“Bring the darkey back here as quick as you can!”
Then turning to his prisoner, for the man had shown the white feather instantly he was at the boy’s mercy, he added, “Catch that bar above your head and hold on there. Remember that at the least movement I shall shoot. I ought to do that at once, for pirates like you are not worth the trouble necessary to keep them prisoners.”
It could be seen that the man understood English from the alacrity with which he obeyed, and when he was grasping one of the spare steering-rods in such a manner as to raise himself slightly from the deck, Ned held the revolver at his head with one hand, while with the other he searched the fellow’s pockets.
A pair of wicked-looking brass-knuckles was the result of this search, and then Ned took from the engineer’s belt a keen-edged knife, both of which articles he threw into the furnace-room.
This work had but just been completed when Vance entered the apartment, driving the darkey in front of him, and never did a black face show more evidences of fear than at this moment.
“Back that fellow against this one!” Ned said sharply as Vance appeared, “and see how quick you can lash them together. I’ll stand ready to kill the first one who makes any kick.”
Vance went to work as expeditiously as if he had always been accustomed to such tasks.
First he hastily unbuckled the belts of both, and with them made a strap of sufficient length to go around the prisoners while their arms were lowered. Then, running back to the forward cabin, he brought out a quantity of ratline stuff, with which he proceeded to do them up in a perfect network.
Ned did not wait until the task was wholly accomplished.
When Vance had so far secured them that it was impossible either could do anything toward effecting his release, Ned ran to first one companion-way and then the other until in less than a couple of minutes he had them well secured.