To all this I listened with the greatest intentness. "And is that all you know of him?" said I. "And can you not tell whether he is yet on the island?"
The fellow looked at me for a moment out of the corners of his eyes without speaking. "Look 'ee, sir," said he, after a little while, "what I wants to know is this: be ye seeking to harm Ned England or not?"
"And do you trouble yourself about that?" says I. "Sure he can be no friend of yours, for did I not myself see him knock out a parcel of your teeth with an iron belaying-pin?"
"Yes, you did," says he; "but I bear him no grudge for that."
"Why," said I, "then neither do I bear him a grudge, and I give you my word of honor that I mean no harm to him."
The fellow looked at me earnestly for a while. "You wants to know where Ned England is, don't you, sir?" said he.
I nodded my head. "And I wants to be perserved from hanging, don't I?"
I nodded my head again.
"Then look 'ee, sir," says he, "we'll strike a bit of a bargain: if you'll promise to say nothing to harm me and my shipmates, I'll tell you where to find Ned England."
I considered the matter for a while. The fellow had told me a straightforward story, nor did I doubt that he intended to break away from his evil courses. I may truly say that I verily believe I would not have betrayed the three poor wretches under any circumstances. "Very well," said I, "I promise to keep my part of the bargain."