"It's you, yourself, friend, who calls!" said he, in the direction of the voice. Then, he turned to Gavrilo, who continued to murmur a prayer. "Yes, brother, you're in luck. If those devils had pursued us, it would have been the end of you. Do you hear? I'd have soon sent you to the fishes."
Now that Tchelkache again spoke quietly and even good-naturedly,
Gavrilo, still trembling with fear, begged him:
"Listen, let me go! In the name of Christ, let me go. Set me down somewhere. Oh dear! oh, dear! I'm lost! For God's sake, let me go. What do you want of me? I can't do this, I've never done anything like it. It's the first time, Lord! I'm lost! How did you manage, comrade, to get around me like this? Say? It's a sin, you make me lose my soul! . . . Ah! what a piece of business!"
"What business?" sternly questioned Tchelkache. "Speak, what business do you mean?"
The lad's terror amused him; he also enjoyed the sensation of being able to provoke such fear.
"Dark transactions, brother. . . Let me go, for the love of Heaven.
What am I to you? Friend . . ."
"Be quiet! If I hadn't needed you, I shouldn't have brought you! Do you understand? Eh! Well, be quiet!"
"Oh, Lord!" sobbed Gavrilo.
"Enough!"
Gavrilo could no longer control himself and his breath came in broken and painful gasps; he wept and moved restlessly about on his seat, but rowed hard, in despair. The boat sped ahead like an arrow. Again the black hulls of the ships arose before them, and the boat, turning like a top in the narrow channels that separated them, was soon lost among them.