“Beast and fiend!” Fray Felipe said. “Give it me!”
“Ha! Would I not be a fool to do so?” the pirate challenged. “One side, fray! One side—or you die!”
The other raised his cutlass to strike. But Fray Felipe could not be driven back by such means while the sacred goblet was in the possession of the other.
“Give it me!” he commanded.
“One side—”
Fray Felipe took a quick step forward and jerked the goblet from the other’s hand. The pirate cursed and darted forward again. Fray Felipe caught the descending arm.
Back and forth they struggled, and the fray dropped the goblet to the ground again. He was a strong man for his age, but the pirate was young and strong also. He forced Fray Felipe back against the wall of the burning hut, throttled him, raised the cutlass again.
“I warned you, fray!” the pirate hissed.
And then he hissed again, a hiss of pain and fright. Through his body a blade had been plunged. He dropped the cutlass, threw wide his arms, shrieked once more, and fell with face toward the ground. And Sergeant Gonzales merely glanced down at him, then picked up the goblet, wiped it against his tunic, and bowed before Fray Felipe.
“Allow me,” the sergeant said. “It is a fortunate thing that I was near, fray!”