'A servant of my lord the bishop.'
'And you?' continued the captain.
'A poor sacristan attending upon my lord the bishop.'
'And you?' cried he to a third.
'The supercargo of this vessel.'
'Put him aside, Hawkhurst!'
'Do you want the others?' inquired Hawkhurst significantly.
'No.'
Hawkhurst gave a signal to some of the pirates, who led away the sacristan and the servant. A stifled shriek and a heavy plunge in the water were heard a few seconds after. During this time the pirate had been questioning the supercargo as to the contents of the vessel and her stowage, when he was suddenly interrupted by one of the pirates, who, in a hurried voice, stated that the ship had received several shot between wind and water and was sinking fast. Cain, who was standing on the slide of the carronade with his sword in his hand, raised his arm and struck the pirate a blow on the head with the hilt, which, whether intended or not, fractured his skull, and the man fell upon the deck.
'Take that, babbler, for your intelligence; if these men are obstinate, we may have worked for nothing.'