"I ask your indulgence, Captain," said I, in another voice; "there is a packet I would fain keep—"
"Pish! I must have all or none," he interposed. "Yet I am in a mood to indulge you, so be you give me your hand on paper that I took all off you."
This made me perpend, for my wits are sharp, and I began to guess that this was maybe by way of a wager, and that the fool was rattling the dice on his life.
"I will do that," said I, after a pause, "if you will let this document that is important to none but myself remain. I have sixty guineas also."
"Hand 'em over," says he, in a jocose way.
His pistol was still at my head, and I made search for my purse and gave it to him, the which he pocketed without so much as examining it.
"And for this warranty," said he, "I have quill and paper;" whereat I knew that I was upon the right thought. He put a hand into his pocket, but being by now unsuspecting that he had any to deal with save a mild sheep, he paid little heed to his earlier precautions; and the next I had his pistol hand in my clutch. He was taken aback at the first, but struggled gamely, though (Lord save us!) he was no match for me. With a twist of the wrist his pistol fell to the road with a dull clank, and presently I had the door of the chaise open and was gripping him in the darkness. And now 'twas my barker that was against his forehead.
"I was mistook," said I, as he came to a pause in his struggles, "and 'tis not the gallows will have you, sure, but this cold barrel o' mine. And so say your prayers."
He uttered a little reckless laugh. "Oh, I will spare you them," says he; "doubtless you're in haste to be on."