man to do. But the little beggar was quicker than a cat, and he brought me up all standing, with a huge pistol thrust into my face.
"Aha! you vill choke me, ees it? By gar, Mistaire Preb', eet is possib' I make you—how you say it?—walk ze board—ze plank, yes? You vill sit down on ze chair and tek eet easy. Ze sheep ees belong to h-us, and your fran's 'ave all been lock' up in ze staterooms. You can do notting; moi, Alphonse Lequat, vill tek ze comman'."
It was not until after all of this had happened that Van Dyck found his voice.
"Is this—is this a mutiny, Lequat?" he asked, as mild as mush.
"Eet is vat you vill be please' to call heem, M'sieu' Van Dyck, certainement. For fifteen, twanty, feefty minute' you vill sit on ze chair, and Pedro, he is stay outside ze door and keel you eef you make noises. Bam-by, moi, Alphonse Lequat, s'all come back to tell you vat eet is you s'all do." And then to his men: "Allons, mes garçons!"
And with that he backed out of the owner's private cabin, and shut and locked the door.