“This is the Marie Renaud, of and from Marseilles, for Bourbon, with a general cargo.”
I translated, turning to O’Gorman—and slightly away from the group of Frenchmen—to do so; and while I was speaking a hand touched mine—which I held, clenched, behind my back, with the letter, folded small, within it—while a voice murmured in my ear:
“Your letter, monsieur?”
I opened my fingers, and felt the missive gently abstracted.
“Thank God for that opportunity!” thought I fervently, as O’Gorman said:
“Ask him if he has plenty of provisions and water aboard.”
I at once saw the villain’s game: he was going to replenish the brig’s stores by plundering the barque, thus rendering it unnecessary to touch at any port. So, while translating the question to the French skipper, I took it upon myself to very tersely mention my suspicions, and to recommend the adoption of any precautionary measures that might suggest themselves.
“The bulk of my stores is stowed in the after hold,” answered the French skipper, “but there is about enough in the lazarette to carry us to Cape Town. If they can be persuaded to be satisfied with what is there only, we shall come to no great harm.”
“You hear?” said I, turning to O’Gorman again, quite certain, by this time, of his inability to understand a single word of French; “they are very short of provisions, having only sufficient in their lazarette to carry them to Cape Town.”
“Is that all?” demanded the Irishman. “Thin, be jabers, I’m sorry for thim, for there’s a good manny miles bechuxt here and Cape Town, and I’m afraid they’ll be mortial hungry before they get there. For I’m goin’ to help mesilf to everything ateable that the barque carries, and so ye may tell the skipper—bad cess to him for a mismanagin’ shpalpeen! Whoy didn’t he lay in stores enough to carry him to the ind of his v’yage? And ye may tell him, too, to start all hands to get those stores on deck in a hurry; our own lads will have enough to do in lookin’ afther everybody, and seein’ that none of the Frenchies thries to play anny tricks wid us.”