"I'll do nothing of the sort," responded Maas. "I decline to be left alone with you."
"I'm very much afraid you've no option," remarked MacAndrew calmly; and as he spoke he gave a little significant twist to the revolver he held in his hand. "Come, sir," he continued more sternly than he had yet spoken. "On to your feet, if you please. Remember you are playing with desperate men. If by hesitating you get into trouble, you will have only yourself to thank. Your friend, the cruiser, is still a couple of miles away, as you must be aware, and a revolver-shot would scarcely be heard as far."
Seeing that there was nothing for it but to obey, Maas rose to his feet and passed out of the smoking-room, along the deck, and down the saloon companion-ladder to his own cabin. Once there, MacAndrew handed his revolver to Jimmy, with the request that he would be good enough to watch the prisoner during his absence, and to put a bullet through his skull if he should attempt to escape or give the alarm.
"For my part," resumed MacAndrew, "I'm going to test the resources of Mr. Browne's medicine-chest."
Five minutes later he returned with an ounce or so of some dark fluid in a graduating-glass.
"Good heavens! You're surely not going to poison him," exclaimed Browne; while Maas stared at the glass with frightened eyes.
"Poison him?" answered MacAndrew coolly. "My dear fellow, is it likely I should do anything so absurd? No; I am simply going to place him in a position of safety, so that he cannot harm us during the time the warship is in sight. Now, Mr. Maas, I shall have to trouble you to swallow this."
"I'll do nothing of the kind," asserted Maas sturdily. "You shall not persuade me to put my lips to it."
"In that case, I'm afraid there will very probably be trouble," replied MacAndrew. "If I were you, sir, I should make up my mind to the inevitable. Remember there are unpleasant arguments we could bring to bear, should you still remain obdurate."
Maas gasped for breath. He looked right and left, as if for some loophole of escape, but could find none. He was surrounded on every side by inexorable faces, which gazed upon him without pity or remorse, while on the table before him stood the small glass half-full of the dark-coloured liquid.