“Do you hear me, boy? Answer me, you— Oh no, it is impossible.”
There was a low derisive laugh plainly heard, and then in a mocking tone Jarette said—
“Why don’t you answer the good kind captain, Lieutenant Walters?”
I started at this, and my lips parted to give utterance to the ejaculation, “Oh!” as I felt I was grasping the reason of my messmate’s conduct. Could it be ambition?
“What! you’re too modest? All right, dear boy, I’ll answer for you. Yes, he has joined me, skipper, as my right hand, to help navigate our ship. Do you hear—our ship? He was sick of your bullying and domineering, just as we all were. I had only to ask the lads if they were not tired of being slaves, to have them join me at once. And now you’ve often talked to me; let me talk to you for your good. No more bad language, please, unless you want to go overboard to join those fools who showed fight last night. Be civil, and you shall be decently treated, till I set you afloat or ashore, as seems best to me. There, we only want to say—don’t play the fool, and let the doctor and those passengers think they can do any good by resisting. We don’t want to make any of you bleed. What have you been doing to the door to keep it from opening? Have it pulled down, and come out like sensible people.”
“Don’t answer him, sir,” said the mate, in a whisper.
“Do you hear?” cried Jarette, savagely. “Open the door, or I’ll put a few pounds of powder up against it and blow it in.”
“Come and touch the door,” cried the captain, sternly, “and we’ll blow your brains out.”
“What?” cried Jarette, mockingly. “You blow my brains out, fool!—what with?”
“This!” said Mr Denning, sharply, and he thrust the barrel of the double gun so quickly through one of the openings left, and also through the narrow slit formed by the partly opened door, that there was the sound of men scuffling back, and a heavy fall, followed by a roar of laughter.